Plant Propagation , The Basics ,Continued May 2015

Here you go a thread to plant talk ,, anything you want to talk about , here is where ,,, ,,,

There are those gorgeous pink zinnias, OK Deb.

wow love those zinnias..
well, as you know I had this basement full of things that looked like this last week.. and a few weeks ago I experimented with trying to make the calico vine, and the batwing passion vine root mid stem, so I out a wet grow plug around the two and wound yarn around it and kept spraying it.. the basket on the middle shelf to the right had the vines growing everywhere, I kept putting up strngs for them to grow on the ceiling , anyway.. I pulled the vines out of the window and ntangled all of them and got them out of the wires of the shelf and stuff, and then cut them off below the wrapped area..it was a tangled mess.. got the basket out with the mother plants and the shelf down and all, the cut off part is in a water bottl filled with vermiculite and soil wad and all.. here is hoping..That wall to the right is now bare..now, here is the other passion vine growing on a mirror and string, with a large tub of 4 oclock growing high and happy.. two pots. I did the same thing to it with the wrap, have not cut it yet..

here, is a tub with wood chips only, that I managed to root things in, now I have to get them out and pot them up , and another tub of stuffs in wood chip and peat mix, I was successful at rooting this ginger..from the scraggly mother plant..( to the lower right in a black plastic tub) and here is where I had long stem cuttings and bulbs and such all winter, ( most of those are now planted..)

here is the other wall ( south east) I have not even begun to undo it.. and here is Gamera

Incredible Debra !!! Every time I see that , My thought goes WOW !!!

I was thinking of asking for some Gamera seeds ,, but , that might be a bit much ,, lol ?

I have sprouts to plant out , only it is going to be too cold tonight here ,,, weather going goofy again ,,

If you find the magic that produces Gamera seeds I would pay you for a couple. He/she (do you know which it is?) is cool.

Put your green thumb in the wind when it is blowing out West. Maybe some of it will rub off on me. Even tho I know those type of plants, tropicals, grow in the tropics and under the canopy of the other trees, it still makes me wonder how they survive with mfg'd light. How many lights did you say you have? How do you know when and where to put the lights? OH, BTW, where do you buy them? Do you have to have ballasts for them? I have bought some on line from hydroponic stores, and they always seem to be rather suspicious of why I am buying them. I think the DEA watches them pretty closely. You even need passwords etc. to get on their sites. (some, I am sure not all) Maybe.......

I was going to try to grow hydroponics one time, bought a track and light and hood with motor. Bob put it up for me in the basement. But, I could never adjust the heat in there because it was a room in the basement next to the furnace. There was no duct to adjust the heat etc. So, if the door was open it got too warm, and closed, too cold. Then with my surgeries I couldn't go up and down the stairs so I just let it go. The track etc. are still there. Gee, wonder if that would be an added feature for selling this house. LOL

Jen ..LOL .. my lights are T5's in the main room, they are expensive, they put out 7500K per bulb and there are 4 in each fixing. I paid 1800 for three of them in the main room installed. The wall lights are bulbs with 800 to 2600 k screw in clamp on's. I have timers on them all winter to go on on the East side first, then the main lights gt turned on before I leave for work, the west walls are the last to go off, the main lights get turned off at 6. right now there are very few bulbs lit up as I am only using the main lights until I get mst of the stuff all the way out, and Gamera is a she, male tortoise and turtles have red eyes. At night my basement windows look ike a fling saucer from outside, no police have ever stoped by, I have a retired sheriiff behind me and a retired deputy down the street and I am known in this town as the crazy plant lady.

anyway.. here are some of my other propagation efforts, which I have always and will always try to do as I hate to BUY plants. I went to a nursery after my doctor visit today, and had a sedum in my hand and then as I perused what I would like to have , I'd remember that I already grew it, or already had it, or just didn't want to BUY another plant, so I put it back and left. these were the bublets I posted a while back. and a few other things I made cuttngs of with the fish pond filter downstairs,...oh and the turtle area void of the big plants and one of the t5's.. with plants and fish tub in same area..

Yes, the T5s are expensive but $1800 is a good deal even not installed. When I checked them out, the fixtures were $450 each and the bulbs were quite a bit, can't remember how much. So yes, installed that was good. Did you have to have a new breaker box etc. on your meter box? Probably. When we got a generator we had to have one for a larger breaker to run the 220. Are the T5s run on 220?

Very expensive hobby, like all others. Doesn't matter what you have, it runs into a lot of money. jen

I have not put any seeds in the clam shells Bob got me JU. I am going to use coffee filters like my daughter uses. she uses the ziplocks. You did not tell me if you use anything other than plain water.

I had promised Bob I would straighten out his computer today so between the two, his and mine, that is where my day went.

My sister called and asked if I wanted any more plants so I said sure. JUst like that. Am I stupid or what? But, my plants aren't doing a lot so decided I sure, why not? Should make a good mix of plants in my planters on the deck. Between hers and mine. Dwarf Sweet Peas, Dwarf Snaps, Cypress vines, Status, and Salpaglosis. etc.

ttyl, jen

I am sitting it out this morning rain ,last I set out more zinnia seeds yesterday , Enough so the critters can get a few and me too ,I see chipmunk holes around here and there those things get into everything .
The castor bean wanted some heat heat and changing temperature to sprout well ,, and another that does not need heat to germinate are the seeds of African Foxglove , They root sprouts and green today , I hope to get time to plant them today ,,
Others are setting in the sprouter looking like they need heat , I will drop another damp towel covering all and set the seeds sprouter and all in a hour or two of sun , Heats up to much if any more sun than that ,,
one Artemisia I believe it is returned ,, I love fern like foliage , That and great big leafy things ,,

Going to put some seeds in my sprouter today JU. Hope it works. Will let you know. jen

BTW, do the sprouters need holes in them?

I am still trying to get the African foxglove ,, it is as hot as firecrackers here and humid Shooo Weee !!! weeded this morning ,, Have a watermelon sprout this morning too .. They never grow for me ,,, But I always try anyway ..

It's the challenge JU. You didn't answer my question. Do I need to put holes in my sprouter?

I've got sprouts .. too many
roque bamboo sprouts, cut leaf in front, trying to move them out..
Monstera cutting with philo cuttings for Jen to see'
patio tubs, milkweed in a whiskey barrell
last pic is a bush that was a stick from a dg member who has died, I sure miss her, sure isn't a Korean dogwood like the tag says, tho..

I don't put any holes in my sprouter Jen .seeds do no need air

Raining today A few here ;

That is a gorgeous iris, my daiseys are about done out front.. yours are very pretty Ju,

Mine are just now Starting , daisy that is ,, I will see if the dirt holds the Blooming cherry after all this rain . I have about a foot or so it in the earth to root ,, Next time it starts growing or the time after it will root ,, I am thinking about setting a zinnia pot on it ,,

I was planting african Foxglove yesterday and looking for my cabbage seeds ... Lots of annuals ,, I have gotten a couple of perennials but not many ,,

Yours are always very pretty also Debra , Half dozen of those Giant Lillium are growing , Have some others here that are running ,, Goood ,,,

Still not finished ,, I don;t know that it ever will be ,,,

Nancy, how about Sox? That bunny looks like it might have black ones on. You know it is a little fertilizer factor. Best fertilizer you can get. It doesn't burn so you can use it fresh. I put some, piled is the word, on some raspberries one year and put straw on top of it and had the most wonderful berries ever that year.

JU,what is that thing you are doing there? Killing the grass for another flower bed? Yup, the more flower beds you have, the less mowing. But more weeding. I know the seeds don;t need air JU, meant so they didn't get to wet and rot. Yes, gorgeous iris. I have some daisys like that only Crazy Daisys. Lotsa petals.

Told you Debra that my philodendron like that hasn't done much. How long should it take? Yes, impatient. We only have a couple more weeks until the last frost date. So they say. We'll see. About the time I try to trust them I will lose everything. Right now our night time temps are still in the 40s. Highs in the 70s for the next 10 days or so. If the plants can't get soil in the 50s they won't do anything. Just sit there. My sister went to Arizona yesterday and left just 21 tomato plants that she had left. Not too bad. She had over 60 extras. Has sold 40 or so. They have a mini flea market at the little local museum every year and it is next weekend. Bob wants to take them up there to sell. Good idea I think. Great timing.

Gota get busy. ttyl,

Jen I knew what you meant also , about rot and mold , it can get difficult , A little practice with a few easy seeds will tell or teach you what you need to know ,,,
I have lost a few , mold or whatever ,, Have to keep those sprouters clean, And choice of paper towel , filter paper etc , can make a difference Some papers mold very quickly ,, They are not made to sprout seeds with ,, only clean spills and toss ..

That is a watermelon bed ,, who can say ,,
Clematis
more iris after the rain

That is a very pretty blue Clematis JU. And the iris are beautiful. My mom had a lot of very pretty hybrid irises and when she died, I brought some up here. One year and they all changed color to purples. Also, Stargazer lilies, turned them a black purple. Also, I have 2 Rhododendrons that were deep red when I planted them here. They are now purple. I am sure it is something in the soil, but why would it affect so many different ones? Any idea what it is, and what to do about it? My Rhody is just starting to open up. I will take a picture of it to show you. What chemical would turn it red again?

Will try to show you this afternoon. Do you grow any Rhodies back there? I would imagine you do, your climate is about the same as mine isn't it?

Gotta get moving. ttyl,

Earlier ,,,did not mean to sound mean or anything ,, Debra and Nancy have sent me several perennial seeds ,,, Want to be sure , you know ,, I really appreciate that !!!
I keep finding self sown Lupine plants ,, Letting them grow between pots where they sprouted ,, Still raining ,, I was up early feeling great , and guess what ,,, I got to plant two watermelon seeds and see a few zinnia sprouting , then , gully washer ,,,
oh well ,, I came in , and put the weatherstripping that holds the screen in the front door , and fixed a hummingbird feeder ,,
Not real productive , but it gets it done ,,

oh Jen ,, Rhodies do not grow well here for me

This message was edited May 16, 2015 4:23 PM

they grow well for everyone else around here, but after killing three of them, I quit LOL

What's that Debra? Rhodies? They grow wild on the coast. But those are normally pink and very leggy from reaching for the sun. The wild ones are pink. Everybody in that whole area has lots of Rhodies and azaleas. Those and Heathers are the mainstay plants in peoples yards.

Well, we went over to Colville today and I bought the rocking chair I was looking at when I was with my daughter a couple of weeks ago. It is kind of an outdoor rocker but it was under a canopy so doesn't that tell you that it should not be in the rain and sun. It's made of char burnt logs they said. Not sure where they got that description from, but I like it real well. Many years ago I had a rocker I had out in my arbor where I had fuscias and begonias hanging. I had my 3 tier pond my dad made me many years ago and a Bloodgood Maple tree growing thru the arbor which was painted white. It was so peaceful. That is where I spent my entire summers after work and weekends. But someone, not going to name names, threw my rocker away. I have not found another one I liked until this one. Might take a picture of it tomorrow, along with my Rhodie.

Well, I have to call my daughter for help. My email isn't working. Get an error message and it won't let me send mail. ttyl,

Oh crap, must be tired. It's been a long day. I forgot we didn't bring the rocker home. Couldn't get it in the SUV with my walker etc. and Candy. Bob will have to go get it tomorrow. Oh well, I will take a picture of it when I can.

It actually was pretty warm over there but raining off and on thru the mountains when we came home. Had all the windows down and my door open waiting for Bob to get his shopping done. Candy gets pretty warm, but we always take water and her dish with us. Going to try this again. My daughter wasn't home to fix my computer.

Well I have mixing playing the Mad Alchemist ,, Must be the Mid-evil thing ,lol Mulching Sunflowers , Watching Sprouts ..
As I sort through a few ,
Spanish Snapdragon
Black Prince Snapdragon
Mixed tall Red Snapdragon I think I wanted a couple of Snapdragons Lol
A milkweed seed sprouted today , oh another one of those , lol
Seems Tomatoes and cucumbers is all anyone around here will eat besides me ,, I love the greens ..
Well at things are growing ,,I started some false nettle a while ago ,, a few are just now trying to sprout ,, I thought the seeds might not be any good of those that remained ,, so i planted them all (like a thousand of them in the side area ,) well we will see in a few weeks or so ,,, like a thousand plants might happen lol ,,
If they grow I will pic when they get large enough

JU!!! Stop!! Are you crazy? Why do you want a thousand nettles? Oh man, it must be in the air. You are like my sister planting 150 tomato seeds to get 50. She got 147!!

Tomatoes you can get rid of to other people, but nettles??? Jen

No Jen , I did not want that many if they do ,? However their in a good place if they do . Cold morning here , going for 59 from 43 ,,, cloudy , humid , too cold for me ,
Lots of little plants this time of year ,,
Radish and onions from my kiddie garden for the old guy , is about all so far , lol

Ok JU, so what did you guys do with Debra while my computer was down? She hasn't been heard from since the 16th. So, where is she?

oh here I am, we have been swamped at work, Takata airbag calls, I work at Honda, and people from all over that have never been to our store are calling in, I have to verify if they are involved, I bet out of 30 people in a 20 minute span only two need to come in.. *sigh*
was up with Joanna all night, she had a migraine and was sick to her stomach, 26 going on 6 last night she was. I am so cold!!!
Sheesh!
I have so many sprouts and can only look at all the packages I saved as PLANTED to see what becomes of them. been pulling out maple trees and elm trees from the tubs this evening while wearing two sweat shirts extra socks and wooley lines shoes, I am so cold@!
I have no clue what a nettle is, you guys..
I got seeds from these last September while in Buffalo and planted them this evening.. supposed to rain some more so I figure they will get pounded in..

My flowers are rather slow to go and grow ,, Iris taking it all pretty well though ,

Debra cold here also ..
Nettle 2 of the more common ,, (Boehmeria cylindrica) false nettle
Urtica Dioca Stinging nettle
Host plant for Red admiral , Question Mark , and a few other Butterflies

I Thought I said pretty flowers Debra ,, I don't know what they are , but pretty

So glad to hear from you Debra, I was about to blame JU for your not being on here. One way or the other , lol, that's ok JU, he knows I am teasing him Debra. Going to bed. Can't believe you guys are so cold. I am trying to get my compost down so I can plant my seedlings out. Maybe tomorrow. 'nite, jen

Odds & ends ,,

Castor Bean
Alfalfa
Mustard in the coffee can collection
Zinnia
Milkweed ( Syrica )

More zinnia seedlings

Parsley and cucumbers ,, These particular are white wonder cukes There is Blonde and pickling planted also

The Maple pod seeds are courtesy of nature and the wind ,, we'll get to those later

JU, I've gotta say, If it will hold soil and water you will plant something in it. Would you like me to snd you all of our cans, bottles etc. Sorry, I was teasing you and yet giving you credit for using everything you can find. Repurposing they call it now. That is good. Saves a lot of stuff from the land fill.

But, what do you do with it when it is time to take it out of the pots. You know? you have more energy I think than even Sharon and I thought she had it all. You 2 can compete. I used to be able to, but now I think the meds have me. Will have to ask the dr. about that next time I am in.

I put the used earth in bags with some compost and wastes from the garden, all the chopped cleaned and cut stuff ,, then next season ,, I have potting soil for larger seedlings ,, The cans are stored in garbage bags doubled ,,
I don't always get them all put away in the fall ,, the energy and go , go , thing , you know ,,

Repurposing , ,, Being cheap or frugal when not able to buy pots by the thousands lol ... that's me .. lol

Yes my blood pressure was 117 over 73 , most of the day ,, but it dropped to 99 over 54 for a while ,, that was my munchie break , today ,, I blame Cholesterol pills , nasty things ,,, lol

Last year the Cabbage Butterflies got more of my spinach mustard than I did .. oh well ,,,and I still don't like picking the worms off oh goodie ,,, little green worms ...!!!

I forgot my latest garden thrill ,, a Hops tree ,citrus Family ,,

that is cool, I did the same three years ago with red folgers cans, really like to use anything I can punch a hole in the bottom of, I like the big yellow tall kitty litter tubs with handles the best. You have a lot going on there, Ju. I have had Joe spray paint all my nursery three gallon pots dark green. Want them to blend in with the flower beds where ever I decide to put them. He is gonna freak when I ask him to paint the yellow ones.. LOL
Love that hops tree.. love it all, Ju.
We still have the A/C covered and I a still FREEZING...
His YARD, my flowerbeds are 5ft out from each side fence and around the pear tree and on the patio, he has the bean patch and the potato patch and the half burmuda half fescue lawn . Fine for me right now. I have the bottoms of two tall shredders with holes in the bottom, a couple tubs with handles, whiskey barrells and what ever else I could find. The tub on the south end is Filled to the tee with milkweeds in bud..I finally weeded my pear tree garden..