Propagation Methods

Propagation Methods: Is the question I'am about to ask about.. Seeds, this will be my first attempt to sow them. Never did any before...
What gets me puzzled are these instructions. How do we determine before or after last frost??

From seed; sow indoors before last frost
From seed; direct sow after last frost

Thank-You, Ingrid

Your average last frost date is May 13. This means you should be relatively safe in planting outside after this date. You can sow indoors before this date and in the ground after this date.

Your average first frost date is Sept. 29. This means it is probably wise to get your tropicals and other delicate plants inside by this time. Some seeds that need a cold period can be planted in the ground in the fall. They will then grow the next spring as the weather warms.

Check your the website for a local televison or newspaper and you'll be able to find local weather statistics.
They're referring to the "average" last frost date. Over a period of time, you can guess that after a certain date you won't have any more frosts.

If you're starting annuals or veggies from seed and want a jump start, then back up on the calendar from your last average frost date, the number of weeks the pack recommends for starting indoors. If you have a sun room or have lots of fluorescent lights set up, you could start even earlier. The recommendation is generally made so that your seeds will have time to sprout and grow a couple pairs of true leafs. If you keep them under less than optimum lighting conditions for too long, they'll get leggy and weak and will not transplant well.

For tender annuals / veggies, you could start your seeds outdoors before the last frost date. Just watch the weather and be prepared to cover them or put them indoors if a frost is expected.

Wow..........Thank-you so very much!!
You won't believe how long I have struggled to obtain this information and within 14 mins exactly..here we are THE ANSWER
Big Hug, Thank-You again
Ingrid

hmmm, 13 May?
The last frost date here is 31 May. Two years ago the last 2 weeks of May was so beautiful. I , like everyone else, figured our frost days were over. The nurseries were pandemonium as everyone was rushing those tender annuals home and in the ground along with the hot weather veggies.

I had put my tomatoes out that last week, plus okra, mexican sunflowers and several amaranthus varieties.

Well..... 31 May exactly we had a hard frost. I covered my maters but most everything else turned to mush. Although a Persian Shield I had put out and was killed to the ground actually sprouted new growth and did better than any I had had before.

That was a fantastic year for the nurseries.

Gosh, where is Zion located? I can usually plant out by the first of May and not get a frost, even tho it says our last frost date is after that. One day I may get a big surprise. LOL! I found the information for Paridise thru a search online. http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/quebec.html

Brugie
Thank-You again..We'll go and see.
Be Blessed, Ingrid

Brugie- You had the dates right.....
Ingrid

Thanks Ingrid. It is sometimes hard to tell because the zones don't seem to mesh with the temps for frosts. I don't know how they figure these things out.

Brugie-You did well..I would of never figured it out.
Ingrid

I have noticed in the past that there can be a big difference between last frost date, average last frost date, expected last frost date and so on. I worked in a garden center here in Michigan for several years and we were forever covering and uncovering things at night. They always wanted to have a bunch of flowering things in stock for Easter and Mother's Day, but MI is too unstable in temperature for that to be easy! Our average last frost date is May 15, but we had a store policy of telling people to wait until June 1 to be totally safe!

Zion is on the IL/WI border.
Depending on the zone map you look at, there is sometimes a slender finger of zone 4 that runs along the lake and includes me.

The LAKE - we're close enough that it has a definite influence on our weather. Since it retains heat, it takes us longer to cool down in the winter and longer to warm up in the spring. I've noticed that when we have our spring plant swap which is about 13 miles south of my house and 10 miles further from the lake, my tulips will just be blooming and the daffs budding up and at the swap host's house, they are finished blooming and the bleeding hearts are already in bloom. Probably 4-6 weeks difference in bloom time between us.

Isn't that amazing. Who would think that a little distance and a large pond could make that much difference. I would like the fall best, I'm afraid. Waiting in the spring is hard for me and I get to start before you do. Hope you are still having some great weather now. It's raining here today and warm but things are about to change.

Lake Michigan is definitely a large pond. :) We've been unseasonably warm all week. It was still 60 this morning, gray and humid. Normal highs this time of the year are mid 40's and usually dry. It's supposed to start raining tonight and through Sat then thems get seasonal. So... being on topic, I decided to take cuttings off my Lavendar Lassie roses tonight or in the morning and try starting them in the basement. On a lark, I did that this spring when I cut them back and got 2 new ones out of it. I like showing up to the club garden swaps with uncommon stuff. Seems most people show up with the same stuff because it multiplies or self seeds so readily - coneflower, lily of the nile, ground covers up the wazoo, dollar-a-dozen hosta, mint and anything related, ditch lillies.... ya know?

But I get some good trades when I offer stuff for hot side swaps. It's funny because there ends up a separate gathering on the road at my tailgate.
Here's a shot of the summer plant swap I hosted 7/2003

Gosh, a Lavender Lassie Rose? I've never heard of it. Do you have pictures? Love the picture of your place and plant swap. Would love to see some close ups of some of your flower beds. Bet they look awesome. Here is a picture of a little get together at my place this summer. We had a ball and it's always fun to look at someone else's plants.

Holy cow! Are they admiring a bed of containers or are those swap items?
Our club rules say to keep it at 4" pot size. Other than the big clumps of ditch lilies people rip out at the last minute to have something to trade, I'm the only that brings anything of size. Thats because I like to start stuff from seed or cuttings but really have no place I want to give up permanently so I have groups of containers here and there. Predominantly trees (conifer and deciduous) I start. Then it's hard to let them go. I call 'em my kids and let it be known I get visitor's rights!!

I've always liked photographs (LOOK, LIFE and Nat.GEO. were always favs) and take lots. I've got an history from when they first dug the hole for this house to present... through the seasons. Only the last couple of years are avail digitally since I was able to get a CD when developed. Then this spring I got a digital for father's day but love my SLR. I'll start sprinkling more shots on DG as the subject warrants.

This was just a group of DG friends that got together for a day. We had a great time visiting. Most of what you see is in a flower bed that is 4-5 ft. deep. The pots are all pretty visible, I think. I was hoping these guys would thin out the beds for me before they left, but it didn't work. LOL! I ended up tossing a lot of stuff and much of it was tropicals. Iowa is having another annual Roundup next May. Maybe if there isn't one near you, you could contact the guys in charge of ours and make arrangements to visit with us. At this point, Iowa's roundup has been more regional than just state. I'm sure one day all states will have enough members to start their own. You could probably check the Roundup forum and see if there has been one in your state yet.

I haven't done many cuttings of trees and shrubs yet, but I do start a lot of tropicals that way. However, I need to clarify that statement now....I gave most of my stuff away last fall or pitched it because I had so much and no place to winter it over. That's the bad thing about living in the midwest...........too cold to heat a greenhouse.

Looking forward to seeing a picture or two when you are ready. Talk to you again soon.

Shirley

Sounds like a road-trip to me. I've seen the 'Roundup' mentioned a few times (new - still have similac on my breath) but wasn't sure what or how it worked.

So is it a group of DG members who have big plant swap?
IA wouldn't let an IL member in? You know I pronounce the S in Illinois intentionally - I'm not from here and didn't plan on staying. :)

Vouch for me and provide dates... I'll bring or send you something special.

Here's a hoot - you ever hear of Craig Bergmann? Woe is me when I discovered his nursery "Country Gardens" is basically in my back yard. 5 minutes if I'm not in a hurry. That's where I got the Lavendar Lassie. Hardy, great fragrance, pretty resistant to black spot and I can see I'm going to have to move them. From being cut back to 18" in the typical rose style, they first come up with new growth and first flush of flowers around 3' high. Then, for the encores, she likes to throw up these 6-8' canes. I've cut some back this summer and bent others over and tied trying to keep them from molesting passerbys. I've got another new truss just starting to open now.

You likey?

I'm sure IA would let an IL member in. We had people from Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, and a surprise DG member from Arizona there last May. There may have been Missouri people there too. Sorry if I missed a state. Not sure, but I believe Craig had planned on making the trip, but something must have come up. Hopefully, another time.

The rose sounds interesting. I have 5 or 6 David Austin's and two or three Tea roses. I'm going to try growing some from seed this year too. Hey, head over to the Iowa thread on the Roundup forum http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/430120/ and jump right in.

S.

well brugie, you haven't said yet if you'd like that last truss of Lavendar Lassie that just starting to open so it won't be in the mail today. email an address and I'll send it tomorrow.

here's an Aug shot from my view in the garage. Mums in the foreground fixing to bloom with second flush of phlox and helianthus in the back.

Beautiful plants!!!

Judy

Sure, I didn't realize you were offering. I'll email you.