My Purple Palace leaf

I had no use for Palace Purple Heuchera before this year. Last winter I cut those I had back very sever. By late winter they were covered with tiny leaves. They not only came back as well mounded plants. They also came back with very large leaves and very thick stems. The leaf in this picture is laying on my deck. The board is a 1x6 or 5 1/2 inches wide. So you can see From the picture the leaf is over 6 inches wide and longer than that. there are some even larger and I am hoping to maintain them in top shape for the Leaf show at the Missouri State Fair. Everyone coming into the garden says they never seen a Palace Purple as big as a couple of these are. If it is all they say, I should capture a Blue Ribbon with one of these leaves.

This message was edited Jun 30, 2006 7:34 PM

What are you feeding that dude? It sure must have liked being sheared.

I think that is the main reason is because they were sheared. But they also got some turkey compost last winter.

Ahhhh, your famous turkey compost.

That leaf is amazing. I may need to cut mine back this Fall to see if I get as good a result as you have.

oz,
Holy Hannah,,,,,Nice sized leaf! You're sure to win a Blue with a leaf like that or bigger at the fair this year. I'll have to get a pic of mine. It's more purple than yours is.

oz,

Here's my Palace Purple.

And, one of it's leaves

Turkey compost hey_____ I wonder if sheep compost would be as good!! The turkey would be richer I would guess.

GardenGeek, your plant looks super healthy. Leaves are beautiful.

Kelly ----yours have better color than mine.

Jamlover--- Turkey compost is 20% introgen.

Sheep compost would be very good also. Thanks. I think this is the best it's ever looked.

We just put 2 new beds in and used Composted pig manure. Ah, wonderful stuff. Almost no transplant shock. There are some hostas that don't like where I put them, so I will be moving them, but the other hostas along with the companion plants look great.

oz,
I don't know why, I have mine in sun 90% of the day. I know the sun up here is different from the sun you get down there, you are much hotter than we are.

It gets morning sun Kelly. Sheep compost might be even better. You got to be careful with poultry compost it will burn thing up real good.

One of my customers raises sheep. He lets his manure sit and compost for a few years. Told me I could have some whenever I wanted.

Most of the farmers I know put their manure in a manure pit.

Kelly------ Well go over to that pit and dive in and get yourself all you need. It is free. I pay $30 a load and I think I it is a real good bargin. I have no idea what the percent of its components are. The stuff i buy is compost but the farmers around here treat it as a fertalizer and the soil amendment is just a side gain. They put it on the fields in late fall 1- 11/2 inches deep then turn it in in spring when they plow. I bet you got turkey barns in your area, but heck if the other is feee take it. The thing I like most about the Poultry they get all the weed seed out with the heat of the composter and the ground up corn cobbs seem to help water retention.

oz,

That's what most of the farmers do around here too, is use it for fertizlizer in their manure spreaders but it's right out of the manure pit,,,ewe. This guy has a small sheep hurd so he keeps his for compost. I'm glad he does, now I can get some,,,lol,,,not entirely for free. I had to agree that he can come over and cut a couple whips off the Willow tree so he can start a couple,,,,,told him cut a whole limb,,,I got the better end of the deal,,LOL

We do have a Turkey barn close by. I should see what they do with their droppings. I wanted to get all of the plants in the new beds before I Preened them,,,didn't want the Preen to get right next to the roots. Well, I didn't plant fast enough,,,the weeds are starting already. Very small, so, I'm going to rough them up tomorrow and then Preen both beds.

Awesome leaf size Oz! I hope this means you'll be keeping your Palace Purple!

Oz, That's amazing! I tried cutting back an old Chocolate Ruffles right into the crowns and it came back with renewed vigor, but I just checked and the leaves aren't any bigger than the others right beside it. I'm thinking your huge leaves must have something to do with the poo!

Sandy

I do not know Sandy. with me and my experimenting I should keep all kind of notes on each one. Because these tewo got the same treatment as the others down in the yard and they did very well but nothing like these two. ann put a post on about using ammonia an d water and I posted something about it and called the ammonia clorox and about started a tizzy. But just so you know I did take some clorox and painteed it on some leaves of the hosta I think has virus X 2 days ago. As of this morning there is no sign of and change in those leaves. I wonder why the clorox did not fry them.

oz,

You painted the hosta leaves with pure Clorox or did you mix it w/ water? Also, no change of the virus or no sign of the virus?

Kelly

I took a very small bowl of clorox full strength and dipped a reg into it and just swabbed it on a couple of leaves. I will try it again thru a garden sprayer spay about a quart are so on the plant to see what will happen. I think 1-10 this time. I am fully aware that clorox in full strenth is leathal to most plants. I just wonder if there is a not a high tollerance in hosta to it. This is something i am doing folks so do not try it I WARN YOU you could kill a plant. Bleach is bad news for enviorments I am told.

This message was edited Jul 3, 2006 3:32 PM

Kelly i forgot to add that I have has some questions about clorox on PLANTS for sometime. I clorox and stain out deck about every 2 years. I take clorox full strengh and put it ion the deck scrub it around and blow it off with a power washer. A lot falls on hosta. I am wondering if clorox kills fungas type growths but is not cause such great injury to other plants as might be thought on here. I am going to check it out. I have had company and they left just a couple of minutes ago and I seen a flower stalk coming up in the group so I wanted to cut it off since i do not want anything blooming from them. so I poured a bit of clorox on the clipper but held it over the top of the Striptease when I did it and I guess about 1/4 of a cup fell on the plant. And the plant is in the sun right now. So now lets see.

Will be very interesting oz. I totally got way lazy to repot my dead looking Striptease today,,,will have to do it tomorrow.

Interesting about washing the deck with Clorox and nothing happening to the plants. Maybe it gets diluted enough with the power sprayer or hose? Yes, it would kill fungus and all kinds of stuff. Things that make you go HMMMMMM