Thanks for all the info Danita!
Where was the flower show? I really need to put a few things like that on my calendar! I try to go to the Greenwood Flower festival on Park Seed's open house day, but half the time we're on vacation that week (and/or it's miserably hot).
Do you go to the round-up in the spring? I need to figure out when that will be and make note too!
Gardening: Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #27
LOL - easy peasy - I've not heard that for a couple years :-) OK, I decided to go with what I remembered from last year and other advice, I got out the small cappucino glasses and put some H2O2 and water in for hibiscus and the canna. I didn't knick the canna, gotta go check those and see how they're doing. Also got to get my Journal updated.
Neal - good to hear things are at least still decent for ya! Hoping you get real power back quickly. Sis has been without for three days, and on jury duty. I'm sorry, but I'm laughing...I'm not a nice sister sometimes. You should hear her though, she's funny as all get out about it. She was going to take the 35mm film camera out to shoot some black and white of her woods, and was lamenting at how the rest of the scenery close to the house was pretty well trashed by the kids' playing around. I reminded her she could have been trapped with the kids. This way she's doing her civic duty and not stuck with two high schoolers full time. Fortunately school's back so she doesn't have that to worry about. She's taking this opportunity to point out to her hubby how handy all the dogs are - they aren't cold when they sleep at night with the dogs they've got!
I know I am saying the obvious - but anyone relying on generators to provide electicity need to be aware of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning - make sure the area where it is running is very well ventilated.
Meantime, all those without power, heat, and water are certainly in our thoughts and prayers.
. . . now, fellow piggies . . . what am I doing wrong? I mean, I know what I am doing wrong - I am giving indoor seedlings too much water. Then I overcompensate by restricting water - so far I have wiped out the lisianthus, the begonias, the astillbe, the nemesia Rats!Rats! Rats!
I have had success with spirea, bayberry, lobelia, petunias. But it has been very discouraging - especially when I had soooo many astillbe actually germinate!
Is there any secret to getting this correct? I have lights and heating pads in the basement. I started the seeds in 4 inch square seedling containers. These were put in flats with plastic covers. But, then the soiless seed starting stuff started turning green (and in some cases actually grew gray mould) So obviously ventilation was a problem. But then I remove the plastic cover and things dry out so fast. I have only watered from the bottom - so it seems like the seedlings dry out - even though most of the containers are still damp. Should I be watering from the top as well?
Sure sounds like a water challenge to me - have you tried putting holes in the clear plastic cover? That sure did the trick for me with a number of flats. Also, what are the square containers made of? If they're made of that compressed peat then they are a challenge to water - I hate them and have sworn off them.
No, the square containers are made of plastic. But I suspect that the holes in the bottom are not big enough. I think I will have to drill holes in the plastic tops.
Seandor... Will see think I mat stil have sopme lisianthus , begonia and nemesia left, not sure. I don't know who has the astible.
I wil look later and if have them will send ya some more. Ya learn as ya do and that how you grow. : )
You may want to consider how the plants are combined in a flat - I know that my lobelia and petunias really want different kinds of water. Some can handle wet feet, some can handle it once or twice in their wee lives, and others don't like wet at all, but really like damp.
I use a mistign bottle to water my plants once they up. I don't bottom water them til they really rooted good and may have at least two sets of leaves before I try and bottom water.
thanks for the tip Ella
Seandor, I've had issues with that before. Now I'm making holes in the coverings as the seeds germinate and gradually introducing more air circulation. I've also had to mist tiny seedlings when it seemed bottom water wouldn't wick to the very top where the tiny roots were. I use H2O2 solution for misting. I've also had to be careful with the fan the blows on the seedlings to make sure its not blowing so hard it dries them out too quickly.
We've got our generator running outside, so no worries here. I've been hearing the reports of CO poisoning though, really scary. Been hearing stories about price gouging for generators too, so despicable when people are having it so rough!
I've got my babies back under lights while the generator is running! My, how I've worried over those, LOL.
Neal -- any idea when they may get your power back on?
The images you see on the news... quite scary looking.
and yes, we have heard of deaths... OR at least DH has... i try not to listen to too much news, just depressing no matter where you look.
I busy right now, but later today or tommorrow will show ya all a gh trik to keepign yoru babie s watered without over waterign them. Have to get batteries and take pics.
I remember that discussion, and I think soaking was recommended, but I don't know if we ever came up with a definite time for planting them out if you weren't starting them inside.
I found some info on thread #21... soak 24 hours in water with hydrogen peroxide.
Neal suggested planting out "when spring bulbs start blooming". My MIL usually has early daffs by mid-March... ?
At one point, I was going to start them for her in cow pots and ship them down to her. Then she decided she wanted to start them herself. Now she's decided she's not going to start them in pots (glad I checked before shipping cow pots down to her) but would rather just sow them directly the way her mother did. But she doesn't remember when her mother planted them, just how beautiful they were when they bloomed... I sure hope these measure up, LOL!
Heard from LeBug - she's doing fine. Fortunately she hadn't started seeds yet.
None of my babies are big enough yet for the fan, but I think I'll be there in a week or so.
"I don't bottom water them til they really rooted good and may have at least two sets of leaves before I try and bottom water."
I think this is where I made my mistake. I do have more lisianthus seeds - but it is probably too late this year to start them - our growing season is sooo short. But I will keep the seeds in cold storage and try again next winter.
It's the astillbe I am really disappointed about. Oh, well - live and learn!
Thanks, for the tip, Star!
Seandor, can I ask what you used for the starting mix?
I make a mix of peat, perilite, and vermiculum. It's a lot cheaper than buying it already premixed.
Seandor - do you get your vermiculite locally? I'm having a hard time tracking some down here in Indy, for some reason. I'll have to start looking a bit further than the few stores I have around me (some nurseries, Lowes, Wallyworld and Target are the closest). I'm leery of perlite - it sticks to everything......
gee - I think I can buy it just about anywhere - certainly at the local nursery next to the college where I work - but I am sure I have seen it at Walmart.
Terese, its looking like we should get power today. Last night our neighbors about 1/2 mile from us got turned back on and we can see lights from homes in one direction. I'll be doing the happy dance, LOL.
Critter, were you referring to Pansies/Violas in your last post? I'd imagine in your MIL's zone they could go in the ground as soon as the ground is workable, as long as the transplants have been hardened off.
And speaking of Pansies and Violas, as of now, those I covered only with potting mix have had better germination than those I covered with other things. Not really a conclusive experiment, because I used different cultivars from different sources treated the 2 ways, but enough to keep me from worrying with coverings any more.
my thanks go out to all the people who donated seeds. I was so surprised at all the seeds I recd.
would someone please explain the method of seeding in a plastic bag? Have never heard of it.
Neal, so glad that you came thru that horrible storm OK. I can't believe the devastation that was shown on the TV.
Have just started WS seeds here. 8 pails yesterday, and hopefully some more today.
Maxine
You know what I was thinking would also work well for WS-those giant ice cream buckets you get at the stores with the handles....
Nope, Neal, still trying to figure out how to maximize her success with the sweet peas that she's never tried before (although her mother used to grow "the most beautiful!" ones). Her plan (I pre-start them, she pre-starts them, she direct-sows them) keeps changing... but in the right direction, I think, since it's getting simpler. While she probably wouldn't start sweet peas inside more than once, I bet she'd direct sow them every spring if that worked out! (She's a fantastic gardener, but she'd rather purchase plants than start them from seed.)
:-)
Oh yes, now I remember the Sweet Pea discussion. Seemed to me they germinated best with some warmth, but responded well to cooler temps when they had a couple of sets of leaves. I'm thinking I read somewhere that the seeds sometimes rot if its too cool and moist when they direct sown.
Maxine -- for the plastic bags, are you referring to winter sowing? or something else?
I know Jan [grampapa] used gusseted bags for WS'ing last year and had good results.
I know others have used big, pleated, zip locs too.
if you are referring to possibly indoor sowing... i cant help ya there.
Terese
I think I'm going to encourage her to try pre-sprouting the sweet peas in a baggie.
Maxine, especially for seeds where you're not sure about age/germination or for things that might be tricky, you can sprout them before planting them. Take a piece of paper towel, wet it and wring it out (you want it damp, not dripping). Fold it over the seeds, then place them in a zip-top baggie. I puff a little air into my baggie, but I'm not sure that's necessary. Sometimes I'll put them on top of my lights for a little warmth (depending on the seed) until they sprout.
You can usually see sprouting through the baggie & paper towel. Some people tape the baggies to their window for easy monitoring. As soon as you see the first little root-tail, the seed has germinated and is ready to plant. If the root has grown through the paper towel, just tear away that bit of paper and plant it with the sprouted seed. Coffee filters work too, and roots are less likely to penetrate them.
Yea, I WS all the time. Will have to try the baggie method, as I could lay them behind the wood stove. No heat much back there.
I scaled all my lily bulbs last fall and put them in baggies, moist peat moss, large heavy book on top of them in a box. Set them behind the stove to the side and most if not all of them have little bulbs on them. Oh boy, just something else to do!! LOL
Does any one that is retired run out of things to do? I sure don't. Full day today.
Maxine
Forgot to ask! Brain is in my feet this morning.
Is the lady who gave me the Lady Slipper seeds ever on?
Have you ever started them from seeds? I haven't so would appreciate some info on how to go about it. Germanation, etc.
Maxine
Jill,
I apologize if jumping in is rude. I was gleaning all your sowing instructions and twas excited to think I could help YOU :).
When I lived in Havelock North Carolina, the problem I encountered was the peas wilting from the humidity/heat rather than it getting too cold for them. I would actually plant them outside now (February) by nicking them with nail clippers and soaking them for 24 hours. Then I would put them on the still somewhat frozen ground and put about 2 inches of compost over them - they love compost! Back when I lived there according to my plant journal, it would be around 50 during the day and high 20's-30/40's during the night? I grew mine up a fence and if I thought it was going to have a hard freeze (26 degrees for four hours or longer), I'd tent some plastic (the cheap plastic they put down for painting works great) over them before the sun went down to capture the heat. I would have sweet peas until nearly June this way barring the occasional hurricane that seemed to come my way back then. My everlasting sweet pea would flower nearly all year, only stopping when it got too hot. Have her try them also. I so miss the long growing season they have there! I'm looking at pictures of all my roses . lol DG removed the tear I put in here. so < sob > let's see if this one comes through.
edited to add the sobbing back in. I'm looking at my David's Coat that is up and over my house - waaaaaa
Mindy
This message was edited Feb 1, 2009 9:08 AM
Mindy, oh gosh, jumping in to help is MUCH appreciated, not "rude" in the slightest! Please don't ever hesitate to jump into thread discussions.
I will pass your instructions along to my MIL, but I think she should probably wait a couple extra weeks since Winston-Salem is a cooler zone I think than where you are (near Moorhead City, right?). I love the idea that she can plant them whether or not the ground is frozen, just by putting some compost over them... she'll like that!
Her new sweet pea spot is all tilled up and ready to go... I think she's even got the bamboo trellis in place. :-)
Here's a link to the Norman Deno site that explains how he starts seeds. About 3/4 of the way down he talks about using baggies for germ.
http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/seedsowing.html
(Bear in mind that Deno lives in the U.K.)
Maxine, I got lady's slippers seeds from Ella (starlight1153) our piggy swap hostess and a regular on this thread, so even if you didn't get them from her, she could probably help you. She is a wealth of info.
Tonya
Hey all, I can't remember... was it on this thread that someone posted the info about the free worm castings? If so, has anyone actually received them. I signed up but haven't gotten them...
I signed up too, but most of the time when you sign up for something like that it takes 6-8 weeks, and to be honest, I have no clue hos long ago that was...
RE: worm poop --- i havent gotten mine either... but in my email from them, they did say something about 8-10 weeks
Wow! 8-10 weeks? They must start the "processing" when they get the order.
I've been lurking too.
My worm poop came Friday.
Do you remember link Never tried that stuff I' stepped in it I think HA
Earthworm Castings Free Offer Confirmation
From: orders@bestwormpoop.com
Sent: Fri 12/12/08 12:08 PM
Thank you for choosing BestWormPoop.com!
Dear Terese,
Thank you for choosing 100% organic Earthworm Castings from BestWormPoop.com! This message confirms that we have received your request for a FREE bag of Earthworm Castings. Please allow up to 8-10 weeks for processing and shipping. Thanks again for choosing Earthworm Castings at BestWormPoop.com!
--------------
Looks like i just passed the 7 week mark.
Mao -- how big is the bag?
tcs1366 Thank you I'll give it try