Now if somebody woudl just runa ad on Dg for free truck loads of top soil, nice and rich I'd be inventing 60,000 name s to get all the bags I could LOL
Ya
Gardening: Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #27
You know, it IS pretty pathetic that we get all excited over a bag of poop......we really don't ask for much, do we? Outside of dependable sunshine and rain - LOL!
Robin -- did you get your new dog today??
we did not get any snow. they said something to the effect of.... 1-3" more in typical snow belts...
i didnt even know we had snowbelts. but nothing.
which is fine by me... we had to go to a wake today...no fun!! and snow would have made the drive much worse.
*singing* "Sooomme day, my poooop will come... "
Somehow, that just doesn't have the ring of the original Disney lyrics!
LOL!!!
i emailed for mine around 12-12-08, and i think it came from PA, so you should be getting yours soon.
Ok, where is everyone this morning? Guess we're all too cold to move to the computer? Have to go out of town unexpectedly, I wonder if I can trust my DH to keep an eye on the seedlings... I know he can take care of my daughter, but seedlings are so much more fragile :)
Is your daughter old enough to take charge? (Sorry, I have a hard time remembering who has which kids, sometimes.) Kids are often more careful with tender seedlings than adult caretakers...
:) She's 7, might be a thought! There shouldn't be much to be done, I can soak everything good before I go, and hope the whitefly population is under control. Though the biggest thing is that I've got some tough seeds soaking... I might just plant them before I go... what could happen ? Last time I said that I lost two gorgeous bougainvilleas over summer vacation :(
i have 2 kids, both boys.... last spring, i asked my oldest to watch my plants.... i had gotten a shipment, and it was too early to plant out, so i had it growing in the house... needless to say, it died. I guess when i said, "Please keep an eye on my plants" He was clueless. this was the [then] 20yr old. so each other time we left... and i was gone a lot last year.. my [then] 17 yr old did great. Kept all my seedlings alive. Luckily, i got some seeds of the plant that died [Sunset hyssop] so i was able to get lil ones last year.
Now - when ever i leave town, I always ask the youngest to take care of my seedlings.
OK -- back to the Poop.
I looked them up on the internet... and even though that bag is just under $9, the shipping is about $8.50 !!
I wish i could find it locally, like HD or something. I'd gladly pay the $9 plus tax, but with s/h, it doubles the price.
or... i gotta get A LOT of worms....
"Keep an eye on my plants" never works here. They can start going brown and crispy, and DH will still think they look fine. I end up tearing around trying to save them, muttering under my breath about why couldn't he just water them, it's not rocket science, and he's saying "you said to water if I thought they needed it, and I didn't think they needed it."
What works is, "Every other day put a quart of water into each seedling tray. Check 20 minutes later and pour out excess water." or "Please water every plant in the house on Saturday, until you see water come out the bottom, which could be 1 or 2 quarts for the big pots."
Oh no the "you said if I thought they need it" That applies to a lot of stuff around here with my dh too!! Like dirty diapers lol! I guess we are better off giving a schedule to them : )
I usually water well before i leave [house plants] then i did tell him... water every other day [for seedlings] or if they look dry ... or course you have to show them the before and after.... but he did really good. I also moved all my WS containers into the shade, so they did not dry out as fast. But i know who my 'gardener' is in the family.
I should really put him to work this year.... Though i sorta have a feeling he will be spending more time with us in WIsc this year... unless he gets a new girlfriend...
I'd like to report the Seashore Mallow seeds have germinated! It only took three days, I started them in moist pro-mix in a traditional cell pack, flat with dome. I didn't do any pretreatments or anything. Easy peasy - lol. : )
Oh Meredith, I can relate. My DH has a nose that smells everything but a poopy diaper LOL! I'm saying... "How can you NOT smell that". Selective smelling.
I left for 2 weeks and my DH was home alone. I took every single plant in the house and put it on the island in the kitchen and next to the sink. I rigged the whole yard with timers, sprinklers and hoses. If I didn't, I know he would have forgotten. Plus, I left notes and reminded him when I called. They were all alive when I came back. I think I prepared more for me leaving my plants than I did for me and my 3 kids! LOL!
Here's a picture of our first real snowfall. It's so pretty here. We usually get snow then it turns to sleet then rain, so it's always sloppy looking. When I woke up, I got that feeling of why I actually like winter. It doesn't happen to often ;-)
Andrea
Mornign . beautiful 15F this mornign here.
Ok, now if ya gonna be gone for the day, instead of soakign yoru seedlings and perhaps drowing them, and inviting them to corak. Here is what ya cna do.
Get ya a tray On top of that lay a cheap piec e of material that fuzzy like cotton material or thin washclothes or eventhin kitchen towels.
Wet the towels and ring out the excess. Place wet towel on the flat or tray ya have. . I put them like kids lunch trays or aluminum pie pans that type of thing under mine or use flats and put trash bag cut up and then the towels.
Thsi way the seedlings dont get over watered. They dont get the fungas knats asa bad and if the seedlinsg thirsty they wil get a drink.
In the gh we will go to walmart and buy a bunch of buck yard cloth and cove the benche s with giant plastic bags opened up, then lay the material on top of the benches and then put the seedling flats . Then watr with mister bottles. The excess water runs through the plants and soaks the material. Ya cna go sometiems for days with out havign to water unles s it sourchign hot then maybe sooner.
Star I am very interested in this but having trouble following the layering system. It's plastic on the bottom, then wet fabric, then the tray of plants/seedlings on top?
I was about to tell you about our weather - but it's the same, just a few more inches of snow. And now I'd much really rather hear what Star has to say about this intriguing method of keeping plants alive while you're gone.....
Let me see if ic an raid bateries fromone thign to put in camera and get ya some pics.
Ok foudn some batteries. They low, but got a few shots. There is two ways , I do this, have taken pics of both.
Soprry they kinda dark, but as much as I love ya all aint going out in 15F weather just to get mroe light for ya all. LOL
Got liek 6 pics in a row.
Pic one. This is you cna use ny solid bottomed container. I use buffet server ones and when i use them all up I switch to dollar store big cookie sheets. Anything will work. The deepr heavy pans and trays are better for holding heavier and bigegr plus and small pots, especially under the grow lights.
get me a pan or container i want.
then i get my piece of material and wet it good and wring it it out so it not sopping all over the place. Bright yellow or bright light blue material best if ya cna fidn it to confus e th eknats and other bugs.
And I lay it in my pan. Using pillow case her quick for demo, ; )
plop in the plug trys or plu gpots or whatver ya using and they good to go. I do not water the plugs again tili feel one pot is totally dry or the material is totally dry. Then when i water the pots the excess runs out and rewets the material . Veyr little water is needed. Sometimes if there enough room and pots aren't crammed together real tight, then I just water the material a bit. The plants soak it up through osmosis.
It also allows the roots to grow out bottom of pot and not wrap themselve s and no t dry out. The material keeps them moist and it like peelign them off a coffee filter when transplant tiem comes.
Ok method two. This is if ya using nursery flats or flats and such that have holes and such in bottom. Her eI use nursery flats that have all the open criss cossing in them or ones with drainholes, though pic don't show it good.
I take a trash bag, use UNSCENTED! an dlay in botom of flat.
Here the plastic laid out in flat fully.
then i wet my cloth and put in tray an dput plants on and plop em all back under the lights and watch em grow.
Well, it's official then, Star - you are a genius! I am definitely going to consider doing this after alternatively overwatering and underwatering my seedlings!
I agree with Seandor, I'm speechless in the presence of genius :-) Off to see if any of our yellow towels are "old enough" that I can make use of them for my plants.
I LOVE this! It seems too simple...to good to be true. It really works? Star, you really do rock. I'm going to spend the weekend setting my plant stands up with your system.
Of course it works. I not tryign to a smart allic or anythign like that. I just happen to have for my mentor and good friend A professor who had Mr. Armitage for his mentor and who worke d just abotu every kind of gh production there ws when he was a kid and growign up.
he learne d alot of tricks of the trade and passe d them on to me ove the years. It my turn to try and help pass on thos ethings I knwo to others so that they cna be successful.
Nobody makes it up in life with out hands holdign them from birth on up, you extend your hands whenever you can back. Pay it forward is what I believe .
Lie i saw in the gh we cover the benche s with the plastic and then the matrial then plants and then use mister bbottles til the plugs big enoguh to stand a gentle small spray from hoses. We have classe s and research adn everythign els eto do we dont have time to be waterign every day in gh.
There a meat mister bottle too ya cna get at liek lowes or hoem depot . It hold abotu a quart of water maybe more, bad on liquid sizes, and ya pump the top and pul ltrigger and it make s a gentle mist and thta what plugs get watered with.
I use a cheap bottle now cuz i brok my big one. but the big one save s on fingers pullign the skinny mist bottle s all the time.
Forgot to say, do I have all the answers, nope. Do i learn somethign new everyday from ya all, yep. Am I too old or stubburn to learn, nope. I learnign all abotu cg from ya all, do i appreciate all the advice and help, you bet. Ya all's friendship..... Priceless : )
Meridith. Glad to knwo them Sea shores was easy, cuz i gettign ready to do mine and have nevre tried em before.
OMGosh Star I was kidding when I asked if it really worked. I came to value your knowlege and experience a long, long ago and wouldn't seriously doubt you. I just found it incredible that you've found such a simple solution to a problem that I imagine we've all run up against at one time or another. In fact I just turned down a 3 day excursion because I didn't have a plant sitter and this sounds like it would have fit the bill perfectly. So simple....so ingenious!
Thank you again!
Lala.. I knew ya was kidding . Just didn't waant people to think I beign miss smartypants, cuz Igave up wearnign bloomers alogn time ago, LOL : )
ROLFMFAO --- I'm just sitting back enjoying the entertainment. **giggle giggle**
Man-o-Man I wouldnt be turnign down no cruise, especially in this weather. Used to be logn tiem agao ya had just babysitters, then it was gotta have babysitters and critter sitters, now a days ya got to have babysitters, critter sitters and plant sitters and then somebody to watch the plant sitters and they all charge afortune. LOL
Now if it gets to the poitn where the plants get to fussy to grwo and require theraphy then I gonan find a new profession for sure. ; )
Oh WOW Ella-THANKS!!!
BTW-I AM FREE!!!! Tues was my last day-corp HR said that due to the harassment and retaliation, that they would pay me til the 11th, but I don't have to go in anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like it was past high time to close that chapter and start a new one, Fairy!
:-)
Fairy, cool. sicne ya paid paid extra, what ya gonan buy me??????? heard there a seed sale on againat T & M. hint hint. LOL I swear I just don't have enough seeds cross fingers behind back.
Glad that they doign that for ya and that Hr realize s that there a problem so that they cna keep an eye on it. Enjoy your extra work day bonuses withotu havign to go in. : )
That's great news Fairy!! Being out of a toxic environment like that will start to pay dividends the very next day - I promise! First you'll breath more easily, then you'll find yourself smiling for no good reason...then you'll discover things you liked, or liked to do, but the stress had pushed them away. Oh, this is very good news :-)
now if I could just get my pansies would sprout....
Dryad.. If ya go them Pansies on a heat mat get em off. Pansies like about a 60-70 F day and 50F at night. If ya go tem covered soon as they pop get em completely uncovered. High humidty will kill.
Man.. after seeing Critters post now I singign the darn I a pepper song. LOL
No heat mat, but just a bit of soil to cover them (no plastic done, the soil was to keep them in the dark) - did I mess up there?
I fya used soil instead of vermiculite it may take them a bit longer to get up. Soil heavy and move salot when watered, may have knocke d the seeds down a bit. How long ya been cookign em?