Guess we needed a new thread.... hope we hadn't lost any of our "Dial-up-ers"
We came from here -- #34 - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/969595/
also... .questions...
dividing certain perennials... i have some, ok - a lot of... Bee Balm and Husker Red
any idea how easy they are to divide and transplant?
bee balm can be divided spring or fall
as for husker red is divided in spring before the new growth
Mona -- my Huskers kept it's foliage all year... even in the winter.
I'm going to find out how easy they are to transplant here shortly I have some seedlings in my herb garden that I want to move, I'm waiting until next year to divide the momma plant, how big around is yours tcs, mine is only about ten inches around I think, I'll have to go out tomorrow and take a better look at it. Seems like when I got the momma plant the roots were pretty short, it's been a while :)
I like the lemon basil grown with my tomatoes, makes them tasty :) I put some lemon basil in to soak and just a couple of hours later they started to get the gue on them still haven't taken them out of the soak I'm just waiting to see a root on one of them. Basil takes a long time to germinate. I don't expect for these seeds to make it to be planted I think they will rot. I'm going to soak some tonite and plant them tomorrow. Just playing with seeds :) That's the only basil I started this year.
>>I'm going to find out how easy they are to transplant
Lea -- was this for the Huskers?
I am thinking they are easy .... here is why.... last year i had one that did not bloom. I was thinking it was due to the location... so i dug it up, mid-season i think, and moved it to full sun.... Well, now i have new growing [and it took me a while to recall what it was] growing in the spot of the old one. So, i'm guessing i did not get all of the roots and a new plant grew.
so now, i have A LOT of Husker Reds ... Im not complaining at all... i was just thinking i could move some to the entryway of our subdivision ... that and the Bee Balm, which i have a lot of. For one, in 2007 when i did the HOS method of planting seedlings - i planted large clumps of them, now which are spreading.... so i have 3 very large clump areas ... thinking i could dig them up and divide each of them into 4 smaller clumps.
I looked the husker's red up about transplanting and it said that you could take root cuttings so that's why you got more plants tcs. Don't you just love that plant. The person I traded for with this plant back a few years ago, she had offered it on the plant trading forum and the thread was going down and no one had wanted to trade so I got in touch with her and she just laughed because someone finally wanted her HR, every year I thank her for it it's one of my favorite plants I can't believe that no one took her up on her offer besides me. Mine doesn't reseed a lot though not enough for me for as long as I've had it, I have a few beds I wouldn't mind having it in :) Must be my clay soil is why they don't reseed enough. BTW, she has turn into one of my favorite people on here too :)
Lea -- I have A LOT of seeds.. which are tiny. and since it's a second year bloomer any ways, you could probably start seeds later in the season, then you will have Blooms next year. if you want more seeds... i'll pop them in the mail for you.
I'm thinking I have about 9 plants now ... all are quite large except 1.
Thanks tcs, but I have some left from last year, I'm not doing too well on seeds this year I'm so far behind, haven't even planted my salvias or ornamental peppers yet so many things I haven't planted yet! My tomatoes are just now coming up lol Bad Girl, Bad Girl!
It's Tubbytee's Birthday today! Happy Birthday Tubby! If you're still watching this thread, I bet you are :)
since I ran out of space the four weeks before last frost are still in the packages lol
but did get the columbines outside for the day and by next weekend they are going in the ground, tomorrow I am planting the pansies since I found out they can even take snow and survive, then I will have the pots and space to finish planting the rest of my seeds
:) Still have the majority of my planting to do, had to go away for the weekend, but got a pleasant surprise just before I left. Was giving everything a good soak, and found my first seed pods! I had hand fertilized some of the petunias when they were still inside, and now I've got my first seeds of the new season. Fun!
why would you polinate them so early in the season I just dead head most of my plants right up till the end and only let a few blooms make seed then since when a plant has made seeds it does not need to make more blooms its job is done and then no more flowers
mona
I was just curious. I'd never tried it before. Actually, the petunias seem to be perfectly happy to keep right on blooming, thank goodness!
with petunias as they get really long pinch them back so they will get bushy and full
scicciarella, are you a pro at 'pinching back'? Cause I need to make a chart of what needs pinching back and when. You are pretty much my zone. I would really love some help in this area. Can you post when you pinch something back.
I know I need to pinch back bee balm ... when? Mine was pretty scraggly last year.
Any help would be much appreciated!!
tcs, I planted the last of the basil seeds I'd gotten from critter a couple of years ago, they had 2006 on them. I would say I got around 50%+ germination. Thanks Critter! My co-workers love me for the extra basil plants I bring in each spring. lol I guess I will have to try and collect seeds from my favs this year.
My inpatiens are getting ready to bloom in the basement, that seed is from 2003. I never seem to get seed from my inpatiens, and only grow about 10 plants each year, so I guess I have enough seed from that trade for about 5 more years. lol
Cold and rainy today ... guess I will clean the bathrooms. yuck!
toofew
toofew -- if you are getting the 'front' we had ... it's a slow mover... started light raining Saturday night and it's still raining... though i do believe within the next hr it will finally stop. at least i got some cleaning done yesterday.
have to shop today.. i'm out of potting soil - oh yea -- and my son reminded me... we are out of food. LOL.
Toofew I ran a thread on the seed starting forum awhile back about pinching. I intend to go back and add a few more but haven't updated my list yet. Still this may help with a few things. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/942125/
Regarding the monarda, I cut it back by 1/2 when it's reached about 1/2 of it's full growth. Mums are another plant that benefit from a good pruning, and those can (and should) be done 2 or 3 times in the spring and early summer. You'll want to cut off about 1/4-1/3 of the plant with each pruning and make your last cut sometime around the first or second week of July.
Now I have another problem. I posted this last night on the dahlia forum, but nobody's stirring over there yet. I had a tray full of tubers on the heat mat and have been cutting off the slips to start new plants. Last night I took the top off the tray and the whole inside of the #$% tray was moving. It was FILLED with ants scurrying about, carrying eggs and generally taking over the entire container. What a flip out! I mist them every day....how in the world did they manage to populate an entire colony in a day's time? Anyway I freaked out, pulled the tubers out and stuck them in a ziplock baggie. Then I put the entire tray outside. Does anybody have any suggestions how I can treat the tubers to be rid of the ants but not harm the tubers themselves?
yes use bulb powder the one to preserve and fertilize bulbs it also has an anti fungal and insectiside built in
Home depot carries it
Thanks Mona. I live out in the sticks and unless Walmart carries it (which is still a 15 mile drive) the nearest store that might carry it is about 40 miles away. I wonder if an antifungal spray like Neem would work?
La, I have had a similar thing happen with Dahlias I've dug and stored. For some reason ants seem to gravitate toward Dahlia tubers, I usually find nests of them when digging them in fall. They don't seem to hurt the Dahlias, but UUUGGG...can't deal with that in the house! I've never used the bulb powder, but that sounds like a good idea.
I don't know when I'll be able to pick up powder and I've got to get those things out of the baggies. I know the Neem works to kill the ants caused I used it wipe out the strays that were still on the mat. I think I'm going to go ahead and give the tubers a spritz then replant them in clean soil. Fingers crossed that it won't hurt the tubers.
Thanks you guys!
if you are ready to plant them you could use the hose to wash them and then plant if not the neem oil should be fine use it in a fine mist pray dont dip them oh something that may work also is mouth wash since it has alcohool in it at low percentage I use to spray my plants for scales and spider mites
I haven't chimed in lately but have been lurking and learning! Thought I'd post some pics of your blooming grandbabies. I have many other plants from the swap that aren't blooming yet, we'll add them to the baby album later! The two profusion zinnias (apricot and coral pink), and the portulaca were from Ella and the Johnny-Jump-Ups were from Tuinkabouter. Just about to bloom on the right are purple cascade petunias, also from Tuink.
Tonya
The stock in this pic are also from Ella, tucked between some maroon Texas Bluebonnets (created by Texas A&M of course). The seeds for those were purchased from the Wildseed Farm in Fredericksburg TX. FYI, I just picked up some seeds for white Texas bluebonnet seeds from there. I think those are very new, since last I heard, it is pretty rare to see a white bluebonnet in the wild.
Oh ... that reminds me... anyone "seen" Ella [Starlight] in the past few days?? the had NASTY weather, tornados ect going thru her area... and i was worried about her today... since I havent seen her post in a while.
Oh gosh! I hope she is alright!
nbgard, your flowers are so purdy!
it may just be that she has no hydro which is often the results of that kind of weather
hopefull she will be back soon
true -- and the phone lines could be done... she;s on dial-up.
i do worry since she lives a lone.
do you know anyone that lives in her area maybe they could check on her or try calling
it maybe something simple like her computer is on the fritz
I don't know anyone in that area, her phone lines could be down with the tarnados in her area, I just hope she is alright. I don't guess anyone has a number for her we could try to call? That's one bad thing about computer friends we aren't close so we can check on eachother.
tcs1366,
Ella is fine , she lost power for a little and from what she said pretty tore up about 10 minutes down the road. She is busy mailing off plants took her about 2 hours to get to the fed-x but thank goodness all is okay with her.
Talked with her earlier today , she b e coming around shortly.
Carolyn
thanks for letting us know its appreciated
Thanks Carolyn :)
Yall are welcome!!,
LeBug are you busy planting yet?? hope all is well with you and I have been busy playing in the dirt again now wish I had done more but still time. Have lot to repot and more weeds to pull. Those never ending dear's.
Carolyn
It's been kind of wet here I transplanted some strays from one bed to another Sunday before it rained so they are looking pretty good by now, my little seedlings downstairs aren't big enough yet and I'm sitting here staring at 12 jugs :)And I transplanted 36 plants from my WS jugs in those lero pots I got from Stephanie :) Can you believe I still have those it's been a few years :)
Too many darn weeds in the beds this year this light green groundcover has taken over, I've gotten it out of one bed, it's one of those that put down roots where it falls it came up in the winter and it was too cold and nasty to get out to get rid of them now I'm having a hard time getting rid of it.
Lea,
Gotta love those lerio pots they are perfect, I still use them to, haven't had a one to split on me . I don't know if tey even make them anymore but one's I have will last me a lifetime.Got them from a guy that was going out of nursery bussines.
Carolyn
Tonya, great job with your babies!
on the weekend I put the trays of swiss pansies and the columbines outside so that is six trays yes and as soon as it stops raining I will plant them all since I still have to transplant some annuals that cant go out till the end of may
Carolyn -- thanks for the update on Ella. Her area just seems to be getting 'rocked' this year with storms, and i do worry about her when i see that weather.
and as for "wet" ... it's still light raining. started Saturday evening, gave us a bit of a reprieve yesterday -- then started up again. ONE MORE DAY of this... the sun should shine tomorrow.
But -- i bought one more large bag of MG last night... so i can sow some more seeds.
this one said good morning today it now seems that I get one or two new ones everyday
Mona -- when did you start all of your MG's to get this many blooms?
I think only once did i get a bloom while they were still in the house.
Were yours winter sown or done in the house?
I should get mine started today.
