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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

February 11, 2014 Kim's Weekly Garden Newsletter


Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter February 11, 2014


These weekly garden notes are written by Kim Willis, unless another author is noted, and the opinions expressed in these notes are her opinions and do not represent any other individual, group or organizations opinions.
Anthurium andreanum- Wikipedia

Hello Gardeners

If we are worrying about how this wicked weather is affecting our plants think about the poor gardeners in the south.  Their gardens have plants that are far more sensitive to cold than ours do and they are getting walloped with cold, ice and snow this year.  They are also having wide swings in temperature which is very hard on plants.

Greenhouse growers must be struggling to pay heating bills this year and I think we may see some shortages, high prices and smaller plants this spring.  If you can grow some of your own plants from seed or cuttings this spring you may be doing yourself a favor.
 
I have lost some of the plants I over winter on my porch because it simply got too cold for too long out there.  I am really nervous about what damage is being done to my plants under the snow by mice and voles and by rabbits at the snow line since it’s a tough winter for critters.  Time will tell.  I hope it flies by until warm weather gets here.  I am interpreting the weather forecast as indicating a change in weather patterns may be coming soon and we will get back to at least normal winter weather.  Normal winter weather would have us with highs slightly above freezing on the average.  Only 39 days until calendar spring!

Since its Valentine’s Day Friday I have included some articles with Valentine themes.  I have also included an article I wrote last year about plants that promote “love” in the more information section.  To the several new subscribers to this newsletter thanks and welcome.

Anthuriums

While some people give red roses as a Valentines flower some are a bit more mischievous and give anthuriums instead.  Anthuriums are also known as Boy Flowers because the “flower” of the plant has a resemblance to male anatomy.  Other common names for the anthurium include Flamingo flower and Tail flower.  Anthuriums may be found as potted plants around Valentine’s Day (and at other times) or the flowers may be found in distinctive floral arrangements.  In the language of flowers the anthurium flower is said to mean hospitality.

There are more than 130 species of anthuriums but few are found in cultivation.  Two species of anthuriums; Flamingo Flower (Anthurium Scherzianum) and Painter's Palette (Anthurium Andreanum) and some hybrids of these are sold as flowering houseplants.   Some species of anthuriums are also used as foliage plants in the homes and greenhouses of collectors who can afford the pricy and finicky plants.  Florida and the Netherlands produce most of the flowering potted anthuriums. 

Hawaii produces great quantities of cut anthuriums for the florist trade, varieties with large flowers and strong stems.  In Hawaii some gardeners also grow various species of anthuriums outside.  Hawaii greenhouses and nurseries also produce many of the foliage species of anthuriums that collectors covet. 

Boy Flower anatomy
Anthurium scherzianum - wikipedia

The anthurium “flower” is actually a modified leaf, or bract.  In most species it is an elongated heart or hood shape and is colored red or orange in color. This bract is called a spathe.  Species of cultivated anthuriums have now been developed that have pink, yellow, purple, white and variegated spathes but red is still the most popular.   The spathe is thick with a waxy, shiny look that looks almost artificial.

At the base of the spathe a long spike called a spadix pokes upward.   The spadix is closely packed with the tiny true flowers of the anthurium.  These flowers have both male and female parts.  Spadix flowers are usually yellow or white.   Each flower will eventually turn into a fleshy berry with two seeds inside.

Anthurium foliage is also attractive.  The leaves are heart shaped, deep green and shiny in the species kept as flowering houseplants.  But some rarer anthuriums have velvety leaves, or broader leaves marked with beautiful vein patterns.  Most of the foliage anthuriums are difficult to grow in normal household conditions and require a greenhouse and dedicated gardener.

Growing conditions

Most anthuriums come from tropical areas of Central and South America.  They are often epiphytes or “air” plants in nature although some species grow in the ground.  Most species are sprawling or vine-like.  The anthuriums cultivated as houseplants are grown in a coarse, well drained media in pots. 

If kept in good light, warm, lightly fertilized and watered correctly anthuriums will actually bloom for long periods or if in perfect conditions almost continuously.  They can be a bit tricky as a houseplant and are not for those indoor gardeners who practice benign neglect.

The suggested medium for anthuriums in cultivation is equal parts of peat, perlite and shredded bark.  A potting mix for orchids will work.    (In Hawaii anthuriums are sometimes grown in macadamia nut hulls. ) Plants should be kept slightly root bound, which means the pot should not be much bigger than the root system.  When you buy a potted anthurium it will probably not need re-potting for a year or two.

Anthuriums need bright but indirect light.  They will flourish in an east window or a few inches from south or west windows.  Strong direct sun will burn the leaves.  They must be kept above 65 degrees F. for good flowering but below 90 degrees F.  Keep them out of drafts.   Plants need to be kept above 45 degrees F. to survive.

Humidity is essential to flowering and good looking foliage in anthuriums.  If you don’t use a humidifier in the home the anthurium pot should probably be set over a tray of water and misted frequently.  But while they like humidity they absolutely cannot stand over watering.  They should be watered well and then allowed to dry out just slightly but not to the point of wilting, before watering again.  Brown ends on the foliage and flower spathe mean the humidity is too low or that you are over or under watering.

Anthuriums require light but continuous fertilization to bloom.  Slow release fertilizer is usually incorporated into commercial potting mixes that plants are potted in for sale and so you probably won’t need to fertilize for a month after purchase.  After that you can use a fertilizer with a low nitrogen ratio such as 7-9-5 either in a slow release granular form or as a liquid at every other watering.  Many growers suggest a flowering houseplant fertilizer mixed at half strength.

The Flamingo Flower or Painter’s Palette anthriums get about 2 foot high and wide at maturity.  These species or similar hybrids are relatively easy to find in places that sell potted house plants.  Make sure they are well protected from the cold as you transport them home.    Other species of anthuriums can be found in specialty stores and catalogs but can be very expensive.  

Anthurium plant parts are poisonous and handling the plants may also give some people a rash.
 For the gardener in your life a Valentine’s Day gift of a Boy Flower may make the day special.  And if you opt instead for a floral arrangement featuring anthurium flowers you are giving a special gift that can last for weeks.

Marijuana variety developed for cooking oil
Hemp

The University of York (UK) has developed a hemp variety which produces an oil high in oleic acid when the seeds are crushed.  This hemp oil is similar in nutritive value and taste to olive oil and has a higher “thermal threshold” which means it is better for cooking than olive oil.  This special variety of hemp yields oil with 5 times more mono-unsaturated/low poly-unsaturated fatty acid than regular hemp oil. The oil may also have industrial uses.  

Hemp is easy to grow and suffers from fewer diseases and insects than rape seed (canola oil).  The straw left after the seeds are harvested can be used for animal bedding, textiles, and biomass fuel.  UK farmers are excited that they will soon be able to grow another profitable crop.   Field trials begin this year.   No word if the cooking oil has any mind altering effects.

How the climate tamed corn

Botanists have long wondered why man ever domesticated teosinte, the wild grass that domesticated corn was developed from.  In the wild teosinte has a many branching top with seeds or kernels that ripened slowly over many months.  The wild teosinte doesn’t have many traits that would seem to make it a good crop.   But the theory was that over time, man selected teosinte plants with certain characteristics that eventually developed into what we now know as corn.    We thought we knew what ancient teosinte plants looked like because teosinte stills grows wild today.

Teosinte
However new research now reveals that when man began selecting teosinte to grow it may have looked much more like corn than wild teosinte plants look like today.  When researchers took seed from wild teosinte and grew it in climate controlled greenhouses that mimicked the atmospheric conditions 10,000 years ago, cooler and with half the carbon dioxide of today’s atmosphere,  they got a surprise.  The teosinte produced seeds much more like our current corn, with a more condensed ripening time and stockier, more productive plants.  This teosinte which grew in the climate our ancestors inhabited, would have been much more interesting to humans as a crop plant.


With all we are currently learning about how outside influences modify genes in an organism  we may have to re-think why some plants and animals became domesticated.   Man did use selective breeding to improve crops and animals without a doubt.  But it may be that climate change was more of a factor in what species became domesticated than we realize. 

This information came from a report by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Facts about Chocolate

Chocolate and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand, (even though more chocolate is sold at Halloween than at any other time).  February is also heart health month and chocolate is great for heart health.  Chocolate is high in antioxidants and decreases inflammation in the blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure and promotes good cardiac health.  Research shows that if you eat a small amount of dark chocolate every day you will decrease your risk of heart problems by one third. 

People who are depressed often crave chocolate and for good reason.  Chocolate contains chemicals that lighten your mood and “sweeten” the pleasure centers of your brain.   Other medical research has found that chocolate boosts memory, attention span and problem solving skills.  Some research suggests chocolate improves insulin sensitivity and that chocolate may improve eyesight in low light situations.  German research says that flavonoids in chocolate help the skin by absorbing UV light and increasing blood flow to the skin, protecting skin cells and making the skin long younger.
Chocolate is the only solid edible that melts at 93 degrees, just below your body temperature, which means it melts in your mouth.   If you are choosing a wine to go with a chocolate dessert or that box of candy, choose a red wine.  Surprisingly Americans are only 11th in the average amount of chocolate consumed by citizens each year.  Switzerland is first, with Australia and Ireland next in line.

It takes 400 cacao beans to produce a pound of pure chocolate and between 40-50 million people across the world have jobs based on the chocolate industry.   The most expensive chocolate in the world is said to be “Madeleine” which is made by Fritz Knipschildt of Knipschildt Chocolatier in Connecticut.

Chocolate is a plant based product with immense health benefits and should be considered a vegetable!

Happy Valentine’s Day, I hope you get chocolate for your heart.

Kim Willis
 “He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero

More Information

Plants that Promise Passion

Hibiscus
By Kim Willis- Published 2/2013 at Examiner.com

Valentine’s Day is this week and you may be wondering what kind of gift you could bring someone to make him or her love you more in many senses of the word. Jewelry and flowers may evoke warm feelings but some people are looking for something more, let’s say, efficient.

Some of the earliest written herbals contain references to plants that have aphrodisiac properties and potions that are said to bring true love. Many think that chocolate is a popular Valentines treat because it enhances sexual desire but modern science has proven that chocolate doesn’t have an effect on actual sexual performance. It does however affect the pleasure areas of the brain and causes people to feel happier. And since desire is largely produced in the brain bringing someone a box of chocolate isn’t a waste of time, not only does it show you care but it makes the recipient happy. Interestingly in Japan women send chocolate to men on Valentine’s Day. Just don’t mention to your love that Aztec prostitutes were paid in cacao beans.

However there are some common plants, (herbs) that you may have in the house or yard that do enhance desire and sexual performance. The scientific community has been exploring plant pharmaceuticals intensively lately and there is great interest in finding a substitute for the “little blue pill” which has so many deadly side effects. So if you want your Valentine to love you more in every way you may want to try some of these plants that recent science has confirmed could enhance your love life.

Nutmeg,( Myristica fragrans) has long been used in magic love potions and since a chemical found in nutmeg, myristicin, is used to produce the illegal street drug ecstasy it was no wonder that animal tests found that it enhanced male sexual performance. Studies on females have not been done but folklore and common practice suggest that is also effective on females. Mace is another spice from the same plant and is said to have similar effects. In the amounts you would use in foods or teas nutmeg would not be harmful or have bad side effects; however you can overdose on the street drug and it isn’t recommended.

Both garlic and garlic chives were found in animal studies to have aphrodisiac effects. If you can find a way to slip them into a Valentine meal you could improve your love life and your health since garlic has many other health benefits.

Saffron, a spice made from the sexual organs of a type of crocus (Crocus sativus) has also been found to enhance sexual performance in animal studies. These studies typically use male animals and an aqueous extract of saffron but herbal lore suggests use of the spice in cooking is also helpful.

Two common garden weeds have recently been evaluated for their love enhancing abilities. Lambsquarters, (Chenopodium album) and Beggers ticks, Stick tights or Tickweed (Bidens frondosa) have both been shown to have significant aphrodisiac abilities in recent scientific studies. In animal studies extracts of the herbs were used. The seeds of lambsquarters are used in herbal remedies and were dried and ground into flour by Native Americans. The young greens are also eaten as a spinach substitute. The bark of the stems of Sticktight ( Bidens) was the part used in studies. It could possibly be made into a tea.

Goji berry or Wolfberry is being touted as the next wonder food and among its good properties is apparently the ability to increase sexual hormones. Several garden catalogs are offering Goji berry plants for sale and they are said to grow as far north as Zone 5. If you are in a hurry to obtain the benefits of Goji there are many juices and other products on the market, probably in your local store.

Common tea (Camellia sinensis) had a marked aphrodisiac effect on rats. Perhaps that’s why the English preferred tea as a drink. Tea has been used as a drink for many centuries and it seems that if people were getting a love boost from it that effect would be well known. Maybe a little tea spiced with nutmeg would be an improvement.

Damiana is an herb you can grow although it may be hard to find locally. It has proven aphrodisiac qualities. Dried leaves of damiana are smoked or made into a tea. Read my article about it here.

Other common plants that have some scientific validity as aphrodisiacs include Maypops or Passionfruit, (Passiflora incarnate), panax ginsing, yohimbe, velvet beans (Mucuna pruriens), and African basil (Ocimum gratissimum).

If a stimulating massage oil is desired Ylang-ylang and rosewood ( not rose) essential oil mixed with coconut oil is said to be very exciting to women. Just smelling Ylang ylang is said to increase sexual desire in women. Maybe you guys out there might want to dab it behind your ears. (This hasn’t been proven scientifically, it’s just folklore.)

If you decide to experiment with a love potion this Valentine’s Day use a little caution as people can have an allergic reaction to anything. It’s a good idea to tell a person what they are being fed. Many of these herbs would probably take days of treatment to work and most studies used concentrated extracts that are hard to duplicate at home. Still a little imagination may work wonders as after all, love and desire are strongly seated in the brain.


Events, classes and other offerings

Please let me know if there is any event or class that you would like to share with other gardeners.  These events are primarily in Michigan but if you are a reader from outside of Michigan and want to post an event I’ll be glad to do it.

Master Gardeners if you belong to an association that approves your hours please check with that association before assuming a class or work day will count as credit.

Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share?  Post them here by emailing me at kimwillis151@gmail.com

"Practical Knowledge for the Avid Gardener"  St. Clair County Master Gardeners Annual Spring Symposium Saturday, March 22, 2014, Cornerstone Church, 4025 North Road, Clyde, MI 48049.
Speakers include Dan Heims, Pearl Fryar, David Culp & Fergus Garrett. Early Bird Registration is $80.00 and includes all speakers, breakfast, lunch snacks and shopping. After February 21 the cost will be $90. Contact sanderan51@yahoo.com. for a brochure.

2014 Know and Grow Seminar- Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 - 8:15AM, Bullock Creek High School Auditorium, 1420 Badour Rd. Midland, MI 48640. Early registration fee: $60.00,  After February 7th, 2014  $75.00

This seminar is hosted by the Midland Master Gardener Association. It includes speakers Rick Darke “Balancing Natives and Exotics in the Garden”, Dan Heims “Garden Gems”, and Janet Macunovich “Pluses and Minuses of Gardening in Zone 5”  .  There is a garden marketplace and lunch is included in the cost.

To REGISTER BY PHONE call Dow Gardens at 631-2677 or  1-800-362-4874. Please have your credit card information ready.

Getting Started with Selling at Farmers Markets Webinar- February 19, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.  Cost $10.00

This two-hour Adobe Connect webinar is part of the ongoing “2014 Beginning Farmer Webinar Series.” MSU Extension educator Julia Darnton will present information for those interested in selling their product successfully at a farmers market. Topics covered will include: choosing farmers markets at which to sell, negotiating the rules and regulations of a market, market governance, creating a connection with customers, setting up a stall as well as resources for practical tips on tents, tables, displays, and cash handling. Questions and discussion will take place through the webinar ‘chat’ function. Supporting written materials will be available for download during and after the webinar.  A recording of the webinar will be made available to registered participants.

Visit the Getting Started with Selling at Farmers Markets registration page http://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?folder=GettingStartedFarmersMarket
 for more information. Or you can contact Julia Darnton: darntonj@anr.msu.edu or 989-758-2507

Establishing A Rain Garden – Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105   Feb.12, 2014, 6:45 pm to 8:30 pm

Susan Bryan, Rain Garden Coordinator for the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner's Office, discusses the benefits of rain gardens for the home garden and how they help our rivers and streams. Program also includes how to build and plant one at home using readily available tools. Presented by Wild Ones Ann Arbor. Free. Call 734-647-7600 for more information.

Third Annual Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Academy - Feb. 18-19, 2014, at the Okemos Conference Center in Okemos, Mich., located just outside of East Lansing, Michigan

The 2014 IPM Academy is a two-day workshop packed full of information to help you improve your IPM practices and take advantage of all the great resources MSU has to offer. The presenters at this program include a number of MSU’s best and brightest research and Extension faculty, offering a rare opportunity to hear from experts working in a variety of disciplines and cropping systems at a single event.

The first day of the program will cover fundamental topics, including IPM strategies for disease and insect control; promoting and protecting pollinators; alternative weed control strategies; pesticide basics; the impacts of weather on pesticides; invasive pests; and IPM resources from MSU. On the second day of the workshop, participants opt into two, half-day sessions focused on the topic of their choice.

The cost of this event is $225. Please note that snacks, lunch and parking are included. Participants also receive a notebook with program material and a complimentary IPM-related MSU bulletin. Michigan pesticide recertification credits and Master Gardener credits will be available.


Newsletter information
If you would like to pass along a notice about an educational event or a volunteer opportunity please send me an email before Tuesday of each week and I will print it. Also if you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to me. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly notes. You must give your full name and what you say must be polite and not attack any individual. I am very open to ideas and opinions that don’t match mine but I do reserve the right to publish what I want.

Once again the opinions in this newsletter are mine and I do not represent any organization or business. I do not make any income from this newsletter. I write this because I love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my research each week. It keeps me engaged with local people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to receive these emails have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com





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