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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

January 31, 2017, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter


Hi Gardeners
Sun on Rex begonia

Today in Michigan it’s snowing lightly.  We have returned to winter and the ground has an inch or two of snow covering it.  The bird feeders are covered with birds and my parakeets are chattering to them through the windows.  There must be two dozen junco’s, little gray birds with white bellies, spread across the yard, busy picking at something. 

I had gotten used to going outside with minimal outerwear and having the hose to the barn run.  Now I’m back to bundling up and carrying buckets of water.  Ground Hog day is Thursday and it’s supposed to be sunny, so as the superstition goes he’ll see his shadow and we’ll have 6 more weeks of winter.  (There’s an article about woodchucks/groundhogs in the pages to the right of the main blog.)

We always have 6 more weeks of winter after February 2nd so the groundhog’s shadow means nothing to me, not that any sensible groundhog would be out of its den now.  But it will be wonderful to see the sun.  To date this month we have had only 7 days where it was sunny or partly sunny- mostly partly sunny.  That’s a bad part of being in Michigan’s thumb area in the winter, we get clouds off the Saginaw Bay to the north and Lake Huron to the east.

My houseplants and the plants I am overwintering inside are at their lowest point as far as looks and vitality goes.  Artificial light barely compensates for the loss of the sunlight.  The air is dry from the furnace running so much. Yesterday I removed the overwintering penta from the windowsill, because it had basically dried up.  I found a single still green shoot so there’s hope it can be saved.  I don’t know why I save this one every year anyway. It’s a red flowering one I’ve had for 3 years.  It’s probably at the end of its lifespan anyway. So it’s sitting on the kitchen counter now awaiting my decision as to where to place it now that I’ve cleaned the dead leaves off.

Yes I kill plants.  If a gardener tells you they have never killed a plant they are giving you “alternative facts” or they are a very new gardener. I don’t like to kill plants of course, but every one that dies usually teaches me something. In the penta’s case I should have realized the small pot it was in would dry out very quickly, especially since it was near a heating vent.  It was buried behind other plants and I didn’t notice its condition soon enough.  So I have moved around all my plants to get a good look at them and the remaining part of the sad penta will be moved to a cooler moister place where I can keep a better eye on it.

Don’t be afraid to make a gardening mistake.  We all do.  If you have been gardening more than 50 years as I have (wow, writing that makes me feel really old) you will have made many, many mistakes, but those mistakes probably made you a better gardener.  We learn by doing.  Reading about gardening is good- and I hope all of you like reading about gardening here- but getting your hands dirty is even better.

And plants dying are a part of gardening.  Many times it isn’t your fault; it’s just the nature of life.  Everything has a lifespan, all things die.  For some plants the natural lifespan is only a few weeks, for other plants its decades.  I have plants in my home that are 50 years old.  They may outlive me.  Hopefully someone in the family will adopt them when I’m gone. 

My elderly plants are nothing really rare or valuable but if you do have plants that are really rare or valuable have you ever thought about what would happen if you could no longer care for them? You may want to donate them to a public garden or school program or someone you know would appreciate them.  Or maybe you want to give your heirs a heads up about how valuable they are and what they should be sold for.  Think about who should have the plants and how to make sure they get cared for until they can be transferred to the place of your choice.  Then put those instructions in writing, if not in your will, maybe somewhere else in your important papers.

Red Penta


Gardening in the Zone

If you are new to gardening you may be a little confused about all this zone stuff.  Just what is a gardening zone and what zone am I in?   A gardening zone is determined officially by the United States Department of Agriculture but a few other places have developed their own zone charts.  If you live in another country your Department of Agriculture may have published its own chart, although the USDA chart covers Canada.

A zone chart divides the country into areas by the coldest winter temperatures they may experience and numbers them.  That’s called your winter hardiness zone for gardening.  There’s another USDA zone chart for heat hardiness but it is little used.   Each gardening zone may be further divided into part A and part B.  The colder the winter, the lower the number assigned to the zone.  In the US mainland area, we currently have zones three to eleven.

The USDA gathers data from numerous sites to determine an average maximum low temperature from an area.  As most of us know the climate is changing and the USDA zone map has been revised.  Many gardeners will find that their gardening zone has changed so that they are in a higher numbered zone, in other words, winter has gotten warmer.

The new gardening zone chart has taken into consideration the data from a much greater number of places than previous zone maps.   Even without climate change, the increased range of data may have changed the zone map.

Where to Find Your Gardening Zone

Where can you find this gardening zone map so that you can see what planting zone you are in?   Almost every garden catalog has a zone map somewhere in it.  Most garden reference books do too.  And you could go to the USDA site to find the map also: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx

Some places devise their own gardening zone maps, such as the Arbor Day Foundation and Sunset Gardening Publications.  Since most plant sellers use the USDA chart to rate the hardiness of their plants it’s probably best to look your gardening site on the official USDA zone map.

How to Use the Gardening Zone Map Information

The gardening zone chart is used so that consumers can know what perennial plants will survive the winter in their area.  Most plant labels and gardening catalogs will put the zone hardiness rating somewhere in the plant description.  When you choose plants for your garden choose plants that will grow in your zone or a lower numbered zone.

If you are a gardener in zone five you will want to choose plants that are rated hardy to zone five, four or three.  (Zone three is about the coldest area of the mainland United States.)  A plant rated hardy to zone seven would probably not survive the winter in your garden.

While most plants that have been in the market for a while will be assigned pretty accurately to their gardening zone, new plants may be less accurately placed. When new plants are put on the market they will probably have been trialed in a number of places, but until thousands of gardeners are growing the plant, the information about their zone hardiness may be only a guess.   When purchasing newly introduced plants, or even new varieties of familiar garden plants, be aware that the zone hardiness may not be really accurate. 

How to Cheat a Gardening Zone

What if you live in gardening zone five and you really, really, want a plant that is listed hardy to zone six?  Sometimes you can get away with it.  In every yard there are areas we call micro zones, areas where the climate is just a little different from the surrounding area.  It may be up against the south side of the house, in a courtyard, or in a sheltered pocket surrounded by heat holding rocks or cement.   A zone six plant might survive there.

There are other gardening tricks to try too.  Deep mulching or a protective cover might do the trick.  Sometimes plants that mange to survive a few milder winters in the zone will acclimate enough to survive a harsher winter.    Start with small plants of the variety you want to try and plant them in the spring.  Only spend what you can afford to lose on the plant.

If you have always wanted to grow certain types of plants in your garden but you don’t live in the right gardening zone, don’t despair.  New varieties of the plant you are interested in may be developed that expand the gardening zone range.  Keep looking. And when you have been successful in getting a plant to grow in your gardening zone that wasn’t rated hardy for it, share the information with gardening friends and organizations.  That may inspire others in your zone to grow the plant and ultimately get the gardening zone rating changed.


Book review- The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

While this is not a gardening book I think every gardener will enjoy it.  It’s a sweet and stunning little non-fiction book that will take your mind off alternative facts and government turmoil.  And the author is a gardener after all.

When Elizabeth is felled by an unusual virus she picks up traveling she spends months upon months confined to bed, able to do very little.  A friend digs up some wild violets and plunks a common wood snail in them and brings it to her bedside.  And her fascination with the tiny snail begins.

From prone in bed she watches the snail explore the world around his pot of violets every night, returning each morning to sleep in his pot.  Eventually a caretaker helps her make a suitable terrarium home for the snail and Elizabeth can gaze on the miniature world and remember what it was like to be out in nature.  She orders scientific books on snails and props them up so she can study them.

The book weaves Elizabeth’s musings about her condition around fascinating information about what snails, and their relative slugs, are like and how they live their tiny independent lives.  If you as a gardener have ever battled slugs or snails you may think differently about them after you read this book.  These tiny creatures are much more likable than you think. And most do not damage gardens.

Did you know snails like mushrooms and fallen flower petals to eat?  Did you know they can cooperate as a group to escape from confinement? Did you know many species of snails actually manufacture “Cupids darts” in their bodies and then throw them at each other during courtship?  The courtship of snails is extremely sensual; you will be amazed at what biologists through the ages have observed.  In this short and easy to understand book are snail facts that will amaze you.

I remember being fascinated with tiny white snails I saw on moss under a microscope one time and from the book I learned there are hundreds of snail species barely visible to the naked eye. In your garden there are probably large populations of snails you know nothing about, a hidden world.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was easy and soothing to read, yet full of valuable information.  (And it does have a happy ending, don’t worry.)  Amazon had the Kindle edition on sale- and you can find it at good bookstores.  Try it; I think most garden people will like it.

Is Australian Blushwood a miracle cancer remedy?

This week someone sent me an article about an Australian plant, Blushwood,  (Fontainea picrosperma), and then went on a rant about how it cured cancer and how “Big Pharma” was trying to keep us from getting our hands on this “natural” cure so they could keep selling us drugs.  I could see the article was sensationalized for maximum sharing on line, but was there any truth in it?  I did some research to find out.

The Australian blushwood tree grows in the rainforests of northern Queensland in Australia.  It’s a dioecious understory tree that is relatively common where it grows but the area it grows in is not large.  There are several related species that also grow in distinct areas.  Its habitat is a tropical rainforest and it does not grow well outside of those conditions.  It is an attractive enough shrub/small tree and in the right areas of Australia was sometimes used as an ornamental.  It has small white flowers and red fruit that indigenous animals like.  To see a botanical description and some pictures try this link;  http://keys.trin.org.au/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Fontainea_picrosperma.htm

Blushwood became famous and highly sought after when a company called QBiotics isolated a chemical compound called EBC-46 from its fruit.  EBC-46 is a protein Kinase C (PKC) inhibitor.  The chemical was injected into solid cancerous tumors of animals and it was found that it rapidly shrank those tumors.  Veterinary trials began and currently there are some small human trials ongoing.  In the trials a single injection is given to the tumor and it causes the blood vessels supplying the tumor to shrink and die.  The first trial results were published in 2014.

There are reservations about the use of EBC-46 in humans because previous PKC inhibitors have had serious or fatal side effects.  Human trials are proceeding cautiously.  Tumors that might be cured with EBC-46 include cutaneous or subcutaneous solid tumors of diseases such as melanoma, head and neck cancer, SCC and BCC of the skin and Merckel cell carcinoma.  To date- at least in published material- no cure of human cancer has been accomplished although tumors have been shrunk and remissions occurred.

So why wouldn’t this make a great herbal remedy?  Why not grow your own?  Why are they keeping this from us?  Big Pharma just wants to sell us drugs! This is the screaming message getting pushed across public forums.  And it’s nonsense.

It was “Big Pharma” that discovered this “drug” in the plant.  As far as I can find Blushwood is not used as an herbal remedy in its natural state.  It’s neither safe nor natural as the clickbait headlines proclaim.  Ingesting plant parts won’t cure you; it will probably kill you, as Blushwood is considered to be toxic.  To get the benefits of certain ingredients in this plant other chemicals have to be removed and the helpful chemicals purified and standardized.  This can’t be done under home conditions; it needs to be done in a lab.  It’s a complicated process and the product and process to get it has been patented by QBiotics.

Developing new drugs from biologicals –plant and animal sources- accounts for about 60% of the medicines we use or that are in development.  Some come because herbal remedies used for ages pointed to it as being helpful, aspirin for example, but others come about because researchers are actively seeking out and testing plants and even animals for new drugs.  Some plants would never have been used in herbal remedies or used very infrequently, because of their toxic nature.  In laboratory conditions however we can isolate compounds that we feel might be useful from those we know to be toxic.

Taxol is a drug used for cancer treatment that comes from yew plants.  However if you went out and made an herbal tea from yew you might very well die after drinking a few swallows of it.  In the case of many herbal remedies too much will kill you, or make you wish you were dead.  Only a few herbal remedies are safe no matter how much you consume, cannabis, for example.  When you produce or gather your own herbal remedies you can never know just how strong those remedies are.  Growing conditions, preparation and many other things can affect the efficacy or toxicity of the remedy. 

Researchers trying drugs for various disease cures like to know just how much of the active ingredients are in each dose.  This is called standardizing dosages and it’s done in laboratory conditions.  Without it results of trials may not be replicable, which to get any drug approved for human use must be done.  And we wouldn’t know what the threshold between cure and death is either if we don’t know what dose of active ingredients was given.

No, you don’t want Blushwood in your herb garden

So this means you should not rush out and try to obtain Blushwood plants or seeds to grow in the herb garden.  First of all the plant is not easy to grow outside its native environment as researchers have found out.  It needs tropical conditions and a relationship with other plants in the understory environment. You need male and female plants to produce fruit and seeds have to go through a treatment to germinate.  There are ongoing studies to determine how to produce the plant in quantity under controlled conditions if it does prove to be helpful.  

Second you cannot just use the plant like other herbal remedies if you were to find it and were able to grow it. The helpful drug must be isolated from the harmful ingredients under laboratory conditions. There is no ingestible form of the plant that is safe.  If you were to inject some homemade concoction you would be more likely to cause great harm than a cure.

Australian nurseries have stopped selling Blushwood plants because they fear people will die experimenting with them.  It is also not legal to sell plants or seed from Australia to places outside Australia.  On line I have seen people begging others to sell them seeds or plants, giving all kinds of sad or greedy reasons that they need them.  Many of these would be illegal transactions and none will be of benefit to any sick person.  Businesses that are advertising seeds or powders made from the plant are frauds and you shouldn’t waste your time and money on them.  What is being advertised is 99% certain not to be from Blushwood and it certainly won’t cure cancer.

So yes, “Big Pharma” will be controlling this drug.  They discovered and developed it.  And they are not keeping the drug from you- if it proves effective you can bet they will sell it.  Without debating drug costs, it’s important to remember that all drugs can’t be replicated at home and there is a cost to produce them.  While we can be cautiously optimistic that this drug will help cure some forms of cancer, it won’t kill all kinds of cancer in all people.  It’s not some ancient herbal remedy unearthed and exploited by drug companies, it’s a product of the drug industry.

So don’t fall for the hype and certainly don’t buy any Fontainea picrosperma products on line or in health food stores unless you enjoy wasting money.

More information- references

Monarda, or  Bee balm for the garden

Monarda or Bee Balm flower
Bee balm or Monarda is a native American wildflower that makes a great garden plant.  It’s pretty, long blooming, attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, provides seeds for birds, smells good, has herbal uses and is extremely easy to grow.  It will grow in sun or partial shade, in many types of soil and in zones 4-8.  The only drawbacks to Monarda are that it spreads very quickly both by runners and seeds and can sometimes take over the perennial bed.  It is also subject to powdery mildew which can leave plants looking ragged.

Monarda has about 20 native species but the most common are Monarda didyma, which has scarlet flowers, M. fistulosa which has pinkish flowers, and M. citriodora and M. pectinate which have pale lavender flowers.  The species are known to hybridize in the wild and many cultivated varieties have been created by crossing species.  Other common names of Monarda include Bergamot, horsemint, and Oswego tea.

Monarda is in the mint family and has squared, lightly grooved stems and a minty smell when crushed.  It is said to smell like Bergamot, a citrus family plant that is used for perfume.  The stems and leaves may have fine hairs or be smooth depending on species.   Leaves are long ovals (lance shaped) arranged opposite on the stems with a pointed tip and serrated edges.  The young leaves and leaves close to flowers often have a purplish tinge.  Monarda dies to the ground in winter but begins growing very early in spring, often as soon as the snow as melted and may even begin to grow in brief thaws.  Plants grow about 3 feet high in good conditions.  Monarda plants have underground stems called stolons that spread along and just under the ground to form a thick mat. 

Native Monarda flowers are pretty enough but many colors of flowers have been developed in cultivation in various shades of red, pink and purple.  Monarda flowers appear in early summer at the top of stems and bloom continues throughout summer. The flowers are a bit hard to describe but here goes.  There are several layers of sepals, usually colored similar to the flower, then a rounded cluster of buds which begin opening at the top like a wild hairdo.  Flowers are tube shaped, splitting near the top to form one long petal that may have a hook shaped appendage, or sometimes a fork, and one shorter petal.  The plants 2 stamens (male sexual organs) extend past the petals at maturity.

Double flowered varieties of Monarda have been developed but these are not as well liked by bees and hummingbirds.  Some cultivated varieties have a more flattened shape to the flowers, instead of the flowers opening in a cluster at the top they open to the sides.  Monarda flowers must have very tasty and abundant nectar as they are greatly loved by hummingbirds, bees and some butterflies.  When the flowers are pollinated they produce tiny black seeds which small birds such as goldfinches and chickadees really like.

Cultivars of Monarda

'Cambridge Scarlet' with bright scarlet flowers and 'Croftway Pink' with pink flowers are two old but good varieties. 'Snow White' is a harder to find variety with white flowers. (It’s not as attractive to hummingbirds and bees.)

'Marshall's Delight', (Pink) ‘Jacob Cline’, (red), 'Sunset',(red-purple) and 'Violet Queen'( violet) are mildew resistant varieties.  Dwarf varieties include ‘Petite Delight’ (pink), ‘Fireball’ (red), and ‘Pardon My Purple’ (purple).

Dwarf purple monarda

Growing Monarda

Monarda is generally bought as a plant.  A gardener you know may be happy to share some with you as the plants spread rapidly.  Seeds can be started also, but seeds collected from hybrid plants will probably not look the same as the parents.  You can easily start Monarda from cuttings of the stolons in the spring too.  Monarda looks best when several plants are grouped together, but don’t worry if you can only find or afford one.  It will quickly multiply for you.  There are now Monarda varieties in dwarf form that can be grown in containers.

Monarda prefers full sun and flowers best there, with less problems with powdery mildew.  But it will grow in partial shade and even produce some blooms.  Monarda will grow in any type of soil as long as that soil is reasonably moist during the growing season.  Monarda likes ample water.  It rarely needs fertilization and fertilization tends to produce floppy plants.

Deadheading Monarda will help keep plants blooming through summer.  Leave some flowers late in the season to produce seeds for birds.  The dried seed heads can also be used in flower arrangements.  To make plants stockier you can cut the plants in half in late spring.  This will delay flowering but the plants will be shorter when they flower.  Every 3-4 years the Monarda clumps should be dug up in the early spring and separated or you will tend to get dead areas in the center of the clump or toward the back of the area they are growing in.  You can trim Monarda back to the ground after the first hard frost or wait until spring to trim dead stalks back.
 
Bee balm seed head
The worst problem Monarda seems to have is with powdery mildew, which can pop up in warm weather.  Powdery mildew doesn’t generally kill plants but it can make them quit flowering and look very straggly.  It begins with a powdery white look on the lower leaves, which quickly dry up and fall off and this continues up the stem until you have bare stems with a clump of struggling foliage at the top.  If you have problems with powdery mildew there are flower fungicides that can be applied, usually they work best as a preventative and not a cure.  Management can also be used to increase airflow through clumps of the plant.  Trim half of the stems back randomly to about 10 inches throughout the clump.  As those regrow and begin to bloom, trim the other half of the stems you left back.

Medicinal and culinary uses of Monarda

As a member of the mint family the flowers and foliage of Monarda are edible.  The taste is a sharp combination of peppermint and oregano in my opinion.  I don’t find it appealing for salads but you might.  The flowers could be a colorful touch to salad or a plate garnish.  Native Americans used sprigs of the plant to flavor duck and game birds when roasting them.  I have seen recipes where it was used to flavor bread.  Monarda essential oil is used for aromatherapy and in potpourri.

 
Monarda is used for teas, hence the name Oswego tea.  Dried or fresh leaves, and flowers can be used for tea.  It can be sweetened and used as a “pleasure tea” and is said to relieve indigestion and gas pains.  Beware it’s also a diuretic.  Monarda has a high concentration of thymol, which is a good antiseptic.  Cooled tea can be used as a mouthwash for sores in the mouth and sore throats.  It can also be used to wash wounds or as a poultice on skin infections.

Leaves that are removed from the stems and dried for a few days in a warm dark place make the best teas.  Crumble and store in tightly sealed glass or food grade plastic containers.  To make a tea pour boiling water over a couple teaspoons of dried, crumbled leaves in a cup, let seep for 5 minutes and strain leaves off, keeping the fluid.

Here’s a good drink recipe.  Make a cup or 2 of Monarda tea as described above.  Crush a cup of raspberries and strain off the fluid, add the fluid to the strained Monarda tea.  Now add a cup of pineapple juice, sweetened or unsweetened, your choice.   Add ice.  It will make one or two servings.

As usual go easy the first time you consume any Monarda products to test for allergies.  Pregnant women should consult with a doctor before using.  Monarda products placed on skin and exposed to sunlight can increase the risk of sunburn.

Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.  (UTE Prayer)

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

 © Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used without permission.

And So On….

Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share?  Post them here by emailing me. You can also ask me to post garden related events. Kimwillis151@gmail.com

Find Michigan garden events/classes here:

An interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook

Here’s a seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook

Newsletter/blog 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 or you can comment directly on the blog. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly note if you email me. 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. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com

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 people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to receive a notification by email when a new blog is published have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com

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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

January 24, 2017, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

 © Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used without permission.


Hi Gardeners
Begonia

We got up before dawn today to drive to the hospital for Steve’s cataract surgery.  There was dense fog and drizzle all the way there, another gloomy, wet day.  I can’t drive well when it’s dark, add the weather and it’s a nightmare.  But considering the weather that’s happening around the country- and the world- I probably shouldn’t complain. I’m imagining our weather in Michigan is much like the weather in England right now, the famous London fog and gray winters. 
  
The weather has been very unusual here, as it’s been in most of the country. It seems like a gray March instead of January.  I’d like to think climate change will keep it warm all the rest of winter, but we will be getting colder by the end of the week. I keep reminding myself that all this may be covered with snow again soon.  That’s the problem with global warming, it isn’t a steady rise in one area, and it’s up and down, even though it averages out warmer.  One week we are zone 6 and the next back to 5.

It’s been nice having the hose to the barn run and the chickens have been able to get outside and forage a bit.  So far the deer have left the evergreens alone, although the squirrels are doing a number on them. (See the article about red squirrels later in the blog.)

When walking with Gizmo, who doesn’t mind rain and mud, I keep finding bulbs pushed out of the ground, mostly smaller bulbs like crocus.  The freezing and thawing is heaving them out of our light soil.  I try to dig holes to replace them but the ground is only thawed a few inches so it’s difficult.   I push soil and leaves up around them hoping for the best.  Already the snowdrops are sprouting and the crocus close to the house. 

I don’t think anyone in the country can deny that global warming is happening and our weather is changing.  We may not agree on how much of the change is due to human activity, but we should agree that we should do everything we can to lessen any contribution to the problem and all that we can do to prepare for what the changes will do to our country.

Instead of opening closed coal mines and building more pipelines to carry fracked oil we should be moving to develop wind and solar power, which do not pollute.  We should be driving smaller, more energy efficient cars and growing more food for ourselves in a sustainable manner.  We should be eating locally and seasonally.  We should be protecting our water.  We must prepare for violent and unpredictable weather.  We have to move into the future knowing that the earth is changing around us and we must quickly move from our older, wasteful, and polluting forms of energy and embrace new technology.  That just might save our species.

Starting plants from stem cuttings

Plants have an advantage over animals in that most can reproduce both sexually and asexually.  Asexual reproduction involves suckering by the plant, production of bulbs, corms and tubers, division of the plant, tissue culture of the plant and reproducing the plant from pieces of the plant, commonly known as cuttings. Many plants can be reproduced from stem cuttings, some are reproduced from root cuttings, and some can be reproduced from a leaf or cuttings of a leaf.

When I taught Master Gardening classes one of the most liked classes was the class where we discussed plant reproduction and we actually started a number of plants from cuttings.  Gardeners love getting free plants.  I kept a lot of house plants in my office that were butchered for the plant reproduction class each spring and each fall for a children’s program.  There are probably many, many clones of those plants still growing happily in my area.

One of the generous office plants

Not all plants can be reproduced well from cuttings, plants with a crown system of growth, think hosta and daylilies, may be difficult to start this way.  They are generally propagated by division, or tissue culture.  Some crown type plants put out aerial stems with “babies” on them.  Spider plants and “hens and chicks” are examples.  Other plants produce “pups” at the base. Those baby plants can be easily rooted.  But a great many plants can be started from cuttings and it’s a fun way to begin new plants.

The new plant started from a cutting will be exactly like the parent plant, (with a few odd exceptions) which is one of the advantages of producing plants through cuttings. Many greenhouses reproduce hundreds of types of plants from cuttings.  

There are several methods of starting cuttings and to get the best results gardeners need to know what method works best for each type of plant and if there’s an optimum time in the growth cycle of the plant to take a cutting.  Many references can provide that information.  If you can’t find information on the plant you are trying to grow, use your best judgement and give it a try anyway.  I’ll mention some plants that work best with each type of cutting.

In this article I’m discussing stem cuttings; hopefully I’ll be able to cover other types of asexual reproduction at another time.

Types of cuttings

Softwood cuttings are taken when the plant is growing and has leaves.  The stems are generally green and soft, without bark. These are the cuttings generally taken from houseplants all year round and herbaceous perennials in early spring or fall if you want to carry certain plants through winter.  The best softwood cuttings or stem cuttings come from growth the plant put out in the last few months.  

Plants that start well from softwood are pothos, philodendron, Wandering Jew,( Tradescantia  or Zebrina)  bridal veil, purple passion plant, Setcreasea, Swedish ivy, hoya, peperomia,  petunias, snapdragons, tomatoes, coleus, cane type begonias, wax begonias, impatiens, geraniums ( Pelargonium), sedum, creeping phlox, chrysanthemum, Cuphea, Dipladenia, fuchsia, Hedera ivies (Boston ivy and others),heliotrope, poinsettia, plus many more.

If the plant is a hardy perennial or shrub softwood cuttings are generally easier to start in late spring.

Hardwood cuttings are from woody ornamentals and a few indoor plants.  They are usually taken from wood about the size of a pencil and they are taken while the plant is dormant, held in cold storage and rooted just before the parent plant would break dormancy.  These cuttings may have bark on the stems. Plants to try include willows, junipers, arborvitae, forsythia, euonymus, camellia, privet, gardenia, citrus, cypress, dogwood, blueberries, weigela, mockorange, mulberry, and Rose of Sharon.

Semi-hardwood cuttings are an intermediate stage between a young green steam and an older woody one.  They may be from tropical plants which don’t have a dormant period or taken from plants outside of a dormancy period but before the stems have heavy bark.  Jade plants are an example, as are roses, grapes, ficus, jasmine, Artemesia, Buddleia (butterfly bush), lavender, Caryopteris and brugmansia. Willows will start from semi-woody cuttings, hardwood or softwood. Rosemary can be started from soft or semi-hardwood cuttings.

Basics for all cuttings

All cuttings should have at least two nodes on them.  Nodes are points along a stem where a growth bud is, usually where leaves are found or will grow. Some people refer to nodes as “joints”.   In some plants there are many nodes close together and in others there are fewer nodes farther apart.  For each cutting there should be at least two nodes.  One will form the upper part of the new plant or the shoots, and the other will form the root system.  You must be careful not to damage the nodes when you cut pieces off the parent plant.   Longer cuttings with many nodes are not necessarily better.  Cuttings with more than 4 nodes may not root well.



If cuttings are from the tip of the plant stem, they are called terminal cuttings.  Terminal cuttings usually grow faster than other stem cuttings.  The new growth will come at the end of the cutting, at the tip and you only need one additional node.   If a piece of stem is cut into several smaller pieces, one piece at the end is the terminal cutting and the other pieces are just called stem cuttings.  These stem cuttings will produce new growth from the side of the node.

Plant cuttings will root best if the end of the cutting inserted in the soil or water to form roots is the end which would have been closest to the main stem of the parent plant (down).  This is especially true when making hardwood cuttings.  When making hardwood cuttings that will be stored for a while it’s a good idea to mark the “bottoms” of the cuttings with paint or marker above the cut end so you don’t forget which end is to be inserted into the rooting medium.

When dividing a stem into several pieces for cuttings make it’s a good idea to leave a small “handle “ of stem above the top node of the section. This is generally cut on a slant.  Pick up the cutting by the handle so you don’t damage the node which will become the upper parts of the plant.  Beneath the bottom node of the cutting cut the stem straight across as close to the node as you can without damaging it.  This part will go into the rooting medium.

For rooting all cuttings the medium – or “potting soil” should be a soilless mixture or milled peat or vermiculite.   Don’t use garden soil or compost.  Buy a light weight potting mixture for best results.  Some people use clean sand for rooting cuttings, especially hardwood cuttings.

Some plants will root in water, but cuttings of many plants will simply rot.  If you root them in water they may have a hard time adjusting to being planted in soil later.  You can keep some plants in water indefinitely, adding a little fertilizer from time to time.  But if you intend for your plants to be potted in soil it is best to start them in a solid medium to begin with.

Soft wood cutting care

Softwood cuttings can be rooted at any time.  Prepare the cuttings by removing all but one or two leaves at each above ground node and all the leaves from the nodes that will be underground.  If the plant has very large leaves cut the leaves in half.   Dip the bottom of the cutting in rooting hormone, which can be purchased at most garden stores. All plants won’t need rooting medium, but for the more difficult plants you’ll get better results using it.   

Make a hole in the moistened planting medium; do not push the cutting into the medium because this can damage the node that will make the roots.  Firm the medium around the cutting.  You can bury half the nodes in the medium and leave half above the “ground”. 

Several cuttings can be placed in one container.  Most people enclose the container in a plastic bag or place it under a glass jar to increase the humidity. Make sure that the cuttings do not touch the sides of any covering as the pieces may rot at that spot.  If the enclosed area gets extremely wet remove the covering for a few hours.  Place these covered containers in bright light but not in direct sunlight.  Most of these cuttings do best in warm conditions.

Don’t tug at cuttings to see if they have rooted.  If several new leaves have developed the root system probably has too.  Carefully dig up the cuttings and pot them individually, if desired.  Fertilize the new plants lightly and move into the lighting situation the plant requires.

One special note- cuttings of succulents and cacti should be given a day or two for the cuts to heal and form a callus before being inserted into rooting medium.  I have found that cuttings of pelargoniums (common geranium) also respond well to a day or two of drying before they are put in rooting medium.

Semi- hardwood cuttings care

These cuttings are treated much the same way as softwood cuttings but they are generally a bit thicker and older than soft cuttings.  Most garden plants propagated in this manner do best when cuttings are taken in late spring.  For some tropical plants the season is not important.

These cuttings take longer than softwood cuttings to root.  Don’t let the soil get too wet or they will rot.  You may need to experiment to see if some semi-hardwood cuttings need to be enclosed in glass or plastic to start well.  Many rose cuttings are started under a jar.

Hardwood cutting care

Hardwood cuttings are taken after the plants have gone dormant and they are then stored in a cold- below freezing - dark place for several months.  Hardwood cuttings are generally 8-12 inches long and should have several nodes. They should be kept moist- many people store them in a can of damp sand.   If the cutting is from an evergreen plant, remove most of the needles from the upper part of the cutting and all the needles from the nodes that will be inserted into the rooting medium.

About 6 weeks before the parent plants would normally come out of dormancy, bring the cuttings into a moderately warm 40-60 degree place for a week.  Prepare moistened planting medium as for softwood cuttings, make holes in the medium for the cuttings, dip in rooting hormones and insert.   I find that hardwood cuttings generally need rooting hormone to get started. Keep the cuttings in a cool – below 70 degree place in indirect light.  Do not enclose these cuttings in plastic or glass but keep the humidity up in the room if possible. 

Alternately some people put hardwood cuttings in pots soon after taking them and store the pots in a cold area – even outside in trenches- allowing the cuttings to begin to grow when the parent plant does, or bringing the pots inside earlier and treated as above.

When you see new growth you can carefully transplant the cuttings into individual containers, fertilize lightly and place gradually into brighter light.  It can take a long time for some hardwood cuttings to get growing well. I suggest growing them in containers for one season (to the next spring) before transplanting into the ground.

Problems and tips

If you are having trouble getting a plant to root from a cutting try adding gentle bottom heat.  Seed starting mats or waterproof heating mats on low heat can work.   Many professional propagators use a misting system on cuttings.  I find that starting cuttings outside in a protected area in early spring works well because misty, drizzly weather is common here in spring.  If a cold spell comes move the cuttings inside.  Make sure heavy rain storms don’t beat the cuttings down or flood containers.

If you are having trouble propagating a certain type of plant try taking cuttings at a different time of the year, or using softwood instead of hardwood or vice versa.  Some plants can just be very difficult to start from cuttings.

If the cutting doesn’t put out any new growth after a few weeks, or the bottom of the stem blackens, shrivels or turns mushy it isn’t “taking”.  Discard those and start over.  Some wilting of leaves left on cuttings is normal, sometimes the leaves even fall off but the stem will remain firm and green and new leaves should grow if the cutting is “taking.”

Not all plants start well from cuttings, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Most plants are not hurt from trimming off pieces for cuttings and it even stimulates some plants to grow better.   Start several cuttings if you can.  If you get all of them to grow you can share them with your friends.

Herbs for lice

If you have kids in school you have probably had an infestation of head lice or at least a scare concerning them.  Lice can come home in even the cleanest hair- in fact they actually prefer clean hair.  With a long cold winter involving lots of hats, scarves and hoods often being shared among kids, lice can pop up anywhere.  Usually the cure for head lice involves some very toxic chemicals and a lot of hand “grooming.”  Less toxic, safer alternatives do exist for lice treatment however. 

I ran across an interesting study that proved that mango, rosemary and tea tree oil repel human head lice.  In the study the oils of these plants were mixed with carrier oil such as olive oil, either separately or in combination, and combed through the hair.  Subjects with treated hair were far less likely to acquire head lice when exposed to them than people whose hair was not treated.   Now these oils did not kill existing lice, but kept them away.  This study also stated that research had proved that any type of hair conditioner would remove lice nits (eggs) attached to hair shafts just as effectively as commercial nit removing products.

Further reading led me to some interesting herbal remedies for head lice.  (Warning- before using any herbal mixture on a person’s head put a small amount on some exposed skin to test for an allergic reaction.  And keep all herbal products out of the eyes.) There is a patent for a head louse repellant/ insecticide that contains essential oils of anise, tea tree and lemon with research to prove it’s effective.  In other studies these essential oils were also considered to have effective repellant or insecticidal properties: tea tree, anise, lavender, rosemary, neem, clove, geranium, lemon, eucalyptus, peppermint, clove, thyme and nutmeg.  The first 4 are the most effective.

A study done at Harvard found that plain olive oil worked into hair and left overnight under a shower cap was a fairly effective way to kill lice.  They found that olive oil was the best carrier oil if you wished to try mixing up a repellant/louse killer with essential oils yourself.  The common mixing ratio is 2 ounces of olive oil to 10 drops of essential oil.  After you kill adult lice the eggs or nits must be combed of the hair shafts they are stuck to.  Add some essential oil to any hair conditioner and work it through the hair.  Then comb with a fine tooth comb.

Herbalists suggest adding 10 drops of essential oil to your favorite shampoo and conditioner bottle and mixing well to use as a louse preventative.  Adding a few drops of tea tree, lavender or rosemary essential oil to a hairbrush before brushing yours or your child’s hair may also help. Washing clothing and bedclothes with hot water, soap and with some essential oils added is suggested if there is a louse outbreak.  You can mix essential oil with some rubbing alcohol and put it in a spray bottle to use to spray items that can’t be washed.

Herbal products for lice are on the market but experts warn these are unregulated and vary tremendously in effectiveness.  A heat treatment for lice done in a salon setting is also available in some places.  Now after reading this your head is probably itching and you are ready to look through your essential oils to see what you have!

Red Squirrel Damage to trees

If you live in the north and are noticing lots of branch tips on the ground beneath cedars (arborvitae) and spruce you probably have red squirrels around.  Red squirrels are not the typical suburban squirrel; those are fox or gray squirrels.  They sometimes appear in wooded suburbs but generally they are rural residents.  Red squirrels are native squirrels to northern woods and there are 22 sub species.

Red squirrels are tiny things, with reddish coats with a solid white belly, tufted ears and white eye rings.  They are aggressive even if small.  They will eat anything; one of their favorite foods is mushrooms and they will actually eat baby rabbits, baby birds and the young of other squirrels.  They aggressively and noisily defend territories, even from humans, who are occasionally attacked by them.  When you have red squirrels you rarely see other types of squirrels because the red squirrels drive them off.
 
Red  squirrel
Red squirrels do a lot of damage to trees.  The arborvitae have small cones with seeds in them at the tips of branches.  The squirrels cut off the branch tip, eat the seeds and discard the rest.  They eat the buds of spruce and some other trees discarding part of the branch tip when done.  They also eat the flower buds of fruit and other trees later in spring.  The eating of buds and branch tips can weaken trees and disfigure them.

Red squirrels dig up and eat flower bulbs and will eat plants on porches and decks.  The ones around here seem to be very fond of geraniums.  They will eat them down to the soil line.  For a few years I had them coming inside my enclosed porch in winter to eat the potted geraniums I was trying to over winter there.  I would see them doing it, but was unable to catch them.  They get into vegetable gardens and fruit trees.  They raid chicken feeders, bird feeders and pet dishes.

Red squirrels are more likely to enter homes through holes chewed in soffits and attics, even crawl spaces under homes, than other squirrels.  Inside they also do considerable damage.  For a while we had a terrible time with red squirrels in our attic.  We even had them coming into the main part of the house from the attic, but our dogs quickly eliminated those intruders.

So what can you do about red squirrels? 

They are part of the natural ecology and I always advocate leaving them alone when they stay in the woods.  But most of us can’t tolerate damage to the home and our cultivated plants without wanting to defend ourselves.  These buggers are very hard to deal with.  Things like scented soap, red pepper, commercial pest sprays and so on really don’t work on them.  Rat poison doesn’t seem to work on them and I don’t recommend putting poison outside where other critters could get it.  Poisoned squirrels will also poison birds of prey and other things that might feed on them.

Red squirrels are hard to trap and very dangerous when live trapped.  You’ll need to release them miles away if you don’t want to kill them after trapping them.  An acquaintance tells me of taking a red squirrel to release it and as he let it out of the trap it latched onto his hand and severely bit him.  He had to shake it off and then it ran back at him.  Use rat traps inside the house to kill them.  Ultrasonic devices don’t work.

I have heard people say to feed them to prevent the damage, but like with any pest animals, that usually causes more harm than good.  Don’t feed them. Red squirrels rarely become tame like other squirrels, even for food. Feeding red squirrels is like feeding rats, you’ll just get more.  Protect bird feeders if you can with baffles and feed pets inside.  Discourage them from hanging around.  Fix all holes in houses and out buildings as soon as they make them. 

Encourage natural predators like hawks and owls to get them.  Put up owl nest boxes.  Fake owls help for a short time, until they realize they are fake. Tall perches near squirrel frequented areas encourage hawks. Coyotes also eat them, but you probably don’t want to encourage coyotes near your home.

I have found that cats are a good predator of red squirrels.  Our cats have finally reduced the population of red squirrels to a manageable size.  The squirrels often foolishly attack them, only to become dinner.  All cats won’t kill squirrels; you need the right kind of barn cats to tackle them.  Dogs will kill them too, but often can’t get to them.

Red squirrels are not an endangered species.  You’ll probably at the most just be able to reduce the population around your home, not eliminate it.  A 22 or shot gun does a good job on them. Be careful about weapon laws in your area.  Game laws generally allow nuisance animals to be shot.  They say people hunt them for meat - but with 9 types of tapeworms and 25 types of fleas to name some parasites that frequent them, I wouldn’t want to eat one.   That’s another reason not to tolerate them in the house either.

Why not removing pest species may make things worse for everyone

I love animals and we keep a portion of our property “natural” and do many things to encourage wildlife.  However I never feel guilty about defending my “territory” (home) and food supply and neither should you. That is just as natural as the red squirrel defending his.  I wouldn’t have killed the squirrels because they ate my geraniums, but I do kill them when they start chewing their way into my house.  And I don’t mind the cats killing them because then I don’t have to, even though cats cause their own controversy.

The white tail deer is a prime example of how people protect one species to the detriment of other less visible but equally important species.  I just saw another story on the news where a community was up in arms over a planned cull to a huge population of deer. While they are saving Bambi many other living things such as understory trees and shrubs, endangered wildflowers and birds are being lost in the area.  When deer aren’t limited to reasonable numbers for the area by predators, they destroy many native species of plants by over grazing.  When deer eliminate those plant species from the environment, other less noticeable or less “cute” animal species are also affected; birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. 

There is also damage to humans if their car or motorcycle hits Bambi.  The over population of deer also leads to smaller, less healthy deer prone to outbreaks of disease.  We need to stop judging the value of a species by how cute or graceful they are.  We need to think of the big picture.  If we don’t allow hunting or we don’t want large predators in the area, we need to correct for our interference in nature by occasionally culling those deer and not feeling guilty about it.

Here’s a really simplified example of how using reason can change how you feel about killing an animal that eats your food or damages your home. Let’s say squirrels eat all your tomatoes.  You know they are doing it but you just can’t kill them and don’t want someone else to kill them because they’re so cute.  You don’t really have to have tomatoes but you probably won’t go without tomatoes the rest of the year.  Instead you’ll buy them from someone else.  That someone could be a local organic farmer.  Good choice, and then your decision not to kill squirrels may be just fine.

But more than likely most people will be buying tomatoes from a grocery who bought those tomatoes from a large farm, who grew them using pesticides that kill bees and other animals, fertilizers that pollute water and may even have harvested them using slave labor.  (That sounds outdated, but tomatoes ( and strawberries) are a crop that is often harvested by people being held against their will and that crop accounts for a major share of cases involving human rights violations in agriculture.)

You need to weigh the decision to get rid of an animal carefully against what not getting rid of it could do.  Little things can add up to big differences in the whole web of life.  I would rather kill a raccoon that keeps killing my laying hens than buy factory farmed eggs.  I would try to exclude the raccoon first but if that wasn’t working I’d kill the coon and I have. Maybe I could buy my eggs from another person who raises the hens in a way I approve of, but chances are they are having the same type of problem I am. It comes with the territory.  I wouldn’t try to kill all the coons in my woods just the coon or coons that were after my source of eggs.

We need to live sustainably and in cooperation with other species, taking only what we need and not destroying nature needlessly.  We need to always be thinking about how our choices affect the greater good, and we should make those choices with our heads, not our emotions.  There are times when killing even a single animal would be a bad choice.  And sometimes the better choice is to kill or remove an animal from your environment.

We may not have the right to shave the top off a mountain to mine coal but we do have the right – maybe the responsibility – to protect our homes and food. Share the harvest, if you want, with the other critters that occupy your environment. (Like it or not, you will be sharing.) Share your territory if sharing doesn’t harm you.  But you don’t have to give up the entire harvest or your home to other animals out of guilt.

Making  Beer Batter Sweet Potato Fries


You may have had sweet potato fries in a restaurant but you can make them at home too. Sweet Potato fries take more work than making fries from white potatoes but they are a bit more nutritious.  Not really wonderful for a diet but very tasty. You can find them frozen now in stores but why not make your own?  Try this beer batter recipe for some really great eating.

Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into strips (boil them until they are just getting soft.)  You can also microwave them.
¼ cup honey
2¼ cups beer, a mild flavored beer is best
1tsp. grated lemon peel
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups flour
Oil for deep frying (not soy), peanut oil is great

Directions

For the batter blend 1/4 cup beer with the honey and lemon peel in a large zip close bag or use a covered bowl.  Add the sweet potato slices and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Now mix together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and remaining beer in a large bowl.  Blend until smooth.

Heat the frying oil to 390 degrees F. (195 C) in a deep fryer or deep pan.

Using tongs take a strip of potato from the bag and dip it in the flour- beer mixture. Place the batter coated strips in the hot oil immediately.

Only fry a few pieces at a time, making sure not to crowd them in the fryer, until golden brown. Lift the fried potatoes out of the fryer with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel covered plate.  Serve hot.

 Does January rain make February flowers?

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

And So On….
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