Hi Gardeners
 |
| Hello March |
Today is rather gloomy and chilly here, with temperatures just
above freezing and occasional rain and snow mixed. When I went outside this morning
to feed the chickens the wild birds were making quite a racket, they seemed to
be happy with the weather. There’s a
large flock of red winged blackbirds hanging around, maybe on their way
north. Dozens were singing from all
points around me. On an odd note I
noticed a lot of the red winged blackbirds were picking through horse poop in
the pasture across the road. I’ve seen starlings do that but not RW
blackbirds.
A flock of starlings was in the maple tree in the pasture and they
were all chirping away in their interpretation of a song. A woodpecker drummed
on a tree. A cardinal and several
goldfinches were singing. And best of
all a robin was singing away in the pine by the barn. Ah, the spring chorus, I’m
just waiting for the frogs to join in.
Since it’s been cool more blooming of bulbs has been delayed. But the tulips and other bulbs are coming up
strongly and a few warmer days will see a burst of crocus bloom. Buds are swelling on the maples and willows. I ordered some seeds and plants this week and
I hear my favorite greenhouse is open now. I really want to visit but I don’t
really need any more indoor plants and it’s too early for anything to be
planted outside. If I don’t visit I won’t
buy.
If it’s mild next week-it’s supposed to rain and snow most of the
rest of this week- I’ll begin spring clean up on the beds. I have some pruning to do on the fruit trees
too. I’m going to move my strawberry bed
this spring and I need to get the new bed prepared too.
The chickens are laying well now, and they are now confined back
into their pens because they were doing a little too much scratching in the
flower beds. It’s nice they stir up the leaves, but I don’t want them damaging
the plants coming up.
I hope everyone of you is hearing a spring chorus this week and
gets at least a few sunny days.
March
almanac
There are two full moons in March, the March 1st
full moon, called Snow moon, is generally in February. The second full moon, a
blue moon, the 31st, is called the Worm moon, because earthworms
once more make worm casts on the soil surface, or Sap moon because the trees
begin to produce sap again. (Actually, in this zone the trees were producing
sap early in the month). Moon apogee is the 11th. The moon perigee is
the 26th – a good day to expect a storm around.
The most important date for all gardeners in March is, of
course the first day of spring. It’s
March 20th. That’s the date
when the length of the day and the night are about the same, the spring (vernal)
equinox. Actually, in Michigan the length of the day will be 12 hours and 10
minutes. The length of the day will be
12 hours, 42 minutes on March 31st.
March 11th begins
daylight savings time. Spring those clocks ahead 1 hour.
Other important dates and holidays in March are: 7th –
Employee Appreciation Day, 8th International Women’s day, 12th – Girl Scout Day
and Plant a flower Day, the 13th is National popcorn day and the 14th National
Potato chip day. The 14th is also Learn
about Butterflies day.
The 15th is the Ides of March. In ancient Rome this was the beginning of the
New Year and also of spring. The 17th is St. Patrick’s Day and the 18th is the
Goddess of Fertility day. The 19th is
poultry day, the 20th is Earth Day although beware-it’s also Alien Abduction
day. The 25th is National Agriculture
day as well as National Pecan day and National Waffle day. The 30th is National
Doctors day.
March is Irish American month as well as National Women’s
History month, National Nutrition month, National Peanut month, National Craft
Month and National Frozen Foods month.
March’s birth flower is the daffodil or jonquil, the
birthstone is aqua marine. Here’s a link to an article on growing them.
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| Narcissus |
Nine
reasons for seed starting failure
In my February 20th
blog I talked about when to start seeds.
I am getting questions about seeds failing to grow or
seedlings dying. It’s the time of year
when many gardeners are itching to get something growing and are then dismayed
when things don’t work out like they planned.
I’m going to review some reasons why people can experience failure or less
than ideal results when starting seeds. I am discussing seeds started inside,
not out in the garden.
While it may be a disease like “dampening off” (a fungal
disease), that ultimately kills your seedlings the conditions must be right for
that disease to actually infect seedlings and the disease organisms have to
come from somewhere. So, the environment
and care of your seedlings is what usually results in success or failure in
seed starting.
Not
using fresh, or properly stored seeds
You need good seeds that are stored properly for the
species to have success in seed starting.
If you buy seeds each year from a reputable company they are generally
fresh and have been stored properly. The
problem comes when people store seeds from year to year without understanding
what that type of seed needs to remain viable or when they buy from individuals
on line that may or may not be knowledgeable or they accept free or reduced
priced seeds that are several years old.
If you stored your left-over bean seeds in a jar with a
lid in a dark cool place the germination rate may still be good a second year
or even third year. But if you found a
paper packet you partially emptied and then stuck in a drawer last year those
seeds may not germinate well. It’s probably best to buy new ones.
Some seeds when properly stored will germinate
successfully for many years. Other
species of seeds will lose a lot of their ability to germinate in just a year
or even a few months. When I worked at
Extension we often got seed company donations of seeds left over after the
planting season to use in 4-H and Master Gardener projects the following
year. We usually had pretty good success
with the common vegetable and flower seeds that were just a year old. But some types of seeds did not germinate
well after a year.
Onions, leeks, parsnips, parsley, chives, marjoram,
oregano, salvia, viola, larkspur and heliotrope all have seeds that lose a lot
of viability (ability to sprout) after only one year. Sweet corn is said to be good for 2 years, but
I have always had better success with seed that’s less than a year old. Okra
and peppers are also iffy, don’t use seeds over 2 years old.
Seed packets have a date stamped on them when they were
packed. Look for it when buying seeds
from a store rack. I have known
companies to store seed from the year prior and put them out at full price.
If you find seeds and aren’t sure how fresh and viable
they are you can do the germination test.
Put 10 seeds on damp paper towels in a warm place and see how many germinate. That’s roughly your germination rate – 5
seeds sprouting mean about a 50% germination rate.
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| The back of a seed package can give you a lot of information |
Starting
seeds too early
In my February 20th blog I talked about when
to start seeds. If you are unsure when to start what you may want to read that
article. One of the biggest mistakes made in seed starting is starting seed for
plants that will be transplanted outside too early. Unless you have a greenhouse that you can
heat if needed, the longer the time between when the seeds are started and when
they are planted outside the less likely you are to have healthy transplants.
That’s because the longer plants are growing in less than ideal circumstances
the more likely they are to get a disease or be stressed from environmental
conditions and resource competition.
Bigger/older plants do not always equal better plants for
transplanting outside. That’s especially true of plants that don’t really
appreciate transplanting and face a set back when its done. Vining crops, like melons and cucumbers and
root crops like carrots should be small, with only a few true leaves when
transplanted.
Even in high light, warmth and humidity of greenhouse
conditions plants held too long before transplanting can suffer. They may get root bound or become so large
they are hard to transplant safely. And
bigger plants may have a harder time recovering from transplant stress.
Not
using sterile medium and clean containers
For the best success in seed starting use sterile seed
starting medium, or at the least use soil-less mixes. Do not use garden soil or compost. Yes, these can be sterilized, (spread on a
cookie sheet in a thin layer and bake at 160 degrees F for 30 minutes) but this
is a time consuming and smelly process that only works for small batches of
soil. Garden soil and compost may contain disease organisms that will infect
seedlings and their nutrition quality is almost always unknown. Do not re-use
seed starting medium that plants once grew in without sterilizing it.
If you reuse containers that other plants have grown in
they must be sterilized in hot water with bleach added (1 part bleach to 3
parts water). All soil and other debris
must be removed first. If you re-purpose
food and other containers that have been used, they must be washed in hot water
and soap and have no remaining food residue or product in them.
Not using sterile seed starting medium and clean
containers can allow fungal and bacterial diseases on/in them to infect your
seedlings. Seed starting medium will
either have no fertilizer or the fertilizer content will be given on the
bag. You can then fertilize the
seedlings correctly. Garden soil and
compost vary so widely in nutritional and pH value that it’s a crapshoot as to
whether the seedlings are getting what they need or are being harmed by improper
pH or excessive/unbalanced nutrients.
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| Make pots out of paper, they are cheap and clean |
Not
understanding the species germination needs
Starting seeds is not just filling a container with
medium, adding seeds and covering them.
Each species of plants has optimal germination conditions. The healthiest plants germinate in the
optimal range. Plants that struggle to
germinate may never be as healthy. Weak
plants are more susceptible to disease. When growing conditions do improve they
may never catch up to the plants started in optimal conditions.
Plant species require different soil and air temperatures
for optimal germination. Some like it warm but some like it cool. Some seeds require light for germination and
shouldn’t be covered. Some seeds need to be chilled, soaked, or nicked before
germination. Read the seed packet, most
will give you the optimal temperatures for germination and they will tell you
what other conditions are right for the species, such as the depth to plant
seeds or whether they need scarifying (nicking). If you don’t get that information on the
packet, look it up in a catalog or reference.
If your seeds sprout close to the average time of
germination printed on the packer they probably had optimal conditions. Knowing and providing the optimal conditions
for seed germination is one of the best ways to ensure healthy transplants.
Not
enough light
Seedlings grown indoors in windowsills are most at risk
for not getting the light they need to grow properly. Leggy, pale plants are not good transplants. If plants are grown inside (other than in a
greenhouse) they need to be right up against a southern window at the least and
it’s better to provide a grow light.
Grow lights should be only a few inches above the tops of seedlings and
on for at least 12 hours. You’ll need to adjust the height as seedlings grow.
Plants that are stocky, upright, and dark green are
getting enough light. Plants that lean, have long floppy stems and are pale are
lacking light. Since plants manufacture
their food using light, not giving them enough light is essentially starving
them, and this can stunt their growth and make them more susceptible to
disease.
Too
much water is the cause of many seedlings demise. Letting the top of the growing medium dry
between watering is preferred for most species. Good air circulation helps dry
soil and foliage. Constantly damp soil is a good environment for fungal
diseases. Sprinkling cinnamon on the soil will not prevent or cure fungal
disease.
Watering from below, especially if seedlings are tiny is
best, that means putting containers in trays with water and letting them soak
it up. If you can’t do that use a spray
bottle and mist containers to provide water while seedlings are tiny. Water
gently with warm water when seedlings are older.
Don’t water just because you notice seedlings wilting. Check
the planting medium first, it may be too wet, and the roots are rotting. Dampening off looks like wilting to many
people. Seedlings will get a constricted
or blackened area on the stem and seem to topple over. There’s no cure for this fungal disease and
watering will make things worse. Discard
those seedlings as soon as you notice the disease as it will rapidly spread.
For an article on dampening off disease see the seed page
on this site
Too
much fertilizer can be a problem with seedlings. They don’t need any fertilizer until they
have true leaves. If the starting medium
came with a fertilizer mixed in, (it should say on the bag), your seedlings
won’t need fertilizing for about 12 weeks.
If the medium didn’t have fertilizer a very weak general-purpose
fertilizer can be used about once a week. Dilute the fertilizer to half the strength
recommended for potted plants.
Do not use compost tea, compost, animal poop, worm
castings and such on seedlings growing inside because fungal disease can be
brought in with these things. Never use Epsom salts which will burn seedling
roots and isn’t a balanced fertilizer.
Not
thinning and over crowding is a mistake many people make when starting
seeds inside. Every seedling needs
space. If you plant two seeds in a pot because one may not grow or closely
space seeds in a flat for the same reason, you’ll need to remove one or some of
them if your germination rate is good.
The easiest way is to use scissors and cut one or more seedlings off at
the soil line while they are still small. However, many people won’t do this,
because they don’t like killing plants.
For those of you who can’t cut off extra seedlings you’ll need to
transplant the extra seedlings before they get too big.
Each seedling needs enough space so that it isn’t
touching plants next to it. As plants
grow you will need to provide more space.
This may mean transplanting some and moving pots farther apart. It may mean adding extra grow lights. That’s
another reason not too start seeds too soon, so they won’t need as much space
before you move them outside.
Before you plant a whole seed packet of seeds you need to
decide just how many plants you actually want or need. After they are growing it’s really hard for
most people to discard some. That leads to overcrowding. Start by planting only a few more seeds than
you want as plants. If enough don’t
germinate you can always start more. And
reserving some seeds may allow you to re-plant if seedlings die.
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| Not enough light, too wet and too crowded |
Not
hardening seedlings off is another mistake people make when
starting seeds inside. You have these
nice beautiful looking baby plants and you take them outside and plant them on
a warm sunny day and poof! they all die.
Seedlings need to acclimate to outdoor conditions
gradually. Ultraviolet radiation, heat
and wind are shocks, sometime fatal shocks, to an indoor plants system. Bring the seedlings outside a few hours a day
to a shaded, protected area for a few days before planting them into the
garden.
Try to transplant seedlings into the garden in a cloudy,
damp but mild spell of weather. Even plants grown in greenhouses adjust better
in these conditions. If the weather
won’t cooperate you may need to use some shade material – like a paper cone-
over plants. My grandfather used to make little “hats” out of newspaper to
protect his tomato and pepper transplants. If the weather is dry, make sure to water new
transplants frequently.
After a person has started seeds inside for many years
they usually have a pretty good idea of what it takes to grow healthy
transplants. If you are having trouble
keep trying, review your care practices to see where you may have made a
mistake and alter them. And remember, many
plants can probably be purchased from a local greenhouse if you have a failure.
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| Tomato transplants covered with paper to shade them. |
What
to do if your dog gets sprayed by a skunk
It’s early spring and in many areas skunks have emerged
to mate and begin spring feeding. With
less cover, earlier dusk and lots of things on their minds like love and food,
skunks are more likely to be encountered by humans and pets this time of the
year.
When a dog gets sprayed by a skunk it’s a pretty
unpleasant experience, both for them and their owners. Your immediate response to a skunk sprayed
dog will probably be to run far away, but if you love your dog you’ll want to
help it and it will probably run after you anyway. So, here’s what to do to get your dog
smelling like a dog again.
It’s rare that a dog that’s skunk sprayed will be able to
sneak by you. If the smell isn’t
immediately overwhelming the dogs howling and crying will probably let you know
what’s happened. The first thing you’ll
want to do is confine the dog somewhere it can’t rub and roll on furniture and
rugs. You’ll probably want to make this
an outside place. The yard, the garage, the barn or a shed or as a last resort
the basement are suggested. And you’ll
want to cover your nose while you do it.
Then you will probably want to put on some old clothes before you deal
with the dog.
As quickly as possible you should check the dog’s
eyes. Many times the skunk spray will
get in a dogs eyes and it’s extremely painful.
The dog’s eyes will be red and watery and he or she will probably be
pawing at them. Try to wash the eyes out
with plain barely warm water. You could
also use eye drops for humans (or dogs), if it doesn’t contain a prescription
medicine. The dog may be agitated and in
pain so be careful you don’t get bit.
Dogs rarely go blind from skunk spray but they are in pain.
Next you will want to mix up this solution.
1 quart of
warm water
1 quart of
3% hydrogen peroxide ( found at any drug store)
1 cup of
baking soda
2-3
tablespoons of liquid soap. This can be
dish or liquid hand soup or even shampoo.
Mix all of this in a bucket just before you plant to use
it. Don’t store it in anything that’s
capped or sealed or you’ll get an explosion.
You’ll probably want to buy enough supplies to make several batches,
especially if the dog is large. Don’t
make the solution stronger or you may irritate the dogs skin too much or cause
its hair to bleach out.
Massage your mixture into the dog’s coat, making sure to
get the belly, tail, legs, anywhere the spray may have landed. Cover the dog’s eyes as you work the solution
into the head and ears. Do not get this
solution in the dog’s eyes! Let the
solution sit in the dogs fur for about 5 minutes, then rinse it out with warm
water. You’ll probably want do a second
wash with the solution, especially if the dog has long dense fur. Make sure to thoroughly rinse the solution
out of the dog’s coat. Throw out unused
solution, it doesn’t save well.
This solution is slightly irritating to the dog’s skin
but it won’t change the color of the fur.
You might want to follow with a cream rinse for dogs to smooth the
fur. In cold weather you’ll want to wash
the dog and let it dry in a warm spot or at least use a hair dryer to get the
coat dry. You may notice a slight smell
in the next few weeks whenever the dog gets wet. You can do a follow up wash in a week or so
with the solution or just use a deodorant shampoo for dogs.
Don’t waste your time washing a skunk sprayed dog with
tomato juice, it doesn’t really work. If
you get sprayed along with the dog you can use this solution to wash yourself
also but be very careful using it on clothing, furniture or other items as it
may discolor them. Try a small area
first if you are desperate.
Avoiding
skunks in the future
Skunks do not like dogs.
While a skunk may give a human a pass if they don’t bother it, a dog
will almost certainly provoke an unpleasant reaction from a skunk. Skunks are found throughout the United
States, in the city as well as the suburbs and country. If not scared they are pretty harmless
critters, with only a whiff of odor to show they are near. But surprise or scare a skunk and you will
regret it for a long time.
Skunks are usually active at night, but dogs can and do
find their resting spots in the daytime and will get sprayed in
retaliation. Skunks don’t truly
hibernate but spend most of the cold weather sleeping in a snug den. They may come out during warm spells to eat
and mate in early spring. They are more active in late fall and early spring
and since the days are shorter at this time there is more of a chance that your
dog will be out and about when they are.
Healthy skunks do not attack dogs or other animals. They may not seem overly concerned about you
if you are without a dog but they will generally move away from you. Any skunk that seems aggressive without being
cornered or provoked may have rabies, particularly if it is out in the
daytime. You should avoid them and keep
pets away. Call your local animal
control and report it.
Make sure dogs always have up to date rabies shots. Usually a dog doesn’t get too close to a
skunk before it gets sprayed and the spray sends it running. But some dogs will catch the skunk and if it
is diseased that can be a big problem.
If your dog actually catches and/or kills the skunk talk to a vet about
any treatment the dog may need.
If you have seen skunks in your yard it’s a good idea to
keep dogs from exploring under porches and sheds and in deep brush areas where
skunks may hide. Don’t leave pet food
out at night to attract skunks and the mice they like to feed on. Don’t set live traps for skunks unless you
are brave enough to transport the animal to a safe release point. Let a professional do it.
If you let your dog roam the countryside freely there’s a
good chance it will have at least one encounter with a skunk. If your dog gets sprayed by a skunk it may
avoid all skunks and even things that look like skunks in the future but some
dogs never learn. If your dog gets
sprayed more than once you’ll need to watch him or her carefully when they are
outside.
While skunks may do some damage to lawns looking for
grubs they are a generally a beneficial animal, eating harmful insects and
mice. Leave them alone and they will
leave you alone.
Free
Master Gardener lesson 4- plant processes and environmental interaction
This is the last plant science lesson. Knowing how plants
function is a very important subject for gardeners. You need to know what plants are capable of
and what they need to survive. You need to understand how plants interact with
their environment and what you can do to make the environment better for them
and /or manipulate it to your advantage.
Next week I’ll move on to soil science and composting.
Photosynthesis-
there’s
no argument, this is the most important life process on earth. Without photosynthesis no animal life could
exist as we know it and of course plants wouldn’t exist either. Some forms of life existed before green
plants, life forms fueled by gases like methane and chemicals in the primordial
soup, like some primitive bacteria found around thermal vents in the ocean. It
is thought that chloroplasts evolved from cyanobacterial cells floating in the
seas using the suns light, water and carbon dioxide to produce energy.
Photosynthesis uses the green pigment chlorophyll to
absorb light and in a complex chemical reaction using carbon dioxide and water produces
a simple sugar with oxygen and water as waste products. While we are very close
to understanding the complete process of photosynthesis now, some mysteries
remain for researchers to resolve.
Chloroplasts were once free-living organisms, but at some
point, were engulfed by a larger bacterial cell and the relationship proved
beneficial for both. The first one celled plants, algae, evolved from this
relationship. Groups of algae cells congregated together and began to
specialize in what duties they performed for the group and eventually
multicellular plants evolved.
Chloroplasts remain somewhat independent within the plant
cell. They have their own DNA, they are
moved or move around inside the cell and they split in two to reproduce. Plant cells don’t make chloroplasts, a plant
reproductive cell must receive a chloroplast during cell division.
The important thing to remember about photosynthesis is
that life as we know it depends on it.
It produces the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat. Plants need light to photosynthesize, but as
many people know it does not have to be sunlight, it can be artificial
light. Photosynthesis is limited by the
amount of light and its intensity and by temperature. Only about 5% of the sunlight falling on a
leaf is used in photosynthesis. We’ll
talk more about the light needs of plants later.
About 75% of the sunlight falling on a plant goes to
producing heat. If the temperature is
too high, (for most plants above 85 degrees F.), photosynthesis will slow and
eventually stop. That’s one reason global warming could be a threat to us. The optimum temperature for photosynthesis
for most plants is between 65 and 85 degrees F.
While it’s an amazing feat to turn sunlight, water and
CO2 into sugar, photosynthesis isn’t a very efficient process. Some plants are
more efficient than others at the job. Researchers are trying to find ways to
optimize photosynthesis efficiency, so more food could be produced in the same
amount of space.
Respiration
is
the process by which sugar is “burned” to provide energy for plant growth and
all cellular activity. Most people think
of respiration as breathing, and you can think of it as plants breathing
although the process is a bit different than animal respiration. Respiration
occurs in all living cells and uses oxygen, with carbon dioxide and water vapor
being waste products. Yes, plants use
oxygen as well as producing it. Lucky
for us they produce more than they use.
Respiration occurs all the time, in dark and in light,
but in plants there is often more respiration at night when the photosynthesis
factory is at rest. Respiration is also the excretory system for plants as the
waste products of water vapor and carbon dioxide are excreted into the air
through those plant pores we discussed in an earlier lesson. Plant excretion is a very good thing for
animals because that water vapor is part of the water cycle on earth.
When people learn that plants give off carbon dioxide at
night they often worry about having plants in the bedroom, thinking that the
plants will poison the air. This is not
true, you’d have to have an awful lot of plants in a sealed dark room for a
good deal of time to feel any effect from the carbon dioxide. In practice, even with a lot of plants in the
bedroom, there is no carbon dioxide build up.
Transpiration
is
the process of water entering the root system of a plant then being transported
through the plant to the leaves, and the excess water evaporating off through
plant pores. It sounds like respiration
in some ways, but transpiration is not a chemical process, it’s a simple
“mechanical” process. About 90% of the
water that enters a plants root system is evaporated off through plant
pores. The rest is used in respiration
and held in plant tissues to provide turgor- or plant support.
Transpiration is critical to a plant because it cools the
plant down to where it can perform photosynthesis. All those humming little chloroplast
factories produce a lot of heat, as does the sun shining down on the plant. While
respiration also releases water, that water in the sugar being broken down was
brought to the chloroplast making the sugar by transpiration. The water moving
through the plant also transports those sugars needed for plant growth
throughout the plant, and minerals from the soil needed for good growth. Plant
sap is largely water.
Plants regulate the loss of water through stoma (pores)
by those guard cells we discussed in the lesson about plant cells. When water
is scarce the cells close the stoma to preserve it and open them wide when they
need to get rid of water or need to drastically cool the plant. How much water is moved through the plant
depends on many factors, what water is available in the soil, what the
temperature is, how windy it is and how humid the air is.
Plant transpiration is a large part of earths water
cycle. Rain falls on the soil and is absorbed.
Plant roots “mine” that water and release it back into the air, where it
evaporates and become clouds and then eventually rain again. Plants can move an amazing amount of water
through transpiration under optimal conditions.
A large tree may evaporate off hundreds of gallons of water in a single
warm sunny day. Some of that water may have traveled 300 feet or more from the
root system to the top of the tree.
One interesting footnote here. Occasionally plants have so much water that
evaporation can’t remove enough of it, especially in humid weather. This
usually occurs at night, when plant pores are usually closed. In a process
called guttation, the plant will
“leak” little droplets of sap (which is mostly water) which are sometimes seen on
tips or sides of leaves. It looks like
dew drops, but dew drops are condensing on the plant from water in the air and
are pure water. Guttation is sap leaking
from the plant.
Light
Almost every gardener is aware that some plants need more
light than others. Light is a limiting factor for plant growth, all plants need
some light, but some need more than others. Light quality, quantity and
duration all affect plant growth and reproduction. Gardeners often manipulate
plant growth and functions by changing the light conditions.
Light quantity
refers to how intense plants prefer their light. Some plants have evolved to grow best in
shade, or partial shade. Others must
have full sun to grow well and reproduce. Every gardener should research what
light conditions a plant needs before planting it or placing its pot
somewhere.
Sometimes plants will survive in less than perfect light conditions,
but they will never be as healthy or productive as those of the same species
planted in the right light conditions.
And some plants will die when the light conditions do not meet their
needs.
Light quality
refers to the wavelength or “color” of the light. Sunlight contains many
wavelengths of light, which when we separate them are seen as different
colors. Plants reflect green light,
that’s why they look green to us, and green light isn’t useful for plants. The red and blue spectrums of light are the
most useful to plants.
Blue light is most important for vegetative growth. When red light is added it promotes flowering
and then seed production. When plants
are growing in natural daylight the gardener doesn’t have to worry about the
light spectrums. When plants are grown
inside under artificial light the spectrum or light color can be more
important. Different types of light
bulbs produce different spectrums of light. If you have foliage plants bulbs
that produce mostly blue light are fine, but if you have flowering plants
you’ll want bulbs that combine red and blue light. Most “grow light” bulbs do this.
Light duration is how many hours in the day that plants
need light. It’s something that is often
manipulated by gardeners to produce plants that will flower at certain
times. A plants response to proportion
of light and dark hours is called photoperiodism.
There are three categories plants can be sorted into short day, long day and
day neutral. Short day plants produce
flowers when days are short and nights long, this is plants that bloom in the
spring and fall. Long day plants produce
flowers when days are long and nights short, the summer bloomers. Photoperiodism
may also affect bulb growth, ripening of fruit, leaf color and other plant
processes. In many plant species it’s
the movement from shorter days to longer ones or vice versa, that promotes
blooming.
Day neutral plants are not greatly affected by the length
of the day or prefer equal day and night hours like most tropical plants from
near the equator. Many domestic plants
have been purposefully bred to disregard day length so that they bloom for
longer periods than their ancestors did.
All plants do need some light – preferably more than 8 hours – for life
processes.
But whatever category they fall into all plants need some
period of darkness, usually at least 8 hours, to be healthy. In arctic summers some plants adjust to
continuous light for a period of time.
Seedlings growing under artificial light will do fine for a while under
continuous light but must be transitioned into a natural light cycle for the
species as they start to mature.
Greenhouse owners manipulate light duration to promote
plants blooming for holidays, such as poinsettias and Easter lilies. Gardeners may need to know the day length a
plant prefers and adjust day length to get it to bloom also.
And onions are an example of a plant where photoperiodism
needs may determine whether you get a good crop. Onions make bulbs when the day length reaches
a certain ideal length for the variety.
Choose long day varieties (or day neutral) for northern areas where
summer days can be long, but the growing season is short. Choose short day onions for southern growing
areas where the days never get as long as the north but the growing season is longer.
There are other plants sold as short day or long
day. Learn what is best for your area by
consulting with your local Extension office or an experienced gardener.
Gardeners should always know what zone they are gardening
in. This will help you choose plants
that are suited for your climate. You
can find your planting zone on the map here.
And here’s a link
to an article about gardening zones if you need more information.
Temperature is
also important for plant growth. Some
plants like cool weather, they are up and out of the ground early in spring and
go dormant in hot weather. Some plants
like lettuce grow better in cooler weather and when the weather warms they
produce flowers and seeds and then die.
Other plants are slow to emerge in spring, waiting until the soil and
air are warm. All plants have optimum
temperature ranges for growth that vary among species.
Most gardeners know that some plants won’t survive cold
winters, but some don’t know that certain plants actually require a cool period
of dormant rest in order to flower and fruit and have a healthy growing
season. This is called a chilling
requirement. Many spring flowering bulbs
have a chilling requirement as do many fruit trees like apples and cherries.
Some landscape trees and many perennial plants also have chilling requirements. Even some houseplants, like Christmas cacti,
need some cool nights to set flower buds.
To see if a plant species requires a chilling period
you’ll need to look up the plants requirements.
Some species need only a brief light chill, others need a deep, below
freezing cold, long dormant period. In
general plants that lose their leaves as winter approaches need a chilling
period. But some evergreens also need a
dormant cold period to remain healthy.
Professional growers know how to manipulate plants
chilling requirements to get plants that bloom at a certain date. The amount of chilling can also affect the
shape and size of the plant. Plants with
a longer chilled period may be stockier or shorter. Sometimes temperature and light are manipulated
together to get plants that bloom at a certain date.
Water
and humidity needs also vary among plant species and it’s the
gardeners job to know what the plant requires by looking it up in a reference
manual. We all know some plants have
adaptations that allow them to flourish in drier locations and some plants grow
in water.
Humidity can also play a factor in whether a plant will
be successful in your garden or home.
Some plants that tolerate heat in drier locations suffer when they are
grown in a humid hot area. Some plants require high humidity to grow well.
Where the natural range of the plant species evolved can give you clues to its
humidity and water requirements.
Mediterranean plants like lavender and many herbs, don’t like humid areas
and like their winter on the dry side.
Plants that grow in rain forest like warm steamy conditions.
As well as a map showing winter hardiness zones there’s a
map that shows what summer hardiness zone you are in. Some plant catalogs and garden stores will
list the summer zones plants prefer as well as the winter zones.
Nutritional
needs also vary among plant species. I am talking about nutrients or minerals
found in the soil here. Plants are able to manufacture most of their food
supply but do need some soil nutrients. All plants require nitrogen, potassium,
phosphorus and some micronutrients like zinc, magnesium and iron but the amount
of each nutrient a species needs can vary.
The pH of the soil can affect what nutrients in the soil are available
to plants. The pH value is a measurement
of the acidity or alkalinity of soil.
I’ll discuss that in more detail when talking about soil science.
Some plants don’t need high soil fertility (lots of
nutrients) to do well and in fact, may grow poorly if too much is
provided. Others are greedy buggers with
a need for lots of some or all nutrients.
Once again, it’s up to the gardener to learn what soil pH and fertility
levels their plants need.
Chemicals/hormones
that
plants produce include auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins,
ethylene, and abcissic acid. Plants produce chemicals and hormones for a
variety of reasons. Some regulate growth
and help in the reproductive process, both sexual and vegetative. Others may provide protection for the
plant. Some researchers believe that
chemicals may also be a means of communication among plants.
In a Master Gardener class I would typically give a brief
description of the major chemicals/hormones plants have and because these
articles get lengthy that’s what I’ll do here.
However, plant chemicals and hormones are quite interesting and you may
want to do some additional reading on the subject, especially if you are
interested in herbal medicine.
Auxins promote cell growth and division. They are the chemicals that prod cuttings
into producing new roots. They are responsible for a plants response to
gravity, putting the shoots up and the roots down, and for a plants ability to
grow toward the light. Auxins may direct plant movements.
Auxins also promote apical dominance, directing plant
growth upward, and suppress lateral growth. They are concentrated in the
terminal bud on a plant shoot. In many plants pinching off the terminal bud and
removing the auxins allows for side branches to form and makes a bushier,
stockier plant.
Gibberellins promote stem lengthening and prompt the
germination of seeds. They are the hormone that stimulates flowering in long
day plants.
Cytokinins aid cell division and when the apical bud is
removed they counter the affect of auxins by promoting lateral growth. Cytokins also keep cells from aging too
rapidly.
Ethylene is a hormone gas that’s given off by plants to
promote flowering and fruit ripening. Some plants like apples have a lot of
ethylene gas and freely “pass” it.
People have learned to use ethylene gas to ripen fruits in storage.
Abcissic acid promotes the walling off, or isolation, of
plant tissues. It causes the layer of
cells that wall off a leaf from getting food and water from a plant and cause
it to fall from the plant. It also causes flowers to drop. Abcissic acid also causes seeds to go dormant
and hold off germination.
Plant
communication is a relatively new field of study among
botanists and there’s a lot of controversy on the subject. Most plant “communication” is done by the chemicals
and hormones discussed above. It’s whether the communication is deliberate or
incidental that causes the controversy.
When a plant is being chewed on by caterpillars, for
example, it may release chemicals that taste bad or are poisonous in response
to protect itself. Some of these are gases that leave the plant. If a similar
species of plants is nearby it often seems to detect the chemicals and mount a
defensive chemical reaction of its own.
Some researchers say the plants are warning other plants, but other
researchers just think that a similar chemical reaction is prompted
automatically when a chemical drifts on to a related species.
There are some popular scientists that believe plants
also communicate through their entwined root systems. They claim that plants care for young plants
related to them in this way, passing them nutrients to help them grow and that
they may warn of dangers through chemicals passed through the roots. Other researchers scoff at this idea. Does a young plant receive nutrients from the
parent because it gives them to it, or does the young plant simply exploit the
older one, tying its root system into the older plants like a parasite?
Some people also think plants talk to them, but that’s an
obvious mental problem. Do plants whisper to each other in a chemical language?
Whether plants truly do communicate with each
other remains to be proven. Much of the
evidence we now have can be interpreted in several ways.
Plant
movements – include several types of tropisms and nastic movement.
While plants can’t move from location to location they do have movement.
While there are some plants capable of pretty swift movements, the Venus Fly
Trap or sensitive plant are examples, most plants move very slowly and the
movement usually goes unnoticed by us.
Many plants can move their leaves to adjust their angle
to the sun within a few hours. Some plants, like the prayer plant, fold their
leaves at night. Many flowers close at
night and some open at night. Corn rolls its leaves to preserve moisture and
present less surface area to the sun in hot weather. Sunflowers turn their flower heads to follow
the sun.
Tropisms are a plant responding toward (or away) from a
stimulus. When a plant grows toward the light it’s called phototropism. When a plant responds to touch it’s called thigmotropism,
heliotropism
is when a plant follows the suns movement. Gravitropism is plant roots moving
in the direction of gravity. There are other tropisms in which a plant responds
to an environmental stimulus.
 |
| A sunflower moves the flower face to the direction of the sun throughout the day and at night resets to face east, where the sun will rise. |
Nastic movements are plant movements not directed toward
a particular stimulus, they may be random searching movements or the quick
snapping motions of carnivorous plant leaves.
When some vines begin growing their shoot tips may move back and forth or
in circles “searching” for a support. That’s nastic movement. When they bump
into something, there’s a thigmotropic response and the vine coils around the
object, sometimes within an hour or two.
So how do plants achieve movement? Unlike animals they don’t have a nervous
system to direct actions. It’s a complicated subject that is beyond the scope
of this article, but I’ll try a brief overview. In plants hormones like auxins
are responsible for directing some plant movements, by using electrical impulses
moving through water in cells, hydraulic actions- the moving of water in and
out of cells, and the elongation of cells.
In some plants leaves have modified structures at the base that act like
little hydraulic pumps which can make the leaf move out and up or down.
Here’s a link to a page that has some videos of plant
movements. Most plant movements have to
be captured with a time lapse camera, but some plant movements actually have to
be slowed down for you to see them. Your
homework this week is to observe some of these videos.
This ends the plant science lessons. Next week I’ll begin a series of soil science
articles.
Baked
fish with sour cream sauce
Fish is often featured in restaurants during the season
of Lent. Fish sales are common in the grocery
this time of year also. Here’s a recipe worthy of a restaurant you can make at
home. The fish used can be cod, haddock
or pollock. This is a whole dinner for most people, you may want to add a salad.
Ingredients
1 lb. fish fillets
2 cups of sliced white mushrooms
5 medium size potatoes, sliced thinly
2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and sliced thinly
¼ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
10 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour
cream sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon flour
Salt to taste
Mix 2 tablespoons flour, salt and pepper and coat the
fish with them.
Put 4 tablespoons of butter in a pan and sauté the fish
in it until lightly browned. Set aside.
Sauté the mushrooms in another pan with 1 tablespoon of
the butter until lightly browned. Remove
from pan.
Add 4 tablespoons of the butter to the pan and fry the
potato slices until soft and lightly browned. Remove and drain.
Butter a large casserole dish with the remaining butter.
Arrange the fish fillets in it, in 1 layer.
On each fish fillet add a few slices of egg, then mushrooms
and finally potato.
For the sauce mix the tablespoon of softened butter with the
tablespoon of flour until it looks like a bit of crumbled dough.
Bring the sour cream to a boil gradually adding in the
butter and flour dough and stirring constantly.
Simmer for 2 minutes and add salt to taste, stir well.
Pour the sauce over the fish and vegetables in the casserole
dish, then sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake at 450 degrees F. oven for 5-10 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and cheese
melted.
Serve sprinkled with parsley.
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….
Find Michigan garden events/classes
here:
(This
is the Lapeer County Gardeners facebook page)
An interesting Plant Id page you can
join on Facebook
Here’s a seed/plant sharing group you
can join on Facebook
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I write this because I
love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my
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