Hi Gardeners,
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| Some day soon. |
The moon was beautiful last night. It was a super full moon – a moon
that is very close to the earth as today is moon perigee. It’s called the snow moon or full cold moon
and it sure was bright reflected off the snow last night. I thought at first I had left the porch light
on it was so well lit up outside.
Because it was so clear it was also really cold out there, 2 below zero
here. I stayed inside and looked out the
window, although it would have been nice to wander in the moonlight that
bright.
I might have been able to scare the deer that have been destroying
my shrubs had I wandered outside. I saw
5 of them in our old pasture a few days ago.
They have eaten my arborvitae as high as they can reach and the euonymus
is once again a skeleton. I didn’t use
any solar twinkling lights this year except for 1 strand and it got pushed
down. I had netting around everything,
but they pushed it down or ate through it.
I went out about noon today and there was a big doe standing in
the pasture eating on an apple tree. At
her feet was one of my traitorous cats rubbing around her feet. That’s really
bold. And the cat thing was rather weird. I yelled at her and she took
off. They get no food here other than my
landscape, but they seem to like it here really well.
I am worried the deer will really destroy my tulips and other things
that may be coming up soon. Where I
covered the beds with netting last year the spring plants were spared but
seeing how they did the netting this winter makes me wonder if it will help to
cover the bulbs. I hate those big rats.
Only 28 days until spring- calendar spring anyway. We are
expecting a warm up into the 40’s this weekend – maybe it will melt the snow we
have now and the ice that’s expected tomorrow. And then the snow won’t return
for a long time- like next year- hopefully.
Inside one of my amaryllis is almost ready to bloom. It’s been taking a long time it seems like
for the buds to open. I picked another
lemon off the lemon tree this week.
Blooms inside are few, the plants may pick up bloom again now that I
have resumed fertilizing and we are having a little more sun. Those geraniums on the porch are still
blooming though.
Tomorrow I will be checking my stored bulbs to see how they are
doing. If you have things like dahlias
stored away make sure to check them soon to see if they need a little
moisture. If they are shriveled put just
a little water on your packing material.
Another month and I will be potting them up to get them started.
How will your climate change in the
future?
Climate change is a fact, no matter what your beliefs are on what
caused it. We know from history that
climate often changes the fate of civilizations and is the cause of migrations
to new areas. We are experiencing a
warming of our climate in general but that doesn’t mean everywhere on earth will
become warmer all the time. Instead the
warming of the polar areas will cause polar ice to melt and the seas to warm
and this affects our weather patterns.
We are seeing extreme weather conditions now and they will
probably get worse before things settle down to some new normal. More rain, more storms, more droughts, wide
swings of temperature, all are part of climate change. Will our species survive? You and I probably won’t be around to find
out. But scientist have been able to
predict with some accuracy what the climate will be like a few decades from
now. Your kids may be around to see
this.
The University of Maryland’s Environmental Science program has put
together a website that predicts future climate in your area. You can click a location near you on the map
and see what your climate will be like in 60 years. I clicked on Flint, Michigan, the closest
listed city near me, and found that in 60 years it should feel like what the
weather in Chester, Pennsylvania feels like now. That will be 10 degrees warmer in winter and
94% wetter than it is now. Chester, Pennsylvania
will feel like New South Memphis, Tennessee and it will be hotter and drier.
Some places will be drier, some wetter than they are now but most
will be warmer. In general, your climate
will be like that 300-500 miles south of you now. Does that mean the growing zones will
change? Probably. But maybe not as much
as it would seem since hardiness maps are made on the average low winter
temperature. Erratic weather may allow
for areas to get colder in winter than what would be expected from summer temperatures. Just look at the snow falling in Los Angeles
and Hawaii this year.
You can access the interactive map to see what changes your area
can expect and find out how the map was made by going here; www.umces.edu/futureurbanclimates
New aloe discovered- Aloe sanginalis,
It’s amazing that we still find new species of plants, and this
one wasn’t even hiding, it was just overlooked for centuries. A Somali environmentalist, Ahmed Awale, was
driving through the countryside when he noticed patches of an odd but showy aloe
growing along the road. He thought it different from other aloes in the
country. Later he was able to get a
botanist, Mary Barkworth, to go back with him to examine the plant.
The people in the area knew the plant and they called it "Dacar
cas" or red aloe. But science had
never formally examined or classified the plant. After study, it was found to be a distinct
species and was given a scientific name.
This aloe has reddish leaves when mature that make it stand out,
but its distinction is a blood red sap that flows from it when broken. It also has red flowers. It’s now been found
in two places in Somalia but its suspected there are other places where it
grows.
Could this be the newest rage in houseplants? I can see the common name here- Blood
aloe. Someone needs to hop on a plane
and go collect some.
Dodder
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| Dodder flower wikipedia |
If you come out
to your garden one day and find that something seems to have woven your plants
together with a golden string you may have found dodder. While dodder cannot be considered a welcome
guest in the garden, it is one of the most interesting plants you may come
across. Get a good look at it if you can before you destroy it.
Dodder is the
common name for plants of the Cuscuta genus of
which there are about 170 species, many native to the US. Only 1% of flowering
plants are parasitic and the Cuscuta genus represents many of them. These
plants have a host of common names besides dodder including wizard's net, devil's guts, strangle tare, witch's hair, hellbine,
pull-down, strangleweed, angel hair, scaldweed, beggarweed,[3] lady's
laces, and goldthread.
There are many native species of dodder in North America and
species have also been introduced from other places in the world. They are hard to identify unless you are an
expert. The leafless, usually gold or
red stringy stems twined around other plants and not connected to the ground
are the diagnostic clue.
Some native species include Cuscuta campestris, with the common names field dodder or golden dodder, Cuscuta pentagona,
the fiveangled dodder, Cuscuta gronovii, common dodder, which is found in all but 5
of the 50 states and cuscuta compacta, compact dodder which is very
common in the northeastern states in wet areas.
Dodder is related to the Morning Glory family and you may
recognize the relationship when you see the plant twined around other plants in
the garden. Unlike morning glories and
bindweed, the leaves of dodder have become almost invisible, they exist as tiny
scales along the string-like stems. These stems range from pale green to golden
or red depending on the dodder species.
Most have colorful stems and you can notice their presence on green
plants easily.
Without leaves you may guess that dodder would have a hard time
making its own food. Dodder has very little chlorophyll, the food factories of
most plants. To survive dodder has
replaced normal plant roots with a specialized root system called haustoria. They
have no roots connected to the soil.
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| Dodder Lichert, US Forest Service |
These specialized haustoria roots grow out along the stem where it
is entwined with the stem of another plant.
They burrow into the stems of the poor host plant like other plants
roots burrow into soil. One type of haustoria burrows
into the xylem, the water carrying vascular tissue, and the other type burrows
into the phloem, the food carrying vascular tissue. Now the dodder has everything it needs to survive,
sucking food and water from the plant it has attacked.
Dodder is an annual plant in North America. It starts out each season germinating from a
tiny seed at the base of what hopefully will be its host plant. Dodder seeds need to have the seed coat
damaged (scarified)by weathering, fungus or animals before they can germinate. The
seeds may get to your garden in a variety of ways, they are carried by
waterfowl feet, in hay and straw, and in the hair and on the feet of
animals. The seeds can remain in soil for
up to 10 years waiting for the right time to germinate.
Once they germinate in spring, they send up that threadlike stem
searching for a host. They are attracted
to hosts both by the scents the plants give off and by far red light that is reflected
from plants and which they can sense. If
they can’t find a host plant in about 10 days they will die.
Some species of dodder specialize, accepting only one host species
but many will attack a variety of hosts.
They prefer host plants with sturdy, upright stems in most cases.
Alfalfa, soybeans, clover, lespedeza, blueberries, viburnum,
holly, dahlias, chrysanthemum, tomatoes, potatoes, elderberries,
trumpet vine, asters, eupatorium, helenium, petunias, and
many young tree species are just some of the host species affected.
Once they begin sucking nutrients from
their hosts the dodder plants grow rapidly, covering the original host and
often reaching out and literally connecting it to nearby plants. Their haustoria unite the vascular systems of
any plants they span. Sometimes this is beneficial to some degree, such as
passing along chemical signals a plant under insect attack produces, allowing
connected plants to have an early warning system. But it is also harmful because diseases a
plant may get are easily passed through the vascular systems of connected
plants.
Once well-nourished and mature the
dodder can produce flowers. This usually happens in summer and early fall,
timing depends on the species. These flowers
are tiny, usually bowl shaped and produced in clusters along the stem. Most are white but some species have pink or
lavender flowers. They are pollinated by insects, tiny wasps and gnats are some
pollinators. The flowers then turn into small pea-sized fruits the same color
as the stem. Those fruits produce lots
of seeds to start the next generation.
Dodder
Control
Dodder harms plants by weakening them
and the binding together of plants may cause some plant parts to be shaded or
prevent flowers from opening. Dodder
infected plants are more susceptible to disease. Dodder can kill the host
plants it covers simply by smothering and starving them. Dodder is considered a serious agricultural
pest in some areas and certainly are not the best plant to share space in your
garden. But dodder control can be
extremely difficult.
You can’t apply weed killers to the
dodder plants unless you are willing to also kill the plants they are attached
to. Remember they now share a vascular
system with those plants and pesticides will be transmitted from the dodder to
the host plant. If you pull the dodder stems off host plants tiny pieces are
usually left where haustoria went into the host plant. These will quickly regrow new stems. Control generally means pulling and disposing
of the host plants with the dodder on them.
Make sure you get all the plants the dodder is attached to.
If the host plant can be cut back to
the ground and regrow or has a tuberous root like dahlias, removing the above
ground parts with the dodder may get rid of it and spare the host.
Dodder is not considered to be a
poisonous plant, but some people have reported colic symptoms in horses after
they ate it and digestive problems in cattle have been reported also. It is not recommended as an edible plant.
Dodder has some uses in folk remedies,
it was used for liver and urinary tract problems, but no scientific studies
have been done. Dodder is also said to
be a laxative.
If you see dodder in the garden, you probably
should remove it before it goes to seed or kills your other plants. In the wild dodder is a native part of the
ecosystem and should be left alone. It
promotes diversity by controlling the growth of saplings and other plants that
might dominate an ecosystem.
Should you start plants inside from
seed?
Many new gardeners want to start plants from seed because they
want the experience of growing things from seed. But many others believe they will save money if
they grow from seed or that starting plants from seed is what good gardeners
are supposed to do. Let’s get two things
straight right here, it’s not always cheaper to start plants from seed and many
great gardeners prefer to buy seedlings or plants rather than start seeds.
I don’t want to discourage anyone from starting seeds if that’s
something they really, really want to do.
Many times, new gardeners are just eager to get started and growing
something inside satisfies the itch.
There are some experienced gardeners that feel they must control every
step of plant production too. But before you start those seeds inside there are
things to consider.
Besides the purchase price of seeds, you’ll need potting medium
and containers. The cost of a packet of
seeds is probably about the cost of a 6 pack of plants at your local nursery. If
you have a greenhouse, you’ll probably still need supplemental lighting in the
northern part of the country, and you may need heat or heated pads. If you don’t have a greenhouse even southern
windowsills probably won’t produce the strongest plants and grow lights will be
needed. Electric bills will go up.
And if you want 6 different types of peppers the expense mounts
rapidly. Of course, you don’t have to
start all the seeds, but most people start far more plants than they need when
they use seeds. That takes a lot of
space, and more grow lights.
Instead you could go to a good greenhouse and pick out 6 types of
peppers. Many greenhouses now sell
individually potted plants, so you won’t need to buy 4-6 plants of each
type. Even if your only option is to buy
a pack of 4-6 plants of the same variety that’s probably a lot less excess than
a packet of seeds will produce and about the same cost as 6 packs of seed.
Growing failures are common when people start seeds inside. Maybe all the seedlings succumbed to
dampening off, a fungal disease. Maybe
the cat laid on top of the seedlings or the toddler knocked everything off the
table. Now you may be forced to buy your
plants anyway after investing all that time and money. And even if cost isn’t a
factor to you, there are other reasons to buy started plants or plant seeds
outside in the garden.
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| Begonias in a greenhouse |
Inside or outside?
When you think of the vegetable garden there are many crops that
should be started from seed right in the spot they are to grow. This is true
for root crops like carrots, radishes and beets, which don’t like transplanting
and also for things like corn, peas, and beans which can be transplanted but
usually do better when seeds are planted directly in the ground.
Lettuce should also be planted where it is to grow. This could be a container or a garden
bed. Lettuce grows so quickly that
starting it in one place and then transplanting it to another makes no
sense. The only exception might be
iceberg type (head) lettuce, which is a tricky crop for home gardeners. You might want to start seed for that inside
or buy plants. Or consider not growing
it at all because it has very little nutrition.
For things like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, starting the
seeds inside early is a good option for most of the country. However, if you just want a few tomato
plants, buying started plants at a nearby greenhouse at the proper planting
time for your area is probably the best option.
Unless you have a greenhouse or an expensive grow light system the
plants produced at home rarely are as robust and healthy as those you buy.
It might be justifiable to start tomatoes and peppers from seed if
there are rare varieties you want that you probably won’t be able to find at a
local nursery. And some people live far
away from a good greenhouse. There are
now catalogs and on-line sites that will allow you to order started tomato and
pepper plants and many sell a wide range of varieties. Consider whether
purchasing these and having them shipped to you will be as cost effective as
growing them from seed. Remember to
consider your time and the effort you’ll invest in growing the plants.
Vining plants, the cucurbits, like cucumbers, melons, and squash
can be started inside or purchased.
Since they should only be started inside a few weeks before
transplanting, there’s a little less chance that the plants will get spindly or
die before transplanting. You want to
transplant these things while they are still small for best results whether you
start them yourself or buy little plants.
The cucurbits will start outside where you want to plant them
quite easily if the soil is warm and they grow faster if they don’t have to get
over transplant shock. I always start these as seeds in the spot where they are
to grow. If late frost or something else
kills the plants I buy transplants at the greenhouse to replace them.
Onions can also be started from “sets”. These are generally cooking type onions. Sets are tiny onion bulbs. They are quick and
easy to plant this way and even kids can easily help plant the sets. Sets are sold in nurseries or you can buy
them from catalogs.
Potatoes are almost always started from “seed potatoes”. These are either whole small potatoes or cut
pieces of potatoes which have an “eye” or sprout. There are potato seeds sold for gardeners,
but they are more of a novelty. You are
better off buying seed potatoes. These are planted in the garden where the
plants will grow.
In the realm of flowers whether it’s practical to start plants
from seed depends on the species and how many plants you want. Some annual flower seeds can be sown directly
in the ground and will bloom the same season but many need to be started early
to bloom before frost.
Zinnias, marigolds, morning glories, nasturtiums, cosmos,
bachelor’s buttons, calendula, and violas are examples of seeds that could be
planted in the garden in most planting zones and bloom before summer is over. They can also be started inside about 6 weeks
before the last frost or purchased as plants.
If you only need a few plants I suggest purchasing them as plants. Purchased plants will bloom faster than those
planted as seeds in the garden in most cases.
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| Zinnias |
Plants like petunias and impatiens should be purchased as
plants. They are relatively cheap, and
the variety is vast. These plants need a
long growing season and have to be started inside many weeks before frost. Unless you have greenhouse conditions the
plants rarely have the quality of plants you purchase from a commercial
greenhouse. Only grow these from seed if
you have a greenhouse and some seed growing experience.
Coleus and geraniums can be started from seed inside, although
some geranium cultivars need to be started from cuttings. They grow fairly easily from seed but take a
long time to get plants of a blooming size to plant into the garden. If you need just a few, buy plants.
Perennial flowering plants rarely bloom the first year from seed,
some may take several years. I recommend
that perennials be purchased as young plants instead of trying to grow them
from seed. Some can be difficult to
start from seed. Occasionally a rare species will only be available as seeds. Sometimes
a friend will give you seeds, or you collect them from somewhere. Think of these as long-term experiments.
Some plants should not be grown from seeds even though scam
sellers will try to make you think it’s easy. Roses and strawberries are two of
the popular scams. Neither of these
grows true from seed and no one can sell you “blue” rose seeds or “blue”
strawberry seeds because these don’t exist. Don’t buy seeds for either of these
or any other colors of these two species.
You can grow roses from seed if you are a breeder, but it takes
years for them to bloom and then it’s a crap shoot as to what kind of flower
you will get. The same is true of
strawberries. There are many other types of plants used in the scams too. Buy seeds from reputable nurseries. If you see something unusual offered, a
strange color, or markings, look it up in several good catalogs to see if it really
exists outside of photoshop. See if seeds for that plant are commonly offered. Avoid buying any seeds from China, that’s
where many seed scams originate.
In short, you generally don’t need to start plants from seed for
your garden inside. But if you want to
try it, go for it. Just realize it’s
often smarter, less expensive and you have a greater chance of success if you
purchase started plants. You aren’t a bad gardener if you don’t start
everything yourself, in fact many gardeners learn from experience to let others
do some of the work. Let someone with ideal growing conditions (greenhouse) and
experience produce your plants.
Supporting the green industry is a good thing and who doesn’t like a
trip to the greenhouse?
Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without
permission.
And So On….
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I write this because I
love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my
research each week (or things I want to talk about). It keeps me engaged with
people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you
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