Hi Gardeners,
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| Campanula |
What wild weather swings we have been having! Today here it’s partly cloudy and 35
degrees. On Sunday it was 55 degrees. Last
Thursday the high was zero. We have some ice/snow mix coming tonight they say,
and more freezing rain on Thursday.
I was worried about my plants on the unheated porch through the
polar vortex last week, but I checked as I watered yesterday, and it looks like
everything is fine. The geraniums are
still blooming out there and some wax begonias.
Most of the snow has melted and I looked for snowdrops yesterday
but didn’t find any. I have had them
bloom in February. I am hoping things
like the my new lavender made it through the cold. Despite all the cold the grass is still green
after the snow melted.
My inside plants are taking a vacation from blooming it
seems. There’s a sporadic bloom on the
hibiscus and buds on the amaryllis. One or two flowers are showing on the fuchsia.
The Chinese foxglove plant I brought inside to overwinter seems to be doing
good and it has some buds too. I picked some more small lemons from my lemon
tree.
February is mating season for many wild animals in the Midwest and
eastern states. Don’t be surprised to
see a skunk, possum, raccoon or groundhog out prowling this month. They’ll go
back to hibernating after a few days of fun. Feral cats often bred this month too.
Ground hogs in most of the country did not see their shadow on the
2nd and folklore says that
means an early spring. I sure hope so. I
don’t know how they get those groundhogs to wake from hibernation in all the
photo ops. I heard so much terrible
information about groundhogs on various media sites. Do your research news people! If you would like to learn more about
groundhogs or woodchucks, (yes, they are the same animal), you can read this
article.
February
almanac
The full moon is on the 19th this February and coincides with
moon perigee, the closest point the moon comes to earth in the month. This
makes for high tides and a better chance of precipitation around this
time. It’s called the Full Snow Moon. The moon apogee is the 5th.
Today the 5th,
is Chinese New Year. About 25% of the world’s population will be celebrating
the Year of the Pig. Chinese New Year is
also called spring celebration and prayers are made for a good planting season
and harvest. It’s a lunar holiday, based
on moon cycles so it is on a different day each year. But everyone in China becomes a year older on
this day, according to culture.
The celebration is the longest holiday in China, lasting 15 days and
since people are supposed to be with family for the first 5 days, the holiday
causes the largest travel days in the world.
Most businesses close down for at least part of the holiday. A
traditional gift on Chinese New Year to children is red envelopes of money. They are also passed out by bosses to
employees in some places.
Even though China has banned fireworks in many areas more fireworks will
be set off on Chinese New Year and the evening before it, than at any other
time or place in the world. On Chinese
New Year believers will not bathe, sweep or throw out anything because it would
cause bad luck.
By the 28th there are 11 hours and 12 min of daylight as we
rapidly gain on spring equinox. In January we only gained 48 minutes of light
in 31 days. In February we gain 69
minutes in 28 days. Go sun go!
February is National Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, American Heart Month,
Marijuana Awareness Month, National Bird Feeding Month, National Cherry Month,
National Grapefruit Month, and National Bake for Your Family Month.
The 2nd is Candlemas day as well as Groundhog Day. It is the half way point through winter and
also the beginning of housecleaning for spring. The 5th is National
Pancake Day as well as Chinese New Year. The 12th is Lincolns
Birthday, Darwin Day and Plum Pudding day.
The 14th is Valentine’s Day as well as National Condom day,
and for those who don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s also National Library
Day. The 15th is Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday. Presidents Day is the
19th. Tortilla Chip day is
the 24th, National Pistachio day is the 27th. National Public Sleeping Day is the 28th,
have fun with that.
The February birth flower is the violet, which symbolizes faithfulness,
humility and chastity. African violets
are being featured in many stores in February and make a good gift for a
gardener. The February birthstone is the
Amethyst.
Annual Great
Backyard Bird Count
This year will mark the 21st Backyard Bird Count which is
sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and
the National Audubon Society. People around the world will become citizen
scientists and spend whatever time they can spare counting birds around their
homes and in local parks and conservation areas. You can help too. The dates this year are February 15th
through February 18th.
The bird counts help researchers decide how bird populations are faring,
where birds are moving to and from and if there are any exotic species around. Last
year about 160,000 people participated in the bird count. The data is collected on line and the process
is easy. Anyone can help, you don’t need
to be an expert on birds or a regular birder. I participate each year and it’s
a lot of fun.
What are plant
trichomes and why are they important?
If you look up trichomes on line the first results you will most likely
get are going to about growing marihuana.
Trichomes are very important in marihuana production, and I will get to
that in a minute. However, a great many plants have trichomes and trichomes have
many other functions than just producing cannabinoids.
Trichomes are specialized cells of a plant’s epidermis or “skin”. The word means hairs in Latin and trichomes
are somewhat like animal hairs. Many
plants have above ground parts that are covered in trichomes or hairs of
various forms. Roots also have
“hairs”. The term trichomes however,
generally refers to “hairs” on above ground parts. A plant that has trichomes
or hairs on its above ground parts is said to be pubescent and one without
trichomes or hairs is said to be glabrous.
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| This borage flower is covered in trichomes |
Trichomes can be a protrusion on a single epidermal cell or a group of
specialized cells. In appearance they
can be fine and straight, curly, matted, fuzzy, needle-like, mushroom-like,
star shaped, scale-like, tufted, or bulb-like, hard or soft. They can be of many colors, but many are gray
or white. Usually they can be seen by the naked eye.
Every gardener has seen trichomes.
They are the scratchy bumps on pumpkin and cucumber vines, the silver
fuzz on lamb’s ears, the lint like stuff on the back of oak leaves, the hairs
on an African violet leaf and the sharp needle-like things on stinging nettles. Thorns, spines and prickles (roses), are
larger than trichomes and generally hard and stiff. They are modifications of leaves or stems and
have vascular bundles. These modifications are to protect the plants from
larger herbivories, not insects. Trichomes don’t have vascular bundles and
develop on the epidermis of a plant.
What do trichomes
do for plants?
Trichomes primary function in most plants is that of protection. These
hair-like cells can protect the plant in numerous ways. They can make eating the plant by animals,
from insects to humans, uncomfortable.
Some plants have specialized their trichomes so that trying to eat (or
handle) the plant is very unpleasant. These plants trichomes may actually
produce secretions that burn or sting and produce allergic reactions such as
the stringing nettle.
Many of the essential oils we like are produced by trichomes and were
produced by plants to ward off insect attacks. When plant parts are brushed or
cut the scent rises from the damaged trichomes.
Almost all members of the mint family have these trichomes as do many
other plants.
And in cannabis, those trichomes on buds and leaves produce cannabinoids
that humans are very attracted to, unfortunately for the plants. The sticky
secretions were not meant for us however, but to deter insects. The trichomes
on cannabis generally change color as the bud matures, turning golden when they
are full of cannabinoids, to give buds about to open the most protection. Marihuana growers track the color changes on
plant trichomes to know when to harvest the plants.
Besides protecting the plants from being eaten, trichomes can reflect
ultraviolet sunlight and protect the plant epidermis beneath them. In some plants they help prevent moisture
loss from leaves by reducing airflow across the leaf and in others they collect
dew for absorption. Frost can be held
off plant tissues by trichomes.
Besides protection, trichomes perform other functions for some plants. Sticky
secretions from trichomes can also be used to trap insects or to make them
slide into a position to be absorbed for their nutrients as in some carnivorous
plants. Some trichomes secret nectar or scents that draw pollinators.
Trichomes are an identification characteristic for humans trying to
identify plants. There are several terms
you may see when trying to identify plants that refer to trichomes. Here are a
few common ones.
Hirsute plants are coarsely hairy, this
may be leaf undersides, or the whole plant.
Hispid plants have bristly hairs.
Downy plants have a soft, almost wool-like
covering of long hairs.
Pilose plants have soft, long, straight,
spreading or erect hairs.
Strigose or strigillose plants have
straight hairs all pointing in more or less the same direction usually along a
margin or midrib.
Tomentose means a plant or plant part is covered
with dense, matted, woolly hairs.
Now you know why some plants are hairy. The next time you are in the
garden take some time to examine some plants to see if they have trichomes and
what they look like.
Things you shouldn’t
use for seed starting
Many of you are beginning to buy seeds for spring planting and some of
you will be starting seeds inside to get a jump on the season. While recycling things like paper cups and
deli trays are good ideas for seed starting, there are many things that should
be avoided. Every year there are a bunch
of silly ideas on social media for seed starting and many of them are quite
frankly, horrible ideas, good only for cute photos. Here are a few examples.
Ice cream cones
Don't be fooled by seedlings plugged into ice cream cones a minute
before the picture was taken. This is a ridiculous idea and I can’t
imagine how it got started.
Wet soil in these cones will turn them into a soggy, sticky mess very
quickly. The starch and sugar in the cones will promote fungal growth.
If you manage to get these to hold together long enough to plant in the
garden, they would attract animals which would dig up the cones to eat them.
Egg shells
Eggshells don’t have room for much potting medium, they are not large enough
for healthy seedlings. Plants planted in
them generally suffer from root crowding and circling and that continues when
they are transplanted into the garden with shell intact. Despite all the
folksy lore, eggshells do not break down quickly in the soil. Eggshells are
tricky to handle and get to stand upright. And who breaks eggs into 2
perfect half shells?
Even if you crush the shell as you plant it in the garden or take the
plants out of the shell, it’s just not worth the trouble. And the shell
doesn’t break down fast enough to give the plants any nutritional boost either.
This is another item that might actually attract pest animals in the garden.
Egg cartons
Egg cartons, whether Styrofoam, plastic or paper pulp just do not have
enough room for seedlings. And even the
paper ones will restrict root growth if they are left on when seedlings are
transplanted into the garden.
Ice cube trays
Once again there isn’t enough room for seedlings in ice cube trays. And unless you poke a hole in each division,
they won’t allow water to drain off.
Avocado and citrus
skins
Using the hollowed-out peels of fruit is a cutesy thing someone that
doesn’t do much seed starting dreamed up. This is a recipe for fungal growth
problems in seedlings. The fruit will
rot, mold and smell with damp soil inside it. You will probably get fruit flies flying
around. If you manage to keep a seedling growing in one until you can transplant
it outside and you plant it with the fruit still on the roots, it will restrict
them. And animals will be attracted to
the rotting fruit.
There are many household items that can be successfully recycled for
starting seeds and that actually work well if you don’t want to buy peat pots
or flats. Things like newspaper and
paper cups are biodegradable and actually do a good job growing seedlings. You can read more about making paper pots and
using other materials to start seeds on the page below. On this page there are also many other
articles about seed starting.
Growing Asparagus
ferns
The asparagus ferns we use as houseplants are not really ferns. And while they are related to the garden
asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) we
eat, they are not edible. Asparagus
ferns are easier to grow inside than true ferns, while still giving you that
airy, lacy fern look. They are an old
and reliable, easy care houseplant.
The species of asparagus fern most often used as houseplants are Asparagus plumosus, Asparagus meyeri and Asparagus
densiflorus sprengeri. A. plumosus may be
the most fern like, with arching branchlets of soft “needles” on wiry stems. There
is a dwarf form of this asparagus fern called A.plumosus nanus.
A. densiflorus
sprengeri has drooping stems covered in small needle-like leaves and
may be sold as emerald fern. A. meyeri has upright stems that look like green bottle
brushes stuck in pots. It is sometimes called
foxtail fern.
When you look for an asparagus fern, you’ll probably find that there are
some confusing common names and even some nurseries seem to have the plants labeled
wrong. Check the description carefully along
with the photo. Because the scientific
name plumosus seems to fit the Asparagus meyeri with its plume like
growth better than the actual look of A. plumosus, the two are often confused.
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| Asparagus meyeri Monrovia nursery |
There is another species of asparagus that florists often have around
but that isn’t seen much as a houseplant any more. That’s a broad-leaved asparagus called A. asparagoldes or commonly called
smilax or bridal creeper. It looks like
an ivy, with shiny green oval leaves.
When cut the leaves remain fresh looking for a long time, which is why
they are often used in floral arrangements.
Occasionally a few other species of asparagus are sold as houseplants.
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| Asparagus asparagoldes |
Asparagus ferns are native to Africa.
They can be grown outside in planting zones 9 and higher and are hardy
down to about 20 degrees F. However,
most gardeners will grow them as houseplants or summer container plants. They make good fillers for containers outside
and can be overwintered inside as houseplants, doing double duty.
A fascinating fact about most asparagus ferns is that while they may
appear to have needle-like leaves, those leaves are technically modified stems
called cladodes. There are thorns along the larger stems, especially as the
plants get older.
I once had a A. plumosus fern that became a virtual vine, climbing up
the window to the curtain rod and across it.
As this type of fern ages, the branchlets tend to become smaller and
more widely spaced. It can be kept
trimmed back so that it looks more compact.
The A. densiflorus sprengeri shows off best in a hanging basket, I
think. It can get about 12 inches high and
about the same across when mature. The
drooping stems can make a dense, pretty basket of feathery foliage.
A. meyeri’s bottle brushes can get 18 inches high and the plant produces
more “plumes” until the pot is full. It’s
one of my favorites
All of the asparagus ferns produce tiny white flowers, usually in summer. These flowers turn into red fleshy berries
with a single brown seed inside.
Asparagus ferns have white fleshy nodules that store water, similar to
tubers, among the wiry thin roots. These
cannot be used to propagate the plants.
Plants can be grown from seed or root systems can be divided into
several pieces for propagation.
Asparagus fern
care
Inside the home asparagus ferns enjoy a sunny window through most of the
year. A south window in late spring and early summer may be too intense and plants
should be moved back a foot from the window then or to an east or north window.
If moved outside they should go into partial shade. Inside they will also do well under grow lights
or in bright indirect light. Night temperatures should remain above 50 degrees.
Asparagus ferns tolerate some drought and can be allowed to dry out
between watering. But if they get too
dry, they may turn yellow and drop leaves. Pots must drain well as wet soil
will cause rapid root rot and death. They will thrive in moderate humidity.
Fertilize asparagus ferns a few times in spring and early summer with a
general-purpose houseplant fertilizer. They are a plant that does not like
frequent repotting. Repot them only when
the roots have filled the pot and are seen above the top of the pot. At this point the roots can be divided with a
sharp knife or saw for new plants if desired.
Asparagus ferns have no common insect or disease problems. Some “needle” fall is common and normal but
if plants turn yellow and lose a lot of foliage it’s usually a watering
problem- too little or too much. Very
hot conditions and too much sun can cause needle drop too.
Asparagus ferns have scratchy, thorny stems and handling the plant will
cause a skin irritation in some people. These
houseplants are not edible. While not
terribly poisonous they will cause stomach upset if shoots, leaves or berries
are ingested. Pets usually aren’t too interested
in the leaves for munching but if they do, vomiting and diarrhea will follow. Children
may be attracted to the berries plants sometimes produce. While they are probably not deadly if
children eat them, they may experience severe gastrointestinal problems. I
would call poison control for advice if a child eats them.
If you have difficulty growing true ferns in your home the asparagus ferns
may be better plants for you. They are
not as commonly used as houseplants as they once were, but since houseplants are
once again popular, they are not too hard to find. Easy to grow and pretty, indoor gardeners generally
enjoy having the plants in their collections.
Have a Happy Year of the Pig
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
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Thanks Kim. Another excellent newsletter
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