March 5, 2019 Kim’s Weekly Garden Blog

Hello gardeners

Streptocarpus

If I concentrate on looking up at the sky from a warm place inside it looks like spring. Well, at least when the sun is shining, and the blue sky shows.  Bah, humbug to this bitter cold weather we are having.  When I went to the barn this morning there was a peculiar snow mist- you could feel it on your face and see it as a fog across the fields, but it didn’t look like snow up close.  The sun has been trying to shine all morning- when it stops snowing.

March is the start of meteorological spring.  If the old saying holds true -in like a lion- out like a lamb- then we are due for a mild end to the month. Checking my calendar for last year I found it was warmer the first week of March but on March 8, 2018 we had 8 inches of snow.  It’s supposed to drop below zero tonight, but then we start a warm up and by the weekend it will be in the 40’s, with rain of course.

I am more than ready to get outside and do some gardening. Plans are whirling around in my head.  There’s so much clean up to do. March is usually a month of extremes here- frogs singing one day- snow the next, but at least there are some days when you can get outside to work and flowers start blooming.  The first thing I have to do is get out there and cover those flowers that are coming up with netting, so the deer don’t eat them.

At least the flowers here have stayed dormant.  I am hearing that in some places the trees and flowers started budding and now they are being hit with bitter cold. That is very discouraging for gardeners. Covering some things might help but many things will lose their blooms, and some may experience serious dieback.  Nature can be cruel.

My expensive sweet corn seeds have arrived. I’ve been placing plant and seed orders but hoping those plants don’t ship too soon.  Seed catalogs are filling my mailbox, very tempting, but I keep reminding myself, I have a lot to take care of right now.

I may not have flowers outside, but things are blooming inside.  I have an “Easter” cactus blooming, fuchsia, dipladenia, amaryllis, streptocarpus, geraniums, and a pretty pink impatiens that came up in a pot on its own.

March almanac

The full moon in March occurs on the 21^st and 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. Moon apogee was the 4^th. The moon perigee is the 19^th – so close to the full moon it might be a good day to expect a storm. 

The most important date for all gardeners in March is, of course the first day of spring.  It’s March 20^th.  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 31^st.  March 10^th 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, if you want some information about backyard chickens why not buy my book- Raising Chickens for Dummies.  I also have some articles here:  http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/chickens-ducks-turkeys-care-misc.html   

My chicken book- you can buy it on Amazon

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.  It’s also National Reading month and I encourage you to read up about gardening and plants in general.

March’s birth flower is the daffodil or jonquil, the birthstone is aqua marine. Here’s a link to an article on growing them.

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/how-to-grow-daffodils-marchbirth-flower.html

Fuchsia’s for indoors

Fuchsia 'Eruption'

Many gardeners are familiar with the showy large flowered fuchsia’s that make great hanging baskets for shady spots outside in summer.  But many people aren’t familiar with the older varieties of small flowered fuchsias that can make a great flowering houseplant. These fuchsias can also be moved outside in the summer where they are very attractive to hummingbirds.

Most of the small flowered fuchsias used as houseplants belong to the species F. triphylla or are hybrids of that species and another. This species is native to the Caribbean Islands and has been in cultivation since the 1800’s. Some common names are firecracker fuchsia or honeysuckle fuchsia. F. triphylla is a small shrub 2-3 feet tall with drooping branches. In warm climates zone 10 and above, this species can be used as a landscape plant but most gardeners will know them as tender perennials for houseplant or seasonal container use.

The triphylla fuchsias have small oval leaves that are often purple tinged, and they are lightly hairy.  There is at least one golden leaved variety.  Kept in pots and hanging baskets the plants can be trimmed to maintain shape, but they seem to be fairly slow growing in these conditions. The stems are wiry and woody when mature. Plants are attractive out of bloom, although they won’t be out of bloom often under good conditions.  They maintain their leaves all year round unless it gets too dry or cold.

The flowers of this fuchsia are long and tubular with a flare of petals at the end, in the wild they are red or purple. There are several other colors that have been developed.  The stamens of the flowers protrude out of the tube and when a hummingbird comes to visit they rain pollen on his head. The flowers are in clusters at the end of drooping stems. The species has a long flowering period, only pausing bloom when very dry or in colder periods. Mine typically bloom sporadically all winter and all through spring, summer, and fall.  Bonus note: fuchsia flowers are edible!

Some cultivars of Fuchsia triphylla are 'Thalia' which has orange-scarlet blooms and 'Coralle' with salmon-orange-pink blooms ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ is an older, sterile hybrid of F. triphylla known in Victorian times as Lady’s Eardrop.  It has bright red flowers, and dark green foliage with purple veins. ‘Billy Green’ has pretty deep pink flowers.

 ‘Carmel Blue’ is a hybrid with slightly larger flowers, white outer petals with violet center petals and red stamens.  It fades to a pinkish violet as it ages.  ‘Genii’ is a hybrid with gold to lime green foliage, red outer flower petals with purple centers and red stamens.  ‘Annabel’ has larger, semi-double flowers of pale pink. ‘Eruption’ has bright coral pink or orange blooms and is the variety often offered in retail stores.

There are many other species of fuchsia and gardeners may be attracted to the gorgeous, large, double flowering varieties often sold in hanging baskets in spring in garden centers. These large flowered varieties can be tricky to keep alive even in the summer, and are very hard to keep alive inside in winter unless you own a greenhouse and can baby them through winter.  The triphylla fuchsias make much better houseplants.

Care

Indoors the triphylla fuchsias like a bright location, near a south window or near grow lights for best bloom.  Outside they prefer light to medium shade conditions but if kept constantly moist can survive some sun. When you first move them outside, they need to go in shade, then gradually moved to sunnier locales if that’s where you want them. They can be planted in large hanging baskets or pots.  Use a good, humus rich soil or potting medium. 

Fuchsias must be kept moist but not soggy wet, they need a pot that drains well. They need more water in hot, dry or sunny conditions and less when it’s colder and darker. They may drop their leaves if they get too dry but will recover if they are watered before it’s too late. These fuchsias like a higher humidity level but will survive in average home humidity levels.

Normal room temperatures, 65-70 degrees F., suit these fuchsias just fine.  They can survive temperatures down to 40 F or so but may lose their leaves and go dormant.  Some people have had them survive light frosts, but I wouldn’t push my luck there.  If you are summering them outside bring them in before frost.

To keep these fuchsias blooming they need regular fertilization.  Use a fertilizer for blooming plants and follow label directions for houseplants if they are kept inside.  Fertilize once a month October through February and every other week at other times.

If you start with small plants transplant them into larger pots as they grow.  When you get to a 10-12-inch diameter pot you may want to quit up sizing and prune the plant to keep it in bounds.  If you go to bigger pots you can grow the plants to 2-3’ feet high and wide, which is an impressive sight in full bloom.

Fuchsias bloom on new wood so a little pruning in late winter can encourage that.  I rarely prune mine, however, and they manage to put out new wood and blooms on their own. I have heard that some people prune them hard in fall and overwinter them dormant, in a place about 40 degrees F.  I prefer to just bring mine inside to a sunny window in the fall and let them bloom their heads off.

Inside fuchsia plants may suffer from whitefly and occasionally scale or spider mites. A warm shower can help with these insect pests or use an appropriate houseplant pesticide. (Maybe some marigolds will help with the whitefly- see article further in the blog.)

Fuchsia plants rarely produce seed when kept inside and some hybrids are sterile.  However, they are easily started from cuttings of new, green growth.  You can find small plants of rarer varieties in specialty catalogs- try www.selectseeds.com – and in spring you may find plants in larger local nurseries.

If you like blooming houseplants I encourage you to try a triphylla species of fuchsia. These plants are not that difficult to grow indoors and will give you a long season of cheerful flowers.

Spring is for garden myths and old wives’ tales.

It’s spring and all the websites are trying to get your attention as your thoughts turn to gardening. A lot of times they headline “tips” or “hacks” that seem really easy. But even some websites that look real professional pass along tips that are really myths and worthless. And some of those so called “hacks” can be harmful too.

Gardening is about art and science combined. But before you can use art effectively in gardening you also need a bit of that science.  Anyone can garden but good advice and some experience will make you a better gardener.  Many people turn to others for garden advice and education. But beware of all those garden sites who are only there to make money from you or those social media posts that could cause harm with bad information they spread.

Matchsticks in pots myth

The matchsticks in flower pots and stuck around plants in the garden or buried in planting holes  “hack” or “tip” is going around social media again. Supposedly the sulfur and other chemicals in the match heads helps plants in many different ways- different websites claim different miracles. 

Matches contain red phosphorus, sulfur and potassium chlorate, ammonium phosphate impregnated into the matchstick wood, glues, dyes, occasional other fillers and chemicals, and powdered glass with a paraffin coat over the head.  Some of these chemicals are indeed used in plant fertilizers.  But the quantities in matchheads are minute.  And since the chemicals are bound with glue and covered in paraffin its going to take a long, long time before those chemicals are available to plants.

If your plants need fertilizer just buy it.  For a teaspoon of good fertilizer, you’d need to use a whole box or maybe more of matches. Some sites advise people to put 3 matches in each plant hole for example. This is a hilariously minute amount of any beneficial chemicals and amounts to a good luck charm, nothing else.  It would be cheaper to use fertilizer and since fertilizer is formulated to break down in soil it begins working quickly.

And the chemicals in matches are not safer than those in fertilizer, in fact since they haven’t been evaluated as a plant fertilizer there could be harmful ingredients in matchheads, although they would be in minute quantities too.  It’s not “organic” just because you pull it out of the cupboard or buy it at a grocery.  And its safer to buy products formulated for the way you want to use them.

Matchheads won’t cure plant diseases or kill insect pests either.  Sulfur is sometimes used for fungal diseases, but its sprayed-on plants, not buried under them.  The long and short of it is that using matches in flower pots and planting holes is an old wives tale and myth.  Don’t waste your time and money.

Cornmeal myths

Another persistent myth and popular “garden hack” is to tell people to sprinkle cornmeal around your lawn and garden beds to prevent weed seeds from germinating. It won’t work and may attract ants and mice. The idea comes from research done on another corn product- corn gluten meal- which is NOT the same as cornmeal.  Using cornmeal on the lawn and garden is a waste of time and money.

Studies of corn gluten meal as a weed preventative have ambiguous findings.  In some places it does seem to keep seeds from germinating when applied to the ground early in the spring.  In other places it didn’t seem to work very well.  The type of soil and weather conditions may have something to do with the varying results.  Remember if it works it will keep all kinds of seeds from germinating, not just weeds.  And it won’t kill weeds already growing or that are perennial.  You don’t buy corn gluten meal in the grocery store, but you can find it in some garden supply stores.

And by the way, cornmeal will not cause ants to explode after they eat it.  Ants don’t digest food they pick up, they take it back to the nest and feed it to larvae to digest.  The larvae digest cornmeal very well and then feed it to the worker ants.  If the worker ants do consume cornmeal they can spit it back up if it bothers them.

Planting marigolds among your tomatoes may be beneficial

Here’s another example of folklore that might have some truth to it. Gardeners have long suggested planting marigolds among other plants, called companion planting, can keep harmful insects away.  Now research has proven that at least in greenhouses, marigolds can shoo whiteflies away from tomatoes.

Researchers at Newcastle University (UK), found that planting French marigolds among tomato plants in a greenhouse kept whiteflies away from them.  Whiteflies suck the sap of plants, weakening them and transmitting diseases to them.  They are a common greenhouse and houseplant pest.

The researchers found that marigolds release limonene vapors – a chemical also found in citrus peel - and limonene repels the flies.  (Studies have found it also repels mosquitoes.)  Since limonene can be easily produced commercially there’s hope that a simple solution like cards impregnated with the scent and hung among greenhouse plants would also keep whiteflies away.

Limonene doesn’t kill whiteflies and it also doesn’t kill bees and other helpful pollinators.  In fact, bees like marigolds and visit them for their nectar. Limonene is also harmless to animals and humans, at least in the small amounts inhaled as vapors.  It doesn’t need to be sprayed on plants, just the “smell” of nearby plants is effective.

Now before you get excited remember that this research was done in a greenhouse, where scents would tend to remain and not be blown away in the wind. It focused on one indoor pest- whitefly.  There still is no research that proves planting marigolds in your garden beds outside would be effective in keeping common outside pests away from plants. In fact, some research done with companion planting outdoors has found that there is little benefit as far as pest control.

But research has shown that interspersing flowering plants attractive to pollinators among other plants may help pollinators find those less attractive plants and increase production.  Farmers are even planting pollinator strips around some crop fields and in orchards.  So, planting marigolds among your tomatoes, peppers, and other garden plants that need pollination to produce fruit could be helpful.  If insects are repelled that’s a bonus.

If you have a greenhouse or grow room where whiteflies have become a problem planting some marigolds in it might help protect your crop.  If whiteflies are a problem around your houseplants maybe a pot or two of marigolds would help.  Marigolds are easily grown from seed.

 More reading:

Companion planting with French marigolds protects tomato plants from glasshouse whiteflies through the emission of airborne limonene. PLOS ONE, 2019; 14 (3): e0213071 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213071

Heat and seed germination

Every species has a soil temperature range that produces optimum germination for its seeds.  Air temperature can be important too, but soil temperature that’s just right produces the best germination.  When seeds germinate at the optimum temperature range for the species the seedlings are healthier and more likely to thrive. 

The optimum soil temperature is known for many garden plants.  Gardeners should try to plant seeds when the soil temperature is right for them.  You can learn the temperature of soil by using a soil thermometer or even a regular air temperature thermometer you can push into the soil.  Take the soil temperature in the first 6 inches of the soil, which is where most seeds will be germinating.

When planting seeds outside you generally need to wait until nature has warmed the soil for you.  But you could help nature out by covering the soil with either clear or black plastic if it’s a sunny area. This tends to warm the soil faster than uncovered areas.  But in this case, you may still have to worry about the air temperature.  If it’s still very cold seeds may germinate in the warmer soil, but their upper parts might be damaged by cold air, especially at night. 

Some areas, even in the same yard, may warm faster than others. Planting beds that are in protected areas, beds in full sun and raised beds and beds with sandy soil usually warm faster than others. Gardeners can take advantage of this by using these areas for starting seeds that need warmer soil conditions. 

Conversely sunken areas, shady areas and beds with heavy clay soil will take longer to warm up. Some seeds actually prefer cooler temperatures for germination and the gardener can use these planting areas for those seeds if there is a choice of locations.

A coldframe, (box with a clear top) or a tunnel (hoop frame covered with clear plastic) will warm the soil and protect seedlings from cold air.  However there has to be a way to keep the seedlings from overheating when the sun is strong by providing good ventilation.  Sometimes a heat mat and coldframe are combined so the soil doesn’t get too cold at night. 

Inside gardeners may be able to control the temperature of the soil for germinating seeds.  Heat mats are sold for this purpose, you sit pots or flats on top of them.  Heating pads for humans can be used, but they may make the soil too warm and there is a risk of fire when they are used for long periods of time.

Some people have found alternatives for bottom heat, like the top of the refrigerator, which is usually a bit warmer than the room air.  A heating mat used for puppies or pigs may be a good substitute for a plant heat mat because they limit the upper temperature the mat gets to and are waterproof.

You can warm the soil by warming the room air, after a day or so the soil will only be a few degrees less than the air temperature.  Some species of plants have seeds that will germinate well at temperatures most people keep their homes at.   

Some people build boxes or use something like a cabinet that is heated with a heat lamp or other heat source to “incubate” seeds.   Many seeds don’t need light when germinating, but some do.  After they sprout however, all seedlings need light.  And after the seedlings have germinated slightly cooler soil and room temperatures won’t hurt them.

Here are some soil temperatures and common garden seeds that prefer those temperatures for germination.  Not every plant is listed but seed packages and catalogs often list germination temperatures.

Cool germinators- soil 45-55 F

Beets

calendula

Calendula

Carrots

Lettuce

Mustard

Onions

Peas

Radish

Swiss chard

Moderate temperature germinators 60-70F

Asparagus

Beans

Broccoli

Cleome

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Cleome

Cosmos

Marigolds

Nasturtium

Pumpkins

Snapdragons

Sunflowers

Zinnias

Warm germinators above 70 F

Corn, sweet and pop corn

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Melons

Peppers

Petunias (start inside early)

Morning Glory

Moonvine

Nicotianna

Daffodils are different

Sometimes a flower we have known all our lives can surprise us.  What we assume about nature isn’t always true, even if we are botanists looking at a common flower, like the daffodil.

Daffodils and narcissus often have a crown shaped structure in the center of the flower, called the corona.  It’s often colorful, the same color or a contrasting color to the petals.  Until recently it was assumed that the corona was a modification of flower petals, possibly to aid pollination.  Recent research has determined that coronas are not modified flower petals.

Genetic analysis along with a study of developing daffodil flowers led researchers at the University of Oxford, Harvard University, the United States Department of Agriculture and the University of Western Australia, all to conclude that coronas are a separate structure that develops after the flower petals and sexual organs are fully formed in the bud.  Coronas are genetically similar but not exactly the same as the stamens, or male sexual organs, of the daffodil. The corona develops from the hypanthium, a cuplike structure the daffodil flower sits on, and the hypanthium and the corona are also genetically similar.

So, what is the function of the corona?  Since daffodils and narcissus typically bloom in early spring maybe they are an extra layer of protection from the cold for the sexual organs of the flower. They may also serve to guide early spring pollinators to the right spot. Or instead of protecting the plants sexual organs they may protect the pollinators, encouraging them to linger in the warmth of the tubular corona.

One other plant that I can think of, Hymenocallis (Peruvian Daffodil, Spider Lily), has a flower structure similar to daffodils and since it too flowers in spring, it may be another case of flowers evolving to suit the environment.  However, Hymenocallis is native to places where conditions are somewhat warmer than where daffodils and narcissus grow.  We may find out in the future that coronas have some other function than protection.

More reading

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23406544

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235619711

Remember to spring those clocks forward Sunday

Kim Willis

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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 are on my mailing list and at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you or anyone you know 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