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| Diascia |
I really
appreciated electricity this past week after being without it for 24 hours
after a storm passed through. Living in the country you don’t have water
flowing when the electricity goes out, as well as no heat, no refrigeration, and
no lights.
Normally I prepare
in advance if storms are predicted, filling buckets getting the generator out
and so on. I charge my phone and kindle reader and make sure I have downloaded
something to read. I am embarrassed that this time I missed the warning signs. No
buckets of water, nothing downloaded I hadn’t already read. The storm roared
through and poles went down and it went dark.
Our generator
was just sent out for repairs earlier that day. My husband had tried to start
it and broke the pull cord and couldn’t fix it. That was earlier in the summer.
I had just nagged him enough to get him to call his “guy”. The stars all aligned just right, and it was
miserable. Thank goodness it was only 24
hours.
The garden
outside is pretty much finished. The hostas are melting clumps of yellow
leaves. The oaks and poplars are bare and maples nearly so. It’s such a messy
looking time of the year. I noticed a clump of diascia is still blooming on the
deck. I think I am going to dig it up and pot it and bring it inside. I haven’t
tried overwintering it inside.
I still have
dahlias to dig up. I still have 275 bulbs to plant. They arrived last week but
it was rainy and cold, and I haven’t had a chance to plant them. I’m hoping to
get them done tomorrow. It’s late for me
to be planting bulbs but luckily, I ordered fewer than in past years.
Inside I have
lots of things in bloom. My lemon tree is blooming, and I am going to play bee
and see if I get lemons. Usually it blooms outside and sets fruit before I
bring it in. It was late this year. I have a beautiful white ivy geranium in
bloom right next to me today.
It’s getting late but there’s still time to plant bulbs for forcing- and amaryllis
If you’d like
to have spring flowers early this year you can follow a tradition that’s been
practiced for hundreds of years- forcing bulbs. Forcing bulbs means getting
them to bloom outside of their normal blooming period, and generally indoors. Greenhouses
do this to have blooming bulbs for sale shortly after Christmas, but you can
easily do it at home too.
Paper white
narcissus, a yellow narcissus known as Sol D’Or, and
some hyacinths are probably still available for forcing. Paper whites and Sol
D’Or don’t need a chilling period to bloom. Some catalogs may also sell
pre-chilled bulbs for late fall and winter potting.
You can start
paper whites just about any time in the fall and winter and expect blooms in
about 6 weeks. So, you could have those for Christmas.
Any kind of
spring blooming bulb can be forced, from tiny crocus and snowdrops to stately
tulips and alliums. With November planting you won’t get flowers until February
and March, but that will still be earlier than they bloom outside for most
bulbs and it will bring a burst of spring inside just when you need it most. If
you found pre-chilled bulbs for sale you may get flowers earlier.
Amaryllis require 8-12 weeks from planting to bloom, depending on the cultivar and conditions. You are probably too late to get bloom at Christmas now, but you will have blooms shortly after Christmas. They do not need chilling to bloom.
Amaryllis
What to plant them in
Paper white
and other narcissus and some hyacinths can be forced in water. Fill a container with rocks, glass beads or
marbles, put water in the bottom inch or two and partially bury the bulbs in
the filler. You want just the base of the bulb in water, submerged bulbs will
rot.
Most bulbs,
however, do best in potting medium. Since you’ll need to move the pots around
and good drainage is a must, a good lightweight potting mix is essential. Shallow
pots are best but they should be deep enough so the bulbs can be lightly
covered with the potting medium and still have at least 2 inches of medium
below them. The containers should have good drainage.
Moisten the
potting medium, add some to the container, and arrange the bulbs on top. To
make the prettiest showing put bulbs close together. Bulbs with large foliage
like tulips need a little more room in the pot but bulbs with narrow foliage
like crocus can be planted with only a bit of a gap between them.
Plant bulbs
with the pointed end up. Arrange any tulip bulbs so that the flatter side of
the bulb faces toward the pot wall. The leaves will then droop over the pot
sides and the blooms will be concentrated in the center of the pot.
Once you have
arranged the bulbs fill up the pot with moistened potting medium. Remember to
leave space below the pot rim for water.
After potting
put paper whites, pre chilled bulbs and amaryllis in brightly lit place with
temperatures above 65 degrees F. Keep potting medium moist but not soggy. They
should sprout quickly and bloom anywhere from 6 weeks for paperwhites to 12
weeks for amaryllis. For all other bulbs follow the chilling process below.
The chilling process
Once pots are
planted, they need a chilling period. (Remember paper whites, some other
narcissus and amaryllis don’t need chilling.) If they don’t get this, flowers
won’t form. The ideal chilling temperature is between 30-40 degrees F. You can
achieve this by putting the pots in an unheated garage or chilly basement or in
a refrigerator. If you are going to use
the refrigerator don’t store fruit in it since the ethylene they give off can
disrupt flower formation. A cooler or
insulated box on the patio or deck might work.
You are
trying to prevent the potted bulbs from getting too cold too. Bulbs planted in
the ground are somewhat insulated because they are planted deeper and have more
soil around them. When bulbs in pots are subjected to long periods of time
below 25 degrees they often die.
One more note
about using the outdoor weather to chill bulbs. How cold your fall and early
winter weather are will affect how soon the bulbs can bloom. Remember chilling
temperatures are below 40 degrees. If the late fall and early winter are warm
the bulbs will take longer to bloom. If you want the bulbs to bloom near a
specific time you need to use a refrigerator to control the chill period.
Pots need to
be kept barely moist while chilling. Check your pots every other week and add a
little barely warm water if they seem very dry. When a pot is too dry it feels
very light and the potting medium may draw away from the pot sides. If the soil
seems soggy, check to see if the drainage is obstructed and don’t water. Very
wet pots cause the bulbs to rot.
Different
plant species require different cooling times to form flowers. Crocus and grape hyacinths require about 9
weeks of chilling, snowdrops require 15 weeks, species tulips that bloom early
in the garden require about 10 weeks, other tulips require 12-16 weeks. The
later they bloom outside the more chilling weeks they require. Daffodils and
narcissus need about 12 weeks. Hyacinths need 12-15 weeks. Iris reticulate and
alliums may need 15 weeks.
When the
chilling period is over, wake the plants up by gently by moving them to a
little warmer area of 50-60 degrees, in indirect light. Water the pots with warm water. After a week
move them to a sunny spot above 60 degrees. Keep the pots moist but not soggy. Most
will be sprouting by then and will bloom in 2-3 weeks.
If you have a
specific time you want bulbs to bloom you can safely leave bulbs to chill
longer. If you have lots of chilled pots stagger the times you wake up the
plants.
If there is
one thing that legalizing marihuana has done is that it has resulted in an
explosion of new products aimed at growing plants inside. Even if you don’t
have a greenhouse or sunroom anyone can now grow plants inside, whether it’s
your medicine, or some kitchen herbs, beautiful hibiscus, succulents or juicy
tomatoes. You aren’t limited to houseplants or a windowsill.
If you like
vegetable gardening, it’s now fairly easy to grow things like tomatoes, peppers,
cucumbers and strawberries inside all winter. You can use your basement, attic
or even a closet. There are small systems for herbs and greens that can be set
up in the kitchen. You can have healthy home-grown food all winter even without
a greenhouse.
Grow lights
Grow lights
are one of the best innovations to come from the cannabis industry. The new
grow lights can be used to supplement light from a window, which is not
sufficient for many plants even in a south facing window. This is especially
true in northern winters. And if you don’t have good windows to put plants in,
or enough windows, grow lights can let you garden anywhere.
There are
huge, powerful halogen and sodium grow lights, and people still use fluorescent
and CFL grow bulbs but there is also a plethora of smaller LED grow lights that
are economical to run and not much of a fire hazard. I strongly recommend using
LED lights for houseplants and things like tomato and herb plants you are
growing inside your home.
Most LED
lights plug in and don’t require an electrician to wire them in and you can get
them for as low as $20. There are grow bulbs that screw into a regular light
socket too. You can use inexpensive fixtures from the hardware store with many
grow bulbs. I have a mixture of fixtures with grow bulbs and commercial grow
light set ups, some things are better for one situation over the other.
While the
purple toned lights are still available and plants seem to love them, there are
now good and reasonably priced “full spectrum” lights that have light much like
natural sunlight. Those are the lights I like for plants you want to see in
their natural colors. A bonus is that they help cheer up people with seasonal
depression. I don’t like being around the purple lights, but I do like the full
spectrum light, which is usually a strong, “white light” to the eye.
While grow
lights may seem very bright to you, they normally do not harm plants by being
too bright. Plants that like shade outside still grow well under bright grow
lights. In fact, you may be amazed how well they grow.
Two types of plant lights, a floor lamp type at left
and a clamp light fixture with grow bulb on the right
When you are
searching for grow lights read the comments and ratings other people have given
that product. See if they give off heat and what the size area they light up.
Check out how the bulbs need to be suspended. Many new grow lights now clamp
onto something and the lights are on adjustable arms. I really like these, but
they may not work for you.
Some lights
can be suspended under a shelf or cupboard with screws. I have suspended lights
with small bungee cords that run across the light and over a shelf edge.
Some lights
hang and you’ll need to think about how you will hang them. For best results
most lights need to be a foot or so above the plant top. Some plants will be
fine with lights that are suspended farther away. You may need to be able to
adjust the lights as plants grow.
The square
footage a light covers varies by the shape and wattage of the bulb/light. It
also varies by how high it is suspended over the plants, the further away the
more area covered, but the light quality and strength gets less. Measure the
length and depth of the area where you want to put plants and multiply them, to
get the square footage. For example, 3 feet x 2 feet = 6 square feet. Check the product description and then see
how many bulbs you’ll need to buy.
Look at the
wattage and lumens ratings. The higher the wattage and lumens the more
expensive the light will be. The term equivalent is referring to the light
given off by a similar wattage incandescent bulb. So, you’ll see grow bulbs
listed from 25-watt equivalent to 300 or higher watts. You may also see the
lumen rating listed.
Wattage
actually refers to the amount of power used; lumen is the term that describes
how much light the bulb gives off. Most LED grow lights do not actually give
off the wattage equivalent/lumens listed; it ends up being somewhat less in
practice. But listing wattage gives you a reference range anyway. And as grow
lights age, they lose some of their brightness. Many people change them after 1
year of daily use.
For lighting
typical houseplants use the lower wattage and lumens bulbs. They usually are
sold as 40-60-watt equivalent bulbs. For larger flowering plants like hibiscus,
gardenias, brugmansia, go up a notch to medium wattage/lumens,75-100-watt
equivalent. For growing tomatoes and
peppers it’s suggested you buy lights with at least a 300-watt rating. (For
growing pot, you go way beyond this if you listen to the experts.)
Homeowners
gardening inside will want to avoid lights that give off a lot of heat, or that
get hot to the touch, to lessen the chance of fire or injury to kids and pets.
This is also important if you are going to set up in a closet or other enclosed
space. Too much heat can limit flowering
and fruiting.
CAUTION: electricity and water don’t mix well. Make sure water can’t drip on grow
bulbs, timers, extension cords and so on. Use caution when watering not to
splash bulbs, they may crack or even explode.
I added a simple reflector type light to my unheated porch
for winter plant storage.
Timers
Many grow
lights now have built in timers but some of those timers can be a headache to
get programmed right. You can buy inexpensive timers, under $10, to use for
light systems that don’t have timers. Timers make sure your plants get a
regular schedule of light. You don’t have to worry when you are driving to work
that you haven’t turned on the plant lights.
Most indoor
plants do best with 10-12 hours of light. Plants do need some dark time so don’t
leave lights on all the time. Some houseplants will do well with only 6-9 hours
of light. When growing plants like tomatoes and strawberries you may want to go
to 14 hours of light. Some plants need a certain schedule of light/dark to initiate
bloom. Set your timers to give them what they need.
If your
lights aren’t as strong as you think your plants would like, leaving them on a
little longer can help compensate. Later in spring if plants are getting strong
natural light from a window you may want to decrease the grow light time.
You can set
the lights to turn on and off in a way that suits your schedule, and you don’t
need to follow the natural light cycle outside. For example, you can have the
lights come on at 5 am when it’s still dark outside and go off at 5 pm, before
you start watching TV and the lights cause a glare on the screen. Or if you are
gone all day and worry about a fire starting from your lights in the basement,
have them on at night while you are home and could hear an alarm.
Grow bags and pots
Grow bags are
another innovation that cannabis growers have given home gardeners. These are
actual bags woven with a rot resistant fabric. Grow bags are better for plants
that aren’t in the main living area. They come in various sizes and are inexpensive
and reusable. Use them for growing things like tomatoes and peppers, or your
cannabis plants.
If you are
going to be growing food crops inside and they aren’t part of your room décor you
can improvise many good containers. Use cheap buckets or trash cans with holes
drilled in the bottom for large plants. I have seen greens and strawberries
grown in sections of gutter or pieces of large diameter PVC pipe slit
lengthwise. Everything does need drainage.
A grow store
or your local box store probably has a wide range of simple plastic pots for
growing also. If you are just growing food crops or if you aren’t trying to
match your home décor these will be an economical solution. Make sure any pot
you buy has drainage holes.
Hydroponics
You can now
buy kits that have everything you need to start a hydroponic set up. They are
much less expensive and easier to set up than in the past. There are a variety
of ways these work, you need to do a lot of research before deciding which
system seems to fit your needs. Personally, I think that for home growers, hydroponic
systems are too much work.
For all but
the smallest hydroponic systems you should probably have a room with a floor
drain, like in the basement. I wouldn’t set them up on a carpeted surface.
There will be leaks and spills. You’ll also need easy access to water.
The
self-watering pots are kind of a hybrid between hydroponics and regular pots.
They are better now than they were 10 years ago, but there is still a wide
variation in how well they work. You still have to remember to add water to the
water well.
Fertilizers, pesticides
If you are
growing cannabis for the first time, you’ll be amazed at the types of
fertilizer formulations you can get at a grow store. Let an expert give you
some tips on what to use when. But if you are growing houseplants or vegetables
inside just look for simple balanced fertilizers. Most fruiting plants and
regularly harvested herbs and greens are going to need fertilization. Houseplants
under lights may grow more than plants on a windowsill in winter and need more
fertilizer to support growth and bloom.
You can use commercial
fertilizers from any store for growing indoor plants. Just remember to follow
the directions for indoor plants. Using too much fertilizer inside leads to
serious problems. I would not use manure, or garbage like eggshells and coffee
grounds on inside plants. These cause smells, mold and pest problems.
Sometimes
indoor plants develop pest problems. White fly and aphids are common. When
considering pesticides for indoors remember you may be breathing the air pesticides
were sprayed in. If you aren’t eating the plant using systemic pesticides is
probably best method. If you are harvesting herbs or growing things like
tomatoes to eat, you’ll need to use pesticides for food crops just as you would
outside.
Other things for indoor growing
Indoor
gardeners growing in enclosed spaces may need small fans to circulate the air.
Depending on the plants being grown humidifiers may be needed too. Please have
working fire alarms in the home when using grow lights for gardening.
If you are
growing plants in a closet or small room you may want to line the walls with a
reflective surface, like foil, to maximize light. Special materials are sold
for horticulture purposes, but the home gardener can improvise with reflective
insulating panels or even heavy-duty aluminum foil. Glue or tape it to
cardboard for easy handling.
Thermometers
and humidity gauges are good to have when growing plants inside. These are also
inexpensive. If your grow area is outside your living space, you’ll need to
know if it’s warm enough- or too warm. And humidity levels can be important for
successful indoor growing too.
Pumpkins make
nice decorations, but they also have seeds which make an excellent tasty and
nutritious snack. Clean the seeds out of one or more pumpkins and try to remove
as much of the orange “goop” as possible.
Place the seeds in a colander and wash with cold water.
Drain and
spread the seeds on a foil covered cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking
spray. Lightly spray the seeds with cooking spray or toss with a bit of olive
oil, and salt to your taste. Put the
cookie sheets in an oven set at 325 degrees and roast for about 20 minutes.
Stir occasionally and keep checking on them, don’t let them get too brown.
After roasting they can be stored in sealed containers.
For spicy
pumpkin seeds try this recipe. Mix 1 ½ tablespoons
butter, ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and 2 teaspoons of
Worchester sauce in a bowl and toss the seeds in it before roasting. It will coat 2-3 cups of seeds.
Garlic salt,
red pepper, parmesan cheese, and cinnamon are all good seasonings to try on
pumpkin seeds. There are various
flavored popcorn seasonings on the market, caramel, cheddar, ranch and so on,
that can be sprinkled on the pumpkin seeds also.
"All things on earth point
home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to
field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has
forsaken."
— Thomas Wolfe
Kim Willis
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copyrighted and may not be used without permission.
And So On….
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