Feb 4: What do I need to grow seeds for the garden?, Old seeds, Peach tree grown in container
What sort of equipment do I really need to grow seeds?
Q: This is my first year to grow seeds - what do I need to start some seeds this year? Do I have to buy anything special like those trays and heating pads or can I do it with what I have? I have some plastic pots and there’s soil in the garden, if it ever thaws. Now what else should I buy??
A: Remember what you need this way – the Four “S’s”:
What you need to start seeds indoors:
The four S’s: SEEDS, SOIL, SUNLIGHT ---- and SOMETHING to grow seeds in.... Two ingredients you’ll probably have to buy (soil and seed) and two you probably have on hand, sunlight and something to grow a plant in!
SEEDS
Hopefully, you have already begun ordering your favorite seeds - your favorite varieties and colors will sell out quickly. Buy small packets of seeds! Remember that in February, your eyes are always bigger than your garden plot - and the more you plant, the more you will have to weed in July, and August, and September, when the golf course and the beach are beckoning. How many pepper plants do you really need?
SOIL
You need a proper growing medium for tender seedlings – not just dirt from the garden with all its problems!
It pays to buy a good starting medium for your seeds – Growing from seed is a lot of work – so don’t spoil it with the wrong soil. A sterile potting mix is really necessary for the best results when you are starting seeds.
SUNLIGHT and WARMTH...
Both very important for the growth of the new plants – but bottom heat is most important. You don’t have to buy a heat mat. Put your newly planted seeds in warm spot - ANY warm spot, where they can get bottom heat, is fair game these weeks: It could be a shelf above the clothes dryer, a radiator, well padded with towels or newspapers, the top of the refrigerator, the top of the furnace. The point of bottom warmth is to allow seeds to germinate quickly before they have a chance to rot. Move them to a sunny window as soon as they germinate.
SOMETHING to grow them in!
Anything goes – if it is clean, and you can punch a drainage hole in it! ANYTHING!
If you want to spend the money, you can buy plant trays and peat cubes and neat little pots and do it like a commercial grower. There are some advantages:
A peat cube can be planted right into the ground without disturbing the roots...
Uniform trays DO keep things very organized and permit sprinkling hundreds of seeds on one large surface to start…
BUT You can also use your old but clean pots, as well as the free plastic cups from coffee, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, margarine and sour cream – but you will have to punch a hole in them for drainage. Gardeners also use the cardboard tubes from inside toilet paper and paper towels – and cut them and stand on end, and fill with soil to make a pot that will compost – or you can roll newspapers and do the same thing. Cardboard or paper is greener than plastics – but the plastics are reusable.
Get ready – and get growing!
But BEWARE! Catalogs are experts at selling us seeds. They know that after a winter in New England, ANYTHING green sells – and any seed with a full-color picture of a beautiful flower or a juicy vegetable will fly out of the catalog! Sit down, take a deep breath, – and cut the seed order in half!
Seeds - they do age!
Q: I found some seed packages from last year (I think they’re from last year – maybe the year before) Can I still use them this year? How long do seeds last?
A: I assume these were commercial seed packets not seed you have saved. If so, MOST commercially packaged seeds will last into the second year if they were stored in a cool dry place. To further help, there is a packing date on the package, which will tell you when they were bought. Are they still alive and viable? Generally speaking, after seeds are two years old, don’t bother wasting your time, particularly if they were opened – and unless they’re very special... Do a simple test of your own to test the germination rate of seeds before you go to all the work involved in seed starting:
Sprinkle ten seeds on a wet sponge or paper towel and put them in a plastic bag to keep moist. Keep damp at all times - and place in a warm place...Check every few days for sprouting seeds. If you see that six seeds have sprouted, you know that you probably have about sixty per cent LIVE seeds. If only two sprout, which would indicate a twenty percent return for all your work, throw out the packet, unless they were very special or rare seeds. And if they were special, I'd take a chance that even one out of a hundred would grow – and plant them anyway.
Peach tree in container
Q: Even though I have been gardening for over 50 years it seems I am always seeking your advice.
I purchased a container size peach tree last spring, I understand it is dormant & is in my (cold) sun room for the winter. Even though it is asleep, do I need to water it occasionally?
Thanks again for all your help.
S.McK.
A: Yes - your little tree requires some watering even through the winter months - but don't overwater! Overwatering is the number one killer of all plants, particularly plants that are dormant....
Allow the very top of the soil to become dry - then soak thoroughly and drain well -
No fertilizer is necessary until later on in the early spring, when it shows signs of breaking dormancy - then start a regular schedule at half-strength.
Write to me anytime - I love hearing from you! And no matter how long we've been gardening, we can always learn something new - I learn something new every day from my reader's letters and e-mails and I, too, have been gardening for many decades!
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
Check the tender bulbs you dug and put away last fall – soon it will be time to replant them – indoors , of course, to get a head start on summer gardening.
Tuberose begonias, glads, tuberoses, cannas – packed away and forgotten – but have they survived? Check for signs of mildew and rot – and soft bulbs and tubers. Discard any with rot – or if the rot is small, cut away and dust with a fungicide and they may survive.
Calculate how many new bulbs and tubers you’ll need – and order them promptly before your favorites are sold out.
Feb 11: Save money with seeds?, Timing seeds, Valentines Day – roses and others, Forcing branches
Valentine’s Day – Sat. Feb 14
Q: My boyfriend always sends me long-stemmed red roses for Valentine’s day and I know they’re very expensive but they never seem to last very long – some florist’s give a one week guarantee on flowers but mine never make it! How can I make them last better for all that money? My mom says you will know.
Thanks
A: You’re right! The demand for red roses pushes their price to the highest point of the year – demand and the cold weather set the price! Many of the roses are imported from South America and have made a long and expensive trip to get to you for this special day. Millions of red roses are sold this week Roses are the traditional flower of love – and have been for centuries past. Why not celebrate love in June, when roses are in season and far less pricey? But it just isn’t the same!
On a budget this year?
There are other red flowers on the market: red anemones, cyclamen plants, tulips, carnations – or how about pink or white (or red) tiny sweetheart roses, instead of long-stemmed – they’re just as festive - and a lot cheaper.
But if you can’t convince him to send a substitute, then take good care of his investment in roses:
Don’t let them get cold –transport them very carefully in cold weather.
When you receive them, cut the ends of the stems and place the flowers in lukewarm water – immediately!
Every day or two, change the water, clean the vase, and re-cut the end of the stem: Clean water and a clean vase keep them fresh longer.
Display you roses in a cool place – if you have room, put them in the refrigerator or on a cool porch overnight – don’t display them near a heat source like the top of a TV or a heat vent or under a warm lamp.
Order early for Valentine’s Day! This is a very busy day for a florist especially if weather is bad. Give the florist some leeway on time for deliveries – this year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday. Office deliveries could be made anytime this week – or maybe it would be more romantic to avoid delivery problems and cost – and deliver them in person…..
And if you take proper care of your flowers and they droop in a day or two, do call the florist – they’ll be willing to help, because they want you back as a customer next year – but once they are delivered, their care is in your hands..
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Forcing spring to come a little sooner!
Q: Can I cut branches to force now? What kinds of branches can I force besides forsythia? Can I do dogwood and lilac and azaleas?
A: Valentine’s Day is my reminder to begin forcing branches.
ANY branch can be forced – but the earlier the branch would normally flower outdoors,
the easier it will be to force early bloom indoors – that’s why many gardeners choose forsythia or fruit trees – they’ll be blooming outdoors in another month or so. The buds are well- formed and ready to burst in just a few days when brought into your warm house. If you don’t have any flowering trees, force some green leaves – anything green will be welcome after the long winter we’ve endured.
Branches of trees and shrubs that bloom later like lilac and magnolia and dogwood are harder to force and the flowers are smaller, because they aren’t quite formed yet - if you cut them now, the buds won’t get much bigger indoors in a bucket of water…and flower will be small.
Cut branches – or use a few that the storms have broken. Bring them into a cool, bright place. If you have the room, lay them in a bathtub of cool water to soak overnight – then place the branches in a bucket of water on a bright, unheated porch. It’s your job to make the branches think that it’s suddenly spring – cool temperatures, but well above freezing and damp and breezy –just like the real New England spring that’s coming soon! Spray the branches daily. In a few days, flowers will slowly unfold – and you’ll have forced spring to come just a little sooner!
Save money by growing from seeds?
Q: Can I really save money by growing my plants from seed this year? And why should I bother doing it if I can’t save a lot?
A: Be honest! How many plants do you really need? If you need just a few plants, you’re not going to save much money by growing from seed but if you need dozens of bedding plants like impatiens for borders or lots of plants for a cutting garden like zinnias and marigolds and asters – then yes – definitely! Grow them from seed. If you have some special seeds saved that you can’t get anywhere: your uncle’s best paste tomato from Sicily, you’ll have to do it with seed.
But not all plants are best started indoors: Many veggies like lettuce, beans, corn etc are better direct sewn in the garden in late May -
And if you just like to grow seeds for the fun of it, grow some plants for your neighbors and for community gardens – you may only need six tomato plants but it is almost as easy to grow two or three dozen and gift your neighbors and friends.
Timing seed planting
Q: When should I begin planting indoors? I’m really anxious to get a good start on gardening this year.
A: TIMING - it's critical to growing good seedlings...
Start seeds indoors about mid-April for most annuals and veggies. Some people use Patriot’s Day (April 20th this year) as their reminder. (Hardy gardeners plant their garden peas, and their flowering sweet peas OUTDOORS then, too – but that’s only because pea seeds have a hard coating and won’t rot in the still wet and cold ground.)
Don’t start your seeds indoors too early. When they’re inside for too many weeks, they won't get enough light unless you use artificial light. Plants will try to reach and stretch for every sunbeam they can see and will grow too tall and spindly - leaves will begin to yellow. They’re yearning to be put out in the garden. Give your seedlings a good head start – but time them so you don’t have to keep seedlings in the house too long because of cold weather (or that vacation to Disney World!). It’s tricky! When they’re ready for the garden, the garden should be ready for them.
Check the back of seed envelops for individual seed starting dates. Onions and celery need about 12 weeks before being put out. Some others, including cucumbers and sunflowers, need only three or four weeks indoors (and will suffer if kept indoors much longer.) Seeds sprout and plants grow at different rates, so timing is very important.
Seedlings that are started very early may need to be transplanted into larger containers after three or four weeks. This is especially true if you broadcast your seeds in flats or pans rather than planting them in individual growing cells. The sooner your plants are put into individual pots with plenty of root space, the happier they will be. Why not start single seeds in larger pots right away – and eliminate the transplanting? Use pots about 4 inches deep for proper root growth.
Keep your tiny plants evenly moist. If allowed to dry out even once, all of your work will have been in vain and they’ll wilt and die. Feed at two week intervals with a half strength fertilizer after secondary leaves appear – continue until they are established outdoors.
Try growing something from seed this year, even if you’ve never done it before. Growing plants from seeds is just plain FUN! No wonder GARDENING has become the NUMBER ONE leisure pastime for Americans.
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
Be sensible when you buy seeds! How many plants do you really need to grow? One seed equals one plant. And seeds are cheap. Do you really need hundreds of seeds? Ok, there are thousands, in many packets. Can you care for that many tiny, fragile new plants? Don’t waste the seeds. Divide the package with a friend. Or do yourself- and a friend- a favor: Grow several different varieties and trade – that’s a win-win situation! Still have extra seeds and plants? Your local community gardens would love to have your lovingly grown surplus plants.
Feb 18: Salt damage, Maple tree tapping, Paper gardening
Salt damage
Q: With all the ice we’ve had this winter, I know I’m going to have a lot of salt damage but I couldn’t help it! I had to do something so I could get out the door. Now, as we go into spring, we hope, what can I do to fix the damage which I know is going to be there?
A: Salt should be used sparingly and evenly and is much more effective if laid before snow or freezing rain falls. But it’s too late to think about that now - the damage is done. And the damage is intensified by what you’ve shoveled off the path or driveway and constantly piled on your garden and shrubs and lawn –this year it was layer after layer – and it’s not over yet.
Sometimes traction is what you need – you can bear the ice if you can just walk and drive across it safely. Then use cat litter or sand for traction, not melting.
If you need to call in a pro to do the job, know that most professionals do their de-icing sand with a mixture of sand AND salt – ask what the proportion of salt is in the mix - and choose accordingly.
On a mild winter's day, thoroughly water plants and soil contaminated by salt, and repeat the measure in early spring…the true damage won’t be visible for a few more months.
Maple tree tapping
Q: Can I tap the maple tree in my yard? When do I do it and how?
A: Yes – but one tree won’t produce enough to pour over your pancakes.
And it’s a lot of work! Maple sugaring has a short season - collecting begins in late February and ends in late March or sometimes April. Trees are tapped when daytime temperatures rise to about 40 degrees, but nights are still below freezing – that’s right about NOW! When weather warms and buds appear on trees and nights are no longer freezing, the sap’s taste changes - and tapping is all over for another year.
Are you sure you want to do this? It’s a lot of work.
Using a ½” drill bit, drill a hole in the trunk of the sugar maple tree, two inches deep, and about three feet off the ground. Locate the drilled hole on the sunny side of the trunk, where it will get the sun’s warmth and the sap will run faster.
Next, you’ll need a two-gallon bucket and a spile – a spile is the spout that is tapped into the hole you’ve drilled in the tree. Buckets or other containers used to collect the sap should be kept covered to keep out bugs, sticks and leaves.
Collect sap that drains every day. Two-gallon buckets full of sap are heavy, so if you empty the sap buckets daily, you may consider this your exercise for the month – and cancel your gym membership. Commercial maple syrup producers, who tap and collect sap from thousands of trees every year, use a system of gravity-flow plastic tubing to collect sap, which cuts down on the labor of emptying buckets, keeps the sap cleaner – and eliminates the cost of buckets, too.
Of course, we assume that you are going to do this every year – next year, be sure to space the hole away from the past year’s holes. This gives the tree time to heal. Careful tapping doesn’t hurt trees at all, is fact, many trees have been tapped for many decades without harm.
Wait! You’re not done - it isn’t maple syrup yet!
The sap must be boiled down and evaporated into the sweet golden liquid we call maple syrup. When you’ve collected about 10 gallons you’re ready to start cooking:
Work outdoors if at all possible – your barbecue grill may produce enough heat.
WARNING! PLEASE! Don’t try to evaporate maple syrup in your kitchen, unless you have super exhaust fans and superior ventilation. The amount of water that steams off a pan of sap is capable of taking the wallpaper off the walls – trust me!
Heat the sap in a large flat pan to 219 degrees on a candy thermometer. The larger and flatter the pan, the faster the water will evaporate from the sap (a lasagna pan is fine!)
As the sap reduces and thickens, watch the concentrating syrup carefully to avoid burning. Keep stirring!
Remember as you watch the hours- long evaporation process, that it takes about 40 gallons of thin, watery sap to make just a gallon of thick, sweet syrup – – no wonder maple syrup is so expensive. Prices for syrup have doubled this year to about $ 45 per gallon due to last year’s storms in Canada and the increased demand, particularly in foreign markets, for this natural product –some trees were damaged by this year’s ice storms – but this shouldn’t affect the commercial production volume of maple syrup for the coming year.
When the sap stops running in late march or early April, your work isn’t quite over. All of the buckets and spouts must be cleaned and sterilized and packed away for next year. Will you save much money? Nope! But you’ll have a lot of fun.
What to do with your precious syrup? You probably don’t have enough to pour on a package of Eggos – but you can make maple snow candy:
Cook the maple syrup to the softball stage as indicated on a candy thermometer. (You can do this with store-bought maple syrup as well – and it’s a lot easier than tapping your own tree!! Dribble the hot syrup over a pan of clean snow – or if there is no clean snow around, use shaved ice. If you are really thinking ahead, you could keep a bag of clean snow in the freezer just for this purpose. The cooked syrup will harden on the snow, and make a sweet delicious mess that kids have enjoyed for centuries. That’s worth the sweet work.
Planning the garden on paper
Q: I have great plans for my garden and the plantings around my new house – but where do I start? I need some trees and shrubs – and plan on some flowers but not a vegetable garden at least not this year. Where do I begin? I have my shovel ready to start as soon as the ground thaws – and I’ve set aside every weekend to do the work - what is next?
A: Take it easy – start with a plan on paper. It’s far easier to move a tree when it’s still on paper and not in the ground – plan now even with snow on the ground
Place a stake in the ground – or in the snow – where you think you’d like to plant that new tree – then look at it from every angle, in the house and out. Is it too close to the house or another tree? Will it, in time, obstruct a view – or be hanging over the driveway? How does it look from upstairs – downstairs? When it’s full grown, will it block a desirable view? Think it out while it’s still on paper – it sure saves time and energy.
Are you planning a new bed for cutting flowers or veggies? Tromp an outline in the snow – and consider the size and shape. Is it close enough to a faucet for a hose? And will the new tree shade it from much needed sunlight? Do you want to make a composting area near the garden to make weed disposal easy? Change your mind as often as you want – it’s easy to erase a pattern in the snow. You’ll be ready to plant – and it won’t be long before we can get out and feel the dirt in our hands again!
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
A very sad sign of the times:
Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s (www.masshort.org.) New England Spring Flower Show has been cancelled. You heard me correctly: There will be no flower show in Boston this year.
This is said to be a temporary cancellation of the 137 year-old event held each March. But it makes us very sad. Who cares about the groundhog? The first sign of spring for millions of New England gardeners, who had been in deep hibernation all winter, was the announcement of ticket sales for the Boston Flower show – but not this year. In its place, a special free Flower Expo in downtown Boston is planned for March 13-15 – but it won’t be the same.
No one knows how long the show cancellation will last. Finances are the reason – like each of us, they have a budget. Hopefully, with your help and the help of their sponsors and members they’ll be back next year. We’ll miss you.
Feb 25: Stevia plant, Birdhouse cleaning, Philodendron Monstera, Lichen on oak tree
Green splotches all over the trunk of oak tree
Q: I got your email address from reading your articles in the Salem News and wondering if you can help me with a question that has been on my mind for quite a while. I have a few large oak trees around my property. The trees have "splotches" of medium green colored (looks something like moss) dotting the trunks and branches. What are these green splotches? Are they harmful to the trees?
I don't know much about these types of things, but I was thinking of spraying the tree trunks with a bleach/water solution to try to get rid of the green stuff. Will the bleach/water hurt the trees?
Should I just leave well enough alone and not touch them?
Regards, Joe
A: You have lichen growing on the tree! Lichen doesn’t have roots and it's not a parasite and it won't hurt the tree - I wouldn't touch it!
If you are determined to get rid of it, buy a moss and algae remover from a garden center (Safer's makes a good, safe one) and use according to directions.
You will find a great variety of lichens in many colors growing on everything from rocks, and sand, to tree bark. When growing on rocks, they can gradually contribute to the weathering process, which turns rocks into soil.
They're exceptionally hardy! An experiment on the Russian Soyuz rocket in 2005 took a capsule of lichen into orbit, where the capsule was opened and the lichen were exposed to vacuum conditions, cosmic radiation and widely varying temperatures. When they were returned to Earth, they were in good health and continued to grow.
NOTE: Lichen is eaten by reindeer -seen any around?? It’s also used as nesting materials and as a winter source of water for some animals.
Stevia
Q: What is the stevia plant that is supposed to be “sweeter than sugar”? I see it advertised as being sort of like Sweet and Low and Equal - can I grow it in my garden?
A: Yes – and indoors, too. Stevia is a South American herb – it is grown for the intense sweetness of its leaves and is now being sold as a natural sugar substitute – it’s non-artificial, all natural product, not like saccharine (Sweet ‘n Low) and aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet). It has no calories and is safe for most diabetics (check with your doctor). And it doesn’t promote cavities in teeth!
It’s a warm weather plant and has successfully been grown in Florida – but not in Mass except as an annual. In the garden, it does well in full sun, with rich, well-drained soil and some additional watering. Plants are damaged in temperatures below 40 degrees.
But there is no reason that you can’t grow it as a pot plant – and move it indoors for the winter as you do with other tender herbs – but be forewarned – they will need a lot of direct sunlight or artificial light.
Seedling plants are available from: www.herbadvantage.com, 4 small plants for $20.00 – the seeds are difficult to germinate, so seedling plants, although certainly more expensive, are the better choice.
To use stevia, leaves are dried as with many other herbs – stevia is cut in the late fall and leaves stripped off the stems and dried. (You might want to add the tip of the stem as this part of the plant contains an even more concentrated sweetness.) As with all herbs, intensity of flavor may vary - some plants have a more intense flavor than others. Store dried leaves in airtight bags or jars on a shelf, or in bags in a freezer. Dry stevia leaves should be crushed before using to bring out the full sweetness.
Pot the “mother plant” from the garden – these herb plants tend to last about three years, and then deteriorate - be sure to start some younger plants from cuttings to keep your crop growing.
Birdhouse cleaning
Q: I have been trying to find some information about when or if you clean out bird houses? I have the six and used by sparrows mostly. They started to move in the end of January so I guess summer will be cleaning time? Thank you for any information you could give me.
"Birdman"
A: Birdhouses are cleaned, usually once a year, after the brood has "flown the coop" - yes, you may have had lost the opportunity to clean until later in the summer although some birds raise two litters in a summer, so watch carefully.
Before you start cleaning, protect yourself against possible contamination while doing the job - use a mask and gloves! Open the birdhouse - and remove all nesting materials - burn or discard them in a tightly sealed plastic bag - they could contain parasites. Then, using a stiff brush, scrub the house thoroughly with a weak solution of water and chlorine bleach - about 20% bleach is enough - rinse well and allow house to dry thoroughly before closing.
Thank you for your note - and good luck to you and your bird-friends this summer!
Philodendron Monstera
Q: I am enclosing some pictures of a plant I have had for at least 20-30 years. As you can see, the roots are wild. I water it every week. I know if I try to transplant it or cut the roots I will kill it. I have it as a conversation piece. I was wondering if there is a record on the length of houseplant roots. I think it is an elephant plant but I'm not sure.
Thank you
L.P.,Salem, MA
A: My, you DO have a BIG plant! In fact, you have a variety of split leaf philodendron called Monstera!!! And yes, it’s closely related to the windowsill philodendron – just larger – MUCH larger! I’m amazed at the age of the plant – have you had it in the same spot all these years? The roots appear to be over 10 feet - dripping from your second floor down to the first! Amazing!
The long roots are aerial roots, which, if the plant were growing outdoors in a warm climate, would reach out from a tree top into the nearest patch of dirt at ground level and root themselves – the root provide stability for the long thin trunk of the Monstera. Fertilize every few weeks with an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer, and sponge the leaves off from time to time to get rid of the accumulated dust – you’ll never get this plant into the shower!
I don’t think you would kill your Monstera if you transplanted it – but why do it? A simpler method might be to occasionally top-dress the top several inches of dirt by gently scraping the soil out, and replacing it with fresh soil. I doubt that you want to repot it in order to grow a larger plant! You obviously are treating it very well – why change what you are doing?
You asked where there might be record-keeping for such long plant roots: – try searching the Guinness Book of World Records on the web – I know they keep track of largest fruits and tallest roses, etc. – and ask if they might be interested in listing your plant! I think they might! Let us know, please! Thank you for you note and the pictures – they’re wonderful! I always enjoy seeing reader’s older, heirloom plants.
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
Don’t walk in garden with your big feet! Walking compresses soil anytime – but when it’s wet and soggy, as it is in the early spring, it does a lot of harm.
If you have to work in the garden, put boards down – and walk on them, not the soft dirt-
Press plants that have suffered frost heave through the winter back gently into the soil – don’t step on them – it will break tender roots! Gently press them back in place – or better yet, just add additional soil around the roots.
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