“A Seed is a Wish About to Come True. . .”™ Summer Rayne
Call 936-689-9731 to place a credit card order. Any size order OK! Or Use PayPal Below
“A Seed is a Wish About to Come True. . .”™ Summer Rayne
Call 936-689-9731 to place a credit card order. Any size order OK! Or Use PayPal Below
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Garden Questions From Readers Questions submitted here may be published in "The Tumbleweed Garden News" I have searched for 2 days and can't find my answer. Maybe you can help me. What is the difference between amber trees and liquid amber trees and what zone do you plant them in. I'm in zone 7/8 Thank you Betty Liquid Amber also know as American
Sweetgum Liquidambar styracifluaoriginate usually
originate on the banks of rivers and streams and develop a
root system for that kind of environment. Because of this,
their roots aggressively seek out water they reek havoc for
homeowners they also leave little seed balls all over
the place making a big mess. How long does it normally take for Bonsai seeds to start growing? The term "bonsai" is a generalized term and reflects a certain style of growing a plant. It does not indicate a certain variety of plant grown. Hundreds of different plants and trees can be grown in the way of Bonsai. Germinating these plants or trees would vary mostly on variety of plant or tree chosen. How would I start Chinese Lantern plants from seeds saved over from the previous year? Physalis or also known as ground cherry can be grown as any other perennial type plant. Start as you would a tomato plant indoors where it is warm then transplant outside. If you live in a warmer zone where the ground does not freeze they can be sown directly outside in the spring. My friend is about to give me a cutting from her fig tree. I am in Zone 6. What is the best way to take care of this cutting? What kind of soil will it need and how can I make sure it will bear fruit or at least have a good chance of bearing fruit next year? Thanks for your help. J.P. Fig trees like long hot summers, but can tolerate temperatures as low as 12 degrees F if dormant. It may sustain some damage if subjected to this temperature. I would recommend that you keep potted indoors for zone 6 may be too cold especially for a new seedling. They grow in a wide variety of soils as long as it is well drained. They do not like alkaline soil. Fertilize and keep the tree watered for best results when active. It can be kept at any size by pruning, which makes it a terrific tub plant. Needs 300 hours of chilling to produce blooms and subsequent fruit. The tree can often bear fruit by the following year after planting. It is self fruitful so another tree is not necessary for fruit production.
I have been looking for a plant that is known by the name (Shoo Fly Plant). I don't know the botanical name but would like to. This plant was planted next to outhouses in early times to keep flies away. I believe you are referring to Nicandra. A vigorous growing annual that gets its name from the idea that it will rid a greenhouse of whiteflies as well as other household areas of flies. Also known as “Apple of Peru” and will bloom many bell shaped flowers. Would I be wasting my time if I tried to grow a tomato or pepper plant year round in the house? My neighbor says they are just a seasonal plant and will die, anyway, in the fall. M.P. S.D. Tomatoes and peppers are actually a tropical plant native to Central America and can grow for many years given the right environment. I have a pepper plant that I keep in a pot and is now six years old now and it is still going strong and produces peppers regularly. The next question that arises is – will they produce? Otherwise, why keep it year round? Tomatoes and peppers need a certain amount of light in order to produce fruits and not grow too leggy. They would need between 12-16 hours of light. Of course, sunlight in the winter is very diminished. So, you would have to provide added light. Fluorescent lighting works the best. But, be sure not to leave the lights on all the time. Darkness is just as important. Give them at least 6 hours of darkness as well. They also need temperatures above 50 degrees F. It takes pollen approximately 50 hours to reach its destination and will be hampered if temperatures are below 50 at any point of time. The thing to do is, if you have tomatoes or peppers growing in pots already, prune them back by at least a third. The tomato should be of the determinate variety, (bush type rather than vine) in order to conserve space and also allow you to be able to provide the added light. Bring them indoors little by little. They will need a period of adjustment just like when you took them outdoors. Don’t worry if they loose a few leaves. Feed the tomatoes at least once a month, with a high phosphorus fertilizer, but less so for the peppers. They tend to grow more leaves than fruit. If you don’t have one in a pot, you could easily transplant one, from the garden, or start some new seedlings. How many times, in the spring, do you see tomato seedlings at the nursery with tomatoes on them already? It doesn’t take long. Based on my experience you will have tomatoes and peppers for most of the year. They do seem to produce the least amount of fruits in January and early February, but what better way to extend the gardening season? In a raised flower bed I have been having a strange orange-thread spreading in one end of the bed. It appears to have no beginning or end but it wraps itself around anything that is growing and strangles it. I have been trying to pull it off by hand but with the warmer weather it seems to be spreading faster every day. What is this stuff? It reminds me of silly string, only very fine textured, about like a 1 lb. fishing line. Can this be eliminated? Thank you, really enjoy your articles on veggies and flowers! We would like to see a picture of this and if anyone knows the answer, please click below and put the answer in the form at the top of the web page. Thanks! We just moved into a new place. The first thing I just had to do outside was to get a place ready for a vegetable garden. But now it is already almost July. Is it too late to plant anything? B.T. Nebraska No it isn’t. It is too late for some things, like corn or pumpkins, but not too late for many things. But for the most part you could plant the following things for a crop in the fall for your area. And if you have a cold frame you could grow well into early winter. Peas, carrots, lettuce, kale, radicchio, parsley, radish, spinach, turnip, cucumber, endive, and mizuna. I am sure there are others and it may pay to experiment a little. You might find out you are in a microclimate where your season may last a little longer than usual. And if you really wanted to plant corn, try planting the Japanese variegated leaf variety in a container. This is an ornamental and grown just for the pink stripes down the leaves. Thanks for your question. It gets me to thinking I might just plant a new lettuce crop this weekend or maybe a few peas for fall and maybe some radishes or some carrots or maybe I might just try some. . .
I got an oxen red eye tropical vine. After getting it to germinate, it grew about 2” a day inside my sun room. I planted it outside and it hasn’t grown an inch since. I live in South Carolina and the temperatures have been in the high 70’s and low eighty’s. Do you have any idea on what is happening? Oxen red eye ( mucuna Albertusi) is a tropical plant and as much as we would like our own individual parts of the world to tropical for plants, the fact is that most of North America is not tropical in climate. There are always exceptions to the rule and certain plants that can adapt, but I suspect that even though the air temperatures are just right for the plant, the night time temperatures are still a little too cool. Also if you planted it in the outdoor soil, this soil could be far too cold. Soil temperatures and air temperatures are far different. Another problem could possibly be that the outdoor soil has too much clay and may be too hard. It may need more organic matter and as a general rule the more organic the soil the warmer it tends to be. My recommendation is to keep it in a container and enjoy the plant outside or inside, but at least you will have the capability to move it to better conditions when prime conditions deteriorate. What should I do when the leaves of some of my tulip bulbs are turning a mottled yellow and the plant seems to bloom before much of the leaves form? The flowers also have lost their luster and are mottled yellow. Sounds like they have contracted a virus. Pull up and destroy infected plants. Do not compost them. The buds of my citrus tree shrivel up and turn brown and some of the leaves are curled. What could it be? It is most likely an insect problem and the culprit is probably thrips. Young citrus trees are prone to this type of infestation. Shake the branches over a white piece of paper and see if insects fall to it and move around. The tree will have to be sprayed with an insecticidal soap product or summer oil spray. Sometimes a hot pepper and garlic solution will work. Flowers are in bloom in the greenhouse, but in most places the gardening season has yet to begin. But it is spring and things are wet outside and mosses are growing somewhere. I have areas in my lawn that grow moss and I can’t seem to get rid of it. What can I do short of some major chemical attack? Here in semi-arid Colorado, we don’t have too much of a problem with moss, unless too much water is being sprayed on the lawn and it is shady and we think of it as kind of a novelty. In fact, I like to collect it and use it in our Bonsai or Saikei projects. Anyway, if you do have a problem you wouldn’t be the first and here’s what we suggest you do. The first and most important thing to do is to improve drainage. If you don’t want to rip up the lawn you can simply hire a company or rent an machine to aerate the lawn. Cut down on watering if possible. Check you ph and try to raise it to a 6 to 6.8 range. Check your local nursery for the best product to do this for your area. Moss loves infertile soil. Get your lawn back into shape with an all purpose fertilizer and compost. Good Luck! I read in a magazine that you are supposed to plant your corn two weeks before the last frost. I thought it had to be warm. Is this true? Corn is very much a warm weather crop and it must be planted after the frost. You can take a chance and plant earlier, but beware that it might rot in the soil. It needs a soil temperature that stays at least a consistent 50 degrees F or better. After living on a farm in Wisconsin for several years we learned not to plant too early and often times planted well into May and sometimes at the end of May. The soil is wet and cold there, but it pays to wait even in drier, warmer climates. Indians used nature as a guide and planted when the leaves of an Oak tree were the size of a squirrel’s ear. Hi- I have a few questions for you when you have a minute. 1. If I start these seeds (Oriental Beech) inside can I easily transplant them outside when the weather gets warmer? Yes you can. 2. If yes to #1 then do I have to harden the seedlings off by slowly introducing them to the outdoors or can I just transplant them when the weather gets warm? Always harden off any plant when moving from indoor environments to outside. Leave are tender and cannot tolerate the direct rays of the sun and will often burn. 3. How long do the seeds take to germinate on average? Germination could take 30 days. Sometimes sooner and sometimes one can sprout after 90 days. The key is to never give up unless the seed rotted in the soil for some reason. You can often check on the progress of germinating seeds by gently moving soil with tweezers until you can see the seed. 4. How moist should I keep the soil after planting the seeds? Also, how moist should I keep any seedlings that may emerge? Keep the soil barely moist- not soggy. The warmer the SOIL temperature the better. This should not be confused with air temp. Keep the soil moist for seedlings also and don't let dry completely out. It is especially important to keep from over-watering at this time to prevent “damping off.” This is a fungus attack that cuts off nutritional and water flow between the root system and the leaves. The plant will literally fall over and die. After a couple weeks the plants can start to be weaned off of the constant watering and the soil can be allowed to dry out between watering. But not more than a day until established. 5. Does using regular potting soil hinder the seed germination at all? I have never seen bonsai mix for sale before. Thanks in advance for your time. Amanda Marshall Generally regular potting soil will not hinder germination. It is best not to use any outdoor soil whatsoever because of disease pathogens. Bonsai mix just has a little sand and finer soil particles. Use a really good potting soil. I recommend Peters planting mix or a greenhouse grade seedling mix. Refrain from anything with a lot of peat. They are harder to retain water and dry out much faster. ======================================================= How big do the plants that I grow from the Rainforest seed pages really get? First, it depends on the plant you are growing. Some of them like dwarf banana and baby papaya don’t grow all that large anyway. A plant that may not get very large here, can often become very large in its native habitat. And this same plant can make a very fine houseplant. I have had Heliconia growing for six years now and it’s still in the same pot. Early this winter I cut the leaves back and about a month later it has filled back in nicely. For most of the plants you can keep the size in control by keeping it in a pot size that you feel is the largest that you want to have. It can remain in there for many years, but when it starts to get too large you will have to do some minor pruning of branches and/or leaves as well as root prune. Once a year, in late fall or early winter, take the plant out of the pot and check the root system. If you don’t see much root bound problems, you are in good shape. If it is root bound, you can remove the bottom fourth of the roots and repot with some new soil. This will slow down growth and give the roots some breathing room for quite a while. I have some old-fashioned Whiskey Barrels that sit out on our patio. I would love to keep them planted with color. What usually happens is that I start out with annuals and they look worn out after they bloom. What can I do? My suggestion is to go with perennials. Once established they will come back year after year and give you all the colors you could possible dream of. Just don’t forget they will need to be watered even in the winter. Here are some ideas to get you started.
What about a container herb garden? Great color and fresh herbs can’t be beat. If you want to cool down the patio some, how about picking up a liner (about 25.00) and making an instant water garden. You could even add a pump for a spray of water.
Can I eat the berries from my orange Chinese lanterns? If you are referring to the plant commonly called "Chinese lantern" or Abutilon, it would not be recommended to eat the berries. If in doubt don't risk it. Is parrot beak Heliconia toxic? We do not know if the leaves or inflorescenes are specifically toxic to ingest. As with any plant care should always be taken with pets and children to be sure plants are not readily available to ingest. |