October 2000 Newsletters

I have always had a passion for growing things and when I was a kid one of the first plants that I received was an African Violet (Saintpaulia). Their purple and pink colored flowers graced the windowsill in my room. I loved the fact that no matter the season they seemed to always be blooming. This is truly a great plant for a child to start with.

They originate in a remote part of East Africa in a mountain range of Tanzania. Discovered by Baron Walter von Saint Paul Illaire in 1893, they are an evergreen perennial with some varieties still growing in the wild. Some have long stems, but the ones we are familiar with are usually short stemmed with soft, fuzzy leaves. The five lobed flowers usually bloom in pink, purple, blue and even reds and white. There have even been some recent hybrid varieties that are miniature in nature.

This is really one of the most versatile of plants. It is able to be placed in a variety of conditions. It can even be grown hydroponically and will live and flower quite nice. They can also be grown in terrariums but the one thing they do not like is water or mist on their leaves.

They need bright indirect light and can often be set in a north window or grown under florescent lighting. They also need night temperatures in the high sixties and day temperatures in the mid seventies.

Due to the delicate fibrous root system they need to be kept just moist at all times and not let to dry out. Always use room temperature water and try to water from the bottom. They have been know to develop white spots on the leaves when cold water hits them and stand for a while. They do like the leaves washed once in awhile, so about every other month put them under the kitchen sprayer and wash the leaves, with warm water, thoroughly to remove the household dust that has accumulated. They will feel much better and be able to breath again.

Be sure not to over fertilize and only fertilize once a month with a half strength . Next to over watering over fertilizing is the second most reason that houseplants die. Use a 5-10-5 or similar ratio.

Is your violet not blooming? The most common reason is that it would need more light or it is too cool for it where it is. If the night temperatures drop to the 50’s it is much too cool. They should be flowering most of the time and in conjunction with the flowers come nice lush growth.

You can propagate them most easily by leaf cutting. Slice a healthy leaf down close to the crown and either place it in a jar of water at room temperature or plant in a small pot of sand that sits in a tray of water so it can’t dry out. Put the cutting in at an angle so that the new leaves will sprout upward. Then place a bag over the top for added humidity. When you see new leaves developing it’s time to repot using a standard, high quality soiless mix with a little sand added and wait for the blooms to come in about four to five months. You have been successful! Click here for picks – www.driftwoodgardens.com/africanviolets.htm

Next week - Seed propagation techniques part II, and coming soon, a special feature on Heliconia and more from Jon Valley!

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Garden tip of the week: Are you raking leaves yet? Don’t forget the kids and leave a few giant piles for them to run and jump in. Take them for long walks on sunny fall days to feel and hear the crackle of drying leaves underfoot. And remember you can be a kid yourself. Go ahead jump in!

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Seed Propagation Techniques Part I by Dale Johnson

Seeds are a favorite topic among many subjects, partly because this is really where gardening begins. After all without growing plants where would the landscape be? This is also a sizeable topic, so each segment will be kept short for the newsletter format. First lets cover an overview of seeds and propagation, with enough information and techniques to, hopefully, help us all in our own seed planting lives. Lets begin by looking at what a seed is and what happens inside a seed for it to become a plant, to better understand how to capture the right conditions for a seed to sprout.

Some have thought that a seed is just a dry, pebble like thing that sits around and by some magical condition starts to sprout and form a new plant. Some even think that seeds last forever and will grow many years down the road if given a little dirt and water. But this is far from reality.

A seed is really a capsule containing the tiny embryo of a plant inside. The capsule contains an immediate food source that is to carry the future plant from dormancy to the sprout that will soon develop and the seed coat.

Seeds come in a tremendous amount of sizes. Some plants produce just a few large seeds like the coconut palm and some plants can produce millions of tiny seeds from one flower, like the Orchid. Their longevity also varies. Wheat kernels have been known to germinate after two thousand years, after being found in the ruins of an Egyptian Tomb. But, this is the rare exception. Cantaloupe seeds can often last up to thirty years, some mimosas up to two hundred and yet onion and parsley seed rarely last more than a year.

Care also needs to be taken when storing seed. The optimum temperature for seed storage is 40° F in dry sealed containers. And just as important as storage temperature is germination temperature, which will be covered later on.

Next week- what is in a seed.

Happy Gardening!

Dale

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Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] October 7, 2000. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher. It may, however, be forwarded, in its entirety, to whom you choose as a referral.

Thanks for reading!

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October 14

The newsletter devoted to plant enthusiasts!

In this issue: Volume 2 issue 41

Growing Passion Flowers
Garden tip of the week.
Seed Propagation Techniques part II

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There are over 500 species of Passion flowers, Passiflora, and most are evergreen perennials. The native habitats range from most tropical regions of all parts of South America, Australia and many Pacific islands. Spanish Jesuit missionaries discovered them in the jungles of South America and saw in the bloom many reminders of the passion and sufferings of Christ. The three bracts represented the Trinity and symbolize Christ’s passion. The Corona of the flower represented the crown of thorns, the stamens represented the 5 wounds and the sepals represented the Apostles and so on.

They are prized for their highly exotic flowers and have a place in the sub-tropical landscape much like that of the clematis in the cooler regions. Most grow as a vine and are perfect for trellis culture. Others are more shrub-like in character and don’t mind a slightly deficient fertile soil along with a little sand. The flowers give way to a sometimes yellow semi-sweet fruit that is often used in fruit juices.

P. Edulis is the most common and produces a dark purple fruit. P. mollissima or banana passion flower blooms pale pink flowers amid an extensive vine and the fruit resembles a banana. In Australia the wonga-wonga vine, P. pandorana, can grow as high as 35 feet (10m).

They do need full light, but not a hot burning sun and must be grown indoors as a tropical plant in colder regions that get below a night time temperature of 45 degrees F. If grown outdoors the plant will need shelter from cold and winds that may dry the plant out. Keep moist and water less frequently during slower growth cycles.

They propagate well from seeds and germinate best at temperatures of 55 to 64 degrees F in a soil less potting mix and may take up to thirty days to germinate. They may be prone to whiteflies and watch for iron deficiencies.

Passion flowers are truly dazzling and are worthy of growing and once you grow one variety you will be hooked and will want to get your hands on others!

www.rainforestseedpassionflower.htm

Next week - Seed propagation techniques part III, and a special feature on Heliconia and coming soon, more from Jon Valley!

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Seed Propagation Techniques Part II by Dale Johnson

A seed consists of a few main parts. The main one is called the cotyledon. These are the first leaves that emerge from the germinating seed. These look much different from the next set of “true leaves”. Some seeds produce one pair of cotyledons and some, like corn produce just one cotyledon. Some cotyledons contain the stored energy for the germinating plant but some do not, but the function remains the same in all - to provide an immediate food source for the survival of the seed during dormancy and through germination no matter how long that dormancy may last.

Breaking dormancy is the next critical stage of a seed and one that can become a perplexing situation to many gardeners. How many times have you tried to germinate some variety of seed only to become disappointed at its lack of response? What does it need? Of course, not all seeds are the same. Very few are, but the basics are all alike. The main factor is the soil temperature. Different seeds can have a wide range of soil temperature requirements and, like some tropical seeds, others are very precise in their needs. It is important to know what the specific requirements of the individual seeds are, especially if there is trouble germinating.

Other factors for breaking dormancy are light requirements or lack of. Some seeds actually need a certain amount of light hours in order to germinate and these seeds are usually planted on, or near, the soil surface like lettuce. Others need darkness. Moisture is the next important factor. Should the seed be kept moist or somewhat dry?

Some seeds need a period of cold temperatures before germination called stratification. Some have a tough outer shell that is almost impermeable to water unless it is scarified, (filed or scraped to break the barrier of the outer shell). Most vegetable seeds are easy to break dormancy but some varieties, like a bean, do not actually go dormant but remain alive inside the shell waiting for a little moisture to burst forth in new leaves.

Next week: the next step in seed germination - your soil.

Happy Gardening!

Dale

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Thanks for reading!

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The newsletter devoted to plant enthusiasts!

October 21 2000

In this issue: Volume 2 issue 42

A Backyard Gardner’s Guide to Heliconia Part I
Seed Propagation Techniques part III

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A Backyard Gardner’s Guide to Heliconia by Regina Roper

Heliconia are the most marvelous plants. Like orchids and tropical water lilies, collecting them can become an addiction. Ask my husband, Steve, who can look at the blooms of two distinctly different cultivars of upright Heliconia side by side, and say something like, “They look an awful lot alike…how much did you pay for this new one?” But then, he doesn’t garden. There are over 450 botanical names for different species, varieties and hybrids; cultivated varieties number over 200. Heliconia were once reserved for the lucky folks who live in USDA Zones 10 and higher, as most of them will not tolerate temperatures under about 45° F for prolonged periods. But fortunately new cold hardy types have emerged, and folks as high as zone 8 have been able to over-winter some types. Of course, a greenhouse makes anything possible. While Heliconia used to be collected mainly by nurseries specializing in tropical plants, they now turn up in all sorts of places, such as Wal-Mart, K Mart, Lowes, and Home Depot, not to mention your local favorite nursery, where many (if not most) of the people selling them have no real idea what the plants really are, or what they need, to grow and flower. They can also be purchased over the Internet, as rhizome sections, where the people selling them are vastly more knowledgeable about their product. This article is designed to give the average gardener a small knowledge of the types of Heliconia and how to successfully grow them.

Heliconia basically fall into two distinct types: PENDANT, where the inflorescence hangs downward, and ERECT, where the inflorescence emerges upright from the terminus of a stalk of leaves. Between both these groups, they can be further divided into either DISTICHOUS (meaning that the bloom has a stem or axis and the bracts are arranged in a symmetrical fashion on either side of it like a ladder), or SPIRALLY ARRANGED (meaning that the stem twists and thus the bracts do too.)

The type of Heliconia most commonly grown by home gardeners in all but zones 9 and 10 is a distichously erect type called H. psitticorum. (“Parrot Beak”). These are the small plants, usually not exceeding 5-6 ft. The most commonly available cultivars are CHOCONIANA, which is orange, and LADY DI (aka RED LADY), which is red and yellow. These are sold in discount outlet stores like K Mart and Home Depot every summer. But many other named cultivars are available, for example Sassy, Parakeet, Parrot, Shamrock, and Andromeda to name a few of the more common. Being smaller in stature, these have the advantage of being able to be carried indoors during cold weather and grown as houseplants in colder climates. You can get them potted, or grow them from rhizomes.

An intermediate type of Heliconia that is small enough to be pot-grown and brought inside during winter is the Strictas. These are erect distichous types that rarely exceed 9 feet, most being about 5-6 feet. These are “claw” types, smaller versions of their larger cousins the Bihai and Caribeae types. Strictas, common to the trade are cultivars BUCKY, SHARONII, COCHABAMBA, DWARF JAMAICAN, and FIREBIRD to name a few. Unless you live in an area that supports tropical nurseries, you would most likely purchase these as rhizome sections either at the plant sales held by a Botanical Garden, or through the mail. To be continued . . .

If you would like to see photographs of plants I have grown, please use this URL:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1164784&a=8567964.

The heliconia pictures are: H. psitticorum cv.LADY DI (aka Red Lady)

H. rostrata RUIZ y PAVON

H. caribeae LAMARK cv FLASH

We want to give special thanks to Regina for her article submission! If you have an article you would like to have considered for our newsletter please contact us. We would love to hear from you! Just reply to this newsletter for info and let us know about your idea.

Next week – Heliconia part II, and coming soon – how plants clean your indoor air and more from Jon Valley!

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Garden Tip of the Week: Need mulch? Instead of throwing all of those fallen leaves away, spread them around in the perennial beds. Some of it will decompose and the rest can be added to the compost heap next spring. A nice bed of mulch encourages microbial activity and worm aeration in the soil below.

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Seed Propagation Techniques Part III by Dale Johnson

By now you are probably ready to get started with your seeds. But first, you need to consider the growing medium you will place those prized little seeds in. I know of a few people who have gone right out to the garden, with a small spade, to dig a shovel full of dirt for their indoor gardening projects. Some are successful, but really you are running a risk of subjecting your seeds, or seedlings, to disease pathogens. The seedlings will already be having enough of a struggle to get growing without taking unnecessary risks.

You don’t need a nutrient rich soil to start your own seeds, but they will need good drainage. A good mix of sand, peat and perlite without soil is a great base to plant your seeds in. We like a very fine mix of one part sand to one part perlite, a half part compost with about one part peat all mixed together.

Another way to get the right seed starting mix is to visit your local nursery. They usually have just about anything and most have a commercial mix available or a special mix of their own.

Once your plants are growing, they will need a different soil base to get the right amount of nutrients to support the new growth. A good houseplant mix to use is a one part perlite, one part screened compost (well rotted) and one part peat mixed together.

Don’t get the idea that you have to use a sterile soil for your seeds. Research has shown that a living soil will help the new seedlings develop disease resistance better than a sterile one.

Next week: the next step, from seed to seedling.

Happy Gardening!

Dale

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Want to make a comment about the newsletter? Too long? Too short? Want to see something covered in an article? Like it the way it is? Don’t like it? Tell us!

Click here. www.driftwoodgardens.com/newslettercomments.htm

Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] October 21, 2000. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher. It may, however, be forwarded, in its entirety, to whom you choose as a referral.

Thanks for reading!

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The newsletter devoted to plant enthusiasts!

October 28 2000

In this issue: Volume 2 issue 43

· A Backyard Gardner’s Guide to Heliconia Part II by Regina Roper

· Did You Know?

· From Seed to Seedling by Dale Johnson

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Want to make a comment about the newsletter? Too long? Too short? Want to see something covered in an article? Like it the way it is? Don’t like it? Tell us! Click here.

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A Backyard Gardner’s Guide to Heliconia Part II by Regina Roper

The BIHAIS and the CARIBEAES are the larger varieties of distichous erect heliconia. They are rarely less than 5 ft. at maturity, and most are 12-20 ft. Their color range encompasses red, orange, green, maroon, yellow, and gold…they can be striped, bicolor, and tricolor. The Bihais contain cultivars, which are called “Giant Claws” and also sometimes “Giant Lobster Claws”. Common to the trade are cultivars KAMEHAMEHA, KUMA NEGRO, NAPPI, and LOBSTER CLAWS I and II. Common Caribeaes might include BLACK MAGIC, CREAM, FLASH and GOLD. While it can be a challenge, some of these will lend themselves to being potted in 15-20 gallon pots, and will bloom. This facilitates bringing them in the house when a freeze comes around. Crazy, you say? Then I must be…I haul in about 30 big pots every winter. (Yes, we have high ceilings).

Anyone who has ever looked at a travel brochure for somewhere like Costa Rica, Hawaii, Ecuador, and South America has probably seen the heliconia that most people instantly think of when they hear the name: H. rostrata. Also commonly called “Lobster Claw”, this pendant variety is widely grown, and as luck would have it there is also a dwarf variety (the big one can get 20 feet tall). It was originally from the Amazon around Peru, and is sometimes sold by the name H. rostrata PERU. It is also known as H. rostrata RUIZ and PAVON. Pendants can be distichous, spiral, or a kind of a combination. They are considered harder to grow than the erect types, probably because some can attain a height of 25-26 feet given the right conditions. Pendants will bloom in pots…I personally have three pendant varieties growing in 20-gallon pots that are about 10-12 feet tall and have bloomed. Besides Rostrata, only a few varieties of pendants are widely available for retail sale. These are the Pogonantha varieties; two Wawra cultivars named FROSTY and RED WAXY; the “sexy” heliconia H. chartacea SEXY PINK and SEXY SCARLET, H. platystachys SEXY ORANGE; and the H. collinsiana varieties. Again, the most likely place one would find these are through mail order from a tropical nursery.

Heliconia are actually easy to grow if they are given what they need. They like rich soil, which is also fast draining. I mix my own soil using equal parts of sand, peat humus, perlite, and pine bark mulch. The book HELICONIA: AN IDENTIFICATION GUIDE by Fred Berry and W. John Kress advocates a mix of pine bark mulch, styrofoam, and Canadian peat moss in equal volumes, and states that the styrofoam can be substituted with sand or finely crushed volcanic rock, while the pine bark mulch can be replaced with wood shavings, rice shells, or macadamia nut shells.

I water everyday here in Florida in the spring, summer, and fall…less so in winter… and fertilize the blooming size plants weekly with a high phosphate “Bloom Special” soluble fertilizer. The smaller non-blooming size plants receive 20-20-20. Both receive SUPERTHRIVE at the concentration of 1 drop/gal. I also spray the leaves a few times a week with soluble 20-20-20 at the same time I do my orchid collection. Most varieties will tolerate a range of light anywhere from full sun to 50-80% shade depending on the variety. This makes it even easier to bring plants inside the house for the winter.

If you would like to see photographs of plants I have grown, please use this URL:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1164784&a=8567964.

The heliconia pictures are: H. psitticorum cv.LADY DI (aka Red Lady)

H. rostrata RUIZ y PAVON

H. caribeae LAMARK cv FLASH

I would encourage anyone with an interest in growing heliconia to look at the following sources, which were used to compose this piece:

“Heliconia: An Identification Guide”, Fred Berry and W. John Kress, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991

Internet sources of information: (please note I have no connection with these companies other than I have either found their online material helpful, or have been a satisfied consumer, or have enjoyed their photographs):

Zone Ten Tropical Nursery www.zoneten.com

Aloha Tropicals Nursery www.alohatropicals.com

The Banana Tree Nursery www.banana-tree.com

Stokes Tropicals Nursery www.stokestropicals.com

Next week – how plants clean your indoor air and more from Jon Valley!

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Did you know?

· The tiny root hairs of a root are the extension of outer root cells and increase a plants ability to absorb water by several hundred-fold.

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From Seed to Seedling by Dale Johnson

Ok, you’ve planted your seeds, kept them moist and given them warmth and all the right conditions. Now what? If the seed was from a highly prized plant or a rare, exotic seed you just can’t wait to see grow, your mind will start to mull things over. How long will it take? What if they don’t sprout? Is the temperature right? What if I forget to water them?

Although some tropical seeds require varying soil temperatures to trigger germination, some cool and some warmer, as a general rule, most seeds will sprout under average temperatures and conditions. The seed will swell with absorbed moisture, which will allow the forming root to soften and the pressure will build causing the outer shell to bust open. This moisture also allows the stored food to become soluble and available for the seedling to absorb and soon this emerging life will spring forth into a tiny little sprout emerging from the soil.

The most important time in this new life is when the seedling pops through the soil. What it finds will affect its future the most. Does it pop out into darkness? Or too much sun and get burned? If there is not enough light, it will send up a skinny pale shoot searching for any light it can find. This will result in a weakened plant that has become too leggy and often times will fall over. Amazingly enough this can happen in just one day, so be diligent to watch for those new little shoots. Too much of a hot sun will burn the tender little leaves into death. A florescent light several inches from the top of the plant will result in a stronger, healthy plant.

This new seedling will need to be kept moist. Its stored energy from the seed embryo will be exhausted and if allowed to dry out during this critical period the tender roots will shrivel and the plant will not continue to grow.

Most seedlings will need less warmth than the germinating seed, so if a propagating mat is being used, remove the seedling to a different place. Average house temperatures of 70 degrees are adequate for most seedlings to grow in.

Once the plant has survived and grown a couple sets of true leaves it’s time to transplant, especially if more than one is growing in the same container. Once you have reached this point you can relax some, enjoy the beauty of your new plant and know that you have attained a measure of success!

Happy Gardening!

Dale

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We are looking for article contributors. Put your plant growing experience to work! If you would like to contribute an occasional article please reply to this newsletter with contributor in the subject heading for guidelines. We would live to hear from you! You don’t have to be an expert! Just someone who loves plants!

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Refer a friend!

Copyright © [Driftwood Gardens] October 28, 2000. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher. It may, however, be forwarded, in its entirety, to whom you choose as a referral.

Thanks for reading!

Unless otherwise noted all photos are taken by Dale Johnson or Jon Valley and are Copyright © [Dale Johnson - Driftwood Gardens - Summers Seeds] All rights reserved. No picture may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without the written consent of the owner/publisher.