Posted by Logan Pacelli
Sterilizing the soil and pots will not eliminate all the ailments your house plants are likely to get. The indoor environment under which plants are grown is the cause of many house plant ills.
The distribution and intensity of light in the average home is very uneven, often strongly one-sided and several hundred or even thousands of times less than the plant would normally receive outside on a sunny day. Atmospheric moisture (humidity), especially in winter, in most homes is much lower than what it would be outdoors.
With modern thermostat controls there is little change in temperature between day and night. The amount of soil in pots is strictly limited, forcing abnormal root growth. Most communities have a treated water supply which contains large amounts of minerals. If these are not periodically flushed out they accumulate and are often injurious. All of these factors, plus the irregular and fluctuating water supply, make it difficult to grow handsome house plants.
Plants weakened by low light, chilling, low or excessive humidity, a high content of soluble salts, over-watering and poor air circulation are more readily attacked by disease.
Before growing house plants which are strangers to you or with which you have had trouble, check with your local extension horticulturist or florist regarding the light, humidity, temperature, fertilizer, soil type and water requirements for each plant. When these factors are all in "favor of the plant" the chances of success are greatly enhanced.
Most house plants do best with a good lighting source which is as uniform as possible. Artificial illumination may be necessary to get "long-day" plants to bloom or other plants to grow well. The humidity of the air may be raised by placing the pots in shallow saucers filled with water, and on trays or in planters containing moist gravel, vermiculite or sphagnum moss. If practical, plants kept in a very dry room should be enclosed with a glass, clear plastic or cellophane-covered case, which has a moistened floor.
Most plants thrive at day temperatures under 70 degrees and night temperatures five to ten degrees cooler. Plants should be watered regularly, alternating between moderate wetness and dryness. Occasional drenches will flush out toxic salts and cleanse the foliage. Avoid heavy watering and extreme drying, using tap water at room temperature.
Keep Foliage Dry
Avoid wetting leaves and flowers when watering (or be sure it dries promptly). Free water on the foliage for a period of several hours may lead to leaf and stem spots, rots, blotches, stem cankers or galls, die-back, bud rot, mildew and gray mold. These diseases are caused by air-borne fungi and bacteria which can infect only through plant surfaces which are wet.
A final way to avoid trouble is to select your house plants carefully before purchasing or propagating. Diseases which affect the whole system of a plant, particularly those caused by viruses, can only be controlled by discarding plants which are abnormal, stunted, sickly or show symptoms of mosaic, ring spot, yellows or wilt.
If your soil and pots are sterilized, if only top-grade plants are chosen for propagating and growing in the home, if the environment (light, temperature, humidity, water and fertilizer) is carefully controlled to favor plant growth - there's no reason why your plants "can't look just like those you see in catalogs. The chances are those beauties were grown with plenty of TLC (tender loving care) - and in sterilized soil, too!
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Tags: Garden, Gardening, Gardening Articles, house plants, plant care
Posted by Ray Bonanza
Color is something that many gardeners tend to ignore. Together with shape, form and perfume, it makes up the four factors contributed by the plants, the most important subjects in the garden. Even So the vast majorities of gardeners either omit it from their plans, or (worse) group together plants that clash and offend the eye. We would be unlikely to paper our walls with a pattern incorporating flowers of red, blue, green, violet, yellow and orange, all fighting to outshine each other, but that is just the effect that many people create in their gardens.
The reason why so many gardeners fall into this trap is that they easily forget that the rules of color coordination are just as crucial outside the house as inside, and they apply to natural as well as to man-made decorations. Evidently, accomplishing harmony is easier with the latter as any color you wish may be easily obtained. In the garden, this problem is further heightened with the background of the sky - bright blue during the summer months, and so unique in the winter.
Winter skies are less tricky, and there are also far less brightly-colored flowers in bloom at this time of the year - indeed, color represents such a welcome diversion that we tend to accept with gratitude any that appears. This you can overcome with thorough planning. There are a surprisingly large number of plants that do flower and provide color throughout the winter months, as well as numerous twigs and branches (such as dogwood) that all contribute relief during the short dull days.
There is simply no reason to neglect a thoughtfulness of color just because plants are natural. Nowhere in nature will you find so many different flowers growing in such close proximity as in a flower bed. The flowers may well bloom in our gardens in their natural seasons, but gardeners do bring together in one small plot plants from all over the world which would not commonly co-exist.
In the natural world there is no clash of colors. All natural plants must vie for resources, such as the services of insects, birds and other animals for fertilization. The first plants to bloom naturally in the spring are the yellows - during late March and early April this color takes over in both the garden and the countryside. It is believed that this is due to the pollinating insects that are flying at that time of year being attracted only to yellow.
Whilst this is important to the survival of the wild plant in its natural habitat, it is of no consequence to the imported garden species which do not count upon the forces of natural selection. Other plants are bred and have no really close equivalents in the natural world -these are plants which have been produced by crossing two species, and sometimes these two species may even come from unique continents. Nature itself does not create colors that clash and you should try to do the same.
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Tags: Color Of Your Garden, Gardening Articles, house plants, Indoor Gardening, plant care
Posted by Keith Markensen
Young or newly transplanted vines are more likely to survive their first winter in a cold climate if they receive some special protection. Questionably hardy vines, or those planted in exposed areas, may need protection every year of their life. In any case, a vigorous, well-grown plant has the greatest chance to resist winter damage.
All vines in general, and evergreens in particular, need plentiful moisture in the soil until it freezes. This is your best insurance against late winter and early spring "burning," in which warmth and sunlight draw moisture from the leaves before the soil is thawed and the roots are ready to send up moisture from below.
For extra protection, mulch the soil over the vine's roots with several inches of buckwheat or cottonseed hulls, salt hay or straw, ground corncobs or sugar cane, or similar material. Snow is an excellent mulch, while it lasts.
Or make an eight-inch mound of soil over the roots and around the base of the stems, and wrap the rest of the stems in burlap. In extreme climates, loosen the roots on one side of a deciduous vine, lay its trunk or stems down in a trench dug out from the other side, and cover the whole with soil until early spring.
Don't plant vines and kentia palm in open areas where gusty winter winds can whip them loose from their supports. After a sticky snowstorm. gently push or shake off heavy drifts caught by upper branches. Or provide a windbreak of trees or shrubs, or a screen of burlap or evergreen boughs.
In any climate, keep in mind that plants can stand a gradual drop in temperature more readily than a sudden frost or freeze, particularly if it occurs very early or very late in the dormant season. When unseasonal cold threatens, the simple expedient of covering the top of a vine with a tent of newspaper or plastic overnight may often save its life.
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Posted by Keith Markensen
The cool, orchids comprise a number of lovely kinds, some of which are suited to growing in a room where the winter night temperature drops to 50 degrees, or can be kept between 50-55 degrees (not over 55 F). You can choose between those that do well with moderate light, such as required for phalaenopsis, and those that must have bright light. Remember, however, that even kinds that are less light demanding deserve the best light you can give them. There is not quite as wide a choice in the cool group as in the intermediate and warm groups.
The kinds specifically suited to the 50-55 degrees F temperature range do not like winter temperatures above this level, but, like most other kinds of orchids, will take warmer summer nights. There is a fourth group which is so intolerant of heat that we might call them "cold" orchids. They require air-conditioned greenhouses in many parts of this country. These are chiefly the high-altitude odontoglossums, such as 0dontoglossum crispum and its hybrids, whose culture is tricky at best and which we will not take up for this reason.
The methods of handling the cool orchids in an orchid case are: careful ventilation to prevent constant saturation of the air and the building up of heat; shading against the heat of the sun at its peak; and attention to proper night temperatures.
These Grow Cool
The plain-leaved cypripediums, such as Cypripedium insigne and its hybrids, are good subjects for the cool case, and many growers do well with them in a cool window. If the lists of dealers do not specify which of these are cool growing and which warm, better ask before buying.
Miltonias are not as widely grown as cypripediums, but a number of indoor growers have had success with them, and where cool conditions are possible they are certainly worth trying. They make good companions for the cool Gyps, since their light requirements are about the same. They are botanically related to odontoglossum and oncidium, and come from the cool altitudes of the South American rain forests. They are pretty plants, with somewhat flattened pseudobulbs and slender leaves. Their nickname, "pansy orchid," describes the character of their flat, gently rounded flowers.
The chief problem is to keep them cool enough in areas with hot summers. The cypripediums are more tolerant of summer heat than miltonias, If you live in a warm climate, we would not advise Miltonias for your first orchids, for they require an experienced hand where conditions are not ideal.
They should be shaded sufficiently from the sun at its peak so as not to have great heat, yet they must have enough light to mature their growths well. An east exposure is perhaps best, where they can receive good light during the morning hours before the day becomes hot. They should be given good light through the winter.
Miltonia is grown in this country in the soft, brown osmunda fiber, fir bark and other orchid growing media. Some growers pot them like the golden pothos every year, in pots large enough to accommodate the year's growth. Other growers pot them every two years. They should be potted when new growth starts in the spring, but do not tolerate being shifted in hot weather. If new growth has not started by April, you have a choice of potting them in anticipation of new growth, or waiting until early fall. It would seem, since our fall weather is often quite warm, that potting in the spring is preferable. About one-third of the pot should be filled with crock for drainage. The fiber should be firm, and some growers like to have it convex on the surface to insure aeration at the base of the plant.
Miltonias should be watered frequently enough to keep the fiber damp, with the usual care not to produce a soggy condition. During their growing season they benefit from applications of fertilizer, as suggested for both cypripediums and phalaenopsis.
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Posted by Kent Higgins
Sowing annuals and wild flowers - One way to enjoy more California wild flowers - and it doesn't matter whether you live in Oregon, Washington, Montana or any other place in the West - is to broadcast seeds of these beautiful wildlings. Seeds can be sown in the open ground now for bloom along in March and April.
The technique of broadcasting seeds of spring-blooming annuals is not limited to wild flowers alone, however. Bachelors-buttons, candytuft, clarkias, godetias, larkspurs, linaria, mignonette, nemesia and Virginian stocks grow easily when handled in this fashion.
Protecting subtropicals from frost - If you grow young subtropicals and live in the borderline areas of the West keep an eye on the thermometer and keep an ear cocked to nightly frost warnings on the radio. Probably the surest protection is to cover tender plants in tent fashion with burlap attached to four stakes arranged around the plants.
If it is cold where you live, a thick mulch of sphagnum peat can be used to protect pelargoniums, hibiscus, bougainvillea and other tender subtropicals. Even though the tops may be frozen with heavy frosts, the protected root systems will escape serious damage and be able to pop out with new growth in the spring.
Planting camellias - The scores of camellia plantings up and down the Coast really come to life this month.
Some varieties started blooming in October; now the pace is quickening and scores of fine varieties are giving good color outdoors.
Camellia enthusiasts are the first to remind you that by planting a proper sequence of varieties it is possible to enjoy bloom continuously for about six months. Check with your local nurseryman for the best varieties for your neighborhood.
Watering - In many parts of the West there will probably be enough rainy weather for the garden; you'll be able to roll up the hose for the year. But in the drier sections of the West, particularly in Arizona and Southern California, it will be necessary to-continue watering all shrubs and hardy trees until the heavy rains become more frequent or you use a self-watering pots.
The exceptions are subtropicals and other tender plants which should have been hardened off a month or so ago so that they'd be in better condition to go through frosty weather.
Berried shrubs - Though nurseries are beginning to receive winter shipments of trees and shrubs, not until late December and January will they really get going. However, there's lots of emphasis right now on berried shrubs which can be seen in full color at the well-stocked nurseries and garden supply centers.
Lifting tuberous begonias - After the tops are completely dead, lift begonias with a little soil around the roots and let them dry gradually. When thoroughly dried, carefully wash the remaining soil off the tubers, dry thoroughly and store in shallow flats for the winter. It will pay you to apply a protective coating of insecticide-fungicide dust to the tubers before storing them until next season.
Chrysanthemums - Soon the late-blooming chrysanthemums will have finished their bright parade; that will be the signal for cutting back all those clumps which have finished blooming. But be sure to tag the plants now while you still remember their colors. Mulch around the clumps and dust or spray them to catch earwigs, ants and any other pests that may be hiding there.
Planning for fruit trees and berries - Bare-root trees will not be available in most areas for another six to eight weeks. However, it's time now to work out a plan for using them to best advantage in the garden. The same is true of strawberries and also members of the cane-berry tribe.
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Posted by Kent Higgins
Caring for perennials - Though perennial borders are not as popular now as they used to be, members of this clan are undoubtedly wonderful bets in most Western gardens. Their ability to yield blooms for so many continuous weeks endears them to most gardeners.
However, after the plants have been in the same spot for three years or longer, they'll begin to get a little tired as far as bloom production is concerned. This is your cue to step in and lift and divide the plants, getting rid of the woody centers and saving instead the vigorous, young outside shoots.
This advice applies particularly to such favorites as Michaelmas daisies, rudbeckias, salvias, thalictrum, violets, Shasta daisies, coreopsis, gaillardias, penstemons, scabiosa, geum, bleeding-hearts and coral-bells.
There's a lazy way to divide overgrown clumps of perennials, too. If you don't want to bother with lifting and dividing the clumps, cut out the center of the clumps with a sharp spade, without disturbing the rest of the plants. While this doesn't work on all perennials, Michaelmas daisies, perennial phlox, Shasta daisies and Japanese wind flowers or anemones seem to benefit when handled in this rough manner.
Feeding plants - In cold soils at this time of the year animal manures cannot supply nitrogen readily to plants because the bacterial action, which is required to change organic nitrogen into a form available to plants, must have warmth.
For this reason, do not hesitate to use a commercial fertilizer containing nitrogen. Liquid fish fertilizers or fertilizer for zoysia, for example, are particularly useful for fattening up winter-blooming annuals.
Taking cuttings of geranium and heliotrope - This is a good time to take cuttings of geraniums and that fragrant old-fashioned favorite, heliotrope. Place the cuttings in a mixture of half coarse sand and half sphagnum moss. The acid content in the sphagnum encourages more cuttings to strike root successfully.
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Posted by Thomas Fryd
My gardening activities are interesting, I suppose, not only because I have grown some prize-winning chrysanthemums but also because I pack them by the hundreds in a small plot of ground and do it in my spare time. I am a motorcycle patrolman and many people don't expect a police officer to be so fascinated with growing hardy chrysanthemums and are surprised when they hear of such goings on.
From the days I worked on my father's farm in Georgia, I have been keen on growing things but so many years intervened before I could get my fingers in dirt again that when I finally got my own backyard, my zeal was unbounded, perhaps excessive. Very soon my own place became too small to contain all the plants I wanted to grow.
They say where there's a will, there's a way. A half block from my house was a corner lot, 50 by 100 feet, vacant full of stones and weeds. I got the owner's permission to use it and planted some shrubs and all of my mums there and added to them.
The neighbors liked the mass of color. It became "their" Corner Garden and they protect it with watchful eyes. Some parents have thought it wise to instill awe of me in their children to keep them from becoming frisky with the flowers. But, when the kids ask, "Bob, are you really a policeman ?" I say, "Naw."
My trust has not been unfounded. During the past five years few flowers have been destroyed or missed and, although the lot is not fenced in and is planted right up to white stakes set out to mark boundary lines, no one has really trespassed.
One day this spring, though, up trotted a little guy and rang my bell. He had dozens of labeled tags to sell. Upon examination they proved to be the very ones I had carefully named and placed next to newly planted varieties to identify them. What do you do with a five year-old who has a staggering sense of commerce like that?
This year the borrowed land contains 1,000 plants of 55 varieties of chrysanthemums alone and with some bromeliads. For the first few months, it is really hard to care for bromeliads and chrysanthemums. I also consider shows to be the best places to exchange experiences with other growers and to make lasting friendships with people who like your favorite flower as well as you do.
I have shown my mums nearby, and my preparations have not been elaborate. I've simply cut blooms, plunged their stems in deep containers and placed them in a cool, shaded spot to drink up all the water they could overnight. Then, I've taken them to the show right in the same containers or packed them, with a lot of tissue paper, in cartons.
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Posted by Keith Markensen
The support you give a vine to climb on may serve, first, a cultural function. But there's no reason why it can't be attractive too, no reason why we can't deviate from the familiar trellis, particularly when the deviation looks more natural and displays the plant to better advantage.
Gnarled, twisted, sinuous driftwood creates a design of its own; and its vine is an accessory in the composition, kept pruned and trained so the wood is enhanced, not covered completely. In built-in planters and room dividers, trellis effects and screens usually have design value; their vines are controlled and kept subordinate in interest.
A support should be selected according to a vine's method of climbing. Twining tendrils and stems need something slim to curl themselves around. You can make a trellis of any size or shape with plant stakes, dowel pins, coarse screen wire, or hardware cloth fastened to a wooden or wire frame. Or stick bamboo stakes into the pot at intervals around the edge, tie the tops together tepee-style, and attach an embroidery hoop midway between top and pot to create a bowed or balloon shape the vine will cover in time. Or shape heavy wire into a cage or ball.
For tendril climbers inside a window frame, try any number of tricks - criss-crossed dowel pins; wire or cord strung through hooks or screw eyes in any desired pattern. If possible, set the support an inch or so out from the frame, so the tendrils can curl around without your help.
Vines that climb by aerial roots or suction-cup appendages will often climb a smooth wall. A rough or porous finish, of course, makes it easier. For supports to be anchored in the pot, try a piece of tree branch or trunk, complete with bark; split pieces of unbarked cedar trunk; slabs of cork bark, cypress poles, or tree-fern fiber pressed into square totems. Keep these moist to encourage root penetration.
Or make your own totem pole. Cut a piece of fine chicken wire of the desired height, but an inch or so wider than the finished circumference. Lay it flat, and cover it with a thick layer of moist sphagnum moss or osmunda fiber. Add a sprinkling of crushed or broken charcoal to absorb impurities and keep the moist moss from going sour. Wrap this tightly around a stake or pole (which can extend at one end, to be stuck into the pot) and tie the wire together up and down its length. The more firmly the moss is packed and rolled, the easier it will be to keep it moist.
For automatic watering using an automatic plant watering system, sink a small clay pot (the drainage hole stopped up with a piece of cork or florists' clay) in the top of the totem. Water poured into the pot will seep out slowly through the porous clay and moisten the moss. A weak solution of soluble fertilizer occasionally will even feed the plant through its aerial roots.
Any upright, in-the-pot supports are best installed when the vines are planted. They are less tipsy when they extend all the way to the bottom of the pot, and when the soil is packed firmly around them. Large or heavy supports need the weight of a large pot as a firm base. When the vine is first planted, tie it to its support with soft string or covered wire, and retie if necessary until it begins to ascend on its own.
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categories: vines,watering system,garden,gardening,plants,plant care
Tags: Garden, Gardening, Gardening Articles, plant care, Plants, vines, watering system
Posted by Thomas Fryd
October brings a change in the air and things to do outdoors in the landscape or garden. Here are a few quick reminders that will payoff when the Spring shows up.
Continue to Plant Evergreens
Transplant evergreens in deep, rich soil, mixing peat moss, well-rotted manure or compost to retain moisture and encourage strong root growth. Select upright yews for accent in the foundation planting and box-leaf holly or Japanese pieris for foliage contrast. Viburnums, azaleas and rhododendrons are excellent subjects under oaks and high branching trees.
Fall Planting of Roses
Plant roses in well prepared soil that is rich in organic matter. If they cannot be planted immediately upon arrival, heel in a foot deep trench by placing them at a 45 angle and working soil around roots before covering them completely. If plants come too late and cannot be planted, they may be kept in a trench all winter. Cut back rose canes to 12-15 inches and for winter protection, mound earth 7-8 inches around the stems just before the ground freezes.
Consider the Lawn
Continue mowing lawn 1 1/2 inches to two inches high as long as it grows. Rake leaves and put on compost pile, otherwise they will mat and harbor diseases. Dig out weeds like crab-grass, plaintain and dandelions and re-seed bare spots. During dry periods, water newly sown lawns so that the roots will become well established before cold weather.
Caring for Trees
Guy newly planted trees or foxtail palm and brace or cable those with weak crotches and limbs to prevent winter injury from snow and winter winds. Near the first branches, stretch and tightly fasten guy wires to stakes, four to five feet from the tree trunk, and drive firmly into the ground. Guy wires should remain tightly fastened to newly planted trees during the first two years to allow trees to become fully established.
Plants for Fall Color
Visit gardens and public parks to study plants with very brilliant autumn coloring. Trees that turn a brilliant red are the black tupelo or nyssa, red maple, oxydendrum or sourwood, red oak and sweet gum or liquidambar. Gingko, yellow-wood, birches and tulip tree all take on a lustrous yellow. For contrast against a gray or white wall, use the rock spray or spreading cotoneasters, with long-lasting bright red berries.
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Posted by Thomas Fryd
Lilies are making their appearance in garden center stores in ever-increasing numbers during October. The southern strains of Easter lilies are now ready for planting. These are hardy in southern gardens and produce great quantities of pure white blooms every spring. Plant them 6 to 8 inches deep in rich, well-drained soil.
Don't overlook the wonderful ever increasing new hybrids. They grow beautifully in our gardens and can be had in nearly every shade and tone of white, yellow, orange, pink and red. You can have lilies in bloom from April to August by proper selection of varieties : Madonnas and the other new hybrids, April and May ; regales and tigers, June; rubrums and auratums, July; and formosanums, August.
Peonies can be planted in the Upper South only. They are too far out of their natural range to be grown successfully below Atlanta, Birmingham and Greenwood. Plant in a rich soil to which well-rotted manure has been added. Don't plant the crown or eyes more than 1-1/2 inches below the soil level. They won't bloom if you do.
Sweet Peas can be planted in the Lower South. November is better for the Middle and Upper South but soils can be prepared now in all sections. Use a trench 6 or 8 inches deep and put several inches of well-rotted manure in the bottom. Over the manure, place 2 or 3 inches of well-prepared garden soil. Don't fill the trench to ground level until later. Then, as the new plants develop, gradually pull in the remainder of the soil to fill to ground level. Early varieties should be planted first.
Roses appear in stores this month but it is too early to plant them. Wait until November or December. Too early a planting causes soft growth which is killed by freezing weather. Instead, use this time to prepare the soil well.
Tender house plants should be brought indoors before night temperatures become cold. Sudden temperature fluctuations cause considerable trouble.
Fall lawn planting continues through October. For a rye grass overplanting on Bermuda lawns sow at the rate of 5 pounds for each 1,000 square feet. For straight rye grass plantings double the rate. In either case, apply 100 pounds of pulverized sheep manure or other organic food and 30 to 40 pounds of 6-10-4, 5-10-5 or 6-8-6 per 1,000 square feet. Keep newly-seeded lawns well watered at all times to insure a good germination. Aerate old lawns to improve growth.Lilies Show Up in October Southern Roses Make a Planting Date Fall Lawns Bring Green Lawns
Lilies are making their appearance in garden center stores in ever-increasing numbers during October. The southern strains of Easter lilies are now ready for planting. These are hardy in southern gardens and produce great quantities of pure white blooms every spring. Plant them 6 to 8 inches deep in rich, well-drained soil.
Don't overlook the wonderful ever increasing new hybrids. They grow beautifully in our gardens and can be had in nearly every shade and tone of white, yellow, orange, pink and red. You can have lilies in bloom from April to August by proper selection of varieties : Madonnas and the other new hybrids, April and May ; regales and tigers, June; rubrums and auratums, July; and formosanums, August.
Peonies can be planted in the Upper South only. They are too far out of their natural range to be grown successfully below Atlanta, Birmingham and Greenwood. Plant in a rich soil to which well-rotted manure has been added. Don't plant the crown or eyes more than 1-1/2 inches below the soil level. They won't bloom if you do.
Sweet Peas can be planted in the Lower South. November is better for the Middle and Upper South but soils can be prepared now in all sections. Use a trench 6 or 8 inches deep and put several inches of well-rotted manure in the bottom. Over the manure, place 2 or 3 inches of well-prepared garden soil. Don't fill the trench to ground level until later. Then, as the new plants develop, gradually pull in the remainder of the soil to fill to ground level. Early varieties should be planted first.
Roses appear in stores this month but it is too early to plant them. Wait until November or December. Too early a planting causes soft growth which is killed by freezing weather. Instead, use this time to prepare the soil well.
Anthurium care house plant should be brought indoors before night temperatures become cold. Sudden temperature fluctuations cause considerable trouble.
Fall lawn planting continues through October. For a rye grass overplanting on Bermuda lawns sow at the rate of 5 pounds for each 1,000 square feet. For straight rye grass plantings double the rate. In either case, apply 100 pounds of pulverized sheep manure or other organic food and 30 to 40 pounds of 6-10-4, 5-10-5 or 6-8-6 per 1,000 square feet. Keep newly-seeded lawns well watered at all times to insure a good germination. Aerate old lawns to improve growth.
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