Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Becky's Spring Swap, follow-up thread, 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Happy,

Another tid-bit from my mental "trivia" collection.....
Somewhere I read/heard that the Caladium bulb can develop many "eyes" on it. If you allow all the eyes to grow into leaves--you will have many leaves, but they will be smaller. If you remove most of the "eyes"--you will have fewer but larger leaves. How one would go about this--I do not know. Obviously, the bulb would have to have started sprouting, or you would not see the "eyes". That must be how they get those HUGE Caladiums they sell......
Maybe that is why your Caladium you had the second year was so small???? It sprouted too many "eyes"....
You are correct in saying that these bulbs need bottom heat to sprout. Used to be that people put them on top of their water heaters to sprout, but nowadays, they are so well insulated that there is almost no heat on top of them. I grew out a package of bulbs this year and kept them in front of my floor heating vent on a tray.

Another tid-bit just flashed through my mind--on another bulb......
If any of you grow "Crown Imperials", lay the bulbs on the side as you plant them. This will keep water from collecting and sitting in the deep depressions on top of the bulb and rotting it out.

Quilter--
Our Store # is 2502. It is in Baltimore., MD at 9955 Pulaski Hwy. zip-21220
...snort...I also have to put ALL the plants on my display table back in their proper places when I "close shop" before 2PM......

For those of you who don't know--I was hired there 10 years ago and worked in the garden area--mostly "owning" the whole Greenhouse. It was the best one around--thanks to me. Back then, there were no pack-out crews and no "night crews". We did all that ourselves. Unloading a truck-full of plants was also part of it.
Only the older 4 HD's around here have Greenhouses. They were added to the existing stores. In the newer ones--all the Houseplants and tropicals sit inside the stores ----YUK!

Back in 2003, I went part time due to my age--and my knee pain had become so bad by then, I could not bear to be running around all day. So--they offered me the job in the Phone Center as an Operator. I still work there. Boring?--YES! Stress-free?--YES! Sit down--Yes! Even though I have a hard time with that part-.i am always pacing around....

So--I am elated to be back in Garden--even if it is just for 4 hours on Sunday mornings. I am bushed when those 4 hours are over.....but it is such a "high" for me!

Gita


Here's the Outside Garden Cashiers--a great group!