CLOSED: Seed Junkie Chit Chat - Newbies Welcome 9/05/09

GM All, Cloudy rainy day here . Not going to be able to get out and do anything too wet rained all night :((((((((. Really shouldn't complain tho ,we needed some wetting down.

Morning Everyone!

Have a great flight Al. Sounds like a fun day.

Skellog I have seeds for Huecheras. Are they very big mounds? They must winter ok being up there in the 'equality state'. I also didn't miss the fact that you have a dairy farm. I'd love to hear about it and see some pics. Fresh milk and butter!!!! Ummmm

And TubbyT Those beds for potatoes look fantastic. Have to be productive. Probably have to modify for the south some but I think that would work here. :)

Not enough coffee to jump threads. LOL

Morning Flower

Sounds like a fresh pie day. :)

I got Mit's irises planted this morning. Hoping for some rain this afternoon. We sure could use it.

They should do great there Lollyjean. Did you have any planted before Mit's?

seray I can't think of any reason it wouldn't work..The only thing we did wrong was not adding more mulched leaves or straw as plants grew. Just keep them watered..Easy to reach in & fill if its damp..

There was a bed of white irises here when we bought the house. They were all crowded into one side of a 2' x 4' bed so I after they bloomed this past spring I spread them out and just planted Mit's in between. I didn't care for the look of just white ones so the new ones will introduce some color to the bed. I'm excited to see them in the spring!

I think it'll work TT. The only question would be the drainage. I've used EB's for veggies and haven't grown potatoes since I was a kid. Dying to try though! :)

Lollyjean the mix will be gorgeous! Don't forget to send us some pic when they bloom.

Now that I think about it, some of my white irises were falling over so I guess I should stake those ones?

Good morning all...

Lolly you have mail

HI, everyone,( I think morning is about gone) My day sure started out good. Just clicked on and found all the poems and started rolling from so much laughter and crying from all the laughing. You guys made MY day.
Great flying Al, have fun. Sun is out here and not too hot just yet. Got to go check on all my babies planted around here. Look out bugs, here I come, with my sqwashing shoes.
Back later.

Lollyjean

Arejay may be able to answer you questions about the iris. I don't know. Good question and would be interested in the answer myself. I've never seen them staked but I don't see why not.

There are the tall irises that you can stake. It is best to buy those grow thru wire type that several can grow thru at once. They make them for irises and peonies too. I have some that I need to stake but just haven't done it. The rain beats them down so I really need to do it. If you have them planted more or less in a line you can put stakes every so often and then put a sturdy line of some sort from one stake to another thru out the bed and that helps too. You can also just wind some stakes thru out your plants and wind the line to each one if they aren't in a line. Real easy to do.

Hey, look what I found blooming out at my little pond this morning. Is it my snail vine? I never had one before this year and don't know what it is suppose to look like, but it looks like a snail is why I thought it might be that one. If not, what is it? Anyone know?

Here is another.

I have a snail vine and that sure looks the same to me;~)

I got 2 new vines this year, a shell vine and a snail vine so never seen any real blooms and this is my first. Thanks Loca. It looks like a purple snail, with a green (house) shell. It's a big bloom. I was told one had a really small bloom and the other was bigger. I guess this is the big one.

A Gilda Update...

Just finished getting Gilda drawn out on paper.. will do a little tweaking and coloring... a few pics and then she'll be all set to begin her trek across the US! WOOT!

GO GILDA!!!!!!

Afternoon Everyone. Another whole day gone for me. It's rained off and on here from the looks of things.
If you don't have blackberries for the cheesecake substitute other berries. Can also use pudding, apples whatever takes your fancy.
Tubby Welcome glad we are making you laugh so much. And thanks for the poem that included me LOL. I looked the bugs up and found dameslflies are natural enemies of leaf bugs.
Hubby is talking about another trip to the county where my sister lives TOMORROW if a lady still has a mower he's interested in. Please pray she's got rid of it or tells him to come some other time I need a break from all that traveling. Seray thanks to the Brug Goddess I got a sound sleep from 8 30 til 2 am this morning after that it was just doze until 6 40. I got up then to eat breakfast instead of just juice.

Glad you are feeling better Mindy. Good night sleep works wonders.

Sound more rested Mindy. We'll call on Loca to do a disappearing spell for that mower. LOL

Show us Gilda's picture! :)

Oh Mindy, post your recipe again, lol .. Hi everyone.. Al, what a fun day you have planned. Cue, can't wait to meet GILDA, Mekos, that looks like snail vine to me, but you probably already knew that, lol.. Huney, my wandering jew didn't make it :( everything else is doing really good though, Seray, my 'accidental almond bush' is doing well.. have it outside, still has a 'nubbie' for a stalk but looks healthy despite it's nakedness, hello loca, flower ((hugs)) and everyone else! Guess what? one of my hibiscus seeds sprouted! I planted 6 of them and got a nice 3/4 " sprout today on one of them. I also collected seed from my pink hibiscus that I just transplanted and my Rose of Sharon 'Minerva'. Gonna go out and start some more holes in the tropical bed.. Friday I planted my Crinum Lily divisions, Lily Grass, Patriot Hosta, my Columbine that I started from my own seeds.. and today I am going to divide one of my Tiger Lilies and transplant some elephant ear. I have a cool trade going for some cool elephant ear, can't wait to get those.. "African Mask' is the one I really want. So I guess we will have a winner tonight in our seed auction forum.. What time zone do we go on for the time the winner will be announced? See you all soon ;-)

Here you go Mechelle

Blackberry Cheesecake

Get 2 graham pie shells
1 container of cheesecake filling already mixed up from WM
For Topping you need
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
6 tablespoons of the blackberry raspberry jello a box walmart sells
then 8 tablespoons corn strach
cook this till its thicken on medium high heat
then add 2 cups blackberries cook till good thick
let cool some but still little on warm side but barely warm then put this on top the cheesecake filling in pie shells put in refrig ready eat in about 2 hours

This makes 2 cheesecakes; can use plain gelatin if you can't find the blackberry one; Can freeze the extra one.
Can use whatever berries you want just substitute the flavlor of gelatin to match, can also use pudding, jello whatever you think might taste good with cheesecake and graham cracker crust

lol.. need batteries for camera then I'll take a fe wpics.

sorry girls, im in a grumpy mood today.. woke up to find one of my 5 ft tall brugs has been shredded by some unknown assailant! even the new leaves were reduced to shreds. Cant seem to find the culprit, ive been looking and looking. May leave a bowl of beer out tonight, just to see if its slugs...

thought maybe it was inch worms, but there isnt one in sight. And i know what to look for (had them attack earlier this year)

so forgive me if I seem a bit short. Im kinda angry...LOL.. i babied these brugs from 8 inch cuttings. and to walk out and have that sight greet me first thing.. kinda sets the mood for the rest of the darn day :(

Oh Cue I hope you find what did it. If you need someone to be grumpy with just dmail me. I'll read and keep quiet LOL.

Hi again Gals,
Got a question for those of you that have water gardens. When you put the plants in what do you do? Pot them in soil and drop in or what? I will have one next year and am trying to get all my eggs together so I'll know what I am doing.

awww, thanks Mindy :) i appreciate it.

Flower, the water garden planting depends on the liner or cement or what ever. If you use a liner like mine, you don't want to plant directly in the pond. The roots of Lotus and such will eventually destroy it and make it leak. So I put my plants in clay soil and drop the whole pot in there. Every year or so you will need to pull the pots up and remove some bulbs or tubers or what have you or they will fall out of the pots when they get over crowded and sprout from the liner- again the roots will go into the liner and cause it to leak if you arent careful. Other ponds with ground(dirt bottoms) can just plant away in the dirt. When you plant Lotus ALWAYS use a round container so the tubers can grow correctly. No squares or corners. You can use cat litter as the clay if you use the old fashioned kind with no chemicals or fragrance. Just the cheap kind. Then add the plant food tablet when the water temperature is above 65. Stop feeding when it drops below 65 in the fall. Let the plants go dormant for winter. Most will keep over winter if they are 3 ft deep and the water doesn't freeze completely to the bottom. Only tropicals will need to be kept at 60 in wet sand so they can go dormant and not get too cold.. Hardys will do good out in the pond at 3 ft deep.
I made my pond 18 inches at one part and 3 ft deep in another part. Low side is for them growing and deep side for winterizeing.

Ok What I am going to be using isn't that deep, maybe 11/2 ft to 2 ft deep. It is a garden tub out of the trailer we live in. We are going to dig down and set it in the ground and put a waterfall in it and then I want to put water plants in. I have the rock to set the pots on and all. Will not be using a liner.. What kind of pots would I use? I know the old fashion clay pots won't work. Plastic? You say to use the plain non scented litter? Can you use this with all plants you put in the water. I know it is a lots of questions but You all are the only ones I know to ask. LOL

Only unscented litter. Use anykind of pots, that is no problem. I use plastic-usually the black ones you get plants in at the stores. Have also used hanging pots so any will do. That tub is good and you can plant directly in the tub if you like. The roots won't hurt anything. Depends on your winters for overwintering any plants. Hardy waterlilies will be ok as long as the water doesnt freeze to the bottom. (keep water moving and it won't freeze) Lotus will not survive if they freeze either. Tropical waterlilies have to be kept at 60 degrees all winter. In the spring when you want the plants to start growing ESPECIALLY LOTUS these need to be raised up higher. Lotus will drown if they are put too deep. They like 8-10 inches of water over the base of their pots. No more. Water lilies don't care about the depth, they will come to the top as the water warms. It would be up to you as to wheather you want to plant in pots or not. The tub would be ok either way. If you keep in pots, you can see which lily it is, with out pots- just in the bottom the roots and tubers will run amuck and mix so you wouldn't know what is what like that. But either way will work just fine. When you decide to get it going, let me know and I'll share some water plants with you.

Mekos if I could impose on your expertise as well. The lotus I have growing in the churn is starting to wind down. Do I dig out the tubers? Store the whole thing in the garage for the winter. The whole urn is full of roots almost. No telling what's in there! LOL

I would store the whole thing until spring. Then when it is dormant you seperate the tubers and devide it up. If you do it when it is growing it will probably die. I must be dormant if it's in water and you seperate it. The tubers are usually always dug out before they start growing again, when it is still very cold but don't let them freeze. When they go in warmer water they will start growing again. If you want to get a jump start on summer, just start them in a warmer place early and they probably will bloom earlier. Most nurserys that sell them dig them out as soon as the ice on the tops of the ponds break and put them in the greenhouse and they begin to grow. They can be stored for winter in deep water when they are dormant, but to start growing they need more shallow water or they can drown and rot the tubers. Roots won't matter if the tuber gets damaged. That tuber is what makes the plant. The roots help it get food from other sources. BUT the TUBER is what you need to protect at all costs. If the tuber gets damaged it would probably die.

CONGRATULATIONS to Mechelle for winning this weeks auction. She will also put up the next auction for this coming week so maybe I can bid again for something. Anyone interested in doing an auction for the next weeks let me know and we'll set up a schedule. One each week until everyone who wants to do it has a turn. This way everyone will have a chance to get new seeds and put up some of theirs. I think this is only fair. Thanks all you who have participated so far and hope you will continue. Lets have fun everybody!

Mekos, Thank You for the help on the water garden . I copied and pasted it for furture use if that is ok with you.

Sure, glad to help if I can. I do have lots of water lilies and water bog lilies, and plants. I'm in zone 7 so adjust for your climate if it is different. I was told if you have hardy water lilies and want to, you can overwinter them by cutting off the green to the bulbs and put in sandwich bag and keep in refridgerator lettuce crisper. The tropicals can go in a baggie in wet sand but keep at 60 degrees. The only one I'm worried about is my tropicals because of keeping them at 60. Outside will be colder and inside will be warmer in the greenhouse during the day when the sunshines bright. Hey did you know you can grow babies from the tropical Tina from the leaf pads? Man, that is neat.I have some pads going now of those. She does the vivaporous thing. I also have Green smoke. Those are really pretty. All my other water lilies are hardy and all colors. Then there are my lotus, several different ones and colors of those. I also have parrot feather, grows in the water,and water lettuce, and some water thingy that is different. If I can help just let me know, or if you need some plants, when I take them up, I'll share.

Good night everyone. I'm turning in for tonight.

Nite All. I am going to bed too. Tired for some reason LOL