Seed Swap & Chat # 52

Just popping in to say hi to my snowbound friends. Thanks for being so kind to me as a newbie.
You almost make me want to move so I can winter sow, but I've been direct sowing for weeks and still have so much work to do.
We had a flood. We survived and cleaned up the mess.
It's been warm and sunny and we've had above normal rainfall so far this year. Everything is green and beautiful outside.
I am hoping to sow or trade some of the seeds to my fellow CA's at the RU in April. Some I'm keeping because I really want to try them. I was surprised by so many of the few plants that I got to plant from the Piggy Swap last year. Every single one has it's own beauty. Thank you!
Also, I wanted to wish all of you a very Happy Valentines Day.
Walk In Beauty!
SingingWolf

Anyone have any tips for starting calla lily-zantedeschia aethiopica seeds?

Thanks Lebug, I got a feeling we are going to need a u-haul by spring lol. And Herbspirit I would still love to have a few roots if I can please. I don't have either kind and I need it the worst kind of way for my soil and I hope to try it out as a good medi-herb.
SingingWolf sorry to hear about your flood, and also your power outage MDreams. It seems like everyone in the country has been hit hard by the weather in one way or another this winter. But only 4 weeks and a few days until spring.

Mornign all!
Me too. me too. wave s hand in air as I jump up and down on seat. Woudl liek a compfey root too , if any left. Nevr grew it, but after readign abotu differnt thigns you cna do with it, I want to try it too.

Gld yoru back Carolyn... Thought ya was off the puter for a bit. Hope ya don't get sick.

It pourign rain here yet again and it wil be turnign to snow later today. temps are already dropping. Havign heck of a tiem with heater in gh. It can onyl be run for 24 horus ata tiem, then it needs to eb off and cool down or it tries overheatign it self and warmign the wires up. Not a good thing.

Hi SW..... seen on tv all that rain, floodign and mud slide s and was hopign ya wasn't in the path of any of that.

Lebug if you seeign that much moistrue that you changign otu the baggies evryday, yoru mix was too wet to begin with. That the water evaportign from the soil buildign on the top that will fall back down on the seedlings. The whoel top wil be covered , but with fien droplets.

Good Morning all! This morning I got Ice Plant babies (Ella's grandbabies ;-)! Must have thought I was wintersowing...cause it looks like a chia pet in those plugs... think every single one germinated...and in only 2 days too! Oops...

It's pouring here too. Great for my lasagna beds I'm thinking, 'cause I was a little worried that the cardboard I used was so thick it would never break down... now thinking that won't be a problem with how wet everything is staying. Well, that's the upside here anyway! May just have to find some boots and get out in it today as far as the shed... really need to get some more wintersowing done or we'll be out of cold before I'm finished!

Star, George and toofew-
Be happy to share comfrey roots. These are sterlie seeds so you only have to worry about the root spreading. Even then it doesn't spread overnight. It just gets wider and wider at the base, especially if you put in in part sun. I'll be digging up in April, as the ground is still frozen here.

Can you do me a favor and send me a dmail on this? If you do, I'll remember come april. If not, I may forget. I'm very forgetful these days which is said as I'm still fairly young (40's). Some days I feel like I'm losing my mind already :)

Hard to imagine "running out of cold" when looking out the window at all of the snow, but I am finishing my wintersowing, also. As usual, I am running out of dirt, again.

GardenQuilts, I started Agapanthus a couple of years ago. I started them indoors, under lights with no problems. They germinated in warmth with no special treatment (I did soak the seeds over night in H2O2 solution). I've also started Callas, but mine were Z.rehmanii hybrids, but I believe the same method would suite either. I soaked the seeds in H2O2 solution and started them under lights with warmth also.

Re. moisture on baggies or domes... I try to get my mix just barely damp, and I know I've got the humidity just right when there's a little puff of mist on the cover... if I see big droplets, I know I need to take the cover off for half a day (or longer) and let things dry up a bit.

I've heard its better to ask a stupid question than to remain stupid so I'll
ask. What is in the H202 solution? I know water is one component but
what is the other?

Have been ignoring my plants the last 2 days as my Gracie (cat) had a
stroke. She's only a year old today and being a runt weighs only 2 pounds.
She's taking meds & drinking what I can dropper down her. Making her homemade beef (& chicken) stock broth. I know you all are cat lovers
so other than doing some PT with her any sugguestions?

much appreciated.
Cris

I use 1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide (h202) per quart of water... helps prevent damping off, may help in other ways.

sorry to hear about Gracie... let me try to find a link for you on feeding...

When I had to syringe-feed Blake, I found a very helpful yahoo group on feline assisted feeding:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/

I was able to use food straight from the can by altering the syringes... I just cut off the narrow tip and fire-polished the end of the syringe (with a propane lighter) to make it smooth... that way, the opening at the end is the same diameter as the rest of the syringe, and you're not trying to force food through the little opening that's intended for a needle. Prepare several syringes before you start. I warmed the filled syringes in the microwave, with a damp towel over them... the hot towel helped to keep the waiting ones warm.

If you haven't posted in the pet forum yet, do so... lots of experienced folks over there. :-)

Woops that reminds me need to check my little tray in the fridge to change bags Ella, I was thinking I had too much water in the begonias too but they are doing fine it's just a fine mist on the top of the baggie :) At one point I left the baggie off for a few hours in the fridge and they almost dried out on me so had to put it back on.

No rain here just snow coming down like crazy I'm having to go out and shoot my pellet gun with out pellets in it at the Starlings this morning to make room for the other birds at the feeder those Starlings sure can empty a feeder fast! It's funny how I can shoot that gun and the rest of the birds will just sit in the tree and watch guess the Starlings knows what a gun is being shot at all the time around here lol

It's a Winter Wonderland this morning all kinds of snow they have told everyone to stay off the roads this morning but the traffic out on the highway looks like it's going nice and steady.

I want Ice plant babies lol I keep forgeting to order any of those somewhere every year thought I had some from last years swap and looked for them yesterday and couldn't find any :( I saw them in one site a while back and they were sold out of them. Decided not to make another order have too many seeds anyway and will never get them all planted.

SW we miss you! You need to forget your chores and whatever else is keeping you busy and come and talk with us :) Sorry to hear about your flood hope you have everything straightened out now and nothing was ruined in it!

Hersprit, if you happen to have enough only left over don't want to be a hog :) Kathy_ann said her Comfrey is short I would love to try some more maybe just one root up further in the field if it's that tall I would love to have some I like the leaves on it but then I'm a foliage person anyway and it sure wouldn't go to waste! I plan on putting the the leaves down on my tomatoes again this year for mulch it works good for that too I'm wondering if I could use it for mulch on other plants what do you think? I've only read they are good for tomato plants so afraid to try it on the others like flowers but wouldn't it be like putting tea down for when the plants are watered? Do you use the leaves for tea too I never got around to making the tea last year just didn't have time but this year I plan on it! How many leaves do you use in a gal. bucket and how long do you let it sit just over night? Sorry too many questions Ha!

Carolyn glad your power is back on and hope you are feeling better!

Oh Cris so sorry to hear about your kitty yes go to the pets forum there's a girl over there that knows things like this I'll have to look her up I bet Critter knows who she is I'll be back...I'm pretty sure it's 'laurief' is that right Critter, I would just dmail her and ask really! You don't have anything to lose!

Neal are you covered in snow today we have so much out there it's just beautiful!!!

Looks like we've got about 3" right now, but it sounds like more is on the way. At least it is pretty, but I'm still over it, LOL.

I've got Asarina seedlings up today! Those from both nbgard and mygypsyrose are up today. Now just waiting for Lisianthus and Begonias, but I'm being patient on those and keeping my fingers crossed.

Critter & Lea thanks for the suggestions. Certainly will take a look
at the pet forum. It never ceases to amazes me all the different
aspects of DG!

Have had comfrey in my herb cabinet for years but never knew
it was good as plant nutrition as well. Thanks for that tip herbspirit!

Critter thanks too for the H2O2 recipe :)

Cris, sorry to hear about your kitty. :o(

Neal, I haven't planted my Asarina yet, glad to hear yours are up.

I have a question about the Lisanthus ... do they remain super tiny for a long time. Mine germinated a while back but are just sitting there. Should I put them back on to the heat mat? Right now they are under lights and I bet around 70 degrees during the day, down to 50 at night.
Heat mat goes off at night with the lights, but at least they would be warmer in the day.

No more snow here ... it all went south of us. :o(

Don't put them back on theheat mat maybe if they are under the lights someone else can tell you about that part but my annual geraniums got lanky keeping them on the heat mat with no light on them the reason I did it was because some hadn't germinated yet today I'm transplanting the ones that did come up because the others still aren't up guess it's not warm enough under the lights for them to and I only have one heat mat but it never comes on under the lights anyway.

I leave my lights on 24/7 and mine are up about 1/4" with two sets of true leaves on them they were planted the 4th.

Cris.... Sorry about your kitty. Yep, lot sof good animal folks on the pet forum.

Lebug... I haven't sown my ic eplant seed s yet, figrue d it wa s just a tad bit to early. Will try and find mine and send ya some. : )
Ella who starting to sing , off key, Ice.. Ice.. Ice Baby.. song. LOL

Neal.. I'm jealous big time. I sowed two lats and have exactly two seedlings. How did you do your Asarina? Sittign here with big pout on ym face. sniff. sniff. ; )

Gracie & I thank you for your caring thoughts

Ella, I sowed the Asarina on the 4th. I just surface sowed, tamped them down snuggly, and watered from the bottom with peroxide solution. I don't have a heat mat, so I put them on the 2nd shelf up, and the lights underneath provide some heat. When did you sow yours?

About the same date as you, but in January. LOL

So I have a weird question... I was helping my MIL with some seeds she had saved the other day, and she had one she hadn't labeled. I swore it had to be basil, smelled just like it does dried, pods looked like it and the seeds looked like it. Well, she didn't think it could be from where she had collected the seeds... so yesterday I'm sowing some phlox seeds I grabbed at my sister's place in the fall, and darned if they don't smell just like basil, and look like basil! Looked in plant files, and they're not in the same family, but I wonder if they are related?

Lebug, I have a packet from you that says Amberboa. I cannot find it in the plant files. Can you tell me something about it? Thanks

KL.... I can't hep ya, cuz I have no sense of smell ad I have soe Phlox seed sowed too. That remind sme I ned to try and get soem veggie one s doen today.

Morning I’m up early to start planting figured with so much going on with the seeds better get my butt in gear today Ha!

I got one seed tray of Lisanthus planted yesterday 30 plants and haven’t even touched the other tray yet! I put them all in six packs until they grow a little more but they are looking good and those suckers had some nice roots on them now I’m wondering if I should have put them in three inch pots lol But I’m trying to hold down on space under my lights until a bit later.

Transplanted some annual geraniums out of a seed tray that still had six seeds that weren’t coming up yet so I could put them back on the heat mat, then had a tray that had some that had been up for a while and guess the heat under the lights wasn’t enough for some that had germinated but wouldn’t stick their litter heads up so took them out put them in a six pack and put foil around the top of them and stuck them back under the lights it gets kind of cool at night in here so thinking they weren’t warm enough at night and that was holding them back that should keep them warm enough I hope. Found another pack of annual geraniums that was left from last year so I’m starting those this morning. Think I’ll soak those for a couple of hours in some H202 since they are from last year. That pack only has six seeds in it from T&M and the others I started had 15 seeds in them from Summer Hill? I’ve had good germination with the other geraniums from SH so I think I will buy those from them again next year I just can’t believe that T&M are so stingy with their seed and SH sends twice as much!

I went thru more seeds last night out of the crisper trying to sort for the last time trying to make sure I have all the seeds together that I have to start now and missing some gonna have to look other places still have a couple bags in the fridge and ones in the cold tv room to check out problem is I have so many baggies in there I never get thru them all before I go crazy and just put them up so I get them mixed up before I get done so last night I put the ones I went thru in the back room where it’s so darn cold until I get thru the rest today I’ve got too many seeds Ha! Then apparently one of my bottles of wine at one point has been leaking on a shelf in the fridge so the bags that I put on a shelf that wouldn’t fit in the crisper are all sticky so I need to give them a bath before I put them back in and clean the fridge out :) I just hope those seeds aren’t drunk and will germinate for me LOL Not good for seeds to party or not like that anyway!

Ella thanks for your offer on the ice plant I found the pack of ice plant that I was looking for think it was from those packs that Weez sent a while back do you think those will germinate? They are probably old but they have been in the fridge here :)

Here you go Lynn I really liked these but they didn’t really get to going until it really got hot outside but lasted until fall they are a little larger than bachelor buttons and taller almost 3’ the plants get about a foot around and bush out at the top I like them for cut flowers they don’t reseed like BB:

http://www.tmseeds.com/product/Amberboa_muricata_seeds/Hardy_Seeds

Thanks, Lea. Those are very pretty.
Seeds gone wild, partying all night long! Don't they know they are carrying a precious embryo and should not drink?

Your welcome Lynn :)

LOL I think that's why I had wine in the fridge on the shelf they didn't put the lid on tight enough! I know I couldn't have done it :)

Cris Gracie is so cute I hope she gets better real soon! She is a little bity thang!

This message was edited Feb 16, 2010 2:13 PM

Cris, Gracie is adorable and I hope she feels better quickly! She looks a lot like a smaller, shorter-haired version of one of our cats. Those big, blue eyes can melt your heart!

Chris, your little Gracie will be in my prayers.

ants

Hello ,
Does anyone know how to make a new thread
Carolyn

I can do that... be right back with a link...

New thread is up!

Please join us here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1076456/ to continue the seed sowing frenzy.