Plant propagation part XVI based on my own experience

Hello to everyone and welcome:
To those new to our little chat. Plese feel free ask anything, as we try to keep it simple and fee l/we should always pass along our own knowledge. Lurkers are also welcome. Please check in if possible I would hate to loose someone in one of these switches.

we came from: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1094442

As with all of the threads I stat I like to welcome anyone new to our little corner of Daves Garden. Please take the time to read all the past threads. Most of them have some great information in them. There are no dumb questions except for the 1 thats never asked.

Here is a pic of smokey mountain autumn

Very pretty dl Dave. Have a good day.

I'm here trying to smell that beauty.....does it smell? Gotta go mow grass. Be back in about an hour. I am not doing more today it is just too hot and I am not going to be crazy.

JB, in my opinion there is no better smell than freshly cut grass. That is a wonderful smell. Love it.

Jeanette

I found you. You can run but you can't hide. lol

As the heat has come. All my things that had rooted mostly have croaked. GRRR! I should just give up and move off of this thread, since I can not propagate to save my life.

Fouind you guys!
As for the fertilizer balls, if they were about the size of those colored pinheads, that's probably what they were. I (embarrassingly) took a plant with them into the County Extension Agency once to inquire...

Hey, first of all, Helln, do not give up just because you lost a few. I just came in from the GH and I threw away about 10 cuttings of gardenias that I started in May and they are dead, down right dead. So, we all have our moments and I know the heat had something to do with it. I either overwatered them, or did not give them enough. Who knows? But then, I will try again. Some of them made it.
Avianut, I am so glad you thought the same thing. LOL That is so funny. I kept one and gave it to my SIL to be sure they were not bugs and he got hysterical laughing because I was so sure they were some sort of outer space eggs, blah blah.......well, you know how you feel when you see the way they hang to the roots of those plants. They sure as heck looked like eggs to me. LOL. So, at least I feel better. The ones I dropped in the greenhouse will not be hatching.
I got a beautiful two foot plant from ForestFarm in Oregon. Wow, am I iimpressed. It is beautiful, it was shipped perfectly came UPS, it was healthy and the information with it was wonderful. I got a Calycanthus floridus Sweetshrub, which I think will turn out to be a "Michael Lindsey". These are the ones I was hunting and could not find until I came upon this Forestfarm in Wiloliams, OR. What a wonderful place.www.forestfarm.com

I am so happy someone likes the smell of cut grass, because after three hours on the tractor mower smelling that crap, all I do is sneeze. Besides, the heat is drying out the soil and there is alot of stuff flies around the air when you mow. I actually spent two and a half hours yesterday instead of the one as I had anticipated because we got severe storm warnings and I knew if the kids came home when they did they would not finish before the storms come and today is out for mowing due to work schedules. So, we are finished and tonight they can come home and clean. LOL.
Out to hoe the veggie garden before it hits 90 deg.

JB, you need to leave good feedback for Forest Farms. I have used them before to send gifts but have never gotten anything from them myself.

I just found a place to get the Sweet Olive tree that I have wanted for a couple of years. I should get it today. I got one for myself and one for my daughter. Anyway, her prices were really good and included shipping. We'll see.

I know, I like a lot of smells other people don't. When I lived on the coast I loved the smell of the salt water flats when the tide was out. Very pungent I guess, but I really liked it.

Jb, you are right, fresh cut grass and home made bread are the two best smells ever. LOL
Hi Everyone, I have sure missed hanging out with you all. Things are slowly but surely getting better and I am actually able to work a little bit now.
My daylilys are just beginning and my hydrangea are awesome this year. I wonder if the snow had anything to do with it.
Hellzn11, I remember the heat. I also remember that it would get very cool, sometimes cold at night. Here last night is was still in the high 80's and humid. ! :(.

Jnette, we call that smell "pluff mudd" and some people claim that it keeps the tourists away. LOL ( it really doesn't but the smell is indescribable.)
Pughbear, I hope all is well with you.
Take care everyone,
Linda

Hi Linda:
I was starting to wonder about you.
Helln: for the life of me I can't remember your name... I am sorry but its the old brain saying ha ha.... I would not give up just yet. what did you try to root? I toss a lot of stuff thats why i do 120 cells at a time. I think I am doing good at 80% survival... depending on the plant. I know i tried 100 cells of photinia and lost all but 1 and It was one of those crops thats suposed to be a no brainer. actually i thought I had lost all of them untill I pulled the weeds in the greenhouse and found a 4" pot with 1 hold out. at that rate I might make a hedge in 20 years.... try a little bit of everything. i have found that some of us are better at some things than others and no 2 people do well at the same thing...IMO ...
I think they are the nursery I have been looking at buying from just never got a round to it. If I am thinking right they have a selection of japanese maples to die for.
well its suposed to be 90 by noon and afternoon heat will most likely make for some rain clouds. oh boy more rain

Stay dry and keep plugging away
Dave

Oh, you just reminded me of the smell of the ocean that I loved. Hmmmmmm I used to live on Wrightsville Beach in NC way back in the 1950s when livin was easy. No problems except the Marines kept us there in the winter also. LOL. Anyhow, it was a wonderful smell that gets into your blood and once that sand is in your shoes, you are doomed to be a beach bum.
I gave ForestFarm such good feedback I got a note back . Really nice people.
My heart is so heavy wondering what I could do to help the birds and other animals being sickened and killed by the oil spill. I can barely watch the pictures of those poor birds with only their heads sticking out of the oil muck. I could cry just thinking about them. They are so helpless.
Got the veggie garden ready for my SIL to take the Kabota and remove the rest of the weeds. Everything is growing like crazy but wow that sun was hot. I still have a headache
You all have a good evening. I am out of here for the day. I am tired and I still have things to do. See you all tomorrow. Welcome back Linda. Missed you. Hugs.

Oh you guys, enjoy that sun while it is there. I would give anything for just one ray of sunshine about now. We have had nothing but rain for the last month or more. I can't get out and plant anything without getting soaked.

The animals are thinking this is the Ark tho. This last week besides all the deer, we have had a bear, cougar, and moose. eating right off the deck. Not the cougar. it was just passing thru. I hope there will be no more of each looking for their mates to get on the Ark.

But I do enjoy them. I just hope that moose was not eating on my Rhodies. It was eating on all the small trees around.

The leaves on most of the plants are now out as they were all late in leafing out due to the cold weather.

My tomatoes may not be the best that have been grown here even though so much emphasis has been on soil quality, nothing can be done about the weather. It has been cloudy for the last several days, so I suppose it is better than blazing hot, I know tomatoes like it consistently warm. There has not been consistent of any weather this spring as even during one day it can warm up in part of the day, then get cold and windy. It is almost like coastal conditions, reminding me of my days in Topanga when I worked in a nursery in Malibu. It was cloudy and breezy every morning then about noon, the clouds would disppear and then it would be warm. Well, actually it doesn't seem to get that warm here right now, but it isn't quite summer either. I am curious to see what will occur during the summer.

In the past, with one exception, I have been buying tomato starts and then planting them out instead of raising them from seed. I need to perfect my growing process from start to finish as they are rather weak and spindly, probably due to lack of proper lighting, as well as not putting the fan on them. Do you use an occilating fan, or a steady breeze?



Has anyone here experienced different weather patterns than usual?

In the picture is a 'Full Moon Maple' Acer Japonicum 'Full Moon'.

Thanks for the welcome everyone. It is nice to be back.
Jb, the livin is still easy here on the island, you should come try it.
Jeanette, I would be going crazy with a camera at your house. I love to photograph wildlife, the problem is here about the only wild life I get as visitors are grey squirrels, raccoons and possum's LOL. Needless to say, they don't make the best models.
I have a lot of seedlings up now and hopefully next week I will begin cuttings. I need to get my aerator cleaned and set up again.
We are getting a lot of rain here too. The hot humid weather is on it's way in, but usually the first 2 weeks in june are still a little cool. It was 92 today and I was very thankful that DH moved my work table into the shade.
Gotta go, it's time to crash.
See ya tomorrow.
Oh Evelyn, that is a gorgeous maple and i am not usually a fan of maples.

Linda, so glad to have you back. Tell me, were you able to do anything with that Blue Sky Flower I sent you the piece of? Just curious. I know it wasn't a very good piece.

Jeanette

Hi, Linda ~ Here is a picture of the tree. It is very small and it has been a very slow grower. We have a lot of wildlife here as well....not counting the skeeters, gophers, moles and voles....heh, heh..foxes, deer, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, the occasional mountain lion AKA cougar, wild turkeys, quail and loads of other birds that I wish I could ID.
Do you have a lot of bugs and insects on the island? Any special animals or plants that are not normally seen?

Jeanette ~ We haven't had any sunshine here either, just cloudy skies...I don't think the tomatoes will ever recover from their poor start...gosh I hope I don't have to buy any plants after all this work. In most years we get warm weather near the end of March until November. I can't even imagine what will happen this year.

Dawn ~ I feel the same way right now about the tomatoes, but on the other hand, I do believe that my golden privet has taken root, as I took the cuttings so many months ago when the weather was so cold. I kept them outside and covered with a white trash bag for the longest time until I saw new growth, then gradually removed it little by little..the other things in there did not do so well, so maybe another time with the dianthus.

JB ~ I, too, have trouble watching the news these days...it is so sad for all the lives affected, both human and sea life....I used to go to the beach a lot when I lived in SoCA for so many years...that's about all I miss, well, except for Topanga and Malibu...
I have used ForestFarm for many years now, and they never fail to disappoint.

Evelyn, That tree could possibly change my mind about maples. LOL it is gorgeous. We don't have any really different wildlife. We are a barrier island and it is tiny. ( only about 2 miles long). I often see deer and occasionally a wild boar, but the rest are raccoons, possums, squirrels birds and etc.

Jeanette, I hate to tell you that I lost the cutting you sent. It arrived while my whole family was sick with the nasty flu and then when I did get it planted, it seemed to just wither. I am sorry. I hate that I lost it. It is time to cut lantana though if you and Pughbear still want some. I have plenty I can share.

I am going to spend the day with my Mom today. We are going to cut and root plants for her. I bought her a Daphne for her birthday a couple of years ago and she wants to root it real bad. We also need to root enough crape myrtle, hydrangea, gardenia, and others to line the perimeter of my brother's yard. It's going to be busy, but I love "rootin' around."
Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

I agree with everyone ... wild life is so nice to see. and as one of the beach bum tribe it is true once you have lived close to the ocean/gulf it gets in the blood. I have to get to the beach every couple of years so I don't shrivel up and waste away.
I would not say unusual weather more like back to normal. the past couple of winters were extreamly harsh for our area. its unusual for us to have anything on the ground (ice/snow)for more than a few days but we had an extended period in the last 2 winters. we are typically in the upper 80's to mid 90's daily here now and a rain storm every week which should stop in the next month. and then its 90's to 100+, with overnight temps getting all the way down to 85.... I am trying a new scheduale in that I finish up by noon and maybe go out in the evenings 6-7ish.
I have noticed I have baby veggies already golfball sized tomatoes and gerkin sized cucumbers.
Linda its so nice to see you are back online. I have missed you. are your Daylilies blooming? mine are exploding with at least 6 new blooms everyday. I am trying to get something stuckeveryday so I have something coming on this fall most of my seedlings are ready to transplant and some need to be divided before I plant them.
here is Dora's 1st inline
Have a great day.
Dave

Hi Linda:
I would love some lantana. I have been doing Dappled willow, red honeysuccle, spirea's and I am planning to shift into penstomon and other small flowering perrienials. Its funny how I do better with the perrienials than the annuals. I have gotten a few different gailardia's to grow from seeds.
Dave

Holy Crap It is HOT. I just spend an hour in the greenhouse with doors open, fans and vents on and open, shade cloth on and it was still in the 80's. I had seedlings that survived my overwatering this Spring and they needed to be planted in pots. I just got out of the shower. I was so wet skin out. That really drains you so I am sitting here in the AC drinking coke and eating pretzels. It is time for lunch too.
I missed the womens finals in the French Open. Tomorrow the men play the finals, so that is where I will be. Glued to the TV. I love tennis. Never could play because I have no depth preception due to having only one eye. LOL.. Same with golf. When my grandson was just a tiny guy he could beat me in pingpong and miniture golf because I can not hit the hole. LOL. I am however a crack shot with a rifle and pistol. Go figure.
I am going to soon be sending you all your Black Pussy Willow. Please send me your mailing addresses privately so I have them. If you have already done so, sorry, I do not have them. I have Sharons....is she on this list? I think that is what she wanted, I need to check my Dmail. The weather needs to go below 90. I have about 10 orders to go Monday and I am so afraid it will still be hot. I can not put these orders off any longer.
Does anyone every use that stuff that keeps things cold when you ship? I was thinking of getting some for the summer if it keeps up like this.
Time to eat. Yahoo. Love you all. JB

JB: I never tried it. I just make sure my shipments go out by tuesday to insure they don't sit in the warehouse or on a truck. I had one customer who missed the box which sat out for the afternoon, she said it was nice and cool and well preserved plants. I would have thought they were cooked but I got lucky.
How cold does this product make the plants? I would be afraid of cold damage.
smokey mountain autumn again
whats for lunch???
Dave

Smoked Turkey Wrap with fresh tomatoes, lettuce , bird feathers, paperclips and anything else I can get in it.

I have no clue what it is like because I only heard someone talk about it and I do not remember which list it was on. I have had only one problem in all the years I am doing this and that was my fault for using the wrong box and packing materiel. I had run out of bubble wrap and the begonias broke off. They were alive, but broken, so I sent her an entire new order wrapped properly. She was happy. That is all that matters.

Lovely Dave ~ Are you getting ready for your thyme samples? I have not had a chance to dig them out as yesterday was a no-gardening day due to the severe exertion the day before...so I just did brunch, dishes and laundry. Next week OK? I'll let you know...

Today is another day...there are a gazillion weeds out there and I need to prepare a spot in the ground, away from the square foot grdens for the tree tomatoes - has anyone grown them before? I found out that they get way too big to be put in with the regular tomatoes. They are not even the same genus....so I don't know why they can call them tomatoes. I read that they aren't that good raw...oh, my mistake. I should research something more thoroughly before trying something new...

Well, maybe I can make them into a marmalade. Jill has a good recipe (critterologist).

Well, I did not sleep last night, so after a good day in the garden, as long as I do not overdo it, I should get some sleep tonight.

It is a beautiful day right now, warm with a breeze.

Have a good Saturday everyone.☺

I missed so much, hard to remember who to address so sorry if I miss someone. First of all let me say thanks to all of you for the words of encouragement. I have a couple of hold outs that I just moved outside, into pots. One rose, and two of the Zylozma cuttings, that have about 3/4 in, root(singular) are survivors. They have been rooting in water and I read if you let the root get longer than 1in. they will not be able to obtain nutrients from soil so out they went today. Some vine I grew from seed, got put out too and immediately started to wilt. Love that. I put it in a shady spot too.
I see one Pyrocantha survivor in ground, and one or two other poor looking roses. Maybe I would do better with layering some things. I am so discouraged over this. I also killed several with tiny roots when I transplanted them to a pot. they either had deeper roots that I messed with or they had tiny, fragile ones and when I tamp it down, the root snaps off.

ibartoo we do still have those hot, hot days, with mostly cool to cold nights in the summer. Which is the saving grace about this area, as you know.

I am so excited about my zucchini plant, it has pups all over it. I never do veggies. Last year I planted a chili pepper and it was so pretty. This year I did sweet onions and Zucc. and one chili pepper. I seeded some, but see nothing so far.

Now that my front yard is a jungle of Zinnias and xeric plantings. A GIANT ANGRY 4-5 FT. SNAKE was in my car port, next to my jungle area. We put it in a big plastic container and it was hissing all the way across the desert as my husband put it out there into a hole.

snakes ....yuk ... I had a 5' water moccasin chase me out of a flowerbed once at a golfcourse I worked on. it died the next day of sever trama to the neck (shouvel) I fed it to the snapping turtles in the ponds.
jb sounds yummy

evelyn: I am ready any time just let me know how much postage and where to send it.
Dave

Thanks you guys. Linda I am waiting for the lantana. LOL, Would love some.

And JB, I am sending you my address (and one for Linda) for the pussy willow.

Thanks you guys. Wonderful.

Dave it is good to be back, I have missed everyone too. Jb the only way I have shipped plants in the heat is to put holes in the boxes. I have had pretty good results, but I still try not to ship when temps are above 90 or 95. At 7pm tonight, it was 82 with a heat index of 89. something tells me the rest of the week might be tough.
I have begun crossing my daylily plants again. I love to do that. The ones I grew last time though have some spots and I am not sure if it is because of rust or being waterlogged. I will have to spray them with something and see if it makes a difference.
Anyone have an organic solution for what may be a fungus?

I am leery of snakes everywhere. My son had a pet snake that disappeared right before Christmas. We still haven't found it and the animals haven't either so every time i open a closet or cabinet that I haven't used in a while, I say a prayer. I'm not as worried about the snake hurting me as I am the snake making me hurt myself. LOL I told him if his bearded dragon ever gets out, I will move! I dislike lizards more than snakes.
Hellnzn11, I would love one of your cool nights now. The humidity is killing me. Do the kids from Desert High still put the big D on the hill?
Do kids still go to Desert? LOL I loved it there.

I will almost be happy for things to quit blooming for a little while, . ( I don't know whether it is allergies to the pollen, or the asthma that is acting up) but I could sure use a little breather. ( I know, bad pun.) Just couldn't help myself. I must be tired.
Hope everyone has a great night,
Linda

Did you say you lived in Victorville? I am not sure about the D on the hill. I forgot where you said you are from and Desert High for some reason alludes me. I hate humidity. We are NASCAR fans so the idea of going there, sounds appealing. There is so much over that I would love to see, but I can not stand the humidity in the SF Valley, which is nothing compared to where you live. When I was in Bethesda in August at my Aunts house one year, I thought I would die. It was so miserable. It looked all day like it was going to rain and finally did, at 8:30 at night. I ran outside to cool off in it, and everyone was saying, "What is she doing"? WRONG! no rest for the weary in humidity. Here it is so dry that when it rains it smells so fresh and feels so breezy, like it never does otherwise.
Dawn

Well all you crazy gardeners, come on down to Las Vegas. High of 110 and low of 83. But everything looks OK as long as it has been in the garden for a while. I planted coleus today because they needed to be planted. Two weeks ago to cold and today way to hot. My next door neighbor and myself were working in the garden from 10am until 3:30pm. Actually he was still going. I was DONE. The Laborer did not show up to dig up the black bamboo so I am going to do it on Monday.

This message was edited Jun 6, 2010 2:18 PM

Wow! You guys sure talk a lot when I'm outside pulling weeds!!
And, JB, I almost died laughing when I got to the bird feathers in your "wrap"! I was thinking- 'hey, that sounds pretty good, maybe I'll make one too...' :-)
We have humidity here, too, but maybe not what you guys call 'bad', just typical NE. I did a horticultural internship this spring at the local Zoo, though (Henry Doorly Zoo), and worked in their indoor Lied Jungle.. 80 degrees, 80 percent humidity. Talk about dripping with sweat! (And yes, I know I'm tooo old to be going back to school, but it was fun, I learned alot, just got my Assoc. deg. in Hort... Now what?)
Anyway, I'm up with my birds, drinking my coffee while they get their seemingly inate love of morning a little bit out of their systems. Did I hear someone mention thyme samplers? I would think that would sell well on the Marketplace...

Morning guys and gals, another scorcher. I have scrubbed off both my decks and fed the animals, so now I am having breakfast . Strawberries, banana, cereal , coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. Yes, I am hungry. Must get out and transplant some seedlings before it hits 90 deg.
I made friends with the people whobought the Farm Market about 1/4 mile down the road.
Yesterday I took her some information she needed regarding the Township we live in, and she gave me a papaya tree and a sensative plant. She knows I like crazy things like that. That sensative plant is so cool. You touch it or move it quickly and the leaves close up. Cool.
Be back later. Stay cool and have a great day.

Hi everyone! I can't keep up with all your chatting...lol! So, I have 4 flats now filled with all kinds of cuttings and two humidity domes (buying 2 more) and I also bought 4 heat mats but havent gotten them set up, hopefully today (have a birthday party for my 7 year old daughter).

All my cuttings were looking green and good, been 2-3 weeks for the oldest ones. But yesterday I moved I moved them and didnt realize part of the flats would get full hot sun while I was at work. It was 90 degrees and when I got home the ones that got the sun were black. So I went ahead and pulled them up to see what had been going on underneath and NOTHING....so, Im feeling a little discouraged this morning! :)

Hi Everyone, I was trying to get outside before it got too hot, but now I guess it will happen late this afternoon. It's going to be a gorgeous Sunday here. I am not going to work today, I may take a few snapshots, but other than that I am off. LOL Hubby says I work 24/7 just because I am home and always have something to do. For now though I have a tall glass of ice water and a good book. Hope you all have a great day.

Hellzn11, the D for was Desert High on Edwards AFB. The senior class always chose a hill and put a big D on it in painted stones.

Jb tell your birds hi for me. I sure miss mine. I can still keep up with 1 who was my house baby, and when I call I can hear him talking. The others I never hear from. The sad part is that even after giving them up, my breathing hasn't improved enough to make it worth it. Now I just have to focus on my plants.

Happy Sunday.

ibar, i was sitting here doing the mailing labels for my shipment tomorrow and I felt something at my barefoot......it was Gunny, the Amazon, nipping at my toes. He is so devilish when he feels loveable, otherwise, I could bleed alot. LOL The moods of Amazons make me crazy. You never know. He is also molting and that does not help.
I clipped the lovebirds wings yesterday. He has decided to fly over to see me when I am working so that only happens once. Off came the flight feathers. LOL I have air purifiers all over the place to keep the bird dust down. If you have a breathing problem it can stir it up.
I transplanted 48 Starr Flowers today. They were all getting brown on the top, I have no idea what caused that. Instead of putting them outside, the heat will kill them, I put them in 3 inch pots and I think I will put them up on the MarketPlace along with the Egg plants and the other cuttings that are coming along. If they don't die first. I worked out there for about an hour and was soaked again, back to the shower and then to work on paperwork. I can not come inside and sit at the computer with wet clothing from the heat or I will catch a cold. I must shower and cool down before I relax or I will have pnemonia.
Must get back to work. Have a good afternoon .

Well we broke two records today. highest low, 83 degrees and high of 110. Was outside long enough to get the paper and feed the birds.

Holy S***! That brings out the worst in me. Sorry. 110 deg. would fry my old bod but good. Especially if the humidity is high.

We are under a tornado watch since this Morning. The cold front that is coming in makes it perfect conditions for the storms. Well, so far, so good, only really windy, rained about 11 drops. Nothing else. I just hope they do not come at night. That scares me because I sleep like a rock and I know I will blow away. Oh Dear! That would be awful because I do not wear the traditional nighties or PJs most old ladies do. Hmmmmmm.

Did you see the Feds got two more local terrorists from NJ yesterday. No place like NJ, there are all kinds here.

Must go, I am so tired I just want to rest. Heat beats me up big time. Hugs. JB

I don't know what the temp here is, but it has been hot as heck. I need to water but refuse to go out. At 4 it was 98 in the shade. Our swamp coolers are not working in this humidity. It is 22 percent at the moment. It is cooler but not cool. Usually with normal low humidity we are freezing, not now.

Sharon I am not the summer girl or the winter girl but I guess there is always a trade off for something better or prettier. We just have to suck it up and be grateful we can use Evap coolers if we want to stay comfortable most of the time, Cheaply.

Hubby better?

at 8pm tonight it was still 92. So hot! my hibiscus and epis are loving it though.

We haven't even gotten into the 70s yet you guys. Nothing but rain and highs of 68. Lows 48.

The plants are waterlogged. I am pouring peroxide on them. But everywhere you go the trees have so much foliage on them that you can't see anything else. The undergrowth is going crazy. I have DH out there with the chain saw cutting down a lot of small trees coming up before they get too big.

The tomatoes seem to be doing ok. At this stage the rain doesn't hurt altho I am sure they would enjoy some heat, but when they finally set fruit it had better get hot. Haven't seen a bee one yet tho.

Helebores, rhodies, columbines, and some daylilies blooming, but that is all.