Plant propagation part XVI based on my own experience

JB ~ Have you tried wrapping the roots in peat moss? I'm thinking that could keep the roots moist enough for shipping. Since I live in CA, I receive plants in many different types of packing and most survive, but never the one that are bare root unless they have some sort of wrapping around the roots...even damp newspaper, then wrapped well. As long as the medium is soil less, it doesn't mean that you cannot put anything on the roots to keep them moist. Or do they tell you absolutlely nothing on the roots?

Jnette, I forgot I sent you an Amiee. Do you remember did I use paper or peat moss. I use both when they go a distance. I do not think I stripped that one. I think some soil came with it. I never send them just plain BARE root. Always pack them in some sort of stuff to hold the moisture. It is only three days, but if the heat is too much, they have a tendency to curl up and it is really hard to get them back again. I have shipped over 50 or 60 plants bareroot and I have not had any failures. There is a definite trick in packing them and I am hoping I continue to keep my record clean. LOL.
Evelyn, do not worry , I will make sure they are packaged properly. Practice makes perfect. I still worry because I want everything to be perfect. No, it just means no soil where eggs or bugs can hide and be shipped along with them. You get used to it eventually and it is cheaper because the weight is less since I ship USPS Priority.
It is cloudy, and humid. We are going to mow the grass between the trees this afternoon so guess where I will be? Have a good weekend ladies and gents and hopefully we will all be pain free Monday. ................if not, I am going to hit the gin bottle and drown my sorrows. Then I will only have a headache.

Yeah, JB...a headache and the pain after the headache wears off...there is NO ESCAPE from pain...one way or another. I had to quit the pain pills since I was getting into more trouble and causing myself more pain, like falling down our staircase...twice! Awful pain, really...

This may be a better question for another forum but I will ask yall anyways. Do you know what I should do to ensure my best chance of germination for rose seeds I just took out of the frig after about 10 weeks in there? (suggestion from dg member).

I will have to think about it Dawn 'cause I think someone on the piggy swap gave those instructions. You should be able to find it using the search engine tho. That is what we have been wanting for so long. Try it out and see.

JB, I believe you used wet newspaper then wrapped in plastic. You know, one thing I have had pretty good luck with was hydrating some of the polymer crystals and including them in anything I ship them in. i.e. coir, soiless, or anything. Even shredded wet newspaper mingled in the roots.

I think, as much as the roots, is the top to worry about. Dave always gets his plants thru looking real good by wrapping the tops in damp newspaper. His always look so nice and fresh when they get here. Can't remember if he then wraps the tops in plastic also. Must.

But JB, if you have never had a failure, you can't argue with success.

Jeanette

Howdy: I wrap the rootball in ,oist towels foldeed over then I do a burrito newspaper on each plant then in a plastic bag to keep the moist away from the box. The newspaper gets moist in route but no one seems to mind as they are not in the mail long.
JB don't do anything that will cause any issues for you with the nursery police. Once you are on their radar they wont let up.
Dawn: acording to Park's "success with seeds" the soil needs to be kept at 55 degrees for 20 to 25 days. your refidgeration was also mentioned to help. I would put them in a 4" pot. I would take the 4" pot and put it in a gallon zip lock to up the humidity in the fridge. it does not talk about covered vs uncovered with soil. Thats about all the experts say on them. If you do cover the seed don't bury them too deep. Its like busy at same depth as seed is thick or something like that.
well I figuired out the right combo on getting stuff done. 1st its outside to stick cuttings / sow seeds then do my DL crosses and then the internet followed by the all important nap, and with that nighty night.
the pic is Highland lord
Dave

OOOOOOH Wow, that is a beauty Dave. I just love the color.

O.K. Ladies, pay attention! I am sitting here eating Asiago Cheese and Amish Hammonds Pretzels from Lancaster County, PA, and last but not least, I am drinking gin on ice with olives. So there. Cheese is bad for the cholesterol but I do not give a crap. I love Asiago and I eat 1/2 pound a month. I put some crabcakes in the oven...not happy I have to eat frozen crabcakes, but that will have to do tonight. Tomorrow we are going out to dinner and I will be eating better. Maybe I will have scallops tomorrow. I want to eat my seafood now before the oil gets up this way. That oil spill will touch us all very soon.

We put mulch on the Iris and black pussy willows today and mowed the baby trees, plus we did a few other outside chores. Good days work. Kids went to a birthday dinner and so I am relaxing and enjoying the World Cup games. Of course now the games are just being talked about by two people who need to get new jobs. I think I will watch a movie instead.

It is time for me to rest and be good for awile and then it is going to be beddy bye time for me too, Dave. You all have fun tonight and think of me, all ginned up and ready for bed. I bet I will sleep tonight. LOL Love you all! JB

JB, I'll take all but the gin. Don't like juniper. Don't even like the smell of it. Thanks,

Jeanette

JB ~ It sounds as though you have your routine down pat!

Dave ~ Ditto!

Jeanette and Dawn ~ How was your day?

Well, my day was better. I started out by vaccuuming then steam mopping the kitchen, dishes in dw, then 4 loads of laundry, folded half of the clothes, watered, pulled some weeds, made brunch, then mowed outside. I did not clean up the back porch...had to leave something for tomorrow. Well, there is really a lot more to do as well. So many weeds! So, if I clean up the back porch and package up some trades tomorrow, I will call it a successful day.

These are the color bowls on the east side that I did yesterday...

Well,we had a weird week. We went from 110 to 70. Today we had rain and rolling clouds and thunder and lighting. We attended a patio party for our son's family going away. Great party. We had rain all day and then when the party started, no rain, cool temperatures and the night air was beautiful. Again, like I am repeating myself, weird weather.

I went out on the back patio this morning for my morning hotmchoclate snd actuaslly hsad to comemin a get a sweaster. We had an all time mlow mhigh trmpersturer mfor tofsy. Figure that out. High high temperature two weeks ago and a new low high temperature within two weeks.

I think now the wind is blowing south. Right. You know who you are.

I just received 33 plants, Hardy Hibiscus, from Virginia and they were bare root and they were shipped in what looked like shredded straw or hay. But I have also received Hardy Hibiscus from West Virginia in soil.

My son is moving next week and then my life gets back to normal. Not good but normal. But good for them and that what is important.

Monday I will give a full report on my current events but I am sure ou can wait. I love you all and have sent my go away pain angels your way and for Jnette, go away rain angels. Baby Luke most recent photo.

JB, love your amazon photo! Is he your only bird now? (He has that 'spoiled' look...)

evelyn, I have seen those steam mops advertised on tv. Is that what you have? If so, do you like it? Is it any better than the old mop and bucket?

Sharon, I am assuming that you are putting those hibs around the community or whatever you call it. But, isn't it a strange time of the year to put in new plants, when it is so hot? I hope you have a couple young guys with strong backs to dig holes.

We had one nice day, in the 70s, yesterday in all the time my daughter's family was here and that was yesterday. She and I got a lot of the seedlings I had started, in pots yesterday. It did nothing but rain all the time they were here until then.

Yesterday afternoon there was a sick bear at the end of the driveway. They couldn't get the game warden to come out, after all, he must have weekends off, so the deputy shot it. They better have gotten it out of here or we will have coyotes, cougars, crows, vultures, etc. eating on it. A sick animal!! I am going to go check and if it isn't out of there I am going to call the Sheriff at home and tell him to get it taken care of.

We have a strange situation here in this state. The state patrol is the only entity that can dispatch the game wardens. I guess they called and couldn't get hold of him. Well, they better today!!

Jeanette ~ Yes, the steam mop is the original Shark, not the new one with the pockets. And, yes, it is WAY easier and better than the mop and bucket. I used to have to go over the floor 3 times before it was cleaned, and with a cleaning chemical as well. It great for people with allergies or those who are sensitive to the fragrances of those cleaners as well. The one I originally bought, I did not get it from the TV site, but at Sam's Club...cheaper, no shipping, and it also came with the smaller steamer for counter tops. Last year it stopped steaming and I had to try to get it repaired. Well, after a fashion, they sent me a new one. I sent the old one back, with a small check for repair, so I feel as though I am ahead. I did have to call them a few times, but in the end, I am happy, as I don't have to use the mop and do it so many times. If there is a stubborn spot, or if the pad is too dirty, just change it and it will pick up the slack. I vaccuum the floor first, and then afterwards I will sweep up any remaining debris. The floor is a lot cleaner than I ever got with the old mop and bucket as well.

Sharon ~ I would not take a chance and plant anything here in July...as I lose most of what I plant. Your temps, where you live are my July temps, well not usually 100's, but 90's and I would not plant anything then, just water. I hope it stays cool for you until they are established...33 of them...yes, where will they be planted? That is more work than I can handle, for sure! I will be lucky to get what I have planted.

These are the color bowls on the north side...

Howdy:
I believe the hibiscus in question are to be sold through the new greenhouse venture she has become a part of.
Sorry to hear they had to shoot the poor bear. but I guess its a good thing too as it would not be very friendly in that mode. so did you get a bear skin rug??? lol
I managed to get over 5 trays stuck yesterday. silver mound, prowis castle (new improved silver mound) russian sage, and the new blue star (litadora). I noticed the pluds I split this spring are close to ready for market well all but the hares tail grass.
I am hopeing to do some cuttings of my black bamboo. I looked in on a golden bamboo for trade and the girl sent out cuttings to a newbe who was completely lost. we thought the lady had run off but her subscription came due and she poped back on to give a site to look at as well as instruction on how to do bamboo cuttings. http://www.shawngilbert.com/bamboo-propagation ...
well we have a new grand baby she is lily and she is 10 pounds something (I was wow thats a bowling ball) and 21" she had to be delivered "C" section so they will be in the hospital a few days.
we had me being the only adult to be here so I had to stay behind with the rest of the merry band. Kim should be home on saturday.
well thats about it from me I will be back on later to check my orders for mondays packing. Its been going quite well so I am happy.
the pic is Yazoo Cinamon Stick

Thanks guys for the rose seed suggestions, but I just took them out of the frig after all this time. They were in slightly moist plastic bags in there but now, they are out and sitting in a window that does not get much sun, until I knew what to do next. It is so hot now, the soil is no ways 55 deg. Not sure what to try now.

Ev, that is so pretty that I am jealous.

Sharon the baby is a doll if I never said before. I have two one, almost 2 yr. old gd, and they just bless you.

Dave Poor Kim, that is like delivering a bowling ball. Congratulations PaPa.

Lovely flowers guys. I am in the season where my yard looks less than flattering and I just try to keep it alive until late summer when it flourishes again.

Dave, congratulations to you and your family. 10 lbs!! Wow, mom must have been having a really rough time. Glad it's over I'll bet. Wonderful. Enjoy the baby Dave.

Wow, where is the rowdy bunch tonight? Guess we are going to lose our reputation if we all go to bed early you guys.

Sharon, do you have other family in your area after your son leaves for Spokane? Hope you won't be alone there. If so, maybe you should think about selling and moving too??

It is no fun being alone in an area. I

Morning, I have been so darn busy all weekend I do not now where Sunday went. No I did not get ginned up.................it would take too much gin for that and I would run out. LOL

I have one of those steam mops and my cleaning lady loves it. No more bucket mess. The bird room and the kitchen and bath look super, but, it is slippery and Barney forgets and when he runs to the doggie door in the kitchen he slides and looks so funny. Poor baby. Mine is a Bionaire. I got it on sale at Pennys and I will never be without one. Mine also does rugs, but I have not tried it yet. My floors are so much cleaner it is unbelievable. I used to hate the build up left my the mop and bucket. It never seemed clean, just washed over. Now, it is clean. You must be careful not to let it sit upright on the bare floor or it takes the shine off the floor. We found that out but a throw rug solved the problem. LOL

I planted cuttings most of the day on the deck because the greenhouse was over 90 deg. with everything open. This weather. God! I am going to change my ways, I do not want to go to hell. I do not do that high heat too well. I also took my first cuttings of my new begonia collection. I can not wait to see if I can do them. I had to postpone shippings today due to the excessive heat. Tomorrow it will be down to the 80s again so they can go tomorrow.

Avian I have six birds just now, but Gunny is the only one who leaves the birdroom. The lovebird does once in awhile but only because he is looking for someone to put hiim back on his cage. He forgets he can only fly down because of his clipped wings and when he falls to the floor then he has to walk to the nearest pole to climb up again. Life is such fun here. LOL

OOPS, must go to Chiropractor. Be back later. HUGS>

Morning Everyone!,
We finally got some desperately needed rain here last night. It stormed for quite a while. I have to go out and check my seedlings now. I am going to try to get caught up today, so I have quite the to do list. The past 2 days have been so hot that I didn't even leave the house.( I made jewelry instead) my garden can't handle too much of that. I seriously thought about bringing in a bucket of soil and seeding things inside. I have tons of bottle brush cuttings to be stuck and some may night salvia. I think hubby would have gone nuts if I had brought it inside to work.
Jb, Love on your birds for me. I am missing mine so much.
Jnette, I have a shark steam mop too. I love it. In fact I need to use it now.

Hubby finished my hardwood floor over the weekend and it looks wonderful. We had put it down in the living room, but left carpet in the hall way. Well, he took the carpet up and put more hardwood down. (Yahoo!!!) It isn't an exact match ( it is leftover hand me downs) but it is close enough that you really can't tell.

Jnette and Dave, i will send you a tracking # asap.
Dave, Congratulations on your new grand daughter. I hope Mom and baby are doing well.
Talk to you later on today. It won't be long before it gets too hot to be out.

6 birds probably fills up your "bird room" nicely! I have a bird room, too. Unfortunately I haven't been well lately, and it is starting to smell like a pet shop :-( . Hubby is good about not complaining, but I need to get the energy to clean things up.
I seem to have wandered in to something I'm allergic to- face is all swollen with tiny blisters, eyes like slits. I would think it was poison ivy or euphorbia, but it doesn't really itch.... Headed to the dr. at 1pm. (Hey, misery loves company, here I am in the mean time!!)
.

Good morning everyone: Its raining today so nothing is getting done.
Linda: I push back the table cloth on the diningroom table then lay down a towl and bring in flats ready to stick. the messy part is all the debris from the cuttings but its easy enough to get picked up. Kim does not say anything because you can't really tell I have been there except for the sweeper marks.
I usually lay out 3 or 4 trays fill with soil and water a few times the day before I do cuttings, so they will drain well.
I have a ton of stuff to do outside and the rain wont let me. I will have to run out between the rain drops and pull my outbound hostas for the week. and yes running between the rain drops is a class they teach when you live by the beach.....
here is betty woods
Dave

Ok, you guys have convinced me. I am going to have to get a steam mop. Now for some research. LOL

Ok Linda, I am getting my cloner ready. My daughter had some things she is going to send me cuttings of to try also so I should have a good load. LOL, I made a small one. 2 of them. Might have to use my bigger one.

Or, instead of using the cloner maybe I will have to stick them like JB and Dave do.

Well, gotta get busy. It has rained so much I haven't gotten anything done outside. The last 2 days were the only ones we have had in months it seems. I have a lot of plants to take to different people, gotta get a perm, gotta get an appt. for the dog at the vet. etc.

We cross posted Dave. Have been watching cnn showing about the floods in Oklahoma. They must not be near you huh? Those poor people stuck in that car out in the middle of the water and baling water out the window is awful. There should be a way someone can throw them a line or something. Before it gets worse.

I have been doing plants in the house for the last several months. I do have a large kitchen tho. That doesn't mean that Bob loves it. LOL

I am so happy that I am not alone in the idea of working in the kitchen. Hubby and I were just talking about bringing in a table that I can work on in the dining room. Now I can actually get started instead of saying " I need to....". Now is the best time of year for me to start everything, so it was killing me that it is too hot to get outside much.
I am finding that a lot of the day lily plants I bought were not what they were marked. Now that they are blooming, pink charm looks much more like peach baby or something. Forgotten dreams is much prettier this year than last and several that should be blooming this year aren't.
Hope everyone is having a good day.

I finally got the downstairs bathroom cleaned out, as I had seedlings in there all winter as well, I did my seeding there as well, since I don't do that on the dining room table. It is handy to have the water nearby as well. It was quite a mess actually and now it sparkles.

I can't say the same thing for the back porch, as I did not clean it up yet. That is my major potting area when it is not too cold, and now that the weather has warmed up, I won't need to do any of that indoors. I was going to do that yesterday, but it was "just one of those days...." ¯ I did not get any packages ready either...any of you who are expecting anything from me, I will try to do them today...

On the back porch, besides an old table that we no longer use is a 4-tiered shelving unit, for W/S'ing as well as a very tiny frig I picked up at the hospice consignment store for $25.00. It is great for stratifying, especially in the warm weather as well as storing seeds and bulbs, though not that much room, so the space gets rotated. Now, I have some other plants on the shelves, the cuttings I took in winter seem to be doing OK now. So I guess that those of you that have a greenhouse or potting shed, well that is my GH/PS. I do have some row cover in the fenced garden that I pinned to the fence for some protection of some plants, and near that is my nursery area as well. I need to get everything that will or will not be potted into the nursery area. So hopefully, I will get a good portion of that done today. As well I have an old file cabinet with seeds, bulbs, labels and some other supplies in there. That needs to be cleaned out as well. I am hoping to acclimate the peppers, eggplants and tomatillos as they need to be planted, even though they are small. I started everything too late, since this is the first year I have raised anything but tomatoes from seed, so the "seeding calendar" is ongoing, with notes of what worked as well. then I need to clear a space for the green beans by the fence, as there is little room in the remaining squarefoot garden, in which the peppers, eggplants and I will be direct-seeding some cilantro and green onions in there.

So yesterday, with the exception of weeding the SFG's, and rebooting the ComposTumbler, I really did little. Just puttering, even though I knew I had more important things to do. Does anyone have those undisciplined days? I get frustrated with myself, as my shoulders were just hurting too much to distraction...but that is pointless...so ..."Onward and Upward"...

Jeanette ~ Sorry about so much rain there, but do you not usually get rain for most of the year in the PNW? At least your "rhodies" are nice...and lawns, oh it is SO green there..oh, what happened to the bear??

I hope there is no more flooding for anyone...

avianut ~ Is it poison oak? We have that here on our property, and now and then an animal will give it to us on their fur. Well I hope you feel better.

Jeanette ~ You will LOVE the steam mop...well, maybe not love it, but be happy for the time it saves and the cleaner floors. They get SO much cleaner.

Dave ~ If you had one, Kim would not even know that you used the table, if you cleaned the floor with it. The downstairs bathroom is the only area I can do this, when it needs to be done inside...otherwise outside for the rest of the season. Our kitchen is too tiny for even a table and the dining table is in the dining room. I dare not get anything on those floors, especially water, since the floors were milled by Steve and stained by Steve and put down by Steve....

JB ~ Ahhh...a cleaning lady...now that would be really nice! What's this about hell??

ibartoo ~ Maybe jnette can send you some of her cooler weather...if only...LOL!

Well, I had better get going now as talking about working and doing it are 2 different things...LOL!

Have a great day, everyone!

A close up...

evelyn, the bear at the end of the driveway? I just remembered this morning that I had heard shots fired on Friday afternoon. The reason I remember is that my little blind dog is really afraid of fireworks and she and I were outside. She freaked out when she heard them and I remember thinking at first I thought shots, then thought maybe fireworks already.

So, I think it was wounded and not sick. DOT was suppose to come pick up the bear today. So far they haven't. I called Fish & Wildlife and they said it isn't illegal for people to shoot the little guys if they get into their garbage etc. Darn. I hate that.

Well, I found a Shark on Amazon but haven't ordered it. Reviews were really good on it, so I should have. Will do that this evening.

Evelyn, if your floor is so fragile what do you do in there? And who is Steve? Your husband? Didn't he put a sealer on it?

No, it doesn't normally rain all the time here. Seattle, or the coast, gives the entire state a bad reputation weatherwise. LOL, We actually have very dry desert areas also. Just like other states. In the middle of the state. I live in eastern Washngton, 400 miles from Seattle. Across a mountain range. This time of year it does rain but not nearly as much as it has been.

Hi all: I do not do all my activities in the dining room as it would be too messy. Its carpeted so I have to be carefull but I do get stuff done. I do my transplanting under the patio cover. its shady and I bring out a fan to move air. we will be decking the area but I think I will still work under the cover.
My inside stuff has to be a mess that will not remain once I am done cleaning.
We have several areas in flash flood stages. several near OKC and we have our own areas that take too much water and fill in. its funny though, its always plastered all over the news but no they don't listen or the ole "that sign is for everyone else not me....i am special"
evelyn I think we all get those days its the ole body just does not feel right and then its too hot and humid and then I just want to sleep. I have those days a lot of the time but I know I get enough stuff done that i have to, to keep a forward momentum going in the nursery. I really hate the tuesdays That fall on a "bad" day. its my shipping day and i have to ship stuff or it wont make it to the buyer by saturday. Luckily i have 5 going out tomorrow so It should be no huge deal just have to go pull everyone tonight if its stoped raining.
oh well its dinner time and getting dark so I will get things pulled and then eat. it gets real loose on timing when kims away.
Have a great evening
Dave

Sorry for the bears trouble. its sad they had to kill it. the government intities have a too step they do to avoid doing anything they don't want to. I know I called about the opossums...you might remember my post about it. well the animal controll said they don't do anything with opposums on private property. so i guess i was suposed to shoot it and fling the silly thing over the fence onto the main road behind the house.... i can see it as a car drives by wham their windshield is crashed in by a flying opossum... they do fly ya know?
Isn't that a safty hazard..a dead bear in a residential neighborhood?

Well this isn't a residential neighborhood. Very rural. It is a state highway tho, at the end of the driveway. I just hate that they can shoot these little guys. All they have to do is quit leaving their garbage out. These people, I am sure, are weekenders from the city. They came up just for the weekend and come the 4th of July, they make real nuisances of themselves. Oh well, the 4th will be here soon and gone for another year.

Well, I am still here but really busy, which is good, because our son and his family are leaving for Spokane very early Thursday morning. Our daughter who lives here and my daughter-in-law came over this morning. While I watched Baby Luke, they went through my Christmas decorations in the three car garage. Piles and Piles. I was a Christmas nut. And when I walked into Neiman Marcus I was greeted with many sales persons. "Mrs. Winter is in the building".

I know that was before my brain switched into gear and I decided things are not the most important things.

Anyway, now the garage is cleaned out of the majority of the Christmas decorations. What the girls did not want went to Goodwill. I still have my favorite Santa Clauses my brother gave me and several very special ornaments that I hang on special hangers. And then there is my decorations for the back landscape. Just next to the toddler park, I decorate it up the hill. This next year we are all going to do it but I have many additions I forgot I had.

So now the days are numbered. Baby Luke and family leave very early Thursday. The garage is clean, the storage room just off the laundry room is clean and put in order and about half empty.

Next subject the Shark steamer. I had the first floor cleaner and then I purchased the steamer for kitchens and bathrooms. At that time they did not combine the group. I just purchased a new Sharp with a wider pad because I have about 3500 feet of hard wood floors. I do have a house cleaning service that comes once a month. But in between, they still need to refreshed. I used to have a housekeeper once a week but decided that was not necessary. So I sent the difference to the food bank, Las Vegas Rescue and Salivation Army because I do not think anyone in America should go to bed hungry. And it is wonderful. So is the hand held steamer. Does a great job on over splash of grease on the cook top. Cooking my DH Texas fried Okra.

Dave, great news on the baby girl weighing at 10#. But they settle down and then all catch up at the end of the year. Our Luke came out at 6 pounds 7 ozs and was a wimp for 5 months and then all of a sudden he decided to gain weight and now he is one happy big baby and laughing all the time. I will check in later in the week because only have two days left with Baby Luke. But this a good thing for him and hismfamily. I will check in lter in thr eek with gbreat news. The hibiscus are small and in my holding garden so ll is welll therr bvut im have very lkarger hiubuscus c=om ing for the HOAmgardenwers to olant. ?Tha shoul be i teresrting.

Last note. My son delivered to me yesterday a "rose bush", given to him for his first Father's day, before Luke was on earth. It is very sick but it was given to him by his Mother In Law. I am suppose to bring it back to life and then deliver to Spokane. I will take photos tomorrow and we can keep a blog on this step rose b Good mite all my friends. I will be back to normal next week. Well anyway as normal as I am... . LOL.. Love you all and this to will pass.

I went out this morning and I had a few new day lilies blooming. Some that I have never seen bloom before. I have some that I have to move.They must be in too much shade, much like the iris. These were given to me by my neighbor who lost his house a few years ago. His wife had bought them from Roycroft daylily farm ( where a lot of fans sell for 75-100 bucks) and I have no idea what their names would be.
I will post pictures later on, but I need to download the camera and it seems to be giving the computer the silent treatment lately. ( computer won't recognize it.)
My son may be going to get his driver's permit today. YIKES! I am not sure I am ready for that, but I know it must happen. I am planning to stick some cuttings if I can get my work table in from the aviary & I also have some seeds ready to sow, packages to mail and cacti to transplant and things that need to be fed. I had better get going, or it won't happen.
Jnette, it is so sad that they had to shoot the bear because of their own stupidity.

Dave, I would consider the liners, I have a lot of varieties that I could actually start with. What is the best size for a "liner" pot? I had read an article about starting iris's in pieces of pvc pipe to get a really good compact root system. That might just be the way to go.

Sharon, I know you are going to miss Baby Luke. My nephew and his family moved closer to us last year, but they have returned to Ark. I miss them so badly. His children are 7 and 2 and it is just too quiet now without little ones.
Gotta get busy, if not, I won't accomplish anything.
Hope everyone has a great day.

JB, did those seeds I sent to you grow?

Ibartoo, the Bird of Paradise seed did not germinate. I will try more after I research it to see what I did wrong.
Just got back from shippping more plants at the Post Office, Bank and Italian Restaurant and brought home a Cheese Steak Stromboli and two pieces sof Sicilian Pizza. I am sitting here shoving it into my mouth like I am afraid it will get away. LOL
I shipped some plants today and took my friend who has the Farmers Market some jasmine and a gardenia to get her professional opinion. She has a young man working for her who specializes in tropicals and both of them gave me a very good review. I am so glad because when you sell to people who you do not know and they give you a positive feedback it is different than someone looking you in the eye and telling you what they think.Especially when they also sell the same things. I also wanted to get an idea how she felt about the prices I am asking, etc.
It is a beautiful day and I had a great time in town. I saw several of the men who used to do work for me at my farm, they are all like sons to me, and then of course the Italian man who owns the restaurant always makes something special for me to take home. It is funny, but when I was the Municipal Clerk of that town I made so many friends, they all still remind me of how good I was to them and how much they appreciated it. It so pays to be nice to people and to be cheerful rather than grumpy.
Must go and put the rest of my food away or I will eat it all and be miserable. As it is now, I can put it in the refrig and have it tomorrow for lunch too. There is enough to freeze for another day also. I love to eat when I do not have to cook it. LOL. Gotta go. Hugs.

For all you prior/current bird owners, I have a question....
I have a lory (you know- MESS). I get frustrated trying to keep his cage clean, so am thinking of either building or buying another. I'm looking for recommendations for easy(ier) to clean cages- any ideas of info would be greatly appreciated (by both me and my scrub brush :-)
Jill

I use Hagen cages for come of my birds. They are the cheapest and easy to clean.
My opinion is that NO cage is easy to clean. I hate them but it comes with the territory.
If you have a dirty bird, then you should get a small travel cage, put it in it and tear the big old one down and hose it off and scrub it good. Then put the bird back in it again. You should have a travel cage anyhow. It is always a good investment in case of an emergency. I have travel cages for all my birds in case of evacuation, etc. JB

Good evening to everyone. not much done today except for the boxes to go out.
Linda I use the normal propagation trays from bt grower supply. I prefer the 40 cell because they have a bit more room for roots, but I use the 50 cells more because I have not located a good source for them. here is the link to them.
http://www.growersupply.com/50roundcell.html
I will order from them again as I am short on trays but at the moment its a cash crunch so I am in a holding pattern.
Dave

Thanks JB- I do have traveling cages. Guess I just never thought of using them for other reasons!

My last two Xylozma plants that survived of the 5 or 6 that I tried to root, ended up dieing up to the bottom of the stem. They still have a single root each but not looking good. GRRR!

For anyone wanting fewer trays per order, I've found this to be a good source. Of course, you can also order by the 100's...
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/

good morning:
not much new the temp today at 6:00 am was 79 degrees so its going to be hot hot hot.
another new one Always Afternoon x Lokei'
Dave

Hubby leaves for Oregon this evening and Baby Luke is on the road on the way to Spokane. I will have three full days available to garden all I want and not worry if he is eating or staying hydrated. It will be his daughter's problem. The greenhouse is just about ready to plant. I cannot believe it took this long. I am going over tomorrow after my manicure just to see how warm/hot/humid it is inside.

I received my hardy hibiscus and planted them in my holding garden. Boy are they happy. They have doubled in size in less than a week. I bought them on a closeout cubit co op and I am very very happy. Last year I purchased 10 hardy hibiscus from Plants Delight and 2 from Burpee. The Plants Delights plants were at least two maybe three years old. The ones from Burpee I think rooted on the way. I ordered from Burpee because Plants Delight did not have the variety. One lived out of the two. The Plants Delights are 3 feet tall and the surviving Burpee is 6 inches tall. Burpee was $10 less. You get what you pay for.