LOL ~ yuck! I must say the size of the wood rats my cats have drug up wouldn't fit in my size 12 shoe!
Cats ~ the best rat poison there is!
We have the native seeds, What to do now?
Well, we live in the city and I have a very, Funny? story to tell also.
I have a three shelf lighted plant cart that I used to keep in the garage during the winter for my special cuttings and seedlings that were not mature enough to be outside.
But I started finding them dug up and chewed to pieces which disturbed me very much since they were very special to me.
So in desperation I decided to bring the cabinet into the kitchen, even though I really have no room for it there, had to take chairs out and block some cabinets, which makes it very inconvenient.
Now I have no more chewing or digging, but guess what? Now I have mosquitoes in the house and they were biting the heck out of us, even when asleep in bed.
So then I wondered what to do and it came to me to crush a mosquito dunk and dissolve it in a gallon of water. I drained and cleaned the trays and watered the plants with it and and also put some of that water in the trays.
After a week or two the mosquitoes are gone, but i still have my kitchen too crowded.
I also bring my young and tender plants into the garage during freezing weather, and they are being dug into as well. My son suggested some of those ultrasound devices that affect rodents, so we put two in the garage and if that works I maybe able to put the cart back, which would be really great.
That is my story, and I hope my telling it helps others too. It is amazing the things we do for our plants.
Josephine.
I have a bud who is a horse person, not a plant person, but she kept bringing various sorts of things into the kitchen for various good reasons, until finally she and her husband decided they would just eat all their meals out...
Allwild, I haven't found much about seedbox, other than it is a marsh plant. Do you know if it will survive in a normal flower bed, or does it really need a whole lot of water?
Chuckle, many a little lizard comes in with the firewood to warm up, snakes drape themselves around doorknobs, and possums hiss at us from under and in cabinets, scorpions climb up from seemingly nowhere, and shoes need shook out first before looking too closely, and Always use a stick to turn over logs, yes, plz! dont forget those teensy weensy spiders that rot your skin inside of minutes. I love the woods, I reallllly do. You guys have me giggling uncontrollably, my dau sits and has little screeches when she tries to outstare the unexpected mouse in the house, and my grandchildren are curious about the snakes, but try to get their feet up off the floor, thanx I needed those grins.
Uh, I think I can trump your tennis shoe rat.
I put my foot into my tennis shoe, too, and felt something in it. I thought it might be my sock footie. However, unlike you who threw your shoe across the room with the dead rat in it, I reached in for that footie, which, we all now know, was a dead mouse -- which went flying across the room sans the shoe.
I did a dance for about 15 minutes
and didn't eat with that hand for weeks. Probably would've cut it off if I could've!
^^_^^
From here on out I'm wearing flip flops all year round.
Well, I have all the seeds I am going plant all planted now. I have 72 four inch pots out there getting their stratification.
They are on shelves in 4 trays of 18 pots each with another tray on top to keep the squirrels out.
Now let us hope all goes as well as possible, and there will be lots of new plants to pass around this spring.
Josephine.
You're so fast Josephine! I will be wintersowing late Jan, early Feb, probably.
Hey Gymgirl! Good to know it's not just my shoes that rats like! Too funny!
I tell you, it is a lot of messing around, what with 72 labels to write and all that good stuff.
The Anacua seedlings are comming up in my yard and I'm wondering if I should dig some up for the Round Up. They have a long root and now is the time to be getting them. They will be put in taller pots so they will stay healthy.
Dane
Yes please do that, Anacuas are beautiful, although it will tender up here, but it can be kept potted.
You are so nice to think of us, thank you very much.
Josephine.
Well I may be trying winter sowing again since I don't have the excuse of no materials! My DH cleaned out his aquarium and put 20+ gallons of distilled water in it. I was taking the jugs out to the recycle bins and realized it. So I may be asking a few more questions later. I am still going to try to plant inside also, since I have the lights and shelving. Just need to get off my rear and away from pogo.com! LOL!
Come on Girl, play time is over, off to plant your seeds now.
It's too small to focus on but that red thing in the picture is a Mexican Buckeye growing from a seed I got in the Robin, from MaryAnn. :)) I planted 4 so I'm still waiting for them.
Looked over at the cleared area (bare dirt) and it looks pretty rough. I'm sure the first good rain will change the looks of things and wonder If I should wait so the seeds I plant and scatter won't get wash away.
Thanks
Dane
Hey Everyone, I found this site on Bug ID and I think it will be very helpful
http://vegipm.tamu.edu/indexbyvegetable.html
I also posted it on the first post up top.
Josephine.
That is a GREAT link Frostweed! Thanks!
You are welcome.
That is a good identification link. I noticed they didn't include the Black Swallowtail cats on the parsley, nor the cabbage white butterfly larva on the cabbage. So they are only listing the "pests".
Oh, forgot to say I did get up from the computer and went to the shop for about two hours today. Straightened up and watered and trimmed plants. But I also emptied the shelf I plan on using for my light seedling rack. So do feel I got something accomplished. LOL!
This message was edited Jan 5, 2011 11:23 PM
Good deal Sheila.
LOL Sheila! I am planning on pulling some weeds since we've got some nice weather. Please note that it's still in the planning stages!
Woohoo! One of my Scarlet Buckeye seeds have sprouted! I wasn't expecting it quite this fast!
Tonya
Must be Buckeye season, noticed my second one yesterday.
Saw two Wooly Passies I got from a trade, with the hull stuck to their heads. Got one off and the other loosened.
Anybody else having success?
Dane
I have some parsley starting to sprout.
That's good, from what I hear it's hard to start. When I lived in zone 5b I tried several years and never got any to come up.
I do have parsley that I started inside about two months ago. It is up about two inches and has it's real leaves. Of course I grow it for the caterpillars to eat not me.
I had luck just sowing it directly outside in spring but it did not last all summer in the heat.
C
Wow!!! I found this one it tells you how to plant each type of wildflower seed, Excellent!!
http://www.everwilde.com/store/All-wildflower-seeds-01.html
I put it in the top post too.
Josephine.
I actually ordered seed from them!
C
Great, so did you find the info you needed?
For most of what I have, yes. I have planted all I am going to for now. Early spring I will sow the ones listed as not requiring a winter chill.
C
Thanks for the link Josephine. Looks like I'll be using it.
Dane
You are welcome Dane, I am very glad I found it.
Wow..you guys.. I haven't even THOUGHT about starting seeds let alone plant them!!!hahaha..with all this cold weather though I don't think I'd be very successful as my home is not all that warm & I don't have a lot of spare room at this time. Though I have started buying seeds and putting some aside for the swap as I bought seeds in Monticello when we went in October... for instance Texas Bird Pepper which is a native. I alos like the fact that it can be grown in a container.
I think the one plant (out of 24+) that I want to germinate the most is the native clemetis. I have been looking for them online but they are always sold out, especially the red variety, C. texensis I think is it's name. Any advice Josephine on getting them started? I read all clemetis take a long time to germinate, some a very long time.
C
I planted some last spring in a four inch pot and they are now starting to germinate.
I would winter sow them if I were you and keep an eye on them.
Josephine.
C, the c. texensis interests me also. Found seeds here: http://homepages.vvm.com/~reid/seeds.htm Haven't tried to order. Still looking.
Found plants here: http://www.gardenvines.com/shop/small-flowered-clematis-4/clematis-texensis-213.html Brushwood Nursery is in Athens, GA.
Mary
Wow that is a long time. Guess I will really need to be patient and make sure its watered for many months to come. I am going to check out that last link as I really would like a plant.
C
Ah, thats what I thought. I have been on the waiting email list for that plant at that nursery for a year and have never been contacted, maybe they will have some this spring.
C
Cheryl, if mine do well I will give you a plant or two at the spring swap.
Josephine.