I have a radio all plugged in--inside my shed.
When i am outside gardening--I hang it on the outside of my
shed on a nail and have music all day long.
NOT singing along...as I do not know--nor can discern--words
to today's songs and music.
G.
Yardening Fall 2013 Part 2
OH,, I forgot---
I am planning to have most of my tender plants inside by Sunday PM.
It is supposed to be in the low 40's Sunday night--and a cold week coming up.
Started making room everywhere in the house. It takes a bit of rearranging....
Sally--would you tell me again what you did with your caladiums?
You did write and say you dug them up.
Anyone else??? Is it time to dig them? The leaves are slowly dying off anyway.
Is it a good idea to fry the soil-free corms in some airy place?
Do you leave some soil on the corms and THEN dry them?
How do you store the corms? In dry pear moss? Soil on--or off?
Help me to do the right thing here....
Thanks, Gita
I was washing pots. Cant get me to clean house tho. If i could be outside while cleaning house i would do it.
Gita i justxlet the pots dry out. Thx for reminding me bwfore tonights ? rain. Typing on phone sorry
yes, thanks for the reminder, Gita! I need to pot up the ones I'll be overwintering.
But...but....mine are all in the ground!!!!
What sayeth Thee now, oh wise ones....
I planted some in the ground a few years ago, and when I tried to dig them up the corms were very health but fairly soft (in a good way). I kept slicing them by mistake. Finally gave up -- wasn't worth it.
I've decided not to overwinter my caladium. :-( I have room/proper lighting in the house for only a few of the tender perennials, so I'm thinking I'll go with the ones that would be most difficult/costly to replace. I like my caladium-- it's very pretty-- but they're commonly available and not costly to replace. Plus, I'm thinking that one advantage of having annuals/tender perennials is that it leaves me some room each year to explore new plants/cultivars. I know I will feel guilty when they start to die, but I also like the flexibility of being able to try some different cultivars next year. Right now about 20% of my plants are annuals/tender perennials.
Catmint you are my hero. I will try not to bother with the few caladium. One I saved from last year was SO much smaller this year. And they're like a buck from BillCaladiums4less.
Well if you do have the time to dig them up just cut the tops off and toss them into brown paper bag to over winter. Store in a warm room in the back of a closet.
thanks, Sally! :-) Good to know they don't bloom as well when overwintered! Although, Holly, putting a bulb in a bag in a closet does sound fairly simple...
This message was edited Oct 17, 2013 9:57 PM
Caladiums grow bigger each year for Bill, but he is in FL... for me, they come back smaller each year... I might get a 2nd good year from them but not a 3rd. Maybe if I gave them some "houseplant time" like the amaryllis get rather than keeping them dormant from Oct to March... no, not enough sunny windows, even in a house with a lot of sunny windows!
Well--
Thank you for all your opinions on the caladiums. I do not want to
sacrifice them--because they are cheap. I want them to live, at least,
one more year. Need to learn how to make it 2 more years...
I may Google some site to see what they say. I may go to DG Threads
that talk about this. I will follow the highest consensus of what to do.
...So She Says...............:o/
I feel challenged now to do what I would think makes sense to ME!
I will dig them up--shake off some excess soil--and let them air dry until dry.
Then--I will put them in the paper bags--label them--and keep them in my
computer room under the table or in the kitchen. These room are warm--
even when I keep my house at 65* in the winter. All the computer "machinery"
running--makes some heat.
Come early spring--I will pot them up and let them get started.
Then plant them out. If I fail--then, at least I tried.
IF, as Jill says, they always get smaller the second year--then WHY should
I pay a premium price for the bulbs through Group Buys????
I can always buy a bag of mixed caladiums at HD or Walmart or wherever
and enjoy them for a year.
Gita
Gita, the caladium bulbs I've seen locally are about the size of Bill's bulbs in their second year for me. I'd probably need to plant 3 to equal 1 of his. And they're never less than $1 per bulb, often more, even at Costco. I order from Bill because I get a premium bulb, but I don't consider his prices to be "premium." Buy your caladiums where you want... I'm going to continue to order from Bill, at least every other year!
Gita, I wonder how easy it will be for you to see wether the bulbs you dig up are larger or smaller than they were when planted?
If they are smaller, then they probably needed more food (10 10 10 ?) during the season to re bulk up. The larger the bulb, the larger the plant, no?
Critter, do you feed yours?
I have this in my notes but no link to source:
" Some time between now and the first frost, you need to lift the caladiums, cut off the old foliage and shake off as much of the dirt as possible Let them air dry for a few days -- in a shady location -- garage, storage shed, etc. Then shake off excess soil, and store in a cardboard box, onion sack, etc -- not plastic. It is usually best to keep the bulbs in a dry medium, such as perlite, potting soil or even shipping peanuts. Store in a cool dry place until next spring. The key is to keep the bulbs in a dormant state where they are not too hot, but protected from freezing. If you have not fertilized your bulbs lately, you may want to give them a quick shot of 10-10-10 or similar complete fertilizer to help replenish the bulb before you lift them later in the fall. If they have been growing all season without added fertilizer, they may be smaller bulbs that you are lifting for storage."
This message was edited Oct 18, 2013 12:26 AM
I give mine some time release fertilizer at planting... they probably wouldn't mind some top dressing with fertilizer later in the season. I think our relatively short growing season is a factor... I don't start my caladiums especially early, and by this time I'm letting them go dormant, so they don't have enough time to bulk up after putting out all those big leaves early in the season, maybe?
I might try growing the in the ground their second year -- better water & better nutrients, mabye they'll respond like amaryllis bulbs.
I planted my 3 amaryllis bulbs. My daughter saw them on the table and said, "Mom, why did you plant these big onions?" LOL!
A question about planting the amaryllis bulbs: I've looked at several sites and they give conflicting advice about how deeply they should be planted. One site says leave half the bulb uncovered, another site says cover 2/3 of it, another says leave only the top inch or so showing. What have you all found works best for planting depth?
Gita, you should definitely do what's right for you!!
Gita,
I am probably repeating myself but last year I treated my caladiums exactly as my EEs. I waited till the first touch of frost, then dug the tubers up (as they were in the ground), shook off soil, let them dry. Stored in my slightly cool basement without spraying with water or any attention whatsoever. Most of my EEs did fine with this treatment. None of the caladiums returned.
This year I dug the caladium clump, didn't shake the soil off of it, didn't cut the foliage off. Just plopped the clump in an empty pot. I'm waiting for the clump to dry out and for the foliage to die and then I will shake the soil off and store it in my basement till Spring. Actually I am not even sure I'll shake the soil off. I'm thinking that I might just leave it as it is till Spring and then plop the whole clump back in the ground?
On a slightly related topic, I'm considering leaving some of my EEs in the ground to see if they will overwinter. Anyone have any success with that? They are marginally hardy here, according to the temperature map anyway. Just the plain ol' green EEs, not my specials! I have a smallish unidentified EE that has put out runners. I'm told that the runnering ones should not be made to go dormant, but the tuberous ones are okay to do this. Any thoughts, Coleup? Also, my 'Diamond Head' has put out some babies, should I wait till Spring to divide it or is it okay to do that now? I actually don't know if it's tuberous or proliferates by runners that are very close to the main plant as I haven't dug it up yet. I should probably go to the Aroid Forum to ask this.
Karen, can you tell me what EE stands for?
Ah sorry, Cat! Elephant Ears. :)
No experience with caladiums or EEs to weigh in on the conversation.
But, I do have a question for Gita:
The brazilian plume flower that you gave me a few years ago has gotten pretty big, but also got really leggy this year. I want to take cuttings from the tops of the leggy stalks. About how many inches should the cuttings be and what do I do with them? Stick them in water to root, put directly in a pot with soil - and what kind of soil mixture? Also, will the original plant regrow if I cut all the leggy stems down to just a few inches above the soil? The distance between bare stalks coming out of the soil to where the first leaves start is about 14" and then about 5 inches of leaves at the top.
thanks, Typ!
Typ, I'm also leaving some of my EEs in the ground to overwinter, and bringing some indoors as a backup.
Holly, I tried the brown bag trick for my caladiums last year but they didn't survive. I kept them in a cold basement, though. Maybe I should have kept them out in a warmer spot?
Question for experienced amaryllis growers: how deeply should I plant the bulb? I'm getting conflicting info from various websites, and I want to make sure I do right by them!
I have put all 3 of my amaryllis bulbs in one large pot.
I'm off plant shopping and enablement! Will log in later with thoughts on overwintering ee's and others.
Quickly, Don't forget that EEs caladiums, etc grow in warm soils, not just air temps so any left in ground that don't freeze or rot from poor drainage will take their sweet time coming back! and then have a short season before they go dormant again.
Later
Teri--
I have had my "Plume" since 2006. The first record I have of it blooming is 2007.
Throughout those years--It has been cut back several times so i can grow
new ones to share.
One late summer--wind blew it over and it fell off of the table (outside) and
broke of every stem on it. It was late in fall. This was, maybe, 4-5 yrs. ago.
I didn't know what to do with all the stems. so I trimmed them back a bit
and stuck them all back in the pot all around the edges.
By next spring--they had all rooted! This was my "AHA!!!" moment.
Last fall--before bringing it in--I cut it back back all the stems--except one.
I cut them back pretty low.
The "one" was a new shoot that had grown straight up out of the center
of the plant. I decided to just leave that be.
The Braz. Plume re-grew royally! And so, I had plenty rooted cuttings
to share at the spring swap.
I attach a picture I just took to show you what it looks like again.
I may, very well, cut it back again before bringing it in (asap)--not so much to have more
cuttings but because it is now so big.
SO--Teri--my advice is to go ahead and cut back all the stems to any point you like.
I would not just cut back the tips. Go low--and it will bush out for you next year.
Trim your cuttings to about 4" or so and stick them in a small pot in fresh
MIX (not soil). They root very well. No hormone is needed.
I DO NOT root anything in water!!!. Everything goes directly in Pro Mix.
Water-rooting is conductive to slime and mold developing. Death of the cutting!!
I bet all the in-between stems you will be cutting out would also root. Look for the nodes!
Next year--you may have enough new plants to plant them out in a bed somewhere..
Wouldn't that look pretty?
Here is the picture I just took. It has re-grown into a large plant, once again,
and is blooming. The pot iti is in is a 12" pot.
I bet you, in its native land, it is a shrub! Gita
Cat--
I remember from days past, that an Amaryllis bulb should be left
1/3 above ground. Give or take.
Again--I have had this big pot, with the same bulbs in it, for about 10 years.
It started out with 5 bulbs. Several of them have put out pups and now there
are more bulbs in this huge pot.
I went out to take a picture for you of how the bulbs have been planted.
Ignore all the dying back foliage. It is normal this time of year.
Also--after it's dormancy--cut the necks of the bulbs back close to the bulb.
Just take a sharp knife and cut level.
NEVER allow water to run into the tops of the necks!
Here's mine--still outside. G.
edited for misunderstanding something
CATMINT- I just reread - your three in one large pot sound s great. That will be a nice show.
This message was edited Oct 18, 2013 6:35 PM
Not sure if I can c/p a link from my e-mail to DG.
It came from "Planet natural" and had good information on
Antibiotics in your Compost--from all the animals that are raised
for consumption --and loaded with Antibiotics for al kinds of reasons.
Then their manures are composted and people use it in their gardens.
It said that people that use these manures and then eat the veggies from
their garden are more susceptible to MERSA infections.
OK! Here is the link--if it works. If not--I can try to c/p the text.
G.
OK! The link just takes you to my Xfinity page. I will delete the link.
Also--c/p did not work. Oh, well!
This message was edited Oct 18, 2013 6:23 PM
Gita, thanks so much for the amaryllis bulb advice--and especially the photo!! That is very helpful.
Thanks, Sally! I am amazed at the idea that these onion-like objects only half-planted in soil will bloom into beautiful flowers!! :-)
Amaryllis! Yes, about 1/3 above ground is good. You can cover that remaining part with spanish moss or gravel if you're inclined... I've taken to using pea gravel or river rocks, because that helps weigh down the bulb/pot and reduce the chance of the plant rotating right out of the pot if it grows blooms before getting good roots.
DG article: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/364/
This is since July - just got peonies, some more perennials, Clem's & bulbs - tomorrow, time to work!
Critter, thanks so much for the link to your article! I was wondering about this sentence: "Any good, well draining soilless mix will work for an amaryllis." I'm confused--does this mean I should have used some kind of special potting mix that doesn't have soil?? I had put them in a regular kind of potting mix mixed with leafgro. :-( Since I'm going to Coleup's nursery this afternoon, maybe I can get whatever it is they need and hope I didn't damage them??
Sorry, it's just one of those overly-precise terms that can be confusing. Your potting mix with a little leafgro should be great!
Most things labeled "potting mix" don't actually have "dirt" in them; they're a mix of peat moss, vermiculite or perlite, etc. I've found if I say "potting soil," some folks will get the cheaper "Miracle Gro Garden Soil," which compacts too much for container use.
I can't believe I'm missing out on that expedition, but I am soooo lucky to have plant fairies shopping (and delivering!) for me today.
okay, thanks, Critter! :-)
You're welcome! There's a link near the end of the article to another article on growing amaryllises on for the next year, too.
Looking GOOD, Bec!!!!
I yardened my butt off today! AND yesterday----I am tired and my feet hurt
from running up and down the steps--no matter which door I come in or go out of.
"unloaded" a bunch of plants to Connie (from HD) who just moved
in her FIRST house ever. She is NOT a gardener--and has never even
put a trowel in her soil. I know this b/c I asked her what the soil is like...???
She had NO clue! It is an older, small house near water--and very close to where
my daughter lives. That means--her soil will, probably, be as clay-ee as Aina's.
BUT--IF all her stuff grows like Aina's--she will have nothing to complain about.
Well--I wrote up some directions re every plant I gave her. I will see her at work.
She is the one who recently stayed here with her VERY pregnant daughter.
Then I lugged in all the remaining plants (did a bunch yesterday) and now all that
is left outside are all the Holiday cactus. No hurry on them--they like a cold snap.
Most of them all have buds! YEAH!!!! NOT the really small ones!
But--I get to see what all the CC's look like that JB sent me last year.
Work in Garden tomorrow---NOT a full day! Bummer! The hour cutting is horrendous!
"THE $$$$ SEASON IS COMING SOON! Hope there will be more hours...
Believe it or not--ALL our X-mas stuff is already out. They were hauling Wednesday!
And--it is STILL October!!! Halloween has not yet passed! All that deco is still out!
Insane! Crazy! The BIG money grab.......G.
Becky, your new beds are amazing!! You're going to start a gardening movement in your neighborhood...
Whoa Becky, you went from totally empty to beautiful blooms in half a season!
Catmint, one trick I've learned here is to add extra Perlite to regular potting mix if a plant likes well draining soil, and to add Leafgro or compost if it likes extra moisture. I made the mistake of not adding enough Leafgro to one of my elephant ear pots, and it was noticeably thirstier.
It took me 90 minutes to plant two heuchera and one small weigela today. My soil has gotten better, but it still takes forever to dig up the rocky sublayer.