Only interested

All our protective snow is gone from a one day rain and warm up. Now we're in a deep freeze with no protection for the plants. Anyone ever use "Wilt Pruf" successfully. I'm wondering if it's too late now.

I agree I am not use to it being so cold .. Snow is something planned for , it is winter , right ?

Have not used Wilt Pruf since the 1970's , I can't remember anything about it ,,,

Blomma ; Us having Tea at our garden table will have to wait ,, until spring ?

Plants and seeds that are planted are use to this also , no problem ...
I still want to be done with wintersow and for spring to return ...lol

This message was edited Jan 7, 2014 10:42 AM

If I remember correctly, the Wilt Pruf directions (at one time) indicated two applications - one in early winter and then another later on (like maybe January?). As long as the bottle of stuff doesn't freeze while you're trying to spray.

I guess I'll try to put it down now, even though I missed the first application.

Thanks, Cindy.

I guess some would be better than none, especially with the cold we're experiencing. I haven't used Wilt Pruf for several years (shame on me). But I can tell how cold it is by how much my rhodie leaves curl up and they've been pretty tightly curled the last few days.

Cindy -- I too noticed that about the leaves. they are very tightly curled.

Hoping to get that big bag of MG today so hopefully I can get some WSing done... my 'window' is closing.... my time management this month has not been very good. I leave 10 days from today, and I probably have 6 days committed for something.

Have a bunch of Penstemons I want to get done.

Terese, isn't that the norm for when we want to WS or planting that there are always so many things to do and so little time.

I'm just glad this latest cold is gone and hopefully doesn't return, this latest cold had me down with a sinus infection that activated my Asthma back up again. But I headed to the Dr in order to get the Asthma in check, the last episode in October had me down for 6 weeks... My asthma is directly linked to my sinus polyp disease, so when the temps drop really fast it sets off the infection which then get the asthma going.... such a cycle...

Oh I'm on the mends and enjoying a return of our warmer weather, just wish all yall up north could have some as well.

Jan

looks like we will be above freezing again until early Tuesday morning... YAY, more melt off. then it gets cold again.

But I'm going to do my best to get things sown today. I only have 14 seeds, so that's not too bad, and all my containers are prepped.

Do you mean that you planted these pictured small plastic bottles in fall? It looks like a great idea. Is it too late to do anything like this now? I was going to do vinegar bottles in December, but my "time management has been difficult all year, and I keep not getting all my stuff done due to family issues. I still will do some vinegar bottles because it's what I know how to do =past 2 years [ I'm new at this] But I'd like to try this WS in place, because I don't have large swaths of bed to put clumps of stuff into.

martyR ; Some plants it is still too early others to late . I know poppies and a few plants , are most often Wintersown in Feb -March.
My annual poppies and Nigelia , unless there planted really early (wintersown ) I have trouble getting those to grow .. Natural stratification ,, takes practice , not that it is difficult , has more to do with zone what you can manipulate ,where you are , all that ..

martyR.....Instead of using bottles, use plastic shoe boxes (cheap from Wal-Mart) filled with moist potting soil. Comes with cover. Much easier to remove the seedlings. Punch (melt) holes for drainage with a hot nail. Soil will remain moist all winter when covered and placed in bin to protect agains animals. Or place in unheated shed or garage.

1] Seed of perennials winter 2010 North side of my house. (before I got addicted to doing iris seeds) holds several individual seedling flats.
2] Arabis & Aubrieta in container that was placed in bin above.
3] Aubrieta planted in 6-pack after sprouting.

WS should be done when there is still winter and temperature flunctuates. That is what is called stratification (moist with cold). Seeds will sprout when the temperature is right for the seeds you planted. It is natures way to assure survival of seedlings.

blomma; I'm agreeing with you and that ,if your planting a multitudes,
I am not doing more than a few dozen usually ,
All to ones own idea of what works best and is easiest ..

If I don't have to transplant , from container to garden and I know what I am planting will grow
I go the easiest way I can , lol lazy gardening ,, or quick ... that kind of thing with me .

Crosspost ; reply yes , Most seeds 60 to 90 days of stratification , the others that can take 6 months or more , are difficult ,
Feb - March gives that 60 -90 days of stratification here ..

This message was edited Jan 12, 2014 4:38 PM

Thank you both so much. I will try some both ways I think. If I am reading you both right I can plant multiples and a variety of small plantings,in covered containers; these will need to be transplanted. It sounds like if I want to winter sow in place I need to start earlier or hope for enough thaw to be able to dig the seeds in during February, then cover them with a small plastic bottle/hat. One question juhur7 when do you take off the bottle caps?

I think I will save the vinegar bottles by and large for my cool weather vegetables, to get an early start and be able to keep them until it's Ok to transplant as the last 2 years have been unpredictable for early spring weather - too warm one year and too wet the next. I have a cold frame that I have spinach and kale seedlings in right now - it is dormant waiting for longer days of sun to start growing again. I did this quite successfully last winter. Last year we went crazy trying to cover and uncover it, but luckily I learned that it's OK not to do that and this year we have luckily had snow on the bright sunny days.

With cold weather plants , like Papaver (poppies) I will take the caps off anytime it is above or about freezing ( last time a few years ago I remember taking the caps off of those at about 28 degrees , I have had a few in past years that pushed the cover off , just like the cover was natural ground cover or wild grass mulch,at about 20 degrees , Tough strong plant when their well
Warmer loving plants , I will leave them on for a while , just so they don't cook ..
Sometimes herbs and wild plants will push the entire cover off , if the leaves are not burned doing that , I lift the covers and let them grow ,,

I fail a lot at gardening , but have interesting to great success from time to time also ..
Once your use to growing a plant and a few seeds , it gets a lot easier ..
Kind of the; "know your plant" ,, Takes me a while sometimes to do that ..


This message was edited Jan 12, 2014 8:15 PM

You are right, Ju. It is a matter of trial and error. Once you get the idea of the best way for a certain seed, that will be the success. Sometimes the weather does not cooperate, but that is beyond our control.

Juhur 7, and Blomma , and all: I have acquired a small plastic bottle - we don't normally buy them; and am interested in trying the small cloche. I went out to check the cold frame yesterday, as it got warmer. Everything looks good and also checked some spots in a bed that I lost plantings last year. It has a good leaf mulch layer and was still not frozen - able to sink stick in an inch or two. I would like to try a few seeds. Two questions:

1. Do you cut off the bottoms of the bottles?

2. These are the perennial seeds that I know I will winter sow one way or the other - which would be the best candidate to use?

- Poppy/ Pizzacato Mix -
- columbine/ Origami mix -
- holly hock/ Mystic Merlin -
- delphinium/ Magic fountains -[The delphinium was one I lost last year, and would be my choice]
- Echinachia/ White Swan

delphinium I lost mine last year also . They don't like cold here or bugs , either is my difficulty (i'm learning )
Columbine I don't know , ( seeds) i did not get to them last year )
Hollyhocks from seed , do not usually appear until late June Or early July.
White Swan I have and have grown from seed , commercial seed , you grow them like annual . blooms first year from seeds also ,, unusual for Echinachea
Poppies on a warm winter will sprout in February here ,Going to be later this year . I do not do well with them so far . but Rheos and somniferum will grow early (sprout)
Those above and I will do another pic here) are the bottle with the top cut ,at the bottom of the label paper on the bottle #3 pic , outside covers , I set the seeds in the earth outside and cover with the top of the bottle , as said before .
If you want to do one like a little greenhouse pot , you can leave or cut the bottom of the bottle off , If I use those (the bottom of the bottles ) rarely will I use the bottom because I am trying to transplant less ..

First pic empty cubes (or plugs)
second pic , cubes filled with earth .
third pic bottles over cubes with seeds planted in plugs , Imagine number three sitting on the earth and covered mostly with mulch , instead of sitting on the tray ....
I'm planting them , no cold frame , no transplanting , just taking my chances , because the more I "play" with a plant , The more of them I lose ...
particularly seedlings ..

I'm pic happy
THE water bottle Step 1,2,3, My waste container collection ..
With any plant , that attains a large seedling size , I do not like using these ,for seedlings to transplant because the seedlings have Root Room trouble .
cubes above are better ,, These are great seed sprouters though ..

martyR ~ I sowed HH in August, and they grew quickly. I have transplanted half of them into their spaces in the perennial bed. The other half are still growing in the bed. When I sowed them I put them in a (prepared bed) "Square Foot Garden" with a closely woven flat over them until they germinated, which was fairly quickly...same with foxglove.

The pansies were a lot slower. I just spaced them apart today.

I cannot tell you about the others that you mentioned.

Finally got some winter sowing started: I missed my earlier opportunity - [see above Jan 15 post] to put some in place, when we had a few warm days. So decided to go with what I know - jugs. But I did use the idea juhur7 describes above and cut some TP tubes. I found I could fit 8 into the vinegar bottles I use. Today I planted #1 jug of violas, and #2 jug with pansies, then used the paper tubes in #3 with calendula, and #4 is tubes various amounts of fill-ins for beds - Columbine, Delphinium, Coneflower, and Balloon Flower, I labeled them with a number which I used a small plastic marker and paint to label, and then I have a list in my journal. Last year it was hard to figure out what was what ! LOL.

Still hope to process more, but it's a start

Looks ahead of me , A jug of leeks .. all I got done day before yesterday . There are two jugs now , old way because , when they sprout , their going to be. eaten , not planted or transplanted

Ain't digging all this snow fun (I suppose the pun is it is really Snow Fun At All !!!^_^

Heehee giggle!

My Incarnata , seeds are sprouting , in the can and baggie ,,,, Winter finally let me look today .
Still planting poppies , I want a whole field of them ,, lol The most I can have is a yard though..