Plant Propagation - the Basics, February 2017

My plecos always turned cannibal, goldfish are rough to keep clean water with. I like chiclets. Don't have any. Cichlids, But chiclets I remember faster, chuckl.

64 degrees here , was outside doing a container of bunching onions , saw a beet sprout ,
Peas and a few are handy so out they will go .

actually a plecostomus won't live with goldfish, they give off too much ammonia and it would kill the pleco. They can live in a texas pond with goldfish, but the ratio of fish to water is a lot better. you could try some live plants in the filter of the goldfish tank, the house plant pothos does very well rooted in aquarium filters

I have seen those wild also Have kept a few , difficult keeper ,,
1 red beet outside
2 Malva sylvestris and two mums
Nice outside today , Peas and more mustard

Today was tree trimming and grafting Made some more mulch with the bean grinder
These are my efforts , past three years I have failed , maybe this time ,?
These are wrap tied with rubber bands or elastic , Wired down and sprayed with sealer . One of the grafts I got just right so I am hopeful ,
Giant red plum the tree , the Grafts are yellow , purple 2 types , plums

East flowerbed is done, grass dug out, peonies fed, Stock's pollinating mix wildflower seed in, and some echinacea. Porch bed on the east side of the steps is done. Grass dug out. Dead Gaura dug out, peach iris lifted, and ancient butterfly weed seeds the like of which I can't find planted between the spirea and the Texas Sage. Fertilizer in, especially on the huge dianthus that hasn't bloomed in a year, just some phosphate for it. Lifted some native plants for NPSOT plant sale too. One sage variety got to be a nuisance, I lifted all of those. Going to try to germinate those rare butterfly weed seeds in the house with paper towel and baggies too.

Main Garden: Lifted underlayment and mulch, dug out bermuda underneath so I could plant crimson clover at the top of the garden. There is a bit of a swale to help hold moisture up there.

Veggie garden has 2 spinach plants and about a foot of tiny swiss chard seedlings. I thought I saw a broccoli start in January but that was before the great freeze. It croaked. I put in 2 rows of "Candy" Sweet Corn, some Jacob's Cattle Beans and some yellow squash in last year's pepper pots. My tomatoes are still in the greenhouse, they take longer to get any size. Have 4 pots of broccoli seeded back in January that are up.
I don't think we are going to have another freeze and if we do I have enough hay to protect stuff, besides which that sweet corn seed has been sitting in the refrigerator since when, oh maybe 2010. Kept cold seed keeps well but seriously, Texas weather misbehaves.

Wrap them, Ju, even if its a towel and saran wrap. Easter April 16, means late freak freeze

I have seen them wrapped all the way up the scion , Most are like these wrap and tape under the sealer tar ,.

Interesting comment Kitt about late Easter. I have never heard that prediction before. Growing up with my Dad I thought I had heard them all. He was big on that sort of thing. So right away I picked up the phone and called my Mom to see if she had ever heard Dad make any reference to that and she hadn't. Maybe it doesn't apply to us up here in the Arctic! Late frosts here are common. But I will be on the lookout for freaky. Thanks for sharing that
Keith

Boy, you guys have been busy! Good stuff being done this time of year. It's been beautiful the last few days and the only thing I could do in the garden is revamp the brick edging. Of course I've been out there doing that. I found digging up turf is easier to do now than any other time, I guess the conditions are perfect.

I'll be looking for that Easter freak freeze, even though it's probably a normal occurrence here in Michigan.

Don't get a Pleco Keith, the expert has spoken (in case you missed it). Thanks for adding that Gypsi!

Keith, where we run mild winters, trees are in bloom because Feb is too early yet for fruit, so the seesaw temps kill the fruit. You just stay colder longer and get enough for summer glory. Our Spring apparently is back to a month early, so, any hard cold spells can drop south and do damage. March 20?22? is Spring and everything will be mowing high, and here comes the Vernal Equinox, Easter and that late Spring cold snap. RARELY does it not happen.
Our zone 8 has Gulf winds in Houston that DON'T make it to Dallas, I believe because of geologic altitude changes. Natural barrier.
My ancestors crossing has not been so recent, tho my German great grandfather was most recent. We have probs chasing moms family back to then...Riggs were in Ky at least as far back as my great greats. Along the river in a town named Lloyd now, and Greenup where a family estate was sold when mom was still alive...'95 because my Great Aunt Lake (Erie) Belford had passed.
Time to get ppwk tended. Later guys

Ain't much on proof of everything , but I am related distantly to about everybody .
Famous ,, Robert Rogers founder of the boy scouts , rangers ,,
A couple steel implement makers ,
Most distant , Mayflower , Most recent Ma's Grandfather , Prussia - Austro-Hungary ,
I'm a Heinz hound dog , lol

Not looking forward to the freeze snap , dead fruit equals either ,
My with it was on vacation today , in the Morning taking a relative to get operated on , 5 am , oh ,, my ,,,, sunrise ,,,

Belonged on Back Porch. Ooops

This message was edited Feb 20, 2017 10:33 PM

This message was edited Feb 21, 2017 7:25 PM

Talking about freaky weather ,we had snow on one Easter Sunday in the 1980's when the girls were wearing their Bonnets and Spring dresses.So do not think the weather will stay as nice as it is, We were 60 degrees today.The tulips, daffodils and crocuses are peeking up and there are buds on the branches of the Rose Bushes.

Daffydowndillies, love them

Easter freezes ,, what a thing , not much today , early done and warming still .. I meant above to say only Famous , was that one ,
You know , I'm still an Easter Bunny fan ,, hmmmm,, ? Yep Rabbits that lay eggs , and Chickens that Fly .. oh well ,,

some odds and ends , mostly beets sprouting now
#5 is a possible pom pom poppy sprout

My redone mulching giz , Metal liner inside so the can won't tear if it is strong enough
a little taller and heavier , (not as vibration ,
Legs pvc instead of paper ,
4 inch auger blade , riding on flange plate bearing ,
Two openings for leaf and debris and a pipe for stem and stick and limb regulation ,
some coating and touch up work to do , then back to mulching

More plants today
1 Oriental poppy
2 Daffodils
3Tulips
4&5 Crocus

That is some mulcher. Good looking flowers too

First mulcher I made of almost all paper This one is a little more solid and runs smoother I was hoping to get to test it but it is going to turn cold now with high wind and Tstorms ,today , 66 and sunny now but a high of only 25 to 30 is predicted for tomorrow That will feel really uncomfortable after this week of 65 degree weather
I will check back on the plants and see what that all does to them ,

A little early for all this anyway ..

It's 65 degrees today and I decided to sow some Annual Periwinkle seeds.A few years ago they reseeded in my sunny garden bed so I thought I will try some in a container.The Squirrels will be upset because I made a good screen for them with the Onion Bags that I saved and Wire to tie it around the container.lol

cytf it seems a good idea to thwart squirrels , or possibly birds , a few others ,

Cold and snow covered here ,
Watered a few indoor seedlings , about all here

Checked my Wintersowing today and my Mixed Hollyhocks are sprouting . I saw my Lupines in the garden beds are sprouting up ,hoping they will bloom this year.

These are a few here

1 The smaller near the side a sky blue aster
2 "Pearl" Yarrow
3 Cinnarifolium
4 Cuban Oregano
Red Amaryllis

I am amazed that Cuban Oregano overwinter for you . I thought it was a tropical plant because I always keep it as a houseplant and bring it outdoors in Summer.

cytf Sorry for the confusion , these above are indoors . it's 27 degrees and snowy outside ,

Cold day I'm gizmo playing this evening ..
this 1 from this 2
3 steel coated the can ,
Might be warm enough in a few days for mulching

For me oregano overwinters if the drought and flood levels maintain less exuberant heights...that plant is really healthy, Ju. So much in bloom down here- Paragould, Ar before I spotted a lone redbud, a pink blooming no leaf magnolia or 10, yellow daffs, pyracantha, flowering quince, thousands of, shudder- Bradford pears, dogwoods, whatever that yellow version of pyracantha as well, willows leafing out...robins moving north are there in Cape Girardeau,Mo. Temps stillin mid 50's and sunshine with breezes stout enough to windburn faces...

My perennial rye grass seed sprouted and is an inch tall, interspersed with Bermuda plugs, the bare patch in my back yard was up to about 15 ft by 20 ft, hard as concrete dry, slick when wet. Hoping to correct it. Spreading pond mulch thinly over it to fertilize and hold moisture. Got the plugs from my flower bed

Outside today
1 A #16 in the file Well it looks familiar
2 Pom Pom poppy one of 3 survivors others gone after last night 24 degrees
3 Evergreen bunching onion
4 a few of many drama queen poppy
5 one of two marked as Purple Milkweed

Magnolia, Tx! @ the casa...red lion amaryllis1)-2)seeds from the asparagus plant last fall in Rochelle, Ill have sprouted! 3)volunteer fern leaf dill,4) hard to see for the sun, bronze leaf mustard, large onion chives and a few green onions in the weeds and fireants 5) our wild dogwood. Jumping for joy that my Rosemary's werent everything that was lost!

so did the rosemary die?

Nice Kitt. Love the dogwood
Well, we're just about ready to gear up for the 2017 garden. With Wendy's help I got some much needed repairs to the greenhouse heating system accomplished on the weekend. The stove itself needed some patching as it is starting to rust out and all of the stove piping needed to be replaced. I have to do my first seeding in the basement at the end of this week; Ailsa Craig Spanish Onions, 3 kinds of peppers and an upright red lobelia that would be perennial in your parts of the world but going to try to grow it in mixed pots as an annual here. My over wintered succulents and Coleus cutting stock are taking up ALL the space I am allowed in the basement leaving no room for seeding. So I am going to have to improvise a bit. The succulents on the top shelf of the 3 tier light stand below are going to have to take up residence in the living room window upstairs for just over a week. Then I will fire up the greenhouse on March 11 which is about 2 weeks earlier than last year. This is so that I can get the plants that take up temporary residence in the living room out before we have all 4 of our grandchildren for spring break week. Plants in the living room would not survive with all 4 kids in the house. They are all very good separately but put the 4 of them together and its chaos.
First 2 pictures are for Ju showing patch job on the wood stove. Large patch on back is recycling a pizza pan Wendy was no longer using. 2 small patches on the first picture are using fender washers, machine screws and stove cement.
Last 3 pictures are my over wintered stock. The coleus look way better this year than usual. My sisters always look way better than mine in the spring so I asked her what she fertilized them with and she said "nothing" so I tried it and they look way better. They really don't need to be beautiful, they just need to have lots of healthy tips for making cuttings and they are fine for that.

Keith , that is some nice , clean looking , crafting repair , Nice looking color and keeper plants also ..

Katt .. Best self care plants , Green and blooms ,, Best things in life are green things and blooms !!

Have not checked up on mine today ,

Hi Keith love your Coleuses ,I had 8 different colors but I am down to 4 because I waited to long to make cuttings from my outside plants . Will have to purchase new ones this year. I have 3 colors of the Yam vines so I will incorporate them in my containers . I admire you putting the greenhouse together , it seems like a lot of work. We gardeners have joy in getting ready for our gardening time. Lots of luck

Thanks Ju and cytf. I also set my trapline yesterday in an attempt to cut back the mouse population before start up. Going out to check on that shortly

actual mice. wow. all I have are big rats and prairie voles, don't know why. hmm beautiful coleus, beautiful seedlings Ju, beautiful sprouting going on Kitt. I have a camera full and no time to upload. Peonies are about 3 inches tall here, daffodils and summer snowflakes blooming, redbud in full glorious bloom, dianthus and dandelions taking off too. The bees are also working pear and peach trees. Hope we don't get a snap freeze. my snapdragon seedlings are up and I am watering the seeded areas and grass sprouts, none of that promised rain touched down here

I believe image one is the mystery plant that I think I cast wildflower seed for, but can't determine what it is. could be a domesticated flower or an herb. I think image 2 is spinach but I am not sure, the way DG loads photos I would have 2 open 2 image windows, oen to look at the picture and one to select the thumbnail. once i have uploaded I can't delete it either. Image 3, looks like crimson clover seedlings. 4, redbud, 5 pear blossoms.

actually image 2 is a photo of my curb with one iris plant taken accidentally when walking my daughter to her van yesterday I guess. It's so much fun being unable to see what I am uploading

That's hilarious Gypsi. I was straining my eyes looking for spinach and all I could see was a couple of iris looking leaves. Is there any chance that the possible herb in #1 is cilantro? Sure wish redbud grew here. Also love the pear blossoms and the naturally grey fence behind them.