Plant propagation - the Basics July 2017

Well, the "F" word hit Oxdrift early this morning. This used to be the norm ,but for the last few years we have been safe til late Sept. I have been out giving CPR with a watering can and the hose but don't know yet how successful I have been. I went back out about a half hour after the first watering and things were still icing up so I am not optimistic. The bad part is that I haven't taken any cuttings yet to keep over winter. Must of the succulents can handle a few light frosts but the coleus are very fragile. I am still hopeful that I have enough plants scattered around that I will have a few sprigs of most coleus that were protected enough that I can still salvage a few cuttings

Keith , that sure is early , I was surprised at the 51 degrees this morning , that is 20 degrees above frost here Hope your plants recover ,

Good luck Keith, and that is VERY early. It isn't September yet.

Granted it is only 88 here today and that is also September weather.

Well the fight isnt over yet. The cold water spraying was relatively successful.. I had to remove a lot of black leaves from the sweet potatoes and most of the coleus won't be very photogenic for the rest of the season. There are a few black leaves on the squash but rest of the vegetable garden is fine. I was fearful of a second round last night but it bottomed out at 3C this morning. So it was a wakeup call and I took my coleus cuttings yesterday and was able to get my 2 cuttings of each variety to kick start next years garden. No succulents were damaged and with those I have to destroy the plant to take the cuttings so will try to hold off for a while yet

well good luck. I have the bedsheet and blanket system around here if first frost comes too early

looks great Ju!

First snows in Wyo by 3rd week of Aug is my norm for weather, so to me for once, the storms are on schedule. 1&2) Crepe Myrtle weather. Hot n humid.3&4) Burgandy Lorapetulum, Vanilla grass, 5) Dwarf yellow canna on a wet weather creek, tradescantia in the background.

1&2)Cardinal flower abt to bloom- under a native dogwood (dry creekbed feature that needs weeded) and the salvia greggia, Mexican heather, and gold lantana across from the cardinal flower. 3&4)

Ooops, wrong button. 1) Red Turks cap, wasnt planted, think it has naturalized 2&3) Coral Vines, 4) Onion chives grown too long with bits of other stuff in that bed. 5) Zinnia and marigold, snapdragon. Lookin pitiful now.

Kitt That all looks blooming and warm

Debra I planted a purple coneflower and Lamb's ear this morning ,

Light drizzle goin on outside. 80* 83%humidity is warm, but comfy and Debs MG' s are doing their best to grow. Here are the best 5 sprouts. Uh, best 5 pix of 12 sprouts surviving. Tv watchin rains blow in south of me. Ju, those blooms are where I have been watering more delicate plants, those bushes pop blooms over their outer roots, chuckl. If I am not watering, I am killing fire ant popups in those areas. Time to rest now. The storms wont get to us as bad until that Harvey turns toward Houston- unless it just blows into Laredo...☆

Hi Kitt. Enjoying your pics but at the same time I'm taking a geography lesson on the map of Texas and seeing that you are uncomfortably close to Houston. Are you going to be home through all this or are you heading north on the hiway. My frost issues suddenly appear really petty! Stay safe
Keith

Today , 1 A purple coneflower last years wintersow , it had two blooms

2 A lamb's ear . with maybe erigeron beside it , did not want to seperate to much chance of root damage
3 tithonia and red amaranth , next year I will try more with some high , low depth for contrast
4 Red Admiral on pear leaf , 5 fuzzy pic of golden Asian Pear I agree with Red Admiral their good , except the Admiral likes his spoiled .

Some zinnia I have seen four Hummingbirds today . two at these
An Aster blooming on Still looks like a Smooth Blue , don't know what caused it to bloom so early , since July
Bee in Thistle

Sittin tite, Keith. Sunday I expect to be watchin rain amounts closer, good breeze out, a few light drizzles, relief from the 90's helping me immensely. One of our neighbors just got his dirt moat built...we'll see if it lasts against a creek in flood. Chuckl, I am glad I am not down in Galveston on the seawall tho.

Wow, that is quite the most!! Is that a common thing to do there or do you just have a rather strange neighbour? Can't see that working very well

Please stay safe everyone! I am so worried about all the people down south. *sigh* I think Winter will come early , I have been sleeping like a Bear in Hibernation. Love seeing everyone's gardens, tho, so hope we get some more warm weather for a few more weeks. This Gaura ( a Kansas native version) has grown in with the goji berry and they are both going crazy, covered with bees and critters, as tall as the rooftops.
3rd pic is my green wall from outside looking in. last 2 are out back in the corner ..

That man lives on a creek and builders placed his home too low. Anytime that creek goes out, his home floods- apparently 8-10' during that 500 yr flood last year. He was on the news tonite, his neighbors got together and slapped it together for him. I see the place on the small roads we take to go south into Tomball, Tx. for shopping. I am staying fairly dry, chuckl, but guilty of getting wet while filling my little rainwater jugs for flowers. Warm here tho- 73* for a low temp at night isnt close to F♧♧♧♧.

Glad everyone is ok. Great photos. Have grandkids this weekend, won't be online much

Have fun with the Grands. I wish I had some. Meanwhile, that guy's moat reminds me of a drawing I did of a castle with four towers and a moat around it and that is the home I always told the kids we would end up in.. why the moat they asked? I told them we could control who comes in and out.. INMHO- that guy is not using the right stuff to build a moat or retaining wall, but oh well, it is not my place.. LOL Looks gray and overcast, hoping for rain that no one else wants.

I was saying the rock for fast water impact and so on ,, Even if it splashes over the first few blocks it slows it way down , What will likely happen there , the hill stacked will probably collapse into the ditch , moat ,even if it covered , They may be thinking water will naturally set there , but even if it does , What happens when the moat fills and the water keeps coming , Back to where they started , not good ,
I would get myself some blocks and start earth filling and stacking , no more expensive than sand bags ,

Asters
Sky Blue
Smooth Blue
Lemon Boy Tomato

Boy that is one fluorescent yellow tomato Ju. Almost blinding. LOL

Keith Light from kitchen reflecting off of it However it is a perfect block tomato , not one blemish on it anywhere , I don't get many that way ,
I just did some lemon pear tomato seeds , fermenting washing , now their drying

Man, it has been a long time since I ate a yellow pear tomato. My Great Aunt Effie always grew them. Ton's of seeds of this pink Cinderella milkweed, if anyone wants any..This guy was just under an inch when I first found him, so I made a MEME out of him.. ( for my girls)wondering what kind of tree or plant this is, I have three growing..

The Musa banana tree? Or what May I help you is perched on?

Debra That last photo if it looks like a senna plant it could be a locust tree There are a couple others it could be . Cute praying Mantis , lol
None of my milkweeds grew seed pods this year crop failure ,

Looks colorful and wonderful it is raining here drizzle like for hours

Debra, you're getting really good with photography and I love the close-up mantis showing the detail on his head.

Some from this morning

I see we grow the same kinds of plants, Ju. love the zinnias, wish I had planted some,. Is there time here to direct sow on the surface?

Debra takes mine June to August to reach bloom size ,, is there ? This morning I was looking over reset Daylily , I'm trying to fill a bloom area , This one bloom a flower bed (perennials ) has got to go , lol ? sort of ,
Debra the reason we grow a lot of the same plants , most of mine are from seeds from you , (smiley)
Coneflower sprout after last nights rain ,pow wow )
Lamb's ear and ?
Kanakee mallow , I have been dusting this , and kept one in a pot until larger insects are hungry this time of year

Mitt sends hugs, has power no internet,, please post to back porch, I'm going back to work

oh dear.. I hope you all in the Affected area are safe. I don't know what the back porch is, sorry.
Ju, what do you think this is now? I'm wondering if it is painted daisy?
Jack in the pulpit seed pod, coleus from my seed under pear tree..

Debra some kind of Micro green , or different better looking Cup Plant maybe ,
That Jack in the Pulpit look neat , interesting that is ,

1 cup plant
2 Aster

No, I have cup plants everywhere, wish I would have tagged those.. what are these? My blue asters have not shown up I am disappointed...

Debra If those are blooming now where you are , Bolton's false Aster ,my best guess
wait a few weeks for your Blue Aster , Mine are blooming early , Sending up new shoots to ,looks like anyway , (smiley ..

others could be Roadside aster Calico aster , willow leaf aster and or about a dozen others
I have the roadside aster or late fall aster everywhere , no blooms yet , Sept . or later , I will try more Aster starts yet

well I will be around the computer for a few days having injured my left shoulder. fortunately I am right handed, unfortunately my left is pretty "handy" too. Have to stay out of trouble. I am down to about 42 of the Asclepius Tuberosa, lost a couple to spider mites one to a wind that knocked its cup over and another just looks wilty. Additionally part of the cups seem to have sprouted Vitex instead of A.T. only 3 or 4, I can find beekeepers happy to have those. BTW, I am about to pull the vitex seed if anyone wants any to plant, or to make an infusion or tincture, let me know.

Haven't heard from Kitt today but her water was going down yesterday, AT&T will eventually get the internet back up, the transformers that support it got flooded or something, as I understand it.

Good to hear about Kitt. I have been sending positive thoughts to Texas. I have two vitex trees,, but would love one to intermix and see what variety we get. I think your milkweed will be fine, they are pretty tuff once they get their roots on.