Plant propagation the Basics March 2018

Gypsi, I am pulling tons of pine sprouts, grrr, seems to be the season. They are yellow pine. I would send them to you, but those of us that live with them have different views of them. That area in DFW and along the Red River don't grow pines well. The iron isnt heavy enuff in the ground without yearly applications of liquad iron to make them thrive.
I have acquired from kitten 2 patches of poison ivy, so used last of the vinegar on spot treats. Am goin after the brush killer now, can feel my allergies threatening to flare. Also the war on fire ants is going strong since they just popped up everywhere.
Trying to figure out where I can plant another tomato or two. I have my containers sitting in water to keep the ants out of them. Time to get back outside.

Here it is cold again and we are waiting on 3 to 5 inches of snow , I am watching some seedlings sprouting and some seeds not sprouting ,

Kitt As before , awaiting better weather mostly ,my allergies are more nose sniffles , not much ,, Although a few light scratches do get me once in a while

I could put my coveralls on and do some things only not really motivated to rush much ,

Only saying Hi all ..

Kitt my pines are eldarica. They tolerate the soil here well, have a couple that are about 25 years old at my old house, these 2 are 16. But few sprout as the rains have diminished, and in all honesty, I don't have room for another.

Yellow pine wouldn't live here, I'm drought and limestone a lot of the time.

Have to look that one up. Cedars do better toward Duncanville and your area than pines. Studying my garden, gotta change some stuff up.

Nice Knife Kitt, my husband would love a knife like that, nice job your hubs making it.
Yellow pollen all over here too.

Loretta, those Nor'easters have been pounding you this year. ugh.

As far as the Black bears, I can tell you I've come face to face literally with one while cooking up some venison when we were camping. It came out of the woods, was dark and I felt the presence of an animal so husband shined the flashlight to see what it was. Both expecting maybe a raccoon, that bear on all fours left me speechless...or should I say...scream-less, I only squeaked, "Bear", it was so huge, and was just six feet away from me. I slowly backed away it swung it's head back and forth just like the bear on the old show, Gentle Ben, then turned and slowly walked back into the woods, leaving my venison stir fry still on the propane stove. I have never seen one that big before, and that was in a state park. That particular bear was more brown and seemed like an old bear, most are smaller and very black. My brother is a hunter and said many years ago it was very rare to see a bear, but now he sees them quite often. Unfortunately urban sprawl is taking up their territory and causes them to come into populated areas seeking food and some feed them and of course causes them to not fear people,

Bears, deer and even cattle are smaller down here but we have some really big gators, snakes, bugs and sharks. LOL.

Keith, Here is a link about hibernation, since you spiked my curiosity and I hike a lot and wanted to know where they have those cubs, I hadn't really given it much thought before. http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/managed/bear/facts/hibernation/

This message was edited Mar 21, 2018 9:01 AM

Thanks for that Sherri. By the way I sent a D-mail to Melody to let her know I had not received my calendar. I will let you know if I get any response.

Small deer big bugs and snakes, sounds like Texas. My seedlings are coming up. Watering and hoping for more rain next week

Kitt, your husband is very talented! I'm impressed. And that pollen, I have to admit, is worse than ours (which is green over here).

Keith, I got my calendar back in Dec or Jan. One of your photos was used for February.

Sunkissed, the bears around here just pass by without a second look but I would have freaked out if one showed up to my BBQ.

Here is my Texas friend. And the only bloom left uncovered tonight.

Thanks for information on calendar Loretta

Keith I never did get one, and since Loretta did, I guess I better send a D-mail also.

Loretta I just love that moonlit photo, amazing capture, you so need to put that in a photos contest. Gator yawning is great catch too.

Thanks for confirming that Sherri

Sherri, thanks and it is actually the street light. I have a new cell phone and the camera is so much fun. That picture was without a flash at night.

The calendar came special delivery in a cardboard envelope from Zazzle.

Enjoying the thread waiting on a snowstorm here , may not happen until tomorrow afternoon ,
1 Daffodils budding
2 cup plants arriving ,
3 one of three willows being rooted ,

wow, great pictures! threw some seeds around outside, just got back into town, working all weekend, hope some of ya get some planting done...I'm baking, and our one nanking cherry is fully bloomed, the second one is not.

Tweaking what I have, and poking new holes where I can. Oakley is fishing for ice cubes, she pulls them out, but doesn't eat them, its a game to her. Looking at that Spring/ Easter storm up there in the north. Still dry here, but cloudy all day

Snowstorm never happened here .. allright with me !!!

Debra looks yummy !!! Birds for holiday ,,later ? ooh mean old me ,,,

Kitt pet looks entertained ,

Here is knotted bundle , of a pressed down branch , With about a dozen nanking cherry start attempts , rooting the easy ,weedy ..way ..;lol

Kitt, my dogs eat ice cubes but you have to break them in half.

Our weather is in low 70s but windy. Had about 1 inch of rain over 2 days but we do not get much rain. The Las Vegas valley is surrounded by mountains and the mountains stop the cloud from entering the valley.

Kitt, every time I see the weather in the NE, I think of you and how thankful I am that you are no longer driving in it.

My garden is starting to pop and myself and my garden helper are trying to get it cleaned up. We put all of the plumeria out into th garden area and out of the garage.

Th photo is a new amaryllis with sour grass (yellow) flower in front of it. Sour weed will be disappearing soon but it just goes away in the heat but blooms all winter. In California it is an invasive weed. Probably came in a plant from a nursery. Majority of our nursery plants come from California. I have one load of mulch spread and another one coming next week. Roofing repair next week. Nothing serious, just a few broken cement shingles on a couple of corners due to swaying tree branches. Branches are now gone. Roses are putting on buds and the robins have returned.

JU, so glad your weather is starting to warm up. Now you can head outside and just enjoy the sun for a few days.

Nice amaryllis Sharon

SO glad you are showing me a new trick, Ju. I need more bushes, still hoping my forsythia took. My sis in laws lab loves ice. very nice amaryllis, Sharon.
Basement Jungle is doing fine in March, not in a hurry to move things outside to be burned and bug eaten.
Me and Joe in KC, at a place called Big Biscuit? And at some place where you can see the skyline of KC,Mo. Lots of steps for this old gal to huff and puff up the stairs. I put a fancy tropical vine on soil, with a rock on it and a glass over the whole thing, waiting for some sign of life.. :P

Debra Looks like you and Joe were enjoying the sunshine ,, Like your tropical vine , a nice old way to root plants really when it works ,,

Sharon, I agree nice Amaryllis You sound like your hoping to enjoy and being fun busy with your doings , Weather is still cool here , lots of rain in the forecast , sunny a few days is really nice though ,

A photo of a succulent in a pot in the front landscape. Stayed out all winter, in the shade, and survived. Keith, any idea what it is? It did not have the multi color when I purchased. Amaryllis today.

I worked in the landscape Friday and Saturday for a few hours and then spent about 2 hours today just sweeping the mulch off of the stepping stones. Hummers are getting used to me and just feed while I was standing right next to their feeders. I need one of those cameras you put on your head.

Love the color of that Amaryllis, Sharon, lots of scarlet red here in FL, don't see a lot of other colors.

Loretta, I see the base of the street light now, but sure can pass for a moon.

I bet Kit you're glad to not be out on the roads this year. My cats love ice in their water bowl, dog could care a less.

Ju, love seeing all your green popping out.

Debra, you sure don't look like an "old woman", nice to see the KC skyline. Basement looking good, nice Duranta bloom, must be happy..

I think winter is over here, ten day outlook like summer temps. Rain last week lifted burn ban, so we had a nice fire with friends last night, husband's 65th birthday, which has lasted all month:-). Hubs still working on the Gazebo, his friend is coming over this week to help with the roof, then the shingles and it will be done. I'm looking forward to hanging plants all around it.

Hi Sharon. I would say for sure your succulent is an Aeonium but what variety I'm not sure. The problem I find in identification is that the same variety can be coloured so differently in various lighting and soil conditions. Shape wise it looks very like the sunshine Aeonium I used to have. Sometimes mine would show more red than you see in most pictures but not that much . I did some searching and a couple possibilities might be Garnet or St. Simon Violet
Keith

That is one good looking succulent Sharon, just gorgeous. Everyone's pics are gorgeous. I've been on the road a couple of weeks, will upload some later. Maybe after I up pot my tomatoes into their Tidycat buckets

Sharon, could it just be new growth and health intensifying the color? Crimson clover starting to bloom surrounded by dill, variegated creeping lemon thyme, and parsley. Flower bed needs cleaned but holds Aesclepias curassavica, salvia, hummingbird sage, everlasting sage, amaranth Cherry vanilla, mex heather, ornamental garlic, shrimp plant, (gold lantana not in this pic) and a start of vanilla grass. I have to go find my recipe for a leaf wipe...pollen wont wash off, grrrr

Nice Flowers Kitt , still be a while here before blooms

some little starts
Cheyenne spirit seed tops and stringy Verbena that waited a long time to sprout , Going to tricky when separating ,
2 Some Cuban Oregano and house plants beginning to rebound ,
3 a not so good pic of Lillium starting looks like one plant in the middle but it is two , More will sprout at random

Rain has stopped, stomach bug (or food poisoning - my fridge is dangerous in the spring) has passed, I need to get dill and other seeds in tomorrow.

Everything in loved the rain though

Summer Snowflake, It's a red sedum but not autumn, and double kerria

Photos from this morning of hidden delights. But, of course, the succulents are not hidden.

Beautiful photos Sharon!

Today's amaryllis. Suppose to be 84 tomorrow. I am ready.

Roofer here tomorrow to fix damaged roofing tiles from wind damage, KOI pond repair on filter and then a crew to empty and clean KOI pond. My list of things that need to be is just about done.

Sharon Super Amaryllis and Geranium blooms !!! , Then there is my jealousy of your weather , ..
Let's make a deal ,,lol I will send you four days of rain , for you sending me four days of above 50 to 30 degrees sunshine temperatures lol
Would be nice to able to that wouldn't it ,, ? lol

Sharon Super Amaryllis and Geranium blooms !!! , Then there is my jealousy of your weather , ..
Let's make a deal ,,lol I will send you four days of rain , for you sending me four days of above 50 to 30 degrees sunshine temperatures lol
Would be nice to able to that wouldn't it ,, ? lol

I agree with Ju, nice colors.
I've never heard of some of those, Alice.
Ju, you and I are waiting for the 80's I think...
I prolly have some blooms, but the beds are so full of leaves, it's going to be hard to figure it out.

the summer snowflakes are an antique bulb, I found 2 or 3 when I took out a solid bed of Monkey grass at my old house in 1992, now I have hundreds. They bloom in very early spring and look like little fairy bells. Some people mistake for lily of the valley, but it doesn't grow here well at all. (I've killed several, too hot and heavy clay)

Double Kerria I got a rooted cutting at the last DG plant swap at the park, and it has really grown.
Don't know what kind of salvia I've got in the middle there.

Here is a little Cheyenne spirit Echinacea , pix

Debra I will take some 80's ,
Sunshine today I cleaned around a Peony coming up , Daffodils have bunches of bloom buds , and some lillium outdoors are beginning to come up .

Gypsi , Texas heat and plants are a difficult combination , been there ,,

This message was edited Mar 31, 2018 2:31 AM

I found buds on my peonies yesterday, didn't feed them this spring, don't know if I should

I don't feed mine ,

Texas dirt is alkaline. I'm getting them some coffee grounds next week.

Gypsi, the middle pic is a salvia or hummingbird sage. Some blue denim mg's sprouted so I transferred them outdoors into the ground this morning. Sprouting mung beans, they are on 4th day and doing great, but the adzuki beans are barely beginning to have 2 or 3 sprouts show. Glad I seperated them.