Wednesday will be my first day back at the greenhouse for 08 - given that we are in the midst of an old fashioned prairie blizzard and the highs all week look to be in the minus thirty range, it will be delightful to be in a warm humid planty place. the prop house was completely redone last summer and i have a few experiments that the owners seem likely to let me try. will keep you all posted on my adventures
back to the greenhouse
Well not quite the mini tropical holiday a day at the greenhouse generally is. Only one boiler working so the main retail area a little on the cool side and the prop house on 21 degrees, but pleasant and humid and a break from that you know what outside here.
800 cuttings of english ivy the first day back and i started one tray of spinach which will go in the cool perennial house, its an experiment to see how long it takes to get to 'cutting size' for baby spinach, what the yield is, and how many cuttings i can get from one planting.
cap had a great day wandering around saying hi to everyone and collecting pats and praise from everyone without the pup anywhere around (banished to the farm for the day)
Our local nurserie opens again on Monday..can't wait to go smell the earthy humid air again.
Morning Starzz and all..was at Home Depot the other day and they were working in the greenhouse area and the smell was to die for..mostly orchids I guess...oh I've so got the bug...
Hello to you,Lynn. Till I started reading, thought this would be about Ann's new greenhouse. How is that going, Ann??
Cheers, inanda aka ......
Hi Betty,
I saw a lot of orchids for sale at Zellers for $17.99 the other day..
I received an orchid plant when I retired in Aug 06..the blooms lasted for weeks.
Now it is finally getting buds on one stalk..it is under lights in the basement.
It is fun to anticipate the blooms...the buds are getting bigger....
June..what did you work on today?
Can't imagine doing 800 cuttings...wow!
800 cuttings, woah! If you don't mind, I have a deep question for you jagonjune :-) Many times I've pondered what it would be like to work in the business that you love as a hobby. Being a backyard gardener, my tendency would be to see it as an asset. It's always better to work at something you love, as they say? But what I was wondering was the other side of the coin --- Would it take away from the pleasure of your own garden - whether it be less time, exhaustion or burn out, etc?
Sandy
I've wondered about that too Sandy..it will be interesting to hear how June feels about that.
My neighbour used to work in a greenhouse..tropical plants...and get this..she has artificial plants..but she says because of not enough light in her living room..and they are no trouble..LOL
I worked in a greenhouse now and then. Found the heat totally impossible in the summer. Wonderful in the winter. Maybe that is why I love Winnipeg - lol
inanda aka the other Ginny
Hi Ginny
It's -30 so I'm not heating the Greenhouse yet. I am dreaming of how to fill it and getting ready to winter sow. I have got some zone 5 grasses in there but with these temperatures there is not too much hope.
My geraniums are sprouting in the basement and my begonias are sprouting too.
I haven't gone over to my neighbors cold room to check on the Canna's yet but I'd better do that soon and I'm hoping all these will go in the Greenhouse as well as what Jagonjune wishes in there too.
I think she is dreaming in the other greenhouse while doing all the cuttings.
Ann
I don't know if i can answer you Sandy since i only volunteer once a week at the greenhouse. For me that is perfect. Generally, it is like having a one day a week tropical holiday without having to fly anywhere. I also get to know where all the good plants are, what's new, what plants seem to need more maintenance or are finnicky, what methods of propagation work well for which type of plants. It is a great break from my own business - one day a week where no one is asking me what to do - I just do what the head nurseryman gives me. Also I get a great staff discount and i am only there from january until the mad rush of may is over.
Having said all that, most of the women i meet there (the majority of the staff) are plant people and find it a great way to continue to indulge their habits all winter long without it costing them anything. They also seem to cut back their hours once our gardening scene is in full tilt - June - and that works for the greenhouse too as workload drops off then too.
Lynn
Oh, I thought it was more than a volunteer job, Lynn. Yes, that would seem to work out well. My first thought when you mentioned it being a means for the plantspeople to continue in the plant world through the winter was that they must not have DG! lol
I'm thinking I must volunteer at the wrong time of year! It's our local museum gardens and the spring makes my head spin, what with getting my own gardens going as well. I would love it except that I wish there were two of me. So, with your stint in the greenhouse, you get to learn something new, get a discount AND a free vacation? Yep, I definitely need to rethink my timing! :-)
Sandy
week two - much warmer in the prop house; definitely more like a mini tropical holiday
more of those **#!!$* ivy cuttings - we managed 6 trays (4 cuttings per cell, 105 cells per tray) 1260 from me and the same from my planting partner of the day
also did several hundred stained glass series coleua cuttings - the kiwi fern was a real hit last year with me
my spinach was up and next week will move it to the perennial house to track how long until it is useable
planted sungold tomatos
and that was that for 6 hours - oh yes and Felix (resident amazon parrot) condescended to take some of my danish from my hand
Hi June..it is fun to hear what goes on in a greenhouse..not all glamour..LOL
The spinach coming up must have good to see so soon. Will you use it for salads at home?
that's the plan
Hi Everyone,
I'm a propagation newbie, needing answers to some questions:
Re: Hardwood/dormant cuttings
1)Once I've prepared and planted the cuttings, do I keep them in the house or put them in my unheated greenhouse and let them freeze? Room temp or -20 during the rooting period?
2)How late into winter can I make cuttings - in Zone 3a? Is it too late now in mid February?
3)Why would I use bottom heat if the pots/trays are out in sub-zero conditions for another 8-10 weeks?
4)Is regular, store bought potting mix okay or should I mix my own? What "recipe' would you recommend? Should I add some slow release fertilizer?
Any advice would be wonderful as I'm so confused!
i think i found my soul mate plant today - baby tears (a member of the pylea family)
mario brought me 3 hanging baskets and said he needed 20 trays of cuttings! i am looking at this vvvvery tiny leaved plant thinking it would be next week before i had the 320 pots done - then he showed me that you just rip a little chunk off, stick in on top of the dirt, press it down and water every so often - how easy is that!!! the stuff is amazing
apparently in the tropics they treat it like we do wooly thyme - its perennial there, loves shade and grows anywhere there is the tiniest bit of medium
I am going to use it to infill my begonia baskets this year and as contrast to dichondra silver falls.
Also think i will try some in the openings between the rocks on the walls of the pond
it apparently grows quickly and trails nicely