Propagation: Propagation part VII based on my own experience

I might have ment the 806's I am still trying to decide which way to turn. I know I want 1801's 1020 trays as well as either 806's or 606's. I am looking for something in the 50 cell range.
I need to buy basket material and plants for planter boxes first so I am not in a hurry. Plus I have to get my inbound plants settled into their new pots. I have 30 daylilies and 200 hostas inbound over the next few weeks.
I did manage to find 1206's - 200 per case for 83.91 and 1820's case of 50 for $24.00 from one company and 1801's for 45.00 per case of 100 from another company.
Boy it has been a wild spring, extreamly cold and windy.
Sheryl how are the veggies doing??
Dave

Morning from NJ. Here is your morning Hug.

The mystery is solved. I went to the American Begonia Society and they have identified my little gems as Cane Begonia, Angel Wing Begonia better known as Begonia 'Sophie Cecile'. I then went back to Daves List and there are two people on the list that have this plant. I am glad that is over so I can start to sell the babies. LOL I just hate to sell anything that is not marked. I also have another begonia called B.Tea Rose, that gets beautiful blooms and never seems to stop. I just cut it way back sprayed it good, because I had neglected it for months and gave it a new pot and new soil and fertilizer.
Now we will see what it does this summer.

I want to thank you all for your help and interest in my IDing that plant.

JB, someday you'll have to tell me why it is that I can't keep begonia's alive over the winter.... I killed an Escargot this winter and it makes me very sad.... sniff!

Glad you got an ID! I am the same way about selling unmarked plants - we had some Stonehead cabbage and some Early Dutch that had the tags taken out of them. I know 99% of the consumers could give a hoot, but I also know that there's some people who swear by a certain kind and it drove me nuts that I couldn't tell the diff... grrr.. had to sell them as "no name" cabbage. They sold fine, lol.

Dave, did you check out Greenhouse Megastore? They were #2 after Mize's, pricewise, if I remember correctly....

Sheryl, I am selling some Christmas Cactus on ebay just now I call the SURPRISE
cactus because I forgot which cuttings came off which plants and until they bloom I will now know the color. Soooooo, my marketing skills kicked in and they are selling very well as the Surprise. LOL Like you say, some people just don't care. JB

Morning all:
Yes I did check the megastore and they are very close in price. When it becomes time I will check out all 3 and decide which way to go. I know shipping is going to be a killer.
JB: I am glad you got the begonia named. Great idea on suprise cactus.
Its suposed to be in the mid 70's today so I am going to try to get out and get some things done. we will see how far I get today.
Dave

Morning Dave, On my way out the door when I saw you pop in. Wanted to tell you I am going to be shipping you the Jasmine either Monday or Tuesday next week. I will let you know when it is on its way. Chantill told me how she bare root ships her jasmine and she said she has had good luck with it. It is basically the same way I ship my stuff except she suggested spag. moss on the roots. Great idea. Have plenty of that. I also think the weather is o.k. for now, but I will make sure how it is in our area next week. Nothing goes out here if there is bad weather on the receiving end. JB

Hi: JB:
I believe we are on the end of the bad weather. we are suposed to be april 15 as our frost free date. All week we have highs in the 50's, 60's and 70's with lows down to 40's so I think we are ok for shipping. I look forward to the package.
Dave

JB, received the bead plant today, in great shape, even with it being so cold at nite. Thank you so much, they will go well with the other 2 succlent(sp) type that I have. Weather is still so mixed, can't do much outside, still snow in areas, and cold cold at nite, so no GH yet. May take some flats out during day, and bring in at nite, lots of work tho, will depend on my back. Again, thanks
Lee
ps forgot to tell you all that the spvine cuttings are not doing so well, out of the original 100, I may have saved 10-15 and those aren't doing that great.

This message was edited Apr 8, 2009 12:45 PM

Lee:
I would contact NCFARMS. With the attention they are getting you should not loose any or just a few. Please chime in if I am off my rocker (evryone). 80% survival would have been great but not 15% or less.
My dad was talking up last saturdays "the new yankee workshop" He built a green house out of cedar. I have yet to get a moment to go check it out but it sounded neat.
I am bouncing off the walls my 1st box of hostas came in today. they are tissue culture so kinda small but a very nice root system on them. Pics tomorrow
Dave

Glad the bead arrived in good shape. Hope it grows and flurishes for you. They are like a weed to me and I am not good with cactus and succulents. I always water them too much.
Must go. We had a delivery of Concolored trees today and they are bareroot and must go in the ground immediately. They are at least two feet tall and that particular species is hard to grow here anyhow so we need to get them into the fields. It is so wet we should be a mess. Hopefully this 35 mph winds again today dried up the field enough
to get it done. Have a good evening. JB

Dave, that sounds like good shipping to me. Hopefully Monday will do it. I have quite a few to pack and ship Monday after the bloodwork is done so we will see what happens.

JB,

I seriously doubt your begonia is Sophie but it is very similar. Sophie is very incised and the indentations are more curved than straight angles like yours. The spotting is consistent with both so I can see the quick reference. There are a few begonia mavens who say if you didn't get a name with your beognia to A) destroy it (I wouldn't go that far - even begonias with a name aren't always correct) or B) keep it but do not give it away nor give it a name that you think best describes it (I like this approach better but I don't mind giving away a beautiful plant either but I do not give it a name when I give some cuttings away).

JB: no hurry on the box.... what speices of tree did you get in??? What all do you farm???
How much land do you have??? Please let me know if I am being overly inquisative.
Dave

.hcmc dole, After the girl at ABS knew I was going to put them up on eBay. She too was reluctant to really be positive it was a Sophie, so we agreed on a more generic (whatever you want to call it) way to advertize it. Take a look in my store and see if you think we did o.k. This way I am not really saying what it is except it is a begonia.
http://stores.ebay.com/JBs-Birds-and-More
Dave,
We have a Christmas Tree Farm, and the tree delivery was concolored. The were really big and my SIL was upset because he was afraid they were too big to be replanted safely. We shall see. They are all in and look great. We only farm the Christmas trees and some cutting flowers for the stand. If varies each year. Used to be daffodils and glads but the glads have been coming up with all sorts of problems and were not as perfect as I like when I sell to my regular flower shops. So, this year I am not sure we will do them. We only have 5 acres but it is on the corner of the main road that goes east and West from one end of NJ to the other, and the main road to McGuire and Ft. Dix.
Great location and just big enough. It was part of my SIL's bosses farm and when he died he gave him the corner and they made a development with the rest of the 100 acres or more. This was at one time a cattle farm and they raised all their own feed, etc.
The old silo still remains and is a landmark for the military planes that land, so we have been told. We still have two of the old barns here and are debating if we should restore them or replace them. Money is all we need. LOL. The big storage barn was town down last year. We now have one small greenhouse (mine) and plans to put up another bigger one if and when my SIL's contract with his nursery runs out. He is not sure he wants to stay in the nursery business but might putz around with some plants. We will see. Must go. Hugs JB

Great News everyone, Mom is home, sis drove in from Calif so that she can stay a while and soon I will be "normal" ( whatever that means) again. I will take some pictures today and post them when I get another chance to check in. Thanks for all your prayers. They were answered.
Linda

JB,

I like the way you advertised your begonia. This way you won't mislead any buyers on what they are getting.

I've seen begonias from the big box stores sold as rex serratipetala and they are neither rex nor serratipetla (rex encompasses a large genre of begonia and serratipetala is a shrub species from New Guinea) but the buyer accepts it as gospel and then puts pictures in PF as rex serratipetala.

I bought a B. crassicaulis years ago from a large mail order place (in OH) but when I received it, it was definitely not crassicaulis (I have since obtained a true crassicaulis). Then last year I finally was able to ID the plant I originally bought as crassicaulis - it was 'Red Umbo' and maybe one of its parents might have been crassicaulis. Anyway if I gave cuttings away of Red Umbo I told the recipient it was supposed to be crassicaulis but that it wasn't. I just called it 'Sprawler' due to a lack of a name at the time.

That is Great Linda ! Glad she is doing good.

Thanks for the feedback hcmc, I just do not want to mislead anyone. I feel my reputation is more important than a sale. I was the same with birds. No parrot left my farm unless it was in perfect condition. I had one complaint and that was after two weeks and they had made the bird sick. I took the bird back, did not refund the money and told them never to come back again. 'Who needs that crap. I usually screen people before selling to them but this was a daughter buying it for her father and she was desperate. Yea. He did not want a bird so he starved it. LOL

Linda, I am so glad to hear your Mom is home. Great news!!!

Linda: I am so glad she is home an doing a bit better.
JB: great looking store. I don't know if I will do an ebay store or just list as I can. I agree that the correct name needs to be used and just a generic name will work as the plant itself will sell.
Dave

Dave, the store is not paying for itself. There is a monthly charge for everything and unless you sell high ticket items or a big volume of small items you really are always in the red. I am not sure how long it will be possible for me to keep up the store, but as time goes on more people are finding it. I also have a great time meeting new people on eBay. Most of my customers are just wonderful.JB

HEY THE SUN IS OUT HERE. EXPECTING RAIN TOMORROW. (GRUMBLING)


Hugs Linda. Great news your Mom is doing better.

Hi JB:
I kind of thought that so I will stick to getting a domain name and webpage and sell when I feel like it.
Dave

JB, I saw on one of your plants "NOT TO BUY IF YOU LIVE WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI.'" Is that all of them or just that one I looked at?

Nice display. Jeanette

Jeanette:
JB ships everything bare root and is concerned about survivability while in route. I wish all sellers were this concerned about their plants going into the mail.
I got a couple of variegated Daylilies today. They almost look like spider plants. I will try to get pics on later today.
In case anyone is worried about the grass fires we had overnight, They were not in my area. They ended up in a lot of neighborhoods on the outskirts of Oklahoma city. They evacuated a lot of peple from their homes. Midwest city lost about 23 homes and a few homes where lost to the fires. They were so bad because of 40 mph winds which blew embers onto roofs and yards. My BIL's home is about 3 miles from the neighborhoods on fire.
Dave

Jnette, I usually put that on the plants that I am not sure will make a trip of three days at the least, more if the USPS decides to pull something cute, because I do not want the person on the other end spending money and postage and getting nothing. I will not guarantee anything I am not sure of. I am however, making two tests of bare root jasmine shipping this coming week and we will see what happens. I am sending some to people on this list bare root jasmine. Chantill told me how she shipped her jasmine bare root so we will see what happens. I take too much time on my babies to let them die in a box. LOL Our State law prohibits me from sending in soil because there is a beetle of some kind in the soil, even purchased soil, in egg form I guess, and anything going west of the Mississippi must be re-examined before shipping. I am not paying the state inspector extra to come out here and look at one plant at a time. He would tell me to get a new hobby. Morning all. Here is your hug. Be back later. Must cut daffodils before it rains.

JB,

Is it just NJ that has that requirement? I ordered plants recently from NY, CT, and DE and all are in potting soil. That is a bummer for you.

hcmcdole, Good morning....You are in Georgia and would get them in pots in soil. It is only those shipped West of the Misssissippi. I have no idea if it applies to other states, but take Logee for example, I am sure since they ship everyday that they have hundreds of plants going out daily and they may have daily inspections, I do not know, but for me, only having one or two plants a week, It would cost me a fortune to have them come here to inspect and then I would have to wait until they fit it in their schedule.
When I was getting certified to be a nursery, I waited months for the inspector to come.
When he came he actually went over every plant I had in pots with a magnifying glass. He was really thorough and it took him awhile. That was my first inspection so I think the next one will not be as thorough. I get inspected each year. $75.00 if you want your certificate. He does not tell you at the time unless you have a problem. I told him I had mealy bug and had just sprayed for it. He did not seem too concerned because he said that is one bug that is almost impossible to totally kill because of the way they lay the eggs and hide. I was afraid that he may have seen some I missed and fail my inspection. But, he passed me and certified me for a year. He is the one who told me about the shipping bare root, plus I read it somewhere. There is a link that you can go to the certain states and ask for a list of plants you may or may not send. They have it now on eBay to protect the buyers. It is about time. People were shipping all kinds of stuff and then there are those like me who goes by the rules. LOL
My SIL, who works at a very large nursery ships bareroot the same way. If they want the shipment in balls, they need to get another inspection. So, it must be for all types of growers. Yet, I know they do not all follow the law. I prefer to do it because I can imagine the fine would be high. Later.

Yeah, Tennessee is fighting desperately to keep fire ants out of the state - and losing the battle, I'm afraid, and it's all imports from other states.

$75? Huh - it was $100 for me with less than 5000 sq ft (hobbyist) and $200 for anything larger or in-ground growing. We were lucky - my partner knows other folks who were able to 'convince' the inspector to come see us this week - 2 months after the application. But we can't sell what we've grown to the retail store until we have a certificate in hand.

But farmer's market is a different story. Going to get the paperwork for that done this morning!

Good morning:
JB: I am not shure if its changed but in south florida all I had to do is pay the fee and the cert was mailed to me. Same thing here in oklahoma. I am sure I will get an ispection at some time in the near future so I am waiting on that. No big deal really, definately nothing like NJ.
The pic is of a flat of TC hostas in their box insert. Its kind of kool how they ship them.
Dave

That is how mine were shipped from NCF. I only had a few that actually jumped out of their little homes, guess they were anxious to be planted in their new home. I took your advice and emailed them about the losses on cuttings, waiting for an answer back, but they did tell me to let them know so I did. I will order again next year tho, shipping and pkg were pretty good compared to some of the others I checked out. (before I found DG)
I wish you could visit Field of Dreams, in Billings Mt. They have some of the healthiest plants I have ever seen in a nursery. Don't know that they sell starts tho. Bought my crazy trees from them 3-4years ago and they are doing so well. When I can afford it, I will buy more of the same.

Dave, Your plants look wonderful. I had no idea there were so many different hosta..I have seen pictures in magazines and we have a lot around here but none has been identified. Unfortunately.
It is raining here again today and our new concolor fir trees are so happy to see the rain. They look great. I was going to put some of the jasmine outside but it is to go down to the 20's tonight, so I changed my mind.
How do most of you advertise your websites? I have had a problem over the years getting the website more visability without spending alot of money.
I looked at all those little seeds that came up and I think next year I will stick with cuttings. Much less work and quicker results. I have great luck with cuttings in Bob's coco coir.
See you later. JB Here is your morning Hug.

JB: I have yet to set up a website, but usually the host offers several differeny pacages to help with visability, It just depends on what you want to get accomplished. I do agree cuttings and plugs are so easy without the headaches.
Dave

Good morning And Happy easter to everyone. I guess we are getting all the rain we missed out on last year. I swear the guy arround the corner is gathering animals 2 by 2 and started building a boat...
I hope everyone has a great day
Dave

Happy Easter to everyone here ! Have a great day.

What do you take cuttings from JB?

Jeanette

Happy Easter Everyone.

Jnette, I take cuttings from anything and everything. Last year I took cuttings from all of our Holly trees. Red and Yellow ......the red lived but the yellow never did. I have done cuttings from bougainvillea, hibiscus, different jasmine, geraniiums, cactus, columnea, antherium, bead plants, gold fish plant, scented geraniums, gardenias, brugs, ....almost anything I have I will try to propagate after I do some research. Pussy Willows, black and regular. You name it and I will try it.
JB

And you sell them right? Happy Easter to you too. And everyone else.

Jeanette

Jeanette, can you start cuttings using the water crystals that they sell for moisture additives in the potting soil?

JB have you had any experience with propagating westeria? I have some cuttings that I need to know what to do to get them started. Flowers I do pretty fair with but have never tried wood cuttings of any kind.

Jnette, I only sell tropicals and houseplants that I am sure are not patented and also that I have more of than I can find room for. Sometimes I only have 5 or 6 plants to sell of each one, but depending, I give alot away to family and friends. I do this as a hobby, not to make a living . I have been blessed with all I need to stay well and happy. It took many years of hard work and raising kids, but I can now relax and enjoy my labor of love. My plants and animals are my dearest possessions.
Flower,
I have never tried to propagate Wisteria, but if I would decide to do it, I would first research it on the internet to find out what kind of cuttings it takes and when and what kind of soil it likes. There are some great books on propagating too that I have collected and I would check those out also. Sorry I can not help you there. I do know there are several species of wisteria but they can all be propagated basically the same.
There is a book called The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Michael A. Dirr and Charles W. Heuser, Jr. that is a wonderful source of information. I would recommend it if you want to get into propagating things like wisteria. JB

Jeanette: I am not sure on the wisteria. I do know the long stem and a rock method works well. I will research it and get back with you. I got one in a trade and I know its one tat is easier. I hope everyone had a great easter. we just finished.
Dave