A few weeks ago I showed you photos of iron toxicity in a Clematis planted in a soggy soil (perched water table). Because this area is just not conducive to plants, we’re putting in a small deck. This necessitated the excavation of two Clematis, which were both suffering from wet feet. (Needless to say the root mass was very small and shallow on both plants.) We decided to put them into large planters with conical trellises and use them as deck plants.… Continue reading this article “Friday quiz – the tale of two clematis continues”
Month: July 2010
Want an organic source of nitrogen that isn’t shipped from halfway across the world? Urine luck
There are lots of organic fertilizers out there: Fish emulsions, corn gluten meal, guano. Many of these fertilizers (all that I listed above with the exception of the guano) are by-products of some other industry. Still, they need to be shipped from somewhere to somewhere to get to our garden and so they cost energy — and of course they cost us money. But there is a high nitrogen fertilizer that you can use which doesn’t come from a long way away, and that’s pee. … Continue reading this article “Want an organic source of nitrogen that isn’t shipped from halfway across the world? Urine luck”
Restoration ecologists – you need us!
Restoration ecology – the science of restoring degraded ecosystems – is another branch of applied plant sciences. Oddly enough, very little plant science makes it into the scientific literature of this field. This has driven me nuts for a number of years after reading an endless stream of papers where no mention is made of how plants are selected, installed, and managed. Or worse, some ancient horticultural practices are used – like amending the backfill with organic material rather than using just the native soil. … Continue reading this article “Restoration ecologists – you need us!”
What’s New?!
Just back from OFA – my discipline’s humongous tradeshow and conference in Columbus, Ohio. All things Floriculture – new perennials, annuals, and seasonal plants, technology, structures, and equipment for greenhouses, and plants and products for floral designers. The bulk of the show and educational sessions is focused on growers, but garden center owners and florists are also targeted. I was part of two team talks for growers on “Perennial Production Problems and Solutions”.
Aside from the thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors, it’s like a big family reunion for floriculture faculty involved in teaching, research, and Extension.… Continue reading this article “What’s New?!”
Tomato takedown
Well, Dr. Rohwer was right – he thought you’d get this more easily than I did! Ray and Jon were spot on – this is classic juglone toxicity from those walnut trees (Juglans spp.) you see in the background. Many of these leaves ended up on the roof, leaching into the rain barrels (good sleuthing Ray and KennyG!), the water in which was used in irrigating the vegetable garden. In fact, Dr. Rohwer divulged that the rain barrel water was quite brown from the walnut leaves. … Continue reading this article “Tomato takedown”
When criticism becomes libelous
Dr. Cregg is on vacation for a few weeks so I thought I’d post something today by trolling the web for discussion of my horticultural myth columns. And when you go fishing, you know you might catch something you didn’t really want. In this case, personal and professional attacks.
Like the rest of the GPs, I relish vigorous debates on different horticultural practices and products. Ideally, these debates are based on science, so that we’re all friends afterwards and could go out for beer if we all lived in the same community. … Continue reading this article “When criticism becomes libelous”
A quiz – from our visiting professor
We’re glad to have Dr. Rohwer back for another visit! Here’s his Friday quiz – see if you can figure out what happened to his tomatoes.
"Exhibit A is a tomato in our garden. We had 2 tomatoes last year a couple feet away from this one, they met the same fate. Wilting at about flowering time, and water did not resolve the wilting. Previous to last year, the area was turfgrass for who knows how long.… Continue reading this article “A quiz – from our visiting professor”
Propagating in the air
Most gardeners that I know have tried to produce roots on stem cuttings from plants that they like. Sometimes this turns out well for them, particularly if they are working with what we call an easy-to-root species, and sometimes it turns out poorly. OK, in all honesty, it often turns out poorly. The problem is that plants like very particular conditions when they’re growing roots and the typical gardener is going to have a tough time providing these conditions. … Continue reading this article “Propagating in the air”
Five little lavenders – an update
Long-time readers of our blog might remember my August 12 column (linked here for your convenience). You saw my giant lavender plant devolve into 5 small plants with tiny spiraled root systems that put Marge Simpson’s beehive to shame. In any case, I promised to keep you up-to-date with their progress.
Transplanting in August is a risky proposition, especially when you prune out root defects. Nevertheless, all but one of the five survived the summer and here they are earlier this spring:
The one that didn’t make it was in the upper left corner of this south-facing landscape, where there is a lot of reflected heat from the nearby bricks and concrete. … Continue reading this article “Five little lavenders – an update”
John Bartram Lives!
Yep, there he is. Showed up at our state Master Gardener College, just last week. I even went to dinner with him. The snake-on-a-stick startled the bartender just a bit.
The elder Bartram (his son William was also a great botanist and explorer) was the Royal Botanist to King George III and a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Stockholm. As with many of the Great Plant Explorers, his life combined botany with politics,
adventure, and lust [for plants,anyway].… Continue reading this article “John Bartram Lives!”