Taking Care of Roses in the Fall

More about roses..............If buying potted roses best to buy two gallon pots....Hybrid Teas should have 36" center..............minimum of 30" centers.

Felco pruners are best. Goat Skin Gloves best....can be purchased for $9.00 at Lowes Elmers Glue seals canes after pruning. Roses should be pruned in the shape of a vase and open in the center and don't leave stubs on bud union. When pruning remove one half to two thirds of growth.

Sugar Cane Litter is best mulch for roses Pine Bark Mulch with Pine Straw is next best mulch.

Planting Wildflower Seeds in Texas

I don't know how many times I have been dissapointed to plant seeds in the Fall and in the Spring few if any new plants showed up. So here are a few tips that were published in the "Wildflower" magazine Fall 2009 issue on Planting Wildflower Seeds.

They say there are really only 4 steps to sowing wildflower seeds
1) Remove any existing weeds, grass and break up the soil surface. Broadcast the seeds. I use a little playground sand mixed with the seed to help it spread more evenly. Water until you see sprouts. Try to time your sowing to correspond with incoming storms to enchance germination and reduce supplemental watering.
2) Make sure your seeds are in good contact with the soil, but not buried. They should be no more than 1/4" in the soil.
3) Seeds will germinate better if sown when the temperatures are between 70-80 degrees during the daytime and 40-50 degrees at night. In the Southwest October, November is the best time.
4) If wildlife threatens to eat your seed, then protect them. Using a birdseed block is a good way to form a decoy.

Then after all of your beautiful Spring flowers have stopped blooming. You can collect the dried ripe seeds. Then compost the dried plant parts. Some flowers like poppies need to be covered with a paper bag to collect their seeds before they explode open on their own and go where they want. Save this seed and build up a "seed bank" for your garden. Ready for the next Fall growing season.

New Form of Plant Propagation

This information was taken from an article published in "Wildflowers" magazine, Fall 2009, entitled "How To Make A Rooting Chamber."

I personally have not tried this method, but love to experiment. Fall and Spring are perfect times to propagate most plants. Then you can expand your garden or share/swap with other gardeners.

Here is how to make this simple and inexpensive chamber.

First you will need to gather these items for each chamber you will need:
1- empty and washed 2 Liter plastic soda bottle.
1 -6 ounce yogart cup
Scissors
Rooting Hormone
light-sterile potting medium
Utility knife
Clear tape
Sharpie Marker

Cut the bottle in half. Then cut a 1 inch "v" on four sides of the top of the bottle so it will fit back over the bottom half and be more secure. Also be sure to leave the cap on the top of the bottle.

Next poke 6 drainage holes in the bottom of the yogart cup. Fill the cup with potting medium. Poke hole in the soil for plant to go into.

Prepare plant for cutting. Cut a 3-5 inch section of plant you want to propagate. Remove the lower leaves from the stem, keeping just enough top leaves for the plant to photosynthesize.

Dip stem end into rooting hormone and gently place in the hole you made in the soil. Then carefully press the surrounding soil around stem until is it upright.

Place the yogart cup into the base of the bottle. Fill the base with water just until 1/4" up the side of the yogart cup.

Now place the top portion of the soda bottle onto the bottom portion. Secure with tape all around sides. Mark the date on outside of bottle. Place bottle in indirect lighting inside a window ledge.

Leave in chamber for a few weeks to allow new roots to form, then place the yogart cup only in a light shaded place for the plant to harden for a few days to a week. Then you may remove your new plant from the cup and place it into the garden.

Meeting Notes for October 17, 2009

We held our second garden club meeting at the home of Carolyn Guillotte. It was a beautiful Fall day. Carolyn shared information about French Intensive or Permiculture gardening. This will be discussed in a more detailed blog posting.

It was decided that she would provide information to share with this blog site and its' followers. Carolyn has been involved in some intensive garden seminars at Texas A & M. Dr. Joe Novak has primarily been the keynote speaker and is known for his expertise in this area.

Member Barbara McDougald brought a Wildflower Center magazine to share not only how to plant wildflowers, but how to propagate plants. Look for the details in another blog posting.

We also enjoyed touring her garden area and seeing the beginning stages of a Burm. Burms are mounds of sand, leaves, and later top soil placed on top of old fallen tree limbs. She informed us that these piles are perfect areas to grow an herb garden.

The group also enjoyed wonderful refreshments of cheesecake and beverages. Not to mention before we all left we were given wildflower seeds to plant for the Spring.

Our meetings for now will be not on a monthly basis, but a quarterly one. Be sure to check the website for all of the updates of what the group will be doing in 2010.

Happy gardening!

Creative Water Gardens

Squashing Those Bugs!

I wanted to share a really easy and wonderful tip to keep worms from eating up your vines before the plant has a chance to produce. Collect all of the wood ashes you can, I don't have a wood burning fireplace or stove so I enlisted the help of a neighbor to keep theirs for me.

Then I took a plastic pot and scooped up about a few cups worth and used the holes in the bottom of the plant to help sprinkle them around the base of the squash, cucumber, or pumpkin plant. Then watch those bugs go away. I am not sure the science behind why this works, someone told me they thought it was like diametaceous earth, the crystals fatally do internal damage to their digestive system.

I have never had such a successful planting season as this one. I love it not only because I was able to enjoy wonderful produce, but it was organic and green.

Until next time,

Happy gardening and blessings,

Laurie

Yes, Making Your Own Black Gold

"How to Begin Composting" What is composting? It is the method of using organic material and letting it decay to become rich, reusable humus soil for the garden.

Why compost? It keeps materials out of our landfills and re energizes the soil, giving the plants necessary nutrients to build strong roots and produce more fruit and vegetables. It attracts beneficial organisms and insects like the earthworm that loosen the soil and make it easier for the plants root system to absorb water and other sustaining nutrients.

General Information:

It usually is beneficial to have two or more compost piles working at the same time. Then you will always have one ready to use and the other following right behind. The reason behind this is that some material decomposes at different rates. The general rule is that the woodier, or thicker the plant material the longer it will take to break down into usable soil. For example, leafy material like lettuce, grass clippings, hay etc.. can decompose as quickly as 10-14 days where wood, thick plant stems can take up to 6 months or more.

How does a compost pile work? Materials are placed in some type of enclosed contained area (compost bin) that allows air and moisture to attract airborne bacteria to begin the decomposition process.

How do you build a compost bin? There are many different ways to build a compost bin. Be creative, you don't have to spend lots of money or time. There are on the market some plastic, portable easy to assemble bins. I found mine at a local home improvement store. Some stores only carry these items as seasonal purchases and come in to the stores between Jan-Mar.

These are my two bins plus an old garbage can to hold the finished products. The pallet bins are for the hard plant materials and the plastic store bought bin is for leafy, faster growing materials. I also, have to cover the pallet bin when the weather is hot and dry.

Some suggested materials to make your own bin, just make sure whatever you use it allows air to flow and can hold at least one cubic yard of material. Make sure the material is moist not too dry. If it is then you will have to water the compost, but don't over water you don't want the material soggy. The container needs a cover if the weather is hot and dry so place a plastic cover or tarp over just the top. You still need air circulation to occur so keep the sides and bottom open.

Wooden bin using old lumber
Wooden pallet bins
Cinder block bin
Wire fencing bins

OPTIONAL TOOLS: A composting thermometer and a metal pipe or plastic pvc with holes drilled all around, to be placed in the center of the pile for more circulation.

What materials can you put into a compost bin?
Animal manures (no cat or dog)
Corn cobs
Grass clippings
Hay
Leaves
Peat moss
Saw dust
Seaweed/kelp
Stalks (chopped)
Straw
Wood ashes
Garden plants
Soft plant stems
Fruit and vegetable matter
Egg Shells
Tea bags and coffee grounds
Newsprint (no glossy or colored print)

Even 100% cotton socks and underwear after the elastic has been removed

What not to compost:
Meat, fats, bones, fish
Dairy products
Cooking Oil
Human, Cat and Dog feces
Disease infected plants
Weeds that have gone to seed
Poisonous plants (like poison ivy, caster bean, datura, and oleander)

How to heat up the pile? You want to get the pile cooking as soon as possible. To know if your pile is hot enough there are composting thermometers that you can place in the center and it will give you a reading.

Here are a few other ways to heat the pile up? Add nitrogen rich materials like your farm animal manures and/or bloodmeal. Here is a recipe I have used: Mix in a bucket and then pour into the center of the pile. Don't be alarmed if you see steam coming from the pile after applying. 1/4 cup of beer, ¼ cup of ammonia, 1 gal of warm water

How do you eliminate smells from the Compost Bin? Only use the above suggested materials in the bin. Once the pile heats up the odors will usually disappear and turning the pile every 10 days or so.

How do I turn the pile? I have found a pitch fork or even a hand held garden soil tiller works really well.

What to do with Bugs in the pile? This is just part of the decomposition process and cannot be avoided. Just place your pile in an area that any pests won't be a bother to your household. A warning, be on the lookout for fire ants in the pile and maybe a wasp nest near the pile. I always wear gloves and do a light, general inspection of the pile before I just dig in to retrieve some soil or get ready to turn the pile. Learned this lesson the hard way.

Another way of composting is to include worms into the mix. Not any worm will do, you must have a red wiggler earthworm. They are not locally available, but on http://www.garden.com/ you can order some. They not only help decompose the material faster but their droppings or casings add to the nutrients.

They must be placed in the deep in the center of the pile, they don't like the heat or sunlight. When adding them to the pile put some cornmeal, old bread, cooked rice, oatmeal with them it will give them a good start.