The Glory Of The Lenten Rose

I was on a property in Wyoming, Ohio this week and noticed a spectacular Early Spring sight, the Lenten Rose (Hellebore) in bloom.

This is probably my most favorite of the Late Winter and Early Spring flowers, which blooms as early as February.

There is a property in Amberly Village, Ohio that I have found the Hellebore still blooming in August.

The latin name for this Early bloomer is Helleborus Orientalis and is known to be hardy from USDA zone 4 to 9.

I hope these pictures have inspired you to get outside and plant something beautiful. The Lenten Rose does well in partial shade to full Shade. They enjoy rich organic soils that are well drained. Another consideration is to plant the Lenten Rose in a protected area that shields it from Winter winds.

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Landscape Watch March 17th 2014

 

 

 

We have had a few sneak previews of Spring weather over the last couple of weeks, but Winter seems to refuse to give up. Even though we seem to be stuck in this up and down trend we have picked up some growing degree days in the Greater Cincinnati area. As of this writing on March 14, 2014 we have accumulated 37 degree days so far. I guess an explanation of growing degree days would help, this is the definition given by OSU OARDC and Extension.

Growing Degree Days are a measurement of the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season. Development does not occur at this time unless the temperature is above a minimum threshold value (base temperature). The base temperature varies for different organisms.  It is determined through research and experimentation.  The actual temperature experienced by an organism is influenced by several factors.  These factors affect growth and development.  For instance, depending on the weather, an organism’s temperature may be a few degrees more or less than that recorded. An organism may spend its time in the shade or under direct sunlight. The fertility and nutrient content of the soil directly affect the growth rate of insects and plants.  The presence of weeds and precipitation may indirectly influence development. Due to these factors and some other scientific considerations, a base temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit is considered acceptable for all plants and insects.

Here is what to expect in the upcoming several weeks from 37 to 100 growing degree days as we accumulate them.

 Species                                           Event             GDD

Corneliancherry Dogwood         first bloom         40

Silver Maple                                  full bloom          42

Red Maple                                      first bloom        44

Speckled Alder                              first bloom        52

Northern Lights Forsythia       first bloom           58

Red Maple                                      full bloom          75

Star Magnolia                                first bloom         83

White Pine Weevil                  adult emergence     84

Border Forsythia                          first bloom         86

Eastern Tent Caterpillar              egg hatch          92

Manchu Cherry                            first bloom         93

Northern Lights Forsythia         full bloom          94

Speckled Alder                              full bloom         97

Corneliancherry Dogwood         full bloom         98

 

I’m hoping to have to post an update real soon as the degree days add up.

~ Michael

 

 

 

 

 

Early Spring Flower Sighting

I wanted to share this sighting, it’s the first of the late Winter/early Spring wild flowers I have seen this season. For anyone who isn’t familiar with this flower, this is called a ‘Snowdrop’ or Galanthus nivalis L., which is the Latin. This flower is normally found in a deciduous or coniferous woodland, in meadows, pastures and along streams or rivers. This one I found at the base of a tree on a lightly wooded homesite in Hyde Park, Ohio. What a great find!

~Michael

Some Thoughts About Spring Clean Up

We have been blessed with some nice weather this afternoon so my wife and I decided to get out in the yard for a while and clean up some of the flower beds around the house and down by the street. I must say that it feels really good to feel the warmth of the sun once again, it’s kind of like an old friend you haven’t seen for a while. Getting down on my knees and working in the flower beds is like an old familiar place that I was happy to reconnect with. Here in Northern Kentucky we are considered a USDA Zone 6, and are seeing Early Spring flowers emerging from the ground as the soil begins to warm. Many of us are starting to get that Spring itch, especially after a more active than normal Winter. That got me to thinking about what I was doing, and what was best for the plants and having a really nice Spring show this year. So I’d like to leave you with a few thoughts before you begin your Spring clean up jobs.

First, regardless of how much you would hate to have a relapse into freezing weather. We must realize that it is possible to get some really cold temperatures until about Mothers Day here in the Greater Cincinnati area, you can check with your local extension office to find out your average last day for frost if you don’t know what it is. With this thought in mind it’s important to know that the layers of debris from last seasons leaves and stems act as a layer of insulation for the very tender and freeze sensitive new leaves you may see emerging from the ground. So regardless of how bad your Spring itch is, sometimes it’s better to wait for a while before scratching it. The results of completely exposing these sensitive shoots too early could be a total loss of flowers for this year. Sometimes patience is the best practice to gain the reward of Spring flowers.

Something else that is useful to know about is, that during this time of the year there are fluctuations in temperature, sometimes very drastic changes. One of the factors is a warmer Spring sun exposure than during the Winter. Surfaces such as brick exteriors of a home, stone garden walls, and stone landscape features can capture warmth and encourage plants to begin producing new tender vegetation sooner than if the plant were in an exposed space where it wouldn’t receive the conditions to promote premature new growth prior to the passing of freezing weather. Since this vegetation is very sensitive to freeze damage it’s important to leave any debris in place and possibly use mulch to insulate it from the possibilities of drastic temperature swings. This is especially important for plants such as Japanese Maples planted in a Southern or Western exposure. Remember to remove excess mulch from around the trunk and off of the root flare of any tree once freeze danger has passed.

If you determine that it’s safe to begin cleaning up the planted spaces then be sure to be gentle while raking and pulling on debris in the beds. More than likely your going to discover new growth directly below last years crumbled up leaves, and once again they are tender and easily broken off by rough handling of a rake tine or overly aggressive hands. Easy does it in the garden, enjoy your time working with the plants. This is also a time that applying a weed control granular would be a good idea. Most of the ones I’m familiar with offer ninety to one hundred twenty days of control of preventing weed germination. Keep in mind, most weed controllers are non selective. This means if you enjoy starting you flowers in your beds from seed, do not apply a weed controller, they stop all seed germination not just weeds.  Another thing that would be good to do now is apply an organic compost across your beds, this allows the Spring rains to work the compost into the soils and it will be below any mulch you apply later in the Spring. 

I hope you have found this useful as you prepare for a new season in the garden. If you did please help others see this information too by sharing it with them on your favorite social media by clicking the button provided below this article. Thank you for taking the time to allow me to share with you.

~ Michael

What is a Rain Garden?

After such a long, snow and ice, below freezing forever kind of Winter, I am really looking forward to the things of Spring. I enjoy seeing the birds, bees, and butterflies and all of the beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs that make our communities beautiful. If you enjoy these things also, one way you can attract more of them to your yard and help reduce rain water runoff is to build a rain garden. What is a rain garden you ask?

A rain garden is any man made landscape feature that creates a depression for the collection of stormwater runoff to be collected and used to maintain moisture tolerant plants. Rain gardens are unique in that by reducing stormwater runoff you develop an environment that supports many plants that like wet areas, and also attracts pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds too.

 It’s not just pretty flowers and beautiful butterflies though. Rain gardens help to reduce the excessive amounts of water that densely populated urban spaces cause. These waters that are captured would otherwise cause flooding, water contamination and soil erosion if allowed to run to creeks and storm sewers.

Rain gardens effectively collect excess runoff and allow it to filter through the soils back into the water table without causing erosion, added silt or fertilizer runoff into our lakes, creeks and rivers. What an amazing way to do your part in improving the community you live in, and it can be a simple garden or as expansive as you desire.

Rain Garden

 I’m hoping that this may have inspired you to look into possibly developing a rain garden in your yard this Spring and create a place you can enjoy the beauty of nature while making a difference in your community too. If you found this article inspiring and useful please share it with others by clicking on one of the social media buttons below and help others discover rain gardens too.

  ~ Michael

Plant Hormones And What They Do

I was giving some thought to all of the things that will need to be done this Spring and Summer with the plants. There will be repotting that needs to be done, and cuttings to be rooted, seeds to be germinated. Then I started thinking about the processes that must happen for the seeds to germinate, and the cuttings to root. The processes that cause branches to grow longer, for roots to grow and expand through the media. All of these processes are related to plant hormones. Some plant hormones inhibit functions, while others initiate functions and processes. If you have an understanding of what the hormones are, what they do, and how to use them, it takes your abilities to a whole new level. This topic is quite expansive and can be technical. With this in mind, I’m going to give some basic knowledge that you can use to build on. Take what’s discussed here and use it as a springboard to get where you want to be.

There are five common types of plant hormones; Auxins, Abscisic Acid, Cytokinins, Ethylene, and Gibberellin. Of the five hormones Abscisic Acid and Ethylene are not used much with ornamental plants. Ethylene is primarily used to encourage fruit ripening and the dropping of leaves. Abscisic Acid inhibits growth in maturing leaves and inhibits seed germination.

Auxins are known to cause many different response in plants, some of them are in combination with other hormones. Auxin stand alone responses include cell elongation, stimulates differentiation of phloem and xylem, can induce fruit set and growth in many plants, stimulates root initiation on stem cuttings, delays leaf senescence, delays fruit ripening, stimulates growth of flower parts and mediates tropistic responces to gravity and light.

Cytokinins are compounds that are known to stimulate cell division, stimulates growth of lateral buds, and stimulates leaf expansion. There are about 136 different types of gibberellins derived from the basic GA skeleton, and are known to facilitate specific responses in different plants. Some of these responses include the stimulation of stem elongation via cell division and elongation, can cause the absence of seeds in fruit development, aids in breaking seed dormancy, initiates sex development in dioecious flowers, can aid in stimulating bolting and flowering in response to longer days, and delay senescence in leaves and citrus fruit. 

As you can see plant hormones are essential in almost every function of a plant, so if you can understand the plant hormones function it gives you more control in the cultivation of your plant. To expand on this thought, if you are growing a plant and it requires branching for flowers or fruit, you can use GA’s to to stimulate the stem elongation. If you are trying to propagate a favorite plant by cutting you can use auxins to help develop new roots on your cuttings. I hope this article helps get you thinking about how you can be a better grower by understanding and using plant hormones. If you find this writing useful please help others find it by clicking on one of the social media buttons below.

~Michael

Understanding seed propagation

It won’t be long before those who grow Plumeria and Adenium will be scurrying to buy their first seeds of the new season, I know I have already made a couple of small purchases from two of my favorite suppliers last week. The listings on our favorite web sites are so inviting, the colors of the flowers, the shape of the petals. They are all so appealing to the eye. Sometimes I feel like a big kid in a botanical candy store, and most of the time I want at least a dozen of each. When you make a purchase regardless of what it is ,you expect to get what you see. Well if your buying Adenium or Plumeria seed you may be surprised when your Japanese Lantern seedling is more of a pink than the customary red that we all know it to be. Adenium and Plumeria, as well as many plants are not always true to form from seed. That is to say, seed from a plant known to produce red flowers might actually produce a flower that is another color than red. The deciding factors of what is produced is determined by the genetic DNA of both of the plants involved in the breeding. Just like with humans the offspring will be some combination of the parents. The chances of getting something new are very good. This doesn’t seem to bother those who insist on growing from seed, that is actually the fun of doing it, to get something new and unique. It’s exciting to initiate life from a seed, then nurture it and watch it develop over a period of time. Then if you supply it with all the care it needs to reach its fullest potential, it rewards you with a special gift in the form of a flower.

Do you know what’s below the soil?

I was in the growroom recently working with some of my Adenium and Plumeria when I decided to check on one of my cuttings from last season which has been putting on some really nice new leaves. I decide to pop it out of its pot to check out its roots. To my amazement there were no roots! None! My experience has been that any plant in the dogbane family is easily rotted during cool weather without roots and with wet media. Do you know what type of roots are supporting your Adenium? Did you know that all roots are not the same when your talking about Adenium? The number one cause of loss with Adenium is root rot, so knowing your roots is important to avoid costly setbacks or losses. The image below is from a friend of mine who is showing the differences between the same variety of Adenium, both of these plants are Adenium Arabicum but notice how different the roots are. Knowing your roots is very important.

Picture credit Sundaram Ramasamy of Abena Adenium

Roots are the most important part of any plant. Without the roots your plant can’t remain upright, it can’t acquire the needed moisture from its surroundings. The plant can’t find the nutrients it needs from the media. Sure there is foliar feeding, but the plant can’t get all the required elements needed through its leaves. So without healthy roots your plant can’t sustain it’s self.

Roots appear visually to be tough and expendable. They are kind of mysterious lurking out of sight. The truth is that they are subject to rot if they stay wet. If they are damaged, any open wound is a point of entry for disease that can cut off nutrients to the top of the plant. It is important to handle roots with care, and to be aware of any damage caused when handling them. I find that it’s the simple stuff that can cause you the most trouble with plants. When you prune the roots, or accidentally damage them, take the time to to treat them with a powder fungicide. If they get broken, then trim them back clean and treat them with a fungicide to prevent disease to enter.

The type of media used in the pot is important for healthy roots. Adenium need to be able to dry out in a timely fashion, they do not like “wet feet”, that is wet roots. media like sand, stone, hydroton, perlite and the like do not have the ability to retain nutrients on their surfaces. For this reason it is necessary to create a mix of different elements to obtain excellent drainage with nutrient holding compacity. I like cocoa coir in my growing program, but use what works best for you. As long as your media of choice drains rapidly and is capable of holding nutrients such as coir, peat, or pro mix it will work.

You will find that Adenium can develop a massive root system with thickened secondary roots. I have found that it is often necessary to root prune them to maintain plant vigor and maintain root organization. Don’t be afraid to handle your roots, to visually inspect them. Know what kind of roots are under your plant. Fine fibrous roots are subject to rot quicker than thick swollen roots. Thick roots have much higher water holding capacity than fibrous roots. Know your roots, know your plant, it’s that simple.

~Michael

#whitehort

Here they come back from the twilight zone

I was downstairs in the Growroom tending to the Adenium and I noticed some activity with my plumeria. I get so excited when this process begins, this is such an incredible process. Plumeria are unlike any plant I have ever had the pleasure to work with. They are like an incredibly majestic creature that goes into a state of hibernation, then after the weather breaks they come back to life. But they don’t just break bud, they act as if they are groggy and and slowly become active. I can see them figuratively stretching and yawning and slowly getting back to life as they know it. How cool is that? A plant that has style and personality, is quite refined and glamorous.

This is the best response that I have ever had from any plumeria I have overwintered. In previous years I have tried the garage, and various places within my house. I’ve tried no water, some water, and combinations of frequency of watering. I’ve killed my fair share of plants, but for each loss I have been able to refine my abilities.

I have found that during this period of time it’s important to be patient and observe what’s going on with your plants. What do I mean you say? Well you need to be patient and allow your Plumeria take its time and roar back to life. If you just start pouring on the water and start pumping fertilizer into the media you can cause yourself some issues. Black tip fungus can show itself if you provide the right conditions with moisture. You must remember that there are quite a few weeks before they can go outside and it’s difficult to regulate media moisture. Then you must think about the fertilizers. We still have four weeks in March and April, then a week or two in May before it’s safe for plumeria to go outside full time. If you pump fertilizer into your plant that can become a problem with leggy growth due to improper light. You can attract thrips and aphids from over fertilizing. I have even lead a rooted plant down the road that leads to rot because I was too anxious with the water.

Here is what I will do as my Plumeria come out of dormancy. First I will allow the first leaves to push out and develop. Once this happens I will soak them once and allow them to completely dry out. I suggest learning what a dry pot feels like and what a wet pot feels like. This will go a long way for you. Be sure to allow the media to completely dry out before each watering. Sometime in mid to late March I will give them a 25% strength of fertilizer with low nitrogen and a high Phosphorus, say somewhere between 30-50. Then as we get closer to May I will increase the strength. Depending on how our Spring is developing I want to be full strength by the second or third week of May. Now this will vary according to your climate, so you have to adjust this according to your environmental conditions. So far my Plumeria can coming along real well. I’ll try to post updates of how they are progressing.
~ Michael

Growroom layout and setup: Week one

I was able to spend a few hours working on my aquaponics system for my Growroom today.

I finally decided the way I wanted the system to flow and where all of the components would be within the unit. There were a few things that are important to me for this system. The first is to be absolutely certain that this system will not overflow due to inadequate drains. This system is setup in the laundry room which adjoins my finished basement, so any flooding from this system would be quite costly. With this in mind I spent part of my time today installing three different drains. Each of these drains is at a different height for increased drainage as the water gets higher in the bed.

These two drains are on the end of the growbed closest to the fish tank, and they will be plumbed on separate return lines into the fish tank. As you can see one of the drains is about two to three inches taller in height than the other. My thoughts are that the lower drain will serve as a constant flow drain which will be under the media and out of view. The second taller drain will serve as a high tide drain. My idea is to use two pumps in a sump tank positioned below the growbed. The first would be my newly purchased Elemental 171GPH pump, which would be my circulating pump. The maximum capacity of my chopped IBC container is now 200 gallons. So this one pump alone almost cycles the tank once an hour. Then I would use a 97GPH Elemental pump on a timer to create a high tide effect in the growbed.

Then I built this much higher volume evacuation drain valve, the diameter of of the valve itself is 1 1/2 inches and it is reduced to 3/4 inches below the bed. This gives me a 2:1 ration used in a bell syphon.

The top of the valve contains a threaded cap which I created an opening at the apex of the cap and three smaller holes which prevents water from entering the valve until it reaches the top of the lower lip of the growbed,there is approximately two inches from valve to the uppermost surface of the growbed. The flow rate capacity of 3/4 inch pipe under gravity is 600GPH. So I figure with both of the end drains and the evacuation drain, there is no way to overflow the growbed under normal operating conditions. Both pumps together output a maximum of 264GPH which is only 44 percent of the evacuation valve alone.

The second thing that was important to me was the fish tank being gravity return. This allows me to control the system from completely draining itself if there is a malfunction. I mentioned the maximum capacity of the fish tank was 200 gallons, I placed the return line at the 125 gallon point of the tank. This means the fish tank will never drop below 125 gallons, this protects both the fish and 125 gallons of balanced water to start over with in case the rest of the water gets discharged from the system in a malfunction.

Another thing that was important to me was the working height of the growbed. This is where I will be working with the plants growing here and I don’t want to cut my work short due to back pains that come from bending over a surface that is too low. So I believe I have the growbed at a height that will be comfortable for me to work from.

The black and yellow tote below the growbed is a twenty seven gallon tank that I’m using as a sump tank, that’s the exact capacity of the growbed empty. The grow media and net pots will displace water so the sump will have a greater capacity than the growbed, and I’m considering an overflow tank for the sump. I’m going to get the materials to plumb the system and some silicone to seal the bulkhead fittings. Hopefully I can spend more time on the system and do a new update sometime this week.