What's Been Going On...

[Greenhorn]

I got some Coir, I never have used it before

Worked on some soil mixes

I was storing a cement mixer and the owner moved, my new bulk soil mixer. Mostly soil for 1 gallon containers.

Cleaned up the greenhouse

I made a new misters bar

Overwatered some Lavender that was germinating, I salvaged 4

Transplanted a Coreopsis grandiflora that I planted as a seed 2/24/2017.

It's been satisfying, I put a lot of plants into the ground that I had started as seeds. .

First seeds of the year less the Lavender which I was doing indoors, mostly natives and wildflower seeds.

The container plants came from the California Native Plant Society sale. I don't buy many containers, these are for the yard soon as we get some rain and I hope to use them for cuttings.

I've been making plant files also, they are a consolidation of information from multiple sources into a single file.
Just about time to get things going in earnest, looking forward to it

Anyone else getting in the ready mode?

 

[johnny canoe]

Too much snow around so the green house is closed down until the first of March. Did order some seeds and will get the Santa Cruz begonias germinating on my plant rack just as soon as they arrive. I didn't buy any seeds last year but I needed to buy this year. All my geranium cutting rooted and are growing in the basement with a few dragon wings begonias.
That's about all that's going on as far as plants.

 

[alp]

Be careful if you use coir as it has few nutrients and dries out very quickly. But if you mix it with clay, that might be a different story.. Looks very good and promising.. @Greenhorn

I agree with @johnny canoe Sowing at this time can be very tricky, but you might be living in a very warm area. I don't want my seedling to succumb to white powdery fluff .. and then die..

Have already stratified some peony seeds in the fridge and will do some more in January or December for my acer seeds

 

[Silentrunning]

@Greenhorn I see you have all the planters labeled. Don't you know it is much more fun to plant the seeds and then forget what is in the container? My wife got a package of popsicle sticks and a Sharpie so I could start labeling the pots. She is tired of the mystery of not knowing what she is caring for. She has no sense of adventure!

 

[marlingardener]

Silent, the definition of frustration is having 65 one gallon pots with a rose start in each, neatly labeled with a popsicle stick, and having the cat decide the sticks are toys. I had to hold the roses for another year until they bloomed and I could tell who was what!

 

[Greenhorn]

Be careful if you use coir as it has few nutrients and dries out very quickly. But if you mix it with clay, that might be a different story.. Looks very good and promising..

Hi Alp. Thanks for the info, I had kind of read up on Coir propeties. Ultimately i'm working on a book (or page or two in reality) of soil recipes for differnt needs and seed - plant types. It's interesting as I have some 1 gallon containers (from two different transplantings ealier this year) on drip irrigation and I used two different mix combinations as some containers are fast draiing and other hold the water more. This obviuosly creates an issue with the irrigation as they are all on the same valve. So this year soil mixes are getting focus.

A lot of native plants here need excellent drainage and not so much as far as nuterients. Currently I'm working on a few different mixes, 1 for germination in liners, 1 for germination in 4' pots and 1 for 1 gallon containers to transplant to. Working with a combination or Coir, Screened Potting Mix, Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Mix, Perlite, Vermeculite, Horticulture Sand depending on application. Depending on what's up I also have a Organic Starter Fertilizer, Super Phosphate and Green Sand as mix ins. I've mostly used these, the mix ins with more typical (non-native) soil mixes - seeds I've done. Again the goal is to come up with some definitive mixes

As far as the green house still a liitle warm here. Lookng at 75 - 80f (25c +/-) for highs and mid 50's (5c +/-)as the low for the next week or so.

I'll be doing a few rounds of natives and wildflowers and then move to general - commercial drought tolernt - water wise type plants and then in the latter portion of December start with general spring flowers and a few vegatables and all. Most will start in 72 pocket 1020 liners, with some starting in 4" pots and a few special types in peat pots. Still new to and working on best practices as it relates to peat pots, I wrestle with them a bit.

Oh yes the tags. One of my biggest issues. I try and be very careful tagging and logging my plantings including Planting Date, Location (tray - location in tray), Germination Date, Transplant Date... and I still get things balled up. I've got what I think are a few bloom 2nd seson and bienials from earlier this year that I don't know what they are. Hoping they will bloom in spring so I can see. Another area for additional focus this year.

 

[alp]

Very interesting, @Greenhorn

 

[alp]

By way of interest, have you tried and researched on jiffy pellets? Funny thing is that most cuttings will take in the jiffy pellet, but the nettings tend not to be biodegradable and sometimes it is so tight and compact that the plant might die with the nettings still glued to the root ball.

I might use some of them tomorrow as cuttings do very well in them, but getting rid of the non-biodegradable netting might kill the plant.

 

[Greenhorn]

Yes I was using them with the Lavender I was geminating. To be honest with you I never relly used them much, preferring 1020 trays. I had some laying around and decided to try them with a in the house germinating experiment. I did cut open the top of the netting completely and the plan was to transplant before roots got too engaged and pull all the netting off. That was the plan. I still do have a few to test with. Just for fun I took all the netting off one before wetting, then wetted it, that did not go so well

As far as cuttings I have to give them a try, my only concern would be how much moisture they can hold. I find them a little hard to guage moisture wise and notes with my water sufficated Lavender.

 

[Tjohn]

I tried Jiffy pots this past year for peppers. They did great at first, germinating and getting their first true leaves just fine, but then disaster struck and I lost most of the plants due to watering issues and then overcrowded roots. They also did not go into the garden well. I will not try them again!

 

[alp]

The peat jiffy pellets are very effective for cuttings.. Now companies have used biodegradable netting, so they might be better. I also have a lot hanging around. Just too much hassle tearing off the netting and so somehow it negates its usefulness.

Agree with Tjohn that they don't transfer well into the garden. A moisture retentive compost is probably better. Hard to say this one. At one point most of the modules delivered by online mail catalogue companies were in jiffy pellets.. Now they delivered them in a very tiny dollop of soil with very healthy roots, but the plants (mostly probably cuttings ) are still very tender. Technology is an amazing art.

 

[MoonShadows]

I used Cow Pots this past season and was pleased with them. They are a bit pricey, but I got them for a great price at the end of 2016 when a store wanted to get rid of their stock for the winter.

 

[Silentrunning]

I used Cow Pots this past season and was pleased with them. They are a bit pricey, but I got them for a great price at the end of 2016 when a store wanted to get rid of their stock for the winter.
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@MoonShadows I really like the idea of the Cow Pots. Does it say on the packaging what they use as a binder (glue) to hold the pots together? Did you notice if they came in various sizes?

 

[MoonShadows]

@Silentrunning they come in 12 different shapes and sizes. I don't have any boxes left, but I believe it is just the solid manure with no binder. They heat the manure and burn off the methane after which they separate the liquid from the solids. The solids are used to make the pots.

Mentioned in their About Us: http://www.cowpots.com/about-us/
Sizes and shapes: http://www.cowpots.com/biodegradable-pot/

If you decide to buy them look around the internet. I got mine for 1/2 price.

 

[alp]

They heat the manure and burn off the methane after which they separate the liquid from the solids. The solids are used to make the pots.

Good idea! At least, no TERRIBLE weeds.. and the pot provides nutrients to plants.