Plant Care & Gardening Tips@ HortChat.com©

THINGS TO DO:

HOLIDAY PLANTS

-Some of the popular plants during the holiday season are poinsettia, Christmas cactus, amaryllis and Norfolk Pine . These are all great for gift giving as well as receiving. Fortunately, we have information on how to take care of them and help them survive the Holiday.

Cyclamen is a great winter bloomer. Given cool temperatures (low 60’s) and bright light, it can bloom as long as 2-3 months.

Instead of a Christmas tree, those with limited space may opt for a Norfolk Island pine which is usually available in stores around Thanksgiving. It is available plain or decorated and serves as an alternate mini Christmas tree.

Another seasonal plant tip: Expose your Christmas cactus and Poinsettia to 14 hours of darkness in order to initiate flower buds.

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Welcome to Hortchat.Com, your Horticulture and Gardening Tips website!

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I personally welcome you to the site. My name is Kris and I will be your host. I have a degree in horticulture and have studied and worked with plants for many years. I have also volunteered as a Master Gardener for 16 years.

At Hortchat, we share the trials and tribulations of gardening and growing plants. We may not know everything but we’ll try our best. If you have a suggestion or solution to a gardening / plant problem , we would like to hear about it. We are interested in giving folks the best tips and creating a
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previous post: Decorating with Poinsettia
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When You See Poinsettias in Stores-You Know Christmas is Near!

Poinsettia plants have long been a symbol of Christmas. With brightly colored red flowers they blend well with holiday decorations. If your decorations are anything but red, there are still options for you, because the Poinsettia comes in various colors-pinks, yellows, marbled and reds.

Today, it seems that some nurseries are even coloring plants to make them more appealing. The original Poinsettias are just as beautiful, and as long as you take care of them, they’ll last for years-far beyond the holidays. So, even though they are thought of as a Christmas plant, they can adorn your home or yard throughout the years.

There Are Many Ways to Display Poinsettias

Choose location carefully and ensure no sudden changes in temperature. There should be no cold or drafts, nor vents that overheat them. They like sun, but not direct sun.

If you’re looking for a holiday theme, Poinsettias blend in well. By bunching them in certain areas they will add beauty to your home. Place in rooms that need brightening. Some say it’s best to coordinate the plants with the decorations you choose, but that’s really not necessary since the flowers lend themselves to any décor during the holidays.
Before buying, make sure the plant is healthy. Check the stems for firmness, they shouldn’t be soft or pliable, put you finger in the soil to see if it’s damp not dry. Check for brown spots on leaves, mites or other insects that may have infested the plant.

Caring for Your Poinsettia Plant

Keep the plants at a temperature of 60-70 degrees and in a well lit area. Water them well, then allow them to dry out before watering again. Poinsettias are sensitive plants and require a little more care, but they are worth it when you see the beauty of the holidays. Once the plant is past blooming, fertilize it with an all purpose fertilizer. Enjoy it beyond the holidays by following these easy steps:

- When the holidays are over and the plants begin to droop, pinch them and cut the stem back a few inches in order for them to become bushy and full later.

-When spring arrives, you’ll have a gorgeous plant that you can bring out and care for. Water only when the soil feels dry, the Poinsettia can be destroyed if over watered.

- Bring the plant out in the spring to a sunny location, feed and water regularly. Place in full sun for the summer, after the chance of frost is gone. Before autumn, decide to leave them outside, or bring them back indoors to rebloom.

Poinsettias make great gifts, purchase them with care, treat them with love, and give them a chance to grow back next season!

About the Author: Angela Lytle is a self-employed mother of four and publisher of Christmas Decorations Online a website featuring holiday decorations from Artificial Christmas Trees for your home to Outdoor Christmas Lights to brighten up your holiday display.

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previous post: Black Walnuts
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Black walnut trees (Juglans nigra) are the last trees to arrive in spring and the first trees to leave in the fall. They are known for their highly prized wood and delicious nuts.

Black walnut trees are particular about what plant life is allowed to grow around them. The roots produce a toxic substance called juglone which inhibits certain plants to grow next to it. Tomatoes and earthworms are especially sensitive to juglone poisoning. The wood shavings from black walnuts also suspected of causing acute laminitis in horses.
If you grow tomatoes, it is important not to plant them in an area where black walnut trees are growing. Any contact with the tree roots can cause the entire plant to wilt; symptoms which can also be mistaken for verticillium wilt. Leaves and nuts also contain juglone and should be avoided in the garden or a composter.

Harvesting nuts:
In early September the tree will drop golf ball size or larger nuts. To get to the nuts, first remove the outer yellow/green husk. If you let the nuts lay around too long, the husks will oxidize; turn black and mushy. One way to remove the husk is to step on the nut and roll it. (Don’t wear good shoes). This will break off the husk. Another faster way is to drive your car tires over them. Wash and rinse the nuts after removing them from the husk. Remove any ‘floaters’ (nuts that have not filled in) and air dry on the lawn in the sun.
WARNING: When handling black walnuts be sure to wear rubber gloves as they will stain your hands and clothes.

Store the nuts in mesh bags or burlap sacks until you’re ready to crack them. It’s better to crack them a few weeks after drying (curing) as the nutmeats shrink up a bit and are easier to remove from the shell. Crack the hard shells with a hammer to remove the nut meats, a regular nut cracker will not work.

The nutmeats can be stored in the refrigerator for up to nine months and 2 years in the freezer.
Black walnuts are more labor intensive than English walnuts and therefore more costly but their distinctive flavor is worth trying.

Black walnut husk juice is colorfast and lightfast; it has been used to make dyes, stains and ink dating back to Medieval times.

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previous post: flower photo tips
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How to make great-looking pictures of your garden flowers

Many people think that the best day for snapping pictures of flowers (and anything else) is a bright sunny day. In my experience, this is not quite correct. The problem with direct sunlight is that it creates stark contrasts. In other words, the bright areas are extremely bright while the shadows by comparison become very dark . While your eyes continually adjust to those variations in brightness, the camera cannot handle them quite as well.

Here are some photo tips for photographing your flowers in a more flattering light:

1. Be patient and wait for a cloudy day.
I have found that cloudy days are generally much better than sunny days for getting good flower pictures. The light is now soft, there are no harsh shadows, the delicate shapes of flowers will benefit from that.

2. Avoid the midday sun.
If you go out in the garden very early in the morning, or near sunset, you will probably find that the light is much more interesting than around noontime. Since the sun is so low, it is rather easy to find areas in light shade and make great photos there. ( an example here, a picture of roses made near sunset just after some rain.)

3. Make your own clouds.
Make your own perfect day? Grab a piece of semi-transparent material like a white garbage bag or a white t-shirt, and attach it to some framing- a wire coat hanger works well. Shape it into a square and secure the garbage bag etc. to that. Now you can hold this contraption so that it blocks the sun and creats a nice soft light where you want it!

4. Put the sun where you want it.
In some cases you may want to take a picture of a little flower hidden in a really shaded spot. You can use that bright sunlight to your advantage: grab a mirror or some other reflective material like a sheet of aluminum foil, and hold it so it reflects sunlight right on your subject! You can adjust things so your flower gets well lit while the background is in the shade; this will make the flower stand out .

You can also use the zoom setting on your digital camera to control the appearance of the background. You will find that by “zooming in", ie. using a telephoto setting, you can avoid getting all kinds of distracting stuff included in the background, behind your favorite flower.

Have fun! Go out and experiment with different light conditions to get a feeling for what works best.

About the author:
Kai Virihaur started his gardening career by growing pumpkins in his Mom’s flower beds. He nowadays enjoys both garden design and photography; he runs a blog at www.a1phototips.com where he shares photography tips drawing on his 30+ years of picture-making.

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previous post: How to harvest & store pumpkins
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Harvest & store pumpkins

Harvest your pumpkins when the vines are dry, and fruit is an even deep orange or characteristic color of the variety. The rind should be hard and not easily punctured. Cut a 3-6 inch stem with a sharp knife or pruning shears. Lift the pumpkin from the bottom not by the stem to avoid breaking off the stem. Pumpkins should be free of cuts, scratches or bruises.

Wash your picked pumpkin with a light chlorine solution to help avoid fungal or bacterial rotting. Sources recommend that a newly harvested pumpkin should be cured @ 80 degrees and 80% humidity for 7-10 days to finish ripening and healover any surface bruising but its not always practiced and may not be necessary.*
After curing, store them in a dry, cool place with good air circulation and temperatures around 50-55 degrees with relative humidity of 50-70%. Properly stored pumpkins (50-55 F) can last up to 2 months but if stored in warmer temperatures (70 degrees) only 2 weeks.
Avoid any ethylene gas exposure, don’t store pumpkins with apples or other fruits. Do not store them on hard surfaces like concrete or stack them on top of each other.
*http://www.uky.edu/Ag/IPM/manuals/ipm12pum.pdf

Today there are many types of Pumpkins to choose from, some varieties make great Jack-o-Lanterns, whereas others are better for pies. Their rich history goes way back to Central America.

Choosing a pumpkin
Looking for that perfect pumpkin for your Jack-O-Lantern? Here are some tips that might help.

-Pick a pumpkin with a green stem that is free of bruises, discolorations and soft spots
-Don’t carry the pumpkin by the stem, it can easily break off .
-A thicker walled pumpkin will allow for more imaginative carving.
-Store your pumpkin in a cool, dry place, not freezing until you decide to carve it..
-When carving your pumpkin, tell the Irish folktale tale of Jack-O-Lantern

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Midwest native woodland wildflowers:

The diminshing habitat of woodland wildflowers leaves them in a delicate balance for future survival. Not only is man’s destruction of their habitat a factor, invasive weeds also play a large role in “squeezing out ” wildflowers from their environment. They rob the plants of sunlight, water and nutrients. It is important that we become stewarts of preserving the wildflowers we still have and hopefully, will have in the future.

Rue Anemone Anemonella Thalictroides / Family: Ranunculaceae

Flowering: April to Mid-June.
Habitat: Rich woodlands.
Descritpion: This woodland wildfower grows 4 to 9 inches high. Soft green stem. Compound leaves with 3 rounded, notched leaflets arranged in elevated whorls around single, central flowering stalks. Basal leaves also look more notched than lobed. This species is similar to the False Rue Anemone (Isopyrum biternatum), but differs by having 3 whorled leaves just below the flower.

Collect seeds: June. Cluster of small, green seeds (achenes) at end of branched stalks come off easily when rubbed between fingers. The fruit of A. thalictroides can be distinguished from that of Isopyrum biternatum which bears a small follicle (pod containing several seeds) rather than an achene. Because A. thalictroides flowers over a period of time, both ripe and unripe seeds are likely to be found at the same time. Seed can be picked over several weeks.

Red Trillium Trillium sessile /Family: Liliaceae

Flowering: April to June
Habitat: Moist rich woodland
Descrition: A woodland wildflower which grows 4 to 12 inches high. One large, maroon stalkless flower above a whorl of 3 whorled leaves, that appears closed.
Collect seeds: Early July. One dry berry, angled, up to 1 inch in diameter forms at the end of a stalk in the middle of 3 green sepals. The berry rolls off plant easily when pinched or pushed. Seeds inside are reddish brown and are surrounded by a sticky caruncle. Do not allow to dry out while storing.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema Triphyllum / Family: Araceae

FLOWERING: April - May.
Habitat: Rich moist woodland, wet swamps, or drier areas in high open woods where soil is rich in humus.
Description: 15 - 30 inches high. Perennial. Leaflike hood (spathe) surrounds a central column (spadix). Spathe is green or purplish brown, often striped. Leaves, 1 or 2, long-stalked, 3 parted. This woodland wildflower is dioecious. Females bear fruit.

Collect seeds: Seed timing: Mid-August through September. Shortly after spathe withers a dense cluster of green berries appears. Cluster slowly expands, turns orange, then scarlet red. Often leaves deteriorate before fruit matures so that seed collectors see only a single green stalk supporting the cluster of brilliant red berries which can then be picked. Seed cleaning should be started within a few days of collection while pulp is still soft.

Information on each wildflower includes details on when to pick the seeds. This is intended to guide seed harvesting efforts for restoration, but can also be used in your own yard. Remember to never pick seeds from the wild without permission from the landowner.

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previous post: How to choose the best annuals
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Container gardening offers a wide range of gardening possibilities especially for those enthusiastic gardeners with limited space. Any container can serve as a planter as long as it can hold soil and have drainage, let your imagination go wild; but container gardening is not just filling a container with soil and adding random plants. There are a few planting tips to consider that will reward you with a healthy, long lasting planter all season long.

Here are some tips & techniques when planting your container:

- Choose plants that are compatible with size, color, light and moisture requirements.

- Start with a container that is large enough to maintain the plant or combination of plants through the whole growing season. If the container is too small it will dry out much faster during the hot days of summer. The bigger the better-but also keep in mind that you may have to move it. Clay pots are heavier, porous and dry out faster than metal, plastic or wooden pots. I like the faux clay pots. They seem to fit all requirements.

- Be sure your container has adequate drainage. Place a fabric filter or mesh over the drain hole and fill bottom of container with gravel, broken clay pots and peanuts to fill the space. Leave the top 8-10 inches to fill with soil.

- Healthy plants start with healthy soil. Use the good well drained soil, or mix your own by combining 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite or perlite and 1/3 organic material Fill the container 2 inches below the rim of the pot to allow room for planting and avoid overflow when watering.

- To conserve moisture and reduce amount of watering add a water retaining polymer (Hydro-gel) to the soil. Soak the polymer before adding it to the soil and follow label directions as to how much to use. Do not use any water polymer when growing vegetables and herbs in a container.

- Mix in a slow release fertilizer (Osmocote) that will feed your plants up to 4 months, enough to carry you through the growing season. Supplemental fertilizer may be required especially with vigorous growing vegetables as frequent watering will leach the nutrients from the soil.

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