|
[ Past Issues Index ] [ Rex's Seedco Home ] [ Our Seed Catalog ] [ About Us ]
|
||||||
|
Table of Contents
1) Editor's Comments:With the mailing last week on Wednesday, we did see a reduction in full mailboxes. If we are able to put together an issue earlier in the week, we are going to try and send it by Wednesday. It is likely our schedules will determine when it finally gets sent. Also, the last couple days our servers have been so innundated with emails caused by people infected with the W32/Sobig virus that we've delayed sending this issue a day. This week we take a look at a wonderful Australian plant, yellow acacia; we have another item in our easy gardening series; our reader mailbag; and more. As always, if you do have questions, suggestions or ideas, do not hesitate to drop us a note. Tom Krueger Rex Gregor "Exotic & Unusual Seeds from Around the World" 2) Yellow Acacia:
The Yellow Acacia is a small graceful tree well adapted to growing inside; it is also a very good greenhouse plant; or can be grown outside in Zones 8 to 10. It has a profusion of beautiful flowers covering the entire plant. The small yellow puff-like flowers are very fragrant and appear in clusters during late winter, these will be followed by seed pods. However, there are some varieties of Acacia that may bloom all year. The plants have compound leaves and are well branched. Be aware some varieties do have nasty thorns. If you grow Acacia as a bonsai culture it requires special attention to make them bloom. Although, professional bonsai growers have very little problem in making them bloom. Acacia prefers full sun. If you grow them inside, it is best to provide sufficient light by using grow lights at least six hours a day. Acacia is a warm weather plant and will not stand freezing. It prefers moderate to dry conditions, but the leaves will drop if the soil is allowed to get too dry. Professionals recommend misting the plant frequently if you grow it indoors. It is best to feed your Acacia plants with a water soluble fertilizer using a formula of about 10-45-10; this will make your plant a better bloomer. The best way to propagate is from seed. It is important to nick the very bottom ends of the seeds with a knife or a pair of clippers for it will allow the plant to break out from the hard covering of the seed. Go ahead and give the seeds a bath in hot water (do not use boiling water); then allow the seeds to soak in warm water for at least two days; then plant. Yellow Acacia is very easy to container grow and they make a beautiful houseplant as well as a wonderful conversation piece. D1164 Golden Mimosa (Acacia baileyana) -- 20 Seeds per Pkg. $2.90 Are paying too much for long distance? Check out our best rate calculator. Click here or visit http://ld.net/calculator/?goalsmint 3) Humor for Today:It was rush hour, and the city bus filled until the aisle was jammed with standing commuters. One woman, precariously balanced on spike heels, clung to a handgrip. Suddenly the bus took a sharp corner, flinging her across the laps of two seated male passengers. There was silence and all eyes turned on the threesome. Laughter erupted as the quick-witted woman righted herself and quipped, "All these years I thought I was British, and now I find I'm a Laplander!" 4) Once in a Lifetime:Never again in your lifetime will the Red Planet be so spectacular! This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars, an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the last 5,000 years but it may be as long as 60,000 years. On August 27, Mars will come within 34,649,589 miles and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. At a modest 75-power magnification Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. To observe Mars at its closest, viewers in the United States can begin observing the Red Planet on the evening of August 26. The Moon sets just after the Sun, so the skies will be nice and dark. Mars rises above the horizon in the east southeast soon after the Sun sets. It is best to give Mars about an hour or two to rise above the horizon before you begin viewing the planet through a telescope. You have to look through a lot of atmosphere to see objects along the horizon, and usually that atmosphere is very turbulent. As a rule, the higher in the sky an object is, the better the viewing conditions. Mars will be visible all through the night. For those in the United States, Mars will be at its closest point in the early morning of August 27. 5) Easy Gardening: Small-scale Composting
Grab the largest polyethylene bag you can find and dump the materials to compost into it. Add a shovelful of soil and a handful of 5-10-5 fertilizer. Wet it all down and tie the top of the bag tightly. Go ahead and leave the bag in the sun. You can occasionally go out and flop the bag around a bit, and then every two weeks, open the bag and let some air in. In about eight to 12 weeks you should have the bag full of some great humus ready to use. It's not to early to
start planning for your fall decorations. Click Here or visit http://rexseedco.com/art/autumn.htm 6) Quote for Today:"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables
us to count our blessings." 7) Reader Mailbag: Curlytop Virus"Where I live, we have a problem with curly top virus, which
really does our tomatoes in. This year it was bad, I had a total crop
failure. I am hoping you will be able to help."
The symptoms are that the lower leaves will turn yellow and the top leaves will curl and the plant will look like it is dying. The fruit will be of poor quality or there won't be any at all. Because of the additional description you emailed, we consulted with a plant pathologist friend who agreed that your problem is probably "tomato curlytop virus" – sometimes referred to as "western yellow blight." She advised that curlytop virus is known to affect more than just tomatoes, including beans, squash, cucumbers, melons, peppers, and several other flowering plants. As I said, in the midwestern United States, tobacco mosaic is not unusual, but in your region, the western states, curlytop virus is a major problem, especially in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Washington, and Oregon. These States have arid conditions and the curlytop virus is known to be a particular problem in that climate. Curlytop is an insect transmitted viral disease, often severe with tomato plants. This disease is spread by the "beet leafhopper." This insect is slender grayish about 1/8 inch long. They are known to winter-over in the warmer southern states, where they come in contact with the curlytop virus. As they migrate to cooler weather states, such as Utah, they will spread the disease as they go. The leafhopper will pick up the virus by feeding on a plant already infected. It only takes a few minutes of feeding on an infected plant to infest their bodies with the virus, thus giving them the ability to transmit the virus to other plants. In fact, they carry the disease for the rest of their lives. After the virus-laden leafhopper feeds on a healthy plant, the curlytop symptoms will start to appear. Unfortunately, there is no known method of killing the virus, and within one month the plant will be dead. The leafhopper prefers to live in arid or semi-arid areas. However, because they migrate to areas where there is a "dry spell" or migrate if the summer has dry conditions, it is possible the disease may eventually spread to most areas of the country. Plant pathologists are working on tomato plants resistant to the curlytop virus. There is also no known insecticide to kill the insect. Sorry we don't have a solution to your problem. We are confident that some plant pathologist may well find the answer. You may want to keep in touch with the professionals in your state and work with them to help solve the problem. If we do find out anymore information, we'll include it in a future issue. 8) Tool Saver:
9) Subscribe/UnsubscribeThis newsletter, the Green Thumb Times, is sent out only to those who have requested a FREE subscription by signing up at http://rexseedco.com or specifically asked to be added, or are a valued customer of Rex's Seedco. PRIVACY: Your email address is held in the strictest of privacy. It is never traded or sold to anyone else. To subscribe to The Green Thumb Times Click Here or send email to subscribegtt@goalsmint.com To unsubscribe Click Here or send email to unsubscribegtt@goalsmint.com Tom Krueger, Editor and Publisher Rex Gregor, Contributing Editor Please feel free to forward The Green Thumb Times to a friend. Rex’s Seedco has searched the world for quality
growers of garden seeds. Many of these farmers bring together ancient
wisdom and modern science so people everywhere may have good health
and enjoyment in life. We are dedicated to providing the best wherever
they are found.
|
||||||
|
[ Past Issues Index ] [ Rex's Seedco Home ] [ Our Seed Catalog ] [ About Us ]
|
||||||
There are about 1,500 species of Acacia found throughout the world.
At least 1,000 of these are found in Australia. In Australia, Acacia
are commonly known as Wattle; in the United States they are often referred
to as Yellow Acacia or Golden Mimosa.
For many people, they just don't have the space for a compost bin,
or go through the hassle one can sometimes be. But, then again, you'd
still like to have some compost to use. Well, here is a limited quantity
compost idea for you.
Here is Minnesota, we are not familiar with curlytop virus. We do
have an occasional problem with a tomato virus identified as tobacco
mosaic. We first thought this might be your problem because tobacco
mosaic is found all over the world. This virus often affects tomato
plants.
We just came across this one. How'd you like to easily keep your hand
tools rust-free? Fill a bucket with sand and add a little light oil
and mix. The sand will keep the surfaces clean and the oil will help
keep them free of rust.