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Table of Contents
1) Editor's Comments:Before we talk about this week's issue, we'd like to wish all our subscribers a Happy Thanksgiving. We'd like to offer you a virtual greeting. Please Click Here for a video card. This week we finish our three week series on house plants by looking at gift plants. We have all solved the identity of the mystery plant thanks to you, our readers. We also have our standard stuff including the reader mailbag. 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) House Plants: Part Three
When these plants are delivered to your home, they are nearly perfect. They are so beautiful because they are grown by professionals. Many times we'll hear the question: "My friend gave me an absolutely beautiful plant – can I grow it and how can I keep it looking so beautiful?" It is possible to keep them gorgeous, but we must tell you, sometimes “Gift Plants” will turn out to be a disappointment even if you give them your best TLC. Number one, professional growers have learned how to "force grow" their plants. They want them to be beautiful in the shortest possible time in order to increase their profit. There is absolutely nothing wrong in doing this, but unfortunately, the home gardener will have problems in matching the environment to retain the beauty of their gift plant. The best advice we can give you is to go ahead and do the best you can. Simply don't expect that you will be able to match the professional's growing environment unless you have a greenhouse attached to your home. Professional greenhouse growers have special equipment and special formulas to make plants grow and bloom at the exact time they want them too.
Today there are over 100 types and varieties of poinsettia available. A recent survey indicates that 74% of Americans prefer Red Poinsettias, 8% prefer White and 6% choose Pink. The balance prefer other assorted colors, including the variegated types. The showy colored part of the poinsettia is called the "bracts." The flower is really the button yellow part in the center of the bracts. If you obtain a poinsettia, we suggest placing it in a well lighted area near a window, or place the plant under a grow light to give it proper light. Keep the plant reasonably moist but do not allow it to stand in water. If it has a pot cover, be sure to remove the cover when you water it. Your poinsettia will do best in a daytime temperature of 60° to 70° F. (15.5° to 21° C.) and a nighttime temperature of 55° to 60° F. (12.7° to 15.5° C.) If necessary, you may want to move your plant to a cooler room at night to give it the right atmosphere -- your plant will last longer. Some of the newer varieties will sometimes show beautiful color for up to four months. The poinsettia is a "perennial plant" if grown in a freeze-free environment. The plant will grow up to 10 feet tall and can be grown as a beautiful shrub-like plant, but it does require more care than most gardeners care to give. Poinsettias are short-day plants meaning they flower about ten weeks after the daylight hours shorten to 12 hours or less per day. Therefore, if the grower needs to get the plant in full flowering stage by Christmas, he/she needs to keep the plant in total darkness for 12 hours per day. For a number of years the poinsettia had an urban legend attached to it that it was poisonous. In fact, no other plant has been tested more than the poinsettia and proven NOT to be toxic. Unfortunately the urban legend continues to spread.
The Easter Lily industry is an American success story beging before 1941. The majority of Easter Lily bulbs were imported from Japan prior to World War II. However today, over 95% of all Easter Lily bulbs are produced on ten large farms in a narrow coastal region along the Northern California/Oregon borders from Smith River, California to Brookings, Oregon. The bulbs are harvested in the fall, packed and shipped to commercial greenhouses where they are planted in pots and forced to grow under controlled conditions. Since the Easter Lily is needed to bloom at different times each year for commercial purposes, growers are forced to grow them under specially controlled conditions. Have you ever wondered how the date for Easter is determined? According to the ecclesiastical rules, Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox. Thus, Easter occurs at different dates each year. For example, last year Easter fell on March 31st, this year April 20th. It will fall on Sunday April 11, 2004. With this wide span, you can see why greenhouse growers will sometimes have problems in getting their Easter Lillys to be in full bloom at the exact time they want them to bloom. In addition to the precise growing conditions, the bulbs must be cultivated in the fields three and sometimes four times depending on weather conditions. The bulbs are never dormant and require constant care and attention to assure superior quality. A commercial sized bulb starts as a small baby bulb growing on a stem of its mother plant. When the mother plant is harvested, the bulb is called a yearling and then planted in a new field for another full year of care. Then the same procedure repeats itself for three or four times until the bulb reaches its full potential and it is ready to be shipped to the greenhouse grower. The Easter Lily has become a symbol of Easter as a mark of purity and grace. This plant will find its way into millions of homes and Churches every Easter season. It will embody joy, hope and life. *** 10% savings until December 3, 2003 *** 10% off all items on our Bonsai Specimen page. The discount will not show up in your shopping cart -- we will take care of it for you before finalization of your order. (No other discounts apply.) 3) Humor for Today:I was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital after my wife had gone into labor when the nurse walked out and said to a man sitting there, "Congratulations sir, you're the new father of twins!" The man replied, "How about that! I work for the Minnesota Twins baseball team." About an hour later, the same nurse entered the waiting room and announced that Mrs. Smith had just had triplets. Mr. Smith stood up and said, "Well, how do ya like that, I work for 3M!" When the nurse appeared next, she told the third man that his wife had given birth to quadruplets. "That's amazing! I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!" At this point the gentleman sitting next to me let out a little strangled gasp and hurriedly got up, obviously distraught. When I asked him if he was okay, he explained, "I think I need a breath of fresh air." The man continued, "I'm the casting director for 101 Dalmatians." 4) Mystery Plant Identified:We'd like to thank all the readers who responded to the request last issue from one of our readers to identify their "mystery plant." If you'd like to again look at the image, you can click here or visit http://rexseedco.com/gtt/mysteryplant.htm
The French Hollyhock is generally found to be a biennial growing to a height of 24" to 36". It likes to grow in full sun to partial shade. Its color runs from a pale pink to magenta (pink- purple) blooming from late spring to late fall. The plant needs moisture to bloom at its best, but it does not like to be over-watered. It is best grown directly seeded but can be transplanted in the garden, as well. A number of our readers from coast to coast, in fact, said they grow French Hollyhock in their own gardens. We thank each of you for responding to our inquiry. We and the reader with the question appreciate it. 5) Summer Squash – Papaya Pear (2003 AAS Winner)
Some people think its shape looks like a light bulb with its widest section next to the blossom end. No doubt, this is one of the earliest varieties of summer squash. It can be harvested within 40 days of planting the seed. This semi-bush plant requires less garden space than other summer squash. A good suggestion is to plant the seeds directly in your garden after the ground has warmed and after all danger of frost has passed. It is very easy to grow and it will do best if planted in a sunny location, in well drained fairly rich soil. Pick the young squash when they reach about 3 inches in diameter for the best flavor and texture. This will also encourage the plant to continue producing. When you water the plants, be sure not to spray the foliage or blossoms. Cold Climate Gardeners are passing
up an excellent resource if they don't take a look into the Minnesota
State Horticultural Society. Visit them today. We recommend them
highly. 6) Quote for Today:"If a man is called a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets
even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare
wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of
heaven and Earth will pause to say, Here lived a great streetsweeper
who did his job well." 7) Reader Mailbag: Mole ProblemI so very much enjoy reading your Green Thumb Times. I am hoping to get your advice on getting rid of yard moles without hurting or killing any of the bird population.The best source of information we have found to get rid of moles is the "Fact Sheet" published by Ohio State University. You can click here or visit http://ohioline.osu.edu/w- fact/0011.html Moles are "insectivores" which means they eat insects. In fact, they can help control insect problems in your yard or garden, unfortunately, mole activity can also cause considerable damage to lawns. We are familiar with several "home remedies" to rid your lawn of them; but, they are generally ineffective and chemicals some times do more harm then they do good. Trapping is generally thought to be the best method. Some hardware stores and most garden stores carry them. And if you do whish to go the chemical route, they should be able to suggest a possible solution. 8) Saving Garden Space:Here's a tip for you as you plan your vegetable garden. You can save space by pairing a climbing plant with a sturdy tall one. Stalks of sweet corn will support pole beans. You'll get two vegetable crops from the same space. 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.
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It
is not unusual to receive a gift plant from a friend or family member
during Christmas or Easter. Generally these gift plants were grown
by a professional grower in a greenhouse. In that environment, the
air is moist, the night temperatures are usually cool, and the day
temperatures are perfect.
There is no doubt the Poinsettia (Euphorbiaceae) represents over 85%
of all potted plant sales during the Christmas holiday season. The
Paul Ecke Ranch in California is responsible for starting 80% of these
plants. The vast majority of these plants are then grown by local professional
growers from cuttings received from the Paul Ecke Ranch.
The
Papaya Pear is another AAS 2003 Winner. This summer squash is a bright
golden-yellow pear shaped fruit which grows on semi- bushy plants.
It is very early to mature and very prolific. It has a bright yellow,
flavorful fruit. You might say it is similar to a tropical papaya fruit.
