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Table of Contents
1) Editor's Comments:Mid-July. Where does the time go? This week we decided to give you some tips on pepper, some tips on dealing with our least favorite summer pest, have the return of 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) Growing Pepper Plants:More and more people are growing peppers in their garden - from sweet to the hottest pepper they can find. Thought we'd share a number of tips for this season and next. If you start you peppers from seed, you want to always start them with a soil temperature of 80°F. A good idea is to purchase a waterproof heating pad from your local drug store, set the temperature at 80°F and place it under the seed tray. NEVER – NEVER fertilize pepper seeds! You also don't what to use a starting mixture containing a fertilizer. Never plant pepper seeds more than ¼" deep. Always let the soil surface dry slightly before watering. If your seeds don't appear to be germinating, don't give up! Many hot peppers can take a month to six weeks to germinate. (Most sweet varieties will germinate in 6 or 8 days.) One problem people run into with their seedlings is "damping off." This is where the seedlings come up then suddenly droop and die. It is caused by a fungus growing on the soil surface. Oftentimes the fungus develops because of a lack of air circulation. Also, letting the soil on the dry side before watering will help. If your garden soil is extremely "poor," you may want to obtain a bottle of Fish Fertilizer and feed the plants every three weeks during the growing season. It is also a good idea to have a soil testing kit. They are not expensive.
What if your peppers do not produce fruit? This can happen if you do not have the right insect activity to do the pollinating. Without pollination, your pepper plants will never produce fruit. How'd you like to have 100% pollination and loads of fruit? Here is how. Pollen is produced on the stamens of the flower. Simply take a small moistened paint brush and transfer the pollen from one pepper plant to that of the same variety. Using this method will certainly increase pollination success. Hope these tips will result in a bumper crop.
3) Humor for Today:My husband works as a service technician for a large exter- minating company. One of the rules of the company is that he has to confirm each appointment by phone the night before his service call to that household. One evening he made such a call, and when a man answered the phone, he said, "Hi, this is Gary from A to Z Pest Control Company. Your wife phoned us." There was a long silence, and then my husband heard the man on the other end say, "Honey, it's for you....someone wants to talk to you about your relatives." 4) The Battle with Mosquitoes:Gardeners like the outdoors. And in many parts of the U.S. being outdoors means it is time to deal with our nemesis, the mosquito, especially in the evening. It is a fact of life. Besides all the sprays, coils, candles, and lotions we use, there are some simple steps you can take in your own yard to insure that they don't have a place to breed. Any areas of standing water (old tires, buckets, plastic sheeting, pet dishes, etc.), must either be eliminated, or treated with a product containing Bt, a bacterial toxin that prevents the aquatic larvae from ever becoming biting adults. Bt comes in the form of donut-shaped grainy-cakes that are friendly to birds, fish, and the dog. Bird baths, fountains, ponds, outdoor planters -- anything that holds water should have a Bt "dunk," or a portion of one. If you've done all this, but still have a mosquito problem, let your neighbors in on this little tidbit. Mosquitoes can travel a good distance to feast on your blood, so you can only do so much. That's where your coils, candles, and sprays come in handy. Repellents containing the active ingredient di-ethyl-toluamide (DEET) are very effective. Generally, the higher the percentage of DEET, the longer you will be protected. ** Be careful with products containing DEET and kids. Buy low percentage formulations made especially for the young, and NEVER apply it to their hands! Getting rid and treating breeding areas, as well as using coils, candles, sprays, will go a long way in making you stay outside a bit more bearable. 5) Highlight on Herbs: CatnipCatnip (Nepeta) is known by many names including catmint, catnep, catrup and catswort. It is a genus of approximately 250 species of herbaceous perennials and a few annuals. The image below is Catmint (Nepeta cataria). Originally, catnip was found in Europe, Asia, North Africa and in the mountains of tropical Africa. It is known to thrive in cold, damp places, but also in hot dry areas or on stony slopes. The Catmint (Nepeta cataria) above has aromatic leaves with smooth, indented tooth edges. In some species, the leaves are covered with downy hairs giving them a silvery, gray-green appearance. You'll find them with a two lipped white, blue or occasionally yellow tubular flowers. The flowers are grouped in spikes, or clusters blooming for a long time. Its strong sweet smell and downy stems and foliage make it a very attractive edging to a flower border. Catnip is started from seed or in the spring or early summer, by division. It is a bitter, astringent herb with a camphor-like aroma. It is best known for containing an oil that acts as a feline aphrodisiac. It attracts cats and in dried form is used in the manufacture of cat toys. It is also used in herbal medicine to treat fevers and to increase perspiration. It has a mildly sedative effect and is used generally in the treatment of stomach complaints. HR119 Lemon Catmint (Nepta Mussini) Save
up to 70% at gardeners.com Outlet 6) Quote for Today:"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes
to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." 7) Reader Mailbag: Oleander in Compost?"Will my compost be harmed if I include, oleander leaves?"Before we address the question, we want to mention that in the State of Texas there is one of the most delightful cities in the United States, Galveston. There you find the most extensive collections of 'Nerium Oleander' growing. Oleanders are planted everywhere in Galveston - along sidewalks, in small gardens, and on large estates. It is truly a city of floral beauty. However, oleanders contain a toxin called Cardenolide Glycosides. This toxin is mostly contained in the clear to slightly milky- colored sticky sap. In fact, if this sap is ingested in large quantities, it can cause harm and possible death. The sap has a bitter and nauseating taste. With that said, it goes without saying, don't chew on any part of the plant. If you are working with Oleanders, we strongly suggest you wash your hands, arms, and face -- in fact you might want to take a shower after you are through working with the plants. You'll also not want to burn any foliage from the oleander. The fumes from a burning Oleander is also considered to be very hazardous. And to your actual question, we think you've guess by now, you don't want to compost the leaves and stems of the plant! Sure, some gardeners will compost the leaves and stems of Oleander plants without consequence. But we don't recommend that you compost the waste material. Why push your luck and risk any possible toxic consequences from the fumes of composting. 8) Wholesome Site for Kids:If you have children around the house that are old enough to browse around the Internet, you can point them to Kid Kountry. This is a site that will keep kids occupied in a wholesome manner for hours at a time. Kid Kountry features articles by kids on acting, cooking, computers, football, movies, singing, and much, much more. Check it out! Click here or visit http://www.kidkountry.com 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@rexseedco.com To unsubscribe Click Here or send email to unsubscribegtt@rexseedco.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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Habaneros (hot peppers) need calcium several times during the growing
season. We suggest you purchase and feed habaneros some "dolomite
lime" during the growing season. When you do, be sure and water
around the roots of each plant.
