Can Eastern red cedar seeds germinate without birds?
zippo1
14 years ago
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scotjute Z8
14 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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HAVE: Scrophularia macrantha- Red Birds in a Tree
Comments (11)Hi Christin, I'm so excited to come across an old comment of yours that you have Red Bird In a Tree seeds available. I've been searching for this plant for a while to no avail. When I saw Burgess Seeds carries it I was so excited and placed an order for it but instead they had substitute me with another plant which I do not want. Previously, I've also bought seeds from Ebay but they failed to germinate. I hope that you still have the seeds available. I'd like to buy some from you or send you some stamps in a SASE for it. Look forward to hearing good news. Thanks. Jen jenlee_49@yahoo.com...See MoreHow late can I put down grass seed in eastern Mass.
Comments (5)Shekie--- welcome to the NE forum and congratulations on your new home! I know it's a real battle to fight and then win against bittersweet. Definitely there are many folks with much more landscaping experience, but here's my 2-cents worth. I'm guessing it's too late to plant grass. You could put down seed, hoping it will stay in place for next spring, but it may wash or blow away--- especially if that storm I'm hearing about does hit New England! We live along the coast in southern CT and had to plant a small grass area in the back yard where it's very sunny. My DH put seed in at the end of September, and it took a long time sprout because temps were cooling down. He expects to reseed in the spring. I'm wondering if there's a cover crop you could put down now--- something that will enrich the soil and can be tilled in next spring before you actually plant the grass. One of my former neighbors planted something (?) like that and then turned it over. His grass was magnificent and thick when it came up. Maybe another member of the forum has a better answer for you. Molie...See Morefeeding wild birds without causing weeds
Comments (6)There is no surefire way to keep birdseed from sprouting. Some people sterilize bird seed by heating it on a cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes, but that is a lot of work to do on a consistent basis. Some people rake up the spilled seed once or twice a week with a Shop Vac. You can buy the sunflower chips (shelled, broken sunflower seeds) and they won't sprout because they have been "damaged" by being broken. They are more expensive than mixed birdseed, but there is no waste. You can rake the area under the feeder once or twice a week to break up the sprouts before they are well rooted. Sometimes ground-feeding birds eat the seed spilled onto the ground before it sprouts--it just depends on how many ground-feeding birds you have hanging around your yard. At our house, birdseed and hen scratch don't get a chance to sprout because the doves (and cottontail rabbits) eat it all. There are many plants you can incorporate into your plantings to attract birds. Many of them will attract butterflies and hummingbirds as well. TREES: Trees like oaks, cedars, elms and hackberrie provide food, cover and nesting sites for birds. NATIVE PLANTS are the ones that most attract birds since these are plants they already use as a food source. These include trees, shrubs and vines like junipers, yaupon hollies, possumhaw hollies, viburnums, Mexican plums, rough-leaf dogwood, elderberries, sumac, Virginia creeper vine and red mulberry. Pretty much any tree or shrub that produces berries or other small fruit (like crabapples or persimmons) will attract birds. Blackberry and dewberry brambles attract birds, as do fruit-bearing trees like cherries, peaches and plums. To Attract Hummingbirds: You can attract hummingbirds using hummingbird feeders, but you have to change the nectar about once every three days to keep it from fermenting and harming the birds. They also are attracted to plants. Here's some you can plant that they like: Red-flowered yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) American Cross-vine (Bignonia capreolata) Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) Red-flowered Morning Glory (Ipomoea sp.)(annual) Cypress Vube (Ipomoea quamoclit) (annual) Purple Horsemint (Monarda citriodora) Wild Bergamont (Monarda fistulosa) Spotted Beebalm (Mondarda punctuata) Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinia) (usually annual, may reseed)(aka Texas Hummingbird Sage) Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) Heart-leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus cardiophyllus) Scarlet Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus) Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) Drummmon's Phlox (Phlox drummondii) Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) (spring wildflower) Lantana (Lantana horrida) Many birds are attracted to composite flowers that provide seeds, including sunflowers, zinnias, Mexican sunflower, purple coneflowers, safflowers, etc. After they bloom, you don't deadhead them if they were planted for the birds. You leave the flowers on the plants so the birds can "harvest" the seeds as they dry. Don't forget to provide some kind of water source for the birds--a birdbath, a mister, a dripper, etc. Different kinds of birdseed attract different birds. To attract goldfinches in the winter months, put out a goldfinch feeder filled with thistle seed. Sometimes you can attract orioles by putting out oranges, orange-flavored nectar or grape jelly. Dawn...See MoreTexas Red Oak Germinating without stratification
Comments (7)I have been growing trees from seed for 4 years now and what I do see are some very staggered germination times - pines, elm, lime have all germinated over a period of several months...and also, very fresh seeds such as black poplar can germinate immediately for a really brief period (only a week or so) then go into a deep dormancy...and this is really true of numerous perennials...so, I guess I am saying that plants will always hedge their bets, seemingly sacrificng a number of seeds if conditions are favourable. Obviously, I am still a novice at this game but I have become more dubious about hard and fast rules since life is very...tenacious....See Morebarbaraincalif
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