Exp with Bearberry in Oklahoma?
chickencoupe
9 years ago
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chickencoupe
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Evergreen Quercus Recommendations & Sources
Comments (10)Plantmarker This topic comes up regularly, from time to time. In Zone 7, I'd hazard a guess that you could probably succeed with Q.virginiana, particularly if it were grown from acorns from trees thriving at a northern/inland site. I have a couple of Q.virginiana seedlings here, 70 mi NW of Nashville TN, grown from acorns collected at Auburn AL - pretty far inland for Q.virginiana. These are 10 yrs old now, and while all the leaves burned off last winter, it re-leafed, and I've had no noticeable die-back, thus far. Our friend rhizo1, who may weigh in on this thread yet, knows of a Q.virginiana growing and producing acorns, in Huntsville, AL, as it's growing of the yard of her husband's former home. There is a 40-yr old live oak on the campus of the community college, across the street from my office - granted, it's in a very protected spot; I'm not a taxonomist or botanist, but I suspect it's probably Q.fusiformis, as it is a multi-stemmed 'copse', probably 20 ft tall, and 30+ ft wide. One of my colleagues, who is a retired agronomy professor at Murray State University, 60 miles west of me, has several live oaks, of various species, that he's been growing for 25-30 years, from acorns he collected on his travels; he's related no significant winter damage, though I've not discussed them with him since we had a devastating ice storm in Jan 2009, that wreaked havoc on all native trees in a wide swath across southern KY....See MorePeonies
Comments (22)Lisa, beautiful Hibiscus, too! It kinda looks like Lady Baltimore, which is an older hybrid. Last year, they had some of the new dark, wine red blooming hibiscus at Westlake Ace Hardware, and I almost picked one up. It was a new color that I haven't seen before and they sure were gorgeous. The hibiscus I have has the cut-leaf foliage that has bronzy touches to it, and those huge dinnerplate pink blooms with a red eye. It is considered a compact plant because it only gets about 3' tall, but boy, it gets about 4' wide. The only thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't bloom prolifically, though it does bloom steadily from mid-summer until frost. I cut it to the ground in spring. The ants are only after the nectar that oozes from the buds. If you cut your peonies when the buds feel like a marshmallow (I'm told), and swish them in water or under the faucet to rid it of ants, and then put it in a vase, the blooms will then open without ants. I've also been told they last longer when picked at that stage. Susan...See MoreSeed starting mix
Comments (27)Rebecca, As busy1 said, soil is full of disease and also sometimes carries some soilborne pests like nematodes. He mentioned the way native soil packs down too (as did some of the others) and with seedlings that's especially an issue because their roots are so tiny. Since you have to water tiny seedlings in flats frequently, the soil is constantly packing down more and more and more which means the plants struggle all the time to make new root growth in compacted soil. Seed-starting mixes are very lightweight and fluffy and drain very well and that's ideal for germination and good root growth. They are made from materials that don't pack down like natural soil does. They are sterile too, whch is of the utmost importance. Even with a sterile, soil-less seed-starting mix, your plants can become diseased because some diseases are airborne and some are carried on the seeds themselves (using treated seed helps avoid these). Sterile mixes help reduce the chance you'll lose seedlings to disease but doesn't totally prevent it from happening. If you overwater plants in soil-less mixes, they'll often get damping off and die, but not nearly as much as they will if you attempt to grow in ordinary soil. I wet down my sterile, soil-less seed-starting mix similar to the methods the others mentioned before planting as the even moisture helps seeds germinate more quickly, and I only water from the top as Jay does. Bottom watering has never worked as well for me. Helen, I like your suggestion to cut apart the flat so the ones that haven't got sprouted seeds can be handled separately from the others. I've done that before, just using small scissors to cut the flats apart. Carol, Looks like we're back to "normal" again here in Oklahoma...your soil is too wet and my soil is too dry. The more things change, the more they remain the same. My Fraction Water Index at 2 inches is down to 0.2. I haven't looked at yours but I'm guessing it is at 1.0. Y'all can send some of that rain down here when you get tired of it! Dawn...See MoreI need a high yield, good tasting indeterminate tomato.
Comments (40)Well, judging by his handwriting (Parkinson scrawl) I believe he was up there in age when he sent it to me. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that the one who gives me a tomato, having been the one who maintained it over many years, has the right to name it. So I try not to change the name they give me. I have distributed Baker Family Heirloom via informal seed swaps, and I think in the next couple of years it will start to gain in popularity. Just in the last two of years I've probably sent out 30 or 40 packets. "Heirloom" has certainly become an abused term. I know at least one seed company which calls all open pollinated vegetables "heirlooms." When I first started seed saving in earnest I was drawn to the unusual. Over the years I've recognized that there are some superb tomatoes which are simply... red and round. After ten years of gardening in Oklahoma, I've concluded that I really need "hardy and dependable." Our conditions can be truly awful. Now, back to the original post here, after reading more carefully I am not so sure I'd recommend Baker Family Heirloom for container gardening. The plants are truly huge and have very extensive root systems, which is a big part of why they are so hardy and productive. I suspect this variety might require a REALLY BIG container in order to thrive....See Morechickencoupe
9 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
9 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years agochickencoupe
9 years agochickencoupe
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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Okiedawn OK Zone 7