Preparing Your Camellias For Winter Season - Link to article
5 years ago
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- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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Preparing for Winter
Comments (50)Hi. My winter humidity is in the teens to mid-20% range. In the cooler growing area, the temp is 58F all winter. In the orchid room, which has a door, humidity is slightly higher, and temps are low 60s-low 70s. Many experienced growers have said often, humidity isn't as critical as we've been led to believe - the notion's an echo from the original British hot houses which were hot and moist, no matter the needs of the orchids. This may still be controversial. Regardless, the orchids here, which need intermediate conditions except for the 58F thing, do just fine. As for winter light, you can check and see how many days each month have sunshine where you live. Here in Minnesota, I try not to think about how many are cloudy. Sounds like you're doing your homework. Have fun!...See MorePreparing for winter
Comments (11)dorisl, I can relate!!! In the nice weather I just chuckle as the landscapers arrive to the neighborhood for their sometimes 2x per week visits (one to cut grass, one to tend flowers)as the property owners go running and biking for excerise. I want to say = why don't you just DO your gardening for excerise, and donate the money to charity!!!!! And I have to say I can get quite offended when one of these folks talks about something that compares "their" garden to mine. Come on - YOUR garden? You've not stepped foot in it! I need to be better about doing Fall garden tasks. But I must admit I am pooped and feeling "done" by Oct 1!!!!! I KNOW investing a little now will save me so much in the spring but I get lazy and want to just collect seeds, not do real physical work. I think if the sun was shinning and we were having bright ,cool days I might find soem energy, but our fall weather to date has been cloudy,rainy and mostly muggy buggy....See MoreWinter Storms ForecasttPlanting Cool Season Crops
Comments (8)Jay, I always worry about that kind of weather-induced bolting and some years it is inevitable because onions are biennials. I am particularly worried about it this year, just because we've had such abnormally cool weather much of this winter. For anyone reading this who is new or fairly new to growing onions, the key is that onions which are less than the diameter of a No. 2 pencil (approx. 1/4") generally will not bolt even if exposed to temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit for a prolonged period of time. Once the onions have reached 1/4" in diameter, prolonged or repeated exposure to temps below 45 degrees push them into dormancy, and they 'think' that dormancy signals the end of their first year of growing. Then, when they warm up and start growing again, it is the second year and they do what biennials do in their second year.....they send up a flower stalk to set seed. I don't know any way to prevent that sort of bolting because it is a natural process. The best chance of preventing it likely would be to grow them under a low tunnel and hope the low tunnel keeps them warm enough during cold spells that they aren't pushed into dormancy. It might work even better with a frost blanket added inside the low tunnel Eliot Coleman-style during colder spells. I guess you could keep the low tunnel warmer by painting milk jugs or 2-liter or 3-liter bottles black, filling them with water and using them as solar collectors. With low tunnels, I'd be worried about excess humidity on sunny humid days though. (sigh) Jeff, I think we only have two kinds of growing seasons here....those that are too wet and those that are too dry. I am not sure which is worse. As much as I hate drought, I almost think I'd rather have drought than a rainy year. At least in a rainy year, you can irrigate, at least for as long as you can afford the water bill and as long as you are not under mandatory water rationing. In a wet, year, though, we can't vacuum up the excess moisture out of the ground. I've had the idea in my head for months that this would be "the year of the bean" because my beans didn't produce well last year, and of course, it is always the year of the tomato at our house. However, I'm starting to fear it will be "the year of mud and floods". Dawn...See MoreFOTESS Celebrating the Winter Solstice Season Swap!
Comments (130)Isn't that poem perfect for the theme of this swap? I too received that card from Chelsie and was very pleased to hear from her! Thanks, Chelsie! Well, I've checked and everyone who signed up to send cards this month have done so. I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your busy lives to participate in this swap. And thanks again for sending the extra, last minute cards! I love this swap and you all helped make it very special for me. Many, many thanks! And I was so glad to hear from our other members too! Nice to catch up with everyone! Please remember, everyone, if you can't join in on any of the swaps, we would love to have you stop by and visit with us. Cards were sent to ALL members of FOTESS, but there are some who haven't responded yet. To those who haven't posted, please let us know if you received Winter Solstice cards, okay? Posting on this swap site will be fine. Jeanne has posted the January FOTESS swap and it sounds like it is going to be FUN!! She always has the best ideas! Check it out and join in! To close this swap, I want to wish all our members a peace-filled New Year, and remember, the Winter Solstice Season lasts for a few months, make the most of it! Shirley! PS - one Winter Solstice Season activity I totally forgot to mention was: feeding the birds. I'll leave you with one last WSS pic....See More- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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- 5 years ago
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