Garden Book Club by gardenbookclub

September 2014

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Garden Book Club

Seed Quality

f the gardener saves his own seed he is responsible for the results. What steps can he take to ensure that purchased seed is of first-class quality? Appearance of the seed is some guide in this direction. Good seed is usually of uniform size and colour, plump and has a fresh, sweet smell. Better seed will be identical to its brother, ripe and succulent in its colouring and have an invigorating presence in your nostrils. Inferior seed may be small, have a shriveled pathetic appearance and will be different in colour from its siblings. The two important considerations relating to quality in seed are purity and germination capacity. Impure seeds may take three forms as follows. 1) Inert matter such as dirt and fragments of dried plant remains 2) Seed of a different type to that which the package purports to contain 3) Injurious weed seed. The first two types may be regarded as useless matter for which the purchaser has to pay. The third type is not only useless but detrimental to a garden, the gardener and society in general. Certain plant disease is carried on bad seed. Impurities are usually calculated on a weight percentage basis, thus in a pound of seed impurities will equal at least 1/16, or 6%. 1% chickweed impurity represents 45,000 seeds of its lb. This sample illustrates that even a low number of weed seeds can be a very serious matter. To be accurate and the best plant parent, a chemical balance is necessary. Here, you examine grain by grain and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the impure are separated. The pure seed is weighed and the purity percentage is calculated. It is usual for the better gardener to identify and classify impurities into the types specified, for peace of mind. Germination capacity is usually defined as the proportion by numbers of pure seeds that are capable of giving you healthy seedlings. To do these tests, you require attention to detail and constant observation- not something a lot of us are capable of. The sample usually consists of 100 seeds but it is usual to take 3-4 samples. Place seeds on damp blotting paper or damp flannel unused by the human face and lay it in a saucer covered with similar material. Keep warm. Examine your seeds every 2nd to 3rd day taking care to keep the material uniformly moist but never wet. Seeds that sprout are removed and recorded and the test continues for at least 30 days.

Obviously, the value of any lot of seed can be related back to instinct of the plant parent and the choices you make when selecting your own seed. You can relate it back to purity and germination capacity, and then determine the real value of the seed.

Pruning and Grooming

edraggled, dusty specimens of plants are not decorative and keeping a collection of house plants in prime condition requires time, love and patience. Indeed, at certain times of the year the indoor garden of any size requires almost as much attention as the outdoor one but the effort is always amply repaid in appearance and growth. I hold a weekly inspection of all my plants and take the opportunity to look carefully at each one for signs of insects, diseases or any other impurities. Any treatment needed must be given promptly and if an insect pest is involved the plant should be isolated until complete control is obtained.

The indoor plant is subjected to much closer scrutiny than the outdoor one and a certain amount of grooming is required to retain its tempting appearance. With the exception of hairy-leaved plants, wipe over regularly with a soft damp cloth and wash the more leathery type of leaf once a month or so using tepid water to which a few drops of milk have been added. Use a moist cloth to apply the solution, support the underside of the leaf with the other hand whilst gently massaging the surface. If using a leaf cleaner, this should not be applied too thickly or too often, obviously, as this will cause the leaf to turn yellow and drop off. An occasional shower bath will contribute to the prosperity of all except those with hairy leaves. Put the plants in your bath and spray them thoroughly. Allow the plants to drain and relax before retiring them back to their various positions.

Do not hesitate about pruning back any plant which is making spindly, etiolated growth or is getting out of hand and sprawling around. Pinch the stems back to a convenient point immediately Like any living form, house plants will react to the above a leaf. This will encourage fresh growth amount of love, care and attention they get. Talk from lower down the stem. to them. Tend to them. Check them over regularly and keep them in good shape.

How to... ...bud a rose

irstly a bud together with its leaf is cleanly removed from strong vigorous wood of the current seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth. Any dead wood held in the shaft of the bud is then removed leaving only clean, smooth, fresh wood. The knife points to where the union will take place. A vertical slit is then made in the stock plant, across the top of this a T cut is made. The T cut is then opened and the bud inserted inside using the leaf stalk as a handle. This is wrapped tightly and consistently with raffia. This precise and delicate insertion is normally carried out in spring, although the more vicious of gardeners may attempt it in other seasons.

...polythene wrap

hen winter bites, we can simply duck indoors or throw on a woolly jumper - but our plants in pots donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have it so easy. Plummeting temperatures, frost and rain can take their toll, causing roots to die or rot, damaging foliage and killing the central growing point of plants. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just the plants that are vulnerable. A hard frost can cause expensive terracotta or ceramic pots to break up. Plants in pots are vulnerable to excessive moisture caused by winter rain.Wet, soggy compost or puddles building up at the base can result in roots being starved of oxygen and drowning, leading to them rotting and the plant eventually dying. greater protection to prevent foliage browning and dying. Separate precious plants from their usual home and use polythene wrap to protect them as demonstrated here. Simply pull fronts up vertically, tie with twine then entirely shroud with horticultural fleece, held in place with more twine. Palms are a little trickier and you may need a helping hand. If the leaves are flexible, pull into a point and tie with twine to protect the central growing point. Finish by wrapping with horticultural fleece. With varieties that have leaves too rigid to move, stuff the crown with straw and swathe with fleece. Wear gloves to avoid ripping your hands.

Cactus Corner

PLEASE DO NOT T

n recent years, these bizarre, exotic plants have become popular and are now grown in greenhouses in many parts of the world. Many are not difficult to cultivate and their wide range of habit and beautiful flowers are of great interest. It is a remarkable fact that there is probably no family of plants which as a whole has aroused the interest and curiosity of plant lovers to such a degree as cacti. There is in most of us the urge to collect. From the assiduous autograph hunter to the collector of orchids, the itch is there, only conditioned by circumstances of means and opportunity.

TOUCH THE CACTI

Plant Clinic

Do you have an issue for GBC to rectify or help out with? Send your plant woes to gardenbookclub@gmail.com and we will try and answer as many we can

Dear GBC,

GBC,

Is there some type of perennial (food type or Before every beautiful rare flower, was there flowering) That can be planted under fruit manure? trees? I’m into permaculture. VeryVanilla, via email Anon, via email Before every flower was a seed. You do not need Violets and Jack in the pulpits do quite well in manure to grow flowers. GBC deep shade. GBC

Hello GBC,

What are the best indoor plants? I need more fresh air. Allas, via email A whole better solution than going outside I would say. Most leaved plants clean air. Some are easier to grow than others, I feel these would be best for an amateur sounding gardener like yourself. If you have pets check the plants are not poisonous in case they fancied a nibble. If I had to pick one it would be the zz plant http://www.zzplant.com.au/index.html Aglaonema sp. Chinese Evergreen Aloe barbabensis Aloe Vera, Burn plant GBC, Chlorophytum comosum Spider Plants What plant is this?? (See above photo) It was Dieffenbachia sp. Dumbcane on a tall shrub in my back ﬁeld. It isn’t in my Epipremnum sp. Golden Pothos Ficus sp. Ficus plant book! Help! I live in Ontario Canada. Gerbera sp. Gerbera Daisy Hedera sp. Common English Ivy Curious, Canada. Philodendron sp. Heart leaf philodendron You only own one plant book? It is a Cornus amo- Spathiphyllum sp. Mauna Loa. GBC mum or another dogwood species.

It is definitely not Sambucus, that has compound leaves. GBC

Hi GBC!

My umbrella plant is enormous! Can I cut it back?? GBC,

Guy, Swansea

Is tetrahedral a kind of plant? Bill, Hampshire A simple Wikipedia/Google/common sense search shows that a tetrahedral is in fact a shape, Bill. GBC

I’m not entirely sure that this is really an issue. Umbrella Plants are large by nature and their growth should be encouraged. GBC

Dear GBC,

Why is my cactus so spindly? Alice, Dorset It’s getting too little light, so the tip grows towards what little light you have provided for it, producing a spindly plant with few spines. Move your plant to a brighter spot immediately but give it time to acclimatise otherwise you’ll just kill it. GBC

Hello,

How do we prune our pampas grass? Phil & Bev Marwood, Faversham, Kent If by prune (and I will go by the official definition here) you mean remove old growth then cut it back in early spring just as it comes back into growth. It is best to wear protective gear though as pampas grass is notoriously feisty and the razor-blade leaf edges will give you some good nicks. Best to approach this carefully and use soothing tones and touches to reassure the pampas that you have its best interests at heart. You might hear some people encouraging setting fire to the plants - this is a complete falsity and should not be undertaken. GBC

stops where the leaf was plucked. In a short time the pulsation again begins at the spot, but this time Dear Garden Book Club, very slowly. And then it completely stops. That spot Do plants actually have feelings? Can they feel is as good as dead for the plant. pain of other plants? It was Jagadishchandra Bose, an eminent Indian scientist, who explained that plants also suffer Sharp eyes, via email pain like us. Though he worked in other fields of ou obviously don’t own plants, otherwise science, he is best know for his research into the you would know the answer to this, but life of plants. He forwarded a theory for the ascent of sap in plants in 1927, his theory contributed to anyway. Yes. the vital theory of ascent of sap. According to his Indian Scientist Dr. Jagadishchandra Bose invented theory the pumping action of the living cells in the a instrument named crescograph & did many ex- endodermis junction were responsible for the ascent of sap in plants. periments on plants.

raph that plants responded to various stimuli as if they had nervous systems like that of animals. He therefore found a parallelism between animal and plant tissues. His experiments showed that plants grow faster in pleasant music and its growth retards in noise or harsh sound. This was experimentally verified later on. His major contribution in the field of biophysics was the demonstration of the electrical nature of the conduction of various stimuli (wounds, chemical agents) in plants, which were earlier thought to be of chemical in nature. These claims were experimentally proved by *Wildon et al (Nature, 1992, 360, 62–65). He also studied for the first time action of microwaves in plant tissues and corresponding changes in the cell membrane potential, mechanism of effect of seasons in plants, effect of chemical inhibitor on plant stimuli, effect of temperature etc,. And all studies were pioneering. He claimed that plants can “feel pain, understand affection etc,” from the analysis of the nature of variation of the cell membrane potential of plants, under different circumstances. I hope that clears that up.

He was skeptical about the the-then most popular theory in ascent of sap, the tension-cohesion theory of Dixon and Joly, first proposed in 1894. His skepticism on the same turned true when Canny proposed the most successful ‘The CP theory’ backed by strong experimental evidence. Canny Suppose there is a lush green plant and its leaves experimentally demonstrated the sort of pumping are a sparkling green in the shining sunlight. We in the living cells in the junction of the endodermis, feel like pulling out a leaf to feel it. But we do not which JC Bose demonstrated 60 years earlier. think of what goes on inside the plant. May be, we feel that the plant does not suffer like us. But the His research in plant stimuli were pioneering, he GBC plant does suffer. In fact the pulsation of the plant showed with the help of his newly invented crescogThe great biologist, who showed those plants, too can feel in their own way. He saved money:he bought a small laboratory and built his equipment; and scientists in Europe and America wondered at his discoveries. A true patriot and a great man.

A-Z Dieffenbachia Amoena Dumb Cane Light: Partial or full shade or high interior lighting Temperature: Average to warm Water: Keep moist at all times for optimum growth Soil: Prefers a well-drained soil mix Fertiliser: Fertalise every other month with a balanced fertiliser

Howea Forsteriana Kentia Palm

Dracaena Deremensis Dracaena

Light: Indirect sunlight Temperature: Prefers warmer temperatures Water: Water weekly, do not allow to sit in water Soil: Fast-draining, well-aerated potting mix Fertiliser: Feed weekly with liquid palm fertiliser

Light: Can withstand light shade Temperature: Warmer temperatures Water: Water regularly, do not let dry out Soil: Rich, well-drained potting compost Fertiliser: Feed weekly or bi-weekly during the summer

Setcreasea Pallida Purple Heart

Cordyline Terminalis Hawaiian Ti Plant

Light: Bright light, some direct sun is fine but keep the plant shaded from strong summer sun Temperature: Average to warm Water: Water thoroughly but allow top 1â&#x20AC;? to dry out between waterings Soil: Peat, moss-based potting mix Fertiliser: Feed monthly

Light: Bright, indirect light. Leaves that lose their colour arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t getting enough light Temperature: Average to warm Water: Keep soil evenly moist spring through to autumn - in winter allow the top inch to dry out between waterings Soil: Peat, moss-based mix Fertiliser: Feed every 2 weeks a fertaliser that includes micronutrients

Ficus Elastica Rubber Plant Light: Bright, filtered light. Plants that are kept too dark will become leggy Temperature: Average to cool Water: Keep steadily moist Soil: Good, fast-draining potting mix Fertiliser: Feed with weak liquid fertiliser throughout growing season

Schefflera Actinophylla Umbrella Plant Light: Bright without direct sunlight Temperature: Average Water: Water when top soil becomes dry Soil: Peat, moss-based potting mix Fertiliser: Feed during growing season Fittonia Fittonia Light: Indirect or dappled sunlight though will also thrive under flourescent lights Temperature: Average Water: Should be kept constantly moist Soil: Conventional, peat-based soil Fertiliser: Feed during growing season

Dracaena Fragrans Corn Plant Light: Try to locate near a window with filtered sun, too little light will result in leaves losing their stripes Temperature: Warmer temperatures Water: Keep evenly moist, spray regularly Soil: Loose, well-drained potting mix Fertiliser: Fertilise lightly as the plant stores nutrients in its cane

Over to you...

Carnivorous by Andrew How, Surrey who says: “I spotted these Pitcher Plants at Glasgow Botanical Gardens and couldn’t resist.”

Hide & Seek by Lucinda Bell, Merseyside who says: “Getting to know my new Umbrella Plant!”

Bloomin’ Prepared

Fluid Furore

eith Turner from Hebden Bridge sent us this photo of him wrapping his plants well in advance of the winter months. Being an avid collector of rare and exotic plants, he recommends other readers to be prepared for the harsh months coming up. He recalls a winter where he wasn’t so prepared, and described it as ‘some of his darkest days’.

he letter from Muriel Tavener is potentially dangerous. Reflum fluid is an anti-bacterial disinfectant approved for use on greenhouses, patios and deck chairs. Muriel’s use of the product as a combined herbicide/soil sterilant/feline deterrent is wildly inappropriate. Perhaps she needs a warning from the professionals!! Paul Stirrop, Manchester

The Gender Agenda

have all the ideas for the garden and tend it myself, while my partner concentrates on the lawn (and his ever increasing waistband). I believe men are more fastidious than women when it comes to lawncare. Men are obsessed with size! How big a marrow is holds no interest for me, it’s the flavour and the fact it’s been grown organically that’s important to me. I don’t have an allotment but I’m guessing they’re full of men comparing size and shape - though I do know a few lady gardener friends who derive more pleasure from vegetables than flowers. Diane Warner, via email

TIP TOP TIP

ick of dusty and unattractive looking plant leaves? Dip warm hands into mayonaise and gently yet firmly caress your leaves one by one, leaving a truly elegant surface that any plant owner would be proud of.

Fern Forest by Mrs. B Gilder, Durham who says: “I took this snap of my nephew as he was busy digging.” Filled with botanical intrigue? Send in your photos, questions, stories and pieces of interest to: gardenbookclub@gmail.com and see them published here!