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Post by diane on Mar 18, 2023 10:53:17 GMT -5
Dahlias are extremely variable - many colours, flower shapes, flower sizes. The only thing they lack is fragrance.
They flower all summer until there is a freeze.
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Post by diane on Jan 21, 2023 12:00:24 GMT -5
When I pollinate, I have never used a brush. I use tweezers to hold a stamen and brush the anther against the pistil.
It is highly unlikely that rosella and honeyberry will cross with each other. They are not just different genera, but also different families. Rosella is Hibiscus sabdariffa, a member of the Malvaceae family. Honeyberry is Lonicera caerulea, a member of the Caprifoliaceae.
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Post by diane on Apr 2, 2022 11:15:51 GMT -5
Tiny Monster had it but is currently sold out. Seed to Seed in Nova Scotia, Canada, still has some for sale www.seedtoseed.ca/
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Post by diane on Jan 23, 2021 11:46:21 GMT -5
From lindaj:
Linda is the person who started this topic, but she was unsure how to respond again, so sent me a personal message which I have copied here. Someone with more success growing corn will be more helpful to her.
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You mentioned corn is a heavy feeder. What do you recommend as a fertilizer as the fertilizer I used was evidently not enough. Not a specific name, but more so the numbers. The fertilizer I used had an NPK of 4-8-6. And yes, I did have them about 6 inches apart. I’d seen on YouTube you could grow corn in a 4x4 bed usin the block method. WRONG! So would I use a fertilizer high in nitrogen until the ears of corn starts to grow and then switch to a fertilizer with a lower nitrogen and higher P&K?
Is it normal for corn plant to grow the pollen on top before any ears form below? 😊Like I said, I’m new to growing corn. When I saw that I thought, there are no ears of corn with silk to pollinate. Then about a week or so later I started seeing ears form, and then silk. By then it looked like the pollen was gone or almost gone.
Like I said, they never got big, but when I pulled one off that had brown silk it had every kernel filled. Then I pushed my thumb nail in to see if it was ready or if I picked it to soon and I had a milky not clear liquid. Then I didn’t know what to do.
So should the kernel’s liquid be milky or clear?
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Post by diane on Jan 21, 2021 16:41:44 GMT -5
Or to get any crop.
Many years ago my father planted a corn patch for me and fertilized it. It grew well.
The next year, I sowed seeds in the same patch and did not fertilize. I had miniature corn plants, less than a foot high, and no cobs.
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Post by diane on Dec 8, 2020 18:04:19 GMT -5
I have electric heat so each room is a different temperature. The place I keep my squash is about 60 F, and I have had them keep until the next summer.
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Post by diane on Nov 23, 2020 14:07:50 GMT -5
from Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth:
They cannot self-pollinate. The anthers shed pollen before the stigma is receptive. Individual flowers on each flower head open over a long period , thus some of the flowers will be shedding pollen and some will be receptive at the same time. In experiments where all insects were prevented from visiting the plants, only about 10% of the flowers produced seeds. The pollination was attributed to the flower bags rubbing back and forth across the flower heads on windy days.
In areas where Queen Anne's Lace is a common weed, isolation is nearly impossible. Even the carrot umbels inside cages made of window screen must be staked, because bees will cross any flowers that touch the sides of the cage.
Hand pollination is recommended. Bag the flower heads before any flowers open, Then every morning remove the bag and rub a brush or your hand over the flowers and tie the bag back on. Do this for a number of days (or weeks), depending upon how many seeds you are hoping for.
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Post by diane on Nov 20, 2020 12:31:30 GMT -5
Yes, definitely bring it in. It needs a month of warm storage before you eat it. Different varieties of Cucurbita maxima vary in when they will taste best - from one to six or more months after maturity. If you have a lot, you could experiment but If you have only one, then Christmas will do.
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Post by diane on Nov 19, 2020 13:17:55 GMT -5
Flowerbug,
It is too early to eat the hubbard. it won't have developed its full flavour yet.
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Post by diane on Oct 31, 2020 0:15:40 GMT -5
Did your carrots also grow very big?
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Post by diane on Oct 30, 2020 15:12:13 GMT -5
My daughter has been doing all my shopping for me. I had eaten all my home-grown leeks so I asked her to buy me some. She bought me only two. They were much bigger than any I've grown but she said she chose the smallest so they would fit into the plastic bag.
Is there a particular type that grows huge, or is it culture that makes a difference?
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Post by diane on Oct 6, 2020 23:29:12 GMT -5
I've found one more plant that my deer don't like: tomatillo.
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Post by diane on Aug 23, 2020 15:36:50 GMT -5
I'm in Canada, but if no one in the States offers, I could probably help you.
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Post by diane on Aug 2, 2020 14:42:51 GMT -5
Ellendra on the opensourceplantbreeding forum tried to trick a squash requiring long night hours into blooming despite the short night where it was growing. She stepped on the ends of the vines, just enough to bruise them. They bloomed.
So maybe we should try that, though it is a bit more difficult if we're growing bush squash.
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Post by diane on Jul 29, 2020 15:04:46 GMT -5
The blight spores grow when the leaves are wet, so if you can keep the leaves dry, you shouldn't get blight. You could cover them with clear plastic and water carefully so the leaves stay dry.
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