No pics for this post since my camera informed me the battery pack had to be replaced and refused further negotiation.
A pleasurable task, this time of year, is collecting the flower seeds. I did my first Cosmos seeding early 2010 and, from the seeds gathered last November and spread this past spring, I enjoyed a whole new expanse of Cosmos. By November 8, as was the case last year, most of the seeds have dried and spread and are easy to grasp in one’s hand and release into a shopping bag. Lots of Cosmos and every few days I gather more. Also collecting Marigold and Zinnia seeds for new plantings next year.
I am heavily studying permaculture and a recommended plant is the Gumi/Goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora), native to China, Korea and Japan, which provides edible fruit, fixes nitrogen and apparently has medicinal uses. Rather than buy a plant, I bought 12 seeds which arrived after a 2 week trip from NS, Canada accompanied with a note “Has a long germination requirement, often taking 2 full winters before germination.” This will surely test my propagating abilities. For starters, I moistened some seed starting mix and placed, with 6 seeds, in a zip loc bag in the refrigerator. To mimic two years I may remove from the refrigerator in a month’s time and allow to warm for a while and then back into the refrigerator to trick the seeds into thinking this is their second winter. I suspect I will find these seeds are not easily tricked – that’s why I kept 6 seeds in storage for a second go round.
I am also trying, for the first time, to propagate cuttings. I have had success with layering where you pin a low branch of a shrub on the ground, maybe roughen the underside, cover with compost and soil and leave for a few months and, when you return the pinned branch has developed roots and can now be cut from the mother plant and transplanted. Works very well with azaleas and forsythias. But cuttings is something new and, when I have definitive progress, I shall include some pics. I am aware that the best time to be doing this is in spring when the plant is in growth mode, not at the end of fall when systems are shutting down. And spring next year I shall also be trying grafting on my fruit trees.
Next week I should receive some root cuttings of Comfrey, Goldenseal and Jerusalem Artichoke, and also two varieties of mulberry, black bamboo and everbearing strawberries. Just in time to plant before the real cold settles the ground. I have been growing early season strawberries for several years and they were very sweet and spread prolifically. However, their fruiting season is too short, and so I hope to be similarly lucky with the everbearing variety.
With the cooling temperatures I have been progressively winterizing the bee hive. A couple months ago I removed the big sun umbrella which protected them from overhead sun, then I removed the board fence on the west side which protected them from afternoon sun, now I have stapled the plastic sheeting to the frame which encompasses the hive, and I slid in the bottom board, so only the entrance side and the top are open to the elements. I also have left them with a lot of their honey (my last harvesting was August 5) so I hope they will have enough to get through the winter without my having to give them sugared water. Since I do not use any chemicals, I want them as healthy and strong as possible to survive the challenges of winter and their own honey will be infinitely better than a sugared substitute.
And the chicken? The 6 older hens are delivering 3 eggs a day which is ok for now, given the shortening daylight hours. The flock of eight (7 hens and 1 rooster) are now about 6 months old and only one of them (one of the Golden Comets) is egg producing. They love their new coop and seem to be having a great time so I have had a few chats with them about the importance of delivering more eggs – “eggs or the pot” I say to them. In December, if egg production is down, I may use artificial lighting on a timer to get them 14 hours of light and more into an egg laying frame of mind.
Thank you for this post!
I live in Canada, and seeing that you bought seeds from some place in NS, I did a quick google search to see if I could figure out what company you had ordered from. I found a place called “Gardens North” (probably where you got your seeds?) and browsed their catalog out of curiosity. And then I saw that they sell cloudberry seeds! Something I’ve been looking for since February! Oddly, if you google “cloudberry seeds canada”, all you get is a list of people wondering where to find these seeds. It’s been a frustrating search. But your post has indirectly helped me track them down…thanks!
Hi Richard,
I’ve had so-so success with softwood cuttings and quite good success with layering although that be because the particular plants that I was layering are particularly easy to layer.
Cuttings can also be from hardwood which are taken during the late fall or early winter after a hard frost when the plants have become dormant. You need to keep the buds from opening and forming leaves while keeping the bottom of the cutting warm to stimulate root formation. Here‘s some basic info on hardwood cuttings. I’ve got a small experiment going with hardwood cuttings using a heating cable in the bottom of an insulated Rubbermaid tub – https://picasaweb.google.com/108665847651807187576/HardwoodCuttingPropagation#. I’d be surprised if the heating cable will provide enough heat in the dead of our winter but I’m hoping that it’s effective during the late days of winter/early days of spring.
Regards,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thank you for the very helpful ‘photos and comments – I see amongst your cuttings is the elusive Goumi, which I am working on, and a number of other interesting plants. I also like the thermostat on your heating cable, something for me to consider going forward. You mention buds breaking into leaf should be avoided because the cutting has no roots. I had thought that having some leaves on the cutting were necessary for a successful cutting, but I also recall that it is important to keep the leaves continually moist, which I guess is your point that there are no roots in the beginning stages to provide moisture to the leaves. So which is preferable – to take the cuttings in the spring when there are leaves and make sure to keep the leaves moist, or take the cuttings in fall/winter when the plant is dormant?
Regards,
Richard
Hi Richard,
Leaves on a cutting are necessary if it is a softwood cutting taken while the plant is not dormant. For hardwood cuttings taken when the plant is dormant, you want to avoid any leave growth at all since it is likely that there will not yet be roots to support the leaves. Yes, misting of leaves is critical but for softwood cuttings.
As to whether hardwood or softwood cuttings are better, this is very dependent on the plant involved.
I have a number of references that I use for seed germination and propagation from cuttings – http://portageperennials.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/plant-propagation/. I also use Wilfred G. Sheats’s Propagation of Trees, Shrubs, and Conifers. Although out of print, It’s available through Abe Books and Amazon. His comments on goumi – https://picasaweb.google.com/108665847651807187576/GoumiElaeagnusMultiflora?gsessionid=vsuYyPZ9g588aGF3u0-p4Q#5629902795932173586 give one an idea of the book’s approach.
Regards,
Mike
Mike,
Thank you for your comments and the links. I visited and enjoyed your website and will be back for more.
Best wishes,
Richard