Watering Cuttings And Seedlings.

Watering Cutting And Seedlings.

Watering is an important part of growing young seedlings,as they do not have much of a root yet.In the next couple of weeks the root will grow bigger,the container that the plants are in will get full of root.I always water my plants from the bottom,this does two things,it encourages the roots to go down to the bottom of the container for water and does not disturb the soil on the top of the pot.All my seed trays do not have any drainage holes in them because of the way i water.I use a clear plastic 2lt jug to water with.I have plants at different stages of growth so each one needs a different amount of water.Enough water is put in the seed tray to only soak three quarters of the containers.This way it keeps the soil at the top of the pot reasonably dry and will ward off chances of damp-off,which is coursed many times by too much water.My water jug has marks on the outside so i know how much water to give each tray of plants.Also,i keep the water for my plants in the same room as the plants,this way it stays at the same temperature as the room,so when i water them i do not shock them with cold water.

Starting Plants And Seeds Under Grow Lights.

Garden With Bob

Above is a picture of one of the grow lights i use,it is home made so you won't find these in the store.Grow lights do come in many different shapes and sizes,round one's,square one's and oblong one's,you just have to chose the one that fits in with your set up and the space that you have.Mine are 4ft long and 2ft wide,i use two of them on an 8ft long bench.They hang from the ceiling on chains,this way i can adjust the height up or down to which ever height i want.The light deflector i had made at a metal shop,the lights are 4ft shop lights.The bulbs i use are 4ft fluorescent bulbs that are used for aquariums (Fish Tanks),these bulbs do not throw off any heat and i find them perfect for growing plants.Some people do use aluminum foil to deflect more light,i don't see the need for that if you use your light correctly.Most new gardeners are in too much of a hurry to grow their plants, resulting in too long spindly plants that flop over.When i put my seeds in in i lower my light as far as it will go.As soon as the seeds are germinated and start to break through the soil i take them off the heating pad or reduce the heat on the pad to around 50f.Too much heat at this time will only make the plants grow taller too quickly.The roots of the plant at a lower temperature will grow stronger which is what i want at this time.I raise the light a little at a time as the plants grow,always keeping them as low as possible.Watering your plants a this time is another important thing,i will get into this at the next posting.

THE USE OF HEATING MATS.

Here we are again at the start of another gardening year,my seeds should arrive in the mail any time now and then i will be all set to go.I use heating mats to germinate my seeds so i would like to share with you how i use them.Some gardeners like to put their seed trays directly on top of the heating pad.I used to do that,but not any more, as i used to have problems with them overheating and getting too warm.Most heating pads heat the soil to 10 t0 15 degrees above room temperature.What this means is,if your room temperature is 50 degrees they will heat the soil temperature to between 60 and 65 degrees.But,as there is no temperature thermostat on them they will not turn off.So if your room temperature goes up to 70 degrees they will heat the soil to between 80 and 85 degrees which is too hot for most seeds and you will not get good germination.To get good results from heating mats you do have to have a soil heating censor,when set, it will turn the power off to the heating mat when the soil reaches the temperature that you want it.You can set the censor to come on at 68 degrees and go off at 72 degrees,which is good for most seed germination.
I use my heating pads in a different way,i have a large germination box made of OSB and pieces of 6x1 boards.The OSB is 2 feet by 8 feet which i use for the bottom of the box,the 6x1 boards i use for the sides of the box.I have the box on top of a work bench i have in my shed.I then put a piece of plastic inside the box on top of the OSB,this keeps the OSB dry.Then i put 2 inches of damp play sand inside the box, making it level.On top of this i lay my heating pads,they are 48 inches long and 20 inches wide,i have two of them,one in one half of the box and one in the other.I cut a half inch slot in the side at each end of the box so the cable on the mats can fit in them.When the mats are inside i cover them again with another 2 inches of damp play sand leveling it off.After that i put another piece of plastic on top of that,this will stop the sand going dry and will keep the heat uniformed.The box now is only 2 inches deep,just enough to fit the seed tray in.I have a double heat control censor so i can run both mats off it.I can run one mat at 60 degrees and one mat at 70 if i want.I place the censors under the top layer of plastic,one in one half of the box and one in the other.The censors i use are used in reptile tanks and there is no fluctuation in temperature,they do not turn the power to the mat on and off,they just reduce the power going to them as needed.This is a good set up to use,i started 130 chrysanthemum cutting this year and i never lost any of them.In fact they are in the picture underneath this posting.You may wonder about the cost of this,i don't look at it as a cost,i look at it as an investment.The whole thing was around $300,it will last at least 5 years,$60 a year is not bad considering the amount of plants i grow.

The Dreaded Dandelion.

Herbicide ,a good friend but a bad enemy.A good friend because it will kill all your weeds,a bad enemy because it will make you really sick if you do not take the correct precautions when using it.I have lived in Calgary for 29 years now and every year they have a problem with the dreaded dandelion.Last year the City decided not to spray the dandelions and i predicted that this year they would be overrun with them.Sure enough,as predicted,dandelions are everywhere and now they have a bigger problem on their hands.I did not want to get drawn into this because as usual i do have my own ways of dealing with dandelions and any other weeds for that matter.Why i got drawn into this was that one of the local TV stations on the news one night this week,showed one of the leading landscape companies giving a lawn some TLC,as they called it,to get rid of the dandelions.My first concern was that first of all,the guy doing it was not wearing a mask.The second was, he was putting so much herbicide on there i thought he was watering the grass.Not only that,but to me,the lawn was not that bad and did not need such drastic measures.Just think for one minute,this company could not keep up with the orders they had,they had so much work.I know for a fact,with doing lawn care in Calgary myself for 14 years,that 90% of the lawns in Calgary do not have enough top soil underneath for good drainage.Now this lawn was done 3 days ago,along with goodness knows how many more lawns.Today ,it is pouring with rain and the herbicide will wash off the lawn and into the storm drains which will end up in the rivers and waterways.Landscape companies are out to make money just like any other business,they will even sell you a yearly package you don't need.Now,this is what i do.First of all,i have a large vegetable garden and i make sure no herbicide or any other spray for that matter,goes anywhere near the garden.Next,the grassed parts.Yes,there was a few dandelions and i sprayed them with 24D.No i don't water the grass with it,i use a very fine spray.Also,i mix my own spray.This way i can make it as strong as i need it.Now this is the kicker,most sprays are now sold ready mixed and are not cheap to buy.Now again,i have to say these are my views only,you have to decide for yourself what to do.In my mind the ready mixed sprays are too strong for what is needed most of the time,i have proved this many times.For instance,this is what i do,the label on my round up bottle says mix 100ml of concentrate to 2lt of water,i mix 50ml to 2lt of water just to start with.I have done the same with the 24D this year,my dandelions are dead with only using half if what is recommended.I will spray again in the fall but only using 25ml to 2lt of water.Take this strength test,empty out your round up spray container,then fill it with water and spray it on the weeds,it might take a few days but it will kill them.Next year i will only have to spot spray,and the year after i may not have to spray at all.

Now these things in this picture are zucchini,never grown these before,will need some help with these.I checked a few things out about growing them,but they don't seem to add up.The professionals say they don't like to be transplanted and t...hey are hard to transplant.Well,i transplanted these 2 weeks ago into bigger pots using the same potting soil as my tomato's and they won't stop growing,they need to be done again.I can not plant them in the garden yet because there is still a danger of frost.They also say they need at least 65 degrees F to grow.Well again,it goes down to 40 degrees F at night in my greenhouse,and,when it gets to 70 degrees F in the day,the leaves droop over the side of the pot,just like a wet lettuce.When it cools off again they come back up,so,so much for that.But,one person did say that they grew some inside one year and when they planted them outside they put some seeds in at the same time.The result was that they were able to harvest from the plants grown inside only a week before the one's that were seeded outside.So what they said was,they only gained a week by starting them early inside.All i can say is,well you know what,i am going to bite my tongue this time and not say anything.I think when i put my plants outside i will also put some seeds in,that way i can see for myself.If anyone has grown any of these please let me know how you grow them.

This picture is one of me greenhouses,nothing special,just made out of 2x4's and plastic.It is fastened down though,if it was'nt,it would probably end up in Saskatoon with the wind w r e get in Calgary.The footings are held down with 4 foot... rebar hammered into the ground,then the greenhouse is bolted on top of that.The plastic is vapor barrier plastic that is used in houses,i chose that because the hail stones won't break it,they just bounce off.It is 8 feet wide,room for a 2 foot wide walkway and 2 rows of tomato's down each side.I need to put up one more greenhouse for next year though.

These are my cauliflower plants,i have not grown these for a few years because of damage,caused by butterfly's.However i put in a few seeds this year as well as some broccoli seeds.I showed the plants in an earlier post,the only thing is,i ...am going to plant the seeds two weeks later next year.You can buy sprays to spray the plants with to keep away the butterfly's,you spray on the under side of the leaves,that is where the butterfly's lay their eggs.I try and keep away from sprays,this year i made some cages to cover the plants with.I made them out of 2x2's and 2x1's,they are 8 feet long,3 feet wide and 18 inches deep.I then put quarter inch plastic mesh on the top and sides fastening it on with staples.You can plant two rows of plant under these and you can use them year after year.I also covered my broccoli with them.Cauliflower are not that easy to grow,i prepare my cauliflower patch in the fall.I put compost on it and work it in,then i let it sit all winter.In the Spring time i walk on it to compact the soil a bit,cauliflower grow better in compacted soil.In doing this the head on the cauliflower will grow nice and tight.When the head starts to grow bend the leaves over it to keep the sun off it,that will keep the head nice and white before you harvest it.Also,never let cauliflower get dry,water them often,they like plenty of water