#FREQUENTLY_ASKED_QUESTIONS

[ramestoryworld]

Organic gardens are as good for the earth as they are for its lucky inhabitants. The secret to growing a healthy, lush garden all begins with a single seed. This guide covers all the basics for starting seeds so that you can revel in your gardening wizardry this spring. Are you planning to start a garden this year? Congratulations! It’s a big deal! Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, growing a garden is good for everybody. It feeds the soul and the soil and can even feed your family. Starting a garden off right with healthy seeds sets the roots for how the garden will grow for the rest of the year. Sure, you can help manage sick plants and dried-out leaves, but starting seeds with good intentions and mad skills will make the rest of the year’s jobs a whole lot easier. Some of you may think I’m crazy, but I believe that how you care for seedlings will be reflected in the plant that grows and the fruit that ripens. The garden is resting now. Perhaps even covered by a blanket of snow. Now, there is ample time to slow down, plan, and nurture the very best plants to grace your garden beds. Let’s get this gardening season started with this guide on starting seeds. Experienced gardeners can save the seeds from their plants to use the next year. The 10 Steps for Starting Seeds “I made this!” I gloat while serving up a dish made entirely of food that I grew in my garden. Well, “gloat” is probably not the right word. I prance around like the fantastical wizard I am, cheering about my mad skills in making real food from tiny seeds. It took me months. I had some fatalities. But overall, it’s fairly simple to grow from seeds. And more importantly, it’s awesome. Here are some basics for how to start seeds at home. Make sure to label your seeds so you know exactly what they all are. Trust me, you will forget. 1. Choose Your Seeds Starting seeds in the spring (or even winter) is one of the best ways to save money. While you could buy a pack of snapdragons at the garden centre to fill your containers, why not start them from seed at a fraction of the price? You also get way more varieties when you go the seed route. This list covers my favourite annual flowers to grow from seed, while this list covers some of my go-to perennial flowers. Keep in mind that starting perennials from seed is often more difficult and time-consuming, so it is better suited for those with a few gardening seasons under their belt. Seed companies in your area should sell the right seeds for your climate but do make sure that you pick the right plants for your experience level. If you’re a seedling yourself when it comes to propagation, don’t bother starting watermelons in Northern Ontario. Many seed companies will also list a difficulty rating that will help to guide you. You might even be able to find some seeds in a seed library. 2. Read the Packet If you want the best possible start for your seeds, your best bet is to read the packet. Most seed packets will list everything you need to know to start the seeds and their special requirements, like how deep to plant the seed, how much light they need, how long they’ll take to germinate, soil temperatures required, etc. I cover all the basics of reading a seed packet in this post if you want to ensure you’re buying the right seeds and those that will actually thrive in your garden. 3. Choose a Container You can start seeds in just about anything you can find around the house that will create a mini-greenhouse, or you can buy all sorts of interesting setups to best suit your needs. Greenhouse Kits Many different greenhouse kits are available now. Most will have a plastic tray with a clear plastic greenhouse dome. Some come with a soilless mixture for starting seeds, like peat pellets that expand to a mini seed pot when soaked in water. Others may have coconut fibre pots that you can transplant right along with your seedling. Others may even have a heat mat that gently warms soil to improve germination. The beauty of these kits is that you can start a large number of seeds individually in one tray (up to 72) and many are made for small spaces like windowsills. The drawback is that the seedlings will need to be replanted, either in the garden or a larger pot, in a few weeks. Leaving seedlings in small pots with no nutrition will cause unwanted stress to the plants. Seed Starting Trays Garden retailers will sell many different types of professional-grade seed-starting trays, domes, and inserts with features like root training, moisture control, automatic watering, and grow lights. Certainly, many of these features have value in starting the year’s plants off on the right foot and can be used over and over. Household Items An inexpensive and creative way to start seeds is to use household items as seed containers. Lining a seed tray with pots made from toilet paper tubes, newspaper, or egg cartons will cost nothing At times, your family may think you’ve gone mad, given how excited you will become when you get to take home the plastic cake dome from the party. But come on, that’ll make a really great greenhouse dome, right? Search for biodegradable paper products you can plant right in the ground or food-safe plastic containers that you can use as mini-greenhouses for your containers if you are on a budget. Paper egg cartons are one of my favourite inexpensive household items to use as a seed starting container. 4. Growing Medium You can buy a pre-made seed starter soil, or you can make your own with a mix. I make my own mix using a peat-moss alternative, sterilized compost, perlite, and vermiculite. This mixture is light and holds moisture well, so it is wonderful for helping seeds germinate. All growing mediums will need some time to absorb water, so add moisture and let it soak in for an hour before planting. Be sure to use a sterile mix if you are starting seeds indoors. Soil or compost from the garden will bring in all sorts of critters, like soil gnats, which will drive you freakin’ crazy as you run around your propagation trays like a mad person swatting and squashing an endless supply of teeny tiny flies. Seed starting mix needs to be sterile. 5. Water Your Seeds Germination will be best in a moist environment for most seeds, so keeping the soil damp and a greenhouse dome on top will keep the right amount of humidity for optimal germination. Keep the soil from drying out by checking it daily. Water gently, from the bottom where possible, so as to not damage the seedlings about to emerge. When learning how to start seeds, having just the right amount of water is important. You never want the seeds to dry out, nor do you want the soil to be soggy. Make sure to vent your container regularly to prevent fungal growth. 6. Get the Right Lighting Seeds won’t need light until they emerge from the surface of the soil, but then they will need strong sunlight for most of the day to prevent them from becoming leggy (overly tall and spindly = weak). You can supplement a lack of sunlight with fluorescent lighting, either by buying a set of grow lights made for seed starting or by making your own with fluorescent shop lights. You don’t need fancy lights to help your plants grow. This was my DIY set-up! 7. Treat Damping Off “Damping off” is a term for a fungal growth that looks like fuzzy hairs on the seedling stem. This fungal growth will kill the seedling, so it’s bad, really bad. To prevent damping off, occasionally spray the greenhouse dome with a bottle of 3% food-grade hydrogen peroxide and vent it on a regular basis to regulate humidity. I also recommend watering with my chamomile fungicide spray. Chamomile naturally prevents diseases such as damping off. It’s almost impossible to get rid of damping off, so prevention is best. 8. Thin Your Seedlings Generally, the seed instructions will suggest that you plant 2-3 seeds per pot and thin out all but the strongest. This seems to be the thing that some gardeners have the hardest time with. If three strong tomato seedlings have popped up in one tiny peat pot, then the gardener rushes off to get tweezers to separate out the three wee plants and re-pots them all. More inexperienced gardeners will damage each plant, giving none a strong chance at survival, so it’s best that you grab a clean pair of scissors, snip all but the strongest seedling in each pot and be done with it. Choose the strongest seeding and snip any remaining seedlings in the same container. 9. Hardening Off As the seedlings grow into plants and the date to plant outside gets near, it’s time to start hardening them off or toughening them for their natural environment. I like to start by opening a window a few hours a day so they get a breeze. Then, start moving the trays outside, out of direct sunlight, for a few hours. Start at one hour and gradually increase to a full day outside. By the time your plant date has arrived, you can safely transfer your tough little soldiers directly into the ground, with some delicious compost and a thorough watering, to brave the elements on their own. Seedlings are used to indoor conditions, so make sure to gradually transition them to outside. 10. Set Your Expectations Starting seeds is such an interesting and magical process, especially for children, so it’s the perfect activity to do as a family this coming spring. The months that you’ve spent germinating and raising seedlings will be a series of trial and error, so expect some loss. Not every seed will germinate, not every seedling will survive being transplanted, and not every kind of plant will do well in your garden. The gains will be clear when you have piles of leafy greens taking up every inch of your windowsills, bursting to get outside. Starting the plants off yourself ensures that you are in charge of the health of the plant and can control what goes into it. And the satisfaction you’ll feel from starting your own seeds is tremendous. My kiddo loves starting seeds with me and planting them in the garden. FAQ About Starting Seeds Should you cover seeds with plastic? Yes. This helps to keep the moisture in and increase temperatures. It essentially acts as a mini greenhouse.Cover your seeds with a clear plastic container (I like salad boxes) right after you’ve planted and watered your plants. Every day, vent the dome and clean it with food-grade hydrogen peroxide to prevent damping off. Leave the dome on until the seedlings reach it. Do seedlings need sunlight to survive? Yes. Seeds don’t need sunlight until they’ve germinated (sprouted above the soil). Prior to this, the seed carries all the energy the plant will need to sprout. But once it has germinated, the seedling will need lots of sunlight to grow well. Otherwise, they get leggy and weak trying to reach for more sun.Consider using a grow light if you can’t get enough sunlight in a windowsill for your seedlings. More Tips for How to Care for Seedlings   Source link

[tameblog]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[alexha2210]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[angusstory]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[tumibaba]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[romaleen]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[monaleen101]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[iamownerofme]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[shelyold]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[iammeandmy]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[ramestoryworld]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[januishstory]

From cherry blossoms in December to spring bulbs in January, I’ve seen some flowers bloom exceptionally early. If you’ve also seen some early blooms, you might be worried about how this will affect your plant when it inevitably gets cold again. Here’s what you need to know about early blooming flowers. It’s been a weird winter here in Vancouver. For a while, we had a very, very, cold snap. Then quickly, it warmed up and turned bright and sunny…only to get cold again. I saw cherry blossoms in December—which doesn’t usually happen until late February. I’m confused. The plants are confused. We’re all confused. All across the world, we have been seeing extremes. So it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing lots of questions from gardeners about what will happen to their plants if they see early blooms. If you’re concerned about early blooming flowers, join me as we look at the plant’s life cycle and what will happen to your plants should they sprout a wee bit early. Why Are Plants Blooming Earlier? It’s getting harder and harder for some (I won’t name names) to deny that the climate is changing. We will see very unusual things happening with the weather, and the plants will respond to it. Some areas are seeing more prolonged periods of drought, while others have heavy rainfall. We may have a cold, severe winter, but they’re getting less frequent as these mild winters creep up on us. Because of these temperatures, we’re seeing longer growing periods with an earlier last frost date and a later first frost date. In the US, the growing season has increased by more than two weeks compared to the beginning of the 20th century in 48 states. In the UK, flowers bloom an average of 26 days earlier than in the 1980s. The plants are getting the message loud and clear. They’re responding to the climate the best way they know how, one of which is early blooms. As the climate changes, the plants are also changing. Anything that’s a perennial, like trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, will continue to evolve. The strongest plants will be the ones to survive this. The next generation of plants will create their future. The plants will become hardier in these conditions as the climate changes. The weaker ones may not make it, but the stronger ones do. Apple trees are one of the first trees to blossom in the spring. A Plant’s Life Cycle It’s always important to consider the plant’s life cycle, like what we do in pruning. Most plants go dormant in the winter by dropping leaves, stopping flowering, and devoting their energy to the root system. That goes for most plants, like perennials, trees, bulbs, and even our edible vegetable plants. When shoots come up early, remember that very little of the overall plant energy is above the soil line. If it cools down again and there’s damage to the plant, most of it is still safe under the soil. There may be some damage to the above plant material, but the rest should be fine. There may be some gnarly leaves and fewer flowers. She may not be looking her best. But know that she’s looking beautiful beneath the soil and will survive just fine. Place your trust in the plants. Observe, but try not to worry. You can’t do much—it’s in the plant’s hands! What Happens to Perennials Blooming Early? Perennials can pop up early when they see the cues of spring. But once it freezes again, the plant’s energy will retreat to the root system. The plant isn’t fully developed above the soil, but it can still withstand some damage to the upper part of the plant. It’s rare that any of that damage will go down to the root. Soil is very insulating and will help maintain a temperature the plant is hardy to. If you planted it in the right space, that is. Snow on top of rhododendron leaves and buds. Early Blooming Flowers on Trees Generally, the leaf buds will be okay on trees. Trees send out many leaf buds early in the season when it’s cold. If they lose some, the tree will be okay. Flower buds, however, tend not to bounce back as easily. This year, we had cherry blossoms blooming exceptionally early in Vancouver due to a mild winter. I anticipate that they aren’t going to flower as prolifically this spring. Since they tried to flower early, they likely won’t set out a second flowering. Cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. Early Blooms from Flower Bulbs Bulbs are very used to this seesaw of warm and cold temperatures. Bulbs store all their energy under the soil. Within the bulb, there is enough energy for the plants to grow before there’s much spring sun. The shoots will begin to pop up when it feels right. Generally, most bulbs don’t mind the cold. Some, like snowdrops and crocuses, even thrive in the snow. Bulbs have very strong root systems that help them bounce back in cold conditions. The shoots may die off when it gets cooler again. But that’s fine. In the end, you could end up with fewer bulbs that are less robust and not as strong. This is more likely if there is a late freeze and most of the plant has already sprung up. Crocus bulbs thrive in cooler temperatures. Dealing With Vegetable Plants That Freeze Some vegetables don’t mind cool temperatures. Imagine you didn’t cover your Swiss chard or kale, and it froze so much that it wilted and died back instead of getting sweeter (which we all hope will happen). Those vegetables tend to grow back again. They might not grow back as much as before, but anything under the soil will be okay. So your root vegetables, like parsnips, beets, or carrots, will be doing great underneath the soil, even if the cold damages the leaves above the soil. Swiss chard is quite hardy compared to other vegetables. FAQ About Handling Early Blooms What happens if my garlic blooms early in the fall? We plant garlic in the fall (I always do so around Halloween). Sometimes, you can plant it a little too early or have a warmer-than-usual fall, and the garlic will send up shoots in the fall.When it freezes, the garlic will die back. But don’t worry; the garlic will start the whole process again in the spring.  You can even plant garlic with shoots growing on it, like when you buy them a little late. This won’t affect your garlic overall.Yes, there is a gold standard when it comes to garlic. Garlic growers won’t want shoots affected by the freeze or provide any stress to the plant as that can affect the overall robustness of the plant.But will you still get garlic? Absolutely. What happens if it’s a late freeze? Let’s say it’s late spring and starting to get to summer, and we suddenly have an unexpected freeze. In this case, the plant’s chance of survival would drop.At this point, most of the energy the plant is expelling is now on the upper part of the plant and not beneath the soil where it is protected.Most perennials will bounce back, but the damage may be more significant if they are further down in their seasonal growth.   How are bees affected by earlier flowering plants? Rising temperatures and earlier springs will mean that bees will wake up earlier. It’s estimated that they wake up five days earlier than twenty years ago.With more species blooming at the same time than in the past, there isn’t such a continuous, even supply of flowers for the bees. This mismatch between when the flowers and bees are active could threaten the bees looking for food sources.This will also reduce plant pollination and their ability to reproduce and yield crops. Rising temperatures may also mean the bees come out earlier, but they need their timing to align with the flowers to avoid being affected. Why do some plants bloom earlier than others? Each plant (or seed or bulb) will respond to different environmental factors, such as temperature, amount of sunlight, light quality, and more.As these conditions change, chemical production inside the plant triggers the growth. In response, the plant will begin to sprout new growth.Many plants start growing when temperatures get warmer or the days get longer. Each plant will have specific responses, some needing higher temperatures or more light before growing. Others require less.Likewise, cooler temperatures can tell the plant to redirect the energy back to the roots, set seed, and die back for the fall. More Information on Changing Weather Source link

[tameblog]

Organic gardens are as good for the earth as they are for its lucky inhabitants. The secret to growing a healthy, lush garden all begins with a single seed. This guide covers all the basics for starting seeds so that you can revel in your gardening wizardry this spring. Are you planning to start a garden this year? Congratulations! It’s a big deal! Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, growing a garden is good for everybody. It feeds the soul and the soil and can even feed your family. Starting a garden off right with healthy seeds sets the roots for how the garden will grow for the rest of the year. Sure, you can help manage sick plants and dried-out leaves, but starting seeds with good intentions and mad skills will make the rest of the year’s jobs a whole lot easier. Some of you may think I’m crazy, but I believe that how you care for seedlings will be reflected in the plant that grows and the fruit that ripens. The garden is resting now. Perhaps even covered by a blanket of snow. Now, there is ample time to slow down, plan, and nurture the very best plants to grace your garden beds. Let’s get this gardening season started with this guide on starting seeds. Experienced gardeners can save the seeds from their plants to use the next year. The 10 Steps for Starting Seeds “I made this!” I gloat while serving up a dish made entirely of food that I grew in my garden. Well, “gloat” is probably not the right word. I prance around like the fantastical wizard I am, cheering about my mad skills in making real food from tiny seeds. It took me months. I had some fatalities. But overall, it’s fairly simple to grow from seeds. And more importantly, it’s awesome. Here are some basics for how to start seeds at home. Make sure to label your seeds so you know exactly what they all are. Trust me, you will forget. 1. Choose Your Seeds Starting seeds in the spring (or even winter) is one of the best ways to save money. While you could buy a pack of snapdragons at the garden centre to fill your containers, why not start them from seed at a fraction of the price? You also get way more varieties when you go the seed route. This list covers my favourite annual flowers to grow from seed, while this list covers some of my go-to perennial flowers. Keep in mind that starting perennials from seed is often more difficult and time-consuming, so it is better suited for those with a few gardening seasons under their belt. Seed companies in your area should sell the right seeds for your climate but do make sure that you pick the right plants for your experience level. If you’re a seedling yourself when it comes to propagation, don’t bother starting watermelons in Northern Ontario. Many seed companies will also list a difficulty rating that will help to guide you. You might even be able to find some seeds in a seed library. 2. Read the Packet If you want the best possible start for your seeds, your best bet is to read the packet. Most seed packets will list everything you need to know to start the seeds and their special requirements, like how deep to plant the seed, how much light they need, how long they’ll take to germinate, soil temperatures required, etc. I cover all the basics of reading a seed packet in this post if you want to ensure you’re buying the right seeds and those that will actually thrive in your garden. 3. Choose a Container You can start seeds in just about anything you can find around the house that will create a mini-greenhouse, or you can buy all sorts of interesting setups to best suit your needs. Greenhouse Kits Many different greenhouse kits are available now. Most will have a plastic tray with a clear plastic greenhouse dome. Some come with a soilless mixture for starting seeds, like peat pellets that expand to a mini seed pot when soaked in water. Others may have coconut fibre pots that you can transplant right along with your seedling. Others may even have a heat mat that gently warms soil to improve germination. The beauty of these kits is that you can start a large number of seeds individually in one tray (up to 72) and many are made for small spaces like windowsills. The drawback is that the seedlings will need to be replanted, either in the garden or a larger pot, in a few weeks. Leaving seedlings in small pots with no nutrition will cause unwanted stress to the plants. Seed Starting Trays Garden retailers will sell many different types of professional-grade seed-starting trays, domes, and inserts with features like root training, moisture control, automatic watering, and grow lights. Certainly, many of these features have value in starting the year’s plants off on the right foot and can be used over and over. Household Items An inexpensive and creative way to start seeds is to use household items as seed containers. Lining a seed tray with pots made from toilet paper tubes, newspaper, or egg cartons will cost nothing At times, your family may think you’ve gone mad, given how excited you will become when you get to take home the plastic cake dome from the party. But come on, that’ll make a really great greenhouse dome, right? Search for biodegradable paper products you can plant right in the ground or food-safe plastic containers that you can use as mini-greenhouses for your containers if you are on a budget. Paper egg cartons are one of my favourite inexpensive household items to use as a seed starting container. 4. Growing Medium You can buy a pre-made seed starter soil, or you can make your own with a mix. I make my own mix using a peat-moss alternative, sterilized compost, perlite, and vermiculite. This mixture is light and holds moisture well, so it is wonderful for helping seeds germinate. All growing mediums will need some time to absorb water, so add moisture and let it soak in for an hour before planting. Be sure to use a sterile mix if you are starting seeds indoors. Soil or compost from the garden will bring in all sorts of critters, like soil gnats, which will drive you freakin’ crazy as you run around your propagation trays like a mad person swatting and squashing an endless supply of teeny tiny flies. Seed starting mix needs to be sterile. 5. Water Your Seeds Germination will be best in a moist environment for most seeds, so keeping the soil damp and a greenhouse dome on top will keep the right amount of humidity for optimal germination. Keep the soil from drying out by checking it daily. Water gently, from the bottom where possible, so as to not damage the seedlings about to emerge. When learning how to start seeds, having just the right amount of water is important. You never want the seeds to dry out, nor do you want the soil to be soggy. Make sure to vent your container regularly to prevent fungal growth. 6. Get the Right Lighting Seeds won’t need light until they emerge from the surface of the soil, but then they will need strong sunlight for most of the day to prevent them from becoming leggy (overly tall and spindly = weak). You can supplement a lack of sunlight with fluorescent lighting, either by buying a set of grow lights made for seed starting or by making your own with fluorescent shop lights. You don’t need fancy lights to help your plants grow. This was my DIY set-up! 7. Treat Damping Off “Damping off” is a term for a fungal growth that looks like fuzzy hairs on the seedling stem. This fungal growth will kill the seedling, so it’s bad, really bad. To prevent damping off, occasionally spray the greenhouse dome with a bottle of 3% food-grade hydrogen peroxide and vent it on a regular basis to regulate humidity. I also recommend watering with my chamomile fungicide spray. Chamomile naturally prevents diseases such as damping off. It’s almost impossible to get rid of damping off, so prevention is best. 8. Thin Your Seedlings Generally, the seed instructions will suggest that you plant 2-3 seeds per pot and thin out all but the strongest. This seems to be the thing that some gardeners have the hardest time with. If three strong tomato seedlings have popped up in one tiny peat pot, then the gardener rushes off to get tweezers to separate out the three wee plants and re-pots them all. More inexperienced gardeners will damage each plant, giving none a strong chance at survival, so it’s best that you grab a clean pair of scissors, snip all but the strongest seedling in each pot and be done with it. Choose the strongest seeding and snip any remaining seedlings in the same container. 9. Hardening Off As the seedlings grow into plants and the date to plant outside gets near, it’s time to start hardening them off or toughening them for their natural environment. I like to start by opening a window a few hours a day so they get a breeze. Then, start moving the trays outside, out of direct sunlight, for a few hours. Start at one hour and gradually increase to a full day outside. By the time your plant date has arrived, you can safely transfer your tough little soldiers directly into the ground, with some delicious compost and a thorough watering, to brave the elements on their own. Seedlings are used to indoor conditions, so make sure to gradually transition them to outside. 10. Set Your Expectations Starting seeds is such an interesting and magical process, especially for children, so it’s the perfect activity to do as a family this coming spring. The months that you’ve spent germinating and raising seedlings will be a series of trial and error, so expect some loss. Not every seed will germinate, not every seedling will survive being transplanted, and not every kind of plant will do well in your garden. The gains will be clear when you have piles of leafy greens taking up every inch of your windowsills, bursting to get outside. Starting the plants off yourself ensures that you are in charge of the health of the plant and can control what goes into it. And the satisfaction you’ll feel from starting your own seeds is tremendous. My kiddo loves starting seeds with me and planting them in the garden. FAQ About Starting Seeds Should you cover seeds with plastic? Yes. This helps to keep the moisture in and increase temperatures. It essentially acts as a mini greenhouse.Cover your seeds with a clear plastic container (I like salad boxes) right after you’ve planted and watered your plants. Every day, vent the dome and clean it with food-grade hydrogen peroxide to prevent damping off. Leave the dome on until the seedlings reach it. Do seedlings need sunlight to survive? Yes. Seeds don’t need sunlight until they’ve germinated (sprouted above the soil). Prior to this, the seed carries all the energy the plant will need to sprout. But once it has germinated, the seedling will need lots of sunlight to grow well. Otherwise, they get leggy and weak trying to reach for more sun.Consider using a grow light if you can’t get enough sunlight in a windowsill for your seedlings. More Tips for How to Care for Seedlings   Source link

[alexha2210]

Organic gardens are as good for the earth as they are for its lucky inhabitants. The secret to growing a healthy, lush garden all begins with a single seed. This guide covers all the basics for starting seeds so that you can revel in your gardening wizardry this spring. Are you planning to start a garden this year? Congratulations! It’s a big deal! Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, growing a garden is good for everybody. It feeds the soul and the soil and can even feed your family. Starting a garden off right with healthy seeds sets the roots for how the garden will grow for the rest of the year. Sure, you can help manage sick plants and dried-out leaves, but starting seeds with good intentions and mad skills will make the rest of the year’s jobs a whole lot easier. Some of you may think I’m crazy, but I believe that how you care for seedlings will be reflected in the plant that grows and the fruit that ripens. The garden is resting now. Perhaps even covered by a blanket of snow. Now, there is ample time to slow down, plan, and nurture the very best plants to grace your garden beds. Let’s get this gardening season started with this guide on starting seeds. Experienced gardeners can save the seeds from their plants to use the next year. The 10 Steps for Starting Seeds “I made this!” I gloat while serving up a dish made entirely of food that I grew in my garden. Well, “gloat” is probably not the right word. I prance around like the fantastical wizard I am, cheering about my mad skills in making real food from tiny seeds. It took me months. I had some fatalities. But overall, it’s fairly simple to grow from seeds. And more importantly, it’s awesome. Here are some basics for how to start seeds at home. Make sure to label your seeds so you know exactly what they all are. Trust me, you will forget. 1. Choose Your Seeds Starting seeds in the spring (or even winter) is one of the best ways to save money. While you could buy a pack of snapdragons at the garden centre to fill your containers, why not start them from seed at a fraction of the price? You also get way more varieties when you go the seed route. This list covers my favourite annual flowers to grow from seed, while this list covers some of my go-to perennial flowers. Keep in mind that starting perennials from seed is often more difficult and time-consuming, so it is better suited for those with a few gardening seasons under their belt. Seed companies in your area should sell the right seeds for your climate but do make sure that you pick the right plants for your experience level. If you’re a seedling yourself when it comes to propagation, don’t bother starting watermelons in Northern Ontario. Many seed companies will also list a difficulty rating that will help to guide you. You might even be able to find some seeds in a seed library. 2. Read the Packet If you want the best possible start for your seeds, your best bet is to read the packet. Most seed packets will list everything you need to know to start the seeds and their special requirements, like how deep to plant the seed, how much light they need, how long they’ll take to germinate, soil temperatures required, etc. I cover all the basics of reading a seed packet in this post if you want to ensure you’re buying the right seeds and those that will actually thrive in your garden. 3. Choose a Container You can start seeds in just about anything you can find around the house that will create a mini-greenhouse, or you can buy all sorts of interesting setups to best suit your needs. Greenhouse Kits Many different greenhouse kits are available now. Most will have a plastic tray with a clear plastic greenhouse dome. Some come with a soilless mixture for starting seeds, like peat pellets that expand to a mini seed pot when soaked in water. Others may have coconut fibre pots that you can transplant right along with your seedling. Others may even have a heat mat that gently warms soil to improve germination. The beauty of these kits is that you can start a large number of seeds individually in one tray (up to 72) and many are made for small spaces like windowsills. The drawback is that the seedlings will need to be replanted, either in the garden or a larger pot, in a few weeks. Leaving seedlings in small pots with no nutrition will cause unwanted stress to the plants. Seed Starting Trays Garden retailers will sell many different types of professional-grade seed-starting trays, domes, and inserts with features like root training, moisture control, automatic watering, and grow lights. Certainly, many of these features have value in starting the year’s plants off on the right foot and can be used over and over. Household Items An inexpensive and creative way to start seeds is to use household items as seed containers. Lining a seed tray with pots made from toilet paper tubes, newspaper, or egg cartons will cost nothing At times, your family may think you’ve gone mad, given how excited you will become when you get to take home the plastic cake dome from the party. But come on, that’ll make a really great greenhouse dome, right? Search for biodegradable paper products you can plant right in the ground or food-safe plastic containers that you can use as mini-greenhouses for your containers if you are on a budget. Paper egg cartons are one of my favourite inexpensive household items to use as a seed starting container. 4. Growing Medium You can buy a pre-made seed starter soil, or you can make your own with a mix. I make my own mix using a peat-moss alternative, sterilized compost, perlite, and vermiculite. This mixture is light and holds moisture well, so it is wonderful for helping seeds germinate. All growing mediums will need some time to absorb water, so add moisture and let it soak in for an hour before planting. Be sure to use a sterile mix if you are starting seeds indoors. Soil or compost from the garden will bring in all sorts of critters, like soil gnats, which will drive you freakin’ crazy as you run around your propagation trays like a mad person swatting and squashing an endless supply of teeny tiny flies. Seed starting mix needs to be sterile. 5. Water Your Seeds Germination will be best in a moist environment for most seeds, so keeping the soil damp and a greenhouse dome on top will keep the right amount of humidity for optimal germination. Keep the soil from drying out by checking it daily. Water gently, from the bottom where possible, so as to not damage the seedlings about to emerge. When learning how to start seeds, having just the right amount of water is important. You never want the seeds to dry out, nor do you want the soil to be soggy. Make sure to vent your container regularly to prevent fungal growth. 6. Get the Right Lighting Seeds won’t need light until they emerge from the surface of the soil, but then they will need strong sunlight for most of the day to prevent them from becoming leggy (overly tall and spindly = weak). You can supplement a lack of sunlight with fluorescent lighting, either by buying a set of grow lights made for seed starting or by making your own with fluorescent shop lights. You don’t need fancy lights to help your plants grow. This was my DIY set-up! 7. Treat Damping Off “Damping off” is a term for a fungal growth that looks like fuzzy hairs on the seedling stem. This fungal growth will kill the seedling, so it’s bad, really bad. To prevent damping off, occasionally spray the greenhouse dome with a bottle of 3% food-grade hydrogen peroxide and vent it on a regular basis to regulate humidity. I also recommend watering with my chamomile fungicide spray. Chamomile naturally prevents diseases such as damping off. It’s almost impossible to get rid of damping off, so prevention is best. 8. Thin Your Seedlings Generally, the seed instructions will suggest that you plant 2-3 seeds per pot and thin out all but the strongest. This seems to be the thing that some gardeners have the hardest time with. If three strong tomato seedlings have popped up in one tiny peat pot, then the gardener rushes off to get tweezers to separate out the three wee plants and re-pots them all. More inexperienced gardeners will damage each plant, giving none a strong chance at survival, so it’s best that you grab a clean pair of scissors, snip all but the strongest seedling in each pot and be done with it. Choose the strongest seeding and snip any remaining seedlings in the same container. 9. Hardening Off As the seedlings grow into plants and the date to plant outside gets near, it’s time to start hardening them off or toughening them for their natural environment. I like to start by opening a window a few hours a day so they get a breeze. Then, start moving the trays outside, out of direct sunlight, for a few hours. Start at one hour and gradually increase to a full day outside. By the time your plant date has arrived, you can safely transfer your tough little soldiers directly into the ground, with some delicious compost and a thorough watering, to brave the elements on their own. Seedlings are used to indoor conditions, so make sure to gradually transition them to outside. 10. Set Your Expectations Starting seeds is such an interesting and magical process, especially for children, so it’s the perfect activity to do as a family this coming spring. The months that you’ve spent germinating and raising seedlings will be a series of trial and error, so expect some loss. Not every seed will germinate, not every seedling will survive being transplanted, and not every kind of plant will do well in your garden. The gains will be clear when you have piles of leafy greens taking up every inch of your windowsills, bursting to get outside. Starting the plants off yourself ensures that you are in charge of the health of the plant and can control what goes into it. And the satisfaction you’ll feel from starting your own seeds is tremendous. My kiddo loves starting seeds with me and planting them in the garden. FAQ About Starting Seeds Should you cover seeds with plastic? Yes. This helps to keep the moisture in and increase temperatures. It essentially acts as a mini greenhouse.Cover your seeds with a clear plastic container (I like salad boxes) right after you’ve planted and watered your plants. Every day, vent the dome and clean it with food-grade hydrogen peroxide to prevent damping off. Leave the dome on until the seedlings reach it. Do seedlings need sunlight to survive? Yes. Seeds don’t need sunlight until they’ve germinated (sprouted above the soil). Prior to this, the seed carries all the energy the plant will need to sprout. But once it has germinated, the seedling will need lots of sunlight to grow well. Otherwise, they get leggy and weak trying to reach for more sun.Consider using a grow light if you can’t get enough sunlight in a windowsill for your seedlings. More Tips for How to Care for Seedlings   Source link

[angusstory]

Organic gardens are as good for the earth as they are for its lucky inhabitants. The secret to growing a healthy, lush garden all begins with a single seed. This guide covers all the basics for starting seeds so that you can revel in your gardening wizardry this spring. Are you planning to start a garden this year? Congratulations! It’s a big deal! Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, growing a garden is good for everybody. It feeds the soul and the soil and can even feed your family. Starting a garden off right with healthy seeds sets the roots for how the garden will grow for the rest of the year. Sure, you can help manage sick plants and dried-out leaves, but starting seeds with good intentions and mad skills will make the rest of the year’s jobs a whole lot easier. Some of you may think I’m crazy, but I believe that how you care for seedlings will be reflected in the plant that grows and the fruit that ripens. The garden is resting now. Perhaps even covered by a blanket of snow. Now, there is ample time to slow down, plan, and nurture the very best plants to grace your garden beds. Let’s get this gardening season started with this guide on starting seeds. Experienced gardeners can save the seeds from their plants to use the next year. The 10 Steps for Starting Seeds “I made this!” I gloat while serving up a dish made entirely of food that I grew in my garden. Well, “gloat” is probably not the right word. I prance around like the fantastical wizard I am, cheering about my mad skills in making real food from tiny seeds. It took me months. I had some fatalities. But overall, it’s fairly simple to grow from seeds. And more importantly, it’s awesome. Here are some basics for how to start seeds at home. Make sure to label your seeds so you know exactly what they all are. Trust me, you will forget. 1. Choose Your Seeds Starting seeds in the spring (or even winter) is one of the best ways to save money. While you could buy a pack of snapdragons at the garden centre to fill your containers, why not start them from seed at a fraction of the price? You also get way more varieties when you go the seed route. This list covers my favourite annual flowers to grow from seed, while this list covers some of my go-to perennial flowers. Keep in mind that starting perennials from seed is often more difficult and time-consuming, so it is better suited for those with a few gardening seasons under their belt. Seed companies in your area should sell the right seeds for your climate but do make sure that you pick the right plants for your experience level. If you’re a seedling yourself when it comes to propagation, don’t bother starting watermelons in Northern Ontario. Many seed companies will also list a difficulty rating that will help to guide you. You might even be able to find some seeds in a seed library. 2. Read the Packet If you want the best possible start for your seeds, your best bet is to read the packet. Most seed packets will list everything you need to know to start the seeds and their special requirements, like how deep to plant the seed, how much light they need, how long they’ll take to germinate, soil temperatures required, etc. I cover all the basics of reading a seed packet in this post if you want to ensure you’re buying the right seeds and those that will actually thrive in your garden. 3. Choose a Container You can start seeds in just about anything you can find around the house that will create a mini-greenhouse, or you can buy all sorts of interesting setups to best suit your needs. Greenhouse Kits Many different greenhouse kits are available now. Most will have a plastic tray with a clear plastic greenhouse dome. Some come with a soilless mixture for starting seeds, like peat pellets that expand to a mini seed pot when soaked in water. Others may have coconut fibre pots that you can transplant right along with your seedling. Others may even have a heat mat that gently warms soil to improve germination. The beauty of these kits is that you can start a large number of seeds individually in one tray (up to 72) and many are made for small spaces like windowsills. The drawback is that the seedlings will need to be replanted, either in the garden or a larger pot, in a few weeks. Leaving seedlings in small pots with no nutrition will cause unwanted stress to the plants. Seed Starting Trays Garden retailers will sell many different types of professional-grade seed-starting trays, domes, and inserts with features like root training, moisture control, automatic watering, and grow lights. Certainly, many of these features have value in starting the year’s plants off on the right foot and can be used over and over. Household Items An inexpensive and creative way to start seeds is to use household items as seed containers. Lining a seed tray with pots made from toilet paper tubes, newspaper, or egg cartons will cost nothing At times, your family may think you’ve gone mad, given how excited you will become when you get to take home the plastic cake dome from the party. But come on, that’ll make a really great greenhouse dome, right? Search for biodegradable paper products you can plant right in the ground or food-safe plastic containers that you can use as mini-greenhouses for your containers if you are on a budget. Paper egg cartons are one of my favourite inexpensive household items to use as a seed starting container. 4. Growing Medium You can buy a pre-made seed starter soil, or you can make your own with a mix. I make my own mix using a peat-moss alternative, sterilized compost, perlite, and vermiculite. This mixture is light and holds moisture well, so it is wonderful for helping seeds germinate. All growing mediums will need some time to absorb water, so add moisture and let it soak in for an hour before planting. Be sure to use a sterile mix if you are starting seeds indoors. Soil or compost from the garden will bring in all sorts of critters, like soil gnats, which will drive you freakin’ crazy as you run around your propagation trays like a mad person swatting and squashing an endless supply of teeny tiny flies. Seed starting mix needs to be sterile. 5. Water Your Seeds Germination will be best in a moist environment for most seeds, so keeping the soil damp and a greenhouse dome on top will keep the right amount of humidity for optimal germination. Keep the soil from drying out by checking it daily. Water gently, from the bottom where possible, so as to not damage the seedlings about to emerge. When learning how to start seeds, having just the right amount of water is important. You never want the seeds to dry out, nor do you want the soil to be soggy. Make sure to vent your container regularly to prevent fungal growth. 6. Get the Right Lighting Seeds won’t need light until they emerge from the surface of the soil, but then they will need strong sunlight for most of the day to prevent them from becoming leggy (overly tall and spindly = weak). You can supplement a lack of sunlight with fluorescent lighting, either by buying a set of grow lights made for seed starting or by making your own with fluorescent shop lights. You don’t need fancy lights to help your plants grow. This was my DIY set-up! 7. Treat Damping Off “Damping off” is a term for a fungal growth that looks like fuzzy hairs on the seedling stem. This fungal growth will kill the seedling, so it’s bad, really bad. To prevent damping off, occasionally spray the greenhouse dome with a bottle of 3% food-grade hydrogen peroxide and vent it on a regular basis to regulate humidity. I also recommend watering with my chamomile fungicide spray. Chamomile naturally prevents diseases such as damping off. It’s almost impossible to get rid of damping off, so prevention is best. 8. Thin Your Seedlings Generally, the seed instructions will suggest that you plant 2-3 seeds per pot and thin out all but the strongest. This seems to be the thing that some gardeners have the hardest time with. If three strong tomato seedlings have popped up in one tiny peat pot, then the gardener rushes off to get tweezers to separate out the three wee plants and re-pots them all. More inexperienced gardeners will damage each plant, giving none a strong chance at survival, so it’s best that you grab a clean pair of scissors, snip all but the strongest seedling in each pot and be done with it. Choose the strongest seeding and snip any remaining seedlings in the same container. 9. Hardening Off As the seedlings grow into plants and the date to plant outside gets near, it’s time to start hardening them off or toughening them for their natural environment. I like to start by opening a window a few hours a day so they get a breeze. Then, start moving the trays outside, out of direct sunlight, for a few hours. Start at one hour and gradually increase to a full day outside. By the time your plant date has arrived, you can safely transfer your tough little soldiers directly into the ground, with some delicious compost and a thorough watering, to brave the elements on their own. Seedlings are used to indoor conditions, so make sure to gradually transition them to outside. 10. Set Your Expectations Starting seeds is such an interesting and magical process, especially for children, so it’s the perfect activity to do as a family this coming spring. The months that you’ve spent germinating and raising seedlings will be a series of trial and error, so expect some loss. Not every seed will germinate, not every seedling will survive being transplanted, and not every kind of plant will do well in your garden. The gains will be clear when you have piles of leafy greens taking up every inch of your windowsills, bursting to get outside. Starting the plants off yourself ensures that you are in charge of the health of the plant and can control what goes into it. And the satisfaction you’ll feel from starting your own seeds is tremendous. My kiddo loves starting seeds with me and planting them in the garden. FAQ About Starting Seeds Should you cover seeds with plastic? Yes. This helps to keep the moisture in and increase temperatures. It essentially acts as a mini greenhouse.Cover your seeds with a clear plastic container (I like salad boxes) right after you’ve planted and watered your plants. Every day, vent the dome and clean it with food-grade hydrogen peroxide to prevent damping off. Leave the dome on until the seedlings reach it. Do seedlings need sunlight to survive? Yes. Seeds don’t need sunlight until they’ve germinated (sprouted above the soil). Prior to this, the seed carries all the energy the plant will need to sprout. But once it has germinated, the seedling will need lots of sunlight to grow well. Otherwise, they get leggy and weak trying to reach for more sun.Consider using a grow light if you can’t get enough sunlight in a windowsill for your seedlings. More Tips for How to Care for Seedlings   Source link

[tumibaba]

Organic gardens are as good for the earth as they are for its lucky inhabitants. The secret to growing a healthy, lush garden all begins with a single seed. This guide covers all the basics for starting seeds so that you can revel in your gardening wizardry this spring. Are you planning to start a garden this year? Congratulations! It’s a big deal! Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, growing a garden is good for everybody. It feeds the soul and the soil and can even feed your family. Starting a garden off right with healthy seeds sets the roots for how the garden will grow for the rest of the year. Sure, you can help manage sick plants and dried-out leaves, but starting seeds with good intentions and mad skills will make the rest of the year’s jobs a whole lot easier. Some of you may think I’m crazy, but I believe that how you care for seedlings will be reflected in the plant that grows and the fruit that ripens. The garden is resting now. Perhaps even covered by a blanket of snow. Now, there is ample time to slow down, plan, and nurture the very best plants to grace your garden beds. Let’s get this gardening season started with this guide on starting seeds. Experienced gardeners can save the seeds from their plants to use the next year. The 10 Steps for Starting Seeds “I made this!” I gloat while serving up a dish made entirely of food that I grew in my garden. Well, “gloat” is probably not the right word. I prance around like the fantastical wizard I am, cheering about my mad skills in making real food from tiny seeds. It took me months. I had some fatalities. But overall, it’s fairly simple to grow from seeds. And more importantly, it’s awesome. Here are some basics for how to start seeds at home. Make sure to label your seeds so you know exactly what they all are. Trust me, you will forget. 1. Choose Your Seeds Starting seeds in the spring (or even winter) is one of the best ways to save money. While you could buy a pack of snapdragons at the garden centre to fill your containers, why not start them from seed at a fraction of the price? You also get way more varieties when you go the seed route. This list covers my favourite annual flowers to grow from seed, while this list covers some of my go-to perennial flowers. Keep in mind that starting perennials from seed is often more difficult and time-consuming, so it is better suited for those with a few gardening seasons under their belt. Seed companies in your area should sell the right seeds for your climate but do make sure that you pick the right plants for your experience level. If you’re a seedling yourself when it comes to propagation, don’t bother starting watermelons in Northern Ontario. Many seed companies will also list a difficulty rating that will help to guide you. You might even be able to find some seeds in a seed library. 2. Read the Packet If you want the best possible start for your seeds, your best bet is to read the packet. Most seed packets will list everything you need to know to start the seeds and their special requirements, like how deep to plant the seed, how much light they need, how long they’ll take to germinate, soil temperatures required, etc. I cover all the basics of reading a seed packet in this post if you want to ensure you’re buying the right seeds and those that will actually thrive in your garden. 3. Choose a Container You can start seeds in just about anything you can find around the house that will create a mini-greenhouse, or you can buy all sorts of interesting setups to best suit your needs. Greenhouse Kits Many different greenhouse kits are available now. Most will have a plastic tray with a clear plastic greenhouse dome. Some come with a soilless mixture for starting seeds, like peat pellets that expand to a mini seed pot when soaked in water. Others may have coconut fibre pots that you can transplant right along with your seedling. Others may even have a heat mat that gently warms soil to improve germination. The beauty of these kits is that you can start a large number of seeds individually in one tray (up to 72) and many are made for small spaces like windowsills. The drawback is that the seedlings will need to be replanted, either in the garden or a larger pot, in a few weeks. Leaving seedlings in small pots with no nutrition will cause unwanted stress to the plants. Seed Starting Trays Garden retailers will sell many different types of professional-grade seed-starting trays, domes, and inserts with features like root training, moisture control, automatic watering, and grow lights. Certainly, many of these features have value in starting the year’s plants off on the right foot and can be used over and over. Household Items An inexpensive and creative way to start seeds is to use household items as seed containers. Lining a seed tray with pots made from toilet paper tubes, newspaper, or egg cartons will cost nothing At times, your family may think you’ve gone mad, given how excited you will become when you get to take home the plastic cake dome from the party. But come on, that’ll make a really great greenhouse dome, right? Search for biodegradable paper products you can plant right in the ground or food-safe plastic containers that you can use as mini-greenhouses for your containers if you are on a budget. Paper egg cartons are one of my favourite inexpensive household items to use as a seed starting container. 4. Growing Medium You can buy a pre-made seed starter soil, or you can make your own with a mix. I make my own mix using a peat-moss alternative, sterilized compost, perlite, and vermiculite. This mixture is light and holds moisture well, so it is wonderful for helping seeds germinate. All growing mediums will need some time to absorb water, so add moisture and let it soak in for an hour before planting. Be sure to use a sterile mix if you are starting seeds indoors. Soil or compost from the garden will bring in all sorts of critters, like soil gnats, which will drive you freakin’ crazy as you run around your propagation trays like a mad person swatting and squashing an endless supply of teeny tiny flies. Seed starting mix needs to be sterile. 5. Water Your Seeds Germination will be best in a moist environment for most seeds, so keeping the soil damp and a greenhouse dome on top will keep the right amount of humidity for optimal germination. Keep the soil from drying out by checking it daily. Water gently, from the bottom where possible, so as to not damage the seedlings about to emerge. When learning how to start seeds, having just the right amount of water is important. You never want the seeds to dry out, nor do you want the soil to be soggy. Make sure to vent your container regularly to prevent fungal growth. 6. Get the Right Lighting Seeds won’t need light until they emerge from the surface of the soil, but then they will need strong sunlight for most of the day to prevent them from becoming leggy (overly tall and spindly = weak). You can supplement a lack of sunlight with fluorescent lighting, either by buying a set of grow lights made for seed starting or by making your own with fluorescent shop lights. You don’t need fancy lights to help your plants grow. This was my DIY set-up! 7. Treat Damping Off “Damping off” is a term for a fungal growth that looks like fuzzy hairs on the seedling stem. This fungal growth will kill the seedling, so it’s bad, really bad. To prevent damping off, occasionally spray the greenhouse dome with a bottle of 3% food-grade hydrogen peroxide and vent it on a regular basis to regulate humidity. I also recommend watering with my chamomile fungicide spray. Chamomile naturally prevents diseases such as damping off. It’s almost impossible to get rid of damping off, so prevention is best. 8. Thin Your Seedlings Generally, the seed instructions will suggest that you plant 2-3 seeds per pot and thin out all but the strongest. This seems to be the thing that some gardeners have the hardest time with. If three strong tomato seedlings have popped up in one tiny peat pot, then the gardener rushes off to get tweezers to separate out the three wee plants and re-pots them all. More inexperienced gardeners will damage each plant, giving none a strong chance at survival, so it’s best that you grab a clean pair of scissors, snip all but the strongest seedling in each pot and be done with it. Choose the strongest seeding and snip any remaining seedlings in the same container. 9. Hardening Off As the seedlings grow into plants and the date to plant outside gets near, it’s time to start hardening them off or toughening them for their natural environment. I like to start by opening a window a few hours a day so they get a breeze. Then, start moving the trays outside, out of direct sunlight, for a few hours. Start at one hour and gradually increase to a full day outside. By the time your plant date has arrived, you can safely transfer your tough little soldiers directly into the ground, with some delicious compost and a thorough watering, to brave the elements on their own. Seedlings are used to indoor conditions, so make sure to gradually transition them to outside. 10. Set Your Expectations Starting seeds is such an interesting and magical process, especially for children, so it’s the perfect activity to do as a family this coming spring. The months that you’ve spent germinating and raising seedlings will be a series of trial and error, so expect some loss. Not every seed will germinate, not every seedling will survive being transplanted, and not every kind of plant will do well in your garden. The gains will be clear when you have piles of leafy greens taking up every inch of your windowsills, bursting to get outside. Starting the plants off yourself ensures that you are in charge of the health of the plant and can control what goes into it. And the satisfaction you’ll feel from starting your own seeds is tremendous. My kiddo loves starting seeds with me and planting them in the garden. FAQ About Starting Seeds Should you cover seeds with plastic? Yes. This helps to keep the moisture in and increase temperatures. It essentially acts as a mini greenhouse.Cover your seeds with a clear plastic container (I like salad boxes) right after you’ve planted and watered your plants. Every day, vent the dome and clean it with food-grade hydrogen peroxide to prevent damping off. Leave the dome on until the seedlings reach it. Do seedlings need sunlight to survive? Yes. Seeds don’t need sunlight until they’ve germinated (sprouted above the soil). Prior to this, the seed carries all the energy the plant will need to sprout. But once it has germinated, the seedling will need lots of sunlight to grow well. Otherwise, they get leggy and weak trying to reach for more sun.Consider using a grow light if you can’t get enough sunlight in a windowsill for your seedlings. More Tips for How to Care for Seedlings   Source link