Signs of life for 2014

Other plants we have or landscape elements like ponds.

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stevelau1911
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Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 9:15 pm
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Location: upstate NY zone 6B
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Re: Signs of life for 2014

Post by stevelau1911 »

It's nice to see that the peonies are finally starting to rise, but they are still far behind where they should be for this time of the year. Here are a few samples.
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Here's a new graft
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Fernleaf
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Pear blossoms
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Garlic
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Chicks and hens
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Blueberry buds
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Amaryllis, needs to go in ground
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stevelau1911
Posts: 3088
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 9:15 pm
Location info: 42
Location: upstate NY zone 6B
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Re: Signs of life for 2014

Post by stevelau1911 »

It's still too cold for the running bamboos to shoot, but it looks like just about everything else has started. We are supposed to get a few days above 70F in a few days so it is possible for the earliest phyllostachys to come up.

One of the interesting plants that I've found that seems pretty dependable is American ginseng. It's definitely coming back, and more seeds that didn't emerge last year are coming up. Here's 1 prong/ 2 prong, and 3 prong purposely taken at about the same distance to show the size comparison.
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One surprise I found is that dahlias which drop seeds will sprout their seeds the following spring so the seeds must be cold hardy.
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Lilies always come back.
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Tulips
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Herbaceous peonies are probably one of the easiest plants to grow.
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They aren't as interesting as the tree peonies which have layers upon layers of leaves this year, but most of them only have 1-2 flower buds which will result in huge bushy plants in another month.
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Itoh peonies might get even bigger, maybe up to 3ft tall bushes likely loaded with flowers.
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My oldest TP seedling going on it's 4th season is definitely producing tons of leaves, but still no buds, but since it's finally gaining height this time, next year should be the first flowering year. It's also not even half way grown based on the leaf appearance, and at last year's final size.
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Asparagus is finally getting a bit larger this year.
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Fertilization with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer seems to have the same effect on garlic that it does on leafy greens where the leaves will get broader, heavier, darker green, and sometimes even shorter because they weigh themselves down.
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One change I've made with growing luffas is to separate them completely from the vegetables so there is no more root competition, and I will try soil solarization to see if it can heat up seedlings to cause faster growth. I can't put the seedlings in the ground yet if the soil is still below 40F, and there are still frosts in the forecast, but when I can it will be good to see first hand what the results will be with and without plastic.

I believe the raised mound idea will by itself produce slightly faster growth.
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stevelau1911
Posts: 3088
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 9:15 pm
Location info: 42
Location: upstate NY zone 6B
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Re: Signs of life for 2014

Post by stevelau1911 »

The prior picture of garlic in a row had some pretty big plants, but I'm finding that the absolute largest garlic plants in terms of girth and leaf width tend to be the ones growing in the grass, but very close to mulch. This is in native soil where the leaves get over 1 inch in diameter making them look more like leeks. The dandelions that are in the same conditions also seem to be growing bigger than normal so does that mean that the soil at the edge of mulch is extremely fertile?

This one never got fertilized either, and it's just a standard hardneck german red. I have never seen them get anywhere close to this size when grown in garden beds no matter how much fertilizer is added. I don't grow leeks so it's definitely a garlic, maybe a baseball sized bulb if I take off the scape.
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If this works the same on bamboos, then would top dressing with wood chips regularly lead to bigger shoots? The mulch happens to be from pine.


As far as the smallest ones, I'm finding that the bulbs that have been left in for 2 years are making big clumps of tiny plants, similar to chives, maybe not as small. They definitely over-winter if you just leave them in indefinitely.

I know that a bulb of for example 8 cloves will still generate decent sized bulbs, but if that is left in another year, and they make tiny bulbs, then the experiment is over, because they will just develop tiny cloves really tough to peel. It seems like the space, and light competition just compounds since garlic is unable to send out runners.
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