Plants with Fragrance

Here is a description of plants that have either fragrant leaves or flowers.  

Ambrosia (Chenopodium botrys) Annual. This plant is also known as Jerusalem Oak and goosefoot. It's scent is delicious, so much so you'll want to eat it. According to the USDA, it is edible and I've heard it makes good tea. I have yet to try it. The plant itself grows to about 2' with the bulk of the plant being the flower head. Mine always grow small. I think it is because of where I have them. It is often dry and may be too dry to provide maximum growth. It needs full sun, water when dry, and fairly decent soil. Good fertility will make it grow to it's full potential. Great for pot potpourri, putting in swags and wreathes, Victorian theme gardens, cottage gardens, or just to have a pot on the windowsill.

Little Gem Marigold  (Tagetes sp). Annual.  I love marigolds because they are so bright and cheerful, come in all sizes, and the smaller ones are great for the front of the border. Little Gems also are very fragrant. The entire plant smells of citrus.  Delightful bright, sunny colors and this delightful fragrance. It grows no more than a foot and has very interesting foliage as well. Needs full sun, water when dry and well drained soil. I have not seen any pest damage on these so think they may be resistant to earwigs and slugs. 

Catnip  (Nepeta cataria) Perennial usda zone 4-9. I'm including this as a fragrant plant because I understand some people like the smell of this.  I don't.  This is the plant of cat intoxication fame.  Curiously, not all cats like it.  We had a cat named Lester who didn't care for it.  Our other cat Elmer vigorously defended her stash. She would eat and roll in it, be incredibly wild, and then sleep for the rest of the day.   It has an interesting history.  It has been used to relieve colic in babies and the root of it was brewed and served to executioners by their wives before a job.  It was said to put them in the proper mood for hanging or beheading and one can only wonder what the proper mood might have been.  It grows to 3 feet in fertile, well drained soil. It needs full sun, but will do ok in part sun.  Will seed and spread.

Purple coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea) Perennial. Zones 2-10. This is a very pretty medicinal plant. It's purple/pink blooms appear in July-August. It needs full sun, well drained soil, and water when dry. It will grow in part sun but will be spindly and have a tendancy to flop over and have fewer blooms. It grows to 3', sometimes 4' in good soil or with added organic matter. Will bloom the second year from seed. This is the most widely used Echinacea for boosting the immune system. All parts of the plant are considered medicinal. I have read that people who have over active immune system disorders should not take this as well as it should not be taken more than 6 weeks at a time. Will multiply by clumping and seed (if the goldfinches don't eat all the seed). Attractive to butterflies, has a pleasant scent, and will attract goldfinches to your garden.

Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia). Perennial, Zones 5-8. It is said that the scent of lavender is the most popular scent in the world. It is one of the few scents that the majority of men like and it is found in a lot of shaving and soap products. As far as growing it goes, it helps to remember it is a Mediterranean plant. Hot dry summers, cool but not too wet winters. In fact, dry is a key to growing this plant. It must be in well drained soil. If you can not provide that, it needs to be grown in a pot. Another requirement for winter hardiness is that it be protected from cold wind. This sounds difficult if you are from some place where winter is on the vicious side, but micro-climates can be found or created. I had a lot of success growing it on the east side of the house, next to the foundation, and it was under the peak of the roof so no rain run off. Snow piled on it also helps. Still expect some winter kill on the branches, but the plant usually survives. The last requirement for growing lavender successfully is to make sure the soil is alkaline. Add lime. Planting it next to the house foundation if it is cement also helps. Lime leaches from the foundation. OK, now that I've mentioned all that, on to the plant itself. It prefers full sun, well drained soil, water when dry, but it can stand some drought. Clip out the winter killed branches in the spring after it has started to leaf out so you know which ones are dead and thoroughly enjoy the flowers when they come. Pick when a few flowers have opened on the stalk, tie into bunches and hang in an airy warm place out of the sun to dry. Will grow to 3' and tend to sprawl (from the weight of snow). Becomes woody with age. 

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis). Perennial. Zone 3-9. This is a very decorative small shrub. It grows to 4' if very happy in full sun, well drained fertile soil, and water when dry. Mostly it stays around 3' but can be pruned to keep it smaller. It can tolerate some dryness, but grows better if it gets water. It has an aromatic scent that is pleasant though somewhat medicinal. A customer of mine who suffered from asthma told me she made tea from the leaves and used it to help her ailment to the point where she didn't need to use her inhaler as much. Very dark leaves and dark blue flowers make this an attractive mid-position border plant. This is the hyssop mentioned in the Bible. 

Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis).  Perennial. Zones 3-9. This plant was introduced by early settlers to provide a source of soap to wash cloth, particularly wool. You can almost always find it growing by creeks especially those that have had woolen mills on them. When the whole plant and the roots are soaked in water and then the water agitated, a sudsy solution is made that can be used to wash skin, hair, or fine washables. Don't get it in the eyes....it burns like a fury.I've used it on my hair and followed it with  a diluted vinegar rinse. My hair shone and was very soft. It's past uses included taking it internally, but that is not recommended any longer as the saponins can cause quite the digestive upset. The plant itself grows to be about 3' tall. It prefers full sun and moist soil. I've seen it growing happily by the side of the road so it can tolerate poor soil. It spreads by root and seed. The flowers are light pink, sometimes doubled, and are evening fragrant. The scent is that of cloves. It blooms in mid-summer, around July.

Sweet Annie (Artemesia annua).  Annual. This is another one with great scent which is very strong. It can grow quite tall in full sun, good soil, and adequate water. It can profusely seed itself. It is light green and ferny looking so makes a statement at the back of the border because it can grow to 5' and the light green foliage provides an interesting contrast to the usual darker green foliage types. It has tiny yellow flowers. The entire plant is fragrant. It is good to make scented herbal wreaths and swags with this because the scent stays well when dried. Any time you want to smell it's sweetness, all you need to do is brush against it. Medicinally it is being investigated for treating drug resistant strains of malaria.

Valerian (Valerian officinalis) Perennial. This is the garden valerian that has sweetly scented flowers....and the God awfullest smelling roots. It grows to 4', prefers full sun but will grow in part sun, likes lots of moisture and will grow in damp areas of the garden. It has white flowers and blooms in early to mid summer. It will seed itself and multiply by it's crown. It's roots are used medicinally...if you can stand the smell, something like rotten gym socks that have stepped in dog doo. It is said to promote calming of the nerves, anxiety, and to allow one to fall asleep. A former specific name of this plant was V. phu (Pronounce p-u, I imagine because of the smell). The roots are dug in the 2nd or preferably the third year, early in the spring just when the frost has left the ground. Zones 3-9. 

Sweet Violet  (Viola odorata). Perennial. Zone 6-9. Full sun to shade. This precious violet comes in blue, pink, and a sort of mauve which I think is a cross between the other two. It grows to 4" tall and bears remarkable flowers. Not only are they pretty, they are intensely fragrant. I have seen lawns dotted with these violets that you can smell yards away. They are listed as perennial in zones 6-9, but they routinely come through our Zone 5 winters. They spread endlessly, much to my delight. They will send out offsets like strawberries do and they reproduce by seed. They like moist soil, but not wet conditions. This is one of the traditional perfume scents and the flowers are candied to be an edible decoration on cakes.

Can You Stop a Watch by Wearing It?

I am intensely interested in this subject and the purpose of writing this article is to find others out there that have the same ability. This article does have to do with plants and gardening so I think is appropriate in this category.

I've had a very detrimental effect on watches since I was in my teens. Analog or digital, I wear them, I kill them.  I was given a digital watch for graduation and they were new at the time.  I loved it. Unfortunately, within 2-3 weeks, the poor thing went hay wire. I sent it back to the maker to get it fixed. They fixed it and sent it back to me. Within 2-3 weeks, again, it wouldn't work correctly.  I sent it back, they returned it fixed and the same thing happened within the same time frame. Again I sent it back and in less than a week I got the watch returned to me along with a check for the price of the watch and a note telling me that they preferred to return the money because it was obvious to them, I was one of those people who had a detrimental effect on the functioning of a watch. So I set out to see if I did that to all watches. Over the years I sporadically tried several brands and types, expensive, inexpensive all with the same effect.  Though, the effect seemed to occur at shorter and shorter intervals. It only took about a week to kill a watch. I finally gave up trying to wear one and found I could keep one in my pocket without destroying it.

All through this time, I tried to find information about this phenomenon.  The watch company insinuated this is a problem that occurs occasionally with people so there must be others. I did meet a few people that also couldn't wear a watch for the same reason and we would have lively discussions on how fast we could stop a watch.  The only explanations I ever found or hear were that watch stoppers may have some natural electrical or magnetic energy which was more intensified in them, especially when something was in direct, prolonged contact with the skin. I am a research based sort of person and don't want to make up my about it until I see research results.

Anyone who has read my profile or bio knows that I am a rabid plant person.  I have a way with them since I was 8 years old, went to college for horticulture, taught the subject, and started a business selling plants and seeds.  I love plants and always seem to know exactly what they need to grow. I like their endless variety and they are just endlessly interesting to me.A few years back,  I went to work at a greenhouse/nursery.  I noticed none of us wore watches or if we had one on us, it was kept in a pocket.  So I started asking why they didn't wear one on their wrists. With only one exception of a gentleman who just didn't like to wear watches, we all killed watches. Four people in one area who exhibited this same dubious ability and the only other thing they had in common was they too were rabid plant people. We all had the equivalent ability or way with plants. We spent a lunch time or two speculating on reasons and everyone else let it drop but I just couldn't.  When I would spot a customer who had a certain gleam in their eye when looking at plants or talking about them which indicated they shared my enthusiasm for plants, I would ask them if they could wear a watch.  More often than not, they couldn't wear one either, for the same reason of disabling it within weeks of wearing it.

I don't pretend to know what is going on with this. My informal study is just that informal, but I can't keep from noticing the correlation between watch killing and plant people. I've met several plant people who can wear a watch.  Several non-plant people who not only kill watches, they kill plants as well because they don't care about them.  Since I've totally turned my life to plant production and am working with them more and my ability to care for them has improved, I noticed something else. It now only takes 2 days to kill a watch if it is contacting my skin.  I decided to put a watch on a chain to wear around my neck. It was always dangling in my way and annoyed with it, I put it inside of my shirt next to my skin. It stopped the second day. I've given up having a time piece of any kind on my person.  This ability is just too expensive. My sons won't let me near their watches let alone borrow them or even touch them.

I am still intensely interested in this subject and the purpose of writing this article is to find others out there that have the same ability.  I would like to hear from them to continue my informal study. If anyone has heard of a credible, science based reason for this, I would love to hear it. You can leave a comment on my blog or contact me through author contact if the site this is on allows it.

The question is: if you discombobulate watches when you wear them, are you also a plant person.  Plant person meaning that you love to work them, you own lots, and they seem to grow wonderfully for you. If you are not a plant person and still stop watches, is there any reason you know of?

12/14/2010  This just in.....I just stumbled across a website concerning NDE or Near Death Experiences.  80% of people who have had a NDE also can not wear watches because they cause them to stop. I have not had any NDE.  The site also mentioned that 2% of the population is able to do this.  

Packing Plants for Shipping

Packing plants for shipping. Growing plants in pots is the easiest way to have plants for shipping.   If plants are dug from the ground for shipping, they must have all native soil removed from the roots. If growing plants in pots with artificial media, this doesn’t need to be done.  Remove the plant from the pot…to use the pot over and to decrease the weight for shipping, knock as much soil off the root ball that will come loose easily. Then, wrap the root ball in wet paper towel, then saran wrap, and then roll the whole thing up in newspaper.   If it seems like the plant is still too heavy,  break up the root ball a little and shake as much soil from the roots as will come off.  If it still is very heavy,  swish the root ball around in a bucket of water to remove more soil.  Be sure to cut the plant back by about half.  Do not remove soil or cut back tomatoes or African violets.  They are usually light enough to ship as they are.  The African violets need special packing and that will be addressed in another article or e-book.

Shipping. Choose only those plants that are in tip top condition to ship.  Spending up to 3 days in a box is very hard on them and you need good sturdy plants to handle the trip.  Plants must get to their destination as quickly as possible.  I suggest using the  US postal service priority mail.  Most times, the plants arrive in 2 days, 3 at the most.  Shipping on Sat. insures the plants arrive on Monday even coast to coast.  Mail moves 24/7/365 and there isn’t any business mail on the weekends so everything moves through the system quicker.  I don’t like the plants to be in transit any more than 3 days so the customer does not have to struggle to save it.  Offer a live delivery guarantee and offer to  replace or refund if the plants arrive dead.  Pictures must accompany their claim.  Of the thousands of plants I have shipped over the years, I have not had to replace very many.  Include some type of directions on how to help the plant recover from the shipping. The following is directions on how to take care of the plant when it arrives.  You may use these directions or can come up with something of your own using the same info.

Plants that spend up to 3 days in a dark box need a little TLC when they arrive. Take them out of the box, remove any damaged leaves or stems. If they are very dry, soak them for a couple of hours in warm water. If in need of water, just pot up and water. Pot up in any good soil media or plant outside if danger of frost is past. Because their foliage has become tender in the dark box, keep the plants in bright light but not direct sun for the first day or so. If outside, shade in some way. The second or third day, let them have a few hours of morning sun. The next day after that, a few more hours, and by the 4^th day, let them have as much sun as they are supposed to like. Keep well watered during establishment. If they should wilt during the day, and not recover at night, cut the plants back further. If the plants grow in rosettes, remove some of the outer leaves.

The cost of shipping is paid in advance by the customer at the time of purchase.  The difficult part is trying to figure out how much something weighs.  Shipping cost is calculated by weight and the distance it will travel.  Postage Calculations is the website for the postage calculator.  Plug in the depart zip code and arrival zip code and the weight and see the options.  Choose the priority mail shipping.  Do not be tempted to use the flat rate boxes.  They just aren’t the correct size to allow good, sturdy packing of the boxes.  In regard to boxes, one can scavenge boxes from stores but the easiest is to order priority mail boxes.  They can be ordered online because the post offices don’t offer the best sizes in their lobby.  Go to USPS Online Store. You will need to create an account but don’t worry, priority mail shipping boxes are free.  The best sizes for plant shipping are the number 4’s which are 7x7x6, number 7’s which are 12x12x8.  Another one that is handy for taller plants is the shoe box.  It measures 14x7x5. 

When packing the boxes, keep in mind the following.  The plants need cushioning from bumps and drops and insulation from cold and heat. A good material to  use  is paper shred for packing material.  Wadded up newspaper can be used, packing peanuts, etc.  Put a layer on the bottom, lay in a layer of plants, then arrange more on top of them. Then  pack firmly, but not too tight and not too loose, more shred on the sides and top. Make sure there is at least an inch of shred between the plants and the side of the box.  The test to see if they are packed well is to close the top and shake the box. You should not hear anything moving.  Put in the directions and a gift.  I like to give seeds as a gift or sometimes if I have a lot of the same plants, I include an extra plant.  This makes customers very happy and it costs you practically nothing.   Happy customers are returning customers.  Happy customers recommend you to others.  Tape up the box.  If it is very hot or going to a very hot place, drill a dozen or so holes in the box for ventilation.   Do not do this in cooler weather. 

There are a couple of ways to address the box.  I prefer using on line postage payment which allows you to pay for the postage and get a shipping label printed. If you have a website, the site usually has a way of doing this.  If not and the payment was through paypal, you can pay and print through your account.   If not, you have to print the address and take the package to the post office to be weighed and pay for the postage.  I bought a little postal scale from the post office and it is probably on line in their shopping area as well.  It was about $35.  This allows me to weigh the boxes to get the correct shipping.  Always round up no matter if the weight is only a .1 over. For example, if the package weighs 1.1lbs, it must be calculated as 2 lbs. 

Get delivery confirmation at the time the postage is paid for either online or at the post office. It is generally free online.  Send the tracking number to the customer.  This allows them to check on the status of the package as well as the seller to know when it arrived.  

Providing Artificial Light to Indoor plants

 

Light is the most important factor in growing plants.   They need it to produce sugars to maintain their lives.  Most dwellings do not have adequate natural light to grow plants. Tropical plants and African violets which require less light are usually the only ones that do well.  Even they struggle in the winter when the light intensity is less and there are more cloudy days. The best option is to provide artificial light.  Incandescent bulbs are not helpful to plants.  They produce too much heat and do not provide the needed light spectrum for plants.  There is no need for expensive grow lights unless you want them.  Regular florescent light fixtures can provide the correct spectrum and intensity.  The general rule is plants that require full sun should be no more than 4” from the tubes and because the intensity of light is stronger at the center of the tubes, they should be in the center.  I have my lights on adjustable chains so I can raise and lower them according to the need and growth of the plants. The lights should be left on 16 hours a day.  A timer can be bought so you do not have to be around to turn them on and off.  Banks of lights work the best.  I have mine in groups with the reflectors touching each other.  This increases the amount of light below the lamps.  Double tube fixtures that are 48” long are the best and are usually sold as shop lights.

The lights can be higher for plants that don’t need full sun to grow.  A little bit of experimenting needs to be done to find the right height.  Do they look bleached out and not putting out new growth? Probably they are too close to the lights.   Are the stems getting unnaturally long, the leaves look somewhat yellow and the plant seems to be stretching towards the light? The lights need to be closer. 

OK, so now where do you put the light set up? I have a specific stand which was built for this purpose.   It is made from 3 tiers of full sheets of ply wood and I have growing space on two of them.  The lights are screwed into the tier above and on adjustable chains. I live in an apartment and rearranged the entire apartment to accommodate this.  Don’t have that kind of room?  I didn’t at first either and this is what I did.  Every space where lights can be possibly hung needs to be explored. Underneath cabinets, book shelves, tables, small stands built to accommodate lights and growing areas, or commercial set ups if you can afford them.   I have a wooden, dining room size table that worked as my first light set up.  I simply screwed the lights into the underside of the table.   I was able to get 6 sets of lights under it.  It could provide light for 6 trays of seedlings.  I had much more than that, so I would rotate them under the lights.  Take one or two out, put the others in that haven’t had light for a day or two.  I would choose which end was the last plant tray to be under the lights. During watering, I would remove that last tray and while watering, move the others up to that spot which made an opening on the other end for a tray that didn’t have enough light.  This made it so plants had about 5 days of light and one “cloudy day” with little or no light.  Don’t let them go more than a couple of days without light or it will set them back too much.  You can also give one set of trays light for 12 hours and swap them out with an equivalent number of trays so they can experience 12 hours of light.  Occasionally, work it so that each group gets 16 hours of light.  Problems with under a table consist mainly of eating at the table was out of the question.  Also, this was an old table and no one cared if there were holes drilled in it. If you can’t do this because of objections from the spouse or roommates about not being able to eat at the table, or damaging the table, explore other ways of doing this.  As I said previously, light fixtures can be put under cupboards, shelves, or the shelves of book cases.  

A way to conserve space under the lights, especially during propagation, is to start the seeds or cuttings in community pots.  I like to use 3 oz plastic solo cups and drill drainage holes in the bottom.  I will use tomatoes as the example, but this can be done with any plant.  I generally sow 10-12 seeds per pot. When they grow to the point where they are competing for light and space, I transplant them in groups of no more than 4 to new community pots, usually the 3 oz solo cups.  Only do the following with tomatoes, you can plant tomatoes deeper than they were previously growing.  They will grow roots along the buried stem.  Not all plants will do this so only do it with tomatoes.  This keeps them short so it is easier to keep them under the lights.  Again, when they out grow this arrangement, they go into separate pots or new solo cups.  In this way, you conserve space for longer.  If you start out with too many seeds in the cup, they compete at an earlier age and are poor growers.  It is very important to make sure they are watered and fed regularly.  I check each pot individually twice a day and water only if it is dry.  If it’s moist, I wait until the next check and if it is dry, then the plant is watered.  Watering them individually, though more work, means that none are over watered…often times responsible for more failures than under watering.   

I hope this article gave you ideas how to bring more plants into your home.  Plants add ambiance as well as help to recycle the air in a home and being surrounded by green in the winter really helps the soul. 

Multiplying Plants from Plants

Plants can be made into more plants from pieces of themselves. This is called asexual propagation or cloning. The cloning is not done in a petri dish but the results are the same...new plants identical to the parent plant. This is because there is no exchange of genetic material as with seed production which requires a male and a female (or at least both sexual parts such as found on self fertile flowers). Unless a spontaneous mutation occurs, and it happens though rarely, the plants will be identical in genetic make up.

Cuttings.

Many plants can reproduce by asexual means. This means no parents or seed are involved. Leaf, stem, and root cuttings are a viable means to get plants quicker than from seed. Many plant cuttings will root in a glass of water and then can be potted up to continue growing. African violet leaves, the mint family, and often most green stems (not woody) can be rooted this way. The commercial way of propagating stem cuttings is to root them in a mix of half perlite, half vermiculite, sand, or any other well drained, yet moisture holding, sterile mix.
The vermiculite and perlite is a sterile mix that provides good support for the cutting, moisture, and good aeration…all things needed for root formation. To further encourage rooting, the cut stem ends can be dipped in a powdered rooting hormone. This is a natural hormone called auxin that exists in the plants all ready. It is responsible for making the plants lean toward light and so is found in the stems. It also is responsible for root initiation. Applying the hormone powder, usually has a fungicide in it to discourage rot, encourages the stems to produce roots quicker. If woody stems are being propagated it is almost essential to have some sort of rooting hormone and there are some labeled specifically for woody material. If you would like to stay organic, you can make up a batch of willow water. Willows have a naturally high amount of auxin in the stems. It allows them to drop branches and have them take root on their own. Auxin can be extracted by simmering branches in water for an hour or so and then soaking the cuttings in the cooled liquid for a few hours. After preparing the cuttings by removing leaves (fewer leaves for the stem to support during root formation) and just leaving a few, and the cuttings need a few leaves to make auxin for rooting and sugars for continuing to live, and perhaps dipping it in rooting hormone, make a hole in the media and insert the cutting. Firm the media around the stem so the cutting stays upright on its own. Cover the cuttings in some way either with a plastic lid on a store bought propagation tray, a tent made of a plastic bag and sticks to keep it from touching the cuttings, or a glass jar or drinking glass. This aids in keeping the humidity high so the cuttings do not dry out. Keep the cuttings moist and air out the propagator by lifting the lid for a few minutes a day. I check every day for anything that may be decaying and remove any I find so it doesn’t spread. I check for moisture at this time as well as let the cuttings air out a bit. Keep the cuttings in good light but no sun. The sun can cook the cuttings because there is no way for the heat to escape.

Root cuttings

The roots of many plants can also produce plants from pieces. Horesradish is one example. Comfrey is another. Tiny pieces of root can root and become menace in a few years from the rampant spread. Root cuttings can be handled by planting them half inch or so below the surface of the soil and then kept moist. No rooting hormone is needed.

Rhizomes.

These are another means of vegetative reproduction. Some plants put out vegetative growth that is essentially an underground stem which grows some inches from the plant and then surfaces and becomes a plant of its own. The mint family, skullcap, sweet grass, arnica, and yarrow come to mind as ones that can be propagated this way. Just take the rhizomes from the parent plant and plant them within half inch of the surface.

Division.

Some plants that grow in clumps can be divided. Banana, peace lily, some cacti, and occasionally African violets, and many of the outdoor plants that grow in clumps can be divided. Make sure there are some roots that go with the division. If not, it will need to be rooted like a stem.
Stolons. Strawberries, strawberry begonia, and spider plants reproduce this way. They send out naked stems with a small plant on the end of it. These can be removed and rooted or rooted in another pot set close to the parent and removed when they have taken root.

The really nice thing about asexual propagation is that it is easy to trade pieces of plants to increase a collection without much expense.

Seeds

Collecting Seeds

Seed Collectiing

When one is collecting seeds to grow their own plants or to sell, the first thing that needs to be done is to learn what the ripe seed head looks like for the plant. Collect the seeds just as the pod is opening or seeds are just starting to be released. Let the seeds dry for some days, if not weeks in paper bags in a dry location or in paper cups. Newly harvested seed often contains a high percentage of water and it needs to dry down in order to be stored safely. After it has dried for several weeks, it is then ready for the next step. The seed should be cleaned, as well as you can manage, by hand. Commercial seed cleaning equipment is very costly so I do it by hand. I take a small amount of seed, maybe a tablespoon and rub it vigorously and firmly between my palms. What I am trying to accomplish is getting seed out of seed heads and pulverizing chaff to smaller bits. Eventually, if you do this enough, callouses will form on your palms and it will not bother them as much. I then put the whole lot on a paper plate, tilt it and while gently tapping and pushing the chaff up to the top of the tilted plate, the seeds roll down to the bottom. This method often has mixed results. You can also blow on the plate while doing this to remove more chaff. It’s a fine line between blowing the chaff off the plate and blowing seeds with it. Large seeds can be sorted away from the trash one by one. Store cleaned seed in paper envelopes. I like the yellow ones used for coins. Paper envelopes allow the seed to dry down further and if they are stored in a closed container, out of direct sun, in a cool place (fridge works well), their viability will last, depending on the species, a year or more. Label each envelope with the plant name and the year they were collected. If you would like, put the germination percentage on the envelope as well.

How does one figure germination percentage?

Germination testing. This is relatively simple. Take a number of seeds, at least 10, up to 100. I put them on a piece of paper towel, fold it up and dip in water. Squeeze out the excess. Put the packet in a zip lock bag, I use the little 2x3 inch bags. Label it as to the seed name, the date the test started, and the number you started with. Put in a warm place if seed requires warmth to germinate or in the fridge if it germinates in cooler temperatures. Check in a few days to see if any have started germinating. Count all those that are showing roots as germinated and remove them from the packet. Keep track of the number. I usually keep track for what I consider a reasonable amount of time…about 2 weeks unless I know the seeds take longer to germinate. Over this time period, make sure the paper towel stays moist. Take the number of seeds that germinated and divide that number by the number you started with. You will get a decimal number, say .92. Multiply this by 100 and you have your germination percentage…92 percent. Sometimes, seed is so tiny it is easier to germination test them by sowing them in seed starting mix. Again, keep track of how many you started with and how many germinated to determine the percentage.

Many perennials need special treatments to get them to germinate. This is a survival mechanism for the species. Some seed may germinate immediately upon falling to the ground, some may need a cold, moist stratification…winter, or need to be damaged by passing through the gut of an animal or bird. When germination testing these, any pretreatment to induce germination needs to be done so you can see how many seeds germinate.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Starting Difficult To Germinate Seeds

Author: Shanti

This is my favorite aspect of growing plants. I am perpetually fascinated by propagation and at the age of 8, my grandmother and an aunt gave me cuttings to root and I was hooked into a life of hobby/obsession/business.

Starting seeds.
Different species of plants have different requirements for germination. The ones most people are familiar with are the easy to grow ones...marigolds, beans, etc. Usually, annuals are the easiest: sow at the proper depth, provide consistent moisture and warmth and viola! You have seedlings. Annuals live one year and die. They usually profusely seed and their goal is to quickly germinate when conditions are right because they only have one shot at reproduction. They need to germinate quickly, grow quickly, and reproduce quickly (flower). These seeds contain very little if any germination inhibitor. The most important criteria for planting this kind of seed is getting the planting depth correct. Some seeds need light to germinate. Their seeds should be sown on the surface and not covered with soil. Sowing depth is information provided on the seed packet. If not, the general rule is not to cover seeds more than 3 times their diameter. For really tiny seed, just press into the soil and water gently.

Then, there are the seeds which require special treatment. Many perennials and biennials need certain conditions in order to germinate. These are adaptations to continue its species in the climate it lives in. Perennials and biennials , which come from cold climates, often need the special treatment called stratification to overcome seed dormancy. I find perennials often have, within one batch of seed, various amounts of dormancy. This is so only a few may germinate right away and the rest become part of the seed bank in the soil to provide seedlings in the future. An insurance policy of sorts against something happening to the stand of plants. This isn't a very handy strategy to deal with if you want to grow a lot of plants from the seeds. Often perennial seed needs stratification to either cause germination to happen or it unifies and improves germination. The easiest way to stratify seeds is to sow them in the fall in the place they are to grow. Let nature take care of it. Another way, is to sow the seed in a container that can be covered with plastic and put in the fridge or easier still, the seed is put in a plastic bag with damp peat or sand and a pinch of cinnamon to inhibit mold growth and this is put into the fridge for the required time. Sometimes, it's only a week, sometimes it's a few months, sometimes it is leave in there until they germinate. In some instances, you may need to freeze the seed for a certain length of time
Sometimes seeds only have a partially developed embryo so needs a period of warmth, then cold, then warm again. The length of time varies by species that have this type of dormancy.

Then there are the seeds that require soaking in warm water. Many of the legumes need this. Wild sweet peas, lupins, and locust tree seeds all should be soaked before sowing to improve germination. Plant all that swell. Check daily because they can actually swell too much and die. Ones that do not swell, either are dead or latent. You can try the next method to help improve germination of the latent ones.

Scarification is another seed treatment that is sometimes needed to get seeds to germinate. Some seeds need to have water impermeable hard seed coats abraded or nicked to allow water to get into the seed to start the germination process. This can be done with a knife, sandpaper, or a file. Only go into the seed coat until you see light, some shade of white, material. Also, most seeds have an indentation where the embryo is. Do not make this nick near the indentation because you may damage the embryo and the seed will die. I like to scarify on the ends or the opposite side of the indentation. Then the usual procedure is to soak the seed in water. Seeds which come from fruit often need this kind of treatment. There are those seeds that come from fruit which needs to pass through a bird or animal digestive tract. Strong acids in the gut damage the seed coat. Most people do not have access to strong acids to do this and physical scarification may be the only practical method.

Another method is to soak the seed in a plant hormone that will stimulate germination. Again, most people do not have access to this chemical and the following can be used as an alternative.

Natural wood smoke has been found to stimulate seeds to germinate. The wood from the seeds' environment works the best, but other smoke may be just as valuable. Smoke discs can be purchased, liquid smoke flavoring, or putting together complex methods of catching smoke from a fire on a damp cloth, are also usable. Almost all the seeds from Australia need smoke in order to germinate. There are compounds in the smoke which overcome dormancy, as if a fire just passed through their environment and the landscape needs repopulating with plants.

Some seeds need a combination of all these methods. How is someone to know what a seed needs to germinate? There is an incredible website put together by Tom Clothier (search by that name) that is a huge data base of species and their requirements. Other sources are seed packets, but I've often seen them listing sowing conditions which will not result in germination. It's best to check another source.
Remember, the success of starting seeds comes with finding out what conditions the seed needs to germinate and then provide those conditions. It's that simple.

More On Shipping Plants

 

How to figure what to charge for shipping. 

It is tempting to add a handling charge, but I don't suggest it.  From a buyer's point of view, it adds cost and between the shipping and handling charge, it may very well make the item no longer desirable.   Shipping is so darn expensive, it's better to leave the customer with more money to buy plants and seeds.  The customer also won't feel gouged by the high cost of shipping  AND handling and are more likely to become repeat customers.  

Plants must ship by a service that has delivery time of no more than 3 days.  Any longer in a box, and it's more difficult to bring them back to excellent health. I have had good results with USPS Priority Mail.  They also offer free priority mail shipping boxes and supplies which may be ordered online.  Usually, there are priority mail boxes in the lobby of post offices but they are flat rate boxes.  They are not as suitable for shipping plants because of the size and dimensions.  It is best to order boxes online from their website.  The best sizes are the number 4, 7 and shoebox.  They allow plenty of room for plant(s) and packing material to keep the plant insulated from heat,cold and excessive rough handling.

Figuring out how much things might weigh takes some practice and just trying it and seeing how much something weighs.   One plant may fit nicely in the number 4 box and weigh less than a pound.  Several tall plants may be able to go in a shoebox and that might weigh over a pound.   A number 7 box filled with plants may weigh up to 3 lbs. or more.  If in doubt, you can always go to the next higher rate and if the actual shipping is significantly less than that either refund the difference or toss in extra plants.  Refunding over payment of shipping first shocks customers and then it encourages loyalty.   You can also give a store credit for overpayment.  Once you have the weight of the box, it’s plugged into the shipping section of the ebay listing, bonanzle, or website and when the customer checks out, shipping cost is calculated from the zip codes. 

The address labels can be paid for and printed online through the USPS, Paypal, ebay, and through some website set ups. Or, it can be hand lettered and taken to the post office to be weighed. If done online, an added advantage is that pick up from the post office can be arranged or it's a simple matter of walking into the post office and handing the items over.

 NOTE: no matter what way you make out the address labels, make sure you get delivery confirmation, either at the time it is weighed at the post office or online. It is free for packages on line through the post office or paypal.  Send the confirmation number to the person and they can track it.  It also gives the seller great peace of mind because they have proof they sent the package and there is proof of whether or not it was delivered. The buyer appreciates it as well.

Shipping plants internationally.  

First, a Paypal account is absolutely necessary for doing international business.  This allows the buyer to pay in his/her currency and the seller gets paid in their currency.  Some credit card companies will do international transactions, but Paypal does them all.  This is done without any effort on the part of either the buyer or seller.  Fees for Paypal transactions are paid by the seller, which is a small percentage of the total transaction.  It is a safe method of paying and accepting money because the seller never sees the buyers account information and the seller has the money deposited into their account. 

Plants can be shipped internationally but it is risky.  Time required in transit and getting through inspection in customs may cause the plants to die.  In addition, they need to be phyto-certified which means they were inspected and found free from pests and disease. A paper is issued which must be on the box during shipment.   If a box does not have this, the plants are confiscated and destroyed.  Getting this certificate costs money and there is no guarantee the plants get to their destination in a timely fashion.  Dogs, particularly beagles are used in many countries, and now states, to find plant material so unmarked boxes may not get through either.  I own a beagle.  They are noses with feet. They live to sniff and she constantly amazes us with her olfactory acuteness.

Seeds are much easier to ship and get into countries. Every country has its own standards but Australia has the strictest.  I make it the responsibility of the customer to find out if a species is allowed and I will not change the names of the seeds so they can get them.  I also make it known that I am not responsible for replacement if the seeds are confiscated.  All that is required on your end is to fill out a customs form at the post office.  It’s a small bit of in triplicate papers with a declaration of what is inside and its value.  It is not complicated and costs nothing and it must be on the package.  I have shipped seeds all around the world and charge $3.00 US for an unlimited amount of seeds. 

NOTE: If you have carnivorous plants, it is not legal to ship them or their seeds out of the country unless you have all the proper documentation to show they were not taken from the wild.  All of the carnivorous plants are considered endangered and their movement is strictly scrutinized. 

U.S. Shipping Restrictions.

There are a few states that have very strict standards for allowing plant material in.  California, Arizona, and Hawaii all have strict regulations and rightly so.  California and Arizona grow most of the nation's food and seed crops. They do not want to get pests brought in that may ruin an industry or cause a food shortage.  Hawaii is a state which has issues of alien species disrupting the ecosystems. California and Arizona require phyto-certification, which is paperwork and inspections, to certify the material is free from pests. Beagles are employed to sniff out packages containing plant material which is not properly documented.  Those packages are confiscated and destroyed.