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Mike
Apr 18, 2012 9:44 AM CST
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Seedlings are often attacked by a variety of fungi known as "damping-off" diseases. To prevent that from happening, here are some steps you can take:
- Purchase disease free seeds from a reputable dealer. Some seeds come with fungicidal coatings on them which will be direct sown out doors in cold soils, such as corn and peas. Seed borne disease can also be avoided by soaking the seeds for 15 minutes in a bleach soak (one teaspoon per quart of water) prior to sowing.
- Sterilize your pots or trays in a water/bleach solution (10:1 ratio).
- Use sterile well drained soil mediums.
- If you sow your seeds indoors in a germination room like I do, mist seedlings in communal pots or flats once or twice per day with water containing an anti-fungal agent such as Captan (what I use). You can also use chamomile tea, or clove tea. A fungicide misting is especially important if you're sowing seeds in a damp or humid basement.
- Provide constant air movement 24 hours per day, but not directly aimed at the plants. I use a table top fan that's not tied in with the light timer's outlet. This helps the seedlings to aspirate, and excess soil moisture to wick. If you do everything else right but do not provide plenty of air movement, you can still get damping-off.
Hope this is helpful.
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| too much like work. I'm lazy. LOL!! |
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Mike
Apr 18, 2012 10:52 AM CST
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| Gardening often is, but the above steps are far less work than digging holes, scratching in fertilizers, or spraying an entire rose garden with fungicide! |
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| Yea, but that's the FUN stuff! I got a lot of digging to do this weekend (Sunday). Not to mention ripping out bad weedfabric, laying down good weedfabric, then remulching a section about 22' long by 15' wide... |
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I have 2 irises (both NoIDs.. I got the yellow one as a NoID from a co-op on Cubits and the purple is definitely a NoID) in bloom w/2 more sending up stalks. Talk about 2 months ahead of themselves!
 
and I have rose buds! OMG! Talk about a month ahead of themselves! My Austrian Copper (of course) is swelling up w/flower buds! Yay!!! Thinking about, after the flush of blooms, pruning it severely so that it grows more than just 2 canes.
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My Mom's two Eureka roses by her front porch and it's bud clusters. She's such a good rose mommy, they get a dose of fertilizer each spring and always look so lush and healthy.
 
And a couple of her cymbidiums, she has about a dozen of them
 
And a new iris for me, an arilbred named Genetic Artist.
 
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| Bud, buds. Hurray for buds! |
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| I sprayed all my roses again today with the systemic fungicide. Ment to do the yesterday but it was just not a very nice day outside so just left it until today. Today is nice, bright and sunny and mild. There are buds on many of the roses but others still have none to show. |
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Mike
Apr 19, 2012 6:05 PM CST
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I just noticed buds on many of my roses today, too, Rita. And lots and lots of aphids! Sprayed 'em with growing-season horticultural oil this evening.
I spent last night potting up all my zinnia plugs, as well as the plugs of morning glories, toothache plant, and a few others. Was going to do some more tonight, but kind of tired, so I think I'll let it wait till the weekend. |
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A few photos from a stop at Regans nursery yesterday, some are labeled so you'll need to enlarge them if I don't name them.
I am in love with Eyeconic Pink Lemonade and Eyeconic Lemonade so will have to get them!
  
 
Lots of minis in bloom so that's what I mostly took photos of.
The new Smoke Rings, it has this subtle smoky edge.
 
In memory of the late great Dick Clark
 
Amber Sunblaze
 
All a' Twitter
Tiddly Winks
Debut
 
Easy Does It
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| Beauitiful roses, just beautiful. |
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A few more:
 
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Betja
Apr 20, 2012 11:14 AM CST
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Absolutely gorgeous, Sue!
Oh-oh -- I just started a thread called "Blooming Today" and I now realize I probably should have put everything in this thread. I'm just so used to doing it the other way. Is there a way it can be moved over to this thread? Also, do you have many blooms yet, Sue? I would love to see a picture of how your MICHEL CHOLET tree is doing. Mine are just a-bloomin' away like crazy and look great -- just as long as you look above those huge gnarly bud unions! 
Betty |
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| I like the idea of starting a thread for your "rose parades" it makes them easier to find. - and they are very worth finding again! Porkpal |
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I am a bit behind you in blooms Betty. I finally found a spot last month to plant MICHEL CHOLET and it is full of buds. I surrounded it with 2 french lavenders and 2 Teucrium betonicum http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/general/lst.gen.a... to hide it's gnarliness and compliment the blooms. Hope it works. I plan to try cuttings this year and see if I can't root another plant of it.
Out of town, visiting my Mom in the hospital so maybe I'll have something when I get home tonight as far as blooms.
Zuzu can decide if the new thread should be moved.  |
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| Gosh, no. I'm not moving the thread. I love it when we have separate rose parades! |
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Betja
Apr 20, 2012 2:48 PM CST
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Sue, I'm sorry to learn that your mom's in the hospital -- hope she's recuperating and might be out soon. Hospital stays are such a bummer, and we always feel so much better just to get home! Please tell her I said Hi and I hope she feels better really really soon!
Sounds like you're going to have a gorgeous combination to hide the gnarliness, and I know you'll take pictures, right?
Betty |
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