Potting Time (34 Days)
So then, tired of these cloning posts yet? Well, the final phase of the actual cloning process has finished for the most part so you may be in for a break from them.
The roots that had begun to poke out at the time of the last update have come out in force now. The stems of tomato plants that I left in water to root are now well rooted but are beginning to show the signs of nutrient deficiency. The lime green color and yellow and purple hues in the leaves in particular.
Now is the time to get these babies into some soil. I mixed up a basic mix of well screened homemade compost, some leftover peat and some vermiculite and added a bit of slow releasing organic fertilizer to give a nutrient boost to the plants.
You can see this cutting has rooted really well. I've removed it and need to prep it for planting.
All I did to prop the cuttings was to trim off the lower and longer leaves that would just be sucking energy from the plant. I want to make sure the cutting is focusing it's energy on setting roots and growing taller. This kind of excess growth will just delay that.
Here it is ready to be put into the potting mix in one of the pots that I've made sure are clean and ready for planting.
Because of the length of the roots and the stem that has roots growing from it, I decided to use my larger size pot.
I put a small approx .5 inch layer of soil into the bottom of the pot and then held the cutting in the center of the pot while I loosely filled in the soil around it. Using my fingers and by shaking the pot, I was able to get the soil to fill in between the net of roots.
And voila, One down. Now, trim, plant and repeat 40 or so more times and you'll have this...
Actually this is only a portion of the cuttings. There's enough to fill a large table. At least one of each will hopefully make it through the winter.
And that brings me to my next project... heat! I need to find a way to get some kind of heat into the greenhouse. And I need to do it pretty quickly I think. The weather here is turning cold fast!
Any ideas? Anyone have any passive heating ideas? I'm thinking solar gain into some kind of heat sink. Well, at any rate, the experiment is going well so far.
More to come.
P~
The roots that had begun to poke out at the time of the last update have come out in force now. The stems of tomato plants that I left in water to root are now well rooted but are beginning to show the signs of nutrient deficiency. The lime green color and yellow and purple hues in the leaves in particular.
Now is the time to get these babies into some soil. I mixed up a basic mix of well screened homemade compost, some leftover peat and some vermiculite and added a bit of slow releasing organic fertilizer to give a nutrient boost to the plants.You can see this cutting has rooted really well. I've removed it and need to prep it for planting.
All I did to prop the cuttings was to trim off the lower and longer leaves that would just be sucking energy from the plant. I want to make sure the cutting is focusing it's energy on setting roots and growing taller. This kind of excess growth will just delay that.Here it is ready to be put into the potting mix in one of the pots that I've made sure are clean and ready for planting.
Because of the length of the roots and the stem that has roots growing from it, I decided to use my larger size pot.I put a small approx .5 inch layer of soil into the bottom of the pot and then held the cutting in the center of the pot while I loosely filled in the soil around it. Using my fingers and by shaking the pot, I was able to get the soil to fill in between the net of roots.
And voila, One down. Now, trim, plant and repeat 40 or so more times and you'll have this...
Actually this is only a portion of the cuttings. There's enough to fill a large table. At least one of each will hopefully make it through the winter.And that brings me to my next project... heat! I need to find a way to get some kind of heat into the greenhouse. And I need to do it pretty quickly I think. The weather here is turning cold fast!
Any ideas? Anyone have any passive heating ideas? I'm thinking solar gain into some kind of heat sink. Well, at any rate, the experiment is going well so far.
More to come.
P~
Labels:
2009,
2009 garden,
backyard projects,
cloning,
gardening,
organic gardening,
urban farming
7 comments:
you can put a bunch of water jugs painted black on the side of the north inner wall of the greenhouse.
and no, I'm not sick of following your posts on cloning, only wishing that you had started them sooner.
I'll try some grape cuttings this winter.
My "greenhouse" is in front of a large window in my garage. I've hung car shades with the shiny reflector sides on them and plain old tin foil to capture more of the sun's light/heat, with some success.
Bricks can catch the sun too, if you have a pile lying around. Don't know how big a greenhouse you have, but I have heard that the Amish start a big ol' compost pile in the greenhouse and the decomposition gives off heat.
Hi P-
I came across your blog via an Grit article you wrote, and being the anal perfectionist I am I have begun at your earliest posts, and am working my way to the present as fast as I can. It's fun to 'watch' your progress, and I don't have to wait for a new post each day-they were already written years ago!
Anyway, I have a blogging question, actually. You inspired me to start my own blog, but you write of being able to 'see' who is reading yours, even if they leave no comment. I haven't been able to figure out how to do that-could you point me in the right direction?
It is alway inspiring to read your posts-I have often wanted to leave a comment, only to remember that all of that happened in '07! But I will definitely be adding my 2 cents worth soon!
Julia,
Thank you so much for all the time you're putting in reading what I've put down. I'm glad to hear that it's inspired you to start your own blog. It's a great way to not only share your ideas and thoughts with the world but even more to watch yourself grow in the process.
What I meant when I said that I can see readers without them leaving comments is that I can see the numbers of people who visit my blog and sometimes where they're from (generally speaking, not like this house or that house.) and where they've linked in from.
I use a program online called Statcounter that is FREE. You can sign up for an account here: http://www.statcounter.com/
remember... make sure to go to the installation section and set a blocking cookie for your own computers or you'll think you have all these readers and it'll be you. (been there... bloated my ego for about a week:)
Good luck!
P~
Try plastic water barrels. Go to a farm store and get recycled cleaned out 55 gallon barrels used for food products, put plugs in the bung holes or cover with plastic and rubber bands, then put planks on top and your plant containers on top of the planks.
You may need to use a kerosene heater when it gets really cold and/or move the really tender stuff in the basement under grow lights for a couple of weeks if you get long stretchs of subzero temps, as that size of greenhouse will freeze in those conditions. Cold hardy veggies will make it with remay on top, but the tender stuff turns up its toes.
THAT'S how you do it! At least I'm not as blind as I thought I was! Thank you!
I am hoping to be able to record visible progress toward my goals. I live on over 5 acres, but only about the size of a city lot is useable right now, fenced from critters and dogs. I'm aiming at a very high density gardening set-up, sort of like the Pathway to Freedom family, and I want to be able to record each step, from barren to lush and useful. I also hope to give people trapped in a city environment a window to some country peaceful living, since I live in a very rural area.
Anyway, I'm halfway through '08 in your blog, and enjoying it all the way!
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