Valcine

Chinese Wisteria III

2014-03-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

This morning, I noticed that one more seedling has germinated. After watering them well, I set them outside for 30 minutes of sun. I believe the exposure to sun, beside providing the opportunity for photosynthesis, which is essential to plant health and growth, will also lessen the likelihood of damp off. I was closing the lid to the cupcake container at night, but I noticed a little bit of mold forming, so I stopped closing the lid. The mold, which was very minimally present, seems gone entirely. Germination rate is now 30%.

Weeping Willow

2014-03-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

The weeping willow plant that I ordered on Ebay has arrived. It is quite bigger than I had expected, and I am very pleased. I purchased this plant because I read that the hormones it produces naturally are great for helping plants to root without using artificial rooting hormones. The recipe calls for one to take trimmings from the tree, boil the trimmings in water, allow the water to cool, then water the cuttings with the willow water. Many seasoned gardeners have reported having great success with using willow water for propagating cuttings of many varieties of plants.

Here is the willow tree planted in an 8" plastic terra pot. The two tiny 2" pots are my newly germinated Chinese Wisteria getting a little sun.

Chinese Wisteria Bonsai II

2014-03-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

I noticed yesterday evening that two of my Wisteria seeds have germinated. Yay!!! The expected germination time was said to be 21 days. However, it has only been 10 days. I guess these guys were a little more eager than their buddies. Today I put them outside for just 20 minutes to receive a little sunshine. I want to be careful that I don't allow the seedlings to dry out as they are still fragile in this early stage, but I know that as trees, they will require full, direct sunlight. So I want to begin conditioning them for such. I watered them well before I set them out. Germination rate is 20%.

Plantaholic - My Daughter's New Name for Me

2014-03-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well, most of my seeds have arrived. Although I am still awaiting my Willow tree and the Dwarf Blue Cedar Seeds. At the eagerness with which I am purchasing a variety of seeds and various planting supplies, my daughter has given me a new nickname... Plantaholic. Sigh...

Well, there are worst things to which I could be addicted. Perhaps I might share with you the newest purchases which have earned me the new label. Below are pictures of the seeds which I have just purchased through ebay.
Rare Blue Rose
Rare Midnight Blue Rose
Rare Black Rose
Rare Blue Strip Rose
Rare Patriot Rose
Rare Purple Rose

Here is the catch, my research has revealed that roses grown from seeds are not likely to be identical to their parents because there could have been some cross pollination and sheer genetics. I'm also aware that the first blooms may not resemble the blooms of the rose bush wants it is mature, which is around 1 - 2 years. However, I was willing to take that chance. Just the chance that I could have roses of these vibrant colors is enough for me.

The seeds have been ordered; now I just have to wait for them to arrive to begin the stratification and scarification process. It will be at least two months before I have anything noteworthy to report. I am very excited and will you keep you updated.

Propagating Rose Bushes

2014-03-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I go through a spurt where I want to grow things. I can't say that I have a green thumb, but neither do I kill every plant that I own. I try my best to follow the plant care directions to provide my plant with exactly what it needs. So far, I have done pretty well with keeping my plants alive. However, I have never had great success is germinating seeds or propagating my rose bushes.

On February 22, due to my dog accidentally breaking off a piece of my rose bush with his vigorously wagging tail, I decided to give it a go instead of just tossing it into the trash. Who knows, it might just take. Since it has been a while since my last attempt to propagate rose cutting, I set the clipping in a vase full of water while I brushed up on my research. Since I didn't have a pot or soil to plant it in, it sat in water for two weeks, with a sandwich bag over the opening, with weekly water changes. I didn't feel too bad for it since it was an unexpected and unplanned for venture.

After two weeks, the date of this post, I finally made a trip to get the items I needed. The poor "cutting," if you could call it that, had lost most of it's mature leaves by this point and only had it's newly emerging leaves. But as it wasn't turning brown or shriveling up, I figured there would be not harm in still trying to salvage it. Here is a picture of it's home for the next 3 - 5 weeks. It's in a 4" clay pot with a sandwich bag on top to keep up the humidity. It is in front of a north facing window which receives more than eight hours of bright, indirect sunlight. So far, so good!

Chinese Wisteria Bonsai

2014-03-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

One of the seed purchased for my horticulture venture are Chinese Wisteria Seeds. This plant is said to make an excellent bonsai, according to my research. The process begins with stratifying seeds by soaking them in warm water for a minimum of 24 hours. I began that at 6:30 pm on the date of this post. On Sunday evening, I planted them in 2" pots of moist potting soil.

To make use of materials I already have, I put the pots in a plastic cupcake container which came from the store when I purchased cupcake for my students.

I keep the container closed except for when I'm checking on them. The expected germination time is 21 days, probably because of their hard casing, which is also probably why I had to soak them for 24 hours prior to planting. Let's see what we have come April 5, 2014.

Red Pyracantha

2014-03-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

One of the variety of seeds purchased for our horticulture adventure, the one my daughter chose as hers, is Red Pyracantha. Here is a photo taken from the internet.

According to the sellers instruction, I will receive the best germination ratio by stratifying the seeds for 2 - 3 weeks. Today I popped them into the fridge. My research revealed that this is quite an easy process. I simply took a moist paper towel, carefully wrapped the seeds in the moist paper towel, and put them into a plastic ziplock bag. Into the refrigerator they went. I plan to take them out on 3-30-14 which will be 18 days.

I haven't decided for sure yet, but I am thinking of starting them in a the same moist paper towel to ensure germination. This process seems to be a favorite of those who have been germinating seeds for many, many years. Since I haven't had much luck in that department, I'm likely to follow in their footsteps.

Bonsais for Me... Us

2014-03-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my dog's strong and consistently wagging tail, my urge to grow things has been awakened. Since I'm a teacher (I love saying that!), I have summers off and was looking for an artistic project to engage in over the upcoming summer. I decided to give my horticultural urges a creative outlet. I'm going to grow bonsais from seed! Or at least attempt to do so.

Like any new venture, I always start with research. Nothing worse, at least for me, than wasting my time and money. Both are important commodities. After diligently researching, I learned that bonsai means "small tree in a pot" and that practically any perennial, hard wood plant can be made into a bonsai.

Rather than spend $50 on a two or three plants, I decided to invest the same amount of money in seeds and the other needed materials such as pots, small composting bin, etc. While this will take much longer, I have all summer to experiment and I'm not in a hurry to have mature plants. Additionally, I prefer to have the experience of growing from seeds, or at least trying to do so. With this decision made, I took to ebay.

After hours of daring to hog my own laptop, my daughter peered over my shoulder and inquired about what was keeping me so intently focused and occupied. She became a little excited and decided that she too wanted to plant a bonsai from seed. Her plan is to grow it and take it with her when she heads off to college in three and a half years. My summer project has now turned into a hobby that will afford my daughter and I time to build more memories together. Any parent of a teenager can attest that we take these opportunities whenever they present themselves!

We selected: Weeping Willow, Atlas Cedar, Dwarf Weeping Blue Cedar, Red Pyracantha, and Chinese Wisteria. All of these are said to have great bonsai potential. Some require scarification, stratification, and different lengths of stratification. For this reason, I didn't mind buying so many varieties at one time because they will not all be planted for germination at the same time.

The seeds have been ordered, except for the Weeping Willow (I bought that as bare root plants as I will need to use cutting from it to provide natural rooting hormone for later cutting), and I eagerly await getting started. While I hope to to have fun and get some plants out of this venture, I intend to keep the blog as a diary of my experience from which I and others can learn. Sort of horticulture lab notes, so to speak.

Police in Minnesota Giving Drugs to Young People to Study Their Effect?!? Wake Up!!!

2012-06-06T07:05:00.004-07:00

A fellow student of CSUSB showed us a video to support her curriculum surrounding the book Go Ask Alice by an Anonymous Writer. The video was breaking a shocking story of police in Minnesota who are allegedly supplying people with the drug of their choice for the purpose of researching the effects and reactions of the people in their various states of being under the influence.

Community activist in the area have made a cry for help asking neighborhood citizens to video, photograph, and site any instances of this action taking place. Authorities so far are saying that they have been provided with no substantial proof that this is really going on. Either various people from various counties and towns have gotten together to "make up this story" or this is really happening and no one in the position of authority is doing anything to stop it but instead are turning a blind eye and ear to this outrageous scheme to get our young people addicted to drugs.

The story broke in May of this year and as of this blog each of the following videos have receive 1000 or less views. Please, let's make this story go "viral" and get the word out there. These awful and corrupt officers need to be punished so as not to tarnish the reputation and actions of those who are honest and upstanding officers.

Here are links to a few of the videos that I have found linked to this occurring in Minnesota.

Police Giving Young People Drugs to Study the Effects They Produce

Breaking News: Minnesota Police Giving Drugs Part of Evaluation Program

Police in Minneapolis, MN Experiment on People With Drugs

13 Year Old Killed by His Neighbor

2012-06-06T06:47:00.002-07:00

At 39 you would think that I shouldn't be surprised at the turns of the world but I continue to be disgusted at the evilness which fills it. Back in the day, I can imagine my grandmother beginning a story, neighbors were like family and everyone looked out for each others children. Their were the Grandparents of the neighborhood whom everyone liked and respected and did kind things for. Now, people barely even know who there neighbors are. Oh we recognize them, their cars on sight, and we know whether or not they have a dog, especially if it's an annoying one, but we don't know their or their children's names.

But to kill a neighbor, or even worst, a neighbor's thirteen year old son of items that you assume the child stole from you is shameful. I am saddened and my heart aches over the details of this story. I pray for this mother and the other members of Darius Simmons' family who will not get to see him grow up. Even if John Henry Spooner is given life in prison or the death penalty, at age 75 those sentences would be far too inadequate.

Click hear to read the full story.

BTW - Spooner is white and Darius was black. Only Spooner knows whether or not race was a factor in his assumptions about who stole his missing merchandise and the carrying out of his street justice.

Cannibalism! Really?!?

2012-05-31T22:26:00.006-07:00

Every time I think that I can't be surprised by the gruesomeness of what's going on in the world, I am proven wrong. "Alexander Kinyua, 21, was being held without bail Thursday at the Harford County Detention Center after being charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault" (CNN). His crime, killing his housemate, Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie, and eating his internal organs, more specifically, "his heart and portions of his brain" (CNN).

Shocked an appalled yet again! Holy Shnikes Batman!!! Perhaps Kinyua thought that he could gain some of Kodie's wisdom by consuming him. Kodie, "had earned multiple master's degrees from schools in Ghana and was also a graduate student at Morgan State University, even though he wasn't taking classes there at the time of his death" (CNN). I can't imagine eating another human being. I feel so sad for Kodie's family.

Alleged murderer? Kinyua confessed the murder and cannibalism to authorities so I disagree that he should be considered an "alleged murderer". Call a spade a spade and a murderer a murderer!

Click here to read the whole story

Honor Student Jailed for Missing School

2012-05-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have heard of people being accused, tried, and/or convicted of many different crimes. And most of the time I am on the sidelines hollering, "Throw the book at'em. But there are times when the spirit of the law meets the letter of the law, and I feel the wrong interpretation wins.

Diane Tran has recently been convicted of Truancy under Texas state law and sentenced to spend a night and jail and pay a $100 fine. While I understand that this law was probably put into place to make sure that all parents are complying with the law and sending their children to school (the letter of the law), (the spirit of the law) did not take into account that Tran is an Honor Student who after her parents' divorce has been working a full and part time job to support her two younger sibling.

I am thoroughly disappointed in this judgement!

Click here to read the full story

Not his place?!?

2012-05-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

I am shocked. When the story broke last week that the 1979 murder of Etan Patz's was finally being solved I was glad that the six year old's family would finally have closure, although saddened that it was not a happy ending. But to hear that this family could have mourned and laid Etan's body to rest 30 years ago is beyond my comprehension. Apparently, Pedro Hernandez, the man being charged with Etan's murder, confessed the crime to his prayer group at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Camden back in the 1980's.

How does one, as a human being, hear that a horrible crime has been perpetrated against an innocent child and not speak up? How do you hear something so soul wrenching and not become angered with the loss of innocent life and compelled to see that justice is carried out? Well, that's exactly what the prayer group that Hernandez attended did; NOTHING!!!

"Tomas Rivera, 76, of Blackwood, a leader of the prayer group, told the Times he did not feel it was his place to notify the police because the confession was not made to him exclusively," (N.J.com). Well, Tomas Rivera of Blackwood, NJ, if it were not your place then whose place was it? I will answer you; it was the civic responsibility and duty of each and every person in that prayer group to speak up!

Where are we with our humanity that we can sit idly by and not act when a heinous crime is brought to our attention? I would have marched myself right down to the nearest police station and told them everything! I would have handed Hernandez over gift wrapped. As far as I am concerned, each and every person who heard Hernandez's confession, either directly from his lips, or by third party (I know someone from that prayer group told somebody something) should be brought up on charges of obstruction of justice. At the very least, they need to be made accountable to Etan Patz's family that they were forced by the group's inaction and silence to wait over 30 years to have closure and see justice carried forth.

Click here to read the entire article.

Customer Service- The Life Blood or Distruction of ANY Business

2012-05-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Every business is about customer service, not just businesses that are sales oriented. The minute your customers (those you serve) become dissatisfied with your service, is when you need to re-evaluate your practices.

I have become irritated with yet another gardener. Really, how hard is it to show up on your scheduled day, perform lawn and garden maintenance, and pick up your pay check? Here's the deal, I hired a gardener to maintain my lawn and landscape every two weeks for the price of $50 a month. A fair price for the area in which I live and the minimal duties that are required of him. For that price his duties begin and end with mowing the lawn, keeping weeds down, and trimming the bushes and trees a couple of times a year. I enjoy gardening so I maintain my rose bushes, fertilize and amend my soil, tend my fruit and vegetable bed, and plant my annual flowers. I think what I pay him for his services is more than fair considering the amount of work that I do on my own.

So he was supposed to arrive to perform landscaping services May 4th. He didn't show. When he didn't show the week following, I considered that to be his resignation. Well, three weeks later he shows up when I am not home and "weeds the rose bed in the front" destroying four of the new annual seedlings that I planted just last week that I grew from seeds. He left a card on the door stating what work he had performed and asked that I call him if I was still in need of his services.

When I discovered the card and saw the destruction he had caused I was livid! This is the conversation that took place:

Me - I need to discuss the work that you did today.

Him - Yes. I did some weeding in the front. I couldn't get to the back because of the dogs.

Me - You haven't been here in over four weeks and you just show up today out of the blue.

Him - It's sometimes difficult to get out that way for the agreed upon price.

Me - That's what communication is for. If it wasn't working out for you, I get it. All you had to do was say so. But how do you show up after not working on my landscaping for over four weeks and just go to work?

Him - I understand what you are saying. I apologize. Can we discuss a pass due invoice?

Me - Excuse me. What pass due invoice? I paid you for April and you haven't been here at all in May?

Him - Yes. You're right. We'll just consider today a freebee.

Me - That's fine. Can we discuss you replacing my flowers that you killed?

Him - Would you like me to bring you more seeds?

Me - I can't plant seeds when it's 100 degrees outside. It's too late in the season. You can bring me a six pack of Zinnias to replace what was killed.

Him - OK. I can do that.

Me - Fine. Call me when you're on your way.

I run two businesses. I know that consistency, quality, and reliability are the keys to building a strong and solid business reputation. Word of mouth can make or break any business. Your customers have a choice when they choose to spend their money and you need to inspire confidence in them so that they will feel like you are worth the hard earned money that they are paying you.

My choice after this scenario, I will take two months of his gardening service fees and purchase a lawn mower. Since I do a lot of my own yard work anyway, I can just enlist the help of my two teenage sons to help me occasionally and save my family some money.

Now, if he doesn't bring me my flowers, I will put his name and his business on blast.

How to Lose a Girl in 10 Days! Part II

2012-05-25T07:35:00.001-07:00

Day 7 - I receive a text around 5:30 PM, "So, what do you like to do when you're not wrangling kids at the after-school program?" I send the response as I'm walking to my car at 6:15 PM (he knows where I work which means he knows I don't get off before 6 which is our program's closing time, "I'm driving. Call me." He calls me and we have a 20 minute discussion where we begin getting to know one another. When he asks me what I am doing tomorrow, I tell him about my second job where I work on Saturdays and tell him that I am meeting with a couple of girlfriends for drinks, one of which is going to be sharing some good news about her business. I arrive home and we get off the phone. He's going to do laundry and I'm going to do homework. I get a text around 8:30 PM, "Man, this laundry never ends. Well, good night baby". What?!? We ain't there yet!!! I send him a slanty face :-/ hoping he'll get the point that he's out of bounds. I thought he did because he didn't respond. Boy was I wrong!!!

Day 8 - I head to meet my girlfriends at 4:30 PM and guess who's texting me... You guessed it. Blowing my phone up! I receive one that says, "What time are you meeting your friends?" I respond, "I'm trying to have drinks now." Does he get the point? No! He texts back, "Send me a picture of you with your friends." I am mad at this point and I choose to ignore him in an effort to keep Shaquita (my alter ego) from coming out and introducing herself. For the third time today, he misses the point and sends me another text message, "Hellooooo". Uh uh... no he didn't (Shaquita is climbing out my purse)! About an hour later when I arrive home after having a wonderful, yet rudely intruded on time with my girlies, I send him this message, "Listen ______, I'm gonna say this as nicely as I possibly can, 'You need to kick back!' No, I will not send you a picture of me with my friends. I'm chillin' so BACK UP!" He sends back, "WOW. I just wanted to see you having a good time with your friends." I am now convinced that he his completely oblivious and I will need to be much more blunt with him. This is why some guys get cussed out! But I didn't go there. He wasn't worth the effort.

Day 9 - I'm formulating how I'm gonna put him in his place. During the conversation on Day 7, _____ was informed about the existence of my alter ego Shaquita. Well, he let her out the purse on Day 8. I've successfully wrangled her back inside but the reigns are loose, to say the least.

Day 10 - I text, "That was Shaquita being nice to you." He replies, "She's a lovely woman." Time for the hammer to come down, "_______, I've decided not to go on a date with you after all. Thank you for your interest, it was flattering." He calls my phone, which I don't answer because this is not a discussion, I am not ending a relationship. This is over well before it even started. He texts me, "How can you say that after the great conversation we had the other day." I choose to be 100% honest to give him the opportunity to learn from his mistakes as he moves forward... with someone else, not me. I text, "Our personalities are not compatible. You appear to be quite pushy and quite frankly you irritated me." He's dense, I determine as I receive a long message telling me that he is sorry he irritated me and that he is the most easy going guy. If I were to ask his friends about him they would say he's a great guy... I'm done! I let him have it in a final response, "This is not a debate. I'm done discussing it. Good bye." He sends back "Wow!" I ignore him.

I don't give a crap who gives him a glowing recommendation! If you have irritated me and we haven't even gone on our first date, then it's done. I have learned to listen to my gut and my instincts. And the way he handled my telling him that I've changed my mind about dating him tells me that I was right. Good riddance!

How to Lose a Girl in 10 Days! Part I

2012-05-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

I told you that my blog would be an all encompassing space for me to share my world (ventilate at times). Well, here is my first entry on dating. Gee willikers, have men forgotten how to get to know a woman, court, date, or what-ever title you want to put on it?

Here's some background, I began working at an after-school program in September of 2011. Around December it is told to me by one of my co-worker that one of the kid's parents "thinks I'm hot." I have no clue who this guy is; I can't remember ever seeing or speaking to him (Clue #1). His kids are in 4th and 5th grade, I teach a 2nd grade class, so needless to say, no wonder I don't know who he is. To be fair to bug-a-boo, by Day 6 you will have some indication on how he earned his title, I have no clue what he is thinking or the motivations for his actions. I can only offer insight on my feelings, actions, and my opinion of him and his actions. Now, on with the story that begins May 11, 2012 (Yes, it took him that long to make himself known. Clue #2):

Day 1 - Man gives his business card to my co-worker with the message, "Please tell Ms. Valcine that I'd like to take her to coffee or something when she has the time." Woman is busy working and my co-worker gives the business card to me during a lull in the activity and relays the message. "Ok," I say, "Could you put it in my purse please, I don't have any pockets."

Day 3 - I call him. Upon getting reaching his voice mail I leave the following message, "Hey ____ (in an attempt to be nice, I won't say his name. He should be grateful, I could put him on blast right now!). I'd love to go to coffee with you but I'd prefer to wait until after school lets out. Give me a call then and we'll set something up. Talk to you later.

Later that same day - He calls and leaves me a message complimenting me on the play the kids put on the week before and my work with the after school program. Says he can't wait to take me to coffee, lunch, dinner, or whatever I prefer.

Day 4 - I text him, "Got your message. Thanks for the compliments. I look forward to it." He responds, "They're well deserved." So far so good, if you could call it that.

Day 5 - I receive a text message that says, "Hi Valcine. I know you wanted to wait until after the school year lets out but I have a work dinner to attend and I would really like you to be my date. _____ and ______ (his children) won't know anything about it." I respond, "Thanks for the offer and consideration but my job has a policy against dating parents at your school site and being a woman of integrity, I would prefer not to violate their policies." He responds, "I can respect that." I'm thinking, "Do you always have this much trouble accepting 'No'? I mean, we're only talking a few weeks here. You've waited this long to finally speak up."

Day 6 - My class of 2nd graders and my co-worker with her class of Kinder and 1st graders are in the library doing an art activity. Who comes, and opens the door, and waits for me to look up? You guessed it. (Strike 1! I'm thinking, "The whole point of waiting until the end of the school year is because of my job and their policies. I do remember conveying that to you rather clearly.")

Please Bring Your Own Balls to Play

2012-05-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

You can't rent, borrow, or play with mine.

Now, I am certainly not the only one with dating trials, errors, and funny scenarios. Here is a recent tale played out, or not quite played out, to it's denouement. A girlfriend took a job in January in the career of her schooling and had the pleasure of meeting a very handsome man who worked for the same company and appeared to have his act together. Appearances can be deceiving...

After a month of circling, making up excuses to come near her office, lingering around the watering hole in sight of her desk, etc., he finally got up enough gumption to ask her out... via e-mail. Cue one that he might be a little short of playing equipment. After the first date, he began texting her quite frequently, inquiring about her day to day life, wishing her well for specific events with which she was involved, and flirting when coming by her office when no one was around... all the things a man would normally do to indicate his interest in a woman. Off to a great start, right?

But he fizzled... he never asked for a second date, didn't up his game from texts to actual phone calls, and he didn't make any moves in a forward direction. So, one might ponder that perhaps he became disinterested or had a change of mind. That would be conceivable except that all the activity from the above mentioned paragraph continued for over two months. That's a long time to circle the bush and not squat to do your business.

At first my friend was cool with what she perceived to be an effort on his part to take things slow, considering the fact that they work together and if things got messy or ended badly, it would make 40 hours a week pretty awkward. But after two months, we were all like, "Really?!? Is that all you got?"

The decision to close the door to what could have been was made after she put herself out there and offered to come by his place to give him a massage after he was done with a marathon in which he was competing. He ignored her text message. What man turns down a massage from a hot woman? So, that Saturday evening she called it done.

As Monday morning approached she was afraid that things would be awkward as she had grown accustomed to his flirtatious talk, witty comebacks, and his continuous vie for her attention by was of strutting around her office like a peacock touting his plumage. However, the day went by in an uneventful blur. Why? He was a no show. Not because he wasn't at work, but because he spent two days hiding from her. Can you imagine how difficult it must be to hide from someone in a two story building? Armed with the self gratifying sense of satisfaction that comes with having a grown man run and hide from her, she washed her hands and said, "NEXT!"

Please men, for the love of all that is sane, when you decide to step-up and play in the Big Leagues, bring your balls, slap them on the table, and work your A-Game! A strong independent woman who knows what she wants yet is willing and wanting you to be the man, is a rare find. Add to that that she's beautiful, intelligent, sexy, funny, witty, and extremely HOT, you've got to have your own balls. You can't play with hers, you can't rent or borrow them, you need to bring your own and not be afraid to use them. Especially when all signs are reading "Let's play ball!"

Watering and Pruning Rose Bushes

2012-05-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Rose bushes are best watered by soaking their roots and not by spraying sprinklers. In my rose bed my roses are watered by bubblers. When rose bush leaves are constantly exposed to moisture, especially in the evening and not allowed to dry before sunset, it increases the risk of mold forming on the leaves and rotting them. When temperatures are in the 70 -85 degrees I typically water my rose bushes with a thorough soaking every 3 - 4 days. When temperatures increase about 86 degrees I run the sprinkler system three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The best watering practices are to water the roses deeply and thoroughly a few times a week instead of giving them a shallow watering daily.

As for pruning, don't ever be afraid to dead head your rose bushes (remove spent roses, roses that are faded and whose petals are falling off). Spent roses use up the rose bushes energy which would be better used in putting forth new blooms. However, there is a proper way to dead head your roses. You should cut the bloom right above the node (bump) that is pushing forth on the stem right at the closest five leaf section. Roses bloom on new growth so trimming off spent blooms encourages the rose to put forth new blooms.

Being the busy woman that I am, I try to dead head my rose bushes at least once a week but occasionally I get busy and stretch it to two weeks. Here are some pictures taken before and after pruning spent roses. The last pruning session was done two weeks prior.

Before

After

Before

After
Notice the reddish small leaves at the tips of extended stems. These are the new shoots that will soon have budding blooms.

Before

After

Before

After

Russet Potatoes - Part II

2012-05-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that the potatoes are doing quite well. Here is a picture of their growth so far.

Now that I see the leafy growth that I was hoping for, my job will be to make sure that as the potato tubers are growing, spreading, and expanding in the ground that I keep them covered with soil. If potatoes are exposed to sunlight during their growth process they become green and toxic, rendering them inedible.

To have more than one harvesting period for your potatoes I suggest you stagger their planting so that you can always expect a harvest. Depending on how large a role potatoes play as a staple in your diet, plant enough every two weeks during our desert growing period. That way, once you begin harvesting, you can expect to harvest every 2 weeks until the end of the growing season. The expectation time to harvest a few small potatoes is about 2 months from planting the seedling potatoes, when the potato plant is flowering. The rest of the potatoes should be harvested 3 - 4 months after the seeds were planted, when the plant dies back. With this in mind, my plan is to plant cut up sections of 2 - 3 potatoes every 2 weeks until August with the expectations of a final harvest for this season in December. We will see how this goes but we are certainly off to a great start!

Seedling Emerging - 2

2012-05-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

As I watered my seeds this morning I noticed that more seeds have germinated. Here are a few labeled pictures of what has sprouted in the last two days.

Corn

Carrots

Seedlings Begin to Emerge

2012-05-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

So, it's been about 5 days since sowing seeds directly in the garden bed and I am pleased to announce that all is going well. Here are some labelled pictures of what has begun to emerge.

Mammoth Sunflower Seedlings

I'm hoping to have more to report over the next few day. The seeds that I planted all had an expected germination time of 7 - 10 days. You may notice more than one seedling sticking in the same area. That is because I sowed 2 - 3 seeds in each area with the expectation that I would need to thin out the seedlings as they grow. But that won't be until they are about 2 - 3 inches tall.

Sowing Seeds Directly in the Garden Bed Part 1

2012-04-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Before planting anything in the garden, you will need a planting plan. This plan should take into account:

the amount of space allocated for gardening
the amount of sun the area gets
height of plants and the amount of spacing between plants
how to partner plants together for maximum area usage

The keys to successfully sowing seeds directly into the garden bed are

planting at the appropriate time of the season
keeping the seeds moist until they germinate
planting at the appropriate depth
sowing more than one seed per hole

The best time to sow seeds directly into the garden in the low desert area is in late March to early April. However, this time can be stretched through April as long as you are prepared to keep a close eye to watch your seedlings for signs of stress. I sow 2 - 3 seeds per hole with the expectation that I will need to thin the seedlings when they are 2 - 3 inches in height.
Sowing seeds directly into the garden bed also prevents one of the challenges I face, over-watering, since the garden bed drains off excess water. Since my goal is to establish an environmentally friendly garden I don't want to run the sprinkler system twice a day. Typically I run my sprinkler system on an as needed basis, every two to three days. Therefore, I use my watering can twice a day to keep the seeds moist on non sprinkler watering days, once in the early am, (usually before 7 AM) and again around 1 PM. On sprinkler days I use my watering can just for the afternoon watering. It's not hard, it just takes dedication. But be of good cheer, if you are consistent with it, all seeds should germinate within the package germination time listed on the packaging. Once this happens you will be able to cut back to using the water can to once a day on non sprinkler days until a firm root system is established, usually one - two weeks after seed germination.

Growing Strawberries

2012-04-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

After unsuccessfully searching for weeks and weeks for strawberry seeds, I purchased two potted strawberry plants from Lowes. I really wanted to grow everything from seeds this gardening season but it was either purchase the plants or not have any at all. So, I purchased the plants.

Here are the steps I took to plant my strawberries:

There were three plants in each pot so I prepared to separate them as gently as I could to avoid damaging the root systems.
I dug each plants respective hole and placed them inside level enough for the base to remain above ground.
After back-filling the hole I firmed the soil around each plant.
I carefully mounded soil to make a small dirt rim in a eight inch circumference around each newly planted strawberry plant.
Lastly, I used my watering can to give them a nice long drink.

Two of the strawberry plants are very small and have only a small root system and few leaves. I don't know if they will make it but the other four plants I am sure will establish themselves nicely.

My plan is to water them daily in the early AM with my watering can, on non sprinkler days, when I am watering the seeds that I am still awaiting their sprouting.

Here is a picture of one newly planted strawberry plant

Transplanting Seedlings Into Garden Bed

2012-04-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

As sometimes happens when sowing plants from seeds, not all of them sprout, some are weak and sprout but die off, and some you accidentally kill. But I'm not the give up type so, the ones that were strong and doing well I planted in their prepared spots and in replacement of the seedlings that hadn't faired so well, I sowed seeds directly into the garden bed. See blog article on Sowing Seeds Directly in the Garden Bed

It's important to treat seedlings very gently. If you break their stems, it will die and all your nursing will be in vain. I use a hand shovel to dig a hole just deep enough to fit the seedling base in and use my hand to pack the earth tightly around the seedling's rooting system. After planting all seedlings into their new home, I run the sprinkler system to give them a good watering. For the next week I keep a close eye on them and if they look thirsty on non-sprinkler days I use my watering can to give them a drink. I only do this if the leaves look limp as if they are about to wilt. I want to care for the new seedlings and not let them die but if they are doing well, I don't water them to allow them to adjust to their new environment and water schedule.

All plants do well and perform better when they have deep roots. This is encouraged by deep saturated watering instead of light daily sprinkling. You will not see a lot of new leaf growth while the plants are getting used to their new home. Instead of focusing on putting out new leaves, the plant is focusing on establishing a strong root system. You will know that this is and has taken place when the new plantings begin to produce new leaves and have obvious growth.

Here are pictures from the seedlings that were transplanted into the garden:

Corn and Peas

Hot Peppers

Tomatoes

Garlic

Watermelon

Lettuce Mixture

Cucumber

Please write any questions or comments in the comment box. I look forward to hearing from you.

Russet Potatoes - Part I

2012-04-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

I like potatoes. Not too many people don't. Whether you like them baked, fried, hash browned, sautéd, scalloped, or chipped, there are plenty of ways to make them a delicious part of almost any meal. I decided to give growing them a try. When I purchased a 10 lb. bag of potatoes I decided to put three potatoes away to use as my starter potatoes.

I placed the potatoes on the center of a dark colored towel, wrapped them gently, and placed them at the back of my cabinet to protect them from sunlight. Before I would plant them I needed to make sure that they would sprout. I'm sure you've noticed the pale little nodes sticking out of a potato, or better yet, when you didn't eat them in a timely fashion, they began sprouting right in your cabinet. These are the eyes, the green leafy part of the potato that you see above the ground when growing potatoes.

After about a week I checked them and noticed that the eyes had begun to sprout and grow.

These should do just fine

So, I cut the potatoes into sections making sure that each section has at least 2 - 3 eyes that were beginning to grow. In the garden bed I dug a hole just deep and big enough to place the potato and cover it with a shallow layer of soil. I did not implement any special watering schedule and am watering the potatoes at the same interval that my sprinklers are currently set, every 2 - 3 days.

Let's see what happens!