FYI: Soil Mixes for Class Use

A delivery of  three cubic yards of compost at The Learning Garden is cause for celebration because we use it in all our garden beds as well as in our general use potting mix.  It must be screened by a fairly fine screen for the regular potting mix; an even finer screen is essential if one wishes to use compost for sowing seeds.

Basic Mix with Compost

2 parts Sifted Compost
2-4 parts Sphagnum Peat Moss
2 parts Perlite
3 parts sand
(Note: compost provides some basic nutrients for plants and should enable a few weeks growth without additional fertizlation.)

Cutting Potting Mix 1:1

1 part peat

1 part sharp sand

Seed Starting Mix 1:1

4 parts peat
4 parts vermiculite

david

Common Problems with Seedlings

Healthy seedlings growing along nicely - no problems with these! 

Damping-off – overwatering and too little air circulation – once plants have been hit by damping-off, they are toast. Avoid it by: good air circulation, don’t overwater, don’t overcrowd your seedlings. Some folks use sprays of chamomile or nettle tea on seedlings as a preventative measure

Discolored roots - often an excess of fertilizer or waterlogging (usually has a bad odor)

Failure to spout – other than being an indication that you have a bad karmic debt to erase, the following might well be wrong: temperature too high or too low, soil that was allowed to dry out, planted too deep, top watering that washed away the seeds, old or poorly stored seeds, insufficient contact between soil and the seeds, toxic soil, damping-off, lack of light for those that need light 

Leaf curl - leaves curling under is probably over-fertilization

Leaf discoloration – usually indicate nutrient deficiencies

      Pale – if they are getting enough light, nitrogen deficiency

      Reddish purple undersides – lack of phosphorous – if (somehow) the soil is too acidic, that can  interfere with the plant’s ability to uptake phosphorous

      Bronzed or brown leaf edges – lack of potassium or overwatered

Leggy plants – these are long weak stems – longer than normal internodes indicate one or more of the following: insufficient light excessively high temperatures, plant crowding

Mold – poor drainage, insufficient soil aeration possibly over-fertilizer and/or lack of air circulation

Skimpy root growth – poor drainage, low fertility of the soil, excess fertilizer, temperature too low or insufficient air space in the soil mixture

Yellowing of lower (older) leaves – also over-feeding – although might also indicate magnesium deficiency (but very unlikely if you are using a commercial potting soil)

 david 

Some Notes on Sexual and Asexual Propagation

Asexual propagation involves the use of seeds. You may use hybrid seed or open-pollinated seeds, once that variety has been in production for over 50 years, they are called heirloom seeds.

To sow seeds you will need a potting mix, a container and a watering device. Oh, and light.

Asexual propagation is any other way you can get ‘baby’ plants. Under this broad generalization, we include;

dividing bulbs

cuttings

air layering

division

To do these things, you need a spade (with a sharp edge), some knives, pruners, potting mix, a watering device, and, preferably some kind of root stimulant.

BY DIVISION

First Aid kit is on top of the refrigerator!

TOOLS: File, sharp spade or shovel

Pruners

Knife

Pruning saw

Organic fungicide = sulfur

Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes and Tubers we have in the Garden you may work with include:

Iris all members of this family

Watsonia

Daffodils & freesia (later in the season – they are actively growing now)

Saffron crocus

Bamboo – several species

Most herbaceous perennials are easy to propagate by some form of division. Some common ones we can try in the Garden include:

Artichokes

Rhubarb

All chrysanthemums (including Shasta Daisy)

Cacti and succulents

The olive tree and western sycamore trees have sucker growth that might be propagated.

You may divide almost any plant in the Garden AFTER CHECKING WITH ME. If you divide the artichoke, rhubarb or any of the succulents, I want to be with you.

Pests and Diseases

Fungi

including Dampening off

Fungus gnats

david