Archive for June, 2007

Step by step instructions for your landscape

With landscape software, most of them offer directions for how to do different projects. They will provide all the directions on how to do your landscape from start to finish. If you are someone who needs to see something done in front of you before you are able to do it yourself, then this is the right choice for you.

Make your own software for your ideas

In order to sell anything, you need a good sells pitch. Creating your own software for your landscaping imagination is perfect for showing others your wonderful work. Making your own software is the best way for to sell your ideas. You can sell the software yourself if that is what you want to do. You can build your own software right in your own home. There are many techniques to this which you will find in any computer store or even online.

If you plan to carry on extensive hybridizing, hoping eventually to sell stock of your own origination, you will certainly want to name some of the varieties. Choose plants sufficiently superior or unusual to differ markedly from others on the market. Then register through: Mrs. Constance Hansen, Registrar, The African Violet Society of America, Inc., Box 302, Lafayette, California.

In the early days of African violet hybridization a few breeders secured patents on their plants. A patent costs several hundred dollars and, in the case of African violets, it is likely to be of scant value. The hybrid you think so very special may have been duplicated in various sections of the country. If, however, you have succeeded in obtaining some especially good seedlings meaning good enough to have some large commercial firm introduce them you may be justified in seriously considering a patent. For further information write to the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C.

Many of the old varieties are still popular, and hybridizers (some of them “professional amateurs” like us) are constantly bringing out new varieties. Their great number makes a listing impractical. And besides, you can do a better job of selecting varieties that will sell well for you by checking specialists’ catalogs and local sales counters.

Catering to Collectors

If you cater to collectors, you will need up-to-date stock as well as a good supply of species. Interesting among the species are the climber Saintpaulia grotei, with its rounded light green leaves and small pale blue flowers; pointed-leaved, gray-blue flowered S. tongewensis; S. diplotricha with thin leaves and rosette growth; S. Goetzeana, heavily haired leaves and pale blue flowers; S. amaniensis, a semi-trailer with growth habit and flowers like those of S. grotei; S. magungensis, which has heavily haired leaves and blue flowers, and S. orbicularis, with rounded leaves and near-white flowers. The species responsible for most of our cultivated African violets is S. ionantha. Petioles are long, leaves slightly quilted, the flowers blue. All of these species have proved good sellers for me, as well as for friends who specialize in African violets.

Introduced only a few years ago, the double pink varieties are well on top as popular favorites-particularly with collectors.

If your aim is a whole greenhouse full of Saintpaulias in a hurry, purchase seed from one of the specialty houses. These will give you plants with many leaf forms and various flower colors, but if you want more of a certain variety, the only sure way to reproduce it is through leaves or cuttings (called vegetative propagation). If you think the variety might be improved upon as to leaf form, blossom color, or growth habit, use it as one of the parents for your first plant-breeding venture. Select as the other parent a plant having the desirable characteristics you seek.

To hybridize, use your fingernail or a small pair of scissors to cut through the yellow pollen sacs in the center of the flower of one parent. Hold a piece of white paper under the sacs to catch the pollen. Later, as you become adept, you can crack the sacs between thumb and forefinger, let the pollen fall on your finger tips, and then brush it over the tip of the stigma of a blossom on the other plant, the one which is to become the seed parent. Keep a record of your cross on a small white sales tag (available at stationery stores). String the tag over the pollinated flower; tie or loop it to make it stay until the seed pod is ripe.

A few varieties self-pollinate, their pollen sacs cracking open and the pistil pushing through the pollen for self-pollination. To preclude this, clip the anthers from the plant you intend to use as seed parent immediately after the blossom opens. If pollination has been successful, the flower will drop off, although petals on double flowers may remain for days or weeks after pollination.

Seed capsules (pods) take from 4 to 9 months to ripen, depending on the species or variety. When the pod becomes soft and brown, it is time to clip it from the plant and store it in a dry place. It is best to shell the small seeds from the pod as soon as it is dry. Large seed companies do not hold stock over one year, for with each year the vitality of the seed decreases. I have, however, had up to 35 per cent germination on 3-year old seeds, 70 to 80 per cent on year-old ones. As you shell out these tiny dustlike seeds you will realize why they are so valuable : it takes hundreds of thousands of them to make a quarter-ounce.

Some seed capsules will be short and fat, others long and thin. The amount of seed within also varies greatly: some African violet varieties will have only fifty to one hundred seeds while others contain as many as five hundred. Sow the seeds on vermiculite, milled sphagnum, or sand; do not press into the soil. Label them, showing parentage and date. Put a pane of glass over the planting and set it in 70-degree temperature. The germination period is 10 days to 3 weeks. When the seedlings have four good leaves, prick them out and set in flats of soil or synthetic mixture, spaced about 2 inches apart. As plants grow and the leaves touch, shift to individual 2-inch pots, with a later shift to 3- or 4-inchers. Plants bloom in about 6 months from seed.

It’s quite possible that none of the plants in this first filial generation (F1) will be just what you had in mind in making the cross; but a back cross among the seedlings or to one of the parent plants may bring you, in the second filial generation (F2), just the hybrid you are looking for (or something else just as good). The pink and white colors are recessive and if a cross has been made between a pink or white and a dominant color such as purple or blue, the pink or white may not show itself in the first generation.

You may have many lovely seedlings among your first hybrids but none you deem good enough to name. In that case you can sell them to dime stores and plant counters for retailing under the label “hybrid.” Developing a yellow or red African violet is undoubtedly the ambition of many hybridizers. Some authorities have maintained that it may be possible to obtain crosses between Saint-paulia and certain red or yellow flowered fellow-members of the Gesneriacae. But it is significant that to date none has been registered.

African violets are subject to a number of diseases as well as being prey to a number of pests. Most troubles can be avoided by sterilizing the soil and giving good culture. One danger signal is leaves with edges pulling under. This generally indicates too cool growing. When center leaves become gnarled and grow hairy, the plant is likely to be suffering from an infestation of cyclamen mites. Dispose of badly infested plants and wash your hands carefully before touching other plants. If you have some choice stock you want to save, apply sodium selenate to the soil. This can be purchased in bulk powder (and you can easily make the liquid by adding water), or in the easy-to-use capsule form. A capsule added to each pot of soil directly after potting will insure against cyclamen mites; or add a capsule to each pot of infested plants. Isolate such plants until centers appear normal.

In the North, violets are seldom attacked by mealy bugs, but in warmer areas these pests are prevalent. Malathion will eradicate them. Root nematodes cause plants to appear droopy and to have blisters on the petioles. Control by using sterilized soil. A soil nemacide (such as V-13) is effective against nematodes. Crown rot is caused by overwatering, poor drainage, and inadequate ventilation. You can often save valuable specimens by cutting away the rotted areas and transplanting into sand until plants recover.

Propagation Through Leaves

Saintpaulias are propagated by leaves, plant division, or seeds. To root leaves, cut the petiole so that about 1/2 inch remains with the leaf. Insert it in vermiculite, sphagnum moss, peatmoss, equal parts of sphagnum moss and peatmoss, or sand. Set it firmly with the edges of the leaf blade just clearing the mixture. When propagating a number of leaves, space them 1M inches apart. Make certain they are settled firmly and cannot fall against each other. If there are many varieties-and say one or two leaves of each-write the name on a label (as one of the white plastic markers) and place the marker beside the leaves of that variety.

How to Get Many Plants from One

Sometimes in buying a plant to use for propagation you will find that it has several crowns, or there may be several plants growing in the same pot. In the case of multiple plants, knock the clump out of the pot and separate the rooted plants, repotting them into individual 2-, 3-, or 4-inch pots, depending on their size. If there are several crowns, cut these apart with a sharp knife, root in any media, and then plant in 4-inch pots.

62. A gloxinia that is grown to perfection of flowering will “sell itself on

sight,” and while it is on display it will be the instrument for a brisk sale

of seeds and small plants, too. (Photograph by Author)

Landscaping software is the perfect way to learn new ideas about landscaping. If you are someone who wants to get ideas on what to do for your landscaping project, then you may be able to find what you are looking for with the software. If you are someone who wants to show off the ideas that you have either done or want to do, then creating your own software is the best way to get your landscaping idea out there.

Need some help with your landscape?

If you need to get some great ideas about yard landscaping, then you should think about getting some landscaping software. With the software, you will be able to see the landscapes first hand like they were actually right in front of you. By watching the software, you will be able to watch different landscape ideas just like you would as if you were watching a movie.

Shrubs need to have good soil. It needs to be well-drained soil as well. You may need to add compost to your soil before you plant your shrubs. Whenever you are ready to plant your shrubs, check the roots to make sure that the shrub is root bound. Loosen the roots with a knife and then you are ready to place the shrub in the hole. Make sure that you give your shrubs lots of water.

Do not worry if your landscape of shrubs looks kind of empty at first. Over time the shrubs will spread out and fill in the loose gaps. That is the best thing about shrub landscapes. You do not need to plant a lot to get a lot. If you want to, you can fill in some of the small empty spaces with flowers like perennials. You will be free to design a look that you and everyone else will enjoy.

Keywords: Greenhouse Gardening, Landscaping, Plants, Pool, Gardener, Landscape, Trees

One great border

The key to planting a wonderful border is to design layers of colors and textures, and height. Whatever shrub you decide to plant, they will add color and texture to your home for every different season. Shrubs can grow to be enormous but as long as you keep them trimmed and maintained, they will add beauty and style to any home.

You can also use shrubs to line your property with. If you want to add a borderline between your neighbors’ house and yours, this is the perfect way to do so. Shrubs will divide the space without shutting you in like trees do. Shrubs are a great choice for this project and one that both you and your neighbors will enjoy.

Keywords: Greenhouse Gardening, Landscaping, Plants, Pool, Gardener, Landscape, Trees

Watering and Fertilizing

Always water the plants with tepid water. Leaves will be spotted when water colder than the surrounding air hits them. These whitish spots give the plants a diseased look. If you are certain that the plants growing in solid mixtures have a good root system, it is advisable to start fertilizing them about a month after potting up. If you like organic fertilizers, try one of the fish emulsions. Ra-pid-gro, Hyponex, Plant Marvel, Blossom Booster, and others also give good results.

Potting

The size of the pot you use for your plants will depend on how you want to sell them. If you plan to sell small plants, probably not yet in bloom, pot directly from the flat into 2-inchers. Let them grow in the pots for 10 days to 2 weeks; they will be established nicely. Plants being grown for bloom will need to be shifted from the 2-inch pots to 3- and 4-inchers.

Shading

If your greenhouse is devoted exclusively to Saintpaulias, you will have to shade it: Saintpaulias do not thrive in bright sunshine. But if, like me, you grow both shade- and sun-loving plants, the placement of your African violets will require thought. In my greenhouse, they grow mostly in flats under the top deck. Since I do not sell specimen plants but do sell leaves and seeds, I keep most of my “stock plants” growing and blooming in the flats, thus saving space, watering time, pots, and the labor of potting. In these flats of porous soil, watering is needed only once a week during the winter and twice a week in summer. Winter temperature in my greenhouse is 72 to 75 degrees during the day, with the usual 10-degree drop at night. (Some authorities recommend a minimum of 60 at night and 70 degrees or more during the day.)

If you can’t get enough shading on your house to keep violet foliage pleasingly green, you can tack up a few layers of cheesecloth or tobacco cloth to exclude the bright sun rays. Simply string a wire across the inside of the house and another at the top of the sidewalls; then drape the material over the wires.

Light

The late Dr. Kenneth Post, authority on florist crop production, recommended “a maximum of 1500 foot-candles of light, a minimum of 1,000″ for greenhouse-grown Saintpaulias. If you are not familiar with foot-candles as a measure of light, have a friend with a photometer measure the light for you. Aim for 1200 to 1300 foot-candles during the brightest part of the day, and you’ll find your plants budding and blooming without cease.

For growth under fluorescent lights in the greenhouse, keep a distance of about 11 inches between light tubes and the larger plants’ pot rim; 4 to 6 inches for seedlings and small plants. Natural light will vary with the season, increasing in spring, decreasing in fall. As light increases you may have to increase the shading on your greenhouse, and vice versa. I have shading on the outside of the greenhouse and two thicknesses of tobacco cloth inside. The thickness of this cloth is not varied with the seasons, but I add or decrease shade on the outside of the house. Low light intensity reduces the number of flowers and makes for weak growth.

Keywords: Greenhouse Gardening, Landscaping, Plants, Pool, Gardener, Landscape, Trees