Hit the Dirt; Propagating Plants Inside

Good morning and welcome to hit the dirt. This is John OK if your gardening partner and today we're going to discuss plant propagation specifically growing plants from seeds Why grow your plants from seeds. There are a lot of reasons were Maine is a more frugal growing your own plant saves money. Yeah it's a variety many nurseries do not carry a variety that you might like to try. Health was being the creator. You can actually take a seed and nurture it and produce a spectacular satisfying result. Sort of like kids without the stress. But where does seeds come from. Well this segment of the program may get an R rating since we're going to be briefly examining the sex life of a flower who baybay seeds are produced by flowers and result from the fusion of the male and female gametes the gametes a hereditary material pass from the parent to the offspring the male gamete is the sperm the female gamete the ovule pollen contains the male gametes and found in the stamen the ovule style and stigma make up the female parts called the pistol. When pollen from the Emperor is transferred to

the stigma by wind insects birds and by hand the travels through the pollen tube through the ovary where fertilization takes place. Some plants self pollinate and some plants cross pollinate hybrid seeds are the result of people doing breeding crosses the seedlings from the hybrid parent plants like McKenna the giant Columbine often lose some of their distinctive characteristics. Therefore hybrid seed should be but not harvested from hybrid plants. So let's get started. First you want to make a list of the desired plants you need to know how early to stop them before the last frost state which in this area was around May 30th. You may already be too late with some plants like snapdragons which take 10 to 12 weeks. What too early for others like cosmos which only take three to four weeks before allows for a state. You need to know what your seeds require for temperature and light some seeds like Larkspur require a cool soil around 50 to 55 degrees while others like tomato and peppers enjoy 55 75 to 80 degrees soil. After you've made your list you want to purchase

the best seat available cheap seed or last year's leftovers often result in poor germination. You need containers to plant your seeds in 10 inch by 21 inch trays or peat pots work well peat pots are particularly good for transplanting on your seedlings or for starting some of the seeds of a difficult transplant like Lupin's or poppies. Next you'll need a bag of good potting mix fine textured soil as mixes work best that may or may not contain perlite Dimmick Kaleido sand. Regular soil must be baked at 180 degrees for 30 minutes and used to it stands. So you may not want to try that one filter flouts water thoroughly and let them drain. Now you're ready to plant. Most is a very small its own on the surface of the mix. Larger cities like tomatoes and zone of the recommended depth and covered seeds were particularly hard seed coats like morning glories of Lupin's benefit from an overnight soaking some perennial seeds going to

dawn and sea shortly after they ripened on the plant. It may be necessary to give them a cold treatment in the refrigerator. These seeds I place on a paper towel fold it and place it in a plastic bag. A few drops of water added help in the germination process as moisture is essential. I label and tag the seeds and wait for signs of germination. After the required time period well they've germinated to not remove the seeds and sold them as I would for any other type. The cold treatment tricks the seed into thinking that it's gone through winter. Once the seed is son placed a tag with the data name in the flat and do this with the sun proof marking pen. Now you can cover those flat with a plastic or a clear dome and put it on the artificial lights the lights I use a one cool and one warm white fluorescent light and a four foot fixture that I placed eight inches above the seed tray. If you're not using artificial light placed the trays in a warm bright area out of direct

light direct light will cause global warming much as the car heats on a bright day. You want to have a notebook to record germination and other data. Once germination occurs remove the cover remove the seedlings to a sunny location turn the flats occasionally so that the ceilings don't lean the seedlings are doing well. Next thing you know they're falling over and dying. This is damping off caused by a fungi which can be in the soil in the air or in the water. Over crowding over watering poor drainage or lack of air circulation causes I spray my flats right after sowing the seed will Ben and Miller kept him many and it was maybe started indoors before I go to a planting time like Begonia Kovio some patients will be marigolds of petunias also many vegetables like broccoli tomato peppers and let us as well as onions and melons. Best start it indoors if the seeds are planted directly in the ground they may not have adequate time to grow in flower if you wish to get more involved with growing your own seeds. Many fine books are available about this method of propagation. Also

some of the local nurseries may be or should be willing to help you up. Next time on hit the dirt so we will be a holes and in two weeks we'll pick up those threads on plant propagation and continual how to make plants and divisions stem cuttings and root cuttings Until then bone didn't. This is John O'Keefe hit the good w we are you. Eighty nine point nine FM bluegill. Well it's time for our weekly feature. Ask Paul Sullivan Hey Paul are you there. Yeah hi. Well one of our listeners Karen from Hamden would like to hear about one of your embarrassing moments onstage. Yes. All right. But one of them. In particular. I think it may have been the. First time I ever played a gig with

an apartment or condo and. It was down to what if I don't know if it was the first time I think it was. But anyway we we're playing a concert now at Emory University in Atlanta. And I was filling in as I always did for PA hallyu the. Originator along with all of the other concert he had me a great player that and had the organist. And so we were down at Emory and there was a beautiful pipe organ in the concert hall that we were playing. And. Know me all that well said to me before the gig. Yeah. Baby upright and I got the right reference when I was a little kid but I don't really know how to play and I looked at this organ anyway. I didn't even know how to turn it. Lot of incredibly complicated looking things. And he. Kept on. Asking Me and you know edging me. To come on to

play this one song to be so perfect. And so if I ever get well you know the thing is. I bet if I thought I would give it a try so I had like. 10 minutes before the concert to. Figure out how this organ work and I got to. And the things were PIO the saxophone organ and I would call winters very slow. That build and build and build for the climax. And it build and dated. But the organ I figured out well. I have. That. For. Gaining the quiet thing and then. On the next keyboard now there are three keyboards that bad for that would be. Pretty loud and I'm not. The Mexican border. Actually that was my router keyboard and I also had the right really know how to play the pedals I had done that for about route affection and I had to

get a few chords and though I. Had it all worked out. And. Started playing and. Very quietly. Got the organ chord and Paul calm then it kind of nice and. Play and play and then we step up to the next lot of sex and. Reading music. But I had it in a big heavy. On top of that. And. For the medium section. The next keyboard really sounded great. Get it right you know I really think I make the music here play a little more commitment and I'm playing along with that. And that. And we're just about to go into the. Section. That. Fell off a music stand and

landed right on top of the rout of the boy depressing you know like every no two feet wide and this horrible black like a fire engine heart. Jet. Crashing through the church and. Panic. And. Just getting that. Off the keyboard I do not. Forgetting that I was on top of the set of pedals which were set for even louder I think. Happening Here there are the whole thing came grinding here ha ha. Just ended up on this. Same little prayer and I the music fell to the floor and I had to go down and crawl around and get it and then I did put it back in we. And we I don't think we limped to the end and

played like little court. And the audience started in with three or four people giving a little clap with the crack. Think. Back and remember that. And I would like answered. Right here in the private market I don't want to play a great if you. Lack. Something you would screw up but I think that would probably. Be my work although there have been other and maybe you'll tell a tale about some of the others in future weeks. Well Paul thanks a lot it's kind of heartening to know that even someone as perfect as you can make an embarrassing mistake. Believe me as I say I like that after I have been a part of.

So you're on the road right now but we'll have you live in the studio next Tuesday afternoon and he got a copy. Great. OK thanks Paul. You too.