Some orchids, like Neottia and Corallorhiza, lack chlorophyll and are unable to photosynthesise. Instead, these species obtain energy and nutrients by parasitising soil fungi through the formation of orchid mycorrhizas. The fungi involved include those that form ectomycorrhizas with trees and other woody plants, parasites such as Armillaria, and saprotrophs These orchids are known as myco-heterotrophs, but were formerly (incorrectly) described as saprophytes due to the belief that they gained their nutrition by breaking down organic matter. While only a few species are achlorophyllous holoparasites all orchids are myco-heterotrophic during germination and seedling growth and even photosynthetic adult plants may continue to obtain carbon from their mycorrhizal fungi.
A majority of orchids are perennial epiphytes, which grow anchored to trees or shrubs in the tropics and subtropics. Other species are lithophytes, growing on rocks or very rocky soil, or are terrestrial. Nearly all temperate orchids are terrestrial.
The leaves of most orchids are perennial, that is they live for several years, while others, especially those with plicate leaves, shed them annually and develop new leaves together with new pseudobulbs, as in Catasetum.
The cells of the root epidermis grow at a right angle to the axis of the root to allow them to get a firm grasp on their support. Nutrients mainly come from animal droppings and other organic detritus on their supporting surface.
"When all the blooms on your orchid plant have faded, cut off flowering stem about an inch from the base, or as close to the base you can easily get to."Use a sharp knife and cut the stem at an angle—that's it!
A old flower stem can be seen to the right on this phalaenopsis. As you can see, a clean cut was made about an inch from the base of the plant. Two new flowerspikes can be seen to the left. Once these have finished flowering, they will be cut off just above the first node from the base of the plant. The nodes are encased in a lighter colored sheath that looks like a white band
Phalaenopsis can often be rebloomed from 'just-bloomed' spikes by going down to the first node below the lowest bloom on the spike, and cutting the spike off about 0.5" above this node. This should only be done on strong robust plants, if at all.
Friday, October 10, 2008
ROSES
Hybrid tea roses are the most particular about pruning Choose varieties that will be happy in your area and give them plenty of sunshine, then sit back and smell the roses. Somehow roses got a back rap for being difficult to grow. You may never grow an award-winning tea rose, but most roses will thrive in a garden. If it blooms early, on last year's canes, don't prune until after flowering.
Pruning rose bushes is intimidating to many gardeners, but actually very good for the plants. Becoming an accomplished rose pruner takes time and practice, but keep in mind that it is very hard to kill a rose with bad pruning. While there is a great deal of disagreement among rose experts regarding how and when to prune roses, it is generally agreed that most mistakes will grow out very quickly and it is better to make a good effort at pruning roses than to let them grow rampant. Why Prune Roses?Encourage new growth and bloom, Remove dead wood ,Improve air circulation ,Shape the plant. And Tools You'll Need is By-pass Pruners ,Long-handled Loppers, Thick Gloves (preferably long ones) .
Timing is determined by the class of the rose plant and the zone in which it is growing. Most rose pruning is done in the spring, with the blooming of the forsythia as a signal to get moving. If you don't have forsythia, watch for when the leaf buds begin to swell on your rose plants, meaning the bumps on the canes get larger and reddish in color. Some general pruning guidelines by rose classification.
. If you don't know what type of rose you have, watch the plant for a season. If it blooms on the new growth it sends out that growing season, prune while dormant or just about to break dormancy, as stated above. Blooms once,on new growth,for example: Hybrid Teas & Grandiflora: These also bloom on new wood and should be pruned in early spring. Remove dead and weak wood. Create an open vase shape with the remaining canes by removing the center stems and any branches crossing inwards. Then reduce the length of the remaining stems by about ½ or down to 18 - 24 inches. You can allow the older, stronger stems to be a bit longer than the new growth. Blooms once,on old wood: Ramblers: Prune to remove winter damage and dead wood or to shape and keep size in check. Ramblers bloom only once and can be pruned right after flowering, all the way back to 2-3 inches if you wish.
This group is repeat bloomers, blooming on mature, but not old, woody stems. Leave them unpruned to increase vigor for the first 2 years and then use the "one-third" method. Each year remove one-third of the oldest canes (in addition to any dead, diseased or dying canes).
Blooms only once, producing flowers on old wood and don't require much pruning at all. Prune only to remove dead or thin wood and to shape the plants and prune after flowering.including this group is Mosses, Damasks Alba, Centifolia, , and Gallica,.
Prune only to shape. Cut back to an outward facing bud after blooming is minimal pruning needed (mintiatur roses).
Pruning rose bushes is intimidating to many gardeners, but actually very good for the plants. Becoming an accomplished rose pruner takes time and practice, but keep in mind that it is very hard to kill a rose with bad pruning. While there is a great deal of disagreement among rose experts regarding how and when to prune roses, it is generally agreed that most mistakes will grow out very quickly and it is better to make a good effort at pruning roses than to let them grow rampant. Why Prune Roses?Encourage new growth and bloom, Remove dead wood ,Improve air circulation ,Shape the plant. And Tools You'll Need is By-pass Pruners ,Long-handled Loppers, Thick Gloves (preferably long ones) .
Timing is determined by the class of the rose plant and the zone in which it is growing. Most rose pruning is done in the spring, with the blooming of the forsythia as a signal to get moving. If you don't have forsythia, watch for when the leaf buds begin to swell on your rose plants, meaning the bumps on the canes get larger and reddish in color. Some general pruning guidelines by rose classification.
. If you don't know what type of rose you have, watch the plant for a season. If it blooms on the new growth it sends out that growing season, prune while dormant or just about to break dormancy, as stated above. Blooms once,on new growth,for example: Hybrid Teas & Grandiflora: These also bloom on new wood and should be pruned in early spring. Remove dead and weak wood. Create an open vase shape with the remaining canes by removing the center stems and any branches crossing inwards. Then reduce the length of the remaining stems by about ½ or down to 18 - 24 inches. You can allow the older, stronger stems to be a bit longer than the new growth. Blooms once,on old wood: Ramblers: Prune to remove winter damage and dead wood or to shape and keep size in check. Ramblers bloom only once and can be pruned right after flowering, all the way back to 2-3 inches if you wish.
This group is repeat bloomers, blooming on mature, but not old, woody stems. Leave them unpruned to increase vigor for the first 2 years and then use the "one-third" method. Each year remove one-third of the oldest canes (in addition to any dead, diseased or dying canes).
Blooms only once, producing flowers on old wood and don't require much pruning at all. Prune only to remove dead or thin wood and to shape the plants and prune after flowering.including this group is Mosses, Damasks Alba, Centifolia, , and Gallica,.
Prune only to shape. Cut back to an outward facing bud after blooming is minimal pruning needed (mintiatur roses).
TOMATOES
Latin name for Tomato is Solanum lycopersicum. But do you know, not all tomatoes are red or even round. There are yellow, purple, orange, pale green and even striped tomatoes. They can be round, flattened, pear shaped or fluted like a pepper.
Tomatoes really are fruits. And despite early worries about tomatoes being poisonous, tomatoes are now one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens. Widely adaptable and space efficient, a single tomato plants is able to produce 8 - 10 pounds of fruit. Tomatoes are heat lovers and will continue producing right through to the end of the growing season.
Water the plants deeply once a week, mulch heavily to maintain constant soil moisture levels, establish windbreaks as needed, avoid using excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizers, and wait for temperatures to moderate and stabilize. Earlier timed planting can help attain fruit set prior to the on-set of high temps, and the use of protection can compensate for cool nights. Some recommend attempting hand-pollination with an artist brush or a gentle shaking of the plant/cage/support prior to the hottest part of the day will also help. Fruit set will resume when temperatures moderate. Hormone sprays, such as "Blossom Set", may prevent some blossom drop due to LOW temperatures. However, the resulting fruit are often misshapen. But studies prove that hormone sprays do not prevent blossom drop due to HIGH temperatures.
Tomatoes plants are actually vines and will sprawl along the ground if left unstaked. Tomatoes are in the same family, Solanaceae or nightshade family, as eggplan, peppers and potatoes and share many of the same diseases and pests, so it is best to rotate these crops each year.
Harvest when the tomatoes are fully colored and just beginning to soften. Ripe tomatoes separate from the vine easily, with the slightly tug. Overly ripe tomatoes will drop on their own.
Tips : you must store tomatoes at room temperature and away from direct sunlight and don't store your tomatoes in the refrigerator that can be lose flavor when chilled. best if used within 3 days of harvesting.
Many varieties of tomatoes: Main Season: Celebrity, Big Boy and Better, Heatwave, Rutgers, Late Ace, Beefmaster, Mule Team , Sweet 100 Patio, Pixie. Tiny Tim , Red and Yellow Pear.
Tomatoes really are fruits. And despite early worries about tomatoes being poisonous, tomatoes are now one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens. Widely adaptable and space efficient, a single tomato plants is able to produce 8 - 10 pounds of fruit. Tomatoes are heat lovers and will continue producing right through to the end of the growing season.
Water the plants deeply once a week, mulch heavily to maintain constant soil moisture levels, establish windbreaks as needed, avoid using excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizers, and wait for temperatures to moderate and stabilize. Earlier timed planting can help attain fruit set prior to the on-set of high temps, and the use of protection can compensate for cool nights. Some recommend attempting hand-pollination with an artist brush or a gentle shaking of the plant/cage/support prior to the hottest part of the day will also help. Fruit set will resume when temperatures moderate. Hormone sprays, such as "Blossom Set", may prevent some blossom drop due to LOW temperatures. However, the resulting fruit are often misshapen. But studies prove that hormone sprays do not prevent blossom drop due to HIGH temperatures.
Tomatoes plants are actually vines and will sprawl along the ground if left unstaked. Tomatoes are in the same family, Solanaceae or nightshade family, as eggplan, peppers and potatoes and share many of the same diseases and pests, so it is best to rotate these crops each year.
Harvest when the tomatoes are fully colored and just beginning to soften. Ripe tomatoes separate from the vine easily, with the slightly tug. Overly ripe tomatoes will drop on their own.
Tips : you must store tomatoes at room temperature and away from direct sunlight and don't store your tomatoes in the refrigerator that can be lose flavor when chilled. best if used within 3 days of harvesting.
Many varieties of tomatoes: Main Season: Celebrity, Big Boy and Better, Heatwave, Rutgers, Late Ace, Beefmaster, Mule Team , Sweet 100 Patio, Pixie. Tiny Tim , Red and Yellow Pear.
ASPARAGUS
Asparagus officinalis is the latin name of Asparagus. Asparagus spears are straight shoots with scale-like tips. Asparagus is one of the few perennial vegetable crops and green varieties are most commonly grown, there are also many purple varieties. Later in the season the foliage matures into an airy, fern-like cloud which changes to a golden color in the fall. There is also purple asparagus. The purple varieties tend to have less fibers than their green cousins and to be higher in sugar content. They are grown in the same manner as the green and lose some of their color in cooking.
Asparagus is low in calories, contains no fat or cholesterol, and is very low in sodium. While North and South Americans know and enjoy green asparagus, many European countries favor white asparagus. White asparagus is the same plant as green asparagus, it just hasn't been allowed to see light and photosynthesize. This is accomplished by covering the growing spears with either ridges of soil or tunnels of something like plastic, allowing them to blanch. The final product is smooth, white and virtually fiber free, provided the harvested spears are immediately chilled to prevent the fiber from forming. I have not had the pleasure of tasting white asparagus but I'm told they taste something like a cross between a mild artichoke and palm heart. Because of the labor involved in keeping them blanched, white asparagus is very pricy. In Europe it is a treat looked forward to each spring.
Asparagus is a spring crop, preferring cooler temperatures and full sun.For maintenance this plant must Water regularly, especially while young. It takes about three years for plants to mature enough for harvesting. Prior to that plants should be allowed to grow and feed themselves. Top dress annually with compost or mulch. Keep the patch free of competing weeds.
Harvest for about 4 weeks the first year In the third year, begin harvesting spears that are finger-sized and about 8" long. You can either snap off the spears are cut them with a knife. Harvest for about 4 weeks the first year. In subsequent years you can harvest until the weather warms and the spears look spindly. Then allow the foliage to grow and feed the plants.
Asparagus has been used from very early times as a vegetable and medicine, It was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, who ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter.It lost its popularity in the Middle Ages but returned to favour in the seventeenth century.
Many varieties of asparagus : ,‘Brock Imperial’ , ‘Mary Washington’ ,‘Jersey ‘Princeville’, ‘Purple Passion’ .
Asparagus is low in calories, contains no fat or cholesterol, and is very low in sodium. While North and South Americans know and enjoy green asparagus, many European countries favor white asparagus. White asparagus is the same plant as green asparagus, it just hasn't been allowed to see light and photosynthesize. This is accomplished by covering the growing spears with either ridges of soil or tunnels of something like plastic, allowing them to blanch. The final product is smooth, white and virtually fiber free, provided the harvested spears are immediately chilled to prevent the fiber from forming. I have not had the pleasure of tasting white asparagus but I'm told they taste something like a cross between a mild artichoke and palm heart. Because of the labor involved in keeping them blanched, white asparagus is very pricy. In Europe it is a treat looked forward to each spring.
Asparagus is a spring crop, preferring cooler temperatures and full sun.For maintenance this plant must Water regularly, especially while young. It takes about three years for plants to mature enough for harvesting. Prior to that plants should be allowed to grow and feed themselves. Top dress annually with compost or mulch. Keep the patch free of competing weeds.
Harvest for about 4 weeks the first year In the third year, begin harvesting spears that are finger-sized and about 8" long. You can either snap off the spears are cut them with a knife. Harvest for about 4 weeks the first year. In subsequent years you can harvest until the weather warms and the spears look spindly. Then allow the foliage to grow and feed the plants.
Asparagus has been used from very early times as a vegetable and medicine, It was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, who ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter.It lost its popularity in the Middle Ages but returned to favour in the seventeenth century.
Many varieties of asparagus : ,‘Brock Imperial’ , ‘Mary Washington’ ,‘Jersey ‘Princeville’, ‘Purple Passion’ .
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