This is the Poinsettia that I kept after Christmas 2022. I repotted it early summer in good potting soil, in a heavy pot to prevent falling over. It doesn't get a lot of care. It was blooming at Christmas and even better now.
This is the one I bought Christmas 2023 and repotted not long ago in good potting soil and a heavy pot. Most of the leaves have fallen off but the colorful blooms (sepals?) continue.
I guess I wont be buying Poinsettias next Christmas 😀
This box has been sitting around for a long time. It was on a back shelf in the garage, awaiting repairs. The top was broken into two pieces. The bottom had broken into three pieces. Anyone else would have thrown it away. But I like things with a nice wood grain, and I wanted a box for remotes that isn't plastic, and it was something to play with.
I glued the top together. Unfortunately, the glue ran in the grain, invisible until polyurethane coat was added. Then it showed badly.. So I sanded it off. The glue shows with alcohol too. I alternated alcohol / sanding / alcohol / sanding, until the glue no longer showed. Then I sanded with super fine sandpaper, gave a coat of wood conditioner, then multiple coats of spraybpolyurethane.
I like cedar wood, its grains and knots. It shows nicely on this box. I ordered new hinges and a hasp on Amazon.
The inside was too difficult to give a good finish, and glue showed there too. I lined it with faux-antique paper lining. This stuff is as thin as a coat of paint, and very sticky. It was a learning process and my result was so - so.
I remember the original feet were wooden, but they broke off and were long gone. I just used some felt feet for scratch protection. The bottom is 1/4 " plywood. I finished it for protection, but it's nothing special.
Now I have a box for storing remotes and reading glasses, so they won't get lost and there is less clutter. And not plastic.
The dwarf dahlia seedlings are making their true leaves now. I think germination was about 50%. These seeds were planted in regular potting soil. They were at room temperature, not warming mat. I read they do better without the added warmth.
My plan was 8 cells of "Mignon" and 8 cells of "Dandy". Full height for Mignon is listed as 20 inches and for Dandy 24 inches (Baker Creek Seeds). Maybe smaller if container grown? Since some cells were empty and some had two or three plants, I rearranged today so each cell had one plant.
These are in full sun, outside, during the day and inside at night. They usually get a few hours of LED light to lengthen their day. Watering with Schultz at recommended houseplant strength. I think Miracle Grow at 1/4 tsp per 2 quart would do fine as well.
The tomato seedlings are doing well. With days this week mostly 50s to 60s, maybe slightly warmer in full sun, I have them out in full sun all day and in sunroom at night. Nights are high 30s into the 40s.
The pale leggy seedlings look a lot better now. I thinned them today, one seedling per cell.
Before thinning.
I think they are about to have a growth surge now.
I'm watering as with other seedlings, weak houseplant - strength Schultz with each watering,
I looked at a variety of websites regarding fertilizing fig trees.
From Univ of Georgia extension service, "a satisfactory amount of shoot growth is about a foot per year."
Clemson Univ talks a lot about fertilizing, but also states that in soils of average fertility, fertilizing might not be needed. They also state that too much fertilizer can cause loss of yield, as can too little water.
A website called "The Fruit Grove" discusses fertilizing, but notes that if the trees are already growing and producing well, then fertilization might not be needed and, again, too much - especially nitrogen - can reduce fig production and cause rank, non-hardy growth that is more susceptible to winter kill.
I can't find the reference right now, but another said don't fertilize if there is more than six inches of growth.
I checked how long new growth was from last year.
A lot of new stems are six to nine inches. Some are longer, and Violette de Bordeaux (as noted earlier, probably falsely sold as Petite negri) always has less growth, being dwarf in habit ( I think brachytic dwarfism = short internodes).
Considerations -
I almost always get more figs than I know what to do with anyway.
I normally don't fertilize my fig trees. They usually do fine without.
American and worldwide fruits and vegetables have become significantly less nutritions, as well as less flavor, over the past 70 years. Part of that is fertilizing depleted soils to boost yields and speed growth.
Sometimes I have spread wood ashes in the fig grove. I don't know if that is fertilizing or just soil building.
The fig grove is also a "rest stop" for Rufus. It actually gets quite a lot of fertilizing via doggie. That the grasses there are the lushest and fastest growing in the yard, probably indicates that is enough.
My aim is quality, richness of flavor, and while I might not see or taste it, nutrition. Raising yields, and growing even bigger figs, just isn't on my wish list.
So after all of that, I decided not to fertilize the fig grove. After the next grass cutting, I'll cast a dusting of wood ashes. The added calcium as well as other minerals should be beneficial without causing rank, weak, overgrowth.
