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Post by spider on Sept 19, 2014 22:20:13 GMT
need a little help with trying to harvest sunflower seeds we have lovely dark sunflowers and when the petals have gone we cut the heads maby after a week or so and gave them time to dry but no seeds we still have some still growing so before we do it again has anybody got an idea
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 20, 2014 20:52:27 GMT
Yesterday I bought a big LED light for growing chilli plants under this winter. Got about 6 seedlings now, can't remember all the types but off the top of my head I've got Alma Paprika, Madballz 7, Chocolate Habanero, Aji Cristal, Bulgarian Carrot aaaand Cap (can't remember the three numbers). Brought in a lot if my plants for winter, bit early I suppose but they all look lovely in their new pots and will hopefully get established before the cold sets in. I have a feeling my mint is dying though unfortunately. The cat grass is doing great despite being constantly "pruned" by Mieze haha! No idea about the sunflower seeds spider sorry! |
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Post by lotsofcats on Sept 20, 2014 21:11:36 GMT
That's okay, mint will die away in the Autumn/Winter and will come back again in the Spring. |
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Post by lotsofcats on Sept 20, 2014 21:16:47 GMT
need a little help with trying to harvest sunflower seeds we have lovely dark sunflowers and when the petals have gone we cut the heads maby after a week or so and gave them time to dry but no seeds we still have some still growing so before we do it again has anybody got an idea I think you are cutting off the heads too soon for the seeds to form. Leave them for a while after the petals have gone and let the head droop - you should see seeds forming - they will be all tightly packed in together. Then cut it off and put it somewhere to dry. We did one last week and put it in the greenhouse - the next day all of the seeds had gone!! rats or a squirrel? |
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Post by spider on Sept 20, 2014 21:25:36 GMT
thanks for that i was thinking birds so i put a bag over one of the flowers to see if that will help
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Post by lotsofcats on Sept 20, 2014 21:31:03 GMT
Yes, a bag might help - the birds don't usually go after them just yet - or is that just because I have Toffee on guard in my garden?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 9:50:53 GMT
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Post by zahada on Sept 21, 2014 10:10:42 GMT
Very nice display! African violets are usually easy to root and grow - in my experience. Did you choose the leaves from the middle of the mother plant? |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 12:40:12 GMT
No, they were two of the outer leaves which naughty Lily had partially knocked off when she climbed over the plant to look out the window  Rather than just throw them out I thought I'd try a little experiment to see if I could get them to root. Rather frustratingly I cannot find the book I used to have about African Violets....part of me is thinking I'm sure I read somewhere that I should have dipped the end of the stalk in some hormone powder and have them inside a plastic bag for humidity but I'm not 100% sure  I'll have to google it  The plant itself was only 49p (instead of £3.99) from Homebase because it's flowers were starting to fade and it was drooping a little (my pet hate - why don't shops water their plants?) so I decided to rescue it and give it some TLC at home with me  The parent plant is looking VERY healthy now and I'm sure, given time and proper care as regards watering & feeding, it'll be sending up some new flower buds very soon. I also got a Swiss Cheese Plant for £4.99 instead of £10 that day...again in the reduced section because three of it's leaves were torn. I just snipped them off at the base and now have the plant on the living room window where it's already unfurling a fresh new leaf I'm loving building up my 'Indoor Jungle' once more and have found that now that Chilli has been going outside she doesn't bother the plants anymore and hopefully the same will prove true with Lily once she gets the all clear from the vet - hopefully later this week. |
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Post by june on Sept 21, 2014 16:40:46 GMT
I can't grow nowt.  Had a lovely cheese plant years ago that got too big for its pot. Replanted it and it died not long after.  Have you got your allotment yet Gillycat? Seems ages since you first mentioned it. June.x. |
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Post by zahada on Sept 22, 2014 11:55:44 GMT
gillykat do you have the African violets book by Tony Clements? Wonderful book. I believe he started the African violet centre in Norfolk. Went there once, also bought some interesting specimen by post from them.
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Post by zahada on Sept 22, 2014 11:57:17 GMT
I had a Swiss cheese plant once. Had to get rid off it, it grew so fast, you could almost watch it grow.
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 23, 2014 18:06:34 GMT
Have never had a Swiss cheese plant but it's sounding about as prolific as an aloe Vera haha. I better not get one of it is, I already spend a good deal of my time (and spare pots) dealing with my monster aloe Vera. The three shoots I brought over from Scotland from it are doing well already and I am thinking it won't be long before they begin to create babies haha!
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Post by zahada on Sept 23, 2014 21:40:12 GMT
My aloe vera's having babies! Need to put them in different pots before overcrowding kills them. LOL.
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 23, 2014 21:52:04 GMT
Haha they are so prolific! I reckon I could start a business selling Aloe Vera babies to poor people who don't know what they're getting themselves into haha. I have been pawning them off as extra Christmas presents to people for years, have just about run out of people to give them too. Wonder if the flower shop downstairs would buy some off me  |
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Six all-green Spider Plants, two African Violet leaves which I'm hoping to root (trial and error as I've never done it before), and twenty Mother-of-Millions plantlets (scientific name = Bryophyllum diagremontianum) which I won Ebay. I haven't seen these plants since I was working as a gardener in the summer of 1994 so when I saw 15 seedlings for just 99p I snapped them up (guy sent 20!) 
Rather than just throw them out I thought I'd try a little experiment to see if I could get them to root. Rather frustratingly I cannot find the book I used to have about African Violets....part of me is thinking I'm sure I read somewhere that I should have dipped the end of the stalk in some hormone powder and have them inside a plastic bag for humidity but I'm not 100% sure 
I'll have to google it 
The parent plant is looking VERY healthy now and I'm sure, given time and proper care as regards watering & feeding, it'll be sending up some new flower buds very soon. 
Had a lovely cheese plant years ago that got too big for its pot. Replanted it and it died not long after. 
