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Via EnjoyGardening)
Posted by admin to Feedback, Trends & Experiences on 2008-01-24, 10:54:56
Hits & Misses: Primula primavera & heavy hands
Question of the Week: Why are some of my cucumber seeds coated in blue dye?
Science & Technology: The seedless
The Path to Enjoy 2009: Efficient
Here is a challenge for you. Pick up any home fashion magazine from your local bookstore, flip to any feature article on design or décor and have a good look at the photographs. Now, amidst the very expensive furniture and accessories, see how many rooms do not have a beautiful bouquet of flowers or some luxurious tropical plants. I’m betting you’ll have to look through a lot of pages to find a plantless photo. So considering that plants are probably the cheapest items featured in those photographs and that they play a pivotal role in transforming rooms from mundane to spectacular, why then don’t more of us have them in our homes? I think it’s time we caught on. In Holland, flowers are as ubiquitous in Dutch homes as forced air furnaces are in ours. Sure, we might argue that heaters are essential to get us through a cold winter…but I’m guessing that the Dutch have the same sentiment about flowers.
Hits & Misses
Hit: Primula Primavera
It may be late January, but this past week the primula began to bloom en masse in the greenhouses. Primula is one of the true harbingers of spring, and I find that even if—for some inexplicable reason—their flowers fail to make one shrug off the winter blahs, their incredible fragrance is certain to get the job done.
Primula x polyanthus
Miss: Heavy Hands
Every year, despite our best efforts, there are always a few perennial plants that drown during the winter. I know. It sounds a bit odd, but stick with me. The problem is that the greenhouse we use to winterize our perennials runs at about only 8°C, day and night. Obviously, that by itself isn’t enough to drown a plant, but couple it with the fact that those plants are dormant, and you have a glimpse of the problem. Any pots that receive even a bit too much water simply can’t dry out and inevitably rot. That’s why the rule for winter watering of perennials is to err on the side of caution. A light hand trumps a heavy one every time.
Question of the Week
Why are some of my cucumber seeds coated in blue dye?
Basically, it’s to tell the ‘boys’ from the ‘girls.’ Some varieties of cucumbers are almost entirely gynodioecious (producing only female flowers on individual plants of the same species); whereas others are monoecious (producing both male and female flowers on the same plants). Because a high number of female plants means greater potential for a high yield, gynodioecious varieties are gaining in popularity. Of course, the only thing missing from that equation is a few male flowers to pollinate the female ones, so the occasional blue dyed (androdioecious), male seed is tossed in with the predominantly female seed. It’s that simple.
Science & Technology
The Seedless
This past week, I was reading some horticultural research regarding our relentless human drive for parthenocarpy (a.k.a. eliminating seeds from some of our common fruits). I suppose one of the reasons why we’ve managed to breed fruit this way is because the majority of us hate the way seeds feel between our teeth. As a result, oranges, grapes, watermelons and bananas (yes, bananas should have seeds; the black ‘marks’ in the banana are just rudimentary seeds) all have seedless varieties. And it looks like there will be many more to come. Just think about the possibilities. Will seedless tomatoes be the dominant type on our grocery store shelves? Will pomegranates be seedless? Will the future bring us seedless sunflower seeds…er…I guess that one’s probably not all that likely, but I was on a nice roll.
The Path to Enjoy 2009
Efficient: Aquariums, tilapia fish and basil…together at last?
Sure looks that way. A few weeks ago, we had a meeting with Dr. Savidov, a researcher from the Crop Diversification Centre in Brooks, Alberta to explore a new bit of technology called aquaponics. It works a little like hydroponics, except that the water used to grow the plants (basil, in this case) is inhabited by tilapia fish. So, in the process of raising the fish for harvest, the waste solids are utilized by basil plants that grow aquaponically. Apparently, findings show that the micro-organisms in the water make aquaponic systems even more effective than hydroponic operations. Hmm…fish with basil tarter sauce—who knew environmental efficiency and sustainability could sound so delicious?
Did You Know?
The common lawn weed ‘plantain’ (Plantago major) has 300 different common names!
Quote
“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.”
–Albert Camus
