Temptingly early Spring Bits and Bobs.- 2017

[tigerburnie]

Finally got the roots out of the new brassica/tattie bed, just need to get more compost dug in.

[Westi]

Tiger it is asparagus, I love it blanched & griddled with some balsamic or flavoured oils. (Not keen on it just boiled).
Robo - yours is ready??? Jealous!!

[Monika]

A lousy wet and windy weekend and early Monday turned into a beautiful late afternoon and evening with a gorgeous sunset and double rainbow. Snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Gardening on hold, outside at least.

[robo]

I'm surprised westi it's been a long cold wet winter but I had six longish ones and another four I've left for a few days

[Ricard with an H]

I started gardening, just weeding the strawberry patch was enough. Foxglove and ragwort, some the size of dinner plates, most others the size of side plates. I got a wheelbarrow full out of an 8 X 8 foot raised bed and there was no sign of those back end of autumn. It was difficult getting then out and disturbing the new growth of strawberry. Also started digging out along the stock fence where the bare hedging it to planted. I glyphosate along the fence in October, all the perennials died back and made room for new growth that has grown over winter.

[oldherbaceous]

It seems to be yet another funny year, some things seem early, others seem very late.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Beautiful morning, bright sunshine, a bit of ice and a sprinkle of snow on the rooves.

We do live on a varied little island don't we. Robo has had a cold wet winter and our bit of Yorkshire has been much drier with fewer not so keen frosts than most winters. Everything is much more advanced than usual with leaves opening on the trees already. It's usually towards the end of April.

It's been so mild that I harvested a beautiful Romanesco broccoli yesterday and they don't usually get past the first frosts.

The frog orgy has ended and the heron is patrolling the pond snacking on any lingering frogs. When things were in full swing last week I counted 73 frogs but now it is very still with masses of spawn and the surface of the pond covered in all the disturbed pond plants.

[Ricard with an H]

I forgot to mention, the effect from mulching in the strawberry bed with comfrey is more than obvious. Ok, there are weeds in the other beds but the weeds in the bed that I mulched with comfrey are very big and many of the strawberry plants are burnt.

I mulched with comfrey because I had lots left over and it was recommended someplace I was reading though I don't remember a warning about burning from the rotting leaves even though I am aware that strong liquid comfrey is a plant killer. Im still not sure how to use bone meal after reading a warning not to let it touch anything and even though digging in was mentioned, digging it in can result in contact. Im left with surface sprinkling or rather digging into the surface.

[Geoff]

Forgot your bone meal conundrum. When I plant shrubs I usually fork some into the bottom of the hole and mix some with the back fill. I suppose if you are planting small hedging whips in difficult terrain you won't be making much of a hole so probably all you can do is fork it into the surface. It is still I think the recommended way of establishing shrubs even with this fancy root stuff available. According to Beechgrove, leafmould is supposed to help too as it also contains the bacteria but for free.

[Ricard with an H]

Thanks Geoff, and you didn't pick up on willow water, I have bought the rootgrow stuff, I used it last time and had 100% success with remarkable pick up though it was my only choice at the time. Willow water encourages roots via a chemical that you can leach out of first season willow. A neighbor is planting sea buckthorne on the basis of the success of mine but have volunteered to use willow water whilst I use Rootgrow for a comparison.

As it happens, sea buckthorne appears to root from a cutting as readily as willow. I cut some new growth and stuck it in the ground two months ago, it has rooted alread but I had already paid for a bucket of rootgrow.

No one selling Rootgrow talks about willow water in their discussions and advise on bare root or cuttings propagation.

[Geoff]

I spotted your mention of willow water but have never come across it or know anything about it.
The trees were ordered as Caucasian Fir 20-30cm and Norway Spruce 30-50cm, against a 45cm ruler you can see they didn't come quite like that, Caucasian on the left, but good plants.

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This time I have planted through fabric that was a bit of a bugger as the good quality plants required decent holes rather than the slits I planned, found a large bulb planter helpful. They didn't arrive until today and we are out all day tomorrow so I have been planting them in hail showers. Finished in the dark so not the best of photos - the one with a label is a Monkey Puzzle I've been given. The remains of the previous batch planted in 2011 are in the background, those I kept mulched with lawn mowings (another reason to pick them up!) and never needed to strim just easily pulled up anything that got going.

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[PLUMPUDDING]

Your tip about using willow water as a rooting hormone is interesting Richard. I've just looked it up and it sounds very easy to make from any variety of willow. You can soak the chopped up actively growing shoots in either boiling water for 24 hours (think they mean boil it up and let it soak) or cold water for 4 weeks to extract the salicylic acid (which keeps the cuttings you are rooting bacteria free) and the rooting hormone IBA. Strain it and it can be kept in a bottle for up to 2 months.

[Ricard with an H]

Thanks for the photos Geoff, and at the end of a nasty day. I got caught three times in hail squalls, Beti was still walking around with a ball in her mouth and an inch if hail melting on her back, I'm reading a book by Monty Don about Nigel. Beti is a smaller black Nigel in many ways.

I cut some one year growth willow tips then put them through my fine-shredder, my neighbor will use the willow water whilst I use the Rootgrow for comparison though I suspect the sea buckthorn is so hardy and easy to grow it doesn't need help.

Have you got any willow Geoff ?

Is it me ? I'm very sad that there is so much dishonesty. I'm talking about selling in particular. So many people are dishonest and wouldn't it be nice if we can trust the claims made and descriptions.

[Geoff]

Yes I have willow. I have one in particular that should come out really but I keep cutting it down to the ground instead so that would provide plenty of shoots.
I hope the large Caucasians take OK, the spruce are about as expected. Meant to say the hedge is just over 6' to give a scale.
Another mixture of wet and white this morning, wondering about taking a diversion for our trip out to avoid high point that will probably be white and definitely unsalted.

[Ricard with an H]

Yes I have willow. I have one in particular that should come out really but I keep cutting it down to the ground instead so that would provide plenty of shoots.
.

I was about to kill some willow that I keep cutting down though now I have some use I may keep them, I killed one of by trying the copper nails trick. It worked a treat, after cutting it to the soil I hammered copper roofing nails into the stump. It never threw any new shoots the following season and yesterday I pulled it out without any tools. Thats two seasons, first season dead, second season rotted. I'm a sad murderer.

So, presumably any cuttings will respond to willow water as well as bare root plants. I'll try it on escalonia this year just as soon as the willows throw up new growth.