Coral bells & stratification of seeds

So, half of our property is in pretty deep shade, so coral bells are starting to look appealing (they handle shade just fine).

I harvested some seeds last year and will try my hand at propagating them this year, based on the following instructions:

1. Collect coral bells seeds after blooming is completed. Allow the seed pods--located at the base of the blossoms--to dry on the plant, and then remove them and collect the seeds.
2. Cold-stratify the seeds by placing them in a brown paper bag with moist vermiculite and storing them in the refrigerator for 6 weeks, a process that ensures more effective germination.
3. Start the seeds indoor two months ahead of when you want to plant them outside--normally, after danger of last frost has passed. Sow the coral bells seeds over potting mix in a seed tray. Do not cover the seeds with mix; simply scatter them on top of the soil. Spray well with a mister to moisten the soil without disturbing the seeds.
4. Place the seed tray in a clear plastic bag, and put it in bright, indirect light. You may want to use an undertray heating pad to keep soil temperature at 65 to 75 degrees; a draft-free corner of your house can work just as well.
5. Remove the plastic when the seeds germinate, usually within 3 weeks. Place the tray in a sunny windowsill or under a grow light. Keep the soil evenly moist, but don't allow it to become water-logged or soggy.
6. Transplant the coral bells seedlings into small clay flowerpots filled with potting soil when each seedling has two sets of true leaves. Water thoroughly, and return to the windowsill. Keep the soil moist.
7. Plant the seedlings outdoors, after the last frost date, in a location with sun to partial shade and with well-drained, moist soil with a pH 6.1 to 7.8. Space the seedlings 9 to 12 inches apart. Water well, and water thereafter to keep soil moist as the seedlings are establishing themselves.
8. Add a 1-inch layer of organic mulch after transplanting to conserve moisture, protect the roots and provide a barrier against fungal diseases.
9. Fertilize the seedlings a week after transplanting with a water-soluble, all-purpose fertilizer, and repeat every four months in the growing season. Keep watered and weeded for the rest of the summer. If your coral bells don't bloom the first year, they probably will by the second.

You can also propagate them from cuttings:

Cut off a healthy leaf and a couple inches of the petiole, the stalk that is between the leaf and the stem. Do this in the fall, according Michigan State University Extension. Then, dip the end of the petiole in rooting hormone which may help it root better. Place the petiole in moist vermiculite or sand. In a couple weeks, roots should start to form. Tug on the leaf cutting and if you feel some resistance, it's working. Replant outdoors in the spring after the last frost.

... and from division:

Coral bells are easily propagated through division in the spring. You should divide your coral bells once every three to four years. Dig around clumps of coral bells about 6 to 8 inches deep and gently lift the clump out of the ground. Brush off the soil and examine their roots. Separate the plants by tugging on the roots to divide them. You can also use a sharp knife to divide the roots. Each section should have healthy roots and a healthy section of the plant. The center, woody part of the clump should be discarded. Replant immediately.

This "stratification" business needs a little clarification:

place the seeds in a sealed plastic bag with moistened vermiculite (or sand or even a moistened paper towel) and refrigerate it. Use three times the amount of vermiculite as seeds. It is important to only slightly dampen the vermiculite, as excessive moisture can cause the seeds to grow mouldy in the bag.

Oxalis over winter

From here:

Oxalis that are grown from bulbs require lots of water; they wilt if the soil is allowed to dry out. They will sometimes wilt during the hottest part of a hot summer day and it’s therefore best to protect them from strong midday sun. They are also heavy feeders and should be planted in a well-drained planting medium to which some soil or compost has been added. During the growing season they require regular applications of fertilizer or their foliage will etiolate.

In the fall, if the plant is not being overwintered in a bright indoor location, pots of oxalis bulbs can be allowed to dry off by withholding water. The pots should be moved inside before there is a danger that the bulbs will freeze, although the foliage can be exposed to frost as that will hasten its drying off. The pots with their bulbs can then be stored in a cool, dark location for the winter.

In early March the pots can be brought out of storage and watered. New growth will soon appear at which time the plants should be placed in strong direct light. By mid-May, when they are put outside, they will already be in bud. If the bulbs have been potted for a couple of years, they should be dumped out of their pots in the spring and the bulbs collected. They can be replanted, about three cm apart in new potting mix, and given water and good direct light to encourage growth.

Patio ideas

source

Bucket drip irrigation

A pet idea of mine -- using an elevated 5 gallon bucket to feed a drip irrigation system -- turns out to have occurred to a lot of people a while ago; so much so that not only is there is a kit available, somebody's written a thesis on it.

So, apart from the kit, a variety of home-brew systems have also been suggested. Here are some links to resources:

• The kit is called Chapin Living Waters and can be bought here ($22.50)
  A presentation showing how it's used
• An alternative espoused elsewhere uses pipes with screws drilled through. Drive the screw right through as far as it can go, then pull it back a bit to let some water drip through
• Here's a page that uses 1/4" vinyl tubing
• Home Depot has a bunch of drip irrigation stuff
• Here's a simple how-to using drip irrigation kit
• Here's a fascinating exchange between some very patient people trying (ultimately successfully) to start a small-scale veggie farm in Africa using a bucket-drip system. The expert on this project did a good overview of a bunch of implementations of the bucket-drip system

To bed for winter

Ok, I'm trying my sister's suggestions for putting the bed to bed for winter. Here's the gist:

• layer compost on top (we dug in two beds and just laid it on top in the other two)
• put mulch over that (maple leaves, pretty much)
• apply some urea (a small handful per bed)

I did some variation by way of an experiment. We have 4 beds - starting with the one closest to the house, going clockwise, let's call them A, B, C, D.

A & B - dug in compost, mulched leaves, urea dissolved in 5 gallons of water.
C - dug in compost, leaves only partially mulched, urea just sprinkled on top of the compost
D - dissolved urea, compost laid on top

Let's see what happens!

Corn Gluten as a weed killer

From here:

Corn gluten acts by inhibiting the growth of the roots of seedlings, causing them to die by dehydration when the soil dries out. It acts on sprouting plants but does not affect more established ones. In fact, due to its nitrogen content, it causes larger plants to grow more vigorously [...] High cost is one of the main drawbacks to using corn gluten. It is more expensive to apply at the recommended strength than chemical herbicides 

 See also:

• Iowa State U page - lots of good resources

Soil rejuvinator

My sister suggested the following formula for revitalizing soil (she claims it encourages the bugs that enriches the soil):

• 4 parts seed meal
• 1 part lime / dolomite / calcium carb (equivalent)
• 1/2 part bone meal
• 1/2 part kelp meal