EasyBloom Update
April 18, 2009 by Papa
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My favorite garden tool- the EasyBloom has undergone a killer update. When you login to your dashboard or download new data there’s a new option under “My Readings” called “Plants View”. The “Plants View” lets you see your data collected by the EasyBloom. I won’t say it because I suggested it but…….. I did suggest it!
Plant View Screen Capture
Topsy Turvey Alternate for Hanging Tomatoes and Flowers
April 11, 2009 by Papa
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- Hanging Plant Bag
It constantly amazes me how old-is-new-again. Over 30 years ago my Grandfather showed me how to take super-duty garbage bags or landscaping weed block cloth and make a hanging basket. Yes, they were crude looking and sometimes the plastic split open spilling the dirt and plants out but when it worked it was beautiful- the flowers would fill in quickly and make it look like there was a mass of plant suspended in the air.
Like many of our other projects we got a “grandma eye-roll” when he suggested we try it with tomatoes and squash. His thought was that the water and nutrients in the soil obey gravity and flow down. Even though he had a 17 acre farm with fruits and vegetables we were off to plant a few hanging bags with tomatoes and squash.
The experiment was quite successful. Grandma was overwhelmed with tomatoes and had more squash than she could cook. Now fast forward quite a few years- I open a Gardener’s Supply catalog and see an $80 tomato planter where the plant is placed pointed out of the bottom to- “allow for best water and nutrient absorption”. Fast forward a few more years and you’ll find thousands of store displays, TV ads and even Internet spam touting the virtues of Topsy Turvey, the latest version of the hanging plant bag. You can have your very own for $9.99 to $16.99 depending on the seller. But wait…
I’ve found and use a much better and cheaper alternative. A small German company- Bosse Gartenbaubedarf makes the “Plant-in-Bag” planter. They have 2 primary designs- one with plant ports around all sides and the other with them only on the front. They also offer different sizes. The best part is they are much more durable and heavy duty than the Topsy Turvey and they are much cheaper! There seems to be only one US distributor of the Plant-in-Bag and you can order from him using the link below. All of the bags offered are under $2 each!
Stamped right on the bags is a web address to the planting instructions. I currently have 4 bags planted and as spring advances I’ll be setting up more. I plant them a bit different than the site suggests. For soil I combine top soil and potting soil 1:1. This mix holds moisture well without being too dense. I add the soil to the bag while lifting and dropping the bag to pack the soil into the bag somewhat. The site suggests watering the bag at this point but I skip that step for now. Once the bag is full I use 2 or 3 fingers to drill a hole into the soil at the pre-cut holes in the bag. I make sure the hole is a bit bigger than the plug I’ll be planting. Then I insert the plant plug and give the bag a few small lifts and drops to pack the soil around the root plugs.
Once I fill as many of the pre-cut plant slits as I want (I rarely use the all) I give the bag its final lift and drop, top off the soil, add some mulch to the top and water thoroughly and hang. Then its just a matter of watering from the top every few days and harvesting the bounty.
As I said- there seem to be only one source for these bags in North America. You can buy from him using the link below.
Ultimate African Violet Pots- Oyama Pots
April 11, 2009 by Papa
Filed under Uncategorized
Oyama Pots
My African Violet addiction is well known. I have about 30 violets in Papa’s sun room, office and kitchen window. All but 4 are in Oyama Self-watering pots. The Oyama pots range in size from 1 1/2 inches to 8 inches in diameter. They come in white, dark green and the harder to find tera cota color. The darker colors help keep algae growth down if you have the pots in use in a really sunny spot. The smallest pots are great for leaf starting and mini-violets. The Oyama pots are made of 2 pieces- the inner and outer cup. The outer cup is what you see and it holds the water that is wicked up through the bottom of the inner cup.
To use an Oyama planter you need a layer of Perlite. Perlite is an organic material formed from volcanic ash. It is technically a rock and is white, light and porous. One quart of perlite will setup quite a few Oyama pots since you don’t need too much. There is a perlite fill line on the inside of the inner cups. Simply fill the inner pot to the line and add a good African Violet soil mix on top. I then add the violet from its former pot and use a tablespoon to add soil around the sides of the root plug.
Potting African Violets can be an art form- if done wrong you could loose the plant or at least a set of leaves. I take my time during this step and pack the soil around the roots and make sure the leaves are not touching the soil. If I’m intending on using a leave trainer I add it now. Then I fill the outer cup with room temp water and let the perlite and soil absorb the water for 4-8 hours before topping it off again and placing the African Violet in its intended spot.
Each size of Oyama Pots has a different water reservoir to inner pot ratio. The biggest and smallest cups need more frequent water checks because the water holder has less volume than the mid-sized Oyamas. I avoid using the 6″ or larger pots simply for this reason. Twice a week I check the water levels in the outer cup and top off the level as needed. Once a month I rinse out the cups and add fertilizer to the mix.
I use the Oyama pots not only for African Violets but a few moisture loving plants such as sinulara and jewel orchids. I am sure there are other plants that would thrive in these pots; I just haven’t planted any yet. If I had to come up with one complaint on the pots it would be how it is sometimes challenging to lift out the inner pot to add water and place it back without crushing or breaking a leaf or 2. If I was asked how the pots could be improved I’d add a clear strip into the outer cup so the water level can be checked without having to lift out the plant. Of course I’d also add a watering hole so water levels can be topped off without needing to lift out the plant.
I love my violets and love these pots. They can be hard to find but I know a seller who has a constant supply, great prices and ships fast. You can see his selection below and use the link to buy your very own Oyama pots.
EasyBloom Update
April 11, 2009 by Papa
Filed under Uncategorized
African Violets in Winter
Check out a somewhat random picture from Papa’s sun room. I took the picture in early Febuary 09 to show the snow we started to get one morning. By the end of the day well over a foot piled up- quite a bit for this below-the-Mason-Dixson state of Maryland. Look at those African Violets…
As I posted earlier I’ve been really pleased with my violets growth and vigor but my EasyBloom is suggesting I stick with plants that require much less light than violets. A bit over a week ago I received a message from one of the self-proclaimed “nerds” behind the EasyBloom. He let me know that based on my information they revisited the information used for African Violets, looked at my data from the sunroom and revised their database.
The reference they had been using for the data is an industry standard. He explained and I can’t agree more- he realizes the wants of commercial growers and home gardeners are different. They used my information along with the reference to update the database to show African Violets under lower light levels than previously listed.
Its rainy and cool outside today so I’ll be working (and playing) inside. I’ll try to remember to snap a picture of those same African Violets today. You’ll be impressed with the growth in just under 2 months.
Pond Project Day 2
April 2, 2009 by Papa
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Well, day 2 of the pond project took place last weekend between the spring rain, a birthday party and finishing my taxes. Day 2 consisted almost entirely of digging the hole for the preformed pond, leveling it and filling it with water as I back filled the hole with sand and dirt. Leveling a 65 gallon pond form is pretty simple compared to larger ones. I used a 3 foot level mounted on a 6 foot 2 x 4. I checked the level is each direction at the different sides of the pond around the perimeter.
I made sure to have the top rim of the pond ~2 inches above ground level so rainwater will not flow directly into the pond. It also allows for me to landscape and mulch around the pond with clearance so everything does not end up in the water. Within a 2 hour period I had the right shaped hole dug (including root removal!), a nice sand base laid down, everything leveled and the hole back filled. By the end of the 2 hours the pond was filled with water and I threw the pump in to get the water swirling.
I have a self-imposed week long wait period at this point. There is a really good chance I’ll need to drain and adjust the leveling after setteling occurs. The simple act of backfilling one side quicker or tighter than the other can be enough to throw off the level. I’m type A enough to know that if this happens it will drive me insane- so I wait for the major settling to happen before I go any further.
Soon I’ll adjust the level and move on to finishing the area around the pond with landscaping (plants, rocks, waterfall), add some fish and water plants I rescued from the old pool and hard install the pump system.
