Lor's Seed Project

[U4ea]

Ok, last year Twinny and I were talking about this for the Seed exchange and a lot of things happened to keep it from happening. This year, I'd like to try it!

 

Here's what I want to do:

1- mail people the same packet of stuff (pot, soil, seeds, etc)

2- You plant the seeds and keep a journal of the little plant's progress (with pictures if possible).

 

That's pretty much it. I bought these neat pots a few months ago that you color yourself and I think I know which seeds to send (they're really neat to watch!). All I need is some guinea pigs that will let me send it to them and would be willing to get their hands dirty taking care of them!

 

 

So, who's in? What questions do you have?

[Celarisa]

I'd be willing to give it a go.  But only if I have EXPLICIT instructions on how to take care of my new little friend.  And by that I mean "water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays" etc.  haha I've never successfully grown anything.  The only plant that I've ever had that has survived more than a week or two is a lovely Christmas cactus that I received as a gift one year.  It lives at my grandma's and she has taken care of it for 12 years now!  I don't like to even go near it when I visit her because I'm afraid I will damage it!  haha ;)

[U4ea]

*laughs* I'll do my best about specifics. ;) I know what you mean about over-loving your plants, though. I'm particularly good at that. LOL  I had a friend tell me once it was because I loved them to death, so I guess I'll just keep going with that because it sounds good. ;)

[Celarisa]

Definitely going to adopt that one.  It sounds much better than just plain killing!  haha ;)

[Torrie]

You make it sound like taking care of the plant would be a chore, Lor. lol

 

I'll happily be a guinea pig.  :)

[twinflower]

ok sis I'm game!  I'll try it..and if you've touched it..how can the silly thing NOT grow!  *smiles*

 

Now how much should I send you for the pot and stuff?  Or will you use the Kin Fund?  Which you should...at the very least for the postaage!

[Zarine]

Count me in! I've just really gotten into gardening (at least the potted plant variety).

[twinflower]

ZARINE!  *hugs* It's great to see you hon!  HOw are you?  Did you graduate yet?  Say..how did that summer sighning project go?  LOL  I am behind...

 

What other kind of potted plants are you growing?

[Zarine]

*huggles* I'm alright gearing up for exams next week and I still have one more year left here. I actually ended up volunteering at a clinic over the summer and I'm hoping to volunteer there again. I can also knit socks now! I'm growing basil, chives, parsley, oregano, and pixie lilies. How have you been Twinny!?!

[Reyn]

I would love to get a flower to actually bloom for me - my mom gave me one and it hasn't died or grown in the past few months so I sorta resent it now every time I go to water it... stupid plant.

 

 

Please help me grow something pretty!

[twinflower]

lol What kind of plant is it Reyn?  Maybe this is just it's slumber time?  I bet Lor can figure it out!

 

Zarine can knit socks!  HOLY COW! thats awesome!  lol  I looked at the books of how to knit or crochet them and it just looked to complicated..although I would like to give the crochet ones a go!  Sounds like you have a little herb garden going on there!  Are you going to use them cooking?

[Reyn]

Mom says its an African Violet plant...

[Zarine]

I haven't been able to use them yet since they're still growing. Ravelry has some free patterns for crochet socks. I can't really crochet, but some of them are rated easy. :) Tell me how they work out if you try! How have you been Twinny?

[U4ea]

ooo, I can kill an african violet VERY fast. Right up there with ferns! *smirks*

 

Try checking the roots to make sure it's still got room in the pot to grow. When plants get rootbound one of two things happens- 1) it doesn't ever get any bigger and it probably won't bloom or 2) it dies a horrible and ugly death. I'm really good at #2. You can tell it's root bound when you pull the whole bit (dirt and all) out of the pot. If you see roots along the edge of the dirt closest to the pot, try putting it in a bigger pot!

 

 

Alright, I'm getting the goodies to finish up these boxes this weekend (my budget took a hit thanks to a growing Peanut who needed shorts and JordanCon! Sorry about the tardiness!) so hopefully I'll get them out this weekend! I'm still dancing between seed options, but I think I found something that will work! :D YAY!

[Reyn]

I dunno, I think when my mom uprooted it to give it to me it never really rooted into the pot I put it in, which is at least deep enough if not wide enough that it should be fine. I started looking online and now I wonder if it's getting enough light - I mean, I have it sitting next to TWO windows which I thought would work, but then we don't really keep many lights on in the house once it gets dark and its in one of those rooms that stays dark most of the time.

 

I may just have to go invest in some actual plant stuffs- a better pot, maybe some fertilizer as I don't think the dirt it's in is very good... Any recommendations?

[U4ea]

Hmm... maybe a UV lamp? It's just a bulb that fits in any regular lamp, but it gives off UV rays so you can grow plants.

 

eh, I think I'd change the dirt first. My favorite is this kind, which I will be mailing out with the seed project goodies very soon! *smiles* I bought the seeds today and a few other little odds and ends. *grins and rubs her hands together* I also use the shake & feed miracle grow fertilizer/plant food because it doesn't all dissolve at the same time and it'll feed the plant for up to 3 months! :D

[Zarine]

Hm... Maybe I should try that on my herb garden and other plants. I might have to try that soil too when I replant things. *waits excitedly for summer break to try all this out*

[Reyn]

I bought some soil that's supposed to feed the plants for a few months - not the moisture control though. Hmm..

 

OH and I got so hopeful that I ended up buying a few more flower seeds to plant =)

[U4ea]

*grins* be careful, it's addictive. Why else did I put Peanut to bed and then go outside to cover my new bag of potting soil... and then spend the next 45 minutes potting and repotting plants? *grins* You'll have a window garden in NO TIME! *rubs her hands together and plans*

[Reyn]

Just wish I had the time to make our yard less weed-ridden and more flowery =(

Need time AND moneys....

 

I wish you guys lived close to me so we could all have a gardening party at my place! lol

 

Check out what most of my yard looks like -

This was taken in January, and after chopping apart ALL those weeds everything is just as bad now as before =(

I tried pulling up the weeds by the roots, but it just didn't help... and how am I supposed to plant flowers when I can't get rid of the weeds first?

[U4ea]

Try plant food with weed killer! I'd also recommend a shovel for the bigger ones like you're hacking up in that pic (I love gardening pics, btw... *grins*). Just uproot everything, dirt and all and get rid of it. Replace it with some good top soil (be prepared for the smell... it's BAD) and then line it with weed stopper. The top soil usually runs around $5 and 10 a bag, so do it in patches and it won't hurt as much. The weed block is a netting that you lay over the top of the dirt that prevents weeds from getting sunlight. When you want to plant something, you just cut a hole in the netting and plant it. Then cover the netting with bark or pine straw. Again, the bark and pine straw can get pretty expensive when you do it in bulk, even though it's not horribly expensive in smaller doses, so I'd seriously do a patch at a time.

 

Yeah, I know, that's not going to help you with the time part. LOL As soon as I figure out how to get more of that, I'll let you in on the secret for free before I sell it and get rich! :D

 

 

 

And I'd love a gardening party! *Has visions of gardening gloves and a truck full of fragrant plants fresh from Home Depot...*

 

 

 

*sighs wistfully*

[Zarine]

*grins* be careful, it's addictive. Why else did I put Peanut to bed and then go outside to cover my new bag of potting soil... and then spend the next 45 minutes potting and repotting plants? *grins* You'll have a window garden in NO TIME! *rubs her hands together and plans*

 

*laughs* This fall I'll have a balcony and it can expand out there until it gets cold outside! I'm hoping to get some strawberries and pineapple sage in a week or so.

[Reyn]

Lor, you are my Garden Goddess! I thought I'd seen my mom use weed block before when she started her own garden years back but I couldn't remember what it was called and no one knew what I was talking about! I will see if I can find some and will try to start on my gardening when I get my next paycheck =) The boyfriend is gonna hate me spending lotsa moneys on garden stuffs but oh well. Now if only I had started this project earlier - isn't it too late to plant, until fall?

[U4ea]

Most everything you buy in the store right now will be fine for the summer. Check the seeds and bulbs if you buy them, though. They'll always tell you when is the best time to plant for your area.

 

 

And you have no idea how wonderful it is for me to talk about this with dirt under my nails again. *smiles* My garden has been horribly ignored since I had Peanut, but she's old enough that she's starting to add her own touch to the garden, so it's all good! I bought her a ton of gardening equipment all done up in the Disney princess motif for Easter and we're planting away! *grins*

[Reyn]

Aww cute! How old is she?

 

Most of the stuff I found said to plant through April, I think a bare few said through May... but I'll of course do some hunting and plant away regardless ;)

 

I bought some Columbine seeds yesterday- I was upset that they don't bloom until the following year, but they look so pretty I had to buy them anyways lol!