Starting Vegetables from Cuttings by Byron Chitwood

I recently wrote an article for the newspaper describing how to start tomato plants from cuttings.  Some other vegetable plants can also be started from cuttings but the method might differ slightly from one vegetable to the other.  This article will elaborate on how to start all kinds of pepper plants from cuttings.

If you have kept your pepper plants alive that were planted in the spring and there was one of these that was really productive, use this plant for the cuttings that you are going to use for rooting.  For the container, I like a clear plastic one that is at least four inches deep.  Drill or cut at least one hole in the bottom for drainage.  Fill the container with a good potting soil or one that you have mixed using equal amounts of peat moss, Vermiculite or pearlite and well composted organic material.  Make sure the potting mixture is moist.  Punch a hole with a Dipple stick or some other sharp object about three inches deep in the soil mixture.  Now, you have a pot that is ready to receive a cutting.  If you are in doubt about the chances of success of one cutting, make several holes in the soil for more than a single cutting.

Use a sterile cutting tool or knife for taking cuttings from the healthy plant that has been selected for the propagation process.  As you are aware, the tomato plants have hair like growth on the stems which form into roots.  However, the pepper plant forms roots at the bulblike growth or node where the leaves are attached to the stem.  Snip the specimens so that there are at least two of the nodes making sure to cut below the bottom node.  Snip the leaves off the bottom node and dip the bottom end of the cutting into a rooting stimulator.  Then, place the stem of the cuttings into the hole in the potting soil mixture to a depth that the remaining leaves are above the soil level.  Lightly tamp the soil around the stem in order to close large voids.

You can build a small greenhouse over the top of the pot with a small sandwich bag that is secured to the container with a rubber band.  Make sure that the top of the greenhouse does not touch the cutting.  This will help maintain a relatively high humidity which the pepper plant will like.  The cutting will start roots if the top is kept at about 70 degrees F and the soil is about 10 degrees warmer.  Just place the container on a window   sill or lighted area a dark mat under the container.  Keep the soil slightly moistened and periodically mist the top of the plant in order to maintain a high humidity level.

After the cutting has formed roots and they are about one inch long, transplant it to a larger container if you are planning on keeping it to full maturity in a container.  Otherwise, plant the pepper plant in the garden at a depth that will not exceed that of the soil level in the propagation pot.

Starting plants from cuttings is easy and will give you the satisfaction of thinking and saying “look what I did”.

Fall Gardening by Byron Chitwood

In the heat of the summer, it is difficult to think about starting a new garden.  However, this is the time to begin thinking about a fall garden.  You can plant almost everything in a fall garden that you do for spring except asparagus.  You might have to start with seeds for most of the vegetables that you plan to grow.

The first two that need to be planted are tomatoes and peppers.  These are usually not available in our area until much later.  The best way to start tomato and pepper plants from seeds is to start them in small pots in the house or some cool place.  If you started them in mid June, they will be ready to transplant to the garden in mid to late July.  Before transplanting, clear out the bed by pulling all the old plants or tilling them under.  Till the plot several times to completely break up the clods.  Before the second pass with the tiller, add some slow release high nitrogen fertilizer and then till this in.  The slow release will insure that the young plants have enough fertilizer to last throughout their growing and producing cycle.  Dig small holes and plant the transplants about an inch deeper than the level of the soil in the pot.  Take care in this process to not break or otherwise damage the delicate stem of the young transplants.  Keep the young plants moist while they are getting acquainted to their new environment.  During this time of the year, it might be advisable to water lightly at least one time a day.  After the plants are established, water deeply as needed.

Another vegetable that can be grown in the fall is potatoes.  You won’t find any seed potatoes at the nursery but if you still have some that you harvested in the fall; some of them will be starting to bud at the “eyes”.  Use these for your seed potatoes.  Cut the individual potatoes into several pieces which have at least one eye per piece.  Also, you might have some of your spring potatoes that you missed when harvesting that are starting to sprout.  These can be easily transplanted or left to grow where they are.  Plant the potato seeds in trenches that are 4 to 6 inches deep and about a foot wide.  If you have some bagged leaves or compost, cover the potatoes in the bottom of the trench with this organic material and then add back the soil that was dug to form the trenches.

Again, I will emphasize that fall gardens are great.  You will have fewer insects and sooner or later will get some rain that will keep the soil moist longer during the cooler season.  Salad greens such as lettuce and spinach will thrive in the fall and be much tastier than some of the spring ones.  Also, the fall is a perfect season for growing all kinds of greens such as Swiss chard, mustard greens, collards, kale and turnips.  Plant plenty of these for both your own use and to give to some of your closest friends.

Every year, I preach about the benefits of a fall garden and a lot of folks are catching on.  For my planting guide, email me at: chitwood@geusnet and I will send you a copy at the earliest possible time

Spring Gardening by Wanda Loras

Gardening is good for the soul.  My rewards are plentiful and varied.  They come after many hours of planning, frustration, labor, sweat and forced patience.   In the beginning the rewards from all the work is only the picture I imagine of what will be someday.

For new beds, my first step is to select the site for my bed and draw a diagram of what I want to plant.  Next I send for a soil sample.  While I am waiting for the soil sample results, I spray unwanted vegetation with roundup.  I wait for a minimum of ten days before cultivation.  The soil sample results include the ph of my soil along with what amendments if any are required.   I then add these amendments along with three inches of compost and cultivate to a depth of six to eight inches.  After I plant my flowers, bulbs, and shrubs I then add three inches of mulch to keep out the weeds, preserve moisture, and keep the roots at a more constant temperature.  My active role in gardening is landscaping, but the bed I prepared is good for vegetables, herbs, shrubs, bulbs, perennials and annual flowers.

When the bulbs bloom they bring a whisper of spring in the cold of winter.  I look out my window on a dreary cloudy winter day and see sunshine in the daffodils peeking out to say hello. The purple hyacinths stand bold against the cold north wind.  The sight gives me a boost of energy and cheers me on for the rest of the day because now I know spring is not far away.

In winter, I especially enjoy watching the robins when they come to feast on the berries in the Yaupons and Hollies.  They bring a little nostalgia to me because their skip walk reminds me of playing hop scotch when I was an adolescent

After hours of blood, sweat, and tears early on, spring arrives and my garden transforms into my own personal arboretum.  The buds burst open into flowers and there is such an array of colors, shapes, and aromas that it takes my breath away.  It just makes me feel good all over.  It is rewarding to know I had a very small hand in this miracle from nature.

Now the garden gets really busy.  The bees are pollinating the flowers.  The birds are building nests among the inviting shrubs, vines and trees.  The butterflies make their entrance. The humming birds start squabbling over the nectar from the flowers and blooming shrubs.  There is truth to the saying, “Build it and they will come.”

Of course, you do not have to be a gardener to enjoy the rewards of gardening.  Your neighbor may bring you some vine ripened tomatoes or as you drive down the road and see flowers cheerfully swaying in the breeze maybe just for that moment you identify with the wonders of nature and get the feeling that everything is going to be all right.  These are the rewards I get from gardening.

Poison Ivy and Poison Oak by June Morgan

It happens every spring. An enthusiastic gardener bent on cleaning out weeds and vines overtaking the shrubbery and fences ends up with a noxious itching and blistering rash which makes him miserable for days, even weeks. The likely culprit is one or both of the plant pests, poison ivy and poison oak which deliver the stick-to-the-skin resin urushiol.

The best defenses are identification and prevention. The appearances of poison oak and ivy have several things in common, one being the tell-tale three leaves on a woody stalk. However, leaves of the oak vine occasionally have 5, 7, or even 9 leaflets. They strongly resemble oak leaves with toothed or deeply lobed edges. In the fall, they will turn red/orange and in the Spring white-green flowers appear which turn to round fruits in summer. The fruits of the ivy vine are grapelike clusters of tiny white seeds with an off-white or pale yellow rind and the leaf edges are smooth or slightly toothed. Needless to say, birds eat these fruits and seeds, compounding the problem of control. Leaves of the same variety often present differing appearances according to their geographical area, so it is wise to find pictures of the poison vines and their non-poisonous relatives.

A hiker roaming through the woods can easily walk through a knee deep patch of these pests as well as brushing against a large tree hosting an ivy vine as thick as one’s arm.  Hand removal of the vines must be done very carefully with lots of skin protection and deep digging. In addition to plastic gloves and cloth coverings, a protective cream(Ivy Block) and a skin oil remover (Tecnu) is available at many drug stores. Once exposure is known, within 5 minutes pour a mild solvent such as rubbing alcohol over the area, then wash with plenty of cold water. Dogs, shoes, and tools must also be decontaminated to keep from spreading the oil. Both the stumps and leaves can be sprayed with one or a combination of several chemicals: glysophate (Roundup, etc.), triclopyr(Spectracide], or 2-4-D and dicamba. Read the directions carefully in order to apply at the correct times and amounts.

The dermatitis caused by the oleoresins of the vines can be quite serious. The misery can cause loss of work, sleeplessness and in some cases, hospitalization. Besides an anaphalactic shock reaction, extreme pain and possible fatality can occur when inhaling the smoke of burning vines. DO NOT EVER BURN THE POISON VINES!

Old and standard treatments for uroshiol dermatitis usually consist of calamine lotion and oatmeal baths, but the victim often wants something stronger. Steroids by injection or cream, or an OTC  preparation designated for poison ivy and oak will probably give faster relief.  The fluid from the blisters  will not cause a spread of the rash, but any remaining resin on the skin or involved objects can do so.

REMINDER: Identify, protect, remove, and never burn!

Mistletoe by Madeline Sullivan.

Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. These plants grow attached to the branches of a tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium.  Through this structure, they absorb nutrients from the host plant.

European mistletoe is easily recognized by its smooth-edged oval evergreen leaves seen in pairs along a woody stem with waxy white berries in dense clusters of 2 to 6.  In America, while the genus Viscum does not grow wild, the eastern mistletoe is similar, but has shorter, broader leaves and longer clusters of 10 or more berries.

Mistletoe is a poisonous plant. However, both European mistletoe and the North American species are commercially harvested for Christmas decorations.  When Christianity became widespread in Europe after the 3^rd century AD, religious or mystical respect for the mistletoe plant was integrated to an extent into the new religion. In a way that is not presently understood, this may have led to the widespread custom of kissing under the mistletoe plant during the Christmas season. The earliest documented case of this custom, which apparently became very popular at the time, dates from 16^th century England.  According to custom, the mistletoe must not touch the ground between its cutting and its removal as the last of Christmas greens at Candlemas (the ancient Christian festival of lights on February 2); it may remain hanging through the year, however, to preserve the house from lighting or fire until replaced the following Christmas Eve.

The American author, Washington Irving, in 1820, said “The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases.”

Oklahoma uses mistletoe as its state floral emblem, and until 2004 the plant was presumed to be the official state flower.  In 2004, though, the Oklahoma Rose was designated as such.

Mistletoe was often considered a pest that killed trees and devalued natural habitats.  However, it has recently been recognized as an ecological keystone species, which is an organism that has a disproportionately pervasive influence over its community.  A broad array of animals depends on mistletoe for food, consuming the leaves and young shoots, transferring pollen between plants, and dispersing the sticky seeds.

In western North America, the juicy berries are eaten and spread by birds. When eaten, some seeds pass unharmed through their digestive systems, and if the birds’ droppings happen to land on a suitable branch, the seeds may stick long enough to germinate. This manner of propagation is reflected in its name–mistel is the Anglo-Saxon word for dung, and tan is the word for twig; it becomes dung-on-a-twig. Another popular name is “witches’ brooms,” and the Navajo name for mistletoe is “basket on high.”

A study of mistletoe in junipers concluded that more juniper berries sprout in stands where mistletoe is present, as the mistletoe attracts berry-eating birds that also eat juniper berries. Such interactions lead to dramatic influences on diversity, as areas with greater mistletoe densities support higher diversities of animals. Rather than being a pest, mistletoe can have a positive effect on biodiversity, providing high quality food and habitat for a broad range of animals in forest and woodlands worldwide.