How to Harvest dill seeds

The dill in my garden is all gone. In late spring it started to flower a lot and it lost all of its leaves, then it dried and now is just a long stalk in the balcony. To not let it go in vain I picked up all the dead flower heads and tried to harvest the seeds. I got a bunch, enough to plant a new batch and a bit more.

The dill ready to be harvested

The way I learned to harvest the seeds is very simple.

• First, you need to wait until the flower heads get a bit dry while they are still on the plant. Just enough to see them mostly brown, but not as much that the seeds will start to fall.
  
  
• When they are ready snip off the complete flower branch and get them inside a paper bag heads first.

Just get it inside a paper bag to let it dry

• Let them be there a week or two until they finish drying and the seeds detach and fall into the paper bag. In case there are still some stubborn ones just give the bag a good shake.
  
  
• Afterwards just take away the spent flower heads from the paper bag and all you have left is the seeds

And that is all, enjoy your dill seeds.

Dill seeds ready for next season

I am not sure if I should grow dill again because, to be honest, I underused it a lot. In all the months that I had it growing in my garden, I think I only used it three or four times. The space on my balcony is very limited, and a the full grown dill was very big, almost my height. So, maybe I should put something different in that pot. But then, growing again might be a good encouragement to start using it more.

I don't know, I guess I will put a couple seeds in a starting pot and let mother nature, if they grow or not.

How to make lemon balm & mint tea

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. It has been a very busy and tiring couple of weeks. To start again with the blog, I want to share a little recipe that I found very useful to cope with all the stress.

Just the other day, I had a lot of things to do but I needed to recharge, so I sat at the balcony for a little while. Then while I was contemplating my garden, it hit me, I should make some lemon balm tea. I have mid size lemon balm that keeps growing like crazy and I had never really taken advantage of it. Lemon balm is a great aid to fight stress and relax, it was just perfect. So, I got the scissors and snip some branches and made me some tea.

Harvesting some herbs from the garden for tea

This is one of the reasons I like gardening so much, all the work you put in it always have a nice reward. Those of you who are thinking about starting a garden, take notice.

Here is my recipe, hope you enjoy it.
You can try making it with just lemon balm, but I enjoy the extra fresh flavor that mint adds to the recipe.

Lemon balm and mint tea

• 10 fresh lemon balm sprigs
  
• 5 fresh lemon mint sprigs
  
• 4 cups of water
  
• Honey

Making the tea

First get the water to a boil. Take your sprigs and break and fold them with your hands (no knife), this will help the oils get released. Then toss them in the boiling water for around 10 minutes. The longer you leave them the stronger the flavor will be, but, take care not to leave them to long because lemon balm is sensitive to over boiling, it gets a bitter flavor and loses the lemony scent. While they are boiling the water should will get a yellowish color and the scent will be very noticeable. I like leaving some of the leafs behind, but you can you can strain if you don’t want leafs on your drink. Add as much honey as you want and you are done. Enjoy your hot drink!

Delicious and relaxing lemon balm & mint tea

Now, I grew up in a place where 40 °C is considerate normal, so I tend to prefer cold drinks. If you are like me, just wait a little and add ice. The cold will take away a bit of the flavor, but you can crush the leaves more to get it back. And you are done, enjoy you cold and relaxing drink!

Other thing to remember, Lemon balm is also great to help digestion, and so is mint. So, in case you have upset stomach or you are feeling uneasy at the belly, give this tea a try.

How to make garlic garden spray to repel aphids

Since I got back from Mexico I had been battling with some small aftermaths from the vacation drought that the garden suffered. One of those problems is aphids. When I came back, I noticed some of the plants got a couple on them. They were not many, so I thought that as the plants recover from the lack of water and having me to check up on them, the aphids problem will slowly disappear. Now, after trying to get rid of them manually for almost a month, I definitely lost the battle, they have taken over the balcony, and started to do some real damage on a couple plants. To continue war is necessary for me to bring out bigger guns. Since I don’t have available a black and red thank (little ladybugs are the best against aphids) I will have to go with garlic artillery. Here is a recipe for making organic garlic garden spray.

Aphids are one of the big enemies on the garden

Aphids usually dislike plants with strong and powerful scents like those in the allium family (onions, leeks, chives, garlic, etc.). All the plants in the onion genus have very astringent chemical compound, which gives them their "spicy" or "garlicky" flavor, this serves as a natural repellent for many pests and some fungus. Using a spray of this chemical around the garden will help in getting aphids away in a very natural and organic way.

The recipe is very simple, and after using it a couple times, the results will be visible.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of water
  
• 2 cloves of garlic
  
• 2 tbsp. liquid dish soap

Optional

• 1 small onion
  
• 1 tbsp. Mineral oil

Making garlic spray for the garden is very simple

To make the garlic garden spray all you need is take the garlic, soap and water into the blender and hit on high until is a very liquid puree. If you want a slightly stronger version you can also add one small onion and mineral oil, but is not necessary. For my garden usually using only garlic and soap is enough.

After all is blended, leave the liquid overnight to allow for the chemicals to spread and mix with the water. After that just strain, put it on a bottle and spraying away.

Spray around the garden every couple days and the aphids will start to fade away.

Remember is best to hit the aphids directly for the formula to work best and also try and use up all the liquid before a week to avoid it going bad.

I started using the formula on my garden a couple days ago, and the aphids are already going away. I trust they will be all out soon.

Got any more tips? Feel free to share on the comments

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How to grow a grape vine in a container

Spring is almost here, and to take the most advantage I have prepared a series of how to's for all things gardening, with special tips for all beginner gardeners and for those of you who only count with very little space for growing. To start, I want to post about how to grow a grape vine in a container. I had a lot of great feedback on the day of the world garden carnival with my post about my own grape vine, and also I got a lot of mails about people who wanted to know more about how to grow them like that.

Is very easy to have your own grape vine

Growing a grape in a pot is very easy to do and also very rewarding. There is just a couple things to consider: You have to make some planning and later keep the plant in check or else it can grow wildly and get out of control. Here is how I do it. I hope you find it useful!

This small tutorial contains the basic care of a grapevine. Even if you are not growing in a container you will get a lot of benefits from following it

If you have further questions don't hesitate to leave a comment, send me a mail or a tweet.

How to grow a grapevine in a container

First a little check on the plant. Grape vines are very hardy are perennial plants, very nice and easy to grow in containers. They forgive a small dry spell and they can do well on poor soil. If they are trained properly they can take very little space. Grapevines are great for making a natural barrier or providing some extra roof in a pergola outside. And of course, the best of all is that they give very delicious fruit! There are hundreds of varieties of grapevines, and they can take a very wide range of climates. So chances are, if you want to grow them, there must be one perfectly suitable for you.

You will need

One thing to remember though is that new grapevines take a little time to give fruit. So if you want to have one in your garden make sure you are in for the long haul. Grapes give fruit on second year wood. This means that the new branches that grow one season will be the ones giving fruit next season. Also, is important to remember finding an appropriate site to grow your vine; Grape vines appreciate having full-sun. Having a lot of sun will help them bare more fruit.

Choosing your grape

Before anything you have to choose the type of grape you want to grow. Be sure to pick one that is adapted for your climate, that way the plant will have a much better chance of growing nicely. To make the picking of a variety easier, you can ask yourself a couple questions. What do you want to do with the vine?. Are you are after the fruit or just the leaves? What will you do with the fruit? Do you want to have a red or a green one? Once you have decided on those things you can ask in your local nursery or garden center for one that matches your description or just do a quick search online.

Pione grapes from japan

In my case I have a pione, it is a seedless purple table grape, it has an amazing flavor and the fruits get to grow really big. It is one of the favorites to enjoy here in japan.

The best time for buying new grape vines is around autumn, right after the harvests. That will give the plant a chance to grow its roots and get established in its new house before the dormant period.

Step 1 Planting your grape and the initial pruning

Now that you have your grape is time to plant it on a pot. If you need some instructions to help you, be sure to check the post about how to plant in a container in here. The process is basically the same as with most common plants. Get a nice layer of drainage for your container and some rich black good soil. Grapes can take having poor soil, but they do much better if they are feed properly. Be sure to separate the roots when you are planting. Grapevines like having a chance to stretch their roots, this will help them develop and settle much more quickly. Remember to put a layer of mulch to keep the weeds away and keep the temperature of the pot balanced.

When your grape is set, it is time for a little pruning

Once you have planted your grape keep it growing freely until the season ends. This will allow it to grow strong roots and establish in its pot. If you got it early in the season it might get a bit messy with all the new growth, so you can do a small pruning during summer to keep it small.

When winter arrives your grape will drop its leafs and enter a dormant state. During this period it will need less resources, so be sure not to over water. By late winter, after the big frost but a bit before it starts growing again, it is time to the first big pruning.

The best way to prune is to make a diagonal cut away of the bud, just a little over the same. Also, you can cut right into the middle of the joints of the cane. This last technique can work very well, but you have to make sure to avoid damaging the bud, which is sometimes tricky.

The goal here is to trim your plant so only the two lower healthy buds remain. The bud is a small protrusion growing out of the trunk. It looks a bit like a mole or a small pimple growing from the bark. From these is where the new branches will grow.

Step 2 Building support

To help your vine grow neatly and under control you have to provide a structure for the vine to climb into. A sturdy trellis or wood frame will work well. You can form a small arch, a circle, make a stair shape, etc. There are many possible shapes you can try, let your imagination guide you.

Be sure to give it a strong structure for support

Depending on the size you grow, the trunk plus the leafs and the fruit can get a bit heavy, therefore the only requirement is that whatever structure you have must be strong enough to hold the weight of your vine. Also, make it with something that will last many years, since you will have it growing there long time.

Step 3 Training your vine

The next spring after you did the heavy pruning, one main branch will develop from each of the buds available. The task here is to keep them growing on the shape you want. You can progressively tie your vine to the trellis as it grows, to maintain the form. Keep it on check regularly, especially during spring, because the vine can grow very fast.

Keep your vine neat and tidy

Because of the space restrictions on a container is best to keep only one or two branches growing (more if your container is big enough) thus is best to keep only the stronger branches. Prune away any runners that sprout from the core canes to give all the strength to the main vines. Once that your grape vine has reached the size you want, you can cut the tip of the vine to prevent it from growing further. The best fruit is given approximately from the sixth to the twelfth fruiting bud, so you can use this as a reference for the size of your grapevine.

After the season ends, and the vine enters its dormant state once more, you will have a skeleton that will be the main structure of your plant.

Right now, this is the step my grape is in. It can be a bit of effort to keep the vines in check, but I am sure the results will be worth it.

Step 4 Setting the cycle

This is the most crucial part of growing a grape vine. In order to keep the plant healthy and giving the most fruit over the years to come you must prune it periodically. Also, since fruit is bare in second year canes you must prepare one new fruiting branch every year. To help you do this is best to make a cycle of renewal, where every year a couple new branches will grow and substitute the old canes from last season.

Making a cycle of renewal will guarantee the best fruit

For this, every year, you have to prune away all the new runners and branches that grow from the top canes. Leave only a couple strong and healthy branches growing from the base and train them to grow into your structure as you did the year before. Also, every year, at the end of the season, prune away the old wood. All of those branches that gave fruit that year have to be taken away. The idea is that those new branches will substitute the last season growth as the new fruiting canes for next year.

Once this cycle has developed, you can continue it for many years. That way you will always have the best fruit from your grapevine and it will grow into a very nice and healthy plant.

Extra tips for growing your grapevine

Make sure to prune it carefully

• During the fruiting season is a good idea to prune away any weak flower buds. This will help the plant concentrate its energy on the best flowers and give the best fruit. You should also take away any weak grapes growing in every bunch. There are a lot of possible grapes with every flower bud, if you take the smaller the rest will benefit and develop more and it won’t be noticeable.


• Grapes are amazing plants, they grow very easily even without much care, but is always good to feed them a bit of fertilizer around the spring to help them develop new canes, and also during the height of their fruiting season to help them grow more delicious grapes.


• Birds love having grapes as much as we do, so you might need to protect your grapes from them. Depending how much problems you have keeping the birds from eating all your fruit, you can use several methods. You can try small reflective material hanging or use a net to protect the vines.


• The new vines in a grape plant are very flexible and easy to manage; you can try making shapes or patterns while you are training them in their planter.

Now remember, this is only one particular way of growing a grape in a container. There are a lot of other methods shapes, techniques and arrangements you can try. I have seen grapes growing and covering a whole balcony and have also seen a little small bonsai grape. You should try to see what fits best for your needs, and don’t be shy to experiment. After all, that is what gardening is about.

And that is how you grow a grape vine!

If you what to know more about growing grapes and other container gardening matters be sure leave a comment, send me a mail or a tweet.

Have a lot of fun growing your grape vine!

How to set a plant in a container

Some time ago I had a couple friends ask me about how to start their own little garden. They had never really tried gardening beyond having a little indoor plant they bought out of a whim, so growing their own vegetables and mayor crops felt a bit too overwhelming. They wanted to know all the basics and I was very happy to answer all of their questions and get them started.

One of their first questions was how to set a plant to grow in a pot. I think this is a very good question, one that many people who is starting also have. So I decided to make a post about it. Here it is, a small introduction to container gardening for anybody wanting to start their own garden. I made it back when I plant my globe amaranth

How to plant in a container

To start, let's check the fundamentals. The basic layers for a plant in container are as follows.

The layers in a pot

• At the bottom a drainage layer, this will help the water flow properly and avoid water clogs and damage to the roots because of this.


• Then there is a base layer of soil. Here is where most of the new roots will grow.


• On top of that, it goes the root ball of the plant, all surrounded by more of the new soil. The root ball is the main mesh of roots from the plant, usually all what was on the starter pot.


• And finally, the top layer made of mulch. The mulch is just a protective cover over the soil. It is good to retain moisture, reduce erosion, provide nutrients and suppress weeds.

With this knowledge, we are ready to set our plants in their pots.

What you will need

A good pot and gravel for drainage

• Gravel or other material for drainage You can use broken pottery, washed seashells, packing peanuts and many others.


• A proper sized pot Not to big, not to small. Even if the plant will grow a lot, is best to repot several times in gradually bigger pots, than to put in a huge pot from the start.


• Good soil Depending on your plant different soils will be more recommended. However, black, rich in organic matter soil usually works well with most plants.


• Much Peanut shells, dried leafs, shredded or chipped bark, straw, etc.

Black, good soil is best

Setting your plant in the container

1. First, If your plant just came home from a greenhouse or a garden center far away with a different climate, let it rest for a couple of days. This will help it adjust to its new environment.



2. Water one day before or in that morning to assure the plants have plenty of water and also because working with moist soil is much easier. Remember, the soil must be moist, not damp.

This hole was too big, so I got some wood sticks in to help

3. Rinse or scrub the container to get rid unwanted materials, then check to make sure it will have proper drainage. If the hole is to small, make a new one, if it is too big, put something to partially obstruct it.

Good draniage is essential

4. Add a layer of drainage material. Between two to six centimeters should be enough, but adjust it depending on the size of your pot, and remember to make it even.

Add enough soil to have a good base

5. Add the soil, compost, or potting mix, to have the soil base. Put enough soil to assure the plant will be at the proper height. Some plants, like strawberries, have a depth they like to be. For those make sure the amount of base soil will not make the newly potted plant be deeper than it was in the original pot. Others, like tomato, prefer to be buried deeper than they were, so they can grow new roots from the stem.



6. If you are going to add some fertilizer you can add it in this layer. But make sure it is slow release fertilizer, to prevent it from burning the growing roots of the plant.

Hold the plant firmly, then carefully turn upside down

7. Now the tricky part, get the plant out of its old pot and into the new one. To remove the plant from its old pot, slip your hand over the top of the pot, holding the plant's stem between your fingers and the soil with your hand, then turn the pot upside down. Give the old pot a little pat and gently sake it and pull it up until the root ball is out .

Untangle the roots

8. At this point, you will be holding the root ball. If the roots encircle the plant, very gently try to loosen up some to untangle them a little. This will help the roots to spread out in their new pot and prevent many problems later on. If the roots are too tangled together you can snip a couple or slice about a centimeter of the outer layer of the ball.

Place the plant in the pot

9. Carefully place the plant on its new home, make sure is centered and leveled, then spread out the roots a bit more.

Add soil around the roots and press to get rid of excess air

10. Then add the rest of the soil evening it out and pressing the soil against the plant, just enough to eliminate any large air pockets without compressing the soil.

Good soil will make its own mulch

11. Add a final layer of much if you want to, the plant with sure appreciate it, although is not completely necessarily.



12. Finally, water thoroughly, until water runs out the drain holes, to moisten the roots and to settle the soil.

And there you have it, the plant is set.

Take good care and it will live happily

Keep it in place with plenty of light but away from direct sunlight for a couple of days If you can. Also take extra care of it for some time to make sure your plant adjusts to its new house. And remember, plants should be moved into larger containers as they grow. So you might need to repot them later, maybe every couple of years or less depending on the plant.

World garden blog carnival. Gardening for the new year

Time for the carnival. I hope we get a lot of nice posts to showcase.

I have a lot of projects coming for this year. And one of the most important is my grape.

My grape fading into winter

I have always wanted to grow a grapevine in my garden. But, I always thought it would not happen until I got a house for myself. When I started my little garden here I considered buying one for one moment, but then I thought there would be many problems when caring for one in a small balcony and I kept coming up with excuses not to do it.

Even when growing on a small container grapevines can spread quite far. And since I don't have a permanent house yet, I didn’t wanted to risk having the grapevine climbing all around a balcony and then having to move and loosing all the effort from that year.

I hope I can train my grapevine like this

But, one day when I was at a library looking at gardening books (And I mean looking because I cant read that much japanese, so I usually only look at the pictures) I saw a very nice photo of a grapevine growing on a small pot, all coiled around itself and with a lot of fruit hanging. The pot could not had been more than 15 cm tall, and the hole plant looked under a meter, but yet it had a lot of fruits. It had never occurred to me that was possible! Back in my country I have always seen it growing big, even when in a small pot. I don’t know why I didn’t thought of it before.

I already set it up for starting

I looked around more in the Japanese books and the same layout was in almost all of them. They all explain more of less how to do it. I guess in Mexico we don’t try because we have the space. But here in Japan, where space is a luxury some times, growing mini grapevines is common. That is the good thing about traveling, it helps expand the horizons and think outside our own box.

Just have to keep the branches in order
and make some good pruning

So having no more valid excuses, I got my grapevine. I also got a nice planter and some bamboo sticks to make the frame. The plan is very simple, let only one or two branches grow, keep it coiling around itself and prune a lot to keep it tight. Hopefully next year I will have it set and I will get some nice fruit our of it. The original photo I saw in the japanese book only had one level of "circling", but my planter is quite big so I think I can get away with a "two stories grapevine".

By the end of the year it should be ready

Oh and also, some time later I saw them in person. They had a couple in the garden center. I have even seen a bonsai grapevine with some fruit too. That should teach a lesson about thinking out of the box.

Now is your turn, What are your gardening plans for this new year?

For the blog carnival, please input the link directly to the post you are submiting in the widget below. Just click the blue button that says add your link.

Remember it must be a post about what do you plan on doing at your garden this year, maybe about one particular plant you want to have, a renovation you will do, a special patch you will grow, a new gardening technique you will give a try, or any other project you have prepared for this new year.

If you have more questions about the carnival or you want to add a link to this page click here to go to our carnival main page. There you will find more information and some resources you can use.

Or if you want to see past carnivals click here.

Also, add a comment if you like and let us see what your garden is bringing this new year!

The banana peels fertilizer works very well

If you haven't come here lately, you can probably notice I did quite some changes. Like I said back in the new year post, I have a lot of projects and ideas I want to try and share. I feel very motivated about continuing with the blog, it keeps growing more and more every day. You have given me a very nice response, so I will put more effort into continuing it. Thank you very much!

This is my new Internet tree

The first change I did was the layout. I think three columns will give me a better space for very needed internal links. I have a lot of projects on the way, and there is where they will live. I hope you don’t mind it takes a bit of space from the post, I tried to keep them the least intrusive. I also tried to keep the space to have big enough photos, because the photos always get many praises.

Other change, is the blog carnival icon on the upper left corner. That will be the entrance to the carnival introductory page, feel free to pay it a visit. All the carnivals, that were and will be, will be accessible from there.

One more change is the header. I am experimenting with a lot of tools and styles, and I plan on changing the header and the background accordingly to the season let me know which one is your favorite.

I also did a lot of little changes. Things like margin size or where some icons go. The menu bar, the search bar and others. I hope it looks better and more professional now.

The last new feature is the social media buttons Internet tree on the upper right corner. I feel specially proud of this one. I did the drawing almost from the scratch and I had to do a lot of learning to have the links and everything on the right place and working properly. Also, I end up doing a lot of little drawings that I won’t use, but I think others might find useful, so be on the lookout for a goodies page. I will put them all there.


Ok, now on to the gardening matters. Last post I got a couple questions about banana peels fertilizer. I had done a post about it back in November, but I didn't showed the results. Well, here they are. Back then, because I didn't had many peels, I had only put fertilizer on one of my flower pots, the one that needed it the most. So only one got the benefits and now I am seeing the differences.

I think is a fair comparison. Both planters have almost the same kind of flowers, they get the same amount of sun and of water and the soil where they are planted comes from the same bag. Also, I normally trim the dead buttons to keep them flowering, though lately I have not done it as much because I am waiting for seeds.

On with the comparison then. First planter A, I did not put any fertilizer on this planter. It bloomed beautifully back when it was new, but with the cold it slowly started to recede. Here is the photo of flower planter A.

These flowers need some banana fertilizer urgently

As you can see the pansies and the alyssum hardly have any flowers. The lemon marigold, even though is very hardy, is starting to get bald. And the stock is down to its lasts flowers. The only one that still seems strong is the Blue ballon scabiosa.

Now planter B, the one that got its dose of banana fertilizer. This one was starting to have less flowers back then, that’s why I decided on using the banana peels on it. Here is the photo of flower planter B.

This ones are blooming nicely because
they already got banana peels fertilizer

What a difference! The pansies are in full bloom, and with a lot of new buttons coming up. The stock has lasted much longer, and still have buttons. The cosmos, even tho is not as resistant as the mint marigold, still has a lot of its flowers. Also, the alyssum is much more grown and flowered.

That is the difference that a little of homemade banana fertilizer can make. Which teaches me that I should have putted some fertilizer in both planters back then. But in the end it is no problem, because, I recently got a new bunch of bananas and I am planning on making a lot of milkshakes out of them. I have to get them very green so they last long enough for me to finish them.

I can get a lot of banana fertilizer out of this one

Click here for my old post about making banana peel fertilizer for containers.


And remember, seven more days to the carnival!

Be ready with a post about what do you plan on doing at your garden this year, maybe about one particular plant you want to have, a renovation you will do, a special patch you will grow, a new gardening technique you will give a try, or any other project you have prepared for this new year.

How to grow tulips

This will be the first time i grow tulips ever. And, since i want my tulips to have successful bloom on my garden next spring, I did a lot of research on the how to take care of them, there is a lot of care and consideration that must be done. 

I wanted to share all I have learned, I hope everyone can find this helpful.

Tulips

Tulips are one of the most well known bulbs. They are one of the main cutting spring flowers, available in many shapes, sizes and colors. Because of their beauty they have been a prominent feature in many gardens around the world and have been coveted by gardeners for centuries.

Tulips Description

Tulips are perennials bulbous plant from the genus Tulipa, they grow a few leafs at the base and a long stem with a flower at the end. They can be as small as 10 cm or reach a height as much as 70 cm.

They have fleshy, elongated, waxy coated, light to medium green leafs. Their flowers are colorful and attractive cup shaped with six petals.
Tulips are natives of Central Asia in mountainous areas with temperate climates where they have a period of cool dormancy through the winter.

How to grow tulips

Tulips are classified as perennials, but because of the specific requirements of their native weather, tulips are not the easiest plants to grow as such. They do best in climates with long cool springs and early summers, but are often grown as spring blooming annual plantings in warmer areas of the world. They are typically planted from early September to November and bloom from early Spring through late May.

Is best to pick the healthiest bulbs to guaranty a nice bloom, the best bulbs usually are have a thick fresh glossy body with a smooth surface.

Growing tulips as Annuals

Tulips gather energy in their bulb thought their growing season for the next season bloom. Because of this reason store bought tulip bulbs will most times bloom nicely even if they don’t have the best growing conditions, this means tulips can be treated as an annual plant.

Annual tulips can be planted in a planter or directly into the ground. When planting tulips as annuals they must be planted in autumn from mid September to November, when the temperature varies around 15~20°C. It's best to plant them at least 15 cm deep, but they can stand as little as 5 cm. Also, they need space to grow roots, so they must have at least 5 cm of separation between each bulb. Sandy soil with good drainage and rich in organic matter is best.

Water lightly during the first months when they are growing roots and almost none during their dormancy period on the coolest months. Resume watering once the weather starts to warm again.

Their flowers bloom in spring from March to May depending on their type. If the bulbs are to be discarded it can be done once the flower starts to wither. If it will be saved for another season is best to behead after flowering, but allow the remaining leafs to die off naturally. Once all the leafs have dried the bulb can be dug out and stored on a cool and dry place until the next planting season.

Growing tulips as perennials

While having a tulip bulb bloom one year is relatively easy, having one thriving through the years is a more difficult task. Their native growing conditions must be replicated, otherwise the bulbs will slowly degrade and eventually die.

Having the bulb at an adequate depth is essential, so planting directly into the ground is recommended. The bulb must be set at least at 15 cm depth or three times its height. Also the separation between each bulb must be around 15 to 20 cm. The bulbs must be planted in autumn when the average soil temperature is around 15°C. Sandy soil rich in organic matter is best. Good drainage is essential.

Unless the seeds are wanted is best to behead after flowering, this allows the bulb to concentrate on its own recovery and development for next year's bloom and not use energy in the seeds.

If the weather becomes too hot in summer is best to dig the bulbs once all the leafs have dried and store them in a cool and dry place until the next planting season. If the weather is appropriate tulips will continue to bloom continuously over the years without any need to dig them out, but once every few years is recommended to take them out and separate any new bulb formations to avoid overcrowding.

More Tips for growing tulips

• Bigger bulbs will have the biggest blooms, and the smallest bulbs might not flower at all.


• Tulips have a very steady height of growth, so if tulips are planted with a difference of depth around 1~2 cm in the ground it will be noticeable when they bloom, this can be used to create interesting arrangements for their display.


• The tulip bulbs usually have a flat side which helps to determine the direction the leafs will grow, this can also be used to plan ahead the arrangement of the tulip's display.


• Tulips are lovely with other spring bloomers and with each other. They work well with other bulbs as companions, provided that this other bulbs are smaller and with less space requirements than the tulips.


• For cutting tulips, only the tulips that are closed but that have color on top above their stems will open, those that are showing no color or are all green will not open when disconnected from the ground.

Diseases

Tulips are very a resistant plant, however they are several diseases can affect them.

• Blight causes brown flecks in the leaves, and often turns the plant gray after a few weeks.


• Gray bulb rot can develop if the bulb is given to much water for too long.


• Aphids can attack them, but they can be easily contained.


• Crown rot is a rare kind of rot that causes the bulb and flower to die under the ground.


• Botrytis tulipae is a major fungal disease affecting tulips, it causes cell death leading to rotten plants.


• Tulip breaking virus causes a irregular color with spots and stripes on flowers, also, it results in smaller plants.

Classification of Tulips

Tulips have several types of classification.

They are classified based on their blooming time.
Early Flowering Tulips, blooming in March and early April.
Mid season Flowering Tulips blooming in April and early May.
Late Flowering Tulips blooming in May

They also can be classified based on their flower type or their height. Single, Double, Lily-flower, Fringed, Dwarf, Tall, Medium, etc.

Tulips in Yokohama

Tulip trivia

• They are often associated with Holland, their main cultivating country.


• Tulips will continue growing after being cut.


• They have been able to influence the economy of a whole country at one point (tulip mania).


• Their name is derived from the Ottoman Turkish word "tülbend" which in turn comes from Persian language "dulband" meaning turban.


• Tulips are considered a symbol of the Ottoman Empire in Europe.


• There are over 3,000 different registered varieties of cultivated Tulips.


• Tulip bulbs are replacement for onions when cooking.

Here is the information in pdf how to grow tulips feel free to share it

How to make a division to separate plants on a container

Today I moved around everything in my garden. I got several new pots for this season crop so I'm trying to make more efficient use of my little garden space. One of the projects I wanted to do to accomplish this was changing my mints to a new pot. Their current one is very wide, which is great for the plants, because they have space to spread and give more branches, but no so good for me because I have way more leafs than I need and the pots take too much space.

So, I decided to move them, and I got a very nice wooden pot, perfect size to fit both and just the right depth. But, there is one problem, mints spread very aggressively, they compete with everything around them, including each other. This means that if I simply put both plants on the same container over time I might end up with only one, the strongest one.

To prevent this I needed to make a division that would keep each mint on their side of the pot. I used a old plastic folder and used a very simple procedure.

Here is how I did it

Materials needed

A very simple project to divide your container

• The container you want to divide


• Recycled paper


• Rigid plastic sheet


• Scissors


• Something to write with (a pen, marker, etc.)


• Scotch tape (or similar)

Step 1: Decide how you want to make the division

Plan how to divide

Depending on your plants, you will need to decide how you want to separate them. You must determine if one requires more space to grow, if you want an asymmetric layout or if you are setting multiple divisions. For this part you can use the paper sheet and work around how you want it to be at the end. In my case I wanted a single middle division to give each plant equal space.

Step 2: Mark the shape

Mark the borders

Once I have decided how I want the division. I just set the paper in that position and stretch it very good to make it fit exactly, then I mark where it meets the sides of the pot, this will give you a mold of the shape you need.

You get a paper mold

You can also make folds to mark the position, but is much easier to use a pen, also you can do it directly with the plastic, but if it is too rigid, you will have problems setting it into place.

Step 3: Cut the plastic

Cut the plastic using the paper mold

Using the paper as a mold cut the shape you need, then fit the plastic in the pot, if there is any irregularity correct with the scissors or cut a new plastic.

Test if it fits and trim any excess

Step 4: Set the plastic in place

Set in the pot

Once the plastic fits nicely in the right position secure with some tape, if you want to assure none cross you can use extra tape to fill any gaps.

Fix it into place

Step 5: Fill with soil and put the plants in

You are done!

Once the division is put you are done! You can just set your plants into place and they will each stay on their side (although, you can check now and then in case one manages to cross)

You can have a diferent type of soil on each side

This is very simple project and can be done in a couple minutes. I hope it helps you to manage your unruly plants.

Here are the mints, happy in their new home