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What to Do in the Garden
What to Do in the Garden was compiled by one of the Ellis County Master Gardeners as a helpful guide to share with the community that covers maintenance suggestions to keep a healthy and kept garden year-round.
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Christmas Cactus
Article posted form 2022 December e-newsletter
The Christmas cactus is a favorite plant for the holiday season. With a little bit of care, these plants will provide many years of beautiful holiday blooms. Some plants can last over 100 years. There are reports of 200-year-old plants that have been handed down for generations.
Christmas cacti are short-day plants. They will bloom when they days grow shorter (9-10 hours of light) and temperatures grow cooler. They like bright indirect light. A Christmas cactus will have significant buds by late October or early November. Flower buds form best when the plant is kept in temperatures between 50 and 60°F
You can kickstart the budding process by exposing the plant to temperatures of about 45°F (7°C) for several nights in a row. You can also keep the the plant in a dark space for a several days. Withholding water before short days start will stress the plant and may improve bud set.
All the holiday cacti thrive in well-drained potting soil high in organic material. You can add some sand to increase the weight. A good soluble fertilizer, such as 20-20-20, is recommended every two weeks until bud set.
Once your plant has buds, reduce fertilization to about once a month. Water every 2-3 weeks, but only water when the top one third of soil feels dry to the touch. Don’t let the plant get bone dry. Over-watering is a major problem for all succulents. Make sure the pot has a good drainage, and that the plant does not sit in water. They really don’t like wet feet.
Common causes of flower bud drop include:
- Too much water or not enough water
- Exposure to cold drafts or too warm temperatures
- Over-fertilization
- Rough handling
If your cactus sheds its buds one winter, don’t worry: it should bloom the following year!
Insects aren’t usually a problem. If you see mealy bugs, aphids, and scale wipe away with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
Once the flowering season is over, the growing season begins and the plant will produce new vegetative growth. Maintain temperatures of 70-80 degrees for the best growth. They will tolerate temperatures of 90-100 degrees, but growth may be inhibited.
Prune plants in late spring to encourage branching and more flowers. Cut off a few sections of each stem; the plant will branch from the wound. Place the cut pieces in a lightly moist potting soil—they root easily after a few weeks.
Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter cactus?
Credit: www.extension.iastate.edu
The key to identifying which type of holiday cactus you’re looking at is the leaves. Christmas cactus leaves have a tear-drop shape. Thanksgiving cacti leaves have more of a pointed, claw shaped ends on the leaves. Easter cacti are more rounded with little hair-like growths on the ends. Most cacti sold as Christmas cactus are actually the Thanksgiving variety.
Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera truncata) bloom from late fall to mid-winter
Christmas cacti (S. x buckleyi) bloom from early winter to mid-winter.
Easter cacti (S. gaertneri) bloom from later winter to mid-spring.
Sources:
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/parsons/search.php?category=Christmas%20cactus
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/linn/news/it-thanksgiving-christmas-or-easter-cactus
https://www.almanac.com/plant/christmas-cactus
by Lea Sandoz, ECMG
Edible Flowers, Herbs, and Ornamentals! Oh My!
Flowers in the garden are like eye candy! They are visually attractive, smell delicious, and some of them are actually edible. There are multiple categories of edible beauties, and a few explored in this article are flowers, herbs, and ornamentals.
For the North Texas landscape and garden, there flowers that grow well in our area that can add beauty in the garden and delight the taste buds. Flowers such as roses, chrysanthemums, daylilies, gardenias, gladiolus, and lilies are just a few. It is important to note that not all parts of the flowers are edible. Research is required before ingesting any parts of a flowers to ensure they are truly edible. Additionally, it is important to know how the flowers were grown. Any flowers intended for human consumption should not be treated with any pesticides. To ensure that flowers you’d like to eat is pesticide free, it is best to grow your own.
In our area several of the easy to grow from seed flowers are: Calendula (pot marigold), carnations (pinks), bachelor buttons (cone flower), and nasturtiums. Most of these flower seeds can be planted early fall for spring flowers. However, nasturtiums prefer a little warmer weather and should be planted in early spring. Some of these plants may also be available at your local superstore or nursery but please keep in mind that it is important to know if the plants were chemically treated before consuming.
The contrast of the leaves of herbs when planted in groupings offers a visual delight. Example of a complimentary contrast is rosemary with any mint and basil; this combination looks quite pretty in a container. Most herbs are aromatic and provide a pleasing fragrance wherever they are planted. A few flowering herbs are pineapple sage, basil, and Texas tarragon. Their floral contrast of red, white, and yellow are very complimentary to each other. All are aromatic and enhances the flavors of many foods. Some herbs are also used for medicinal purposes. Herbs are quite the multi-taskers in the landscape and garden, serving many purposes.
Additionally, ornamental edibles can play an important role in adding texture and color while providing
an excellent source of nutrition. The fall is an excellent time of year to grow flowering kale and cabbages.
They are of the brassica family and can tolerate some frost similar to their cousins of broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. The leaves of ornamental kale have deeply frilled edges and the centers of can be white, fuchsia, purple, or red, depending upon the variety.
Ornamental peppers can also add a pop of color in the landscape. For summer color in your landscape or garden a Basket of Fire pepper variety is a Texas Superstar plant. A Texas Superstar is a plant that has been tested to ensure that it will perform well for both consumers and growers in our great state. For more Texas Superstar options, click the link below. https://texassuperstar.com/texas-superstar-plants/
Gardening is almost a year ‘round pleasure in North Texas. As you visit your local stores and nurseries this holiday season, keep your eyes open to find edible flowers, ornamentals, herbs, and seeds for your landscape or garden.
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/guides/specialty-vegetables/edible-flowers/ https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2018/06/14/basket-of-fire-pepper-latest-texas-superstar-release/
https://aggie-hort.tamu.edu/county/smith/tips/flowers/ornamentalKale08.html https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/asset-local/texas-superstar-plants/
by Bettie Gray, ECMG
Let’s Make Seed Paper
This is a great way to recycle used paper into something pretty and useful. It’s a fun project that can be done indoors or out. Paper making kit area available online and in craft stores, but this article is about doing it without buying extra equipment.
You will need:
- Newspapers, used notebook paper, construction paper, printer paper-any non-glossy scrap paper
- A bowl
- Water
- A mesh, a screen or a “splatter guard”
- Seeds – Small and tiny seeds are best for plantable seed paper, particularly if you plan to write on them. Seeds that work the best are flower seeds, a wildflower mix, or even herbs and vegetables (https://bluecatpaper.com/plantable-cards-paper-facts)
- Optional: an old blender (Your blender may not be safe for food after using it to make paper.)
- Optional: Dried flowers, food coloring, fruit and vegetable dyes
Making Paper
- Tear up your paper into small pieces. You can use your hands, a hole punch, or scissors.
- Soak your paper in a bowl of water for a few hours or overnight. Waiting is hard! But this is an important step so that the next step goes smoothly.
- When your paper has softened, use your hands to massage it and squeeze it into a pulp. Continue to mash your pulp until it is unrecognizable as paper.
- Drain any excess water from your pulp mixture. Do not squeeze out or remove all the water from the pulp. Just drain any water in the bottom of the bowl.
- Add your seeds and gently mix them into the pulp.
Optional: add any food coloring, natural “dyes” like beet juice, flower petals, or decorations and mix in.
- Hold your screen over a sink, a bowl or a towel. Spread the paper pulp over your screen and gently press it into a flat sheet. Try to squeeze out as much water as you can without disturbing your sheet of paper. You can also gently blot it with a towel.
Optional: Use cookie cutters to make shapes in the paper pulp. (You can also cut the paper into shape after it dries.)
- Allow the paper to dry. Once it is dry you can lift it off the screen. This takes a while! Be patient.
- Once you’re ready, plant your paper under a shallow layer of soil and keep it moist. Seeds should begin to germinate in a few weeks.
NOTES:
If you use newspapers only, you will get gray paper. Using a mix of newspaper and copy paper makes a lighter colored paper. Junk mail is also a good source of lighter colored paper – just don’t use the glossy or slick pieces.
Newsprint will make your hands black – and may stain clothes. Wearing an apron or an old shirt is a good idea.
If you have an old blender, you can soak your paper for ten minutes and then blend it into a pulp. Warning: This might ruin your blender. Most paper does not contain toxic materials, but it’s best if you use a blender you don’t plan on using for food.
www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/k-12-education
by Lea Sandoz, ECMG