http://www.hardytropicals.org/index.php/blog/entry/ Hardy Tropicals Blog en jcderrick@tradewindcreations.com Copyright 2011 2011-03-20T13:55:52+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/my_thoughts_on_freezepruf http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/my_thoughts_on_freezepruf#When:13:55:52Z As we end winter today and begin a new Spring, I wanted to do a quick review on a product I've invested in the last two years - FreezePruf. When I first heard about FreezePruf a couple of years ago I, like many other people, got very excited about it. Now that I've used it for two years, I have a pretty good idea of how well it works - or doesn't - for select Hardy Tropicals. Here's my quick thoughts on the product and what it both can and cannot do well. First, let's look at what FreezePruf says it can do. According to one website selling the product, it says, " It’s like anti-freeze, for your plants. A scientific-breakthrough – this eco-safe spray actually improves healthy plants’ natural cold tolerance by approximately 2° to 9° F, depending on the variety of plant and the duration/intensity of frost or freeze event. Developed by botanists, FreezePruf protects the plant externally and internally by enhancing both its natural “anti-freeze” like properties and its ability to survive ice crystal damage. The biodegradable formula is designed to resist washing away by rain or snow and application lasts up to 4 weeks with normal precipitation. It’s like moving your temperature zone 200 miles south! FreezePruf’s easy-to-use, biodegradable formulation and mode of action adds a half-USDA Zone equivalent or more to the cold tolerance range of all major ornamentals and crops. So, a plant that is hardy to the low-to-mid teens Fahrenheit (Zone 8a) can be grown with little or no damage in Zone 7b." 2011-03-20T13:55:52+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/snow_for_49_states http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/snow_for_49_states#When:15:00:33Z For the second winter in a row we've received two snows to date here in central South Carolina, and the last one this past Monday was another significant one at around 5 inches. Last February we had a good snow with around 9 inches, and then again received a good dusting in March. All of this really has put our hardy plants to the test of sustaining snow and ice (including the weight of the snow), which resulted in the loss of several plants last year, particularly the bananas we were experimenting with. A lot of our Basjoo bananas have even folded in half this year, with significant loss to the pseudo-stems height. This is likely because of the frigid teen temperatures we experienced in early and mid-December 2010. Overall it has been a very cold winter for us thus far, and as we head into the coldest part of the year, I'm a little concerned about my plants that were left outdoors this year. We made the assumption we'd not have two bad winters in a row and did some experimenting again, but so far it has been another rough year. 2011-01-13T15:00:33+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/prepping_for_the_winter_months_ahead http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/prepping_for_the_winter_months_ahead#When:13:15:51Z OK, so we know this site is mainly devoted to Hardy Tropicals, but let's be honest... we all grow plants that don't belong in our zones. They need some love (and winter protection) too. It's getting close to that time of year that most of us gardener dread - the arrival of Jack Frost. Here in central South Carolina we've already seen temperature dip into the low 40's, which means it's probably not going to be long before the first frost is forecast in the coming weeks. This is a good time to get a jump start on your winter prepping for your non-hardy tropicals. Here's a few simple and very basic things we do to prep for winter. 1.) We take inventory of everything in the yard that will have to come indoors for the winter. In our case, that's our garage - where we utilize Metal Halide lights to keep the plants alive. We try and record pot sizes as well so we know how much space we're going to need. It seems like every year the inventory list gets bigger doesn't it? 2.) We clean up and trim up the plants that will come indoors. Removal of dead leaves, insects, and other debris helps get our plants ready for the indoor months. 2010-10-08T13:15:51+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/army_worms_are_you_aware_of_them http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/army_worms_are_you_aware_of_them#When:03:53:35Z Not sure if you've heard of these little pests, but these guys do not mess around. Life Cycle & Damage The adults are night-flying moths often referred to as “millers.” These moths lay eggs in masses at the crowns of grass plants and on the leaves of other plants. Some armyworm egg masses look like tiny cotton balls. The eggs hatch into a smooth, greasy-looking gray to brown caterpillars. The markings on young armyworms are indistinct, making identification of the different types of armyworms difficult. As they mature, they develop distinct lengthwise stripes. The pattern and color of these stripes identify the specific type of armyworm. After the caterpillars reach maturity, they spin their cocoon or “pupa.” Depending on the type of armyworm, there may be one or more generations during the growing season. They spend the winter in the ground as a pupa. Why are they called armyworms? It’s because they feed together and move as a group or “army” to find new sources of food. Most types, except for the Bertha armyworm, feed at night or on cloudy days, hiding under plant debris or in lawn thatch when it’s sunny out. Armyworms like to feed on grass leaves and crowns. They have a preference for the more succulent, longer grass of shady areas, but that doesn’t stop them from feeding elsewhere too. The lawn develops a ragged appearance and can start to turn brown in patches. Look for circular spots or depressed areas. Damaging infestations are more likely to occur when the lawn borders crop land or large untended pastures. 2010-09-25T03:53:35+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/h.i.d_lighting_and_metal_halide_systems http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/h.i.d_lighting_and_metal_halide_systems#When:05:03:10Z This entry is meant to introduce you to the idea of Metal Halide H.I.D. lighting systems and how they open new doors for growing ornamental plants indoors. Where I live I am not allowed to have any type of Greenhouse behind my house (thanks to my Home Owners Association). Thus I’ve had to get creative and use an alternative means of keeping my vast array of Tropical Plants alive, especially those of the non-hardy variety. To do this I’ve had to make an investment in H.I.D. bulbs, ballasts, and hoods; and in doing so I can grow just about anything I could in a greenhouse from within the comfort of m own garage. Most of the information in this article comes from specialty-lights.com, a source we trust and buy from regularly to meet our needs for HID systems. 2010-09-01T05:03:10+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/ladybug_army http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/ladybug_army#When:23:47:18Z I've been thinking ahead to this winter and am strongly considering the use of ladybugs for the control of both aphids and spider mites in my garage this winter. I don't like using all the sprays in the garage, plus they rarely seem to be very effective for me. I've tried Neem and Soaps, it's just hard to fully cover the plants adequately because of their large size. I have a lot of palms I bring in for the winter and the spider mites always seem to feast on them. The aphids always attack my softer tissue plants like the bananas and such. I also have had a lot of problems with mealy bugs lately. I have been reading and I think I may give the ladybugs a shot. I know they won't eliminate insets, but figured they might keep them in check. Has anyone ever tried them? I was thinking of ordering 500-1500 and releasing them about a handful a week at night when the halides were off. Hoping maybe they'll feast on the aphids/mealy bugs/spider mites and finally give my plants some relief. I'll report back this winter on how this has worked, but I'm hoping this will prove quite effective if I release them in proper intervals. 2010-08-21T23:47:18+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/hot_and_dry http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/hot_and_dry#When:23:54:47Z If it's hot enough to blog about it, it's pretty hot isn't it? Lately we've had our second stint of days this year in the low 100's - and our plants have really suffered in this weather. It's bad enough to have the hot weather, but when it's so dry as well - it makes any chance of keeping a lush garden growing almost an impossibility without significant irrigation. And this year fiscally speaking, I can't afford to keep the sprinklers or soaker hoses running long enough to satisfy the thirst of my large tropical garden. The long term forecast shows some relief in the next week or so, but this is getting ridiculous. Spring came in quietly this year with our last frost well back in March, and for a long time we enjoyed 70-degree weather. Then, suddenly our first hint of summer arrived with a bang, pushing us well up into the high 90's and eventually into the low 100's. It seems we're destined to repeat that pattern this year, and it's not even August yet. The elephant ears (Colocasia especially) have suffered the most in this intense heat. Most all of them have wilted save one taro variety that I'm pretty sure would survive a good spray with a good weed killer; it's a tough Colocasia. The bananas are terribly wilted as well though and many that were transplanted this year are struggling to establish themselves - which worries me because of our past winter. Many of my bananas did not survive the harsher winter we had last year. It was a rough winter (compared to the last few years), still well within our 7b/8a climate, but it was too much for the Cavendish, Orinoco's, Pisang Ceylon's, Ice Creams, and several other varieties I had in the ground. With a record snow though, I guess I shouldn't have expected too much this spring. Apparently we're destined to have extreme weather in both winter and summer. Here's hoping the heat and dry weather isn't too bad for everyone else and their garden this year. Hopefully we'll see some relief soon... if not, my garden might not amount to much this fall like it usually does. Think cooler weather thoughts! 2010-07-07T23:54:47+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/overwintering_ginger_rhizomes http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/overwintering_ginger_rhizomes#When:15:22:05Z Gingers are one of the easiest and most beautiful tropical flowers you can grow in the garden. In some cases, they are also the most fragrant; such as with butterfly ginger. But how can you protect these beautiful plants if you live in northern climates? Here's a few tips. You an choose to either dig up the entire rhizome in the fall or just take a piece of it, it's really up to you. If you want more than one plant the following spring, you can break the rhizome up into several pieces and then store it for the winter using one of the two methods below. Just be aware that dividing the rhizome will often delay blooming in some varieties (like Shampoo Ginger). More aggressive gingers may still bloom after division (like Butterfly and Kahili). More on page 2... 2010-06-26T15:22:05+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/tropi_scaping_with_non_hardy_plants http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/tropi_scaping_with_non_hardy_plants#When:10:01:23Z There is perhaps one question I get asked more than any other when it comes to, what I call, Tropi-scaping; "How on earth do you grow that in the ground here?" Well... I don't, at least not all of it. Today I'm blogging about all the things that we'd love to be able to grow but can't. Yes, I know this site is about Hardy Gardening, but let's all admit we like to buy plants that wouldn't survive one night outside in the winter where we live. I'm sure I'm not the only one with that guilty pleasure. So today I'm breaking the rules and talking about what we can't usually grow outdoors. Over the years I've built up a pretty large collection of Palms, Elephant Ears, Bananas, Bird of Paradise, Traveler's Palms, Hibiscus, and other non-hardy plants that I love to make part of my landscape. So how do I do it? How do I turn the first photo seen below (winter 2009) into the second one (summer 2009)? On the next page, we'll go into the details of just how simple this is.   Winter 2009   Summer 2009 2010-05-10T10:01:23+00:00 http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/pot_sizes_inches_to_gallon_conversion http://www.hardytropicals.org/blog/entry/pot_sizes_inches_to_gallon_conversion#When:14:24:48Z Today was one of those days I wish there was something "standardized" about pot sizes. One catalog uses one set of measurements, another catalog uses something else. Stores use inches, nurseries use gallons. Ahhhh... Trying to figure out pot sizes is often quite a headache. You've got some in inches, some in gallons, and yes, even some in fluid ounces; the later we're still trying to figure out. They do make this confusing, don't they? There's a theory going around that this purposely confusing system is a way for the mass market industry to charge more for plants, by container size, not necessarily Plant Size! So let's try and break down these various sizes and measurements and set some general "accepted standards" for pot sizes. Please remember these are rough estimates and not a science. Some of the larger sizes especially are prone to variances in height, width, and depth of the pot. We've also attached two photos that we hope will help allow you to visualize the differences; click to enlarge them. 4" pot= pint (0.5 quart) 5-6" pot = quart (0.25 gallon) 7-8" pot= 1 gallon 8.5" pot = 2 gallon 10" pot = 3 gallon 12" pot = 5 gallon 14" pot= 7 gallon 16" pot= 10 gallon 18" pot = 15 gallon 24" pot = 25 gal 30" pot= 30 gal Image sources are LewisBamboo.com and BayNatives.com 2010-05-01T14:24:48+00:00