L is for Legume. The definitions of legume: n. - A pod dehiscent into two pieces or valves, and having the seed attached at one suture, as that of the pea. The fruit of leguminous plants, as peas, beans, lupines; pulse. Since I am on the plants subject, I will share with you my latest attempt to propagate Perilla Mint leaves from the cut stalks I bought at the grocery store. Don't laugh..ah...go a head.
It is the amateur and fast fix way to experiment. I am not exactly a full time gardener, and do not have a green house or the tools to grow rows of plants at the same time. Most importantly, I haven't exactly figured out where all my plants should go.
What is going on here? I am trying a new spot that doesn't have much shade right now. From experience when trying to root new plants, shade is vital because they need to be shielded from the harsh sun. I also know frequent watering is important. These two requisites have been proven to work for me.
Here, I am using my old gardening straw hat to give the plants some shade and some shishkabob sticks to hold the hat in place. I didn't spend a dime, because all the materials were readily available, and it was a fast fix. They are doing well so far. I haven't seen any leave wilt or dried out. And if they don't survive, I can still wear my hat.
We use Perilla Mint for colds and fondue wrapping, and with these two purposes alone we can never get enough. Additionally, they can only be bought from a grocery store that is more than 40 minutes away from where we live, so having them fresh and on hand is a dream.
1) Have you ever try to root plants from a stalk? What was it, and how did it do?
2) Can you think of another way to shade these plants without breaking into my blogging allowance?
Thanks for stopping by today. Thursday Two Questions.
16 Comments
You are a true gardener,waste nothing and reuse.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about gardening and living in the north of England don't have to bother about harsh sun, LOL. You could experiment rooting some stems in water first, take the bottom leaves off leaving the top ones on, then after they have rooted (see how optimistic I am), transfer to a pot so the delicate roots will grow strong to put out in your garden.
I'm not much of a gardener - love the beauty that I find in others' plots, though. Nice post - I love the idea of using a hat for plant shade!
ReplyDeleteOh my, you are a genius.. LOL.. yeah, great use of the hat..
ReplyDelete1) No, I did not but I asked my dad about it and he said something about if the stalk is meant for rooting, then it can be done by wrapping a small plastic bag with some water in it and when there's tiny shoots beginning to grow, you can then cut it out and either lay it in a pot with wet cottons or in soil but the soil have to be moist.. I have not tried it though and I don't have my dad's gene in gardening.. :P :P
2) Beside using the hat, maybe you can use some cardboard or boxes to make a tiny 'house' for your plants? and you can use whatever plastic bag or even broken umbrellas, wrapped the outer layer of the 'house' to prevent any droplets of water.. Nah, just using my imagination.. LOL.. Might not be a very useful..
@JoyVery useful tips. I always root the mint stalks in water first. I am often anxious to get them planted though.
ReplyDelete@EwaIsn't it creative? It was nearby and sometimes a walk away means days before it get attention again, so I ade sure that it's done... smiles
ReplyDelete@Tumblewords:Have you seen anyone else with the hat for the shade? Original eh? Smiles
ReplyDelete@Krislin Neo, Ting (Syracuse Pike)You read my mind. All that and so much more, I have used cardboard, beach umbrellas, etc. Tell your papa thanks for the tips.
ReplyDeleteI was going to suggest that you rooted them in water too. I love the cute hat.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a green thumb even though I love flowers and plants.
ReplyDeleteI think you are being so creative with the gardening project.
You're very resourceful and I never would have thought about a straw hat for gardening shade. I never have tried to do much gardening from scratch. I'm one of those buy it in the container gals. Loved your article. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using the hat for shade. It's original fun, and cost effective!
ReplyDeleteI try to grow basil from the stalk. It grew for a while and then died..
Not much of a gardener but someone had sent me cuttings from their rosemary plant, and I kept it water and managed to gets some roots, good enough to plant. And I was able to have a nice rosemary plant for quiet some time.
ReplyDeleteYou're a very creative gardener :) Love the hat!
I read that 3 T sugar, 2 T white vinegar and 1 liter of water keep fresh cut flowers fresh longer because the sugar nourishes while the vinegar inhibit bacterial growth, so would it be a good solution for rooting?
ReplyDeleteHow about a shower curtain elevated for blocking some of the rays? I'm not an expert gardener, and your little plants look quite happy just the way they are. Love your idea! :-)
I do not have a clue what to tell you on the first one...my mom used something like Rootone when she wanted about shoot to come out from a stalk of whatever. She would make a gut, wrap in cut in plastic contain Rootone stuff....and it really did work.
ReplyDeleteFor your second question you might some sort of lattice from Lowe’s to let light through but diffuse it a bit.
Sorry I could’t come with GOOD and HELPFUL answers for you.
hmmmm.... don't know how to answer your questions. it's too tricky for me because... 1. i am not a gardener. I appreciate nice well manicured gardens and lawns but i am not a green thumb and i have some issues with dirt. 2. i have not tried to uproot any plant yet.
ReplyDeletebut i tell you what... when i moved here in Maine... i always remember what my friend told me when i encountered some problem with the new place... grow where you are planted! I just have not tried it with plants but with myself, it help me adapt to the new place and live like a Mainer.
Hi! I've experimented with various ways to make mint root. The simplest I've found is to just leave the cutting in a glass of water for about a week or so. You can leave it a little longer if you want the roots to be more developed.
ReplyDeleteI've tried rooting supermarket bought basil (like what you did). Unfortunately, I didn't succeed in making those root. I'm not sure why.
Finally, in my attempts to root mint, I found that I'm more successful if I place the cuttings in a sunny location.
I hope this helps!
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