This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (43 messages)
goutweed
Message #1267
Chris – on further thought, i think the goutweed would work well in that spot – it'll take more sun than i was giving it credit for. it is pretty tough stuff, probably more adaptable than most other choices you've got. keep me posted how you make out. – jw
Lucia – my night temps get to about 58; are yours lower than that? i'm not getting bud initiation at all, so i highly suspect the light. the plant does go outside for the summer, but the winter sun is not the greatest. i agree. whatever i have to do…
Michael – you might try contacting the Bio-dynamic Farming and Gardening Association (P.O. Box 550, Kimberton, Pa 19442. 215-935-7797) and ask also about their community farms/community supported agriculture projects. They'll be in touch with nationwide opportunities, or can refer you further. Good luck.
Carol – the new forum is announced in the upcoming March/April issue of National Gardening, which should be out in the next two weeks. Welcome! Call your friends and get them on board too. The more voices we share, the more lively and beneficial a forum this will be! -…
uploads
Message #1213
Howard – the description and keywords for the gardening by mail article got screwed up (i was too tired, obviously). Article should be titled, "A Mailbox Garden," with keywords Mailorder, Catalogs, Societies. Description should read."Article reviewing & describing many garden catalogs with addresses, by judywhite. Article first published in Garden…
I grow orchids under lights myself, and have found four fluorescent cool whites to be fine. Grow lights extend the spectrum available, and while many people swear by them, there's still conflicting data as to whether they're really 10 times better (which is usually about the cost differential) than cool…
Chris – i've played with Home Series:Landscape from Autodesk and found it incredibly slow, with interminable redraw after making additions/changes. it also has virtually no plant selection and no plant information. i reviewed more than 20 different software programs for gardeners and wrote an article for the March 92 National…
Ruth – i guess a lot of us started on Goodearth because of a general reverence for the natural world. But i think that's equally true of the people on this forum; it's just all the same thing, whether it gets called Goodearth or Gardening or whatever. "home" is whatever…
Chris – what zone are you in there? Variegated bishop's weed is pretty tough stuff; actually, the tougher condition will probably help keep it from getting invasive, as it can (hence the "weed" in the name). It's not evergreen, though, although you get white summer flowers. Does well in virtually…
Don – you can add the state after your name by choosing "options" while in the Garden Forum, rewriting your entire name in the "name" category. Then make sure to choose "p" to make the change permanent when it asks for "s" (this session only) or "p" (for permanent). i…
Anne – i too have a huge "tree" of a gardenia that doesn't bloom. i'm told they are very susceptible to drafts (i guess i'd better get it away from the front door) and need tons of light. patti hagen, who writes the gardening column in the wall street journal,…
Phrag Besseae
Message #1161
Hi! yes, i did talk to Maryland Orchid Society – Merritt's a dear friend (please send him my best and tell him i'll see him in Houston if you see him before mid-March). think i gave the potting materials talk. thanks for the catalog tip – i didn't know about…
Leather Leaf Fern
Message #1160
Lisa – it is a funny combination, gardens and computers, i mean. check out my article on garden software if you want a gander at what's going on in the computer/garden realm (lib 11, Softga.txt).
Gary – someone else just asked that, too – so you might want to check that message thread too, but basically tomatoes want deep and even watering. i use soaker hoses to excellent effect here in nj.
Bill – i use soaker hoses; tomatoes are incredible water-lovers and like even, deep watering. Soakers also keep water off the leaves, which tends to keep down fungal attacks. Tomatoes are one of the most water-intensive vegetables in the whole garden – guzzlers! And they grow so well here in…
shep – do you have Superthrive as one of your testing products? Again, no clue what it is, but works great on orchids.
yeah, i love squishy stuff like that too. irresistable. haven't a clue how it's made; i am constantly amazed how man can take things like volcanic rock and melt it at absurdly horrendous temperatures and then "spin" it into something like rockwool. who thinks this stuff up? how'd you like…
Todd – it's continually amazes me how much can be grown underlights: i've bloomed standard cattleyas under there (albeit NOT digbyana). i've grown Masdevallias, paphs, phals, minicatts, Oncidium varicosum, a lot of small botanicals you probably never heard of – and, yes, quite definitely, phrags. i always use four fluorescent…
orchid shows
Message #838
Would be (or current) orchid lovers in the metropolitan New York area may be interested in the following orchid shows: March 12-15: North Jersey Orchid Society Orchid Show and Sale: held at the Morristown Headquarters Plaza Mall, mall hours. Good, fairly large show with lots of vendors from all over…
Todd – no, i grow under lights and on windowsills, although i have access to and have plants in many friends' greenhouses. favorite orchid – a tough one. hmmm. probably the Sophronitella violacea that christopher bailes gave me once from j&l orchids in connecticut. chris bailes was the former editor…
Meryl – have you tried the hot pepper route? a friend had a similiarly destructive cat and used to make a concoction of mild ivory soapy water and dried hot pepper to spray on the plants and on the soil. kitty took a few more bites and decided hey, this…
Todd – no problem; i like being the "guru" once in a while. that cross sounds interesting, but be prepared for tremendous diversity in the progeny, from good to truly awful. someone wise once estimated that on average every cross comes out with 10% etter than the parents, 10% about…
Don – If you leave Alison your address she'll send you a copy of National Gardening. Re software: There's a few garden-related programs in the libraries here which you can download, but an overview article can be found in Library 11 (Softga.txt). – jw
Martin – sounds good for cool orchids. Where are you located? I can then also check on nearby commercial growers for you (lots of growers won't ship to cold areas until after March 15 or so). How hot does the gh get in summer? – jw
#Gardening Challenges
Message #703
st Hi, Doug – Howard shared your e-mail with us all; this IS a friendly place, especially for a forum so new. (Maybe that's part of it.) Anyway, you'll soon notice i never let a chance to proselytize for orchid growing… there's so many incredible misconceptions about them, and i…
Congratulations, Maculsays! Wishing you all much joy – jw
You've got to have good humidity for mounted orchids, and a penchant for watering a lot. Basically you don't have to do anything to the wood, but the more furrowed the ridges, the better the bark is for orchids to cling to and the better for water to be retained…
i guess i should have made one of those smiley faces after that crack about all the extras i got for e-rights. you try, shep – see what YOU can pry out of simon leschultz.
John – thanks for another vote for NJ. Must be our special combination of incredible soil and just the right amount of air pollution and acid rain.
Todd – The crinkling and flower distortion ("crippling") is probably hereditary; may be some weird triploid stuff going on, although who knows? I have a compot of Phrag. besseae (if you call six seedlings a compot, and no, i wouldn't want to part with any) that i got from Pui…
ws: yes, thanks! i'm even free that day, so i can make this the excuse for spending the rest of the day in the museums (and assorted halls of fame). Shep – looking forward to borscht with you. (by the bye, i exacted such a HORRENDOUS price for the e-rights…
Z. mackeyi is a great plant with super scent. Like most thin-leaved orchids, it can "accordion" if your humidity is too low – sure sign that you need to add more. It likes to be underpotted – tends to crawl over the sides and wave roots around. Temps like the…
garden software
Message #530
Ron – they're uploading the software review article today or tomorrow, i think, into tool talk. File is "softga.txt." Let me know if you have specific questions. – jw
Phil – National Gardening runs this forum, so I'm sure they'll be delighted to see a new subscriber. It's a GREAT magazine (I'd say that even if I didn't get to write for it once in a while), a bimonthly. It's $24/year for foreign subscriptions. NGA Subscription Service, P.O. Box…
Todd: Sounds like you've got excellent conditions for the light-lovers. I'd hesitate about the 5-50-17; you're going to eventually lose leaf growth because of flower production – blossom booster ratios should be more than plenty. You also might wait til september to apply that. Research has shown that you get…
Hey, Dan(ny) – don't be so quick to dismiss orchids. They're tons easier than you (and most of the world) think. I kill African violets, but I can grow orchids. Seriously, she might do fine with them under those conditions. It'd only cost her about $15 to find out.
Ortho says they have discontinued their software and have no immediate plans to introduce others. There are still a few left in retail outlets, they say, but frankly, there's a lot better garden software out there than that. National Gardening Magazine will have a review article (by me) of more…
Phil – I just wrote a software review article for National Gardening Magazine that will be in the March issue, reviewing more than 20 different garden-related programs. I think they'll be uploading it to a library on this forum soon. If not, check the March issue. What specifically are you…
Hi, Todd – fellow orchidist here. Do you belong to the American Orchid Society? I write a monthly article for their magazine and wrote a 7-part beginner's series for them last year. Phrags are terrestrial, unlike cattleyas and angraceums, so they like to stay wetter; the mix should be a…
#Rutgers Home Gardeners
Message #312
Rutgers' annual home gardener's school will be held Saturday, March 21 at the Loree Building on the Cook College Campus, from 9-4. Good event; 30 lectures/workshops from which to choose, for $17. A bargain. Some of the topics: Annual Flowers for NJ Gardens, Backyard Composting, Space-Saving Garden Ideas, Lawn Care,…
#Plant suggestions please
Message #310
Surprisingly, there are orchids that will tolerate and flower under very high heat and light conditions, particularly some of the Caribbean-derived hybrids. You might tell her to try equitant oncidiums – they've got brilliantly colored little flowers, and the plants are usually only about six inches tall. They have to…
I had the feeling you'd appreciate that message, Jeff. Maybe we could start a new section here called "Garden Innuendos." Care to Ass. Sysop it?
Hey, don't we people in New Jersey go through enough bashing without you guys taking away our best-tomatoes-in-the-world reputation? You're just jealous because you can't have tomatoes for the fourth of July. I've had the tastiest luck with the heirloom 'Brandywine,' almost most any types seem to do amazingly well…