Winter Seed Starting

An article I wrote for the winter edition of the newsletter printed by the botanical garden I worked at.

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“Is it spring yet?”  That is a question you may hear me ask anywhere from Christmas onward, much like an anxious child on a long trip.  I have heard that a true gardener enjoys all seasons, and indeed I do, but there is something special about the rebirth that occurs during spring.  Winter erases the previous year’s mistakes, and the bounty of garden catalogs inspires dreams of new plants as far as the eye can see … or at least to the edge of my property.

Even though it will be awhile yet before I can get out and plant in the garden, there is still a plenty of prep work that can be done now.  For instance, ordering seeds and plants.  It is not easy narrowing an order down to a size somewhat smaller than the catalog it is made from.

Seriously, for those who like a great deal and larger selection, seeds are the way to go, and it is a good time to get started.  There are a lot of inexpensive germination mats and grow lights that help to get a jump start on the season and satisfy the need to “play in the dirt.”

This is also an excellent time to start seeds that need stratification.  “Strat-i-fi-what?” you ask. Simply put, some seeds need to experience winter before they will germinate.  This is why many people consider themselves a failure when it comes to starting seeds.  For some seeds, the pre-chilling can be as simple as throwing the pack of seeds in the freezer for a few weeks.  Some people use zipper bags with some sort of moistened growing medium to put the seeds in before placing them in the refrigerator.  I am not sure Grandma would eat from our fridge if she found something containing “dirt” in it.

What works best for me is to let nature do the work.  I put potting soil (either high quality or a germinating mix) into a pot, moisten it well, sprinkle the seeds on top, cover the pot with a sandwich bag to protect the seeds and hold in moisture, and sit the pots outside in a somewhat sheltered area.  For me, under the eaves on the south side of my house is perfect.  Unless I know the seeds require covering with soil (larger seeds or ones that require darkness), I generally do not, as some seeds require light to germinate. Though I try to get the seeds out by mid-January, it can still be successfully done as long as there are at least a few weeks of cold weather left.  I have used this method for the past couple of years, and have had very good germination rates with it. When the temperature is right, the pots burst with seedlings.

How do you know if the seeds you have need stratification? It may be on the seed package, but often times it is not. My rule of thumb is, if it is a perennial hardy in my area, I give it the cold treatment. This technique will not work for most vegetables, annuals or perennials not hardy in your area.  I seldom plant the entire package of seeds at once so as not to have an overabundance of seedlings to thin out. This also provides backup in case of a crop failure.

So the next time you are at the store or are browsing a garden catalog, allow yourself to be enticed by a package of seeds that may have intimidated you in the past. You can be successful if you work with nature.

Propagating Roses

You can go online and find tons of information about propagating roses, but in my opinion, a lot of it is unnecessary.  Sure, a lot of what is written may be helpful, especially in certain situations, but it is still mostly just their opinion of what is better, and some people like to overcomplicate things.  It is not that I cannot do it, it is that I do not want to.  I do not want to take the time, I do not want to spend the money and I do not want to waste space with clutter.  There are too many other things I would rather be doing.  So!  Here is the crux of the matter when it comes to rooting rose cuttings.  Take it, modify it to fit your needs and have fun making more plants! *

Fresh rose cutting.

Take the rose cutting, obviously from a healthy rose.  It should be a shoot that has already produced blooms and has hardened off.  If it is still very flexible young growth, even if it has produced a bloom, it will likely wilt and die.  Some of the previous year's growth may be useable as well, but you do not want a stem that has matured and turned brown as it will not be as productive in growing roots.  Not too young or old is the important part.  Size is secondary; sometimes you have to take what you can get.  Best is about the diameter of a pencil, but I have been successful with smaller and larger.  The length should be two to three leaf sets (about four to five inches in length).  Get more than one cutting if you can; backup is always a good idea.  If possible, take the cutting in the early morning or on a cool day for maximum moisture content.  Watering the day before also helps.

If you cannot plant the cutting at the time, be sure to store it properly.  If I get a cutting while I am on a job, I put it in a little dish of water and keep it as shaded as possible until I get home. You can also wrap it in a wet paper towel and put it in a plastic bag.  If it is going to be stored for any length of time, it needs to be on ice or in the refrigerator.  Moist and cool are key.

Prepared cuttings. Note the angle of the cuts.

Prepare the cuttings.  Here you will get lots of advice to cut, slice, peel or otherwise wound the cuttings in order to expose the cambium layer.  This is a bit more precise and I have not found better results for the amount of time it takes.  I simply make a fresh cut at an extreme angle, just below the bottom leaf node, and more than enough of the cambium is exposed to provide a healthy root system.  Obviously make sure the cutting is not upside down. Take the leaves off, do not take the leaves off, it is up to you.  If you leave them on, cut them back to about two leaves per set to help prevent transpiration, and they will likely fall off anyway.  If you cut them off, new ones will grow back soon.  Definitely remove the bottom set of leaves and the remains of any blooms.

Rooting hormone may improve results, but I have had good results with and without.  In my experience, growing conditions (quality soil, moisture, shade and temperature) have played a bigger role in successful rooting than whether or not I used hormone.  If using hormone, put a small amount in another container so as not to contaminate the entire bottle.  I am not using hormone for the roses being rooted here to show how simple the entire process can be.  Willow water (tea made from cuttings of the Salix family) is also effective to promote root growth.

Freshly planted cuttings.

To plant the cuttings, select a shady location, use a tool to create a hole in the soil, put the cutting in deep enough to cover the first set of leaf nodes, gently push the soil into place and water.  Keep watered.  It is a good idea to label the cuttings and you may want to put the date on the tag as well.

My house is in the shape of an L, forming a cool area of shade with the sun blocked from the south and west.  I like to use this area, whether planting directly in the ground or in pots.  If using pots, I have found that large clay pots work best as they do not dry out quickly and allow the soil to breath; a 50/50 mixture of quality potting soil and sand works well.  Again, to show how simple it really is, I am starting these cuttings directly in the ground.  This area has quality soil and a lot of sand for good drainage.  The main things to remember are shade, moisture and drainage.  The cuttings cannot cook in the sun, dry out or stand soggy soil.

After a short period of time, leaves or small shoots may begin to grow.  While this does not necessarily indicate root growth, it is a good sign.  If at any point the cutting turns brown, it has died and should be removed.

Callused over cut and new roots.

Eventually the area around the cut will callus over.  This is the precursor to roots.  While I do not recommend digging cuttings up to look for this as it can fatally damage the cutting, I did so here for demonstration purposes.  This particular cutting, which not only has callused, but has also begun to form roots, is just over a month old.  Other cuttings may take much longer.  Some cuttings root easier than others and the length of time for roots to form varies, depending upon the variety of rose, time of year, temperature and other factors.

Rooted cutting.

After roots have begun to grow, the cuttings start to branch out more.  The rooted cutting shown here is about two and a half months old.  Though you can leave the rooted cuttings where they are for some time longer, I dig and gently pot the roses in high quality potting soil and continue to keep them in an area that only gets morning sun.  Some recommend leaving them this way for quite awhile, and if you are patient or unable to watch them closely to give them the attention they need, so do I. However, I generally can watch them and am not so patient.  If the rose had a healthy set of roots and a fair amount of growth, I leave it in the shaded area for a week or so.  If it was still rather small, I wait longer to gradually harden it off in the sun.  After I put it in the sun, I monitor it for a week or so, returning it to the shade if there is any sign of a problem.  After the plant has hardened off and is thriving in the sun, I wait for a cool day, preferably before a rain, and plant it in soil amended with lots of organic matter. Again, keep the rose watered until it is well established.

* This same basic process can be used to propagate many different plants from cuttings. Patented plants (PP - Plant Patent or PPAF - Plant Patent Applied For) cannot legally be asexually propagated until the patent expires, which is approximately 20 years.

Don't Mess With Mother Nature

The Perfect Design

Whether you believe in God or evolution, you likely believe in the miracle of life and that the body is perfectly created or evolved.  Unfortunately, many people in this country do not realize the male foreskin is not the exception to this perfection and mistakenly think it is better to have the most sensitive part of their son's body painfully ripped and sliced away.  However, it is not "just a useless flap of skin," which is why all mammals have a prepuce.  As with any perfect design, you cannot change form without altering function.

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good."  -- Genesis 1:27, 31

"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well." -- Psalm 139:13-14

"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased." -- 1 Corinthians 12:18 

"Natural selection will never produce in a being anything injurious to itself, for natural selection acts solely by and for the good of each.  No organ will be formed, as Paley has remarked, for the purpose of causing pain or for doing an injury to its possessor." -- Charles Darwin

What does this have to do with gardening?  Mother Nature repeats Herself, and as I work in the garden, I see many ways in which She similarly creates and protects Her creation and interference destroys Her perfect design.  Even most non-gardeners realize natural and organic products are superior to those altered or polluted by man (in reality, natural is the standard and less is inferior). To believe in the wonders of the Universe or the miracle of life, yet at the same time think every human male is born "defective" or that the foreskin is "useless" does not make sense.  To think that the foreskin can be amputated without negative consequences is ignorant.

The Beautiful Rosebud

I have read of circumcisers comparing the freshly circumcised infant penis to a "beautiful little rosebud."  I have made a similar comparison myself of the natural penis, but there is none of a rose's beauty in a raw, wounded organ.  We have all admired a beautiful, perfectly formed rose bud.  Never would we rush to open the calyx of a rose in order to expose the bud.  We know the calyx protects the developing rose, so we allow the bud to gently unfold and mature in its own due time.  To cut or forcefully open the rose would destroy its beauty.  It still would mature, be able to pollinate and form a hip, which to the rose bush itself, is the only goal.  In fact, breeders who are not concerned with the beauty of the individual flower do a form of this, but most people would agree that to do so routinely would be mutilation.  A mutilated penis (NSFW) is also usually able to gain some enjoyment and procreate, but like seeing in black and white, the full spectrum of beauty that Nature intended is lost.

The same perfect design on a daffodil.

The flower buds of Canadian ginger and rhubarb.

Nature reveals Its creation only when the time is right.
(Click images to enlarge and reveal detail.)

The Protective Seed Hull

Having grown many plants from seed, I have observed that on seedlings, some hulls take longer to drop away than others.  Trying to help the seedlings, a number of times I tried to remove the hull.  The lesson learned?  Some seedlings take a little longer to develop and need the hull to provide protection and perhaps further nutrients, but they are still perfectly normal.  If I do not remove the hull, occasionally the seedling never advances and eventually wilts away.  If I do remove the hull, even if it is still barely attached, the seedling is damaged and usually does not survive.  Even if a baby boy does not die from circumcision (in the U.S., over 117 boys a year die from circumcision), when a functioning part is amputated, the body is damaged.  In early life, the foreskin is fused to the glans (head of the penis) in the same way a fingernail is fused to the finger, and forcefully retracting it causes damage.  This is why some natural ("uncircumcised") males have problems and are circumcised later in life.  In other cultures (the majority of the world does not circumcise), the foreskin is left alone, and problems are virtually unheard of even in old age.  Like the seedling, the boy himself knows when the time is right to retract his own foreskin.  (There are rare cases of phimosis, but this can only be diagnosed after puberty and can be treated without cutting.)

The Emerging Hosta

Walking through the yard, I noticed that hostas emerge very phallic like.  As I looked closer, I realized the comparison was even more than I first observed. To protect the hosta as it pushes through the soil, it is covered in a sort of protective sheath.  As the hosta grows out of the sheath, the more mature outer leaves continue to encapsulate and protect the delicate, still forming inner leaves from a late frost or a few nibbles from a hungry critter.  As the outer, sometimes slightly damaged leaves unfold, the fresh inner leaves reveal their beauty.  It would not make sense to remove the sheath or outer leaves early to "protect" the plant.  Just like those outer leaves, the foreskin protects the penis from frostbite, zippers and even the wear and tear of daily life which causes desensitizing keratinization (NSFW) on an unprotected glans.  As the foreskin is studied, even more ways in which it protects and serves are being discovered.  The major difference between the foreskin and those outer leaves on the hosta is well stated in this quote, "The foreskin is not the wrapper, it's the candy."

More hostas emerging.

A peony emerging from the soil, then from the protection of its sheath.

The protective sheaths of emerging lily of the valley, baptisia and Solomon's seal.  One can observe this again and again throughout Nature.  If plants and animals are designed or evolved so perfectly, why would the human male be any less?

Nature and Hygiene

One of the most often used excuses for amputating the foreskin is hygiene. While soap and running water are no doubt a benefit to humanity, there are still valuable lessons to be learned about hygiene from Nature.  Animals do not use soap and water to bath as humans do, yet I have never heard of one getting an infection of the foreskin or needing to be circumcised.  But then, people do not tend to tamper with animal foreskins to create those problems.

Females produce smegma, too, yet despite all the products sold to "prevent odor," few advocate genital cutting to promote female hygiene.  Though it is more difficult for a female to get to all of her folds and crevices than a male to retract his foreskin, she is entrusted to do so.  People should not insult their sons by assuming they will grow up to be incompetent slobs.  Of course, any part from teeth to toes are "easier to clean" if removed, but to quote Craig Ferguson, who is intact, "You can have this chopped off or you can wash it ... That's a tough choice there, doctor." Amputation is not hygiene and everyone needs to wash, cut or not.

Natural vs. Circumcised

I ask that you view the comparative photos in the following links ... Keratinization and Circumcision Status (NSFW) and Introduction to the natural, intact penis (NSFW).  If you hear the thousands of words these pictures speak, you will agree there is good reason intactivists consider circumcision genital mutilation.  Perhaps in the natural, you will even see the similarity of a rose bud in its perfect form.

Planting the Seeds of Change

I was about ten years old when I first learned of circumcision.  The first thought to come into my non-indoctrinated mind and out of my mouth was, "What if he doesn't want to be circumcised?  It's his body and it can't be undone."  I knew nothing of the pain or loss, only that it was not necessary and that it was wrong to cut other people's body parts off.  That was enough for me to decide then and there that if I ever had sons, they would not be circumcised.

It is only through questioning that we can see where there is fallacy in long held beliefs and create change.  When it comes to circumcision, frequently questions and change are met by mockery and anger.  The person who says, "Baby boys are born perfect.  Love them enough to keep them that way." is considered crazy, penis obsessed, and even perverted while the person who says, "Baby boys are born ugly, dirty and unhealthy.  You should amputate the most sensitive part of their manhood before they can refuse." is considered normal, sane and their motives are never questioned.  How backwards is that?!  Our boys and men deserve better!  I ask that you challenge any beliefs you may hold regarding circumcision with the following questions.

• The same "health benefits" and ridiculous excuses are given to promote both male and female circumcision.  Insurance companies even covered female circumcision in the U.S. until the 1970s.  Since 1997, all forms of female circumcision performed on a minor have been banned by U.S. law; this includes even a symbolic pinprick of the clitoral hood (female foreskin) for religious reasons.  The 14th Amendment grants equal protection, so why do males not receive it?
• For what other normal, healthy body part would we think amputation was a parental right for any reason?
• What other unnecessary cosmetic surgery, trauma or abuse would we allow upon a child because he could not say "no" and "won't remember" the event?
• Would we consider it acceptable to amputate the foreskin of an adult without his consent?
• Why does the adult that the circumcised child will grow into not deserve the same right to his foreskin?
• Why do anatomy books and charts in the U.S. show the penis sans foreskin as though that is the natural state?
• Why are U.S. doctors and nurses taught to amputate the foreskin rather than of its functions and how to preserve it?
• For what other body part is amputation promoted as "cleaner," "preventative medicine" or a "cure" rather than washing and treating as needed?
• We do not refer to other body parts as "unamputated" (e.g. unmastectomized, undecapitated), so why is a man with his whole penis referred to as "uncircumcised," as though a surgically altered penis is natural?
• What other amputation, especially upon a helpless child, are "jokes" not only acceptable, but common about?
• What other body part would it be acceptable to ridicule or scorn a person for having?
• Why are the feelings of men who feel violated by circumcision swept aside rather than acknowledged as they would be for any other amputation, especially if performed needlessly without the owner's permission?
• If a society has a perverted view of a normal, healthy body part, is it not the society that needs to be changed rather than forcibly amputating the body part from the society's most vulnerable members?
• Why so many double standards, all against the human male foreskin?

Basic Human Rights

This is about human rights.  No medical organization in the world recommends routine infant circumcision; it is medically unnecessary.  Circumcision is a personal choice.  Sadly, some confuse a personal choice with a parental decision, which is not the same thing.  When the parental decision is to circumcise, the right of personal choice is stolen from the only person whose opinion matters, the person who has to live with the decision, the person himself.  This violation is something that even the most violent criminal is protected from.  His body, his choice.

"When You Know Better, You Do Better."

-- Maya Angelou

I am not judging anyone who had their son(s) circumcised because they did not know any better. Since the late 1800's when it was promoted in the U.S. to prevent masturbation, circumcision has been a "cure" searching for a disease, and whatever the scare of the era, it was said to prevent.  There is still a lot of misinformation promoting circumcision that is spread as fact, even by those who should know better.  It takes a very strong person to admit they have made a mistake and a very strong man to admit he has been harmed.  I have the utmost respect for those who have done just that and have chosen to protect their sons rather than continue a painful cycle.

Circumcision ...

The more you know, the more you're against it!

Resource links ...

Attorneys for the Rights of the Child
Beyond the Bris
Bonobo3D
Boys Deserve Better
Catholics Against Circumcision
CIRCINFO
CircLeaks
Circumcision Harm
Circumcision Information and Resource Pages
Circumcision Resource Center
Circumcision Wisdom
Circumstitions
Doctors Opposing Circumcision
DrMomma - Peaceful Parenting
End Routine Infant Circumcision
Global Survey of Circumcision Harm
In Memory of the Sexually Mutilated Child
Intact America
Intact Network
Intact News
Intactivist Pages
Internation Coalition for Genital Integrity
Involuntary Foreskinectomy Awareness
Jewish Circumcision Resource Center
Jews Against Circumcision
Lucky Stiff
Men Do Complain
Mothers Against Circumcision
MGM Bill
Moralogous
New Foreskin (foreskin restoration)
National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers
NOCIRC-PA
National Organization of Restoring Men
NORM: New England (NSFW)
National Organization to Halt Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males
Not Just Skin
Nurses for the Rights of the Child
Question Circumcision
Rape of Innocence
Restoring Foreskin
Restoring Tally
Saving Babies
Saving Sons
Secret Penis
Sex As Nature Intended It
SICSOCIETY
TLC Tugger (foreskin restoration)
The Whole Network

Oh, Those Mums

They are a staple of the fall garden, but given the opportunity, Chrysanthemums would bloom earlier in the garden. Some gardeners religiously pinch them back, removing all buds through the early summer in order to keep them from blooming before the desired time. Another advantage of pinching them back is to control their size and prevent them from flopping under their own weight later in the season.

As many garden tasks as I have, I do not have time for pinching them back. Towards the end of June or first of July, I cut them back to about six inches. They look a bit sad for awhile and other garden plants are useful in camouflaging that, but soon they grow out of it.  By the time they are intended to bloom, you would never know they had been so "abused" just a few months earlier.

Mums are one of the easiest plants to propagate, too.  If you want more plants, when you cut them back, simply stick the cuttings in soil and keep them watered.  Soon you will have a whole crop of them.  I learned this by accident a few years ago when I was potting some up and tossed the scraps aside. Even in poor soil and a fair amount of shade, they quickly began to grow!

Some have the problem of mums dying over the winter.  Typically the problem is that mums planted in the fall do not have a chance to get established before winter.  Ideally mums should be planted much earlier in the season, but usually they are more available in the fall. Marketers know that pots full of blooming flowers so late in the year are irresistible to someone looking for quick fall decorations.  If they are planted this late, mulching may help. They are also more apt to survive the winter if not cut back until spring.

I have rescued mums and successfully overwintered them in the garage or a sheltered area until I could plant them in the spring.  I do water them if they are not getting rain and snow for moisture.  I recently noticed that though I have only bought a couple of mums in my life, I have gathered quite a collection of them this way.  One benefit of various mums is an extended bloom time, as they bloom at different times.

Insects of all sorts are attracted to mums.  Jim said amber is especially attractive to bees and wasps and that they would swarm around the lights on the utility vehicles he worked on.  That seems to be the case with mums, too.  There have been a lot of honey bees visiting this one for sure.  They are always a welcome sight since pesticides and disease have killed so many of them.

For those who like something a little more exotic, there are mums for you, too.  The last two mums pictured are a spider mum (I believe the cultivar is 'Lava') and a quill mum that I got at the end of a mum show at the botanical garden I used to work at.  Though not all show mums are winter hardy, these have survived for several years in my garden.

To browse mums that you will not find at your local garden store, go to www.kingsmums.com.