Chemistry of Plant Life

[Michaelangelica]

JUST read Gardening Australia (Nov 2008 -I'm in the library) essay by Michael McCoy who says

"I've determined that when I'm old I'll measure my worldly achivement on my mastery of raising plants from seed"

[Michaelangelica]

JUST read Gardening Australia (Nov 2008 -I'm in the library) essay by Michael McCoy who says

"I've determined that when I'm old I'll measure my worldly achivement on my mastery of raising plants from seed"

 

While I am here; Could I please ask the chemists what chlorine (and its friends) do to soil CHEMISTRY-not to wee beasties etc- just to the chemistry.

Does it lock up certain nutrients?- for example.

 

goodness JUST found this from the same mag

http://www.frangipaniheaven.com/index_files/BagMethod.htm

[vanamoinen1]

michaelangelica: there are a number of difficulties associated with salt concentrations in soil, not the least of which relate to waste runoff of soap products/detergents. Typically, a soap comprises an alkali salt (e.g. sodium, potassium) or an ammonium salt of a long chain fatty acid; the class of soaps/detergents includes a myriad of different salts and a class of compounds called "surfactants"--btw, sodium lauryl sulfate is a common ingredient in bodywashes/shampoos which can be viewed as the sodium salt of the ester formed by reacting lauryl alcohol and sulphuric acid. The "problem" of surfactant-containing waste water is that the very function of the surfactant--to change the surface activity of the substrate to which they are applied--implies that when they are applied to soil they may change its permeability--as a simplified view, soil may become water-logged as a result of its permeability being increased. In addition to the soap/detergents, other pollutants may also be washed into the soil as a result of the change in permeability. Over time, micro-organisms may break down the soaps/detergents in the soil--and indeed, long chain fatty acids are a good energy source for them. But if the system is overwhelmed, the soil will stagnate and sour--runoff into water resources also becomes an issue. Many plants will not tolerate waterlogged soil, which the increased soil permeability may produce. They simply die from root suffocation or become susceptible to fungal infections.

 

Hope that's informative.

[vanamoinen1]

oops, my last post was actually directed to a different question.

 

but as to this one, when i was a kid, my mother taught me a method for germinating seeds--you simply put them on a piece of paper towel, fold up the towel and pour water over it, wring out most of the water so that the towel is merely damp, put it in a bowl covered with cling film (saran wrap) and put the bowl in a warm place (like the top of the fridge). benefits of this method: (since is was a kid) you actually get to see the start of the germination--root tips extend relatively quickly for most seeds you'd grow for the garden; you can (gently) transplant the germinating seed to your seed growing medium and not waste your time/resources with seeds that never do germinate. with some seeds (for example, columbine and acanthus) a few drops of hydrogen peroxide applied to the towel may be helpful. with some seeds (e.g. lupines, primroses) with which light is beneficial to germination, you should not use this method--but knock yourself out with corn, peas, beans, tomatoes, melons, delphiniums, zinnias, lilacs, rhododendrons and so on.

 

beyond seeds, grafting, layering, cuttings, proliferations etc. present all sorts of interesting solutions to increasing plants in the garden.

[Michaelangelica]

:steering:

[freeztar]

I've often used the paper towel method to germinate seeds. It's a great way to get a variety of seeds to quickly germinate (thanks for the H2O2 reference :lol: ).

 

A problem I've often faced is successfully getting the plants into the ground. We have a lot of clay here in Georgia and I have found that most plants die after being introduced to the native ground. So, all my plants are in pots. It's easier soil to work with and it's easier to control the conditions. Plant transfers from the towel to the pot are much easier, imho.

 

I wouldn't mind more advice though. :(

[Moontanman]

I use a good fungus powder to treat my seeds and put them in paper towels to allow them to germinate. i am still having problems with tree seeds, many are quite difficult to germinate, at least for me.

[freeztar]

I use a good fungus powder to treat my seeds and put them in paper towels to allow them to germinate. i am still having problems with tree seeds, many are quite difficult to germinate, at least for me.

 

Fungus powder? What do you use, specifically?

[Moontanman]

Fungus powder? What do you use, specifically?

 

I'll have to get back to you on that freezy, I went out and looked through my old greenhouse supplies but i couldn't find it. It has to be there, it's not something you would throw away. It's quite powerful stuff a tiny bottle goes a long way. I'll open up some more boxes tomorrow.