BTE, hugelkulture, hydroponics and other unconventional gardening

[Hinotori]

I didn't know aloe could be used for rooting. I know that the budding spring twigs of willow are supposed to help. Crush and soak in water, then use that water.

I'm lazy and keep rooting hormone on hand. It doesn't work for everything though.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I have NEVER had luck with the powdered rooting hormone. If anything, I do better with plain water than I do with rooting hormone. Last season, I bought some salt peter. I think that was helpful for starting SEEDS of pepper and eggplant. Basically, any of the hard coated seeds are supposed to have better germination with salt peter. (Potassium nitrate)

Yes, I've heard of using willow for rooting hormone. I believe that would work.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

There are videos out there of people sticking cuttings of rose and similar woody stems in a potato to root them. And cinnamon is supposed to be a natural rooting aid. I think that success or failure is more likely attributed to the timing of the cuttings, the maturity of the branch/stem that was used, and the environment in which the cutting was placed. (moisture and type of medium, light intensity, and humidity around the cutting.) Get all that right, and avoid bacterial, fungal or viral infection, and success should be good.

My husband's grandfather could root anything. He would bring roses in from the garden, and even those would take root.

 

[Hinotori]

I like trying to grow things that no one really gets to take off. I need a heated greenhouse. I miss the 8 ft avocado I grew from seed. I would decorate it for Christmas.

I know they are easy to sprout, but no one else I've talked to has gotten them past a foot tall.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Mine was past a foot tall, until the chickens got to it!

My neighbor has several avocado trees that are about 3 feet tall that she grew from seed. @Hinotori you'd really like my neighbor. She's got stuff growing all the time from seed. She seems to be able to grow anything in pots, old coolers, kiddie swimming pools, old wooden crates...

Now that we have ducks for fertilizer, I bet her stuff grows even better.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I've started trench composting here and there in the garden. I toss veggie scraps to the chickens. Anything they are not likely to eat goes into the trench. After the lobster feed last weekend, I brought home a bucket full of shells. Those were chopped and buried in the garden today. I still continue to collect cardboard, and lay it in the paths to help with weed control.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I was offered a deal on a commercial grade, greenhouse frame. Actually DH was offered the deal, so I don't know what type it is, what shape it is, r what size it will be. I have wanted a nice sized greenhouse for a while - so this might fit the bill. Something that I can build some raised beds in and use as a season extender for greens and such. My dream greenhouse is a geodesic dome.

Question: I live in a zone 3 - almost a 4 - area. If I plant a zone 5, dwarf peach tree in a greenhouse, do you think it would thrive and produce fruit?

 

[Lazy Gardener]

It depends on how well you are able to manage your heat spikes in the green house. For every layer of protection you provide, you increase the micro-climate 1.5 growing zones. If you are able to put a thermostatically controlled vent in your green house to vent off the extra heat, you might succeed. The big issue is: Your tree will need to go dormant, AND it must stay in dormancy until spring time temps (whether in green house or outside) are stable enough to prevent freezing of newly budded leaves, and especially any blossoms. I would fear that a bit of a heat spike at the end of Persephone months would draw your tree out of dormancy, only to be hit by an other cold snap. If a cold snap hits when sap is flowing, it is likely to split the trunk, resulting in loss of the tree. You might want to spend a season or two getting to know the idiosyncracies of your greenhouse before putting a peach tree in there.

I think, you might do better by putting a peach tree on the warm side of the house, where you already have a good micro climate outside. Lay some 1" styro-foam on the ground around the base of the tree, allow a 6 - 12" window around the trunk, and extend the styro-foam to the drip line of the young tree. Plant some garlic bulbs and a few daffodils in the "window". Mulch the tree well, but keep the mulch from actually touching the trunk of the tree.

What are your lowest winter temps? How much work are you willing to do to keep this tree alive? If you are willing to go the extra mile, you might consider wrapping the tree in burlap when temps are consistently below freezing. If the micro-climate against your house or a similar building would place the tree at risk of having rain and ice from eaves causing an issue, you might consider pruning your tree into an espalier.

An other option would be to do a dwarf tree, keep it potted (think 1/2 whiskey barrel). If your home set up is such that you could progressively move the tree to a cold but protected area (covered porch or garage) then when temps there get nasty, bring it into the house. Only you know what temps you will be able to provide. It could be that the tree if placed in a huge foam pot would survive quite well in your garage. Then, when things start to warm up outside (when you see native trees breaking dormancy) you could move the tree outside.

Don't spend the money on a peach tree unless you are willing to experiment and fail! And even then... I'd recommend that you buy a bare root specimen instead of a potted tree.

Look at the recommended planting zones for the tree you are considering. Look at the Winter temp the tree is zoned for, then, consider if you can provide a micro-climate that meets that requirement.

 

[wyoDreamer]

If the greenhouse is what I think he was describing, it could be possible to control the temp enough to change a Zone 4 winter to a Zone 5 winter. I have already had 2 peach trees fail on me - and they were Zone 4 peach trees. Their death was my fault though.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

You most likely will need to replace the plastic skin on the green house. Part of routine maintenance, but time consuming, and fairly expensive.