Jim I haven't tried your method but I do put my larger containers in a larger tub filled with water/ rain water and then put the container directly into the tub for bottom watering. I also collect snow in the winter in buckets to water my plants that I am overwintering. I also start putting my salvias and agastaches that have been overwintered inside back outside during the day as soon as the temps hit 35-40 degrees. Most of them are hardy to 20-25 degrees so starting them back out at 35-40 doesn't hurt them. It helps them to get reacclimated without tress. Once the temps stay up above 35 at night they stay out on my porch until I move them into the yard.

Penny

Hi Penny and All!

Another thing I like to do is what I call mudding my cuttings. I did it this morning with my Geraniums that I overwintered.

It came from someone who probably could be called a master gardner. He wintered sowed directly to the ground and when he took cuttings or just plain old cut back plants he always mixed mud and put it directly to the cut area of the plant.

We've all heard recently that in a horticultural educational area (Maybe Cornell? I don't know.) that plants have feelings.

When I asked this gentleman about 30 years ago what he was doing he replied, "Have you ever been stung by a bee?" Followed with, "What do you use to take away the sting?"

Well to this day I would still personally use "mud". He said that putting mud on the cut takes away the shock the plant gets and the cut heels quicker. It always made sense to me, and it now appears with the little knowledge I have of Gardening and those recent findings from a higher level he was ahead of his time.

So I've been mudding for years. It also has another advantage, it brings back very early childhood memories :>)

Jim

CATS39,

I have finally found a way to keep squirrels from digging up my newly-planted iris rhizomes: I use thin bamboo stakes broken into 8-10" pieces to anchor the rhizomes to the ground. I bury the roots, then push one stake in diagonally over the rhizome, and another stake over it in the opposite direction, so the iris is held gently but firmly against the ground. The squirrels can't dig them up, and they root quickly and deeply. I left the stakes on the new irises over the winter, so frost heaving wasn't an issue either. I suspect this "ground staking" would also work for daylilies and hostas (or other perennials with bulky/bulbous root systems), if digging critters are a problem in your garden.

Laurelin

I put smaller tomato cages over my dahlias instead of staking. It's super easy and all the foliage completely hides the cages, and supports the plant to stop the heavy blooms from falling over.

It's not a deep secret, but I put tomato cages...the ones that fold into thirds, around the perimeter of my gardens that surround the house (not fenced-in). The deer don't like to get their feet caught in the wire mesh, so it works as a deterrent.

Once a summer, they break through and eat everything and I cry for a day. I've started to move the mesh around every week so they don't get used to the position. It looks awful, but I have learned to look past it so I can enjoy my beautiful hollyhocks against the house.

Until last year had terrible luck getting more than one or two Bradywine tomatoes. Saw a post on a tomato forum to shake the tomato cage. Shook them every time I passed them and in return got dozens and dozens of tomatos. Any explanations????

Madorley,

I believe tomatos are wind-pollonated. By shaking the tomatoes you helped pollonize them.

Tracy