What Is Irish And Comes Out In Spring?… Paddy O Furniture!
It’s been a beautiful week with plenty of sunshine and warmth which will continue this week after the refreshing shower on Monday. People all over the world have rallied in huge crowds denouncing Trump and his side kick Elon after ridiculous and punishing Tariffs were placed on almost every country in the world. This included an Island country inhabited by mostly Penguins. Almost no country was left off the hook unless it was led by some kind of Dictator. It will be an interesting few weeks until the full effects of these actions are felt especially in the good old USA. Watching the news some days makes me want to have Premier Ford shut the power off on the east coast. But only for a day unless that outage would affect Mara Lago then it would be permanent!!!
I received a call from a gentleman who has some issues with Damping Off problems of his seedlings. Damping Off is a disease caused by Fugal growth on emerging seedlings. This can be caused from contaminated soil, recycled growing trays and pots, dirty tools and hands or contaminated starting soil or even from the water one uses. It spreads through the soil and kills the emerging seedlings and can be evident by the lack of roots, mushy stems and first leaves, threadlike thin stems and even a cobweb like white growth on the soil and plants. I’ve found that watering late in the day and not allowing the leaves on the new seedlings to dry thoroughly before covering the trays has always been the cause and it is more prevalent in plants like Geraniums and some Lettuce seedlings. It can also be caused from planting your seeds in soil that is too cold. Even outside this can happen if the soil is not 50 to 60 degrees Celsius for most plants. That’s why planting a garden is left until May. Sprinkling a good dusting of Cinnamon has always worked to stop the spread however nothing will save the seedlings that are affected. Be sure to sterilize with a mixture of a small amount household bleach in water tools, trays, and pots that you use, water your seedlings with warm water and let thoroughly dry before covering for the night.
Cinnamon has been used for thousands of years for medicinal properties that range from Anti Fungal to Anti Bacterial issues and works on both Humans and Plants. Cinnamon is from the inner bark of the Cinnamon Tree and is beneficial in human use to lower Blood Pressure, Assist with Insulin Resistance, decrease of TAU in the brain which causes Alzheimers, slows the growth of cancer cells, can be used as a food preservative, and can help prevent Bacterial and Fungal infections. A lot of research is being done on these amazing properties but I do know that it works wonders for gardeners in stopping quickly Damping Off issues!
Almost all my seed trays have been planted except for Cucumber and the Squash family of plants however I will be starting them this week. Still plenty of time to start most of your plant seeds be sure to read up on germination times. I have also planted my peas in the garden and will watch closely for germination and any issues I have with Damping Off in the garden itself.
Happy Gardening!
Samantha Nason
BS Ranch & Greenhouses
250 547 6567
sam1nason@gmail.com
