Relaxing today

Category: gardening | Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 8:07 pm

Time has just FLOWN by lately, so..today..am just relaxing (?) and getting caught up on a few things, mainly an up-to-date blog!
My sister, THE gardener in the family who works for a big commercial nursury Back East, was here for a 2-week visit beginning of July and we had a BALL! Of course, we just HAD to "visit" the majority of local nursuries in Casper..all I can say is it's a GOOD THING I own a pickup truck! As Fate would have it, every one we went to were having SALES of buy one, get one free, or 50% off on all plants. Now, I'm bad enough ALONE, but with "help"? Just use your imagination there and you'll get the idea!
Thankfully I still had some empty, good-sized pots and plenty of ProMix BX commercial potting mix on hand, and my little sister taught this Ole Hand a few things about transplanting into containers! First thing she did (and I almost CRIED!!) was give every plant a good haircut as they were getting a bit on the leggy side. I was "informed" pre-wetting the soils beforehand wasn't necessary (WHAT?), and this was followed by a quick handful of 16-12-12 timed-released fertilizer mixed into the medium prior to planting (OKAY! Could live with THAT!). Next came the actual transplanting where I KNOW my JAW hit the FLOOR! I DO break up congested root systems of pot-bound plants, but what I saw HERE had me absolutely speechless..and THIS is HARD to DO with MY mouth! Any roots extending out bottom of pots were unmercifully RIPPED OFF, then unpotted, root-bound plants got..basically..the same treatment as I was TOLD I'm "just too easy on things, gotta be FAST and ROUGH on them! Plants LOVE the abuse!" (nightmare time!!). Finally, after all were done, we got the hose and SOAKED every pot/container til they were good and wet, after which they were placed in a shady spot for a few days to recover (figued IF the handling didn't do 'em in, the watering sure would!!).
So, what's happened? ALL the new additions are simply BEAUTIFUL, and DO I stand corrected on a number of things in regards to gardening! I DO NOT LIKE Miracle Grow products, but one of my "lessons" was that THIS is what commercial growers use to push their plants along: Miracle Grow 20-10-20 pelleted, time-released fertilizer that cannot be found in stores, but can be ordered thru Miracle Grow products online (thank you, Sis! as I CHOKE on the unseasoned crow I'm about to EAT!).
Oh yes.learned quite a bit during the visit as we compared notes on differant plants, methods used, etc..was just too much for WORDS and I now have some NEW plants to hold over for next year, and/or propagate from that aren't patented ones. All I need NOW is the ROOM to do it...and I'll make it somehow!
We've had quite a bit of rain last few months, so what I have going really looked quite impressive to The Pro, was simply overjoyed to get a big "Thumbs UP" on appearances. THAT ment a LOT after all the hard work..since last fall..to revamp raised beds, keep WEEDS down and plants somewhat bug-free. Needless to say, I feel GOOD about this years efforts.
Visit wasn't ALL gardening: we did manage to have day trips to neighboring towns to visit with friends, and did get up on Casper Mountain to see the sights. Central Wyoming Fair was in progress, so we went there a few days..at 9 a.m.!..to watch livestock judging, see the vegetable/flower exhibits when they finally opened to the public. Few nights before Sis left, we attended the final night of the PRCA rodeo held in conjunction with the Fair. I'd gotten reserved "chute seats" a month in advance, seats were 2 rows behind the livestock chutes..were simply AWESOME! Parked out amid the livestock vans/horse trailers in their designated lot; got to get an "eyeball-to-eyeball" view of the bucking horse stock/BULLS on way to seats, saw the REAL size of them TV shows don't afford! Gotta give those cowboys that RIDE those things all the credit in the WORLD as the livestock used is HUGE, and MEAN LOOKING even just standing idle in the pens! I, now, have a much greater respect for the PBR (Pro Bull Riders) than I did previously..and any rodeo riders of the BIG animals!
Weather, the 2 weeks, put on a real Wyoming SHOW! Had 2 inches of rain in 40 minutes one night, cinplete with HAIL and tornado warning sirens going off. Other days it was high winds, clouds rolling in, hail and smaller downpours that came/went in no time. Plants got flattened by winds; leaves looked like Swiss cheese after hail stones beat them up; had lowland flooding in town; roads were washed out; but everything's survived..somehow!..and is thriving despite it all. Has been QUITE the summer to date!

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Droopy wrote on Sun Aug 02, 2009 9:30 pm:

I'd say it sounds like you need a day to relax. I would probably need several days after that program. Congratulations on your new plants, I hope they will do even better as season progresses.

Jewell2009 wrote on Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:14 am:

You were busy, busy, busy! Sounds like you and your sister had a ball :) Time to put your feet up and rest after all the good time you had. Guess it is time to see if there are any of those plant sales around here.