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There is a certain exuberance, a fresh burst of energy in beginnings. Youth has glamour, vitality.
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Most plants allow us to tap into that youthful energy as we ‘re-new’ them.
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As we approach mid-June, you might assume that spring’s fresh beginnings are behind us for another year. Not so. We are always just beginning in the garden.
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I am still planting up pots and still planting perennials and herbs out into the garden.
Garden centers still have a pretty good selection of herbs, annuals, perennials and shrubs. As you might expect, many of the starts sitting in greenhouses and garden centers are getting overgrown and pot-bound. They demand a bit of skillful handling to perform their best.
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I bought several pots of oregano a few weeks back. They were already overgrown, leggy, and some already had flower buds forming. I didn’t get to use them for my intended purpose at the time, and they’ve been sitting in the nursery.
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But I did cut a few stems from each plant, not quite two weeks ago, to share in an arrangement. And where I trimmed them back, new growth is already bursting forth. New growth has appeared lower on the remaining stems, and new growth has popped up from the roots.
Now, I expect that the cut stems may have sprouted a few roots in their vase, too. They can be tucked into a pot of soil or a prepared bed and allowed to grow on. Stems that have already formed flower buds may root more slowly or may not at all. But oregano grows in the mint family. All of the mints are immensely robust.
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If you have the chance to pick up a few late season plants at the nursery, then consider cutting back those leggy stems right away. Root them if you wish, discard them if you must. But understand that by cutting away the top growth, you stimulate the plant to immediately send out fresh new growth.
Cutting back, or pinching back, stimulates growth hormones at all of the leaf nodes below each cut. The plant needs its leaves to produce food, and is anxious to replace those lost.
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When you plant the start, notice if it is already ‘root-bound.’ If the roots have grown into the contours of the pot you know they have been crowded and stressed.
Water the plant well, and then take a moment to tease out the crossed roots on the bottom of the root ball. Gently tug some of the roots along the sides loose so they can begin to grow out into the soil. Without being rough, understand that pulling the roots out a bit, even trimming off the bottom inch of the root ball if it is congested, will stimulate new root growth.
Just be careful to water the plant in well, offer some nutrition, protect it from fierce sun for a few days, and let it establish itself.
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I bought a beautiful but leggy coleus and immediately took cuttings last week. It is wise to trim the bottom pair of leaves from the stem before rooting it in water, but the leaves were so beautiful I hated to throw them away. So, I stuck them into a tiny jar of water to enjoy until they either rooted or faded. I’ve had to refill the jar with drips from the sink twice a day as the leaves have proven thirsty. But they rewarded me with roots!
I am often re-working established pots and don’t have room to dig a hole large enough for a big root ball. Cuttings are a perfect solution. A much smaller hole will embrace the smaller root system of a newly rooted cutting or recently rooted tuber.
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You might also try dividing up a newly purchased plant. As long as you can cut or pull apart rooted stems, those rooted stems will soon grow back into full plants.
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A stem cutting from an old plant, rooted, becomes a new plant. A division of an old perennial, replanted, becomes a fresh new perennial.
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Yes, it seems counter-intuitive, paradoxical, maniacal and cruel. All of that cutting, pulling apart, breaking pieces away and gouging out the ‘eyes’ of tubers leads to a plant’s re-invigoration and renewal.
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Keep planting, keep coaxing your plants to grow to their full potential, and keep your own gardener’s eye and outlook fresh, too. Try a new plant, or a new combination of old plants.
Try a new gardening skill. Empty out some old pots and begin again with fresh soil and fresh ideas.
We keep our excitement alive when we are always just beginning.
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Woodland Gnome 2019
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“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,
but in the expert’s there are few”
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“Moment after moment,
everyone comes out from nothingness.
This is the true joy of life.”
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Green Thumb Tip # 22: Do the Math
Green Thumb Tip # 21: The Mid-Summer Snack
Green Thumb Tip # 23: From Small Beginnings