image from Gardenertofarmer.net

      It is really nice out now, the temperature is 30 degrees but a blue clear sky so it is awesome.  Definitely the calm before the storm.  Thursday around noon, moisture is coming.  They don’t know if rain for us, or snow.  Time will tell.  I hear up to 4” for Northern Iowa.  Again, see what happens.  Stay safe. 
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Aphids, Spider Mites, Scale, and More Household Pests  by Robin Sweetser
Nothing is more maddening for an indoor gardener than seeing their precious houseplants under attack. Here’s advice for dealing with a few of the most common houseplant pests!
Prevention is Paramount
The most important thing to known about battling pests is that prevention is always easier than full-on warfare, so be proactive. Take time to check your plants weekly for unwanted houseguests, paying close attention to the tops and bottoms of leaves. If you find a plant is infected, isolate it from the rest of your collection until you can deal with it.
Additionally, a clean plant is a happy plant, so while you are holding inspection, clean those leaves off. Dust builds up and can block sunlight. Spray them with lukewarm water or a little diluted dishwashing liquid in the sink and rinse them off. Dust plants that don’t like their leaves to be wet with a cloth or soft brush.
6 Common Houseplant Pests
Here are five of the worst offenders that have the same modus operandi—they survive by sucking the juices out of the plant—plus a sixth pest that does things a little differently. The juice-suckers exude a sticky-sweet substance called honeydew, which can eventually grow sooty black mold. Pests’ feeding on the plants will cause new leaves to be deformed and growth stunted.
One way to learn what is ailing your plant is to shake it over a piece of white paper and see what falls out. Chances are good that it will be one of these five culprits. Identify them, treat them, and say “so long, suckers!”
1. Mealy Bugs
Mealy bugs look like cottony white specks. The actual insects are pink or pale gray, but they cover themselves and their egg masses with a fluffy white wax for protection. Since they start out small, they can be hard to find, hiding in leaf axils—where the leaves meet the stem, under the leaves, or at the base of the stem.
Unchecked, mealy bugs reproduce rapidly. Eggs hatch in 10 days and the tiny new babies crawl off to find new leaves to suck and lay their eggs on—up to 600 eggs at a time! Eventually, the population gets large enough to overwhelm the plant. Hopefully you will notice them before it gets that bad!
To remove them, wash the leaves and stems with soapy water or spray with insecticidal soap. Their protective wax makes them waterproof, so it will take several washings to get them all off.
Handpick waxy clusters if you can.
Spray with a 50/50 solution of rubbing alcohol and water. You may want to test it on a single leaf first to be sure that a sensitive plant doesn’t react badly to the alcohol.
If a plant is sensitive to the alcohol, try to wipe the clusters away with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol taking care not to get alcohol on the leaves.
Spray with horticultural oil or neem oil to suffocate them.
Keep attacking the pests weekly for about a month to get any newly hatched bugs.
2. Scale
Scale insects look like shiny, tan/brown, oval bumps about 1/8 inch long attached to the underside of a leaf or along the stem of the plant. They multiply fast since the females don’t lay eggs. The babies are born live and crawling. They head off to find a sweet spot to suck on, molt into adults, and develop a shell for protection. They are easiest to kill at the crawling stage and when the new shell is still soft.
Wash them off with soapy water. Scrub them off with a brush if the plant is tough enough to take it.
Handpick them or use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to rub them off.
Suffocate them with horticultural oil or neem oil.
Treat them two or three times 4-5 days apart to get them under control. Keep an eye out for stragglers and re-treat if necessary. Take it from someone who has been battling them for years. An infestation of scale can be hard to conquer!
3. Aphids
Aphids have pear-shaped, soft bodies and come in a range of colors, but the ones on our houseplants are usually green. They are sometimes referred to as “plant lice” and are most often found on tender new growth. Sometimes you won’t see the active suckers but will notice white skins that they have shed. Adults have wings and can fly off looking for likely spots to lay their eggs. Females can also give birth to 3-6 live young a day for several weeks without mating! This causes populations to soar.
Handpick them if you can or bring the plant to the sink and knock them off with a sharp blast of water.
Spray with insecticidal soap, totally covering them.
Use yellow sticky cards to catch the winged adults.
Spray with horticultural oil or neem oil.
4. Spider Mites
Spider mites are gray/brown, dust-like specks that resemble tiny spiders. They love dusty plants and thrive in hot, dry conditions—sound like your house in winter? Look for webbing where a leaf meets a stem. Yellow or silver mottled dots and patches on leaves are also a sign that they have been feeding there.
Knock the pests off with a sharp stream of water.
Spray with insecticidal soap. Be sure to get the undersides of the leaves where they hide. Repeat weekly for 3 weeks.
Spray with neem oil.
5. Whiteflies
If you see a cloud of tiny white flies when you run your hand over your plants, you’ve got whiteflies. They live on the underside of leaves as a bump that is actually a pupa. It only takes about a month for an egg to hatch, pupate and develop into an adult. They love to suck the juice from new leaves, which eventually turn yellow and drop off.
Rub off eggs and larvae from undersides of leaves.
Spray leaves top and bottom with insecticidal soap weekly for several weeks to get newly hatched crawlers. Eggs are not affected by the spray.
Spray with neem to smother eggs and crawlers.
Shake plant and vacuum the cloud of flies weekly.
Yellow sticky cards trap the flying adults.
6. Fungus Gnats
Unlike the frightful five above, fungus gnats are not juice suckers. Instead, their larvae are the culprits, dining on the roots of your houseplants and causing poor growth, yellowing leaves, and even wilt. Like whiteflies, you’ll see a cloud of them fly off when you shake an infested plant. The larvae and eggs thrive in moist soil and are a sign of overwatering.
Cut back on watering! Let the top few inches of soil dry out between waterings.
They like peat, so switch to a peat-free potting soil.
Smother larvae with ½ inch of sand on top of dried soil or by covering soil with plastic wrap.
Water with Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) a soil bacteria that kills many types of larvae including mosquitoes.
Use yellow sticky cards to catch flying adults.
To test if your treatments have been effective, place a piece of cut potato on the soil. It will attract any remaining fungus gnat larvae. Throw it out and continue treatment until they are gone. For more tips for dealing with fungus gnats, check out our Fungus Gnat Pest Guide.
Make Your Own Insecticidal Soap
One plant-friendly “pesticide” that you can make at home is insecticidal soap. This soap spray is effective on soft-bodied insects such as the ones listed above. It works by breaking down the protective waxes or oils on the insects’ bodies.
Rather than buy a commercially made product, try this easy homemade version:
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of mild liquid castile soap or liquid dish soap in a quart of water.
Test it on a leaf first to be sure it does not “burn” your plants. Wait a few days and, if the plant looks okay, use the solution to squelch the offending pests!
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/common-houseplant-pests
Till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa  beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  641-903-9365

image from photos-public-domain.com 

     Temperature is at 30 degrees and it is raining, so you know what that means.  ICE.  Schools are 2 hour delay, so the rest of you that are traveling be careful.  Forecast is that the rain soon will ended and temperature will come up to 40 degrees by noon.  See how the roads dry because tonight it will be below freezing again.  Be safe
I am sharing this next posting because this is another love of mine….baking.  Some of the hints I haven’t tried before but will give it a try.  Baking is something we do at Christmas time.  ENJOY….
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10 Things Cookie Bakers Really Ought to Know  by Ken Haedrich
Who doesn’t love cookies? Baking them is almost as much fun as eating them. Almost. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has 10 tips that all cookie bakers should know. And what better time of year to turn on that oven?
1. Organize! Clutter is your worst enemy. You can’t bake if the counter is a mess, the bottle of vanilla extract is hiding, and there’s no place to put the cooling rack. Clear your work area before you begin, and get out all the ingredients. Put each one away as you use it, so you don’t forget what you’ve used. Rinse bowls and utensils as you go.
2. Read the recipe through before you do anything. As you read, check your supply of staples (flour, sugar, butter) and watch for any unusual ingredients, steps, or equipment that might trip you up. For example, if the dough has to chill for 12 hours, you should know this before you start, in case you need the cookies by noon today.
3. Insist on good, fresh ingredients. Spices lose their flavor over time; if you’ve had them around since last December, replace them. Use fresh local eggs if you can find them. Unsalted (“sweet”) butter is preferable to salted; it tastes cleaner, sweeter, and fresher than salted butter—and often it is. Because salt acts as a preservative, salted butter can be warehoused longer than unsalted.
4. Butter needs to be at room temperature—not too cold or your cookies will be too dense. If you forget to soften your butter ahead of time, cut the stick(s) into thin pats and place them on a room-temperature plate. Leave in a warmish spot for 10 minutes or so, until the butter yields to gently finger pressure. Not too soft or it won’t hold up and make a greasy dough instead of a fluffy dough. Even if a recipe calls for softened butter, it doesn’t have to be squishy soft.
5. When a recipe calls for toasted nuts (incidentally, that’s 8 to 10 minutes in a 350°F oven), make sure they’re thoroughly cooled before adding them to dough. Adding hot nuts to a dough could melt the butter and drastically change the texture of your cookies, probably not for the better.
6. If you don’t already own them, buy yourself a couple of good baking sheets. Thin, flimsy sheets don’t diffuse heat well or evenly and can result in scorched cookie bottoms. Tinned steel and anodized aluminum are two good material choices. Neither is inexpensive, but they’ll last. Look for them in gourmet kitchen shops. While you’re there, invest in a heavy-duty stainless steel cooling rack that’s large enough to hold 2 to 3 dozen cookies. Letting your cookies cool directly on the hot pans can lead to over-browning on the bottoms as well as soggy cookies.
 
7. Generally speaking, bake only one sheet of cookies at a time, on the center rack. Doing this allows for the most-even baking! If they’re too high in the oven, cookies may burn too quickly.
8. If you own only one cookie sheet, make sure to let your sheet trays completely cool it to room temperature before baking another batch on them. This prevents the butter from melting out of the dough and puddling up on the sheet.
9. As a rule, let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes. This is just long enough to firm them slightly and make it easier to slide them off the sheet and onto a rack.
10. And here’s a shipping tip! Most cookies ship well. For best results, however, choose a relatively firm or dense type of cookie. Wrap cookies individually in waxed paper and pack them snugly in a tin. Pack the tin inside a bigger box, cushioned on all sides with additional waxed paper. And it never hurts to be nice to the postal clerk.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/ten-things-cookie-bakers-really-ought-know
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa  beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365

image from farmfoodfamily.com 

            It was clear, blue sky this morning, but now at 10:20 AM the cloud cover is moving in.  Temperature is good at 37 degrees.  Today high of 51 which is above average.  BUT we are in for wind tonight as a wind advisory is going into effect at 6PM. Gusts up to 50-55 MPH.  So hopefully your holiday decorations outside are secure.  Back to cold tomorrow as a high of 26 but mostly sunny.  Stay safe. 
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I have had a question about growing amaryllis, so this is what I have found.  I have several bulbs, but mine bloom in the spring.  That is fun too.  ENJOY if you are going yours. 
Although amaryllis can be purchased at any stage of development, for many, the real fun is growing the flower from a bulb. Amaryllis bloom about 8 to 10 weeks after planting. These big bulbs are easy to bring into bloom and even a novice can expect success.
About Amaryllis
Like daffodils or tulips, the amaryllis plant starts out as a bulb—often sold as part of a kit containing the bulb, a heavy pot, and some growing medium (ideally, a sterile, soilless planting mix). They are naturally a spring-blooming bulb, producing flowers at some point between late winter and mid-spring (February to April in the Northern Hemisphere). However, amaryllis are commonly forced to bloom earlier in winter, in time for the winter holidays.
After the flowers die back, the plant’s large leaves soak up sunlight for the rest of spring and summer, providing them with the energy they’ll need to bloom again in the following spring. With the arrival of autumn, the leaves die back and the bulb goes dormant until later winter, when the blooming process is begun anew.
Amaryllis… or Not?
Historically, there has been some confusion regarding the name of this plant. Most amaryllis varieties grown today are hybrids and are not “true amaryllis”; they are instead part of the genus Hippeastrum, which are native to tropical parts of South America, from Brazil into the Andes. The true amaryllis—members of the genus Amaryllis—are native to South Africa and are also known as belladonna lilies (despite not being true lilies). That being said, both Hippeastrum and Amaryllis are part of the amaryllis family, so they are all amaryllis in some sense!
The name “amaryllis” comes from the Greek word amarysso, which means “to sparkle.”
PLANTING
Buying Amaryllis Bulbs
When shopping for amaryllis bulbs, you can buy the boxed kits that contain a bulb, a pot, and some soil. These make a nice gift, though there are usually not a lot of color choices—generally they offer red, pink, and white. The flowers are usually the smaller variety though they should bloom just fine if you follow directions.
Some garden centers offer larger bare bulbs that give you more choice of variety and larger sizes, and each one usually produces 2 or more flower spikes. Each spike will produce 2 to 4 large, trumpet-shaped blossoms.
Amaryllis bulbs are classified by size, which is determined by measuring around the outside of the bulb at its widest point. Generally, the larger the bulb, the more flowers the plant is capable of producing.
Another good reason for choosing a bare bulb is that you can see the condition of the bulb without having to rummage around in a box. Make sure it is heavy and firm—not moldy, squishy, or injured. It should have some fairly long fleshy roots attached, too.
How to Plant Amaryllis Bulbs
If you can’t put the bulb in a pot right away, store it in a cool, dry, dark place until you can.
Amaryllis bulbs may not bloom if they are in too large a pot. There should be no more than 1 inch of space on each side of the bulb and 1/3 of the bulb should be above the soil line. They prefer to be a bit cramped (pot-bound).
Use well-draining potting soil.
Before planting, soak the bulb’s roots in lukewarm water for a few hours to rehydrate them.
Put a layer of soil in the bottom of the pot and position the bulb so the top sticks up above the rim of the pot. Firm the soil around the edge, leaving the top third of the bulb exposed. If planted too deeply, the bulb may rot.
Place the pot in a bright spot and water, but be wary of overwatering. Allow the soil to dry a bit between waterings.
Expect beautiful, lily-like blooms in 6 to 8 weeks.
Tip: For a continuous display, start a few bulbs at 2-week intervals. As one finishes blooming, the next will be reaching its peak.
GROWING
How to Care for Amaryllis Bulbs
Display the amaryllis away from drafts in a bright room, but not in direct sunlight.
Amaryllis prefer temperatures in the range of 60° to 70°F (15.5° to 21°C). Keep them away from freezing windows and drying radiators.
Water sparingly. Only water when the top inch of potting mix is dry, taking care not to get water on the neck of the bulb.
To promote blooming, use a houseplant fertilizer with high phosphorus content.
When the flower stalk appears, move the amaryllis into brighter sunlight. Turn the pot every several days for even lighting and to prevent leaning.
If the stalk starts to lean, insert a stake next to it, taking care not to disturb the bulb. Amaryllis tend to be top heavy, so stake proactively.
Once your amaryllis is blooming, you can move it to a cooler location out of direct sunlight to make the blossoms last longer.
After the flowers have faded, cut them off to prevent seed formation. Cut the stem off at the top of the bulb.
Grow the amaryllis as a foliage plant through the spring and summer until the leaves turn yellow. Then store the potted bulb on its side in a cool, dark room or basement to rest for 8 to 10 weeks. See more “post-bloom” tips below.
How to Care for Amaryllis After Flowering
One of the most frequently asked questions after the holidays is, “Now that my amaryllis has finished flowering, how can I get it to bloom again?” Yes, those bulbs can take center stage again next Christmas if given proper care.
After blossoming, the bulb needs to grow and store food for next season’s bloom. Often, the bulbs actually shrink in size from the stress of blooming and will need time to recover lost nutrients.
Once the blossoms have faded, cut off the flower stalk, but keep the leaves growing by placing the pot in a warm, sunny spot. Water regularly and fertilize weekly with a balanced houseplant fertilizer. This is when next year’s buds are formed within the bulb.
It takes a minimum of four leaves to produce one flower stalk, because the buds form in the axils of every fourth bulb scale. Keep the plant growing all summer long; you can even move it outside for the summer. Bring it in at the end of August and cut OFF the watering. Let it dry out to induce a period of dormancy. Put the pot in a cool (around 50°F), dark place. Pull off any dried up leaves.
To induce flowering in time for Christmas, bring the plant into a warm, sunny location and resume watering around in early to mid-November.
We would recommend repotting it at this time to give the bulb better soil. Or, if you don’t feel like it, just scrape off the top 2 inches or so of loose soil and replace it with fresh soil. In about 6 to 8 weeks, the amaryllis should be in full bloom again.
RECOMMENDED VARIETIES
‘Liberty’: rich, velvet red petals on 20-inch stems
‘Stardust’: large red flowers that fade to white
‘Samba’: red and white flowers with ruffled inner petals
‘Susan’ (also called ‘Dutch Belle’): rosy-pink blooms with green throats
WIT AND WISDOM
The Victorians associated the amaryllis with strength and determination because of its height and sturdiness.
Many of the holiday amaryllis varieties belong to the Hippeastrum genus and are native to South America.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/plant/amaryllis
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365

image from clipartmag.com 

      ​Slowly warming up it is 23 degrees started the day at 13 degrees with a windchill in the single digits.  Clear, blue sky but the wind is coming up.  High today of 41 low tonight of 29.  Mostly sunny so that will be good.  All I can say is stay warm. 
We know that the cold, flu is going around and it has a terrible cough with it.  Found this article from the Old Farmers’ almanac about home remedies for the cough.  See what you think. 
 
Home Remedies for Cough Relief
Coughs, while rarely serious, can be really annoying. Some of these natural remedies can provide great relief from a cough—especially when you’re having difficulty sleeping!
Natural Remedies to Relieve Coughs
Lemon juice, sweetened with loaf or crushed sugar, will relieve a cough. –The 1852 Old Farmer’s Almanac. Find more household uses for lemons.
The root of sweet flag was often powdered or sliced and used as a ginger substitute or throat lozenge.
Mullein with his large, soft leaves makes a wonderful flower tea. (As an aside, it’s fluffy, absorbent leaves have also been used for toilet paper in a pinch!)
Catnip tea helps reduce mucus.
To suppress a night cough, put 1 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon sugar into a mug. Pour in boiling water and let steep. The pepper will settle to the bottom. Sip, as needed.
Horehound drops, made with the extract of the leaves of the bitter mint Marrubium vulgare, can be combined with honey for a soothing cough drop, or served as a tea with lemon.
Hot and spicy foods act as expectorants, loosening up the lungs’ secretions.
A reader told us that a teaspoon of mustard will relieve a cough for up to four hours. See if it works for you!
Some of these natural remedies might also be helpful to relieve anxiety and stress.
Folk Remedies for a Cough: The Dirt Cure  VERY INTERESTING… I don’t know if it works or not.
Now here’s a cure for a severe winter cough that comes from The Old Farmer’s Almanac archives: The Dirt Cure! Here’s how it works:
Find a piece of land covered with bushes and small stones.
When the land has a foot of snow but is not frozen solid, shovel off the snow.
Then cut down the bushes and dig out the stones, turning up fresh and pure soil.
Bring fistfuls of soil to your face and inhale the scent of fresh earth.
Continue until you have cleared half an acre, and you will find yourself strong and hale, and entirely rid of your cough!
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/home-remedies-cough-relief
Till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365 

image from quoategram.com 

​Not much gardening to talk about today.  IT is just darn cold out.  Even with gloves on my hands got cold.  We had icy roads this morning, and with the sun we had it might have melted a little.  BUT now refreezing.  Blue, clear sky. 
If you have a fresh tree, remember to water every day.  If you have poinsettias remember to water ever other day.  Christmas cactus water when dry.  Tomorrow Dec 1st.  Here we go with all the extra work to do for Christmas.  Do what you can, and the rest will be ok.  I will post tomorrow about home remedies for cough relief.  LOTS of that coughing, colds, flu going around. 
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa  beckmall@netins.net  641+-794-3337  641-903-9365

image from Pinterest 

At 8:30 AM this morning it is raining out.  Temperature is right at 33 degrees, the ground and roads are warm, so hopefully will not freeze.  Predicted temperature to stay above freezing till after 6:00. See what happens.  Low tonight of 18 and tomorrow a high of 26.  Stay safe. 
NOW I found this article very interesting about exercise.  All makes sense with what we do in the gardens, and in our homes.  What do you think?  Housework counts as exercise. 
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Reframe how you define exercise.  By Margaret Boyles
Reframe how you define exercise, as it’s not just something to do in a gym. Once you get going, you’ll find exercise in surprising places!
Exercise isn’t about being in a gym. It’s about how you get your heart and lungs pumping, strengthen our muscles, and stretch everything out in the ordinary activities of everyday life (especially relevant now!).
Ironically, a lot of these opportunities fall under the heading of tasks, often ones we dread or put off doing!
Why should you care? Almost daily, some new study reveals another health benefit of regular exercise. Many experts call it the closest thing to a panacea for warding off or managing both physical and mental illnesses. (Watch: This Is Your Brain on Exercise.)
Reframing how we define exercise
Psychologists call bringing a new perspective “reframing” or “changing the narrative.”
Think of daily chores as workouts! Long before I started reframing many of my daily chores as workouts, I’d learned the essentials of aerobic fitness, strength, and flexibility well enough that I knew how to tailor the work at hand to adapt to my current abilities.
I learned those basics in black-iron weight-training gyms, by observing and asking questions of seasoned athletes, getting injured and rehabbing with physical therapy, training for triathlons, and, of course, reading many books and articles.
The cardinal rules for any exercise
Start slow. Work up to faster, heavier work gradually, over a period of days or weeks, especially if you’re out of shape.
Then, keep it up. Your body “detrains” quickly if you don’t require your muscles to move, lift, and stretch at their current capacity on a regular basis.
Mix it up.
Do 10 to 30 minutes of a job that requires what I call the grunt-work (lifting and hauling, moving heavy stuff around). Lift safely!
Then switch to some huff-’n’-puff work where you work up a sweat (rake leaves or mow the lawn fast).
Then finish off with some work that encourages stretching and bending (hanging laundry, weeding a garden).
Or, alternate the days on which you do various kinds of work. Too long, too hard, or too frequent a spell of a single activity may overwork some muscle-tendon systems, resulting in overuse injuries.
What counts as exercise in everyday life?
The answer: pretty much anything. Once you get going, you’ll find exercise in surprising places. For me, in my rural environment, I’d include:
Shoveling and spreading mulch around the gardens and berry bushes. A little strength work, a little huff-’n’-puff.
Pruning and hauling brush. Slow aerobics.
Buying groceries. Brisk 1,000 steps around the store, placing items in my cart as I go.
Running up and down stairs putting things away. In a three-story house with a basement, up with only a few items at a time, then down for more.
Splitting and stacking wood. Strength work. Need to have built upper body strength to begin.
Hanging laundry. Stretching and bending.
Mowing the lawn. Yes, a gas-fired power mower, but I take it fast, and our lawn has hills.
Raking leaves (also mopping floors). Put on the headphones and pick up the pace.
Planting/watering vegetables. Good opportunity for stretching.
Hoeing vegetables. Big garden lets me work up a sweat.
Shoveling snow. Grunt-and-groan or work-up-a-sweat work, depending on pace, how deep and heavy the snow is, etc.
Scrubbing floors and windows, vacuuming or sweeping floors.
Like most households, we already have the equipment and supplies required for the work: rakes, shovels, digging forks, pruning tools, hoes, weeders, wheelbarrows, brooms, mops, dusters, plenty of cleaning rags. Also, a few power tools: a vacuum cleaner and two rototillers.
Reframing your drudgework as exercise won’t win you the hero status you’d get from completing the Hawaii Ironman or hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. But hey, you may come to appreciate those once-dreaded tasks as you build a stronger, faster-moving, more flexible set of muscles while you’re at it.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/what-counts-exercise
Till next time this is  Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365
 

image from Pinterest

      It is starting to get a little colder and damp out this afternoon.  Temperature at 4:00 PM is at 43 degrees.  Tonight, the low is 32.  Tomorrow high is only 34 with rain and or snow coming in the morning.  Low tomorrow night will be 16.  I worked in the greenhouse today, and it wasn’t too bad.  BUT I look around and see all the work I need to do there.  ALWAYS something to do in greenhouse, home, bookwork for both businesses, church work including Sunday School.  Then being with the grandkids…..so I am not bored.  Hope all of you are getting ready for the next holiday.  I can’t believe it is Christmas season. 

I have been selling Russian Sage for years now but noticed it has gone down in popularity in the last few years.  If you are looking for a good landscape. It is starting to get a little colder and damp out this afternoon. 
 
Russian Sage
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Russian Sage
This eye-catching summer bloomer is a favorite for pollinators! Learn how to plant and grow Russian sage in your garden.
About Russian Sage
This lovely bluish-purple perennial was once in its own genus, Perovskia (named after a Russian general from the 1800s), but has more recently been put into the Salvia genus alongside other sages. Despite its common name, the plant is not native to Russia!  Russian sage grows 3 to 4 feet tall and produces purple-to-blue flowers from early summer to mid-fall. The textured gray-green leaves on silver-to-white stems are aromatic, producing a menthol-like scent when crushed.   Use Russian sage in the middle or back of a border where the silvery foliage and soft-colored flowers add a Mediterranean feel to the landscape. The plant is also perfect as a filler plant or for separating flowers with stronger colors.  
PLANTING
Plant Russian sage in full sun and in well-drained soil. Consistently wet soils should be avoided, as this drought-tolerant plant prefers to be kept on the drier side. Amend the planting site with compost or aged manure to improve drainage if necessary. 
When to Plant Russian Sage
Plant container-grown plants in early spring if possible, setting them at the same depth as they were in the pot. 
Russian sage can be grown from seed, but germination may take 1 to 4 months.
How to Plant Russian Sage
Space plants about 18 inches apart. 
Water regularly during the first growing season to establish the root system. 
Mulch with organic compost to protect in winter. 
Propagating Russian Sage 
A mature plant will send out runners. Remove runners with strong roots from the parent plant using sharp scissors. Replant the runners in small pots with potting soil. 
Take 3 to 4-inch long softwood cuttings from a stem or branch. 
Dip the bottom in rooting hormone.  
Place the cutting in a pot with moist potting soil. 
Cover with clear plastic and place on a sunny windowsill. 
After a few weeks the cutting should be rooted. 
GROWING
Established plants will tolerate drought very well. Plants will rot if the soil is too moist. 
Young, unestablished plants may flop a bit but can be staked or planted near other plants that will support its tall flower stalks. 
Don’t cut back stems in the fall. Cut them down to about 1 foot in the spring. 
Mulch with organic compost when new growth begins in spring. 
Divide plants every 3 to 4 years. 
Prune new growth in early spring to about 10 inches above the soil to encourage thicker growth and more blooms.
RECOMMENDED VARIETIES
‘Blue Spire’ grows 2-3 feet tall and produces deep purple flowers in mid to late summer. 
‘Denim ‘n Lace’ has sky-blue flowers on 2 to 3-foot strong stems. 
‘Filigran’ reaches 2-3 feet tall and has bright blue flowers. 
Little Spire’ is only 2 feet tall with upright stems. Flower spikes are lavender-blue. 
‘Longin’ has 3 to 4-feet tall stiff stems with deep-blue flowers. 
HARVESTING
It’s easy to dry Russian sage! Cut off the long spikes when in full bloom, tie with a string and hang upside down for about a week until stems leaves and flowers are dry. 
Russian sage spires add sweet fragrance and style to fresh flower arrangements. Cut Russian sage stems in the morning and place in water. 
WIT AND WISDOM
The genus (Perovskia) was named c. 1840 after B. A. Perovski, a Turkestani governor of the Russian province of Orenburg. 
Russian sage is native to Central Asia and Tibet at elevations up to 8,000 feet. 
PESTS/DISEASES
Russian sage is naturally resistant to insect pests, although aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, and leafhoppers can occasionally do damage.  
The plant is resistant to rabbits and deer. 
Stem or root rot can be a problem in wet soils.
COOKING NOTES
Russian sage is related to the culinary sage (Salvia), but it is best used as an ornamental plant and not recommended for cooking. The flowers are edible, however, and can be tossed in salads.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/plant/russian-sage
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365      

image from quotesgram.com 

I know it is the day after Thanksgiving.  Larry and I hosted our family on Thanksgiving so time was spent in cleaning and cooking.  It went well. We had a great time.  My heart is still full.  Hope all of you had a Blessed Thanksgiving.  Here is a Thanksgiving Prayer I found for Gardeners.  Enjoy and stay safe. 
​
Gardeners' thanksgiving prayer 
Let us give thanks for a bounty of people:
For children who are our second planting, and though they grow like weeds and the wind
too soon blows them away, may they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember
where their roots are;
For generous friends with hearts and smiles as bright as their blossoms;
For feisty friends as tart as apples;
For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us that we've
had them;
For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;
For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn,
and the other, plain as potatoes and as good for you;
For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels Sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem
Artichokes, and serious friends, as complex as cauliflowers and as intricate as onions;
For friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as
parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini, and who, like parsnips, can be
counted on to see you through the winter;
For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time, and young friends coming
on as fast as radishes;
For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold us, despite our blights,
wilts and witherings;
And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past that have been harvested, and
who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter;
For all these we give thanks.
~ Reverend Max Coots 1928-2009
Reverend Max Coots passed away in 2009 after a long and full life. He served as the Minister Emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Canton, New York
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365

image from chicagotribune.com 

      ​Clear Blue sky.  No wind.  Temperature at 8:00 AM is at 18 degrees but the  high today is near 40’s.  Tomorrow might be near 50’s.  For the next ten days, it looks like we will have our seasonable temperature which is 45 degrees.  How we will appreciate this temperature after having it so cold over the weekend.  If we went down to 40’s after being 60 we would think that is cold, but now going this way we say it is warm and nice out.  ALL I can say is enjoy.
 
How many of you do this?  I don’t see much covering of shrubs here in this area, so wonder how it works? 
How to cover shrubs in winter and other tips  by Robin Sweetser
Winter can be a season of extremes, but there are a few things that you can do to prepare and protect your shrubs and trees, such as wrapping a shrub in burlap. The weight of snow and ice can be crushing, breaking branches and even knocking some top heavy trees over. Trees with multiple leaders, clump formers, and upright evergreens are often victims. Try wrapping small trees or evergreens with burlap or other soft, breathable material (not solid plastic) to help them shed snow and ice. For larger trees, call in an arborist to shape the tree properly or cable branches in danger of being broken.  Be sure to use a breathable fabric to wrap your plants otherwise they’ll cook on a sunny day! 
Plan ahead and protect plant roots by making sure they have been well watered all season long. Moist soil is a better insulator of roots than dry soil, holding heat longer and cooling down slowly. Soil temps in winter are actually higher than the air temperature.  Lack of snow can actually be as much of a problem as too much. Snow is a great insulating blanket that protects roots. If snow is lacking, add some pine boughs around shallow-rooted plants to keep them from heaving. When used to cover low evergreens they can trap snow and prevent them from drying out. A great use for your old xmas tree!
Mulch is also a great insulator. Four to six inches of bark mulch, straw, or shredded leaves - especially when placed around newly planted trees or shrubs - keeps soil temperatures constant and prevents plants from heaving out of the ground due to cycles of freezing and thawing. Be sure to keep mulch 6 inches away from the trunk to discourage mice from nesting there and dining on the bark.
Sunscald can damage the bark on young trees and those with thin bark such as cherries, crabapples, plums, and maple trees to name a few. It is caused by direct sunlight heating the bark on a clear day to a point where the tissues near the surface wake up and become active. When the sun goes down and temperatures drop, the bark cools off so rapidly the tissue is killed, leaving dark sunken areas behind. To prevent this, wrap the trunks with a light-colored tree wrap tape or plastic tree guards. Just be sure to remove them in the spring to keep bugs from setting up a home behind them. When we first planted our mini-orchard we were advised to paint the trunks on the new trees with thinned down white latex paint to reflect the winter sun. It worked like a charm!
Desiccation occurs in evergreens when sunny days or wind cause the plants to transpire, losing moisture that they can’t replace when the ground is frozen. Along with making sure the plants were well watered all season long, you can lessen the impact of sun and wind by wrapping smaller evergreen shrubs with burlap. For larger plants try making a temporary screen from burlap to deflect the wind and block the sun. Anti-desiccant sprays have not proven to be very effective.
Deer, rabbits, and rodents damage or kill trees by eating bark, twigs, and branches. Discouraging rabbits and rodents from nesting near your trees and shrubs can be difficult. Be sure to keep vegetation short around the base of trees and remove brush piles where critters could hide. Wrap tree trunks with hardware cloth to keep them from girdling the trees. Deer require 8 foot tall fencing to keep them away from your precious plants. Every winter I struggle with a herd of deer who come to my yard when the snow cover is too deep for them to forage elsewhere. Any delicious plants, like the rhododendrons, that are not inside the fenced area are fair game! You can try repellents, anything that makes the plants smell or taste bad, but if they are hungry enough they will eat whatever they can find.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/protecting-your-trees-and-shrubs-winter
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365

image from stock-free.org 

      Good morning, and it is a cold morning.  Temperature is at 17 degrees with a high today of 21 with a low of 13 tonight. THEN the weekend. Saturday high of 21 with a low of 6.  Our average daytime temperature is 40 degrees while at night it is 25 degrees.  So with this below normal average, sometime soon we will have above average temperatures for this to keep up with the average.  Stay warm, stay safe. 
​
It’s time for turkey trivia! Can turkeys fly? What’s a baby turkey called? Impress at the Thanksgiving table with these turkey facts!
Turkey Trivia
Are Turkeys Native to the Americas?
Yes, turkeys originated in the “New World.” Specifically, wild turkeys are native to Mexico. It’s a funny history. European explorers brought wild turkeys home with them in the early 1500s. The birds were domesticated in Europe and later brought to North America by English colonists. Note that domesticated turkeys have white-tipped tails; wild turkeys have dark-tipped tails.
Why Do Turkeys Gobble?
Only male turkeys, or toms, can make a call known as a “gobble,” and they mostly do it in the spring and fall. It is a mating call and attracts the hens. Wild turkeys gobble when they’re surprised by loud sounds and when they settle in for the night. The wild turkey can make at least 30 different calls!
Could the Turkey Have Been the National Bird?
Ben Franklin thought the turkey would be a better national symbol than the bald eagle. According to the Franklin Institute, he wrote in a letter to his daughter:
“For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly…like those among men who live by sharping and robbing…he is generally poor, and often very lousy. Besides, he is a rank coward; the little king-bird, not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district…For in truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America. Eagles have been found in all countries, but the turkey was peculiar to ours…”
How Much Turkey Does a Person Eat per Year?
The average person in the United States will eat 15 pounds of turkey this year.
What’s That Weird Wobbly Thing on a Turkey’s Neck?
The loose red skin attached to the underside of a turkey’s beak is called a wattle. When the male turkey is excited, especially during mating season, the wattle turns a scarlet red. The fleshy flap of skin that hangs over the gobbler’s beak is called a snood and also turns bright red when the bird is excited. The wobbly little thing on the turkey’s chest is the turkey’s beard and is made up of keratin bristles. Keratin is the same substance that forms hair and horns on other animals.
Is the Turkey Considered a Game Bird?
Yes, but the wild turkey is one of the more difficult game birds to hunt. It won’t be flushed out of the brush with a dog. Instead, hunters must try to attract it with different calls. Even with two seasons a year, only one in six hunters will get a wild turkey.
By the 1930s, almost all of the wild turkeys in the U.S. had been hunted. Today, thanks to conservation programs, there are plenty of wild turkeys—they even invade cities and suburbs!
Are Turkeys Named After Turkey, the Country?
When Europeans first encountered the wild turkey in Mexico, they incorrectly classified the bird as a type of guinea fowl called a turkey fowl.
It was Turkish traders who originally sold guinea fowl from Africa to European markets; Turkey has no native turkeys!
What Is a Baby Turkey Called? And What About Adult Turkeys?
A baby turkey is called a poult, chick, or even turklette. An adult male turkey is called a tom and a female is a hen.
How Big Do Turkeys Get?
The domestic tom can weigh up to 50 pounds, the domestic hen up to 16 pounds. The wild tom can weigh up to 20 pounds, the wild hen up to 12 pounds.
Can Turkeys Fly?
The wild turkey can fly! (It does, however, prefer to walk or run.) The domestic turkey is not an agile flyer, although the bird will perch in trees to stay safe from predators.
How Long Do Turkeys Live?
The average life span of a wild turkey is three or four years. It generally feeds on seeds, nuts, insects, and berries. The average life span of a domestic turkey, from birth to freezer, is 26 weeks. During this period of time, it will eat about 75 pounds of turkey feed.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/turkey-trivia
Till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa  beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  641-903-9365