Arbor Days
My initial foray into the gardening world left me yearning for more. In addition to carefully maintaining my Sequoia tree, I did some research into other unique species of tree that could successfully be cultivated in my neck of the woods. I ordered up some seeds and got my hands dirty.
Because my giant sequoia tree is a ravenous feeder, I've been meticulous in my efforts to water it every day for the summer heat and adding balanced fertilzer. The tree itself is a great motivator because on mornings when I'd rather not get up and bike I realize that I have absolutely no say in the matter. Essentially, it's a needy stationary wife.
After several weeks of being planted, the strong breezes of the riverbank had caused the tree to lean eastward. To remedy this I took a piece of scrap wood from my storage closet and whittled it at one end. After staking the ground I attached a wire from the stake to a cable tie around the stake. I wanted to give the tree the ability to blow in the wind to strenthen the trunk so I added a coil spring to ensure some suspension.
I was quite enjoying the horticultural experience and wanted to try something else. After browsing the internet I came across the website seedrack.com which has an incredible collection of tree seeds. Two particular species caught my eye. The first one was the Bloodgood Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) which is a beautiful deep red maple species. Before germinating these seeds need to go through stratification, which is a faux winter season induced by refridgeration in moist soil. I soaked the seeds in water and then loaded them into a small ziplock bag of moist Peat Moss. After spending about a hundred and twenty days in the refridgerator, the seeds should be ready for sowing.
The second was the Kumaon Palm Tree (Trachycarpus Takil) which is a large Indian palm tree that can grow comfortably through New England winters. I really love palm trees and the opportunity to cultivate an outdoor palm that could survive a winter in Boston was pretty enticing. I planted six seeds in individual pots and three in a long planter in moist Peat Moss. The seeds are expected to germinate in four to six weeks. Hopefully, I can take these saplings and create my own beachfront paradise somewhere in the Greater Boston area.
Because my giant sequoia tree is a ravenous feeder, I've been meticulous in my efforts to water it every day for the summer heat and adding balanced fertilzer. The tree itself is a great motivator because on mornings when I'd rather not get up and bike I realize that I have absolutely no say in the matter. Essentially, it's a needy stationary wife.
After several weeks of being planted, the strong breezes of the riverbank had caused the tree to lean eastward. To remedy this I took a piece of scrap wood from my storage closet and whittled it at one end. After staking the ground I attached a wire from the stake to a cable tie around the stake. I wanted to give the tree the ability to blow in the wind to strenthen the trunk so I added a coil spring to ensure some suspension.
I was quite enjoying the horticultural experience and wanted to try something else. After browsing the internet I came across the website seedrack.com which has an incredible collection of tree seeds. Two particular species caught my eye. The first one was the Bloodgood Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) which is a beautiful deep red maple species. Before germinating these seeds need to go through stratification, which is a faux winter season induced by refridgeration in moist soil. I soaked the seeds in water and then loaded them into a small ziplock bag of moist Peat Moss. After spending about a hundred and twenty days in the refridgerator, the seeds should be ready for sowing.
The second was the Kumaon Palm Tree (Trachycarpus Takil) which is a large Indian palm tree that can grow comfortably through New England winters. I really love palm trees and the opportunity to cultivate an outdoor palm that could survive a winter in Boston was pretty enticing. I planted six seeds in individual pots and three in a long planter in moist Peat Moss. The seeds are expected to germinate in four to six weeks. Hopefully, I can take these saplings and create my own beachfront paradise somewhere in the Greater Boston area.
posted by Matt at
9:37 AM
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