finnish sunset

The is the core forum of BFC. It's all about informal and random talk on any topic.
Forum rules
Post a new topic to begin a chat.
Any topic is acceptable, and topic drift is permissible.
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

So ... I did this Google image search for Rowan Trees ... apparently it DOES depend on where you are at.

Image
User avatar
pilvikki
Posts: 2999
Joined: 16 Feb 2015, 21:35

Re: finnish sunset

Post by pilvikki »

but then again, if you click on an image, you might get another image with a different colour on the website...
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

I'm assuming each picture was taken in a different location. While the berry colors are close to matching, they are all different. Thus I concluded that location matters.
User avatar
pilvikki
Posts: 2999
Joined: 16 Feb 2015, 21:35

Re: finnish sunset

Post by pilvikki »

or, taken with different cameras. my sony phone paints everything pinkier.
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

You got me. Yes, HOW the photo was taken makes a big difference in how the colors are rendered. Then too, most of those Google images have been 'shopped in my opinion. Based on what I know and have seen in my gardening experiences, it would not surprise me to see berries of different colors within a relatively small radius. Soil conditions will affect the color of fruit and leaves as will the amount of nutrition getting to each plant. Then there is the weather and it's micro-climates. As you know photographers are artists in a sense. Realistic representations are not necessarily their forté.
User avatar
pilvikki
Posts: 2999
Joined: 16 Feb 2015, 21:35

Re: finnish sunset

Post by pilvikki »

true enough.

and my hydrangea turned pink due to lack of diligence on my part...
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

The hydrangea is a classic example of what effect the soil has on coloration. It all has to do with the pH factor. Acid soil will go pink and alkaline will give blue flowers - or just the reverse. I forget which way it goes but the color change is dramatic.
User avatar
pilvikki
Posts: 2999
Joined: 16 Feb 2015, 21:35

Re: finnish sunset

Post by pilvikki »

for blue i've used aluminum sulphate but kept forgetting, so it's all pink now. the whole thing needed repotting, but the weather was too hot to even think of doing that, except for emergencies, like when the rose pot got plugged at the bottom and started to drown out the poor plant. she's ok now. :heart:
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

OK, it's acid soil for blue. Thanks for the heads up.
Most plants don't mind hot and humid. After transplanting in that kind of weather I'd keep a screen over the plant to shield out some of the sunlight and preserve some of the water. We have lots of rocks in our soil here; a bit like gravel actually. I use those rocks at the bottom of the flower pots to help the water drain and to allow the roots crawl out if they are feeling cramped for space.
User avatar
pilvikki
Posts: 2999
Joined: 16 Feb 2015, 21:35

Re: finnish sunset

Post by pilvikki »

erm... no, too hot for ME, :grin: :grin: the pots are big and ...concrete? so weigh a metric ton. still ok, for anyone with a good back, as they only need to be tipped over, but with my back... buggered.

i use pot shards for drainage at the bottom, but these dudes have been sitting around for 4-5 years, so they got thoroughly potbound. i will get the rest done this fall with a bit of help from the brats. it's actually daft to have all them roses but not getting them properly looked after.

i was ever so pleased to see my cuttings have come to life and blooming! this inspired me to pay more attention and now i can't wait to see what varieties i have coming up as i can't actually remember...

what happened was that i finally!!! got 5 cuttings to root. i got them past the spring by keeping them indoors, which is where more plants tend to croak, after having gotten through the winter - go figure. and then i thought i'd leave them inside to protect them from the bugs.

there they sat, seemed have gone into stasis, one leaf each and that was it, month after month. then one lost the last leaf and i thought it was game over. again. :sad:

so i stuck it outside to take care of later, but before i got to it, it went crazy! so i put them all out. now one has already started to bloom, the others are budding.

after 2 years!

:happydance: :happydance: :happydance:
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

While I never tried it personally, I was told the way to propagate roses (illegally for the patented ones) is to simply stick the rose flower head into the soil after the petals fall off. I may try that some day.

I don't know if this applies to roses, or all roses, but many perennials need a cold dormant period before they bloom again. One year I bought some Alstroemeria seeds directly from a place in Peru. The instructions were to put the seeds into a freezer for several weeks before planting in a pot. The seeds actually need to be frozen in order to germinate. Did that and had flowers galore that summer. Many flowers require the same change of season, or a way to trick them into thinking the seasons changed. Perhaps that's what happened in your case.
User avatar
pilvikki
Posts: 2999
Joined: 16 Feb 2015, 21:35

Re: finnish sunset

Post by pilvikki »

the winters are so mild here that generally you get perhaps 3 days of frost per season and that often in march - when you think the cold is done. so the roses are ok for that and were grown from cuttings, so no seeds. i think, if you grow tomatoes from seeds, they also need the chill?

i didn't think peru would have weeks of cold...
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

I don't think all of Peru gets cold in winter, but the Alstroemeria typically grow in the mountains. You can't tell them from the Swiss Alps at certain times of the year.

The most exotic propagation technique I used was to spawn Ficus elastica - the common rubber tree plant. You don't just take a cutting and plant it in the dirt. You have to make a notch in one of the main branches, which will then bleed white sticky stuff. Then slather some rooting hormone on the open end of the cutting. Place it in that notch you just made on the main stem. Wrap that in wet sphagnum peat moss. Tie it all up with twine so that it doesn't fall apart, and finally wrap some plastic cling wrap around the moss to preserve the moisture. A few weeks later you will see roots on the cutting. At that point it can be planted in soil. Works like magic.
User avatar
pilvikki
Posts: 2999
Joined: 16 Feb 2015, 21:35

Re: finnish sunset

Post by pilvikki »

cool idea, but i don't much care for that kind of plants, too.... hm... manly? :lol: :lol:
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

At one time I had a ficus plant as tall as I am. One year I decided to propagate it and sliced into the main stalk about half a dozen times. All six rooted at the same time. I then transplanted them to pots to allow the roots to mature. While they were doing that I was trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with six rubber trees. Fortunately a neighbor held a garage sale one weekend. I took the plants there and one lady bought all six. She owned a hair salon and thought they would work well in her shop. I think I took $5 for each plant but it might have been more. Anyway, she was not exactly "manly" nor was her business.
Last edited by yogi on 08 Sep 2018, 18:17, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
pilvikki
Posts: 2999
Joined: 16 Feb 2015, 21:35

Re: finnish sunset

Post by pilvikki »

just my personal opinion, not shared by many. i don't much go for frills, but plants are exception. i do have something that looks like a rubber plant, but it's purple, so doesn't look as severe.
User avatar
yogi
Posts: 9978
Joined: 14 Feb 2015, 21:49

Re: finnish sunset

Post by yogi »

I think the main attraction of rubber tree plants is that they are painless and low maintenance. I see them in doctors' offices where they are abused but survive a long time.
Post Reply