Hello everyone,
To make a long story short, I spent 14 months in Afghanistan, and while I was there I made friends with a local poppy farmer. Now, to be upfront I am NOT attempting to harvest these for their psychoactive compounds... This is strictly for their beauty and sentimental value.
Anyways, moving right along. Got injured in 2003, and before I left the farmer gave me a packet of seeds as a going away present and as a message which is kind of hard for me to explain, but basically I really loved the afghani people and he was sending me away with a little piece of their culture. I have held on to these seeds for several years and was starting to get paranoid that if I did not do something with them they would end up going to waste. So last winter I took a small pinch and tossed them outside on the snow and low and behold they sprouted. I have not given them really any attention, and I have just let them do their thing naturally.
OK, fast forward to now. The ones I let grow wild basically are not producing seed pods with viable seeds... I'm pretty sure its because the plants are just not healthy enough to produce them due to the horrid soil. So, I had a friend come over and used a small area of my backyard and tilled and added organic matter to the soil. I planted these new seeds in peat pellets and they germinated pretty well. Each pellet had appromixately 3 to 4 sprouts which I thinned until 1 remained.
1 1/2 weeks ago I planted the pellets and they seemed to be taking hold great. Well the past couple days I have noticed their stems are not supporting their weight causing them to fall over. Their leaves were turning slightly yellow, but still had new growth. The leaves that touch the soil start to die fairly quickly.
What I have done to correct this is I purchased some basic Miracle grow general purpose fertilizer. I have noticed their leaves are greening back up but they are still laying around.
Am I doing the right thing here, or is there another underlying problem? Thanks in advance!
Loki
Hey Cynthia,
Thank you so much for the response. I went out this morning, and hopefully fixed the problem. Being that they are are only 3 or so inches tall, I took some surrounding soil and as gently as I could packed it around the stem propping them up. I think with what has happened, it has cost me a couple plants as a couple look like their leaves have been burnt from touching the soil. For future reference I will keep a closer eye on them and make sure this doesnt happen again.
My hat is off to you all for pulling off some wonderful gardens. My employers wife is retired and its all she does at home. It really amazes me how she coordinates the flowerbeds to seem like they are almost constantly in bloom. I wish I had the time to put into a garden. But between college, work, and the VA it leaves little time for much else.
Loki
Thank you so much for the response. I went out this morning, and hopefully fixed the problem. Being that they are are only 3 or so inches tall, I took some surrounding soil and as gently as I could packed it around the stem propping them up. I think with what has happened, it has cost me a couple plants as a couple look like their leaves have been burnt from touching the soil. For future reference I will keep a closer eye on them and make sure this doesnt happen again.
My hat is off to you all for pulling off some wonderful gardens. My employers wife is retired and its all she does at home. It really amazes me how she coordinates the flowerbeds to seem like they are almost constantly in bloom. I wish I had the time to put into a garden. But between college, work, and the VA it leaves little time for much else.
Loki
Unless the caterpillars are absolutely swarming over the plants, I hand-pick them off and squash them underfoot (similar to how I deal with snails/slugs). Some gardeners here are very good at identifying butterfly caterpillars vs. regular destructive caterpillars, but we would need photos to do that.
For now, direct and decisive action until we figure out what kind they are.
Posting guidelines for photos are at https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23
Cynthia
For now, direct and decisive action until we figure out what kind they are.
Posting guidelines for photos are at https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23
Cynthia
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mypetalpress
- Full Member
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:28 am
- Location: Seattle, Wa
Some annual seedlings don't like to be transplanted and prefer to be seeded directly into the ground where they are to grow. Yours may have experienced some transplant shock and set them back. I would nurse these till you can at least get one to form the pod and collect the seed and then let them go in a spot in your garden where you have some decent soil and that won't wash away and they should be much happier and come up on their own next year. Maybe even save some and throw them out in spring next year and let them come up where you want them to grow. Other annuals that prefer to be directly sowed are nigella, larkspur, cosmos just to name a few. Good luck, I love those annual big flowering poppies. Cheryl
Hey Cynthia,
I took your advice and hand pick the little guys and squashed them accordingly.I then went back out about an hour later and found a couple more. Someone here has already posted a picture of them. Its just a small little guy about 2mm in size. They did get ahold of one of my plants pretty good, but I think it may be able to bounce back.
mypetalpress,
I love them to. Provided I can get this crop to grow to maturity I should have seeds running about my ears. I want to spend this summer and research on all the various flowers and maybe next spring I can show pictures of my snazzy little flowerbed.
I took your advice and hand pick the little guys and squashed them accordingly.I then went back out about an hour later and found a couple more. Someone here has already posted a picture of them. Its just a small little guy about 2mm in size. They did get ahold of one of my plants pretty good, but I think it may be able to bounce back.
mypetalpress,
I love them to. Provided I can get this crop to grow to maturity I should have seeds running about my ears. I want to spend this summer and research on all the various flowers and maybe next spring I can show pictures of my snazzy little flowerbed.