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Bill I am not guilty of forcing plants. To be honest I don't buy
plants that have been forced. Down here ( I will discuss here because that
is what I have discovered) growers do what I consider to be a no no. They divide
plants in Jan. Pot them. Through them in a green house with a lot of fertilizer
and water. In other words force them. That is about as bad as using BAP on a
plant before selling it. The plant they offer for sale looks great but next year
it is much smaller. The buyer is unhappy. The result are often good for me
because they buy from me the next time. The time of potting and the age of the
plant plays a big difference in how well the plant will perform in the garden. I
don't believe is selling TC that is not mature and has been graded at least 2 to
3 years. In other words the grower should be sure that it is true to type,
strong and healthy. I feel that in impossible when small plants are sold.
The buyer may save a few dollars but it is a gamble as to what he or she may
get.
There
are some seedlings that develop a great root system. Those that do the best are
ready for two gallon containers by the first of June. They will often have two
flowering times the first year. I have discovered that the pod parent influences
the growth of the seedling. For example I can count on at least 2/3 of the
seedlings from certain parents will give me the great growth that I want.
For the past three years I have paid special attention to some of these. As new
lines develop I watch to see what is happening. Some may get a little slower
start but with the roots they soon catch and pass those that are more top
and less root. For example the past two years, I have worked with a new
line of streaked blue plants all from the same parent. They were slow to come up
and get started but the roots were strong and by mid summer they were ahead
of others. I am really excited about them. The crosses from this mother plant
has given me the most varied growth habits and leaf shapes that I have ever had
from one parent. I have upright growth, mound type growth, round leaves, long
leaves, shiny leaves puckered leaves, cupped leaves and so on. I have selected
several for observation for the next several years.
I
understand how you have developed your thoughts on roots. I still believe that
roots make the plant. If Chick's idea that they grow roots to get water is
correct, then why are the plants in a dry garden so often lacking in a healthy
root system? Enough for today. I am not trying to change minds or thoughts
on the matter. Until I learn better through experience, I will stick to my ideas
and expect everyone to do the same.
Mary
Hi Mary,
The reason I
think a large root system could be bad is that the roots seem adapted to the
soil they are growing in. That's why the roots on a plant grown in the ground
are so much different than the roots of one grown in a pot. If a plant is
pushed the way Chick described the Mobjack plant, they develop a huge root
system, but one that is adapted to the highly unusual Rain-Forest-like growing
conditions in the nursery. If these plants are taken home and put in the
ground, some varieties seem to have a lot of trouble adapting to the new
conditions. I've seen large, healthy looking gallon-pot size plants
transplanted to the ground by well-known hosta gardeners in June lose all
their leaves within a month. These plants haven't rotted, and they send up new
top growth and get going again, but by the following year they are much
smaller than they would have been had they adapted better.
The
artificially large root systems of heavily pushed plants are the exception to
the rule about larger root systems. Normally bigger is better, and if those
plants are not transplanted into the ground, it probably wouldn't be a problem
there. With seedlings I've found too that plants with similar size tops often
have widely varying sized roots under them. I wonder if some seedlings have
more efficient root systems. Have you noticed whether the size of the
root system on a seedling directly cooresponds to how it grows
eventually?
.............Bill Meyer
----- Original Message -----
From:
M*@Bellsouth.net
To: hosta-open@mallorn.com
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2001 7:08
PM
Subject: RE: Observation
Bill I agree with most of your post but can not understand why you
feel a large root system could be bad. I feel that it is the strong
roots that give strong plants plus more increase in crowns. The
time that the plant is transferred to the garden has a big affect on the
root system for the next season. Down here our hostas grow new
roots from mid May through June. Planting after that that
usually means that the plant will wait the until next year before adding
much to the root system so if planted late the plant may not do as well
the first full year in the ground. Like any perennial the first
year usually shows little growth compared to the second. If I
have to choose between large strong roots or smaller ones the small ones are
left every time. I even consider the size of roots when I am selecting
young seedlings.
I
have discovered that the reason some plants don't transplant as well is
because the person that buys the plant places it in the garden without
cleaning the potting soil from the roots. That is bad and can cause all
kinds of problems. I always tell them that if they want to use the soil mix
in the container to mix it well with the garden soil.
We
always add trace elements to our potting soil if it is not added at the
factory. At present we are using Bio-Comp mix which has been developed to
keep down aphids, and other pest. This year for the first time I had almost
no cutworm. It also fights rot and other disease.
Mary
HI Everybody,
I'm not sure
why hostas produce such different root systems between pots and ground,
but they clearly do. Take a large potted plant with a huge root system and
plant it in the ground and the following year the plant may be bigger, but
the root system is clearly much smaller. I have a retail nursery near me
who does pretty much the opposite of what most commercial growers do as
far as their mix goes. They use a very rich, fine mixture with a lot
of mushroom soil (old manure) in it. They really don't lose too many
through the winter, as might be expected, and they've been doing this
for years. Growth is really very good and rot only a problem with
certain varieties, particularly 'Aristocrat' and 'Great Expectations". The
actual growth rate is not much slower than the airy, chunky mixes favored
by Southern growers. These lightweight mixes tend to show the most root
growth, while the rich heavy mix favored by these people shows root growth
that is only about half that.
There
does seem to be a tie-in between root growth and the density and richness
of the soil. Producing the highest root-growth possible may not make for
the best plant, if the plant is intended to be placed in the ground that
season, though. Plants grown in very light mixes often don't adapt well to
the transition.
It may
not be only the physical structure that causes the difference in the root
systems. One possibility is that it may be tied to trace elements not
found in potting mixes or the most commonly used fertilizers. Has anyone
tried using trace element supplements on their potted plants? If so, has
it made a difference?
...........Bill Meyer
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