181 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Any advice on Christmas cacti? My mom got one and it's not doing to well. It was looking wilted at first but it had plenty of water. Don't think it was over watered though. Then we put it outside and it got sunburned.

Zygocactus are native to tropical South America. I just keep mine in bright indirect light and water it once a week. I put it out under a roof on my patio all summer and into the fall. The flower buds start forming in response to the shorter daylight. I can’t think of too much else in terms of advice.

[ANTdrew]

M_Ants, I thought of a few other things you could try tied to raising humidity for the plant: mist it with a spray bottle a few times everyday. Consider raising humidity by having a humidifier running near the plant, or you could put a dish with rocks in it and fill that with a bit of water.
Finally, all my plants do way better when I water them with chlorine free rain water, or you can let tap water sit uncovered for 24 hours to let the chlorine dissipate.

[Ants_Dakota]

some of my cacti died because of the poor soil. 

[ANTdrew]

Update 1-25-2021

 

New year, new seeds for my garden! I finally got around to doing my winter sowing yesterday, which I find is a great exercise in hope. Most native plants in my area need a period of cold dampness to break down germination inhibiting chemicals within the seeds. Sowing seeds outside a few months before spring is the easiest and most natural way of accomplishing this cold stratification. Since almost all of these seeds (except for the Echinacea) are either gathered from my garden or other natural areas, I paid next to nothing for this project. I have several new species (new species underlined below) I'm trying out this year along with my ride-or-die favorites. Creating and preserving robust native plant communities is the best thing we can do for native ants and all wildlife.

 

2021 Species list:

Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)

Eastern prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa)

Zig-zag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)

Wild blue baptisia (Baptisia australis)

Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)

Narrow leaved mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)

Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum)

Wild basil (Clinopodium vulgare)

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

 

I'm also anxiously awaiting to see if my bloodroot seeds I gathered last May will germinate soon. I'm liable to spontaneously do a backflip if they do. Hope springs eternal.

[Chickalo]

how should i figure out what plants to, well, plant

[ANTdrew]

how should i figure out what plants to, well, plant

I think almost every plant I highlight in this journal would also be native to your state. There are many great books that would help as well, eg, Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm.

Edited by ANTdrew, January 25 2021 - 7:54 PM.

[Scherme]

May 2021 be the Year of the Bloodroot!

[ANTdrew]

May 2021 be the Year of the Bloodroot!

Failure is NOT an option.

[ANTdrew]

1-26-2021

This is what cold-moist stratification looks like! There are dynamic processes going on even under this frigid coating:

 

I cover the pots with mosquito netting to discourage rodents from pilfering seeds. That's all there is to it.

[ANTdrew]

Update 3-1-2021

 

Meteorological spring is here for the lower latitudes, and I'm ready for it! I have some really exciting news for this update: despite a relatively cold February, my bloodroot, Sanguinea canadensis,  seeds have germinated!

 

I gathered these seeds last spring using panty-hose seed traps on the seeds pods of plants at my local nature center. This is the primary example of an ant-disbursed seed in North America. I've wanted to propagate these for many years, but could never time my seed collection right before the ephemeral plants disappear for the season. Pandemic lock-downs gave me the precious gift of time last spring to do so.

 

 

Another spring ephemeral I've planted is also germinating: Claytonia virginica  or spring beauty. I use the old salad box technique plus lots of patience for germinating all my spring ephemeral seeds. More to come! 

 

(Note: Sadly all the previous photos were deleted in this journal due to terrible mistake I made a few weeks ago)

Edited by ANTdrew, March 1 2021 - 6:59 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

us upper latitudes...19 degrees f

[Kaelwizard]

us upper latitudes...19 degrees f

It was actually 47 degrees F here, despite being up north.

[ANTdrew]

We’re getting to 56 today, then down to the 20s at night.

[Ants_Dakota]

We’re getting to 56 today, then down to the 20s at night.

LUCKY!!!

[ANTdrew]

I accomplish germinating a really difficult wildflower, and everyone just talks about the weather. Lol

[BugFinder]

I'd be glad to donate plants, but I actually didn't raise too many this year. I could easily dig up volunteers and propagate things, though.  

 

 

 

If you are sharing propagations, I'd love to get some of that yucca.  I can share some cuttings with you as well.  I have mostly house plants and succulants but would be glad to share cuttings with anyone interested in trading.

[Kaelwizard]

I accomplish germinating a really difficult wildflower, and everyone just talks about the weather. Lol

Sorry I had to go back a few pages to remember what bloodroot was. I need that for my Aphaenogaster that I will inevitably get.

[Spazmops]

This journal is really interesting, it's impressive to see the effect native plants can have.

[Chickalo]

My Mom Okayed me doing this in a space in the backyard!  I hope I will finally get ants there...  Time to do some research!  Can't wait to count the native species

[ANTdrew]

That’s awesome man! I’d start by surveying what you already have. Best things to add would be partridge pea, Rudbeckia hirta, milkweeds, goldenrods, and perennial sunflowers. Native vines are really helpful, too.