My Bit of Heaven - by Kristl Walek

[annew]

Fascinating, Kristl - especially the fern experiment. I'll pass on the link to a friend who deals with Osmunda spores for the British Pteriological Society, I'm sure he will be most interested. When do you start sending seed orders out?

[Kristl Walek]

All seeds that I send out each year are tested first.

I am not entirely finished with this yet. And even when I think I am finished, I often get out-of-character results, so sometimes I need to re-test the seed.

For instance many seeds have a very long "after drying" requirement, before which time they will not germinate, even though they are perfectly sound. Many of the seeds in this category are easy, warm germinators. Sometimes in my rush to get something tested, I forget this---and it causes extra work, as I will need to do the test again some weeks, or months later.

I have long-ago learned that while one can tell many things by eye-balling a seed, or fiddling with it to check out the embryo, or finally doing the hammer test on large, hard woody seed to ensure there is something inside, ultimately one needs to test the seed to be certain it is sound.

I do this in petri dishes, on filter paper (cut up coffee filters can be substituted). The petri dishes are piled up and inserted into clear storage bags & twist-tied. Then they go under lights.

It does not matter what the germination requirement is for a seed (warm or cold, or other---if a seed is given moisture it will tell you everything you need to know about it's health) and that is my purpose in testing them: to determine if they are healthy and have the potential to germinate.

And because I am always so busy, the results in the petris often gets away from me--and I sometimes have very advanced plants when I open the dish.

Here are a few results from today---all warm germinators and all acceptable. In future posts I will show you some results that are problematic for a number of reasons.

Also because I am trying to be a purist in this thread and to only discuss species indigenous to my area, I will in future replace these germination pictures with all natives. For now I want to discuss the method.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

so many species... so much skill...   

[Kristl Walek]

Perhaps it is somehow fitting that I would receive an offer on my property, just as I had almost decided to put a stop to my misery about leaving this place I love and to take it off the market.

If my counter-offer is accepted (and I think it will be), I will be searching for another bit of heaven elsewhere in Canada very soon. Closing is end of July, which is rather perfect for organizing plants in pots for their move. And I will not miss my favorite spring season here with the woodland ephemerals.

The buyer is a Dutch, ex-Olympic speedskater who has a landscaping business in this area. This pleases me tremendously, as the 6 acres of plants left behind may actually be appreciated (and used).

This is a HUGE and bittersweet moment for me---and the culmination of many years of painful decision making. While only my heart knows all the personal reasons I had for needing to leave this place I love so much; this group knows all too well my deep attachment to this bit of dirt and the plants that have brought renewal to my life year after year.
 

[tonyg]

Hope there will be an "Another Bit of Heaven" thread when the time comes.
I only recently revisited this wonderful collection of musings and incredible information but am working my way back to where I left off.
We too have been trying to sell up and move on.  Ours is just a scrap of land but it is still home and precious to us for many reasons.  Having worked up some enthusiasm for moving to a new plot (and a bigger house) we have reached the point now when we understand that Home truly is where your heart is.  Perhaps we will also have a last minute offer .... but plans have been submitted for with a view to adding an extra bedroom for one of our growing girls, so time is running out. 
Good luck Kristl .... and keep us posted.

[johnw]

Kristl - A very sad moment but I am sure with all your enthusiasm you will create a masterpiece wherever you go.  If we find you in Nova Scotia everyone here we will be pleased as punch.

johnw

[Brian Ellis]

Kristl, I know this is very sad, but I am a great believer that when one door closes another opens, I wish you well and look forward to another Bit of Heaven appearing in due course from somewhere else, where it will have been created by you.

[ian mcenery]

Kristyl I cannot imagine all of the different emotions that tie you to this place though a new place with different challenges will be a great opportunity to create another beautiful haven - which if it were mine it might contain fewer mistakes. They say that a gardener needs 2 lifetimes ; the first life to learn and the second to put into practice and enjoy. With your energy and enthusiam this new challenge will I am sure enable you to create an even better garden. I wish you all you wish for yourself

Thank you so much for sharing My bit of Heaven

[Lvandelft]

This is a HUGE and bittersweet moment for me---

Kristl, I am sure this is so, but I really do hope you will find a new 'Heavenly' place to
continue your work.
Wish all the luck you deserve and a good start!

The buyer is a Dutch, ex-Olympic speedskater who has a landscaping business in this area

Do I know him??
I know of an ex-speed skater who is farming in Alberta, but he is not landscaping.

[maggiepie]

Kristl, all the very best, I can imagine how torn you must be.
You really have created a bit of heaven, btw New Brunswick is a nice place to live 

[Kristl Walek]

If we find you in Nova Scotia everyone here we will be pleased as punch

But will you still be pleased, dear John, when I need to beg a space on your couch while I search for my new property in fair Nova Scotia?

It is official as of 7:00pm tonight. My counter-offer was accepted with no further counter....and so now I can begin imagining my new life near the ocean (and being able to grow Rhododendron)...

I do not intend to abandon my posts here, nothwithstanding a short interlude in July to pack my bags.

[johnw]

If we find you in Nova Scotia everyone here we will be pleased as punch

But will you still be pleased, dear John, when I need to beg a space on your couch while I search for my new property in fair Nova Scotia?

But then I would have to get off the couch.  We will muster something better than that for you.

Bid the sun farewell, say hello fog.  It will be rhododendron growing till the midnight hours.

johnw

[Kristl Walek]

After a brief absence to deal with property sale details, I would now like to continue where I left off with seed testing.

I intended to show you examples of seed that does not get listed after testing. I have mentioned that ultimately one cannot trust seed freshness alone, nor how beautiful the seed appears to look to the naked eye. In the end, my proof is always in the petri dish. The following are all examples of something being very wrong with the seed embryo. This can be immaturity, disease, insect infestation and even, on occasion, seed cleaning damage. There can also be pollination issues.

When a seed is bad, and exposed to moisture, it will either rot, or get attacked by fungi, or both. Sometimes it will germinate, even in high percentages, but show lack of vigour and soon collapse.

What one needs to keep in mind as well--if there is extraneous material (chaff) in with the seed, but the seed is fundamentally healthy, fungus will attack the chaff and break it down, but this will not harm healthy embryos, which will continue to germinate even in the presence of the fungus.

[Kristl Walek]

Even though most seed growers have experience using GA-3 to stimulate germination, I am still surprised how many folks have not used it.

GA-3 is NOT a panacea for germination---it benefits particular species, or genera and should not be used across the board for everything. But when it is of benefit, it is a real time saver (taking away the need for cold in certain genera--such as Thalictrum, some Aquilegia, Myrica gale), or profoundly affecting the rate of germination in others (Lobelia cardinalis).

While I sometimes soak seed overnight in a GA-3 mixture, it can also be mixed in a spray bottle for multiple applications, or applied dry to the seed and then watered in. Once mixed up however, it only has about a 2 week shelf life. Unmixed, it can remain potent for a number of years kept cool in the fridge.

I buy powdered GA-3 (90% concentration) in large quantities, and break it down into small 100mg packages which I sell through my business. This is powerful stuff, and less is more is the philosophy.
Norm Deno first suggested the simple method of treating one batch of seed with the quantity of powder that would fit on the end of a moistened pointed toothpick. This is what I often do.

In the visual examples that follow, I am first treating Thalictrum polyganum, as part of my seed testing routine. Normally this seed would require 8-12 weeks of cold treatment. After the GA-3, it germinates in 10 days at warm. The Myrica gale is similar--and in my example is just beginning its germination after a prior weeks' treatment with GA-3.

[Kristl Walek]

I have earlier this year shown you the benefits of dealing promptly with Trillium species after harvest. Even if you are not able to sow them immediately, there is a tremendous advantage to moist-packing the seed to keep it viable and in rhythm with what would happen if the seed dispersed naturally. Many species will, in fact, germinate within the first 6 months if they are dealt with in this manner. Others will not not sprout until the seed has had an initial cold treatment.

Just to remind you, I will repost a picture of moist-packed Trillium grandiflorum (collected in July, 2008). By October this is what I saw inside my zip-lock bags.

This season I have also purposely subjected moist-packed T. erectum, T. undulatum and T. cernuum to extended periods at warm just to see what might happen.

Two weeks ago, when I last checked the zip locks, T. cernuum (collected early August, 2008) had in fact begun to sprout. At this point I am guessing the germination is only about 10%, but I am keeping a close watch to see if it will continue.