Marianna Marinda

My plants are not mature enough to make much comparison yet, sorry.  I just got most of them in the ground this year, and they are small but establishing well at least.  The most I have noticed about cultivar differences are all about flower color and some degree of leaf shape or variegation.  But not enough info to really post about yet.

What I have noticed is that mature leaves are too tough to be desirable for eating, even if everything else about them would be ideal.  Maybe the young leaves would be better? , or the flowers I haven't tried.  I'm sure I got my info from Plants For a Future (PFAF), in case you want to check it out, and once they're big enough I might try a few experiments again.  

And definitely, I'm talking about Hibiscus syriacus.  

I've noticed visual differences in the leaves, but my plants are not established enough to really make comparisons yet.  When it comes to edibility, the very little bit of experience I have is that the texture of mature leaves is too tough to be desirable, so I'd stick to younger versions if anything.  I don't have much experience at all with this yet though; I just know enough to place these in my orchard/edibles area to get familiar with as an edible option.

It seems to me that your idea of putting wood mulch over your root pruning box would work great!  Especially, perhaps, if you temporarily covered the non-tree areas first with plastic or landscape cloth simply to make removal easier in the spring.  If you did all this right after they went dormant, I think root pruning wouldn't be an issue over the winter, the plastic & wood chips all around the edges would keep the breeze out from beneath and protect the whole bunch from drying out & extra cold, and the uncovered top part where all the trunks were would be open to receiving all the healthy rain & snow.  Without tunnels underneath the roots to make them colder and drier, anything you were growing that was already hardy to your zone I think would be completely fine even when the pile did freeze... since they are made to handle that much already, just fine.

Make sense to you?  

I understand that a foot-long length of hardwood grape stem (with 2 nodes at least) can be planted straight into the ground much like willows are done, burying 2/3 of the cutting and it will root out and grow.  Can't say that I've done it yet (have to have the right place picked out), but I understand it to be that easy.  I suppose that spring before bud break would be the best time to do that.

I am planning to propagate a bush cherry via rooted cuttings.  I had read that the best time to take the cuttings was in the mid-to-late summer...?

I suggest earlier than late summer, because it'll need time to root before going dormant.  You can take semi-soft cuttings as soon as the new growth has hardened off to something stiff enough to hold its shape; I think the rule of thumb is 6 weeks after the leaves come out.  I don't know if those would work as hardwood cuttings; if they will, the best time is probably right now (in my climate) just before the buds burst open.    But maybe just after it flowers, because you don't need that energy drain on a cutting.  

I don't recommend just water, but moist well-drained soil in a mini-greenhouse of some sort.  For lots of different kinds of landscape plant propagation, I've used a sandy-loam soil mix in the bottom half of a plastic milk jug that was cut in half on 3 sides (so the top opens like a hinge) with drainage holes poked in the bottom (cut a matching slit in top and bottom so you can twist-tie the top closed, fitting it slightly INSIDE the bottom so rain can soak in).  This protects from wind and keeps humidity higher, while allowing ventillation under bright shade.  White jugs can protect new cuttings in full spring sun (not directly overhead), and frosted/clear versions are better for shadier spots.  I've put these out with other mature potted plants that I keep sprinkler-watered outdoors, and grown up many small cuttings started this way.  Remember to put labels on the inside, because marks on the outside tend to be temporary.  

Barbara Simoes wrote:

They all like some moisture to varying degrees.  I LOVE pussy willows but would be leery to plant them for that reason.  I would do a search and look on reliable plant databases rather than blogs and such.

I think that's great advice, but easier said than done.  A few years ago, before Michael Doge retired from Vermont Willow Nursery, the descriptions he had online were more helpful and comprehensive than anything I could find elsewhere online about all kinds of willows.  That's where I gathered much of my info from, before it was taken down it seems for good.  There are willows who like it drier/sandier, and willows who will take flooding and grow in standing water... but most just like it regularly moist yet not more than occasionally waterlogged.  Pussy willows refer to any willows that have (usually large and) showy catkins before the leaves in spring, some of which take pretty wet areas and some of which don't.  So it's good to know your species so you can cooperate with its needs best.

In my notes, I suppose Salix caprea falls into neither of these extremes, even though I've tended to think of it as one that liked a little more dryness.  I don't remember why, though.

I have some weeping pussy willow, but don't have any established enough to see it mature.  If it is Salix caprea (the goat willow; does the plant tag tell you?) it will appreciate a little less wetness in the soil than other willows are happy with.  (More a normal plant in the landscape rather than a water-loving one).  Keep it away from underground pipes and sidewalks where you plant it, since willow roots can wreck such things.  I believe it should have needs and yearly growth similar to other willows of its kind... except that to get height you'll need to stake it up.  (It might make a good groundcover otherwise!)  If you want to make a weeping tree of it, I suggest staking a nice long stem (or a few stems braided together!) up to the height you like... for a year or more, until they are mature enough not to be so bendable anymore, and are able to hold their own weight.  As you get growth out the top where you want it, trim out all the growth along the trunk where you don't.  

Pussy willows can also make great late winter bouquets, I understand.  All you need do is cut the branch at the perfect flowering time that you like... and then DON'T put it in water.  It will dry in place and keep its beauty for months!  Perhaps I should try that this year!  

Okay, so we have Lava Rock!

I've got 3 sizes of pumice (fine, medium, & large) plus a fine size of red scoria (otherwise known as cinders) to offer; both are porous lava rock with similar qualities

I'll ship up to 20 lbs worth at a time in 12x10x7" boxes (just shy of 1/2 cu.ft) for $22.47 (pumice) or $24.97 (scoria) plus shipping per box, and if you happen to be close enough to pick up larger quantities (from central PA, or potentially southern upstate NY):  you can save on shipping.

Just mooseage me here or through my website at onmyownroots.com


Here's some great info about porous lava rock:

   A perfect 100% natural planting media or ingredient
   pumice has a neutral pH, and a natural white to gray color when dry
   porous texture makes it lightweight, while rock nature holds its shape
   acts as a rigid sponge to hold nutrients and water
   excellent drainage for sensitive crops (succulents, bonsai, tree cuttings)
   a permanent aspect of soil structure; not prone to break down
   full of minerals from deep in the earth; any rock dust produced is a great addition to compost

   In comparison to other porous Lava Rocks:
       Pumice comes from the froth at the top of lava, while Scoria is solidified from the lava itself
       Scoria is more acidic than pumice, as well as more dense and thus heavier
       Though both are porous, pumice is light enough to float on water and scoria will sink
       Pumice is more riddled with air pockets inside it to hold water, and thus dries out slower than Scoria
       Scoria tends to be more harsh and angular, while pumice is more rounded and smooth
       Pumice has some tendency to be dislodged when watering, and thus scoria works better as a top dressing
       The darker colors of scoria warm up quicker in the sun to hold heat around roots
       Darker colors of scoria also hide the dirty look of algae and moss better than pumice does
       Red scoria gets its color from the iron it contains, Black scoria also contains magnesium rich minerals

   sourced from a volcanic quarry on USA's west coast
   use as is for cactus and succulents, or combine with other ingredients for an ideal potting mix
   will not float to the top of a potting mix or smash between your fingers like perlite does
   improves the quality and grow-friendly nature of any soil mix
   excellent for use with hydroponic or aquaponic systems that keep plants watered but not waterlogged by capillary action
       1/8" size is ideal for propagation trays; as the pot gets bigger, so can the rock size used within it
       1/4" size is most common for horticulture use as a potting soil ingredient
       larger sizes are great for large planters and indoor planting beds
   weighs about 30-40 lbs to the cubic foot, which is just under about 7 gallons of volume


Thank you!  🙂

Okay, so this is a little early since the website is still under construction...
https://www.onmyownroots.com/


but it is so very pretty!  
and highly searchable (or getting there, I've still got lots to enter)
you can get an idea of what kind of organized visual content I plan to keep posting there as we grow (cultivar feature comparisons, a bloom calendar, various farm milestones and cultivar lists...)
plus my On My Own Roots plant shop, of course  
with Rainbow Arboretum project themes
a Honeymoon Tree Farm blog (and a link to our silent YouTube beginnings: )
even a few potential ideas for our Growing Home
plus more!

Basically: what I hope makes a great introduction to what this whole thing is set up to become!

...as soon as I can figure out how to put all this media content into my post.  
and as we build up the farm enough to move it all out of the back yard.

I'd love to know what you think!  
Thanks a bunch!