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More Potting
Jun. 3rd, 2014 01:26 pmToday I divided and re-potted the Lemon Grass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbopogon_citratus). It was a little harder to divide than I thought it would be -- the roots crisscross more than I'm used to with grasses. I ended up with four pots, so they have plenty of room to grow. Depending on how things go with building the greenhouse, we'll see if I keep all four or find a new home for one or two of them come autumn. There is some citronellol in them, but not as much as in Cymbopogon Nardus, which is the variety used for making citronella oil, having a much higher quantity of citronellol and is not tasty at all.
I'm glad I have the c-- they will help a _little_ with dissuading mosquitoes, but still be nice for making tea. FYI, the base of the stalks are used in cooking. Lemon Grass is not frost hardy, so it has to be indoors here in the winter.
I also re-potted the 6-pack of Lavender I picked up at the farmers market this past Saturday. Really, I should get some more next week if I can, because they don't have the highest success rate in acclimatizing here. Eventually they'll go into one or two raised beds, most likely on the south side of the barn and next to the greenhouse, but they were getting quite pot-bound in that little 6-pack!
The barn and greenhouse will give them some protection from winter winds, and a good southern exposure year-round, while still contributing to making this a less pleasant place for certain unwelcome insects to call home. Raised beds and/or really big planter boxes will be important because Lavender need decent drainage, which I can't guarantee in the land here. Also, they prefer alkaline soil, whereas most of Western Mass ground tends toward the acidic, so I can better control their soil needs in a bed or box.
I'm also looking forward to eventually harvesting lavender for the house; bundles of lavender, leaves and all, help protect your woolens. I won't be trying to make essential oils since you need thousands of flowers for that, but some of them will make their way into sachets for drawers.
I'm glad one of my old Lavenders is still alive; I was hoping more would make it, but the past few years have been rough on them. Now it will have the company of a whole bunch of youngsters.
***
The soil in my pots is a mix of whatever the plants come with, Coast of Maine potting soil (really good stuff, and only a couple states over from here), and local soil; a mix of past, present, and future :)
I'm glad I have the c-- they will help a _little_ with dissuading mosquitoes, but still be nice for making tea. FYI, the base of the stalks are used in cooking. Lemon Grass is not frost hardy, so it has to be indoors here in the winter.
I also re-potted the 6-pack of Lavender I picked up at the farmers market this past Saturday. Really, I should get some more next week if I can, because they don't have the highest success rate in acclimatizing here. Eventually they'll go into one or two raised beds, most likely on the south side of the barn and next to the greenhouse, but they were getting quite pot-bound in that little 6-pack!
The barn and greenhouse will give them some protection from winter winds, and a good southern exposure year-round, while still contributing to making this a less pleasant place for certain unwelcome insects to call home. Raised beds and/or really big planter boxes will be important because Lavender need decent drainage, which I can't guarantee in the land here. Also, they prefer alkaline soil, whereas most of Western Mass ground tends toward the acidic, so I can better control their soil needs in a bed or box.
I'm also looking forward to eventually harvesting lavender for the house; bundles of lavender, leaves and all, help protect your woolens. I won't be trying to make essential oils since you need thousands of flowers for that, but some of them will make their way into sachets for drawers.
I'm glad one of my old Lavenders is still alive; I was hoping more would make it, but the past few years have been rough on them. Now it will have the company of a whole bunch of youngsters.
***
The soil in my pots is a mix of whatever the plants come with, Coast of Maine potting soil (really good stuff, and only a couple states over from here), and local soil; a mix of past, present, and future :)
