LMT October 22 2018

Last Mountain Times • Monday, October 22, 2018 • lmtimes.ca
17
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
African Violets
Most gardeners are hopelessly addicted
to seeing if “it will grow”.
Even better if there is variety
in what you are attempting to grow. The
“perfect houseplant” is available in many
bloom colours including but not limited
to purple, purple edged with white, pink,
deep rose, light blue, ruffled white. This
plant is none other than the African Violets,
from the genus Saintpaulia.
African violets bloom year round with
no specific flowering season which is
probably why they are considered perfect
houseplants. But there is more to the
story. They are of tropical origin and so
are able to tolerate, thrive even, in heated
houses; they have thick hairy leaves
which protect them against water loss;
they can live with the lower winter light
levels and do not want even the direct
sunlight of January days. If you keep
your house at a comfortable temperature
for you, your African violet will also be
comfortable. They prefer slightly cooler
nights, and they are woefully easy to
propagate.
Care of African Violets is simple. The
growing mix, which can be a peat-based
houseplant mix, should be slightly damp.
Wait until the soil is dry to the touch
before watering. The only way I have
killed African Violets is by overwatering
or potting them in a pot without drainage
holes. A balanced fertilizer, 20-20-20
or 7-7-7 in the amounts of 1/8 tsp. per
two litres of water can be used with each
watering, about once a week.
African violets can tolerate lower light
levels than many other flowering plants
but bright light is needed for flowering.
Sunny south or west windows are too
bright and will cause leaf burn. Even our
low light in the winter can sometimes be
too bright. The plants are happiest on an
east or north window but watch for cold
drafts in the wintertime. Windows are
not necessary for successful growing and
flowering. The current location of those
happy parents live in a house with no
window sills and limited east window exposure.
So the plants are cycled between
grow lights and wherever a blooming
plant is needed as they come into bloom.
Ordinary florescent tubes, one warm
white and one cool white, work just
fine. Mature plants should be at least 10
inches away from the light while started
cuttings can be 6-8 inches. If the plant is
too close to the light, the growth will be
very dense, compact, and bleached out.
Like any other plant, violets will tell you
if they are lacking light. The leaves will
turn toward the light and a long stem develops.
If the light source is not directly
overhead, turning the plant a quarter
turn each time you water it will keep the
plant balanced.
A large part of the charm of African
violets is that they seem to attract few
pests or diseases. Mealy bugs are the
most likely pests and they appear on the
undersides of leaves and at leaf axils.
Dabbing them with a q-tip dipped in rubbing
alcohol works but it may be easiest
to simply start a new plant from a leaf
cutting which you have carefully cleaned.
African violets do best in ceramic or
plastic pots. They
do not like the salts
which develop over
time in clay pots and
any leaves touching
the pot rim will wilt
and rot.
Propagation is very
simple. Break off a
healthy leaf, cut the
stem at a 45 degree
angle, and stick in
water until roots
form. Yes, I know
HORTICULTURE
PAT HANBIDGE
SASKATOON, SK
that the books talk about sterilized potting
soil. I don’t bother. Once roots are
formed, the leaf is planted, roots and all,
in a small pot and set under grow lights.
Within a few weeks, the first baby plant
will emerge. Usually within 3-4 weeks
you will have anywhere from 2-6 baby
plants poking up around the leaf stem.
When the plantlets are about half way
up the leaf stem, separate the plantlets
so that there is one stem with attached
roots. Pot these into small containers (individual
yogurt cartons with holes poked
in the bottom work fine) and set them
back under the grow lights. Often within
8-10 months, they will flower.
-Patricia Hanbidge is a horticulturist with
the Saskatoon School of Horticulture.
She can be reached at 306‐931‐GROW(4769);
by email at growyourfuture@gmail.com
or check out their website at
www.saskhort.com
Of trees and things
There is an old adage about history often repeating
itself, and that might just be the case
when it comes to farm shelterbelts.
As long as there have been farms, farmers
have always had a sort of love-hate relationship
with trees.
My grandfather homesteaded in Saskatchewan
more than a century ago now, and I
well-remember his stories about clearing the
home quarter largely with an axe, horse and
sweat. He talked about how, when the money
ran out for homesteaders like himself, and
he needed to replenish funds to allow him to
continue clearing their land, there was only
one job option, to go swing an axe for a farmer
with deeper pockets to afford help.
The process took years, to the point the last
few acres were still treed at a time grandpa
could afford to bring in a cat to help clear it.
Trees in the era of the homesteader were
simply big weeds taking up valuable land they
want to plant to crop.
The Dirty Thirties changed that viewpoint
a lot.
The drought years of the 1930s meant
topsoil was left to erode with the wind. The
photographs of dust storms, and dirt-filled
ditches left in their wake are memorable to
anyone who has seen them.
A solution to such erosion, or at least a
barrier of some protection, was to plant tree
shelterbelts. That was something my father’s
generation often did. The rows of trees helped
trap snow in winter to provide moisture, and
slowed winds which protected against soil
blowing away.
With the widespread adoption of zero-till
farming techniques, erosion by wind and
water became less of a concern a few decades
ago.
And with the emergence of larger and larger
equipment shelterbelts
were increasingly seen
as a nuisance, and many
farmers of my generation
were once again chopping
trees, albeit by mechanical
means.
But a recent study is suggesting
shelterbelts might
actually help in terms of
crop yields.
Producers are always
AG NOTES
CALVIN DANIELS
looking for ways to punch up yields, from
looking at new ways to apply additional fertilizer,
to the addition of micronutrient packages
not even thought of 25-years ago.
But could better yields be as simple as planting
a row of trees across a field and leaving
them to grow for the next few decades?
A recent article in The Western Producer
looks at a project by Shathi Akhter, a research
scientist at Agriculture Canada’s research centre
in Indian Head, SK., which is suggesting it
might indeed be an option.
It is interesting how detailed research often
shows data that runs counter to perception.
Trees were largely thought to steal nutrients
away from the crop, but that element may not
be the whole story in terms of their influence
on crop growth according to the initial
research.
It leaves one wondering if the next generation
of farmer might be replacing the shelterbelts
that were removed only a decade or so
again?
- Calvin Daniels
Disclaimer: opinions expressed
are those of the writer.
Meditation - A Path to a
More Peaceful Life
I sometimes write about meditation, and find
there is much confusion and uncertainty about
what, exactly, it is. Some think it is weird. Others
think it is harmful. It has even been labeled as
‘new age’, and condemned as a threat to traditional
religion. It is interesting how much can be
projected on a very harmless, innocent practice.
Meditation means to think quietly, to engage
in deep and serious thought. It can also mean to
observe intently. The act of meditation is quiet
thought; reflection. It can even be contemplation
on sacred or solemn subjects, especially as a devotional
exercise. For a religious person, meditation
can be sitting quietly and feeling the presence of
PSYCHOLOGY
FOR LIVING
GWEN
RANDALL-YOUNG
God - an awareness that can be lost in the hustle and bustle of daily
living.
For the non-spiritual person, meditation can be simply clearing the
mind of all thoughts, giving the mind a much needed rest. There is
such an intimate connection between the mind and body, science has
shown, that worry thoughts, thoughts of anger, resentment, fear, or
anxiety - can measurably alter the body chemistry in a negative way.
The negative changes persist for six to eight hours after experiencing
the troubling emotions. Every time those thoughts come back, the
negative changes are re-stimulated, and persist for another six to
eight hours.
It is easy to see how thoughts can have a profound effect on our
health! Meditation is to the mind what a brisk walk in fresh air is to
the body. To think of it as harmful or threatening in any way just adds
one more negative thought to the stockpile. On the other hand, taking
time each day to stop all thoughts, just resting in calmness, feeling the
love in your heart...can create positive, healthful shifts in your body
chemistry, which, if you resist adding negative emotions, remain for
those same six to eight hours. Meditation is a path to a more peaceful,
healthful life.
-Gwen Randall‐Young is an Edmonton author
and award‐winning Psychotherapist.
To obtain books, cds or MP3’s, visit www.gwen.ca