RKayne's Blog
RKayne's July 2007 Entries
Last Post 128 days, 1 hour Ago
Jul 20, 2007 | 11:18 AM PST
Tags: Black Prince Tomato , Farmers Market , saving tomato seeds
Isn't it beautiful? The first one...all pretty, and smoky...this is fully ripe, oh so fully ripe. I cut it in half, I drizzled on some Olive Oil, some garlic...mozzarella and a tad of italian breadcrumbs...broiled....yum. Why do people insist on the standard sterile taste of commercial tomatoes? Why can they not 'think outside the box' and realize the best, tastiest tomatoes are not the 'pretty' orange beasts that is all you can find at the supermarket? Get yerself to the local Farmers Market this weekend and find some heirloom tomato, the weirder or uglier the better and treat yourself to a wonderful taste! Here is my article on how I save the seeds (next one, I promise!) SAVING TOMATO SEEDS
Jul 20, 2007 | 9:51 AM PST
Tag: bearded dragon
Had to share, we somehow managed to get our hands on a clutch of Bearded Dragon eggs and an incubator! I can't wait...not sure of the date they were layed...
Jul 19, 2007 | 11:14 AM PST
Tags: Orange Tree , bonsai
Well, it has been a little bit of time and I feel great! Those first couple of days were hard. All I could say was OW, that was a lot...more than I anticipated. Those smug bonsai, the Japanese Maples...the Elm...that Cotoneaster, they didn't really tell me how MUCH was involved!
But now I am HERE! I look forward to the day I get my own special pot. I know my gardener will wait until she sees something very special for me and it might sit and wait but it will be all mine!
This is what happened, I don't remember it much because I was sedated but she
told me all about it.
First off it seems I had a little brother or sister so an emergency pot had to be gotten!
After taking out my sibling I got packed back in my pot. It will be at least 6 months before I get my own bonsai pot, I will be inside by then because I know the winters are a bit harsh here for my tender leaves!
Once we got done with that I got repotted and cut and wired...I am told that it will probably be a year, but then I get to be true bonsai, with my own special pot! It may be sooner, it depends on the rate of my root growth...I am gonna try REAL hard to grow FAST! Because I am a fast grower, I got a really loose coil for my first bend. I am happy about that I really don't want any scars!
Jul 12, 2007 | 8:31 AM PST
Tags: bonsai , japanese maple , repotting , bonsai tools , root hormone powder
Well, here I am in my new home! It was a quick operation for which I was grateful. I don't like being out of a pot long and this, well, it made me feel a little naked! First I got taken out of the pot and almost all my roots exposed (see me blushing!)...
Then they got CUT OFF..even my tap root...that was weird! I got root hormone powder on them to help them heal and grow again. There is not much room in my new pot but I don't mind, the Elm and Cotoneaster tell me it will just be 'Cozy'.
Then I got put in my pot and got some new soil (YAAY!) and a trim and some wire, it has been years since I got wired, this was a little one compared to what I have had done in the past!
One little coil was all I needed, I had a 'wild branch' that wanted to go one way and we wanted it to go the other way! This is 16 ga. copper.
And here I am wired, before being bent...
And here I am, done...I really like it in this pot, but I was told I can have a pot just like this one that will be more plain (I like the grapes design...but my gardener thinks they are hideous!).
Some people think you need REALLY expensive tools to do this with, but not really. You just have to have a few basic tools. My gardener uses these, predominately. A simple pair of hair cutting scissors (gets in nice to trim close in small areas), a pair of flat wire nips (no sharp edges), a pair of needlenose pliers and a ring winder like the one you saw above. Simple, and found at any decent craft store at minimal cost. That way you have more cash to play with for pots...soil...trees....LOL!
