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Questions and Answers:Q. I like to grow zinnias and some other blooming annuals from seed. They seem to come up fine in the spring but this time of year the seeds just sit there. Is there anything I can do to encourage them to come up? My garden is looking pretty bare right now and could use some color. A. There are two main reasons that many flower seeds will not “come up” or germinate this time of year. One is soil temperature. Most annual seeds will germinate when the soil temperature is around 70 degrees. Uncovered soil at this time of year can reach 110 degrees during the day, which can kill many weed seeds or put conditions out of a safe range for germination. Even a seed knows that if it sprouts in soil that hot, the chances of survival or slim. The second reason is length of darkness that the seed or new plant is exposed to in a 24 hour period. As the nights grow longer, seeds that are programmed by nature to germinate in the spring will just sit there. Try the trusty cheap and easy to grow annuals such as zinnias or marigolds and look for annuals that are “day length neutral.” Many seeds from plants that are listed as All America Selections winners will grow as the days get a little shorter as they do well up north where the sun shines at a different or lower angle during the summer. An AAS Winner is supposed to do well during a normal growing season anywhere in the Continental United States. A list of AAS winners can be found on-line at www.all-americaselections.org You might also try fall blooming bulbs for fall color such as oxblood, crinum or spider lilies. Most wildflower seeds need to be scattered in the fall for spring bloom as they need a period of cooler weather in order to germinate. Order wildflower seeds from www.wildseedfarms.com or www.seedssource.com Some wildflowers such as goldenrod put on a spectacular show in the fall. Q. I love cucumbers but they give me stomach trouble. Is there a cucumber that is low on acid? A. Yes, the lemon cucumber is an heirloom which is round and yellow. It tastes just like the green ones but does not cause indigestion. Harvest when golf-balled size for best flavor. It grows best when the weather is a little cooler than the traditional green ones . You can order from www.humeseeds.com Q. I have an Angel’s Trumpet that I’ve managed to keep alive this summer, but it still looks ragged. Is there anything I can do to help it out? A. Datura or Angel’s Trumpet is the name of 12-15 species of annual or short lived perennial plants with beautiful large trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in the evening. The varieties that produce the white or double purple flowers do best around here in full sun and will reseed freely with little care. The tall yellow and orange varieties that you see in seed catalogues need shade, organic fertilizer, plenty of water and lots of mulch to survive our summers. If you put them in the right place they will do great, but I suspect you’ve got yours in too much sun. Try to get it through the summer by pouring on the water to get it to bloom. Then you can collect the seeds pods, dry them out, and break them open to harvest plenty of seeds to scatter in a shadier spot next spring. Cover the seeds lightly with ordinary garden soil. Trying to move the plant now will surely kill it outright. Remember, Datura is a dangerous plant as all parts or poisonous to people and animals. But, that is one pretty flower, isn’t it?
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