Friday, February 13, 2015

Dayton "Dirt" - February 13, 2015

Last week’s seminar on the relationship between insects and plants was quite informative.  Especially interesting was the mimicry and coloration that adult insects such as butterflies and their larva apply to fool birds and other predators to keep from becoming a meal.

The ice last weekend after Sunday night’s rain has made it difficult to get around the nursery especially to haul potting media and other supplies to the greenhouse.  An additional section of the production greenhouse was opened on Monday although how good it would have been to hold off for another week in order to wait out the new cold wave and thus the burning of natural additional gas.  On the nursery property is a gas well that sends its gas to the East Dominion Company line along Cleveland-Massillon Road.  Unfortunately there is a contract signed by the Popadich family, the former property owners, stating no natural gas can be pulled from the well for commercial purposes.

This summer, the boiler system of heating pipes will be expanded as these heated pipes tend to keep the heat down where the plants grow and results in better growth because of warmer roots and less heat near the roof to escape from the double layer of polyethylene plastic.

The next seminar on Hydrangeas will be this Saturday in the Owl Barn so that during this cold snap, the building will be as they say ‘warm as toast’ as the boiler system of the building is in the floor and like the plants in the greenhouse keeps the heat where the people are which is nearer the floor than toward the roof.  Let’s hope this is the last severe cold snap as now we’ve all had enough!

Tom

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