Dayton "Dirt" - December 7, 2012

With the weather so mild for this time of year problems can arise in our plant overwintering huts from the fungus known as Botrytis. The disease is a gray mold that will grow on plants when the temperature is 29º F or greater and relative humidity is at 50% or more. The damage this fungus causes is quite severe from the destruction of foliage as well as the flower beds of some of the flowering plants. In order to check the spread of Botrytis, we ventilate the houses when temperatures will not drop to less then 25º F overnight. In addition, fungicides that prevent the fungus from growing are sprayed monthly as long as the temperature is just above freezing. More planting and construction is going on at the nursery before we are forced to move inside because of the inclement weather. Another relatively good weather project is the annual planting of between 1,000 and 2,000 flower bulbs of hyacinths, tulips and narcissus to our growing collection. One fall, winter came early and we were left with 10,000 daffodils that were packed in crates until February. If the bulbs were not planted by the first of March, they would need to be thrown away as the cold period required for growth and bloom in spring could not be achieved. The result was a sod cutter on a grassy muddy hill where the snow melted and three of us digging trenches 6" deep to plant the bulbs in long rows of about 100 feet each. What a miserable venture it was! The result in early May was a spectacular show of golden yellow daffodils and white narcissus with their cheerful orange colored trumpets making all the hard work worthwhile. Christmas trees, grave blankets, poinsettias are the norm right now before we close the last day of December until March 1st. The slow period is just what we need to get ready for the next spring. Tom