Tree Seeds - Tips on Sowing and Germination

Tree seeds may be sown into individual containers or densely into a tray or large container.

The Department of Natural Resources, Queensland, advises that if the viability of the seed to be sown is low or unknown, or germination is slow, then sowing into a communal tray will allow dibbling out of the successfully germinated seedling with little waste of growing medium or space.

However, if the seed is known to have good viability and is likely to result in a quick and high germination rate (>85%), then sowing into individual containers will save on dibbling. However, pricking out may be necessary.

• Fill the container to about 10mm from the top with moist medium, allowing room for the seed and a covering of medium.
• Level the medium by shaking or knocking the container.
• Press large seed (greater than 10mm) halfway into the media.
• Sprinkle small seed lightly over the surface.
• Very fine seed can be mixed with dry sand and shaken out of a pepper pot to attain an even spread of seed.
• Cover small and very fine seed with a thin layer of sand (to about the thickness of the seed size).
• Gently water in the seed and keep it moist but not wet. The container could be covered by plastic or kept moist with a sprinkler/mister system.
• Most seeds germinate quicker during warm conditions. Early spring to early summer is generally the best season for germinating seed. Protect the germinating seed from frosts. If propagating in cool weather, gentle continuous warming of the germination containers will speed up germination but this is not essential.
• Place the containers of sown seeds in a shaded area (at least 50% shade).
• Germination periods (the time until the seed sprouts) can vary greatly.

As usual, get more information at Go Trees.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors On A Budget

Something a little different today - use of tree products. Hope you enjoy it!

If your hardwood floors are in dire need of refinishing, get a few estimates from professionals. You may be surprised at the figures. You’ll want to sit down when they tell you it will cost you $1200 to have your living room redone. You could carpet over it for less, but doesn’t carpeting over beautiful hardwood floors seem, well, wrong?

Contrary to what you may have heard, the finish doesn’t take days and days to dry. It’s quite simple actually.

Go to your favorite local home improvement store, Lowe’s, Menard’s, Home Depot or other. Rent a sander. You’ll need a drum sander, a belt sander or both. They will explain to you how to use the machine and tell you what kind of sand paper to purchase. They will also tell you what kind of stain and finish to get. Make sure you also pick up some dust masks because you will have saw dust everywhere.

The sanders are very easy to use. They’re a bit on the loud side. The key is to keep it moving at all times. Do not stop or you will get a divot in your wood. Think of it like a clothes iron. You need to keep it moving or you will burn your clothes. Same deal with the sander. It creates a lot of heat and you will burn or dent your floors if you hesitate in one place too long. You will feel like a Zamboni driver smoothing out your surface.

Word of caution, you do need to maintain control of the machine at all times. It is self propelled, like a lawn mower or a basset hound on a leash. When you power it up, hold on to the machine tightly. Don’t be afraid of it and after a few passes, you’ll start to even have fun. Redoing your floors is like redoing your fingernails.

First you need to remove the old finish, basecoat, color, and top coat. You may opt to forgo the color (stain) and just use the nature color of the wood. You will still need to apply a finish to it.

There are basically two types of floor finishes: one is oil-based and the other is water-based polyurethane.

Oil-based is available in a satin, semi-gloss or gloss finish. Satin works well on floors because it hides small flaws and lets the natural beauty of the wood show without a bright shine. Oil-based also produces a warm amber look that gives you the traditional glow of wood floors.

Water-based polyurethane dries clear and resists yellowing. Water-based also dries quicker. Make sure you let each coat thoroughly dry before applying the next; same as you would nail polish. Give your floor at least 24-36 hours before moving furniture back on it. It will continue to harden in the first couple of weeks.

Don’t be overwhelmed. Instead of looking at refinishing your hardwood floors as a humungous job, look at it as giving your room a manicure, one step at a time. You’ll also save yourself as much as $1,000 by doing it yourself.

A Guide to Growing Tree Ferns

IntroductionTree ferns have been around since prehistoric times when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Originally popularised by the Victorians, the tree fern has undergone something of a revival in recent years, helped no doubt by it frequent appearances in many of the television garden makeover programmes.

Varieties of tree ferns to grow in the UKTree ferns can roughly be divided in hardy and non hardy when growing in the UK. It is likely there are up to a thousand species of tree fern, with most of them growing in the Southern Hemisphere and the tropics. Many of these are not a all cold hardy and it would be very difficult to grow them successfully outside in the UK. The two main cold hardy types for our climate are called: Cyathea and Dicksonia. The most commonly available of these are: Cyathea spinulosa, Cyathea australis, Cyathea dealbeta, Dicksonia Antarctica, Dicksonia fibrosa and Dicksonia squarrosa.

Different sizes of tree fern and where to buy themTree fern are available as plants that have been propagated from spores and complete trunks that have been harvested from rain forests or tropical areas of the world, often as a by-product of other activities. You can usually buy them at garden centres or specialist nurseries. The trunks are often sold without fronds straight from the container and the fronds will start to appear after a few weeks. Expect to pay more if you want to buy a tree fern with fronds.

Choosing a position for a tree fernTree ferns prefer to grow with some shade. They will adapt to a sunny position but will need very regular watering and may suffer from sunburn to the fronds. So ideally you need to pick a spot in the garden with some shade during at least part of the day. Ferns also like a moist surrounding and tree ferns really need watering every day during the warmer months especially inside and down the trunk. They will grow equally happy in containers but again will prefer a shady spot.

How to plant tree fernsTree ferns don't need a rich or deep soil. They will survive happily even in very poor or stony soil. Ideally a slightly acid soil (adding ericaceous compost will help) is preferable and a light dressing with blood and bone meal will give the plants plenty of food to start them off. If you've purchased a smaller plant just dig a hole big enough for the root ball.
Tree fern trunks will need a hole slightly bigger than the trunk and 4 to 6 inches deep depending on the length of the trunk. Plant them and firm them in but make sure they are upright then the weight of the trunk will keep it stable. After a few weeks it will make its own roots to secure itself.

Feeding the plantThe tree fern will need feeding from time to time. If you have planted it in the shade under a canopy of larger tree your tree fern will extract some nutrients from the decaying leaf-fall. They will still need some extra feed and one of the best around is one called Maxi Crop. Maxi Crop is made from seaweed; it is easily available and contains a good range of nutrients and minerals. Follow the manufactures instructions for the dilution and feed well at least every two months.

Surviving the winter Generally Cyathea and Dicksonia are the hardiest of the most commonly available tree ferns. They are naturally evergreen and should survive quite happily through a normal winter. Before the worst of the winter starts you will need to place a wedge of straw down the centre of the plant (where the fronds grow from) to keep the worst of the frost out.

David Howlett co-runs a gardening website called http://www.gardenmania.co.uk
they have just started a range of Jeep Wheelbarrows supplied direct to UK gardeners.

Tree Ring Research

Have you ever stopped to think about the gigantic storehouse of information contained within trees?

Quite frankly, it's mind-boggling ... and to some, a life's passion.

Henri D. Grissino-Mayer is one such person. He studies tree rings - the science of dendrochronology.

"My goal is to make available as much information about dendrochronology as I can possibly find on the Internet, from the basics of tree-ring dating, to reference and bibliographic information, to products and supplies, to books, and more!," he writes on his web site.

"My mission was born from an overwhelming need among dendrochronologists for a permanent repository of information that was free to the public, easily understandable, and as comprehensive as humanly possible."

Since 1996 he's created quite a collection. You can check it out here.