Sowing the First Seeds of 2023

[Phil Pascoe]

Also Chile Pine.

 

[MikeJhn]

Thanks for letting me know its other name, every day is a school day, have I said that before?

 

[Adam W.]

Did alright for roses earlier this year, until the rain came and washed them all away.

Grass looks nice and green though.

Scrounged the giant hosta from the dump and split it into 4, going to split it again this year for more awesome leafiness.

 

[Cordy]

Rain- Rain today
Took this through Kitchen window - Begonia

 

[MikeJhn]

Our Hosta's just feed the slugs, only one survive's out of the ten planted.

Nice Begonia, the pic's I posted above where taken before the rain came, now sitting in the conservatory wondering what to do next, I may just go and watch Southern Water repair the water main out the front of our place, trouble is it only serve's us so it may be some time before I can have a cup of tea, is it too early to open a bottle of wine?

 

[MikeJhn]

Sorry off subject, but:
Just been told by the second Southern Water team to arrive that he is only there to level the top, another team will arrive to top soil and relay the grass, this is all for a leaking water meter, so road closure three days so far, dig and replace the water meter two hours!!!! and three teams to carry out the work of reinstatement now I know what my extortionate water bill pays.

 

[Cordy]

Harvested some Marfona potatoes yesterday

 

[MikeJhn]

Just planted up some Christmas Potatoes as I'v eaten all the earlies.

 

[rob1693]

Whopping cougette I'd missed,

must have had 60lb of courgettes this year made chutneys cakes and most meals have contained courgette for weeks, very versatile vegetable

 

[MikeJhn]

Our courgettes have been sparse this year, as have the carrots for some reason, but the Hydrangea has gone mad, note the two different colours on the same plant, without any intervention on my part, guess why?

 

[MikeJhn]

No one guess why the Hydrangea is half blue and half red?

Meanwhile making use of the spare seeds.

 

[J-G]

No one guess why the Hydrangea is half blue and half red?

Ph of the soil

 

[MikeJhn]

But why half red and half blue?

 

[J-G]

But why half red and half blue?

Are you not familiar with Litmus paper?

 

[Cordy]

MikeJhn​

Hydrangea, it's the Sun/shade what dunnit !

 

[MikeJhn]

It's a Flint Stone cottage with lime joints, due to the amount of rain we have had this has leeched out of the wall around the Hydrangea from two sides on the blue side of the plant, well that's my theory.

 

[J-G]

It's a Flint Stone cottage with lime joints, due to the amount of rain we have had this has leeched out of the wall around the Hydrangea from two sides on the blue side of the plant, well that's my theory.

As I said: The pH of the soil is different on each side of the plant - Lime wash will raise the pH making it less acidic. Anything above 7 (neutral) will cause the flowers to become more red.

 

[niall Y]

It's always seemed odd that Hydrangeas turn blue under acid conditions, and red for alkali. Which for me is a bit counterintuitive. given that it's the opposite for litmus paper. They don't seem to be able to make up their minds in some soils.

Edit @J-G 'S post has just popped up

 

[MikeJhn]

Interesting except its the blue side that gets the Lime wash, but then the house is on Chalk, no foundations just built off the Chalk.

 

[J-G]

Interesting except its the blue side that gets the Lime wash, but then the house is on Chalk, no foundations just built off the Chalk.

When you first posted the question, I assumed that you knew the answer which is why I didn't respond immediately. It was only when you re-asked that I did - but still thought that you new. It now seems that you really didn't know and really would like an answer.

It's impossible to be specific because I don't have access to the soil (even if I did, I don't currently have the wherewithall to determine the pH) - all I can say is that the pH of the soil on the 'Blue' side is likely to have a pH <6 and on the 'Red' side >7. Although Chalk is alkaline and will have a tendency to increace the pH of the soil above it, the soil itself may well be quite acid so may well keep the pH low.