WEBVTT 00:01.201 --> 00:02.903 - Hi, thanks for joining us for T he Family Plot: 00:02.903 --> 00:05.138 Gardening in the Mid-South, I'm Chris Cooper. 00:05.138 --> 00:07.140 Welcome to a new season. 00:07.140 --> 00:08.909  Ferns make a great houseplant, 00:08.909 --> 00:11.178  but they can be   tricky to propagate. 00:11.178 --> 00:12.813  Today, we'll learn how to do it. 00:12.813 --> 00:16.149  Also, daylilies are   a flowerbed favorite. 00:16.149 --> 00:17.918  That's just ahead   on the Family Plot: 00:17.918 --> 00:19.286  Gardening in the Mid-South. 00:20.487 --> 00:22.222  - ( female announcer)   Production funding for 00:22.222 --> 00:25.125  The Family Plot: Gardening in   the Mid-South is provided by: 00:25.125 --> 00:28.362  the WKNO Production Fund, 00:28.362 --> 00:30.097  the WKNO Endowment fund, 00:30.097 --> 00:32.566  and by viewers like   you, thank you. 00:33.700 --> 00:37.070 [cheerful country music] 00:43.610 --> 00:45.913 - Welcome to The Family Plot, I'm Chris Cooper. 00:45.913 --> 00:47.481 Joining me today is Kim Rucker, 00:47.481 --> 00:50.017 Miss Kim is the cutting guard and greenhouse manager 00:50.017 --> 00:52.185 at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. 00:52.185 --> 00:53.854 And Lucas Holman will be joining me later 00:53.854 --> 00:55.822 to talk about daylilies. 00:55.822 --> 01:00.227 The Memphis-area master gardener Spring Fling 2019, 01:00.227 --> 01:02.362 it's almost here Miss Kim, and I understand 01:02.362 --> 01:04.331 you're gonna be a part of that event. 01:04.331 --> 01:05.565 - Yes. 01:05.565 --> 01:07.200 - You're talking about ferns right? 01:07.200 --> 01:08.402 - Yes. 01:08.402 --> 01:09.336 - What exactly will you be doing? 01:09.336 --> 01:11.438 - Thank you for having me. 01:11.438 --> 01:14.975 I'm going to do a fern propagation demonstration 01:14.975 --> 01:19.346 on how to get more ferns from your existing plants. 01:19.346 --> 01:20.981  Ferns are very ancient plants, 01:20.981 --> 01:24.184  they are vascular plants   so they do have roots, 01:24.184 --> 01:26.653  and they do pull up   their nutrients and water 01:26.653 --> 01:29.156  through a vascular system,   which they are the first 01:29.156 --> 01:31.291  in the evolutionary   chain that do that, 01:31.291 --> 01:33.560  but they do not have   flowering parts or cones, 01:33.560 --> 01:37.631  so they're evolutionary   less advanced. 01:37.631 --> 01:42.235 They do have two basic forms of the plant. 01:42.235 --> 01:47.107 You have the sporophyte, which is, this is what you see 01:47.107 --> 01:49.476 out in the woods and it's spore-bearing, 01:49.476 --> 01:50.978 which is what sporophyte means. 01:50.978 --> 01:55.949 And then you have the gametophyte, which is in here, 01:57.451 --> 01:59.486 and if you can see it's the little green mossy looking, 01:59.486 --> 02:04.424 it's not moss, but that is the gametophyte generation. 02:04.424 --> 02:08.095 And so in order to propagate these, 02:08.095 --> 02:10.297 you can either divide 'em by splitting them, 02:10.297 --> 02:13.433 wait 'til the crown splits or some have rhizomes 02:13.433 --> 02:15.369 so you can split up the rhizomes. 02:15.369 --> 02:17.471 But what we're gonna do is take the spores 02:18.372 --> 02:20.140 and propagate that way. 02:20.140 --> 02:24.311 So these are some immature spores on this plant. 02:24.311 --> 02:26.013 And the reason I know they're immature 02:26.013 --> 02:28.048 is because they're green. 02:28.048 --> 02:29.883  Generally what you   want to look for 02:29.883 --> 02:33.353  are either black or brown spores 02:33.353 --> 02:36.923  and this usually is gonna   happen mid-summer, late summer. 02:36.923 --> 02:38.158 So that's when you collect. 02:38.158 --> 02:39.860 And you can collect 'em and store 'em 02:39.860 --> 02:40.827 for a little while. 02:42.629 --> 02:45.766 What we do to collect 'em is you will cut off the piece, 02:45.766 --> 02:47.401 the frond, when it's ready. 02:47.401 --> 02:49.770 And then this is kinda what it looks like, it dries, 02:49.770 --> 02:51.138 and what you can do is take off 02:51.138 --> 02:53.540 the individual little leaflets or pinna, 02:53.540 --> 02:56.009 and I put 'em into an envelope, 02:56.009 --> 02:58.712 and close it up and leave 'em that way for a couple of days, 02:58.712 --> 03:00.680 and then I just kinda flick it like this, 03:00.680 --> 03:04.351 and the spores dry, the sori, on the back, the little caps, 03:04.351 --> 03:08.989 dry out and then they dehiss and the spores come out. 03:08.989 --> 03:12.159 And so what you will get down in the very bottom 03:12.159 --> 03:14.995 of the envelope, and it's very fine, 03:14.995 --> 03:17.097 which is good because they're wind-borne, 03:17.097 --> 03:22.102 so in nature to get 'em, they have to hit the wind, 03:25.405 --> 03:26.940 and then land in a spot 03:26.940 --> 03:30.110 that's optimal for growing conditions. 03:30.110 --> 03:34.081 What we will do, once you get your fern, labeling, labeling, 03:34.081 --> 03:37.017 if you want to know what they are, because on these, 03:37.017 --> 03:39.786 my labels are gone, so what I've done here 03:39.786 --> 03:43.123 is just put a number one, several places on here, 03:43.123 --> 03:45.292 and then I'll have notes that I take 03:45.292 --> 03:46.860 that have the actual name written down, 03:46.860 --> 03:48.895 maybe the date that I started 'em, 03:48.895 --> 03:51.631 and possibly where I collected 'em, you know, 03:51.631 --> 03:52.866 Dixon Gardens or whatever. 03:52.866 --> 03:54.835 And then what you're gonna do, 03:54.835 --> 03:57.971 you can use any kind of basically clear container 03:57.971 --> 04:02.309 that has a lid, and what we will use is a sterile mix. 04:02.309 --> 04:05.745 And I'm using seeding mix, which is just peat, 04:05.745 --> 04:08.482 ground very fine with a little bit of vermiculite in it, 04:08.482 --> 04:11.585 it is sterile, though, you don't want to use garden soil 04:11.585 --> 04:13.587 unless you sterilize it. 04:13.587 --> 04:15.455 You can do that by baking it in the oven, 04:15.455 --> 04:17.657 and I don't recommend it 'cause it really stinks. 04:17.657 --> 04:19.759 It's easier to just go buy seed mix, 04:19.759 --> 04:23.096 you can get it at any nursery, big box store. 04:23.096 --> 04:26.867 So you put just a thin layer down in the bottom like this, 04:30.103 --> 04:31.872 and it also has no fertilizer in it, 04:31.872 --> 04:33.673 you do not wanna fertilize it. 04:33.673 --> 04:35.275 So no fertilizer. 04:35.275 --> 04:40.147 Then you take, this is horticultural grade vermiculite. 04:40.147 --> 04:43.717 You take a little bit of this, and vermiculite, 04:43.717 --> 04:47.020 one of the properties and why we're using it, 04:47.020 --> 04:49.589 is because it retains moisture. 04:49.589 --> 04:52.792 So once the germination process of the spores starts, 04:52.792 --> 04:54.327 you don't want it to stop. 04:54.327 --> 04:57.864 And so what I do is really just sprinkle it to one side, 04:57.864 --> 05:01.034 like that, so you kinda have half and half. 05:01.034 --> 05:04.538 Then what I'm going to do is you take distilled water, 05:04.538 --> 05:08.608 again, because it's been sterilized basically, 05:08.608 --> 05:10.577 and I will moisten it, 05:10.577 --> 05:13.380 and this is good also for people to see, 05:13.380 --> 05:15.916 because once the water hits the vermiculite, 05:15.916 --> 05:18.718 it kinda jumps, it's really kinda cool. 05:18.718 --> 05:20.921 I'll just. - It actually does. 05:20.921 --> 05:22.822 - You just kinda mist it a little bit. 05:23.990 --> 05:26.960 Once you get this going, you put the lid on, 05:26.960 --> 05:30.831 and you don't have to keep misting it, 05:30.831 --> 05:32.933 unless it really dries out, but the lid on it, 05:32.933 --> 05:35.001 the condensation, will just keep it moist. 05:35.001 --> 05:36.236 - So you don't have to put that much water, 05:36.236 --> 05:37.771 just as long as it gets a little moisture. 05:37.771 --> 05:39.673 - Just a little moisture in there, and what I kinda do, 05:39.673 --> 05:42.375 is make sure that you can kinda see where the moisture 05:42.375 --> 05:44.377 is showin' up, 'cause it gets darker. 05:45.779 --> 05:48.481 So then what you do is you just take your little spores, 05:49.850 --> 05:52.686 I'm gonna pull the other pieces out 05:52.686 --> 05:56.423 that have the sori on 'em and then you will, 05:59.759 --> 06:04.197 basically I will take it and just drop it in there like this 06:04.197 --> 06:06.233 and like I said, it's a very fine dust, 06:06.233 --> 06:07.734 and the only way you really know you got it, 06:07.734 --> 06:09.769 is it's gone out of your, yeah. 06:11.271 --> 06:16.109 Also, if you're really wanting to keep certain species or 06:16.109 --> 06:19.246 cultivars separate, I suggest doing 'em one at a time, 06:19.246 --> 06:22.282 because they are very fine and they will blow, 06:22.282 --> 06:25.886 in the wind and so you'll get cross-contamination, 06:25.886 --> 06:28.121 so do one set, then get rid of those, 06:28.121 --> 06:29.789 and then do your next ferns. 06:29.789 --> 06:33.126 So then you just put the lid on it, close it up like this, 06:33.126 --> 06:37.297 and put it in a window or a well-lit room, 06:37.297 --> 06:40.834 you want it warm, but you don't want direct sunlight on it. 06:40.834 --> 06:44.604 And what you should see, even within a short amount of time 06:44.604 --> 06:49.609 are condensation droplets on top of, on the lid. 06:50.810 --> 06:52.345 And then that's the way it stays moist. 06:52.345 --> 06:55.048 The next thing you need to do is go away on vacation 06:55.048 --> 06:58.151 for about two weeks, because, at least, 06:58.151 --> 07:00.353 before you check on it, because the first thing 07:00.353 --> 07:03.390 that people say is, oh, mine didn't work. 07:03.390 --> 07:05.458 I just came back and there was all this green stuff 07:05.458 --> 07:06.726 growin' all over it. 07:06.726 --> 07:09.262 That's what you want, that's what you want! 07:09.262 --> 07:12.732 Like I showed you before, the green stuff there, 07:12.732 --> 07:15.969 is the actual, the next stage of the plant. 07:15.969 --> 07:18.672  So this is the sporophyte,   those are the gametophytes, 07:18.672 --> 07:21.741  and it's actually this little   flat, heart-shaped disk, 07:21.741 --> 07:25.912  and then underneath are the   gametes, the male and female. 07:25.912 --> 07:27.947  And they get together and   the next thing you know, 07:27.947 --> 07:31.151  you've got little   ferns, like this. 07:32.886 --> 07:36.823 So the next thing you would do is to move them up, 07:36.823 --> 07:39.759 and I usually just because they're still so small, 07:39.759 --> 07:44.431 I would just move them again into germinating mix, 07:44.431 --> 07:48.068 I don't usually put plants that I'm gonna put out 07:48.068 --> 07:51.304 in the garden in a mix that has perlite. 07:51.304 --> 07:54.507 And then once that grows on and your plant 07:54.507 --> 07:57.177 is more established, then I would maybe put it 07:57.177 --> 07:59.779 in a bark-based mix and grow it on a little bit 07:59.779 --> 08:01.114 before you plant it. 08:01.114 --> 08:03.883 But you do have to be patient, like I said, 08:03.883 --> 08:08.254 'cause these were started about a year ago, 08:08.254 --> 08:11.458 so it takes about a year to get 'em to this point. 08:11.458 --> 08:12.992 And it's different for different ferns, 08:12.992 --> 08:14.594 but that's your basic. 08:14.594 --> 08:18.665 Once you get 'em up like this, you can start slowly, 08:18.665 --> 08:20.734 you can take the lid off to check 'em, 08:20.734 --> 08:23.069 and then you can kinda pull the lid like this. 08:23.069 --> 08:25.739 You want to gradually expose the new little fern 08:25.739 --> 08:29.175 to dry air, so you may need to pull the lid off, 08:29.175 --> 08:31.845 and then mist it a little bit, and then gradually, 08:31.845 --> 08:34.280 maybe over a week to two weeks, you can open it up more, 08:34.280 --> 08:37.450 and it gets used to being out in the bright sunlight. 08:37.450 --> 08:40.620 That's fern propagation! - That's fern propagation. 08:40.620 --> 08:43.456 Thank you Miss Kim, we appreciate that demonstration. 08:44.657 --> 08:47.260 Okay, and to see this demonstration, again, 08:47.260 --> 08:51.164 Spring Fling 2019, Memphis-area master gardeners. 08:51.164 --> 08:54.200  It'll be at the Red   Barn at the Agricenter, 08:54.200 --> 08:58.605  Friday, March 29th,   Saturday, March 30th, 08:58.605 --> 09:03.610  9am to 5pm both   days, free gardening event. 09:04.978 --> 09:08.415  There's gonna be speakers,   demonstrations, things for kids, 09:08.415 --> 09:11.651  food trucks, all that good   stuff, so come on out. 09:11.651 --> 09:14.387 [cheerful music] 09:38.845 --> 09:41.047 Alright Lucas, let's talk about a real man's plant, right? 09:41.047 --> 09:42.982 - That's exactly right. - Daylilies! 09:42.982 --> 09:45.385 - It's my favorite flower! - It's your favorite flower? 09:45.385 --> 09:46.319 - That's right. 09:46.319 --> 09:47.554 - I actually have some at home, 09:47.554 --> 09:49.089 so I can't wait for this segment. 09:49.089 --> 09:50.323 - Yeah, you're a real man's man. 09:50.323 --> 09:51.658 - Real man's man, yeah. 09:51.658 --> 09:53.726 We'll tell it to my wife then, real man's man, 09:53.726 --> 09:55.261 how 'bout that? 09:55.261 --> 09:57.597 So let's talk about the major types, let's start with that. 09:57.597 --> 10:01.701 - Right now, daylily hybrids, there's probably over 60,000 10:01.701 --> 10:02.969 different hybrids. 10:02.969 --> 10:05.839 And people get lost trying to figure out 10:05.839 --> 10:07.841 which ones they wanna grow because there's so many 10:07.841 --> 10:10.810 different colors and diversity in the daylily itself, 10:10.810 --> 10:12.312 because you have some that are double, 10:12.312 --> 10:14.914 some that are spiral in form, some that are miniature, 10:14.914 --> 10:16.716 and the list goes on and on. 10:16.716 --> 10:18.585 But there's two main distinct types, 10:18.585 --> 10:20.653 you have a diploid and a tetraploid, 10:20.653 --> 10:23.923 and a diploid daylily has two sets of chromosomes, 10:23.923 --> 10:26.726 and a tetraploid has four sets of chromosomes. 10:28.194 --> 10:29.796 Theoretically, if you were gonna become a hybridizer, 10:29.796 --> 10:31.197 you're really concerned about that, 10:31.197 --> 10:34.000 because tetraploids only breed with tetraploids, 10:34.000 --> 10:36.135 and diploids only breed with diploids. 10:36.135 --> 10:39.072 A lot of people aren't really concerned with the tetraploid 10:39.072 --> 10:41.441 and diploid unless you're really going into hybridizing, 10:41.441 --> 10:45.345 but a lot of the tetraploid-type daylilies are more showier 10:45.345 --> 10:47.480 and diploids are more the older ones, 10:47.480 --> 10:48.915 but there's still some beautiful diploids 10:48.915 --> 10:51.818 that people are still breeding with today. 10:51.818 --> 10:55.021 - Diploids and tetraploids, how 'bout that. 10:55.021 --> 10:56.890 So let's talk about proper planting. 10:56.890 --> 10:58.825 - All daylilies need full sun, 10:58.825 --> 11:00.827 so what's full sun mean to you? 11:00.827 --> 11:03.229 How many hours? 11:03.229 --> 11:04.864 - Six or more. 11:04.864 --> 11:07.667 - Basically six or more hours is what a daylily needs, 11:07.667 --> 11:09.602 and I see people put 'em in a lot of shade, 11:09.602 --> 11:11.337 and they don't bloom well. 11:11.337 --> 11:12.705 Daylilies will live in shade, 11:12.705 --> 11:14.140 but they just won't bloom enough, 11:14.140 --> 11:16.676 so we recommend six hours of full sun. 11:16.676 --> 11:20.213 Proper planting, most daylilies are pretty temperamental, 11:20.213 --> 11:23.449 are not temperamental, excuse me, to soil, 11:23.449 --> 11:24.717 they're very tough, 11:24.717 --> 11:26.486 so we always call this the perfect perennial. 11:26.486 --> 11:28.721 They're usually forgiving wherever you put 'em 11:28.721 --> 11:30.657 in the landscape, whether it's really clay, 11:30.657 --> 11:32.859 or really loose-type soil or really sandy-type soil, 11:32.859 --> 11:34.494 they do well in just about everything, 11:34.494 --> 11:36.763 so they're really forgiving of where we put 'em 11:36.763 --> 11:38.131 in a landscape. 11:38.131 --> 11:39.966 - Yeah, mine are actually in a spot where, 11:39.966 --> 11:41.100 the drainage is not the best, 11:41.100 --> 11:43.269 and they still actually do pretty good. 11:43.269 --> 11:44.704 - They're great plants! 11:44.704 --> 11:46.406 - They are great plants. 11:46.406 --> 11:48.608 All right now, let's talk about hybridizing though. 11:48.608 --> 11:51.945 - This is probably the one area that I'm so passionate about 11:51.945 --> 11:54.480 because people always wanna improve on things 11:54.480 --> 11:57.350 that are in the past, so one of my favorite things to do 11:57.350 --> 11:59.786 is see what hybridizers are doing today, 11:59.786 --> 12:01.487 and see what seedlings they're coming up with, 12:01.487 --> 12:03.856 and it's really easy for people to do that today, 12:03.856 --> 12:05.892 but you need to determine whether it's a diploid 12:05.892 --> 12:07.694 or tetraploid daylily to begin with. 12:07.694 --> 12:09.162 So for today's purposes, 12:09.162 --> 12:11.464 we're gonna assume that all these are tetraploid daylilies, 12:11.464 --> 12:13.266 and that they'll breed with each other. 12:13.266 --> 12:14.934 So the main thing is you have to make sure 12:14.934 --> 12:16.469 that you get out there before the bees 12:16.469 --> 12:19.405 and any other pollinators to pollinate that flower, 12:19.405 --> 12:21.040 'cause all it takes is one pollen grain, 12:21.040 --> 12:22.642 so it's easiest to go through, 12:22.642 --> 12:25.011 and we'll say I wanted to use this pollen, 12:25.011 --> 12:27.413 and I wanted to go down to this yellow one 12:27.413 --> 12:30.650 with this red eye, and I wanted to actually cross these two. 12:30.650 --> 12:32.585 So I take the pollen from this one, 12:32.585 --> 12:35.021 and I actually go to the pistil of this one, 12:35.021 --> 12:38.224 and all I do is a little dab, and that's all it takes. 12:38.224 --> 12:39.993 And then I'll leave it alone. 12:39.993 --> 12:42.395 So the flower will actually close up, 12:42.395 --> 12:43.896 I don't know if you can see it right here, 12:43.896 --> 12:47.767 it'll close up, and within a few days, if it actually took, 12:47.767 --> 12:49.736 the flower will fall off and you'll see a little bitty 12:49.736 --> 12:51.504 seed pod start to form. 12:51.504 --> 12:52.972 So it's really simple to do, 12:52.972 --> 12:55.441 and that's probably why there's 60,000 different cultivars 12:55.441 --> 12:57.710 on the market, because it's so simple to do that, 12:57.710 --> 12:59.145 because we're always trying to improve 12:59.145 --> 13:00.947 on the older daylilies. 13:00.947 --> 13:03.316 - So you mentioned seeds and the seed pods, 13:03.316 --> 13:04.917 so can you tell us a little bit more about that? 13:04.917 --> 13:06.919 - Yeah, luckily we were able to find a little bitty 13:06.919 --> 13:10.123 seed pod right here, so this is a fertile ovary, 13:10.123 --> 13:12.659 basically, producing the seed, so theoretically, 13:12.659 --> 13:14.527 this one had been crossed with something else. 13:14.527 --> 13:16.529 So this is the seed pod, and once the seed pod 13:16.529 --> 13:19.599 gets large enough, it turns brown and it cracks open 13:19.599 --> 13:21.401 to reveal the black seeds. 13:21.401 --> 13:23.069 Once the seed pod cracks open, 13:23.069 --> 13:24.804 that means the seeds are ready. 13:24.804 --> 13:28.174 But all daylily seeds need to go through like a cold period, 13:28.174 --> 13:30.743 like a stratify, so a lot of people will put them 13:30.743 --> 13:33.346 in the refrigerator until springtime and plant those, 13:33.346 --> 13:36.616 but, to get a bloom from a seed on a daylily 13:36.616 --> 13:38.918 in Tennessee takes about two years. 13:38.918 --> 13:41.688 So this is for patient people. 13:41.688 --> 13:43.322 - Wow! - Yeah. 13:43.322 --> 13:44.824 - So let's talk about dividing, 13:44.824 --> 13:47.326 what are ways to divide and when to divide? 13:47.326 --> 13:49.595 - It's easiest and it's best on the plant 13:49.595 --> 13:51.831 if you can divide it in the springtime, 13:51.831 --> 13:53.766 if we go really late into the summertime, 13:53.766 --> 13:55.501 they're stressed out with drought stress, 13:55.501 --> 13:58.004 'cause in Tennessee, we have no clue 13:58.004 --> 13:59.472 when it's gonna rain sometimes, 13:59.472 --> 14:02.008 we can go two weeks every day with rain, 14:02.008 --> 14:04.177 and then we can go eight weeks without rain. 14:04.177 --> 14:06.846 So sometimes, we always tell people it's best to do it 14:06.846 --> 14:09.115 in the springtime, leave it alone in the fall time, 14:09.115 --> 14:11.651 and just wait 'til the springtime, 'til it comes up. 14:11.651 --> 14:13.786 So when the foliage gets about three or four inches tall, 14:13.786 --> 14:16.355 that's a great time to dig and divide in the springtime. 14:16.355 --> 14:18.725 - So how do you divide it though? 14:18.725 --> 14:21.627 - It's best, it's really forgiving also, 14:22.895 --> 14:24.597 people will dig it up, and I've seen people 14:24.597 --> 14:27.100 just take a shovel and cut it down the center, 14:27.100 --> 14:28.668 but if you kinda bring up the plant 14:28.668 --> 14:30.470 and you shake off all the soil, typically, 14:30.470 --> 14:33.005 those plantlets, once it actually propagates itself, 14:33.005 --> 14:34.907 they'll kinda pull off on their own. 14:34.907 --> 14:37.276 And if you had a knife, or I've seen people 14:37.276 --> 14:40.146 with different spades go through and cut 'em pretty easily, 14:40.146 --> 14:41.347 the clumps that way, too, 14:41.347 --> 14:43.316 it's just like dividing any other perennial. 14:43.316 --> 14:45.818 Kinda the same way, but they're pretty forgiving 14:45.818 --> 14:47.487 on that aspect, also. 14:48.888 --> 14:50.623 - We thank the daylilies for being so forgiving, 14:50.623 --> 14:51.824 how 'bout that? 14:51.824 --> 14:53.326 That's pretty tough. - And beautiful! 14:53.326 --> 14:55.027 - And beautiful all at the same time. 14:55.027 --> 14:56.529 So let's talk about resources, 14:56.529 --> 14:58.331 for more information about daylilies. 14:58.331 --> 15:00.600 - I'll tell you the first one, around the Memphis area, 15:00.600 --> 15:03.202 is the Memphis Area Daylily Society, 15:03.202 --> 15:05.138 and I think you told me you spoke there recently. 15:05.138 --> 15:06.606 - I sure did. - And that's a great group 15:06.606 --> 15:09.308 of garden people and they actually hosted 15:09.308 --> 15:12.678 our regional daylily meeting I believe it was last year, 15:12.678 --> 15:15.548 so we got to tour a lot of daylily gardens around Memphis 15:15.548 --> 15:17.917 and Mississippi and it was just beautiful. 15:17.917 --> 15:20.520 Also, the American Hemerocallis Society, 15:20.520 --> 15:23.289 is the national, basically American daylily society, 15:23.289 --> 15:25.091 it's the national organization. 15:25.091 --> 15:28.327 And they put out a magazine called The Daylily Journal, 15:28.327 --> 15:31.798 four times a year, and it's a fantastic magazine to show 15:31.798 --> 15:34.000 what's happening with daylilies all across the country. 15:34.000 --> 15:36.435 And I'm a member of the American Hemerocallis Society, 15:36.435 --> 15:38.404 so I'm always encouraging people to do that, 15:38.404 --> 15:40.773 because it's a great organization to learn more 15:40.773 --> 15:42.642 about my favorite plant. 15:42.642 --> 15:44.544 - Your favorite plant. - My favorite plant! 15:44.544 --> 15:47.446 - So if people wanted more information about daylilies, 15:47.446 --> 15:48.648 could they call you? 15:48.648 --> 15:49.949 - They could call me directly at the office, 15:49.949 --> 15:51.317 they can email me. 15:51.317 --> 15:55.555 I'm pretty active on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. 15:55.555 --> 15:57.790 So they can hit me up anywhere 15:57.790 --> 15:58.958 and I'd love to chat daylilies 15:58.958 --> 16:00.359 but if they're around Memphis, 16:00.359 --> 16:02.395 I would look about the Memphis Area Daylily Society, 16:02.395 --> 16:05.231 'cause they always have speakers come in and visit them. 16:05.231 --> 16:08.034 But look on the American Hemerocallis Society website 16:08.034 --> 16:11.037 also, and there's a lot of different hybridizers' websites 16:11.037 --> 16:13.606 that you can go see what people are actually creating 16:13.606 --> 16:15.708 in the ways of daylilies today. 16:15.708 --> 16:18.311 - How did you learn that, did somebody teach you that, 16:18.311 --> 16:20.213 did you read about how to hybridize daylilies? 16:20.213 --> 16:22.582 - My high school biology teacher actually really 16:22.582 --> 16:24.183 kind of instilled this passion in me, 16:24.183 --> 16:26.752 he was a daylily and a hosta person, 16:26.752 --> 16:30.756 and when I was 16, 'cause most 16-year-olds like daylilies, 16:30.756 --> 16:32.658 right? [Chris laughing] 16:32.658 --> 16:34.627 He would always sell daylilies and I would go, 16:34.627 --> 16:37.196 and he was breedin' some, and he was from east Tennessee, 16:37.196 --> 16:38.831 a little town called Spring City, 16:38.831 --> 16:40.266 so I would always go over there and see 16:40.266 --> 16:42.201 what was blooming everyday, because a daylily, 16:42.201 --> 16:46.172 the bloom only lasts 24 hours, thus the name daylily. 16:46.172 --> 16:49.175 So the Latin name is hemerocallis, which is Greek 16:49.175 --> 16:52.278 for beauty and day, so it's kind of an older-type name, so you 16:52.278 --> 16:56.015 can know that for Jeopardy! when you go on Jeopardy! 16:56.015 --> 16:58.684 But I've always been fascinated since I was about 16, 16:58.684 --> 17:00.586 and now that I'm the old age of 34, 17:00.586 --> 17:02.989 I'm still really passionate because I always loved 17:02.989 --> 17:05.758 all the different hybrids and see what people 17:05.758 --> 17:07.293 are coming up with today. 17:07.293 --> 17:09.562 - Well, we're glad you brought that passion today, for sure. 17:09.562 --> 17:11.797 Luke, we appreciate that, good information about daylilies, 17:11.797 --> 17:13.799 a man's! - That's right, 17:13.799 --> 17:15.301 a man's, that's right! 17:15.301 --> 17:17.003 - Thank you much. - Appreciate it. 17:17.003 --> 17:19.772 [cheerful music] 17:21.707 --> 17:23.643 - 'Kay, just like on Goldilocks, 17:23.643 --> 17:25.878 the three bowls of porridge, 17:25.878 --> 17:28.748 the soil has got to be the right condition too. 17:28.748 --> 17:32.885 Example being this right here, this pile right here, 17:32.885 --> 17:35.788 will not form a ball, so it's kind of, 17:35.788 --> 17:37.890 a little bit on the dry side. 17:37.890 --> 17:42.895 This one right here, this is way too wet. 17:44.030 --> 17:45.898 This is one you're gonna let set for at least 17:45.898 --> 17:48.034 two or three days, and test it to find out 17:48.034 --> 17:48.901 if it's tillable. 17:50.069 --> 17:52.004 You don't wanna put a tiller in that. 17:52.004 --> 17:54.307 This middle piece, however, 17:54.307 --> 17:57.076 if I form a ball and I throw it up in the air, 17:58.477 --> 18:01.747 oops, and it breaks apart, then it's just right for tilling. 18:03.115 --> 18:05.885 [cheerful music] 18:07.420 --> 18:08.788 - All right, here's our Q & A session, 18:08.788 --> 18:10.022 y'all ready for these questions? 18:10.022 --> 18:11.524 - Yes. - They're real good questions. 18:11.524 --> 18:13.392 All right, here's our first viewer email. 18:13.392 --> 18:14.894 "Help! 18:14.894 --> 18:19.065 "I have yellow aphids on two swan milkweed plants. 18:19.065 --> 18:22.134 "Each day for the past three days I have hosed them off, 18:22.134 --> 18:23.970 "but they come back. 18:23.970 --> 18:26.772 "How many days will I have to hose off the aphids 18:26.772 --> 18:28.641 "before they give up? 18:28.641 --> 18:32.511 "It takes 10 minutes and I get covered with water too. 18:32.511 --> 18:36.048 "Maybe I should give up and cut off most of the stems 18:36.048 --> 18:37.717  "and just leave one or two. 18:37.717 --> 18:39.218  Any suggestions?" 18:39.218 --> 18:43.022  Never lost for words,   Melbourne, Australia. 18:43.022 --> 18:44.690  - Wow.   - So they have problems 18:44.690 --> 18:48.127  with aphids in Australia,   how 'bout that? 18:48.127 --> 18:51.497 Pretty good, so Miss Kim, she's usin' the hose! 18:51.497 --> 18:54.066 But they just keep comin' back! 18:54.066 --> 18:57.169 - That's never really worked for me, I think it's just, 18:57.169 --> 18:59.538 they're so tiny, they hold on really tight, 18:59.538 --> 19:01.574 I still think, encourage your good bugs. 19:03.042 --> 19:06.312 Praying mantis, and you can actually buy in biological. 19:07.747 --> 19:09.849 Wasps, people don't like wasps but they're actually 19:09.849 --> 19:11.984 very good for taking care of bugs. 19:11.984 --> 19:16.322 You can use insecticidal soap, don't spray that 19:16.322 --> 19:18.958 in the hot part of the day, it will burn the plant. 19:18.958 --> 19:20.259 - Yes. - That's true. 19:20.259 --> 19:21.761 - That is on the label. - That's on the label, 19:21.761 --> 19:23.295 so always read your label. 19:23.295 --> 19:27.233 And part of it is, if you have a good, strong, healthy plant 19:27.233 --> 19:29.969 they say you won't get bugs, that's not true. 19:29.969 --> 19:31.637 You still get bugs. 19:31.637 --> 19:33.105 - You'll get aphids! 19:33.105 --> 19:34.673 There's almost an aphid for every plant species, 19:34.673 --> 19:36.275 it seems like. - That's true. 19:36.275 --> 19:40.546 Just kinda keep an eye on 'em and get rid of what you can. 19:40.546 --> 19:41.781 - Right. 19:41.781 --> 19:43.949 And again I would say, don't encourage too much 19:43.949 --> 19:46.786 of that succulent growth with the nitrogen fertilizer. 19:46.786 --> 19:48.354 And then there are some, of course, 19:48.354 --> 19:52.558 we talked about insecticidal soap, pyrethrins came to mind, 19:52.558 --> 19:54.026 something else that's safe as well. 19:54.026 --> 19:56.195 So I would go with those safer products. 19:56.195 --> 19:59.498 Oils, again, Neem oil, horticultural oil, 19:59.498 --> 20:01.000 can be used as well. 20:01.000 --> 20:02.468 So there you have it. 20:02.468 --> 20:05.871 Never lost for words, Melbourne, Australia, who knew, right? 20:05.871 --> 20:07.173 Aphids! - Aphids. 20:07.173 --> 20:08.808 - They get around, don't they? 20:08.808 --> 20:11.444 All right, so here's our next viewer email. 20:11.444 --> 20:13.612  "I covered my gardenia   for the winter, 20:13.612 --> 20:16.482  "but when I uncovered it,   the leaves were all brown, 20:16.482 --> 20:18.384  "some green, but mostly brown. 20:18.384 --> 20:21.053  "I do not know what   to do, can you help? 20:21.053 --> 20:23.923  "I love gardenia, and this   would be the second year 20:23.923 --> 20:25.357  "that it's in the ground. 20:25.357 --> 20:28.060  "Do I wait to see if it   blooms in the spring 20:28.060 --> 20:29.195  before I prune?" 20:29.195 --> 20:31.464  And this is from   Carmen, Hendersonville. 20:32.932 --> 20:34.567  Miss Kim, you probably have a   gardenia somewhere, don't ya? 20:34.567 --> 20:36.135 - I do. 20:36.135 --> 20:39.538 And it has been hit by the cold, so what I usually do 20:39.538 --> 20:42.208 is just trim out what looks dead. 20:42.208 --> 20:46.812 And then wait for spring to see if it comes on out. 20:46.812 --> 20:50.249 And they have surprised me, so she is a little farther north 20:50.249 --> 20:51.917 than here, but-- - Right, Hendersonville. 20:53.385 --> 20:56.122 - Just one of those, they call prayer plants. 20:56.122 --> 20:59.325 [all laughing] 20:59.325 --> 21:00.893 - Oh yeah, Miss Carmen. 21:00.893 --> 21:03.662 I always encourage folks, wait to see what happens! 21:03.662 --> 21:04.930 - Wait to see. 21:04.930 --> 21:06.932 - Isn't that half the battle anyway, to see, 21:06.932 --> 21:08.200 what's gonna take place. 21:08.200 --> 21:09.735 And you'll know what to do the next time. 21:09.735 --> 21:12.338 - We gardeners have killed many plants, most of 'em. 21:12.338 --> 21:15.407 So it just happens sometimes. 21:15.407 --> 21:16.442 - Yeah. 21:16.442 --> 21:18.444 How should you cover it though? 21:18.444 --> 21:21.413 - Well, I don't generally cover mine here, 21:21.413 --> 21:23.782 but make sure you have mulched it real well, 21:23.782 --> 21:28.354 the roots, 'cause you want to encourage good root growth 21:28.354 --> 21:31.123 and in the winter you wanna protect those roots. 21:31.123 --> 21:34.827 And the top die back, a lot of that is just winter damage. 21:35.995 --> 21:37.997 But if you wanna cover it, we use frost cloth, 21:37.997 --> 21:42.001 don't use plastic, we use, they call it Reemay, 21:42.001 --> 21:43.769 don't know if that's a brand name. 21:43.769 --> 21:46.872 But it's a real thin, that the air flow still gets through 21:46.872 --> 21:48.541 but it provides some protection. 21:48.541 --> 21:51.343 - And it usually has to come all the way down to the ground. 21:51.343 --> 21:52.778 - All the way down to the ground, yeah, 'cause 21:52.778 --> 21:54.813 wind whippin' up-- - all the way to the ground. 21:54.813 --> 21:58.184 - You can put bricks or rocks around to hold it down 21:58.184 --> 22:00.219 so the wind doesn't blow it off. 22:00.219 --> 22:01.587 - There's a lot around town here. 22:01.587 --> 22:02.855 - Yeah, there are. 22:02.855 --> 22:04.657 Very fragrant, wonderful in the summer. 22:04.657 --> 22:05.858 - Beautiful plants. - Yeah. 22:05.858 --> 22:07.459 - So there you have it Miss Carmen. 22:07.459 --> 22:09.228 Just wait, it'll come back, I'm sure, just wait. 22:11.830 --> 22:13.666 Here's our next viewer email. 22:13.666 --> 22:15.434  Interesting question here. 22:15.434 --> 22:18.804  "Can I air layer a branch   of a hardwood tree 22:18.804 --> 22:21.473  like a paperbark maple?" 22:21.473 --> 22:24.043  And this is from   Lois in Bartlett. 22:24.043 --> 22:27.613  So air layer, hardwood tree. 22:29.582 --> 22:32.785 - That's out of my expertise, 22:32.785 --> 22:35.988 but I know you can do that with some plants like azaleas, 22:35.988 --> 22:38.958 and hydrangeas you can, azaleas are hardwood, 22:38.958 --> 22:41.093 but you can lay them down on the ground, 22:41.093 --> 22:42.561 or air layer 'em like that. 22:42.561 --> 22:46.031 Now doin' a maple, that's not something that sounds like 22:46.031 --> 22:49.368 it would be possible, but hey, who knows? 22:49.368 --> 22:51.971 - I don't think it's possible either. 22:51.971 --> 22:54.640 You could give it a try, surely, give it a try, gardeners 22:54.640 --> 22:57.243 we like to experiment, and I would give it a try. 22:57.243 --> 23:00.279 But I don't typically think that you would do that, 23:00.279 --> 23:01.547 that you would propagate it. 23:01.547 --> 23:03.449 I don't think so, Walter? 23:03.449 --> 23:08.454 - No, I just can't really see why you would do that. 23:09.188 --> 23:10.789 - So Lois, yeah, just. 23:12.224 --> 23:14.960  - The air layering is when   you put moss around it, 23:14.960 --> 23:18.030  you make a little nick in it   and then you put moss around it 23:18.030 --> 23:21.934  and maybe like wrap it, and   then hopefully you'll get roots 23:21.934 --> 23:25.104  to come out, so I   mean, it might work, 23:25.104 --> 23:28.807 but I've never heard of anyone doing that, so give it a try 23:28.807 --> 23:30.276 to see how it works. - Yeah, give it a try 23:30.276 --> 23:31.477 and just see how it works and if it does work, 23:31.477 --> 23:33.145 do let us know, for sure. 23:34.313 --> 23:36.849 All right, so here's our next viewer email. 23:36.849 --> 23:40.919 "Two weeks ago, I planted a dogwood in prepared clay soil." 23:40.919 --> 23:43.188 Prepared clay soil, right? 23:43.188 --> 23:45.624 "We've had lots of rain since I put it in. 23:45.624 --> 23:49.962  What can I do to save my   new dogwood from soggy soil?" 23:49.962 --> 23:52.531  And this is from   Sue, New Zealand. 23:52.531 --> 23:55.768  So obviously, the   dogwood is already in 23:55.768 --> 23:57.436 this prepared clay soil, right? 23:58.637 --> 24:00.172 What can she do though to save it, 24:00.172 --> 24:01.573 'cause they've had a lot of rain, just like we've had 24:01.573 --> 24:03.108 a lot of rain here. 24:03.108 --> 24:06.879 - Maybe try to improve the drainage around the tree. 24:06.879 --> 24:10.883 If it's planted in a low spot, she may want to think about 24:10.883 --> 24:12.384 moving it. - Yes. 24:12.384 --> 24:16.355 - The other thing, which is basically the same thing, 24:16.355 --> 24:18.257 is lifting it, make sure she doesn't have it 24:18.257 --> 24:19.525 planted too high. 24:20.959 --> 24:24.763 But the other is be patient and maybe it'll quit rainin'. 24:24.763 --> 24:26.231 [everyone laughs] 24:26.231 --> 24:27.700 - That's pretty much it. 24:27.700 --> 24:31.971 - Yeah, improving the drainage is gonna be the big thing. 24:33.972 --> 24:37.843 'Cause yeah if you have a lot of rain, clay soils, 24:37.843 --> 24:38.944 we know what that would do. 24:38.944 --> 24:40.145 - Hold water. - Right, it's gonna hold 24:40.145 --> 24:41.613 a lot of water. 24:41.613 --> 24:45.017 - And you get those root rots and all that to deal with. 24:46.518 --> 24:47.753 It's a tough situation. 24:47.753 --> 24:49.488 - Yeah so we're hoping it's not in a low area, 24:49.488 --> 24:53.258 you'd still have a little time, it's just two weeks, 24:53.258 --> 24:56.261 to maybe look for another spot, maybe a higher spot. 24:56.261 --> 24:57.996 - Or a slope-- - or a slope, 24:57.996 --> 24:59.832 that's a good idea. - Good drainage. 24:59.832 --> 25:03.702 - Yeah, good drainage is gonna be key for that, Miss Sue. 25:03.702 --> 25:04.870 There you have it, 25:04.870 --> 25:06.705 appreciate that question from New Zealand. 25:06.705 --> 25:07.906 And if it makes you feel any better, 25:07.906 --> 25:10.376 we've had a lot of soggy soils here as well. 25:10.376 --> 25:11.643 Right. 25:11.643 --> 25:14.446 So keep that plant out of the water. 25:14.446 --> 25:17.483 So Miss Kim, Walt, thank you for being here, 25:17.483 --> 25:18.684 it's been fun. 25:18.684 --> 25:20.819 - Thank you for having me. - Yes. 25:20.819 --> 25:23.155  - Remember, we love   to hear from you. 25:23.155 --> 25:24.890  Send us an email or letter. 25:24.890 --> 25:28.460  The email address is   familyplot@wkno.org, 25:28.460 --> 25:30.429  and the mailing   address is Family Plot, 25:30.429 --> 25:35.000  7151 Cherry Farms Road,   Cordova, Tennessee, 38016. 25:36.168 --> 25:39.405  Or you can go online to   familyplotgarden.com. 25:40.572 --> 25:41.840 That's all we have time for today, 25:41.840 --> 25:44.143 thanks for watching us for this first episode 25:44.143 --> 25:45.611 of the growing season. 25:45.611 --> 25:48.080 It's time to start working on this year's garden. 25:48.080 --> 25:52.117 To get a jump on it, head on over to familyplotgarden.com. 25:52.117 --> 25:55.354 We have over 1,000 gardening videos on all sorts 25:55.354 --> 25:56.855 of gardening topics. 25:56.855 --> 25:59.324 Be sure to join us next week for The Family Plot: 25:59.324 --> 26:01.226 Gardening in the Mid-South. Be safe. 26:03.228 --> 26:05.998 [cheerful country music] 26:27.753 --> 26:29.755 [acoustic guitar chords]