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Tag: Succulents

Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Transplant Aloes and Other Succulents

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| Categories: Growing Hints, Richo's Blog

Aloes and other succulents use up the resources of their potting soil every year or so. They produce a great deal of dead matter at the base which may be removed at transplant to keep the plant from picking up diseases. They become root-bound and grow much faster after the roots are properly trimmed and replanted in fresh medium. Use…

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Strictly Medicinal Seeds

strictlymedicinalseeds

Organic growers of medicinal herb seeds, medicinal herb plants, organic vegetable seeds and organic garden seeds.

Giant Anise Fennel (Ferula communis) heralds the s Giant Anise Fennel (Ferula communis) heralds the start of summer. May 15th is our typical last frost date around here. I'm beginning to move plants to field. Slowly. Although frost can be fatal, cool soils are also no bueno for certain types of plants--tomatoes and peppers for instance. Giving the potted greenhoused plants extra top dress of compost prior to setting out assuages their yearning for a week or so--just don't want to see them collapse right prior to transplant. It is a dance, and nobody wants a wallflower. Here's a bit more info on Ferula communis. If you're into Ferulas, there are really a lot of species! Any time you want to check on something like this, don't go to Wikipedia, go to Kew plants online. Much more reliable info.(Link in profile)
Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) finding its way to m Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) finding its way to my doorstep, finding its way into my salads. How far have we drifted from direct consumption of the herbs of the field? I am attracted to them. They are free for the taking, represent little use of world resources, provide the same nutrients one can purchase in pills without. . . the plastic bottle. This species has many advantages over the common prickly lettuce that people pull from around their carrots. It is equally well-endowed with pain relieving oleo-gum-resin and gratefully free of prickles. Seeds available online at Strictly Medicinal Seeds. If you haven't made your way over to our youtube channel (search Strictly Medicinal Seeds youtube) then I would recommend it as a source for good level-headed and experience-based info on this and other herbs. Here's a bit more info and a picture of the plant that has volunteered at my doorway. Look tasty? It is!Seeds available at strictlymedicinalseeds.com.
(Link in profile)
Common weeds are at the core of Western Herbalism. Common weeds are at the core of Western Herbalism. You'd think they would be easy to source and prolific. However, manufacturing herbalists often have a hard time getting enough of the usual favs like dandelion and plantain. I get this request: "Do you have 3,000 pounds of fresh organic dandelion root available?" ha ha Cultivation seems an obvious option, and foresight is clearly required. A dandelion planted in the spring in organic culture will weigh in at a pound fresh weight, while a dandelion dug from the lawn might weigh an ounce or less. One would think cultivating common weeds would be really easy, but it has its challenges. Many are the times when I've planted for instance a flat of broadleaf plantain and had seedlings come up only from the seeds that landed in the crack between the pots. Seasonality factors are perhaps more relevant for planting weeds than for planting the more elite plants like Echinacea or Elecampane. Nature has timed the weeds to emerge at a certain season, occupy a specific niche, make seeds quickly (which in a manufacturing herbal sense can mean a spindly plant instead of a large robust plant that weighs in heavy). It's a weedy conundrum! A few bits of advice: Plant common weeds at the same time as the same plant makes seeds in nature. When you see dandelions in seed, that is the time to plant dandelions. Make use of volunteer seedlings. I keep an eye out for patches of reprod of my favorite weeds. Sometimes they are really struggling as the world's water becomes scarce when spring fades into summer. I dig the volunteers and pot them up. The next morning, they smile! Somebody could make a good living growing and selling common edible and safe medicinal weeds. We carry seeds of true dandelion (Taraxacum off.) and Plantain (Plantago major) at Strictly Medicinal Seeds. Get a start, and don't be afraid of dropping a little seed along the way--those may just turn out to be the most productive!
Valerian plants (Valeriana officinalis) now on sal Valerian plants (Valeriana officinalis) now on sale at Strictly Medicinal Seeds.
(Link in profile)A quintessential medicinal herb that attracts myriad pollinators to its sweetly scented florific parts. The apothecary garden is incomplete without it. A gentle, inobtrusive and congenial member of any plant population, it is incredibly good for the environment.Read more about Valerian in "Making Plant Medicine" and "Growing Plant Medicine."Here are a few photos and a snippet of info:
Family: Valerian (Valerianaceae)
Hardy to Zones 4 to 8.
Herbaceous perennial native to Europe and temperate Asia. Traditional usage (TWM): sedative. Valerian prefers full sun to part shade and moist but well-drained soils. It will grow all right in dense, clay soils that are composted with organic compost, but really thrives in very fast draining soils such as sandy loam or potting soil made with plenty of pumice. We often cut back the aerials before shipment, as they will transplant better for you that way--just plant in a bigger pot with the crown at the surface of the soil, or plant in a mellow bed in the garden. Plant 1 to 2 feet apart.
Plants eat light. They move in accordance with sol Plants eat light. They move in accordance with solar collection. First photo shows Mullein (Verbascum olympicum) with leaves up to protect from night frost. Second photo same plant with leaves down during the day to collect sunlight. Another example of. . . plant sentience. Mullein seeds of several species available online at Strictly Medicinal Seeds.(Link in profile)
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) plants on sale a Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) plants on sale at Strictly Medicinal Seeds.
(Link in profile)Shade gardens in the temperate north are incomplete without this lovely. The delicacy of the plant is counterbalanced by its great efficiency in herbal therapy. The roots are a concentrated source of berberine and other active isoquinoline alkaloids--people suggest substitutes but they are weak in comparison. The leaves contain flavonoids that inhibit the bacterial efflux pump, further disabling bacteria that cause infection. I personally cannot do without this herb and recommend it highly, both in shade gardening and herbalism. As always I recommend reading about it in my various books--a whole chapter in "Growing At-Risk," a monograph in "Growing Plant Medicine" and specific formulas for herbal products in "Making Plant Medicine." Here are some photos from across the years, and a bit more info:Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)
Family: Crowfoot (Ranunculaceae)
Hardy to Zones 4 to 8
Medicinal Native American Root
Native to the Eastern hardwood forests, this plant adapts beautifully to the shade garden. Choose a protected spot with deep, slightly acidic, loamy soil and dappled shade. We offer potted goldenseal for those that would like to plant a patch during the spring or summer months, when it is not seasonal to plant bare roots. Early orders will be shipped while plants are barely breaking the surface of the pot, a good time to transport them without breakage and a good stage for planting as well. These are sturdy adult plants that will likely bear fruit within a year or two after planting. Traditional usage: TWM, bitter, astringent and antibacterial. Plant to rich soil in hardwood forest dappled shade, shade garden or shaded greenhouse and mulch. Space plants 1 to 2 feet apart.
An excited neophyte medicinal herb grower got in t An excited neophyte medicinal herb grower got in touch, sending me pictures of his fields. He wanted seeds sent right away so he could get started. But I wondered why he needed to hurry with the seeds--the fields were low fertility and covered with grasses. Back up. To assure a good crop, one must prepare a good seed bed, or planting bed if setting out starts. To do this, one needs to assure fertility, either by working in a covercrop or by applying compost, or both. But a clean bed is a prerequisite to a successful crop. Also saves on a lot of weed pulling! When I look out over the early spring fields, one of the first flowers I see are mustards, that bright yellow condiment spread over the sandwich of the land. So, this is a clue to me to get my mustards going early. Photo of Sinapis alba (white or yellow mustard) planted in a clean bed in the spring. Direct-seeding is the most efficient way of going about growing. But it also requires a knack. If you can hit the season right, and prepare the soil in good time, then sure, direct-seed. Otherwise, sow in pots and transplant. Those are your options!
A good time to order tulsi plants from Strictly Me A good time to order tulsi plants from Strictly Medicinal Seeds. Plants ordered today will ship out in about 30 days. For many of you, this is when the soil is going to be sufficiently warm for tulsi plants. We have all of them right now--Krishna tulsi, Rama and Vana tulsi and the African type Temperate Tulsi all in plants, all available at Strictly Medicinal Seeds. Feeling really good, with spring coming on, new growth all around, shedding the winter fat and toning up in the garden. Tulsi tea in the morning, amaranth for breakfast, liking life!(Link in profile)
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About

Richo is an internationally recognized expert on the cultivation, processing and usage of medicinal plants. He is the author of the popular herbal, Making Plant Medicine. His life-long interest in seed saving lead to extensive travel and plant exploration, largely in the USA and Africa but also in South America, China and Europe. This collection of seeds, including numerous unique introductions and rare plants as well as many common medicinal plants and permacultural trees, is currently conserved and multiplied in his greenhouses and gardens.

Strictly Medicinal, LLC is the name of this organic seed company and nursery based in Williams, Oregon. The mission is to sow seeds worldwide for the benefit of people, plants and the planet.

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