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Identifying a Citrus, Growing Herbs, and Apples for Pineapples

Some Sort of Citrus


I looked up citrus identification and "winged leaves" and found that what I have growing (from random seed) is probably a grapefruit tree.  As you can see, it's it the house, because it has been getting chilly outside.  It hasn't been too bad since our one cold day, but the night will drop to about 37 Fahrenheit on Wednesday.  I could probably put it back on the porch.  

Pineapples



My pineapple plants are in the house right now.  They're still truckin', I suppose.  The one in the blue container is at least 18 months old if not older, and I just learned that pineapples should flower around that age.  I also learned that I could have had a use for an unused apple that my kids always really want but can never finish...  Old apples release a gas called acetylene which can force a bloom.  Also if you're interested in the chemistry of ripening fruits, check out, "Fruit Ripening:  How Does it Work?"


Pepper in a Bag



I LOVE the Pero Farm Peppers found in neat little baggies in the produce section of my favorite grocery store.  I decided to try growing some from seed.  This baby pepper is growing in an egg shell in soil in a pot in a plastic bag.  It is by my window and I have some water in the baggy.  I learned this greenhouse trick when I looked up YouTube videos on how to make hibiscus clippings.  So now I'm growing my baby pepper in a mini greenhouse.  I've read on some garden forums that these peppers will grow from seed, but they won't be as compact or cute as the ones you get in the store.  Pero Family Farm peppers are some kind of hybrid, but according to their Facebook page, they are proudly non-GMO.  

I recently learned that Epsom salt added to a gallon of water may prove beneficial for pepper plants.  I'll have to look into that a little.  I planted the seed in an egg shell filled with soil because peppers need extra calcium, or so I've heard.

Hibiscus Clipping



When my husband and I got married, I bought two hibiscus plants to plant on either side of our front porch.  One lived and the other one didn't.  I think the difference is that the one that survived gets more sunlight.  So, I did look up a video on hibiscus clippings, and the video I watched made a simple instruction to take the clipping, put it in soil, put it in a plastic bag with some water then put it in a window.  I did all that, but after a month, I decided to take it out of the bag.  It's doing well.  The pot next to the hibiscus is an oregano sprout (I think).  :)

I did start some herbs.  I wrote the names of them on the pots, watered the plants, and walked away from them.  Now I don't know what is what save for the basil I have in a hanging type container.  


Arbor Day Foundation Sticks



In case you were curious as to what the Arbor Day Foundation trees look like, well here is one.  I'm not really sure what it is, but I believe this one may be a golden rain tree.  As you can see, it is beginning to leaf out.  I also noticed that one of the forsythia bushes I planted in my yard is leafing out as is one of my white flowering dogwood trees.  It will be neat to see if I can keep these things thriving.





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