June 27, 2012 journal

The tomato cuttings that I cloned on June 14, 2012 have rooted and have been planted in 3" starter pots.  The replacement Little Leaf cucumbers have also been potted, and all of the seedlings are being grown in one of the tents under a six band flower series LED.

Just to add a challenge, and continue to peak Ava's interest in plants, I purchased and started carnation seeds.  One seedling is in the lower right corner and the other seedling is in the center of the top row in the photo.

I was telling Ava that we could make the carnation flowers pretty much any color we want, by placing them in water, with food dye.  Now, she is wants to make a "rainbow" flower, but, we will see how that goes.  My wife suggested coloring the petals with an artist brush letting the dye soak in.  Hmmm, that may be a good idea.  In any event, carnations need cool growing conditions, and they take about six months to flower, so I will grow them in a tent, in the basement, where it remains fairly cool all summer.

The carnation cultivars I am growing are: Yellow Carnations, Chabaud, and a dark purple variety called Grenadin King of Black.  Also, I have decided it might be best to grow them two plants to a pot.

I can just imagine my basement smelling like a funeral home just in time for the Christmas Holidays.