A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Raising Baby's Breath

I planted Baby's Breath this spring & NOTHING happened! Either I got a bad package of seeds, or there's a secret to it that wasn't mentioned on the directions! Any tips?

slightly alkaline soil I think. Did you check your pH?

Patty,
Can you tell us what you did to get them
started?
ie; soil, bagged? If it was bagged, what kind?
Or was it regular garden soil?

Did you direct sew into the ground or did you seed them in 6~packs??

When did you start them?
Early spring, middle of summer?

How did you start them, inside or outside?

Watering?

I planted the seeds in April, right in the bed where I wanted them to grow. Now that I look at the Burpee seed pkg, I see that it DOES say "sow in a non-acidic, well drained sunny location..." Hmmm... the only way I know how to tell if my soil is alkaline or acidic is by what color my Hydrangias are (& my roses are happy)!!!

If the rose's are happy,
they like more acidity soil..

Would April of been too early for them?
Cooler, wet, etc.???

Hmmm I've never had a problem with Baby's Breath. I plant my seeds right in the beds because I really hate having to transplant. Yeah sometimes I'm a lazy gardener. And the fact that I can't remember when I tested my soils Ph last really says how lazy I can be. *LOL* I had a ton of Baby's Breath last year though.

I have a hard time with it and the chinese lanterns and the money plants. They all are slightly alkaline moisture loving plants according to the package. But you know me I'm going to keep trying lol.

So, how does a person test their soil, & how do they change it if it's too alkaline/acidic??? Also, is whatever that is, something that will need monitoring? ...Wash out of the soil? ...Needs to be re-applied?

(I'm assuming that I won't be using the same alkaline increaser/decreaser that we use in the hot tub! Ha ha!)

hahaha, no, not the same as that stuff...

Have you tried any compost?
That stuff when finished is alkaline..
but is really good stuff for the soil..

You can take a sample to your local Co~operative
Extentions, and for a small fee they can/will test it for you and then you'll know...

You can also buy a test yourself, *not sure where to get one* but you take a sample of soil, squirt some of the solution on the soil in a container
and it'll turn certain colors for certain things.
like either blue*ish* or yellow*ish*

And depending on what type of plants you plant,
would be what kind of soil you need...

If you were to put in compost, that helps the soil
with food for the plants and the creatures that live in the soil.. and should be applied as nessessary..

IF you were to plant something like Rhododendrons', roses, tomatoes, azalea's...
you'd apply something like a pineneedle mulch
or some chopped leaves under them away from the stem...over time they'd break down and used by the plants roots, and then you can re~apply..

Thanx Weezie. I made the mistake of using compost in my veggie garden last yr, that the local Transfer Station (DUMP!) was giving away. I thought, "FREE! Good price, cuz I don't even have to budget for it!!" HUH! I ended up 'paying for it' in the time I spent fighting the ABUNDANT weeds! Never again... not from there, anyway!
I havent looked, but I'm assuming that I can buy bagged compost that's been sterilized or something, so I'm not inadvertently planting weed seeds (??) I don't really have the space here to compost, & besides, when I used to do that it was more work than I felt it was worth, if it's to be done right.

Are you saying that pineneedle or leaf mulch will turn the soil alkaline? How about If I were to work that sort of stuff into the soil now, where I want to plant the Baby's Breath next spring... would that be enough time for it to break down? I need to do something like that where the tomatoes will go, too. I've never put my tomatoes in the same place year after year (they pull a lot of Nitrogen from the soil, which needs to be replenished), but I'm limited in where I can plant them, since we moved here.

I'll look for a ph soil test kit next time I go to the Garden section, while they still might have such items in stock.

I think Ace Hardware stores and maybe Orchard hardware stores have the tests you can buy.

Soil additives are lime for alkaline increase and sulpher for acid increase if you don't want to take the time to do it organically. Organic is probably better for the soil as a whole but the other will work in a pinch. To increase the acidity of the soil takes around 6 months or so. Increasing the alkaline is much more rapid. If you put pH in the google for this site it will bring up some fact sheets that will tell you just about everything you need to know of the subject. Bill has really done a fantastic job providing information on all of this.

Wow, TK! You're dead right, Bill HAS indeed done a terrific job on the pH info front! (That link also gave me invaluable info about site preparation for new lawn... we've just tilled the yard & are about to buy grass seed, but I see that there are a few more things we'd better do first so we don't waste our efforts.)

Anyway, back to Baby's Breath... I'm sure I'll be able to get the seeds to germinate next year! (Somebody told me to use a weed barrier cloth when I plant them, to keep the Baby's Breath only in the area where I want it, as it's extremely invasive.)

Yes I've heard that about the babies breath too. Good luck with your new yard and all your projects.