Subject: Re: Ferns broken by wind gusts

From: [email-masked] (Craig Mathew)
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 06:29:15 PST

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] 
says...
>
>I'm planning ahead - my Fiddlehead Ferns haven't even broken through the
>surface yet.  However, for the past two years, our ferns have been broken,
>nearly at ground level, by spring-time wind gusts.  Any suggestions how I
>can prevent this?  Should I mound up more earth around the ferns?  Or set
>rocks around them?  Or perhaps set up a tomato cage around them (ugly, but
>perhaps effective).  
>
>Thanks for your help!
>
>Daniel

Hi Daniel,
  I'm having the same type of problem, but not with ferns!  In my case, our 
strong Texas winds over the past week have broken all my little tomato 
seedlings which I just set out, plus one of my little clematis vines, half 
of a pair that is planted on each side of an arbor at my garden gate.  :(
  Over the next week I'm planning on setting out a bunch of little pepper 
plants.  I read the other day that pepper plants are somewhat fragile 
and easily broken in wind.  This is my very first garden and I REALLY don't 
want to see them all destroyed by the winds my first year out...
  At this point I've got little "hot tops" over my tomato plants -- 2- and 
3-liter soda bottles with the black plastic bottoms cut off, leaving only 
the clear plastic top with the screwtop left off for ventilation.  I hope 
this will give my little tomatoes time to recover from the last gusty 
destruction...
  It would be great to get some good suggestions for how to combat this 
problem -- I'm getting desperate!  Other than planting near a windbreak of 
taller plants -- which I don't have right now -- what do all of you suggest?

Help?!

Thanks much,
Joan

---

From: [email-masked] (Gray Dedic)
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 21:34:13 GMT

:   I'm having the same type of problem, but not with ferns!  In my case, our 
: strong Texas winds over the past week have broken all my little tomato 
: seedlings which I just set out, plus one of my little clematis vines, half 

: problem -- I'm getting desperate!  Other than planting near a windbreak of 
: taller plants -- which I don't have right now -- what do all of you suggest?

Haybales and/or two inch redwood lattice (expensive).  This will let
some wind through, otherwise the wind will just flow over the shapes.
don't put the bales down in an orderly fashion, either.

or

Half bury container plants that are wind resistant (such as little pines)
so they won't blow over or root while at same time putting the plants
that will grow to break wind between them and the seedlings.

gray

---

From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Mar 1995 16:28:33 GMT

>can prevent this?  Should I mound up more earth around the ferns?  Or set

Maybe put up some snow fence temporarily.  It would temper the wind
without blocking it completely, perhaps enough to let the plants toughen
up put not break.  (As for the veggie seedlings, were they planted out
straight from indoors?  If so, it would help to "harden them off" first;
that is, put them outside in their pots, or whatever they're growing in,
in a sheltered, somewhat shady place, and gradually move them over a
period or, oh, maybe a week to ten days, into more sun and wind).
														-Sue Sanders

---

From: [email-masked] (Gray Dedic)
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 21:34:13 GMT

or

gray

---

From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Mar 1995 16:28:33 GMT

---

From: [email-masked] (Jeff Cook)
Date: 30 Mar 1995 23:45:40 GMT

>this will give my little tomatoes time to recover from the last gusty 

Oooooooh, I _like_ this idea, I'm going to try it.  I'm going to try
using milk jugs, too.  Sorry I don't have an answer for your question,
but I just wanted to thank you for a great tip--I've been trying to
think of good ways to cover my plants until the weather gets nicer.
This will be just perfect for what I need.  Ain't Usenet great?
--

Jeff Cook                                         [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Jeff Cook)
Date: 31 Mar 1995 00:00:11 GMT

>that will grow to break wind between them and the seedlings.
                   ^^^^^^^^^^

It's reeeeealy tempting, but I promise I won't make fun of this.  Hard to
resist, though...

snicker...  snort...  ahem...  :-)
--