Urban Garden Magazine » catnip

Catnip seed collecting

Grubbycup — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:26:05 +0000

The catnip is dry, and the seeds are ready to be collected. If you haven’t been following along, you might want to take a look at where they started.

The flower clusters have been collected and dried. At this point it is suitable for storage, enjoyed by kitties, or in this case, seed collecting.	If you look at the dried flowers closely, you can find the seed pods.

Here is an example of a catnip seed pod.	With a gentle touch, the pod opened, and three tiny seeds emerged.
After opening the pods, blowing and shaking to separate the seeds from the chaff, I wound up with a nice pile of seeds, ready for planting.
Peace, love and puka shells, Grubbycup

Pruning Technique: Catnip Topping – Day 32

Grubbycup — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:50:15 +0000

The pinched catnip shows its stuff.
	This catnip plant has been repeatedly pinched (topped). As each growing tip is removed, the adjacent side tips are encouraged to grow. This is the same plant (below), once allowed to flower. Notice the even height of the flower clusters. Not only does this allow for a prettier plant, but a more easily lit plant as well.

Peace, love, and puka shells, Grubbycup

Pruning Technique: Catnip Topping – Day 14

Grubbycup — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:06:02 +0000

Now that the catnip is better developed, the differences really start to show. If you haven’t been following along, you might want to take a look at Day 1, and Day 7.

Day 14

I have to admit; an untrained catnip plant is still pretty.

The top flower cluster is well developed and large (above).

However, looking at the untrained plant to the left, it is obvious that the top of the plant was better lit than the bottom. The flower clusters at the top are vastly superior to those on the lower branches.

Notice the small, popcorn-sized clusters from a lower branch to the left. The white purple dotted flowers are lovely, but small clusters won’t yield much dried catnip. Now on to our pinched example:

Notice how much closer the plant’s footprint now matches the container’s.

I’ve decided that I am going to start using “pinched” and “topped” interchangeably. I prefer the term “pinched” (thank you for teaching me the term, we are all students on a path), but I know there are lots of gentle readers out there that have only heard the technique referred to as “topping.”

Think of me as a bridge between the two camps.

From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, the pinched plant appears much more bush-like, and makes a strong enough statement to be used alone. To produce a similar effect, several smaller untopped plants could be used.This catnip plant is more compact, and the lighting “sweet spot” covers more of the plant.

One of the things I am hoping to demonstrate, is what this difference can mean in terms of flower and fruit production.

Keep in mind that in order for the technique to be a useful way to improve overall production, it must not only produce more than an unpinched plant, in must produce enough more to cover the additional time and effort.

Catnip does not require a change in the light cycle to flower, but removing the growing tips prevents the catnip from bolting until the tips are allowed to develop, which will allow you to delay flowering and fruiting until you are happy with the topped plant structure.

As I’m in a good mood, and feeling pretty chipper, I’m going to go so far as to say I’m happy. I’m going to stop pinching, and allow the catnip to flower.

Peace, love and puka shells,

Grubbycup

Pruning Technique: Catnip Topping – Day 7

Grubbycup — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:51:42 +0000

You can continue the topping process until the desired effect is achieved. To the right we have our catnip plant as we left it. You can see where the grow tip has been removed. Below is the same plant, one week later. Notice that, in the absence of the central grow tip, the two side tips have experienced enhanced growth. If the plant has been pruned enough for your needs, you can stop topping at any time after the first cut.
	In outdoor gardens, the light source is a gigantic fusion reactor of such magnitude that there is very little difference between the light gathered from a rooftop and light gathered from ground level.The “sweet spot” is so large we ignore it. In indoor gardens, however, along with the shrinking of the light source down to something tiny enough to fit in a single room, the “sweet spot” is also shrunk down to the point where it becomes an issue.
	The “sweet spot” is the range of lighting where the plant is far enough from the light source to avoid being heat damaged, but close enough to maximize use of the available lighting. Topping does have a price: notice the difference between the un-pruned control plant to the far left, and the topped plant beside it. The un-pruned plant is already flowering, so if speed to flower is your primary goal, this may not be right for you. Canopy management is used to control the plant’s growth in relation to the “sweet spot” of the available lighting. Since the effective penetration of light is related to its power, the smaller the light, the more important canopy control becomes. It is more difficult to properly light an entire tall plant with a single light than a short one. With the tall catnip plant, in order to properly light the large flower cluster on the top, the lower branches will not receive enough light to flourish, and should be removed as a lost cause. It is much simpler to light the shorter pruned plant, as the grow tips are in a much narrower vertical range. With a plant this small, the entire plant can be positioned in the “sweet spot.”
If space is at a premium, footprint size is another consideration. Any light beams that make it all the way to the growing medium could potentially have been used to grow plants. A tall spindly plant will allow more light to reach the medium than a short fat one.
	The pruned plant’s footprint much more closely matches its pot than the un-pruned plant does. With many grow tips in close proximity, this style lends itself more to several smaller flower clusters instead of the natural tendency for a single main flower cluster.
The grow tip below is developed enough to be removed.	Here the grow tip has been removed.

	This method can come in very handy when establishing a mother plant for cloning, as the large number of grow tips that can be created make excellent clones. Peace, love, and puka shells, Grubbycup Post script: The kitties really enjoy this style of pruning as well, as they quite like the leftovers from pruning the grow tips.

Pruning Technique: Catnip Topping

Grubbycup — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:53:05 +0000

If left unpruned, catnip grows tall and narrow.

So tall and narrow, in fact, that if left unsupported it will bend over from its own weight.

Unless you plan on growing several plants, that may not be the ideal growth habit for an indoor garden.

Fortunately, catnip is one of many plants that responds well to a pruning technique commonly referred to as “topping.”

Not to be confused with “topping” a tree, in this instance “topping” refers to the removal of growth tips to encourage growth in lower tips.


Gentle reader, please observe the main grow tip above.	Here, the grow tip has been removed.
With the central tip removed, the two side tips increase their growth rate. Once the side tips develop growth tips of their own, the plant can be topped again.

Notice the grow tip closest to the camera. The cut (or pinch) must take place between the tip and the two growth sites in the crotch below.	Here the cut has been made.

And then the other side.If done correctly, the two growth sites will each produce stems, which can be topped again for a more bush-like growth habit.	Each time the plant is pruned, it will take time to recover, so if speed is the only consideration, this may not a be good choice. However, it does offer benefits in terms of canopy management and footprint utilization.
	Gentle reader, if this technique and its benefits aren’t clear yet, don’t fret, just keep your eyes peeled for the update. Peace, love, and puka shells, Grubbycup

Germinating Seeds: Plastic Bag Method

Grubbycup — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:36:03 +0000

One of the simplest and easiest ways to germinate seeds is commonly referred to as the “baggie” method.

The only materials required are:

seeds,
water,
a plastic bag,
and a paper towel.

Optional but helpful additions to the materials list:

permanent marker,
labels,
and a dilute solution of hydrogen peroxide.

You should also find out if the seeds you are trying to germinate require light to sprout, or if they will sprout in darkness. In this example I am using catnip, which requires light.

Take a paper towel; if using a small bag, you may want to cut the paper towel to a little under four times the size of the bag, and moisten thoroughly.

Gently squeeze to remove excess water. There should be no dry portions of the towel, but it should not be soggy either.

Carefully spread out the paper towel, and place the seeds in the upper left quadrant.

Then fold the towel in half, covering the seeds.

Fold again, and place in the bag.

The seeds should be covered by only one layer on one side, and if your seeds are light sensitive, that is the side you want facing the light.

Put your seeds in a warm location: in light if needed; a drawer works well if not.

Wish them well, and practice patience. With a little luck, hopefully our tiny friends will break through their shells, and join us for more adventures in catnip growing.

Peace, love and puka shells,
Grubbycup

To see how to germinate seeds using scarification, read Grubbycup’s previous blog post here.

Catnip: Basic Grow Closet Setup

Grubbycup — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:21:25 +0000

I have decided to grow some catnip for my furry friends. However, growing catnip in my area poses some problems. If I try to grow catnip outside, the neighborhood cats get to it, which would be fine (I am all for sharing) but they don’t leave enough of the plants left to survive. If I try to grow it unprotected inside, my cats will crush, chew, knock over, dig up, and generally make nuisances of themselves to the detriment of the poor catnip plants.There must be someplace I can grow catnip where it can be protected from feline pillaging.

A closet, and wouldn’t you know, this closet already has some of what we need in it.

Let’s take a look at what we have:

The walls are covered in a white reflective film. White paint or mylar are other choices. Washability is definitely a plus. The idea is to reflect back light that would otherwise go to waste.

There is a 400 watt Metal Halide light, with external digital ballast. Fluorecents and High Pressure Sodiums can also be used. I really like 400 watts for a space this size. Less than that and your plants may not get enough light; larger than that can force you to move the light far away from the plants due to heat. I can put my light close enough to almost touch the top of the plants without heat issues.

The shiny tube vents air from the growroom, over the lamp, and out of the room. The primary use of venting is for temperature control. Normally you want to avoid sharp turns in any vent, but I have a strong fan, and my temperatures are within tolerance.

Another thing to consider is the normal ambient temperature in the space. If the grow room is in a location that gets very hot, or very cold, more effort (and resources) will be required to keep your plants within an acceptable climate.

The light fixture is attached to the clothing rod by a retractable tether; it works similarly to a pull shade.

A note on cords: make sure all of your electrical cords have a “drip loop,” which is just a loop in the cord so if it gets wet, the water drips on the floor, and doesn’t run back to the electrical socket.

Speaking of water drips on the floor, make sure that whatever flooring is at the bottom of your closet is either waterproof, or protected. Assume that at some point there will be an accident involving unrestrained liquid, because there will be.

Now that I have a place to put plants, I had better start some seeds. I don’t usually scarify catnip seeds, but just to walk you through the process…

Peace, love, and puka shells,
Grubbycup

Read on as Grubbycup turns his attention to seed starting.