Calla Lily Bouquet,
Feeding Ferns,
and Charcoal Ash

May 14,1998

Calla bouquet

BJVO wrote: My daughter has her heart set on having a wedding bouquet of large white calla lilies. Since I am doing her flowers and have never worked with callas before, I am wondering what method I should use to insure that the internal sap (or whatever that liquid may be called) does not leak out and drip on her hands or dress when she carries the bouquet down the aisle. Is there a process to seal the ends or can you dry them somehow? I am hoping for some help soon. The wedding's in June. Thanks!
I never had a need to use it myself, so I am unsure of the actual product name. There is a product on the market, which is something like Dippety Glass if you have any idea what that is. You can dip the stem ends into it, let it dry, and the end is sealed in plastic. You could probably do the same thing with paraffin wax but I'd test that first. Calla lilies do retain quite a bit of moisture, so I would allow the stem to drain before sealing it with anything.

Miracid for ferns?

Bobby T wrote: Hello, Question, do Boston ferns like acid. Someone told me to use Miracid on my ferns. Should I do this? Thanks,
Your friend is correct. Boston ferns like an acid soil with a pH of 5.0 to 5.5. Miracid should be the primary fertilizer which you use. However, you should feed your fern with half of the normal strength. Ferns burn up a lot of nitrogen, so occasionally it might be advisable to use a high nitrogen food (20-10-10) (half strength), instead of the miracid.

Aloe Vera vs. Jade Plants

Barbara wrote: Hello My name is Barbara and I received a Jade Plant for Mother's Day. My daughter bought the present for me at school. They told her that this plant worked like an aloe plant, that you can tear off a leaf and place it on a cut, is this true? Thank you
Well,,,, they weren't lying to your daughter, the sap within a Jade leaf, will help in an emergency, but not much. For one thing, you would have to strip an entire Jade to get the amount of gel that is in one small Aloe vera leaf, also I don't believe that the sap from a Jade is nearly as potent as Aloe. It was a great gift from your daughter though!

Composting Charcoal Ash

SM wrote: We still BBQ the old fashioned way....with charcoal. This produces quite a bit of ash after each use. Is this fine pure charcoal ash useable in the garden.
I usually put my charcoal ash into the compost pile, and it ends up in the garden from there. I don't see any reason why it couldn't be added straight into the garden though.