Helping beginners

From: Ellen Hornig <hornig at Oswego.EDU> on 1997.01.15 at 20:57:54(141) It occurs to me that one thing that proves daunting to beginners (of which I was one - yes! - not that long ago) is that they lack the physical set-up which the rest of us develop over the years. For example, when I'm saying that seed-sowing is easy, I'm saying this from the perspective of someone who has, in her basement, right there where she can wander down after dinner and play: 1 3-bay stainless-steel sink w/spray attachment and portable shelves to set over the bays and use as work areas (plastic, drain-thru shelves) A whole lot of fluorescent lights, mounted on wooden frames for easy raising/lowering (and a bunch of old tables under them, including one defunct pingpong table) Work tables beside the sink Several large plastic bins which hold germination mix, potting mix, and pure grit +More A couple of bins to hold discarded medium, plants, etc (compost) Stacks of trays, pots, etc (useful information: Kord 3 1/2" square pots fit exactly, 18 to the tray, in a standard 1020 tray (which I think is actually 11 1/2" x 21 1/2") - and I'm a big fan of standardizing pot and tray sizes rather than using yoghurt containers :-), but that's a practical viewpoint based on volume, not philosophy) Plastic labels (again, standard commercial stakes), pencils, Sharpie pens, watering can, fertilizer, turkey baster (waters little things), quart sprayers labelled w/contents ("Water only", "Safer's Insecticidal Soap", "Captan"), fertilizer, fungicide, bleach (for soaking old pots), etc. A little stainless steel gizmo for pricking out seedlings (forget the name, but it's great - could look it up) Smooth-sided plastic cups for soaking seeds And last but not least, a fantastic poured-concrete c. 1914 basement; a nasty, spider-infested hole by some accounts, but plant heaven - never too hot or cold So to those who are beginning, I would say that you'll help yourselves considerably by developing a permanent workspace where everything you need is close at hand, and you can make a mess without getting anyone else upset. It doesn't have to be vast in scale, but it just helps immensely to have everything you need within reach and ready to go. Ellen

From: grsjr at juno.com (George R Stilwell, Jr.) on 1997.01.16 at 16:54:08(145) Ellen, Great advice for beginners. You described perfectly the basement of the house where I grew up. It also had shade hangers and cloth for forcing Pointsettias at Christmas. +More Ray GRSJr@Juno.com

From: Hermine Stover <hermine at endangeredspecies.com> on 1997.01.16 at 17:18:22(150) At 02:57 PM 1/15/97 -0600, Ellen Hornig wrote: > >A little stainless steel gizmo for pricking out seedlings (forget the >name, but it's great - could look it up) > The thing for picking out seedlings is called a "dibbler" or dibber in Great Britain. we call it the seedling-thing. Hermine

From: Ellen Hornig <hornig at Oswego.EDU> on 1997.01.17 at 19:10:14(151) On Thu, 16 Jan 1997 grsjr@juno.com wrote: > Ellen, > > Great advice for beginners. You described perfectly the basement of the > house where I grew up. It also had shade hangers and cloth for forcing > Pointsettias at Christmas. Gee....if I'd grown up with this, I would never, never have strayed into economics - it would have been plants from day one! The moment I walk down those basement stairs, I feel like a queen in her palace... Ellen

From: Ellen Hornig <hornig at Oswego.EDU> on 1997.01.17 at 19:14:23(152) On Thu, 16 Jan 1997, Hermine Stover wrote: > At 02:57 PM 1/15/97 -0600, Ellen Hornig wrote: > > > >A little stainless steel gizmo for pricking out seedlings (forget the +More > >name, but it's great - could look it up) > > > > The thing for picking out seedlings is called a "dibbler" or dibber in > Great Britain. we call it the seedling-thing. > Hermine > Now I am forced to get scientific. I have retrieved the object in question, and the only information conveyed upon it in writing is that it's a "stainless steel NIT PICKER" and "made in Canada". No kidding. If you ever see one, grab it. Ellen

From: "William A. Plummer" <remmulp at servtech.com> on 1997.01.17 at 19:58:29(160) Chemists would call it a spatula

From: Rand Nicholson <writserv at nbnet.nb.ca> on 1997.01.18 at 21:27:28(172) >On Thu, 16 Jan 1997, Hermine Stover wrote: > >> At 02:57 PM 1/15/97 -0600, Ellen Hornig wrote: +More >> > >> >A little stainless steel gizmo for pricking out seedlings (forget the >> >name, but it's great - could look it up) >> > >> >> The thing for picking out seedlings is called a "dibbler" or dibber in >> Great Britain. we call it the seedling-thing. >> Hermine >> > Now I am forced to get scientific. I have retrieved the object in >question, and the only information conveyed upon it in writing is that >it's a "stainless steel NIT PICKER" and "made in Canada". No kidding. >If you ever see one, grab it. > >Ellen Yass ... We do have _enormous_ bugs up here and they drop their nits everywhere. We also refer to the famous Canadian "NIT PICKER" as a "backhoe" and use them in winter to dig up the vicious ice worms. Kidding (maybe) Rand

From: "Carlo A. Balistrieri" <cabalist at facstaff.wisc.edu> on 1997.01.18 at 21:30:16(173) >>A little stainless steel gizmo for pricking out seedlings (forget the >>name, but it's great - could look it up) >> +More > >The thing for picking out seedlings is called a "dibbler" or dibber in >Great Britain. we call it the seedling-thing. >Hermine > Dibbers (or dibblers) are generally used for setting out seedlings not pricking them out. I think Ellen was talking about a "widger." Made of stainless steel, one end is 3/4 in. wide the other 1/4" or so. It was developed to separate and transplant seedlings and working in small areas. If there is interest I could order a case through my little nursery and make them available. They'd cost about $4US each plus shipping and I'd need commitments for at least 10 or so. It is a great little tool to have around. I like having several available--never know when you'll need them! Carlo Carlo A. Balistrieri, J.D. Email: CABalist@facstaff.wisc.edu P.O. Box 327 Ashippun, WI 53003-0327 U.S.A. Voice: 414.569.1902 Telefax: same number, please call ahead.

From: Hermine Stover <hermine at endangeredspecies.com> on 1997.01.19 at 18:22:04(175) At 03:27 PM 1/18/97 -0600, Rand Nicholson wrote: >>On Thu, 16 Jan 1997, Hermine Stover wrote: >> +More >>> At 02:57 PM 1/15/97 -0600, Ellen Hornig wrote: >>> > >>> >A little stainless steel gizmo for pricking out seedlings (forget the >>> >name, but it's great - could look it up) >>> > >>> >>> The thing for picking out seedlings is called a "dibbler" or dibber in >>> Great Britain. we call it the seedling-thing. >>> Hermine >>> >> Now I am forced to get scientific. I have retrieved the object in >>question, and the only information conveyed upon it in writing is that >>it's a "stainless steel NIT PICKER" and "made in Canada". No kidding. >>If you ever see one, grab it. >> >>Ellen > >Yass ... We do have _enormous_ bugs up here and they drop their nits >everywhere. We also refer to the famous Canadian "NIT PICKER" as a >"backhoe" and use them in winter to dig up the vicious ice worms. > >Kidding (maybe) > >Rand > OK I confess. what we use here at the nursery is you take a stick and shove it into the automatic pencil sharpener left over from when you were employed as an architect. or if it cloggs that device, an exacto whittles it to a dull point. I don't think we call it anything. "gimme the thing" is what we say when we need one.

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