A Tweak to the Greenhouse

     A couple of months ago, I set up a small greenhouse to moderate conditions for my hardy trees. (Here's that post.) After the weather finally decided that spring was really here after all, the greenhouse became a suitable temporary home for my tropical trees while my hardy trees went onto (also temporary) racks elsewhere. I'm planning an outdoor bonsai enclosure on our new property, but so far other matters involved in our move have been more urgent.

The tropicals are still in the greenhouse, and temperatures have gone fairly quickly from spring to summer. The greenhouse was not designed with any sort of vent in the rear wall; it just came with the door in the front and two vents low on each side. And I discovered that on hot days the temperature inside could get over 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) by early afternoon. While many tropicals can survive such heat without permanent harm, it's not necessarily best for them.

So this weekend I made my own vent in the back end of the greenhouse. I put it as high as I practically could, since hot air rises, and made it large enough, I hope, to let heat out at an adequate rate. Dimensions are 5 inches by 22 inches (about 12½ cm by 56cm.)

The new rear-wall vent, open. Looking thru to the grass in front of the greenhouse.

A layer of plastic window screen on the inside will cut down on the amount of leaves and debris that blow in. The vent is held open or closed, as needed, with Velcro. I got pieces of industrial-strength Velcro (or so it's advertised, at least) of different widths at a local DIY store, and stuck them to one another and the plastic of the wall in such a way that nothing else was needed.

The vent closed. (Yes, the whole greenhouse sits on the ground at a few degrees of tilt.)

My father was a fairly good amateur engineer. That's one aptitude of his I did not inherit. Almost anything I build or contrive looks homemade; but it also usually does the job it's designed for, and I'll accept that!

:-)  :-)  :-)

A Little Pine Surprise

     I've never had one of my potted pines produce seed cones before. I've seen pollen cones on my yamadori ponderosas (Pinus ponderosa) a couple of times, including this spring. I'm glad to see them because, besides being visually interesting, they indicate that the tree is at least in reasonably good health.

But if that's not a seed cone developing on a branch tip of my yamadori ponderosa, I don't know what else it can be. It looks like a cone, just smaller and less developed than it will eventually be. And even tho it's not usually the dominant color, there is purple in the color of ponderosa bark.

I first noticed this new cone a little over a week ago, and got pretty excited - even dragged my wife over to see it the other day. It's something new, and I take it as even more a sign of the tree's good health than the pollen cones a few weeks ago.

First seed cone on my yamadori ponderosa. Presently about as long as my index fingernail.

As if to say, "Hey, don't leave me out," one of my Japanese black pines (Pinus thunbergii) also appears to be setting a cone for the first time! It's smaller (which may mean younger), a little different in form, and more of a pale pink in color at this point. But I've little doubt of what it is, and I'm excited to see it too!

New cone on one of my JBP's. Almost exactly in the center of the picture.

Besides being at a certain minimum level of health, a tree has to reach a certain stage of maturity as well before it can produce seeds. According to what I can find, a ponderosa has to be at least seven years old to set seed and a Japanese black at least four. Since this ponderosa is close to 45 years old and this JBP at least 12, they're both easily old enough! 

I'll post updates a time or two as the season progresses. From what I read, a ponderosa's cones take two year to mature, so the updates will continue next summer. I hope you enjoy this with me!

:-)  :-)  :-)