German Chamomile

German Chamomile Seedlings as of 02-24-2008

Common Name: German Chamomile

Latin Name: matricaria recutita

I started some German Chamomile seeds indoors in Dixie cups in January. I planted about 5 seedlings in a 6” standard flower pot. All but one of them are growing at a steady, decent rate. I’m going to pull the center plant out and give it away to one of my friends. The plants are about 4-inches tall now, but should grow up to 2-feet tall.

As soon as the chamomile plant matures, I’m going to harvest the flowers and make my own tea. I’ve heard that chamomile tea can calm the nerves, help you put you to sleep, and ease stomach pains, but I was surprised to learn that drinking hot chamomile tea can also help stop allergies.

If you’d like to make your own chamomile tea, make sure you choose German Chamomile (an annual plant) and not Roman Chamomile (a perennial plant) because Roman Chamomile can produce allergic skin reactions in a few rare instances. Pick the chamomile flowers when they are in full bloom. Gently rinse the flowers (without bruising them), and then allow them to dry in a cool, dark place. Store the dried flowers in an air tight container, in a cool, dark place until you are ready to use them. When you are ready to drink some tea, boil a cup of water. Place about 1 teaspoon of crushed chamomile flowers in a tea ball strainer and steep it in the water for 5 to 10 minutes before drinking your tea.

Chamomile has antianxiety, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antispasmodic properties. It also contains natural blood thinners. The chemicals in chamomile is similar to a prescription drug warfarin (Coumadin). So if you are taking warfarin you should avoid drinking chamomile tea.  If you are presently taking any medication, you should consult your doctor to rule out any potentially dangerous reactions to using the herb in question. 

Source: Balch, Phyliss. Prescription for Herbal Healing, New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 2002.

Dahlia Bulbs

White Dahlia Bulbs

In 2006 I planted a Dahlia seed. By the end of that growing season, the seed had grown into a 1" by 1/4" bulb. When I pulled up my bulbs today, I was amazed to find 8 new "baby" bulbs. The mother bulb is about 3" long, and the baby bulbs are anywhere from 1/2" to 2". You can see a photo of the Dahlia bulbs above. I had gently pulled away the 8 baby bulbs from the mother bulb to replant them in new pots.

Vacation Watering Tips for Potted Plants

One Week Vacation
Most of my plants are in unglazed terracotta pots so water evaporates quickly. I normally have to water my plants daily during our hot, dry summers. I once unexpectedly had to leave my plants alone for a week during the summer, which is pretty much a death sentence to a container garden. I didn't have time to work out a drip system so I moved all of my plants to a shady area of my patio, watered them thoroughly, and wrapped them in plastic bags. I was pleasantly surprised to find all of my plants alive and in good condition. Not only were they all alive, but one of my lilies had bloomed.

Plastic Bag Wrapping Method (Recap):

Materials:

• Plastic Bags. I used the kind that stores use to bag your purchases. Just make sure there are no holes in the bags.

Instructions:

1. Move the plants to the shadier side of your apartment patio/balcony.
   
2. Just before you leave, water the plants thoroughly (i.e., until water begins to drip from the bottom of the container).
3. Wrap each pot in plastic bags to prevent water from evaporating. Just set the pot in the bag and then tie the bag around the base of the plant. Try to tie the bag as close as possible to the trunk or stem of the plant. As water rises it will hit the plastic ceiling, and drip back down to the plant. Just make sure there are no holes in the bags you use.

Three Week Vacation
It is chilly and humid now so there will be less evaporation. Some of my plants are dormant now so they will not be needing as much water as they did during the summer. However, I do not believe my plants will be able to sustain themselves for 3 weeks on the wrapping method alone. I'm going to combine the wrapping method with a drip system for my large potted plants. Then I'm going to have a friend care for the bulk of my seedlings. I will use some of my duplicate seedlings to see if they survive the 3 weeks in a green house system I have in mind for them. I'll report my findings in January. Happy Holidays Everyone!

UPDATE: My experiment worked! Click Here to learn how you can make your own Container Watering System.

Get Free Seeds

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Send a self-addressed #10 business-sized envelope with two first-class stamps for postage to:

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Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with two first-class stamps along with your 1st and 2nd choice to:

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Visit Burt’s Bees and fill out the online request form to receive your free seeds.


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Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

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