My seventh grade science experiment posited the question, "Does music affect the growth of plants?" Our teacher suggested we use mung beans, saying they would grow quickly and easily - both important qualities given our timeline. Thus, my long-suffering mother drove me to Bulk Barn, where we picked up what we understood to be mung beans. Whether they were mung beans or something else entirely will remain a mystery for the ages, but know that they did not grow even one bit, even after vigorous doses of
August & Everything After and
Much Dance Mix '93. (My beans, it seemed, did not agree with the assessment that rhythm is a dancer, and they certainly were not in the mood to jump around.) My science partner and I had to resort to established plants. One was exposed to music, and one was not. As I recall, we noted no significant difference between the growth of the two. Astonishing! Somehow, I still went on to win the science award in eighth grade, most likely for my groundbreaking comparison of the effectiveness of various laundry detergents. I expect that Nobel prize nomination to happen any day now. Anyhow, this is a whole lot of preamble leading up to a realization I made this morning on my daily garden visit: one of my tomato plants (sweet 100 hybrid tomato) is sad, and I need a hero. A hypothesis based on oh-so-reliable empirical evidence viewed by my twelve year old self that would suggest this fella is indifferent to The Beatles means that the Internet will probably have to suffice.
Symptom: drooping leaves at the very top of the plant. The bottom three quarters are healthy, and I even spotted fruit - (yes, keeping with the "scientific" theme of this post, I am putting tomatoes
in the "fruit" category).
Theories:- blossom-end rot
- over-watering
- some sort of nutrient imbalance in the soil
Thoughts: Further observation is required to determine whether #1 is the problem. I have not seen any of the lesions described on the referenced page on any of the leaves. Mostly, the leaves just look depressed or tired, like they have had a rough go of things and need a cocktail or two and a Gossip Girl marathon. #2 and #3 seem unlikely, given that both tomato plants have received the same treatment, and only one is struggling.
Here's the plan: Switch from a daily to a once or twice a week watering schedule. Administer
milk and water solution via spray bottle weekly. Research, bookmark, wait, and watch.
A more cheerful customer in region 1 is my strawberry plant.
Finally, I went on a mission to Home Depot the other night to obtain a shepherd's hook and hanging basket for the still far too bare spot at the front of our house (where a giant bug-magnet of a shrub once stood). My secret fear of being impaled by large unsecured objects whilst driving was alive and well as I transported my purchases to the gym and then home, but I am happy to report that there were no freak accidents. Yes, I am still as unhole-y as ever.
impatiens, my friends.
Traveling with toddlers is always something of a crap-shoot, a reality we experienced firsthand today when we entered the gardens in Burlington with two restless little ones in tow. This meant that we kept our touring time short, before finally leaving to check into the hotel and go to dinner. Another thing I should mention is this small piece of advice: if you go to RBG, do not go on a Saturday! Hendrie Park was overrun with wedding parties and their accompanying photographers, none of whom seemed to have much patience for us, despite the fact that we paid the $13 per person admittance fee which gave us access to all of the open grounds. (We intended to visit Laking Garden in addition to Hendrie Park, but it is temporarily closed due to accessibility issues.)
