stuff happens

Last week, my son, Nick and I toured Ball Seed Company's "Ball Premier Line" , seed prepping department.  Raw seed is graded and then placed in cyclones.  The cyclones allow the seed to fly through the air.  At the bottom of the cyclone are three spray nozzles that spray a special coating on the raw seed.

In photo, one raw seed has received the first coating. The second photo shows the seeds almost finished as they have received a yellow coating.  Ball coats seeds in order to make them slick.  Reducing drag on the seed allows growers to singulate the seed easier when running the seed through a seed sewing machine (you can view an earlier story on our in-house germination)

Raw Seed receiving a first layer of coating

Coated Seed completed

Nick, scraping the cyclone to agitate the seed 

Cyclones

Pelletizing the seed makes the seed round.  Round, larger seed is easier to sew.

Pelletizing the seed.  Different from coating

Ball Seed tech explaining pelletizing to Nick

Pre-germinated seed receiving pelletization

Ball Teck prepping seed

June 19, marked the beginning of poinsettia season.  Temps were in the high 80's the day we stuck these cutttings in Oasis rooting wedges.  We ran mist every 10 minutes intervals for 16 second duration.  Also, 400 ppm of SOAX, wetting agent was injected through the mist lines.

June 19, 2013.  We stuck 3000 unrooted poinsettia cuttings

Camille and Casey working in the greenhouse on a hot day. Note the poinsettias were stressed.

This edition talks about the Ball Hort (formerly known as Ball Seed Co.) annual field trials.  The Gardens at Ball Hort are fantastic this year, even with the extreme heat we have been experiencing in the Midwest.  Prior to arriving at The Gardens,  our group toured the University of Illinois' Arboretum and the Japanese House.  The participants on the trip enjoyed this stop.  This trip was also more interesting as my two sons, Michael and Nicholas rode along and enjoyed the trip as well.

As many of frequent readers know, I don't spend a lot of time writing but rather convey the story with pictures.  So, here are this year's pictures.  If you have any questions or comments please leave them on the blog.  There are a lot of pictures in this issue.....  The day went from cloudy to sunny to rainy to sunny.  My white balance was off a bit in a few of these pictures as the clouds left and sun shone and vice-versa.

Japanese House @ Uof I

Great idea for a fence.  Bamboo set horizontal in a 2x4 channel

Willow and Bamboo 

wood screen 

bamboo fence

water feature - very soothing sound

entrance to the UofI arboretum

Sweet Potato vine growing well in the heat

The trial gardens at the arboretum

Great variegated purple/white ornamental pepper

I really like the use of ornamental peppers in the beds

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another part of the arboretum.  

Great shed at the arboretum.

son, Michael walking through one of the displays

couldn't resist taking a shot of this sign.

Michael and Mrs Effinger from Effinger's Garden Center in Belleville

Entrance to The Gardens at Ball Hort

You will see a lot of shots of petunias in this part of the blog.
They have performed very well this year.

 

Wave petunias

This is how the field trials used to look  just beds of plants for evaluation

absolutely love this color combo

We grew this petunia this year.  It is fantastic!  Great performance and little maintenance

Spectacular yellow callibrochoa

variegated peppers and verbena

Ball's shade house.  

angel or dragon wings  - whatever - its a great  hanging basket

succulents.  we had them this year for sale. they sold well.

Great fun - this is a merri-go-round.  The kids on the tour had funny spinning this .

ummm.... ok.....

Candy lily - I have and had this at both our houses.  Great little flower.

perennial beds - very quiet back here

Rock sculptures

iresine ground cover. I will have this next year.

Silver wave petunias and Dichondra falling over a rock retaining wall

hanging basket trials  - one of my favorite places to be.

very large planters 

perennial trials

a new shade structure in The Gardens

The paths are DG (decomposed granite) I used this product for a our new sales house

In the background is a part of Ball's office building.
 How would you like to have your office looking out  over this garden every day..

peppers and Wasabi Coleus. I had this coleus this year. It is a winner

sweet potato vines are coming in a lot more varied colors and leaf shapes.

Angelonia Bed - it is an upcoming star.  Very consistent habit

got to love this name "magilla perilla"

my favorite new flower!  

and the name says it all......

love the coleus

some examples of container plantings.  I also attend the container  gardening seminars

one the orbs outside Ball's meeting rooms

Water Garden.... this is inspiring.

I always love visiting this structure.  This year, Burpee, which is owned by Ball was highlighting  fresh vegetable infused drinking water.  We sampled mint and cucumber infused water.  Targeting The  X and Ys

and that's the end of the pictures.

I hope you enjoyed viewing these pictures as much as me.