Michele Brody : Charul Mehta

Information on seeds, mold and mildew.

I checked in Home depot and and asked them for native plants seeds that we could use.I spoke to the person who takes care of the garden section(Heather) and she suggested using
-Bermuda grass(which is the regular grass that is grown in lawns)
-St.Augustine grass
- Johnson grass(which grows about 5/6 feet tall.
- blue ribbon
I also asked about any method to prevent mold and mild dew on plants seeds and she suggested using a regular hand wash soap or 'insectocido soap'(from garden safe) that is available at Home depot. She also said that one way would be to water the seeds every other day and not everyday.

I went to the Horticulture garden on Tuesday and although there was nobody in the offices there, I spoke to a TA who was talking a class there. I asked him about the stuff that we needed and got the following inputs from him-
- to prevent mold, mildew he suggest using a fungicide(powder form) that is available in Walmart called 'captan'.
- one option he suggested was dipping the seed in hot wax and then immediately in chilled water in a way that the whole seed doesnt get covered with it. One more thing he said was dipping the seed in nail varnish. I dont do not know how effective these two options are but we need to check with a professional on it.

I also found this website which sells bulbs that are native to southern Texas. The owner of this company is an Aggie from the horticulture department. Maybe we could contact him to give us information.
http://www.southernbulbs.com/
Southern Bulbs specializes in rare and tough bulbs. Chris Wiesinger, the Bulb Hunter, (and team) are known for rescuing bulbs for the southern gardener. Many of these rare and heirloom bulbs are in very limited quantity. Southern Bulbs provides an extensive range of flower bulbs, heirloom bulbs and Texas bulbs to gardeners across the southern U.S. and other warm climates.

Charul Mehta.