The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

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August 19, 2010

Consumer Q’s

Submitted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture

Question:  My marigolds are almost six feet tall.   I save the seeds from year to year, and this is the first time I have ever had giant marigolds.  In the past they have always been very bushy and about two feet tall.  I have never used any fertilizer.  Do you have any idea why these plants are so tall?  Did they get cross-pollinated with zinnias last year?

Answer:  Your marigolds did not cross-pollinate with your zinnias.  What has probably happened is that the marigolds have reverted to something closer to their original form.  Hybridizers have worked for many decades breeding marigolds with larger flowers and a greater range of flower colors.  They have also worked making marigolds shorter and more compact.   Although shorter plants can have benefits (less likely to require staking, less likely to blow over in a storm, more suitable for growing in containers), shorter is not always an improvement.  Some people like the taller forms, especially if they are going for an old-fashioned look in their gardens or want long-stemmed flowers for cutting.  The seeds you save from this year’s marigolds are very likely to come back to produce plants of similar height next year.  If these are too tall for you, purchase some seed of a shorter variety.

Q:  Which is hotter – a jalapeno pepper or a cayenne pepper?

A:  Cayenne is hotter.  On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hottest, jalapenos rate 5-6 and cayennes rate 8.  Other common types of hot peppers rate as follows: cherry 1-5, ancho/poblano 3, wax 3-8, serrano 6-7, Korean 6-7, Thai 7-8, tabasco 8-9, Scotch bonnet 9-10 and habanero 10.  The heat in hot peppers can vary depending on where and how they were grown and vary among different varieties within the type of pepper.  There are more differences between these peppers than just how hot they are, however.  They have different flavors.  These flavors can also vary depending on how ripe the pepper is when harvested and whether it is fresh or dried.  If you are experimenting with tasting hot peppers, keep some milk on hand.  Drinking milk or eating a dairy product such as ice cream or yogurt will help quell some of the burning if you are not used to eating hot, spicy foods.

Q: Can figs be grown in pots?  I love figs but only have a deck.

A:  Yes, figs may be grown in large pots or tubs.  Be prepared to keep a careful eye on watering as figs grown in containers can dry out quickly.  Provide some winter protection if possible as the roots of the fig are more exposed to cold temperatures than if planted in the ground.  You may also want to consider a smaller cultivar such as ‘Petite Negri.’

If you have questions about services or products regulated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, visit our website at www.agr.georgia.gov or write us at 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Room 227, Atlanta, GA  30334 or e-mail us at  info@agr.georgia.gov.

 



 

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