hey bruce ...

you are working awful hard on what i call my native SS ...

in my hosta beds.. they self seed.. and ramble around the area ... its that easy ...

so the easiest thing i might suggest that you get rid of the grass.. and make a bed of compost around that tree ... and let it do its own thing .... including simply letting it seed itself ...

i dont know if any of that is expert advice .. just what happens in my hosta beds ...

its native habitat is under the trees, in the forest, in full shade ... and under tress in the forest the soil ... is light leaf mold.. and that is what you should shoot for ... you can tell .. by looking at yours ... its an old grass patch.. which is not fluffy or 'light' .. and that might be why it wont self seed ...

ken

ps: i also have a cool 12 inch dwarf that is going on a 6 foot wide area .. and a variegated one ... so if you make the bed .. there are others you could collect ...

Here is a link that might be useful: flip to the SEARCH side for info

Ken: thanks for the advice. However, that grass is so sparse that I dont think it would hinder anything. I won't mow it all year. It comes up like you see it and by mid june it will be basically dead/dormant or "brown". Crab Grass doesn't even grow there. The soil all over here is quite sandy and the spot the plant is in was natively wooded by mostly oak and some pine. So there is quite a bit of leaf material in the soil. But for what you said, I should spread compost around the area and that should help it naturally seed it self? What kind of compost. i dont have any of my own compost around.

If you look just behind that tree in the first photo, you will see the area I planted the seeds in. It is a mostly bare patch of ground about 4 foot square. I just hope something comes up this year.

Oh, and is that "True Solomons Seal" or one of the false varieties?

Bruce

Oh, and is that "True Solomons Seal" or one of the false varieties?

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you are missing my point...

the soil under that tree is hard pan former sod/grass.. the small seeds may never hit the soil surface ..

a light weight compost.. will allow proper seating of the seed on the soil.... and MIGHT aid in natural propagation ..

and will also help with some water retention.. as that soil in your pic is most likely bone dry all the time ...

good luck

ken

Ken:
yes, the soil is pretty dry most of the summer. Especially since it is so sandy.

What should i use for "compost"? Is there some thing I can buy at the garden center like manure?

Also, do you know if it is "True" or false Solomons seal?

I am growing Polygonatum odoratum 'Solomons seal' which multiplies by under ground stolons. I think it would grow in the location you have yours, it does for me. I have some growing within 3 feet of the trunk of a fifty year old Deodar Cedar. Al

I don't know anything about Solomon's Seal but from looking on the net I think that you have one. The false Solomon's seal flowers on the end of the stem and has reddish berries. Your plant has been flowering up and down the stem because the berries are there. Other look-a-likes are more upright.
As for munch, use anything you have. I lasagna compost any area of my garden I want to improve. I take kitchen vegetables, coffee grounds, egg shells and fruit peels throw it on the ground and cover with leaves. Lawn clippings mixed with something brown to keep them airy will work. A bag of soil conditioner from a big box store. Rake your lawn in fall and pile leaves under the tree. Mulch needs a little moisture to break down and become good plant food. Don't bury the stem of the plant in mulch. This is how we all have become gardeners, an idea and a well to execute it.

Here is a link that might be useful: The false one

Yes, it does look like I have true solomons seal. As for the compost, if I start throwing table scraps out around my SS plant, I will have every dog in the neighborhood hanging around. I will probably just throw a few bags of store bought compost and manure around the area. I just hope something comes up this spring.
Bruce

No you don't compost table scrapes, you compost fruit peels, bad lettuce and yellow broccoli. You are feeding the worms not the dogs. Table scrape would bring more than just dogs. Amending soil is ongoing and should be cheap.

esox07 - sounds like you need to get on over to the Soil, Compost and Mulch Forum fast. Your concept of compost needs work.;-).

When you asked about this plant last year we said it was a Polygonatum ie Solomon's Seal. False S S would be Maianthemum racemosum and as peggiewho says it has a different flowering habit.