FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF DEC. 2, 2001:
What can I do to make sure my forced bulbs bloom over the holidays when my company is here to enjoy them? Is there something I can do speed them up or slow them down if they’re developing too slowly or too quickly?
If your bulbs are progressing toward bloom and it looks like they’ll be too early, the course of action is clear, says JoAnn Robbins, University of Idaho Extension horticulture educator: move them into dimmer light and cooler temperatures.
Forced bulbs grow fastest in direct sunlight and temperatures of 60 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Try pale light—not darkness—and 40- to 50-degree temperatures. When you want your bulbs to resume growth, increase the temperature immediately but re-accustom them gradually to full sunlight.
Speeding up lagging bloom is not as clear cut, says Robbins. A lot depends on the type of bulb and how close to blooming it is. But direct sunlight and temperatures above 60 degrees are a “must for top speed,” she says. “Be sure to rotate the pots now and then so that all the leaves get the same amount of sun.”
For consumers, timing the bloom of forced bulbs is frankly “hit or miss at best,” says Robbins. “If you need flowers for your holiday feast table, you’d better have a back-up plan.”
Bah-humbug. The holiday season is upon us—time for my husband and I to start fighting about going out vs. staying in. My husband is the party type. He customarily lines up some holiday event or another for us to attend three or four times a week. I’d rather curl up in front of the fire, listen to holiday music and read a good book. He refuses to go to these parties alone, so I go with him. But I’m not a good small-talker and am usually anxious to leave after an hour or so. How can we resolve this fairly?
Alas, marriage is not always fair and the holidays come only once a year, says Barbara Petty, University of Idaho Extension educator. Plan to curl up together to your heart’s content after New Year’s, but try to strengthen your social muscles this month.
Start by defining mutually agreeable limits: together with your husband, decide on the number of parties the two of you will attend. Identify which ones are the most important to him and which ones you feel most comfortable attending. Since you’re not good at “small talk,” she suggests selecting a few holiday events that are performances, not parties.
Good relationships demand balance and compromise. Yes, the two of you should enjoy some quiet hours in front of the fire this month, Petty says. But on other evenings, “Put a smile on your face, get dressed up and look forward to a night out with your best friend.”
How can I keep my spending in check this holiday season?
Whether they’re buying presents, decorating for the holidays, hosting parties or traveling to visit relatives, consumers spend more money in the three months before New Year’s than at any other time of year, says Marilyn Bischoff, University of Idaho Extension family economics specialist.
“Too many people get so carried away with holiday spending that it takes them months or even years to dig out,” she says. To keep your cheer intact before and after the holidays:
My kids are easily taken in by TV ads for toys. They think the toys will look as great or be as fun to play with as they appear on TV. Then, when they get those toys, they find out they’re not so wonderful and that there’s only one or two things they can do with them before the toys get boring. How can we break this expensive cycle of I-want-it-I-don’t-like-it-anymore?
Ah, what a perfect opportunity to teach your children the fundamentals of consumer education, says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho Extension family development specialist. In preparation for their holiday list-making, how about taking your kids to the toy store to examine a few of those coveted items?
Right there in the aisle, ask them to identify the toy’s strengths and weaknesses, to estimate how long they think the toy will last and to name first one thing—and then another and another—that they can do with it.
“Don’t make this a lecture about wise buying. Make it a group participation project,” she says.
If your children learn early that there’s a big gap between the promise and the reality of advertising, they’ll be less likely to think that a certain car will change their lives when they’re older. “We expect adults to make wise buying decisions,” says Shaklee. “Let’s start young.”
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by University of Idaho Extension or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]