It's Full Bloom Time!

Don't wait! Visit the Gale Woods Farm linen flax crop this week to see the flowers before they're gone!

Summer is flying by, and I couldn't wait any longer to check on the Gale Woods Farm flax. It is in full bloom! I am so happy! Following my previous post, when I thought we were too early for the bloom, I am pleased to report that the crop has reached the full bloom stage at nearly 60 days. That's where it needs to be on nature's schedule for annual (linen) flax. (Can you see the butterfly visiting the flowers near the center left of the photo above? There were several of these flying from flower to flower this morning.)

Yes, the stalks are shorter than last year—about a foot shorter. But they are healthy. Some are showing a little yellowing at the base, indicating that their harvest date is approaching—in hopefully no less than 30 days—again, to be on nature's schedule.

Some capsules are forming from where the flowers have dropped off in the last week or so. Right on time!

As long as the extreme heat and humidity of the remaining summer don't affect the future maturity, we will have a nice crop of linen flax to pull at the end of August.

Although it was a very hot morning, it was also a gorgeous time to visit the field! Check out those lovely summer clouds!

If you come out to the farm to see the flowers this week, visit in the morning between 9 and noon, as the flower petals from the morning bloom will drop off after that time, and the stalks will appear fairly flowerless. You may catch a few butterflies visiting the flowers, too!

The Bloom is on the Flax!

An update below. . .

I went on a quick visit to Gale Woods Farm this morning to check on the linen flax plot. I hadn't been able to get out to do more weeding of the crop during the past week or so, although the plot looked fairly weed-free, at least among the stalks themselves, so that was good to see.

The stalks are averaging two feet in height. That is pretty much on schedule. Last year, this same variety of Avian linen flax reached forty inches or more in height at harvest time, which is expected to occur in another 50-60 days this year. Although...

Some stalks have already started to bloom! This is about three weeks earlier than expected. In addition, a few stalks appear to be turning yellow at their base. That is extremely early, since full maturity should be at 90–100 days, not 43 days, which it currently is. This has made me ponder the reasons behind the appearance of maturity. Perhaps the late sowing created conditions that forced the stalks to mature more quickly than normal or stressed the plants? It has also been very wet, hot, and humid for the past four weeks—not conditions that young linen flax stalks like. Another thought is that this particular part of the field did not have the nutrients that the linen flax prefers. Perhaps it is too nitrogen-rich? I am also investigating what was planted in this area last year to determine if the soil conditions were impacted by a previous crop.

UPDATE TO MY SPECULATIONS! My research memory was just jarred by Greg, the garden manager at Gale Woods Farm. He was wondering whether the long daylight at this time of year triggers flowering. Yes! That is most likely what is going on in the field with the "early" flowering! In Sweden, the flax comes into bloom during midsummer, when daylight is the longest. I had totally forgotten that fact. Thanks, Greg, for shaking loose my brain!

Based on my research into annual flax cultivation in Sweden, the implications could be that the farm flax will be shorter than normal due to the shorter season, making it potentially harder to process. However, it may also yield finer fiber when processed. We will see!

My potted flax is holding in there, and the stalks are now up to nearly three feet in height. These potted stalks are the same flax variety that the farm has in their field, but with the update I noted above, it is unlikely they will become as tall as these potted stalks.. 

The potted flax stalks are just starting to show signs of yellowing at the base, so they are on schedule to be harvested soon, although I have not seen much flowering. I wonder if that is because the pots are not tall enough to accommodate a stalk to full seed/flowering maturity. Without the mature seed pods, the linen that is produced could be negatively affected.

Flax growing is a never-ending adventure!