Mike Swimm
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mikeswimm.bsky.social
Mike Swimm
@mikeswimm.bsky.social
I'm interested in composting, rewinding, native plants, hydroponics and rapid prototyping.

I love to build stuff.
I started some Hibiscus moscheutos (swamp rose-mallow) seeds today from pods I harvested last fall. The pods are so beautiful that I hated to tear them apart.

In my region, rose-mallow is the 7th most important perennial and supports 28 species of moths and butterflies.

#nativeplants
March 14, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Rather than plant into plug trays and deal with non-ideal germination rates, this year I germinated in seed trays before pricking out the seedlings. It worked much better.

I moved half my seedlings into plug trays and half into Aerogardens with seed starters. The results were wild.

#nativeplants
March 13, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Yesterday, I divided up a clump of Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan) my friend Colin gave me. I got 13 solid plants and 5 optimistic stragglers out of it. They are on the left and in the small pots in front. The woody stalks are elderberry plants I started from cuttings last month.

#nativeplants
March 11, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I’ve been lurking here for a while, but I figured it’s time for an #introduction post. 👋

I’m Mike Swimm. I live in Chapel Hill, NC. For the last 20 years, I’ve run candlescience.com, but I recently hired my replacement, and I’m working on new things.

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March 11, 2025 at 4:33 PM
@jonkimball.bsky.social so glad you’re on here now Jon!!
November 14, 2024 at 6:30 PM