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Post by phoenixcat on Mar 20, 2017 8:13:16 GMT -5
Love those teacups!! A friend of my parents does that as a side business. I think he is pretty successful at it. Few questions: 1) Is it normal for everything to look pretty wilted by the end of the day? And, is that OK if they are all perky in the morning? And, those that are never perky probably need to be replaced? 2) What does one inch of water or two inches of water a week mean to a novice? Spritz them a bit every day for the two inch ones (tomatoes). Or, every other day? 3) I have a very large black flying insect. It flies like a bee but it is almost the size of a hummingbird. Just one (or one at a time- he isn't telling me if he has a twin!). I looked on line and not coming up with many answers because most of those with similar experiences are in very humid, cooler areas. Seems to be a bit territorial about our citrus. He is "encouraging me to leave" but he isn't attacking me. If I walk off - he doesn't pursue me. But he is a big boy (or girl). Any ideas? A lot of our citrus is blooming so I'm wondering if that is the attraction. I've had one in the past in another area of the yard - with other citrus and jasmine. UPDATE: Gardener says it is a carpenter bee. Solitary bees but social Harmless unless you try and catch it. But a good pollinator so glad about that. Actually some of that I came up with on Wikileaks after the gardener identified it So far - casualties seem to be part of the swiss chard, part of the basil, and all of the beans. Moved the cilantro to an area that it "seemed to be reaching for" - will see if it is happier about that. All edibles are planted with some marigolds here and there. Will do another few sections of flowers tonight and hopefully finish tomorrow. PC
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Post by casper on Mar 20, 2017 10:20:51 GMT -5
Some plants will look all wilted at the end of the day but look all perky again by morning. My catnip (cat mint) does that. I was told that is what it does to protect it's self and conserve water at the hottest times of the day. Some plants don't do this and looking all wilted is not part of it's daily routine. Plants that are never perky may be showing signs of shock from being transplanted and I give them time to make up their minds before I give up on them.
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Post by Fivecat on Mar 20, 2017 12:12:33 GMT -5
Don't know about swiss chard, but beans and squash can be easily grown from seed. In fact, if you have to replant, I'd definitely recommend doing that instead of plants.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the "tire" teacups! Wonder if I could make those and sell them?
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Post by notanotherdecade on Mar 20, 2017 12:47:07 GMT -5
Watering the ground around plants is inefficient, most will evaporate and not reach the roots, esp in the heat.. bury some spare pots around the plants and allow the hose pipe to trickle into them. Or use cut sections of drainpipe . do you have plant food to add to the water? if the plants are under drought stress they will have difficulty absorbing minerals from the soil... Tomatoes don't like water on their leaves, so sprinklers are not recommended. Do you have netting you can use the shade the young plants?
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Post by Fivecat on Mar 20, 2017 16:14:31 GMT -5
thanks all ....NONE of my seed packets are stored in a shed I have lots of bare garden space in front I can toss them into. but may use TIRE POTS. I have a couple plain black ones ready to use. I wanted to share a gardening raised bed container idea. the guy who invented turning regular car tires inside out (I cut and turned 12 at age 50 as a weakling, so it can be done!) (one rim is cut off) you can search noonline and see some crazy ideas. the pure black rubber tire LOOKS like a large pottery planter, I painted mine adobe color like crockery, it is 6" taller when turned, does not look like a tire, and stays warmer in the sunlight holding the heat, good for germinating, and a old window screen over the top, or a glass sheet can also aid in solar warmth for seedings, and keep critters/birds off. tires do NOT off-gas! once washed of road dirt they are fine. there are silly videos with big guys trying to turn the car tires..but there is a SECRET... a man-Paul Farber of Tire ReCycling is Fun taught in his book and DVD that even I could do! ( I can share if interested) I also KEPT the 12 "rings" that are the cut off sidewall..and laid them as stepping stones with poured gravel/slate bits inside (pic) ..they worked for a long while. you can find pics online of painted car tires that look hinky to me, here are a couple pics. just turning the tire inside out, the smooth black disappears in the garden, no need to paint them (or surround with bark) the good thing on the rubber pots is a lawn mower can run into them, and nothing is hurt, and a ground cloth of screen under the pot keeps slugs and voles out. here is a link to colorful pots.. NO Need to go this far!! but ideas. What happened to the teacup pics?
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H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
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Post by H2H on Mar 20, 2017 17:47:13 GMT -5
sorry.. five cat.... Messymini said ALL the pics are clogging the storage in SOS... I was feeling guilty for posting images on SOS..BUT this one is 30Kb tiny. I will repost it..the PINTEREST you see here is a CLICK ON link to the page WITH THEM also, Ok? Making the Whimsical teacups are a lot more work..cutting a rubber strip for the handle, bolting, gluing, etc. Using several cut off inner rim rings or rings cut from trucks or other items to make a teacup base. (BTW large truck tires are too thick to ever turn inside out) One trick i WILL share you can't just paint latex onto the rubber surface, you can, but it won't last as long, if I do this level of work I want at least 5-10 years of enjoyment!!! There is a liquid product, like roofing emulsion tar that you mix with the latex.. I will locate my bottle and share the info on brand (it is cheap) . The TRICK of turning the tire inside out is wrestling it to turn it as you go around then Dropping it on the last spot unturned, and this 'unlocked' the hard sidewall, and permits it to turn.anyone doing this, trying it?? www.facebook.com/Tirecraftingcom-729430673831826/their OLD popular website is down or I can't access www.tirecrafting.comPS I will take a pic of the PLAIN black just turned tires I have, and post a couple views. youtube has lots of videos too, most are waste of energy as guys pull away..the trick is needed!
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H2H
Banned
halfwaytohoarder gets rid of it all!
Joined: February 2017
Posts: 2,041
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Post by H2H on Mar 20, 2017 18:01:05 GMT -5
five cat there are SO MANY ideas online..the best seller is a tree wing rocking horse!!! You should buy the out of print book TIRECRAFTING is FUN... worth it!
as I said you can go to any tire shop where they change out and they have piles, most people pay $2 to get rid of their tire.. I brought home 13-15..and using a short sharpe bladed know, dipped in soapy water you cut all around the inner rim 1" from where the metal tire threads are embedded (too hard to cut the, don't try)
I think you could ALSO sell the rings..they can be painted cute, and filed with stones or pored with a cement mix as stepping stones more permanent. you do only cut off ONE rim side, if you cut two they are more wobbly, unless embedded a bit more in the dirt.
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Post by creativechaos on Mar 21, 2017 1:02:47 GMT -5
phoenixcat! how exciting you are diving into gardening! you will love it - it might even become a healthy addiction. ok. i don't have time to read the thread because it's late but - pleasedon't spritz water on tomato plant leaves unless it's HOT/DRY where you are - morning might be ok for that.. tomatoes love humidity; you could make a hoop house and they'd love that... up here in our cold moldy zone 6-7 we really never have enough heat for them.. if you wet the leaves a lot, you can introduce disease! tomatoes like to be watered AT dirt level. 10 tomato plants seems reasonable for two people; you need at least 5 plants per person if you love and eat tomatoes. (bet next year you will want MOR!) i grew 8 plants last year in our crappy zone 7 and i ate every one of the tomatoes until about late sept when the rains came and split the tomatoes and gave them stem end rot. i didn't make sauce or salsa - would've needed a lot more plants for that. i just ate and ate with abandon! if the tomatoes get tall or leggy in the pots before you put into ground, plant 'em deep - at least 2 or 3 leaf nodes up the stem. you can just about bury the entire stem but the last several inches. you can go a foot or more deep. if that's too much trouble to dig that deep, dig a trench, lay the plant on its side and bury much of the stem; it will right itself, and all those leaf nodes will become roots! if you do tomatoes in pots and get summer rains, under the eaves on a sunny deck would be a great option to protect from blight. give each plant plenty of air space. indeterminate tomatoes never stop growing and they can get huge. there are many different ways to support them. it's also good to thin the little branches trying to grow out of the "armpits" - otherwise you have all green and not enough fruits. as many have said, never ever plant mint in a bed. ever! that should be illegal! nor let it go to seed... mints are invasive. always contain in a pot. mint spreads through wide shallow "runner" roots, so if you can get a wide shallow pot for it, that will be best, and you'll get the most out of it. it dries great and makes good tea and is good in mediterranean food. use not TOO shallow of a pot; give at least 8" of depth - they need soil under them and are greedy drinkers and need a lot of water and moist soil. basil is lovely in the ground or in a pot! the peppers will be fine in pots, they like black plastic because it holds the heat. the smaller peppers like cayenne don't need things as hot and humid as tomatoes or eggplants, but they are heat lovers. up here in the pac nw, i let my tomatoes get pretty dry before watering again. they never seem to mind it. it's different everywhere you live. in a HOT place, mulch would be a good idea. chard grows easily from seeds, and self sows if you let it bloom. so do all the brassicas, squash, beans, peas. this large black insect you have- does it sound like a dive bomber when it flies? does it look like a big scary hornet-kind of thing? i ask because back east, in PA where i grew up, once i saw a cicada killer - scariest thing! but they kill cicadas and don't bother people much if they are not bothered. they are solitary, not social like hornets or wasps. they look like this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecius_speciosuscarpenter bees are very small; even the queens are nowhere near as big as a queen bumblebee so i doubt that what you have is a carpenter bee if it is the size of a hummingbird!
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Post by phoenixcat on Mar 21, 2017 11:26:59 GMT -5
Hi Creative Chaos - I thought you would be incredibly tempted on this thread Thanks for all the great advice! It is very hot and dry where I am. It was in high 90s last week which is unusual in March, going back to 80s/70s for the rest of the month. April will no doubt be in the 90s most of the month. All my planting is in a couple raised beds and containers. Soaker hoses won't work. Plants that don't seem to be rebounding - 1) one section of basil 2) 2 chard plants 3) didn't transplant some small decorative flowers fast enough I think I may have lost them all. Some that still were a tiny bit perky were replanted last night but doesn't look good. 4) Habenero peppers look pretty wilted 5) I think the pole beans are gone. Anything that is still in this state by end of week will need to be pulled and replanted in my opinion. Thanks FiveCat for telling me about the seeds. My only question there is how much does that add to the growing season? I'm in a very limited window because of our heat - we pretty much are "done" by June and won't restart fall gardens until early September. Since this is my first year - I'm just going to keep things going as long as they want to go but I'm not too optimistic after mid-June at the latest. On the plus side, almost all the tomatoes are perky, all the rest of the herbs, squash and cucumbers seem to be fine. I haven't re-potted my "hummingbird plants" which I plan to do tonight - mostly honeysuckle but all seem to be OK. And, my star jasmine which is also waiting for transplant is THRIVING - it is incredibly lush right now. Some of it is supposed to go in a window planter and I'm not sure it will fit at this point PC
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Post by ohblondie on Mar 21, 2017 12:00:33 GMT -5
We have a building here called the "county agricultural department" or something like that. We all just call it the "Ag" place. They have a couple million free pamphlets on everything that grows here including weeds and all the different types of insects in this area. Pamphlets on how to adjust soil or water to help your plants do better. Pamphlets on the best plants/veggies for our area, best way to eradicate bugs and weeds. Pamphlets/cookbooks for using what we grow. Pamphlets for making bat or owl boxes and ones for making humming bird/butterfly gardens. Maybe you have an "AG" building with pamphlets near you too. Where we live we call it the Cooperative Extension.....
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Post by Fivecat on Mar 22, 2017 22:45:38 GMT -5
Cooperative extension office is correct and unless something has changed, there's one in every county in the US. (I worked for them about a million years ago). Seeds should germinate in just a few days and frankly, in the long run, I think they will actually grow faster and better than transplanted plants because of the stress of transplanting. It stunts them at first. You'd be surprised how quickly seeds will take off! I'd definitely do that with beans , squash, and cucumbers and most will be available at your local stores, particularly a local stores (as oppose to a chain) and will probably have seeds that are hardy to your area as well as someone knowledgeable to give advice. Also, ALOT of flowers can be grown easily from seed, marigolds, zinnias. I dont really know your area so hard to say what else. But back to the other, if it were me, I'd go on and pull the plants that are failing to thrive and sow some seed. I definitely recommend a call or visit to your agriculture agent at your county extension office for advice. If you ever watched Green Acres, their County Ag Agent was Mr Kimball Thanks for the "teacup" info
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Post by Unswamping on Mar 27, 2017 19:09:45 GMT -5
PC, just catching up. You didnt do anything wrong with the chard and beans, it was the high temperature. When ive planted beans, its need to be done early, by june when it starts to hit 90 they are done. In my zone 6, most people generally plant in february, march the latest and the again late august. Chard likes it cooler too, 70s/80s are fine. Fortunately both grow pretty quickly. So its not your fault, it was the freak hot spell and transplant shock combo, you couldnt have know.
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Post by Unswamping on Mar 27, 2017 19:13:04 GMT -5
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Post by purpleangel on Mar 27, 2017 22:00:48 GMT -5
phoenixcat - Every time I see this post has new info - I quick, quick click on it. I guess that means I'm officially a gardener. I wanted to echo Unswamping about the plants dying. If it is as hot and dry as you said in your area, especially if the soil is sandy, it's going to take a lot of water to keep plants alive. Where I live it gets in the high 90s and I water with a hose soaking the soil through my garden for about half an hour in the morning and often water again in the early evening. I try never to spray the hose or use a sprinkler because mildew and rot is a problem here - esp with tomatoes. You sound as though you are off to a great start. Have fun!
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Post by phoenixcat on Mar 29, 2017 7:51:55 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! Started to put aside my empty water bottles to attach to the spikes! That may solve my tomato issue if nothing else. Been sick with bronchitis for a week so mainly just trying to do the bare minimum right now. As they say in my DH's country "do the needful". Haven't replanted the "bush flowers" yet. Was going to do it yesterday but two of the containers I ordered are too small. I didn't have enough large ones and matching are all out of stock. Then tried to build my decorative Amish wagon and some of the metal pieces are missing the pre-drilled holes Company is sending me a whole new wagon and told me to keep the other one!!! So once I get the correct piece and know where the holes are supposed to go - I can ask my friend who has tools for sawing/drilling metal to help me fix the old one. Wagon is really cute so it would be great to have two - just need to be patient! PC
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