23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
But now I think I will give them the drip three times spread over every two-week period. If that's wrong, I hope you will let me know.
One of the first things to learn as a new gardener is you water when the plant needs it not on some sort of artificial schedule the gardener makes up. :)
There are too many variables involved for any "this is Tuesday so I have to water" schedule to work. When the weather is cool plants need less water, as it warms up they need more. If it rains then you need to know how much. That's what rain gauges are for. Floral is lucky to live in a much wetter climate than many of us on this side of the pond. So what is your climate like?
You need to notice if it has been cloudy and overcast for the past few days or full sun for days. And you need to notice how well your soil drains - how long does it take for it to dry out. Not just surface drying but root deep drying.
You can tell when the plant needs it by sticking your fingers in the soil down to the root level and feeling the moisture content. If it feels cool or damp then you don't water.
Then once the leaves develop notice the turgor - the tension in the leaf surfaces. If they are firm and the leaf surface fully expanded, no water is needed. If softening or floppy they need water.
And once it is leafing don't forget to feed it a diluted to 1/2 strength well-balanced fertilizer.
Dave
You can kill them with dish soap mixed in with water, using a spray bottle. If you have a larger amount, then you can use a hand sprayer and just cover the general area where they are.
It kills them pretty fast. Not sure if they drown or just react to the dish soap, but you can kill the nymphs and adults like this.
If I remember correctly, they like to hang out with female maple trees, so you or a nearby neighbor probably has one of these.
Thank you. They were in the ivy along the fence. I will not worry about them for now.
Here is a link that might be useful: Boxelder Bug
I just remembered that when I was a kid we always planted them on Good Friday. I haven't grown them for many years.
Thanks for heads up. I had completely forgotten that they go in earl, but I'll be throwing some in the ground this weekend.
This post was edited by Creek-side on Sun, Apr 20, 14 at 22:10
Looks like a nice sunny spot! When does that shade hit the tomato area?
I'd go with plan A because its your first year in this location, and you will learn about the characteristics of each area as you grow this season. Plus, it's more exciting to get planting right away then to get involved in construction/terraforming projects that take too long and end up delaying your planting - believe me I've done this several years.
I'd just get a whole bunch of compost and get going :)
~emmers
The oil might kill the mites, but yes. You should rinse off the plants a few hours after applying soap, before letting them back in sunlight. Neem oil should take care of them. Best way to apply insecticidal soap is at dusk, rinse in morning.
Kevin
Great ideas thanks Dave. I was planning on using drip tape which I beleive has standard spacing but emitters may be a better way to go. And, yeah I do think grouping plants into like watering needs and having valves for individual lines may be a significant part of the answer.
Story on Kellogg using sewage
Here is a link that might be useful: Sewage in Kellogg soil
The Mother Jones info is dated. Perhaps it is why Kellogg changed the product. Amend is now OMRI listed and OMRI listed products do not contain biosolids/sludge composted or otherwise.. I have some of the old product and the new. The label is different and so is the smell.
Thanks for the link. I will definitely look into neem oil. Sorry I took so long to reply. After I did that strenuous project I went onto another one...TAXES! lol totally drained me in more ways than one.
I've grown Golden Bantam before. It's very small. Funny there's a 3 Stooges episode where Curly was biting on the cuckoo clock's weights and after Moe confronts him he say he thought it was Golden Bantam which is about the same size.
Yeah Andy, corn is really sensitive. I figure I only have last year's seed to lose. I could replant later. Oak leaves aren't out yet but are starting here. Traditionally you plant when they're the size of squirrel's ears. However you still can get some cold so it;'s always a good idea to have something like straw or row covers to protect them over night.
I've been adding sand to heavy clay soil for over 40 years, and it always improves plant growth. I grow some of the rarest and most difficult plants on Earth in clay soil amended with sand. It is best if the sand makes up at least 25% of the soil by volume. Don't listen to the hysteria; just try it yourself. The main problem is that you need to wait until the clay is workable: not too wet, not too dry.
But remember that there are many other variables that you need to worry about, such as adjusting soil acidity and providing fertilizer and water at the right times. Hopefully, there is plenty of sun in that area, or you aren't going to have much luck with veggies.
If you want to understand how sand interacts with clay and silt to make soil, Google "soil triangle". Loam and sandy loam soils are the best garden soils for general-purpose gardening. If you have clay loam, you can make loam or sandy loam by adding sand. If you have pure clay, you probably need to replace it with purchased soil. My rule of thumb: any soil which produces a good crop of weeds or grass can be amended to make good garden soil.
One of the best things about using sand is that the improvement in your soil is permanent, because sand does not decompose like compost. So you won't have to spend the rest of your life lugging compost and digging it in. On the other hand, it's always a good idea to add a little compost every year. Mulching with compost is the easiest way to do this, and helps to keep the soil cool and moist.
In the past I've planted well over 9 seeds per square for beans and have gotten excellent results. It really turned the area into a jungle of beans. I wouldn't recommend doing more than 9 seeds per square, but I've really been poor at thinning in the past (still not my strongest area). But, we did get a number of large harvests. One of the things about intensive gardening you do likely get less per plant than what you likely would get if you didn't plant intensively, but because you have more plants in a given area you often get more from the area. That said, intensive gardening does require the soil to be in really good shape and to give proper care to the plants. Also, don't expect to be taking many photos of your harvest and having large sized items. Intensive gardening and giant pumpkins don't go together.
Well, yes, you'd want them out of your garden area just so that you don't get bitten by them (if they are the biting kind).
Even if they don't bite, for me, I don't like things (lots of things is even worse) crawling on my hands and arms when I'm doing yard work.
Since you mention specifically that they are different kinds of ants (with wings), then you'll need to check what kind of food they eat to get the proper bait or food to trick them and remove them. For example, something sweet or something else?
You can also keep that bed area constantly wet and see if they move on their own but then when they do move, you'll have to handle them at their next spot also.
Another discussion about this same question just a couple of threads down the page.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Ant discussions