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I'm attempting to bring back the hydroponics thread so come post. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3856830
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May 14, 2018 03:29
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Duck and Cover posted:I'm attempting to bring back the hydroponics thread so come post. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3856830 ...poachin' my posters, eh? ... ...  Kidding. Have fun substrate free dorks
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May 14, 2018 05:24
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 My peonies have officially started blooming!
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May 14, 2018 18:40
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Schmeichy posted:
loving beautiful! Out of curiosity, do your peonies attract ants? I have the weirdest phenomenon in which ants congregate on mine. Like, they don't hurt anything and they never stop it from growing or blooming but they are all over it. Just thought I'd ask another peony grower.
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May 14, 2018 18:53
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Literally A Person posted:loving beautiful! Actually ants help peonies! Peony buds produce a sugary nectar to attract ants, and the ants help stimulate the buds to open. Nature is weird. My roses are opening faster that I'm noticing, these weren't here yesterday I swear 
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May 14, 2018 19:15
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Schmeichy posted:Actually ants help peonies! Peony buds produce a sugary nectar to attract ants, and the ants help stimulate the buds to open. Nature is weird.  Thanks for the info garden goon!
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May 14, 2018 19:17
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Duck and Cover posted:I'm attempting to bring back the hydroponics thread so come post. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3856830 i'm a soil boy
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May 14, 2018 19:18
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Literally A Person posted:loving beautiful! Yeah peonies can't open until ants break off the coating.
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May 14, 2018 19:32
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And that's why I rip out every peony bush I find. You can't grow peonies without finding giant black ants nestled in the layers of petals like poo wrapped in satin bedsheets. If you cut the blooms to bring into the house, I find completely submerging them in a sinkful of water and then gently swishing the petals while they're underwater will dislodge most of the ants.
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May 14, 2018 19:37
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Are we sure that’s not an old wives tale? I’ve got peonies and no ants and they bloom fine.
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May 14, 2018 20:02
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I just read the thread title and I don’t know what a lot of you people are talking about but I can assure you it will take a lot more than some water and sunlight to make me ascend from the dirt-filled dwellings of my mom’s basement.
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May 14, 2018 20:20
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learnincurve posted:Are we sure that’s not an old wives tale?
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May 14, 2018 20:34
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learnincurve posted:Are we sure that’s not an old wives tale? I was under the impression that the ants weren't necessary, just beneficial. After googling a bit, another theory is that peonies attract ants to protect them from other insects. The reason the ants love peonies is the nectar on the buds, but it looks like we don't know exactly why peonies do it.
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May 14, 2018 20:37
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I would use that as an opportunity rather than a misfortune. Step 1. Plant peony in area with existing ant problem Step 2. bait the ground round them. Step 3. Gloat over the corpses of your enemies.
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May 14, 2018 20:37
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I've been wanting to check this thread out for a while. It's currently raining balls here so pictures will have to wait, but the spring gardening season here in Central FL is winding down, 5/6 of my beds are finishing up their harvests. OTOH, my volunteer tomatoes are going apeshit this year
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May 14, 2018 20:48
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learnincurve posted:I have never been sadder in my garden when I tested the soil and found it varied from alcaline to holy gently caress, alcaline! Lol, it's possible to treat acidic soil, butvit's my understanding that if it's alkaline you're boned, sorry. You can try elemental sulfur between growing seasons though, which will help a great deal temporarily
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May 14, 2018 20:58
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T.S. Smelliot posted:Lol, it's possible to treat acidic soil, butvit's my understanding that if it's alkaline you're boned, sorry. You can try elemental sulfur between growing seasons though, which will help a great deal temporarily Sort of. Pine needles are very acidic and partly why you generally don't see things growing under pine trees. A sufficient amount can acidify soil. Also fertilizers that are high in phosphor will also lower pH. Phosphoric acid is one of the best pH reducers out there. That being said, it's still a long rear end process. Ironically, where I live most people's soil is pretty acidic so grass tends to get overrun by moss and strawberries. Which I argue is a better lawn anyway.
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May 14, 2018 23:09
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Stretch Marx posted:Sort of. Pine needles are very acidic and partly why you generally don't see things growing under pine trees. A sufficient amount can acidify soil. Basically what this says is that fresh pine needles still attached to the tree are kind of acidic but by the time they are ready to fall off the tree they are barely acidic. Then after a few days on the ground they lose their acidity completely.
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May 15, 2018 01:06
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learnincurve posted:I would use that as an opportunity rather than a misfortune. If you're not pathetically scared of ants like me, just embrace that the gorgeous beauty of peonies goes hand-in-hand with some gross stuff and maybe don't plant them too close to your front door.
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May 15, 2018 01:19
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Looks like this is the first year that I'll have apples on the Liberty apple tree I planted like six years ago. Very excited.
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May 15, 2018 02:04
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guri posted:I was reading about this a lot a few months back and it turns out it is a myth. There are a few articles about it but this one is good https://www.gardenmyths.com/pine-needles-acidify-soil/ The comments also offer some good discussion. Good to know. Thanks for this. So apparently the guy who sold me my katuk is no longer selling it on ebay and I can't find another source in Canada. I may be one of the few people here who has one. I'm going to need to post guard dogs and barbwire the tent.
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May 15, 2018 02:29
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I've got a two or AB compost system going for it's fourth year and the compost I've been getting is great this year. Plants did well last year and we've added 24 sq ft and reclaimed almost all of the neglected garden we inherited with the house. Booyah.
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May 15, 2018 03:32
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Thots and Prayers posted:I've got a two or AB compost system going for it's fourth year and the compost I've been getting is great this year. Summer of the garden goon!!!
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May 15, 2018 03:35
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Stretch Marx posted:So apparently the guy who sold me my katuk is no longer selling it on ebay and I can't find another source in Canada. I may be one of the few people here who has one. I'm going to need to post guard dogs and barbwire the tent.
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May 15, 2018 04:13
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The school I work at built some raised beds/planter boxes and I became in charge of them by dint of saying that I occasionally helped my mother out in the garden. This first year is a little haphazard and I didn't start much from seed in our greenhouse, but I'm looking forward to next year. I'm in zone 5 (!) which means im going to have insane tomato yields, and we did put in some corn from seed that's already shot up a crazy amount. The only issue is gonna be keepin it hydrated because starting now til like september it will be 90 or better every single day, or there will be torrential thunderstorms. We're going to build trellises during summer camp and plant lots of beans and cukes as well. Exciting times ahead.
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May 15, 2018 04:14
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human piss is the best organic fertilizer and i plan to use it in my garden this year. that's right tactical piss jugs
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May 15, 2018 13:54
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presidential jugz gonna set my garden on fire
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May 15, 2018 13:57
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People keep saying hello to my dogs as they walk up the street and it’s hosed up part of my poppy bed, so I’ve bought some new ones and nine bare root roses. They will jump up on my beds again exactly once.
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May 15, 2018 14:44
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learnincurve posted:People keep saying hello to my dogs as they walk up the street and it’s hosed up part of my poppy bed, so I’ve bought some new ones and nine bare root roses. You got rid of your dogs over poppies? Man that's dedication for gardening! Summer of the garden goon indeed?
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May 15, 2018 15:14
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Am I too late to plant things in central Maryland? I have a little railing behind my house that I'd like to put some planters on, but it sounds like I may have missed the boat. It doesn't get a whole lot of direct sun (2-4hrs a day I think) so I want to get something somewhat shade-friendly. What're good starter options for a total amateur?
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May 15, 2018 15:41
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my compost system: - start with aged cow manure (locally available, some guy comes with a truck and dumps out a yard) - mix this with some kelp and alfalfa meal and coco - add a couple handfuls of this to each feeding of my worm bin -- to feed worms, scraps are frozen and then blended, then i mix with some rock dust and oyster shell and the aforementioned compost and a little ground corn meal, then i let this sit for a day before adding to the bin, then add shredded cardboard on top - after harvesting worm castings, move those to my second worm bin where they will age further - when harvesting from second worm bin, sift castings and put the big bits back in the bin when my leaf mould is done i'll work some of that in as well the system takes a long time to get going but once you're in full swing it's easy and works very well. i love my wormy friends
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May 15, 2018 15:42
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Not a Children posted:Am I too late to plant things in central Maryland? I don't think timing is as important for shade plants. The issue with full-sun plants is that it just gets too goddamn hot for seedlings and transplants. And vegetables have to be started early so that they have enough time to produce.
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May 15, 2018 15:48
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Not a Children posted:Am I too late to plant things in central Maryland? Any number of cool decorative plants will grow in low sun. So long as you're not trying to grow veg or fruit you can stick all kinds of stuff out there. Cool stuff includes hostas, decorative grasses, fuchsias, primrose and all kinds of crap!!!! Go to the nursery and look through their annuals, check the tags and when you find something that asks for shade that you like, buy it!
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May 15, 2018 15:59
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PNW Goons, IT'S PLANTING TIME!!! Time to plant those tasty summer fruits like tomatoes and peppers. I have my first batch of starts hitting the ground today and will update with pictures when I'm done. Got twelve tomato starts going in today, four peppers, and three celery all from seed. Seeds that are getting direct sown today? Corn, cilantro, basil, parsley and a couple other herbs. Putting out my other group of starts to harden off so I will have a bunch of plants offset in time by a week giving me a little wider harvest season for each type of plant. My garden has gone through some changes recently and I'm excited to show you guys how things are going! Good luck today guys!!!
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May 15, 2018 17:34
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OK so a few photos. I am in "late spring" which in FL means it is about to torrentially downpour for ~30 mins a day, and temps are reaching that special range where everything will die of heat soonish if they can't adapt. I have a compost pile as well, and as of the last two years or so, I have been crazy amounts of volunteers.  This is a Reisetomate, which looks gnarly (it's supposed to split itself like that) and supposedly tastes very tart and sour, which I like. First year growing them so I'm stoked.  This is my last "active" bed, which are my 3 varieties of tomatoes: Everglades Cherry Tomato (more on that in the future), the aforementioned Reisetomate, and a couple mixed traditional heirlooms like mortgage lifter and I think also a Floridade? Pictured: A spindly Papaya plant on the right and a few other plants here, all of which I decided to dump a shovelful of compost on which apparently had quite a few dormant seeds left. Papaya here and tomato vine on left  Volunteer lettuce on bottom, tomato in middle, papaya shoots next to the established papaya plant trunk in pic  This guy didn't make it from the start before anything sprouted and died of transplant shock however there are tons of lettuce and tomato vines growing instead?   compost bin in back, that plant is massive now and is growing beefsteaks out of it, all randomly sprung up  more tomatoes from composting It's cool because you can tell the compost bin plant is receiving very high nitrogen amounts due to its massive leaves and stem as well as the very dark green color, which supposedly inhibits budding/flowering, but at this point it has tons of flowers and appears to be setting fruit so???
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May 15, 2018 22:30
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A good thread OP /!\ Bad phone camera warning /!\ Gonna just post up my porch here. It's all cement and gets full sun between 10AM and 7PM, so I felt bad not taking advantage of that. You can see my hibiscus going berzerk in the back of the first picture:  SUCC TABLE #1 and my bluebonnets, with the four mints below  SUCC TABLE #2, also featuring my chives on stilts, and below my sweet potato vines  Cherry tomato planter "A", this one has chocolate and corno di toro peppers. Chard and Collard greens in the big drum top right, but you can see my oregano planted in the center of the "well" with the peppers, and some lemongrass behind it, all enjoying the shade of the tall tomates. On the right is more herbage, including a small bay laurel, and my parsley experiment:  Planters "B" and "C"; these all have tomatoes and companion peppers and herbs in them. The one on the left here hosts a smash of basil, too, the one on the right is YUGE and producing chocolate cherries already, and gives some shade to the little sunflower things I forget their name.  You can see that I like to companion plant heavily, but I keep flowers to attract pollenators as well. Lotsa Marigolds and this big brace of French Lavender that is going nuts in the center, Mexican Heather up top. This bed is currently incubating some beet, carrot, parsley, basil, oregano sprouts, which will be transferred to the other planters soon:  Olé I say, olé to flowers with my Hibiscus: 
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May 15, 2018 22:49
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some of those same plants today I guess:  the compost bin tomato:  the compost bin...potato but idk if I'm gonna eat that one lol  this one is interesting because that vine on the bottom is Armenian Yardlong Cucumber (actually a melon, but still)  Something has been munching on it so I am going to take some pest control measures, which I will follow up with later itt.  again, all of these tomatoes and other plants except that specific bed I posted are all volunteers. A good omen, I decree Now, the fun stuff. As gardenerds we all encourage each other to maintain responsible and healthy growing practices. I try to avoid things like synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, etc unless it can be helped. In general, one way to be successful at gardening is let mother nature do the work. Choose to plant things that naturally succeed in your environment. Weeds grow in your garden better than your veggies do because the weeds were selected for survival, not their fruit size/shape taste, not their color, not any of that bullshit. Here is a cool little doc on the origin of corn/maize because I am a biology teacher and this kind of poo poo is cool to me. https://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/popped-secret-the-mysterious-origin-of-corn Anyways, all that said, here is my favorite experiment trying a natural crop: The Everglades Cherry Tomato It is a virulent producer of tiny, approximately dime-sized fruits that are intensely flavorful. It has an extremely rapid production rate and is extremely tolerant of Florida's scorching summer heat. It has been described as growing so well in very sandy and poor soils (like most of Florida's) that it "Doesn't care about anything but heat and light" I got my first ripe ones a week or two ago and man this is a fun plant to play with.     about 10 seconds of picking tomatoes  the ol' reisetomate buddies   
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May 15, 2018 23:00
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Definitely looking into those Everglades cherry tomatoes now.
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May 15, 2018 23:13
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Waffle House posted:Definitely looking into those Everglades cherry tomatoes now. here friend, this is by far the most reputable/highest germination rate I found http://evergladestomato.com very reasonable prices from some apparently crazy dude who harvests the poo poo out of them in Holiday near Miami or whatever e: I've never had a bad experience and I've ordered like 6-7 times at this point, speedy and decent quality. Not shilling or whatever, I don't know the dude but for very specialized strains like these I figure local vendors don't hurt
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May 15, 2018 23:21
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the Everglades Cherries are cool, the fruits grow in highly specific fruiting branches    also lol, on closer inspection of the fruits this plant is giving, I believe it's a plum tomato plant  
T.S. Smelliot fucked around with this message at 23:35 on May 15, 2018 |
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May 15, 2018 23:32
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