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Any advice on dealing with mosquitos? I have about a dozen potted plants on my house patio and it looks like they're pretty comfortable hanging out around there. Every time I go to water they're all over me. In Phoenix, AZ if it matters
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Sep 18, 2017 19:35
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ROFLburger posted:Any advice on dealing with mosquitos? I have about a dozen potted plants on my house patio and it looks like they're pretty comfortable hanging out around there. Every time I go to water they're all over me. In Phoenix, AZ if it matters Try growing something they supposedly hate - like catnip, thyme, lemon balm, marigold, lavender, or my personal favorite from the garden: rose-scented monarda. I started growing rose-scented monarda a couple seasons back and when the leaves are crushed and rubbed on exposed skin, makes an incredibly effective repellant. I've also observed the effectiveness of lemon balm first-hand, but can't speak on the others as I've never tried them after the monarda (it works that well for me). I also can't comment on whether any of them work as "area denial" plants when placed on a small patio, since mine grow in soil in my flowerbeds.
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Sep 18, 2017 21:52
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ROFLburger posted:Any advice on dealing with mosquitos? I have about a dozen potted plants on my house patio and it looks like they're pretty comfortable hanging out around there. Every time I go to water they're all over me. In Phoenix, AZ if it matters Mosquitos are either an immediately solvable problem, or they aren't. Even if you've got a 3 or 4 acre pond nearby, you can get pellets to toss into the water at regular intervals to kill them off. If you live near a slough or swampy area though, lemon balm rubbed on the skin smells good and works well - I've taken it camping. It's also a super tasty lemony mint plant.
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Sep 21, 2017 21:51
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Need some advice on what to do with my hot peppers, specifically my ghost peppers and trinidad scorpion peppers. My plants have alot of peppers, big ones,most of them are still green and not changing to orange/red. I live in Colorado and its starting to get colder at night during the day. Can I ripen them off the vine? In a paper bag with a tomato? Or am I just getting screwed out of the peppers that aren't ripe yet. I have gotten about 20 peppers between the plant but there are so many more that I don't want to lose!
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Sep 25, 2017 01:34
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Flaggy posted:Need some advice on what to do with my hot peppers, specifically my ghost peppers and trinidad scorpion peppers. My plants have alot of peppers, big ones,most of them are still green and not changing to orange/red. I live in Colorado and its starting to get colder at night during the day. Can I ripen them off the vine? In a paper bag with a tomato? Or am I just getting screwed out of the peppers that aren't ripe yet. I have gotten about 20 peppers between the plant but there are so many more that I don't want to lose! I've got some banana peppers on my counter that are slowly turning red. So I guess they can ripen off the vine?
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Sep 25, 2017 14:01
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After the proper period of denial, I've accepted that spider mites have made a beachhead in my greenhouse. Was just a matter of time, I suppose; fungus gnats and aphids have been dealt with or at least managed before, so time to learn how to deal with these suckers... My current plan is to spray (in a cycle, once every few days) insecticide soap, neem and karanja oil, rosemary oil, and lavender tea, while also buying some Neoseiulus mites and lacewing larvae. Hopefully the few ladybugs that hung around from previous aphid battles will lend a hand as well. Guess we'll see if these two-spot bastards are as tricky as their reputation suggests.
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Sep 25, 2017 14:26
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Flaggy posted:Can I ripen them off the vine? In a paper bag with a tomato? Or am I just getting screwed out of the peppers that aren't ripe yet. I have gotten about 20 peppers between the plant but there are so many more that I don't want to lose! Yes, you can ripen them off the plant, but in my experience you sacrifice depth of flavor this way. As long as isn't frosting during these cold nights, I'd personally leave them on the plant (it's also the best way to keep them fresh!). I leave all my unused peppers on the plant until we get a [likely] frost alert, then I'll pick them and any green peppers get the paper bag and tomato/banana treatment. Edit: coyo7e posted:You can also just cut off your tomatoes and pepper plants before the first frost, and hang them up in the garage with the fruit still on them. It'll keep ripening. That's cool, I never knew that! I might try that if I run out of ideas about how to process my peppers before frost sets in here (I'm terrible at harvesting). Another new thing I wanted to try is bringing my peppers in before winter. One of my habanero plants is producing the biggest fruits I've ever seen and I'd like to keep it going next year! Big Nubbins fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Sep 26, 2017 |
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Sep 25, 2017 18:17
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Mozi posted:After the proper period of denial, I've accepted that spider mites have made a beachhead in my greenhouse. Was just a matter of time, I suppose; fungus gnats and aphids have been dealt with or at least managed before, so time to learn how to deal with these suckers... My current plan is to spray (in a cycle, once every few days) insecticide soap, neem and karanja oil, rosemary oil, and lavender tea, while also buying some Neoseiulus mites and lacewing larvae. Hopefully the few ladybugs that hung around from previous aphid battles will lend a hand as well. Guess we'll see if these two-spot bastards are as tricky as their reputation suggests. As any indoor pot farmer will tell you, there is no non-pesticide way to get rid of the borg. You're in for a long fight, good luck!
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Sep 25, 2017 22:40
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You can also just cut off your tomatoes and pepper plants before the first frost, and hang them up in the garage with the fruit still on them. It'll keep ripening.
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Sep 26, 2017 16:45
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I grew my first cantaloupes this year with some success in my new raised "buried" wood bed. I got 3 plants from the seeds I sown, and each grew 2 of the best cantaloupes I've ever had. One thing that struck me is that the mature fruits are incredibly fragrant, kinda like how you're "supposed" to tell a ripe cantaloupe in the store; but no commercial supermarket sells them like this. There was no flavorless green flesh to speak of, just amazingly delicious flesh out to the outer rind. I let my biggest one languish in the garden until the seeds were nice and plump, then removed, cleaned, and saved them. Just for fun, I ate one of the seed meats and ho-lee-poo poo is it good, like a sunflower seed but with the nuttiness replaced by sweetness and fruity flavor.
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Sep 26, 2017 23:31
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drat, I'd never thought about growing cantaloupe. That's a good idea.
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Sep 26, 2017 23:41
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Shame Boner posted:I grew my first cantaloupes this year with some success in my new raised "buried" wood bed. I got 3 plants from the seeds I sown, and each grew 2 of the best cantaloupes I've ever had. One thing that struck me is that the mature fruits are incredibly fragrant, kinda like how you're "supposed" to tell a ripe cantaloupe in the store; but no commercial supermarket sells them like this. There was no flavorless green flesh to speak of, just amazingly delicious flesh out to the outer rind. I let my biggest one languish in the garden until the seeds were nice and plump, then removed, cleaned, and saved them. Just for fun, I ate one of the seed meats and ho-lee-poo poo is it good, like a sunflower seed but with the nuttiness replaced by sweetness and fruity flavor. I accidentally grew cantaloupes this year - they just started growing out of the compost bin - and yeah, they were nothing like store melons. Paper thin rind, very small seed section in the middle, crazy fragrant and sweet flesh.
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Sep 27, 2017 01:11
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Now I want to grow melons. Good job.
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Sep 27, 2017 14:15
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Shame Boner posted:I grew my first cantaloupes this year with some success in my new raised "buried" wood bed. I got 3 plants from the seeds I sown, and each grew 2 of the best cantaloupes I've ever had. One thing that struck me is that the mature fruits are incredibly fragrant, kinda like how you're "supposed" to tell a ripe cantaloupe in the store; but no commercial supermarket sells them like this. There was no flavorless green flesh to speak of, just amazingly delicious flesh out to the outer rind. I let my biggest one languish in the garden until the seeds were nice and plump, then removed, cleaned, and saved them. Just for fun, I ate one of the seed meats and ho-lee-poo poo is it good, like a sunflower seed but with the nuttiness replaced by sweetness and fruity flavor. honeydew's the money melon
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Sep 27, 2017 15:01
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BrianBoitano posted:honeydew's the money melon That may be true, but I've never preferred the flavor; I like the funkiness that cantaloupes have. I wouldn't even mind growing muskmelon next year just to see how the crosses turn out the year after.
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Sep 27, 2017 15:10
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So hungry now. I guess I never really looked before, but canteloupe looks really pretty and rather alien
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Sep 27, 2017 18:18
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Stultus Maximus posted:I accidentally grew cantaloupes this year - they just started growing out of the compost bin - and yeah, they were nothing like store melons. Paper thin rind, very small seed section in the middle, crazy fragrant and sweet flesh. it's truly night and day to grocery store melons. The ones I grew were small, like softball size, but amazingly delicious.
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Sep 27, 2017 19:00
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Shame Boner posted:I grew my first cantaloupes this year.......................the mature fruits are incredibly fragrant, kinda like how you're "supposed" to tell a ripe cantaloupe in the store; but no commercial supermarket sells them like this. Looks awesome. But I'm gonna guess that is an actual cantaloupe that you grew. And the reason the ones in the store suck is because they are musk melons, which generally look like kinda smell and taste like that but do better on trucks. You grew the real thing.
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Sep 28, 2017 02:03
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Motronic posted:Looks awesome. But I'm gonna guess that is an actual cantaloupe that you grew. And the reason the ones in the store suck is because they are musk melons, which generally look like kinda smell and taste like that but do better on trucks. You grew the real thing. Yep, it's a Cucumis melo. I had to check the seed packet and apparently it's 'Sierra Gold' which will naturally not be true to type next year. It definitely set nice plump seeds though, so I'm curious what will come of them.
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Sep 28, 2017 02:32
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Quick noob question, it's spring in Australia so I'm looking to start fertilising my plants regularly. Do I really need all the different "specialty fertilisers" for citrus (lemon and Mandarin trees) and my herbs/chillies/tomatoes? How does seaweed fertiliser fit into this?
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Sep 29, 2017 11:21
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I picked up a couple of basil plants at the grocery store a month or so ago, and they are doing pretty well. Transplanting them to normal pots was interesting- I had to take them outside to transplant, and it was about 105 degrees. When I brought them back in the stalks was completely melted and the plants didn't perk back up. For the plant on the right I put it back into the plastic wrap that came with it- so it grew upwards. For the plant on the left I wrapped a loose string around it and put a small post in the back so it would stay vertical, and after a few days it strengthened back up. both plants: https://imgur.com/JqL5IMg Plant 1 (on the right) https://imgur.com/84QYdUw Plant 2 (on the left) https://imgur.com/uKJtnB2 What's the best way to go about pruning these guys? For the tall plant should I just get rid of the dying ones that face away from the window? For the shorter, wider plant would it be better for me to prune off the window-facing leaves so the ones in the shade can get light? Or should I just prune off the leaves that are always in the shade? Second question: I planted some everglades cherry tomatoes two weeks ago, and they're doing well so far: https://imgur.com/EhgyNpX My experiment is to move them outside when the weather cools down a bit, as current afternoon temps are still over 100. It's not ever going to get cold enough outside to freeze them, so I wanted to try starting them in the fall and getting a long growing season out of them. 1) How old should they be before I transplant them into individual pots? 2) How old should they be before I start getting them outside acclimated? The current night time lows are around 89, so even moving them outside to the balcony for an hour or so in the evening is going to be a big jolt for them. I don't want to melt their stalks (like what happened when the basil sent outside for the first time) when they're only 2 weeks old and kill them and have to start over. Thanks for all the plant advice! It's cool seeing everyones gardens get wrapped up for the summer, and hopefully my reverse-season balcony gardening can provide some interesting content for the cold winters. Edited: I can't figure out the timg code road potato fucked around with this message at 07:07 on Sep 30, 2017 |
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Sep 30, 2017 07:03
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plasmoduck posted:Quick noob question, it's spring in Australia so I'm looking to start fertilising my plants regularly. Do I really need all the different "specialty fertilisers" for citrus (lemon and Mandarin trees) and my herbs/chillies/tomatoes? How does seaweed fertiliser fit into this? Generally speaking you don't need 100 different fertilisers. That said, things like Seasol tend to encourage leaf growth so it's worth adding and/or switching to something like Powerfeed once flowers indicate setting fruit isn't far away. I alternate Seasol and Powerfeed (the tomato one in the red bottle) for my vegetables. Bunnings sells cheaper options but Seasol and Powerfeed seem to be on special a lot anyway. How established are your citrus trees?
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Sep 30, 2017 21:55
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For those of us heading into fall and winter, what if anything is recommended for citrus trees coming indoors?
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Sep 30, 2017 22:08
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So I am trying my hand at fall gardening for the first time (pacific northwest); I ordered some fancy seed garlic and shallots too. The garlic, I get--one clove turns into a whole head with dozens of cloves, right? But with the shallots each "head" only had like 2-3 big ol "cloves". So for every whole shallot you split and plant you only get a couple of shallots later? Those yields seem a bit dismal. Am I missing something? Not fussed either way, because two shallots are better than none, and I wasn't using the bed space anyway, but still!
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Oct 1, 2017 17:11
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I grew shallots this year. One became 4, 5, even 8. They grow like a 'multiplier' onion and it's great fun.
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Oct 2, 2017 21:22
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plasmoduck posted:Quick noob question, it's spring in Australia so I'm looking to start fertilising my plants regularly. Do I really need all the different "specialty fertilisers" for citrus (lemon and Mandarin trees) and my herbs/chillies/tomatoes? How does seaweed fertiliser fit into this? Seaweed concentrates are not fertilisers - if you look at the analysis for Seasol, it has negligible amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous (0.1% N and 0.01% P), and low amounts of potassium (1.5% K). Compare with Powerfeed, from the same company, which is 12% N, 1.5% P and 7% K. A true fertiliser will always have its NPK analysis printed on its packaging, regardless of from where it was derived. Seaweed does have its uses - it contains cytokinins and auxins, which are plant hormones that encourage formation of new shoots and roots respectively, and it adds some measure of organic matter to the soil whenever you apply it. I tend to use seaweed when I water in new plantings. Some brands of fertiliser include seaweed concentrate in the bottle. As for citrus, they need regular feeding to get a good crop, so it pays to give them something stronger, especially now when they're flowering and setting fruit. If they're in the ground, an organic slow release fertiliser like pelletised chicken manure (Dynamic Lifter or similar) is good, especially for smaller or younger trees, or you can use a "chemical" fertiliser like Osmocote. You should also give them a liquid fertiliser (ie you mix it up in a watering can, like Powerfeed) every one or two weeks. I can't really say whether a citrus-specific would give better results as yield depends on a lot of other factors, but I do prefer to use one. A liquid feed is also good for tomatoes and chillies once they start to flower, as Lolie mentioned. With herbs it depends on what it is, but most would appreciate a low-strength, mostly nitrogen food (something like 2% N) from time to time.
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Oct 4, 2017 08:57
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I'm new to gardening, just ran into my first problem with some varieties of hot peppers I'm trying to grow. region 10b/11 (Florida) I'm at the sprouting stage, and planted about 30 seeds in a seedling tray with a plastic dome on 9/15. Last night, I got excited about the 1-2" sprouts I'm starting to see and decided to throw caution into the wind and add a .5cup/gallon diluted fish liquid to the self-watering container. I sprinkled ~1Tbl of bone meal around the soil pellets and figured I'd let them enjoy the some shaded sunlight from the back patio through the weekend. This morning, my planting pots are scattered on the ground, either a cat, possum or raccoon managed to open a wooden cabinet, drag out my 3lb bag of organic bloodmeal, and tried to feast around my gardening area. Unless overfertilization stunts the pepper seedlings, can anyone else highlight the newbie mistakes I'm making and can avoid in the future?
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Oct 4, 2017 12:56
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Pillow Armadillo posted:Unless overfertilization stunts the pepper seedlings, can anyone else highlight the newbie mistakes I'm making and can avoid in the future? Throw out the plastic dome; it encourages algal and fungal growth more often than not. Does your self-watering container drain freely so you can give the seedlings a period of nearly-dry (but not bone dry!) soil? Are you mixing fertilizer according to directions? 1/2c./gal sounds like a lot; for example the 2-4-0 fertilizer I use instructs 1Tbsp/gal. Fertilizing seedlings is one of those things I don't bother with anyway until it's time to up-pot them from their tiny plastic prisons. Edit: to be fair, I might not be the best resource for fertilization advice as it's not something I do at all except for houseplants and hanging baskets. All other plants get homemade compost amendments periodically and that's it. Big Nubbins fucked around with this message at 14:01 on Oct 4, 2017 |
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Oct 4, 2017 13:57
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Shame Boner posted:Throw out the plastic dome; it encourages algal and fungal growth more often than not. Does your self-watering container drain freely so you can give the seedlings a period of nearly-dry (but not bone dry!) soil? Are you mixing fertilizer according to directions? 1/2c./gal sounds like a lot; for example the 2-4-0 fertilizer I use instructs 1Tbsp/gal. Fertilizing seedlings is one of those things I don't bother with anyway until it's time to up-pot them from their tiny plastic prisons. The seedling tray I'm using is one of those 72 cell Burpee starter kits. I believe the starter pellets it came with were an unfertilized peat pellet. About 10% of them didn't expand in the tray, so I'll probably just make my own soil mix next time. The seedling trays sit on top of a foam mat, which absorbs the water through the holes in the bottom of the trays. I left the dome off, emptied the fish fertilizer solution this morning, and replaced with distilled water in the bottom of the tray for now. Aside from the bone meal, I haven't watered the top of the plants of soil and plan on letting it dry a bit. The soil medium is consistently pretty moist.
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Oct 4, 2017 14:32
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Pillow Armadillo posted:I'm new to gardening, just ran into my first problem with some varieties of hot peppers I'm trying to grow. region 10b/11 (Florida) Overfertilisation can kill young plants. You'll usually notice that the instructions for feeding seedlings recommend a lower concentration than you'd use for established plants. The smell of fertilisers will absolutely attract cats and vermin. I usually fertilise in the early morning and then water in the evening to dilute the smell. Your set up sounds like a breeding ground for things which like damp, which includes a lot of things which will kill seedlings. See how it goes - it might be fine with enough air circulation. Have you got everything ready for transplanting? I tend to plant a heap of seeds at once and the time to transplant them comes around really quickly. Do you know which ones are going to small pots and which ones will be going straight in the garden? I'd get that organised now. Also, if you're in Florida are you planning to overwinter the plants? I've done it with peppers before but it doesn't really give you a head start on the next season.
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Oct 7, 2017 00:42
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Lolie posted:Overfertilisation can kill young plants. You'll usually notice that the instructions for feeding seedlings recommend a lower concentration than you'd use for established plants. The smell of fertilisers will absolutely attract cats and vermin. I usually fertilise in the early morning and then water in the evening to dilute the smell. That is absolutely my current issue. Two days of rain resulted in very damp peat pellets, and I spent a few minutes trying to identify what I hope aren't fungus gnats darting between the trays. I don't want to stress the ~2cm tall sprouts that are coming along (Numex at 40% germination as of 2 days ago), but I need to do something soon to dry out the soil. quote:Have you got everything ready for transplanting? I tend to plant a heap of seeds at once and the time to transplant them comes around really quickly. Do you know which ones are going to small pots and which ones will be going straight in the garden? I'd get that organised now. I'm putting every viable seedling I can into Solo cups or 4" pots to grow on a shaded patio. I have everything ready to go, just trying to proceed with caution. quote:Also, if you're in Florida are you planning to overwinter the plants? I've done it with peppers before but it doesn't really give you a head start on the next season. No idea yet. 
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Oct 7, 2017 02:28
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Pillow Armadillo posted:That is absolutely my current issue. Two days of rain resulted in very damp peat pellets, and I spent a few minutes trying to identify what I hope aren't fungus gnats darting between the trays. I don't want to stress the ~2cm tall sprouts that are coming along (Numex at 40% germination as of 2 days ago), but I need to do something soon to dry out the soil. Sounds like ideal conditions for fungus gnats, unfortunately. If it is, the top of the soil will soon look like it's moving as the larvae do their stuff (the adults won't hurt your plants - the larvae will destroy them from below). On the other hand, they're pepper plants so they're not especially delicate. Is there any chance you can put them somewhere they'll get some morning sun and lots of air for at least a couple of hours a day? I'd ditch the tray they're sitting on while you're trying to dry them out. They look a little leggy, so they'll benefit from some extra light. Lolie fucked around with this message at 07:44 on Oct 7, 2017 |
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Oct 7, 2017 07:26
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I'm moving house, and literally losing my whole veggie garden (helped put together by the goons here about 4 years ago). It's in a bit of a sad state now (what with it being winter, and realising that I'll be gone from this place in about two weeks and there won't be any new residents for another year). By the back door, a 3' x 5' herb garden and a wooden deck with a barbeque. The other side of this, two 3' x 20' raised beds. The middle of the garden is a grass lawn. Around the outside is a border, which has half a dozen fruit trees I grew from bare stock that've given me apples, plums, and pears. Between the trees near the rear and the patio in the front, I've a few large Raspberry bushes, and some planters of strawberries and blueberries around the outside of the house. Oh well, it's been fun 
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Oct 7, 2017 07:36
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Thanks Lolie and Discomedusae for your input RE: fertilisers! I ended up getting a combination seaweed+ citrus liquid feed that looks like I can put on my other plants too. Bonus is that it smells like soy sauce which isn't too unpleasant to us.Lolie posted:How established are your citrus trees?  Whole balcony:   Edit: Hopeful "mortgage lifter" tomato seedling I got from bunnings! I've got some others in seed trays hoping for them to germinate soon. I'm fairly sure my balcony doesn't get enough Sun, but I just wanted to give it a shot  
plasmoduck fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Oct 7, 2017 |
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Oct 7, 2017 14:28
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plasmoduck posted:Edit: Hopeful "mortgage lifter" tomato seedling I got from bunnings! I've got some others in seed trays hoping for them to germinate soon. I'm fairly sure my balcony doesn't get enough Sun, but I just wanted to give it a shot Nice. Mortgage Lifter is an indeterminate so you need to think about where it's going to live when it's bigger and how you're going to support the plant. The current pot and trellis aren't going to be big enough. A really good tomato for balconies is Florida Basket. You can literally grow it in a standard 12 inch hanging basket. My son and daughter-in-law have a balcony which doesn't get a lot of sun but tomatoes do fine. You might get a smaller crop, though. Tomatoes rely on heat rather than light to ripen, so that shouldn't be a problem. As you're growing in containers, you'll need to provide everything for your plants. Some of your pots look a bit small. I wouldn't put a fruit tree in a container that's less than 42 litres - you can get large grower's pots from Bunnings (500mm in diameter), or just get large flexitubs for $5 each from Kmart and put drainage holes in them. How wide is your balcony? I grow almost everything except for flowers on my balcony and I use raised garden beds from Aldi (they have a tray bottom) for the vegies. They're big enough to let plants send down decent roots. They're 80cm x 50cm, so there's still plenty of room to walk past them on my balcony. Lolie fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Oct 7, 2017 |
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Oct 7, 2017 21:46
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Thanks for the seedling advice, Lolie and Shame Boner. Some updates: I removed all peat pellets in surrounding trays that were dampened without seeds to germinate. In retrospect, removing the dry pellets prior to sowing would have been a wiser decision. I'm taking some photos of the larvae to a nursery (no live specimens) for a second opinion on what I'm dealing with. I removed and discarded any cells with fungus webs/dense pockets of larvae and reduced my initial count of 30 seedlings to 13, which I treated with a diluted 3% peroxide solution in a 1:4 ratio (about 1.3cup divided around the topsoil into the tray). My current plan is to germinate my remaining stock this week in 2" rockwool cubes within an screened outdoor patio. Should I consider my existing seedling tray to be contaminated and unworthy of another generation of peppers?
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Oct 8, 2017 16:08
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Update on winter rye: Looks like things are working out.
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Oct 8, 2017 17:09
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Pillow Armadillo posted:
Yeah, I wouldn't reuse it without disinfecting it in a bleach solution first. If you had fungus webs, that sounds a lot like damping off. It sounds like you've somehow managed to create a good environment for more than one thing which attacks new seedlings. As a reference point, if I'm starting things in peat pellets or 2 inch pots, I don't even "water" them after the initial planting. I just mist them a couple of times a day to keep them moist but not wet. Sometimes you just get the perfect storm of bad circumstances. I have different problems with my plants each year. I've only had to deal with fungus gnats a couple of times. What are your daytime temperatures like there at the moment? Unless they're still extreme, I'd be careful of shading your seedlings too much. I've planted seedlings over the past few weeks and I've got them in full sun during the day. We don't really get a spring so temperatures are all over the place - from the low 20C range to the mid 30C range. I'm still protecting them of a night, but short of a week of 40C (which we won't get for at least another month or so and they'll be big enough to deal with it them), they'll be just fine with the heat. Also, how are you going to give your seedlings nutrients if you plant them in rockwool cubes? The seed itself contains enough to get them to their first leaves, but after that they're going to need nutrition from whatever they're growing in. Lolie fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Oct 8, 2017 |
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Oct 8, 2017 22:09
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Our balcony is about 1.60m wide, but I have to share it with my husband's bikes/bike repair stand (7 bikes between us, but we're trying to downsize...). Unfortunately there's nothing to hang baskets from on the balcony, and we can't modify it as we're renting. Both citrus trees are on dwarf rootstocks and we've potted them up 2 sizes when we got them, so maybe they're fine for a season? The Mortgage Lifter was sort of an optimistic impulse buy - although the other tomatoes sitting in our seed trays (Green Grape and Sunrise Bumble Bee) are also indeterminate... can you maybe prune tomato plants to keep them compact-ish? I don't mind a small yield this year, as I'm mostly curious to try how these varieties taste. =)
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Oct 8, 2017 23:38
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Lolie posted:What are your daytime temperatures like there at the moment? Unless they're still extreme, I'd be careful of shading your seedlings too much. I've planted seedlings over the past few weeks and I've got them in full sun during the day. We don't really get a spring so temperatures are all over the place - from the low 20C range to the mid 30C range. I'm still protecting them of a night, but short of a week of 40C (which we won't get for at least another month or so and they'll be big enough to deal with it them), they'll be just fine with the heat. Consistently 25-31C (afternoon highs in the low/mid 90F, 90-100% humidity) I took your advice with the diluted peroxide solution, even going so far as to test full strength on one of the 13 remaining seedlings. Observations after 24 hours - larvae rose to top of soil, did some peat soil removal in the worst affected cups, leaving about 1/2 of it keep seedlings upright. I don't believe one application killed any pests - a local gardener suggested they were "black fly" (not sure if that's a descriptor or identification), and suggested baby soap would suffocate larvae/eggs. Regarding nutrients, I have a half strength Miracle Grow solution I can mist with, but nothing's getting that until I feel like I'm out of a Starship Troopers plot.
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Oct 9, 2017 18:00
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