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I need to prune my maters this evening. Huge bottom leaves, tons of flowers, smaller top leaves and no tomatoes. We’ve had tons of rain and I think they don’t like that as much as steady watering + heat. Anaheims, jalapeños and habs are finally taking off! And cucumbers! And beans.
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Jul 13, 2023 14:32
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Anyone have any advice on tools/services/courses whatever I can use to identify what is already in the extensive gardens my new place has? Because I haven't the slightest idea what any of these are, which are worth keeping and which should be aggressively pulled because they are re actually invasive weeds and whatnot. I am actually impressed on how much beautiful stuff they got to grow on areas that mostly solid exposed rock, but they did (the actual dirt areas of the yard however are mostly barren. Plants, man) The only stuff I can recognize are the tiger lilies, which I'll probably keep because they are like zero effort and happen to be my favorite flowers, but everything else I feel like I should figure out while it's still alive so I can plan for next year when I do actual gardening myself
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Jul 13, 2023 15:28
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If you throw some pictures up here you'd probably get your answers. There's a pretty broad amount of knowledge in these little dirt nerds.
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Jul 13, 2023 15:31
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i've had good success with an app called PictureThis, as well as iNaturalist
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Jul 13, 2023 15:55
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Similarly, "Seek" is super user friendly and powered by iNaturalist.
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Jul 13, 2023 16:55
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Google Lens has been pretty reliable for me, as has iNaturalist.
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Jul 13, 2023 17:16
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PictureThis has a very faint “cancel” button in the top right of the “Subscribe!!!” screen, at least in iOS FWIW. I use it for a quick reference to what is native/not native.
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Jul 13, 2023 17:20
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I use PlantNet. It's nice because you can see other user photos to compare and they have links to wikipedia and poo poo.
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Jul 13, 2023 17:24
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Speaking of identification. Anyone got suggestions on these sunflower seeds? Coworker dropped em off last week and then went on vacation. I'd prefer to identify them without bothering them on vaca and getting an answer before the weekend so I can get them in the ground. Supposedly they are velvet queen and mammoth. But googling images of seeds for either doesn't help as their are black mammoth too. I remember reading that striped seeds are generally edible which would make. Me think mammoth. Any suggestions? 
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Jul 13, 2023 18:15
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sterster posted:Speaking of identification. Anyone got suggestions on these sunflower seeds? Coworker dropped em off last week and then went on vacation. I'd prefer to identify them without bothering them on vaca and getting an answer before the weekend so I can get them in the ground. I'm no sunflowerologist, but stripeys do look like the ones from my mammoth last year. 
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Jul 13, 2023 19:00
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For the sake of goon science, I just cracked open a packet of Velvet Queen seeds I forgot I had. I found little bits of shell and some powder and maybe some bug poop. Results are inconclusive, although the little shell bits look stripey. Although who knows, those could be bug pieces or something  This site shows striped seeds, but that seems to be a stock photo they use for all sunflower varieties. This one looks like the seeds are black. I can vouch for mammoths coming in both striped and black varieties, even from the same packet. It's possible that the same is true for velvet queen too. My best logical semi-educated guess is that the bag on the left is probably mammoth. Those flowers are much bigger than velvet queen, so it's likely that your coworker had more mammoth seeds to spare. I saved the seeds from last year's biggest flower (about 13' tall with a "trunk" bigger than my wrist), and it filled a gallon ziplock about 1/3 of the way.
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Jul 13, 2023 22:02
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Check this out: I got 4 open blossoms on my water lily! ETA creeping Jenny is the surprise tough girl plant. I had some that survived over winter and without getting water all spring in a hanging basket. I had thought everything in the basket was an annual. But this stuff just bounced back. I put a bit in with the mint in the water basket, and it got knocked out by a night time raid. Now I find it has rooted at the bottom of the tub, and is growing super leggy, stretching for the surface. Ain't no killing this stuff. Awesome. B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Jul 14, 2023 |
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Jul 14, 2023 00:24
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B33rChiller posted:Check this out: I got 4 open blossoms on my water lily! Water lillies are so freakin pretty and so freakin invasive. There used to be a pond I'd canoe in that was covered in them and they were gorgeous but then they killed them all which I guess is probably better but I miss the flowers.
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Jul 14, 2023 00:39
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How beautiful!
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Jul 14, 2023 00:50
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I built a really cool water garden when I still lived at my parents and between the lilies and the water hyacinth it was so pretty. I eventually added a few koi that got fat and happy in no time, just huge. Then I moved out and in about a month it froze and racoons ate the fish. Thanks, dad.
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Jul 14, 2023 02:30
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Chad Sexington posted:I'm no sunflowerologist, but stripeys do look like the ones from my mammoth last year. JoshGuitar posted:For the sake of goon science, Thanks to the both of you. I'm leaning in the same direction that the stripes are mammoth as well. Thanks for taking the time to investigate this with me. Still waiting on a word back and who knows when she'll be back or have cell service. Also, it's turned humid and monsoon season is about to start in AZ. Yes its 115 and my plants are just hanging on being watered twice a day and covered shade cloth. However, I felt clever collecting nearly 5 gallon of AC condensation for the Rosell hibiscus that are not on drip. Between the oya and the extra ac water and being surrounded by clay they are cruising along loving this weather. sterster fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Jul 14, 2023 |
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Jul 14, 2023 02:54
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What might be this discoloration around the edge of these leaves? They're baby Jarrahdale, Sweet Meat, and Red Kuri. Ignore my roommate's neglect pile in the back. And his everything else, I guess. 
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Jul 15, 2023 00:23
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mischief posted:I built a really cool water garden when I still lived at my parents and between the lilies and the water hyacinth it was so pretty. I eventually added a few koi that got fat and happy in no time, just huge. My biggest beef is how they trash the leaves and stir up the bottom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oJOsL0ctQM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtPeph2AkMI
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Jul 15, 2023 17:06
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I seem to remember people talking about Japanese knotweed in this thread and did you know it is edible? https://www.eattheweeds.com/japanese-knotweed-dreadable-edible/ I mean, it also sounds like something you should never under any circumstances plant on purpose, but if there is some around you I am curious if anyone has tried to eat the new shoots?
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Jul 15, 2023 18:36
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I mean pokeweed is technically edible also but neither are remotely palatable, which should be the deciding factor in whether to eat it in all but the most dire straits (nevermind planting it on purpose) E: I don't know if maybe I was thinking about kudzu, but knotweed is palatable, if only when young. I swear I read the linked article before posting Soul Dentist fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Jul 15, 2023 |
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Jul 15, 2023 19:19
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Japanese knotweed is an absolute menace in the UK, so much so that dirt from land infested with knotweed is considered hazardous waste and houses with an infestation can be unsalable. Here's how you legally must dispose of knotweed debris.quote:You must notify the Environment Agency at least one month before you bury the knotweed. quote:After you transfer Japanese knotweed waste https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-japanese-knotweed-from-spreading
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Jul 15, 2023 19:40
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Japanese knotweed is an absolute menace in the UK, so much so that dirt from land infested with knotweed is considered hazardous waste and houses with an infestation can be unsalable. Here's how you legally must dispose of knotweed debris. Knotweed is also hated by gardeners in the US, and I've seen warnings posted where it's taken root. Kudzu and/or Himalayan blackberries are probably more hated depending on the region though.
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Jul 15, 2023 19:45
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^^^^^eta hey nice to see yah again. And at least the blackberries are worth eating. It's a menace here in BC too. Glyphosate stem injection can apparently take multiple years to kill a patch. Cutting off all shoots at ground level and starving the plant of light can take more than a decade. It can travel great distances underground to pop up shoots, and can push through asphalt. Firebombing won't do anything but make it angry.
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Jul 15, 2023 19:47
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Garden seems to be doing ok
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Jul 15, 2023 21:48
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Soul Dentist posted:I mean pokeweed is technically edible also but neither are remotely palatable, which should be the deciding factor in whether to eat it in all but the most dire straits (nevermind planting it on purpose) Yeah, that was my thought too. Edible does not necessarily mean palatable, but apparently it's pretty tasty. It's too hot where I live for the stuff to thrive, I think, and I would not recommend planting it. I have made mistakes replanting edible weeds into my back yard (looking at you, stinging nettle) and at least in my case it wasn't all that hard to manage. Japanese knotweed sounds like some sort of Triffid-like organism that should be fought tooth and nail. Maybe the best plan is to harvest the shoots and then engage in chemical warfare? Arsenic Lupin posted:Japanese knotweed is an absolute menace in the UK, so much so that dirt from land infested with knotweed is considered hazardous waste and houses with an infestation can be unsalable. Here's how you legally must dispose of knotweed debris. rojay fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jul 15, 2023 |
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Jul 15, 2023 21:56
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On a brighter note today was my first significant daily haul of tomato(ill)os: Two cherry plants are already making a pint a day, and my Momotaros are loaded down with beautiful big green fruit. My failures of last year are forgotten and everything is joy. On a side note, I thought I would get a bigger batch-like harvest from my tomatillos, for salsa. Does anybody have any recommendations for using them in other ways? I know I could stirfry or make chile verde but any other good ideas?
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Jul 15, 2023 22:24
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Greenbriar/smilax isn't invasive but it is sort of a weed and the shoots are delicious. You can eat them raw and they taste kind of green like a snow pea or something. Larger ones you can treat like asparagus and they are good cooked.
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Jul 15, 2023 22:25
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Soul Dentist posted:On a brighter note today was my first significant daily haul of tomato(ill)os: Avocado & tomatillo dip/sauce. Basically guac without the onions and using tomatillos instead of tomatoes.
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Jul 15, 2023 22:35
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I've become increasingly convinced that my organic raised bed soil is hot garbage. Haven't gotten a chance to soil test yet, but the soil states that a decent amount of it is wood, so my theory is that it's not broken down enough and the bacteria breaking down the wood is stealing all the nitrogen from my poo poo. As far as I can tell it gets at least 5 hours of direct sun if not 6, definitely loses the direct sun in the afternoon after 3, and no issues with drainage or retention. And I've done fertilizer once a month or so to help everything out. The evidence: Early June  Today 
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Jul 15, 2023 23:55
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Alucard posted:I've become increasingly convinced that my organic raised bed soil is hot garbage. Haven't gotten a chance to soil test yet, but the soil states that a decent amount of it is wood, so my theory is that it's not broken down enough and the bacteria breaking down the wood is stealing all the nitrogen from my poo poo. Looks a little shady to me? That would probably be fine or good in the SE, maybe not as great in more northern latitudes. You can still grow plenty of stuff if it is too shady, it just might be more herbs and greens and leafy things, less tomatoes and squash and eggplant. As far as the soil, it always gets better with age. Mix in some cottonseed meal or chicken manure to give a nitrogen kick to help stuff break down. You can also mix in grass clippings (especially if you fertilize your lawn) as they tend to be high in nitrogen and break down quickly, but they can bring in weed seeds too. Fill the remaining inch or two of the beds with some Black Kow or mushroom compost after you mix in whatever nitrogen source you want. It is plain good dirt and makes a great seed bead for a cover crop. Sow a green manure/cover crop over it (rye grass is fine, or look up what works well over winter in your area). It’ll act as a decent mulch to keep the weeds down. When you turn it under in the spring all those fine roots help hold everything together and rot and make good dirt. You’ll hopefully never need to turn the bed over again and can switch to a no-dig kind of approach and just top dress for the rest of forever with compost. The first year or three of any new bed is always about building the soil for me. You can grow some stuff in it for sure, but I don’t ever expect great things from a brand new bed. Even if you brought in tons of the most wonderful well-rotted old manure it still takes a while for it to settle in and develop its own little biome of bacteria and fine roots and worm tunnels and worm poop and dead roots and bugs before it turns into the really good cakey stuff that always seems to be exactly the right moisture level with perfect pH that can grow anything.
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Jul 16, 2023 01:41
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Looks a little shady to me? That would probably be fine or good in the SE, maybe not as great in more northern latitudes. You can still grow plenty of stuff if it is too shady, it just might be more herbs and greens and leafy things, less tomatoes and squash and eggplant. Yeah I took a test approach to this year and planted things ranging from tomatoes to herbs in there and everything is wildly stunted. My radishes put up two true leaves and then stagnated, and my parsley took forever to germinate and hasn't done anything since. I'm hoping the soil will be better next year but I'm going to do a soil test next week to see if there's anything I can do to amend it for the rest of this season.
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Jul 16, 2023 01:58
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Do squash just do this on bright sunny days (80 degrees) or is something else wrong?
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Jul 16, 2023 02:26
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Check around the base of the stem for yellow/brown grainy stuff. You might have a squash vine borer in there.
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Jul 16, 2023 02:34
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That's either thirsty or a borer. Look for the grains like Shifty said but you can usually find little pin holes right around the soil level. If you see either it's pretty much exterminatus in my experience. Cut the plants out, burn them, cover your face in ashes, ask god why he invented such an rear end in a top hat insect, etc.
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Jul 16, 2023 03:18
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mischief posted:That's either thirsty or a borer. We need formal gardening rituals.
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Jul 16, 2023 03:42
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I can help with the old words but we'd likely end up looking at heresy.
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Jul 16, 2023 03:52
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I think curses in old words are still considered acceptable.
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Jul 16, 2023 04:00
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I'm OK with a bit of heresy if you are. Know what will mess up no dig plans? Sumac and / or plum trees getting their roots in the bed.
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Jul 16, 2023 04:11
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No grains at the base of the plant or small holes. I'll water it tomorrow morning and see if it does the same thing in the afternoon
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Jul 16, 2023 04:20
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We visited the specialist succulent nursery near us. We are now $300 poorer, have sunburns, and my son says next time we should bring a forklift. I did not need another obsession to add to old roses and herbs.
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Jul 16, 2023 05:19
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