The Old Folks Home

[NotAFarm]

Good Morning!

@perchie.girl @drumstick diva @lynnhill
Thanks for the info! We've had "ark like" rains this year and maybe that is the reason for the change...just thought it strange that just the one side was pink. It is on the east side so maybe a bit wetter. Our soil is generally acidic...lots of oaks and shagbark hickories and moss grows in the shade of them. I don't add any soil amendments. The chickens add what they "do", but that is it.

Have a great Friday everyone!

 

[ronott1]

I think they need aluminum sulfate ???? to turn blue-er We had one in the '50's and it stopped traffic. I know we had to buy stuff to add to the soil. Not sure that was the right additive, I mentioned. But that name came up from somewhere.

It changes the PH of the soil:

Aluminium sulfate is sometimes used to reduce the pH of garden soil, as it hydrolyzes to form the aluminium hydroxide precipitate and a dilute sulfuric acid

That too...

deb

It is the same answer--the plant is not using the aluminium but the soil ph is changed.

 

[Bunnylady]

I've heard that the aluminum is part of the blue pigment, and aluminum is literally dirt common in soil - it's just the availability to be taken up by the plants that changes with the soil ph.

 

[ronott1]

I've heard that the aluminum is part of the blue pigment, and aluminum is literally dirt common in soil - it's just the availability to be taken up by the plants that changes with the soil ph.

Something happened that either depleted the aluminum or changed the PH. The soil needs to be acidic to let the plant take up the aluminum.

Adding aluminum sulfate will turn the flowers blue quickly.

 

[chickisoup]

Morning everyone!
So this is where everyone went! Had'nt been on very much for a while and decided to check in on this thread and I was a couple hundred pages behind!!! Glad to see everyone is staying out of trouble, good job Wisher!!! Not easy keeping these kids in line

Superchemicalgirl- Hi again fellow northerner!!! I just scanned a lot to get caught up so I am sure I missed some (lots) stuff but I just wanted to add my condolences for the loss of your dad and sorry you are having health problems now. Wow, what a hard summer for you. Oh, and I see you are still doing beautiful work!

How are your "weed eaters" doing? Have you ever had the dwarf or mini goats? I am thinking I might talk DH into maybe getting a couple but I am concerned the little ones may not be able to handle our winters. Any thoughts?

To everyone else----hope you've had a good summer so far and all the chickies and other critters are doing well and sincerely sorry for any losses.

I recently picked up a very old rocking chair for $5 that needed some seat work. The DH has it all fixed up for me and it's ready to take it's place on the backporch so it looks like,
if it's all right with you all good folks, I'll just grab my coffee mug and come back and sit a while, ok????

 

[ronott1]

Morning everyone!
So this is where everyone went! Had'nt been on very much for a while and decided to check in on this thread and I was a couple hundred pages behind!!! Glad to see everyone is staying out of trouble, good job Wisher!!! Not easy keeping these kids in line

Superchemicalgirl- Hi again fellow northerner!!! I just scanned a lot to get caught up so I am sure I missed some (lots) stuff but I just wanted to add my condolences for the loss of your dad and sorry you are having health problems now. Wow, what a hard summer for you. Oh, and I see you are still doing beautiful work!

How are your "weed eaters" doing? Have you ever had the dwarf or mini goats? I am thinking I might talk DH into maybe getting a couple but I am concerned the little ones may not be able to handle our winters. Any thoughts?

To everyone else----hope you've had a good summer so far and all the chickies and other critters are doing well and sincerely sorry for any losses.

I recently picked up a very old rocking chair for $5 that needed some seat work. The DH has it all fixed up for me and it's ready to take it's place on the backporch so it looks like,
if it's all right with you all good folks, I'll just grab my coffee mug and come back and sit a while, ok????

Welcome back!

 

[Woodsdweller]

Quote: Could be the neighbor's dog decided it wasn't getting watered enough.

 

[tnspursfan09]

My grandmother always put old rusted nails in the soil around her hydrangeas to make them blue.

 

[Alaskan]

Makes weeding them a but scary.

 

[Alaskan]

A bit scary... A Bit