What did you do in the garden today?

[CNJ]

Did you drill holes in the sides of your buckets? I’m monitoring my buckets, using 6” net cups, and I’m not having any issues with air pruning, at least not yet. My plants are in clay pebbles and I didn’t drill holes in the sides of the buckets. I was wondering if I should, but haven’t changed anything yet.

The ones where I took off the potting mix and covered with clay pebbles look better than the ones where I left the potting mix on. I drilled a drain hole about half an inch above the net cups on my buckets out in the open in case it rains, but I didn't drill a hole on the buckets under a 40% green shade tarp. The tarp keeps the rain from going in my buckets. I will drill a hole latter when I got things figured out. It makes refilling easier.

Heat may also have something to do with how the roots grow. Anyway, I just pulled out a TYLCV infected plant in a 6 inch net cup and replaced it with another one. I rinsed the potting mix of this one and covered the clay pebbles with a round piece of plastic chicken feed bag and sealed it with duck tape, so it will have less moisture loss.

I put a single layer of clay pebbles on the bottom of my net cup and placed the roots in and filled it with clay pebbles while holding it up, so the roots resemble how it was in the pot.

I want to see how the roots develop with the plastic cover. In this bucket I drilled a hole at around 6 inches from the bottom and used a 3/8 gromet, 90 elbow, and put a piece of 3/8 tubing on the elbow to bring the solution level up to 1/2 inch above the bottom of the 6 inch net cup. If the roots are following the solution down to the 6 inch level and look healthy and white, I will take the 3/8 tubing off and keep the water level at 6 inches with daily refills.

 

[jerryse]

Can someone give me some raspberry help?? I have everbearing and naturally in fall all our leaves collected in the raspberries so I left them as mulch covering. I was hoping new seedlings would come up through them. I have not seen any come up in the leaves, just outside of the leaves like you can see below. Do I need to remove all the leaves for new seedlings to emerge or are they just gonna take longer? Any raspberry advice I’d appreciate, I haven’t had the greatest luck with them & we’re on year 3 with them.View attachment 3467483

Red raspberries spread by root suckers. Which is what you have. A clone of your plant. Left alone they will make full size canes and form a thicket or patch. You could also move some to increase the size of the patch. FYI at that size they need TLC if moved. Seedlings are possible and I have started some from seed. Seed is hard to start. In my area black raspberries are native and the birds start wild patches. Reds do not naturalize and grow wild here. At my cabin in MN reds are native and grow wild. Blacks will grow there but will not thrive and naturalize.

 

[igorsMistress]

The ones where I took off the potting mix and covered with clay pebbles look better than the ones where I left the potting mix on. I drilled a drain hole about half an inch above the net cups on my buckets out in the open in case it rains, but I didn't drill a hole on the buckets under a 40% green shade tarp. The tarp keeps the rain from going in my buckets. I will drill a hole latter when I got things figured out. It makes refilling easier.

Heat may also have something to do with how the roots grow. Anyway, I just pulled out a TYLCV infected plant in a 6 inch net cup and replaced it with another one. I rinsed the potting mix of this one and covered the clay pebbles with a round piece of plastic chicken feed bag and sealed it with duck tape, so it will have less moisture loss.

I put a single layer of clay pebbles on the bottom of my net cup and placed the roots in and filled it with clay pebbles while holding it up, so the roots resemble how it was in the pot.

I want to see how the roots develop with the plastic cover. In this bucket I drilled a hole at around 6 inches from the bottom and used a 3/8 gromet, 90 elbow, and put a piece of 3/8 tubing on the elbow to bring the solution level up to 1/2 inch above the bottom of the 6 inch net cup. If the roots are following the solution down to the 6 inch level and look healthy and white, I will take the 3/8 tubing off and keep the water level at 6 inches with daily refills.

I haven’t even topped up the buckets at this point. I started with the nutrient solution at about 1/2 an inch above the bottom of the cup and the roots are following it down. I haven’t checked yet this weekend to see where the water level is though.

 

[jerryse]

There are some coming up where it isn’t mulched, my concern is if they’ll come up through those leaves cause none have yet?

They have the strength to come up through the leaves as they are connected to the parent plant.

 

[Swiss]

Thanks for the tip on the seed leaves stuck in the seed. I've been putting a drop of water on the seed, and it looks like most of them are going to make it!!!

YAY!!!

 

[BabyGotQuack]

They have the strength to come up through the leaves as they are connected to the parent plant.

Thank you, that’s exactly what I needed to know!

 

[fuzzi]

Every year I inevitably plant something in a bed/location and then forget what I planted there. This year I SWORE I was going to put in a marker so I wouldn't forget... Except that I forgot the tongue depressors at the house and went ahead and planted anyway. Now I forgot what I planted...

The best laid plans.....

I take pictures with my phone after I plant. If I plant seeds I lay the seed packet on the ground. For example:

And today:

 

[fuzzi]

Yay! Chicks.

As it turns out, we got several breeds of bantams (more than the 4 I requested).
The bantam breeds we got are:
Partidge Wyandotte
Silver Pencilled Wyandotte
Rhode Island Red
Black Tailed White Jap
Silver Spangled Hamburg
Black Rose Comb
Columbian Rock


We also got 8 High Production, regular sized, "Golden Buff Cross" chicks. One bantam chick did not make it, unfortunately.
View attachment 3466120


This side is all bantams
View attachment 3466121


This side is the full size Layers, and one breed of bantam.
View attachment 3466122

I had Rosecomb bantams 30 years ago. Nice birds. Looking forward to seeing them grow.

 

[CNJ]

I haven’t even topped up the buckets at this point. I started with the nutrient solution at about 1/2 an inch above the bottom of the cup and the roots are following it down. I haven’t checked yet this weekend to see where the water level is though.

In the original Kratky video, he kept the air gap at a constant 2 inches with a float valve and solution reservoir. I don't know if its true, but I saw a video where this guy was saying when refilling by hand the variance should not be more than an inch or the roots will rot.

Its easier to refill if we have an over flow hole at the level we want to keep constant. I notice that the bigger plants need to be filled daily, but the smaller one not as often.

Also, note the section of this video where he adjust the strength of his solution at different stages.

 

[fuzzi]

Did some gardening yesterday after work.

I topped off my lower level raised bed with finished compost, then planted Lantanas and Mexican sunflower seeds (Tithonia)

The squirrels have been using my banana trees to access the bird feeders, so I planned to move them to the opposite side of our propane tank. The banana tree roots were too big and deep to move, so I transplanted some of the shoots, then chopped down the trees.

And I mowed around the ponds. I prefer to do it myself as it's tricky to get the lawnmower around the stone edgings.