# Garden and Yard Talk



## Huntn

Over the weekend dug up some of our mature amaryllis plants to separate the bulbs that had grown up around the original bulbs. They have gotten quite large and where they started as a single plants,  they are now a clumps of plants. The original bulbs were about the size of your fist or a baseball, but digging them up they had at doubled, tripled in size, this was also to make room for the 8 new amaryllis bulbs with fancy white blooms. My wife love these but they are a one trick pony all blooming at the same time which can be magnificent, but then they are done for the season. My wife has started adding some variety of bulbs.



Our amaryllis patch end of season




big bulb​
Some of our friends in the Twin Cities area wanted some of the spare bulbs discussed in a separate thread about shipping costs.


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## Alli

We just put down our first bulbs this year. Some are coming up already. It’s fun!


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## Huntn

Saw a picture of a rat tail cactus which looked outstanding as a hanging plant in a hot climate.

​
Amazon had them at $55. Called around and went down to Cactus King in Houston who said they had them. Simultaneously impressive, a huge cactus yard and a mess with zero customer service and no toilets!

​
And their two rat tail cactuses were barely hanging on, looking neglected. The place is designed for landscape contractors, not home owners. So I searched some more and found one on eBay, $12+ $8 for shipping from California and it looks great! 




Not sure why this is appearing on it’s  side...​


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## Alli

Very similar to one we have.


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> Very similar to one we have. View attachment 1039



Love that pot, is it concrete or other?


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## Alli

Huntn said:


> Love that pot, is it concrete or other?



Concrete. Shipping cost more than the pot, but it was worth it.


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> Concrete. Shipping cost more than the pot, but it was worth it.



There are several lawn ornament places around Houston with concrete ornaments and pots. The ornamental statue, a couple of urns and the sea serpent are our favorite.  We brought the geisha down from Minnesota with us.




Hard to see the urn...​


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## Alli

Huntn said:


> Hard to see the urn...



Almost impossible!

Love the serpent.


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## Huntn

Feb 1 and one lone Amaryllis among about 20 decided to bloom... still relatively chilly here in Houston, lows at night high 30’s, days 50-60F Lately.

​


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## Huntn

The Southern Weather disaster seems to have concluded and I’m looking at my once proud:


Alocasia​
Reduced to:

​
Described as hearty in zones 9-11 (we are 9), it remains to be seen if this will rise like the Phoenix or have to be replaced...  

These are tubers. Next time, I’ll know  to cut it back in advance and cover it up.


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## Alli

Huntn said:


> The Southern Weather disaster seems to have concluded and I’m looking at my once proud:



Unfortunately, it looks very much like my yard. Almost everything took a hit. Surprisingly, the daffodils are still holding up their saucy little heads.


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## Scepticalscribe

Alli said:


> Unfortunately, it looks very much like my yard. Almost everything took a hit. Surprisingly, the daffodils are still holding up their saucy little heads.
> 
> View attachment 3633




Have I mentioned that I just adore and absolutely love daffodils, complete with saucy little heads in a lovely, life-affirming shade of yellow?


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## Alli

Scepticalscribe said:


> Have I mentioned that I just adore and absolutely love daffodils, complete with saucy little heads in a lovely, life-affirming shade of yellow?



Why no! I don’t believe you have mentioned that...in this thread. LOL


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## Scepticalscribe

Alli said:


> Why no! I don’t believe you have mentioned that...in this thread. LOL




Well, yes, my question was rhetorical: But, - herewith an aside and hint, both: I can never see (feast my eyes on) too many pictures of daffodils......


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## Alli

Scepticalscribe said:


> Well, yes, my question was rhetorical: But, - herewith an aside and hint, both: I can never see (feast my eyes on) too many pictures of daffodils......



Hint taken.


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## Huntn

Hark. It’s Ah-liieevveee! 


Can you see them?​


Scepticalscribe said:


> Have I mentioned that I just adore and absolutely love daffodils, complete with saucy little heads in a lovely, life-affirming shade of yellow?



We used to live on Daffodil Path, Minnesota cold weather warriors (Daffodils)  and made sure we paid the name homage!


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## Huntn

For anyone who likes gardening, I have to recommend *Gardener’s World *from the UK starring Monty Don. Very Zen like. It’s a great show with a large variety of guests and their gardens and is available for viewing in the US on, Acorn, Britbox, Amazon Prime, BBC2? and Dailymotion videos. My wife is a fanatic and it’s gotten her back out in the yard.









						Watch Gardeners' World (2020) | Prime Video
					

All new season of this perennially popular gardening program returns with an all-new season budding with inspiring ideas and down-to-earth advice. [BritBox



					www.amazon.com


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## Huntn

*28 March 2021*
Besides the lone wolf amaryllis that bloomed in early Feb, all the rest are about to pop. Here’s one, front yard:

​The elephant ear continues to make progress:


6 plant shoots in this photo​And we have decided to allow a little bird to have it’s nest under our gazebo. She’s not all that happy when we are hanging out back there, but it comes with the territiry she chose.   I’ve not yet identified it, but it’s small with brownish red coloring, maybe a wren of some kind. Right now my guess is a House Wren or Carolina Wren.



​


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## Huntn

*April 2021 flower bed Project*
This strip of yard, approx 6x35’, the wife wants to turn it into a wild flower bed. The idea is that wild flowers should be relatively rugged and not depend on regular water as there is no sprinkler system in this part of the yard. So you know who gets to do the brunt of the work. 

Since we live in a community that has covenants, I decided to run this by the home owner Association who approved, but I said flowers and mulch, not specifically wild flowers which can seen unruly. So we’ll see what kind of reaction if any we get from them. Anyway in the picture I just scalped it with the lawn mower, and per Monty (Gardener’s World), I’ve started to vigorously rake it to expose the dirt, not supposed to remove all of the grass.

Today, I’ll buy a stack of pavers to define the property line which will be flush with the ground (already checked and got an ok from the neighbor. I really need to get this area raked and the seeds spread as it is getting late in the season to start such plants. You want them going before it gets stink’n hot. And I’m going to drop a border of crushed rock around it using landscaping edging to make the area look more defined and refined to counter any unruliness of the wild fires themselves.

This area will also get some tuffs of ornamental grass and 2 Acoma dwarf (white) Crepe Myrtle bushes, 7-10’, but we will prune them as they commonly are around here to resemble trees, pruning them  up with a couple of main stalks In the bottom 6’ or so. Typically each year, they are topped And new growth is encouraged. 

So has anyone worked with wild flowers? I was surprised that they are typically sewed in existing grasses, but that makes sense when you see them growing in the wild in pastures. Any suggestions? 

​


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## SuperMatt

I’m in a condo but there is a planter outside. We put in mint and cilantro and dill last year. Mint and cilantro have already started to reappear. I replanted Dill seeds but no action yet.


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## fooferdoggie

these are trestrial orchids. I have two different plants in here but one the coolest is not happy. it has dark green leaves with black spots. this guys leaves are about the color now and the blooms can last for months. this is a easy to grow one some can be really finicky, this guy wants full son and loves the heat. they are so expensive I think this guy was around 50 for a little pot. but this is the 3rd or 4 year and it is doing really well


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## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *April 2021 flower bed Project*
> This strip of yard, approx 6x35’, the wife wants to turn it into a wild flower bed. The idea is that wild flowers should be relatively rugged and not depend on regular water as there is no sprinkler system in this part of the yard. So you know who gets to do the brunt of the work.
> 
> Since we live in a community that has covenants, I decided to run this by the home owner Association who approved, but I said flowers and mulch, not specifically wild flowers which can seen unruly. So we’ll see what kind of reaction if any we get from them. Anyway in the picture I just scalped it with the lawn mower, and per Monty (Gardener’s World), I’ve started to vigorously rake it to expose the dirt, not supposed to remove all of the grass.
> 
> Today, I’ll buy a stack of pavers to define the property line which will be flush with the ground (already checked and got an ok from the neighbor. I really need to get this area raked and the seeds spread as it is getting late in the season to start such plants. You want them going before it gets stink’n hot. And I’m going to drop a border of crushed rock around it using landscaping edging to make the area look more defined and refined to counter any unruliness of the wild fires themselves.
> 
> This area will also get some tuffs of ornamental grass and 2 Acoma dwarf (white) Crepe Myrtle bushes, 7-10’, but we will prune them as they commonly are around here to resemble trees, pruning them  up with a couple of main stalks In the bottom 6’ or so. Typically each year, they are topped And new growth is encouraged.
> 
> So has anyone worked with wild flowers? I was surprised that they are typically sewed in existing grasses, but that makes sense when you see them growing in the wild in pastures. Any suggestions?
> 
> View attachment 4203​



Although I look at it every day, I’ve just realized there is a hump running down the right side of my new bed in the making ( previous image, looking from house to street), that gets quite pronounced near the street.  I’m doing some mild terraforming leveling the area. which is going to wipe much of the grass. I’ve also been trying to get rid of a mole, family of moles  for a couple of years now. Is there any reason to welcome them to your yard? I know they eat bugs...and  worms?


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## Runs For Fun

Finally seeing some signs of spring around here. Hyacinths and Daffodils.


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## Huntn

More Amaryllis and honey suckle which is a lovely plant.  Two Geisha Girls (shrubs) are coming back!


Amaryllis


Honey Suckle


Geisha Girl before the freeze Now 
growing back from the roots​


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## lizkat

Huntn said:


> So has anyone worked with wild flowers? I was surprised that they are typically sewed in existing grasses, but that makes sense when you see them growing in the wild in pastures. Any suggestions?




I've done smaller patches from time to time,  but I did try to dig out and otherwise distress the grassroots first down to around five inches and out about three inches so I could put stones over groundcloth along the edges of the patch.    Believe me the grasses will find their way back quickly enough.  I also wanted to bring poorer soil to the surface because the wildflowers thrive in poor soil and grasses like the stuff that's more fertile.  I mixed some sand into the top couple inches too before raking it out and scattering the seed, because our native soil right around here tends to be heavy and we sometimes get heavy rain in springtime.   I did mine early in spring and laid some light straw mulch over top to let the seeds figure out when to push up but some people around here plant earlier and don't mulch and do take their chances with both late frost and rains.   As general advice I took guidelines out of some site like the one cited below, although it may not have been this exact one, anyway the suggestions look similar.     Where you are now though,  you might need to focus on advice meant for the southwest, past just generic "wildflower cultivation" tips.






						How to grow a wild patch | The Wildlife Trusts
					

It doesn’t matter what size your space is, there’s always room for wildflowers! Set aside an area of lawn, part of a border, or even a large container and watch the bees and butterflies buzz in.




					www.wildlifetrusts.org
				



Cautionary tale:  some wildflowers are invasive, even annual ones in terms of their ability to spread elsewhere, so keep an eye out for those you don't care to see overtake the patch or make inroads into the lawn.  My own lawns are mostly just from chaff taken off the haywagon so they're pretty invasive themselves, thus my battles of grass v wildflowers were more or less a draw at the borders of the patches,  and the flowers stayed inside.   

If your HOA doesn't like the look of a straggly patch at first, plant a few annuals in there to make it look more like garden and less like a work in progress.   When you pull those out later just leave the space raked over a little, the foliage of the growing wildflowers will expand to fill the space, and the wildflowers will seed into those areas ok for the next year.  I had to mulch over mine a little in winter to minimize seed damage or loss from frost heaves and maraudings of hungry meadow critters.


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## Scepticalscribe

Huntn said:


> For anyone who likes gardening, I have to recommend *Gardener’s World *from the UK starring Monty Don. Very Zen like. It’s a great show with a large variety of guests and their gardens and is available for viewing in the US on, Acorn, Britbox, Amazon Prime, BBC2? and Dailymotion videos. My wife is a fanatic and it’s gotten her back out in the yard.
> 
> View attachment 3920​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Watch Gardeners' World (2020) | Prime Video
> 
> 
> All new season of this perennially popular gardening program returns with an all-new season budding with inspiring ideas and down-to-earth advice. [BritBox
> 
> 
> 
> www.amazon.com




When my mother - who loved gardening and was a genuinely gifted gardener - still had her mind, and memory and marbles, Monty Don was possibly her very favourite TV show, and was one that she never missed.


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## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *April 2021 flower bed Project*
> This strip of yard, approx 6x35’, the wife wants to turn it into a wild flower bed. The idea is that wild flowers should be relatively rugged and not depend on regular water as there is no sprinkler system in this part of the yard. So you know who gets to do the brunt of the work.
> 
> Since we live in a community that has covenants, I decided to run this by the home owner Association who approved, but I said flowers and mulch, not specifically wild flowers which can seen unruly. So we’ll see what kind of reaction if any we get from them. Anyway in the picture I just scalped it with the lawn mower, and per Monty (Gardener’s World), I’ve started to vigorously rake it to expose the dirt, not supposed to remove all of the grass.
> 
> Today, I’ll buy a stack of pavers to define the property line which will be flush with the ground (already checked and got an ok from the neighbor. I really need to get this area raked and the seeds spread as it is getting late in the season to start such plants. You want them going before it gets stink’n hot. And I’m going to drop a border of crushed rock around it using landscaping edging to make the area look more defined and refined to counter any unruliness of the wild fires themselves.
> 
> This area will also get some tuffs of ornamental grass and 2 Acoma dwarf (white) Crepe Myrtle bushes, 7-10’, but we will prune them as they commonly are around here to resemble trees, pruning them  up with a couple of main stalks In the bottom 6’ or so. Typically each year, they are topped And new growth is encouraged.
> 
> So has anyone worked with wild flowers? I was surprised that they are typically sewed in existing grasses, but that makes sense when you see them growing in the wild in pastures. Any suggestions?
> 
> View attachment 4203​



Update : project complete with 2 dwarf Acomo Crape Myrtle bushes to be shaped as trees, 3 decorative grasses, and wild flower seeds planted. Let’s see what happens. 




Landscaping finished, watching for wildflowers to pop.
Hopefully the straw bed will not adversely effect wildflower seeds. 
They were put down first.

Acoma Crape Myrtle about 10’ tall will have to be pruned up for this narrow space.​


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## Huntn

Amaryllis popping out front:

​
They tend to sell just Red ones here (Houston) for Christmas. Last fall we divided, and sent some extra bulbs to friends and went online to find some other colors. My wife got some intriguing double amaryllise.

​


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## Huntn

Huntn said:


> Update : project complete with 2 dwarf Acomo Crape Myrtle bushes to be shaped as trees, 3 decorative grasses, and wild flower seeds planted. Let’s see what happens.
> 
> View attachment 4443
> 
> View attachment 4442
> Landscaping finished, watching for wildflowers to pop.
> Hopefully the straw bed will not adversely effect wildflower seeds.
> They were put down first.
> View attachment 4444
> Acoma Crape Myrtle about 10’ tall will have to be pruned up for this narrow space.​



Wildflowers were rearing to go, in fact some seeds we are planting are popping virtually within 48 hours. April has been glorious, today in the 60s.

​


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## fooferdoggie

our back yard /bank is not the greatest soil and the tree roots are in the way of planting. Plus course pretty much full shade. some ferns did well some ok some died over the last few years. I have bought so many different species the word fern native to this are have done the best. they jsut sat there for a year before growing. some babies though not a lot. thew grown cover is finally taking off. the dog has his path so nothing is going grow there.


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## fooferdoggie

some of the ferns. nice and happy.


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## Huntn

Interesting article for anyone who might want to make a home made liquid fertilizer:









						16 Best Free Homemade Liquid Fertilizer Recipes
					

Instead of using commercial ones, make these DIY Homemade Liquid Fertilizers easily at your home for amazing results!




					balconygardenweb.com
				






fooferdoggie said:


> some of the ferns. nice and happy.
> View attachment 4610View attachment 4611View attachment 4612



Ferns are tough, have always been a favorite of mine. The housing development we lived in Minnesota (southern Twin Cites suburbs) I used to visit woodsy vacant lots about to be bulldozed to build a house and rescue the ferns for my own woodsy backyard.


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## fooferdoggie

Huntn said:


> Interesting article for anyone who might want to make a home made liquid fertilizer:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 16 Best Free Homemade Liquid Fertilizer Recipes
> 
> 
> Instead of using commercial ones, make these DIY Homemade Liquid Fertilizers easily at your home for amazing results!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> balconygardenweb.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ferns are tough, have always been a favorite of mine. The housing development we lived in Minnesota (southern Twin Cites suburbs) I used to visit woodsy vacant lots about to be bulldozed to build a house and rescue the ferns for my own woodsy backyard.



some can be wimps though. my wife can't grow them in the house at all. orchids yes ferns no. well this fern growing in a orchid pot of course


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## fooferdoggie

here is a really cool Prickly pear verbiage and no needles. grows like a weed a wonderful house cactus.


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## Alli

Everything in my yard is blooming right now. The succulents are particularly vibrant.


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## lizkat

Huntn said:


> Wildflowers were rearing to go, in fact some seeds we are planting are popping virtually within 48 hours. April has been glorious, today in the 60s.
> 
> View attachment 4532​




Gotta love seedlings.   They all have the same idea... * I can haz world dominance! *


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## Huntn

fooferdoggie said:


> here is a really cool Prickly pear verbiage and no needles. grows like a weed a wonderful house cactus.
> View attachment 4681



No needles? Natural or genetically modified? Have some bad memories of prickly pears... SERE training, diving off a road to avoid an enemy patrol right into some cactus.


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## Huntn

fooferdoggie said:


> some can be wimps though. my wife can't grow them in the house at all. orchids yes ferns no. well this fern growing in a orchid pot of course
> View attachment 4679



Ferns don’t like low humidity. In Minnesota we used to over winter our deck Boston ferns in the Dining Room West facing window and by the end of the winter, they were very sad. Outside, they are troopers.


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## fooferdoggie

Huntn said:


> Ferns don’t like low humidity. In Minnesota we used to over winter our deck Boston ferns in the Dining Room West facing window and by the end of the winter, they were very sad. Outside, they are troopers.



not an issue here in portland and our house. I think too much light.


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## lizkat

Huntn said:


> Ferns don’t like low humidity. In Minnesota we used to over winter our deck Boston ferns in the Dining Room West facing window and by the end of the winter, they were very sad. Outside, they are troopers.




My grandma used to overwinter her Boston ferns in a spare bedroom, in a 3"-tall galvanized tray about 4' x 6' that was filled with pebbles and that she kept about an inch of water in to provide some local moisture.  Most ferns are pretty fussy about dry air indoors.  
Outside though, wow.   I remember in 2012 we had an especially rainy summer here,  and these guys popped up outta nowhere next to an in-law's place and really took off.  I loved them and managed to transplant a few out to a low spot in the back of my place where they'd have a better chance no matter the local rainfall levels.  They didn't very much like being transplanted, as I recall,  but enough of their spores settled in there over the season changes that year, so I have nice ferns out back now most years.

​


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## Huntn

lizkat said:


> My grandma used to overwinter her Boston ferns in a spare bedroom, in a 3"-tall galvanized tray about 4' x 6' that was filled with pebbles and that she kept about an inch of water in to provide some local moisture.  Most ferns are pretty fussy about dry air indoors.
> Outside though, wow.   I remember in 2012 we had an especially rainy summer here,  and these guys popped up outta nowhere next to an in-law's place and really took off.  I loved them and managed to transplant a few out to a low spot in the back of my place where they'd have a better chance no matter the local rainfall levels.  They didn't very much like being transplanted, as I recall,  but enough of their spores settled in there over the season changes that year, so I have nice ferns out back now most years.
> 
> View attachment 4742​



They are invasive but easily controlled.  They seem to tolerate a wide range of temps from cold to hot. Our ferns here in Houston look like the same ferns we had in Minnesota.


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## Huntn

I actually ordered an outdoor bug zapper, then read this article and cancelled it.









						Do Bug Zappers Work? Yeah—About As Well As Any Other Indiscriminate Wildlife Slaughter.
					

Bug zappers kill the wrong bugs—to control bugs without a spray repellent, use a spatial repellent or a fan instead.




					www.nytimes.com
				




But I still ordered the indoor plug-in zapper because we have micro skeeters that get in the house and ravage us at night. this morning I heard one buzzing around my head but could not spot it.


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## Huntn

Wild flower bed update. Right now it looks like a bed of overgrown weeds. Waiting on flowers to start popping. 






Elephant Ears taking off!​


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## Runs For Fun

These are blooming now. It’s a large trellis and there’s tons of flowers. Looks pretty impressive in person


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## lizkat

Runs For Fun said:


> These are blooming now. It’s a large trellis and there’s tons of flowers. Looks pretty impressive in person
> 
> View attachment 5553View attachment 5554




Is that a clematis?  I love those...  I had a blue one once climbing up a utility pole that held one end of my clothesline but it took a real beating one year from a series of thaw-freeze cycles and bit the dust.


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## Runs For Fun

lizkat said:


> Is that a clematis?  I love those...  I had a blue one once climbing up a utility pole that held one end of my clothesline but it took a real beating one year from a series of thaw-freeze cycles and bit the dust.



Yep, that’s exactly what it is!


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## Huntn

The wild flower meadow is starting to go. 

​



And the back yard has been going. 

​


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## Huntn

Runs For Fun said:


> These are blooming now. It’s a large trellis and there’s tons of flowers. Looks pretty impressive in person
> 
> View attachment 5553View attachment 5554



Where do you live? Sorry if I should know.


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## DT

We have a couple of rando - and recently discovered - trees that are kind of fun:

It appears we have a coconut on the side of the house (outside of the fence) and I'm excited that we have what appears to be a Queen Palm that has popped out of some Palmetto growth.  The coconut, I'll probably leave where it is for now, maybe clean up around it a little, but I think we're going to move the Queen to the middle of the front, in an empty spot (which a small tree never recovered), remove the grass an incorporate the tree space into the main flower bed with a little more design intent.  They're both very small right now, though they can both get pretty big, especially the Queen (the neighbor has a huge one in his front yard).

I've got a couple of pics ...


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## fooferdoggie

my terrestrial orchids. they grow like any other potted plant. there are a ton but these are pretty easy. the little spotted guy I thought was history and he is making a comeback. so I will have to transplant him this fall and thin them out. I found they really want a lot of light and don't mind the heat. last year they did not bloom till early fall. with orchids they only bloom if they are happy.


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## Runs For Fun

Huntn said:


> Where do you live? Sorry if I should know.



Northeast Ohio


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## Deleted member 199

DT said:


> We have a couple of rando - and recently discovered - trees that are kind of fun:
> 
> It appears we have a coconut on the side of the house (outside of the fence) and I'm excited that we have what appears to be a Queen Palm that has popped out of some Palmetto growth.  The coconut, I'll probably leave where it is for now, maybe clean up around it a little, but I think we're going to move the Queen to the middle of the front, in an empty spot (which a small tree never recovered), remove the grass an incorporate the tree space into the main flower bed with a little more design intent.  They're both very small right now, though they can both get pretty big, especially the Queen (the neighbor has a huge one in his front yard).
> 
> I've got a couple of pics ...



How big is the coconut palm? Some of them have ridiculously deep roots, even when relatively tiny above the surface.


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## Huntn

DT said:


> We have a couple of rando - and recently discovered - trees that are kind of fun:
> 
> It appears we have a coconut on the side of the house (outside of the fence) and I'm excited that we have what appears to be a Queen Palm that has popped out of some Palmetto growth.  The coconut, I'll probably leave where it is for now, maybe clean up around it a little, but I think we're going to move the Queen to the middle of the front, in an empty spot (which a small tree never recovered), remove the grass an incorporate the tree space into the main flower bed with a little more design intent.  They're both very small right now, though they can both get pretty big, especially the Queen (the neighbor has a huge one in his front yard).
> 
> I've got a couple of pics ...



Will you harvest coconuts? I would.


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## Huntn

fooferdoggie said:


> my terrestrial orchids. they grow like any other potted plant. there are a ton but these are pretty easy. the little spotted guy I thought was history and he is making a comeback. so I will have to transplant him this fall and thin them out. I found they really want a lot of light and don't mind the heat. last year they did not bloom till early fall. with orchids they only bloom if they are happy.
> View attachment 5617View attachment 5618



Are these in a terrarium? The 2 we have are planted in pine bark. It look like yours are in gravel or is that just on the surface?


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## DT

Stephen.R said:


> How big is the coconut palm? Some of them have ridiculously deep roots, even when relatively tiny above the surface.




It's pretty small-ish, I wasn't 100% sure was a coconut palm, but it wouldn't be odd for this area (and there's a number of them in close by yards).  Then when I was cleaning up around it - it's on the kind of "unmanaged" side yard - I found an actual coconut (probably the original seed source).  I read that they thrive in full sunlight, so we might wind up using the spot for the Queen for the palm.

Then of course, we'll need some lime ...  and about 20 years ...


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## DT

Huntn said:


> Will you harvest coconuts? I would.





Definitely, here I am at the neighbor's house ...


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## fooferdoggie

Huntn said:


> Are these in a terrarium? The 2 we have are planted in pine bark. It look like yours are in gravel or is that just on the surface?



no they are in potting mix. there are a lot of different types of terrestrial orchids some are real finicky. but these guys grow in the middle of fields in very cold parts of the world in the winter. they are outside all year long they lose all their foliage in winter.


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## Huntn

DT said:


> Definitely, here I am at the neighbor's house ...
> 
> 
> View attachment 5627



No, no, no, you use a long stick.


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## fooferdoggie

this is another orchid. this guy is in bark but he likes full sun. he is under a intense LED in winter but he wants to be outside then he blooms. Man the flowers ell fantastic and even the dry flowers smell good.


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## Alli

Runs For Fun said:


> Northeast Ohio



What county?


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## Runs For Fun

Alli said:


> What county?



Cuyahoga


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## Alli

Runs For Fun said:


> Cuyahoga



I spent my time in Wood County. Seven years.


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## SuperMatt

Runs For Fun said:


> Cuyahoga



I went to college in Cleveland.


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## Deleted member 199

Moved a clump of banana plants this afternoon. Hopefully with more sun and being in a spot we see most days (and thus getting watered during dry periods) they'll produce more than they've been doing so far in the old spot (practically nothing) where they're in the shade most of the day, and out of sight, thus out of mind. 1 clump came out as three separate plants/mini clumps.


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## fooferdoggie

bananas want lots of light and water. they will grow here in portland but they never produce fruit. we don't have good enough soil for them.


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## Deleted member 199

fooferdoggie said:


> bananas want lots of light and water. they will grow here in portland but they never produce fruit. we don't have good enough soil for them.



My MIL grows a couple of Thai varieties, one that grows to _easily_ 4m (13'), the biggest ones are probably 6m (~20'). People always go on about how fast bamboo grows and how hard it is to get rid of - I'd choose to get rid of bamboo over those Thai bananas any day.

These ones are, I believe just Cavendish or some very similar variety (they just seem like a 'regular' banana to me), and generally do OK here, so long as - as you say - they get enough water and sun. No where near as quick to produce fruit, but when they do well even a single plant produces more than we can eat in time, so the excess gets frozen to make smoothies.


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## Runs For Fun

I have no idea what this is, but it's an absolute unit


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## Alli

Stephen.R said:


> My MIL grows a couple of Thai varieties, one that grows to _easily_ 4m (13'), the biggest ones are probably 6m (~20'). People always go on about how fast bamboo grows and how hard it is to get rid of - I'd choose to get rid of bamboo over those Thai bananas any day.




I’m one of those people who love bamboo. I got used to it when we lived in Taiwan, and have missed it over the years. We recently stayed in a B&B in Florida that had beautiful high stands of bamboo and I felt so connected. I’d love to plant it at home and replace the fence!


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## Deleted member 199

Alli said:


> I’m one of those people who love bamboo. I got used to it when we lived in Taiwan, and have missed it over the years. We recently stayed in a B&B in Florida that had beautiful high stands of bamboo and I felt so connected. I’d love to plant it at home and replace the fence!



Yup yup. I'm quite obsessed with it. 

Definitely need to be smart about it though. As much as it's easier (IMO) to get rid of bamboo (fire works well) than those fucking banana plants, that really says more about how deep the 'core' of the banana plant goes and their ability to recover from seemingly anything, than it does about how easy it is to get rid of bamboo.


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## lizkat

Alli said:


> I’m one of those people who love bamboo. I got used to it when we lived in Taiwan, and have missed it over the years. We recently stayed in a B&B in Florida that had beautiful high stands of bamboo and I felt so connected. I’d love to plant it at home and replace the fence!




I do like to see some kind of hedgerow plantings over just utility fencing, that's for sure.


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## Huntn

My wife decided to plant up a bunch of pots, and although we’ve had pots in the past, they were in the sprinkler zone, and these plants typically send roots down though the drainage holes into the dirt  so they don’t need as much watering as if they were just reliant on moisture in the pot. The new pots sit on the deck and need watering every other day. Then there are these small hanging baskets which are at the mercy of the Sun. We are relying more on succulents, than in the past.

A nice lady at a local garden center, gave me some cuttings of stapelia, succulents similar to cactus but minus the needles. I just stuck them in some dirt and they grew.


Stapelia left and right with turquoise rocks.


not my picture​


Alli said:


> I’m one of those people who love bamboo. I got used to it when we lived in Taiwan, and have missed it over the years. We recently stayed in a B&B in Florida that had beautiful high stands of bamboo and I felt so connected. I’d love to plant it at home and replace the fence!



I think bamboo is beautiful too. The only caveat is that if planted in the ground, it can be highly invasive and will send roots into lawn areas, which can be a pain. Some neighbors when growing up had a stand of bamboo try to take over their back yard, a nightmare.


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## Huntn

Stephen.R said:


> Moved a clump of banana plants this afternoon. Hopefully with more sun and being in a spot we see most days (and thus getting watered during dry periods) they'll produce more than they've been doing so far in the old spot (practically nothing) where they're in the shade most of the day, and out of sight, thus out of mind. 1 clump came out as three separate plants/mini clumps.
> 
> View attachment 5823



Where do you live? The neighbors banana plants here in Texas survived the 12F event..


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## Deleted member 199

Huntn said:


> Where do you live?



Thailand. If it ever reaches 12ºF here, the world is probably ending.


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## Huntn

DT said:


> Definitely, here I am at the neighbor's house ...
> 
> 
> View attachment 5627



When we lived on Guam we started a row of coconut palms by half burying a line of coconuts In the dirt, which there was very poor on the base (NAS Agana). Also had some plumeria bushes, but I don’t think those can stand freezing, thinking of Houston. After the extra cold snap last Feb, all the palm trees in the area are coming back to life.


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## Chew Toy McCoy

I'm learning tomatoes can be kind of an asshole plant.  After over a month of my tomatoes not ripening and seeming more interested in growing to the size of pumpkins I did some research.  I learned if the temperature goes outside a certain range that's just what they'll do.  They'll put energy into growing more branches, leafs, and new tomatoes instead of ripening what is already there.  So I cut back some new growth and hopefully that will inspire it to step in line.


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## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I'm learning tomatoes can be kind of an asshole plant.  After over a month of my tomatoes not ripening and seeming more interested in growing to the size of pumpkins I did some research.  I learned if the temperature goes outside a certain range that's just what they'll do.  They'll put energy into growing more branches, leafs, and new tomatoes instead of ripening what is already there.  So I cut back some new growth and hopefully that will inspire it to step in line.



They like hot right?


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## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> They like hot right?




That's what I thought but apparently there's such a thing as too hot and too hot is something like the low 80's. 

There's also a chance they aren't getting enough hours of sun but I can't do much about that.  They are on the edge of my balcony and the way my balcony is in relationship to the sun this time of year only provides about 5 hours of direct sunlight.  That will improve after the end of this month as the sun gets lower in the sky.


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## Alli

Huntn said:


> A nice lady at a local garden center, gave me some cuttings of stapelia, succulents similar to cactus but minus the needles. I just stuck them in some dirt and they grew.



We have that!


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## Eric

Alli said:


> We have that!
> 
> View attachment 6294View attachment 6295View attachment 6296



Wow, looks prehistoric


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## Thomas Veil

Holy shit!

If that's real, then it makes me believe this can be, too.


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## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I'm learning tomatoes can be kind of an asshole plant.  After over a month of my tomatoes not ripening and seeming more interested in growing to the size of pumpkins I did some research.  I learned if the temperature goes outside a certain range that's just what they'll do.  They'll put energy into growing more branches, leafs, and new tomatoes instead of ripening what is already there.  So I cut back some new growth and hopefully that will inspire it to step in line.




Well there's always fried green tomatoes...    and other ways to cook and serve the green ones









						15 Delicious Ways to Use Green Tomatoes Beyond Frying
					

Find 15 delicious recipes using end-of-season green tomatoes. Add some of the great recipes to your repertoire.




					www.thespruceeats.com
				



...or just pick some of them green and wrap individually in newspaper and stick in a paper bag in the trunk of your car for a sunny afternoon or two.    I wrapped them in newspaper when early frosts came around here, took a few weeks to finish ripening in the house that way.  PITA since have to keep unwrapping one or two now and then to check on them so they don't go over the top.   In a hot car boot though they'll ripen in a day.

Of course I've no clue what happens to the latest in engineered tomato plants, the kind that have been genetically engineered for various traits.  Somewhere I read that some plants like strawberries and tomatoes may even have fish genes in them now to be made more frost resistant.

Still most tomatoes and other nightshade plants may not like to ripen on the vine if the mean night temperatures in summer are under 55ºF.     Eggplant won't even set fruit here in the mountains because of that unless some nightly protection is afforded.   I've no patience for that so eggplant is strictly a store-bought vegetable for me.   Tomatoes are a little less finicky but when I grew a lot of them I always ended up having to use some green or ripen them wrapped up in the house after a hasty picking in advance of an early hard frost.


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## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Well there's always fried green tomatoes...    and other ways to cook and serve the green ones
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 15 Delicious Ways to Use Green Tomatoes Beyond Frying
> 
> 
> Find 15 delicious recipes using end-of-season green tomatoes. Add some of the great recipes to your repertoire.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.thespruceeats.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...or just pick some of them green and wrap individually in newspaper and stick in a paper bag in the trunk of your car for a sunny afternoon or two.    I wrapped them in newspaper when early frosts came around here, took a few weeks to finish ripening in the house that way.  PITA since have to keep unwrapping one or two now and then to check on them so they don't go over the top.   In a hot car boot though they'll ripen in a day.
> 
> Of course I've no clue what happens to the latest in engineered tomato plants, the kind that have been genetically engineered for various traits.  Somewhere I read that some plants like strawberries and tomatoes may even have fish genes in them now to be made more frost resistant.
> 
> Still most tomatoes and other nightshade plants may not like to ripen on the vine if the mean night temperatures in summer are under 55ºF.     Eggplant won't even set fruit here in the mountains because of that unless some nightly protection is afforded.   I've no patience for that so eggplant is strictly a store-bought vegetable for me.   Tomatoes are a little less finicky but when I grew a lot of them I always ended up having to use some green or ripen them wrapped up in the house after a hasty picking in advance of an early hard frost.




Thanks for the tip(s).  I cut the largest mutant tomato off the vine and put it on a window sill.  I'll report back my findings.


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## Deleted member 199

So technically this could go in 'what are you doing today' because it happened today. but it happened in the 'yard' so it's here.

I managed to not only damage the power cord to the hedge trimmer _with the trimmer _(not the first time this has happened. Fixing it was literally just cutting out a short section and rejoining to the _existing_ waterproof cable joiner from _the last time_ I did this. I blame a black cord, and dark green hedges. The same company sells extension cords, ostensibly for their garden power tools: bright fucking orange. The one attached to the machine? Eh fuck it, black is fine.

Anyway. So I fixed that, continued trimming, and then heard a distinctly bad _crunching_ sound, even through my ear protection. Took it into the shed, disassembled it, and discovered that one of the bearings decided it was all too much like hard work, and gave up on life. 

It had literally just fallen apart - the crunching was the 'cage' band, apparently going for a short stroll through the gears.


And to think, I _chose_ to trim the hedge today (over other tasks), because it seemed like a relatively easy task that doesn't require lots of fucking around.


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## Huntn

Stephen.R said:


> So technically this could go in 'what are you doing today' because it happened today. but it happened in the 'yard' so it's here.
> 
> I managed to not only damage the power cord to the hedge trimmer _with the trimmer _(not the first time this has happened. Fixing it was literally just cutting out a short section and rejoining to the _existing_ waterproof cable joiner from _the last time_ I did this. I blame a black cord, and dark green hedges. The same company sells extension cords, ostensibly for their garden power tools: bright fucking orange. The one attached to the machine? Eh fuck it, black is fine.
> 
> Anyway. So I fixed that, continued trimming, and then heard a distinctly bad _crunching_ sound, even through my ear protection. Took it into the shed, disassembled it, and discovered that one of the bearings decided it was all too much like hard work, and gave up on life.
> 
> It had literally just fallen apart - the crunching was the 'cage' band, apparently going for a short stroll through the gears.
> 
> 
> And to think, I _chose_ to trim the hedge today (over other tasks), because it seemed like a relatively easy task that doesn't require lots of fucking around.



I assume the cord is hooked to the back of the trimmer, and the danger of cutting the cord is when you are cutting downward and the cord is hanging close to where you are cutting? I cut my yard with a wired lawn mower, and at times have to take care not to run over it. For this exercise, I start next to the house and cut parallel back and forth to the front of the house, working my way away from the house and use an orange cord.


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## DT

lizkat said:


> Well there's always fried green tomatoes...    and other ways to cook and serve the green ones




There's a local joint that does a Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomato sandwich, holy hell, it's good.


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## DT

I moved the coconut tree to its new home, at the perimeter of the main front bed, everyone pray for it


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## Huntn

lizkat said:


> Well there's always fried green tomatoes...    and other ways to cook and serve the green ones
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 15 Delicious Ways to Use Green Tomatoes Beyond Frying
> 
> 
> Find 15 delicious recipes using end-of-season green tomatoes. Add some of the great recipes to your repertoire.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.thespruceeats.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...or just pick some of them green and wrap individually in newspaper and stick in a paper bag in the trunk of your car for a sunny afternoon or two.    I wrapped them in newspaper when early frosts came around here, took a few weeks to finish ripening in the house that way.  PITA since have to keep unwrapping one or two now and then to check on them so they don't go over the top.   In a hot car boot though they'll ripen in a day.
> 
> Of course I've no clue what happens to the latest in engineered tomato plants, the kind that have been genetically engineered for various traits.  Somewhere I read that some plants like strawberries and tomatoes may even have fish genes in them now to be made more frost resistant.
> 
> Still most tomatoes and other nightshade plants may not like to ripen on the vine if the mean night temperatures in summer are under 55ºF.     Eggplant won't even set fruit here in the mountains because of that unless some nightly protection is afforded.   I've no patience for that so eggplant is strictly a store-bought vegetable for me.   Tomatoes are a little less finicky but when I grew a lot of them I always ended up having to use some green or ripen them wrapped up in the house after a hasty picking in advance of an early hard frost.



The wife and I were adults, I think after the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, when we tried them, hmm good in a restaurant in Charleston, SC..


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## Huntn

DT said:


> There's a local joint that does a Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomato sandwich, holy hell, it's good.



Incredibly delicious. My mouth waters thinking about it.


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## Huntn

Alli said:


> We have that!
> 
> View attachment 6294View attachment 6295View attachment 6296



Beautiful!  Those look short and fat, the kind I have seem to be have the potential to get longer. Pretty succulent with an exotic flower.


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## Huntn

Huntn said:


> When we lived on Guam we started a row of coconut palms by half burying a line of coconuts In the dirt, which there was very poor on the base (NAS Agana). Also had some plumeria bushes, but I don’t think those can stand freezing, thinking of Houston. After the extra cold snap last Feb, all the palm trees in the area are coming back to life.



Our nephew told us that in San Antonio were he lives, where  it  got colder than Houston, some of the palms died, I guess a certain species of palm, but some research would be required to see which are more cold tolerant. I don’t have any palms on our property. My wife calls them roach magnets, but I don’t argue about it.


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## Deleted member 199

Huntn said:


> I assume the cord is hooked to the back of the trimmer, and the danger of cutting the cord is when you are cutting downward and the cord is hanging close to where you are cutting? I cut my yard with a wired lawn mower, and at times have to take care not to run over it. For this exercise, I start next to the house and cut parallel back and forth to the front of the house, working my way away from the house and use an orange cord.



Yes essentially, it’s hard-wired into the back of the handle but then as you move it down the cord hangs close. Our lawn mower is also wired, but it’s just a euro style “male socket” and while they supplied a black cord I too just use a bright orange one. I’ll probably end up sacrificing one of the orange extension cords and hardwiring it into the back of the trimmer in place of the current black one, once (if) I get the bearing replaced successfully.


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## fooferdoggie

holy crap I just watered these guys yesterday in the afternoon hoping the dog would run through the sprinkler. they are in the shade but I guess 110 degrees is bad and now there is a wind. I think they were ok a couple of hours ago. even the sword ferns are suffering and they can go without watering all year. 
		
		
	


	





. . See how long it takes them to perk up. even the shrubs are wilty.


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## lizkat

This is turning out to be the kind of summer where portulacas would have been appropriate plantings...   half the time when I get a few flats of those, they practically die waiting for enough sun to let them form blooms.    This year I got impatiens instead and of course now they're almost fried even back in the shade of the barn and with the cooler temps after nightfall.   Oh well,  at least the annual plant sellers _*always*_ smile when they see me coming to fill in the spaces around my perennials.


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## Eric

Been working on this small project for a bit now, these climbing vines were planted about a month ago and only took up the first 8 inches or so and are growing crazy fast. It's a good way to add some color and provide a bit more privacy. In another month this entire thing should be covered.


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## Deleted member 199

Stephen.R said:


> Yes essentially, it’s hard-wired into the back of the handle but then as you move it down the cord hangs close. Our lawn mower is also wired, but it’s just a euro style “male socket” and while they supplied a black cord I too just use a bright orange one. I’ll probably end up sacrificing one of the orange extension cords and hardwiring it into the back of the trimmer in place of the current black one, once (if) I get the bearing replaced successfully.



Oh I forgot to post back about this.

So I found the right size bearing, and ordered two, I think the shipping was more than the price of the bearings. Anyway they arrived a few days ago.

Took it all apart (I'd basically stuck all the bolts, screws washers etc in a jar, and then just put the body back together and cable-tied it to hold the motor+switch assembly inside.

Somehow, in the time since I put it on the shelf until the time I opened it to fit the new bearing, one of the carbon brushes decided _it too_ was sick of life, and essentially ejected itself from the little copper casing that holds it in place.

I've asked a place on the local equivalent of Amazon that seemingly _just_ sells carbon brushes if they can find a replacement part based on the photos + measurements I've sent. Good first sign was that they responded, in English and understood what I was asking for.


As I was saying to my wife today when talking about some "non genuine" Harry Potter figurines that were literally 1/30th the price of 'genuine' ones - with something that doesn't really have 'parts', buying cheaper (read: Chinese) stuff doesn't bother me. I've got a bunch of stuff pliers and screwdrivers and hammers and rough saws etc that are from a Chinese brand, and reasonably cheaper than the equivalents from a western brand-name tool maker.


But even here, I can contact numerous places to order the most obscure parts for brand-name power tools. It may need to be a specialty 
order and thus take a while to arrive, but I can absolutely get those parts.

I can't even find anyone who sells this brand that isn't a "generic" store that just sells anything they can get their hands on cheap.


And thus here we are. It's not a _bad_ hedge trimmer, so if I can fix it for the price of a bearing and a few carbon brushes I will, but I'm slowly coming to the realisation that I probably need to either accept that it's always going to be a hassle finding parts for it, OR invest in (known) brand name garden power tools... and at this point that probably means cordless gear....


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## Deleted member 199

Stephen.R said:


> I can't even find anyone who sells this brand that isn't a "generic" store that just sells anything they can get their hands on cheap.



To clarify this part - we did buy it originally from a local hardware/homeware place. They don't seem to sell this brand at all any more, and _last time_ we went and asked them to order a spare part because I'd damaged something (as it happens, for a brush cutter from the same manufacturer, which  is part of why I'd been happy to order this brand again when getting the hedge trimmer) it probably took longer in store to convince them that we just wanted a spare part, even though it cost 1/2 the price of the machine, and that no we didn't just want to buy a new one, and yes I would be perfectly capable of installing the new part once it arrived than it did to actually install said part once it finally arrived.


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## DT

I went full on rage monster on the Jurassic ferns in front of the house, it was totally out of control, they're gone - stacks and stacks, two cans, overflow, it was nuts.

I used a garden rake and really cleaned out the root systems, dumped a couple of huge bags of good potting soil, turned everything over really well, mostly empty bit that's a good start   We had some Poinsettias (from Christmas!), that were just kind of tossed in their pots into that area, they're super healthy, so we actually planted them in the newly cleaned out area.  Also exposed some other nice flowers we had planted months ago, but got buried under the ferns.

Also dug up around the coconut tree, added some potting soil, got some good organic palm food, turned all that over, hopefully it'll perk it up, it wasn't doing great before the move, looks worse now <sad_face>.


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## Deleted member 199

Stephen.R said:


> Oh I forgot to post back about this.
> 
> So I found the right size bearing, and ordered two, I think the shipping was more than the price of the bearings. Anyway they arrived a few days ago.
> 
> Took it all apart (I'd basically stuck all the bolts, screws washers etc in a jar, and then just put the body back together and cable-tied it to hold the motor+switch assembly inside.
> 
> Somehow, in the time since I put it on the shelf until the time I opened it to fit the new bearing, one of the carbon brushes decided _it too_ was sick of life, and essentially ejected itself from the little copper casing that holds it in place.
> 
> I've asked a place on the local equivalent of Amazon that seemingly _just_ sells carbon brushes if they can find a replacement part based on the photos + measurements I've sent. Good first sign was that they responded, in English and understood what I was asking for.
> 
> 
> As I was saying to my wife today when talking about some "non genuine" Harry Potter figurines that were literally 1/30th the price of 'genuine' ones - with something that doesn't really have 'parts', buying cheaper (read: Chinese) stuff doesn't bother me. I've got a bunch of stuff pliers and screwdrivers and hammers and rough saws etc that are from a Chinese brand, and reasonably cheaper than the equivalents from a western brand-name tool maker.
> 
> 
> But even here, I can contact numerous places to order the most obscure parts for brand-name power tools. It may need to be a specialty
> order and thus take a while to arrive, but I can absolutely get those parts.
> 
> I can't even find anyone who sells this brand that isn't a "generic" store that just sells anything they can get their hands on cheap.
> 
> 
> And thus here we are. It's not a _bad_ hedge trimmer, so if I can fix it for the price of a bearing and a few carbon brushes I will, but I'm slowly coming to the realisation that I probably need to either accept that it's always going to be a hassle finding parts for it, OR invest in (known) brand name garden power tools... and at this point that probably means cordless gear....




and the place that I found selling carbon brushes has something _similar_, but no copper casings.

It also seems like major brands have basically abandoned whatever support they may have had for mains-power garden tools - all I can find here now is (a) cheap unknown-brand 220v corded tools like I have already (b) more expensive known brand name battery powered tools or (c) a variety, but mostly higher end petrol powered tools, from a wide range of known and no-name brands.

(c) is a non starter for me. We had a petrol ride-on mower at my parents place when I was a kid. I remember it being a lot of fucking around, and I wasn't even the one that had to fuck around with it then.

(a) is basically just repeating the same thing, and I'd like to think I can generally learn from my mistakes.

(b) is 'nicer' (i.e. no cord, hopefully better quality). as with non-garden related cordless power tools, it seems like the vast majority of the cost is sunk into batteries, and thankfully at least there seem to be options for bare skins for any followup purchases, to take advantage of the existing battery investment.


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## Huntn

DT said:


> I went full on rage monster on the Jurassic ferns in front of the house, it was totally out of control, they're gone - stacks and stacks, two cans, overflow, it was nuts.
> 
> I used a garden rake and really cleaned out the root systems, dumped a couple of huge bags of good potting soil, turned everything over really well, mostly empty bit that's a good start   We had some Poinsettias (from Christmas!), that were just kind of tossed in their pots into that area, they're super healthy, so we actually planted them in the newly cleaned out area.  Also exposed some other nice flowers we had planted months ago, but got buried under the ferns.
> 
> Also dug up around the coconut tree, added some potting soil, got some good organic palm food, turned all that over, hopefully it'll perk it up, it wasn't doing great before the move, looks worse now <sad_face>.



Ferns are  tough they can live in hot to cold climates.

 We have a narrow side yard that was planted up in ferns, they looked good for a while, until they got too thick and beat up by the sun, so we dug up most of them and put in some hydrangeas. The ferns look better when they are just here and there in little clumps.


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## Huntn

What the hell happened to my rat tail cactus? It went from:


not my pic


To:

​I thought it was going through something but what?  Someone on line said that it can be due to under watering, but we’ve gotten quite a bit of rain, and… it’s a frick’n cactus!  

Then today I noticed some kind of a larvae, cross between a body of a slug and sharp little mandibles chewing  at it. Bastard!!! Had not seen it before, Could I have let the larva’s of some vile creature eat the hell out of my cute little cactus and not notice? 

Anyway there are 5 sections hanging over the pot that are still nice and green connected to the main plant by dried up stalks, I cut them off, those dried up stalks were still green in the middle and planted 5 new plants. Now I’ll keep an eagle eye on the cactus, maybe spray it with a natural insecticide and hope the mother plant recovers. No reason it should not, I’m thinking.


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## Huntn

Using a plant ID app called Plant Snap. There are ”free” apps, this one limits the number of snaps per day, evaluate, and keep. 2 snaps per day or watch an ad and get 3 more, or $20 a year/s2.99 month.

It’s hotter than Hell here today, 97F but I stopped long enough by our wild flower strip to take 2 pics 



Identified as Garden Cosmos


Identified as Corn Flower.​


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## fooferdoggie

Now for something really different. this is a hybrid orchid. one of the phalaenopsis you used in the store all of the time and with the big blooms and a panda orchid that you don't see. they are really different pants and they take opposite culture. a Phal likes its roots to dry out between watering and doesn't to not need a huge amount of light. where a vanda likes bight light and loves high humidity on its dangly roots. they love it outside in florida and often don't need any care. so this guy has been tricky. we grow him in a jar like a panda to keep the humidity up  and lost f light. but I think he wants less water and once I stopped soaking him for 8 hours twice a week like the panda he bloomed. orchids only bloom when they are happy. so below is a pic of the little guy maybe 5 years old and a vanda we have to give you an idea of the difference between the two. it looks morel like the vanda but the flower is more like a Phal.  Phals need a big drop in temp for a couple of weeks to bloom like when going from fall to winter. but this is summer.


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## Huntn

fooferdoggie said:


> Now for something really different. this is a hybrid orchid. one of the phalaenopsis you used in the store all of the time and with the big blooms and a panda orchid that you don't see. they are really different pants and they take opposite culture. a Phal likes its roots to dry out between watering and doesn't to not need a huge amount of light. where a vanda likes bight light and loves high humidity on its dangly roots. they love it outside in florida and often don't need any care. so this guy has been tricky. we grow him in a jar like a panda to keep the humidity up  and lost f light. but I think he wants less water and once I stopped soaking him for 8 hours twice a week like the panda he bloomed. orchids only bloom when they are happy. so below is a pic of the little guy maybe 5 years old and a vanda we have to give you an idea of the difference between the two. it looks morel like the vanda but the flower is more like a Phal.  Phals need a big drop in temp for a couple of weeks to bloom like when going from fall to winter. but this is summer.
> View attachment 7906View attachment 7907



Beautiful.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> Wild flower bed update. Right now it looks like a bed of overgrown weeds. Waiting on flowers to start popping.
> View attachment 5126
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 5127
> Elephant Ears taking off!​




Aug, the Wildflower strip is big and bold, more green than flowers. Many yellow flowers around the bottom can’t be seen in this image. The biggest plants out there have yet to bloom. I took my iPhone out and took a picture with the Plant Snap app to try to identify it and the semi-alarming result is Annual Ragweed. Now Annual Ragweed is not one of the flowers listed in the wildflower seed packet, so I’m hoping that the app mis-identified it. My wife says that some of the perennial flowers don’t bloom the first year so, we‘ll see. 


Annual Ragweed?

​


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> Aug, the Wildflower strip is big and bold, more green than flowers. Many yellow flowers around the bottom can’t be seen in this image. The biggest plants out there have yet to bloom. I took my iPhone out and took a picture with the Plant Snap app to try to identify it and the semi-alarming result is Annual Ragweed. Now Annual Ragweed is not one of the flowers listed in the wildflower seed packet, so I’m hoping that the app mis-identified it. My wife says that some of the perennial flowers don’t bloom the first year so, we‘ll see.



Looks like a fine marijuana crop ya got going there.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Alli said:


> Looks like a fine marijuana crop ya got going there.



we could grow it here in oregon but man it stinks. we would pass this house all the time thats by the bike path and smell it for weeks on end. don't like the smell of it at all.


----------



## Huntn

fooferdoggie said:


> we could grow it here in oregon but man it stinks. we would pass this house all the time thats by the bike path and smell it for weeks on end. don't like the smell of it at all.



The plant marijuana while growing stinks, when flowering, or when smoked? As I recall the smoked smell is not so bad. It’s been over a decade but the last time I smelled Mary Jane was at an Eagles concert significantly.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> Looks like a fine marijuana crop ya got going there.



Actually this little strip might be perfect for that (when it becomes legal) except, I might be concerned about it’s security, even if it is covered by our Ring.


----------



## Alli

fooferdoggie said:


> we could grow it here in oregon but man it stinks. we would pass this house all the time thats by the bike path and smell it for weeks on end. don't like the smell of it at all.



I agree. I actually dislike the smell and the taste. Can’t even hide the taste in edibles.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Huntn said:


> The plant marijuana while growing stinks, when flowering, or when smoked? As I recall the smoked smell is not so bad. It’s been over a decade but the last time I smelled Mary Jane was at an Eagles concert significantly.



always stinks it seems. nothing like smelling skunk on every ride.


----------



## Herdfan

Huntn said:


> The plant marijuana while growing stinks, *when flowering, *or when smoked? As I recall the smoked smell is not so bad. It’s been over a decade but the last time I smelled Mary Jane was at an Eagles concert significantly.



It smells like a skunk when flowering.  Hence why some of the strain names have "skunk" in them.


----------



## Herdfan

Alli said:


> I agree. I actually dislike the smell and the taste. *Can’t even hide the taste in edibles.*




Find some from Dixie.  Their Sour Smash and Tropic Twist have no taste or smell.


----------



## Alli

Herdfan said:


> Find some from Dixie.  Their Sour Smash and Tropic Twist have no taste or smell.



My next trip somewhere it’s legal.


----------



## Herdfan

Alli said:


> My next trip somewhere it’s legal.




We go to Michigan.  About a 6 hour drive.  There is a little town about 30 minutes from the border, Adrian, which has like 8 dispensaries.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Researching hydroponic systems and came across this.






This is industrial scale, but it sounds like the future to me, especially when you hear about all the wasted resources in traditional farming to what it sounds like producers an inferior product.  Important to note, no need for pest control and the chemical associated with it.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Researching hydroponic systems and came across this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is industrial scale, but it sounds like the future to me, especially when you hear about all the wasted resources in traditional farming to what it sounds like producers an inferior product.  Important to note, not need for pest control and the chemical associated with it.



Urban indoor farms are getting bigger by the year. I can easily see this as the environment t gets more hostile.


----------



## Herdfan

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This is industrial scale, but it sounds like the future to me, especially when you hear about all the wasted resources in traditional farming to what it sounds like producers an inferior product.  Important to note, no need for pest control and the chemical associated with it.




Not sure about the inferior product part of it.  We get hydroponic tomatoes in the winter and they are not as good as what we get in the summer from the ground.


----------



## Alli

My favorite part of visiting Israel was a tour of the hydroponics farms. Not sure why we don’t see more of these in more places.


----------



## DT

I've been trimming, well, hacking through the jungle of ... our palmettos, want to get them super minimal, so they grow up/long, then do some river rock, a little ground cover, maybe some mysterious oddities 

JFC, it's like I've been in a fight with a tiger, hahaha, I'm all hacked up -  I do a good amount of snake scare up front, clear out anything lurking, so far, no encounters 

It's going to look amazing when it's done, and I'm wading into the, call it, "unmanaged" side to clean those up too, i.e., here:


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> I've been trimming, well, hacking through the jungle of ... our palmettos, want to get them super minimal, so they grow up/long, then do some river rock, a little ground cover, maybe some mysterious oddities
> 
> JFC, it's like I've been in a fight with a tiger, hahaha, I'm all hacked up -  I do a good amount of snake scare up front, clear out anything lurking, so far, no encounters
> 
> It's going to look amazing when it's done, and I'm wading into the, call it, "unmanaged" side to clean those up too, i.e., here:
> 
> View attachment 8220



I like the jungle. You know when Armageddon cones you can eat Palmetto hearts til they run out. Maybe they’ll already be cooked for you.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> I like the jungle. You know when Armageddon cones you can eat Palmetto hearts til they run out. Maybe they’ll already be cooked for you.




Hahaha, you and my Dad, he used to always pull out the center, where the end was really tender and sweet, "Here, try this ..."  

This is kind of nutty, the Palmetto berry is super valuable, so we get crazy people coming around asking to harvest them, or sometimes not asking (which led to me almost murdering some fuckers in my yard).









						Southwest Florida sees increase in illegal saw palmetto berry harvest arrests
					

In the past four days, law enforcement has arrested 14 people in Southwest Florida in connection to the illegal harvesting of the berries.



					www.naplesnews.com


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Hahaha, you and my Dad, he used to always pull out the center, where the end was really tender and sweet, "Here, try this ..."
> 
> This is kind of nutty, the Palmetto berry is super valuable, so we get crazy people coming around asking to harvest them, or sometimes not asking (which led to me almost murdering some fuckers in my yard).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Southwest Florida sees increase in illegal saw palmetto berry harvest arrests
> 
> 
> In the past four days, law enforcement has arrested 14 people in Southwest Florida in connection to the illegal harvesting of the berries.
> 
> 
> 
> www.naplesnews.com



I learned that in survival school and never forgot. Why are the berries valuable? Never mind, read the link. You could sell them.


----------



## DT

Huntn said:


> I learned that in survival school and never forgot. Why are the berries valuable? Never mind, read the link. You could sell them.




I just eat them all and walk around with a stiffy for 3 months ...



This pretty much dissuaded me:



> The strong flavor of the berries was described in 1692 by shipwrecked Quakers as *the flavor of rotten cheese steeped in tobacco juice.*




Yum.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Herdfan said:


> Not sure about the inferior product part of it.  We get hydroponic tomatoes in the winter and they are not as good as what we get in the summer from the ground.




Interesting.  Maybe it depends on what is being grown and how it's being cared for.  From my limited research it almost makes hydroponics sound like it's a one size fits all saltwater fish tank, just mind the overall nutrient and water quality content and you're set.  The same can't be said about growing plants in soil.  Different plants have different needs.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> I just eat them all and walk around with a stiffy for 3 months ...
> 
> 
> 
> This pretty much dissuaded me:
> 
> 
> 
> Yum.



Does fixing your prostate in anyway related to an ED fix?


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> Not sure about the inferior product part of it.  We get hydroponic tomatoes in the winter and they are not as good as what we get in the summer from the ground.



Interesting. You’d think they would have to be providing these with the nutrients they need. Maybe corporate knowledge will include the ingredients that make them taste good. Or is it the issue of harvesting them while they are still greenish?


----------



## Herdfan

Huntn said:


> Interesting. You’d think they would have to be providing these with the nutrients they need. Maybe corporate knowledge will include the ingredients that make them taste good. Or is it the issue of harvesting them while they are still greenish?




But there is also a taste difference between fertilized and organic.  Hydro uses similar salt based fertilizers.


----------



## lizkat

Bumped into this today, gotta love it:  "The life of a strawberry".
​https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1427543278983974912/​


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> Interesting. You’d think they would have to be providing these with the nutrients they need. Maybe corporate knowledge will include the ingredients that make them taste good. Or is it the issue of harvesting them while they are still greenish?




A lot of the taste resides mostly in their genetics.  They're bred now primarily to transport well.  Means the skins are a little tougher, the internal structure more supportive of the flesh etc.   You really do know when you're eating a ground-grown tomato sprouted from heirloom seed.   It's all you can do to wait until you get it into the house before sampling it.    

OK clearly we're not all going to be able to grow our own tomatoes.  But hydroponics on a commercial scale can be dauntingly expensive and just as risky as a farmer counting on rain and sun to fall out of the sky in the right proportions.   Power blackouts have to be considered so must have automatic genny backup except where failure of a resource like solar power is extremely unlikely.    Water system failure likewise,  you need backup tank supply if the regular delivery can fail.   Hydroponic plants are not as tolerant as soil-based ones when it comes to lack of expected inputs.    They don't come back well from dryness wilting or temperature surprises either:  they're far more likely to respond by croaking, and sometimes within hours.

I still like hydroponic tomatoes better than the ones grown in pots in winter in northern greenhouses though.   Those do just taste like cardboard.  Somehow they know they're second best from get-go.


----------



## fooferdoggie

how is this for the cutest little orchid? he has been growing on a wine cork for more than 3 years. likes a daly water dip.


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> But there is also a taste difference between fertilized and organic.  Hydro uses similar salt based fertilizers.



Hydro uses similar salt based fertilizers as fertilized? I don’t have enough experience with side by side tasting of the two options of using manufactured fertilizer vs green/animal manure.

I wonder if you could use  animal manures  in a hydroponic setting? 

Reference link: 








						Transitioning to Organic Production - SARE
					

This SARE bulletin lays out many promising conversion strategies, covering typical organic farming production practices, innovative marketing ideas and federal standards for certified organic crop production.




					www.sare.org
				




Use of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations to fertilize the soil, maximize biological activity and maintain long-term soil health.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> A lot of the taste resides mostly in their genetics.  They're bred now primarily to transport well.  Means the skins are a little tougher, the internal structure more supportive of the flesh etc.   You really do know when you're eating a ground-grown tomato sprouted from heirloom seed.   It's all you can do to wait until you get it into the house before sampling it.
> 
> OK clearly we're not all going to be able to grow our own tomatoes.  But hydroponics on a commercial scale can be dauntingly expensive and just as risky as a farmer counting on rain and sun to fall out of the sky in the right proportions.   Power blackouts have to be considered so must have automatic genny backup except where failure of a resource like solar power is extremely unlikely.    Water system failure likewise,  you need backup tank supply if the regular delivery can fail.   Hydroponic plants are not as tolerant as soil-based ones when it comes to lack of expected inputs.    They don't come back well from dryness wilting or temperature surprises either:  they're far more likely to respond by croaking, and sometimes within hours.
> 
> I still like hydroponic tomatoes better than the ones grown in pots in winter in northern greenhouses though.   Those do just taste like cardboard.  Somehow they know they're second best from get-go.



Mostly what I’ve heard with the caveat of steady power for grow lamps and water available, is that urban farms, crops under artificial conditions save a huge amount of money and energy. Fertilizer that is not wasted and washes into the river, reliable growing conditions, actually less water usage and less transportation costs.

Now I’ve had home grown tomatoes that are clearly superior!


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> Aug, the Wildflower strip is big and bold, more green than flowers. Many yellow flowers around the bottom can’t be seen in this image. The biggest plants out there have yet to bloom. I took my iPhone out and took a picture with the Plant Snap app to try to identify it and the semi-alarming result is Annual Ragweed. Now Annual Ragweed is not one of the flowers listed in the wildflower seed packet, so I’m hoping that the app mis-identified it. My wife says that some of the perennial flowers don’t bloom the first year so, we‘ll see.
> 
> View attachment 8150
> Annual Ragweed?
> 
> View attachment 8151​



I called the supplier this morning who says the plant is identified as sulfur cosmos that blooms late summer/fall.  Finger's crossed that we will be amazed.


----------



## Herdfan

lizkat said:


> Bumped into this today, gotta love it:  "The life of a strawberry".
> ​https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1427543278983974912/​



But it is missing being in a bowl covered in sugar.


----------



## Hrafn

DT said:


> I just eat them all and walk around with a stiffy for 3 months ...
> 
> 
> 
> This pretty much dissuaded me:
> 
> 
> 
> Yum.



Reminiscent of descriptions of durian.


----------



## fooferdoggie

I cant remember the name of this orchid. it took a lot to learn it likes dipped in water every day and a lot of light. it suffered when my wife could not walk and the heat wave. but he still bloomed a lot. they don't last long once open but they have a nice fragrance. it has about 6 spikes going right now.


----------



## Huntn

I’ve identified what has been known in my yard as _pesky weed_, and no surprise it’s called Chamberbitter and Gripeweed. This plant spews seeds like there is no tomorrow, I’ve been battling this since March In the yard and beds.



​


----------



## Huntn

*Bee House- * Anyone put these out? Any experts?  Just bought one, inexpensive, I don’t know how effective they are in giving solitary bees a place to lay their eggs or how  effective they are from year to year without  cleaning the tubes out. If the babies break out, then maybe the adult bees come back and clean out the holes themselves.

This one looks bigger than it actually is about 14” tall. Looks pretty though. 

​


			Amazon.com


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> We have that!
> 
> View attachment 6294View attachment 6295View attachment 6296



My Stapelia cuttings turned out nicely, Look’s like they are developing buds. Not sure how well they handle a freeze but it froze last night and supposed to again tonight so they are on holiday in our kitchen With the snake plants…


----------



## lizkat

^^^ Wow, those look great...  and I had missed seeing the ones from Alli earlier.  Nifty looking plants.

Now that there aren't cats to fend off, houseplants might have a chance in this place.  All I managed to maintain while they were around were a jade plant or two and a Christmas cactus and I finally spaced out and killed those one year when I left them on the deck during an unexpectedly severe frost in late September. 

The nursery where I buy geraniums and a few annuals every year has a section of nice houseplants but I've never bothered to explore them, want to try that this year.  At least get a few varieties of spider plant in here to green the place up a little...  they can take a joke on indoor temperature fluctuations and just require care not to overwater.  I love spider plants!


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> *Bee House- * Anyone put these out? Any experts?  Just bought one, inexpensive, I don’t know who effective they are in giving solitary bees a place to lay their eggs Or how  effective they are from year to year. Without cleaning the tubes out. If the babies break out, then maybe the adult bees come back and clean out the holes themselves.
> 
> This one looks bigger than it actually is about 14” tall. Looks pretty though.
> 
> View attachment 11203​
> 
> 
> Amazon.com




It's cute...  but some of those habitats look a bit like what mud dauber wasps build for themselves...  you might end up with more wasps than bees?    I don't know much about the kind of insects you get where you are living though.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> It's cute...  but some of those habitats look a bit like what mud dauber wasps build for themselves...  you might end up with more wasps than bees?    I don't know much about the kind of insects you get where you are living though.
> 
> View attachment 11207​



Some of the articles I read on placement seemed to have mixed messages comparing them. Wasps prefer to build nests in the shade, we always get their nests up under protected areas. Bees as in bee hives  like morning  sun, the warmth gets them going. But solitary bees prefer to lay their eggs in the shade In rotting wood.

This house is supposed to be for solitary bees. As far as mud daubers we see wasps landing in the pool all summer fetching water, not sure if those are mud daubers or just plain wasps grabbing water to make their nests. This house  is supposed to be a place for the solitary bees to lay their eggs. So we’ll have to see what kind of activity it gets. If I see wasps I will do something to discourage them or move the house out into full sun.

update: fix typos


----------



## Huntn

*Freeze Warning Feb 2022-*
Tonight it’s predicted to go down to 33F. For the Houston suburbs that usually means a freeze here.  Next week it’s predicted to get as cold as 26F for 2 nights in a row but be in the 40s during the day.

So I have to make a decision, option 1 is bring the lemon tree (really a shrub) in a pot into the kitchen. Option 2 is to move it into a small shed and bag it. Option 3 is to wrap the tree with Christmas lights and bag it.

I have time before the  serious freeze, but for tonight I’m going with the Christmas lights bagged. Next week, I’m thinking the shed, Xmas lights and bagged, lights under the bag. The material I’m using is from an old 6 layer material that was a car cover.

​


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> *Freeze Warning Feb 2022-*
> Tonight it’s predicted to go down to 33F. For the Houston suburbs that usually means a freeze here.  Next week it’s predicted to get as cold as 26F for 2 nights in a row but be in the 40s during the day.
> 
> So I have to make a decision, option 1 is bring the lemon tree (really a shrub) in a pot into the kitchen. Option 2 is to move it into a small shed and bag it. Option 3 is to wrap the tree with Christmas lights and bag it.
> 
> I have time before the  serious freeze, but for tonight I’m going with the Christmas lights bagged. Next week, I’m thinking the shed, Xmas lights and bagged, lights under the bag. The material I’m using is from an old 6 layer material that was a car cover.
> 
> View attachment 11376​



Last night at the Cauldron of the Devil, the my lemon tres seen dancing: 

​Now that I’ve been thinking about the upcoming frigidity, why not go all the way and instead of 2 strings of Xmas lights, put a heat light in there! Option 4, tree in the shed, bagged, with a heat lamp inside the bag. Even though this is somewhat of a chore, easier than dragging it into the kitchen,


----------



## lizkat

Time to revive this thread for spring and summer....  it's still too cold to plant stuff out here but that doesn't stop me from drooling over pictures of the dahlias on the White Flower Farm (Connecticut) website.  Dahlia tubers need to be taken up and stored in sand over winter around here, so it's a chore and the tubers are expensive to start out with, but the payoff in late summer and early autumn is huge.  I love dahlias for their variety of color and petal shapes and a shameless display of love for the sun.









						Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda'
					

The intricate, semidouble blossoms of Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda' change color with the light, alternating hues of orange, coral red, and yellow. The 4″ flowers show to full advantage against the plant’s dark purple stems and leaves, which also serve as a fine contrast element in any mixed border...




					www.whiteflowerfarm.com


----------



## mollyc

I have seeds that I bought that I didn't get my act together to start inside this year, so I'll have to sow them outside. Our frost date is April 15, so it makes more sense just to wait go directly in the ground. I love zinnias and plant them every year. I also bought some celosia this year, which is new to me. Trying sunflowers again, but in a different spot this year. Last year they sprouted but never really took off. Too much of our lot is shaded by large trees (that aren't ours) that it's hard to grow sunflowers (plus then the deer eat them).

I love cosmos too, but haven't had great success starting them from seed; might just buy those from the plant store this year; I have a local little market that I love so get most of my things right in town.


----------



## lizkat

Maybe try coreopsis.  There are annual and perennial varieties.  They come in a lot of colors and petal types, so some of them offer the color of sunflowers but without the "bait" that sunflowers offer to critters and birds late in season.   Most don't need full sun all day to  bloom.   The perennials can take a couple years to mature but then bloom prolifically, die back and rise up again every year if mulched a little after the hard freeze.  They spead slowly via underground stolons but aren't particularly invasive.


----------



## mollyc

lizkat said:


> Maybe try coreopsis.  There are annual and perennial varieties.  They come in a lot of colors and petal types, so some of them offer the color of sunflowers but without the "bait" that sunflowers offer to critters and birds late in season.   Most don't need full sun all day to  bloom.   The perennials can take a couple years to mature but then bloom prolifically, die back and rise up again every year if mulched a little after the hard freeze.  They spead slowly via underground stolons but aren't particularly invasive.



i have some of those already.  i do a lot of flower photography and pick plants that are fun to shoot. 

unfortunately i also have a lot of deer around me that tend to eat the prettiest things so it’s an ongoing battle and learning experience.


----------



## DT

I'm going to attempt to move a palm, it's not huge, it's maybe 8-9 tall but a very small trunk diameter, just a few inches.

Some folks may recall we found a rando coconut palm on the side of the yard, including the coconut source, it was small, maybe 2-3 feet, the roots were pretty tangled in the nearby oak, it didn't make it (RIP).

This other tree is a queen palm, it's on the edge of the property, right in some palmettos, under oaks - it's a bad location and that can be a massive tree, so I'm going to try to move that one too.  I think I'll be able to get a much better dirt ball around the roots, and per some recommendations online, I'm going to soak the base really good before moving it.  Our planned location get a very good amount of sun, with a bit of shade, but that should be good according to this:

Light & Temperature
The queen palm prefers to grow in the full sun, but still thrives well in partial shade.
For the young plant, it is best to place under some shade with some amount of direct sunlight.
These plants are hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 9 through 11.
Be sure to consider the plant hardiness zones when growing the Queen Palm tree.









						Growing Queen Palm Plants: How To Care For Syagrus Romanzoffiana
					

Queen Palm Plant (Syagrus Romanzoffiana) ornamental garden tree, easily accessible, low maintenance, fast growth, glossy pinnate leaves. [DETAILS]




					plantcaretoday.com
				





Pray for our palm ...


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I got a hydrangea plant last week after reading an article on top plants that will increase your property value. Sort of a moot point since we’re renting the house, but whatever. I have a good in-ground location for it, but after seeing that insects reduced the leaves on an artichoke plant in that location to a skeleton I decided I’m first going to let it grow in a container until it’s more substantial.  It's currently about a foot tall. There’s established roses and a lemon tree in the location and insects haven’t managed to destroy those.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> Time to revive this thread for spring and summer....  it's still too cold to plant stuff out here but that doesn't stop me from drooling over pictures of the dahlias on the White Flower Farm (Connecticut) website.  Dahlia tubers need to be taken up and stored in sand over winter around here, so it's a chore and the tubers are expensive to start out with, but the payoff in late summer and early autumn is huge.  I love dahlias for their variety of color and petal shapes and a shameless display of love for the sun.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda'
> 
> 
> The intricate, semidouble blossoms of Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda' change color with the light, alternating hues of orange, coral red, and yellow. The 4″ flowers show to full advantage against the plant’s dark purple stems and leaves, which also serve as a fine contrast element in any mixed border...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.whiteflowerfarm.com



To get you in the mood, the Huntn Wildflower Bed:


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> To get you in the mood, the Huntn Wildflower Bed:
> 
> View attachment 13043​




My parents get a bag of wildflower seed for our cabin every year and just toss it on a hill behind our cabin. Zero prep or upkeep and the hill is pretty rocky, but for about a month or two all these amazing wildflowers bloom.


----------



## Huntn

*Bee Houses*- I‘ve got 2 up and have evidence of bee activity. 




​


----------



## DT

Well that's neat!  Do they just hang out in them as they're designed, or so they add their own hive materials?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> *Bee Houses*- I‘ve got 2 up and have evidence of bee activity.
> 
> 
> View attachment 13435
> 
> View attachment 13436​





Nice!  I have small one.  Haven't seen any home buyers yet but it's definitely where the most bee activity is.


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Well that's neat!  Do they just hang out in them as they're designed, or so they add their own hive materials?



Not at this point, maybe after they hatch.

We just had one of our side fences replaced, so beforehand, I removed a bee house and put it under our gazebo. We noticed a bee flying away from it and then noticed the mud packing several holes. So far I’ve not seen bees hanging out, they come in with their purpose of placing larva and then leave.

i’ll assume after hatching they’ll hang out because one of the notes about how to place a bee house, says don’t place it more than 300’ from flowers because that is only as far as they will travel.

The issue with this kind of inexpensive bee house is that for next year it might be difficult to clean out the tubes. Maybe I can come up with a tool for this.


----------



## Huntn

Happy happy flowers… 80F and raining.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> My parents get a bag of wildflower seed for our cabin every year and just toss it on a hill behind our cabin. Zero prep or upkeep and the hill is pretty rocky, but for about a month or two all these amazing wildflowers bloom.



Do some of them come back every year?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> Do some of them come back every year?





Not sure.  I'll have to ask next time I see them, but I think it's hard to say with living in CA and climate change.  There's not really any predictable weather patterns.  About the only thing we can rely on is a good percentage of the state is going to burn to the ground annually.


----------



## Citysnaps

Three years ago we planted a 2' high single stalk Variegated Echium from a 1 gallon container. And this is what it looks like now. It's 10' wide, 7' deep, and 6 1/2' high. There must have been some serious magic going on along the way.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Not sure.  I'll have to ask next time I see them, but I think it's hard to say with living in CA and climate change.  There's not really any predictable weather patterns.  About the only thing we can rely on is a good percentage of the state is going to burn to the ground annually.



Wildflowers are known to be tough resilient plants, so maybe.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Made this birdhouse for a Mothers Day present.  Although not intended, it does remind me a bit of the cabin in Evil Dead, but you go where the creativity takes you.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Made a volcanic island barrel pond.  Fog atomizer can be turned on and off by remote or set by a timer.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Made a volcanic island barrel pond.  Fog atomizer can be turned on and off by remote or set by a timer.



You made this? Looks cool.  How much water is in there and do you care if and when it gets slimy? We have a small fountain with a fish shooting a stream of water out its mouth and usually I add some bleach periodically to keep the algae out.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> You made this? Looks cool.  How much water is in there and do you care if and when it gets slimy? We have a small fountain with a fish shooting a stream of water out its mouth and usually I add some bleach periodically to keep the algae out.




The rock part is actually a tabletop fountain I got from my aunt who passed away.  I submerged it in a plastic faux barrel container on top of some bricks.  I estimate there's probably about 25-30 gallons of water after the displacement.  The plants should help with the water quality using the nitrogen that algea would require and I plan to put in gold fish or minos at somepoint which will also help with algae and bugs.  The fountain stays on 24/7 to keep circulation.  I didn't like the faux barrel look so I had some thinly planed wood left over from another project I cut to size and on the back put 2 strips of 4" outdoor grip tape to hold it all together and it just wraps around the container with some slight overlap in the back.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

After spending way too much time researching trellises for cucumbers (or a lot of other things) we had some extra 4" X 4" X 6' posts at my work that ultimately inspired me and got me off my ass and I build it.















You can get 2 trellises out of the same size post or 2 with a 2 X 4 and it's fairly easy to make (if you have a table saw).  It can spread much wider.  I was just limited by the size of the grow bag.  When not in use it collapses to the size of a 2 X 4 for easy storage.

First tipe is remember you aren't making kitchen cabinets.  You don't need to be ultra precision.

If using a 4 X 4 cut it in half lengthwise.  If you are using a 2 X 4 that part is already done.  Then cut those pieces in 3rds lengthwise.

Get a 5" eye bolt with a nut for the top.  Drill a hole centered about 1.5 - 2" from the top that, that bolt will go through.  From those top holes drill center holes every 8 inches down to the bottom.  These holes will be for stringing twine or string through.  So make the holes big enough for that.  Twine and string easily gets snagged on rough wood.  So don't try to make it a super tight fit.  I made my holes 1/2" that can easily fit different thicknesses.  I think twine looks nicer/more natural but found out after the fact it's better to use gardening string because it can hold more weight, growth with fruit can get heavy.  To make sure the holes were roughly aligned on all the pieces I clamped 2 pieces together, or you can do all 3 if you have a long enough drill bit.  So just drill 2 or 3 at a time.  If doing 2 at a time for the third post just clamp one of the already drilled posts and use those holes as a guide. 

For the top bolt between each piece of wood put a rubber washer, then s hook, then another rubber washer.  The rubber washers create a wider fold out range compared to if the wood was right against each other.  The s hooks are for running twine/string down the center which will be the main support the vines will grow up. 

Tie a center line to each s hook at the top and to anchor them at the bottom wrap or tie the ends to garden staples typically used to hold down anti-weed fabric and shove those in the dirt at an angle around the stem of the plant(s).  Once the plant starts vining up the lines gravity will hold them it place.  For the outside supports weave twine/string through the holes on the post at each level.  You could probably run a separate line through each level but I just ran one continuous line from top to bottom, tied the bottom at the first hole and then the top to the eye bolt.

The End.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Nighttime volcanic pond.  Not a big fan of the rotating colors but for the purposes of sharing shows the possibilities.  Battery Submersible lights working of the same control. Made in China. Whatever.


----------



## Huntn

*A Little Toad Story*
The other night before today’s current heat wave (92F) which is hot for May around here, we were sitting outside by the pool near Sundown and a loud chorus of critters chirping started, long 2-4 second chirps almost like purring. I thought it was the local lizards, but it turned out to be the toads. They were calling to each other, _come here, I have a task for you! _Responded by: _I’m here and on my way!  _ 

So out pops from the foliage near the house, what I would describe as a very small toad, 1.5” or so.
This maybe a Houston toad or a Spring Peeper, something like this in appearance:

​

It was so small that I assumed it was a juvenile at first, but maybe not if it is participating in serenading. It hops by our chair and sits on the pool scape, producing long chirps that are being answered from over by our weeping cedar. Then it hops over to the pool edge, a straight line is to go through the pool. To go around the pool would be the wise toad, because I have found small toads/frogs in the scuppers some alive, some dead.

The way the pool is designed there is an overhang around the entire pool and although toads/ frogs can hang on the walls, they can‘t navigate this overhang. Basically they get stuck in the pool.

So it is Twilight, we can see the form of this toad, by the pool edge chirping away, and we both say urgently “don’t Do It!!” followed by plop, into the pool it goes. I got the net on a long pole to try to fish it out, but it was dark, even with the pool lights turned on, and too fast, swimming away like a sub, so I could not scoop it out. “Oh well” I said.

The next day I went looking for the toad, checked the scuppers, did not see it. Then the day after that, I went out to clean the pool, got in the water, where I brush away any algae forming on the sides of the pool. Busily brushing the sides of the pool, I look up and on the floating hose of the automated pool cleaner there is this a glum looking toad. Ok, I’m going to assume this is the same toad from 2 days before because I found no carcass. (Or maybe the other toad did escape and this is a new toad? Anyway, I’ll proceed with my story.)

I grabbed my hand net normally used to scoop floating debris out of the pool and placed that under the toad who did not look like he was in any hurry to get away. since these seem to ne nocturnal, it means he would have been sitting in the Sun for a good portion of the day and not too happy.

As he started to move, my fear was if he hopped into the water I’d never catch him, but I think he was dragging because it was easy to grab him with my free hand as he moved onto the net. He was small enough that I could close my hand around him and I apologize for not taking a moment to get a picture of him. I took him over near the weeping cedar which I think was his original goal, bent over, opened my hand and he just sat there as in _I’m free? _He did not even pee in my hand (probably dehydrated).

_Yes, you are free, _I said and with some encouragement he hopped off and headed for the weeds, no, no weeds here, just plants.  Maybe the dangers of the cement pond as they called it in The Beverly Hillbilly’s has made an impression in this toad’s memory circuits.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Lots of jalapeños coming in.  I counted over 50 on this one bush.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

This is the current cucumber growth on the trellis I posted earlier in the thread.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> View attachment 14658
> View attachment 14659
> 
> 
> Lots of jalapeños coming in.  I counted over 50 on this one bush.



Are you going to pickle them? Hmmm…


----------



## lizkat

Our planting-out season is finally underway around here, or just about the case.   I'm just going to have a few patio tomatoes on the deck, but  outside will go for a few squares of bush beans if I can keep them from being washed away one more time...  and some broccoli, which is better at that sort of joke.  Meanwhile the weeds are trying to take over the place even as the threat of a late frost passes. 

I'm trying to squint and view some of those weeds as "ornamental grasses"


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Our planting-out season is finally underway around here, or just about the case.   I'm just going to have a few patio tomatoes on the deck, but  outside will go for a few squares of bush beans if I can keep them from being washed away one more time...  and some broccoli, which is better at that sort of joke.  Meanwhile the weeds are trying to take over the place even as the threat of a late frost passes.
> 
> I'm trying to squint and view some of those weeds as "ornamental grasses"





I started making and using homemade weed killer

1 gallon - vinegar
1 cup - salt
1 tablespoon - liquid dishwashing soap

Put the mixture in a spray bottle and just squirt away.  It works great on smaller weeds, but not so much on hardier ones like dandelions.  But mostly I'm talking about already grown weeds.  Once pulled I spray the areas about once a week and they haven't grown back.  Just be aware that it will probably kill any plant in the same soil, but that's probably preferrable to getting cancer from some commercial weed killers.


----------



## mollyc

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I started making and using homemade weed killer
> 
> 1 gallon - vinegar
> 1 cup - salt
> 1 tablespoon - liquid dishwashing soap
> 
> Put the mixture in a spray bottle and just squirt away.  It works great on smaller weeds, but not so much on hardier ones like dandelions.  But mostly I'm talking about already grown weeds.  Once pulled I spray the areas about once a week and they haven't grown back.  Just be aware that it will probably kill any plant in the same soil, but that's probably preferrable to getting cancer from some commercial weed killers.



I hate using roundup, but our property borders one lot that is vacant and overgrown and another where the elderly lady who owned it just passed away, and she didn't do a ton of upkeep either. The old lady side isn't horrible, but the vacant lot property was bad before the house was torn down from the previous owner, who apparently loved that "wild" look. I have so many weeds and vines and invasives that grow under and through the fence that I finally have resorted to using roundup somewhat regularly.  I am trying to eradicate chameleon plant, which apparently is like the cockroach of plants and just keeps sprouting up in new places. But I think the roundup is actually starting to make a small dent in it. At this point I don't even care if I kill some of my good plants, I'll just get new good plants next year if I can get rid of all the chameleon plant.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

mollyc said:


> I hate using roundup, but our property borders one lot that is vacant and overgrown and another where the elderly lady who owned it just passed away, and she didn't do a ton of upkeep either. The old lady side isn't horrible, but the vacant lot property was bad before the house was torn down from the previous owner, who apparently loved that "wild" look. I have so many weeds and vines and invasives that grow under and through the fence that I finally have resorted to using roundup somewhat regularly.  I am trying to eradicate chameleon plant, which apparently is like the cockroach of plants and just keeps sprouting up in new places. But I think the roundup is actually starting to make a small dent in it. At this point I don't even care if I kill some of my good plants, I'll just get new good plants next year if I can get rid of all the chameleon plant.





Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  It probably also depends on how the climate is where you are at.  Here in the Bay Area CA it's not exactly severe drought central, but we certainly haven't gotten enough rain which isn't good for plants....or weeds.


----------



## mollyc

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  It probably also depends on how the climate is where you are at.  Here in the Bay Area CA it's not exactly severe drought central, but we certainly haven't gotten enough rain which isn't good for plants....or weeds.



based on the number of mosquito bites I currently have, lack of moisture is not an issue here (I live in Northern Virginia, just outside DC).


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I started making and using homemade weed killer
> 
> 1 gallon - vinegar
> 1 cup - salt
> 1 tablespoon - liquid dishwashing soap
> 
> Put the mixture in a spray bottle and just squirt away.  It works great on smaller weeds, but not so much on hardier ones like dandelions.  But mostly I'm talking about already grown weeds.  Once pulled I spray the areas about once a week and they haven't grown back.  Just be aware that it will probably kill any plant in the same soil, but that's probably preferrable to getting cancer from some commercial weed killers.



Mostly I pull weeds, but sometimes, weed killer, and sometimes roundup. Some weeds you pull and they regrow from the roots. Don‘t ask which ones…


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I started making and using homemade weed killer
> 
> 1 gallon - vinegar
> 1 cup - salt
> 1 tablespoon - liquid dishwashing soap
> 
> Put the mixture in a spray bottle and just squirt away.  It works great on smaller weeds, but not so much on hardier ones like dandelions.  But mostly I'm talking about already grown weeds.  Once pulled I spray the areas about once a week and they haven't grown back.  Just be aware that it will probably kill any plant in the same soil, but that's probably preferrable to getting cancer from some commercial weed killers.




That's a good combo for persistent stuff especially as extra deterrent for stuff like bishopweed that like to put out runners that will sneak out for yards from wherever one might see their above-ground growth.

And yeah I don't use any weed killers past something like that, except elbow grease and some common gardening hand tools.  How else would I end up with dandelion greens safe enough to put in a salad or to steam and have with eggs?! 

Hand prep in the fall and then an overlay of landscaping cloth and cardboard keeps the overwintering stuff from getting a head start on me, usually.  This year there was so much rain and cold every few days that even the weeds were somewhat deterred except in the pathways between garden squares and those scuff out if I get out there every day.   Everyone's plantings are late and a lot of beans have been replanted a few times thanks to washouts.    But now that warmer weather has arrived, any place that's been prepared for planting but not yet occupied and kept weeded is a magnet for weed seedlings, that's for sure.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> That's a good combo for persistent stuff especially as extra deterrent for stuff like bishopweed that like to put out runners that will sneak out for yards from wherever one might see their above-ground growth.
> 
> And yeah I don't use any weed killers past something like that, except elbow grease and some common gardening hand tools.  How else would I end up with dandelion greens safe enough to put in a salad or to steam and have with eggs?!
> 
> Hand prep in the fall and then an overlay of landscaping cloth and cardboard keeps the overwintering stuff from getting a head start on me, usually.  This year there was so much rain and cold every few days that even the weeds were somewhat deterred except in the pathways between garden squares and those scuff out if I get out there every day.   Everyone's plantings are late and a lot of beans have been replanted a few times thanks to washouts.    But now that warmer weather has arrived, any place that's been prepared for planting but not yet occupied and kept weeded is a magnet for weed seedlings, that's for sure.





When we were looking at the house we are renting now the yard was pretty much weed free. Probably the result of seasonal luck, because within a month of moving in there were weeds all over the place. They put down weed barrier cloth but it was the really cheap stuff. Weirdly they had almost a full roll of the quality stuff sitting on the side of the house. So I ended up ripping out and replacing everything they did and installing even more than they originally did. It was a satisfying project and end result, especially considering for a couple months before I did the replacement I would hit the areas with the weed whacker only to have it become overgrown again in less that a couple weeks. Now my biggest maintenance project is picking fallen rose pedals out of the mulch. I can’t think of a more efficient method than picking them out by hand one at a time.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

This grew through the weed barrier cloth.*   I'd be fine if nothing but lilies grew as weeds.






*I actually cut a slit in the weed barrier to plant something a couple months ago.  It didn't do well so I dug it out but didn't cover the slit.  I clearly didn't do a good job of completely removing the lilies which at the time looked severely dead.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Thanks to a highly specialized process known as "watering" I was able to produce this double serrano pepper.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Discovered this mantis on my bell pepper plant.  There's a good chance its one of the babies I released in my backyard earlier in the year.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I made what appears to be a birdhouse but is actually the only affordable tiny house on the market when you factor in that you only need to acquire 4 square feet to park it on.


----------



## Huntn

Some plants thrive in the heat as long as you keep them watered. 

​
Tiger Lilly, I think


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I made what appears to be a birdhouse but is actually the only affordable tiny house on the market when you factor in that you only need to acquire 4 square feet to park it on.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 15616
> 
> View attachment 15617
> 
> View attachment 15618
> 
> View attachment 15619
> 
> View attachment 15620
> 
> View attachment 15621
> 
> View attachment 15622



That looks nice although they probably don’t preciare the light.  We have a house similar, but not as nice, intended to be a bird feeder.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> That looks nice although they probably don’t preciare the light.  We have a house similar, but not as nice, intended to be a bird feeder.





It's more of a decorative piece for sure.  I'm not aware of any birds that like more light inside the birdhouse at night than there is outside the birdhouse during the day.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I'm pretty sure these are jujube fruit, otherwise known as the chinese date....or that's what the plant ID in the photos app came up with and it came up with the same result at different times of the year.  When we moved in it was a leafless scraggly looking tree in the middle of the back yard.

I ate one yesterday and didn't die.  It kind of has an applely taste.  They max out at about the size of a walnut and towards the end of their ripeness they look like a red prune.  They are edible at all stages.  From a general description they sound like a pretty versatile recipe ingredient. “Some of the most common ways to eat fresh jujube fruits are raw as a snack, dried, cooked into candies and jams, baked into cakes and pies, stewed into flavorful syrups, roasted with meats and vegetables, in soups and added to sauces.”  I look forward to experimenting with them.


----------



## fooferdoggie

it finally got warm enough for the flytraps to bloom. they love it hot and want full sun. the earlier the better in spring. we had a rainy spring and first summer and they did not thrive. they have been munching on flies like crazy.


----------



## DT

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I ate one yesterday and didn't die.




If your current avatar is a photo of you, I have other bad news ...


----------



## DT

And wow, neat food, all sorts of health benefits too!









						Are There Health Benefits of Chinese Jujube Fruit?
					

Find out how jujube fruits can be beneficial for your health.




					www.webmd.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

DT said:


> And wow, neat food, all sorts of health benefits too!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are There Health Benefits of Chinese Jujube Fruit?
> 
> 
> Find out how jujube fruits can be beneficial for your health.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.webmd.com




Never even heard of it before but between the photo ID and house owners being Chinese I'm fairly confident that's what it is.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I made this squirrel feeder train.  Two sources of food, corn cob smoke stack and kernels in the jar they can access from the drivers seat.


----------



## DT

OMG, hahaha, that's amazing!  Seems like a great opportunity for some photos (and a chance to photo edit a little conductor hat on one ... )


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I framed a white tarp with wood and hung it on our music shed to use as a projector screen surrounded by solar lights.  Because it’s a tarp it should survive the year round elements, at least here in NorCal.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I framed a white tarp with wood and hung it on our music shed to use as a projector screen surrounded by solar lights.  Because it’s a tarp it should survive the year round elements, at least here in NorCal.
> 
> 
> View attachment 17078



Wow, looks great. My wife told me sequoias were threatened by a fire?


----------



## DT

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I framed a white tarp with wood and hung it on our music shed to use as a projector screen surrounded by solar lights.  Because it’s a tarp it should survive the year round elements, at least here in NorCal.
> 
> 
> View attachment 17078




That's super fun, we've done movies on the garage door a few times, mostly around Halloween, but we want to do it one year around Xmas.  Don't have a super expensive project or anything, it would just be to make a fire, some hot drinks and be goofballs


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> Wow, looks great. My wife told me sequoias were threatened by a fire?




Yeah, came pretty close.  Crazy those trees can get like 3,000 years old.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

DT said:


> That's super fun, we've done movies on the garage door a few times, mostly around Halloween, but we want to do it one year around Xmas.  Don't have a super expensive project or anything, it would just be to make a fire, some hot drinks and be goofballs




I’ve had some semi expensive projectors, but now I use a pico projector, less than $200, can fit in my pocket, and can make it through a movie on my iPhone with neither plugged into power.  Sure, it’s not super hidef but I don’t care.  The easy setup and size of the projection are good enough for me.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Working on a bird feeder/bath resort for my parents for Christmas.


----------



## DT

Wow!  Dude, that's amazing.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

DT said:


> Wow!  Dude, that's amazing.




Thanks!  More work to be done, but that's the basic framework.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

An update.  Added the pool furniture, trimming, and roof and front perch to the feeder bar.  

Still need to do some roof details, run the roof lights, and make the roof box for the light solar panels.  Also the rear bar perch.  Want to have it done by Thanksgiving.


----------



## Huntn

Finally cool weather. Woke up this morning to 45F, more cool on the way. Our African Violets are digging the kitchen window.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Finished on schedule.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Finished on schedule.




Oh. My. God.  That is beyond amazing.  Do your parents have even a clue you've been working on this?


----------



## fooferdoggie

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Finished on schedule.



I love I but now will the birds? might scare them at night.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Oh. My. God.  That is beyond amazing.  Do your parents have even a clue you've been working on this?




Thanks!  No clue.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

fooferdoggie said:


> I love I but now will the birds? might scare them at night.




My concern is squirrels will love it too much and they really love to wreck shop when there's food involved.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> My concern is squirrels will love it too much and they really love to wreck shop when there's food involved.



yep.


----------



## Herdfan

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> My concern is squirrels will love it too much and they really love to wreck shop when there's food involved.




Have you seen the youtube videos of the guy who makes basically a squirrel obstacle course in his back yard.  If they can navigate it, they get the birdseed.

And then there is this one:


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Herdfan said:


> Have you seen the youtube videos of the guy who makes basically a squirrel obstacle course in his back yard.  If they can navigate it, they get the birdseed.
> 
> And then there is this one:




Yeah, I've seen the squirrel obstacle courses, pretty epic.  Funny thing is the birds have also discovered my squirrel feeder train and sometimes there will be 4 - 5 birds going at it.  It's probably revenge for the squirrels hitting the bird feeder I have hanging from the tree.  

I sometimes like to slap on headphones to listen to some epic Hans Zimmer movie soundtrack songs while I watch the wildlife in the backyard. You'd be shocked at how often the music fits.  Everything that isn't sleeping is important and full of dangers with animals.


----------



## Citysnaps

I'd like to ask if anyone here has experience with Agave succulents.

Three years ago my wife and I engaged in a large landscaping project around our home. Most of the plants are succulents of various varieties; including five Agaves.

Earlier this year one Agave started sprouting a 3" diameter stalk that topped out at 20 feet tall.  A month ago another one, of a different variety, started and now has a stalk that's around 5" in diameter and is currently 6' tall.

The first Agave bloomed slender yellow-green twine-like flowers, while the second one looks it will probably bloom more rounded bell-shaped white flowers.

Since the first Agave's flowers have had their day and died, we were wondering what to do with the stalk; thinking it may still be alive. Doing some online research I was surprised to learn that once an Agave has bloomed, the plant (and stalk) will soon die.

Have to admit learning that is a little sad and disappointing.  Was wondering if people here have any personal knowledge about this.  Thanks!


----------



## Huntn

Citysnaps said:


> I'd like to ask if anyone here has experience with Agave succulents.
> 
> Three years ago my wife and I engaged in a large landscaping project around our home. Most of the plants are succulents of various varieties; including five Agaves.
> 
> Earlier this year one Agave started sprouting a 3" diameter stalk that topped out at 20 feet tall.  A month ago another one, of a different variety, started and now has a stalk that's around 5" in diameter and is currently 6' tall.
> 
> The first Agave bloomed slender yellow-green twine-like flowers, while the second one looks it will probably bloom more rounded bell-shaped white flowers.
> 
> Since the first Agave's flowers have had their day and died, we were wondering what to do with the stalk; thinking it may still be alive. Doing some online research I was surprised to learn that once an Agave has bloomed, the plant (and stalk) will soon die.
> 
> Have to admit learning that is a little sad and disappointing.  Was wondering if people here have any personal knowledge about this.  Thanks!



Was there a huge wad of seeds at the top of the stalk? I would assume that if the plants bloom and then die, there would be abundant seeds?   The Cosmos we have planted in our wild flower strip  bloom like crazy and we’d have them all over if we did not cut our lawn or pull them up where they are not wanted.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I'll just put this here as they will be eventually released in my backyard when the weather improves (as if they aren't capable of surviving the same region I caught them in ).  Caught them at work and put them in the bowl display I made that sat on my desk.  Not really intended to keep animals but it seems to have worked out well.  I just added them to the rest of my home zoo routine, daily misting for water and drop is some crickets every 3 to 4 days.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Finished on schedule.
> 
> 
> View attachment 19526
> 
> View attachment 19527
> View attachment 19528
> 
> View attachment 19529
> 
> View attachment 19530
> 
> 
> View attachment 19532
> 
> 
> View attachment 19533
> 
> View attachment 19534
> 
> View attachment 19535



Outstanding! Do you sell these?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> Outstanding! Do you sell these?





No.  That was just a one-off.  Maybe it's something I would do if I was retired, but it's pretty time consuming on top of a full-time job.  Also by the time I was finished I don't know if I would have even started if I knew how much work was ahead when I started.  But I guess not knowing that when you start can also be a benefit as you just have a vague finished product in your head that you look forward to getting to without getting hung up on how long it will take to get there.


----------



## Huntn

Huntn said:


> The Southern Weather disaster seems to have concluded and I’m looking at my once proud:
> 
> View attachment 3629
> Alocasia​
> Reduced to:
> 
> View attachment 3628​
> Described as hearty in zones 9-11 (we are 9), it remains to be seen if this will rise like the Phoenix or have to be replaced...
> 
> These are tubers. Next time, I’ll know  to cut it back in advance and cover it up.




My region (NE Texas)  is expecting a hard freeze on Friday, an unusual occurance here, so I am rounding up vulnerable plants and herding them into our kitchen. Some others will be covered .the most elaborate protection for a lemon tree  includes a cover and a heat lamp. The elephant ear, as big and beautiful as it is I was thinking about covering it, but would have to cut much of it down in advance. I’ll probably just let it take it’s chances as it has recovered before with hard freezes. AndvI have a spare in a pot.


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## Huntn

Sub-Freezing hits tonight in Houston, projected to drop to the mid teens. I had a long talk with my Elephant Ear, in a couple of days it’s going to be a big pile of mush. It understood and realized that if I cut the leaves and piles them, it would help protect the core. Similar talk with the philodendron in the front bed. It was ok with it too and it got 2 sheets. 


Before




After​
Meanwhile in the kitchen got a plant party going with mostly succulents, everyone got drinks, soft music, and I think there is a game of Twister planned.

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Out back the succulents in the fairy garden are grumbling, they just got 2 large wet towels thrown on them. Look, I can’t please everyone.


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