coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Oct 17, 2011 7:47:10 GMT -5
White Wonder could be another.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Sept 26, 2011 12:22:16 GMT -5
I have no expectation of ever innoculating my just planted hazel nuts (I think that particular round-tuit may be broken). That said, a mushroom hunter aquaintence insists any hazel nut can be innoculated after planting to feild with a small amount of fresh truffle whizzed in the blender with 2 cups water and two tablespoons honey.
Me shrugs, who knew?
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Sept 25, 2011 16:15:15 GMT -5
I just got out of jail last Tuesday morning. Fighting for my right to remain in the community. So I'm a big fan of civil disobedience.
I do respect the amish who refused to put reflectors on their buggys. Their elder or bishop, or what ever, still stood behind the door when common sense was getting passed out.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Sept 23, 2011 22:19:14 GMT -5
When I rode 10 speed at night I used head & tail lights. While a horse might have better night vision than I do, the local bishop who is fighting reflective panels on Amish buggys is dead from the neck up.
He's a dumb ass, and is imperiling his flock.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Aug 31, 2011 6:28:48 GMT -5
I have look longingly at different fruit trees for my suburban yard. Part of it is shaded. I have considered trying out an espelier system along a fence and perhaps along the garage. If sounds like a good idea but I have some questions 1. Against a building, doesn't the root system cause an issue with the building foundation? Malus and prunus should not cause foundation problems. Run off from the roof drip edge can--to the tree(s). Espalier are usually pruned far shorter and less wide than their full size can aquire. This is closer cousin to topiary than a fruit orchard. Both can be used. Made mine, this needs an agressive hand to both prune and tie down to frame. FWIW training never ever ends. if you don't wake up and run to your garden to tinker with it, or have a gardener, espalier (or bonsai) may not be for you.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Aug 30, 2011 7:50:29 GMT -5
My bonsai live in soil built out of mostly crushed (and sifted) granite, with most of the remainder crushed bark mulch. The amount of finished compost is negledgible (but does exist).
Not counting texas Ebony (a shrub), or azaleas, the average size of the trees I grow, were they unpruned would be in the twenty five+ foot tall range. None will get more than about 30 inches tall while in my pots.
IMO this is too tiny of a tree for table apple production. That is not true for crab apple or beach plum.
If speed is your need, grafting onto one of the smaller Malling rootstocks will bring fruit to your table faster--in trees grown in pots.
When I grew just a couple trees in pots 50LB bags of granite grit (granni-grit) and bark mulch worked fine. When my hobby got bigger finding a gravel mill (for their granite dust) and a saw-mill for bark mulch became manditory.
Trees do take up some fertilizer from soluble sources, but get at least as much from mycorriza working bark mulch. Weekly dilute compost or manure teas, or soluble chemical ferts gets applied spring summer and fall. A tree in a pot may survive withholding water or fertilizer, bit they won't thrive.
Hearty trees of mine get bermed into garden beds and mulched, or go to cold frame to reduce snow pack damage.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Aug 27, 2011 9:04:21 GMT -5
Grafting is one skill set you can certainly develop on a .3 acre plot. Bonsai is another. Your lack of real estate may evoke (or I'm hoping it evolves), is to forage.
I'm not well. I don't walk far. I'm also living on a very limited pension. its that 'perception' that is the nuts & bolts of foraging I want you to work on. Ya' gotta be able to see what your doing.
Caring for trees in pots is a practice that uses soil of different structure than your door yard garden can provide. This becomes acute when trees live for a very long time in pots.
It leads back to some questions you have partly answered for yourself; IE what'll fit in my space. I want you to add to your search, the acquisition of soil components to keep trees in.
For the hobbyist who keeps a couple bonsai, crushed granite grit (a poultry scratch) and crushed bark mulch can be bought at feed and farm/big box stores in fifty pound bags. If your hobby runs away with you, your gonna be looking for a stone mill and a saw mill to get your soil components by the ton, and do your own sifting. The right soil components is the easy part.
Re-training your eye to both research trees suitable (on the web) to your space, and find them in situ, to see if what your researched is actually the tree you want, takes some practice, but it aint mastery of a violin, its more of learning how to ride a bicycle.
Why do you need to "see" these trees? And do all this silly searching? because of course the trees you want all make seed, and volunteers, and that seed and volunteers are just about universally unwanted by everybody else--except you.
I just walked about with ruler in hand and my crab apples run between seventeen and twenty-eight inches tall and several of them have fruit on them as I write.
My one pear and one beach plum are too recently coppiced to bloom yet...
it took me about a year to realize what I thought I knew about gardening, was not equal to the needs of japan maple seedlings that littered the yard I was living at, years ago. It took another couple to get some nice saplings that were healthy and growing well, once I stopped trying to fit a tree into dirt for a tomato.
Your trials and reading if you keep at it will lead you to where you want to grow.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Aug 16, 2011 7:38:14 GMT -5
Nope, and I can't talk myself into eating menudo either.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Aug 13, 2011 8:24:29 GMT -5
Looking for comments on Nyagous, Jaune Flamme, Red Zebra & Opalka tomatoes - flavor, productiveness, plant habit, etc. Thinking of planting these varieties next year. Looking for flavor with an old fashioned tomato, acidic kick. We have a short season and also lots of slugs to contend with, so early fruiting and minimal cracking is a plus. Nyagous, shorter, tomato-leaf semi-determinate. grew a nice dark slicer tomato for me in NH. Good producer Jaune Flammee, 5-6 foot tall indeterminate orange cherry tomato with tomato-leaf. Has sharper taste. Good producer. Want kick? This could be one. Red Zebra--no trials Opalka, I've tried this several times. Indeterminate tomato-leaf paste. IMO an utter waste of my time. I was better served (for both production and flavor) with any cows-horn shaped paste. I'll reccomend Cows Tit, or Gilbertie over Opalka any time. For a canner don't overlook some of the "standard" tomato. In the north that'd be Rutgers, in south Traveler. Both are compact semi-determinate tomato. Red-pink slicers--kept my children fed...
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Aug 12, 2011 11:13:56 GMT -5
Well the deer got my ADs. Darth, I'm no expert, but did grow Alan's corn this year. My plot was too small, so I'll have to recombine what I have from this years seed with last years (from Alan), and prolly some new boughten if its offered. Unlike the hopi you liked, it has a wide collection of parentage, so its more than a little variable from plant to plant. Taste was good when cooked directly after picking. I dunno how may grow outs it'll take to get a more uniform corn. The short answer is maybe never. Still I am content with this years crop. I plan to regrow this corn, and will make bigger plantings as I am able.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on May 25, 2011 7:52:47 GMT -5
Still need to get a different breed to go with them for pollination though. Um no you'll need more than one. Not others of different cultivar.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on May 14, 2011 12:08:25 GMT -5
At some point in time the lawn isn't getting any more water? As well as a light blocking layer of cardboard and chiped wood? The lawn is going to pretty profoundly decline.
Tree disease issues are vastly over sold, or not applicable.
I foresee a time when there isn't much lawn or cradboard left. How dilligently you dig out the remaining weeds or non-xeriscape plants. Will I expect be where the rubber hits the road for you.
If I'm reading this right a permanent (light blocking) mulch of ground wood is not in your plans.
makes more sence doing this like a duck nibbling bread than to hire the yard being planed off by heavy equipment. Cheeper too I'll wager.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on May 11, 2011 7:18:14 GMT -5
Apple maggot can be reduced by: 1., Clean culture under your apple trees;meaning, no weeds old leaves apple drops, and an annual dressing of bark mulch
2. Traps any red ball painted with tanglefoot. Set out after blossom drop. At least one per tree and repainted with tanglefoot X 2 per summer.
Apple maggot ride old fruit to the ground and pupate in the soil. Not all grow into adult apple fly the next year.
The more OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) you are about cleaning out your orchard the quicker you will get a reduced impact of this pest.
But no without spraying for a period of years, Nothing will eliminate apple maggot in one go.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Apr 20, 2011 4:19:12 GMT -5
At a guess, and it is only a guess. The asparagus is growing on the south side of hazelnut.
Also at a guess they eat differently. Hazel nut has its relationship with mycoriza. Asparagus makes its deal more with bacteria.
If you are liberally feeding--mulching an asparagus bed, there is enough to grow around for both. For now at least.
I suspect tomato or corn would not do anywhere near as well in this kind of planting. Just my guess.
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coppice
gardener
gardening curmudgeon
Posts: 149
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Post by coppice on Apr 10, 2011 8:47:53 GMT -5
Not to complain, only to note this thread is going in more than one direction. 1., The horticultural needs of the plant. 2., The theraputic part of the plant. 3., What is the busy part of a plant good for? 1. I don't have any valerian growing now, after my move. The top of this plant likes full sun, sandy or friable soil. Make a longish leaf and a large spike with many umbels of tiny perfumed flowers. Easily gets over six feet tall. 2. The roots of this plant are the chemicaly busy parts. Loose friable soil is a boon when washing the root crown. 3. It is often made into fresh root tincture or dried root (in capsules). I suppose it could be made into steeped tea. Tactful authors have described (dried root) it as strongly scented. To my nose it smells more like dirty gym socks. Even fresh root has a distinct celery-from-hell smell. One size does not fill all. If dried doesn't do it for you, try fresh root tincture. Old pharmacopea don't separate out anti-spasm herbs from sedative herbs. Valerian fits into both. It will make you sleepy, and will calm restless legs and some MS caused spasms. The search for effective anti-spasm herbs is more often than not one of trial and error. Again one size does not fill all.
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