What Are Your Garden Tricks?

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curtisfox

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Dec 29, 2008
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minesota
Didn't work, Weed be gone.
One gal. vineger
2 cups epsom salt
1/4 cup dawn dish soap
( oridinal blue soap )
Just got to spray a little more often...........Curt
 
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Ralph hop

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Nov 14, 2019
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Hey Curt. I found the vinegar and soap doesn't work too good. Propane with a cup torch will kill the weed with no problem.
 
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Ralph hop

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Nov 14, 2019
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Yesterday I planted nearly all of my seventy seedlings. I was about to kill over by the end of it and then this morning we had a light hail storm with mostly heavy rain but the young plants fared well through it all. I'm glad to put it behind me as I've got plenty of projects for this summer. My tip would just be to plant and leave them alone except for tilling in some compost or fertilizer two weeks before and then every month or so after planting. Oregano keeps the bugs away.
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Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
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Baby shampoo kills bugs mostly and does make the grass a little greener....but so does dog pee.
Epsom salts work well as a fertilizer, and the peroxide keeps the roots healthy, just don't over do it.
 

Greg58

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May 1, 2011
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I’ve been trying to stop the recoil from squealing for several years, after several start hubs ( the thing with the 4 ball bearing inside) I found the end of the crankshaft was bent, so I replaced the engine on the tiller with a 212 predator, I had to make a tailpipe for it to turn the exhaust away from me. Worked like a charm.
 

MEASURE TWICE

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Jul 13, 2010
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The hops is looking to climb, I've set out to create a few lines to have them climb 15ft. If I don't start soon, it is hard not to break the shoots to redirect them upward. If they do not climb up high, they do not flower. Actually they flower from the shoot as it turns and head back downward, and only then, strangely.
 

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
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Sunflower update- I planted around 5k seeds around town during the lockdown.
90% got mowed, or sprayed with roundup.

I have 5 growing out of a barrel at the local convenience store, and a little over 100 at my house.
 
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MEASURE TWICE

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Jul 13, 2010
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2 of my pumpkins from last year are still left, you think I should carve them and see if inside they are rotted? Only one is big enough to have much room for artwork.

Hop has 4 bines with 4 or more growing upward. 12 foot up there is the first of the 4 and it is looking to go higher, just can't figure out for a few days now why it has not started to turn and go the other way down. It has been my understanding there are no hops cones formed unless this happens. There are time lapse photography of them growing from internet search, but no shows to turn around. Maybe I could set something up.

Orange tree has had 7 flowers and formed 7 pea size oranges. Only this is since it was stunned by cold weather for 2 years growing where it did not like. Even though I put it inside, that is the half wine barrel planter. The out door all the time new location has range of temperature generally through the year at 40 to 80 degrees.

Any one try growing vanilla beans? I read that moist air is necessary, so green house I am not sure I would want the trouble. It said that once the plant seedling get bigger, the majority of the water absorbed is through the leaves and stems, not the roots. So I could see why jungle or green house.

MT
 

MEASURE TWICE

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Jul 13, 2010
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Hops at the top 12ft has now startings of seed cones. The buds look like little stars on ends of short stems that jut outward and slightly downward adjacent from top leaves. Those leaves are actually for a while looking around for a week growing about 2 to 3 feet more and the head down a little. Other upper areas near the top then start outward branching with much more of the bud that eventually turn into seed cones with the powdery yellow stuff that has hops strong flavor. The leaves really don't have any much flavor at all. There has been a process that uses liquid nitrogen and gets the powder concentrated in to I think some kind of liquid. The traditional way is taking the cones and grinding and some how getting as much of the seed cone papery stuff removed and press into pellets. They are vacuum sealed then. Some may freeze as well the stuff. If you use the seed cones after they are just the right dryness they can be used like that, but the pellets are the general way for bitterness and flavor. For fragrance only you can just use the dried cones. Since I only have this 5 year old in a small planter I expect that is all I will use the hops for. Called finishing hops that is not really even boiled in the wort (what beer is called before it is done). It just gets simmered for that part after boiling the malt in the water. Boiling is necessary not just for sterilizing, but to make some of the malt not available for fermentation, this way you have something flavorful.
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Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
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My sunflower planting spree was ruined somewhat by the township. They either weed whacked, mowed or round up'ed everything.
I still have a hundred or so at my house, and I have heard talk around town about them. I never let on that I am "that guy".....yet.

My giant pumpkins may produce, but I am not counting on it. I also have some rogue cantaloupe that may produce, and a killer flower garden....pictures coming.
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
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CA
My sunflower planting spree was ruined somewhat by the township. They either weed whacked, mowed or round up'ed everything.
I still have a hundred or so at my house, and I have heard talk around town about them. I never let on that I am "that guy".....yet.

My giant pumpkins may produce, but I am not counting on it. I also have some rogue cantaloupe that may produce, and a killer flower garden....pictures coming.
Jonny Apple Seed's Brother?
 
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Greg58

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May 1, 2011
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Our garden is doing good, were getting enough rain so I don't have to water it. We have canned about 30 qts of green beans so far, more blooming. Ocra, peas, and corn are almost ready. Tomatoes and peppers are producing as well. What seems to help is adding nutrition to the soil, we compost a lot of things from fall to spring and till it into the soil, I've been sprinkling coffee and tea grounds in too. Planting flowers throughout has helped bring in a lot of bees for pollenation.