YOU HAVE
ADDED TO THE WEEKLY GARDENING PING LIST
Posted on 07/17/2009 4:00:25 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
YOU HAVE
ADDED TO THE WEEKLY GARDENING PING LIST
Are you a Master Gardener?
Was working on the foundation this Spring and then got busy with other things....Since I won't use it till fall have put it on the shelf until late August early Sept.
Just got my advanced certification.
‘bout 20 degrees, far as I’ve heard. I can do more research tomorrow.
Fair warning, however....water is a killer for these guys. Perfect drainage is essential (and a prayer for a little drought won’t hurt!). I have to keep stopping my landlady from watering it twice a week, even in this heat.
Can it be grown in a container with cactus soil?
That is great! There are three other Master Gardners who stop in frequently - Diana in Wisconsin - Daisyjane69 - HiramQuick.
Wonder why no fruit on your trees?
First thing I wonder is if you had enough winter cold. Although that seems impossible, in your area. That is a guaranteed way to ensure no fruit.
OR
A heavy frost that occurred once the trees have bloomed. That would do it as well, as the blooms would drop immediately. (this is why, when I was in Ohio and my peachtree would bloom in April, that I’d spray it with the hose on the nights we were getting a late frost). Nothin’ like that ol’ hard frost on April 28, I always say. LOL
You may have to go back and review your weather records, that is almost certainly the reason.
Btw, I do know this sounds goofy, but here goes:
Your fruit trees will bloom when the soil and air temperature of the moment tell them that it’s “time.” But sometimes Mother Nature plans a little practical joke, and sends you one quick blast of a little winter. Just to remind you who’s boss. LOL It pays to be a weather watcher in the spring. Once your fruit trees are in bloom, and the TV weatherman issues a frost warning for that night, it’s time for you to go outside, to save your crop. You need to gently spray the blooms on your tree with water, to ensure that they will freeze in the overnight temps. Believe it or not, that tiny layer of ice will PROTECT your blooms from cold damage. The ice will melt off at sunrise. If cold temps are called for again, you will need to do it the next night, and so on. IF the cold hits the blooms directly, they are unsalvagable. Period.
I hope that helps. :)
Same here in Wisconsin.
OTOH, this year I planted tomatoes that all have a 65-68 day planting out to harvest period. I can add 2 weeks for my microclimate. Today is day 47. We are eating the container tomatoes planted from seed indoors in March. The garden plants have fruit and it is slowly growing. The cool nights and constant winds are not a help.
Last week, I pruned the tomatoes, clipping off all the suckers. It helped by opening up the plants so the sun could reach inside and diverting energy from leaf to fruit production. I also gave them all Jobe spikes with low N and high phosphate. (did the same with the container plants) Yesterday, I could see some positive results in fruit size, but I need to prune them again. I will wait until it warms back up, though. No sense inviting disease. I don’t expect ripe tomatoes until the end of August.
No repeat of blossom end rot in the indeterminate container tomatoes since the affected plants got their calcium treatment.
The sweet corn is about 3 feet high, but strong and green. It gets high nitrogen fertilizer every 7-10 days. It is 68-day corn. None of it is showing signs of tasseling.
Once we are sunny and in the 70s, again, I will water. The ground is moist under the mulch around the tomatoes and while I had to go in an inch on the corn rows to find moisture, it is there and I am sure from the looks of the plants that the roots have found water.
I just replanted my hydroponic tomatoes for Fall, so there is a lot of clear space on the grow surface. I placed a half-ripe tomato under the lights yesterday and this morning I can see that the lights accelerated the ripening. Fairly strong compact florescents, set about 4 inches above the surface, for anyone needing to ripen fruits that have passed the breaker stage (1/2 pink).
We have 1 gallon of sauce and 8 oz of dried tomatoes left from last year. I made spaghetti sauce last night and will use up last year’s harvest by August 15. Anyone with a good recipe for homemade tomato soup, please post!
It seems there is always something for a gardener to worry about! High winds have meant fewer bugs, though! Also, we are overrun with Asian Lady Beetles, so aphids are nowhere to be found.
Probably, south side of your house. I do worry about the legendary midwest humidity, however, because cacti will grab water from the atmosphere!
That is part of their survival mechanism!
She’s a beauty. :)
Was thinking about for the green house this fall/winter....IT is on the southside.
LOL ... thank you ... thank you!
I’m having trouble getting my computer to read the CF card. Earlier I took a few pix of a tomato plant ...the leaves are not filling out. [If I had the pix it would be self-explanatory......GRRR!] I put extra miracle-go on it a few days ago. Don’t know why it looks so *sickly.* Any ideas?
We know why...Heavy frost just as they were budding or were in blossom...Happens faily often....Two years in a row now, but when the tree produce we have an abundance.
I’ll be honest with ya, if you are in the mood to grow cactus, I’d rather see you do it in the house. Most homes have enough dryness to avoid killing them.
Remember the old rule about watering a cactus: You water only when it’s raining in Scottsdale.
:) (and yes, that means almost NO water in the winter!)
The fact that thrips are color-sensitive suggests that colored mulches may be effective in their control. Louisiana researchers conducted a study to see whether aluminum-coated mulch would repel the pest.
Soil fertility management may also affect thrips infestation and damage. According to one source (10), a lack of adequate soil calcium may invite higher populations of thrips. Another writer suggests that nutritional balance can reduce thrips attack. High nitrate levels will invite thrips, and the effects of excessive nitrate are compounded by shortages of potassium, sulfur, boron, and manganese
Ladybug, next time that happens, grab that hose and spray those little devils. Keep an eye on the weather and do it again, if you have to. It will be worth the trouble, trust me.
You know, I’m the life of the everlovin’ party....there I was in April, at 11:00 on a Saturday night....spraying my peach trees! But I ended up with a ton of fruit.
Now, if I’m not exciting, then who is? LOL ;)
Two good sources of calcium: The lime they feed to chicken (egg shells) and gypson board....Know a contractor get his scraps of sheetrock and break up in your garden....It’s get for clay too.
I think hoosiermama was asking about container growing Pineapple guava using cactus soil - But then again I could be wrong.
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