Posted on 09/20/2013 12:16:53 PM PDT by greeneyes
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
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I have heard of playing pollinator on these threads, but had not tried it, because my squashes were not ever blooming both kinds at once. As I read your post, the thought occurred to me, could I gather the male pollen, and then a day or two later if/when I see female, I can then place it on the newer bloom(s)?
(Love the idea of “Flight of the Bumblebee” and wearing the properly colored clothing with humming.LOL!)
How is your neck doing?
Manual pollination is sometimes necessary. I also remember reading somewhere that sometimes the first round of blooms is all one sex, but that eventually these will be replaced by blooms of both sexes.
Do you have any bees in the morning? Do you have a few flowering plants like cosmos to attract pollinators and beneficial insects?
How much molasses did you add to the compost tea?
Our sunflowers always have bees on them, and I often see them on the cucumbers, so I know that bees are in the vicinity.
/johnny
When I was a kid, we lived on an island, a little distance from a larger island, our garbage dump on an area on the larger island. In the evening, sometimes, we’d watch the “blackies” and their cubs feeding. Our type of entertainment
What kind of wood are you using? We used to make mesquite
charcoal in the ground, actually on the ground then covering it with a wet gunny sack and cover it with dirt. Then we
found a source and stopped the experiment.
/johnny
YES! I put a pair of gold earrings in a safe place, where I’d never forget. I’ve been looking for them for almost a year. I’ll be dinged...I can’t remember where I put them, but I know it’s someplace safe.
I’ve heard of touching and talking to plants, but not humming classics while breeding squash plants with a paint brush. I’ll share your procedure to one of my community garden friends then stand back and watch.
Thank you, I’ll do that I have some compost with rabbit pellets so I’ll add the molasses and seaweed.
/johnny
I don’t know where this has been but today is the first I have seen it, even though it is dated the 20th.
Anyway-now I can quit worrying about what mighth ave happened to you.
The Master Gardening- what we have here in Nebraska is a six day course- offered M W F for two weeks. There is a charge. Then we are asked to do 40 hours of volunteer work over the summer. That can be a wide range of options—judging garden produce at the county fair, writing gardening articles for the local newspaper etc—Most of what I have done is answering questions —like doing an ID on the local bug—making yard visits to see what problem a person is having with their garden or flowers. Often a person brings their problem in to the extension office. Sometimes a phone call will handle it.
Bottom line, it is a great way to increase a person’s knowledge, make new friends, and in my small town, meet people again that I used to know.
One does have to consider the time involved however. But if it can be done, it is a neat thing to do. Perhaps a year or two down the road...or not.
even though quite out-dated, I still refer to the material.
Check to see if you have (in Nebraska they are NebGuides) available online through the landgrant university University of Nebraska Lincoln. I forget which university in Texas- but you can find them online and they are great.-—They are current, on any topic you can think of including not gardening/growing. They are free downloads.
Eventually, I think I’ll do it-when life slows down. Gotta go now. Eyea are getting bleary from this bright light at this computer in the hotel business center.
Catch ya’ll later.
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