I think we have enough grass for a cow ... this is about 1/3 of the back property, side front yard at the house starts at the top of the hill.
Posted on 04/01/2024 6:23:19 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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That’s a lot of work! Glad Pops could help out. When we set poles and fix fencing, I’m always on the Cleanup Crew or KP if we have brothers over to help. I never get to have any FUN with the machinery...and that’s probably for the best, LOL!
I take that back - last Fall Beau let me mix cement with the take-off on the skid steer to do the mixing/turning. That WAS fun, actually! Just like making a cake. ;)
I think we have enough grass for a cow ... this is about 1/3 of the back property, side front yard at the house starts at the top of the hill.
Augie what a blessed bounty of morels! Drooling!
I am constantly amazed by how much you accomplish.
Paul, we used to use roundup on the patio and concrete but we quit a few years ago. Too many cancer causing studies. We switched to a homemade concoction recommended here, white vinegar, lots of water softening salt dissolved and a little water. It is way faster and more effective than roundup and more permanent.
Yes, they would! :-)
Thanks, yes, I’ve actually used the same concoction on our gravel driveway, not getting too close to the edges as it would kill the lawn / bushes nearby. It’s a lot cheaper than the commercial “long effect” treatments!
But, here I’m basically doing a “pre-planting” treatment: After the weeds are dead / dying, then put in the garden plants. I definitely do NOT want a permanent effect.
I’m not too worried about the Roundup whacking ME as long as I handle it properly. In the course of maintaining our cars (wife’s, daughter, and my car), lots of other “around our place” chores and maintenance, and stuff I work on to make a little money (hopefully), I have to handle far worse...
Sounds good you are aware.
Heard Sandhill Cranes yesterday morning, and cut my first bouquet of Daffodils for the kitchen table, so we have turned a corner. Yay!
My wife was really feeling it (her allergies) when we went out to watch the eclipse yesterday. Zone 7, tons of tree pollen, and the wild mustard seems to be taking over our part of the planet. I don’t know if wild mustard pollen is a problem in the same way ragweed pollen is(?), but we have numerous and sometimes huge fields of the wild mustard around here. Some of those fields are likely on the order of a quarter to half square mile surface area.
Thanks!
For “All” (except Diana who said she didn’t know), my question remains: Does hard water reduce Roundup’s efficacy and am I better off mixing with distilled water, municipal water, or perhaps rain water*?
It’s not too hard for me to imagine a salt combining with other minerals in well water. I’ve read Roundup in soil basically binds to small soil particles, and Diana confirms that Roundup loses its punch in soil in a week or so. The rate of the process is “interesting” — not fast, but not taking long periods of time, either...
*I can collect plenty of rain water easily, especially the next 3 days - hahaha! We’re gonna have 3 days of the soaking that started this morning. I’ll bet the spot we watched the eclipse from yesterday will be cut off by running water by Thursday.
Paul I really don’t know. I guess the rain water would be a good choice.
Anyone know if yew cuttings are especially hard to get to develop roots? I have some that are still green, but are beginning to die. Most died months ago. I’ve tried 2 different rooting hormones. No dice at all, after over 6 months... Online info has been no help. :-(
Thx. I might as well collect some anyway. ;-)
I prolly should directly ask the group here: Is wild mustard pollen an allergen similar to Ragweed pollen?
The positively charged cations in hard water bind with the negatively charged glyphosate molecules, resulting in less-effective weed control.
Don't Let Hard Water Make Weeds Hard To Control - USGA www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/regional-updates/central-region/2018/don-t-let-hard-water-make-weeds-hard-to-control.html
www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/regional-updates/central-re…
How much? Needs more personal research...
Our daffodils are past peak, but my dad & cousin got beautiful bouquets for Easter - daffys were still ‘good’. The redbud is in full bloom - so gorgeous. The fruit trees are blooming ... the ‘possible’ apple tree on the new place and an older one that is starting to leaf out/bloom a little - this one will have apples, I’m certain. The forsythia bush is going to green. My little boxwoods I planted February a year ago have probably grown 6 inches (I have had 2 requests for them when we move although I’d like to take them with me). My lavenders (making the move!) have new green leaves in the last week. As the saying goes “spring is busting out all over!” :-)
Major tree issues to be addressed at the new place - meeting with a tree guy tomorrow for a quote & talked to a 2nd person that will be out this week as well. One fairly large pine started dying about the time we bought the place ... one dead branch at the bottom. Now it’s died about 1/2 the way up & most of it is going ‘yellow’. It’s right at the road/driveway so the first thing you see is ‘dead tree’.
The next tree, which I had not thought of taking down until we got the slate roof fixed for big bucks, is a monster ‘bull’ pine growing at the corner of the house. Some of the branches are as big as small trees. It’s mature so will be having branches break off (wood is soft/brittle). One branch dropped off in January & missed the house, thank goodness - I ‘just’ got it hauled away, needed a pole saw to get it into small(er) pieces. These pines have shallow tap roots & not much of a root ball so they blow over easier than say an oak - the tree is already leaning towards the house & all the big branches are on the house side. After seeing the tree blowing/bending in 50-60 mph wind gusts, my stomach was in knots & I had to look away. The roofer says “that tree is scary!”. I have convinced mom it needs to come down. I am sure it will be big bucks since it’s a huge tree, but it would be bigger bucks if it wrecks the roof! Always ‘something’ to deal with when you own a place .....
We have a male fox (killed all my SIL’s chickens in the last week - auto door was malfunctioning, fox dug in and got them) who is barking every evening - seems to like the Collie. She is sicced on the fox, chases it away, & it’s back in no time, yipping/barking, making weird noises. There must not be any females around right now.
According to these people, who are selling allergy relief, some people are allergic to Wild Mustard pollen. You can also be allergic to regular Mustard! Who knew? Not me, LOL!
https://getcurex.com/allergens-and-symptoms/allergy-symptoms-immunotherapy-wild-mustard
Page down on their page for specifics; I couldn’t C&P for some reason.
We have had two BEAUTIFUL days here in NH. VERY mild and spring like. No frost forecast for the next 10 days in the long range forecast.
So I went gangbusters with the garden the last two days. I got the bucket potatoes started, planted the onions I started from seed, planted my romaine seedlings, a small patch of scallions, and a row of beets, and got some bucket carrots started.
Still looking for the snow peas I started last month. The ground under the leaves was a bit frosty so I cleared them out so the sun would warm up the soil.
I got my onion sets in the mail today so will be starting those as well after it stops raining.
I started some more lettuce seeds for the next crop. I figure if I start them a month apart, I’ll have continuous lettuce. I also transplanted my tomato seedlings to bigger containers so they would grow better. They should be a nice size by the end of May.
I hurt all over and am exhausted but have a fantastically early start on the garden and if we get a freeze, I have plenty of stuff to cover the crops with. It’s a pain but so worth it to get the stuff in early that I’ll put up with the inconvenience.
HOPEFULLY, we won’t be getting any more frosts. I know how unlikely that is but I have seen a couple years where our last frost was in April. God willing......
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