|
|
Post by pinhead on Jun 5, 2014 7:00:24 GMT -8
I wonder if there's something in our rural water that was hurting the plants... The garden wasn't growing worth a crap until I stopped watering with the hose and the garden got rainwater instead.  |
|
|
|
Post by pinhead on Jun 5, 2014 7:35:59 GMT -8
And this is what the tomato plants looked like before the rain. I'll have to inspect more closely when I get home after work tonight.  |
|
|
|
Post by Dan (Upstate NY, USA) on Jun 6, 2014 0:42:48 GMT -8
What was the temps before and after the rain?
|
|
|
|
Post by pinhead on Jun 6, 2014 12:24:59 GMT -8
What was the temps before and after the rain? About the same as before... 85°F to 95°F. |
|
|
|
Post by Daryl on Jun 13, 2014 5:44:28 GMT -8
Thought about you this morning, Pinhead. I have shrooms! This gives me the idea of picking up another bale, throwing it under a tree, and injecting some mycelium to see what happens.  |
|
|
|
Post by Daryl on Jun 13, 2014 5:54:39 GMT -8
Also been mulling over the "what grows here and there" question of yours. I am sure water has a play in the amount of underbrush growth. I have lived throughout most of the country and this is one place where the brush is thick. I believe that is why we all stay here even though we b*tch about the winters constantly. One of the greenest places in the country. The summers are about as perfect as you can get.   |
|
|
|
Post by pinhead on Jun 13, 2014 13:16:16 GMT -8
Also been mulling over the "what grows here and there" question of yours. I am sure water has a play in the amount of underbrush growth. I have lived throughout most of the country and this is one place where the brush is thick. I believe that is why we all stay here even though we b*tch about the winters constantly. One of the greenest places in the country. The summers are about as perfect as you can get. I thought that maybe the trees were sucking too much moisture out of the soil to support thick undergrowth but the natural "mulch" created by the fallen leaves and needles keeps the soil good and moist, and seems to be aerated well - the ground is springy and moist, but not soggy. I suspect it has as much to do with the lack of sunshine as anything. I was asking this question because we have what seems like a million juniper trees with copious amount of needle litter that I could easily transplant into the garden. About an inch below the surface the needles seem to be composted/broken down fairly well and have lost the distinctive evergreen smell. So, ultimately, the question is this - would I need to compost this before I use it? Or can I simply move it and use it? Or should I avoid it completely? |
|
|
|
Post by satamax on Jun 13, 2014 22:38:37 GMT -8
Pinhead, carefull, most of the evergreens tend to produce acidic compost and then soil. There might be an exception or two, but i don't know thoses. And some plants don't like to grow in acidic soil at all. Larch does that too.
|
|
|
|
Post by Donkey on Jun 19, 2014 18:42:28 GMT -8
Trees and other deep rooted plants will actually "pump" water up from below and often share it with other, co-operating species.
|
|
|
|
Post by pinhead on Jul 8, 2014 7:19:11 GMT -8
Some updates on the garden.
The tomatoes have been doing very well - they're about 4 feet tall and are fruiting nicely.
That is, until I watered them again.
We've been having a pretty wet early summer this year (after extreme drought for the last 3 years) so I was able to quit watering the garden. It hasn't rained for the last couple of weeks, however, and the ground was getting hard and dry so I decided to water the garden to keep everything in tip-top shape.
The next day, the tomatoes' leaves were already yellowed.
There's GOT to be something in our water - too much chlorine, perhaps - that the tomatoes don't like. We're on a rural water route so it's not contaminated well water. It doesn't seem to effect the cucumbers, squash, or kale. I don't think the onions have grown a bit since we planted them, though.
|
|
|
|
Post by pinhead on Jul 9, 2014 6:17:18 GMT -8
Here are some pics. This shows the yellow that came almost immediately after watering with the hose. This is the very next day (everything was green the day before this pic was taken).  Here's a close-up of one of the yellow leaves on the tomato plant.  |
|
|
|
Post by Daryl on Jul 11, 2014 5:27:56 GMT -8
Hope your garden stays safe this coming week with the polar vortex.
|
|
|
|
Post by pinhead on Jul 11, 2014 9:32:38 GMT -8
It's not supposed to get too terribly cold where I'm at - it may drop down into the 70s and 80s. Should be a good time for some solid growth!
|
|
|
|
Post by pinhead on Jul 24, 2014 4:57:02 GMT -8
The tomatoes are doing pretty well now.  |
|
