Search found 691 matches
- Sat Jun 29, 2019 6:41 pm
- Forum: Best practices
- Topic: Tomatoes - four or five trusses?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 5294
Re: Tomatoes - four or five trusses?
Don't cut any off ! Why waste fruit. Most if us are constrained by height of the greenhouse to about 4 trusses, cutting the bottom one off makes that 3 trusses, and later to start picking. Commercial greenhouses are much taller, with a longer growing season through artificial heat and light. Even th...
- Sun Jun 23, 2019 10:32 pm
- Forum: Weeds, Pests and Diseases
- Topic: Why doesn't weedkiller work on marestail?
- Replies: 20
- Views: 19383
Re: Why doesn't weedkiller work on marestail?
I think I somewhat agree with tigerburnie. I tried combinations of pelargonic acid and glyphosate. The pelargonic acid was nasty stuff, whether it was the active ingredient or the surfactant, it was choking on the throat. The glyphosate was a stiff mix of 360g/l proper stuff, not garden centre homeo...
- Sat Jun 15, 2019 9:25 pm
- Forum: Ask the team
- Topic: Is my kale ready to pick?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 3022
Re: Is my kale ready to pick?
Hey, that's looking pretty promising !
- Fri Jun 14, 2019 9:05 pm
- Forum: Ask the team
- Topic: Is compost enough to refresh old soil?
- Replies: 14
- Views: 4637
Re: Is compost enough to refresh old soil?
Getting rid of old compost ... why does "The Great Escape" come to mind
I used a John Innes seed compost once. Cold, heavy stuff that put me off John Innes / loam based potting composts.
I used a John Innes seed compost once. Cold, heavy stuff that put me off John Innes / loam based potting composts.
- Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:29 pm
- Forum: General chatter
- Topic: Anodized pans: Why can't I put them in the dishwasher?
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4386
Re: Anodized pans: Why can't I put them in the dishwasher?
I would have thought dishwasher detergent is fairly alkaline to saponify the grease. But may also react with aluminium giving off hydrogen.
- Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:20 am
- Forum: Best practices
- Topic: Legumes and nitrogen
- Replies: 14
- Views: 6127
Re: Legumes and nitrogen
I suppose the question is if the nitrogen fixed in the root nodules is quickly used by the plant, or if a significant amount remains in the nodules. And how long the bacteria can continue to do the business after you've cut the plant down.
- Sun Jun 02, 2019 9:43 am
- Forum: Ask the team
- Topic: Tomatoes are producing early this year
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4337
Re: Tomatoes are producing early this year
Well I've never heard of that. And I wouldn't say it is that esrly; some years I have had ripe fruit by mid June on glasshouse tomatoes. I have heard it said that flowers setting fruit after mid summer will be pressed for time to ripen properly. My aim is to get tomatoes early by sowing early, but t...
- Wed May 29, 2019 4:00 pm
- Forum: General chatter
- Topic: Composting & Washington state
- Replies: 14
- Views: 4238
Re: Composting & Washington state
"Katrina Spade" - good name.
- Tue Apr 30, 2019 8:30 pm
- Forum: Best practices
- Topic: Pepper plants had a bad start-up...
- Replies: 9
- Views: 7552
Re: Pepper plants had a bad start-up...
But the woodburner ash has lots of potassium, in the form of potassium oxide. When wet, it forms potassium hydroxide, which is strongly alkaline. As I said, I think it must all balance out. I have some of the wet, universal indicator based soil testing kit, so maybe I could do a test.
- Tue Apr 30, 2019 8:11 am
- Forum: Best practices
- Topic: Pepper plants had a bad start-up...
- Replies: 9
- Views: 7552
Re: Pepper plants had a bad start-up...
I don't mean to say there's a huge problem using the commercial peat free compost, just that I think I can see why you might need to feed more / sooner than the conventional advice. I am trying to move away from buying in so much New Horizons this year, using instead sieved garden compost mixed 4:1 ...
- Thu Apr 25, 2019 2:30 pm
- Forum: Best practices
- Topic: Pepper plants had a bad start-up...
- Replies: 9
- Views: 7552
Re: Pepper plants had a bad start-up...
What was the compost ? Commercial peat free potting, homemade blend ? I have a theory that some of the commercial potting composts contain so much only partially composted wood waste that once the initial nitrogen is used up, the continuing fungal decay of the wood causes nitrogen depletion. Hoof an...
- Sat Apr 06, 2019 7:17 pm
- Forum: General chatter
- Topic: Happy Birthday Johnboy.
- Replies: 15
- Views: 6023
Re: Happy Birthday Johnboy.
Happy Birthday Johnboy old chap. Hope you have had a good day.
- Sat Mar 16, 2019 4:51 pm
- Forum: Tools and Machinery
- Topic: Steam
- Replies: 14
- Views: 7319
Re: Steam
Humph. I was supposed to be going over Ribblehead behind Union of South Africa last weekend, but it was cancelled - apparently needs new piston and valve rings. Really disappointed, it was meant to be my birthday treat, 60009 is due to be withdrawn very shortly and none of the other A4s are in worki...
- Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:00 pm
- Forum: General chatter
- Topic: Plastics in the food chain
- Replies: 19
- Views: 7811
Re: Plastics in the food chain
I am at a loss over the chemical’s in food chain concern. Perhaps we should not be growing in the earth but use hydroponics’ instead? But then what about contaminates in the water that we do not know about. I questioned my self over my use of plastic whilst on the plot yesterday. I use plastic tray...
- Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:07 am
- Forum: General chatter
- Topic: Time is up
- Replies: 12
- Views: 5727
Re: Time is up
"Best wishes" does sound rather woefully inadequate, but at least you know we're thinking of you.