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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 18, 2020 18:29:29 GMT
The city water arrived today ~ hooray. Yesterday I bought a lovely gardenia plant. When I asked how to keep its soil acid enough, I was told vinegar. Any comments on this?
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Post by casimira on Mar 18, 2020 18:51:05 GMT
NO!!! I think vinegar would do damage. I would seek out other acidic derivatives. Do you have oak or pine available?
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 18, 2020 19:56:07 GMT
My tomato seeds have germinated in the heated propagator. Now comes the anxious time when I leave the lid off during the day to allow maximum light but cover them up at night because it's still quite cool after dark. The compulsion to take the seedlings into the greenhouse has to be overcome for now in case they succumb to damping off...worry worry. Used to be able to get a thing called cheshunt compound which helped to prevent damping off...but can't get it now.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 18, 2020 21:18:09 GMT
I've acidified my tap water with clear vinegar for some years now with no problem.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 18, 2020 23:56:58 GMT
NO!!! I think vinegar would do damage. I would seek out other acidic derivatives. Do you have oak or pine available? Casimira, I'm very limited as to what I can get for potting soil, additives, etc. My potting soil is forest duff, which over time has its own set of problems. There is a guy who sells worm castings, but who has been out of them for a while. I do make compost, but who knows how complete any one batch of it is. The person who told me to use vinegar is a plant person whom I trust. The compulsion to take the seedlings into the greenhouse has to be overcome for now I used to start tomato seedlings on top of the fridge -- warmer, drier air up there. Is that an option for you? I've acidified my tap water with clear vinegar for some years now with no problem. Proportions/ directions please!
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 19, 2020 4:42:55 GMT
So here is what I found: A common difficulty with gardenia maintenance is hard water. Add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to a gallon of water and feed to the gardenia plant every three weeks. Iron will be released into the soil with the addition of the extra acid from the vinegar. source
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 19, 2020 10:20:59 GMT
Sounds a lot of vinegar to me. I add a capful to 2 gallons. Can you do a ph test first before watering? After all it doesn't need to be any more acidic than rainwater?
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Post by casimira on Mar 19, 2020 11:02:23 GMT
I jumped the gun on my discouraging you to use vinegar Bixa.
My reasoning being that I was thinking that you were talking about using full strength.
I use straight vinegar for some weed control.
I wasn't thinking about diluting it.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 19, 2020 11:23:45 GMT
My fridge is tucked under the counter Bixa so I can't utilise its warmth....but the leggy tomato seedlings will be potted on quite deep when they have their true leaves so that will solve the spindly problem. They're quite snug in the conservatory for now, especially with a bit of bottom heat.
My nemesis and verbena rooted cuttings have arrived from Sarah Raven so I will pot them on, just the foxgloves and pelargoniums to come now.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 19, 2020 11:25:24 GMT
I'm using a sprinkling of cinnamon as a fungicide for the seedlings btw...think somebody on anyport told me about it wise people in here don't you know....
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 19, 2020 15:26:31 GMT
Sounds a lot of vinegar to me. I add a capful to 2 gallons. Can you do a ph test first before watering? After all it doesn't need to be any more acidic than rainwater? Yeah, I was also surprised by the amount. I do think an acid-loving plant where I live would need more vinegar to water ratio than you use, though, based on my bad experiences with such plants here over time. I'm not going to even try using any until the plant is well established in the pot. My nemesis and verbena rooted cuttings have arrived You grow your own nemeses? Arch, or just regular?
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Post by bjd on Mar 19, 2020 16:23:02 GMT
I planted two small verbena (the kind for herb tea) this week. One in a large pot, one in the ground.
And this afternoon I threw in some seeds: dill, cosmos and sweet peas. We'll see what comes up.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 19, 2020 16:32:45 GMT
My Big Boy's book of Gardening suggests watering with coffee grounds as they are acidic.
If repotting use ericaceous compost. Also if you can feed with Azalea feed it will help as that is also acidic.
For the Gardenia btw.
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Post by bjd on Mar 19, 2020 16:36:16 GMT
I looked up coffee grounds on the net yesterday. The article I saw said indeed coffee grounds are acidic but used ones become neutral. But that was just one thing I looked at.
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Post by casimira on Mar 19, 2020 16:39:45 GMT
My Big Boy's book of Gardening suggests watering with coffee grounds as they are acidic. If repotting use ericaceous compost. Also if you can feed with Azalea feed it will help as that is also acidic. For the Gardenia btw. Coffee grinds also contain a lot of nitrogen which is great for healthy foliage but too much can halt the production of blooms. I would use them sparingly.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 19, 2020 16:42:47 GMT
I absolutely HATE auto correct
NEMESIAS not nemesis
Aaaaaaaaauuurgh...(take THAT autocorrect)
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 19, 2020 17:38:11 GMT
I wouldn't use coffee grounds at all but that's by the by.
Just reporting what the book says.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 19, 2020 19:06:38 GMT
I was rather surprised to see the Royal Horticultural Society cultivation notes for Gardenias recommending a high nitrogen liquid feed weekly through spring and summer.
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Post by bjd on Mar 25, 2020 14:41:34 GMT
Since much of my "outdoor time" these days is spent in the garden, I wander around looking at the flower beds. In some places I put small vertical sticks into the ground, so I assume I planted something there, but am damned if I can remember what. Nothing coming up.
I also bought 4 black hollyhocks last year to plant behind some pink flowers. Out of the 4, only one grew and it didn't bloom. So I thought they must not have had enough sun and moved them to a much sunnier spot in late fall. One only has a few little leaves. The others haven't done anything at all. Completely frustrating.
I think we also need some rain.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 25, 2020 15:09:11 GMT
They like sun but they don't like to be too dry.
Still early days - only March after all.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 30, 2020 4:43:33 GMT
Awful heat here, to the point that the patio plants slightly droop in the sun even though they're well watered. Here are a few pictures of my patio, taken today. I didn't gussy it up for the pics, as you'll see. Try to avert your eyes from the horrible dog mats with the gnawed bone stains. Moving the mats makes me the victim of baleful canine glares. The front door faces due south, so one side or other of the patio is always either in full sun or full shade. You will note that the patio is really only an extended driveway, which starts with an oversized ugly metal carport structure. No matter -- stick enough plants in and it's a patio, right? The wall & windows on the left are my neighbor's house ~ The vegetable & herb garden, all in pots ~ Just got this fig tree last year. It definitely needs to go in a bigger pot at the end of the growing season ~
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Post by bjd on Mar 30, 2020 6:04:42 GMT
It looks great, Bixa. I can imagine how much time you spend watering all those pots though. Would it not be more practical if you had saucers under the pots so that the heat of the ground doesn't dry them out even faster?
Be careful with that fig tree -- they grow really fast and become big very quickly. Even pruning them back doesn't seem to slow them down. Then of course you get figs falling on the ground and attracting wasps, unless you eat them as they all ripen at the same time.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 30, 2020 6:46:14 GMT
Despite the heat it all looks really good.
The fig should be ok as it's confined to a pot.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 30, 2020 10:41:13 GMT
Btw, there appears to be a dead dog in your garden. Suggest you move it.
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Post by casimira on Mar 30, 2020 13:00:35 GMT
I'm so thrilled that you have a fig tree Bixa. Now I don't have to feel so guilty when I post about my harvesting figs here.
All your plants look so lovely (no surprise there as you have always have been such a fabulous gardener).
As I have mentioned several times of late, the lack of rainfall here has been a bane extraordinaire for me and it consumes so much of my time and prohibits me from doing other tasks. So frustrating!!!
I am excited over the amount of monarch caterpillars that I have at present. We counted 8 chrysalides last evening and I am sure there even more this a.m. I cannot believe how quickly and how much they devour the milkweed I have provided them. I may have to go out and procure some more plants today to keep up with them.
I need to tackle the pond tomorrow which is going to be a major task. I have someone who is supposed to help me with this and just hope he can do it.
I have more to report but, I need to get on out there and get moving on the aforementioned chores. I should be posting in this thread in the evening instead of the morning.
Thanks for starting this thread Mick. I have so enjoyed it.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 30, 2020 13:51:52 GMT
Any chance of some pictures casi?
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 30, 2020 18:13:03 GMT
Would it not be more practical if you had saucers under the pots so that the heat of the ground doesn't dry them out even faster? Well, no. For one thing, I don't approve of saucers under pots as they are counter-productive in so many ways: keeping the bottom soil too wet & possibly turning it sour, attracting mosquitoes, unsightly, etc. Also, except for three of the pots in the center section, all large ones, none of the pots are right on the ground. They are all elevated, either on turned-over pots or a table or the tank top to the recently removed old toilet or on little feet made from tuna or sardine cans. I have found that with large pots, it's all too easy to over-water, when often all that is needed is a little spritz to cool the plants down and to create ambient moisture. Along with Mick, I'm thinking that a fig in a pot is automatically curtailed, although I would be thrilled to have so many figs that I'd have to worry about the fallen ones. Mick, if I have to put up with scary malocchi from my little beasts when I move their possessions, can you imagine the ire if I moved the actual dog? I am excited over the amount of monarch caterpillars that I have at present. We counted 8 chrysalides last evening and I am sure there even more this a.m. I cannot believe how quickly and how much they devour the milkweed I have provided them. Oooooh! I haven't had monarchs since I moved into town. I really need to find some milkweed. Watching those gorgeous green capsules turn gold and then almost transparent is always a thrill. And, not to nag, but you don't have a camera anymore? People really need to see your garden to fully understand what a marvel it is.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 30, 2020 20:08:00 GMT
Sorted through my seed tin today, I've already sown most of my veggies, but I have a few flower seeds to sow. Found some random seeds at the bottom of the tin...think that they're probably courgette or squash seeds.
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Post by casimira on Mar 31, 2020 12:59:23 GMT
Tried the QUOTE button again to no avail. I post from a standard laptop. Never had this be an issue before.
Anyway, in response to Mick and Bixa and posting pictures , I have tried.
I have tried several times and have not been successful with following through successfully.
(I used Marks generous and seemingly simple instructions which I thank him for providing but, at a certain point(s) encountered one snafu or another.)
I am one of those people who needs to have someone show me. Written instructions have always proved to be a challenge with unsuccessful results.
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Post by bjd on Mar 31, 2020 13:16:46 GMT
Casi, I have been posting pictures directly from my computer. Go to the box in the reply section called "add image to post". Then you can choose where to browse and just copy/paste or else slide your photos from your computer onto the answer box. It takes a few moments to load, then the jpg address and the photo) is posted automatically in your answer box.
If you download your camera card into a file called "garden" or something similar, you fill find the photos easily.
I too am looking forward to seeing pictures of your garden.
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