I'm picking the wrong OGR's???
Martina DeLuca
15 years ago
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teeandcee
15 years agoMartina DeLuca
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Help me figure out what I'm doing wrong!
Comments (32)Water uptake and therefore nutrient uptake is energy driven, i.e. it takes energy to absorb water and nutrients, and the roots need oxygen to turn the carbs the plant makes (its food) into energy - just like you do. When your plants wilt while the soil is still damp and the problem persists more than a day or 2, you can be almost 100% certain it's a root problem - probably related to excess water retention and the dearth of oxygen that comes along with it. Roots are opportunists - they don't/can't "go looking" for water, air, and nutrients, they simply grow where conditions are favorable ...... and don't grow where they aren't. In your case, the roots are probably growing deeper into the pot when the water supply is at its lowest, then dying back again when you water. The cycle of death and regeneration of roots not only impairs root function, it's very expensive in terms of energy outlay as well. What it takes to regenerate roots killed by a lack of air might have been spent on things more productive - like an increase in plant mass, blooms, fruit ...... Your soil choice has a very significant impact on how easy/difficult success is going to be, and on how wide the margin for grower error is. My take on what constitutes a good soil, at a minimum, is one you can water to beyond the point of saturation, i.e. until at least 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exits the drain, carrying accumulating salts with it, this, without the grower having to worry about root rot or impaired root function. In most cases, the inability to water correctly also prevents you from being able to institute a nutritional supplementation plan that works well because nutrient ratios quickly become skewed if you can't hit the 'reset button' by flushing the soil regularly. Dennis is right about tight little root balls, too. If I get sets that have congested roots, I rip the bottom half of the roots off the plant and use as nylon pick to tease the remaining roots apart before the set gets planted. I also remove the lower leaves of the sets and plant very deep if in a pot, and deep and at about a 30* angle if they get planted in the ground. Often, roots allowed to remain in a tight little wad end up staying in a tight little wad with the plant suffering for it, and that's something you want to avoid. Roughing up the roots actually sends chemical messengers to the rest of the plant, telling it it needs to direct energy to the root mass. Plus, the closer roots are trimmed to the stem, the more juvenile and vigorous they are (look up 'ontogenetic age'), so make sure the roots are going to be able to easily colonize your soil mass by correcting congestion before planting and using an appropriate soil. Al...See MoreWhen I'm wrong - I'll admit it ...
Comments (44)FWIW, domestic basmati is the same variety of rice as imported basmati, but the imported stuff is aged for several months. This does make a difference in the flavor. You can get the real deal at an Indian grocer. I generally cook rice like a pasta using a steamer insert. Boil the pasta in water (at least 4 times the volume of rice) for about 8 or 9 minutes, drain it into the steamer insert, run hot tap water through the rice in the steamer to flush away excess starch, put about one inch of hot water in the bottom of the pot and place the steamer insert over the hot water, cover the steamer insert and boil the water at a low boil for about 10 minutes. Basically, boil for 8, rinse, steam for 10. Makes nice fluffy individual grains, not at all sticky. (So this wouldn't do well for sushi rice.) One of these days I will try to learn how to cook basmati the way my local Indian restaurant does it. Delicious, fluffy, the epitome of rice......See MorePot roast and Cosco, I'm doing something wrong.
Comments (25)A almost always cook a pot roast on the stove top. There have been a few occasions when I did it in the oven for one reason or another....but 99% of the time I do it in a Le Cruset oven on the stove top. I learned that 300 or 325 is way too hot in the oven. If I need to put it in the oven, I try to keep the temperature just at the boiling point...and that is 212....about half way between 200 and 225. If cooking on the stove top...know your stove....this cook top needs to be on the lowest simmer setting AND have a flame tamer beneath the pot too...my son's new stove will keep a pot at a perfect simmer without any tamers or diffusers. I much prefer cooking a potroast on the stove top...that's the traditional way and I like it best. And frankly my Le Cruset Dutch Oven stays cleaner....doesn't get those burned on spatters on the sides. I very rarely cover the meat with the liquid...but on the occasion when I knew I would have a lot of grand kids eating mashed potatoes and gravy I have. I don't find there is a problem with texture...no more than with the texture of the beef in a stew. As for the liquid being insipid...not really!...since the liquid consists of wine, beef broth, caramelized onions and garlic and other stuff. If you are using water to cover the meat, it very well mey be insipid and watery...but wine, broth, some onions, garlic a bit of bay leaf and perhaps some dried porcini make all the difference. And as a "cheat" if your gravy lacks something...add some beef stock base....and don't tell! I do it pretty much the same way Bumblebeez does, but I don't add the flour with the onions...."They say" that cooking a thickened gravy a long time causes it to be less thick....easy enough to correct...but worth remembering. Linda C...See MoreI'm almost scared to ask, but what's wrong with my maple? Help please
Comments (9)It appears to be some delayed transplant shock - not fatal but not necessarily a good thing, either. First, you already know this but I'm going to repeat........planting a JM in June in a hot summer climate that is undergoing an extended drought is just not a great idea. Period. The tree is put at an immediate disadvantage by doing so. A reaction by the tree to this stressful situation should not be unexpected. Second, I know it seems counterintuitive, but pruning off the roots is exactly what you should NOT have done. Those fine feeder roots are how the tree accesses soil moisture and nutrients - the larger roots are only for anchorage. So the tree is now working on a second disadvantage - trauma to the rootball (JM roots are very sensitive to disturbance) and a lack of feeder roots. What I'd suggest you should have done is remove as much of the soil on the top of the rootball as possible to expose the burlap, cut any ties (and gently remove) and then unwrap the burlap surrounding the trunk and remove as much from the top of the rootball as possible, leaving the sides - with fine roots growing through - intact. Cutting off these roots has given the tree a major setback. In fact, the nursery I am associated with now nullifies their guarantee policy if removal of the burlap disturbs the rootball excessively......it is that much of a disruption to the plant, especially during the middle of the growing season. Finally, I'd want to know about your watering routine. Using an automated sprinkler system to water a newly planted tree is usually not a great idea. In fact, I discourage it. Most systems come on for a few minutes once or twice a day - this is not enough water for a new tree, particularly one of that size. And you can't tell just by looking at the surface of the soil or even down a couple inches if the soil is adequately moist down to a sufficient depth - it may appear adequately moist on the surface but be dry as a bone further down. Watering by hand, with the hose on a low trickle, for an extended period of time as often as necessary is a much better approach. The water needs to penetrate down into the soil profile at least to the depth of the bottom of the rootball and only low and slow will accomplish this sort of irrigation. A drip system or soaker could accomplish the same thing, but not a sprinkler system. So you've planted at possibly the worst time of year, you've cut off a major portion of the tree's feeder roots that supply its moisture needs and your watering program is not very suitable. Not a huge surprise the tree is reacting poorly :-) All you can do at this point in time is correct your watering practices and hopefully adequate water and cooler fall temperatures will encourage some new root development. I believe this to be recoverable but it may not be obvious until next spring and how well the tree leafs out at that time. Did it come with a warranty?...See Moremichaelg
15 years ago
jerijen
15 years agomichaelg
15 years agoimagardener2
15 years agobrhgm
15 years agoteeandcee
15 years ago
thonotorose
15 years agoMartina DeLuca
15 years ago
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