What advice would you give your newbie self?
Kristine Macabare-Adams
6 years ago
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jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoKristine Macabare-Adams thanked jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6Kristine Macabare-Adams
6 years agoRelated Discussions
What advice would you give to a beginner...
Comments (10)McTraill, You have asked for advice and suggesting you just do as you like is not really what you want to hear...is it. You do want to learn about composting and Kimm has a good idea....read about just what composting is and what it can do for you. While we agree that you can go into it like a nuclear scientist and try to digest all about it, it does come down to just making things rot. The minister says it at gravesite: earth to earth, ashes to ashes.... everything does compost down ...in time. Many things compost a lot better and your pile can benefit from adding material that does that quicker. There is also stuff that materially adds benefit to soil by way of the three main elements...nitrogen (N), phosphurus (P), and potassium or potash (K). Your pile uses these elements to make things break down. But read about it and take out of the information what you can use and don't go to sleep while reading. I don't know about that site that Kimm gave you....but compost.com........or about compost...should tell you all you need to learn in quick fashion....See MoreNewbie Needs Your Expert Advice
Comments (4)Many thanks for the follow-up. The NL vendor does indeed have truly beautiful bamboo gardens. Even though Switzerland is not in the EU, we do have very restrictive import regulations regarding plants, so it is definitely something I must take into consideration. I hope you have time for a few other questions. In trying to educate myself, I read that one can limit the height of bamboo by cutting the culms at the desired height and they won't grow taller. Is this true? And if so, is it true of all species? Also, does this change the characteristics of the plant in any way, e.g., make it bushier, or _______? Obviously, it makes them shorter. Thanks again Paul...See MoreNewby to forum and would like advice/suggestions
Comments (16)I have done the lasagna method, too. I suggest you check out the book at the library..by Patricia Lanza, I think. Texased is correct....you need significant newspaper, which is why a lot of people choose to use cardboard instead. You can use color print with no problem, as most papers use soy based inks these days. But you cannot use paper with a glossy finish. I just took large rolled up sections of paper and let them soak in a bucket of water for a few minutes before I layered them. I think I have six layers under the garden. In the raised bed, six layers was enough....under some pavers in the kids' playhouse it wasn't, so I think the layers on top might be key also. You can use "browns" in a bed (composted manure, compost, brown leaves, etc.), if you wish to plant it right away. I also have some thin layers of peat per the author's instruction. While the bed will cook down several inches, it will not be too hot to sustain plants. I had a nearly six foot tall cherry tomato and some healthy globe basil in there. I didn't use any dirt. The last layer (top layer) was about four inches of compost, and I planted directly into that. If you use "greens" or "hot" stuff....kitchen scraps, lots of green grass, fresh manure...the author recommends an entire season of cooking before you plant. I've heard that you can speed the process a little with black plastic over the top, but it seems like too much trouble to me. As far as I know, nothing short of chemical warfare will kill bermudagrass...and sometimes even that doesn't work. Fortunately, I don't have much in my St. Augustine. My mom has Bermuda lawn, and we have a terrible time keeping it out of the beds and the mulch in the walkways. Have fun!...See MoreIntroducing my self with some pictures and newbie questions
Comments (18)Hello Dennis and welcome to the forum. It's sad that you lost the big plant to rot, hopefully with everyone's help we can prevent that from happening again. It's a struggle to keep these plants looking pristine and mine have been through some really tough times believe me! I started growing them in 2004, from seeds off eBay and this year I have witnessed my first flowers to form properly and not drop off in the early bud stages like in previous years....though it would never happen! Now my second plant is about to produce blooms in the next week or so. The first plant is pink, the common colour and this second one is well on its way to be a white or some other very pale colour. I gave 8 from seed, 3 obesums and 3 Arabicums, plus two gifts, both obesums....but I've lost count of the ones I've lost, these 8 are now doing the best of all :-)) My plants are grown hard, they don't have any great size to them, but are short, stout and rather leafy with good hard caudexes. My mix is small bark chips, alpine gravel, seived perlite and general purpose bagged potting compost in roughly equal amounts. I can't get the turface,scoria and other ingredients a lot of the US growers use, so I have to adapt. I use Chempak 8 fertiliser once a week having been advised its a good alternative to the Dynagrow foliage pro that again, a lot of our American growers favour. If it's particularly sunny and they look/feel dry as in the past few weeks I use just plain water in between. The trick is to keep them on the dry side in winter as cold and wet=rot, (but sadly you know about that bit), and treat them as tropicals in the summer by watering more frequently. They can take a fair amount if water.....if they drain fast and properly, that is vital. Your pots are very attractive but I'm wondering as they fit rather tight, how do you water them? Do you water from a ve and then lift them out each time to drain fully ......as they certainly won't appreciate sitting in the run off? Others have mentioned that the small ones are over potted and yes I also agree. They will be far happier in a smaller pot. The other info you gave been given is good sound advise, please do come back again if you are unsure or need any more info, we like to help if we can. Goodness knows, I've asked for plenty of help in my time here! Gill....See Moresubk3
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