Calling all soil chemistry gurus!
RosyHips
4 years ago
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glib
4 years agotoxcrusadr
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Garden Guru bombs out
Comments (18)Interesting topic. I live in the country (in Tennessee - so this is a Southern story), so I don't have neighbors to fight with on this issue, but I do know a little about trees and the health of forrests. On my own property, I am preparing for some selctive logging and thinning of the forrest. This is necessary because the old growth in some spots has gotten to the point of causing a DECLINE in bio-diversity. When you get trees that are 100+ feet in height, they can shade out just about anything else underneath. So shade-tolerant species are the only ones that can grow under the canopy, and they eventually create somewhat of a monoculture in the forrest. When the large canopy trees do die - as they all will - what's left are the shade-tolerant trees, and they prevent the next generation of hardwoods from growing. So eventually you loose the majestic Oaks, Hickories, etc. and are left with little more than Beech, Ironwood and Maple. These trees are not as good for the ecology, and don't provide much food for wildlife. Oaks and Hickories are the back-bone of the forrest, providing the lion's share of the food crops. An Oak tree also processes twice as much CO2 as a comparably sized Maple. But their seedlings are shade-intolerant. The Oaks will not grow back if the forrest is shady. So, if we never thin the forrest, and insist on preserving all the mature trees, the richness of our ecology declines. The forrest supports fewer species, and weedy species gradually become dominant. We have eliminated much of the natural "turnover" that occurred in the forrest, especially wildfires. We put them out with a vengence! Yet these acts of nature are crucial to clearning areas where Oaks and Hickories can sprout and thrive in the sun. The Forrestry service did a survey of my land for me and recommended selective thinning to allow a greater diversity of species to grow here. I'm negotiating with loggers who use low-impact logging techniques, such as the use of mules to haul out the logs, so as to minimize the impact on the land. No one loves trees more than I do, but we all need to realize we have a responsibility to manage the forrest, just as we would any garden. It IS a garden - just a garden of giant plants! Diversity and renewal are an essential part of any healthy ecology. I think those principles extend to urban neighborhoods and back yards too. :-) K4...See MoreSelf taught Chemistry lesson for making acidic water
Comments (94)I know this is an old thread, but in case anyone is searching on this topic... I've noticed that my plants love it when it rains, they are perky and refreshed in a way that I don't see after watering or fertilizing. I decided to simulate rainwater by adjusting my tap water pH down from 7.4 to 5.5. My adjusted pH is somewhere in the 5.0-6.0 range due to small dosing inaccuracies. I acidify my water using sulfuric acid @ ~32% concentration (battery acid 1.28 mol). I've been using it with tablespoons as well as 1CC droppers and have no issues whatsoever. The acid is pretty safe to use if you take some basic precautions and aren't sloppy about it. Even so, it's not that strong of a concentration to do any real harm as long as you're close to a hose and don't get any in your eyes. Wear glasses just in case. My plants absolutely LOVE the lower pH water. They look perky and refreshed just like they do after a rainstorm. There are other beneficial effects as well. My seeds appear to be sprouting much faster than usual, the compost clumps that are sitting atop my soil have started to seriously break down finally, and my soil retains more moisture than it did before switching to lower pH water w/ sulfuric acid. Bottom line: My plants like it and I have noticed only positive effects. I will continue watering them with acidified water....See MoreWe have all lost a Great Man 'the Dahila Guru'
Comments (4)Thanks for posting this Diane. I've been sad about this loss since I heard the news last week. I had great respect for Bernie who so freely shared his knowledge of dahlia care. He was working on an updated photo/article for the ADS, I think, and I wish they'd publish it in his honor. For any of you using the plastic wrap tuber storage method, the Mandella Method, you have Bernie and Midge Mandella along with Dr. Richard Peters to thank for your success. We have lost a real innovator and generous man....See MoreNeed a Garlic Guru
Comments (22)Sheila, Madge does not like to cook with winter onions of any kind. The top part can be used for cooking. If you use a piece of the stem you can just fist it out of the pot after cooking. I am not man enough to handle the bulb, but the same things goes for onion, garlic and many peppers. I like to keep Egyptian around for a back-up. The winter onion that I like is the Lesbon bunching onion, but is not as hardy for me. I start them from seed in a rain gutter that I have cut to fit inside the kitchen window, or bathroom window. I have experimented with bulbing onion seed this year and they do well also. but have to be planted new each year. I will show you a picture of some I started in the bathroom and then planted in the garden about three weeks later. We had one in a salad a couple of days ago and it was wonderful, but it is getting a little late for fresh green onions. I have had these plants shaded by a castor bean plant hoping to retard growth, but they are starting to bulb anyway. The dated on the picture will show when the were planted and what they look like now. The seed were planted late Jan. If I could only have two types of onion seeds, they would be 1015Y and Lesbon bunching onions. Larry...See MoreRosyHips
4 years agoJean
4 years agoRosyHips
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agokokopellifivea
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
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