H! This is is a test !!
6 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (35)
Related Discussions
Blueberries - ph down?
Comments (30)Here are some photos of my ever-growing collection of blueberries. I took them late this afternoon in less than ideal light. As I noted above, some grew in Al's 5-1-1 mix (mostly the Northern Highbush varieties, including the photo in my earlier post), some grew in the 5-1-1 mix with rice hulls instead of perlite, and some grew in a 4-2-1 ratio mix that I tried out in Smart Pots (some of my new rabbiteyes and SHBs). Above is a group photo of approximately 17 blueberries of varying ages (plus an assortment of other fruits and ornamentals). At this point, my rabbiteye varieties are leafing out and opening flowers, my NHB varieties have swelling buds, and my SHB varieties fall in a spectrum in between. They're all safely tucked away under an Agribon AG-50 frost blanket because we have a couple of sub-freezing nights ahead. I've tried to isolate a Tifblue rabbiteye in the above photo. I bought it from Simmons Plant Farm as a 2 year old bare root bush last spring. It was roughly 18" when I planted it. At this point, it's over 3' in height and blooming profusely. Next (above) is a Southmoon. I bought it has a 2 year old bush last year from Burnt Ridge Nursery. It was in a smallish pot (4"?) and was somewhere in the 12" to 15" range. It's now nearly 3' in height and looks like it will fruit nicely. Above are a couple of dwarf bushes -- a Top Hat on the left and a North Country on the right. It's hard to tell much at this point since the buds are just beginning to swell (the TH is a little further along than the NC). Both came from Burnt Ridge Nursery last spring, and both were in the 6" to 10" range when I potted them. I didn't measure them, but both have easily tripled in size and sent up a significant number of new canes. I really enjoyed watching the Top Hat grow last year. It's a beautiful little plant, and the leaves turned a brilliant shade of red last fall....See MorePotting Mix, pH test strips and N-P-K advice for container plants
Comments (6)1) Every ingredient that you listed for the Fox Farm soil is extremely fine. Since water retention is dependant primarily on particle size, you should expect a medium made of all fine particulates to be extremely water retentive, something I try very hard to avoid in containers. 2) You can read about soils and how durable soils that remain well-aerated long after peat/compost-based soils have collapsed can offer a greater margin for grower error and make things much simpler for the grower if you follow this link. 3) Not necessarily, but if you think about it, what will you do if your pH falls outside the favorable range? Start adding acids and bases to change it? In commercial situations, pH is usually tested frequently and adjusted by injecting a wide variety of chemicals that have elements plants need into the irrigation water. Since pH is affected by temperature, fertility, plant material, moisture level, even time of day (Plants help to control the pH in the rhizosphere to make it easier for them to uptake nutrients. This effect is reduced when plants are undergoing periods of reduced transpiration, which in turn has an effect on pH.) I'm not saying that because I ignore trying to control pH that you should, but I've never found it necessary to fret about it in any container planting. I might consider the plant prefers acidic conditions and forgo the use of lime and maybe use a urea-based fertilizer to take advantage of the acid reaction, but other than that, I don't worry. Remember that Media pH is far less important in container media than in mineral soils, and if you're supplying nutrients in soluble form, unless the pH is WAY outside favorable limits, your plant will be able to assimilate the nutrients. You can find considerable discussion about this in Dr C Whitcomb's work, "Plant Production in Containers II". 4) On average, plants use about 6-10x more N than P. Since the P in NPK is not a true measure of P supplied (P is reportted as the % of P2O5 [phosphorous pentaoxide]) you need to use a multiplier of .43 to tell the actual amount of P. In 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers, there is 7x as much N as P, so you actually have a considerable cush in 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers. Plants use roughly the same amount of nutrients throughout the growth cycle in relation to N, so I'm not sure where the idea they need larger doses of P during flowering/fruiting comes from. Tissue analysis of fruits and blooms show roughly the same levels of P as other plant organs, which meshes nicely with the idea that consistent P levels at approximately 1/6 that of N are entirely adequate throughout the growth cycle. I actually don't boost K by adding the ProTeKt, I reduce the amount of N, which also must reduce the levels of P and K. Since I can see by my plants that what I said above about P is true (also confirmed in the text cited above, which is essentially the Bible on container production) and P levels remain adequate at reduced application rates of 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers, I only need to be sure plants are getting adequate K. I can do this by incorporating some potash in the soil when I make it in anticipation of the reduced N applications for tomatoes, or simply forgo the increase in TDC by supplying it later as needed by using the ProTeKt. Al...See MorePine Bark Fines and Soil ph or Acidity
Comments (22)The best medium to plant newly rooted figs in is one that provides the greatest amount of aeration and ensures that aeration for the expected interval between repots but is still something you can deal with as far as the intervals between watering. IOW, you'll get the best growth from a soil you need to water daily or even twice a day, but if that is too inconvenient, you'll need to adjust to something more tolerable. How much vitality you sacrifice for convenience depends almost entirely on how far you go in the other direction and how fast air returns to the soil after a thorough watering. E.g., if you were using a soil/plant combination that required daily watering and could magically change the soil to one that only required watering every two days, there would be some degree of sacrifice in potential growth and vitality. If though, you could magically change to a soil that required watering only every 5 days, there would be a considerable sacrifice in growth potential and vitality. Soils that remain waterlogged for extended periods kill roots, and the plant pays to regenerate those roots by spending energy it would normally have put toward increasing mass, more blooms or fruit, extending branches ...... You may be referring to something I wrote about roots: While fig cuttings may root readily in water, the roots produced this way are quite different from those produced in a solid, soil-like or highly aerated medium (perlite, screened Turface, very coarse sand, e.g.). Physiologically, you will find these roots to be much more brittle than normal roots due to a much higher % of aerenchyma (a tissue with a greater percentage of inter-cellular air spaces than normal parenchyma). If you want to eventually plant your rooted cuttings in soil, it is probably not best to root them in water because of the frequent difficulty in transplanting them to soil. The "water roots" often break during transplanting & those that don't break are very poor at water absorption and often die. The practical effect is nearly equivalent to starting the cutting process over again with a cutting having diminished energy reserves. If you do a side by side comparison of cuttings rooted in water & cuttings rooted in a solid well-aerated medium, the cuttings in a solid well-aerated medium will always (for an extremely high % of plants) have a leg up in development on those moved from water to a solid medium for the reasons outlined above. Al...See MoreGE Profile Induction -- First Impressions
Comments (16)We've had our 36" 5-burner GE Profile induction cooktop for about 2 months now, and I LOVE it for all of the reasons mentioned above. Two things anyone might want to consider when deciding on which induction to buy: 1. SERVICE--DH didn't get around to installing the hood until AFTER the cooktop had been installed. He dropped his hammer on it from a height of 2' and cracked the glass. Yes, I was angry, especially since I knew he was tired and I'd tried to get him to stop before he made any mistakes! But he called GE, the repair guy called us immediately, and ordered any parts he thought might have been damaged (the control panel was right under the glass where the hammer hit). He had them FedEx/UPSed to us, and told us to call him when they arrived. We did, and he came the SAME day and did the repair. The control box had not been damaged, so he returned it. 2. SS RIM--If you've ever had something boil over, having the stainless steel rim instead of only the smooth black surface will keep most things from overflowing onto the counter or floor. I can't count the number of times I've cooked rice and had a considerable amount of water boil over--including yesterday. :o) I'd forgotten I'd put it on power boost (do NOT leave the cooktop while this is on), and walked to the other side of the kitchen to get something. Over it went out of the pot, but it stayed within the boundaries of the cooktop because of the SS rim, although the mess spread over three burners. Easy to fix. Turned it down so it stopped overflowing immediately, picked up the pans on the three burners and wiped them and the cooktop off, and was back in business in a couple of minutes with the rice simmering away at the perfect temperature. No matter what I've cooked, there's been a perfect simmer point. The placement of the different sized burners also works well for me. Soon the real test will come, when DH and DS both stir fry on the two front burners. There's room for the 14" stir fry pan, the 12" extra deep 6 qt saute pan, and the 13" French skillet in the back on Low to keep things warm. I LOVE this cooktop!!! I also love my new pots and pans. Up until we got the induction cooktop, I'd cooked for decades using a few not-so-good ones. While researching pans, I ran across explanations of what each kind of pan can be used for, which were helpful in making choices from the many AllClad options. I ended up getting the Kitchen Aid pans recommended by Consumers Report (partly because I like glass lids), and several larger AllClad pieces from Williams-Sonoma that were a lower price in their catalog as well as some that went on sale in their store after Christmas. I also got some from the AllClad outlet in PA via the internet. Several of the W-S prices were cheaper than the outlet! I'd looked over the pans in the reduced price collections of the various stores, but had determined that most of the ones I wanted were not included in those offers. Although the AllClad is expensive, I especially love cooking with their large pans. Anne...See More
6 years ago- 6 years ago
- 6 years ago
- 6 years ago
Related Stories
BATHROOM DESIGNA Designer Tests Ideas in Her Own 38-Square-Foot Bathroom
Balancing classic, modern and rustic elements results in a space that welcomes guests
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESHave Acidic Soil in Your Yard? Learn to Love Gardening Anyway
Look to acid-loving plants, like conifers and rhododendrons, to help your low-pH garden thrive
Full Story
HOUSEKEEPINGYour Guide to a Sparkling Clean Kitchen
Tackle food messes with this comprehensive collection of targeted and tested cleaning methods
Full Story
COLOR12 Tried-and-True Paint Colors for Your Walls
Discover one pro designer's time-tested favorite paint colors for kitchens, baths, bedrooms and more
Full Story
WINTER GARDENINGPruning Secrets for Exquisite Roses
Encourage gorgeous blooms year after year with this time-tested advice on how to prune your rosebush in winter for health and shape
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESGrow a Beautiful Garden in Alkaline Soil
Got alkaline soil? Learn how to manage it and the many beautiful plants that will thrive in this ‘sweet’ soil
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESGet the Dirt on Your Garden’s Soil
Understand how your soil supports your plants so you can ensure your garden’s success
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESDesign Dilemma: How Do I Modernize My Cedar Walls?
8 Ways to Give Wood Walls a More Contemporary Look
Full Story
BEDROOMSRoom of the Day: Chic Neutrals Give a Nursery an Edge
No little-boy blues in this California baby’s room. Black and white walls and graphic accents promise to grow with him
Full Story
FLOWERSWhy You Should Give Hydrangeas a Place in Your Yard
The exuberant mop-headed beauties evoke dreams of an endless summer by the sea
Full Story
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7