Citrus stump developing growth between wood and bark
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developing soil
Comments (31)Just an update: I got rid of my clover by mulching with alfalfa hay, which suppress ALL weeds plus supply nitrogen to the soil. NPK of alfalfa hay is 3-1-2. My soil is super-high in magnesium, so the soil test recommends adding gypsum (calcium sulfate) to lower soil pH, and to release calcium. Here's good info. from Yahoo: "Not all clay soils benefit from gypsum. however if your soil shows signs of the following: is slippery and sticky when wet, tends to slump and get very muddy during rain, forms a crust on drying, allows only slow entry of water, and does not break into anything smaller than large clods during digging; then it is likely that applying gypsum to it will improve its structure. Gypsum isn't a clay breaker is such, rather it is more of a clay aggregate thickner. meaning that the clay particles are very tiny and very close together with no space between, by applying gypsum the clay particles stick together creating larger particles with more space between (larger aggregates)... Winnerman · 7 years ago **** From StrawChicago: gypsum takes at least 1 year to work, before the big particles get broken down further with rain-water. A better way to loosen up hardened clay is from below link: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/askextension/thisQuestion.cfm?ThreadID=13910&catID=154&AskSiteID=34 Greg Stack- Extension Horticulturist gstack@illinois.edu "Many people think that gypsum is the magic cure for clay soils. While gypsum is often suggested to help loosen up clay soil by getting between the particles and helping to floculate or open up the soil for better air and ater movement it often takes time and if a plant is there again it can't be incorporated the way it should be. The only way I think you can help a tight clay soil under sod is to do vigorous core cultivation. This means using a machine that puts holes into the ground that are at least 4 inches deep and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter with the holes being no more than 2 inches apart. After that you can topdress with good soil that is worked into the holes and allows air and water to start moving down and supporting good root structure. Doing this coring regularly will eventually start to "replace" the soil one core at a time allowing a better soil environment for root development. " **** From Straw: I agree with the above approach, except I use coarse sand to fill the aeration-holes. Coarse sand DOES NOT GLUE UP with my high magnesium clay, I dug up many areas of my heavy clay mixed with coarse sand, and a decade later, the sand remains nice & fluffy rather than gluing up with clay like with peat moss, alfalfa, compost, and wood chips....See MoreWhat Happens if we Grind Up Tree Stumps but Leave the Wood Chips?
Comments (16)Gotcha Dave. Sour is often used to mean acidic, though most folks don't probably realize that when they use the word. But I see what you're saying. For my part, I would never advocate purposely mixing uncomposted woodchips into soil. As a mulch layer over the top-yes, of course. But not mixed in. The other problem with bark or woodchip mulches is their tendency to form a hydrophobic mat. It seems that some of these beneficial fungi which colonize the chip layer, over time, glue the whole thing together with their mycellia. I've already seen it where you can lift an entire tree ring of mulch with one hand like it's all one-piece. The only reasonable method for dealing with this-so far as I'm aware-is to get your three-prong cultivator out and gently work the stuff up. That also freshens its appearance. We use wetting agents to water some of our ornamental plantings in areas where stirring up the mulch isn't feasible, but I wouldn't expect the average homeowner to be purchasing wetting agents! BTW, some folks claim just your general-purpose dish detergent will "work just as well" as the expensive pro stuff. I can tell you from direct experience that's not necessarily so. The big manufacturers of consumer goods like dish detergent vary their recipes as different supplies come and go, or as ingredient prices rise and fall. So you never really know what you're getting. At least with professional wetting agents, they are what they say they are. And it is possible to find relatively low-cost ones, relatively being the operative word there. +oM...See MoreHow to grow fig tree from stump?
Comments (3)PS here are photos of little Figaro before potting him and pruning off some of the dead wood. I also pruned a small branch to just above a node. I’m hoping this stimulates some growth. Although it would be great to see new top growth, I’m concerned about the lack of lateral roots. I made a couple light scores on the root and applied rooting hormone to him before planting. I didn’t want to rough the root too much, but I figured it might help create side roots. Would watering with weak/very diluted fertilizer encourage root growth? I’ve also heard watering with diluted hydrogen peroxide helps with root formation, aerates the soil, and kills any bad bacteria. If water soluble fertilizer is a bad idea, would compost tea or water with worm castings be an acceptable solution? I won’t do all these things at the same time (would be overkill), but I’d like to hear people’s thoughts on how using some sort of fertilizer might help with root development. Again, I am not as concerned with top growth since I want Figaro to have a good base first. Would love to hear your suggestions!...See MoreMy Experimental Experience with Growing Citrus Indoors
Comments (72)Here it is the beginning of April and thought I would give you all an update on how my trees fared. I know it's long and wordy which I despise, but had to give details so others can learn. I have 3 trees in a bedroom which has a southern exposure with the window having mini blinds on it. On top portion of the window is also a half moon window which has louvered wood blinds. This bedroom gets natural bright light and can get uncomfortably warm because of the sun hitting the brick veneer of the house. The trees are a one year old New Zealand Lemonade, a Eureka lemon which had root rot 2 years ago and a 3 gallon W. Murcott which I received in November and is still in the original potting medium from Four Winds Growers. So now you know the environment the trees have been in since October. These trees have bloomed, set and dropped fruit, and grew new foliage. I watered sparingly and included Foliage Pro fertilizer at half strength. The only light given was from the window by manipulating the blinds to allow as much sun/light as possible to hit the leaves. The trees are still inside because they have been mite free all winter and see no point in them joining the other trees which do have red spider mites. I did not spray these trees with water for extra humidity throughout the winter. In the foyer, I have a Eureka lemon, 2 variegated minneola and a pink variegated Eureka. The room has the same sun exposure and the same type windows as the bedroom, but more of them. I watered them the same as the trees in the bedroom. Now these trees I have been putting outside as much as possible when the temps were above 50* because they are right next to the front door. I have been having a problem with spider mites with this group since February and did spray with Neem oil twice in early fall. I need to spray with Neem oil again, but there is no shade on this side of the house so I have been using the hose and spraying the trees with water when the weather is nice for the past few weeks. It temporarily solves the problem. The trees are currently in bloom and some have set fruit as well. Spray with Neem anyway? While the trees were inside, I did not spritz the trees for extra humidity. I only have been hosing the trees down outside only to control the spider mites. The last group of trees were kept in my sunroom. No grow lights used. They all did well with minimum watering which included Foliage Pro. I have a really big problem with red spider mites with this group and couldn't spray with water because the sunroom has very poor ventilation and I was afraid the humidity would encourage mold to grow on the walls if the trees had to be brought in. While in the sunroom, they all grew flower buds over the winter and started blooming in February/March. In the sunroom, I had a Meyer lemon tree. I kept this tree inside from October right next to the window and have been bringing it in and outside lately depending on the temps as to not shock it. It only goes outside if the temps are comfortable for me and brought in at night. It currently has bloomed and set fruit. It is inside right now and will go outside when I think it is right. I did hand pollinate the Meyer this year to see if it made a difference. I have lots of fruit thus far. We'll see how they fare with moving the tree in and out and bumping into the door frame. lol. Overall, I find it very interesting the trees did as well as they did. The sunroom windows only are on one wall and is full length. All of the them are now outside, except the lemon, and doing beautifully. The trees are blooming and setting fruit. I have not sprayed for the mites yet but have seen ladybugs, a lizard and a tree frog in the trees so hopefully, they are doing a good job with the pests. In conclusion, I have learned you DO NOT NEED GROW LIGHTS to overwinter your trees inside. You don't have to spritz them for humidity either. If you acclimate your trees earlier in the season to indoor temps/light than you have to, your trees won't drop their leaves. I learned that If the environment is the same indoors and outdoors, there is no leaf drop. My Meyer lemon proved that theory to be correct. My indoor temps of the house was kept 68* but periodically bumped up the heat depending on how cold I was. I did encounter a small problem with the mandarins though. I had to put them back outside in December to get the chilling hours they needed to increase the sugars in the fruit. While the trees were nice inside, the fruit was very bland tasting. They were juicy, but no flavor. So back outside they went until the fruit was harvested and then they all came back inside when the temps got close to freezing. I didn't anticipate dealing with that issue. I had very little leaf drop with them as well as I am assuming they are much hardier all around than the Meyer. Next year, another learning curve and more citrus tree shuffling in late fall/early winter as more trees will be fruit bearing age. Last year all my trees were in the sunroom, but I had less trees to contend with which is why I had to put a few in different rooms this winter. I had trees with a northern and southern exposure and they all did well with the exception of spider mites. What they all received since October/November was natural light, damp soil, liquid fertilizer at half strength, and temps moderately warm. I did temp the pots in the sunroom on very cold days and they ranged in the 50s. The room temps were in the same range as the pots with a few degrees difference. The temps in my bedroom and foyer never got below 65* so I know the pots were in the same range. I do live in middle GA so I don't know if my location made a difference or not, but figured I would throw that information in. I hope what I learned and shared will help others with their trees next winter. I am going to copy and paste all this information and put it into my citrus journal so if something happens to me, the recipient of the trees, will know what to do....See Moreponcirusguy6b452xx
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