What did you do in the garden today?

[cj2024]

I can vouch for this product from amazon, it makes pineapple plants flower. I put some pieces straight out of the can on the tops of two pineapple plants and drizzled a little water on top. The water makes the calcium carbide fume and smoke, so if you put too much water it will run off. Furthermore, it also burns the leaves, so too much calcium carbide is not good. I put about 3 to 4 small pieces on each pineapple top.

The top center will look burnt, but it recovers, and a flower forms. It took a couple of months on just one application.

 

[akroberts1085]

Husband and I are in Roseville looking at vehicles for our daughter. Boring

 

[gtaus]

I went out for a little retail therapy this morning.

Therapy is good.

I found seed starter pots made out of coir. I bought 2 packs of the 4 inch pots. Has anyone found/ used these?

I used some compressed seed starter pots like those a few years ago. Maybe even the same kind. I was not very successful. I overwatered the plants and the pots got moldy. Totally my fault, but there you have it.

I like the idea of the peat pots. The ones I had you could plant in the ground when transplanting. If I had not killed all my starts, that would have a good deal. Because of all the mold damage from overwatering, I ended up having to compost everything.

Since then, I moved on to using net cups with slits in them and so far, have not drowned any more plants. I just bottom water the tray, the soil soaks up the water, and the slits help to air out the plants. Even if you overwater the plants by putting too much water in the tray, all you have to do is take the net cups out for a little while and they will drain out to a safe level. When I used the coir pots, they stayed too wet too long after overwatering and that is when I got the mold. It was totally my fault with coir pots, but the net cups are almost idiot proof and that is my level of gardening, unfortunately, I admit.

I bought the heavy-duty net cups and they can be reused year after year. I am trying to reduce or eliminate the plastics I use in my gardening, but the bottom line for me is to have some success in growing the plants and I had failed with the peat pots. I was very successful with the net cups last year and will use them again this year for seed starting.

The theory behind the net cups with slits is that the plant's roots will air prune themselves when they hit a slit and therefore will not spiral around in the net cup causing the plant to get root bound. Indeed, that is what I experienced. The plant will then start growing new roots and you end up with a stronger plant for transplanting, full of lots of healthy roots. That was my experience last year and my transplants were the best ever coming from the net cups.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Husband and I are in Roseville looking at vehicles for our daughter. Boring

That's what we did today too, for our oldest son.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

My youngest son,15, has been collecting Maple sap for a homeschooling project. I boiled down 5 gallons in several pots on the stove yesterday and got 2 cups of maple syrup for him. He loves it and keeps talking about it, so it was worth it.

 

[Nym]

I have buckets from a donut/ice cream shop. So far, they are holding up very well.

Do you make your own? If so, please share a recipe.

No, I bought mine online back in 2012! It will last forever.
Black Salve Australia

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[chickengr]

I went out for a little retail therapy this morning. I found seed starter pots made out of coir. I bought 2 packs of the 4 inch pots. Has anyone found/ used these?

they are so pricy here that makes no sense to buy them.

 

[gtaus]

I have buckets from a donut/ice cream shop. So far, they are holding up very well.

We have a local bakery that is selling buckets with lids for $3.00 each. Maybe that's a good deal for some people, but Harbor Freight has free bucket sales every few months and that's when I pick up my free buckets (no lids). Just picked up 3 free 5-gallon buckets last weekend with any purchase if you were a Harbor Freight Inside Track Club member, which I am. Only limit is one free bucket per day.

FYI, I always have a short list of consumable items from Harbor Freight I use so when the free bucket sale comes around, I already know what item(s) I want to buy.

You can never have too many 5-gallon buckets on hand.

Here's a great idea for gardening using 5-gallon buckets....

 

[gtaus]

What ever happened to using those large bags of vermiculite insulation for mixing potting soil? I used to buy a 3 cubic foot bag of vermicultie insulation at Menards for about $16.00 each. Now, you can't find those big bags anymore. The least expensive option I have found is now $19.00 for a 1.5 cubic foot bag....

That "garden vermiculite" costs more per bag for half the volume of the vermiculite insulation I used to buy. I can't find the less expensive large bag vermiculite insulation anywhere. Did that get banned or something?

Edited to add: Any recommendations for a low-cost vermiculite substitute for potting soil mixes? I have some deck pots that need to be filled this spring. Thanks.

 

[Acre4Me]

What ever happened to using those large bags of vermiculite insulation for mixing potting soil? I used to buy a 3 cubic foot bag of vermicultie insulation at Menards for about $16.00 each. Now, you can't find those big bags anymore. The least expensive option I have found is now $19.00 for a 1.5 cubic foot bag....

View attachment 3751038

That "garden vermiculite" costs more per bag for half the volume of the vermiculite insulation I used to buy. I can't find the less expensive large bag vermiculite insulation anywhere. Did that get banned or something?

Edited to add: Any recommendations for a low-cost vermiculite substitute for potting soil mixes? I have some deck pots that need to be filled this spring. Thanks.

A few years ago, I asked the local farm/garden shop (family owned, not a chain) to order me some bags -they were 4cubic ft, quite large. Can’t remember the cost though, but more reasonable than the small bags.