StettoGro 4: Spredner Tin 2020

stettoman · Jun 3, 2020

Here's a valuable lesson for me: Whether I plant or not, TILL THE DAMNED GARDEN.

I grew nothing out here last season. Everything was container grow. Just one season of fallow and the quackgrass has re-established. This is the hardest weed to eliminate that I know of, a fraction of an inch of viable root left under the dirt becomes a lawn in very short order...

I did till twice this Spring, but if I was paying any attention to the masses of root systems those tines were dredging up I would have thought to Roundup first. Until the end of this season I am cursed...

Believe it or not this is a row of Rocoto Amarillo, with an OW Giant Yellow Rocoto at the front.

Hoeing doesn't cut it, it might as well be mowed. Gonna have to till, again and again...They'll eventually die back, but the garden is surrounded by it, so a dose of Roundup in the fall and spring will be in order to maintain discipline of the plot.

My poor tomatoes, Abe Lincoln, Legend, Amish Paste. To the left are my first ever tomatillo plants, and further to the left are my broc and brussels. HGow far the root systems of the quackgrass have encroached is apparent.

And we're getting very little rain. A half inch over the last couple months. "They" keep forecasting storms, storms never quite show up...

Yet we endeavor to persevere....

PtMD989 · Jun 3, 2020

You will win this battle. I have quack grass and ragweed popping up in my raised beds, and I turned them over three times this spring.

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Devv · Jun 4, 2020

Never heard of Quack Grass, seems like Bermuda in habit. It's a constant battle, see it, kill it, rewind...

Tilling here just replants the weeds, which is why I now use a broadfork. The new garden addition was full of Bermuda, and I had to fire up the tiller to get that stuff broken down.
Sad thing is I had to water before I could till, the ground was that hard. That was in October (I think) and I kept after any Bermuda that came back with the BF.

I used to flood irrigate, until nut grass came up, and pissed me off. That fall/winter I brought home a bhut load of Cisco, and Dell boxes and covered everything up for a few months. Then I started watering via the wobblers.
Anytime any nut grass came up I dug down and found the nut, followed the roots and got rid of all of it.

I still remember Roseanne Roseanndanna...It's always somethin...

Ghost Pepper Revolution · Jun 4, 2020

Mr.joe said:
Doesn't wood ash cause soil to become more alkaline? Not sure woodash will help his situation.

depends on how alkaline the soil is, he could always get sulfur amendments too. My suggestion was purely based on what my acid loving trees did after the amendment. :think:

Devv said:
I had my soil tested 2 years ago. 8.2, well water 82.-8.4

I've added at least 150, if not 200 yards of organic matter to the 1,600sf without exaggeration. They say it helps, but not here...LOL

After the soil test I started adding Elemental Sulfur to get the Ph in check. I intend to add more after we're finished, and test early next year.

Show me a 7.0!

those testers are nice but they are off, I’ve done more in-depth ph tests and found it off 1-2 whole ph numbers. Maybe try the vinegar or baking soda test if ya want to find out a little better. :onfire:

Devv · Jun 5, 2020

Ghost Pepper Revolution said:
depends on how alkaline the soil is, he could always get sulfur amendments too. My suggestion was purely based on what my acid loving trees did after the amendment.

those testers are nice but they are off, I’ve done more in-depth ph tests and found it off 1-2 whole ph numbers. Maybe try the vinegar or baking soda test if ya want to find out a little better.

I used Logan Labs and had them test the soil 2 ways. My soil fizzed with vinegar, the AA 8.2 test came back with sane numbers. I did the vinegar test with the basic sand we have it did not fizz. So..it seems the heavy top soil I had hauled in came from someone who probably added Lime to his farm, because someone said so..
No one around here adds Lime..that has a brain..

I have a Hanna Ph tester and test the soil myself as well. I add some soil to Ph neutral water shake it and let it set, then test. It has tested the same as the soil test that Logan Labs returned. Previously, I sent the soil to the Texas Ag., and the report was all over the place. Stickman turned me on to the Logan Labs. Check out his glog from 2018, good info there..

Ghost Pepper Revolution · Jun 5, 2020

That makes sense and sounds about right, got same issue with adding lime to my soil so I have to use blueberry acidifier from espoma and mykos just to keep them from ph lockout. I might start adding pine bark now to my cowpost and wood ash pile just to start bringing the ph down before using it next year maybe add ground up sulfur

stettoman · Jun 8, 2020

Um, pH aside (I actually have three testers, including a liquid electrode probe type), but right now I'm too busy dancing around the garden...We got 2 & a quarter inches of rain last night...finally. She really takes off when she gets a good dousing with high voltage electrified rain, and there was no blank sky for lightning last night...

And "they" say more tonight. Onliest thing, we have temps in the mid 90s, and the muggy that comes with it. No dry heat in Minnesnowtakstan...

After tonight a week of 60s & 70s, I'm sure the Rocotos will enjoy that...

I've heard that crushed drywall makes for a good acidifier, the "old people" always suggest it for rhubarb. I need to do some more indepth testing before applying anything, though.

Thanks for the input, guys!

:cheers:

stettoman · Jun 9, 2020

Two more inches last night, more coming today.

...all I can add is be careful what you pray for...

skullbiker · Jun 9, 2020

On the bright side, at least its not FREEZING rain! [emoji6]

Tybo · Jun 9, 2020

stettoman said:
Two more inches last night, more coming today.

...all I can add is be careful what you pray for...

Sounds like good weather for quack grass.......er I mean ducks. Wait, ducks quack right? If ducks quack does quack grass duck?
Nevermind.

stettoman · Jun 9, 2020

I'm holding our weather to the Laramie WY standard. They got 8" of snow last night.

I worked for the U of WY for three years. It CAN happen.

Devv · Jun 9, 2020

So..I've been a lala land the last few days.

I did a lot of reading on lowering the soil Ph, Elemental Sulfur is recommended for major changes, like a full point or more. Apply it and turn it under in the spring. Natural bacteria breaks it down into sulfuric acid, which neutralizes the calcium.
It will take several seasons of applying it to see the results you want, without harming anything plant wise. I'm on year 3.
Sulfur powder will not work. It's just different.

Hope you don't get the Laramie weather!

ahayastani · Jun 9, 2020

stettoman said:
Here's a valuable lesson for me: Whether I plant or not, TILL THE DAMNED GARDEN.

I grew nothing out here last season. Everything was container grow. Just one season of fallow and the quackgrass has re-established. This is the hardest weed to eliminate that I know of, a fraction of an inch of viable root left under the dirt becomes a lawn in very short order...

I did till twice this Spring, but if I was paying any attention to the masses of root systems those tines were dredging up I would have thought to Roundup first. Until the end of this season I am cursed...

Believe it or not this is a row of Rocoto Amarillo, with an OW Giant Yellow Rocoto at the front.

weeds1 .jpg

Hoeing doesn't cut it, it might as well be mowed. Gonna have to till, again and again...They'll eventually die back, but the garden is surrounded by it, so a dose of Roundup in the fall and spring will be in order to maintain discipline of the plot.

My poor tomatoes, Abe Lincoln, Legend, Amish Paste. To the left are my first ever tomatillo plants, and further to the left are my broc and brussels. HGow far the root systems of the quackgrass have encroached is apparent.

weeds2.jpg

And we're getting very little rain. A half inch over the last couple months. "They" keep forecasting storms, storms never quite show up...

Yet we endeavor to persevere....

On the contrary, NEVER TILL your garden!

Read up on Charles Dowding's No-Dig Website. He also has a Youtube channel, which is very informative.

stettoman · Jun 10, 2020

ahayastani said:
On the contrary, NEVER TILL your garden!

Read up on Charles Dowding's No-Dig Website. He also has a Youtube channel, which is very informative.

Solid7 advocates this too, but I'm going to take a risk and assume that you don't have the aggressive types of grasses that will encroach and establish faster than even Roundup can keep up.

Besides, I've done quite well by tilling and cultivating. I till no more than 5-7 inches (local farmers disc their soil much deeper than that), because I have a solid clay layer @ 12 inches.

I appreciate the link though, good read!

stettoman · Jun 10, 2020

Gee, I guess an update could be presented today, the way you folks are scatching and clawing at my topic.... :woohoo:

So.....The garden after a total 4.5 inches of highly electrically ionized rain these last few days--

I had corn, beans Touchon carrots and peas planted before the dirt turned to unnavigable muck, and some o' tha' shi' be spoutin'!

Peppers are finally waking and showing signs of life, the tomatillos actually over a foot tall and filling with blossoms...

On the deck, then...

Here is my CaneDog-sourced Large Brown Rocoto, also decided to like it here in a five gallon bag.
Had a worm that I caught and killed early by simply aggitating the dirt at the stump where they hide during the day--

Here is a PaulG Aji Amarillo that was Peru-sourced and I suspect to actually be an Aji Limo. It continues to give me that suspicion...

Next to her is the Aji Oro mutant that un-mutated almost immediately after nestling into her 5 gal--I left the mutant leaves intact for identification confirmation.

And my isolateable Big Jim Chile, this one also under worm attack, until the morning after the first rainstorm.
It was hiding in the new growth at the top of the plant. I crushed-ed it between my little sausage fingers...

My Throwdown Fatalii, stunted as it is. Sure is flowering itself into a lather though...

Next are true Aji Amarillos, grown from seeds I harvested from my beloved 4 year old plant from PaulG seed.
They too show little enthusiasm, but are lush and healthy looking. Maybe that rain will be the kickstart.

Of course the overwinters want a little acknowledgement...Costa Rica Red, Aji Largo, Arequipeno...
And a Giant Yellow Rocoto not pictured that has been planted in the dirt. Out of over 20 OWs, this is it...

That's it for peppers, for now...But the Rosemary cuttings that Sobelri sent me are lovin' life here as well!
Gonna be a big-ass bush one day!! 5 gallon ceramic...

We had no storm damage, but I discovered a downspout I forgot to clean out in the Spring--Completely plugged. So today is gutter day...Again.

Then I re-install the mower deck belt and wait for the lawn to finish drying...

But first.......asparagus...

Bye....... :hi:

PaulG · Jun 10, 2020

Sounds like you are keeping busy, my friend.

Your plants look healthy. Once Summer actually
gets here, they will really take off!

Good luck being patient while you wait, buddy!

PtMD989 · Jun 10, 2020

Haskorea?

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stettoman · Jun 10, 2020

PaulG said:
Sounds like you are keeping busy, my friend.

Your plants look healthy. Once Summer actually
gets here, they will really take off!

Good luck being patient while you wait, buddy!

Thanks Paul! Yeah, I'm not known for my sense of patience when it comes to this stuff, am I...Mostly it comes from watching the weeds outrace them year after year...If I could only isolate THAT gene...

PtMD989 said:
Haskorea?

Yes Bryan, Haskorea, out there amidst the other Turks & Syrians...There are TWO of 'em! :party:

PaulG · Jun 10, 2020

stettoman said:
Thanks Paul! Yeah, I'm not known for my sense of patience when it comes to this stuff, am I...Mostly it comes from watching the weeds outrace them year after year...If I could only isolate THAT gene...

I hear that, my friend!

I wonder if one could cross a baccatum
with some crab grass? Maybe a little
gene splicing?

PtMD989 · Jun 10, 2020

Yes, party on Garth[emoji16]

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