Sorry 'bout the glitch... still learning how to use my new "smart" phone. Sometimes it seems like it's smarter than me... 
Stickman's 2017 Minimalist Glog
- Thread starter stickman
- Start date
Cheers Andy! 
I don't think Calcium is as much a problem as too much Potassium and Magnesium for raising pH. It's more like I have a good reserve of those things and don't need to add more. The Sodium levels were the real shocker for me. I'm not too far from Sodium toxicity, and need to get those levels down as quickly as possible. Over time the plants will remove the excesses and I'll have to keep an eye on Nute levels to know when to begin adding more as needed. Most of us don't realize that the nutrients we take from the soil aren't returned there when we use sewerages to remove our waste, or we dispose of our dead plants without composting and using the compost in our gardens. Obviously there are health reasons to do both, but there are ways around it if we apply ourselves.
I don't think Calcium is as much a problem as too much Potassium and Magnesium for raising pH. It's more like I have a good reserve of those things and don't need to add more. The Sodium levels were the real shocker for me. I'm not too far from Sodium toxicity, and need to get those levels down as quickly as possible. Over time the plants will remove the excesses and I'll have to keep an eye on Nute levels to know when to begin adding more as needed. Most of us don't realize that the nutrients we take from the soil aren't returned there when we use sewerages to remove our waste, or we dispose of our dead plants without composting and using the compost in our gardens. Obviously there are health reasons to do both, but there are ways around it if we apply ourselves.
I've been outside shredding up the thatch and leaves we raked up after work tonight. I picked up a 7-horse Yard Machine" for free a couple years ago, and it reduces about 6 wheelbarrow loads down to one shredded fine so it rots down fast in the composter.
I also picked up and unloaded half a yard of "compo-mulch" mix for my wife's flower gardens. Time for a break!
I also picked up and unloaded half a yard of "compo-mulch" mix for my wife's flower gardens. Time for a break!
stickman said:
Cheers Giancarlo! Who knew that the reason we have this kind of weather is that we're really an Alpine region...Actually we're at 82 meters above sea level here. I wish you could have sampled the soup... it had lots of depth and layers of flavor.
Probably no ketchup made with gochujang 'til the Romas ripen in July Sim, but meanwhile I'll try to bear up under the disappointment...
Cheers Paul! They do require watering a bit more frequently, but the payoff is so much bigger that it's worth it to me.
This coming weekend will hopefully tell the tale Scott. The pepper bed is prepped and the amendments are raked in, I just need to lay down the drip hose and plastic mulch before transplanting. The mercury this time of year can be all over the place so I take my cue from the old fashioned Bleeding Heart in our backyard. When it starts to reach for the sky it's time to harden off and transplant the chiles.
Have a good night all!
Here we go by the Mesquite trees; when they put their leaves out, frost danger has passed. That's what the old people said when I was younger; and so far it's held true. So now this old guy is passing the story along too...
stickman said:Cheers Andy!
I don't think Calcium is as much a problem as too much Potassium and Magnesium for raising pH. It's more like I have a good reserve of those things and don't need to add more. The Sodium levels were the real shocker for me. I'm not too far from Sodium toxicity, and need to get those levels down as quickly as possible. Over time the plants will remove the excesses and I'll have to keep an eye on Nute levels to know when to begin adding more as needed. Most of us don't realize that the nutrients we take from the soil aren't returned there when we use sewerages to remove our waste, or we dispose of our dead plants without composting and using the compost in our gardens. Obviously there are health reasons to do both, but there are ways around it if we apply ourselves.
I did some reading here:
http://baen.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/01/E-60-Managing-Soil-Salinity.pdf
And the high levels surprise me after the read ,as you have a sandy base and that's the key to help rid the soil of the salts. So maybe the water has a high level?
So far this season every drop of water my nightshades have received is rain water. I know that won't last, but I collect and store as much as I can.
Devv said:
Here we go by the Mesquite trees; when they put their leaves out, frost danger has passed. That's what the old people said when I was younger; and so far it's held true. So now this old guy is passing the story along too...
That's so cool Scott! The Bleeding Heart plant has shoots just barely above the surface, and it'll stay like that until conditions are right.
Devv said:
Thanks for the info on managing soil salinity. It's definitely grist for the mill, but I don't think it applies here. For a number of years I was getting fresh horse manure from some neighbors, and applying about a yard every fall to my 400 sq ft garden in the hope that it would mellow over the winter. The test shows that I probably over-applied. Read the section on fresh vs composted manure. http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/fruit-vegetable/using-manure-and-compost/
Hi all!
The Aji Oro has progressed to the point that I'm gonna stop pinching flower buds. It's forked five times and the leaf canopy is about sixteen inches wide.
Scheduling has conspired to keep me from knocking together my last 4'x20' raised bed up to now, but I gotta get 'er done after work tonight so I can fertilize the beds and loosen the soil with the broadfork I borrowed. I have to return it Thursday morning and it's gonna rain tonight.
The Aji Oro has progressed to the point that I'm gonna stop pinching flower buds. It's forked five times and the leaf canopy is about sixteen inches wide.
Scheduling has conspired to keep me from knocking together my last 4'x20' raised bed up to now, but I gotta get 'er done after work tonight so I can fertilize the beds and loosen the soil with the broadfork I borrowed. I have to return it Thursday morning and it's gonna rain tonight.
I see sunshine! 
The Oro looks great! I love the way pubescens look (and grow, being temperate!).
Can't wait to see your season come into full swing!
The Oro looks great! I love the way pubescens look (and grow, being temperate!).
Can't wait to see your season come into full swing!
RaelThomas said:I see sunshine!
The Oro looks great! I love the way pubescens look (and grow, being temperate!).
Can't wait to see your season come into full swing!
S'right brother, I love it! Supposed to get to 84 degrees here today (almost 28C).
With all this thatch and dead stuff on the ground and a stiff southwest breeze we're at risk of fires, but they're not as damaging as the ones they have out west where it's drier.I think the Oro is the fastest growing Pubiscens I've ever come across, and I really like the growing habit.
Things won't start really cooking here until about the third week in June. That's when I start seeing "dropped skirts" on the plastic mulch under the Annuum chiles.
stickman said:
S'right brother, I love it! Supposed to get to 84 degrees here today (almost 28C).
I think the Oro is the fastest growing Pubiscens I've ever come across, and I really like the growing habit.
Things won't start really cooking here until about the third week in June. That's when I start seeing "dropped skirts" on the plastic mulch under the Annuum chiles.
One of my favourite things about summer is the dropping of skirts, Rick!
28c, lovely!
Were I lived previously was quite scary in the hotter months, lots of wind and plenty of dry, explosive, native Eucalypts. Terrible frosts and a short growing season compared to where I am now. 2hrs away, on the coast.
stickman said:Cheers Andy!
I don't think Calcium is as much a problem as too much Potassium and Magnesium for raising pH. It's more like I have a good reserve of those things and don't need to add more. The Sodium levels were the real shocker for me. I'm not too far from Sodium toxicity, and need to get those levels down as quickly as possible. Over time the plants will remove the excesses and I'll have to keep an eye on Nute levels to know when to begin adding more as needed. Most of us don't realize that the nutrients we take from the soil aren't returned there when we use sewerages to remove our waste, or we dispose of our dead plants without composting and using the compost in our gardens. Obviously there are health reasons to do both, but there are ways around it if we apply ourselves.
There's a video of Geoff Lawton called "Greening the Desert" I think you can find on Youtube where he uses permaculture principles and begins to actually turn around a desert plot of land in the Middle East. One of the amazing things that happened was the salinity of the soil dropped quicker than they thought possible. In skimming the paper that Scott linked below, I think it was mostly by stopping evaporation. Anyway, in reading through your comments - do you think the excess sodium was from uncomposted manure?
Also, I occasionally listen to a podcast that covers all sorts of stuff including homesteading and whatnot. He talked for awhile about a special that covered a certain era in Japan and the ways they lived - I know that's pretty vague, I remember it was an era with Samurais. Anyway, "nightsoil" was a normal thing to compost and use. They of course had ways to do it to remove the bacterial issues - I think mostly composting, if I remember correctly. Anyway - to you point - we do lose those nutrients in a disposable culture. I think too, we have a lot of medication going through us, in general, and some of that stuff stays in the waste and can cause problems. I do think that culturally we could do a better job with our 'grey water' though. Those homesteading systems that recycle their grey water are fascinating.
Looks good Rick. That's a beautiful plant. Glad your getting some good weather. The ground should warm up before to long.
Question. What size are those bags you made for isolation?
Question. What size are those bags you made for isolation?
RaelThomas said:
One of my favourite things about summer is the dropping of skirts, Rick!
28c, lovely!
Were I lived previously was quite scary in the hotter months, lots of wind and plenty of dry, explosive, native Eucalypts. Terrible frosts and a short growing season compared to where I am now. 2hrs away, on the coast.
Good on ya for finding a place you liked better Rael.
Pulpiteer said:
Thanks for the tip on the Geoff Lawton film Andy. I'll have to check it out sometime soon.
Yeah, I do think the excess sodium was from the uncomposted manure... I don't see how it could have been from any other source... we don't have sodic soils or lots of sodium in our water.
Devv said:I saw the part in the article about salt content. Actually it should diminish rather quickly with your well draining soil.
And yeah Andy, the meds in pee is not cool. Glad (and lucky) I'm not using prescription meds
I think I remember recently reading about how medication residues in treated waste water were affecting amphibians like Frogs.
OCD Chilehead said:
Thanks Chuck! The organza bags for sequestering blossoms could be any size you want to make them, but mine were 3x3 inches.
I finished levelling my new raised bed tonight... filled it with the compost/biochar mix, loosened the soil with the broadfork, spread the amendments and raked them in. All my vegetable beds are ready to plant now, just have to sort out the irrigation system and lay out the plastic mulch.
On the pepper front... We have achieved forkage in the second and third round Chinense seedlings!
I'm amazed at how much they've grown just in the last week.
An overhead view of the Aji Oro to give a better idea of the size of the leaf canopy.
Herbs are going nuts.
Have a great night all!
Thanks Rick!
Your plants are looking excellent. Herb garden is going to be great. I'll plants some herbs this year as well. I'll pick them up from the nursery though. No time or room this year to start.
Your plants are looking excellent. Herb garden is going to be great. I'll plants some herbs this year as well. I'll pick them up from the nursery though. No time or room this year to start.
OCD Chilehead said:
Thanks Chuck! As you can imagine, I'm watching the extended forecast pretty closely about now since I want to get my plants outside hardening off as soon as possible. Maybe this Sunday if things look good.
It was too dark last night to get a pic of the new raised bed. It would have been the same 4'x20' as the other four but I had to leave a 3' gap in the middle for the valve boxes I get my water from.
Hang in there folks... Friday's coming!
Hey bud, Raised beds look great. Im hoping to get mine build this weekend or next. What would you suggest I do with the ground under the beds? Till it, or leave it alone and let the roots grow into it? I am working with virgin plots where the raised beds are going. I just turned my garden from last year over. Still has a few leaves from fall in it but looks much better cleaned up a bit. and I just have to say I love the herbs but your missing one thing. Lemon Thyme. If you have never had it, grown it or used it. I highly recommend it. Great with fish and chicken.
Happy Growing
Alex
Happy Growing
Alex
Love the herbs Rick with basil being my favourite .... may be an old wife's tail but I heard basil should never go to bed with a wet bottom I think that means a mature plant should not stand in water over night only water during the day. Coriander is a firm favourite in the U.K. to add to curry
Blitz527 said:Hey bud, Raised beds look great. Im hoping to get mine build this weekend or next. What would you suggest I do with the ground under the beds? Till it, or leave it alone and let the roots grow into it? I am working with virgin plots where the raised beds are going. I just turned my garden from last year over. Still has a few leaves from fall in it but looks much better cleaned up a bit. and I just have to say I love the herbs but your missing one thing. Lemon Thyme. If you have never had it, grown it or used it. I highly recommend it. Great with fish and chicken.
Happy Growing
Alex
If you're breaking in new ground, and haven't used a kill mulch of thick felt or cardboard over the winter to smother the grass underneath, I'd say you aught to remove the sod first. Then build and level your raised beds and fill them with the best compost you can afford.. then either till it in with a roto-tiller or loosen the soil with a broadfork like I did. The tiller will definitely loosen the soil to the depth the tines will reach, but it pulverizes the soil and removes the channels made by the earthworms that let in water and air. That way leads to soil compaction. The broadforks are expensive hand tools, but with no moving parts, and don't require maintainance or fuel. They'll last a lifetime with proper care. The tines on a broadfork are longer than most tillers. The one I used last night has tines 14 inches long, and properly used won't destroy the web of soil-dwelling microbes and fungi that do the work of providing nutrients to your plants. Just insert the tines and hop on the crossbar to use your weight to make them penetrate to their full length, then grab the handles on either side and pull back and down to a 45 degree angle. Pull the tines out, move back about 6 inches to a foot and do it again. Repeat until you've gone the length of the row or bed. It really doesn't take long, and the results let the plants roots penetrate the soil really deeply.
Trident chilli said:
I love Coriander too John! Besides using them to cook with, I use Basil and Coriander for companion planting because they attract the Ladybugs and Lacewings that groom my plants, removing Aphids.
Devv said:Plants are looking super healthy as are the beds! Good on ya for growing the herbs, they just round off a garden don't they?
It's going to be a good year
I think you're right Scott, and thanks for the good vibe!
Here's some pictures I took today of the first round chiles that I topped and cropped. Looking very vigorous and healthy. The first one up is Randy's Bhut/Scorpion cross. The side branches up near the top are all forking and beginning to bud up.
The lower branches have an interesting growing habit... they grew straight out from the main stem far enough to get clear of the leaves at the top, then sent out a fork at a right angle to the originating branch.
The CARDI Scorpion is doing it too.
The Piment Cabri is a little behind the other two, but has longer side branches down low. Some of them are about 4 inches long.
That's all I have for now. Have a good nite all!