What's Growing In Your Garden? Horticultural Science

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by nutronjon

That sounds good. I had heard of the beer cure, but throught evaporation and rain would make that effort futile. I will look for ways to make a trap that is protected from weather.

The slugs are very happy in the high grass. Seems to make sense that keeping surrounding grass short or elementating it all together with mulch, would improve the situation? I picked out 8 while working in the garden today. I am really concerned as much of the surrounding area isn't going to be cared for.

Turlte, I have an alcoholic, homeless friend who has expressed interest in helping in the garden. I am curious to see if this helps him in important ways, like self esteem and motivation to clean up a little bit. I need to carry these thoughts to the social science forum.

I used to be into ferns in a big way, one of the problems I had was slugs eating the tender fiddle heads. I had several birds nest ferns that had stalks five feet high and leaves that spread out over four feet. It took me many years to grow them this way and the secret was slug control. The large pots I grew them in were an easy avenue for slugs to climb up and eat the center of the fern. i fixed their wagon by bending a copper wire around the pot about halfway up. Slugs cannot crawl across a copper wire due to a chemical reaction with the slugs body slime. Could you use this to repel the slugs? There are also pellets that slugs will eat that kill them.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

fixed their wagon by bending a copper wire around the pot about halfway up. Slugs cannot crawl across a copper wire due to a chemical reaction with the slugs body slime.

That's awsome! How'd you figure that one out?

I wonder if the Marine Antifouling paint (which has copper sulfate or sulfite... pretty sure it's sulfate) I intend to use on my raised garden will have the same effect. Perhaps a couple wraps of perferated copper tube fastened around the upper edge spraying inward for irrigation as apposed to burried vinyl would be the just thing to keep the snails and slugs far from my eatables. (maybe even the bunnies too)

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD

That's awsome! How'd you figure that one out?

I wonder if the Marine Antifouling paint (which has copper sulfate or sulfite... pretty sure it's sulfate) I intend to use on my raised garden will have the same effect. Perhaps a couple wraps of perferated copper tube fastened around the upper edge spraying inward for irrigation as apposed to burried vinyl would be the just thing to keep the snails and slugs far from my eatables. (maybe even the bunnies too)

I wouldn't think it would have any effect on rabbits but it will fix a snails wagon for sure. Let me know if the copper sulfate paint works, that would make it much easier especially since copper is so expensive these days. I really don't remember where I got that from but it does work!

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Will do!

If this stupid weather makes up it's mind I'll hopefully be building the box next weekend. When completed it will be 24' long by 12' wide by 2' deep with the sides angled outwards towards the top about 30Deg . (meaning the bottom will be roughly 23'6" long by 11'3" wide between the uprights) I'm contemplating stake sides at the top approx 12" or 18" tall as a means of further anti-critter protection.

But I don't want to go too high as Sweetie and I need to be able to get in there. While I'm tall enough at 6'2" she's only 4'11" and has a hard time just getting into my stock height pickup and I'd rather not frig around with trying to make a gate (more crap for things to go wrong with) and steps
which would provide easier access for Puppy( which ain't good as she LOVES to munch greenery) unless removed immediatly after use.

[nutronjon]

Originally Posted by Turtle

I heard an anecdote the other day that Tom Jefferson had a contest with his neighbors to see who could bring peas to table first. The winner hosted a dinner party for the others. Apparently peas once sprouted can tolerate quite a lot of cold. I may try some peas; I have a little double-dug plot where I grow veggies. Peas anyone?

The slugs ate the peas

[nutronjon]

Originally Posted by Moontanman

I used to be into ferns in a big way, one of the problems I had was slugs eating the tender fiddle heads. I had several birds nest ferns that had stalks five feet high and leaves that spread out over four feet. It took me many years to grow them this way and the secret was slug control. The large pots I grew them in were an easy avenue for slugs to climb up and eat the center of the fern. i fixed their wagon by bending a copper wire around the pot about halfway up. Slugs cannot crawl across a copper wire due to a chemical reaction with the slugs body slime. Could you use this to repel the slugs? There are also pellets that slugs will eat that kill them.

Whoopi I am on my way to the local recycler to find copper wiring. Also I will call a young man I know who is a scavenger, plundering the copper from thrown away appliances in local neighborhoods. This is the most hopeful I felt in days.

It will also shoot my community garden prestige sky high if I demonstrate the solution to slug control. Whoaho, I like that.

[Thunderbird]

I am continuing a micro gardening project I started last spring.

What I did is create a area using large sponge rock boulders that have holes running though them filled the holes with dirt and planted a variety of succulents and mosses. Along the edges of the boulders I planted ferns. This year the boulders look as though they been insitu for a thousand years.

I have started a project this year were we plant flower gardens and then late in the year we are going to cut them into bouquets, sell them at the farmers market and give the proceeds to “Christmas for kid‘s” a local charity that raises money to buy gifts for under privileged children in our county .

[nutronjon]

Originally Posted by Thunderbird

I am continuing a micro gardening project I started last spring.

What I did is create a area using large sponge rock boulders that have holes running though them filled the holes with dirt and planted a variety of succulents and mosses. Along the edges of the boulders I planted ferns. This year the boulders look as though they been insitu for a thousand years.

I have started a project this year were we plant flower gardens and then late in the year we are going to cut them into bouquets, sell them at the farmers market and give the proceeds to “Christmas for kid‘s” a local charity that raises money to buy gifts for under privileged children in our county .

Those are really good ideas. The was an imitation holely rock out by our dumpster that would be perfect for a micro garden. If it is still there this morning I will snag it and give your idea a try.

Growing and selling flowers for a children's Christmas fund is also a good idea. I would buy flowers to support such a project. My daughter was in charge of such a project for a couple of years, and hooked me into volunteering. I love Christmas as a pagan who looks forward to the winter celebration and seeing children smile. To begin this with growing flowers, is so connected to earth cycles. I love it.

[Turtle]

Ideas on the copper wire critter deterent:
#1) For inexpensive copper wire, bust open one of those unused chargers and take apart the transformer; good for maybe 90 feet of wire. (of the 2 gauges of wire in these, only the heavier seems workable for slugging.

#2) If you go for #1, you have to scrape the insulating coating off the wire to expose the copper.

#3) Go electric! Collect enough transformer wire to go around the enclosure twice. Without stripping it, make 2 strands of equal length and fasten to top of enclosure so they run parallel and about 1/2" apart. Gently scrape the insulator from the top surfaces of the wire, and connect the wires to a small battery, one wire to plus, one wire to minus. Any conductive critter shorting the two will get what for!

To my own garden. Given the rising price of food, I have enlarged my garden area and included more variety of veggies. We're having a wet cold Spring, so all that's really going outside so far is a few radishes just getting secondary leaves. I planted more radishes today, more carrots, & more corn. I have inside starts of tomato, cucumber, and lettuce.

My cornucopia so far: tomato (3), carrot, bush beans, radish (2), Indian corn, cucumber, acorn squash, lettuce, sunflower, millet, garlic, & wheat.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

If'n yer gon go lektrik....
Why not place a copper filiment round then rather near it wrap another of steel?
(Is slug slime acidic or basic (alkaline???)?

My garden is still on hold as the weather is still being uncooperative.

I've decided (as lumber is really expensive and I don't have the time) to go old school and plow me a patch and mix the good stuff (composted soil and moss) in.

David Bradley tractors and implements Check this out it's reallly cool! (click dbs at work)

I've got one of these and another is on it's way. Mine old one was built in 1948 and is still brutally powerfull. The new is of unknown age (I'll have to get a better look at it's builders plate) but is in better shape and has a plow, disk cultivator and a few other goodies. I can't wait till it get's here...I love old machines with a passion...hmmmm...old machine but new toy