Radishrain
Things pertaining to life: plants and animals, gardening, cooking, food, botany, zoology, farming, ranching, wildlife, genetics, plant breeding, software, media, etc.
I've had Yellow Wonder strawberries since 2016. It's a nice variety. It fruits and grows well. Germination hasn't been as abundant or as quick as Alexandria, but it's still about as long as some tomatoes.
These are fruits I harvested, today. They're the first strawberries of the season, actually. They were much, much earlier last year. they had a lot of rain recently, but not much at all earlier in the spring.
These fruits tastes awesome, but they're a bit bitter already! Oh well. The bitterness doesn't make them unpleasant to eat, and they're not that bitter, yet. Our alpine strawberries tend to get bitter (not sour) when it gets hot and dry.
These are fruits I harvested, today. They're the first strawberries of the season, actually. They were much, much earlier last year. they had a lot of rain recently, but not much at all earlier in the spring.
These fruits tastes awesome, but they're a bit bitter already! Oh well. The bitterness doesn't make them unpleasant to eat, and they're not that bitter, yet. Our alpine strawberries tend to get bitter (not sour) when it gets hot and dry.
Does anyone know what vegetable ผักแขนง (as used in Thailand) refers to, in English? Wikipedia redirects to the cabbage article, but I hear it refers to a small, brussels sprouts kind of thing.
I'm trying to identify a cool grasshopper that frequents our property, although it's not the dominant kind by a long shot.
It looks a lot like, and may be, Schistocerca shoshone, the green bird grasshopper, or green valley grasshopper.
They are huge, though. They probably get over three inches long (at least up to 3.5", I believe). They are much longer than the two-striped grasshopper (which is the dominant kind).
They're beautiful creatures; they look like they have glitter glue on them, almost. I plan to take some pictures if I get the chance at an opportune time, this year.
They've been in my area since at least the 1980s or 1990s. They are much more abundant in recent years than they used to be. They are now the second-most abundant grasshopper in my garden.
We sometimes get the brown or gray ones that match the road, too, but they usually stay on the roads; they're the ones that make a sound when they fly, and have black and yellow inner wings. When mature, they usually fly whenever they jump, but they jump like regular grasshopper before their wings mature.
We used to have more kinds of grasshoppers, including blue ones that looked like the brown and gray ones.
The primary grasshopper predator in the garden seems to be my neighbors' cats, who hunt them assiduously. I've never seen birds hunting them in our yard.
Nevermind the need to take more pictures this year. Here are some pictures of one in a semi-dwarf Elberta peach tree, which pictures I took in 2015:
It looks a lot like, and may be, Schistocerca shoshone, the green bird grasshopper, or green valley grasshopper.
They are huge, though. They probably get over three inches long (at least up to 3.5", I believe). They are much longer than the two-striped grasshopper (which is the dominant kind).
They're beautiful creatures; they look like they have glitter glue on them, almost. I plan to take some pictures if I get the chance at an opportune time, this year.
They've been in my area since at least the 1980s or 1990s. They are much more abundant in recent years than they used to be. They are now the second-most abundant grasshopper in my garden.
We sometimes get the brown or gray ones that match the road, too, but they usually stay on the roads; they're the ones that make a sound when they fly, and have black and yellow inner wings. When mature, they usually fly whenever they jump, but they jump like regular grasshopper before their wings mature.
We used to have more kinds of grasshoppers, including blue ones that looked like the brown and gray ones.
The primary grasshopper predator in the garden seems to be my neighbors' cats, who hunt them assiduously. I've never seen birds hunting them in our yard.
Nevermind the need to take more pictures this year. Here are some pictures of one in a semi-dwarf Elberta peach tree, which pictures I took in 2015:
So, I was thinking today that pill bugs have a lot of legs. I figured they must not be insects. So, I looked them up to find out what they were, and Wikipedia says they're crustaceans. Then I found the following article:
https://www.thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-pillbugs-4165294
It's very interesting, and I recommend reading it, but it has a few myths and/or partial myths in it.
Myth #1: Pill bugs aren't pests. Actually, pill bugs are sometimes pests (but please don't use pesticides on them). They sometimes (but rarely) chew on mature pepper, horseradish and potato foliage, and fairly commonly on seedlings of various species and such. They sometimes (but rarely) burrow holes in ripe tomatoes. They're not usually a threat to mature plants, whether or not they eat parts of them (pretty much just young ones). Nevertheless, it's a prevelant myth that it's a myth that pillbugs are pests. It is true that they perform beneficial actions, but gardeners do get distressed about their behavior at times. In my observation, they're more of an issue when the pillbugs are numerous and the plants are few. To deal with pillbugs, I just pick the ones I can find up at transplanting time and throw them somewhere else, and I remove the uncomposted organic matter that attracts them. I also overseed and wait a while after transplanting to thin the plants. Pillbugs don't usually bother plants (as often) after they're established, or if there's a big group of plants. Some people argue that the plants or fruits afflicted with pill bigs were rotting or would have died anyway, but I don't think this is always the case. They do target tender plants, however. Tougher plants shouldn't be bothered.
Myth #2: Pillbugs prefer humid environments. Well, this is and it isn't a myth. Pillbugs can live in semi-arid areas just fine, but they prefer to live under things where it's moist and dark. They like moisture (it's not a humidity thing, necessarily). While it's possible that they do indeed prefer to live in humid environments, they proliferate in climates where it's not humid, too.
Myth #3: Pillbugs can't survive in areas where it gets -20° F. or lower. My area gets that cold and colder (although not every year, certainly), and we still have loads of pillbugs.
Myth #4: Pillbugs aren't burrowers. Well, I don't know that they burrow holes to live in and stuff, but they're certainly capable of burrowing extremely well (better than most other burrowers, in fact). If you try burrying some in my garden, they'll dig their way out pretty fast, even if they're a fair ways down. Sometimes I incidentally burry them when I'm transplanting, and they burrow up out of the dirt. It's amazing, in fact. I think I've found them under the soil of their own accord, too, but I'll have to watch and verify that.
I'm skeptical about them dying when they're more than 30% dry. Ours seem to be able to handle more dryness than that. They can handle a lot more dryness than slugs and snails.
It's possible that our pillbugs are a special species adapted to drought, burrowing, cold, and being pests. There are lots of species of pillbugs, and I imagine each species is different.
I'm curious how they taste now that I've learned they're crustaceans. Our toads eat them quite a bit, it seems. You never know when an animal has parasites or diseases you could catch, though, especially when humans don't usually eat it.
https://www.thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-pillbugs-4165294
It's very interesting, and I recommend reading it, but it has a few myths and/or partial myths in it.
Myth #1: Pill bugs aren't pests. Actually, pill bugs are sometimes pests (but please don't use pesticides on them). They sometimes (but rarely) chew on mature pepper, horseradish and potato foliage, and fairly commonly on seedlings of various species and such. They sometimes (but rarely) burrow holes in ripe tomatoes. They're not usually a threat to mature plants, whether or not they eat parts of them (pretty much just young ones). Nevertheless, it's a prevelant myth that it's a myth that pillbugs are pests. It is true that they perform beneficial actions, but gardeners do get distressed about their behavior at times. In my observation, they're more of an issue when the pillbugs are numerous and the plants are few. To deal with pillbugs, I just pick the ones I can find up at transplanting time and throw them somewhere else, and I remove the uncomposted organic matter that attracts them. I also overseed and wait a while after transplanting to thin the plants. Pillbugs don't usually bother plants (as often) after they're established, or if there's a big group of plants. Some people argue that the plants or fruits afflicted with pill bigs were rotting or would have died anyway, but I don't think this is always the case. They do target tender plants, however. Tougher plants shouldn't be bothered.
Myth #2: Pillbugs prefer humid environments. Well, this is and it isn't a myth. Pillbugs can live in semi-arid areas just fine, but they prefer to live under things where it's moist and dark. They like moisture (it's not a humidity thing, necessarily). While it's possible that they do indeed prefer to live in humid environments, they proliferate in climates where it's not humid, too.
Myth #3: Pillbugs can't survive in areas where it gets -20° F. or lower. My area gets that cold and colder (although not every year, certainly), and we still have loads of pillbugs.
Myth #4: Pillbugs aren't burrowers. Well, I don't know that they burrow holes to live in and stuff, but they're certainly capable of burrowing extremely well (better than most other burrowers, in fact). If you try burrying some in my garden, they'll dig their way out pretty fast, even if they're a fair ways down. Sometimes I incidentally burry them when I'm transplanting, and they burrow up out of the dirt. It's amazing, in fact. I think I've found them under the soil of their own accord, too, but I'll have to watch and verify that.
I'm skeptical about them dying when they're more than 30% dry. Ours seem to be able to handle more dryness than that. They can handle a lot more dryness than slugs and snails.
It's possible that our pillbugs are a special species adapted to drought, burrowing, cold, and being pests. There are lots of species of pillbugs, and I imagine each species is different.
I'm curious how they taste now that I've learned they're crustaceans. Our toads eat them quite a bit, it seems. You never know when an animal has parasites or diseases you could catch, though, especially when humans don't usually eat it.
Take a look at what QAGUY of TomatoJunction is doing to make tomato cages and cucumber trellises out of PVC pipe: https://www.tomatojunction.com/viewtopic.phpf=26t=1101
Although that's the real link (for post #19310), it doesn't work going to it from external sites for some unknown reason. 😒 Go to TomatoJunction.com, go to The Gallery, and look for a thread called QAGuys Garden (Wed May 06, 2020 3:14 pm). I think you'll have to register and login to see the pictures, too.
Basically, there are vertical poles in the middle of each of four horizontal poles (the are linked for foam a square), which vertical poles anchor it to the ground, and allow for the same thing to be placed on top to extend it when needed.
Anyway, now I want to get a bunch of PVC pipe. Those short cages look perfect for muskmelons in my garden (without any additions). In the case of my muskmelons, I like a short cage to increase productivity—not to reduce the space the plant takes up (although doing that is fine, too, if the fruits don't slip when ripe). It doesn't take much of a lift to seem to increase production quite a bit. Each horizontal pole is broken into two parts (in order to attach the vertical poles going down perpendicular to them).
You could take these cages apart at the end of the season, too, I imagine.
tomato_
tomato_cage
cucumber_
cucumber_trellis
cage_
support_
trellis_
Although that's the real link (for post #19310), it doesn't work going to it from external sites for some unknown reason. 😒 Go to TomatoJunction.com, go to The Gallery, and look for a thread called QAGuys Garden (Wed May 06, 2020 3:14 pm). I think you'll have to register and login to see the pictures, too.
Basically, there are vertical poles in the middle of each of four horizontal poles (the are linked for foam a square), which vertical poles anchor it to the ground, and allow for the same thing to be placed on top to extend it when needed.
Anyway, now I want to get a bunch of PVC pipe. Those short cages look perfect for muskmelons in my garden (without any additions). In the case of my muskmelons, I like a short cage to increase productivity—not to reduce the space the plant takes up (although doing that is fine, too, if the fruits don't slip when ripe). It doesn't take much of a lift to seem to increase production quite a bit. Each horizontal pole is broken into two parts (in order to attach the vertical poles going down perpendicular to them).
You could take these cages apart at the end of the season, too, I imagine.
tomato_
tomato_cage
cucumber_
cucumber_trellis
cage_
support_
trellis_
Horseradish flowers look very nice! The plants, too.
Did this flower make an appearance in the movie Frozen by chance?
We've got some in the backyard. It looks pretty nice (the flowers are a much brighter white than the picture depicts):
We've got some in the backyard. It looks pretty nice (the flowers are a much brighter white than the picture depicts):
Here are my plants, so far, this year. They've been up for a little while now. the cotyledons have been getting bigger, however.
I've decided to pre-start various kinds of seeds, including some that I haven't had success starting in containers and/or direct-seeded.
I've germination-tested Galapagos Island tomato seeds this way before (in the winter or so), but this is my first time doing it to plant them afterward. I've also planted viviparous Cushaw White squash seeds (meaning, they sprouted roots inside the squash). I direct-seeded some and put others in foam cups with soil in them. The ones in the cups sprouted. A large percentage (but not all, so far; they still have time) of the ones in the ground sprouted.
Anyway, I'm trying it with the following kinds of plants:
* Burpee Tenderpod beans
* Kentucky Wonder beans
* Rattlesnake pole beans
* Lovage
* Job's Tears
* Blue Doll F2 squash (old)
* Zucchini (old)
* Yomogi
* Winter savory
* Crimson Cushion tomato
* Zi Su shiso
* Mammoth Sandwich Island salsify
and maybe other stuff.
Anyway, here's my method (which is essentially the paper towel method using empty paper herbal tea bags instead of paper towels):
1. Take an empty herbal tea bag, a snack-sized zipper bag, and a marker.
2. Put a few to several seeds in the bag (ideally spread out)
3. Put the herbal tea bag with seeds in the zipper bag.
4. Add a little water to the zipper bag (get the herbal tea bag and seeds wet).
5. Drain out excess water if there's a lot.
6. Zip up the zipper bag.
7. Label the bag with the marker.
8. Put the bag somewhere warm, and wait for the seeds to sprout roots (add more water as needed if necessary).
Then, when the roots are the desired size, direct-seed them wherever.
I've germination-tested Galapagos Island tomato seeds this way before (in the winter or so), but this is my first time doing it to plant them afterward. I've also planted viviparous Cushaw White squash seeds (meaning, they sprouted roots inside the squash). I direct-seeded some and put others in foam cups with soil in them. The ones in the cups sprouted. A large percentage (but not all, so far; they still have time) of the ones in the ground sprouted.
Anyway, I'm trying it with the following kinds of plants:
* Burpee Tenderpod beans
* Kentucky Wonder beans
* Rattlesnake pole beans
* Lovage
* Job's Tears
* Blue Doll F2 squash (old)
* Zucchini (old)
* Yomogi
* Winter savory
* Crimson Cushion tomato
* Zi Su shiso
* Mammoth Sandwich Island salsify
and maybe other stuff.
Anyway, here's my method (which is essentially the paper towel method using empty paper herbal tea bags instead of paper towels):
1. Take an empty herbal tea bag, a snack-sized zipper bag, and a marker.
2. Put a few to several seeds in the bag (ideally spread out)
3. Put the herbal tea bag with seeds in the zipper bag.
4. Add a little water to the zipper bag (get the herbal tea bag and seeds wet).
5. Drain out excess water if there's a lot.
6. Zip up the zipper bag.
7. Label the bag with the marker.
8. Put the bag somewhere warm, and wait for the seeds to sprout roots (add more water as needed if necessary).
Then, when the roots are the desired size, direct-seed them wherever.
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