deluxestogie Grow Log 2013
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The 4 FTT grow-out varieties have not germinated. The 2nd and 3rd batches of each are now in progress, with no indication of germination.
In the interim, I have successfully germinated 4 additional varieties from rainmax:
Guácharo: 7 days
Moonlight: 7 days
Prilep P66-9/7: 3 days
Prilep P79-94: 3 days
Bob
In the interim, I have successfully germinated 4 additional varieties from rainmax:
Guácharo: 7 days
Moonlight: 7 days
Prilep P66-9/7: 3 days
Prilep P79-94: 3 days
Bob
wow you're doing good. have you tried any of that acid yet on the varieties that haven't sprouted?
Acid Rock didn't work, so I went to plan B. A batch of the stubborn seeds were treated with Gibberellic Acid-3 three days ago. Nothing.
Bob
Bob
I wish one BigBonner here.
Hardly waiting to see your oriental bed this year.
Good luck.
BarG
Founding Member
You could be the new BigBonner of Slovenia given time. Home grown Kentuckyians are hard to duplicate though.
I will be following your grow log with much interest as usual this year Bob, Hope you get the best
[in a good way] mother nature has to offer.
Reminds me of the old Irish toast "May the best of your past be the worst of your future."
I wish you a good grow too.
I'm almost there. Each of the beds above is roughly 5' x 12'. And I have an additional one in the back yard, as well as a 3' x 24' bed alongside the house. For this year, I expanded two, and dug one more full bed. Since I dig all of this by hand, it's usually the most strenuous part of the growing year. I still have three more beds to fully prepare. Periods of rain have been a pain, requiring several days of drying before the soil can be tilled.
This season, I'm hoping to get most of my planting done by mid-May.
I don't know the names of most of the weeds I pull from may garden beds. There is one notable exception.
My nemesis: Creeping Charlie. Late each fall, its seed sneaks into my garden beds unnoticed. By mid-spring, it is expanding in all its glory.
The problem is that it not only propagates by seed. An entire plant can re-grow from the roots, or from even the tiniest segment of stem that contains a node. So just tilling makes it worse. It has to be carefully dug up, roots and all, and removed without leaving a trace. Not easy.Wikipedia said:
Creeping Charlie has many bogus "medicinal" uses, and is sometimes eaten as a pot green, or raw in salad. It also makes a peppery, minty tea. The problem is that it contains terpenoids that are toxic to your liver and kidneys. So, thanks, old-time people who imported it into the US for its "many" uses. Like all members of the mint family, if Creeping Charlie is ignored, it will take over any garden.
It is relatively resistant to many herbicides. Boron (as Borax) may kill it, but the effective concentration is only a tiny bit lower than the level that is toxic for many other plants. Besides, boron is an element, and will never break down. It must dissipate over years. Seems like a truly bad idea.
Creeping Charlie in one of my garden beds. Boo.
The way I approach Creeping Charlie is to use a wide spade in mid-spring to undermine each entire plant. With warmth and breeze, the root clod begins to dry. I then go in and lift out the entire plant, shake off the dirt, then cast the plant upside down on the lawn to roast in the sun. Once it has thoroughly cooked, I mow over it. Charlie creeps no more--until next year.
Bob
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
Just treat old Charlie like he's a prized rose bush. Every bug and fungus known to man will find it's way to it! He'll die for sure.
I seem to remember one of the Brits talking about thistle or something like that doing the same thing. Just can't find the post. I have to check the yard. I have some short purple flowers similar to that. Nothing in the garden yet.
At what age do you begin fertilization of the seedlings, and what brand of fertlizer do you recommend?
My starting mix is comprised of Miracle Gro Peat, vermiculite and Pearlite. I add nothing beyond that. The seedlings remain in their 48-cell 1020 trays until ready to go into the ground, and are periodically clipped. Each 5' x 12' garden bed is supplemented annually with 80# (that's 2 bags) of "Compost and Manure," which is stated to contain N
:K values of 0.5: 0.5: 0.5. (Common bagged compost is usually 0.05: 0.05: 0.05.) This year, I had Southern States deliver 40 bags for a $20 delivery fee, which isn't much more than the gas I would use picking it up myself, 6 bags in my car trunk per trip.
So...seedlings get whatever is in the Miracle Gro Peat, and do fine on that until they make it to the big time.
Bob
:K values of 0.5: 0.5: 0.5. (Common bagged compost is usually 0.05: 0.05: 0.05.) This year, I had Southern States deliver 40 bags for a $20 delivery fee, which isn't much more than the gas I would use picking it up myself, 6 bags in my car trunk per trip.So...seedlings get whatever is in the Miracle Gro Peat, and do fine on that until they make it to the big time.
Bob
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
Picked up miracle grow fertilizer and miracle grow potting mix last week. The potting mix contains no Urea fertilizer, however the solublefertilizer has mostly urea as its nitrogen source.........guess have to be careful until plants are well established.
Miricle Grow for Tomatoes is 14% urea, but does not contain any chlorine in it's analysis. I use it for seedlings at 1/8 to 1/4 max strength with good results, but I only fertilize every 2nd or 3rd watering. My starting medium is a commercial composted potting soil with no added chemicals/fertilizer.
Exactly the same process here.
By limiting my fuss with fertilizer to the composition of the seedling mix, I have been happy with the results. I start them, water them, trim them, and wait for the moment to transplant them to the ground.
Celikhan and Xanthi Yaka 18a seedlings at 2 months.
Bob
Celikhan and Xanthi Yaka 18a seedlings at 2 months.
Bob
JessicaNicot
Well-Known Member
i really like your ball jars. very clever.
i've never seen a seedling heat mat before.
i've never seen a seedling heat mat before.
Before
My tobacco beds are finally dug. Together with the veggie beds, I have hand-dug about 1000 sq. ft. Most of the beds are 5' x 12'.
I've transplanted only about 50 tobacco plants. The bulk will be arriving from BigBonner very soon. I'll post an after pic when they're in the ground. The Agribon tent is protecting a group of Ping Tung Long eggplants, some radicchio and some pepperonccini, with the hope of hiding them from the flea beetles, until they've gotten a good start.
Some of my really stubborn leaf from 2012 has been hanging in the shed all winter. Some Comstock Spanish top leaf from that batch just came out of the Cozy Can Kiln. It is dark, dark brown, thick, oily, richly flavored, smooth, and of medium nicotine strength. It's basically all filler grade, and feels like Naugahyde, but I managed to coax a wrapper and binder from the lot, and rolled a (near) puro of it. I added a tiny amount of very dry Turkish leaf to promote an even burn.
Forgive the flash photo at night, but it won't last until daylight.
To look at the leaf hanging all winter in the shed, it seemed pretty hopeless, but time allowed all of the upper surface to turn deep brown, even though the underside remained a gray-green. It colored up nicely in the kiln (4 weeks). The taste and aroma are really lovely. The moral is that as long as it doesn't flash dry to green on the top surface, time will take care of it. Color-cure time: 8 months.
Bob
My tobacco beds are finally dug. Together with the veggie beds, I have hand-dug about 1000 sq. ft. Most of the beds are 5' x 12'.
I've transplanted only about 50 tobacco plants. The bulk will be arriving from BigBonner very soon. I'll post an after pic when they're in the ground. The Agribon tent is protecting a group of Ping Tung Long eggplants, some radicchio and some pepperonccini, with the hope of hiding them from the flea beetles, until they've gotten a good start.
Some of my really stubborn leaf from 2012 has been hanging in the shed all winter. Some Comstock Spanish top leaf from that batch just came out of the Cozy Can Kiln. It is dark, dark brown, thick, oily, richly flavored, smooth, and of medium nicotine strength. It's basically all filler grade, and feels like Naugahyde, but I managed to coax a wrapper and binder from the lot, and rolled a (near) puro of it. I added a tiny amount of very dry Turkish leaf to promote an even burn.
Forgive the flash photo at night, but it won't last until daylight.
To look at the leaf hanging all winter in the shed, it seemed pretty hopeless, but time allowed all of the upper surface to turn deep brown, even though the underside remained a gray-green. It colored up nicely in the kiln (4 weeks). The taste and aroma are really lovely. The moral is that as long as it doesn't flash dry to green on the top surface, time will take care of it. Color-cure time: 8 months.
Bob
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