Re: GarryRicketson1stgrowattempt2014
Hmm, slug, Is that the same as a snail, I have found a few, also locusts. Tried some powder, "malathion" or something like that, but really did not seem to help much. There is not much available here, as far as "garden supplies". There is a small "nursery" of sorts, the powder is all he had, but after all said and done, I really kind of don't like putting chemical poison on something I will be smoking later.
The area where I am planting had never been worked, or planted, and part of it had been a "junk pile", and garbage, took a LOT of cleaning up, lots of pieces of old plastic pipe,rubber,bottles,metal scraps, all sorts of junk. No "roto tiller" available, but in that area one would not have been able to use one anyway. It is kind of a as I go project, using a pick at first to break up the ground, then with a shovel, finally with the hoe, and I keep "tilling", around the plants with a hand "trowel", or actually it is a spatchula but any way, it is because the dirt hardens up real easy, and then the water does not soak down into the ground, it also forms a hard ball around the roots, like cement, in some areas,,..I think next year, everything will be much easier, and better. You can see , I am right by the well, almost on top of it.
All though from what I have read, people recommend "full" sunlight, but here, that did not work out, it really "zaps" the plants, the dirt dries out quickly,hardening like cement, . One of the guys where i buy tobacco (penon blanco), commented they plant, where there is a litle sun, a little shade,a little sun, a little shade...like that repeated. I am working around and under a big mesquite tree, that seems to working out best, it provides shade, but there is enough sunlight getting thru, and the plants do get "full" sunlight for a little while, then some shade, as the sun moves, this changes, sometimes full sunlight, then a chance to "cool" a little, with shade. Probably, in winter, or before I plant again next year, I am going to thin the branches on the tree, some of the bigger ones, so they get a little more sunlight next year. All around is very intense bright sunlight, so not only from above, but around, the light gets reflected.