2015 Knucklehead Grow Blog

[Knucklehead]

All I did was weed (not even till) 3 small beds yesterday. I don't hurt all over, but just my back and hips. And hands. I guess my feet hurt too.

You've done a major job there, Knucks.


Bob

EDIT: AND...congrats on reaching Level One Guru!

Oh, my hands are killing me. I planted every seedling by hand, with no tool. I had to break up all those little clods of dirt. I didn't even use one of your Clovis points. (I have been wondering what carbon dating would reveal about the tools you used to build your kiln)

I had two or three broken leaves this morning from the thunderstorms that passed over last night. No major damage at all and nothing fatal to any of the seedlings. From the sound of the thunder and wind I thought I would wake up to bare ground, but the little rascals held their own. It was cloudy all day today and they've been standing tall and proud all day.

 

[DGBAMA]

Gotta love that. Last year I planted with the next day forecast to be mostly cloudy...... It turned out to be straight sun...... Burnt every one of my seedlings and it took them weeks to recover, but they did....... Tough plants.

 

[deluxestogie]

I didn't even use one of your Clovis points. (I have been wondering what carbon dating would reveal about the tools you used to build your kiln)

They were proudly made in America. They are not Bluetooth enabled.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

Wow. Sunshine!! It rained again last night but it's full sun right now. The plants are loving it. I put down some Sluggo today because I know the slugs will find them soon. I'm finally beginning to anticipate what is going to happen and take proactive steps to prevent it. The past two seasons I saw slug damage before I realized I better take action. This feels pretty good. If the Macho takes care of the aphids I'll be a happy man.

 

[Knucklehead]

They were proudly made in America. They are not Bluetooth enabled.

Bob

Here is a Made in USA tool I found while digging my pond. There were two of them side by side and upside down. The second one was in little pieces. I called an archaeologist from the University of Auburn to come check them out and they found all the pieces. When I find time I'll put it back together with Elmer's glue as they recommended. I was worried there might be a burial ground there but we found no sign of one. I would have halted construction if we had found some graves. I'm no grave robber, regardless of how old the graves are. I see no difference in old graves and new graves. I have a sandwich bag full of arrow heads I found on the creek on our farm in Ga. They're around here somewhere. This pot had no handles but it does have a neat decorative bead around the rim. Pretty cool.
EDIT: The pot is 11" tall x 9" wide. Mississippian era.

 

[deluxestogie]

A few years ago, I found this chunk of iron while digging a new garden bed.

I believe it is a colonial era, American manufactured trade ax, commonly traded to the local Indians.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

A few years ago, I found this chunk of iron while digging a new garden bed.

I believe it is a colonial era, American manufactured trade ax, commonly traded to the local Indians.

Bob

It has the right shape for a trade axe. No telling what treasures are buried just beneath the surface. Nice find.

My friend found the actual sword carried by DeSoto in a plowed field. He took it to a museum to have it verified and they tried to take it away from him. After a lengthy legal battle he got the sword back.

 

[BarG]

All my life I looked for arrow heads with no luck. Me and my neighbor dug a pond for another neighbor and had a huge dam when we were done. I needed some dirt so filled a couple trailor loads of the dirt for my driveway. I went out one morning to my truck and found this.

I was on the way to the dentist and seen just a little of it showing so I rubbed it with my boot. The only one I ever found. I have great respect for who made this. I have tried chipping rocks around here, It is not easy at all.

 

[Chicken]

Your rows look good.and straight..

Unlike mine..i really.need to start using some string and use a straight line for guidence..

Or not be drinking beer when i make my rows....

 

[Knucklehead]

No pictures worth posting. The plants look about like they did after transplant. They're doing that usual post transplant sit there and look small up top while the roots are growing underground thing. They're wilting down during the day and standing up at night so all is well.

 

[DGBAMA]

Good to hear. Mine get a watering of Admire and Miracle Grow this weekend, and hopefully planted next.

 

[rainmax]

They're wilting down during the day and standing up at night so all is well.

10 more days and you will see them raising light speed.

 

[Knucklehead]

Good to hear. Mine get a watering of Admire and Miracle Grow this weekend, and hopefully planted next.

I did the same thing, I added the Macho to the water in the trays a couple of days before transplant. It was all sucked up by the time I planted. I was worried about using it in the transplant water due to predicted rain the night after I transplanted to the field. I plan to water in about a cup of half strength Macho per plant this evening for insurance. Trying to kill aphids has been the most work of all tobacco growing tasks for me in the past. Killing hornworms can be done by just spraying BT or Spinosad anywhere on the leaves, but to kill aphids by spraying with soapy water requires lifting and spraying the underside of each and every leaf by hand. That's just too much work for a laid back lazy guy like me.

10 more days and you will see them raising light speed.

I'm going to hold you to that prediction!

 

[DGBAMA]

I still have a hard time grasping that a few ml of the stuff in 5gal of water is actually enough to have any effect, but I will just roll with it, since it is what the "big guys" use. What I lost to nasty aphids last year will more than make up for the cost of the Admire.

 

[Knucklehead]

I still have a hard time grasping that a few ml of the stuff in 5gal of water is actually enough to have any effect, but I will just roll with it, since it is what the "big guys" use. What I lost to nasty aphids last year will more than make up for the cost of the Admire.

I'm with you there. I'm also tired of dead aphid carcasses on my leaf and in my seed. Yuck!

 

[Knucklehead]

I put a cup of half strength Macho (Admire) on all the plants yesterday evening. I hope this does the trick on the aphids this season.
I'll have to start watering if we don't get some rain soon. It rained the night I transplanted them (4-24), but hasn't rained since, and no rain on the ten day forecast.

 

[khoaibong2422]

Dear Knucklehead
Can you share me some varieties in next season? (in october 2015)

 

[Boboro]

I couldn't make heads or tail from that Macho lable. How much you mix to a gal.

 

[Chicken]

I still have a hard time grasping that a few ml of the stuff in 5gal of water is actually enough to have any effect, but I will just roll with it, since it is what the "big guys" use. What I lost to nasty aphids last year will more than make up for the cost of the Admire.

I.didn't think that just a little would.do either...but after using it and mixing up.2 buckets worth of it...the first bucket was mixed strong ..the water was a milky blue...

The next bucket I mixed with the proper amount..a little more than a teaspoon..and the water come out blue like a Bahama beach water looks..

So yeah mix it lightly....it don't take much to make 5 gallons of water turn into 5 gallons of pure aphid.killer.

 

[Knucklehead]

I couldn't make heads or tail from that Macho lable. How much you mix to a gal.

I came up with 3.31cc per 5 gals of water. I have a set of gun powder measure dippers made by Lee that has an assortment of powder dippers in it. I used the one labeled 3.4cc. A syringe is also calibrated to measure in cc.

I used it twice. I knew it was going to rain the night after I transplanted my seedlings to the field, so I was worried about Macho that I added to the transplant water being washed away a few hours later by rain. Therefore I didn't add it to my transplant water the way Bigbonner does. (I will next year if it doesn't rain right after planting) So two days before I was going to plant, I added the Macho solution to my 1020 trays and it was sucked up in two days. The soil was still very moist with Macho as I planted but I didn't have any way of knowing how much the plant sucked up, and how much was just sucked up by the soil, which might wash away that night. So I waited until the ground had dried out and there was no rain in the forecast, and went back and added a cup of half strength Macho to each plant. Whether this was the thing to do or not, I can't say for sure.