GreenDragon
Well-Known Member
Did you get snow yesterday?
Deluxestogie Grow Log 2022
- Thread starter deluxestogie
- Start date
Snow fell and swirled, but vanished pretty quickly amid the subsequent rain. Summer starts tomorrow.
Bob
Bob
brokedownjetta
Member
@deluxestogie do you keep the jar closed? also do you shake it up at all or just leave the seeds on top?
Assuming you are asking about my germination jars:
- I add about ¼ cup of water to the starting mix in the 8 ounce jar
- I lightly sprinkle seeds onto the surface, and do not disturb them further
- I close them with a cap
- Once they show green, I leave the lid ajar, and eventually remove it entirely
- At any point between an emerging radicle and 2 to 4 leaves, I transfer 1 seedling to a divot in each 1020 tray cell
That was a week ago. It did. Now, not so much. But summer should really start by 29 APR. Maybe.
I last clipped my seedlings a week ago. They had become rank by this morning. Since they are more mature seedlings, I can allow the trays to dry more, without injuring the plants. This has the much coveted effect of making the trays easier to lift and carry to a convenient location for clipping. Following the scissor mayhem, I returned the trays to their wire-shelf eyrie, and dumped about 1½ quarts of water into each of them. Now they look as good as they did two weeks ago, though boasting stockier stalks.
Bob
skychaser
Well-Known Member
You better stay away from me and my plants Delilah.
Summer? I'm still waiting for spring. Coldest April in history here.
Summer? I'm still waiting for spring. Coldest April in history here.
But when I cut Samsun's hair, he gets stronger!
Bob
Bob
Here in southwest Virginia, we usually have daytime burn bans in effect during April, because soil conditions are dry, humidity rapidly drops by mid-morning, and winds tend to be at least breezy. For stripping my hanging tobacco stalks, which currently still fill my curing shed, burn ban weather corresponds to very dry leaf—too dry to strip. Each week, I study the Weather Underground graph, waiting for at least two contiguous days of relative humidity persistently above 60%. In the coming days, there appears to be just a single moment (a Monday morning, first thing) when I can strip leaf, and pack it into bags.
Bob
A mere 3 days later, and the humidity forecast indicates that my green arrow (previous post) is no longer a suitable time to strip leaf. It's this dip in the humidity to 55% tomorrow, coupled with constant, moderate wind. Late next week looks promising.
Bob
Bob
When I awakened this morning, the weather forecast was for 2 inches of rain over a period of 4 or 5 hours! It would start at about 1 pm. By 1 pm, I saw nothing. I checked the same forecast. Maybe I'll get 0.02 inches over the next 16 hours. That comes to an error of 2 powers of 10—only 1/100 of the previously forecast rainfall.
Bob
Bob
skychaser
Well-Known Member
Are you implying that the weather forecasts are inaccurate, and we shouldn't base our planting schedule on them?
How dare you!
The April forecast here was for slightly cooler and wetter than normal for the month. It ended up being the coldest April in history and around 15% below normal in precipitation. No cigar for the weather wizards!
How dare you!
The April forecast here was for slightly cooler and wetter than normal for the month. It ended up being the coldest April in history and around 15% below normal in precipitation. No cigar for the weather wizards!
Less than an hour later, the forecast has been "adjusted" to only 0.01" rain—kind of what happens if you sputter the letter "P". It will begin at, well... You won't notice when it begins.
Bob
Bob
I may have mentioned this before but what really frustrates me is when their claims of either 100% or 0% can change in a matter of hours. Must be new math. Why not 98% or 2% and cover their hind quarters?
furryfreek
Well-Known Member
Wow, that's some poor forecasting. Ours in the UK are generally quite reliable despite our relatively chaotic weather, and at least the forecasters are up front about it and warn of low confidence when they haven't a clue.
I've noticed when looking up the weather for my specific location, it can be quite prone to interpolation error and/or doesn't properly account for our local topography, depending on which way the wind blows. We have five or so weather observation points ten or so miles out from us though, so I find the forecasts for those sites more reliable sometimes.
I've noticed when looking up the weather for my specific location, it can be quite prone to interpolation error and/or doesn't properly account for our local topography, depending on which way the wind blows. We have five or so weather observation points ten or so miles out from us though, so I find the forecasts for those sites more reliable sometimes.
I am sometimes unkind to our local meteorologists. The particular spot where my old farmhouse stands often demonstrates odd weather patterns for a number of reasons:
Nevertheless, complaining about the forecast nearly always makes one a better person.
Bob
- within the Blue Ridge Mountains, I get downslope weather from the continent and upslope weather from the Atlantic
- I'm tucked between the initial rise of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the diagonal (SW to NE) higher ridges of the Appalachian chain
- the house sits on a gradual upslope near the end of a "wind-tunnel" creek valley
- I'm located about 100 yards from the Eastern Continental Divide (piss on my lawn heads for the Mississippi River; piss 100 yards further east goes to the Atlantic Ocean)
Nevertheless, complaining about the forecast nearly always makes one a better person.
Bob
What is a deluxestogie grow log without another episode of Oh! Deere! Lawn Tractor?
I meditated, and willed the springtime explosion of lawn growth to slow down, please. It did not listen. But then the birds, the bumblebees, and the bunnies began to celebrate. Dandelions' bright yellow served their role as camo for small gatherings of goldfinches. With the honeybees from a nearby apiary monopolizing the pollinating trees, hundreds of plump, noisy bumblebees luxuriated among the blue and lavender wildflowers throughout the tall grass.
The thought of my annual dead lawn tractor battery, my having to drag 50 feet of electrical extension cord from the house to the storage shed, lug out my car battery charger, and then manage to recharge the battery between electrocution-worthy rain storms—another happy summer of mowing.
I saw a listing on newegg.com for a rechargeable car jump starter battery ($66 with free shipping). I ordered it.
When the jump starter arrived, I recharged it (takes about as long as recharging a cell phone). Yesterday afternoon, I carried it out to the shed. Flat tire! One of the two, large rear tires on the Oh! Deere! had deflated itself over the winter.
I drove to the local Dollar General, and purchased a can of Fix-a-Flat. Once you refill a tire with its foamy goo, you have to drive the vehicle in order to disperse the goo evenly around the circumference of the tire—before the goo dries in a puddle at the bottom. Fix-a-Flat usually works, but not always. (Rim leaks are notoriously difficult to seal, and valve stem leaks never seal.) Will the Fix-a-Flat work? Will the rechargeable jump starter work? In which order should I attempt them?
I hooked up the jump starter and turned the key. The engine immediately cranked, and continued for 15 seconds, while the fuel system refilled its tubing, fuel filter and float bowl. After a 10 second rest, I cranked it once again. The engine did not sputter or give me an occasional pop. It simply began to smoothly purr.
I disconnected the jump starter. Its built-in LED display said it still had 88% charge. Impressive.
I backed the Oh! Deere! out of the shed a short distance. With the engine still running happily, I fixed-a-flat, rushed indoors to wash the the latex goo from my fingers, then hopped onto my trusty tractor. It was dinner time. My plan was to mow just enough of the lawn to fully recharge the lawn tractor battery. But I couldn't help myself. I kept mowing and mowing and mowing—2½ hours worth. I may have heard the celebratory clink of glasses in the houses of my closest neighbors.
This morning, the bunnies are making do with the stubble.
Moral: buy one of these rechargeable jump starters, and keep it in your car trunk. It says it will hold a sufficient charge for up to 8 months, and is capable of jump-starting a vehicle at least 4 times between charges. The lunch-box-size case also comes with a collection of skinny USB cables (USB-A, B, C and omicron variant) for recharging telephones, and has built-in lights and a tiny compass (no radio or alarm clock). Its printed instructions are a bit confusing, but in reality, I just connected the jumpers and started my engine—no button clicks involved.
Bob
I meditated, and willed the springtime explosion of lawn growth to slow down, please. It did not listen. But then the birds, the bumblebees, and the bunnies began to celebrate. Dandelions' bright yellow served their role as camo for small gatherings of goldfinches. With the honeybees from a nearby apiary monopolizing the pollinating trees, hundreds of plump, noisy bumblebees luxuriated among the blue and lavender wildflowers throughout the tall grass.
The thought of my annual dead lawn tractor battery, my having to drag 50 feet of electrical extension cord from the house to the storage shed, lug out my car battery charger, and then manage to recharge the battery between electrocution-worthy rain storms—another happy summer of mowing.
I saw a listing on newegg.com for a rechargeable car jump starter battery ($66 with free shipping). I ordered it.
When the jump starter arrived, I recharged it (takes about as long as recharging a cell phone). Yesterday afternoon, I carried it out to the shed. Flat tire! One of the two, large rear tires on the Oh! Deere! had deflated itself over the winter.
I drove to the local Dollar General, and purchased a can of Fix-a-Flat. Once you refill a tire with its foamy goo, you have to drive the vehicle in order to disperse the goo evenly around the circumference of the tire—before the goo dries in a puddle at the bottom. Fix-a-Flat usually works, but not always. (Rim leaks are notoriously difficult to seal, and valve stem leaks never seal.) Will the Fix-a-Flat work? Will the rechargeable jump starter work? In which order should I attempt them?
I hooked up the jump starter and turned the key. The engine immediately cranked, and continued for 15 seconds, while the fuel system refilled its tubing, fuel filter and float bowl. After a 10 second rest, I cranked it once again. The engine did not sputter or give me an occasional pop. It simply began to smoothly purr.
I disconnected the jump starter. Its built-in LED display said it still had 88% charge. Impressive.
I backed the Oh! Deere! out of the shed a short distance. With the engine still running happily, I fixed-a-flat, rushed indoors to wash the the latex goo from my fingers, then hopped onto my trusty tractor. It was dinner time. My plan was to mow just enough of the lawn to fully recharge the lawn tractor battery. But I couldn't help myself. I kept mowing and mowing and mowing—2½ hours worth. I may have heard the celebratory clink of glasses in the houses of my closest neighbors.
This morning, the bunnies are making do with the stubble.
Moral: buy one of these rechargeable jump starters, and keep it in your car trunk. It says it will hold a sufficient charge for up to 8 months, and is capable of jump-starting a vehicle at least 4 times between charges. The lunch-box-size case also comes with a collection of skinny USB cables (USB-A, B, C and omicron variant) for recharging telephones, and has built-in lights and a tiny compass (no radio or alarm clock). Its printed instructions are a bit confusing, but in reality, I just connected the jumpers and started my engine—no button clicks involved.
Bob
GreenDragon
Well-Known Member
Fix-a-flat has saved my butt many times. There was a lot of construction in the area around my college campus, and I was constantly getting flats from nails etc. I started keeping two cans in the trunk at all times.
These will be transplanted to the garden within the next week.
Bob
Smeagolkultur.
After a deluxe soil analysis (I stuck my fingertip into the soil. It was soft, crumbly and moist.), I've decided—purely for the benefit of my soil's health—to do no-till planting and transplanting for everything this year. Already, my precious May looks brighter.
Bob
Yesterday and today, I transplanted Machu Picchu (5), Ainaro (8), Prilep 66-9/7 (16) and the mythical "Pieate" (4). Tomorrow, 44 Corojo 99 will go in. Each tobacco transplant gets 2 cups of water that included imidacloprid. A long weekend of steady buy gentle rain will begin tomorrow evening. I'll get some photos tomorrow. (Hint: looks like beds of fresh transplants.)
Once the "Pieate" is mature, I'll record detailed measurements, take pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, then compare them to my previous grows of Piloto Cubano PR.
Bob
Once the "Pieate" is mature, I'll record detailed measurements, take pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, then compare them to my previous grows of Piloto Cubano PR.
Bob
