Smallzz's 5 Steps to bigger outdoor plants

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Kitsune Nyx

Kitsune Nyx

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I'll get settled in a bit & put that as a project.
I don't want to come out all squeaky & new-like, then ruin it by ... you know...
...having a brain.

*big cheesy wink n grin*
 
Kitsune Nyx

Kitsune Nyx

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Seamaiden said:
We should have good stands of purple vetch, which is naturally established in our area, with in a couple of weeks, maybe less. Using it to plant with cannabis would be problematic, mostly for its vining/overgrowing habit, and it'll be dry by the time summer hits.
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Perhaps even a nice layering with Borage coming in as the Vetch goes dormant(I should have mentioned layering-sorry). The blooms are great in limeade- gives a pleasant cucumber like flavor. Turn it into soil close to summer's end & by then, another round of vetch should kick in.
*just a thought*

Anywho...
I'll just go & make a few notes for my thesis on companion plants.
Lol!
 
Califlower

Califlower

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Seamaiden said:
Oh! I COMPLETELY forgot to mention that this year I cover cropped, and it made a HUGE difference in a whole bunch of things, especially keeping the soil moisture even and where cannabis likes it. I used a mix of clover, amaranth, fenugreek... and I think that's it. Yeah, I use a lot of fenugreek because it stays low to the ground and sets seed pretty quickly/easily, the greens are delicious and so is the seed, and it's easy to keep going. Bet the amaranth is, too, and it's very pretty when it gets big. Just make sure the seed heads are pointing AWAY from your girls!

I have that book. The problem for me is applying stuff like the row spacing, simply for the lay of our land and not having enough flat. That's where using permaculture principles can be far more helpful, creating edges, water sinks, etc.
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Nice, planting a cover crop not just for green manure. I was reading about companion planting and living mulch. In my area cilantro grows well and fast, and I think a fast bolt variety would be a good addition for living mulch. The little white flowers attract hover flies too. Queen Anne's Lace is supposed to be good for attracting insects. The clover is a nitrogen fixer, so I see why you used that. I think marigolds are bad for some reason I read.. Attract spider mites maybe?

Oh, also probably good; Chamomile in a pot nearby, and borage

EDIT: one more Dill!
 
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Seamaiden

Seamaiden

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Califlower said:
Nice, planting a cover crop not just for green manure. I was reading about companion planting and living mulch. In my area cilantro grows well and fast, and I think a fast bolt variety would be a good addition for living mulch. The little white flowers attract hover flies too. Queen Anne's Lace is supposed to be good for attracting insects. The clover is a nitrogen fixer, so I see why you used that. I think marigolds are bad for some reason I read.. Attract spider mites maybe?

Oh, also probably good; Chamomile in a pot nearby, and borage

EDIT: one more Dill!
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No, I thought marigolds repel bugs, right? I never thought about chamomile or borage, and they're both sold locally. Great idea! Oh, and the dill, too! But... won't it get rather large?

We love cilantro around here. And coriander. I might name my next cat Coriander. The Seasoned.
 
Califlower

Califlower

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Seamaiden said:
No, I thought marigolds repel bugs, right? I never thought about chamomile or borage, and they're both sold locally. Great idea! Oh, and the dill, too! But... won't it get rather large?

We love cilantro around here. And coriander. I might name my next cat Coriander. The Seasoned.
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Yes, marigolds do repel insects, I use them by my tomatoes. I thought I read something, but I can't remember. More testing and research needs to be done in this area. The dill could get too large, and the chamomile if it is the German kind. Rumor has it chamomile can enhance the flavor of other plants, so that's one idea with using it. I'm into the IPM idea. So attracting insects that eat caterpillar eggs, larvae, etc. In general the white umbel flowers such as Queen Anne's Lace, flowering parsley, cilantro, etc. are good for attracting hover flies which eat moth eggs I believe. The scent of the cilantro and basil leaves are good in general at repelling harmful insects. The other good thing is the living mulch. The thing to do would be to find whatever seed for the mulch in large quantities for cheap, or just grow out some seeds one year. The chamomile and echinacea flowers attract a different set of beneficial predatory insects. I heard about people putting garlic starts all around clones or seedlings to repel insects.

I hope more people try out companion planting and post the observations! We need more testing!

Lore has it - never plant fennel with anything but fennel! Apparently it is a foe to everything.

Of course if you use cilantro or loose leaf lettuce seed for your mulch then harvest it, you will have to replant, and if you let certain plants bolt, they get largish. Trial and error, and chopping down what gets too tall, I guess. ;)

That's funny, you should name your cat that!
 
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Seamaiden

Seamaiden

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Fenugreek is very inexpensive to buy in bulk.

I've been trying to figure out where I should plant the bulbing fennel. I see it kinda by itself where it's growing wild around here, uneaten by deer, too. So that's a good heads up for me, thank you for that. In fact, that's a lot of information I haven't read or heard before, so thank you! <smooches!>
 
Califlower

Califlower

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Ah fenugreek, that's great!

I read this and now I want to get some;
excerpt
In present day urban living, people who are doing container and micro-gardening, may find that fenugreek is a great companion plant, adding nitrogen to the soil, and lowering the need for fertilizers, while at the same time providing healthy greens and seeds for meals. - See more at:
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Other great companion planting links:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cilantro-planting-companions-22212.html
http://www.westcoastseeds.com/topicdetail/topic/companion-planting/
http://www.motherearthnews.com/orga...lanting-guide-zmaz81mjzraw.aspx#axzz32W4FJinG


This little gem is from West Coast Seeds -
The benefits of Companion Planting include:

Minimizing Risk: Increases odds of higher yields even if one crop fails or you are effected by natural hardships such as weather, pests or disease, the overall yield of your plot may be increased by limiting the spread and avoiding a monoculture instead focus on polyculture or mimicing the best natural growth patterns and diversity.

Crop Protection/ Shielding: Companion Planting can offer a more delicate plant shelter from weather such as wind or sun by growing aside another plant which can shield and protect while itself having a natural defence against the harsher conditions.

Trap Cropping: Companion planting is also the ultimate organic pest management, you may keep away unwanted pests that may be attracted to one crop but repelled by the other and this will assit in protecting the otherwise attractive prey, this is referred to as trap cropping.

Positive hosting: Predator recruitment typically in planting in proximity to plants which produce a surplus of nectar and pollen you can increase the population of beneficial insects that will manage your harmful pest population for you.
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Hope you don't mind all the urls! :) Enjoy!
 
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Seamaiden

Seamaiden

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I suppose I should, shouldn't I? But there's a lot of info in this thread that would need to be copied over, I think.
 
caregiverken

caregiverken

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Hey Sea, I have a question about "pruning roots" on my trees in boxes.
I suppose this is a good spot to ask you and the farm :)

Anyone feel feel to give me your opinion :)

My boxes may not be big enough for the trees im growing.
I am able to take the boxes apart, and have made some bigger. But they still might not be big enough.:facepalm:
Could I prune the roots somehow?
I have read you type about that..I have never done it.
what about just air pruneing them?
Maybe drill some holes in the boxes?
or, take the side of the box off and massage the roots? :rolleyes:

thanks in advance :)
 
growchick421

growchick421

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caregiverken said:
Hey Sea, I have a question about "pruning roots" on my trees in boxes.
I suppose this is a good spot to ask you and the farm :)

Anyone feel feel to give me your opinion :)

My boxes may not be big enough for the trees im growing.
I am able to take the boxes apart, and have made some bigger. But they still might not be big enough.:facepalm:
Could I prune the roots somehow?
I have read you type about that..I have never done it.
what about just air pruneing them?
Maybe drill some holes in the boxes?
or, take the side of the box off and massage the roots? :rolleyes:

thanks in advance :)
Click to expand...

From what I know about pruning roots I agree with Sea, air prune. And make a new box for more growth if you think the boxes you have are too small. :cat:
 
caregiverken

caregiverken

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Seamaiden said:
With trees I think you have to be more careful because their roots are woody. I would go with air pruning, myself.
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growchick421 said:
From what I know about pruning roots I agree with Sea, air prune. And make a new box for more growth if you think the boxes you have are too small. :cat:
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Thanks for the replies Ladies :)
here is a pic of the roots of one i made a bigger box for
Sourpebs3on521

that plant has exploded in the week since I did that!
 
Sourpebsnewbox521
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