SWFLA StrawBerries
Just ordered some pre-rooted strawberry starters online, and can't wait to get em growin'! Anyone seen anything around here about growing the berry? It's perfect time of year for em outdoors in my area... The fields are filling up with em!
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- Super Green Thumb
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Well being a huge fan of varied soils, I would recommend using a more natural soil consisting of some compost, manure, maybe some leaf mold and if you still want, some perlite.
You'll find that your strawberries will have a lot more flavour and be that much more resistant to disease.
But, do what you like.
You'll find that your strawberries will have a lot more flavour and be that much more resistant to disease.
But, do what you like.
I didn't know what CoCoCoir was. In FL I never had any use for pearlite, even though my hubby bought it (primarily for his cactus garden, to keep the sand even looser and drier, which I didn't understand because I thought cacti naturally grew in sand in the first place.)
Florida sand is as loose as you can get, and naturally lacking in any nutrients, so the more natural additives you can mix in your soil or in your pots, the better.
Better hurry on those strawberries, if I remember rightly you are actually behind as planting season is (I think) in November and harvest season is late January/early February.
Florida sand is as loose as you can get, and naturally lacking in any nutrients, so the more natural additives you can mix in your soil or in your pots, the better.
Better hurry on those strawberries, if I remember rightly you are actually behind as planting season is (I think) in November and harvest season is late January/early February.
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What kind of strawberries? Day neutrals? Everbearers? Those should set for a while; spring bearers would be the ones that would only set for the one crop. The other advantage to the first two is that they don't run near as much and that's a big advantage in smaller spaces (like less than ten acres, say )
I really think the pearlite is a waste, Grey is right, the soil down there drains plenty fast, what's needed is more nutrient CoCoCoir is a great peat alternative that's a lot easier on the planet, but Opa's right, his list of additives is a great idea. Strawberries feed hard.
And what are we feeding through a dripper? Fish emulsion? Seaweed emulsion? Not the blue goo I hope. Stuff is wiping out your coral down there...
Scott
I really think the pearlite is a waste, Grey is right, the soil down there drains plenty fast, what's needed is more nutrient CoCoCoir is a great peat alternative that's a lot easier on the planet, but Opa's right, his list of additives is a great idea. Strawberries feed hard.
And what are we feeding through a dripper? Fish emulsion? Seaweed emulsion? Not the blue goo I hope. Stuff is wiping out your coral down there...
Scott
Last edited by The Helpful Gardener on Sat Jan 07, 2006 2:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
EverBearingBerries: Ozark Beauts...
They've arrived! 50 pre-rooted lil rascals... I got about ten potted in the CoCo so far...
It's gonna be a all time low temp of 37 tonight, the coldest so far this winter... (here, where I'm @ anyways...) I've placed them in the shed for the night to avoid the cold temps... They're fresh transplants, and might not take the cold very well... [img]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/images/picture.jpg[/img]
Anyways, I'm using HyDroOrganic ferts... It's called Earth Juice. It's made of guanos, and kelps... Good stuff; I reckon...
I have no more perlite, so this batch is straight CoCoCoir.
Thanks again to all that posted...
They've arrived! 50 pre-rooted lil rascals... I got about ten potted in the CoCo so far...
It's gonna be a all time low temp of 37 tonight, the coldest so far this winter... (here, where I'm @ anyways...) I've placed them in the shed for the night to avoid the cold temps... They're fresh transplants, and might not take the cold very well... [img]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/images/picture.jpg[/img]
Anyways, I'm using HyDroOrganic ferts... It's called Earth Juice. It's made of guanos, and kelps... Good stuff; I reckon...
I have no more perlite, so this batch is straight CoCoCoir.
Thanks again to all that posted...
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Good for you with the organic feed. They'll taste better too. Good stuff indeed...
Wet that coir well, and you might want to think about working some manure and cocoa mulch into that soil you'll be planting in (might want to try a bit of sand in with that coir for your starters, rather than just straight coir)
Wet that coir well, and you might want to think about working some manure and cocoa mulch into that soil you'll be planting in (might want to try a bit of sand in with that coir for your starters, rather than just straight coir)
Unfortunately the containers I'm using for this homemade dripper system aren't all that big. They're probably 4" squared. Not a whole lot of room in there for growing media. I may pick up some seperate containers aswell though, after all... I've got 50 plants to work with here...
I'll be the lab rat and see how 'awesome' this new media is. I've heard alot of good things about it... ...any comments on CoCoCoir?
I'll be the lab rat and see how 'awesome' this new media is. I've heard alot of good things about it... ...any comments on CoCoCoir?
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Yep. Talked with some reps who are selling it using Southern Pacific sourcing. It's been a disposable by-product of the coconut trade for centuries, but now offers a good third world emeging industry to replace the diminishing (and ecologically damaging) peat industry. It is far more ph neutral than peat (which is what I used to acidify my aquarium for raising angel fish; peat is ACID), so there's that as well. Good humic content and very absobent. Better than peat and starting to become more available...
H2O, you are planning on doing these in the ground, right?
HG
H2O, you are planning on doing these in the ground, right?
HG
The Helpful Gardener wrote: H2O, you are planning on doing these in the ground, right?
HG
Naw; my friend. They're all above ground. Too many problematic bugs in my soil here. I've got sod, and turf... Grubs and such are a terrible menace to my plants... I've found that containers above ground are the ticket... Or else a raised bed garden maybe...
Have you checked that link in my above post? It links to a couple pictures that show the dripper rig...
Ah, grubs. And probably nematodes, too, right?
I haven't seen a grub since I left FL. I still have to worry about nematodes tho.
I had raised beds in FL, they were great. I still planted squash, corn and sometimes beans in the ground anyway with a lot of mulch mixed in. I really didn't have any root problems - I often lost my corn crop to beetles and the like.
Something you can do to reduce the number of grubs and nematodes is to solarize your soil this summer for about a month. The hottest months of July and August are the best. Dampen the soil, lay clear plastic sheeting over it, secure the sheeting with tent pegs or rocks at the edges... and that dirt will BAKE the nasty buggers out of there.
I haven't seen a grub since I left FL. I still have to worry about nematodes tho.
I had raised beds in FL, they were great. I still planted squash, corn and sometimes beans in the ground anyway with a lot of mulch mixed in. I really didn't have any root problems - I often lost my corn crop to beetles and the like.
Something you can do to reduce the number of grubs and nematodes is to solarize your soil this summer for about a month. The hottest months of July and August are the best. Dampen the soil, lay clear plastic sheeting over it, secure the sheeting with tent pegs or rocks at the edges... and that dirt will BAKE the nasty buggers out of there.
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Grey wrote:I never did find a cure for ants.
Me neither. They're a hassle. My back yards fulladem. Summers the worst, as you could imagine... I really don't notice them too much this time-o-year... I spray that Ortho-X FireAnt gimmick, or whatever its called, and they still present a problem...
Thanks All...
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- Super Green Thumb
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Try looking at this website to see if there are any plants that repel ants:
https://www.basic-info-4-organic-fertilizers.com/companionplants.html
Here is another website, I don't think that I would be to up on using boric acid but, in small amounts I don' t think that it would cause to much damage.
https://www.ghorganics.com/page11.html
https://www.basic-info-4-organic-fertilizers.com/companionplants.html
Here is another website, I don't think that I would be to up on using boric acid but, in small amounts I don' t think that it would cause to much damage.
https://www.ghorganics.com/page11.html
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- Super Green Thumb
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I've looked up the MSDS on Boric Acid and apparently it is non toxic. Also it is hygroscopic meaning that it will absorb moisture readily.
However, it is an acid and be very careful using such products if you choose to follow the recommended recipe from that website. I always use safetey spec when handling acids or bases.
However, it is an acid and be very careful using such products if you choose to follow the recommended recipe from that website. I always use safetey spec when handling acids or bases.
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You can post pictures by clicking the "Img" button at the top while posting, then place the URL of your photo behind it (no space) and then click "Img" again.H20.world wrote:YesSir. How do I upload pics to your server? Or is that not an option for me? You guys don't have a 'image gallery' type thing here?webmaster wrote:
In any case, I uploaded it to our server and I'm hosting it from here. Is that the pic you wanted to show us?
There are a number of free image hosting sites - I use Uploadit.org myself, but there are better ones out there I am sure!
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Since you all are geeking out on graphics , I'll add my two cents on this matter:
It all depends on the resolution of your monitor. I have my work monitor set at 800x600 pixels resolution because I can see details clearer. But my other computers are set at a higher resolution.
So when you post a photo at 800x600, the 35% of users that set their monitors to 800x600 will have to scroll to the left to enjoy the photos.
99k is a large size for a photo. I could probably reduce those to at least 15k (including a size reduction) by using photoshop. But not everybody owns photoshop, or even photoshop elements, so no worries.
Thanks for the pics, they DO look great, and I have broadband so no issues downloading them.
It all depends on the resolution of your monitor. I have my work monitor set at 800x600 pixels resolution because I can see details clearer. But my other computers are set at a higher resolution.
So when you post a photo at 800x600, the 35% of users that set their monitors to 800x600 will have to scroll to the left to enjoy the photos.
99k is a large size for a photo. I could probably reduce those to at least 15k (including a size reduction) by using photoshop. But not everybody owns photoshop, or even photoshop elements, so no worries.
Thanks for the pics, they DO look great, and I have broadband so no issues downloading them.
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- Super Green Thumb
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Looks great!
Florida lets you garden all winter, and in the summer if you want to - I never did during the hottest months. If I didn't want to be out there, I figured most of the plants I was growing didn't either - and they would be lacking my attention to boot.
So - late June to early September, I let the garden beds bake (nematodes could all DIE!!), by mid-August I would start seeds indoors and by late September/early October - I had a garden again. So enjoy your months between now and June - have you started any summer crops yet?
Florida lets you garden all winter, and in the summer if you want to - I never did during the hottest months. If I didn't want to be out there, I figured most of the plants I was growing didn't either - and they would be lacking my attention to boot.
So - late June to early September, I let the garden beds bake (nematodes could all DIE!!), by mid-August I would start seeds indoors and by late September/early October - I had a garden again. So enjoy your months between now and June - have you started any summer crops yet?
Woah! Sorry 'bout the size E'VryOne... New camera! This things awesome. 7.2mp updating from a 2mp! BIG difference... I resized them twice... The next ones'll be shrunk more... I promise...
But anyways, this is my first berry!
They're lovin' the CoCoCoir; I reckon... I'd like to get bigger containers for them maybe though after this first set come out... ?
But anyways, this is my first berry!
They're lovin' the CoCoCoir; I reckon... I'd like to get bigger containers for them maybe though after this first set come out... ?
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