Prepping Your Patch.....

[Guest Nunsacred]

. letting the bike take the weight, looks less conspicuous than a sack truck

cover container with black bag.

ive tried filling my army back pack with dry meal fert... nearly weighs 20kg when full, after walking 2 miles in rough terrain the bike idea is a god send

Yeh.

I find it's a bit of a nightmare if there's any weight on the handlebars. It's the sort of thing that seems fine when you set off on nice flat terrain, but isn't fine when you hit a stout treetrunk. I restrict myself to panniers only.

Turns out that my beans will be on their way, as normal, once my payment goes to Holland from BRAZIL, where it inexplicably ended up.

Er, so that's nice. *sigh*

Handy GG tip :

I got an old gardening fork & spade cheap from a junk yard recycling place. Result! They're smaller and lighter weight than usual because they're LADIES ones

[Bad Penny.]

You have to love the early optimism and excitement as the runners and riders start to nose the starting line

So many fences, and so many ditches!

I am an eternal optimist Gom You can do anything you think you can. This knowledge is literally the gift of the gods, for through it you can solve every human problem. It should make of you an incurable optimist. It is the open door.I see neither ditch nor fence because I have learned how to run on the flat over the years,and the results get better with each season

[Archangel]

is one of your plots on an island? the jaw used in the 2 cracked me up!

No, but now you mention it i was watching Kubricks "The Shining" the other night as i'm a complete Kubrick worshipper, and as guerillas all know you see plots everywhere. :wink:

If you had a boat this island would be great, no deer, rabbit or human problems, just lushness. I know Canadians have alot of islands and favor growing there...anywhoo.... Also on that Detroit documentary i was drueling at some of those abandoned areas

[Indicaderek]

Bin busy preppin one of my new plots, rinsed 5kg of Fbb and another 2kg of chicken pellets, made a basic coldframe as I need to get the mothers out to make space for the next clone run, needs more work (and polythene) but you get the idea. 2 litre milk carton for scale in the first pic, should hold a good few plants methinks.

Ph is a little low and I was wondering if lime would be necessary or if they will manage ok as is?

I likes me new pg meter as there are no fiddly bits to break!! Its a single assembly with no probes other than the metal rings around the bottom of the body/probe, I likes unbreakable!! :wink:

Happy Gardening

[Gom Jibbar]

I've still not got my Frisian Dew seeds from Dutch Passion yet, nor a confirmatory email, nor a reply to my email asking for confirmation.

And at my main GG site, I found shiny fresh deer spoors today, and signs that at least one deer sleeps there.

*sigh*

Yeah those deer are everywhere. Chilli powder is going to be my secret weapon this year. Dust it about the place, and sprinkle some on leaves.

[farmer boy]

I've still not got my Frisian Dew seeds from Dutch Passion yet, nor a confirmatory email, nor a reply to my email asking for confirmation.

And at my main GG site, I found shiny fresh deer spoors today, and signs that at least one deer sleeps there.

*sigh*

Yeah those deer are everywhere. Chilli powder is going to be my secret weapon this year. Dust it about the place, and sprinkle some on leaves.

umm spice venison !

peace out farmer boy

[Guest dpn]

i think 6.5 is quoted as spot on, maybe another top dressing of lime.

i like your diy green house... i plan to make one using that ridged grid wire they use on fences the holes are like 5inch squares, (stops deer squeezing through the wooden beams) thinking that would make a nice solid frame

[the ferret]

chillis good in the dry days jibbar but once it rains it be gone

[Indicaderek]

i think 6.5 is quoted as spot on, maybe another top dressing of lime.

The Fbb and Chk Pellets just went in and I was wondering if that will possibly take the ph lower?

The Ph 6.2 reading was the lowest recorded over about 6-7 measurements across several beds in the same area, all the others were 6.5, the ole nettles love it there too and seem to flourish hence the Q's really. My basic understanding is that most ferts will drop Ph into the acid end hence the need for lime in some cases?

Intend on using sulphate of potash and bonemeal later in the grow and wondered if either of these will affect the Ph?

Happy gardening

[Guest dpn]

from my shaggy memory, i think most ferts tend to drop ph...

ill be using rock phosphate for the first time, (calcium phosphate).... supposed to be good stuff, this will help with ph.

but to be fair if you have a healthly soil with a diverse micro flora... soil rich in humic/organic matter, ph isn't really a problem.

im sure your grow some beauties

[Artificial Emotion]

I briefly (in passing) asked Felix the cat about this in a PM, but it wasn't really the focus of the PM so I thought I'd ask here as well, just for the hell of it.

I am very unsure about the reliability of these analogue meters with swinging needles indicating the pH. Any thoughts on these? Obviously some are better than others. Anyway, I've just used a chemical pH testing kit which works by the user opening the powder contents of the capsule and emptying it into a small plastic phial, after which the small soil sample is added along with some mineral water. After a quick shake and a 5-minute wait, the resulting colour is compared to a chart varying in increments of one i.e. pH: 5, 6, 7 and 8. My samples tested at 6 (by the way, it is essential to take at least 2 or three samples to rule out anomalous results).

Because of the pH being a 6 on the rough scale, how much gardening lime (any difference between 'gardening lime' and dolomite lime?) should I actually add to the soil, in terms of grams per square meter? The side of the box says for general soil conditioning and to add calcium to the soil, 10g per sq m should be top dressed and forked in. This however does seem low compared to what some other people have been saying. What do you guys think I should do?!

[farmer boy]

i think people get to hung up worrying about the PH on outdoor grows its nature for fuck sake i have never bothered with a ph meter or adjusting the ph . as fare as im conserned as long as there is stingers and brambles its all good !

just my 2p

peace out farmer boy

[Bad Penny.]

i think people get to hung up worrying about the PH on outdoor grows its nature for fuck sake i have never bothered with a ph meter or adjusting the ph . as fare as im conserned as long as there is stingers and brambles its all good !

just my 2p

peace out farmer boy

Yup,mother nature,she has been growing weed for X amount of years with no thought for PH nor need for a PH meter,check the surrounding vegetation and plant accordingly,if your plot is covered in nettles you cant really go wrong

[JGP]

To knock ph up a digit i think it's between100grammes and 200 a square meter or a handful per square yard.Read the box instructions should tell u there.I think clay soils need more

Edited March 16, 2010 by JGP

[Root1875]

I'm not bothering too much with the ph for this grow, I have been preping the patch I found which is great and very hidden and noone is guna go near it unless builders plan on doing something to the land, that was my priority for my first grow, after this grow successful or not I will be looking at surroundings for plots (nettles, bramble patches etc). If I cant find any good spots like that then I will continue at my current plot (assuming that it wasnt compromised).

Root.