Apropos of Nothing v.12

Kim, I'd totally take you up on it if I was coming back at a reasonable time. I'm going to try to take my mom out for brunch and by the time I get out of town, I'll be ready to get on the road. I need to get back in time to pick up the dogs from the neighbor's, etc.

But I really, really appreciate the offer. It sure would be fun.

If you're going to be down there on Saturday, Sue Wall (susybell) told me that Hydrangeas plus is having a an overstock sale from 9-5 on Saturday.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/grd/1723441289.html

Ladyfiresign, we did have some discussion on horsetail awhile back, but I can't find the thread. As I understand it, they're very primitive and like acid soil. The best treatments are to pick off the tops as soon as they sprout and then get the soil up to a 7 or 8 pH acidity level using lime.

Source 1:

"We consulted a master gardener at Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle and was told the best way to get rid of horsetails is to just pick the part that comes above the ground out as soon as possible. After 4-5 years the plant will run out of energy and won't come back. (She told us this is actually true in her flower bed!) We're trying to do that - I get rid of the horsetails in my flower bed at least once a week. I'm pretty obsessed with killing horsetails and tried to pull the rhizomes out as much as possible too. There was a reduction in horsetails after our first battle of pulling everything out. After that, there seems to be constant number of horsetails coming up still, after about 4-5 months. Good thing is the new ones seem to be smaller and many of them don't have thick stems. Bad news is since horsetails could spread either by rhizomes or spores, I probably have to keep picking them up weekly for another 4-5 years. But I do believe picking them up would reduce the population and might eventually kill them all."

And source 2:

"Horsetail has an extensive root structure. More than you could ever dream of. Not for nothing is horsetail a remnant of dinosaur times: these plants know how to survive. The roots go down for 30 cm (1'), go horizontally for meters (yards) at a time, go 30 cm deeper, go horizontally for meters at a time, go 30 cm deeper, go horizontally for meters at a time - and this layering continues to a depth of about 2.5 meters. So you take out your backhoe and really start to shift (and sift - gotta get rid of those roots) your yard dirt. Congratulations, you're now horsetail-free! ... for a few minutes. Because horsetail reproduces with spores, and you have lots of those in your dirt already. So you have horsetail again, the minute you turn your back. No, if you want to get rid of horsetail you shouldn't try to dig it up: that won't work, at all at all.

You want to reduce soil acidity. Give it a nice round 7 pH or even 8 pH and watch the horsetail go away.

Or look at your horsetails as blessings: they contain lots of potassium. Tomatoes need lots of potassium. Mulch!"

Good luck!

Kathy

I think I posted about this a long time ago, but I do know that horsetail dies when you lime the soil, as kathy indicated. For example, I once tried to grow it in a pot in my pond. (I do love the look of it - it's so 'dinosaury') and it died mighty quick. It lasted less than one season. The Ph of my water sits right at 8.0-8.2. You might have to add a lot of lime and keep testing the soil, but it will eventually kill it. Of course, many other plants might not like it, either. . but if you plant lime lovers and keep the lime coming, who knows? If you have a large area and are trying to keep it in bounds while you kill it, maybe you could try putting a ring of lime around the area and watering the ground with baking soda water. I've never seen any reference to that, but I don't know why it wouldn't work to at least slow it down a bit. If I had horsetail in my yard I would do an experiment with different solutions of baking soda and a standard ring of lime, but that's just the researcher in me.

I'm going to have to create a spray to keep my cat and dogs from thinking that my ornamental grasses are snacks. I just want to deter them. There is plenty of grass in the yard they are welcome to eat. So I'm going to spray the grasses with something that will taste nasty to them. I don't want it to hurt them or get in their eyes. Chili pepper spray? Garlic spray (I know it's bad for dogs, and my dogs do not like it, generally turning their nose up at it.) The lemon sounds acidic to me. I don't know how that would do. Anyone have experience with this? Last year I grew a special grass for the cats. They were not impressed.

I can't remember if I posted a photo of my fence thus far. This screens the pot ghetto and work area, which have detracted from the overall experience of the garden for years. I am not a 'neat' gardener and I need to have a work area for storing all my crap and organizing what amounts to an on-site nursery.

I have to do the little roof on the walls, and build the roofed gate. I'm doing a little research on how to accomplish that since these are not in a straight line. I wanted stucco walls, but we had all these cedar fenceboards that needed using and were taking up real estate. I'm going to stain the fence a deep bluegreen with a darker bluegreen framework. I'm using the roof tiles for the wall roof. I was working on it each day until the wind storm. I had the whole day to work on it on Monday, but branches were flying so I thought better of it.

It's looking good. :)

Oh, that does look great.

Oh, Pix - all the potted plants outside are beginning to form a queque - they think it is a plant nightclub, and all the plants inside are some sort of celeb-plant! How exciting - you'll need a big bruiser of a bouncerplant at the gate for keeping out the weedriffraff and stamping their fronds! Is this a mixed club - are faeries and gnomes allowed, and is there an age restriction/dresscode - OH I KNOW, topdressing only. Goodness, I can hear that bass beat already.....

oops, I've been out in the sun a little too long today, I'm beginning to sound like sofer.

No worries Kathy, I know it's a full weekend just getting down to Oregon and back. Thanks to you and SusyBell for the heads up on the HydrangeasPlus sale - that's just down the road from my folks place and I'm looking for some hydrangeas for my front yard redo. We'll just have to see how many I can fit in the car with the four of us and our luggage for the trip home!

And Laurie, the image of the plants queuing up outside the hottest club in town is hilarious.

OMG I miss a few days of reading threads and you guys are running amok! Looking for pots of gold, and Laurie's imagination is running wild! LOL And Pix is building structures! That fence is looking good - would you mind posting progress photos? I think my entire garden could fit in your pot ghetto.

Laurie, your vision of plants anxious to get into the club would make a great advertisement for fertilizer, complete with dancing and swaying plants and that bass beat...and those outside shouldering each other and pushing for entry...and lots of plant flirting going on inside...

I hope those of you that are coming down to Oregon have a nice visit - the weather is supposed to be nice, with sun!

That would be organic fertilizer, wouldn't it?

Of course it would be organic! And it would be served in stemmed cocktail glasses for the dainty, and in big mugs for the hearty. And the plants would have to belly-up to the bar to get served.

Beautiful photo of the rainbow.

Horsetails, don't pick them or pull them. Cut them off at the soil level. Just keep doing this. You can lime the soil too. But just keep cutting them. Eventually they'll stop coming back.

This lady bug is anxious for the peonies to open as am I !!

Today I found a slug that is so big I just couldn't bring myself to squish it or snip it with scissors. So I put it in a jar. I think I have to take it to the vet to be euthanized.

Hopefully you won't have to pay for a consultation to decide if this is truly in the slug's best interest.

I just learned that slugs have their genitalia and anus on the right side of their heads. Who knew?

Judi, I think you need to get a life. LOL

I just read your comments to my dh. He said, "I'm so glad I know that." LOL

It was glorious out this afternoon. I spent from about 4pm - 8pm outside, mostly puling weeds. I'll be sore tomorrow but I got quite a bit done! It was perfect gardening weather.

Oh there's more. Slugs all have both male & female "parts" and they use both at the same time when they mate. And often the "male parts" get eaten off.

Oh good lord. I'm sorry, but if I needed one more reason to squish slugs on contact, that may just be it.

This guy/gal was too big to squish - you'd need wading boots.

You're killing me. Now I'll probably think about that every time I see one of these guys.

That's when I break out the salt... and then the hose.

Oh, Portland - I use to find you interesting, NOW?... Okay - let me just say I think I am not inviting you to a dinner party. As a friend, may I make a suggestion, DO NOT bring this little story out at your son's up coming wedding. It would be much too memorable and the bride will not appreciate it, not one bit.

BUT I love the image of turning up at the Vets with a slug in a jar and asking them to euthanize it!! Please let me be there to see their faces.

Thanks everyone for the scoop on horsetail eradication! It was introduced when we had a load of garden mix trucked in when we first moved here....was supposedly weed-free....uh-huh.... :-(

I'm thinking chickens or ducks for slug control? Not sure if I can keep them safe from the hawks and eagles that are around here though....

Ugh! Those slugs I have to throw into the road. I just throw them really, really hard and hope a car comes by soon.

I have to laugh at the image of plants lining up to get into my space. Frankly, it's already as crowded as any nightclub because I haven't yet reinvented the wheel of organization in there yet. Plus, Lynn and Sharon dropped off 7 pots of different clematis for the ghetto today. What was I thinking? I'll have to move my nursery bed because it no longer gets much sun.

Next step is the railings for the walkway. I'm hoping I'll have some time this weekend. Right.

What a jolly way to start the day. Visions of partying plants, then slugs so large they need to be euthanized or chucked into the road WOW!!!

The pot ghetto is looking great!!

I have posted this pic before ..but yuck. This one was at the Oregon Garden thank goodness!

Bea - mine looks like that but it has lots of dark spots. When he/she stretches out it's about 5 inches long. Yuck is right!

Ewwww - ok, you’ve guys inspired me… I officially declare a PNW Slug Photo Contest - Winner gets the pride in knowing they provide the environment for the most Happiest, Hideous, Hermaphroditic Gastropod ever…. I'm grabbing my camera right now and heading to the bird feeder on the back porch... ;)

Ok, this is what I just learned.... slugs aren't very photogenic... :)

Your right..they are not very photogenic.. Judi...maybe yours is old and has age spots! LOL. They are gross!

While I was out there I was buzzed a gazillion times by hummingbirds, and since they're a bit more photogenic, I couldn't resist.. They're emptying this thing every three days now....

Beautiful shot..reminds me I too need to fill my feeders!

Slurp slurp.....

Love the hummer shots! That's a great gift idea for Mother's Day, think I'll pass that on to the kiddos, then we can all have fun watching them.

I too love the idea of a plant nightclub. That and the following comments had me laughing like I hadn't in quite a while.

Judi, your taking the slug to the vet to be put down was a very close second! My slugs are horrible this year, and have already been concentrating on decimating everything they can get their gooey little jaws on. I haven't had time to do any kind of control, and am afraid that I have lost several of my iris blooms to the little devils, and the hostas that are out look like swiss cheese. Oh well, there will always be next year.

Kur, your hummer pic is wonderful. Ours are finally back in full force, and it is a joy to watch them.

I think slugs are fascinating and they're not gross at all - so there! I do, however, not like the damage they do.

But that's true of the dogs, too. My lovely little Borage plants have been munched on by the dogs. Either them or the cats. The dogs eat the Brunnera and the Pulmonaria and the Mertensia. What is going on?

Anyway, good article here about attracting beneficial insects. Of course, that supposed we'll have some sun, any sun this winter.

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-2-10-90,00.html

Kur, now I know why I don't have any hummingbirds. They're all at your place! ROFL.

My new friend, and he/she is not fully extended because I just let it out of the jar and didn't have the patience to wait for it to adjust.

Excellent. That would be your standard Spotted Leopard Slug.

this one is ok.
dark brown gets x's on the eyes.

Ducks eat slugs and snails, chickens do not. Unfortunately!