Any garden use for beer?

Hey Paul, Most folks don't know about my area other than its in Yakima County. Hops are grown here in Moxee. Our neighbors brag about 70% of the entire US consumed Hops crop being harvested in this county ..... 90% of the hops in the county are within 5 miles of my place. We have hops to the east and west and apple orchards, cattle ,and wheat to the north and south. If you drink an AMerican beer ...... chances are quite high that the hops for flavoring came from Moxee.

You can say that again, ginger! I can't tell you how many times that we get requests for Aussie and New Zealander beers (e.g., Victoria's Bitter) that aren't brought to the states. Lovin' them so much that ya'all keep some tasty ones limited to your part of the world. LOL! ;-)

Oh yeah Moxee! Northwest (Yakima & Willamette Valley) hops are in soooo many brews.

The only garden use I know of is to use it like slug bait.
Put some in a saucer, set it in your garden, and the slugs will "run" for it. It works great and is better than poison.

Ottie

Was just tooling around looking to see if anyone used the beer fertilizer formula for anything else besides hoyas......made some up last night. I didn't put the bloom booster or the B12 in, maybe for spring though. Gets great reviews:
12 oz beer
1 cup Epsom salts
1/2 cup ammonia
2 cup water
1/2 cup molasses (I use black strap)
4 tbs bloom booster
vit B12 (I use 250-500mg)

You use 1 tablespoon per gallon of warm water.

Getting back to slugs and things that make you go eeeew, it seems someone or something has infested our area with snails. You never used to see any at all. Forget about the carbon footprint, it's the slime footprint that really gets to me. I think my slugs are just now starting to get cranked up, although I hope the virus thing is true. My young gingko that lives in a pot has been thoroughly slimed. I never knew they climbed trees and ate them. They even clog the pump on my fountain. Today I bought a mammoth sized box of Corry's, which I'm sure will outlive me. What can I say, I was at Costco! Hope it kills rats, although the squirrels seem to know to avoid it.

velveteena, I've lived on this property for 11 years and only once did I ever see a snail...and it was a small one. This year I have found 3 huge snails! How do they just appear like that??!!

My European slugs and snails were out later than the natives this year, presumably because of the late frosts. Now, however, they're all out in force. I picked 8 slugs and snails off my Robinia "Twisty Baby" one morning. Now I think it may be dead. :-(

Anyway, there seem to be more snails than usual relative to the total population. Don't know if other people are having that experience. It think that Sheri, "Outta", said that she didn't have snails at all in Port Angeles, just slugs.

Simple - they are coming in on plants from out of state. Never used to have them, but over the past 7 years or so, they have been more prevalent. Obviously they have adapted to our climate. rats.

I've had lots of snails in the last few years, just more snails this year, it seems. I've caught lots of tiny, tiny ones, too. They are a marvel of nature - if only they weren't such voracious eaters.

My three baby robins have hatched. On Monday, they were little lumps of bone and skin. Now they are all pin feathers and mouth. I hope by this weekend they'll start to resemble little birds. Hope they make it to maturity!!

I hope you are able to watch them learn to fly - it is quite sweet, although normal stuff for them...

Me too. Does it take long? I always thought it was one first long step . . . and you either did or you didn't.

Well, I'm not sure how long they had been practicing last year, but it was cute to see them go from the lower branches & take off to land on the ground (4' below or so), then up higher. Mom & Pop kept calling them up higher. So - step off & start flappin"! they learn quite fast.
I was able to observe an Eagle teaching her offspring to soar & catch thermals a couple years back - awesome! Just like us learning to use our bodies.

Well that makes sense - start at the bottom and then work your way up. I'll have to keep an eye out and make sure that my kitty is nowhere near when that's happening.

Your reference to the Eagle reminds me of the story Jonathan Livingston Sea Gull. I think it was a little over-dramatized, but I still think of them that way.

Beer really works real good on Junipers stale is even better

Rosaliedawn - is the beer for feeding the junipers?

Had a friend who drank alot and would leave his beer I would take the beer after being open all night and pour it around my junipers and I had the best looking on my street I hear it does real good on roses but havent tried it yet.

I read several times that beer was a good compost starter. I was skeptical; I thought pasteurized American beer was unlikely to have any microbes in it, and the alcohol content would kill microbes already in the compost.

But last winter I tried pouring some stale beer in my kitchen compost bin (sitting just outside in a sheltered spot) and it did seem to speed things up. Even the worms that had invaded the bin didn't mind it.

they were thirsty, and needed to relax...

LOL Katye!

Kathy, I loved Jonathan Livingston Seagull!!!! I'd forgotten all about it - need to locate a copy and read it again. My other favorite by Bach was "Bridge Across Forever." Oh, yes. I think I read all of his books, but those two were wonderful.

Katye, do you think maybe I've been neglecting the psychological needs of my worms, and I should give them more beer? :)

Yes, Carole, it's been a long time since those days, eh? I don't think I read Bridge Across Forever.

Anitra - I'm not sure sure about having drunk worms. Then there'll be the getting home late, bad humor and the loud singing and carrying on. The neighbors might put up a fuss.

Well, here's the problem: coffee grounds in the compost is something they really look forward to. It serves as a little morning boost for them, as it is for many of us.
However, since coffee is a diuretic, it is helpful to provide another source of liquid refreshment for them. I have it on good authority that they do not EVER over-indulge in adult beverages, but, they truly enjoy relaxing at the end of a busy work day. And Beer has nutritious properties, especially for worms. I say - let them imbibe.

Kate - we might have to check out your place in the evenings and listen for the sounds of little worm drinking songs . . .

That cracked me up!

:-) And can't you just see the poppy seed head people (who are very clearly early risers) whispering, "Shhhhhhhh. Keep it down."

Very funny! Katie, I remember seeing your comment about receiving the JMaples, but I can't find what thread it was in. How many did you get? Reds, greens? It is hard to tell which ones are the coral bark, because many of them have pink stems on the new growth, but the coral bark actually has bright pink down the trunk, even at this early age. It took about four years for it to start showing up though, and I think I have about 5 of them now.

There is a quartet in the compost bin in the garden, and talk of a Nightcrawler that knows how to skat...

All right, Kate, I'd pay money for a skatting Nightcrawler. There's so much talent at your place. LOL. On second thought, I love the image of the poppy people nodding their little heads in time to the music.

Kathryn - I send you a d-mail about it, I think. So I got two from him - he and I agreed on the couple that we got that were coral bark. I gave mine to my neighbor as a thank you, so I'm thrilled to replace it. I can see hers regularly, but still missed it. And I took a second red one. I didn't want to be greedy, but if I go over there again, I may get another. They look so happy. I can't believe that you get so many babies. You must have a gift of germination.

Carole, the book "A bridge across forever' Was a gift from my DH, before we where married. I still have it and will never part with it.

Mary, that is very cool that your DH gave you "Bridge Across Forever!!!" I think that was quite a gift from the heart. Kathy, I know you would love it.

And I am in stitches at the thought of worm drinking songs and a skatting nightcrawler - lol!

It is a very good book, When ever friends where getting married he would give the book to them as a wedding present.