Ok...we did this ? last ? year...was hysterical...I rec'd an email today with one included...I thought I'd share:
"Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. "
Come on now...we've got plenty of new faces...everyone chime in...made me laugh so hard last year - brought tears to my eyes.
You know you're over watering your indoor plants when the fungus knat population exceeds the number of plants, pets, and humans in any given house...
Rules of Gardening...
When looking for a new spot to plant your new swap plant, you will always chose the spot where you planted lasts years new spring bulbs.
Fact! The only consistancy in gardening is the absolute inconsistancy.
Do it your way you are the queen. If you screw up don't tell the king.
No matter how many little bowls of vinegar you have sitting out the fungus gnats would rather land in Ric's cup of coffee.
You mean I could use vinegar with those hateful winged demons?
As soon as you put out the more tender plants...YOU will have night time temps in the 30's
As soon as you "think" you are done ordering plants - there are always more you MUST have!
As soon as you get one checked off your want list - dear friends down south tell you about 2 more
Chantell, I gave up on the vinegar, they don't go near it. I think I'm just going to leave partial cups of coffee with cream sit all over for them to drown in:) LOL Ric
I have found that baking yeast slurry and a small piece of apple makes a good attractor for fungus gnats. Using med cups one third full that nurses dispose of daily in the corners of my window frame and sill worked best.
Hmmmm...maybe try that as well. Lowes was the first of the big box stores to get in the Mosquito Dunks - which normally keep them under control - I simply keep the dunks in my watering cans. With THIS attack though...I'm going to mash up the dunks in a gal ziplock and then sprinkle on the top of the soil in all the pots. Pain in the butt....but well so are the knats...
When your young Grandchild steps on your most prized flower while looking at the "pretty flowers", it just isn't that big of a deal.
Mosquito Bits are the same stuff as Mosquito Dunks. They are ready to use as a tea for getting the Fungus Gnats. Easier to add to pots with just a few grains per four inch pots. I use four or five grains in a four inch pot. Watering distributes it nicely. I add a few every other week. Works just as good as anything else I've tried. I'm still not done experimenting but this is what I use at this moment.
LOL - Holly - I hear ya on that.
Doc - who makes the bits and/or where do you find them? Please and thank you.
When you are knee-deep in repotting you will inevitably run out of soil - or pots ^_^
The minute you have a beautiful crop of flowers your kids pick you a beautiful bouquet.
just when you think it is safe to set out your plants along comes one more frost, QUICK! Grab the old sheets and anything else you can use for cover, boxes, newspaper, a turned over flower pot.
I use appropriately flower patterned quilt covers ^_^
Mosquito Bits usually sit beside or near Mosquito Dunks. Both made by the same company.
When you chose a spot to plant bulbs, in this case Lilies, 8 inches deep, the spot was use for a trash pit many years ago by the previous home owner.
And I have proof ! The plate is mine for display purposes.
This message was edited Apr 19, 2009 6:49 PM
LOL LadyG, The spot I used several years ago for my dirt pile, then moved dirt pile to plant Holly hedge and put in a nice canna bed with other perennials. Was and old parking spot with chipped stone and after that we used it as a burning spot. Even after screening the dirt to a dept of 8-12 inches still has stones and the occasional piece of rusted metal, pop up.
Ladyg's first rule--so true!
When you plant forty seeds and only five sprout and four then die, that pot with one baby, that will be the one you fumble and drop on the floor.....
(things I have found while digging this spring-- Lego piece, wheel from toy car, pop up timer from chicken...compost archaeology)
How about the perpetual "walking on eggshells" - carefully walking around your new babies making their way up into the world...only to back up and hear snap, crackle pop....and we ain't talking Rice Krispies. Some new plants that I'd rec'd were marked with that bright orange ribbon - I was ready to quickly remove and replace w/the white (read: inconspicuous) tree tags when I had a light bulb moment.....aaaahaaaa. LEAVE the eyesore on plant till said plant stands out by itself.
Not every one can claim they found an Athole Union in their garden. This cast lead plumbing piece at the turn of the century up to about 1930 tied sinks to the sanitary sewer line also lead at the time was invented by a Mr. Athole. There after the Athole Union was never addressed properly by tradesmen. I found one in my diggings. Put it on eBay and sold it for twenty nine bucks. The young plumber that bought it wanted an office conversation piece. It is one item I more or less figure I should not have sold but then who would ever want an Athole Union?
Life rule: If you sell it - it will THEN become valuable ^_^
I have a barnful of stuff saved for projects, repairs, or whatever. Every time I get a wild hair and clean up something, a week later I'll have the perfect use for it. The same rule applies to lost or misplaced tools, buy a new one, and you will find the old one before the check can clear. I've started keeping the sales reciept and box when I buy a replacement tool, now they are becoming clutter. Ric
So painfullytrue about the saved stuff--it has nailed me many times!! Toss a kids toy and the next day for the first time in three years, he'll ask for it. Toss a random household item and then you'l find the perfect use. Toss trash and then a school project will be designed around it.
In our house it's chargers...I'll have the same one sitting on the counter for weekS...finally decide it wasn't needed and yup, you guessed it. After the trash is picked up will realize it was for the cordless drill etc....or DD's friend's cell phone....ugh
Sally, just don't toss anything and it will look like my barn. LOL
For me it's putting things away.
Once an item as been put away in it's proper place, it will never be seen again.
LOL,LOL, LOL, Ric just asked me if I saw the post he made to Garden Rules, I said no, I just posted there, too.
At least we both agree on the issues.
Bumped up for Sallyg
tee hee
Looked high and low for seeds left from last year?
As soon as you buy seeds to replace your lost packets you were sure you had
...
you will find the packets of seed you knew you had
(did that make sense?)
No doubt, the old seed will germinate just fine in this case as well.
But if you HAVE your last-uear packets and decide NOT to buy fresh seed, then the old seed will not germinate, of course.
The day you water ALL your beds thoroughly is the day a huge thunderstorm lasts all night bringing three days of rain with it. (it was only a 30% chance of rain)
I guess the way it has been raining this season, a 10% chance means torrential down pour.
Sally, That seed germination rule really does work. I bought 1 pkg of radishes and had 2 old ones, which I planted a little thick just in case, All came up like hair on a dog.
I wish I'd had some clue as to how much rain we were going to get, I might have planted a rice paddy rather than a garden. LOL Ric
Ric I am totally with you. Maybe we should see how long it takes to germinate it may not be too late!!!
Except week before last they called for rain everyday and we got none!
When you decide to continue the El Cheapo trend and buy the pots at your local Big Lots going out of business sale - you will pay 3x the amt in the time spent trying to get the EXTRA water out of them due to rain previously mentioned....or should be say flood? Did Noah bring plants on board as well? Anyone know? I mean seriously...I don't think the cacti faired well during the flood!!!!
Maybe just seeds!!! They take up less space.
This message was edited Jun 5, 2009 2:59 PM
Thistles always multiply faster than Irises.
**
If you don't pull up a patch of seedlings, thinking they might be desirable volunteers, they will turn out to be bindweed.
If you carefully hoe them all up, the seedlings will turn out to have sprouted from seeds dropped by your favorite plant.
Amen critter....I have the horrible task (prayfully Sunday) of pulling up what I thought was a "pretty" ornamental grass....NOT...don't know what it is but fairly certainly I don't want it!! GRRR Now to remove it without it's little thorny (seed pods?) drawing blood....
You folks are so funny. I enjoyed reading this and could identify with almost everyone. Truisms.
Thanks for sharing.
Ruby