Re: CULT: Bone meal and dogs
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: CULT: Bone meal and dogs
- From: R* B* <r*@dsrt.com>
- Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 21:28:28 -0600 (MDT)
iris-l@rt66.com wrote:
>
> Ross Bishop wrote:
> >
> > iris-l@rt66.com wrote:
> > >
> > > I overheard my dogs discussing dinner this morning.
> > >
> > > Said the shepherd: "I had a bone meal last night."
> > >
> > > Replied the spaniel: "Who didn't?"
> > >
> > > Griff Crump, along the tidal Potomac, and fresh(?) from preparing two
> > > seedling beds after work. jgcrump@erols.com
> >
> > Griff,
> > Exactly what were you using to prepare those beds?
>
> Ross -- Just in case your question is serious (and not a sly insinuation
> that I might have breathed in too much alfalfa tea), the beds are tilled
> and mounded about 10" higher than the surrounding earth. For many years,
> I have mixed 6-24-24 fertilizer into the tilling, with quite good
> results. However, because you can only rarely get that mix in the
> Washington area, I have to mix the ingredients myself, which is a pain.
> This year, I decided to take a leaf from Nancy Smuriga's book and use
> Rabbit Chow. (I think she only applies it as a top dressing, but I
> decided to mix it in the tilling.) The bed is then topped off with a
> covering of Preen, raked into the surface about 2-3". The beds are
> located in an old dairy yard and the soil is black and the consistency
> of fudge (both when fudge is moist and when fudge dries out). This isn't
> the soil I'd prefer, but it's what's available. I now wait with fingers
> crossed for a good rain or two to settle the bed, then transplant the
> seedlings, which are right now sitting in little aluminum loaf pans,
> subsisting on frequent waterings and occasional doses of Miracle-Gro. I
> have never used bone meal.
>
> Griff Crump, along the tidal Potomac, waiting for the promised rain.
> jgcrump@erols.com
Griff,
Thanks for your kind response. I was half kidding, but do have serious
questions. Here in Santa Fe the weather is ideal for Iris. They grow
like weeds, but the soil is tough on everything. Alkaline, clay. Yuck!
I'd much rather have your fudge. Raised beds here would be very warm for
the roots. Do iris like that? I have read of people using alfalfa
pellets for iris. What does your Rabbit Chow add?
Thanks . . . Ross
