OT: weather
In a message dated 11/19/2003 6:47:09 PM Central Standard Time,
jgcrump@erols.com writes:
> I was concerned that the storm was going to put a lot of water on many of
> our
> irisarians in its path.
>
It was a bit brutal here during the day Tuesday. Not much traffic today,
since the low water bridge is WAY underwater. I'm quite rural now anyway. We're
supposed to be blessed with a couple of beautiful days . . . sorta to make up.
Winds were so strong today that I might be back to planting the potted
irises by noon tomorrow.
Tell me, before I forget to ask (again), what are > the dimensions of a "mum
> pot"?
>
Eight inch diameter with a more shallow five inches in depth. Ideal for my
seedlings. Don't need the depth of a larger pot--wasted soil--and they don't
tip very easy.
> I this year lost 2/3 of my
> sprouts (529 of them) to damping off. I have never lost sprouts to damping
> off before, but once is enough.
In the 18 years since I started planting seed, I don't think I've ever lost
an iris seedling to dampening off. During the same time period, I've lost a
lot of vegetable and flower seedlings under more pampered conditions, trying to
hurry them by sprouting indoors.
<<I imagine I'll still have to fight the slugs, though. How do you>
> combat them?>>
Slugs have also not been a problem for me. Could it be the rims of the
plastic pots? Maybe they are too rough for the slugs to cross. The seedlings are
usually four or five inches tall when I transplant, and again, I've had little
trouble with slugs. At the same time, I've had to supply collars for tomatoes
and the like or ring with ashes. I thought they just didn't like iris
seedlings for some reason! LOL!
I seem to have scared the deer away. Until I moved in, there were new tracks
in the garden each morning. I did encounter 4 renegade head of cattle one
cloudy, rainy morning. Had my head down, trying to beat the rain, and when I
looked up . . . there they were! A bit disconcerting. Good thing I grew up on
a farm.
Betty W. in South-central KY Zone 6 expecting to be bothered by wire worms
again since the beds were pasture just last year. I've read it can be expected
with new ground. Had the problem to a lesser degree when I first planted at
Alvaton.
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