TOPIC: Working in the patches this weekend.

Can't wait to get off tomorrow, and head up to the mountains!

I plan on inspecting the patches, as I am hoping that the leaf litter isn't moved toooo much off the October plantings. I didn't spread limbs over the ground after spreading the leaf clutter... so we'll just have to see. Am bringing my rakes just in case.

I'm also going to spread lime. There's 4 ea of 40 lbs bags there already just waiting for me.

I have obtained the Agri Gro soil suppliments, and will use my newly aquired sprayer with it this weekend. One of the suppliments is a liquid calcium that is supposedly immediately available to the seeds and last years crop.

My recent analysis of the serial soil samples indicated that my pH needs elevation, and my Ca needs a WHOLE lotta elevation. I always knew from reading the soil samples reports that there were deficiencies, however when you take and start a new trending report on your own, you can see the dramatic truth of it all.

The work of spreading 160 lbs of lime, and 160 lbs of gypsum, that I did last year was valueable, and needed. However since I'm not tilling the ground on the mountainside that application of lime and gypsum may take over 6 months to really percolate into the soil.

I'll post pics after the weekend.

Here's a link to the Agri Gro products:
www.agrigro.com

Whitjr, I am jealous! I wish I could get out this weekend too. Not sure what I would do but maybe I will clear some Japanese Honeysuckle out. Yep just talked myself into it, that's what i will do. Small ones ought to pull up fairly easy with this wet loamy soil. Glad you posted this Whitjr.
Latt

Latt- I just can't stay away any longer... supposed to snow in the mountains here on sunday, w/ bitter cold Sat night. If I get the spraying done, and lime spread, then the snow should get it into the ground pretty good.

I was going to stay for two nights up there. However impending snow that was going to start just before daylight caused me to leave earlier. I left sat night after working in the patches most of the day.

I didn't really want to drive the 2.5 hours home sat night after working most of the day. However I didn't want to drive down the mountain in the snow/ice on NC rt 421 worse. So came home after working in the patches for many hours.

I took soil samples, from all over. The folks in the NC dept of Ag are going to love me. I took 8 samples from top to bottom on the patches, then 3 more from an area adjacent to my rootlet beds... this had MH ferns growing in it. I want to see the difference in the ground that was not invaded by the rodo. The MHF area is right next to my cleared area.

I used my new packpack sprayer w/ the nutrigrow as well. Applied the solution - it smells like the little bait shop cans of earthworms- as it was supposed to be, 2 0z solution to 2 gal water per 1000sq feet. The sprayer works very well, and I could have filled it less time if I used to to it's full 4 gal capacity. I didn't want ot carry 4 gals up and sown the mountainside, so only filled it up w/ 2 gals.

I had intentioin to come back and spray the liquid calcium from the same company, however after applying the nutri=grow solution, however I was thru climbing around the mountainside after the first solution!

I'll go back in two weeks and get that calcium applied.

Photos coming tonight after work!

here's the link for the Nutri-Gro solutions.

www.biagro.com/nutri_grow/ng_html/products.html

Our forum doesn't appear to like my Apple in uploading photos... oh, well. I was trying to upload some photos of the spraying this past weekend.

I'll leave it, and maybe it will appear anyway. I had attempted to upload some photos some months ago, and got the same message that the images couldn't be uploaded.... and they showed up anyway.

I had to have my wife help me resize my pic size to under 800 pixels. I used to be able to do it myself but for some reason the Mac will not allow me to do it like I used to for some reason. Darn computers anyway. Would like to see your pics thou.
Latt

I did size it down to the smallest .jpg! Still too big a file. hmmm...

You got a mac as well! How 'bout that. I've been a Apple fan for 20+ years. Only use the ibm type 'cause work forces me to.

In my patches this past weekend... I was glad to see only a little of bare earth, where the leaf clutter had been moved by the weather. I did see some 'sang seed, there. Guess that is seed that won't be coming up.

while I was there a little grey bird w/ a tuft on it's head, flew down and grabbed a seed, just a few feet away. That rascal!

Hey Whitjr, if those seeds are laying on top the soil they may still be viable. Any chance you rake some leaves on them next time you are there?
Latt

Whitjr

Try this link for shrinking down your photos.

Try 760 Pixels. This is what I use to resize my photos. After resizing, just download it to a file on your comp.

Hope this helps.

www.shrinkpictures.com/

classicfur