HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: aab@cichlid.com (Andy Burgess)
Subject: Re: drip irrigation from a bucket?
Organization: SIlma Inc.
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 20:57:37 GMT

In <1992Oct7.121722.15373@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> dmiller@theory.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller) writes:

>I have had success from large soda/pop bottles.  Cut off the bottom.  Shove 
>the neck into the soil next to your plant.  Fill the bottle.  All the water 
>will soak into the soil.  It usually empties within an hour or two 
>depending on the type of soil.  

I do something similar to this but I don't cut the bottom off the bottle.
I shove the bottle into the ground upsidedown. The flow is even slower
and the water never flows away when the seal between the bottle and
ground leaks. I got this idea from observing how bottled water dispensers
work.  As the water soaks into the ground the bottle
releases water until the water level in the hole reaches the rim 
of the bottle. Then no more air can enter the bottle and the flow stops.

One drawback is that the bottles tend to fall over, I overcome this
by hammering a 6" piece of 2"diameter black ABS pipe into the ground
next to the plant and stick the bottle into the pipe. 

Its more of a hassle to fill too since you have to pick up the
bottle to fill it.

Andy
-- 
==============================================================================
Andrew A. Burgess            aab@cichlid.com              voice (408) 335 4779
==============================================================================
From: jhb@calmasd.prime.com (Jim Bishop)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: freesias additional questions, idle curiosity
Date: 16 Oct 92 20:54:30 GMT
Organization: -

In article <1992Oct15.004738.19013@math.ucla.edu>, ramirez@julia.math.ucla.edu (Alice Ramirez) writes:
> Kay Klier is right.  Out here in ol' So.Cal we plant freesias in the
> ground. I've even had volunteer seedling freesias pop up in strange places.
> Another element we have in their season (our winters) besides cool rainy
> weather is a certain contrast between daytime temperatures and night time
> temps.  (apx 65 during the day, 45 at night but this is variable and excludes
> hot spells and cold snaps). SOmeone more knowledgable than I might know if
> this detail is important to freesias. (and to those trying to grow them
> in less clement climates).  Also, does anyone know if daylength is 
> important. Our winter daylength is quite a bit longer than that found
> in higher latitudes, and maybe freesia needs this.  

My knowledge of day length and its affect on the blooming period of
south Africa bulbs (freesias, ixas, sparaxis, tritonia, watsonia,
etc.) is from observation and experience (i.e. I can't remember
reading anything about it or discussing it with anyone).  I don't
think it is possible to force any of these into bloom without at
greenhouse capable of changing day length (i.e. artificial light, or
shade cover).  All of the above seem to be triggered by the
lengthening days of late winter to early spring.  I've never had any
bloom "accidentally" before the winter solstice or after the summer
solstice.  I've been able to get freesias to bloom later by planting
later, but if left to oversummer in the ground they all bloom right on
schedule in late February to early March.  I would assume that
greenhouses bring them into bloom earlier by using artificial light to
lengthen the days.

Also in Southern California if you plant some of each in the list
above you will have something in bloom from mid-Feb to early May.
(Though it might be a bit late for something in mid-Feb, since most
S.African bulbs have broken dormancy already.)  Watsonia don't seem to
bloom reliably in San Diego, but I hear they do great north of here. 
I grow them for their tall spiky foliage.  I wish they bloomed better
since they produce a huge clump in only a few years.

Jim
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: nrlfs1.nrl.navy.mil (Judy Karpen)
Subject: Re: Mystery greens still
Organization: NRL
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 23:35:47 GMT

In article <1992Oct16.125835.2317@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>, dmiller@theory.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller) writes:
> 
> nrlfs1.nrl.navy.mil (Judy Karpen) asks:
> 
> > 3) My neighbor is growing some great greens but neither of us can figure
> > out what they are.  They are obviously brassica family, kind of a 
> > mild mustart flavor, but have very fine-structured leaves (sorry I
> > can't recall the right botanical term --- sort of like those cut-leaf
> > japanese maple leaves but green and much bigger).  Also the leaves
> > are soft, more like mustard greens or even lettuce than kale or 
> > collards. The color ranges from lighter yellowish green in newer or
> > central leaves to a dark green. My best guess is mizuna, which 
> > I've only seen in a catalog so it's a wild shot. Any ideas?
> 
> Perhaps rappini/broccoli-rabe or whatever its called.  One of my favorite 
> greens.  How come s/he's growing them but doesn't know what they are?
> 
Thanks for your suggestion, Jill, but "I know broccoli rabe and it's no 
broccoli rabe" (;-> guess I've been watching too much political b.s.). 
One of my favorites too; I've got a fall crop in my back yard even
as we speak. However, I've grown or eaten lots of weird greens, including 
anything edible looking from the Thai grocery store, and this one has me 
stumped. The neighbors asked me to I.D. alot of stuff in their plot
since they tend toward more traditional crops, and never did greens much 
before.  If I recall correctly, they planted some seeds
labelled Salad Mix or something equally uninformative, so that's why they
don't know what it is. Whatever it is, it sure is thriving! 

More guesses, anyone?  Anyone else even HEARD of mizuna? 
These neighbors given me plenty of wonderful veggies so I feel
obliged to help them out. They're the same people who's generosity prompted my 
posting of the OG tomato sauce some weeks back (4 Saturday's worth of 
tomato sauce making, phew). 

 --Jill
> 
> --
> A. Richard & Jill A. Miller            | Miller Microcomputer Services |
> InterNet: dmiller@im.lcs.mit.edu       | 61 Lake Shore Road            |
> Voice: 508/653-6136, 9am-9pm EasternTZ | Natick, MA 01760-2099, USA    | 
> 
> 
> 
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: steveh@or.credence.com (Steve Holder)
Subject: Hard Wood Cuttings
Organization: Credence Systems Corp. Beaverton, OR
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 13:27:32 GMT

  At a former employer's campus there is a particularly nice hybrid (I
  think) vine maple.  I would like to take some cuttings off of the
  tree.  Is the best time to take hard wood cuttings in the late
  winter/early spring time frame?  What is the process for getting such
  hard wood cuttings established and growing?

  I appreciate the wealth of information that comes across the group
  and thanks to all those post here.

  I will sum up any E-Mail that I receive on the subject.

  Thanks Again...


  Steve


-- 
"Well I carry a BIGGA' STICK, and I USE it too. 'WHAM'" - Y. Sam to B. Bunny

*********   steveh@or.credence.com   ********
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: drogers@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Daty Rogers)
Subject: Re: Wildflower seed sources?
Organization: TI Semiconductor Process and Design Center
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 13:52:44 GMT

In article <Bw0xK0.6ro.1@cs.cmu.edu> moody@cs.cmu.edu writes:
>does anyone have handy a name and phone number for a wildflower farm?
>I seem to remember one in Vermont, and I could swear that we got a 
>catalog earlier this year from some place in Texas, but I'll be darned
>if I can track them down.  
>-- 
>James E. Moody Jr.	The Robotics Institute		(412) 268-2847


   James,
   
     I'll try to find the Texas Wildflower Flower Farm address, but
you would be better off using the Vermont w-flowers instead. Wildflowers
in general seem to be location specific, and the Texas flowers, no matter
how beautiful, probably will not grow real well up there. Some will, but
the majority will not adapt and die off. A good source of "meadow" mixtures
are the local nurseries, and the chain hardware stores are real good sources.
Good luck, I've grown w-flowers for years in my yard and beds, the neighbors
thought I was crazy at first, but come May down here I'm the only one left
with color that will last until November.

                                                       later,
                                                                Daty




Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: s5uagm@fnma.COM (Andrew Miller)
Subject: Re: Does Chlorine Kill?
Reply-To: s5uagm@fnma.COM
Organization: Fannie Mae
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 15:40:49 GMT

In article 9044@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com, sabat@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com () writes:
>My backyard neighbor recently dumped half of the water from their giant above
>ground pool onto the yard....
> ... I was a bit upset over this because I
>could not work in the yard as I was planning and will be ven more so if any of
>my stuff dies.

	I worked my way through school doing pool service.  In all that time I 
ever saw any adverse effects from draining a pool onto a lawn.  ( Other than
errosion. )   I believe this is due to the fact that at the times you would
be draining a pool, end of season or 1st thing in the spring, the cholrine 
levels are very very low.   If anything more delicate than a lawn was flooded, 
you should let your inconsiderate neighbor know.  You also might want to test
your pH, if the flood was a bad one.

	We did have one guy who emptied a a pool without noticing the water
feature at the bottom of the hill.  In about an hour, a dozen goldfish were
floating upside down amongst the water lilies.  :-[  

		- Andrew
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Strange plant!  Good book!
Date: 13 Oct 92 21:17:15 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

Dischidia!  Lovely name!  I may have even found a new substitute cuss 
word!

Anyhow... about a century ago (late spring/early summer) we had a lively
thread going on ants and their relationships with plants.  I'd mentioned
the bullhorn acacia, with hollow stipular spines inhabited by ferocious
ants who defend "their plant" from all munchers.  In return the plant
makes lipid-rich bits out on the ends of the leaflets ("beltian bodies")
that the ants relish.

Mike Huben asked why I'd picked on bullhorn acacias, since there are 
some other nice plant/ant symbioses... and I had to reply that I'd
heard of another one that sounded _really_ strange, but I'd forgotten 
the plant.  (blush)

Today, as I was reviewing Kingsley Stern's _Plant Biology_ (I think
I'll be using it for Bio I this spring), I turned the page, and there
it was.  Dischidia!  In all its glory!   Oddball Asclepiadaceae (milkweed
family), which is a family known for its oddball plants.

Dischidia rafflesiana has both ordinary leaves and pitcher-leaves,
formed by a leaf with an invaginated lower epidermis.  An adventitious
root grows into the pitcher from the adjacent stem or petiole.  Debris
gets carried into the pitcher (mostly by ants), and water collects inside,
so those roots are growing into what is basically a small compost pile
maintained by the ants.  Sorry, Mike, but I don't know what the ants get
out of it besides free housing.   Don't know which ants are involved either,
other than the plant is tropical Australasian.

Now this species is supposed to be grown as a greenhouse curiosity, and
I want one...  Do you suppose I can talk the publishers of the text into
skipping the instructor's manual and set of overhead transparencies, 
and just giving me a live D. rafflesiana instead????

Should you ever decide to browse an intro botany book aimed at 
gardeners, I recommend this one.  Well written, lively, and includes
such things as a discussion of compost piles and how to build one,
7 pages on biological controls Including addresses of suppliers),
economic plants, how to do various grafts, and a pretty good table 
on houseplants and their care.

Kay
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: help my poor redbuds
Date: 14 Oct 92 10:56:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: iscsvax.1992Oct14.155615.7649
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Oct14.155724.27813@news.eng.convex.com>, newton@convex.com (Vicki Newton) writes:
> klier@iscsvax.uni.edu responded to me:
> 
>>> Are your neighbor's trees under a streetlight and yours not?  If so,
>>> you've got your answer.
> 
> no such luck.  neighbors on both sides of us and 2 across the street
> all have redbuds and mine are the only ones turning yellow and none
> of us have a streetlight nearby.  would an iron supplement be the
> right direction to head in?  i know that was what my local plant dude
> suggested when my pine was turning brown.

Might help, probably wouldn't hurt, but my inclination is to look for an
answer a bit more... Things I'd look at first:

1) are the leaves on your trees significantly smaller, lighter colored, or
sparser than those on your neighbors trees in midsummer?  Those are indications
of disease and/or nutrient deficiencies.  
  If the answer is yes, I'd look at picture charts of mineral deficiency
  symptoms and see if there were any close matches (try a general botany,
  horticulture, or agronomy _textbook_).  I'd also strongly consider a
  soil analysis. 

2) are the neighbors lawns significantly better looking (greener, plusher)
than yours?  Do they fertilize more often (or fertilize the trees) more
often than you?  If they do, again, this points to a nutritional problem.

3) Could your redbuds simply be of a different genetic stock than those
of the neighbors?  Some trees simply turn faster in the fall than others
of the same species.

4) Do you see any signs of diseases or insects (which aren't too common
a problem on redbud)?

In summary, it sure wouldn't hurt to give your trees some balanced fertilizer,
possibly supplemented by a trace mineral mix like Sequestrene (there are
other brands) when growth starts next spring.  Fertilizing now won't
help a whole lot.  But if you want to determine whether you've got
different trees or sick trees or just hungry ones, you get to play 
detective...

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: gwv@helium.cray.com (George Vandenberghe)
Subject: Re: Forcing oak acorns to germinate
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 9 Oct 92 15:34:15 CDT

In article <1992Oct9.184257.2154@macc.wisc.edu>, heim@vms.macc.wisc.edu (JOHN HEIM	) writes:
|> In article <1992Oct9.171912.7165@bradley.bradley.edu>, larry@bradley.bradley.edu (L. D. Stratton) writes...
|> 
|> >   It is best to 'winterize' your acorns first.  You can accomplish this
|> >   quite easily by putting the acorns in a baggie tightly sealed and
|> >   pop it in the freezer for 6-8 weeks.  Then pull them out and plant
|> >   them, still frozen, in rich loam and about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) deep.
|> >   Set this in a cool but sunny location, water just to keep the soil
|> >   moist but not wet.  You should see growth in about 4 weeks.
|> 
|> Does this work?  Have you tried it, personally?  I'm just curious 
|> because I've been trying to get a oak tree to grow in my yard for 
|> about 1 year.  Last year I got a bunch of acorns, split 'em up, and 
|> tried different things with each group.
|> 
|> I put 10-15 acorns in the freezer in a tupperware container.  Planted some 
|> about 2 months later, some about 3 months later.  Not one sprouted.  
|> 
|> Some I planted immediately at various depths (1 inch to right on the 
|> surface of the dirt) in a container in my basement.  About 1/2 of them 
|> sprouted.  I managed to keep them alive in my living room for about 3 
|> months but they died before spring came.  The leaves turned brown 
|> starting at the edges.
|> 
|> Another group of acorns I stored in the basement for about 3 months.  
|> I got about 10% germination from those.  These began to show the same 
|> symptoms as the ones that I'd lost earlier so I put them outside - 
|> probably too early - and they died too.
|> 
|> I'd try again this year but I haven't been able to find any acorns 
|> yet.  
|> 
|> PS. The family priest says the way to start them outdoors is to press 
|> them into the surface of the ground and cover them with a tin can with 
|> a hole punched in the top.  I haven't tried this.  (Yep, that's right. 
|> I don't believe advice given to me by the family priest. :-)  )
|> 
|> JGH

*********************   JUST ADDING MY $.02  *********

     Many plants that require chilling hours for dormancy require a sum
of hours at REFRIGERATOR temperatures between freezing and about 40 degrees.
Hours at temperatures well below freezing don't count.
 
(( $.01))

    The plants in the living room may not have gotten enough light.  Also
the seeds stored in the basement where it was probably cool and MOIST, 
may have respired at a significant rate all winter and exhausted their
food supply   (( $.02 ))


**********************************

Just for the record, I am a hobby vegetable and flower gardener, NOT a professional
horticulturalist or plant pathologist.  Correction of any errors by those
more knowledgable  is invited.
From: Bob.Batson@mtask.omahug.org (Bob Batson)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: "Slug Resistant Flowers" Update
Date: 08 Oct 92 13:01:00 CST
Reply-To: bob.batson@mtask.omahug.org
Organization: Multitasking Systems, Kansas City
Followup-To: rec.gardens

I want to thank everyone who replied with amendments to my recent posting
of "Slug Resistant Flowers". I'll be posting a new list based on all the
info I receive and sending your observations off to _HortIdeas_ too. So if
there's anything you told me in email that you don't want reprinted,
please advise me so.


*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Bob Batson
bob.batson@mtask.omahug.org
From: amz@iguana.cis.ohio-state.edu (Arnold M Zwicky)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Mystery greens still
Summary: sounds like mizuna to me
Date: 17 Oct 92 02:46:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: cis.1992Oct17.024654.24515
Followup-To: rec.gardens
Organization: lsa, osu, stanford, outil,...

well, i've grown mizuna, and this stuff sounds *just* like mizuna
to me.  it is a truly delightful green - beautiful to look at, and
really tasty.  it *is* a cool weather crop, so it goes to seed when
the temperature goes up (whenever that is where you live); but its
little yellow flowers are pretty too, so the end game is not hard
to take.

...but how does anyone come to have this plant growing in their garden
without having any idea how it got there?  i have to send away for
seeds...

arnold
Organization: University Libraries - Technical Service, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 08:25:02 -0400 
From: "William K. Gentz" <wg0n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Books on Roses/Violets?

Can anyone recommend titles on either roses or African Violets?  I
recently got David Austin's "Heritage of the Rose" through interlibrary
loan and would like something more practical since I'm just getting
started with roses (I'm not even sure how to prune; what I'm doing seems
to be working but I know there are great secrets that I'm not aware
of....).  

Thanks!
-Bill
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: dmiller@theory.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller)
Subject: Re: What is it (red shrub)?
Organization: Laboratory for Computer Science, MIT
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 12:19:22 GMT

asente@adobe.com (A Usenet Pal) writes:
> 
> This time we have a shrub.  The one I saw was about 3' tall and 4' diameter.
> Branches are quite straight and quite red.  Leaves about 1" long, rounded
> where they are attached and pointed at the other end.  The top is deep green,
> the bottom silvery, but both sides with a reddish cast.  They appear in pairs
> opposite each other on the stem.  Currently (on San Francisco peninsula)
> bearing many white tubular flowers.  Immature flower buds are between two
> small reddish leaf like things.  There is one flower bud between each leaf
> and the stem, except near the tips of branches, where there is a cluster.

Perhaps red osier dogwood.  Quite common as an ornamental in the northeast.

--Jill

--
A. Richard & Jill A. Miller            | Miller Microcomputer Services |
InterNet: dmiller@im.lcs.mit.edu       | 61 Lake Shore Road            |
Voice: 508/653-6136, 9am-9pm EasternTZ | Natick, MA 01760-2099, USA    | 

Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: nguyenpd@ntmtv.UUCP (Phat Nguyen)
Subject: RICHARD OWEN NURSERY
Originator: nguyenpd@nmtvs315
Reply-To: nguyenpd@ntmtv.UUCP (Phat Nguyen)
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 23:02:49 GMT

> I'd sure appreciate it if you could scan the listings below and
> see if you recognise any of the companies.
>  1) Please differentiate between seed/bulb catalogs and nursery
>     stock.
>  2) Comments on specialties of the companies and
>  3) reliability or quality are also needed.

> My best guesses/remembrances are listed after some firms.  Please
> confirm or deny.

> Please email your comments to IN%klier@iscsvax.uni.edu

> Thanks!

>        Kay Klier

I just order some daylilies and irises from RICHARD OWEN NURSERY.
It seems to me that the order delivered in good package.  Since
I just planted the bulbs last month, I really don't know about
how they turn out yet (follow up next year?).  The price at OWEN
is quite expensive (around $4 for each iris and daylily).  If you
want some more common bulbs, it is much cheaper to buy it at the
local nurseries.  They offer a variety of bulbs and plants at
OWEN, but it seems to me that they specialize in daylilies and 
irises.

Phat
From: chuq@Apple.COM (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Apple tree question
Date: 16 Oct 92 16:43:10 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA

smt2626@hertz.njit.edu (sylvia m tou mfen stnt) writes:

>I was considering planting an apple tree in my yard, apples I could
>pick and eat (or at least cook with).  Before I do this I would
>like to have other people's opinion as to whether I am about to make
>a big mistake or not.  Other than having to "collect" the rotten apples
>that fall off and have been eaten off by animals and bugs what
>other problems would I be facing.

We planted a couple of trees a few years ago as part of the rehab of the
back yard. One's a yellow delicious, and the other is a sebastopol. 

If you go with dwarf of semi-dwarf trees, you don't have the problem with
tall trees with lots of dropped fruit. We spent some wonderful weeks pulling
fruit off the tree and chomping (the Sebastopol is a wonderful tart-sweet
with good juice. There's nothing in the stores to compare). 

All of the trees I've planted are fruit bearers, since I believe in a
productive as well as pretty yard. The apples are the oldest, and they've
been fine, no major maintenance hassles. I think they're definitely worth
it.

One thing that took me a bit to get used to. The apples I picked felt
'wrong'. I finally realized that was because I was used to commercial
apples, all of which are waxed (and therefore smooth), and the skin of my
home-growns have texture. 


-- 
Chuq "IMHO" Von Rospach, ESD Support & Training (DAL/AUX) =+= Member, SFWA
  chuq@apple.com | GEnie: MAC.BIGOT | ALink:CHUQ =+= Editor, OtherRealms

    I wanna drive the zamboni! I wanna drive the zamboni, yes I do.