HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: lp@well.sf.ca.us (Lily Pond)
Subject: Mad Leaping Squirrel
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 18:23:00 GMT


I have a fairly small Japanese Maple that I planted last summer on a small
hillock that I made (so it will reflect in the pond!). Of course, it is now
nearly leafless, just a few stubborn dried leaves and seedpods hanging on.
Around its base, some small amount of wild onion grows.

So this squirrel comes (more than once) and circles the tiny trunk over and
over leaping and twisting wildly and spasmodically in the air (leaping 3 or
4 inches up). It then jumps off.

WHAT'S going on!?!
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: london@sunSITE.unc.edu (Larry London)
Subject: Question for arborist (forwarded from BIOSPH-L mailing list)
Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 21:50:12 GMT

From JM01%SWTEXAS.BITNET@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu Mon Jan 11 16:40:00 1993
Date:         Mon, 11 Jan 1993 11:27:00 CST
From: JM01%SWTEXAS.BITNET@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu
Subject:      arborist questions
To: Multiple recipients of list BIOSPH-L <BIOSPH-L@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu>


I'm hoping an arborist can give me a little advice on a tree repair.  I have a
100+ year-old Texas Live Oak tree in my yard.  The trunk diameter at breast
height is about 4.5 feet, and the canopy spread is over 60 feet.  Unfortunately,
the tree had been improperly pruned in the past, resulting in decayed wood and
cavities on a large branch.  The branch in question is nearly horizontal, is
20 feet long, is about 10 inches in diameter at mid-point, and has a cavity
about 3 feet long and 5" in diameter at the mid-point.  After cutting a few
decayed and broken branches from this main branch, until I reached live wood,
I was able to scrape a large quantity of decayed and soaked wood from this
cavity--it was soaked from rainwater and was very spongy.  A hole in the
top side of the main branch had let rainwater enter and decay the limb from the
inside.  The outer 2 to 3 inches of the branch diameter is still solid wood.
Finally, my questions:

        1) Is there a light-weight patch I can use to fill the branch
           cavity, instead of using mortar, to reduce the risk of breaking
           the branch.

        2) Should I try sealing the hole completely after it dries out,
           or should I put in a copper drainage tube to prevent any
           accumulation of moisture if the seal leaks.

        3) Is there anything else I should consider?  I don't want to
           remove the branch since it is such a large part of the tree.
           Should I try reinforcing it with a support cable for a few years,
           or possible permanently?  How should I determine if a support
           cable is necessary?  Should I trim back a few of the smaller
           branches to reduce the weight on the main branch?

Thanks for any advice.

Joe Meyer
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: ckelly@math.nwu.edu (Christopher Kelly)
Subject: Re: Catalpa tree
Organization: Dept of Math, Northwestern Univ
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 20:14:00 GMT

In article ,  writes:
> In article <C0psMz.DMz@athena.cs.uga.edu>, karen@athena.cs.uga.edu (Karen Snetselaar) writes:
> |> In article <carolyn.726721729@bucket> carolyn@bucket.rain.com (Carolyn Peterson) writes:
> |> >
> |> >
> |> >I'm looking at our cold, frozen, snowy yard and making plans
> |> >for spring planting.  One thing I'm considering adding is a
> |> >catalpa tree.  Are there any negative points that I should be
> |> >aware of?  Is there a specific variety anyone can recommend?
> 
> One thing that I don't like about catalpa trees is their smell when in bloom.
>  [lines deleted]          
> 
I vote for the catalpa. There are two varieties in North America, that
I know of. The southern catalpa is more likely than the northern to get
worm infestations. Ours in Evanston has never had any that I recall.
(But I have picked my share of catalpa worms for fishing--south of the
Mason-Dixon).  It is the grandest, most beautiful tree in the whole
neighborhood, despite the loss of some of the smaller lower branches.
The northern variety you will want in Oregon may litter you yard up
some, but not any more than a sycamore. If anyone refuses to rake
leaves, they should plant only evergreens.  As for me, I just mow the
flower petals into the grass and forget them, as they decay very
quickly. And our tree, which is well over 60 feet high, does not throw
down enough of the pods to even bother raking. Maybe my catalpa is the
exception, but it IS no trouble considering the beauty.

-- 

--Chris Kelly    internet: ckelly@math.nwu.edu
                 phone:    (708) 491-8020
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: lcw@cci632.cci.com (Lori Wershing)
Subject: landscape questions
Organization: Northern Telecom, Inc. - Network Application Systems
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 13:08:35 GMT


In the past I've received great advice from the net...so here I go again.

We purchased a house this past year...it's only 4 years old...though no
landscaping.  It's brown stained with yellow trim and looks like a big
barn!  I'd like to "landscape" the front in a less formal manner.

I thought maybe beds of perennials with some nursery stock and some  
annuals.  I'd also like this to be reasonably priced!  We plan to install
some kind of walk to the front door......

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!  Maybe some of you have
knowledge of books which might prove helpful...others might know of
perennials which would be good (hardy, quick growing)...etc...etc.

Some facts:

   We live near Rochester NY
   I have nursery experience (though don't know much about perennials)
   Lots of wildlife
   Small children


Some Hopes:

   Natural look
   Easy to care for
   Full look 
   Want to incorporate a split rail fence somehow...maybe roses on the
          side of the walkway to front door away from house
   Love flowering "stuff"
   Love unusual "stuff"

Thanks in advance!`

Lori


Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: billmc@microsoft.com (Bill McJohn)
Subject: Own-root roses
Date: 13 Jan 93 02:37:29 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corp.


How long does it take rose bushes (in particular, David Austin's
English Roses) growing on their own roots to reach blooming size?

I've received a wonderful catalog from Heirloom Garden Roses,
of Oregon.  They sell first-year own-root roses.  The idea of
roses grown on their own roots appeals to me (especially the
part about not having to worry about suckers).  But if it means
waiting two or three years more than with grafted roses, I might
change my mind.

I would appreciate hearing about anyone's experiences with own-root
roses.

Thanks,
Bill McJohn

Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: james@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (James White)
Subject: Re: Seedlings under lights and legginess
Date: Tue, 05 Jan 1993 14:23:18 GMT
Distribution: na
Reply-To: JamesWhite@vnet.ibm.com
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Rochester

I too have been starting my own vegetable plants to be taken out doors.  I usually
start around 100 pepper, 100 tomotoes, trays of onions, garlic, 50 cabbage, and a
host of others.  When I take the plants outside I place a plastic milk jug with
the bottom cut off on top of each plant.  I then mound the dirt about half way
up the side of the jug to hold it in place. If I have enough jugs, then I leave
them on the plant until the plant just about pushes it off.  If not, then the 
jugs are removed after about 2 weeks.
 
I have never made any other special attempt at hardening off the plants and
have had wonderful success with this method.  When not in use I keep all the
jugs strung on ropes in my garden shed.
 
This method has the additional benefits that I lose very few plants to cut worms, 
and when the jugs are removed a nice watering indentation remains.
 
I would certainly suggest this method to anyone.


-- 

James White 
In sunny but cold Rochester Minnesota.
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: dave@littlecheese.manassas.ibm.com ()
Subject: Re: selling tomato plants
Date: Fri, 08 Jan 93 11:31:52 GMT
Reply-To: irby@vnet.ibm.com
Organization: IBM, Federal Systems Company

In article <psmith.726425775@cunews>, psmith@alfred.carleton.ca (Peter Smith) writes:

  I also sell at markets and we sell quite a few plants each spring.

|> * # pots per pak; size of pots; and whether to use peat-type or
|> plastic

  We use plastic paks with six cells per pack (leads to 48 cells/flat). We 
also cut the packs up for customers who don't want a full six-pack. We usually
give a price break if they buy six of the same plant (we don't have to cut 
the pak up then).  Other vendors at our markets use the peat pots and they 
seem to work well.  I would suggest you just use whatever you would use for
yourself.  I have been thinking of switching to peat pots and while they
certainly cost more than the plastic paks the cost isn't unreasonable.

|> * any vegetable plants that sell well in the spring other than
|> pepper/tomato

  If you grow any herbs (especially Basils) they tend to sell very well. 
We also had quite a few people asking for cucumber seedlings this year
(although we don't grow any). 

-- 
David Irby   irby@vnet.ibm.com

Dammit Jim! - All ideas and opinions expressed herein are my own.
From: Alan.Holmes@brunel.ac.uk (Alan J Holmes)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Preparing Clay Soil for Planting
Date: 4 Jan 93 15:14:54 GMT
Organization: Brunel University, West London, UK

In article <1992Dec29.184101.19659@gvl.unisys.com> garyp@rmtc.paramax.com (Gary Palangian [RMTC/ISP]) writes:
>Hey Now Everybody,
>
>    Construction on my new house will be complete in a couple of
>months.  My family has all kinds of grandiose plans for the
>backyard landscape.  The house is in the Denver, CO area and
>the soils are very heavy (a lot of clay).  To make matters
>worse, the builder removed and discarded the top
>18" of soil during construction.

I think you should ask him (the builder) to put back YOUR
topsoil, or replace it.

Regards

Alan Holmes
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: breland@cobweb.mcc.com (Mark A. Breland)
Subject: Re: Setting-out onions by the moon
Reply-To: breland@cobweb.mcc.com
Organization: MCC
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 16:28:54 GMT

In article 43344@sdcc12.ucsd.edu, cs161fcd@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (Sean Maschue) writes:
>
>Quick Question:
>
>What is the proper phase of the moon to set out onion bulbs by?
>Waning seems familiar to me, but I can't remember?

By old tradition (as documented in the Old Farmer's Almanac), a general rule of
thumb is to plant top-bearing crops (tomatoes, peppers, etc) during a waxing moon,
this includes both seeding and transplanting.  Plant bottom-bearing crops (potatoes,
onions, carrots, etc) during a waning moon.  Above ground fruit in waxing, below
ground fruit in waning.

---
Mark A. Breland - Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC)
Ada Fault Tolerance                               | voice:    (512) 338-3509
3500 West Balcones Center Drive                   | FAX:      (512) 338-3900
Austin, Texas 78759-6509   USA                    | internet: breland@mcc.com
From: montana@mizar.usc.edu (Robert Montana)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Source for castor beans?
Date: 9 Jan 93 01:29:34 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: mizar.usc.edu

Ed Clark writes on Tue, 5 Jan 93:

>Ricinus communis (castor bean, castor-oil plant, wonder tree) has
>poisonous seeds if eaten; castor oil is extracted from them.  Don't
>plant this one around kids.

In our area Castor Beans grow like a weed, pretty much naturalized.
It is commonly found in vacant lots, power line right of ways, flood
controls, etc.; all the places I hung out as a kid.  I have no statistics
of poisoning by castor beans in L.A. County, but if it takes to your
region like it does to ours then you could be inadvertently planting 
them around kids.  Do I sound like an alarmist?  Well ask Jimmy Carter
about kudzu.


Robert
From: berman@fndaug.fnal.gov (Eileen Berman)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: indoor gardening (was none)
Date: 4 Jan 93 19:18:28 GMT
Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia IL
NNTP-Posting-Host: fndaub.fnal.gov


hi, i live near chicago, so the winter gets too cold for some tender
perennials (like rosemary) and so i decided to plant them in pots so i could
bring them indoors over the winter.  the really cool looking light and shelf
kits were way too expensive for me, so i went to my local hardware store, and
bought the following :

		2 flourescent lights (thekind that you can plug in, not the
		            ones that need to be wired in)
		some chain
		a board large enough to mount the 2 lights side by side
		4 screw in hooks to hang

then i mounted the lights on the one side of the board and the hooks on the
other. if you get sufficient amount of chain, you can raise and lower the 
lights as the plants get bigger.  i also bought two grow-light bulbs and
replaced two of the bulbs in the lights with these so the plants get a mixture
of lights.  i have succeeded in starting plants and over-winter my rosemary
and several others with these lights.

oh, i also have a timer that turns the lights off and on automatically so i do
not have to worry about that.

eileen
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: mracette@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Michael Racette)
Subject: Re: Grow lights
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 22:09:13 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <1isflaINN7sa@cronkite.Central.Sun.COM> pstryjew@colsun.Central.Sun.COM writes:
>Are the florescent grow light bulbs worth the money?  I have seen a 4ft bulb
>for ~$11, this seems high.  
>
>Last year I used standard "soft white" tubes in my fixture, and the plants seemed
>to do fine.  I have heard that one cool and one warm bulb give good light.  
>I have a standard 4ft shop light suspended by chains, so I can adjust the height
>(two bulb).
>
>What are some recommendations for bulb configuration?  
>If "grow" light are better, what is a reasonable price?
>
>
I saw a study once that said the best lighting using this type of shop light
fixture is a combination of 1 standard soft white and one grow light.
This combo gives full spectrum from the grow bulb and higher light intensity
from the standard (higher than 2 grow bulbs). A local hardware store here
sells unpackaged gro bulbs for considerably cheaper than the packaged ones
and they seem to last just as long, so shop around.   
By the way, I never seemed to get sufficient light from florescent lights so
finally switched to a large 400w metal halide system. This is for a set up at
work though, so I wasn't paying for it. Its kind of expensive. If your plants
do fine, I'd just stick with what works.

Mike R.
From: Val.Gillman@altern8.mi.org (Val Gillman)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Northern Orchards
Date: 7 Jan 93 05:00:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: altern8.726623235.2

>Newsgroups: rec.gardens

>I am in the process of planning a family orchard in Northern Michigan.
>The area is in a zone 5 because of lake buffering but is surrounded
>by zone 4. Can anyone give some advice on what types of trees will
>do well here?

I live in zone 5 in Freeland, MI. Apples and pears seem happy,
peaches don't last forever but are worth it to me. Once tried
Reliance peach which was super hardy, but it tasted inferior.
Here we have the peach tree borer, which was instrumental in
causing the demise of all my peaches. I read that the trees can
resist borers easier if they aren't stressed by the cold
already. Apricots bloom too early and get caught by frost most
years. Cherries are o.k. Plums are hardy but I can't grow them
because of rampant plum curculio which I've found impossible to
control by organic means. Maybe they're not bad where you are.
Last year I lost a persimmon but I can't tell if the split trunk
was caused by non-hardiness. You could try paw paws. I have a
couple babies so I haven't tried them long enough to reccomend
them. Hope this helps.

 * XXYW 1.12 * I've got a Friends of Rutabaga meeting.
Newsgroups: rec.gardens,alt.pagan
From: ljz57640@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (l.j.z. )
Subject: Re: Herb names
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 00:07:40 GMT
Keywords: starhawk, herbs, systematical names

bcking@HQ.Ileaf.COM (Christine King) writes:

>In article <C0CMqB.I7w@lysator.liu.se> ceci@lysator.liu.se (Cecilia Henningsson) writes:
>>I have a list of plants with only common names. Most of the plants I

>>The source of the names is Starhawk's _The_Spiral_Dance_. One last
>>question, are bay laurel and laurel the same plant?

>Common names are pretty loosey-goosey about exactly which plant they
>refer to.  My feeling here is that sometimes Laurel == Bay Laurel,
>but often Laurel is the Greek one and Bay Laurel is the California
>one.

The name "Laurel" refers to{ the group of plants that make up the
genus _Laurus_, one of which is Bay Laurel (_Laurus nobilis_).  
So... in certain places it is understood that "Laurel" is actually
Bay Laurel, but{ in most places Bay Laurel is just known as Bay or
Bay Leaf.  {In my area, there are a number of plants in the Laurel
family, including Mountain Laurel (an entirely different plant alto{gether).

--L.


-- 
"Push the button, Frank!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
laura j zurawski    juniper@uiuc.edu      visualize whirled peas
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: mnb@mira.ca.boeing.com (Mike Burr)
Subject: Re: Worms and Home Composting in Winter
Organization: BoGART Graphics Development
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 23:34:30 GMT

>In article <1htjioINN4pu@access.usask.ca> goldie@herald.usask.ca (Hugh Goldie) writes:
>>I recently saw part of a Canadian news program from Winnipeg, about indoor
>>composting with red worms.  I would be very thankful if someone could e-mail
>>or post some details about this, particularly where to get worms and how to
>>get started.  It is -37 degrees centigrade in Saskabush right now and my
>>outdoor compost heap is probably working rather slowly... :-).
>

Check the classifieds at the back of any gardening magazine.  The worms
are not the standard earthworm from your backyard.  They are red worms a
much smaller worm.  Anyway, I don't know what prices are now but 5 years
ago I bought 5000 for $14.95 (I beleive).  Take good care of them and they
multiply.  I've probably got ~30,000 now, and I've given away many thousands
to friends.

They sure can eat!  They took care of this years pumpkin in 3 weeks.


-- 
Michael Burr  Boeing Computer Services, Bellevue WA
              Email:mnb@voodoo.ca.boeing.com
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: bhaskar@brtph181.bnr.ca (Shaji Bhaskar)
Subject: Re: Pond underwater plants
Organization: BNR Inc. RTP, NC
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 15:30:47 GMT

In article <27753@sybase.sybase.com> karenp@sybase.com (Karen Paulsell) writes:
>
>This year, the "Parrot's Feather" that I planted a couple years
>ago really took off, and the pond is the clearest it has been in
>the four years I've lived here: I think that's it's because the
>plant is competing with the algae for the nutrients. Opinions?

This is a fairly well-accepted view in aquarium circles.  Elodea aka
Egeria aka Anacharis species is a faster-growing plant and is probably
better at controlling algae.  It, like the Parrot's Feather
(Myriophyllum) should survive outdoors through the winter if you have
a deep enough pond.  Duckweed, if you can put up with its appearance,
could help too, by cutting down the amount of light available to the
algae.

-Shaji
-- 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shaji Bhaskar     BNR, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709     (bhaskar@bnr.ca) 
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: mad@cs.wm.edu (Michael A. Dritschel)
Subject: Re: epazote
Organization: College of William & Mary, founded 1693
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 20:50:47 GMT

jrm@lgc.com (John Moore) asks

  Does anybody know where I can get seed for some "epazote".

Since you live in Texas, I would imagine you can find it growing wild.
It is not difficult to recognize and is common "weed" in disturbed
soils.  I'm not sure what the furthest north is that it naturally
occurs, but at least zone 7.  I does not seem to be in zone 5 (at
least there was none wild in northern Indiana when I lived there).  
-- 
Michael A. Dritschel          mad@cs.wm.edu

Department of Mathematics
The College of William and Mary
From: vida@crsa.bu.edu (Vida Jakabhazy)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Maidenhair ferns
Date: 11 Jan 93 03:24:34 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Boston University Center for Remote Sensing


A recent episode of Victory Garden (Jim would be so disappointed at
what's happened to that show) has rekindled my interest in these ferns.
Would anyone know how difficult they are to grow indoors in the Northeast?

Thanks,
Vida Jakabhazy
vida@crsa.bu.edu


Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: pharvey@quack.sac.ca.us (Paul Harvey)
Subject: Re: epazote
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'.
Date: 12 Jan 1993 18:34:00 UTC

In article <C0q3o0.DEn@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> 
richter@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (C. Richter) writes:
>In article <1993Jan12.000445.7782@lgc.com> jrm@lgc.com (John Moore) writes:
>>Does anybody know where I can get seed for some "epazote".
>>It's an herb that looks like cilantro but tastes much different. 
>>The herb is used in tortilla soup, corn husk, chilaquiles, and the like.
>Isn't it great.  I got to love it when I lived in Guatemala for a few 
>months.  It is also known as "American wormseed" because it was used as 
>a vermifuge.  Botanical name is _Chenopodium ambrosiodes_.  
>We have seeds available: Packet/$1.25, 1g/$7, 10g/$29 (Canadian funds). 
>Conrad Richter                     richter@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca
>Richters Herbs                     71550.3411@compuserve.com
>Goodwood, ON L0C 1AO Canada        Tel 416-640-6677 / Fax 416-640-6641

Beans aren't beans without it. Also makes a great tea.
From: ct076@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michael T. Loos)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Micronutrient Frits
Date: 12 Jan 1993 01:21:11 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc10.ins.cwru.edu


I am looking for a United States source for fritted micronutrients.
The glass frits I have found are generally available to farmers and 
commercial green industry types working on a HUGE scale. Most of the 
chemical manufacturers do not deal with the retail public.

I realize that there are fertilizers available which have micronutrients
included, but I need something which does not easily dissolve. 

I would appreciate contacts.

Michael Loos
ct076@cleveland.freenet.edu
Thank you
From: goddard+@cs.cmu.edu (Nigel Goddard)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Tree pruning
Date: 12 Jan 93 19:38:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.C0rAK8.7v0.2
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

A couple of years ago I pruned our Magnolia, removing
branches so as to open up the tree.  Since then many
shoots have grown from the places where I cut, and it
looks like I have to cut them off.  Is there some way
I can stop this from re-ocurring?

Nigel

-- 
Nigel Goddard
goddard@b.gp.cs.cmu.edu