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| I saw these on a persimmon tree in my yard |
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| Chrysalis (cocoons) |
From the internet
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| Prometheus Moth chrysalis |
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| Luna Moth chrysalis |
Seedling update
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| It has been three weeks since most of these seeds were started. |
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| The lovage is starting to show true-leaves. |
It is not all skittles-and-cream soda |
| Something is impacting the older Stupice tomato leaves |
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| Bottom of leaf |
These bumps look like aphids but don't move when I scrape them. Puzzling. I am going to treat it as if it was due to excessive fertilizer (note the purple) and put them on a well-water diet for a week.
And...we lost a duck today. They found a way out of the garden enclosure and were waddling around the yard. Then, a few hours later three of the four were back into the enclosure and there was no sign of the fourth one.
Coyotes and fox have their pups and kits to feed. My fault for not addressing the Great Duck Escape.
I thought purple leaves were due to a nutrient deficiency. I’ve had it once or twice but you’d have to confirm your situation and fertilizer. I think it’s either a magnesium deficiency or or phosphorus.
ReplyDeleteSouthern NH
I don't think it is a phosphorus shortage. I am using a commercial 18-18-20 NPK soluble fertilizer. I have some ground dolomite that I can use but was not able to find Epson Salt in-stock in the ERJ inventory. I will sprinkle dolomite on half of the cells and see if the plants respond.
DeleteThanks for the comment.
Thanks for the chrysalis pictures ERJ. I can scarcely think of a time I have actually seen one in person.
ReplyDeleteSomething to think about:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.fb.org/news-release/nationwide-survey-most-farmers-cant-afford-fertilizer
Joe what's the report on the ground in your area?
We grow corn, soybeans, soft winter-wheat and alfalfa in roughly that order.
DeleteNitrogen is the particular nutrient that is in-play since that is made from "waste" natural gas. That is, gas produced too far from markets to ship economically. It is cheaper to turn it into Portland cement powder, polyethylene beads, poly film or tubing or....anhydrous ammonia or urea.
Due to biology, fertilizer is not a just-in-time commodity. Corn can have anhydrous knifed-in the autumn before planting up-to knee-high in the field. Same-same for urea. Anytime as long as the ground is not frozen. Most of the nitrogen for the 2026 corn crop has already been purchased and most of it applied.
Soybeans do not require supplemental nitrogen.
Winter wheat nitrogen is applied shortly after the ground thaws in the spring. It is already in the ground by now.
Alfalfa does not require supplemental nitrogen.
One slight nuance is that phosphorus is often applied as DAP, Di-ammonium phosphate which is a fertilizer that supplies both phosphorus AND nitrogen. DAP is usually made with natural gas from Algerian fields and Moroccan phosphate.
I see pallets of bagged fertilizer at the Caledonia Farm Elevator in Charlotte. Farmers rarely used bagged fertilizer. Too much labor. They buy bulk and rent a spreader from the elevator and don't touch a bag.
We will get kicked in the teeth in 2027, though. That and crops planted in the south in the autumn. Also, swing producers of grains in the southern hemisphere (really, there are people and farms down there and they grow far more food than they consume) will struggle. It is an open secret that South American food-stuffs and natural resources are subsidizing growth in Mainland China consumption. That could become a sticky mess.
Locations that get two honest crops a year are already monkey-hammered for fertilizer for their second planting.
Given the current gulf situation, everyone should buy a bag (or 13) each of triple 15 and some 6-12-12, or whatever blend your local co-op has. Mine sells Triple-19 in 50lb bags. Store 2 years easy if kept dry in a shed.
DeleteFertilizer needs to be matched to the plant's needs.
DeleteSNIP For healthy potato growth, an NPK fertilizer with a ratio around 5-10-10 or 4-8-10 is generally recommended, with adjustments based on soil tests and plant growth stage. Too much nitrogen makes lots of leaves and a poor potato harvest.
SNIP Choosing the Right Squash Fertilizer
Selecting the appropriate fertilizer involves considering the plant’s growth stage and the desired nutrient balance. For initial planting and early vegetative growth, a balanced fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 NPK ratio, provides a good start. As squash plants transition from leafy growth to flowering and fruiting, they benefit from fertilizers with a higher phosphorus and potassium content. A ratio like 5-10-10 or 8-24-24, or even higher phosphorus blends, supports robust bloom development and fruit production.
Both I selected because they are fairly easy to grow, produce massive calories, and decent vit C and most of all stores well in a cool dark place free of rodents.
"We will get kicked in the teeth in 2027, though. That and crops planted in the south in the autumn. Also, swing producers of grains in the southern hemisphere (really, there are people and farms down there and they grow far more food than they consume) will struggle. It is an open secret that South American food-stuffs and natural resources are subsidizing growth in Mainland China consumption. That could become a sticky mess."
DeleteAND BTW part of the some 15% of AMERICAN food, much higher beef, ALL of our Coffee and Chocolate, most of our OFF-Season fresh fruits and veggies.
NOT ALL CHINA but as food sells to the Highest Bidder maybe China will bid higher?
"Locations that get two honest crops a year are already monkey-hammered for fertilizer for their second planting."
Joe do you mean like this:
SNIP Yes
Yes, California does practice double cropping. The state is known for its diverse agricultural landscape, with a significant portion of its farmland capable of supporting multiple crops within a single year. For insistence California's irrigated crops use about 40% of the state's water, and the agricultural sector generates over $40 billion in revenue annually. Additionally, California is home to a variety of crops, including nuts, fruits, vegetables, and grains, which contribute to its agricultural diversity and productivity.
Food on the Shelves TODAY is mostly LAST YEARS Production. Looking at receipts has the price been going UP or down folks?
Going to get really expensive and in some things like Beef (US Beef herds at lowest level for decades, take years to build them up) and Coffee.
Overseas produces a LOT of our frozen seafood. High fuel prices are already taking some fishermen in Vietnam and such offline. Cheap shrimp and "white fish" might be off the menu.
Invest in your shelf stable larder. Worst case scenario if Unicorn farts somehow "save us" you get to eat it at today's prices.
Here is a thought on homestead type agriculture especially if the so called shit hits the fan. The natives on Long Island N.Y. where I was a kid used sister’s planting, each hill had two or three corn seeds, a couple pole beans and a squash or pumpkin all planted over a fish called a bunker. In colonial times settlers in the Scoharie and Delaware river areas used fish from the spring sucker spawning run for the same purpose. A modern homesteader desperate for fertilizer could use of Al from spring fishing trips. Also every one in the family could pee in a bucket and that nitrogen source used for corn and other potted or tall growing crops. This was pointed out to be by someone who spent several years in the Peace Corps.
ReplyDeleteOne small factor I need to add here. Planting fish for fertilizer works well enough. IF the local critters don't dig it up and thus destroy your "Three Sisters" planting.
DeleteStories from my Half Cherokee Grandmother was about kids doing night guard on those crops because they we THAT important to them. They got extra praise for killing some critter that they found doing so.
Meat is meat.
Not Ai, guts and offal from spring fishing trips
ReplyDeleteWin some, lose some...
ReplyDeleteOne of the many hazards of duck life, wandering around, being delicious...
ReplyDelete