Homegrowmen (Farming and Gardening) Thread #22

>>424609
US Farm Income and Taxes,
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/farm-marketing-and-management/farm-income-taxes-14991.aspx

US Grants and Loans for Small Farms,
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=GRANTS_LOANS
http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-community/grants-and-loans-farmers
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/funding.shtml

Managing Risks on Your Small Farm,
http://agmarketing.extension.psu.edu/begfrmrs/MangRiskSmllFrm.pdf

Chicken info and forum,
http://www.backyardchickens.com

Rabbit guide
http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/7884798/Rabbit_Production_Manual

A public access seedbank for many types of rare or endangered plants; both edible and ornamental,
http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/index.htm

Organic and heirloom selections:
http://sustainableseedco.com/
http://www.seedsofchange.com/

Potato, Sweet Potato, and Tubers seed bank (free, but requies filling out forms and waiting in line):
http://www.cipotato.org/

Awesome interactive plant/gardening maps for USA, Canada, France, UK, BC, (frost dates, temp zones, etc):
http://www.plantmaps.com/index.php

Sprout seeds and info:
sproutpeople.org

Insect Habitats for attracting polinating bees, predatory/parasitic wasps, hibernating ladybugs, butterflies, etc.
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/insect-habitats.html

Toad and Hedgehog Habitats,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JetkWtw7Jc
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/frogcrafts/a/How_To_Make_A_Toad_Village.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/hedgehog_home/
http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/leaflets/L5-Hedgehog-Homes.pdf

Chili Peppers!
http://www.fatalii.net/

More on Aquaponics & Aquaculture,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=26xpMCXP9bw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=_WgfaJjvfxA

I am the guy from the previous thread.

Just letting know that for my pseudo-composting I will use used coffee grounds and used herbs from tea bags. They are not the most natural thing, but, well, who knows. Posting so I can get opinions (inb4 you are an idiot).

Pic related, my unhealthy and useless soil on >>424242

>>424729
Try to get more green organic stuff in there too, but that's a good start.

>>424744
Thanks! What vegetables or fruits should I use? I was afraid to use my orange peels, as it is from a citric fruit, for example. And for them, I should let dry first to mix after, right?

>>424745
Citrus peels are fine to add to compost, just cut them up to small pieces so that they degrade a bit faster. Really the only things to avoid are meat, most oils and fats, bones, diseased plant matter, and toxic or nondegradable materials. Everything else ought to be fine for composting. Some things that I'd avoid other than those are weeds, just to avoid seeding the compost for more weed growth in my garden, and corncobs, as I've never had good luck getting them to degrade unless I absolutely shred them. Here's a decent online guide to what is nutritionally good for your compost: http://www.compostinstructions.com/what-you-can-and-cannot-compost/

Hope that helps! Good luck

>>424748
Thank you again.

>US Grants and Loans for Small Farms

Live in So Cal. Have a job 5 days a week and pay rent. I dont make much and dont have a farm or land to farm on.
Would this be able to help me rent a 1 or 2 acre agricultural lot and grow some specialty produce to sell as a side job? Am thinking rare varieties of vegetables to sell at farmers market s and such on the weekends.

>>424729
Plants fucking love coffee grounds, fyi.

https://www.google.com/search?q=coffee+grounds+plants

>>424745
It doesn't matter so long as it is fully composted. The composition of the uncomposted ingredients completely changes when composted.

>>424795
Probably. You need to call your local agriculture department and talk to someone. They should be able to get you on the right track for your area. They should know what department to call or whatever. I'm sure there's a network there for this sort of thing. You can even ask around at the farmer's markets and local farms.

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/

>>424729
coffee grounds are good for acidic loving plants

>>424748
diseased plant matter and weeds dont matter as long as your compost pile gets warm enough to cook it down
everything degrades to organic material eventually

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New thread means garden update!

>bringing plants in from the cold edition
Definitely bringing in parsley and basil, considering leaving the radish plants out and seeing if they do anything when the weather gets frosty come mid-december. The cilantro is all getting harvested one of these days

>>425169
What do you use for your plants? Just curious.

And also updating (I am the coffee grounds guy): using leftover water from boiled spinach to water my plants and to ''help'' with my unused soil. I waited for it to reach room temperature, of course.

>>425224
garden variety potting soil bought from my local hardware and garden store. I can get you pictures of the bag tomorrow when it's sunny, quite late out here. Other than that I just water when the soil seems dry and try to make sure they don't get any pests near them, pretty easy stuff when it comes to small plants like these. I've found that the mini-basil is a lot easier to grow than full size basil just on the virtue that it's bushier and less prone to potential bolting or wind damage.

>>425387
No need for that, as I most likely don't live in your country and wouldn't be able to find the same thing. Your herbs look adorable, keep that way!

>>425743
Ah, alright. And thank you! I've been lucky that it hasn't been too rainy or too dry out here, and that I haven't been plagued by pests or anything.

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any one ever heard of pepper plants with multi coloured peppers? i got one from a friends a month or 2 ago and they're still growing, haven't sprouted peppers yet. I'm wondering what they're called, like the real name of them.. they're supposed to have purple, yellow and red peppers. also wanna know if they're edible and not just ornamental

>>425850
A relative bought me one. I actually thought they'd bought a plastic plant. Then it died and turned brown and I was like "WTF!" The only reason I thought is was fake was because this person had bought plastic shit for me before and it was super dry and light weight.

Had I known or actually looked at it, I'd have added to the other indoor pepper plants I already have growing.

You need to place it outside in a large pot to get them to fruit. Yes, they are edible. BUT, store bought ornamental peppers that have a tag "not edible" are tagged like that not because you can't eat them, but because they normally have systemic pesticides inside them and are thus not considered food safe. Also, their may be legal food laws the store would need to have if they sold them as a food plant and they don't need to do that if they put that tag on it. The type of systemic pesticide doesn't need to be limited to safe for human consumption so they can use anything even if it is harmful to humans.

You don't want stuff like neonicotinoids that can be in the plant's soil and entire system for its entire life. So, if you really want to grow these as edible plants you'll need to consider where you got it from. You may want to toss that one and buy some from an organic supplier as seed or starts.

As for the name. You'll need to see the fruit. There's many cultivars. "purple, red, yellow" can be a few, but "Capsicum Annuum Garda Tricolore" might be what it is. You'll just need to find out. They are very hot peppers.

>>425856
thanks, i'll confirm with him if it was store bought and ornamental, he says they're edible though... which sort of puzzles me. thanks for the heads up

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Hi guys.

For Christmas I have the idea of starting my mother on gardening. I was hoping if anyone here could offer some ideas! — supplies, tools, seeds, anything I could put together in a nice little arrangement. This is of course all aimed at a very beginner.

Thanks in advance.

>>425869
>seed packets w/simple plants in them
>trowel
>watering can
>couple bags of potting soil
>a few clay pots of varying sizes

And there you have it

>>425858
Perhaps you don't get it. Even if it says "ornamental" it is still edible. But, if someone hosed it down with unsafe pesticides that can harm you then you shouldn't be eating it. The best way to find out is to trace where it was bought from and ask those people if they use any kind of pesticide then look up the pesticide to see if it is systemic and bad for you or if it washes off and biodegrade a few days after application.

So, saying it is "ornamental" is a bit of a misnomer in the first place.

Can anyone give me some pointers on what LED-bulb to buy to keep plants happy during the dark winter months? Preferably with a E27 base.

I don't know shit about gardening, never planted a single plant in my whole life.
I want to build an aquaponic, is it hard without any experience?

>>426061
>is _____ hard without any experience?

You know the answer to that better than anyone. Do you have trouble learning new things from scratch? If you do then you'll have trouble with this or anything else new. Nothing is really all that difficult at all. Most of the time all you need is either a real interest for it or patience to learn it. Hopefully, it is a real interest to learn it since that will make things go much smoother.

-Research
-Learn
-Ask proper questions
-Do

That's the basis for just about anything ever.

>>425869
It really depends where you live and how is your apartment / house.

>>426061
I had a foot behind when I was about to start an indoor garden. At first, everything was clumsy, my herbs weren't looking well. I made an effort to learn from my previous mistakes and asked as many people as many questions as possible. Now I am actually starting to succeed.

There is no magic formula. You use a guide of your choice to start one, adapt to where you live, your climate, etc. And ask people questions.

I know this is not the answer you are looking for, but it's the truth.

>>425956
he says he grew them from a seed, so i think it would be safe to eat

>>426143
Good to know. It probably just needs more light and good temps and humidity then it'll bloom and fruit. If it blooms indoors you'll need to pollinated it by hand.

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I know fuckall about trees so maybe this shit is obvious but I suck at google and couldn't find info on this.

Is it possible with an air pruning container to stunt the growth of any tree and effectively turn it into a dwarf, or does this just kill the tree?

>>426518
Just research bonsai methods. That will help you greatly.

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>>426532

Thanks, that helped a lot. I also stumbled upon something called Espalier. I guess it's perfectly possible to have trees stay a human size and be healthy enough to produce.

>>426929
Fruit pruning for attractive designs like Espalier takes a lot of patience, but it can certainly be done. Good luck

I'd recommend picking up a book or two about garden design, they usually have good chapters on selective pruning and trimming. If I were you, I'd look in your local thrift store first. Some great old gardening books there for as cheap as it gets. The torrent of 400+ books in PDF form in the OP post is also a great resource

what can I do to get ready for next year's gardening? I won't risk planting until late april, so I just want to get ready.
I've planted some bulbs, and I have some trees growing indoors over the winter.
I'm going to read up on gardening and plant biology (probably won't help in practice).

>>425850
I have those! They're ornamental peppers. AFAIK, they're edible - but only if you grew them yourselves from seed. Not very yummy, though.

They grow easily, so plant a few seeds in another pot and grow a new one if you want to give them a taste.

any farm bros around? I'm looking at some land. I want to raise heritage pork, chicken, and eggs. I'm curious about the laws surrounding processing meat. I know that animals have to be slaughtered at a regulated plant with an inspector. Now for the questions. I'm in Arizona.

Does anyone know if its legal to have the pigs killed and then get whole carcasses back to butcher them myself?

Does anyone know the price of having a slaughterhouse kill your pigs and chickens?

Any idea on egg laws?

>>427259
The best thing to do is contact your local agriculture department and ask them questions directly. While i can't speak for AZ, in my area you take your livestock to a licensed butcher and they do the cuts you want, package it in "not for sale" packaging and give it back for whatever fee is required. Of course, you have the option of doing it all yourself without a license. Or both, where they kill it, quarter it then you butcher it however you want. Everything is fine and legal unless you are selling processed meat to customers. Then you have to deal with health inspections and a bunch of other stuff.

>prices

For here, it is a fair price for complete packaging services. Well worth it for peace of mind and less work to do. This is especially true of larger animals. I butcher my own chickens though. If I had 15-30+ to butcher at once, I may change my mind on that. But, under 15 is easily manageable.

>egg laws

Selling your eggs to people? Ag dept question unless there's some AZ person here or google turns up FAQ stuff for AZ.

>>427262
sorry I wasn't clear. I plan to sell the meat. I'm a line cook and have been for years. I'm a good butcher, and I plan to provide meats for restaurants near by.

>>427266
Then you may need a license or two for that.

https://agriculture.az.gov/divisions

Anyone with container gardening experience could give me any tips regarding tomatoes and spinach?

I am on summer season here, I have full sun from 8am to 6~7pm and have humus and soil.

Do I need rocks for drainage or would they be fine without them?

>>427493
Sorry for the bump, but I kinda need this answer for tomorrow. I know this is not contributing to the thread and so...Sorry?

>>426003
Turns out that you ultimately want 1:1:1 (RGB). Ended up buying two 5W E14-bulbs. Will arrive next week.

>>427493
Spinach is a hardy plant, so it'll grow whereever it can basically. I prefer the New Zealand-variant as it gives you ALOT of spinach for a long time. Spinach does not need warmth (that much) nor that drained soil. You should just plant it and wait for it to grow. Remember to water it.

Tomatoes need alot more. They need basic soil, lots of water, warmth and nutrient (read up on exactly which nutrient they need, you'll increase your yield). Also, they need to be out of the wind and preferably not too humid as it tends to grow mold it then.

>>427581
Thanks. Can they be under full sun for more than 6 hours? I live in a city where during summer it could resemble catholic hell for three months.

This being taken in consideration I use a good soil, humus, a lot of water and don't use the rocks at the bottom.

>>427594
Another anon here, but if that's the case, you may want to take shade into account for those really hot, direct sun days. Look up what variety you're going to plant does best in

>>427682
Will check it. And I think I will do it without the rocks in the bottom.

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I have been left behind this plant suddenly. I have no idea what type of flower this is, or how to care for it besides from watering it. Can someone identify this plant for me?

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I wanted to have cherries in a container (not a big one). I bought some imported ones and have a seed in front of me from a cherry I just ate.

Can I put solely one in a container with only soil and humus under full sun? Would it grow on a tropical country?

This is the vase I have, and the cherry seed.

>>428248
You will more than likely need to keep it in the fridge for 6 to 8 weeks then plant it. You'll also need to score/scratch the outside of the pit before planting it. These things help start its growing cycle.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+germinate+cherry

>>428111
Paterson's Curse - dont let your animals eat it

What is the best way to preserve fresh basil leaves?

>>426518
I really wish someone would answer the airport question though.

How do I store eggplants?

It rained a bit and now I'm swamped with more of them than I can eat.

I eat about one a day usually fried but I always end up with 3-4 picked each day.

>>429132
Dwarfs are created by grafting the root stock of a tree that doesn't get very big to that of an apple tree or whatever else you want to dwarf. Essentially, the tree is dwarfed by the root ball not growing as large as it would in a standard apple tree. So, no, growing it in an air pruning container won't "dwarf" it by the strictest definition, but once the tree takes up all the space in the container it will have its growth stunted. This is not the same as dwarfing and could potentially hurt the tree's growth rate. If you want a tree in a small container, then bonsai is how you do it, but even bonsai trees spend most of their time in the ground. Containers are meant to start plants off, or hold them once they've been properly bonsai'd, not hold them indefinitely.

>>429132
It was answered. The bonsai answer was it. bonsai are put into smaller pots and their roots are trimmed to encourage a larger number of individual roots and larger square area of root skin. This allows for the use of a much smaller pot. During this time, the tree can be trimmed in a similar fashion so that more leaves are produced. More leaves = smaller leaves because they try to maintain the same amount of total leaf square surface area in relation to their root skin square surface area.

That is one of the ways you can draw a tree without grafting. Bonsai range from as tall as a person to as small as something you can hold in the palm of your hand. The methods employed can help a lot with other non-bonsai purposes.

>>429123
Drying food will help it last longer. Vacuum sealing it after drying will help even longer. Flooding it with argon gas or nitrogen gas then vacuum sealing it will allow it to last even longer. If you don't want to dry it and have it remain the same, you can just put it into a ziploc bag and place it in the fridge. This won't last long. I suppose you could home can them in canning jars too. But, that process cooks the leaves.

To dry most herbs you cut them off, group them into small bunches like a bouquet, and hang them upside down in a dry place with a gentle breeze. Keep them out of direct sunlight.

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Is it normal if my New Zealand spinach seeds have this pink color?

>>429282
huge ass seeds, bro.

>>429291
Y-yes, but should they have this color? I googled and none of them had this tone.

>>429143
Thanks. Ended up eating them with scrambled eggs but will dry them next time.

>>429302
>>429282
Did you buy those seeds or did they grow from your own plants. If you bought them, then that is a coating of systemic pesticide that is commonly put on plant seeds. It will be taken in by the seedling as it grows and the entire plant will then be poisonous with the pesticide. In which case, I'd toss those and find an organic supplier.

If it is from a seed you grew yourself then heck if I know what it is, but neat.

Here's some examples:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pink+seeds+systemic+pesticide&tbm=isch

>>429342
Just because a seed has a pink coating doesn't necessarily make it systemic pesticides. Many organic seed companies coat their seeds in various beneficial fungi and some of the companies make the coating pink for whatever reason.

>>429135
I'd make pasta sauces with some
crumb and fry and freeze others (good for eggplant parma when youre lazy)
google if they're freezable. otherwise they do last a while in the fridge

>>429369
Knowing the source clears up that instantly.

>>429369
>>429393
Considering I bought at a store and have no knowledge of its precedence, I took them out as fast as I could.

I submerged two in the water and a pink ''paint'' started to come out.

To me that doesn't mean something quite good.

Thank you anons.

If you can, could you provide me a link with the fungi information? Only out of curiosity.

>>429515
This is what I read on the website from the company:

''Within this modern design, Isla only apply pesticides when this procedure is really necessary. This is the case of some larger seeds, such as bean, pea, okra and corn, among others. The seeds of these varieties can not be stored in desumidificadas cameras because the low humidity cause dryness of the seed coat that covers the seed, which reduces germination. Therefore, apply insecticides to prevent moths, weevils and beetles (in the stores ment) or rodents (after planting) impede germination. Some seeds, such as carrots and coriander, lead fungicide to prevent tipping of small seedlings. As for the other seeds if they are healthy, do not need the application of pesticides to be sold. The absence of pesticides in seed is therefore a good thing. For the producer, can point out several advantages, including the safe handling and can, therefore, be made up by a child and without the use of gloves. Furthermore, the absence of pesticides also helps to avoid polluting the environment that reverses the quality of life for people.''

I think I will still not use it.

>>429519
I've been saving my own seeds for years. I've never needed pesticides on the seeds or in my garden. I keep some seeds in my freezer and others in air tight containers after they've been properly dried.

Only 1 time I've had trouble is with pumpkin and squash seeds not being dried properly. If that happens, they will get mold on them.

>>429515
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1997/970123.htm
http://www.growsafe.com.au/Fertiliser/soilMicrobes.aspx

I still wouldn't use them unless I knew 100% what was on them in the first place and I approved of it.

Complete greenie at growing anything here

I was planning on trying growing some culinary mushrooms to experiment with cooking with.
Does anyone know what are good types to start with (easiest to grow and must versatile in cooking) and could point me to a comprehensive guide to starting out.

The torrent in the OP is usefull but only really describes psychoactive mushrooms and fungi and even the starting out videos and sections of the books skip over complex things that I have no concept of.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

>>429393
>>429515
http://www.blueriverorgseed.com/products-seed-coating/seed-coating-apex-green-organic.aspx
http://www.extension.org/pages/18952/organic-seed-treatments-and-coatings#.VIi-0XvDszw
http://www.smithseed.com/coating/nitrocoat.shtml
While the last link isn't strictly organic, it says at the bottom they offer organic coatings, and they do custom colors so I'm sure pink is one. Not to say that your seeds weren't coated in systemic pesticide, I was just clearing up that not all coated seeds are coated with pesticides.

>>430295
Same guy, also wanted to add that pretty much all organic companies that offer alfalfa or clover will coat them in Rhizobium to encourage nitrogen fixation. I got some red clover from this company that was coated is it. http://sustainableseedco.com/compost-cover-crops/red-clover.html

>>430281
>easiest to grow and must versatile in cooking

Pearl Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) shelf fungi will grow on just about any cellulose-based growing medium you can throw at it. That's paper, sawdust, logs, coffee grounds (a fave for most people), etc. It is super easy to grow.

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) are also easy to grow, but have most specific needs.

Chicken-of-the-woods (Laetiporus sp.) is something every culinary fungi eater/grower needs to aspire to grow and eat. It is absolutely amazing as a main dish fungi.

Just take a look at both of these websites. They have tons of info. Also, the links in the OP have both culinary and psychedelic fungi growing methods, but the methods for both are very similar.

http://everythingmushrooms.com/
www.fungi.com

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What type of fungi is this? Thought I posted this earlier but maybe not.

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>>430408
Another pic.

>>430408
>>430409
Looks a lot like Pearl Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus). Do a spore print and check other identification markers.

>>Chicken-of-the-woods (Laetiporus sp.) is something every culinary fungi eater/grower needs to aspire to grow and eat. It is absolutely amazing as a main dish fungi.

Laetiporus cultivation is only theoretical at the moment.

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Dinosaur Soldier update. he has now started to root

moved him to a whiskey glass just cause it looked better the the plastic

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>>430595
The internet is amazing. We now have full blown Laetiporus cultivation. You can buy plugspawn here,

http://everythingmushrooms.com/grow-your-own-mushrooms/chicken-of-the-woods-laetiporus-sulphureus-100-pack/

http://www.fungi.com/product-detail/product/chicken-of-the-woods-plug-spawn-approx-1000-plugs.html

My split logs have some mycelium fuzz growing on them low to the ground. The trick seems to be to actually stand the log on end or lean it up and bury about 4-6 inches of it into the ground so it never dries out as much as other logs for mushrooms do. I'll probably end up selecting a couple trees next season and using plug spawn on them.

>>430672
LOL

Very promising!

>>430595
This may also help:

>Optimal conditions of mycelia growth of Laetiporus sulphureus sensu lato
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21501203.2014.957361

>>430692
>Laetiporus

Here's another site that has a few different cultivars, just scroll down,

Laetiporus persicinus “Anderson”
Laetiporus gilbertsonii var. pallidus “Isaqueena”
Laetiporus gilbertsonii var. pallidus “Phil”
http://www.mushroommountain.com/grow_your_own/strains.asp

All I have in my area seems to be, "Laetiporus sulphureus".

>>430692
this is super neat!

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>>430692
>The internet is amazing. We now have full blown Laetiporus cultivation. You can buy plugspawn here

You can buy morchella spawn too, doesn't mean anyone has cultivated it with any kind of repeatability or consistency.

There are lots of photos of attempts, I have my own (pic related) but where are the success photos? I have never seen any.

I've decided to build a fence for my garden this winter. I've torn down my grandparents' old fence and now have lots of free room for a bigass garden.

So how can I learn the skills I need to build a fence? Is there a good book on woodworking?

>>430743
On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is highest level of difficulty, Chicken-of-the-woods is only a 3 and morchella is a 10. I think the latter is due to the fact they need actual trees to help them along, similar to truffles or a secondary fungi as part of the equation.

When my Laetiporus logs flush, I'll post photos. That might be next year or 2 years from now.

>Error: Our system thinks your post is spam. Please reformat and try again.

>We used a culture of L. sulphureus (LS-BG-0804 strain) isolated and grown as before [1]. Fruiting bodies were grown under laboratory conditions in chambers at 21°C without low-temperature stimulation on sterile sunflower shell substrate. Immature fruiting bodies (primordia) appeared 14 d after the substrate was fully colonized with regular air-spray moistening. Methods for organic acids [2]; free carbohydrates, water-soluble polysaccharides (WSPS), and base-soluble polysaccharides (BSPS) [3]; mannite [4]; and chitin [5] were used for quantitative analysis.

>>430832
>That might be next year or 2 years from now.

Seems Stamets says these are super fast and he had fruiting logs in as little as 3 months. then again he is a grand wizard of mycofarming.

>>430832
Oh sweet,

>Successful large-scale production of fruiting bodies of Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull.: Fr.) Murrill on an artificial substrate
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3599174/

>It was found that shocking the fungus mycelium with cold water or low temperature was the only suitable method for forced fruiting of L. sulphureus strains.

>>430743
ive heard of people cultivating chaga mushrooms
they are used in a brew but the natural chaga is better
it grows on birch trees

>>430835

>On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is highest level of difficulty, Chicken-of-the-woods is only a 3 and morchella is a 10. I think the latter is due to the fact they need actual trees to help them along, similar to truffles or a secondary fungi as part of the equation.

Where are the pictures then? I'm not being funny, when you post photos of your successful mulsh>log grow they will be the first ever.

Lets look at this study
>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3599174/

>professional mycologists
>large scale study testing dozens of different strains and substrates
>best they achieve is tiny fruit, covered in trich with a BE of 15-21%
>call it a success and the first one at that.

You're tripping if you think L. sulphureus is a 3/10

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>>430971

Also this is a good reason not to bother cultivating L. sulphureus.

>>427579
the green light is going to be pretty useless. Plant's reflect it because they don't need it.

>>430980
>not to bother cultivating L. sulphureus.

Is this misworded or just sarcasm? Because the reason to cultivate them is to enjoy tons of awesome fungi for eating.

>>431006

Misread maybe? My point is it grows almost everywhere, and often in 60lb flushes. If you can forage it locally I would focus on cultivating something you can't find and/or something that isn't so difficult.

It is one of the nicest eating mushrooms though, tastes quite unlike anything else.

>>431056
>My point is it grows almost everywhere

I really wish it did. I my area I've only ever seen 2 spots where it grows on a log or live tree with 1 spot someone told me about. The largest flush from those was only 11lbs and it was the last one ever since that log is now gone. Even the local myco club people have never seen them IRL in this area. I'm hoping to catch that 3rd spot, because it sounded like it was a rather large flush on a massive log, but it is very out of the way to get too.

Being able to grow it outdoors and indoors would be a massive boon. I've been hunting mushrooms for a few decades now and have only found 17lbs of L. sulphureus ever.

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I guess this is the best place for this, so i'll give it a shot.

So i bought a dwarf alberta spruce from home depot to use as a christmas tree in my tiny apartment. I'd ultimately want to keep this tree alive for many years.

So that is my query. Basically, what is the best way of taking care of an outdoor plant indoors?

Its the about the same size as whats in the pics, which is around two feet tall, and i would guess is already a few years old.

Thanks for any advice.

>>431179
>Basically, what is the best way of taking care of an outdoor plant indoors?

You need to research bonsai methods of keeping a tree indoors. It is rare that trees can be kept indoors through normal methods. Many species need a cold dormant cycle. People that keep indoor bonsai have refrigerators dedicated to the dormant cycle of their trees. Aside from that, you'll need quite a bit of light. So, if you don't have a good solar exposure most of the day through lots of windows, you'll need to use grow lights.

FYI, normally bonsai are kept outside and only brought inside for events to show them off or work on them.

Do some research into your species of tree. Just google the name you gave us, there are many people out there that have used those as xmas trees and tried to keep them indoors too long. They seem to be a Zone 3-6 plant.

>>424609
Where the hell can I buy an Olla? I live in Australia so saving water will be important with coming droughts in sunny QLD. No idea where I can get them around here though.

These sound great. Anyone have any experience with them?

>>432249
You can either make one yourself and fire it, or find a pottery place and buy any of their really large earthenware stuff that has a lid. It can't be glazed or it won't allow water to seep out through the walls.

Other ways to save water is to use thick mulch, drip irrigation with timer, and in-ground barriers.

>>424609
>>424611
Does anyone have replacement links to the piratebay info links in the OP? Obviously they don't work anymore.

>>432447
Oh god, forgot about that. Goddamnit.

>>432447
>>432452
It seems that "thepiratebay.cr" has a mirror of the older stuff like in the OP. HOWEVER, this isn't the real pirate bay and any new torrents are highly suspect, so guard your poopers if you use it. For the older stuff, just search the names, like "Backyard Liberty Aquaponics System" or "Aquaponics The First 12 Months". Take caution when using that site (script blocker, browser proxy, torrent proxies, browser sandbox, P2P sandbox, VPN, etc.)

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My Hungarian wax pepper plant is doing well. Only my ghost pepper is declining. I think it is root bound too much or something since it is in with the scorpion which is getting massive with growth. There's some ladybugs in the house that congregate at the window. They have kept the plants aphid free all this time. Plants in another location haven't been as lucky to have the ladybug guard and aphids are eating them up.

>>425850
>>427094
They're fairly hot, more punch than a jalapeno. I put them in my hot mustard dill pickles because they add a bit of heat without overpowering the mustard and dill.

>>429625
>Only 1 time I've had trouble is with pumpkin and squash seeds not being dried properly. If that happens, they will get mold on them.

Do you ferment your pumpkin and squash seeds? This is the first year I'm saving pumpkin seed and tried it both ways.

I live in a house downtown from my college. The house is pretty small and sandwiched between other houses causing me to get very little direct sunlight.

That being said, has anyone used a grow lamp? There is a TaoTronic LED bulb and supposedly the results are pretty good.

I could also probably cut some tarp to block the light.

I would probably grow herbs like basil or oregano or something to improve the air quality like hardy mums.

Thoughts?

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Is anyone into bonsai?

>>434103
>Do you ferment your pumpkin and squash seeds?

No. For saving them to grow, I dry them out. For eating I roast them.

>>434109
I just use long fluorescent lights for my peppers. Try to time the amount of direct sunlight the place you want to grow stuff in gets. If it is 4 hours or more then you are good to go with just a light or two, unless you are growing a lot.

>>434202
I had several bonsai, but I'm down to only 1 now that I'm still training in-ground. I've been training it for like 5 years now. It is a difficult process due to the style (neagari). I won't know how I need to shape the branches until after the roots are fully exposed. Then the art begins. I actually need to dig the entire thing up and replant it this season, I neglected it last season, unfortunately.

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What are the best plants to put inside a terrarium? I know some require a more humid environment and others a dry one, such as cactus and succulents. But can I have more specific names?

What about for light bulbs?

And last question: has anyone made an indoor water garden? What species did you use? How do you take care of it?

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Do I need to prune this basil?

The pictures are shitty because I am not at home and my dad took them for me.

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>>434620

bump

Sorry, I am desperate

>>434620
No, basil only needs to have blooms removed. It could use more light probably.

>>434715
It is under the light, he just took it inside to take the pictures.

>>434602
Most plants can use grown in a terrarium. It really depends on the terrarium size that matters. If you want something wee tiny then you'll need to use plants that terminate as small sizes. Otherwise, you can have full size trees and be playing hunger games in a terrarium.

So, what size are you thinking about? Then go from there.

>What about for light bulbs?

How big?

>>434731
I still didn't have any recipients or light bulbs. First I would check the species I could find around the city (which is actually quite hard here), so then I would pick up a proper vase or light bulb for them.

If you have any names for me I would appreciate it.

>>434738
Baby’s Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)
Moss (any usually)
British Soldiers (Cladonia cristatella)
Pixie Cups (Cladonia pyxidata)

That stuff can be put into really small terrariums.

>>434745
Thank you. I suppose all these ones require a lot of humidity.

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I have some oregano seeds from one plant that I'm trying to sprout. Just planted them. These seeds are sooooo tiny (pic related). The stem they come from smells so different from the store bought stuff. It sort of opens up my nostrils like menthol does in cough drops. I know these need full sun, but I'll see how they do with a window and a grow light. Will report back with progress.

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Need some help to ID what this is and fix it. Earlier this year these leaves were covered in red mites but I haven't seen any for months, the damage keeps getting worse. Twisted leaves, chunks missing (despite never seeing anything large biting it), and white powder on the bottom of leaves. Some leaves especially the smaller ones shrivelled up and died.

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>>435721
Photo of powder predominantly underneath

>>435721
What type of plant is it?

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>>435127
Well, it has been 4 days or so and 2 tiny sprouts have started. Hopefully, they are indeed oregano.

>>435721
>>435723
Some plants have a natural powdery surface when their leaves mature. Lamb's Quarter is like that. But, if you have a problem with mildew, just hose it off with water every day. That usually stops most problems with powdery mildews. Just be careful not to over water the soil.

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When should I trim arugula? Should I cut it to incentive its growth? I have some poor arugula in a container. What should I do? And I took it inside to photograph.

>>437571
I think I'd let it repair itself after that injury. The injury itself will act a bit like a trim.

>>437573
What do you think it is the cause of this? I let my dad taking care of it, and he doesn't know crap about gardening.

>>437576
Improper moisture in the soil or close to some heat or was around something that caused a concentration of too much direct sunlight or something got splashed on it like pet urine. Could be several things.

I often see rabbits in my yard. I think they might be living under a pile of wood I have sitting out there.
How viable is the idea of setting up traps, capturing them and farming them?

>>437571
cut off any yucky bits like that early about 1/8th - 1/4 inch from soil. that way it'll put more investment into new shoots (which won't be gross and will be tastier)

>>437848
If you can get male and female for breeding then it is highly viable. They have a massive turn-around rate for breeding that is amazing. You'll have a nice source of manure for composting and fertilizing crops too. The only down side many people have with raising rabbits is that if they are doing it for meat/fur, many people are unwilling to butcher them and turn them into pets. This usually starts when someone names them. For people like that chickens are usually better since they can be pets and still give eggs. Then there's no moment of indecision.

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i have a bag of 50 crocus bulbs , but here it is almost january and the ground has already frozen.

i am in Zone 6a Northeast US. is it too late to have these things flower in spring? can i place them into planters and put them out into the weather?

i have never planted a bulb before , let alone this late in the season.

>>438025
>Zone 6a
>ground has already frozen.

Really? I live in Zone 5 NE and everything is a rainy muddy mess.

>>437908
Yeah. I grew up in the country and we raised goats for meat and milk. It's not so great when you have to kill your buddy, and goats are intelligent, social animals. That was a hard lesson to learn as a kid.

>>438231
Same here. That's why animals that give you food or materials while still alive can work out better for all involved. So, eggs, milk, and wool are a good place to start. Makes me wonder how fur/wool from those super fluffy rabbits would be like sheered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5RrGFBbbSY

>>438278
I know there are dogs you can shear and make yarn out of their coats.

>>438465
Yeah, "chiengora".