How about a gardening thread?

[Blueangel]

	Quote:	JagWaugh
	The soap will remove any oil, the Salt and Vinegar will clean that stretch back to elemental copper. This will again form a patina, but it will take a while and depending on the composition of the soil and the copper alloy will either be more or less distasteful to the slugs. (IIRC Copper Oxide (Brown/Black) doesn't bother them much, but Copper Sulphate (Blue/Green) does.)

Would copper strip stuck to the sides of plastic pots have a similar effect?
My plants are doing ok, as you can see below, but I'd like to get a grip on the slug population climbing the pots. I'm not sure that our sleepy cat under the plants, will be enough to put the slugs off

[Blueangel]

Oops

[JagWaugh]

	Quote:	Blueangel
	Would copper strip stuck to the sides of plastic pots have a similar effect? My plants are doing ok, as you can see below, but I'd like to get a grip on the slug population climbing the pots. I'm not sure that our sleepy cat under the plants, will be enough to put the slugs off

It would.


You can get copper tape:


http://www.conrad.ch/ce/de/product/5...nhalt-1-Rollen

[Blueangel]

Brilliant! Thanks Jag.
Got some of that at home in the UK but never used it for this purpose.

	Quote:	JagWaugh
	J Given how much the plants have suffered from too much water and the blooms rotting as soon as they are even close to opening, I am surprised that there are zero Aphids. (One plant out of 10, and even that only a couple on one branch.) Anyone else have the same experience? Has the rain just drowned all the ants?

I wish......my balcony allotment (vegetables, berries and herbs) is on 2nd floor and at first,I thought so too............

Well to cut a long story short. I will have to collect some nettles to make (an awfully stinking) solution with them, but it helps against aphids...and is non-chemical, since it is all edible stuff .

[JagWaugh]

	Quote:	EastEnders
	I wish......my balcony allotment (vegetables, berries and herbs) is on 2nd floor and at first,I thought so too............ Well to cut a long story short. I will have to collect some nettles to make (an awfully stinking) solution with them, but it helps against aphids...and is non-chemical, since it is all edible stuff .

Try scented soap and crushed Garlic with water in a spray bottle, works for me.

	Quote:	JagWaugh
	Try scented soap and crushed Garlic with water in a spray bottle, works for me.

I am a bit wary about the soap in this concoction , to use it on the herbs for tea and seasoning, as they get picked daily to be used either for tea or seasoning food.

But, having said that.......... I am always interested in learning about the experiences and tricks of others in regards to that!!

So Thank you, JagWaugh

[JagWaugh]

	Quote:	EastEnders
	I am a bit wary about the soap in this concoction , to use it on the herbs for tea and seasoning, as they get picked daily to be used either for tea or seasoning food. But, having said that.......... I am always interested in learning about the experiences and tricks of others in regards to that!! So Thank you, JagWaugh

Hmn. You could try spraying the bottom of the canes liberally. I am not sure if the soap/garlic is disliked by the ants or the aphids so this might not work. I've only ever sprayed it on the underside of the leaves/buds. Planting lavender with the roses seems to help too.

Putting this in gardening- as this is where the people who love flowers are. The wild flowers around here this week are just amazing- the meadows and roadsides for miles are covered with the most amazing, diverse and colourful array of wild flowers. Listing just a few from top of head here, millions of wild blue cranesbill geranium, pink sainfoin and the very rare fluffy headed thalictrum, tall daisies and blue clary sage, huge yellow trollius, the softest pink bistort, and purple scabious and many bright fuchsia thistles and large groups of dark blue columbines and deep pink campion.

And on the French side millions of blue and white Jabob's Ladder (polonium)- and on road banks with scree, wild thyme and big swaves of other tiny pink flowers which I must stop and look at/up, and the most amazing wild pinks.

Sure I missed loads- but that's for a start. Wonderful, stunning.

Pics, pleeeeeeaaaaase Odile, my eyes could do with some bright colours

I am starting to hate this Liquid Sun......although my veges and herbs on the balcony grow satisfactorily despite the constant soaking......there is only one Indian cress flower open so far and on my jaunts into the forest with Lizzie....its all green brown and brown green....mud galore...one feels like they must have at WOODSTOCK

If the sun comes for the week-end- drive to Vallée de la Brévine and Lac des Taillères. Sorry, I do not have an i-phone or similar - dinosaur indeed! I never take photos- I have my own and excellent private photographer - and he wasn't with me today or yesterday. If the sun comes- will go out with him and take piccies.

Near us this morning I found a whole bank of scree and rock right by the road covered with wild thyme and the deepest of wild pinks - with deep blue clary sage in the background. Wow oh wow- magical despite the rain.

Seed and plant exchange- Anyone interested. If so we could start a group or other thread. That could be for rooted plants, perrenials, and seeds too.

Drive thorugh la Brévine was amazing today- the bank in the forest before, with all the trollius (King caps) was also full of pyramidal orchids that sprouted up since yesterday with the warmth- and the other bank near me had even more wild pinks!

Farmers were busy like crazy hay cutting- so it will soon be gone.

But that was the silver lining of the awful weather- it allowed these miles and miles of amazing wild flowers to really be seen at its best (normally hay making starts much earlier and the flowers never get a chance). Also fab for all the fawns and leverets that were given a chance to grow enough to go back to the woods and not be torn up by the hay making machines...

BTW- our region has begun getting together groups of volunteers that farmers can call upon to go and walk the fields prior to cutting so that areas were fawns and leverets have been left by mother- can be left, or the animals carefully moved (people must know what they are doing and have training- war gloves, etc). Why not ask locally if you live in rural area, if that could be done where you are. Most farmers actually really suffer trauma when they mow and mame young deer which they then have to finish off. Horrible for them, as well as for the animals of course.

Had to drive over to Val-de-Ruz again today- and what a difference a week makes. Totally different mix of flowers now, purple scabious, 1000s of soft yellow foxgloves, masses of harebells- some with dark narrow flowers, and others with fat very pale blue ones, meadowsweet and goat's beards (astilbes) - and found another great rockery with 1000s of wild pinks- but different to the ones near us- larger flowers and much softer pink.

[meloncollie]

	Quote:	JagWaugh
	It might, it depends on what oils are left on the surface. Try giving it a light scrub with soap and water, making a continuous band around the periphery, then swab that stretch with a mixture of Salt and Vinegar. The soap will remove any oil, the Salt and Vinegar will clean that stretch back to elemental copper. This will again form a patina, but it will take a while and depending on the composition of the soil and the copper alloy will either be more or less distasteful to the slugs. (IIRC Copper Oxide (Brown/Black) doesn't bother them much, but Copper Sulphate (Blue/Green) does.)

Just to let you know that you were right, JagWaugh!

Cleaned up the copper rings as you suggested, replaced them around the plants and lo,and behold: the slugs seem to have moved on to easier prey.


(Whispering so the slugs don't hear...) I even have some blossoms emerging.

Thanks for the tip, JW!

[meloncollie]

Need help from French speaking gardeners!

I've just bought a variegated hydrangea that lists the soil requirement as 'sol frais'.

That would be alkaline or normal soil, oui?

Just wanted to check, as most hydrangeas need acidic soil...

Merci viel mal...

[Belgianmum]

'Sol frais' means soil that always retains a certain amount if moisture and never dries out completely so a sandy soil which drains really quickly will not be appropriate.
Nothing to do with the acidity of the soil. They will grow in acid or alkaline soil but the acidity will influence the colour.

[meloncollie]

Upside:

The slugs seemed to have left at least some of the harvest for us. Picked 3.35 kg of zucchini today.

Downside:

That was only ONE zucchini.

	Quote:	meloncollie
	Upside: The slugs seemed to have left at least some of the harvest for us. Picked 3.35 kg of zucchini today. Downside: That was only ONE zucchini.

ohhh i love those ginormous ones😉😉 they are perfect for preserves, in my swissgerman blog on FB (the english one is built up at the mo) i wrote a file with umpteen ideas of what one can do with them.

If you want or need some input, let me know

btw, we're having harvest galore too, am so happy only the peas suffered this year and didn't yield much, but the rest in both our "allotments" is thriving

[doropfiz]

Here's an ad inviting people to bring along their own shovels and help themselves to the plants in this garden, before the house is demolished (in exchange for a bottle of wine or a pot of jam):
http://www.tutti.ch/zuerich/garten-h...r_11670642.htm
Saturday 10.09.16, from 10.00