Claud The Backyard Farmer (self proclaimed)

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Claudiusx":1u1ik7es said:
Question for anyone.

Say I want more of these blueberry bushes in the future. What can I do to make more blueberry bushes without having to buy more?

Do I have to wait for the plant to fruit, and then plant the seeds?

Or do I cut branches and try to root them?

I really have no idea about any of that stuff. I do know with fruit a lot of time, planting the seed doesn't produce a plant with similar taste characteristics to the original. I imagine these blueberries are going to taste great, and I would like to keep that taste in the other bushes I produce.

-Brandon

Yes , cuttings work for many berry plants . All you need is some striking hormone ( comes as a powder or a paste ).
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/blueberries/how-to-propagate-blueberry-bushes.htm
 

Claudiusx

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I bought some rooting hormone that had some good reviews. Once it comes I will probably practice on some random bushes I have around the property just to get a feel for the whole process.

-Brandon
 

DragonPete

Sub-Adult Member
Claudiusx":26bkpiuz said:
I bought some rooting hormone that had some good reviews. Once it comes I will probably practice on some random bushes I have around the property just to get a feel for the whole process.

-Brandon
Compared with what you've already done, planting some cuttings is a cake walk! ?
Once your cutting grows leaves, you know they have a good root system. I've got some beautiful roses growing from cuttings I did last summer. ❤
Also, growing from cuttings, you get an exact replica of the mother plant. No guarantees with seeds from the fruit of said plant. ? The best way is with cuttings for sure.
That link from KON is also my goto for anything gardening, amazing website! ? I think I have given it to you before. ?
-Dee
 

Claudiusx

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Yeah I need to spend some time on reading through the site. I've just been watching lots of videos on youtube with my free time lol.

I hope it's easy, everything seems complicated until you start doing it lol.

-Brandon
 

DragonPete

Sub-Adult Member
Claudiusx":3mf7xcf1 said:
Yeah I need to spend some time on reading through the site. I've just been watching lots of videos on youtube with my free time lol.

I hope it's easy, everything seems complicated until you start doing it lol.

-Brandon
Some tips that help:
1. Take a very sharp blade, maybe paring knife, and shave off a thin strip of bark from the bottom inch or so of the cutting. Not all the way around, just a tiny inch long piece.
2. Rinse it in water and stick it in the rooting powder.
3. Don't stick the cutting directly in the soil. Use your pinky or handle of a wooden spoon to make a hole in the soil.
4. Gently put cutting in the hole and shove the soil up to it, to keep the powder on it.
5. Remove all but 1 or 2 of the tiny leaves on the tip of the cutting. New leaves let's you know it's roots are good.
That's it. ?
I planted my cuttings into large, black garden pots and when it had plenty of leaves, planted soil and all into the ground.
-Dee
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
The instructions I was given for propogating from cuttings are
1) remove all leaves ( these will take energy that should be going into growing new roots )
2) a cut that's square at then top of the cutting , check the condition of the woody material , and there is still a green zone under the bark layer ==> cutting is still in good condition ,
3) cut at 45 deg at the bottom
…. use a very clean and very sharp pair gardening pruning shears to make the cuts.
4) dip the DRY base ( about 2" ) into striking hormone , want a nice dusting on the end
5) using a stick a bit bigger than the diameter of the cutting , make a nice hole in the garden soil about 4" deep
6) place the dusted end in the hole, push the dirt around the cutting.
7) give it nice drink.
8) a drink each day , eventually the cutting will form new buds ==> IT'S ALIVE !
 

Claudiusx

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I've seen a few ways mentioned. Specifically for the blueberry propagation videos I've seen, they have recommended keeping 2 leaves on the plant. I'm sure there are little specifics and intricicies for each type of plant.

In other news, I found out that I AM STILL OVERWATERING! Geeze... It's so hard not to water. I feel like i'm not tending to my garden if i'm not out watering!

I am going to cut back to only watering every 2 days.
At first, I was watering every day. Then I realized I was watering too much. I still watered every day (about) but just less water each time.
Now I'm learning that is still too much.. and that it's important for the roots to get a little dry to allow them to breath..

-Brandon
 

DragonPete

Sub-Adult Member
You got plenty of info. Go for it.?
Agree about the watering. Unless it's very hot and dry, you shouldn't need to water daily. It was so bad here last summer, hottest and dryest on record for us. One of the reasons I'm not doing much this year. I worked my tail off and had little to show for it besides pretty flowers. ? None of my herbs or veggies did well and my water bill doubled. I'm thinking a pot of basil and some cherry tomatoes will be it and my flowers. ? That's all I want to deal with. I think I'll do some more rose cuttings, maybe put them all around my house. I need trellis bad! Several. My lavender Arbor roses are crazy out there, will have to cut them back just to control them! ?
-Dee
 

Claudiusx

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I just don't feel like im doing anything if I don't water! Lol.

I did a whole bunch of yard work today instead to stay busy. Dethatched a my lawn (near 3000 sq ft.), mowed, trimmed, fertilized, and turned on the sprinklers.

I AM that guy who tries to have the best grass in the neighborhood lol. I've never dethatched before. I bought a dethatching rake at home depot last week. I lasted about half an hour. That is hard work. For 60 bucks more I could buy an electric dethatcher on amazon, so I did. Pulled sooooo much dead grass out of the lawn. This will make the fertilizer I put down much more effective... I hope.

It is pretty warm today too (well.. by coastal standards LOL) and the soil in the beds is still dark just under the top layer, so I assume it's still got plenty of water.

-Brandon
 

DragonPete

Sub-Adult Member
Claudiusx":2nnzbfc4 said:
I just don't feel like im doing anything if I don't water! Lol.

I did a whole bunch of yard work today instead to stay busy. Dethatched a my lawn (near 3000 sq ft.), mowed, trimmed, fertilized, and turned on the sprinklers.

I AM that guy who tries to have the best grass in the neighborhood lol. I've never dethatched before. I bought a dethatching rake at home depot last week. I lasted about half an hour. That is hard work. For 60 bucks more I could buy an electric dethatcher on amazon, so I did. Pulled sooooo much dead grass out of the lawn. This will make the fertilizer I put down much more effective... I hope.

It is pretty warm today too (well.. by coastal standards LOL) and the soil in the beds is still dark just under the top layer, so I assume it's still got plenty of water.

-Brandon
I know, been there. Lol! ? I spent at least an hour a day, everyday, for about 5 months working in my yard last year. Had a great tan and good disposition but few veggies etc. ? Just going out the door to clean up a little outside. I need some sun, makes me feel happy! ?
-Dee
 

Claudiusx

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So this is happening right now in the Mega L
31715-8432461451.jpg

Geeze Louise! Weather called for a high of 88 today, which is quite warm for our area. Me and the wife were gonna sit out in the sun for a bit to get some Vitamin D, measured with the solarmeter an 8.8.... needless to say we didn't stay out very long.

That picture was taken at 2 in the afternoon... over 130 on the surface of my beds in full sun. And I measured the UVI just for fun, 7.2 still... at 2 in the afternoon!

-Brandon
 

Claudiusx

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Don't even joke, no one on the coast has AC, when it's over 85 outside it's miserable inside! lol.

It probably really is about 95 ambient outside right now, but that soil is just soaking up all that heat, and the sun is so intense right now.

Liam are you a gardener? Should I be doing something to protect my plants right now? I feel like this is a bit too intense lol.

-Brandon
 

CooperDragon

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I have a small garden but it is about 50/50 successful lol. Plants aren't even sprouted here yet and trees are just starting to bud.

In the middle of the summer here we see the kind of heat you have (regularly over 100 mid day in July) and very humid so I do run into issues with the garden. I have half of it in a shade area which helps. I put the plants that are more prone to wilting over there. I spray the garden down a few times a day to keep it damp and help evaporative cooling. Sometimes the plants just wind up cooking though. I definitely give them a good long soak just after sunset to give them time to bounce back overnight.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Claudiusx":tcu2fzpp said:
Don't even joke, no one on the coast has AC, when it's over 85 outside it's miserable inside! lol.

It probably really is about 95 ambient outside right now, but that soil is just soaking up all that heat, and the sun is so intense right now.

Liam are you a gardener? Should I be doing something to protect my plants right now? I feel like this is a bit too intense lol.

-Brandon
throw some sugarcane or straw about over the soil, it'll help keep the soil under it moist, and cool and will breakdown as mulch and improve the soil.

My sister tells me to germinate most seeds , a drink in late afternoon , very fine show from the hose trigger nozzle for maybe 5min to 10min , don't want to drown the seeds or seedlings.
Then once every other or ever few days depending on how sunny / hot / windy it is for seedlings.
If really hot , consider shadecloth over the beds .

A little bit of soil physics

Emissivity of bare soil https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/1520-0450%281968%29007%3C0303%3ASTMOBS%3E2.0.CO%3B2
Effect of water content and evaporation on soil emissivity
effect-of-water-content-and-evap-on-soil-emissivity.png

this is why it's best to water in late afternoon , and this is overthinking it but interesting regarding temperatures at different soil depths
temperature-of-bare-soil-at-different-depths-during-day.png


And effect of using mulch to protect soil from summer extremes : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095633917301090
This summarises the effect of different types of mulch
effect-of-mulching.png


This is why I'm starting all my seeds off in seed trays or seed tubs or biodegradable seed pots. If it gets really hot, I can simply bring them inside .

We're moving into the cooler months here in Australia , so we wont see many days over 26 degC from now til about August / September so protecting my plants from being cooked or deccicated by high temperatures and dry winds and lack of rain is not going to be an issue for me for several months ( and fortunately we have had level 2 water restrictions removed locally and now only at level 1 water restrictions ) , we do get some hot days in winter here ( 28 to 30 degC is not unknown in mid winter ) .
Mind you it was 30 degC here yesterday ( people flocked to the only just reopened beaches in Sydney only to ignore social distancing and loiter and refuse to follow life-savers' and cops' instructions forcing the NSW Govt to order those beached back out of bounds / closed to public AGAIN ).

Are you west of the mountains ( between the ocean and the mounts ) hence subject to the orographic effect , or in the rain-shadow zone ( having mountains between you and the ocean ) ?
 

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