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Garden Gate:  Weeding, Thistle removal & other pet peeves  |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 11:06:12 AM
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In the book category Erik says:
"Killing thistle is a mixed bag, and kind of a disturbing one. I consider myself an extreme pacifist, but the killer in me emerges around thistle. I can't walk by them without stopping to pull or hack. Even while driving, part of me is reaching out to yank thistle when i see it. It's really sick. Nick calls it "thistle rage." I try to pray a bit while i'm slicing and chopping, to wish them well on their soul journey and i'm not sure it helps, but it adds a pleasantly rythmic mantra to work by."
Which got me to thinking about the book An Unfinished Life, where the girl child character, Griff, wants to dress up the lunch table by picking flowers. Unbeknownst to her, she comes back with a batch of blooming thistle! Einar and Mitch try to keep from laughing, but Einar offers her $5 to remove that patch of thistle. (I can't imagine carrying a handful of that without gloves! Yikes!)
What gardening/farming chores do you find that bring out the animal instinct in you? What do you find disturbing and how do you deal with those thoughts? I recently had birds devouring my newly sprouting garden and none of my solutions at scaring them off seemed to help, so it took some mind control to get through that one! Finally they have moved on.... Now I have morning glory that wants to take over in the garden.... I think a working mantra is a good idea. I'll have to think of one that's appropriate for me and my tasks. I consider my gardening time meditative time, but have not directed my thoughts in a specific direction.
So, everyone, what are your peeves and how do you deal with them?
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 9:06:40 PM
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This falls into the pesky plant/pesky neighbor category! We have a cedar fence that screens an area where our neighbor used to have a pool directly inline with my side porch. It does a great job screening and the plantings along it sort of distract you from the noise coming over the fence. This neighbor ( married to Weed Be Gone man)has continued to plant virginia creeper to the point that it has come under the fence, over the top and would strangle anything in it's way, including the fence. I have asked her repeatedly not to plant this along MY fence as it is a noxious weed and destroying the fence. A few days ago I tore yet another truck full off the fence and my blood was boiling. Instead of loosing my temper I called a fence company and went and picked up some info. I had them write up a quick estimate for the kind of fence I want to replace this with. I left a note that said "Here is the estimate for the new fence we discussed. Let me know when it is convenient to pick up the check". Bold? You bet! But enough is enough! It will be interesting to see what they do!
with a happy heart |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 06:30:45 AM
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I recently discovered "the killer in me" when I went onto my back porch and found a snake curling up the wall on it's way to my little housewren's nest (which she cozily built in my Christmas Cactus plant). Inside the nest were four little ones waiting for momma to bring bugs back to eat. I began to throw shoes at the snake to get it off the porch. It slithered along the wall and down the steps, periodically raising it's head with it's mouth open. I ran for the shovel, and waited for it to be slither off my antique brick steps, and then I chopped the heck out of that snake. When I was done, I thought, "wow, girl, you just defined overkill." But I had to protect my babies!
We have notches on our shovel for all the snakes we have killed in our yard.
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
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PJJ
True Blue Farmgirl
95 Posts
Paula
Bristow
OK
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 06:55:50 AM
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Ooh, yuck! If a snake "respects" my space, I'll respect its. But I don't want it living in/around my house! Good job, girl!
Paula J.
[quote]Originally posted by jpbluesky
I recently discovered "the killer in me" when I went onto my back porch and found a snake curling up the wall on it's way to my little housewren's nest
Paula J., with Ty, Cara, Brody, Blue, and Fidget |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 2:25:29 PM
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I am having an attitude problem this year with the Slugs. I have never seen so many or seen them grow so big so fast in all the years we have lived here! The chickens will not eat them either so I have taken to carrying a pair of old fiscar scissors with me everywhere i go and just reach down and snip them in half as I see them. They completely devoured my nine gerbera daisy plants in one evening!!! They mowed down all of my lilies so no blooms this year and all of my hostas are holding on by a thread! I have tried mind control on them, and asking them to redirect their work to the wonderful lush green growth in the forest next door but they have not listened to me so I have declared war! Now everywhere I have killed one there are two or more showing up to devour their comrade so I get several at once. The rain brings on the slug orgies so I have been able to get as many as 200 in one hour two days in a row. This is so gross.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 2:35:03 PM
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Oh Eileen, I got a vivid visual of your slug "fest". That is very gross work. Have you tried the copper strips? I know exactly what you mean about becoming obsessed with stuff like that. And those are little nasties! I get crazy with fruit flies and aphids. Someone mentioned virginia creeper brought the beast out in them. I have a virginia creeper that looks like it is devouring my back deck. It is coming up through the cracks between boards, and is what is rotting my deck! It is horribly invasive! Grasshoppers are showing up allready and have stripped a rose completly! It is like a biblical plague here in summer! Hoppers are so gross and huge, to kill them makes such a mess. Any suggestions to curb their destruction?
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/cits/sb/sb101.html |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 3:03:01 PM
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Copper strips would cost me a fortune! I have a lot of gardens and how do you apply them around a rock circle to keep the slugs out that are already there having their nightly orgies? Next spring I am going to try the ammonia cure but first I have to find out how it is done from the nursery woman who suggested it. I guess that ammonia kills the eggs as it dries them out and they do not hatch. I just cannot do this to the surrounding land beside me. Last year it was tent caterpillars. i used the biological solution on my property but the ones that lived and stripped all of the alders. plumbs and cherries on the surrounding land migrated to my property as their foilage was gone. It was aweful. There were millions of them crossing the road every day and a feast for all of the birds but the slime became so slick that it was like driving on ice for about a week!
Ugh.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 5:43:31 PM
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Eileen-- When we were kids my Mom sent us outside with the salt shaker and we salted slugs! Yes a gross concept on oh so many levels but quite effective in slug control. Don't know if you could do that with your quantity but maybe set up a line somewhere at the perimeter that once in the salt they will not cross . The salt dehydrates them and they croak! I feel horrible telling you this, but it really does work! How's that for a secret life I haven't dared to reveal until now...I was a slug salter!
(Yes, just plain old NaCL , table salt)
with a happy heart |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 6:07:42 PM
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I've heard of this too, Bramble. It's kind of, well, gross as you say, to watch one shrivel up and die, but it works. A salt line might be just the thing for you, Eileen, provided of course that it doesn't rain daily.
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2005 : 9:21:13 PM
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Hey Eileen -- I'm with you in the war on slugs. This has been a horrible year for them. I've never seen such big ones!! You can use ammonia on them and it kills them right away. Just mix some ammonia in water (not sure of the amount, I just pour some in) and spray it right on them. There is also a slug bait that is environmentally friendly made from iron. It causes the slugs to stop eating and then they die. Plus it is good for your plants -- greens them right up! If all else fails get out the salt shaker!!
Kay
Proud Member of Farmgirls of North Clark County |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2005 : 10:11:24 AM
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Meadowlark, You did not offend me. The slugs are just so prolific this year that getting rid of them is a HUGE ordeal! It rains to much for the salt trail plus it is hard on the plants. Diatomacious earth might work except that I would be replacing it every other day to. I have used the Sluggo products and find it to expensive as well. Salted slugs scream and suffer so I would rather kill them outright with the scissors. Rains too much for the beer bath thing. Just do not know about the ammonia and plant damage. I am told it is ok before the perrenials have emerged and nips the problem in the bud. I think I am going to try half burying a narrow necked bottle at an angle that might keep most of the rain out and put some beer in it to see if I catch some that way.
Just wish the chickens would eat them and save me the trouble.
Otherwise it is a grand day today!. My hydrangeas are about to open up as are the shasta daisies. I will be getting my hands in the dirt today and loving it!
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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countrykat
True Blue Farmgirl
85 Posts
kathy
paola
kansas
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - Jun 25 2005 : 11:04:02 AM
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Snakes in the chicken house has got to be my most troubling chore. I found two huge black snakes that had been terrorizing my girls. It got to the point they wouldn't go in to lay eggs and would roam around the yard squaking. I finally caught the snakes and removed them to the other side of the lake.
Just the other day I saw a little striped snake in my brooder house. I need to get a better look at it to identify it, make sure it isn't harmful before I try to grab it.
We just put them in empty cat litter buckers and take them for a drive a couple miles away. But still quiete a bother as I don't care for snakes but will deal with them when it comes to removal. |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2005 : 12:09:04 PM
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Wanna know the easiest ways to kill slugs?
1) Beer
2) porridge oats
1) Beer in shallow containers draws slugs - and they drown or die in it. Put these little containers all around your garden and slugs go sleepy-bye. May as well die happy, I guess.
2) put porridge oats in a trail all around your garden - the slug eats the oat and it causes the slug's stomach to expand and burst. The bird/hedgehog/frog eats the slug and gets rid of it, and the wildlife itself is not harmed. |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2005 : 5:33:56 PM
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Might try this one, Porrige oats. Are they the steel cut type or the rolled type?
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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goatmom
Farmgirl at Heart
1 Posts
Carol
Southeast
MI
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2005 : 6:55:30 PM
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I share the thistle anger, but I had hoped this thread would offer some hope for getting rid of thistle :-) Does anyone have any non-herbicide ideas? I wear gloves and try to pull them out after rain, but I'm losing the battle.
Carol (new to the forum)
quote:
Originally posted by Clare
In the book category Erik says:
"Killing thistle is a mixed bag, and kind of a disturbing one. I consider myself an extreme pacifist, but the killer in me emerges around thistle. I can't walk by them without stopping to pull or hack. Even while driving, part of me is reaching out to yank thistle when i see it. It's really sick. Nick calls it "thistle rage." I try to pray a bit while i'm slicing and chopping, to wish them well on their soul journey and i'm not sure it helps, but it adds a pleasantly rythmic mantra to work by."
Which got me to thinking about the book An Unfinished Life, where the girl child character, Griff, wants to dress up the lunch table by picking flowers. Unbeknownst to her, she comes back with a batch of blooming thistle! Einar and Mitch try to keep from laughing, but Einar offers her $5 to remove that patch of thistle. (I can't imagine carrying a handful of that without gloves! Yikes!)
What gardening/farming chores do you find that bring out the animal instinct in you? What do you find disturbing and how do you deal with those thoughts? I recently had birds devouring my newly sprouting garden and none of my solutions at scaring them off seemed to help, so it took some mind control to get through that one! Finally they have moved on.... Now I have morning glory that wants to take over in the garden.... I think a working mantra is a good idea. I'll have to think of one that's appropriate for me and my tasks. I consider my gardening time meditative time, but have not directed my thoughts in a specific direction.
So, everyone, what are your peeves and how do you deal with them?
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb
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sqrl
True Blue Farmgirl
605 Posts
Melissa
Northern California
USA
605 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 09:41:41 AM
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Here in Northern Cali. where it's always moist we have a horrible slug and snail problem. I'm handling it right now only because my garden is small and I lined it with copper, we even salted the copper to oxidize it and that really works. But they still find ways to get in. They drive me crazy. The snails aren't so bad because you can see them during the day. But the slugs find places to hind for the day you almost never find them.I planted a baby Japanese Maple this weekend and I hope they don't touch it, it's so young, probably not but you never know what they'll go for. They were chomping at my garlic and their not supposed to like garlic. My swiss chard is bolting and giving them a wonderful place to hind out all day. I know I have to pull the chard and start over but I have been putting it off. Well hopefully next weekend
Blessed Be
www.sqrlbee.com |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2005 : 01:16:18 AM
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I've had great luck with the saucers of beer trick on slugs. They climb right in and drown. It's been really dry this year so I haven't had a problem. If you have the space, I saw that someone (thymeforewe?) posted that they turn their ducks loose on the garden after a good, soaking rain and they hunt down and eat up all the slugs. I'm considering a couple when (if?) we close on our new Michigan "farm."
The best non chemical solution I've found so far for any weed (except crab grass, any suggestions?) is a pot of boiling water. Just dump it on, soaking the ground really well and it cooks the plant and will also destroy seeds already dropped on the ground. Of course, for a big area, this wouldn't be very practical. I'm keeping my eye out for some sort of portable steamer that might work in the same way and could be carried around the garden. |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2005 : 08:58:04 AM
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Heres's an article that has a couple new ideas for slugs that we haven't discussed here yet....
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/home/outdoor/story.asp?ID=82007
**** Love is the great work - though every heart is first an apprentice. - Hafiz
Set a high value on spontaneous kindness. - Samuel Johnson****
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2005 : 09:10:25 AM
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Thanks Clare.
I am into the seek and destroy mode now and late evening or early morning is my time frame. I destroy all I find and leave the corpses where they fall. A few hours later there is always a second killing at these fallen comrads because as is the nature of slugs they eat anything especially freshly killed slugs. They become my bait and since I began this campaogn I have finally got some of my gerbera daisies ready to bloom and was able to salvage one of my beautiful fragrant lilies that they were devouring overnight. It is now reproduction season for them so I also destroy the white milky balls of new eggs that they leave or are in the process of producing when I come upon them. Slugs aren't all bad it is just that they are attracted to the wonderful salad bar we have grown for them. Otherwise they are really the garbage collectors of the plant and insect world. They begin a process that nature intended and the worms complete.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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Garden Gate: Weeding, Thistle removal & other pet peeves |
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Weeding, Thistle removal & other pet peeves
