First things first - the shade situation was resolved - somewhat. Somewhat in that I still might use some shade cloth if I find a cheap deal. Anyways, I found a used Eurmax pop up canopy for $65. The canopy is blue; I hate the color. But I love that it's heavy duty and that it was cheap. When you set it up, the bottom edge of the top is about seven feet and the peak is about 12 feet. It's fucking huge. The guy I bought it from said he only used it like 3-4 times, but it was definitely used a LOT more than that. There was stains all over the legs and the frame; stains from multiple seasons of not giving a fuck and letting those stains just grime in. Second, the canopy itself has some wear that only comes with multiple seasons of use. Third, there was dried mud inside the bag and the bag itself was worn to the point where it's almost useless. Yeah, the bag shows YEARS of use. And about that bag - for years now this pop up canopy has featured a really nice bag with straps, outside bags and wheels. The bag this canopy came with was the old shitty duffel-type bag that they discontinued YEARS ago. And there were spider eggs all over the cover, as it had been stored outside in a tuff shed or garden shed. If it sounds like I'm complaining about the canopy, I'm not! I got a great deal and I'm happy. It's just that the seller made it seem like this pop up canopy was practically new and in much better shape than it was. Again, for $65, I'm happy and not really complaining.
The dwarf rhododendron:
I took a look at the dwarf rhododendron that I did severe pruning on. It's now showing some signs of life. New buds. Time to start fertilizing the fuck out of it:
The Neagari azalea project
The Neagari azalea severe pruning projects are also showing buds. I think I mentioned it before, but the pictures didn't come out or I just straight up forgot to post pictures. So here's pictures of the new buds (Aaron's strawberry in a bucket project with strawberry in the background):
The azalea cuttings:
I might have mentioned that the azalea cuttings weren't doing too good. This is the cuttings I placed in 2 inch coco pellets:
You'll notice that they're mostly sorry looking, but there are some that are still hanging in. Mostly dead, which means slightly alive. Some might still make it. I also had some cuttings that I mass planted in two one gallon pots:
Again, a pretty sorry bunch. Yet, we see some life. Some have given up the ghost, some are trying to make it.
This is why when you do a cutting project you use a lot more than you intend to keep. Some will not make it, you won't always have success. But if you do multiples, you increase your chances of success. Plus, you can always gift the extras.
Seeds:
ZERO activity here. Nothing has sprouted yet. Undaunted, I planted the last of my ficus religiosa seeds in another bottom of a 2 liter bottle.
Here's a list of the seeds I'm trying to sprout, in no particular order:
Wisteria
Guava
Apple
Chinese elm
Schefflera arbicola
Ficus religiosa
Whether these guys make it or not, I still intend on starting some Japanese maple and trident maple seeds in the fall.
Air layer project:
I noticed the leaves on the branches I selected have turned slightly red. As if the leaves are not getting enough nutrients and are about to fall off. The air layers may not make it. I'll keep an eye on these.
New propagation project:
Pachira aquatica, "Good Luck Money Tree"
Also known as the Malabar chestnut. This tree grows HUGE in it's native Central America and South America. Grows huge football shaped fruits that are full of seeds that look somewhat like chestnuts. During the rainy season, the land where the tree grows is flooded and extended lakes are created for half the year. Think tropical fish. The other half of the year, the land is dry. As a result, the tree is able to grow in standing water, while it also stores water in its trunk. As a result, the tree will tolerate being over-watered and the plant will even forgive you if you forget to water it and the soil becomes bone dry.
The leaves are palmate and typically grow in five; because the five leaves looks like Buddha's hand, and the color green is the color of prosperity and because of its survivability, the tree is known as the Good Luck Money tree.
So yesterday we were in Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, and they had some Good Luck Money trees for $8.97. These were the typical five trees braided together. I know a thing or two about these guys so I bought one for shits and grins. I brought it home and right away I snipped away the top wire holding the braid together and dug away at the bone dry coco peat in its pot. Sure enough, the base of the trees were bound together with plastic tape; not a whole lot of room for roots to develop! I snipped away the binding and untangled the five little trees. I knew that had I not done this, the tree would be doomed to die in a couple years. I then gave each tree its own little pot. I decided to gift one to Aaron. I ended up with four individual little trees.
That's it for now. Fourth of July this week, so short week at work. I'll poke around Walmart and Home Depot to see if they have anything interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment