People often wonder, “What is this Backyard Growers Business Center?”
Then they exclaim, “I’m just interested in growing plants, not selling them.”
Well it’s not all that stuffy and formidable. The members of the Backyard Growers Business Center are growers who help each other out.
The more experienced old-timers, (and young-timers) are eager to help the new members with any and all of their questions…. for instance…
Q. What is the best way to control or kill the gnats from potting soil? They drive me crazy and get everywhere.
A. Try using hydrogen peroxide. Just mix one part 3% hydrogen peroxide with four parts water. Allow the top layer of your soil to dry, and then water with this solution as you normally would. This will not harm your plants in any way. The soil will fizz for a few minutes after application; this is normal. The fungus gnat larvae will die on contact with the hydrogen peroxide. After a few minutes the fizzing stops and the peroxide breaks down into harmless oxygen and water molecules. Repeat as needed.
and this one:
Q.Two summers ago I planted a few Triple Crown Blackberry vines in the back yard. Last summer they grew like crazy but I never got around to putting up any type of fence or trellis. I’m sure you can guess what I have now – a massive tangled mess. Multiple long vines with quite a few rooted into the ground, many branching off within a foot or two from the thicker vines and going in every direction. It’s really a mess. Today I finished putting up fence posts and I ran 3 heavy wires so I can begin getting control. But it’s almost like I don’t know where to start. I don’t know which vines to tie to the cables, which ones to cut and which ones to allow to root (for making some baby plants) So far, I’ve dug up a few of the fines that re-rooted several feet away, but I’m really not sure of the best way to proceed. I’d like to tame this monster, and also get as many new plants as possible from those stray vines that have rooted. Any advice on how to take this job and get it under control would be appreciated.
A. “Prune a lot and then some more.
Dig or pull all the tip rooted ones up, probably hundreds. Cut them loose from the mother plant.
I set steel posts every 20ft. with a wire at 3ft. and another at 5ft. Tie the main canes up and cut off right above top wire. Cut all the limbs off up to the bottom wire. Cut smaller and unwanted canes back to the crown leaving 3 to 5 canes per crown. Any that are older looking and hard are dead and need to be removed too. Cut the remaining branches back to 12 to 18 inches. When iIget done trimming you can’t hardly tell anything is left but it doesn’t take long till you can’t see thru the rows.
Everything you cut off except the dead wood can be cut up and stuck. I either stick them in pots or straight in the ground that has been worked up. You can stick thousands in a small area. Doesn’t take long for them to spread out and cover the ground so you don’t have much trouble with weeds. Leave them till next spring to dig up and pot. GUESS WHAT!! All of those that rooted and grew have also tip rooted themselves too, most in several places.
When you dig them you will never get all the roots so you will get a pretty good stand in the same bed next year from the root starts.
Forgot to ad that they root very good as softwood in mist too.”
I’m not going to show you too much, this is just the tip of the conversations that are held daily in the Backyard Growers Business Center. A great place to learn, grow, and share with other like-minded folks.
Backyard Growers Business Center Backyard Growers University
How much does it cost to get into this?
Our Backyard Growers Members area is awesome! Learn all about it here:
http://backyardgrowers.com/join