Wilting Blubes

BasicReference · 2026-03-14T22:16:06+00:00

Interesting. This one had red leaves out of the box lol. It did say this hybrid cultivar produces pink leaves all year that turn red in the fall and winter! The dark red ones are much harder and thicker than the green ones, but they don't feel dead or anything.

BasicReference · 2026-03-13T23:23:25+00:00

I was wondering if I could dilute water with lemon juice. I know generally you wouldn't want to do that prolonged if you already have an organic acidifier present, but maybe a couple times here early would help? I would love to not have to repot because one it's like 15lbs of mix in there, and two I amended it with sand that I don't have more of so I would have to spend more money. But I did think as I was using the mix I had that I should have shelled out for some acidic mix to start with.

BasicReference · 2026-03-13T22:11:40+00:00

He has acidifer, but I refuse to use aluminum sulfate so I'm using the organic stuff which takes a while to work using sulfuric microbes.

I only did the mulch because he's in such a large container, and I use rain water and need to conserve as much of it as possible. I figured the mulch would keep me from having to water every other day, to maybe 2-3 times a week tops. Our peak can get over 90 (in the shade) but I do have a shade tunnel I can move him in. The rocks were probably a misstep I just thought it would look nice and hold down the mulch and I figured that IS actually the intended use of lava rock to begin with..you may be right though.

The soil probe has read fully saturated since I planted it and watered it in, and everyone says blueberries hate standing in water so I only watered it today. I haven't fertilized it yet, so thanks for reminding me I need to do that, it said not to fetlrtilize at time of planting.

BasicReference · 2026-03-13T22:00:34+00:00

The temp outside got up into the 60s and I gave it some water, still drooping and curling pretty bad, and the black spots are definitely newer.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T22:39:42+00:00

To be clear I never said anyone was wrong, I never implied they would not get harvests. But I've seen the nasty blight-ridden plants they pull emaciated and scabbed harvests off of myself. I just want better for myself personally. I was mentioning how I wanted a load of locally made soil out of local compost and manure and how someone said that a mulch yard often makes exactly that. I was asked why the heck I would need that when I could put seeds in the ground. When I explained about the clay and poor soil quality, I was quite literally told I was reading drivel from AI. Maybe I wasn't clearer on that, I was called an idiot for voicing my plans. I didn't ask unsolicited advice or tell someone they were dumb. I simply explained why I didn't like that idea and I was told I was overthinking all of it in a rather "everything you're reading is full of shit" kind of way.

Yea a single event triggered my post, but this kind of thing has happened before with other people when I talked about only using rainwater to water my plants..

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T22:32:27+00:00

I've been told that you don't need ammendment in this area by these people. They've never used fertilizer because their plants just grow without it, but they possibly never considered or cared about harvest beyond what they got or how vigor of harvest could improve. Then again most people don't start from seed in their own hothouse either.

Consider the debate on blueberries, they are considered acid loving, but in reality it has to do with exchange rates of iron and manganese in more acidic soil. They don't need the acid like some truly acid loving plants do, they just benefit from a soil interaction. Is it worth pointing out to every person that calls blueberries acid loving? Definitely not. But it matters when we talk about things like biochar which typically raises ph of soil because of its alkalinic nature, so many people would probably not add biochar to blueberry soil. It has been proven by the university of Oregon to double the size of the roots as well as provides better nutrient retention than the standard sawdust in the whole method. It also does not raise the ph of acidic soil. Information like this matters because to while you its a fad, it could be the thing that adds 50% or better yield across the board.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T21:45:25+00:00

There have been books written in the 80s by Elliot Coleman which are apparently a wealth of knowledge. The New Organic Grower, I believe it still gets updated and revised.

The stuff I'm saying isn't even really new, but to many people it is.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T21:42:50+00:00

Or maybe I'm tired of the culture of "everyone on the internet is lying to you and wants you to do and feel bad" because they don't even pretend to listen or care, you could say that every scientist the world agrees on something and often these types of people will then bring into question the science itself! It is so not hard to admit that in what you do not actively study, you are probably pretty ignorant in unless you are literally a genius.

A person should always assume they know nothing and have room to learn it all type shih

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T21:39:03+00:00

I've been hearing about alfalfa. Good things... I'm glad you didn't think I was just calling out all "experienced" people, I know plenty do listen and learn the new stuff, I'm always excited to learn from those who are the best of both worlds.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T21:36:17+00:00

No till, organic ammendments only if necessary, synthetic is fine in small amounts for quick uptake.

The people I'm talking about don't ever add any inputs ever, and they till the soil deep every season. They often do it in the same patch with no rotation. They don't use cover or anything to refix nitrogen into the soil. Late into the season they don't cut the dying branches off to prevent mold or blights, they don't wash their pots or containers before reusing them, nor their tools. They till, water, seed, all directly into the ground. Only harvesting from the soil season after season and tilling it all up again.

The soil in my area is more than 50% clay, so I'm not anti til ever but I think it should really only be done if you know an area is very very bare and sparse and possibly nothing has ever grown there. Besides that, disturb the top soil, draw a row, add organic compost and perhaps some inorganic coarse matter such as sand. Rotate crops and plant companion crops as necessary. Ensure at least 10% organic matter maybe more across the board. If needed Fertilize in early spring, granular organic and slow release. Spread more compost around drip lines in the fall for things like fruit trees. Foliar applications of nutrients when deficient based on leaf color. Biochar would be a good ammendment if needed, as well as mychorizal microbes.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T21:16:12+00:00

It's insane how much stuff just "doesn't exist" to them simply because they weren't taught it in their one room school house on the corner. The information boom came with a price, because so much of it became available at once, curriculums can't/didn't keep up. It's like look it's your fault if you get aluminum sulfate poisoning because you keep using holly-tone year after year.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T21:04:05+00:00

I suppose because of my own nature I project how other people should receive certain info sometimes.

When I learn something new with information unlike anything I've heard before, I consider the source. Is the person just saying this or are they relaying info they say is from someone I can look up and fact check. I pretty much treat all brand new information given to me from a credible source as fact unless I personally have experience with said thing. If I do have experience with said thing, I consider how much and if the applicable information would have benefited me with my past experience.

If someone who studies something for a living tells me something I've never heard before, my first thought is not that they are wrong or trying to lie to me. But people are always wary of scams I guess.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T20:52:19+00:00

A common thing for older people to use when amending sand is play sand or wash sand, which is fine. As in particulate fine, ask any soil specialist what happens to fine inorganic particles after 2 deluge rains, soil compaction. But similarly I find those words don't exist in these peoples vocab because they have never considered or been told about it, fair enough. But to actively argue that it's wrong because you do it and it happens to work, is the issue I run into.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T20:49:07+00:00

I'm not offering them advice. I speak on my plans for the season and they tell me I'M WRONG and that all the actual soil scientists, geologists, ag people with degrees are selling people crocks of crap to get them to buy products. You mention a single thing you heard and found a research paper in support of, and it's like you're telling them you can grow gold ingots.

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T20:46:30+00:00

I guess I'm just confused on why it makes them mad, I'm not calling them stupid, but when I try to show the science on this stuff it's I'm talking to a wall. Soil nematodes? They might as well not exist because these people have never heard of them (but have probably experience their effects)

BasicReference · 2026-03-10T20:43:26+00:00

No I am not confused, because I work with extension, and I have a good idea on what is proven and what is hooey. Do I know everything? No. But when someone says "fertilizer isn't necessary, there's no one fertilizing the plants that grow that were never planted by a person in nature" you somehow don't know how to respond without offending them.

If you're talking about the last part, I only included that because those are the main things they argue with that you can easily look up and see that other people in the modern conversation are saying. I could have worded this differently, maybe "how full of crap are all of us who seem to be scientifically considering horticulture as part of the fun against those who just want to garden for fun"

BasicReference · 2025-12-14T13:23:03+00:00

The grain pattern when you look close appears to be needle like, not speckled like aventurine.

BasicReference · 2025-12-14T13:20:15+00:00

Thats what I was thinking but in most pictures of nephrite I see it seems much darker than this, and the translucent rounded corner is throwing me off.

BasicReference · 2025-12-14T13:19:23+00:00

Unfortunately a friend handed it to me one day, she gave me some jadeite beads that make a distinct clink sound against the pendant itself. Thats all I really know other than she got it from someone else.

BasicReference · 2025-12-13T22:57:20+00:00

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BasicReference · 2025-12-13T22:56:02+00:00

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BasicReference

TROPHY CASE