Post a photo, any photo

[jswordy]

Mike, I have a lot of Iris in my yard and I have a problem with them. The stalks grow tall and then fall over. I notice in your picture that your stalks are significantly thicker and stronger looking and I am interested in any fertilizer regimen you use. I believe Nitrogen does so and I think I will give it a shot. Do you use anything special? I also have the same problem with my Peonies, which are planted in about the same area.

Thanks.

You want the nitrogen number lower and the phosphorous and potassium higher, like 5-10-10. Love irises!

 

[bstnh1]

Hey Brian, I have three plantings of peonies and I support them with a "tomato cage." The stems are so thin, they still fall over. The largest planting is about 2' high. I just transplanted all of the Iris last Fall, so the flowers were few and far between this year. Even so, the thin stems grew tall and fell over. Pictures are not great but they give you an idea of the issue.

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I notice they're right next to a tree. Do they get full sun? If not, too much shade might be the problem.

 

[tjmeyer]

While family loves this time of year

 

[Christopher Anderson]

This is what you might find in one hole when planting a vineyard. Orange tube at top is 24 inches long.

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Yep. That's what I have when one lives in the Texas hill country. Usually, more rocks than dirt. I use raise beds.

 

[ibglowin]

Mike, I have a lot of Iris in my yard and I have a problem with them. The stalks grow tall and then fall over. I notice in your picture that your stalks are significantly thicker and stronger looking and I am interested in any fertilizer regimen you use. I believe Nitrogen does so and I think I will give it a shot. Do you use anything special? I also have the same problem with my Peonies, which are planted in about the same area.

Thanks.

Iris seem to do well here without any help, almost like a weed. No special fertilizer needed and they don't fall over. That said we also have exceptionally strong sun since we are at almost 7000ft EL. If yours are not getting full sun that could be an issue. My goto flower fertilizer is Miracle Grow "Bloom Booster". It is 10-52-10. You can find it at the big box stores, Amazon and most any garden center. Peony like acid soil which I would think you have in Ohio but it you want to help yours I use Miracle Grow "Miracid" which has a healthy dose of pH lowering minerals. Again full sun is important for strong stems but many Peony still need staking or caging once the blooms fully develop and open fully. Dahlia's are much the same with staking needed once the bloom season hits in full.

 

[wineh]

We made our biannual trip to the Okanagan valley. The vineyards and orchards are devastated from the record cold snap in January. In the vineyard where we are staying, they have lopped off many vines near the ground. They believe the root stocks are fine and will grow new shoots. 60% recovery in 2 years. Some vineyards have to replace vines. The orchards are a mess with some trees having fruit and others have none. 1 cut plants 2 cherry tree 3 our view from the vineyard villa.

 

[Sage]

My vines and orchard are also damaged. Very small cherry crop, no peaches, no apricot, looks like all the Merlo are coming back from the roots, Cab & Syrah mixed.

Only apples and pears look good.

 

[Boatboy24]

 

[ibglowin]

Bonus points if you can identify where this was taken!

 

[sour_grapes]

Bonus points if you can identify where this was taken!

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VLA?

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Bonus points if you can identify where this was taken!

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somewhere west of Socorro, New Mexico?

 

[ibglowin]

You both nailed it!

 

[Rocky]

Iris seem to do well here without any help, almost like a weed. No special fertilizer needed and they don't fall over. That said we also have exceptionally strong sun since we are at almost 7000ft EL. If yours are not getting full sun that could be an issue. My goto flower fertilizer is Miracle Grow "Bloom Booster". It is 10-52-10. You can find it at the big box stores, Amazon and most any garden center. Peony like acid soil which I would think you have in Ohio but it you want to help yours I use Miracle Grow "Miracid" which has a healthy dose of pH lowering minerals. Again full sun is important for strong stems but many Peony still need staking or caging once the blooms fully develop and open fully. Dahlia's are much the same with staking needed once the bloom season hits in full.

Thanks, Mike.

The iris and the peonies get about 6-7 hours of sun daily. That may be an issue. I do have an area which gets full sun so I may transplant a dozen or so to see how they do. Our soil in this part of Ohio is generally very alkaline and has to be amended with lots of acid for acid loving varieties, such as azaleas and rhododendron. So much so that I have given up trying to grow such varieties. I have both the regular Miracle grow and Miracid so I can give that a shot. I think I will also get a soil sample to Ohio State University's lab for an analysis. That is a great service they offer.

I don't know if I have a special variety of peony, but the stalks have two or three very large flowers on them. It is too late this year but I might try snipping off all but one on the stalk next Spring.

Oddly, I have my dahlia's in the area that gets full sun and they grow without staking. Go figure!

Lastly, when I typed "alkaline" above, I wondered absently if Al Kaline (who played for the Detroit Tigers in the 50's and 60's) had parents with a sense of humor!

 

[Rocky]

You want the nitrogen number lower and the phosphorous and potassium higher, like 5-10-10. Love irises!

Thank you. I really need to get a soil analysis and OSU provides this at their School of Agriculture.

 

[bstnh1]

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Thank you. I really need to get a soil analysis and OSU provides this at their School of Agriculture.

A better test is by testing the petiole to see what the plant is actually able to uptake from the soil. For grapes/fruit trees, I only test the soil the fall before planting. After the plant is established, I rely on the plant to tell me what it needs. For Ohio, I use a place called Spectrum Analytics (https://spectrumanalytic.com/). They have an agronomist on staff that has a good relationship with grapes

 

[jswordy]

Bonus points if you can identify where this was taken!

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It looks like the LIGO Hanford Observatory, where things come in waves.

Under edit: Guessed wrong. LIGO...



It was so cool to do a story about a scientist involved when gravitational waves were proven.

 

[jswordy]

What complete exhaustion looks like.



Darned happy with how this drywall patch turned out. The kitchen was re-drywalled due to water damage, so there are two layers except where the old cabinets were. We eliminated a valance, so I had to patch in this piece. Because the joists run parallel so there was no place to screw it into place, I used my go-to for ceiling work, Loctite Power Grab. I have used that stuff on composite bathroom shower ceilings. You put it up, it grabs right now, and it will never come down. I support it with some pressure just for safety, and after a few hours it is ON THERE. Highly recommend. The box was added for an over-sink light.



Walking around like a zombie... Tomorrow, paint the ceiling. Sunday, fill the floor joints and do some leveling. Wednesday, cabinets arrive. June 3-4, installers arrive. June 7-8, back to Jim for eventual backsplash and flooring work.

 

[Daboyleroy]

It looks like the LIGO Hanford Observatory, where things come in waves.

Under edit: Guessed wrong. LIGO...

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It was so cool to do a story about a scientist involved when gravitational waves were proven.

laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory

 

[sour_grapes]

It was so cool to do a story about a scientist involved when gravitational waves were proven.

That is an amazing accomplishment, which, to be honest, I thought would never work.

My institution is a major player in LIGO. My colleague/friend is the current spokesperson for LIGO -- Had him and a half dozen other LIGO scientists over for my housewarming party the other day.