How does your Garden grow? part 2

[Evo]

Olreanders

I'd somehow forgotten about this thread, I think I have a post on the other one, and I have put one or two photos from our terrace garden In the photo competitions. Anyway we do have this garden, rather plants in pots, on our quite large terrace, I chose the flat because of it. Pots means that the plants do not have the volume of soil to draw on that you have in a normal garden so it requires a lot of attention, particularly to irrigation. Although we have bits and pieces flowering most of the year it is really at its best in May and June. Following that it's really hot and exposed, and we are lucky if we can keep it just green in high summer. We'd just been away for a time anyway so coming back I was not expecting to see anything great in late July.

We have four oleanders. They were there when we moved in, they could have been there for 40 or more years. But they had usually disappointed me rather giving a few desultory flowers. Oleanders ought not to be difficult to cultivate – you see tens of thousands of kilometres of them, often in full flower, in the inside the metal crash barriers that separate the directions on Italian autostrade. Which doesn't set them off to their best advantage, and anyway for safety I can only admire them with my second brain. The point is though that I cannot remember having ever seen anybody watering them or in any way tending them, so they are tough and not very demanding for water etc.

This year however, thanks to some savvy pruning and root treatment that we had done in the spring they gave us not a bad show at last.

I love oleanders, growing up in Houston, TX, they are also, planted in the divides between highways and my mother had them in the yard, only the hardy type that aren't fragrant grow up here.

 

[Evo]

Pumpkins are doing well so far this year...
View attachment 104728

Looks like you might have a bumper crop for this fall!

 

[Rubidium_71]

I hope so. Our weather has alternated between bright sunshine and severe thunderstorms, so these plants are thriving more than usual.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I planted some mock orange bushes in May and now I see some strange things on the leafs. I thought it was bird poo but now I suspect it's a fungus? Should I clip the infected leaves? FYI the white stuff on the one is insect repellent.

 

[Astronuc]

I planted some mock orange bushes in May and now I see some strange things on the leafs. I thought it was bird poo but now I suspect it's a fungus? Should I clip the infected leaves? FYI the white stuff on the one is insect repellent.

That little trail at the top of the left image looks like a leaf miner, which I've seen on tomatoes.

Leaf miners
Leaf miners are the larvae of many different insects, such as flies or beetles, that lay eggs on the undersides of leaves. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the leaves, tunneling through the leaf surface, leaving holes. Visible symptoms include holes and furrows in the leaves, browning or curling leaves and black specks on the leaf surface. Prune the infested stems and foliage. Prevent a recurrence of leaf miners with insecticidal soap applications. Remove leaves, mulch and debris from the ground below the shrub in the fall and turn over the soil to expose any larvae to predators.

Ref: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/problems-flowering-mock-orange-philadelphus-lewisii-57394.html

Apparently, mock oranges are subject to a variety of pests/infestations, including fungi. Aphids are a potential problem.
Ref: The above article and https://ask.extension.org/questions/211917

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

That little trail at the top of the left image looks like a leaf miner, which I've seen on tomatoes.

Indeed very similar to these photos from leaf miners
http://urbanfarmcolorado.com/leaf-miners/

 

[OmCheeto]

Apparently, I'm an inadvertent gardener:

I've been notified by a localish FB "What is this fungi?" group, that I'm growing "Chicken of the Woods" mushrooms.
They told me to eat them.
I told them I wouldn't even touch them, as they seemed hallucinogenic just looking at them.
One person offered to come over and cook them for me. I declined the offer, but now I want to eat one.

ps. I've now been tasked with taking picture of them, every day for the next two weeks, as, apparently, they grow really fast, and seldom in someones front yard. I told them I would do that.

pps. I told them I found them, because from my front porch, 20 feet away, they looked like a Carls Jr hamburger wrapper, and went to pick it up.
Oddly enough, after I discovered they were mushrooms, I found a Carls Jr piece of trash, only 3 feet away, and hence, the photo.
The yellows seem spectrally similar, so I'm sticking with my original statement.

ppps. Anyone ever eat any of these? I had never seen, nor heard of them until yesterday.

pppps. In one of the 4 videos I watched yesterday regarding these "shrooms", the narrator looked higher than a kite. I suspect he eats one too many types of mushrooms. Which, kind of reminded me of the comments, likes, and 's I was receiving from the general crowd. hmmm... If I seem to get all excited and weirder than I've been for the last few years, I've tried one.

 

[Borek]

It is in way funny how in some places wild growing mushrooms are eaten and in others they are not. Sure, there are those hallucinogenic and those that can kill you, but there are many that are just quite tasty and easy enough to recognize to be not dangerous even for those unexperienced. Picking mushrooms is quite popular in Poland, especially in autumn, and they are basis of some of the traditional Christmas Eve dishes.

 

[Rubidium_71]

 

[Nidum]

The end of the summer growing season came a couple of weeks back in the UK . Time for the annual clear up now ready for a fresh start next year .

 

[OmCheeto]

Today is Jan Ingenhousz' 287th birthday. He discovered photosynthesis.
My guess is that my lemon tree has 50 blossoms, in the middle of winter, because of that discovery. (and subsequent research, of course)

These new lights do make the world look weird though.

 

[OmCheeto]

Yay! My first blossom opened up over the night.
Unfortunately, in trying to determine the best way to pollinate the blossoms, I ran across the following: "Older trees with more leaves can support more fruit, but limit the fruit numbers on the lemon tree to one fruit for every 42 leaves, advises Texas A&M; University Aggie Horticulture." [ref]



My tree already has 4 lemons, and probably only 100 leaves.
hmmmm...
(google google google)

If your plant is getting leggy or losing the green color in its leaves, odds are it’s not getting enough blue light. If it’s not flowering at a time you know it should (this is a particular problem for Christmas cacti that refuse to bloom at Christmas), it’s probably lacking in red light. [ref]​

Sounds like I need more blue lights, and ≈2000 more leaves.
Amazon! Here I come.

 

[epenguin]

Ah lemons, I was going to get around to our lemons maybe in the hoped for leisure after Christmas or the New Year. I thought I would run through a year starting in January which is when the fruits are ready. But since the theme has come up let me post these. (Just what I have ready with little time, need to find and organise some Photos I have.)

We have two lemon trees on our terrace. Don't know how old the older one is. Just when we moved into our flat there was this old oil can with in it a sad sawn-off trunk about 15 cm diameter; it was about to be thrown out in refurbishment works, place was builders' mess. But it had one tiny visible green leaf, and my wife with an eye for such things said no don't. Over the years it was transferred from one pot to another and has grown into a tree which gives us a splendid crop of lemons every year. I haven't a good photo of it to hand, but have some somewhere which I will post when I get myself organised. The photos are of another tree which we grew up from a small plant, for years there weren't significant fruits but now it is a fair size and yielding quite a lot.

Finally this was an our crop lost January

Coming along is a Mandarin tree presented to my wife on her retirement some years ago, in the last year or two, has also given a very tasty fruit, I'm hoping just right for Christmas and looking forward to it when I return there very shortly.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I planted several giant allium bulbs last fall so I am chomping at the bit to see how they come up!

 

[Bystander]

giant allium bulbs

You'll be sorry.

I [insert]my wife[/insert] planted several giant allium bulbs last fall[insert] twenty years ago [/insert]

, and we're still trying to get rid of them.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

You'll be sorry.

hmmm appears to be species dependent. Unfortunately I threw out the container already.

 

[ZapperZ]

Donald is guarding over his tomato, and also my own tomato that is growing next to him.

This is an heirloom tomato. It is called Mr. Stripey. I can't wait for it to ripen and sink my teeth into it.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Interestingly, one of my hydrangea is producing a heart-shaped flower!

Too bad this is nowhere near Valentine's Day!

Zz.

 

[Mark44]

They told me to eat them.
I told them I wouldn't even touch them, as they seemed hallucinogenic just looking at them.
One person offered to come over and cook them for me. I declined the offer, but now I want to eat one.

I've never eaten any, but I wouldn't hesitate to eat the ones you have growing. They are NOT hallucinogenic or otherwise toxic.

 

[OmCheeto]

I've never eaten any, but I wouldn't hesitate to eat the ones you have growing. They are NOT hallucinogenic or otherwise toxic.

hmmmm...
I did eventually eat some.
Per wiki; "In some cases eating the mushroom "causes mild reactions . . . for example, "swollen lips" or in rare cases "nausea, vomiting, dizziness and disorientation" to those who are sensitive."

I believe I am sensitive to the effects of these mushrooms.
And hence, I unfollowed the mushroom group, as the members were creepily too eager to be my "friend".
I've got enough dizzy and disoriented friends as it is.

ps. I just checked, and I have a new batch growing in the same spot. They, or it, looks to be about a week old.

Ain't going to eat 'em this time.

Ah lemons...

All 50 of my winter lemons self-terminated within two weeks. Guessing my light is too dim, my house is too cold, or I didn't water the tree enough.
In any event, I have another 50 lemon babies on my tree right now. Hopefully I get at least a half dozen to survive. I had 8 the first year, and 4 the second.
Summer is still young, it's hotter then hell here right now, and I've got my outdoor watering system finally working.
It's like Florida in Oregon!

 

[Rive]

Per wiki; "In some cases eating the mushroom "causes mild reactions . . . for example, "swollen lips" or in rare cases "nausea, vomiting, dizziness and disorientation" to those who are sensitive."

Never seen anybody who is 'sensitive' to this one. More like as it is one of the safest mushrooms even complete noobs would try it, without knowing the very basics about mushrooms. They pick the too young (which is so soft that it would spoil by just touching it) the too old (which is like chewing sawdust), the ones with mold (would you do that with bread?); they eat it half-cooked, in insane amounts, without any side dish: some would even try 'Bear Grylls style'... While mushrooms by default are very heavy food.
Of course this mushroom is famous about all the possible symptoms of indigestion

 

[OmCheeto]

Never seen anybody who is 'sensitive' to this one. More like as it is one of the safest mushrooms even complete noobs would try it, without knowing the very basics about mushrooms.

Since you don't list the geographic area where you live in your profile, I can only guess that you don't live near me.

Chicken of the Woods
This mushroom tastes just like chicken.

Although the mushroom’s unmistakable appearance is perfect for amateur foragers, new discoveries suggest that harvesters in North America should proceed with caution. Mycologists recently found that the “species” actually consists of several different but similar-looking varieties of mushrooms. Even though they look like the chicken of the woods, foragers who feast on these fungi—namely Laetiporus gilbertsonii and Laetiporus conifericola in the West and Laetiporus huroniensis around the Great Lakes—often experience gastrointestinal problems.

So how do you know if you’re eating the right poultry-flavored polypore? It’s still pretty simple: Laetiporus sulphureus grows on mature or dead hardwoods in Eastern North America and Europe. If you see a similar-looking ’shroom growing in Western forests or on the sides of conifer or eucalyptus trees, leave it be.​

I live in the northwest coast forest area of the USA. My 'shroom will remain a pretty ornament, thank you very much.
Also, according to wiki's list, 6 new species have been discovered in just the last 10 years:

2009 Laetiporus montanus
2010 Laetiporus cremeiporus
2012 Laetiporus caribensis
2014 Laetiporus ailaoshanensis
2014 Laetiporus zonatus
2016 Laetiporus squalidus​

Though, some of the species look nothing like "Chicken of the Woods": Laetiporus sulphureus

They pick the too young (which is so soft that it would spoil by just touching it) the too old (which is like chewing sawdust), the ones with mold (would you do that with bread?); they eat it half-cooked, in insane amounts, without any side dish: some would even try 'Bear Grylls style'... While mushrooms by default are very heavy food.
Of course this mushroom is famous about all the possible symptoms of indigestion

IMHO, I thoroughly researched the preparation and precautions of eating them. As I recall, I sautéed them in butter and olive oil, and ate just a nibble to start out with.

ps. They did not taste chicken!
pps. Anyone know a good mycologist that I can send these to for "species-fication"? @BillTre ? Maybe it's a new species! Laetiporus Omcheetus.

 

[BillTre]

I used to have a friend around here who knew the local mushrooms and did a lot of hiking and eating of them.
Unfortunately, he moved away.

 

[OmCheeto]

I used to have a friend around here who knew the local mushrooms and did a lot of hiking and eating of them.
Unfortunately, he moved away.

Actually, I was thinking more along the line of "Someone in a lab who can do genetic testing", rather than a local 'Shroom eater.
Don't you have connections with anyone at the U of O?
I'll not argue with them about naming the 'shroom after themselves.

ps. As most everyone knows, I'm a retired mail room clerk, and have only the foggiest idea of how "new species" are decided. How on Earth did they decide such things before all this DNA sciencey stuff came about?
pps. I appear to be getting off topic.

Why have all my zucchini blossoms fallen off without making babies? My lemon tree seems to be having no such problem.
I got the zucchinis from a friend, who grew them from seed in her greenhouse, so it's possible they are hybrids, and therefore sterile?
Not sure.

Obligatory picture:

 

[Rive]

Why have all my zucchini blossoms fallen off without making babies?

They are male.

No joke, the first set of zucchini flowers really are male

ps. They did not taste chicken!

Well, I could find some similarities with the common supermarket type chicken, as both are quite flavourless
Guess this won't qualify for any discussion about the etymology of the name...

Since you don't list the geographic area where you live in your profile, I can only guess that you don't live near me.

The frequency of news about relevant digestion disorders seems to be similar

 

[BillTre]

Searching, ...

• I am guessing that this facebook page for the group Pacific Northwest Mushroom and Identification Forum would be your best bet at quickly getting some decent feedback.
  
• I found a lot of ads for molecular IDing mushrooms. Location of intended use was not obvious at that level. Regular updating of their search or compare algorhythm with more recent findings would be important.
• Maybe contact the Pacific NW Research Station (part of the US Forest Service). They may not have a mycologist there, but they might be able to give you some direction for further inquiries.
  
• You could peruse the OSU Forestry Dept (or whatever it is). That's where all the research in the state on forestry issues would be in Oregon. There would probably be a similar group somewhere in Washington State.

 

[ZapperZ]

This was an especially brutal winter, and it doesn't seem to want to let go as the Spring so far has been rather cooler than usual.

But, there's hope in the air! Today, I spotted the first flowers blooming in my garden! Hooray!

Zz.

 

[Torbert]

I live in central Alaska so most growing is done indoors. In south central my Grandfather had a square mile of potatoes plus a few other veggies on the shore of Wasilla Lake. Summers in the 1950's were spent on the farm.
Indoor limits me to herbs and spices that last a while. Three months growing a root veggie gone in a single meal is counter productive. Although exotic cucumbers are a treat.
Very hot peppers work well, as do herbal teas. Cats get into catnip before it finishes growing. Lemongrass actually grows better outside.
The pictured plant has over 100 flower pods, not easily achievable outdoors.

My physics background came in extremely handy when buying the artificial lights, literally hundreds of choices. 90% could be eliminated just by understanding the specification sheets.

 

[dlgoff]

Sometimes things grow too well.

My two peach trees:

One of my apple trees:

 

[nsaspook]

Odd summer weather has the tomatoes late this year.

 

[dlgoff]

It's been a good year for onions

 

[Astronuc]

Our blueberries are coming in late this year. Normally, the first blueberries rippen in early to mid June, but this year, they only began to rippen last week. We have six bushes of different varieties, and only one started to rippen so far. The rest are full of green berries.

 

[Rive]

Our little jungle

We had some severe drought here at summer: everything went survival mode, even with daily watering... But then we had two months of normal weather and the plants are finally back to business again