Fourteen years ago today I went on the first date with my now wife, I'd say it's going pretty well.
Boo to code enforcement waiting to tell us and our contractor that we need to file an appeal for a variance to move forward with our renovation though.
I'm happy to help =D
As for the small guy, it's tough to say... Pothos leaves grow from other leaf stems but this section doesn't have one. I do see a darker spot on the new growth, but can't say what's really growing there.
You should post your questions here on this comm! I check Beehaw regularly, but there are a whole bunch of helpful folks who frequent this space.
Hey great job! Those look very happy, and you should be proud of yourself!
Keeping leaves submerged can really stress out a plant or be a vector for disease, so I like to keep them out of the water whenever possible.
As for transplanting, you just want enough water to settle your potting mix around the roots and get rid of extra air pockets. Starting with damp soil is good, because the water will spread evenly through the mix, but then a little extra water at the time of transplanting will ensure that there's good contact between the soil and roots.
I love all the log borders and brush piles, they're so good for biodiversity!
The forest takes things back quickly
So true. So, so true
We've completely emptied our family/dining room except for the router. Demo for the rebuild and addition starts Monday
(Image description: my not-quite-two-year-old and I dig up a hosta crown to clear the entrance to the camper we'll be using to escape construction noise)
Any advice for balancing your own professional aspirations while prioritizing your partner's career goals and your child's physical/mental/emotional wellbeing is certainly appreciated
❤️ thank you! It's a lot of balancing but the end result is going to be worth all the effort, I'm sure.
We've been in the planning and prepping phase getting ready for serious renovations on our house, and it's been difficult spreading my attention between house stuff, nursery stuff, and parenting an I Do/ runner of a toddler. Now the only things in our living room are a speaker, my wife's workstation, and a chair, our daughter is helpful in the garden (if the gate is closed), and I'm basically prepped for market season which starts Saturday. I kinda feel like that last dollop of jam in the jar that's probably not enough but the peanut butter has already been spread and this sandwich is happening no matter what. The anxiety has been keeping me from engaging with the online communities that I love, and that lack of interaction has honestly only compounded things.
So, I've missed you all and hope you don't mind that I had to hunker down so much to survive the hardest adulting in my life.
Yes, I definitely think it's worth saving each section (I have a problem, and the problem is not enough plants). Those couple of shorter sections should be just fine for the few days it will take for them to begin rooting.
As for blue and purple together: I don't recommend removing the topmost leaf or bud (also called an apical bud) because they help to regulate the growth hormones of the plant and will have a stronger growth response than leaves or buds further down. Cutting a leaf as pictured below will preserve that hormone regulator but give the plant less to maintain while new roots are forming.
[Image Description: Seedling Bing cherries ready to be potted up for the growing season fit in the palm of my hand.]
We have sixteen cherry pots and five red plum pots so far. Twenty three other species of trees and shrubs to go, not counting herbaceous perennials and annuals.
There's still three feet of snow outside.
Anyone else getting a crazy head start this year?
[Image description: a two panel meme. The first panel says "if you don't love me at my" over an image of leaves yellowing. The second panel says "you don't deserve me at my" over an image of bright yellow flowers, one of which is being visited by a bumblebee]
[Image description: a father and daughter have their backs to the camera while cutting elderberry stems for propagation. They are both on grass despite a seat being in the picture]
Juniper is still a little young to work the snips but she was instrumental in helping me pick which stem should be processed next
[Image description: a picture of a stroller on the edge of a street with a child in the seat. In the tray of the stroller is a pair of secateurs, while several young beaked hazelnut bushes spill out from the bin on the bottom of the stroller]
Yesterday I took my daughter out to harvest some beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta var. cornuta) bushes from a naturally occurring stand on the side of our street. We took ten rooted cuttings from a patch of several dozen established bushes, all from within the range of the town's flail mower. They've since been planted into a hedge on one of the boundaries of our property, never to be mowed down again.
[Image description: five muscovy adolescents hang out together under some shade]
[Image description: two ducklings nibble my toes while their siblings look on to see if I'm scary or not]
The toe nibbling is a nightly affair with their mother, Shadé, but tonight marked the first time the kids have joined in. I find that this life stage is the easiest to get them comfortable with hands, and even managed to give some chest scritches and back pets while some were nibbling on my fingers.
[Image description: a toad, sitting upright, in a small nursery pot, is shaded from the midday sun by the leaves of a young echinacea]
I kept finding a dug-out section in this one particular pot, with all of the potting mulch pushed to one side. At least they're vigilant
[image description: in the background, two groups of ducklings lay normally while sunning themselves on a black driveway. In the foreground is one duckling laying on its back with legs outstretched, while gently lifting its head to watch me take its picture]
I swear, there's always one odd duck in a clutch. The laying on the back is a new twist though.
[Image description: a picture of a bumblebee drinking nectar from a purple bee balm flower. The venation of the wings is clearly visible.
[Image description: a dozen muscovy ducklings form an interlocking mass of bodies and bills during a nap pile on a bit of driveway. In the foreground, their mother keeps a watchful eye on the sky]
A few of them took an opportunity to investigate me but were still a little hand-shy. In another week or two they will be trying to bully me.
Sumac (Rhus) has entered the chat