I always get a little antsy whenever people use the sarcastic expression "yeah, and pigs can fly." Well actually...
But if I were you, I'd put my biggest plot at the top of the treeline on the right, in the little hook towards the top where the trees come out and form a little nook that is directly open to southern exposure. Plus it's pretty much the treeline at its furthest distance from the water.
today it was 68f here and i went to the hills and got 3 holes dug..in one my new plots the first 2-3 inces of soil is great..its nice and black and just smells great..as i was digging and rounding my holes out i seen 2 little worms wiggling around in the dirt..i thought i had chopped it in half but i picked it up and it was a live earth worm..i gently picked him up and put him back down in the hole and put some grass,a few pieces of rotten wood in there..there was also some deer or rabbit shit there in the same area that i was digging and i put it down in the hole as well..just waiting on my kelp and alfalfa meal and im gonna take it on up on the hill on that plot and let them start working on it..really excited to have found this spot last year and even more excited that live earth worms are there already in that part of the hill..it will get full sun from 930am till 6 or 7 pm and then another 1.5 of ambient light when the sun starts going down
I like that location a lot man, I didn't even see that nook. So you're saying basically fill the nook with plants so it looks like a smooth tree line right? I just may do just that. Good eye
it could have been rabbit shit..it was little round balls..i will remove all the stuff out that hole anyways though when i take my soil up there..FFOF and some extra kelp,alfalfa and Ewcs will go into this plot..i thought about diluting it with the soil from under the tree that i get mine from but im not gonna..i will also throw in about the top 2 inches of the toplayer of soil..its solid black and when u smell of it its just got a killer earthy smell to it..3 delas will go there and 2 BBHB and 1 jacky white..also it was dry bc when i touched it it was like dust it just broke up a bit..i will still remove it though bc i want the good shit in this plot..idk why i didnt ever find it before..i got my big pole trimmer im gonna trim back a few tree limbs that will get some extra sun in there..hoping to get a extra 30 or 45min of early morning sun..those extra 30-45 mins add up in terms of hours when u count from may1-end of sept..I like that location a lot man, I didn't even see that nook. So you're saying basically fill the nook with plants so it looks like a smooth tree line right? I just may do just that. Good eye
Nice brother!! Gettin an early start, I like it. Those worms are a great sign, you just may be able to use that native soil. Full sun, worms, good soil, great genetics, and persistence is the recipe for a great season.
The only thing I would stray from is putting native poop in the holes, maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong here but it can turn anaerobic and create disease causing organisms to spread in the soil. Rabbit shit is great I've heard, just make sure it's dry and has time to break down before planting. You would think if cow/horse/rabbit shit is safe to use then so would using deer shit...
What do you think man?
As far as critters and deer go, I don't piss around (pun absolutely intended); I just put chickenwire around the plants (zip-tied together at the top) until the plants are big enough for critters/deer not to really fuck with them.
Last year I even set up a perimeter with fishing line tied at every 12 inches or so around trees.
it could have been rabbit shit..it was little round balls..i will remove all the stuff out that hole anyways though when i take my soil up there..FFOF and some extra kelp,alfalfa and Ewcs will go into this plot..i thought about diluting it with the soil from under the tree that i get mine from but im not gonna..i will also throw in about the top 2 inches of the toplayer of soil..its solid black and when u smell of it its just got a killer earthy smell to it..3 delas will go there and 2 BBHB and 1 jacky white..also it was dry bc when i touched it it was like dust it just broke up a bit..i will still remove it though bc i want the good shit in this plot..idk why i didnt ever find it before..i got my big pole trimmer im gonna trim back a few tree limbs that will get some extra sun in there..hoping to get a extra 30 or 45min of early morning sun..those extra 30-45 mins add up in terms of hours when u count from may1-end of sept..
have u or anyone else ever tried the coyote piss to help keep litter critters away? i was reading on it and all the little pests that fk with me its their #1 predator..i will still use cages but im gonna try this and see if that will even keep them from digging around the cage at all incase the kelp gives off a funny smell..i will still take the kelp,alfalfa and ewc there about 4 weeks before i plant in it just to be safe
Nice man! Sounds like black gold to me...
I haven't tried coyote piss before but I've heard of that Zoo Poo I was telling you about working wonders... it's wolf scat they sell at any Zoo, it deters many animals for obvious reasons... the hard part is finding the stuff if you don't live near a Zoo. The coyote piss may work just as well... keep it a good ways away from your holes though so nothing leeches into your soil
no zoo close to me but if i ever go i will try and collect some..they will prolly think im insane for asking for it lol ya i was not putting it anywhere close to my holes..i am gonna spray it on some trees..their nose's are very sensitive so should pick up from a long way..the raccoons are only thing i hope it works on..the other things like opposum,deer,rabbit and ground hogs aint shit compared to this mfers we got here..they are like some obsessed space alien fks but that was with the alaskan fish emulsion so hopefully the kelp isnt nothing like it..ive done planned everthing else out in preventative measures as u already know so i cant overlook this 1 little fact or it would fkk my whole grow up..i may be worrying to much but once i get the bottle of neptune harvest in and smell of it i will have a better ideal what it will smell like..i will use neptune here at the house to germ seeds and build my seedlings up..i will also get a better understanding of kelp once i get the actual kelp meal in from the mail.i will be use that to put in my holes..
PS: if your making swamp tubes this year .... try using organic natural burlap sacks from sandbaggy(dot) com with field fencing making the inner structure ... these are mobile so if seasonal flooding is an issue they can be picked up ... also makes it possible transport them out fully set up ... the burlap also breaks down in 6months.
Nice looking spots bro .. but only a good scouting trip will tell .. ...truth
In the first map pic if you look at the river as forming an outline of a face I like the putter edge of the brown area near the nose/eye area (almost middle of the map).
Just as ShakiraLoba stated the tree line is the best bet with wetlands as a great barrier against kayakers. Just watch out not to be under the drip line of those trees due to higher potential for water(dew) to drip on plants during flower also watch out planting under Oak trees as species of moths will lay eggs in oak's and the larvae will spin silk down to your tasty plants.
The green areas you marked on the other maps look like a fen or wetland meadow type of conditions. Basically the water table will remain at soil level; is water will fill your shoe prints and early spring or heavy rains will bring a small stream to the surface that usually flows under ground during summer months...this is how my wetland meadow works at least ... I mark out the streams path in early spring after the snow melts using stick stuck in the ground so I can orient my plants around that to ensure adequate water throughout the summer.
As far as the blow up rafts ... I got one years ago for under $100 ... held 400lbs ....but the membrane was not that thick and could tear ... I'd look at using pond liner glued to the bottom and sides of the raft to prevent punctures... or just double/triple bag the bales and add air bladders to help with floatation...to drag behind your kayak but this can be tough to explain if someone happens upon you.... perhaps you can say you are training for a kayaking trip and the extra weight/drag is helping you build up strength for a more serious river....I use boot camp training as my excuse for duffle bag full of soil ... "I'm using soil in this duffle for endurence traing so if I get tired I can dump it out and not be littering."
PS: if your making swamp tubes this year .... try using organic natural burlap sacks from sandbaggy(dot) com with field fencing making the inner structure ... these are mobile so if seasonal flooding is an issue they can be picked up ... also makes it possible transport them out fully set up ... the burlap also breaks down in 6months.
Hey TM
thanks for the informative thread. I have been thinking about the burlap bags and your bottomless tubes.
Im having second thoughts because if you go back and look at two heads threads he uses totes and I used 5 gal buckets. They one thing they have in common is the side structure holds in the moisture unlike a burlap bag or you swamp tube.
Of course it depends on the type of swamp/marsh you are growing in. If you had them in standing water I would agree the burlap or swamp tupe is nice to keep the soil from being saturated with water. The breathable bags allow the top portion of the soil to have better evaporation.
My grow last year was on damp soil only. In the spring if you stomped your foot in the soil the indentation in the soil would fill with water but in the heat of the summer it was fairly moist but nothing like the spring. Look I'm just thinking out loud here but I'm thinking in this marsh vs swamp type environment it may not be good to have breathable containers for a couple of reasons.
The first is of course you want the moisture retention in the heat of the summer and dry fall. Second I use slow release ferts mixed evenly through out the soil and if the soil is dry the ferts are not released. I'm guessing but even with a totally organic soil its not fertile if its not moist. Especially if you are top dressing in the fall.
The site that gemini recommended for the burlap also had bags made out of other plastics that would help with moisture retention. I need to do more research on grow bags in general.
Something to ponder over would love to hear from yourself TM on the organics side and anyone else who has some experience with swamp and marsh grows.
PEACE
Ok you got my attention.
This will be my second year doing swamp/marsh grow. last year I used 5 gallon camo buckets with 1/2 inch holes all over the bottom. Worked great but it sucks to haul in all the soil and buckets. Then you have to haul 20 five gallon buckets out during hunting season. NOT FUN.
I was looking at grow bags this year because they are made to support themselves.
Burlap sounds nice but can the roots penetrate the bottom to get to the water table as it falls later in the season?
I take it to get the burlap bag to stand up the fencing must be around the bag?
I have my doubts for using this for my growing MO because now I have to have fencing large enough to hold 5 gallons and I generally just make the fencing 8-12 inches in diameter and 18 inches tall. Just enough to protect young plants. Never had many problems after the plant get 3 ft tall.
Last year I just put my fencing on top of the 5 gallon bucket to protect plants.
Can you elaborate on your burlap methodology?