Vinegar works to dry the plant that's above ground. The roots remain. Salt gets the roots. I mix salt, vinegar and laundry detergent in a spray bottle to go after the weeds. Too much salt will kill every thing in the area and take a few seasons for the rain to dilute it enough for new plants to start again.
Round-up does work. But, it's very expensive and does mess up the environment in a major way. The fish in the river get killed from the runoff after the rain washes it out of the soil.
Poison oak can get out of hand very quickly. So, sometimes Round-up is the only fix. I use it very sparingly when all else has failed.
I think of Microsoft and Monsanto in the same way as Windows and Linux. I've finally converted to Unity on Ubuntu 12.04. It does all I needed windows for in the past.
I don't want to hi-jack this thread. Sorry! I get worked up at times.
It's still the game of consumer demand along with cheap supply. If I had more bucks, I'd drive the Prius or Lexus and let the dealer fix and maintain it until the warranty ran out. Then, I'd trade it in on the new model. But, the cost does influence what I do - even to the level of Netflix. I've seen most of the movies on all their lists. It takes me a long time to find something really new. Then I check Rotten Tomatoes to see how the critics feel about the movie. I often have to go and search for another 15 minutes until something shows up.
One other gardening question for you guys: Has anyone had any experience with Tunnel Fill? It's a foam that comes in pellet form that expands when you use the garden hose to push it into the gopher tunnels. A 1.5 lb. package is $30 bucks. They suggest I get the $99 - 6 lb. package. My raised beds are falling apart and I need a bunch of cedar boards or some other way to deal with those hungry gophers. Maybe weld some rebar into a frame that has the screen on it. I have three 16x4 foot and two 8x4 foot raised beds. I'm cutting one washer shell and one dryer metal shell in half, attaching gopher screen, and will plant some tomatoes away from the gopher. Who knows how long they'll last? Any ideas?
My Maltese Yellow Thistle is getting to the flowering stage. The tops have thistle/flower beginnings. I'm trying to weed whack the tops - at least. But, it's getting really hot out there. It's gonna be 94F today. I've been pulling the plants out by hand to get the roots. But, I'm getting the feeling that it's getting late in the season and I'll just have to let it go. I think renting goats may be the answer next year. I can still go over many of the plants with a tractor with a 6 foot blade on the back. Yuck! The city does have some advantages.
This is another case of food companies keeping the lobbyists busy. I guess there are States' rights to label things as they deem fit along with the FDA rules to comply with. There are mistruths about labeling carbs. They tell you how many grams of fiber are in there and you are supposed to subtract them from the total carbs listed to see if it is low enough for your diabetic diet. It turns out that it's just a marketing ploy to let you think you're not taking a large amount of carbs with this food. There are many such lies on the label. Who would think that the FDA approved label would tell a lie? I used to eat low-carb chocolate candy bars for breakfast. It turns out they are very high carb - even the Atkins ones. You're supposed to read the labels carefully - yeah. The truth comes out when one tests his blood sugar after eating something he thinks is OK. It always looks great until after you test the sugar.
I don't know if commercial growers use any real pesticides any more. I suppose if there's a big infestation of some insect that they can get with some known pesticide, they'd have to use it to save the whole operation. But, with organic growing setting the standard, it would be difficult to get it applied out in the open. People kind of notice the smell of the stuff. Poison things just aren't as popular as DDT was once.
Me thinks the need to create fire at any given moment is extremely rare, which negates the need to carry a lighter. Looking at the flame and thinking it looks cool indicates you're prolly a pyromaniac to some degree and it would be best to stay away from all forms of ignition before you turn into Trashcan Man from The Stand
Comments
Round-up does work. But, it's very expensive and does mess up the environment in a major way. The fish in the river get killed from the runoff after the rain washes it out of the soil.
Poison oak can get out of hand very quickly. So, sometimes Round-up is the only fix. I use it very sparingly when all else has failed.
I think of Microsoft and Monsanto in the same way as Windows and Linux. I've finally converted to Unity on Ubuntu 12.04.
It does all I needed windows for in the past.
I don't want to hi-jack this thread. Sorry! I get worked up at times.
One other gardening question for you guys:
Has anyone had any experience with Tunnel Fill? It's a foam that comes in pellet form that expands when you use the garden hose to push it into the gopher tunnels. A 1.5 lb. package is $30 bucks. They suggest I get the $99 - 6 lb. package. My raised beds are falling apart and I need a bunch of cedar boards or some other way to deal with those hungry gophers. Maybe weld some rebar into a frame that has the screen on it. I have three 16x4 foot and two 8x4 foot raised beds. I'm cutting one washer shell and one dryer metal shell in half, attaching gopher screen, and will plant some tomatoes away from the gopher. Who knows how long they'll last? Any ideas?
There are mistruths about labeling carbs. They tell you how many grams of fiber are in there and you are supposed to subtract them from the total carbs listed to see if it is low enough for your diabetic diet. It turns out that it's just a marketing ploy to let you think you're not taking a large amount of carbs with this food. There are many such lies on the label. Who would think that the FDA approved label would tell a lie?
I used to eat low-carb chocolate candy bars for breakfast. It turns out they are very high carb - even the Atkins ones.
You're supposed to read the labels carefully - yeah. The truth comes out when one tests his blood sugar after eating something he thinks is OK. It always looks great until after you test the sugar.