Picture Of The Week (POW) Information & Submissions

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

Cat, nope, no insecticides or fungicides, just the magic elixir. Maybe I got lucky, but I think the zillion beneficial insects that we have around here had a lot to do with it, too. When we bought the place five years ago, we seldom saw insects at all. The former owner doused everything with insecticides and herbicides. A couple years ago we started seeing some of the good-guy insects around the property. This summer we had lots of good bugs and butterflies everywhere. We feel like we must be doing something right, even though the weeding chores make me wish for a safe, effective herbicide.

Ninny, got my fingers crossed for you!

 

[catjac1975]

I need quantities of your secret elixers!!!!

Cat, nope, no insecticides or fungicides, just the magic elixir. Maybe I got lucky, but I think the zillion beneficial insects that we have around here had a lot to do with it, too. When we bought the place five years ago, we seldom saw insects at all. The former owner doused everything with insecticides and herbicides. A couple years ago we started seeing some of the good-guy insects around the property. This summer we had lots of good bugs and butterflies everywhere. We feel like we must be doing something right, even though the weeding chores make me wish for a safe, effective herbicide.

Ninny, got my fingers crossed for you!

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

Okay, here's the magic elixir recipe. (My husband started calling it that when our peach tree grew six inches in a week after I doused it with this stuff.)

Please please please bear in mind that I have very alkaline soil with a pH of 9, so the vinegar was a short-term solution until I can get some sulfur into the soil to make it more neutral or slightly acidic. If I had neutral or acidic soil, I'd leave the vinegar out or only use it as an experiment on a plant or two.

Anyway, here goes:

In a well washed 35 pound Tidy Cat cat litter bucket, I mixed 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 6 capfuls of fish emulsion, 2 capfuls of organic Miracle Gro liquid (in the tan/brown bottle), about 2 tablespoons of epsom salts and a 1/2 cup of blackstrap molasses. I then filled the bucket nearly to the top and mixed thoroughly, then gave each tree about a quart of this stuff and lightly watered it in. (I was afraid that the ACV might burn the roots, even that diluted.) WELL! Like I said, the little peach tree that had grown only a few inches in 2 years leapt up like a teenage boy in his growth spurt! The other trees looked sturdy and happy, with upturned leaves that were thick and green. You saw the results on the apple trees. I used the elixir 4 times between early June and the middle of September.

After that initial success, I used that same recipe, only 1/2 strength, on the veggies. The squash/melons went nuts and tripled in size within short order. The tomatoes showed a little extra oomph, but not a lot. The hot peppers were already producing, but it seemed like we got bigger peppers after the elixir treatment.

I'm sure a part of the success with the organic apples was due to not having bug infestations, and that was because of the good bugs that we have in abundance.

Anyway, I hope this info helps someone!

 

[catjac1975]

What made you use the molasses? One organic thought is that stressed plants attract bad insects. I don't know if this has any scientific basis. But also. There are so many fungus and blights that are attracted to apples. And your fruit looks perfect!

Okay, here's the magic elixir recipe. (My husband started calling it that when our peach tree grew six inches in a week after I doused it with this stuff.)

Please please please bear in mind that I have very alkaline soil with a pH of 9, so the vinegar was a short-term solution until I can get some sulfur into the soil to make it more neutral or slightly acidic. If I had neutral or acidic soil, I'd leave the vinegar out or only use it as an experiment on a plant or two.

Anyway, here goes:

In a well washed 35 pound Tidy Cat cat litter bucket, I mixed 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 6 capfuls of fish emulsion, 2 capfuls of organic Miracle Gro liquid (in the tan/brown bottle), about 2 tablespoons of epsom salts and a 1/2 cup of blackstrap molasses. I then filled the bucket nearly to the top and mixed thoroughly, then gave each tree about a quart of this stuff and lightly watered it in. (I was afraid that the ACV might burn the roots, even that diluted.) WELL! Like I said, the little peach tree that had grown only a few inches in 2 years leapt up like a teenage boy in his growth spurt! The other trees looked sturdy and happy, with upturned leaves that were thick and green. You saw the results on the apple trees. I used the elixir 4 times between early June and the middle of September.

After that initial success, I used that same recipe, only 1/2 strength, on the veggies. The squash/melons went nuts and tripled in size within short order. The tomatoes showed a little extra oomph, but not a lot. The hot peppers were already producing, but it seemed like we got bigger peppers after the elixir treatment.

I'm sure a part of the success with the organic apples was due to not having bug infestations, and that was because of the good bugs that we have in abundance.

Anyway, I hope this info helps someone!

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

I added the molasses based on what I read in this article and others:

http://www.ehow.com/info_7976252_organic-fertilizer-molasses.html

I found this paragraph to be particularly interesting, and of course my soil was in dire need of the sulfur.

Blackstrap molasses packs more nutrients than other types of liquid molasses, offering high levels of sulfur, potash and iron, among others. Blackstrap molasses is so rich in nutrients and minerals that plants need, it may be used by itself alone as a viable, organic garden fertilizer.

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

I read many articles before I concocted the elixir. I wanted to be sure that whatever I did would not cause harm to the trees, and I was hoping to find a cheap and easy way to nourish the soil. I feel like I got really lucky that it worked so well on the first trial.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Heck! It's worth a try!!!

Hubby wants to know how the taste was. (I know that's a weird question... but he's all about improving the flavor of his food with our garden. When I tried to explain to him that if we grow quality food, and pick it at the peak of ripeness it will taste good, it kind of went over his head... LOL)

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

Hah! Sounds like something my hubby would ask. As for the apples, they were quite juicy and tasty, with a sweet apple flavor that did not have any tartness to it. I didn't notice any difference in the taste of the tomatoes or the peppers, and the squash are still hardening up.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Well that's encouraging!! He may want to give it a try. I have no idea what the ph of our soil is tho. We really should send it off to be tested so we know what to add, but we just simply haven't yet! I know we've add a bunch of black kow compost every year since we started it... This fall we're adding a bunch of our home grown compost to our corn patch . I wrote down your "secret elixir" in my garden notebook so we can try it sometime.

 

[Carol Dee]

Marshall, YEAH love the orchid pic of the week!