When powdered fertilizer goes soupy

Although I use some organic practices in my gardening, I also, on occasion, use non-organic practices.  One such non-organic practice is the use of a water soluble chemical fertilizer.  I have a container of blue powdered fertilizer that had become soupy even though I had been careful to keep it dry.  For example, I made sure not to wet the measuring scoop when I mixed fertilizer.  I emailed the JR Peters company, and a representative responded (very promptly) and assured me that the fertilizer was still effective, that it had probably absorbed moisture from the air.  That was good to know.  Don't throw away something that is still effective! 
One thing I use the water soluble fertilizer on is the container plantings at my church.  I mixed in a little slow release fertilizer at planting, and I fertilize with a half-strength solution about every week.
I had fun trying to choose color combos for the planters. 
For the black planters I used coleus (a variety that is a little more sun tolerant), begonia, and licorice plant.

 

 

 

For the stone colored planters (which are in full sun), I used purple fountain grass, zinnia, and sweet potato vine.

 

 

 

I love to look at different combinations that people choose for container gardening.  Keep them fed and watered, and don't throw away the soupy fertilizer.



   

Memorial Day

A day to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice

Sunday thoughts: I Corinthians 11

A pastor whom I met online sent me some study materials for I Corinthians 11.  As I've begun to read them, I find that folks much more educated than I am describe this passage as hard to understand, or I find that very educated people disagree on the interpretations.  In some ways it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one who has grappled with the meaning of this passage. 
Often I hear people toss around the phrase, "the man is the head of the home."  Sometimes I wonder if they picked that up from a secular government form or from scripture.  I've heard people use the term variously to imply that a woman shouldn't try to make hard decisions on her own; that in a conflict of wills, the man's will is always served, or that a man should be the spiritual leader in the home.  The problem I have when I encounter this is that there seems to be no way for me to engage in a dialogue on this without getting much deeper than most conversations warrant.
The average person that I'm around probably doesn't want to get into a conversation about whether there is a hierarchy in the Trinity, nor do they care to discuss the possible meanings of the Greek word kephalē.
Here is an article by Gilbert Bilezikian in which he discusses "headship."  (By the way, I love the way he uses the words "glib" and "carelessly.")
http://www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content/i-believe-male-headship
These are my Sunday thoughts and some things to chew on.

Stored energy in plants

My neighbor and I had three large pines cut last December.  I dragged the limbs into my yard and burned them a few at the time.  My neighbor had cut a few of the limbs in two for me to make them smaller for handling.  He noted how heavy the limbs were with moisture.  Some of the limbs I stockpiled in order to let the dried needles fall into an area which I mulch with pine straw.  As late as March I noticed that some of the branches that were covered and damp still had green needles, while most of the exposed limbs had dried brown needles.  I used one of the larger limbs (maybe about 5" in diameter) to border a natural area.  I noticed that the pine needles on that branch were still green.  These needles were on little twigs that came directly out of the branch.  I believe that is called adventitious bud foliage.  I kept watching that foliage.  Gradually it was dawning on me as to how remarkably long the foliage was staying green on that cut branch.  Then I noticed new growth was actually appearing on the tips.  Just today, over five and a half months after being cut, the foliage is still green.  Remarkable.
Here are some pics I took today.
Some of the pine needles are dry and brown as you would expect.

 

 

But this limb has green foliage and new growth.

 

 

 

 

It's amazing to me how much energy was stored in that branch.

 

 

A different perspective

When you have a problem, do you ever turn it over and look at from the other side?

This is the "other side" of the tree frog.  Sometimes at night, I hear a little "thwack" as the suction cup feet of the tree frog hit my window.  It's good sometimes to get a different perspective.
I got a chuckle the other night when I snapped this shot.  Two frogs were on the window.  As soon as I pointed the camera, one frog crawled behind the muntin as if hiding from the camera.  I don't know if he was hiding from the light or after a bug, but it almost looked as if he were camera shy.
The bright yellow on the legs is only visible when the frog leaps (or when you look at it through a window) and supposedly provides a flash of color that will startle a predator.
Are you good at seeing things from a different perspective?

There's something about a yellow bird

Most of the birds that I see in my yard are year-round residents (the species, if not the individuals), but there is a bird I see only in summer.  That's the summer tanager.
When I hear the distinctive staccato notes in spring I look to see the "redbird" or his mate.  Then I know the good ole summertime is on its way! The male is red, and the female is a yellowish color.  Sometimes my folks just referred to the female summer tanager as "the yellow bird."
I usually hear the bird before I see it.  Peterson's guide refers to the note as "pik-i-tuk-i-tuk."  I would describe it as Twit! (ch)TOO! tu-i-tu.  What I have just recently learned is that it also has a robin-like song.  I probably thought I was hearing a robin whenever I heard the song.
When I was a kid (in the days before the internet--yep, I lived way back then), we treasured books.  Once an acquaintance of ours gave our family an assortment of books.  Included in the lot was a green hardcover entitled Birds in the Garden.  What a pleasure it was for me to look at the illustrations in that book!  Here is the page from that book which shows the scarlet tanager, a bird very similar to the summer tanager.  (The difference is that the scarlet tanager has a jet black wing whereas the summer tanager just has a slightly dark wing.)

The illustration is by Walter Alois Weber and is dated 1930.

 

As a kid, my siblings and I seemed most impressed by birds that would venture to come close to us.  I think I actually fantasized about taming one enough to eat out of my hand, though I never accomplished that.  The chipping sparrows and the female summer tanager were brave enough to come near our doorway to get bread crumbs.  The "yellow bird" was quite bold, and if memory serves me correctly, we once actually coaxed her all the way through the kitchen door. 

That seemed to be a simpler time--the door open to the outdoor air, a yellow bird venturing up wooden steps and onto the boards of a bare pine floor much to the delight of some barefoot country kids.

 

 

 





 

Critters

The wrens have been attempting to nest in the grill on the deck.  One year, we didn't use the grill at all because they had already built a nest and had eggs in it.  I am trying to preempt that this year, and I removed an incomplete nest from the grill a few days ago.  When I looked into the grill yesterday, I saw a gray tree frog, which rather startled me.  There was also an active wasp nest and a mud dauber's nest.
Today a little five-lined skink managed to find its way into the living room.
The cold winter which killed my rosemary and set back my fig didn't seem to make a dent in the tick population, and I've picked up quite a few doing yard work.
I've seen a couple of little brown snakes in the yard, and my son recently saw a copperhead at a friend's pond.
Here's a pic I took once of a brown snake.

Here's the copperhead my son saw.

How's the critter population where you are this spring?