Spring Garden-It's time for show and tell

Albert

Enormous Member
Aug 22, 2014
676
1,619
@Albert - I understand your fipromil is an effective chemical for termites and carpenter ants. I noticed the next door neighbor has a portion of fencing thats eaten up at the bottom and wonder if a drench along the fence perimeter would be the best treatment for mine. I've not noticed any problems yet. Any advice?
2 fl oz per gallon of water and drench it really good especially at the base. 1 time and you are good for several years. Go around the base of your house, doorways etc while your at it. That stuff is great on termites and most other chewing insectS.
 

crosscreekcooter

Founding Member
Cunning Linguist; RIP
Lifetime Member
Jun 11, 2014
11,023
12,243
Founding Member
2 fl oz per gallon of water and drench it really good especially at the base. 1 time and you are good for several years. Go around the base of your house, doorways etc while your at it. That stuff is great on termites and most other chewing insectS.
Thanks Al, Imma hit it this weekend
 

Albert

Enormous Member
Aug 22, 2014
676
1,619
Been awhile since I updated from the farm. Got the first application of defoliant applied last Friday. The cotton is still matted up from Laura. To make matters worse we have had 1.5” of rain since the storm. I do not want another drop of rainfall until November 1.
Second dose of defoliant is going out tomorrow, Mixture of Thiadiazuron( immature leaves and regrowth control) Ethephon(boll opener) and Tribuphos(mature and damaged leaves). In the pic below you can see some open cotton in the canopy. The next round should leave nothing but open cotton and stalks. 2D0E4DDF-BD89-4579-92C6-8E175567323E.jpeg
 

Albert

Enormous Member
Aug 22, 2014
676
1,619
Farm update. We are getting close to the end. Spent yesterday afternoon on the sprayer applying defoliant around wooded edges and under power lines where the plane couldn’t get. Cotton is 75% open, 80% dropped leaves and moving fast. Temps have finally cooled off slowing the process some. This is the 4th consecutive year in cotton and the 6th time I’ve ever raised it on this particular farm. It is by far the best cotton crop I have ever grown. Unfortunately it looks like TS Beta is forecasted to give us 4-5 inches of rain this week. It is a potential yield and grade killer. I am praying constantly that doesn’t happen.
C5B72EA4-BEE8-44DE-B3C7-839E5F05FB0B.jpeg
 

crosscreekcooter

Founding Member
Cunning Linguist; RIP
Lifetime Member
Jun 11, 2014
11,023
12,243
Founding Member
Looks amazing. Is it too early to harvest? Remember, when them cotton bolls geta rotten, you cain't pick very much cotton.

Something I just discovered, cotton is a member of the hibiscus family.
 

Albert

Enormous Member
Aug 22, 2014
676
1,619
Looks amazing. Is it too early to harvest? Remember, when them cotton bolls geta rotten, you cain't pick very much cotton.

Something I just discovered, cotton is a member of the hibiscus family.
Thanks, it sure is. So is okra I think.
You would have to zoom in tight to see, but there are a ton of unopened bolls on these plants. When the bolls start cracking open, you want it to go from partially open to wide open as quick as possible. Absence of water causes the bolls to open full for harvest. If rain, heavy dew etc gets in those cracks, the bolls will experience what we call “hard lock” where the lint can’t be picked up by the harvester and just falls to the ground. That’s what is at risk now on these unopened bolls. And that is where the profit lies! Think about a wet washcloth and how tight it can be squeezed versus a dry one. Same difference here. Please, Please pray for this rain to go away!
 

Albert

Enormous Member
Aug 22, 2014
676
1,619
Harvest will commence around 10:30 AM Friday morning. I custom hire all the harvesting done, and my guy parked 3 machines at my place today. Tropical storm beta dropped about 5.5” of rain on us at the worst possible time, so we’ll see what the end result is. For the first time in a few years I feel confident in both my decision making and execution. I can’t control Mother Nature, just take what she dishes out. I love this stuff though, and right now I’m like a kid at Christmas. B3197D77-25DA-476B-87CC-A34E486C496D.jpeg
 

MJMGator

Founding Member
Slightly amused
Lifetime Member
Jun 10, 2014
20,041
41,118
Founding Member
Harvest will commence around 10:30 AM Friday morning. I custom hire all the harvesting done, and my guy parked 3 machines at my place today. Tropical storm beta dropped about 5.5” of rain on us at the worst possible time, so we’ll see what the end result is. For the first time in a few years I feel confident in both my decision making and execution. I can’t control Mother Nature, just take what she dishes out. I love this stuff though, and right now I’m like a kid at Christmas.
25992
:waiting:
 

Albert

Enormous Member
Aug 22, 2014
676
1,619
It’s been a disappointing couple of days to say the least. It looks like the yields are off 30-35%. I attribute almost all of that to hurricane Laura and Beta. The cotton did not pick very cleanly and was strung out or knocked to the ground. There just isn’t much I could do about it other than sit and watch.
Where do we go from here is a good question. The past few falls have been wet but hopefully we can get all our fall deep tillage done. Also, I am going to plant a cover crop of cereal Rye and clover blend to try and improve the soil structure. I hope The China deal continues and prices ease up some. I would love for corn to get to a profitable price for 2021, but we aren’t there yet. We will wait and see.
Thought you might enjoy a picture of the latest and greatest cotton picker. This bad boy has more computer capability than a 747, retails for $780,000. Yes, you read that right. My guy owns 6 of them. B44F1FE7-D95A-423D-9CDC-E0402267D0DC.jpeg
 

crosscreekcooter

Founding Member
Cunning Linguist; RIP
Lifetime Member
Jun 11, 2014
11,023
12,243
Founding Member
It’s been a disappointing couple of days to say the least. It looks like the yields are off 30-35%. I attribute almost all of that to hurricane Laura and Beta. The cotton did not pick very cleanly and was strung out or knocked to the ground. There just isn’t much I could do about it other than sit and watch.
Where do we go from here is a good question. The past few falls have been wet but hopefully we can get all our fall deep tillage done. Also, I am going to plant a cover crop of cereal Rye and clover blend to try and improve the soil structure. I hope The China deal continues and prices ease up some. I would love for corn to get to a profitable price for 2021, but we aren’t there yet. We will wait and see.
Thought you might enjoy a picture of the latest and greatest cotton picker. This bad boy has more computer capability than a 747, retails for $780,000. Yes, you read that right. My guy owns 6 of them. View attachment 26192
Sorry to hear your yield was reduced, what does it cost to have the cotton harvested and is the crop sold in the field before or after being picked and baled, or do you have to haul it to market?
 

Albert

Enormous Member
Aug 22, 2014
676
1,619
Sorry to hear your yield was reduced, what does it cost to have the cotton harvested and is the crop sold in the field before or after being picked and baled, or do you have to haul it to market?
Harvest cost is $.12/lb. It is then sent to the gin where the seed and trash is removed to a pure lint bale. Each bale is sampled and classed by USDA to establish grade, and sent to a warehouse for storage. USDA lends the producer a base price per pound. Depending on the ICE market, merchants will then generally offer a price above loan value, and buy out the USDA loan, effectively taking possession of the crop. Complicated process to say the least.
 

Albert

Enormous Member
Aug 22, 2014
676
1,619
34C7826A-3FD8-49B9-9049-6E888C3FF282.jpeg Update from the farm. After the disgusting result of cotton harvest, I was able to thankfully get all the fall tillage done and beds set up. After 3 years of applying, USDA approved me for a grant to plant a cover crop. The way it works is that you must plant a mixture of 2 species (grass and legume), and you can receive a grant to offset the cost of the seed and production. The benefit to the government is that it cuts down on erosion and silting in our waterways. After 4 years in continuous cotton this ground was in desperate need of organic matter, and the cover crop is by far the most productive option.
For my 2 species I chose Elbon Cereal Rye and Balansa Clover. The idea behind this mix is to get deep root structure from the Rye, and let the Clover produce Nitrogen for the spring crop. You can see the mix along with the winter volunteer annuals of Henbit and Poa Annua have got a good carpet laid down.
I’ll let this continue to grow for another month, then around February 1 terminate it with herbicide. Sometime in March, Corn will be planted directly into the residue. Hopefully the dead residue will hinder spring weed germination and I can cut back on herbicide costs.
 

bradgator2

Founding Member
Rioting
Lifetime Member
Jun 12, 2014
9,507
24,946
Founding Member
I was given a non-cold hardy palm during my mom’s funeral last year. I was kinda annoyed because I am not a fan of managing plants like that in the winter. But I will give this one a better attempt.

I built a temporary greenhouse and moved some other sensitive plants in there for the winter. I place an infrared heat lamp in there when it’s expected to be under 40. It’s been a brutal winter for us with many dozens of nights under 40, dozens of frosts, and 5 nights under 30 (one was 26 and one was 27). But these guys are holding up. Some damage, but really cant complain.

Even got some nice blooms on the hibiscus:
FD5BC119-E1D9-4C24-B212-94731E05C02B.jpeg
 

CDGator

Not Seedy
Lifetime Member
Jul 24, 2020
15,807
43,757
I was given a non-cold hardy palm during my mom’s funeral last year. I was kinda annoyed because I am not a fan of managing plants like that in the winter. But I will give this one a better attempt.

I built a temporary greenhouse and moved some other sensitive plants in there for the winter. I place an infrared heat lamp in there when it’s expected to be under 40. It’s been a brutal winter for us with many dozens of nights under 40, dozens of frosts, and 5 nights under 30 (one was 26 and one was 27). But these guys are holding up. Some damage, but really cant complain.

Even got some nice blooms on the hibiscus:
30046

Nice. Hope they make it through the winter.
I do 6 Boston Ferns on the front porch every year. One year I tried to take them to the basement to preserve them. What a freaking mess. Never again, it just wasn't worth the effort. Wish I had a sunroom on our house but cheaper to just buy new plants. :lol:
 

bradgator2

Founding Member
Rioting
Lifetime Member
Jun 12, 2014
9,507
24,946
Founding Member
Nice. Hope they make it through the winter.
I do 6 Boston Ferns on the front porch every year. One year I tried to take them to the basement to preserve them. What a freaking mess. Never again, it just wasn't worth the effort. Wish I had a sunroom on our house but cheaper to just buy new plants. :lol:

Yeah, last year I attempted the same thing in the garage. Forget that. I just dont have the patience for it.

But I figured I'd give it an honest effort this year. Once built, the only effort is setting up the light up when I need it. I'll raise the side panels when it gets warm as they are held in place with simple clamps. Yesterday was the first time I have peaked in there in roughly a month. I was surprised to see the blooms.
 

alcoholica

Founding Member
I'm what Willis was talking about
Lifetime Member
Jun 11, 2014
16,754
20,381
Founding Member
Nice. Hope they make it through the winter.
I do 6 Boston Ferns on the front porch every year. One year I tried to take them to the basement to preserve them. What a freaking mess. Never again, it just wasn't worth the effort. Wish I had a sunroom on our house but cheaper to just buy new plants. :lol:

Yeah, last year I attempted the same thing in the garage. Forget that. I just dont have the patience for it.

But I figured I'd give it an honest effort this year. Once built, the only effort is setting up the light up when I need it. I'll raise the side panels when it gets warm as they are held in place with simple clamps. Yesterday was the first time I have peaked in there in roughly a month. I was surprised to see the blooms.

Spider Farmer LED Official - Commercial LED Grow Lights & Grow Tent
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Help Users

You haven't joined any rooms.

    Birthdays

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    31,643
    Messages
    1,615,733
    Members
    1,642
    Latest member
    fishermb