Basically, bee venom is a protein, and fig sap contains proteolytic enzymes (meat tenderizers) that attack it. It needs to be applied asap to be most effective. Fig sap can also cause allergies for some, and has the same chemical component as giant hogweed which can cause skin burns when exposed to direct sunlight afterward.
So it is a good idea to wash it off and or cover the area afterwards.
The plant stems are very juicy, you can crush them in your hands and have a handfull of green goo that is very soothing to anything itchy.
I most often get poison ivy when digging ginseng… and I most often use jewelweed when hunting ginseng. Good for poison ivy itch, and nettles. Nice that it grows normally near both.
I changed my mined after building a Muscadine trellis that I wanted to plant Maypop and Kiwi instead. So I added 3/4" PVC to the trellis wires to make it a 4’ wide trellis as well as give the vines something to attach to. Not sure how long the PVC will last or when the pecan tree will fall on it? Not sure if the plants will die to the ground each year or not?
When you are spreading mulch around small plants, you can speed things up by up-ending nursery pots over the plants before mulching. After dumping the mulch, carefully pull the pots up. No more buried plants!
If you cut the bottom and lower sides out of a nursery pot, you can settle the top portion into the soil around a plant and use it for a watering ring. Very useful if you have soil that water tends to run off of instead of soaking in.
This is a tip from another person and I have not tried it. I did the fence inside a fence also, the deer can jump high and they can jump far but they can’t jump high and far at the same time.
Yes, I have struggled with spider mites on my potted citrus, they almost killed my key lime tree, but I was being quite negligent… I usually spray with neem oil before bringing them in, but I guess this year I’ll do it more thoroughly and a couple times during the winter. Ive had a lemon and lime trees for 2 years and not a single fruit that made it to being harvested yet. Hope this is the year!
When I put netting over bushes, I hold down the edges with gallon jugs of water. Then at the end of the season I can just empty the jugs and put them on a cord and hang them in a shed. Easier than dealing with rocks or boards.
