ask Drew51. he’s been using it for awhile and it works good. since i put it around my plants the slugs haven’t gone in there. i put about a 2in. wide strip around the whole bed.
Thanks Moose!
@Drew51, are you able to control slugs with course DE around your plants? My rhubarb leaves get decimated by slugs every spring.
I was told at a gardening store that the big black beetles round here EAT SLUGS. Made me wonder how to attract more of them beetles! LOL!
Thank you. I will note to ask you in June.
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Ya, we never seem to have enough of the beneficial bugs (or birds) that like to eat the ‘bad’ bugs!
Maybe if used as a mulch? They do sell organic stuff, it works Sluggo I think? Some generics around. The benefits of DE are numerous all the same, worth using.
I really do not have that much in my garden beds yet as I only added it to my blueberries, the other beds are getting used potting soil only. Originally I didn’t add it. I didn’t now about it then. I would now!
I think Slugtgo is Iron Phosphate and some have spinosad, both organic. Apply on a regular basis and it will work. Follow label instructions for application rate.
I see Steve said it will work. I must say I have never seen them in my containers.
Optisorb is the best as it has the largest particles… If you have a Granger store near you they sell 25 pound bags for under 10 bucks. I have paid twice that for it elsewhere.
You can order delivery to store and pick it up. No shipping charge
Each 25 pound bag holds 2.8 gallons of water. That buys me a day longer before I have to water again. Acts like perlite when saturated so drains off the rest of the water. Adds silicon to the soil. Numerous studies show it’s benefits.
https://scihub.org/ABJNA/PDF/2010/5/…-1076-1089.pdf
Here’s an excerpt
In fact, diatomite treatment raised all growth
criteria , chlorophyll a and b, total pigment, total
soluble sugars, total sugars, total soluble nitrogen
and total nitrogen concentrations. It also increased
the values of phosphorus, potassium, calcium and
magnesium and induced new electrophoretic protein
bands and new polymorphic isozyme (EST,POD,CAT
and ACP) electrophoretic bands while caused the
disappearance of another bands. Moreover,
diatomites increased the photosynthetic rates , the
leaf stomatal conductance , the net intercellular CO2
and the %of leaf relative humidity (LRH). Reversibly,
diatomites caused the decrease in each of transpiration rate and the concentrations of each of
carotenoids, sodium and iron.
Collectively, Si fertilization has a multiple effect on
the soil-plant system. Firstly, improved plant Si
nutrition reinforces plant protective properties against
diseases , insect attack and unfavourable climatic
conditions by enhancing the morphological features
concomitant with the physiological and metabolic
activities of plants. Secondly, Si optimizes soil fertility
through improving soil water, physical and chemical
properties and maintaining nutrients in plant available
forms (Matichenkov and Kosobrukhov, 2004).
It is thus evident from this work and from the
literature that, Si in the from of diatomites or other
similar natural products should be used more
extensively than they are presently. Frankly, silicon
fertilizers are not used more extensively world- wide
because there is a critical lack of specialists working
to show the importance of Si as a fertilizer material
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Thanks Drew. I hadn’t read about Si benefits, good to know!
Awesome!
Not having to water as frequently must be so helpful for you, with all you grow in pots.
We don’t have Grainger stores, but we do have NAPAs. Thanks!
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True Value also has some, same deal, ship to store. My local store does not carry, I have to do it this way. . The smallest grain I have seen though. Napa might be better, at least good for price comparison.
Cheap at 8 bucks.
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Thanks Drew, I will check it out. Yep, the price is darn good.
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Whew…Thank goodness for the great weather.
Took down my little greenhouse and planted the following:
Kokuso mulberry
El Dorado mulberry
Silk Hope mulberry
Flavor Supreme Pluot
AU Cherry Plum
Ozark Premier Plum
Tisdale Apricot
Peggy Apricot
Gave the stone fruits square raised beds using 2 ft 2x12s. That should give them a good start instead of tossing them into the clay and wishing them luck. Mulberries weren’t so lucky.
I’m a little disappointed. Burnt Ridge labeled a goumi that I ordered with two labels. I emailed them to see what kind of solution they offer. I’ll let y’all know what they respond with. I expected to propagate this locally, so I’d think a refund is in order as that would be cheaper than sending a new plant out. My next order will depend on their response.
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I sent out a lot of elderberry cuttings to folks this year and stuck a few in some water for myself. I was surprised that even one with no buds on the bottom end rooted out. They’ve been inside, but I’m starting to give then some time outside in the sun when it is warm enough. Guess I better get them in some dirt soon. It will be interesting to see how they transition.
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I’m planning on making elderberries more popular around here. I’ve only found 1 wild bush so I’m going to make a large amount of cuttings from my bushes and go out in the woods and plant them all over. they’re that easy to grow.
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After a chilly 20 this morning, it rebounded to 60 this afternoon. So, took advantage of the nice weather and cleared the weeds off my Flavorfest strawberry row.
I was worried that I had lost a lot of plants, but after clearing them off, I saw 23 crowns. Most had a few leaves on them, some didn’t, but I assume they’ll be okay as long as the crowns are still intact?
I still have to weed the rest of the patch where I have Earliglow and Jewel plants scattered all about.
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If you let me know when they’re ripe, I’ll offer to help eat them. 
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I think it’ll be a battle between us and the birds or whatever other varmits get after them. I still have my fishing line fence around the patch to help deter deer incursions. It’s not totally intact, but I’ll fix it back up when I get the rest of the patch weeded. Not looking forward to that task as those varieties have been there an extra year and have suckered everywhere. I should have got in there and weeded, renovated and fertilized them late last summer.
My wife wants another bundle of strawbs from the local extension office who’s selling them for $9 for 25 plants, so I’m ordering some Seascape, a day neutral variety. Hard to pass a good deal like that up, although I have no idea where I’ll put them.
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That’s an awesome price! I like the flavor of seascape.
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Yeah, not going to beat that price anywhere. They also have Flavorfest and Earliglow available at the same price, but I already have those. They get their berries from Indiana Berry.
Were you able to get fruit from your Seascape plants the same year you planted them? Also, how many years did your plants produce?
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In 1992 I planted 1,000 Earliglow.
The last Saturday of April in 1993 I picked the first ripe one. And they produced excellent crops '93, '94, '95, '96, and some residual in 97, 98, and 99 (I quit fertilizing, cultivating or tending them after fall of 1995.
If you can keep them weed free, you can do well for several years with the same strawberry plants.
Yes. I picked the flowers off until the end of June and we still got plenty. I planted a plot 7 years ago when we moved here. We get a great harvest every year. I have never transplanted or “clean” up my bed. My “trick”? Mulching the plot with wood chips in the fall. The old plants die out over winter after their lifetime is up and the new ones push up through the mulch.
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Thanks for the tip. So, I suppose you let them send out runners? How long do they produce, until the first frost? Do they stop flowering if it gets too hot?
That’s a lot of plants, I suppose you sold a lot of berries?
I know a June bearer like EG will produce for many years, but day neutral or everbearers (like Seascape) tend not to. But, apparently FarmGirl has a way around that.
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