Biggest success and worst failure of 2018

[Silentrunning]

GREATEST success......staying alive......

David, is their a story behind this or are you just speaking in general?

 

[vette-kid]

David, is their a story behind this or are you just speaking in general?

I'm guessing it's in regards to hurricane Michael.

I'll toast to that one David!

 

[David from Dothan]

David, is their a story behind this or are you just speaking in general?

Hahahahaha.......once you hit 65 (last year) our old dirt suits start wearing down, so....... reaching another birthday becomes a success story. We are ALWAYS, beginning at birth, running on borrowed time........then, before you know it, you wake up "one morning" to discover that you are no longer bullet proof as minutes pass at the speed of life.

 

[Silentrunning]

Hahahahaha.......once you hit 65 (last year) our old dirt suits start wearing down, so....... reaching another birthday becomes a success story. We are ALWAYS, beginning at birth, running on borrowed time........then, before you know it, you wake up "one morning" to discover that you are no longer bullet proof as minutes pass at the speed of life.

David, I have got you beat by 5 years, kid. I too appreciate every day that I am able to get my feet on the ground and make them go where I want them to.

 

[Logan]

My worst failure is trying to grow beetroot.
My best is Cosmos,Roses and wallflowers.

 

[DirtMechanic]

David, is their a story behind this or are you just speaking in general?

There was a story involving a heart bypass.

 

[longk]

After the cold winter a lot of the spring bloomers were outstanding;
My Pleione not only survived but they thrived.............

As did my Cypripedium..............

The Lewisia were outstanding...............

But the absolute star of the spring season was my Vestia foetida.............

 

[alp]

Wonderful! Bliss! Where have you been all this time?

Love Cypripedium and the Pleione. I actually have the seeds of the latter, but the instructions put me off for life!

 

[longk]

Wonderful! Bliss! Where have you been all this time?

I lurk about on a few forums

Pleione. I actually have the seeds of the latter, but the instructions put me off for life!

Mine produced seed. I've just allowed them to drop into the pot. I might get lucky.

 

[longk]

A few more successes;
All my Sprekelia bulbs bloomed..............

Four years from seed and I got the first blooms on my Iochroma fuchsoides................

Continuing the theme, Dietes bicolor finally bloomed six years on from sowing the seeds..................

Manfreda elongata always blooms after a cold winter...........

 

[DirtMechanic]

Beautiful! And you have some mad camera skill as well!

 

[longk]

Time to 'fess up to the failures now;

• Brugmansia - it hated the hot summer and finally bloomed in October.
• I lost my Desfontiania spinosa in the drought.
• An unknown Canna species that I grew from seed collected on holiday in Thailand refused to bloom yet again!
• Lathyrus sativus azureus were dismall this year.
• Salvia dolichantha were unhappy with the heat.
• Squirells tipped out about thirty pots of seedling Salvia presumably looking for nuts 'n stuff!

 

[DirtMechanic]

Since I have arrived here at what is obviously the end of the internet, I have to say every bit of organic matter I have ever put out on my clay yard for the last 20 years is a waste. Its all gone! pffft! Such a stupid effort! Of course this is a rationalisation where you will tell me that not only is it ok to spend 600 to 700 dollars on a large sack of rice grain sized biochar, you will encourage me to buy 2! The theory being that yhe biochar will reduce the digestion of compost by the clay soil and thus give me a discount! I cannot wait! I will tell Becky how much we saved by the purchase!

 

[treeguy]

Dirt, are you on drugs? A 40# sack of Bio Char runs about $25. The texture varies from dust (I like) to granulated sugar-sized grains. In fact, I speculate that there is something like "used Bio Char" that might result from that which is "spent" from use in sugar processing where they take the amber color out of white granulated sugar. If there is a sugar processor in your neck of the woods, you should call and ask what they do with that stuff. You might be able to get it cheap. I speculate that the amber color is the molasses end of the molecule which for you would be a bonus! You'd get bone char AND molasses, da nada. You'd probably be so happy and gratefull to me that you would ship me a free pallet every year for the rest of my life. Or, not.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Dirt, are you on drugs? A 40# sack of Bio Char runs about $25. The texture varies from dust (I like) to granulated sugar-sized grains. In fact, I speculate that there is something like "used Bio Char" that might result from that which is "spent" from use in sugar processing where they take the amber color out of white granulated sugar. If there is a sugar processor in your neck of the woods, you should call and ask what they do with that stuff. You might be able to get it cheap. I speculate that the amber color is the molasses end of the molecule which for you would be a bonus! You'd get bone char AND molasses, da nada. You'd probably be so happy and gratefull to me that you would ship me a free pallet every year for the rest of my life. Or, not.

If I get my hands in a proper sack of biochar I suspect I will feel generous and generally have a good year! I hate to inform that my prices include freight, where otherwise a 500 lb sack is 475 or so.