Indian Stripe vs Indian Stripe PL

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Thanks Bill
I am now in location in NC ( soutwest coorner, bordering SC)
About soil, IT IS BETTER THAN 90% SAND. have no idea about RKN.
Now my efforts are on trying to establish a garden and AMEND the soil with as much organic matter that I can get. I have fall leaves, pine stray and wood ash for the starter. The grass seem to be doing just fine in the sand. The main crop around here is sweet potato, corn, soybean, tobacco, strawberries. Apparently those crops like sand. hehe.

Lots of sand usually means RKN problems down here. The more organic matter the better.

If you have a cotton gin near you check and see if they have a pile of gin waste they will give or sell you. It makes a great soil builder if you can find it and it is usually very cheap. It also has a decent fertilizer value and once composted looks like great potting soil. There might be a cheap source of mushroom compost near you that can be bought by the pickup truck load. We used to have a mushroom farm about 80 miles from here and a guy used to get a huge truckload a couple of times a year and sell it by the front end loader scoop for ten bucks a scoop which is about all my little truck could carry. Some nurseries carry mushroom compost that they sell in bulk.

You will probably have real problems with cut worms the first few years if you are gardening a new spot that had grass on it. I know I did. I still put down toothpicks along side of most things I plant especially in the spring. Sandy soil will also require lots of watering and a good heavy mulch. I have gone to using cypress because it holds moisture better in this heat than any other mulch I have tried.

Bill

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by b54red

Lots of sand usually means RKN problems down here. The more organic matter the better.

If you have a cotton gin near you check and see if they have a pile of gin waste they will give or sell you. It makes a great soil builder if you can find it and it is usually very cheap. It also has a decent fertilizer value and once composted looks like great potting soil. There might be a cheap source of mushroom compost near you that can be bought by the pickup truck load. We used to have a mushroom farm about 80 miles from here and a guy used to get a huge truckload a couple of times a year and sell it by the front end loader scoop for ten bucks a scoop which is about all my little truck could carry. Some nurseries carry mushroom compost that they sell in bulk.

You will probably have real problems with cut worms the first few years if you are gardening a new spot that had grass on it. I know I did. I still put down toothpicks along side of most things I plant especially in the spring. Sandy soil will also require lots of watering and a good heavy mulch. I have gone to using cypress because it holds moisture better in this heat than any other mulch I have tried.

Bill

Thanks Bill,
Great number of advice up there. .
You know, i was thinking about cotton gin waste too. There are quite a bit of cotton fields nearby. They are not harvested yet.
On the cut worms, I had an observation : We had a big flooding due to Hurricane Matthew. The fields were flooded for a week or longer, with several inches of water standing. I saw a lot dead larva and earth worms floating.. And while turning the garden ( after the flooding was gone) , I did not see a single larva/ cut worm.
On the organic matter, I have been adding lots of fall leaves, pine straw. Also there was a pile of wood ash that I am adding. The soil being on the acid side ( ~pH =6) this should be fine. I will have plenty of pine straw to mulch with after plant out. My garden is about 25ft long and am thinking about doing some stringing and/or Florida weaving. I will have to come back to it later.
Question : Should I apply /sprinkle some granular fertilizer on top and then let the bed rest for 3 months of winter ?

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Thanks Bill,
Great number of advice up there. .
You know, i was thinking about cotton gin waste too. There are quite a bit of cotton fields nearby. They are not harvested yet.
On the cut worms, I had an observation : We had a big flooding due to Hurricane Matthew. The fields were flooded for a week or longer, with several inches of water standing. I saw a lot dead larva and earth worms floating.. And while turning the garden ( after the flooding was gone) , I did not see a single larva/ cut worm.
On the organic matter, I have been adding lots of fall leaves, pine straw. Also there was a pile of wood ash that I am adding. The soil being on the acid side ( ~pH =6) this should be fine. I will have plenty of pine straw to mulch with after plant out. My garden is about 25ft long and am thinking about doing some stringing and/or Florida weaving. I will have to come back to it later.
Question : Should I apply /sprinkle some granular fertilizer on top and then let the bed rest for 3 months of winter ?

My biggest problem with cutworms is in the spring. It is so easy to just push a toothpick in the ground next to a new planting that I now just do it as a routine without thinking about it. I haven't lost anything to a cutworm since I started doing this about 10 years ago.

Pine straw doesn't breakdown very well and in my experience is a major source of bugs like slugs which can become a real problem. I now use only cypress mulch but have used wheat or oat straw, grass clippings and leaves in the past but they all have their shortcomings.

You might want to see if you can find some cottonseed meal in the 50 lb bags at a feed store ans some alfalfa pellets. They are easy to spread and great organic fertilizer which will also draw worms to your garden. I just spread a thin layer on the beds and work in into the top 3 or 4 inches and water it in well then wait two or three weeks and plant. I also add a bit of chicken manure and sometimes a small amount of ammonium nitrate if I am going to plant soon after adding the cottonseed and alfalfa pellets to reduce nitrogen loss when they begin breaking down. I am doing this with raised beds so if you are using regular gardening you might want to concentrate the fertilizer where your rows will be.

Bill

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by b54red

My biggest problem with cutworms is in the spring. It is so easy to just push a toothpick in the ground next to a new planting that I now just do it as a routine without thinking about it. I haven't lost anything to a cutworm since I started doing this about 10 years ago.

Pine straw doesn't breakdown very well and in my experience is a major source of bugs like slugs which can become a real problem. I now use only cypress mulch but have used wheat or oat straw, grass clippings and leaves in the past but they all have their shortcomings.

You might want to see if you can find some cottonseed meal in the 50 lb bags at a feed store ans some alfalfa pellets. They are easy to spread and great organic fertilizer which will also draw worms to your garden. I just spread a thin layer on the beds and work in into the top 3 or 4 inches and water it in well then wait two or three weeks and plant. I also add a bit of chicken manure and sometimes a small amount of ammonium nitrate if I am going to plant soon after adding the cottonseed and alfalfa pellets to reduce nitrogen loss when they begin breaking down. I am doing this with raised beds so if you are using regular gardening you might want to concentrate the fertilizer where your rows will be.

Bill

Thanks Bill
A local told me that when they harvest the cotton, they make bales and take to an unknown location for ginning.
I will find a feed store and find out if they have alfalfa and cotton seed meal.
On the slugs, I am told there are no slugs around here. I have not seen one in the past 40 days. So probably I can use pine straw as mulch with nor worry. Today I used my blower and rounded up quit a bit more.

[ScottinAtlanta]

Bill, I am planting IS PL for the first time here in Atlanta - very interested to see how it goes.

[wxcrawler]

Scott and Bill.......I am also growing Indian Stripe PL for the first time this year. I started seed Feb 12, and they went in the ground a little over 2 weeks ago. I've got great fruit set already. Can't wait to see how well this variety does here in Tulsa.

Lee

[SharonRossy]

I grow ISPL every year. One year I grew ISPL and ISRL and the PL did far better for me. It is always very productive. I did skip it last year because I wanted to try another dark tomato and I'm cutting back, and it's back this year to stay. One of my favorites.

[MrsJustice]

I found the Indian Stripe PL that Dr. Carolyn gave me. I did grow them out but never got back to them because the Indian Strip's Regular Leaf sales are high in demand for my Customers.
. .

I am Planting them today as I just Learn Mr. Jimmy Easton and his Wife is being Honored and helped me like Dr. Carolyn, Amen!!!