Fall 2023

Yes, I’m preparing for Winter.  But other than the tropicals to bring in there’s really nothing to do other wait for the freeze.  Biggest problem tho isn’t the plant but the freezing water bursting the bucket.  Or the bucket being bowed out at the bottom so it kinds of rolls around on it’s base.  So I’m going show pictures of the tree growth now to check up with them next Spring.  Now too the Weather service is calling for a strong Winter.  We’ll see

This is one of the plants I like to grow.  The Sago palm.  Had this one for more than 10yrs and it was old then.  The leaves died off last Winter because of low light.  But Spring came, repotted and it grew two sets of leaves.  Usually it’s only one.

These are the Red Chief Nectarine and the Belle of Georgia Peach.  Both started out bare rooted.  

 They were started in April and this is after 6 months growth.

Now I want to get something straight about the system. It grows any plant, seed or cutting.  But there’s one plant I’ve failed to grow till fruit yet and that’s the Cherry.  I think I should change the container in some way.  Yes something comes to mind but..it’s an added input. More and more Climate change is calling for LESS input not more. 

In April I bought a number of trees from a box store.  Trees that I knew were infected with Fire Blight.  I was wondering if Trees caught the Blight by the ph control.  I wondered if growing Naturally made a difference.  So it’s September now.  The trees lost their leaves but grew new one’s with out a sign of the Blight.  But as I said then it’s the Spring that will tell.  

Can tell it’s getting to Winter time.  I’m taking cuttings. So far a number of Ponderosa Lemon, Improved Meyer Lemons, various grapes.  Going to order some seeds as well.   


I had mention earlier about water retention  conservation.  We have to change how we view water.  This method seals in water that keeps the mix moist thru out..   The air roots at the surface absorbs any moisture left as it passes thru.  

These were the first of the bare rooted whips I ordered at the beginning of March.  The Bing Cherry, The Red Chief Nectarine, The Belle of Georgia peach, The shell bark Hickory , Water Hickory and the Veron Blueberry .  The Shellbark and the Bing Cherry were the only two that died.   

The cuttings have started to appear.  This a Ponderosa Lemon.   I cut a 2' piece off then cut in to 4's.   Two new shoots started and 2 of the cuttings have sprouted.  

Right about now we'd start harvesting the coffee beans.  Most times we'd get two crops a year.  Had seven trees.  Get about a pound a tree.  Dry them, shake off the chalf.  Roast them . grind them.  An just add hot water.  I miss those kind of rewards for growing.  I don't drink coffee, but having a pound of home grown coffee as a present to give gets interesting reactions.   

This is what this Black Berry  looked like in March 2023.  I think this is it's 4th year.  

Now September 2023 there's a 10' branch on the other side.

That one branch split into 6 which so far I tip planted 3 into 5lb inserts.  

Here's my thinking problem here.  These three have been rooting for about 30 days so I'm sure of roots.  I can tip root the other 3 but I'm thinking that cane might die off next Spring.  Do I want to just take cutting of the whole cane for possibilities next Spring.   They'll be root bound by next Spring in those 5lb inserts but can be switched to 2gal inserts.   More important question is how do I see the Future.   I think I'm taking the cuttings.  There are 14 slots opening up I can put cuttings into.   

I repotted the Big Ass Blueberry from a 5lb to a 2gal insert.  It’s the 29th of Sept so I have another two months for the roots to grow before Winter.  The root system really only developed like only 2" down.  The whole lower half of the mix just fell off.  No root there at all. My thought tho is about the ph factor.  Now normally I don’t worry about that.  Problem tho is the plant started out bare rooted.  It did it’s thing growing roots in a balanced environment. So what ever the plant developed ph wise till now.  But the new container has a lower ph level to start since it’s just the insert being replaced.  Anyway I’ll see.

Next thing was taking the 3 Blackberry tips and cut them off.  That give me the chance to move the vines so I can set up another 3-5lb inserts for them.  Also I cut the section back so I have another 4 cuttings I can leave outside for the Winter.  

Here's thinking about how much of the different root types do you need to grow.  In this setup you have the air roots, the nutrient roots and the water roots.  But how much of each do the plant  really need. There's  another picture of the plant when it reached 6".    


This shows the point I was trying to make about the mass of roots needed for growth.  You can see tho that a large plants is supported by a small air and small nutrient roots.     But by far the water roots out grow both.  So I'm going to grow 12 peach and nectarine seeds.  Grow them with idea of using 5lb inserts for their whole life system.   

Some one brought up the idea of over wintering your peppers while I was wondering why not just take cuttings.   I get 4 cuttings per plant.  The root system needs 30-45days to develop.  and your near time to start taking them out.     Also the cutting will take take better to the changing conditions.   Such as low light.    The dropping them in a home setting.  So I'm making 4 cuttings of Carolina Creeper and the Ghost pepper.   Their 4 to a 5lb insert.  If they live , say into late February then repot them into separate 5lb inserts.  like above.  They'd be a good size by August.  Now that will be something to bring into the house.  Something I want to remind you of and that's the cutting is as old as the plant you took it from.  You can bring they out by end of March.   Have a nice size pant by the end of June.  Then flowering. .  Have a bumper crop by next November.     

The plant to the left are the Ghost peppers and the cuttings are the Carolina Reeper cuttings I took.   There are the Reeper cuttings under plastic..  With this method there’s no worry over root rot.  The plants are grown in stagnate water.  It’s part of the process.  So you can use a smaller container. Since the roots don’t need the water to bring it air.  There’s a separate section for that.  The system creates separate spaces for air, nutrients and water.    

Got the chance to pick up six of the Improved Lemon trees.  Their all doing well.  Can't get any scent yet.  

Changed my mind and I think I will try to kep these peppers over Winter.  Even after taking 4 cutting each there's just so many flower buds left and I have a bright window that get's more than 4hrs direct sunlight.   I know  that makes me a plant person but there are just soooo many flower buds. 

This is when I start checking myself.  Wondering if I did everything right.  I am talking about freezing the tree roots in a bucket of water that frozen most of the Winter.  An not only that but I expect it to fruit next year in that same bucket of water.  Been doing this for the last 20yrs and each Winter I worry.  


Thing is tho the use of the ?”Boom an Bust” cycle limits fruit production.  So next year I’ll start fertilizing.  With the new space it  will give me space and light to grow for that.    


I've been thinking about and finally cut back one of the two African milk Trees.  Cut off 6 pieces.

I took 3 pieces from the same tree last Winter.  Two turned out pretty nice.   Now I'm thinking of repotting the  2 Mother trees  to the system.  

These are the 3 largest pieces.  I'll set them somewhere out of the way where they can get a little light.  

You know I saw a Youtube video on the Lantern Fly.  That some how cutting down the trees will what???  It will make the pest to spread out more.  Don’t you look at the antennae of these things.  They can sense a single molecule from a grape orchard and know the direction it came from.  This is what their built for.  For 7yrs this is what I faced with a Lantern Fly invasion.  I grew every plant and vegetable you can think of and pictures to prove it.  The last seven years there this Sumac tree had swarms of Lantern Fly’s every one of those years.   An every year I tried everything and anything to get rid of them.  The first year I noticed the swarms weren’t in the yard but on the tree.  Even when I started a garden in front of the house I found I had the Fly there but as soon as a tree grew thru the fence they all swarmed there.  The only thing that kept them in check was giving them what they want.  Take a good loook at that picture.  Blow it up in both your vision and mind.  Yes cut the wild trees down but plant an orchard of them near your plants. I found liquid nitrogen knocks them down even kills a few but a stomp is better.    



I got the chance to pick up 6 of the Improved Meyer Lemon trees.  Now 40 days later their flowering and fruiting. An...an I want to say mad flowering.  Their about 3' high in a 5lb insert.  Since it’s Winter I down size the containers to 5lb container from 2gal.  Since this is the first year in the system there no grow outside the insert yet but over 5 months till Spring? Well we’ll see.


You know another thing is I start thinking, remembering the greenhouse.  You get spoiled having 7,500sq ft of growing space.  Electric paid, heat paid and water. All I had to do is create.  They had Bails of mixes.  Trays, hand tools, chemicals, 2 Aquaponics tables 4'x48' one water the other stones with 5x250gal tanks.  That’s not saying anything about the land around the place.  Farmers would bring Rabbit pellets and Chicken Manure.  I’d have students from grade school thru college.  People off the street.  School children would come up on weekends with their parents to get free plants.  (If they made more for others).  That was a going rule.  Plants were free you just had to plant some for others.  Some made quite the collection for themselves that way.  The college students had brothers ans sisters who brought plants home so when they came to college they stopped by the greenhouse. For 5yrs I got to play and learn.  Now it sits empty the last 5yrs.  Maybe this is the year that will change that.    


I raised 10 coffee trees from seed to fruit.  Sometimes they fruit December and June.  In December the birds would fly in thru the windows early morning and eat the petals.  


I know I have pictures of this plant to let you see the size of this thing.  It would put out up to 50 flowers  twice a year.  It's things like that brought people to the greenhouse.  that was the idea behind the greenhouse.  people would come.  Get their hands a little dirty make plants for others.  Then going home with a few themselves.  Then there's coffee they had to grind themselves while they planted coffee seeds.   Ha, ever meet someone who didn't know they were a pepper person.  Or a child learning where and how their food is grown.   Something else that tickled me was when kids (kids to me) college students learned how to pollenate that Orange Bird of Paradise flower.  Then next semester come back to plant the seed.   This plant was so big the flowers hung out the wiindow during Winter.  Even when  the greenhouse was covered with snow.   Here's that picture of the 83yr Orange Bird of Paradise

 You know how you spend time paying and worrying about one plant and miss what going on under your nose.  That’s what happened with the Ponderosa Lemon cuttings.   It’s been sitting under the Improved Mayer Lemon.  It’s flowering before the Mother tree has.  It hasn’t put out any branches just the flowers.   It's the same mix.

This is one of the cheap thrills growing gives you.  Seeing a cutting of old wood giving you flowers.  I’ve been growing the mother plant 7yrs and no flowers.  There are 4 cuttings in a 5lb insert.  The other three haven’t shown any change.   I also planted 4 Cacao seeds to the system.  I have 6 Cashew seeds to plant as well.   The 4 cutting of Ghost peppers have died but the Mother plant is doing well.  Lots of little flower buds on all the three peppers I’m over Wintering.   


There are six Cashew seeds in the mix.

4 Cacao seeds 11-21-23

The three peppers, 2 Ghost and a Carolina Reeper.  All three are in flower.

Belle of Georgia peach 1st season growth

Red Chief Necterine

These Belle of Georgia and the Red Chief Nectarine were bare rooted whips.  Now you can see the new flower buds on both trees for next year.  The picture on the right is a Elberta peach picked up from a box store.  It’s covered in new buds.   These are going to be a sight next Spring.  None of the trees were fertilized all season.  But if I want to take advantage of this flowering I’ll need to start late Winter very early Spring.  



Belle of Georgia Peach Nov 2023

Red Chief Nectarine Nov 2023

Elberta Peach Nov 2023

This is the other Mother African Milk tree.  And yes I’m thinking of transplanting it to the system.  Their just about the right size for a 2gal insert.  Need to make another mix tho.  That’s a Macadamia nut above and a cutting from last Winter.  


Had the urge to make another mix. An still have the urge to repot that African Milk tree to the system.  Stared making the mix in the tub.  Easier to clean up that way.   Made a larger mix this time.   

Well did the repot thing with the First African Milk tree.  Wasn’t as hard as I thought.  Yes there were thorns but not that many since I’ve worked with these trees for years and removed those lower thorns.   There wasn’t much of a root system so fitting it into a 2gal insert was easy.  Eve stood straight by itself after repot.  


Last month of the year but first day of the month.  What a tickle that I could live till 74.  Thank  you Lord.  Now that I’ve had my tickle.  I was watching a youtube video on growing coffee.  Growing coffee takes a lot out of a plant.  The trees strip themselves of leaves like the plant is ready to die while the fruit ripens.  In fact coffee was one of the things that made me consider water waste.  I got to compare Hydroponics which was no brainier there.  Aqua and Aeroponics. Waste to the air and ground was an 80 to 90% lost to the air.  Even in pots we’re taught to waste water so not to rot the roots.  We just let the water flow.  But that’s why I came up with the system.  To stop that flow.  To keep that precious resource trapped with it’s only escape is throw the leaves.   There's a picture above what a fully ripen crop tree looks like