I’m looking for examples of gardening folk wisdom – tips and ideas you often hear, which may or may not have an element of truth. For example – marigolds repel pests so you should plant them with tomatoes; you can keep deer away with human hair (or human urine, or human male urine – have never heard anything specific about the gender on the hair thing, though).
Can you think of any others?
TIA.
Copper to deter slugs. Supposedly because slime plus copper makes something like a primitive voltaic pile, which gives them a jolt. I’ve never actually tested it, by the way, but I want to, I really want to. God knows I have enough slugs. Can I send you some for experimental purposes?
A fellow pepper head who grows his own hot peppers swears that putting a few match heads in the ground with the seeds helps the plants grow better. Something about the potassium (?) in the match heads being good for root growth and flowering.
[QUOTE=Madd Maxx]
A fellow pepper head who grows his own hot peppers swears that putting a few match heads in the ground with the seeds helps the plants grow better. Something about the potassium (?) in the match heads being good for root growth and flowering.
[/QUOTE]
:eek: Whoa. That’s a weird one.
Putting egg shells around tomotoes to give them calcium and avoid black spots.
Putting paprika around flowers you don’t want pest animals (cats, gophers and rabbits) digging up.
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac]
Copper to deter slugs. Supposedly because slime plus copper makes something like a primitive voltaic pile, which gives them a jolt. I’ve never actually tested it, by the way, but I want to, I really want to. God knows I have enough slugs. Can I send you some for experimental purposes?
[/QUOTE]
Putting out trays of beer works on slugs. I don’t know if they try to swim in it and drown or if they drink themselves to death, but either way I figure they die happy.
Putting a cup of dog food on your roses every year for general rose health.
I do plant marigolds in the vegetable garden - figure it can’t hurt.
Spraying milk on powdery mildew - I don’t know if it’s proven or not, I just don’t want my garden to smell like sour milk.
I add dihydrogen monoxide to plants and flowers to help them grow. . .but not too much.
[QUOTE=Trunk]
I add dihydrogen monoxide to plants and flowers to help them grow. . .but not too much.
[/QUOTE]
What’s that when it’s at home?
[QUOTE=twickster]
What’s that when it’s at home?
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If you were just playing the role of “straight man” please don’t tell me. I’m having quite a chuckle down here.
[QUOTE=Trunk]
If you were just playing the role of “straight man” please don’t tell me. I’m having quite a chuckle down here.
[/QUOTE]
Your happiness is all that matters to me. 
I’m having fun with "companion " gardening. Things like putting basil around your tomato plants, because it helps both of them grow better for some reason (plus it’s easy harvesting for marinara!).
[QUOTE=romansperson]
Putting out trays of beer works on slugs. I don’t know if they try to swim in it and drown or if they drink themselves to death, but either way I figure they die happy.
[/QUOTE]
I’d need Anheuser-Busch themselves to set up shop in my backyard. That’s why I want to try the copper idea – to see if I can set up a four-foot-square slug-free zone. The rest is hopeless.
[OT]The ads are: “Need to Wed in a Hurry?,” “Chat with Local Singles,” and “Gay Marriage Statistics [defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment].” WTF? [/OT]
[QUOTE=twickster]
[OT]The ads are: “Need to Wed in a Hurry?,” “Chat with Local Singles,” and “Gay Marriage Statistics [defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment].” WTF? [/OT]
[/QUOTE]
Maybe 'cause I put “companion” in quotation marks?
It’s back showing gardening sites when I look at it. Maybe it knows something about you. 
[QUOTE=WhyNot]
Maybe 'cause I put “companion” in quotation marks?
It’s back showing gardening sites when I look at it. Maybe it knows something about you.
[/QUOTE]
Could be – now I’m getting “Searching for Lesbians: We’ll pay you $300 right now to take a Quick Lesbian Survey.” :eek:
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac]
That’s why I want to try the copper idea – to see if I can set up a four-foot-square slug-free zone. The rest is hopeless.
[/QUOTE]
Set up your zone and put a beer moat around it.
Didn’t there used to be some wisdom regarding planting root vegetables in the dark phase of the moon and others in the light phase?
[QUOTE=romansperson]
Set up your zone and put a beer moat around it.
[/QUOTE]
Well, here’s the thing – have you ever seen the beer-bloated corpse of a two-inch slug?
Sorry, twickster, I seem to be turning your thread into a running commentary on my slug phobia.