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Subject: Fig Starter Bundles Replies: 47
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 1,649
 
You find that more effective than cloning? What temp do you keep them at and how do you regulate the moisture? Also where do you get your moss?

Subject: Fig Starter Bundles Replies: 47
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 1,649
 
Thanks a lot. [PayPal] checks in the mail!

Subject: Fig Starter Bundles Replies: 47
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 1,649
 
Please include me on your list!

Subject: OT: pulled pork Replies: 55
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 491
 
I live just west of Ft. Worth and yes we BBQ. I have an Oklahoma Joe's and a homebrew ceramic egg and am thinking of adding a barrel cooker. They say unless you are willing to spend a LOT of money on a smoker, a Pit Barrel cooker is about as good as it gets. There is another one called the Barrel House cooker. Both look to be very interesting and not too expensive if one is wanting to make some good Q on a budget.

Subject: upside down? what to do? Replies: 17
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 348
 
This happened to a couple of my Kadota starts this spring. Consider yourself lucky - I couldn't turn mine around and they died. Tried planting them sideways because upside down grew tons of roots bit it would NOT leaf out. When I reported sideways I think it got a bit to wet and it went south!

Subject: Are fig trees deer resistant? Replies: 17
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 263
 
My idiot neighbor actually put out a deer feeder! Idiot! They are like vermin! They keep eating my fruit trees despite the dense I have around them! Feeders should be illegal in neighborhoods!

Subject: What's my [fig] problem and how do I fix it! Replies: 13
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 485
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rcantor
Figs like 8.  So as long as it's 7.8 and not 8.5 your pH is right where it should be.


Is that the same for a cloner? I thought I read where that was lower?

Subject: What's my [fig] problem and how do I fix it! Replies: 13
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 485
 
So, after checking the PH with the strips the PH looks to be pretty close to 8. It's supposed to be pretty close to 6.5? I got some PH up/down coming so I'll try to get that adjusted. I also ordered the Cal Mag + and just to make sure I cut back a little on the watering...

Subject: What's my [fig] problem and how do I fix it! Replies: 13
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 485
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by binbin9
did you transition it from inside to outside possibly?


Not yet, I was fixing to. I got some ph strips to check the cloning water and I was going to get a ph soil-testing meter from the walmarts to check my dirt. Any problem using baking soda to raise ph or muriatic acid to bring it down?

Subject: What's my [fig] problem and how do I fix it! Replies: 13
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 485
 
Thanks guys I really appreciate the input -- this is my first year growing figs so I'm a definite noob!

I'm drawing well water, and I may need to add some chlorine? I haven't checked the PH level, but I've read where is can [generally] be too high when drawing from a well. My buddy is supposed to be bringing in some PH papers so I can check it.

The soil is fresh and supposed to be for starter plants with slow release nitrogen that lasts 3+ months; so, I don't think it is low on nitrogen, but with a high PH, the iron uptake is inhibited? If so, that might explain it. Also, it might be a little over-watered so I will watch that!

Subject: What's my [fig] problem and how do I fix it! Replies: 13
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 485
 
Here are a couple of pics. Everything seemed to be going great with the cuttings that I was sprouting and cloning and the last couple if days I noticed I'm getting some brown spots on the leaves. Anyone guess what's causing that and how do I fix it? Thanks!

Attached Images
jpeg 20160327_182426_resized.jpg (571233, 114 views)
jpeg 20160327_182412_resized-2.jpg (570614, 120 views)
jpeg 20160327_182420_resized.jpg (529692, 109 views)


Subject: Rooting the 3 year old cuttings Replies: 11
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 432
 
it seems to me, with the limited experience that I have, that some varieties last better than others. I'm QUITE sure some of the cuttings that I got were either older or poorly handled. The ones that were fresh and flexible seemed to have all shot out roots in the cloner, but some seemed dry and stiff from the git-go. The dry ones have been consistently doing poorly across varieties, but some varieties do seem to come around despite looking a bit haggard (RdB and VfB as examples). 3 years? Wow! I guess if they were very fresh, and waxed, ans sealed very good in plastic, and kept cold... they would certainly have a better chance at least! I'm interested in a couple of things. How were the cutting packaged (was the bag really tight? was it also wrapped in cellophane?), and how were they stored (temperature)?

Subject: Potting cuttings Replies: 28
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 637
 
This is my first year to try my hand at fig propagation. Ifbever there was time that the search botton will confuse you, this is it. I've never investigated a single subject with more varying opinion and approaches in my life! So I've teied severalbof the approaches all with mixed results. The moss was about 65% effective and I haven't list any plants that actually started rooting. For me thw hardest part was getting the little recalcitrants to start their proverbial journey!

Now I'm trying to do some cloning and again, so far, the results seem mixed. They are however a lot less messy! I haven't quite got the cloned fid to the point of planting yet, but a few of them look like they are threatening to make some roots! The parallels to golf are frightening. You hit that one good shot and then you think " I got this" only to have it allude you for the next hunfred!

Subject: Westek timer hack Replies: 2
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 118
 
I corrected the time notation. The total cycle has been changed from 24 hr to 44 min. So, it will go through all 48 detents in approximately 44-45 min. Each detent represents somewhere between 50-55 seconds. if there is one detent in the on position then the time will turn on the power for 55 seconds. If there are two on detents together then the timer will turn on the power and keep it on for about 1 min 50 sec etc.

Subject: Westek timer hack Replies: 2
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 118
 
Repeat timers -- especially short-cycle ones for hydroponic applications are rather expensive. The Weteck timer is $7-8 bucks and can be modified to run in an approximate 44 minute cycle.

There is an on-line YouTube hack for the Westek timer, but when I got mine opened it wasn't the same as the one the guy was hacking, so initially a little panic set is as I had already bought 2 of them!

After I settled down a little and looking at it a bit to figure out what he was actually doing, and thinking a bit, I realized that the one I had could be modified, and it was actually a bit easier IMO to do then the You Tube version.

First the concept is this: The little motor that runs the thing is spinning relatively fast, so in order to spin the output shaft at one revolution per day, the input has to be geared down. In this case there are 6 gear reductions. What we want to do is remove some of the reductions so that the output shaft doesn't get slowed down quite so much.

The timer
timer_01.jpg 
you will for SURE need a tri-wing screwdriver (like we needed yet another screwdriver type?)!
timer_02.jpg 
remove the 3 tri-wing screws. The dial-side will slide off the top.
timer_03.jpg 
Behold the inside!
timer_04.jpg 
There are two tabs that you need to get under with a small screwdriver on either side of the mechanism
timer_05.jpg timer_05a.jpg 
with the top off we can see all of the gears.
timer_06.jpg 
Remove the gear on the left. The gear has a ratcheting center that allows the timer to be stepped forward (but not backward).
timer_07.jpg timer_08.jpg 
Now the center gear is removed and you can chuck that one -- we won't be needing it anymore. We will be deleting this gear drop and the one it was connected to in order to speed up the output (ratchet gear) .
timer_09.jpg 
now remove the exposed gear on the right. This is the one we will be modifying. Take a sharp pin and scratch the upper surface of the gear so that when we glue it the glue will have something to adhere to.

timer_10.jpg 

you will need some fiber washers. No 6 or number 8 works OK. The center hole need to be big enough for the washer to slide over the small center gear in the middle of the bigger gear, and not too big to interfere with the larger gear teeth. Scratch the washer surface(s) with a sharp pin so that the glue gets a bite. What we are going to do is glue (3) 0.032 washers to the top of the gear under the ratcheting gear. It is not critical that they be perfectly lines up, but avoid getting glue on the shaft or into the gears. Repeat until all three gears are glued onto the gear.

timer_20.jpg 
timer_12.jpg 
The washers are slightly taller than the top of the little gear, so the top washer need to be sanded just a bit. 
timer_13.jpg 
remove the ratcheting center from the first gear removed, and score the bottom with the pin. reassemble the racheting center part back into the gears. Place the gear with the washers on it back in the gear box, apply the glue and put the ratcheting gear back on the shaft (the shaft will line the gears up. Note that there is enough glue between the washer and the gear since you can see the washer showing through (make sure it doesn't get glued to the shaft).

timer_14.jpg timer_15.jpg timer_16.jpg 
line up the motor and then reinstall the top of the gear case
timer_17.jpg 
reinstall in into the housing
timer_18.jpg And finally, snap the top back on
timer_19.jpg 
There are 48 divisions and each division is around 50-55 seconds (it is only relatively accurate!). Anyway, it is close enough for the application (fit for purpose as our cousins across the pond would say!). I'm currently running my cloning machine 00:1:50 on and 00:12:50 off (3 cycles per full revolution).

I hope this is helpful -- it doesn't take long to do and the price is right!!




Subject: Clone your cuttings & never see gnats! Replies: 400
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 9,304
 
I wanted to try to do some cloning, and a buddy of mine had built a cloner, and he wasn't using it, so I borrowed it. He said I could do what I wanted to it; so...


 hydro_1.jpg

I added some sprayers. The ones on the periphery are 180 degree nozzles, and the ones in the center are 360 degree nozzles.

 hydro_2.jpg 

in the bucket -- note that the cord coming in has had plastic taped over the top of it to prevent leaks.

hydro_3.jpg

I ran plastic from below the  sprayers, and up over the top of the sides. When the lid is on the plastic is then wrapped over the lid top so that there are no leaks whatsoever.

 hydro_4.jpg

24 slots filled up

 hydro_5.jpg

s
everal varieties waiting for roots!

Right now I'm running a repeat timer (http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/westek-timer-hack-7933481?pid=1290912792) @ 1:50 on 12 minutes off (the timer fluctuates just a bit)

FYI, I did gel, let it sit for a couple of hours and then fired it up. The cloning liquid recommended 5 ml/liter. I had roughly 24 liters, so I put in 120 ml

I will report back.

Attached Images
jpeg hydro_6.jpg (85887, 16 views)


Subject: Toothpick cuttings Replies: 16
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 715
 
good job -- hte only one I haven't gotten to root so far was a skinny RdB -- everything else that was thicker I got to root without too much trouble!

Subject: Pro-mix disappearing Replies: 12
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 346
 
Lowe's lists it on their website, but not one of them in my area carries it, and they said unless I was willing to order a big load of it...

Any other common alternatives?

Subject: 2 Litre Pop bottle & Perlite... simple rooting Replies: 22
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 878
 
levar -- I notice you don't have a top on the cup? How big do you let it get before taking the top off? Guys using the cloners claim they get better results without a top on it... Wondering if this might not be the same?

Subject: 2 Litre Pop bottle & Perlite... simple rooting Replies: 22
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 878
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie
I'm envious of people having success in perlite with domes on their containers.  Every single one I tried like this last year molded and only two survived.  


yeah, there is SO much conflicting information. I read were some folk really came down hard on Perlite -- No! you got to use Vermiculite! etc. The problem is I think there are so many variables and varieties that it is is difficult to know which advice is solid.

I'm also struggling with the transition from the moss, which seemed to work well, but it is slow (IMO) to potting in the clear plastic cups. I used vermiculite mostly, with maybe 25% of the moss, since that's just what the cutting came out of. I lost a couple of little leaves, but the took the top cup off, and it sort of seems like it is turning around. I think it was too wet, despite the holes in the bottom. My biggest question is how do I know I have enough water in there, but not too much? I guess if there is water condensation on the inside of the cup there is enough moisture?

I'm also going to start using a cloner a buddy of mine built, but even then I worry more about the transition, than the initial spouting.

Subject: figs in garage during snowstorm Replies: 4
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 110
 
So it's not just my wife that doesn't understand?!

Subject: Cuttings @ $3 ea + Shipping Replies: 22
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 1,404
 
email sent!

and THANKS!

Subject: eBay scammers Replies: 16
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 897
 
I feel quite fortunate tobhave found the forym first, and then only bought cuttings from folks that were members. First I figuredbthey probably ciuld be trusted (so far so good!), and secondly they probably know what they got! It my fi rst experience at both growing figs and propagating plants from cuttings. I can't tell you how giddy I am about the little roots starting to sprou!. Shout-out to all the folks out there bringing us noobs along!
Cheers, Kenny

Subject: Sweet Diana Unknown Cuttings for Postage 2015 - - 12/18/15 4:30pm EST All Gone! Replies: 26
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 436
 
Sorry, I missed the part where the were all gone!

Subject: Sweet Diana Unknown Cuttings for Postage 2015 - - 12/18/15 4:30pm EST All Gone! Replies: 26
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 436
 
Any left?

Subject: Ebay seller Replies: 14
Posted By: kennyrayandersen Views: 738
 
I'm in TX near Ft. Worth where are you at? I'm just getting started myself!