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Organic corn experiment
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/efl/dirtDoctor/organic-corn-experiment-t11088-15.html
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Author:  N2Organics [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 7:47 pm ]
Post subject:  6-13-2010 organic corn experiment update!

Both the synthetic and the organic corn have put on quite a burst of growth in the last two weeks. I wanted to do a current size comparison this evening but lacked a tall object for the updated photos. I decided to use myself as the size reference and placed my hands at the highest point of each corn area.

Here is the "Scotts fed" area this evening:

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The synthetically fertilized area has finally started to bloom, but has not produced any viable corn cob growths or silt growth.

Here is the organically prepared area's current progress:

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Not only has it grown much larger and bloomed, but 50 % of the plants have developed well defined cobs already! Almost every plant in this area has some kind of silt and/or cob development.
This is SO awesome!
~N2O~

Author:  N2Organics [ Mon Jun 14, 2010 7:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Organic corn experiment

Glad you enjoyed it Tree Dude!
This ongoing experiment will be updated every week now that the corn is growing faster and developing cobs.
Time will tell..
~N2O~

Author:  N2Organics [ Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Major "critter carnage" in my corn!

The local critters have taken a liking to the taste of my organically grown sweet corn cobs and have wiped out a few:

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7-11-2010 update:

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The damage looks very similar to what I saw last year in the farm field behind my house. My guess is a Raccoon. They never finish an entire cob.

I want to try out my crop of hobenero peppers in a really hot "slurry" mix around my corn plants to see what happens. I have tried it on squirrels to see what happens and they go berserk when they get a "nose full" of the mix!

We'll see what happens!
~N2O~

Author:  N2Organics [ Sun Jul 11, 2010 4:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Grow more!

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Author:  N2Organics [ Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:12 pm ]
Post subject:  New tree experiment to replace the corn!

Now that the organically grown corn is dead and gone, I decided to plant a tree in the area using Howard's bare root method. I had two small trees that have been growing in a one gallon container from seed and wanted to transplant them before the roots started to circle in the pot.

Step one was to remove the trees from the container and hydrate the root system in a 5 gallon bucket of 1oz per gallon of Garret Juice and Thrive for about two hours prior to planting:

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The next step was to prepare a shallow saucer shaped planting hole like Howard and Tropical John have discussed:

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I wanted to plant this "twin pair" a little high in the soil to make sure that both of the root flairs were properly exposed early on.
After I soaked the root systems and removed most of the excess soil, the little tree's roots looked pretty good without any circling and girdling roots:

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That looked pretty good, so I pored about 1/4 of the 5 gal bucket of Garret Juice into the bottom of the hole to hydrate the soil below the spot where the trees would be sitting.
The little guys were placed into the muddy hole and the native soil that was dug out was replaced, paying careful attention to the root flairs of the trees.
I wanted to make sure that they were planted very high in the soil with dramatic root flair exposure:

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With all of that done, here is the twin "happy campers" in their new home after a 4 gallon drenching of the Garret Juice and Thrive mix that they had been soaking in:

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I know that it might have been "risky" to attempt a bare root in this kind of Summer heat, but something tells me that the twin trees will do quite well with lots of watering. The area that they were planted in had been heavily amended with organics for my prior "corn experiment".
We'll see what happens!

By the way, does anyone know what kind of trees these might be?
Ronnie, Waco, TX

Author:  Dirt Doctor [ Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Organic corn experiment

Your trees look like either poplars, cottonwoods or Chinese tallows. This is all great stuff, Ronnie. Thanks for taking the time share your results.

Author:  stephenh2 [ Sun Feb 05, 2012 11:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Organic corn experiment

justin_baby wrote:
I'm looking for information to start an organic vineyard in the E Tex area. Is this the right forum? The last posts that I searched were in some time back. Does anyone one have new information on soil amendments, varieties, pests and treatments?


Try starting a new post with specific questions. Give some details regarding your area: soil type, sun exposure, drainage, etc.

From what I understand about growing grapes for wine, you do not want a very rich soil. The stress of growing in slightly poor soils causes the grapes to concentrate their flavor more. The different flavors and aromas that give a particular wine its distinctiveness originate in the mineral characteristics of the soil. Nevertheless, good organic management can help you have healthier grapes with fewer problems.

Best of luck to you, I hope to hear more about your endeavors and perhaps sample your vintage some day!

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