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New Decade, New Decadence...

It has been a very weird growing season so far @Courtneybst and beginning to wonder how the rest of it will be. Every year presents its challenges but root development was shocking earlier on, on everything. Reliable soil temperatures haven’t been there.

it’s the same here in France…it’s actually so cold than I lost all my strawberries and my courgettes have lost flowers too…crazy. :(
 
I don't know how much weight it holdd
It has been a very weird growing season so far @Courtneybst and beginning to wonder how the rest of it will be. Every year presents its challenges but root development was shocking earlier on, on everything. Reliable soil temperatures haven’t been there.
I don't know how much weight it holds but supposedly there could be some connection to the Grand Solar Minimum which we entered last year. In essence a period of reduced solar activity, although minute for the sun can impact us significantly.
 
It's strange here as well, some onions and leeks have bolted (but they still taste the same just don't grow anymore or store very well) as has some kale and lettuce. On the flip side I've never been picking red currants so early and everything is so lush due to all the rain that the flower garden is experiencing serious floppage.
We have lots of bumblebees but very few honey bees and I'm yet to see more than a handful of hover flies but have a slugs abundance.
 
Not veg related but some of my daffodils were flowering in May early June and pests like aphids never had as many even in the hanging baskets which is usually minimal And my slugs still prefer my Sweet Peas to Newcastle Brown Ale!
 
Hi all,
Noticed the first round of onions this season started bolting after the temperature drop so pulled them smaller than would be desirable. The above picture is a quarter of them in total but quite a few of them have bolted.
It is a common problem, when you have variation in temperature, if you use onion "sets". I usually leave the bolted ones, because the flowers of Onions (and of Leeks) are very popular with bees.

cheers Darrel
 
Snail control in the garden:

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Lives under our shed and has stayed with us for a few years now. Surprised to see her out this late in the morning. Most welcome though.

🐌 🦔
 
I usually leave the bolted ones, because the flowers of Onions (and of Leeks) are very popular with bees.

On that front Darrel… Thinking of using the beds for flowers for the rest of the season instead, for the benefit of the bees amongst others.

Anything fast germinating you would suggest @dw1305 ?

Weather is staying warm right now with the occasional thunderstorm so it’s good timing to switch to flower beds.
 
Thank you Darrel, will try both.

Calendula officinalis sounds like it would do well in the beds that catch the break of the afternoon shade from the house. Phacelia tanacetifolia sounds suited to the beds that get a full day of sun.
 
Update. Month… blah blah yadda yadda or something:

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Tank to the left will be gone soon, just a holding tank for the fish until the 600 is ready for stock.

In this tank… Been dosing N and P in the second half of the photoperiod lately to bump up the moss and epiphytes without soil access. They had a trim and needed the love.

Sort of skipped a beat in this trimming cycle though due to the additional input. Like everyone is equally at an unanticipated height all at once. Overall everything is healthy and that’s what counts in the long run.

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Eleocharis looks like it’s freshly planted.

Bonus with growth is it’s a good excuse to play with the trimmings. Used the old Dennerle 10l to try some emersed growth:

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Know it’s all utility as a setup devoid of any art, but really just interested in the potential flowering of all the species of late. Really smitten with the flowers in the UG tank. So small and delicate, but beautiful and complex:

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Would be nice to see what other surprises these plants have in their emersed forms. So much to see and do with this hobby. As ever, hope you are all enjoying your tanks 😎
 
Aww… She’s finally found a partner:

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From all the sniffing and grunting can tell it’s going (very) well 😂

🦔 🦔 🦔

Goodness knows how you make that happen with all those spikes but good ol’ nature will find a way.
 
Aww… She’s finally found a partner:



From all the sniffing and grunting can tell it’s going (very) well 😂

🦔 🦔 🦔

Goodness knows how you make that happen with all those spikes but good ol’ nature will find a way.
The females sort of flatten their spikes to allow this. Its much worse for porcupines, there they use urine to soften the spikes. Be glad you dont have those humping in your backyard. More fun facts: Female hedgehogs do often have more then one male, but may have several shortly after eachother. Male hedgehogs wake up from winter sleep one month before females do, and if they find a female still asleep will not wait for her to wake up but.. females do wake up during but usually just go back to sleep after. Yep, nature sure is lovely. :eek:
 
Another month gone by… Thinned out a lot of the background stems, switched some between the 600 and 1200. Required pulling whole plants with roots to free up the soil, a messy affair.

Fair bit of growth leftover:

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The back left has been replanted the same, albeit with only a third of the plant mass after thinning:

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Right hand side has been replanted with L. arcuata, Limnophila hippuridoides and R. wallichii:

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Being right handed the back right corner is a PITA so selected things that are easy to trim and replant quickly.

Front wise still requiring some development and the background stems are yet to make an appearance again:

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There’s hardscape to reveal by cutting back or losing a species or two. The Pinnatifida was going rampant, so cut right back whilst the additional N & P was going in so no penalties other than it’s green leafed Pinnatifida for now. Also gave the MC a chance to give it beans:

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All from a few little tiny slithers at the point of rescape. Good bang for your buck. Will look good against the Pinnatifida once it colours up again.

The Riccardia chamedryfolia finally woke up too:

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Taken it’s sweet time but glad it got there. Can be used to propagate for other areas about the tank now.

See what another month can do for the scape.

Hope you’re all enjoying your tanks too 😎
 
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