Conner Murphy

Beth Wilder wrote:elderberry, which I see may be difficult as well.

The best success I've had is with tip cuttings, about 8 inches long.  Cut most of the leaves off except the tip and maybe half of the next set.  Stick in a 1 gallon pot in the shade with a plastic bag over top, you need to leave the bag on for 3-4 weeks so it has enough humidity on the leaves.  They will root and start to slowly grow, then once they are adapted you can take the bag off and they will start to grow vigorously.

There are a lot of species that will root from this method at any time of year here in the tropics.  Here's some of the ones I've had success with:

Mulberry
Fig
Moringa
Porterweed
Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia)
Cassava
Chaya
Elderberry
Peanut butter fruit
Edible leaf hibiscus (Abelmoschus manihot)
Probably more I'm forgetting...

Granted, some of those like the elderberry, porterweed, PB fruit I would use a greenhouse or plastic bag to root them.  But under ideal conditions (shade, consistent soil moisture) they would root straight in the ground.  The Tithonia, chaya, and cassava will root right away and become a tree taller than me in a couple months.

Awesome! Thanks guys.

I picked up about 20 gallons of goat shit yesterday, raked from underneath a shelter.  It clearly had been sitting there for a while, but not really composting as it was dry.  How nitrogen rich is this stuff?  

I plan to spread it around my in-ground fruit trees.  I'm sure it will be well received by the bananas, but I'm wondering how much I should stretch it for the rest of them.  Not really worried about it burning anything, but I am curious how it compares to cow and chicken manure.  Any insights?

Thanks, Tj.  I wonder, is forgiveness "fulfilled" for the forgiver even if they are unable to express it to the person they want to forgive?  As in, if they avoid speaking to you.  I feel like I tried, and there's no point in hounding this person if they aren't willing to talk, but then I still think about it.  When someone actually slanders me, I feel more justified in letting those things go unsaid, but what if they are just avoiding a conversation in general?  I guess that's a form of disrespect... but, it's hard for me to let things go when I know the person isn't evil, but just reacting to their own insecurity.

I'd really like to get to the point where we understand that we have common goals, regardless of certain disagreements.  From there you can have a sense of community, as you said, although with healthy boundaries.  Unfortunately this kind of thing seems to go over most people's heads. :/

I find it ironic that this is posted in the "meaningless drivel" forum, because it's pretty meaningful.

I'm still just shy of 25 years old, so at this point in life I am currently getting that positive influence from a lot of people in my life.  I thank them now, but I will thank them later too.  By then I'll realize more fully the impacts they made.

This also makes me think of people in my past who, at the time, made my life a living hell.  After finally moving on from those experiences, I get the urge to forgive them for what happened and thank them for being a part of my life.  Unfortunately, most of the time these people are still bitter about the past and just can't hear it from me.  I've even reached out to ex girlfriends for this reason (just to show respect and gratitude, not to attempt to re-kindle anything) and more often than not, they'll react with aggression, which shows me that they still haven't dealt with the past.  It's sad, and I just have to say to myself "oh well... that was a waste.  Maybe in another couple years... or not at all."

Trace Oswald wrote:My number one go-to would be a small plant nursery.  It's quiet, easy work that you can turn into a business if you would like to for little to no investment, and work as much or as little as you like.  You work at home, and while it takes some time to start generating income, the actual time spent working is minimal.  You have lots of "leisure" time while you are waiting for things to grow, or sprout, or develop roots, so you can work or play at other things.  Marketing is very simple.  A free Craigslist ad or a few signs on the street are as much advertising as you need to get started.  Everything about the business can be expanded if you wish.  You make your own hours, and you can have your dogs around for company while you work :)

You are describing my business!  And fairly accurately, too.  It takes forethought and planning, and understanding the different timelines/schedules for each nursery crop, but once I had that down it became very leisurely, and I can work on an extremely flexible schedule, as long as something is getting done every day.  I do  this in my backyard (which is not large by any means) and I've got hundreds of plants growing and well over 50 varieties, from fruit trees to pollinators to perennial veggies.  All of which I grow in my food forest for my own benefit as well as for propagation material.  The line between "work" and home life has a lot of overlap, but not in a stressful way as some other businesses run from home might be.  I sometimes have visitors come, but I also sell plants from the local farmer's market, and I do installation jobs for people.  I just planted two fig trees at a customer's place this morning and made $150.  I can put as much (or as little) time as I want into this business, and can expand or contract depending on that.  So it definitely fits the definition of agile work- as I drive around town, I might spot a cashew tree, stop and collect some nuts, plant them, and 6 months later sell the trees for $20 each.  Costs me next to nothing in money or time, just a few minutes of attention here and there.  As you said, marketing is very simple.  I make about half my income doing this and I haven't even incorporated or gotten certified yet.  Eventually the momentum will push me to that point, but as a side venture which has no significant possible losses, I can take my time expanding it as I develop the skill more.  I'd recommend it to anyone with the resources, which are extremely minimal at the beginning.

Another example would be if you own a truck with a large bed (I do), and you use it occasionally to help someone move or clean out a house.  It's pretty easy to load up a truck bed and drive a pile of old mattresses to the landfill, and make some quick cash doing it.  I think agile work can be defined as something you can choose to do to make money when you have the time to do it, but you can also choose not to if you have something else going on.  It allows you to control your own schedule, which is probably the biggest benefit of all.

Judith Browning wrote:Conner, Have you been able to save viable seed from them?  I wonder if I could just stop pruning one and it might flower?

Now that it seems possible to winter over the roots I'm not so concerned with seed although I would like to see the flower and seed pod.

Are you harvesting lots to eat?  We love the fresh leaves chopped in all sorts of things.  I tried some commercial powdered stuff when we didn't have fresh leaves and we did not like the flavor at all.

I have.  You have to wait until the pods turn completely brown and dry out before harvesting the seed though.  You might not have a long enough season for that, but you could probably get them to flower.  I like the taste of the flowers - peppery like the leaves, but with a fruity overtone.

I do harvest leaves to eat fresh, they mostly end up in smoothies for me.  Whenever I have to cut one back a lot, I strip all the leaves, dehydrate them, powder, and store the powder in a jar in the freezer.  Much better than what you can purchase which is typically held at room temp and allowed to become rancid.  If you store it in the freezer, it keeps its fresh green color and flavor.

Mark Brunnr wrote:Being a tropical plant, I doubt the seeds store well but I still have a few in the fridge I can test. I bought them last year but only used half, would be great if the remainder are still viable after 12 months stored at 35-40F.

Let us know if they are viable after cold storage.  I have had no problem keeping dried seeds at room temp or hotter for many months.

Nice!!  They are troopers.

Since my last post I have learned that they will produce pods on their own, in whatever condition.  But, there's not a specific season, they'll just flower somewhat sporadically. I have some with mature drying pods, smaller green ones, and flowers too.  And then some that are 15 feet tall and havent flowered yet.
Hopefully you get a lot of growth out of them so theyll have a chance to produce.

A mail order nursery has the responsibility of making sure that the plants are packed correctly for shipping.  There are ways to ensure that plants don't move around in the box.  They should have no problem replacing them if you ask, especially with the pictures.