Mk James

How many inches of precipitation do jujube trees need per year? I saw a figure before but can't find it again.
What's the minimum number of inches of precipitation per year they can survive as a drought year without dying, even if they don't fruit that year?

How many minimum inches water per year can a jujube survive (even if it goes dormant from drought that year)?
How many inches water does it need to fruit?

Jamaican callaloo Amaranth, desert wormwood artemisia (silvery grey), white dutch clover, black medic (leguminaceae family), mullein, oregano

Just saw this article - this would be an "Otis" Basque sheep rancher in Idaho seeking an apprentice to teach for several years and then eventually sell business to.

https://idahonews.com/news/local/how-one-idaho-man-is-keeping-a-long-basque-tradition-alive

I don't think there would be any gifting but he'd probably give very fair price. His two daughters help run it but neither is interested in taking over the business.

If any of you Boots or permies are interested or know someone who would be, please spread the word. Looks like he's looking for his person.

if using citric acid for non-greasy cleaning, is it dangerous for desert soil to increase the acidity? Currently greywater has to go from sink or tub straight to the ground, and it's so dry here I worry the acid would have an effect on plants, bacteria, fungi, and the tortoises who go subterranean part of the year. Also one time I used vinegar to clean some brass and apparently didn't get all of it out, it got into some tiny crevices etc and corroded the brass.

An orchard of European Pear trees got killed by blight (I am assuming the blight they are referring to is fire blight?), and it crossed the road and killed my relative's pear tree. They want to replant another pear but want to pick something blight resistant. Is there a blight resistant rootstock for european pear? For approximately Yakima WA area, say zone 6a to be safe, possible -10*f in winter and of course triple digit dry summers.

It looks like quince is commonly used as rootstock for pear? And also, that they can be put on hawthorn (Crataegus)?  There is a native WA hawthorn, would it work for pear rootstock and be blight resistant? what about amelancher? or sorbus (mountain ash)?

Someone is thinking about using bradford/callery pear as a blight resistant rootstock, but I hear they are considered invasive? I don't know if they're already feral in WA or OR? iIs there such a thing as a STERILE bradford/callery pear rootstock so they don't start spreading even if they put up sprouts they won't go to seed? They heard that they are blight resistant so are willing to use it as a rootstock to have a pear tree again, and carefully keep any sprouts from the rootstock trimmed.

I read that some trees use 3 grafts, the rootstock, the interstem, and the top. That's all doable, just which ones to use? We can do the work ourselves if necessary, but if there is somewhere that sells the right combo pre-grafted and already healed and that took and is growing, that would save time plus uncertainty in case our grafts failed.

?

Where to get Oasis liquid all purpose/manual dish washing liquid soap?
https://www.bio-pac.com/oasis-biocompatible-cleaners/oasis-biocompatible-all-purpose-cleanerdishwash/

order via Amazon got cancelled with no ETA on when or if it will be back in stock. I messaged the company directly but I wonder if they're about to close permanently? The two natural foods markets in my area that might carry it, neither do (Whole Foods and Sprouts). UNFI which apparently is a big supplier for natural food stores, stopped carrying it. After a lot of research it looks like it's the most greywater friendly to put right on garden after use. I don't have the time, space, or climate to do a pond with plants to filter it. I am in the desert and doubt I could keep a pond going with plants etc. the water would heat up and cook the plants, or evaporate. But if I can't find the Oasis I may have to consider it, if anyone has suggestions. I also worry about animals getting in the pond because they are thirsty and drowning or getting caught in it somehow (been known to happen).
Does anyone have a source for the Oasis liquid all purpose / manual dishwashing soap? (by the way I tried the yucca root powder and soap nuts - maybe I was clean but I didn't feel like it. They didn't seem to cut oils on the skin, etc. If you want to see how they use yucca for washing hair, go to youtube "navajo grandma")

I have read that water treated with a water softener system can kill plants, sounds like that would be the sodium carbonate. ?

Nicole Alderman wrote:

Debi Baker wrote:The borax free recipes you posted would still be bad for the soil.  Salt is real bad for the soil.  All fabric bleach, etc... And the ph is high

We do often get away with it if it is not much at once or diluted.  Maybe a biological treatment could get rid of it.  

But oasis can be used with no treatment and actually Feeds the plants.  Dr Bronners and Ecos are reported to be next best safest

I went and looked up the ingredients in Oasis's laundry detergent.

Concentrated Laundry Liquid
Water
Linear Alkyl Sulfonate (a biodegradable detergent)
Linear Alcohol Ethoxylate (a biodegradable detergent)
Triethanolamine (aka T.E.A.  biodegradable enhancer of oil solubility and Ph)
d-Limonene (naturally derived citrus oil –  a fragrance from citrus peels)
Glutaraldehyde (biodegradable preservative)

The same company also sells other biodegradble products, such as a powder detergent http://www.bio-pac.com/products/

Concentrated (Ultra) Laundry Powder
Sodium Carbonate (occurs naturally – used for water softening)
Sodium Metasilicate Pentahydrate (biodegradable detergent)
Zeolite (naturally occurring mineral)
Linear Alcohol Ethoxylate (a biodegradable detergent)
Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (anti-redeposition agent)
Sodium Chloride (common salt)
Linear Alkyl Sulfonate (a biodegradable detergent)
d-Limonene (naturally derived citrus oil –  a fragrance from citrus peels)

There's washing soda and salt in that, and they also sell oxygen bleach.

Are the only concerns about washing soda, baking soda, and oxygen bleach (which is made by mixing baking soda with hydrogen peroxide), that they are too alkaline? I went and looked up some of the ingredients in the detergents in the Environmental Working Group to see their safety for humans (which may be different than for green water systems, but is important to me as they will be against my skin).

Ingredients in Oasis Liquid Detergent:

linear alkylbenzene sulfonate-- given a grade of C. toxic to anerobic digestion.  and is considered toxic to aquatic life

Linear Alcohol Ethoxylate given a grade of D for causing cancer and gentic defects and reproductive toxicity, amoung other things

Triethanolamine  gets a grade of D  for reproductive and developmental toxicity and cancer and more

d-Limonene gets a grade of C for toxicity to aquatic animals and skin irritant. This surprised me, because it's jusr an extract from citruc peals, and I make my limonene cleaner by soaking them in vinegar

Glutaraldehyde gets a grade of F! For skin burns and being very toxic to aquatic life

Ingredients in Borax-free recipes (I also listed the ratings from The Environmental Working Group's cosmetics site, which rates things on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most dangerous. I'd found them before I found the other EWG site. So, I listed both here)

washing soda comes at the lowest score of 1, being very safe.  Given a grade of A

Oxygen Bleach has score of 2. It's not related to chlorine bleach at all, and can be made by mixing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Gets a grade of B

Baking soda has a score of 1, and a grade of A

My soil is acidic. I'm going to assume that adding some alkaline cleaners isn't that bad if they are non-toxic and not dangerous to aquatic life. I'm not sure of their affects on plants, but I'd rather have safe chemicals on my clothes than more dangerous ones... I've learned a lot through looking all that up--it was surprising to see things listed in an eco-friendly soap be listed as dangerous to humans and aquatic life. I wasn't expecting that at all!