John Suavecito

Remember, when you leave out water, or any liquid for bees, which is a very good thing, always leave stones or a stick leading above the water in the container, so that bees that come in for a drink can crawl their way out and fly away.  I found many dead bees before I did that. It made me sad, and gave me less fruit.  I think that in nature without humans, the reservoirs of water are very tiny, like an up turned leaf. They can crawl out of that pretty easily, but not a 5 gallon bucket with vertical sides. Sometimes nature works great, until we screw it up.

JohN S
PDX OR

Paul Stamets of Mycology fame has observed bees eating the mycelium of his King Stropharia mushrooms.  He concluded that they were using it as medicine.  Penicillin is a form of fungi that we use as medicine.  As Rachel Carson would say, the balance of nature comes together to heal problems in the ecology.

John S
PDX OR

Some plants, like grapes, figs,  forsythia, currants,spirea and quince, are known to be easy to start from cuttings.  Others, like most hardwood fruit trees, are grafted, partly because the success rate is so much higher.

John S
PDX OR

I never try growing apples or pears from cuttings. I only graft them. They are among the easiest fruit trees to graft.  For one thing, the size of the tree will not be known. Many pear trees naturally grow to 60 feet tall. Most apples will also grow into very large trees that way. Then you have to wait 15 years for them to fruit. I'm already in my 60's, so that really doesn't make sense to me.  

John S
PDX OR

That's really useful information, May. How did you figure that out?
Thanks,
John S
PDX OR

Good point. I haven't offered yet.  The inoculant has nutrition, of course, but it's nutrition for plants, and even more importantly, for the microbes in the soil.   I guess I could try and offer some to her to see.

John S
PDX OR

I try to read up on health ideas, because I am not a young man.  

Many health professionals advocate the use of charcoal in particular circumstances.  I think they really mean char that hasn't been inoculated but has been crushed.   It takes out heavy metals and other contaminates. It is specifically advocated in the case of known poisonings or high levels of heavy metals.  Unfortunately, it also removes crucial minerals that we need in our diet.  I have considered it, but I am currently using more gentle methods of detox. Mostly high plant/fiber intake with some specifics. I mostly follow the Medical Medium model, but many different advocates suggest cilantro, spirulina, and blueberries, so it's not that different from other ones.  I am a little skeptical of the flashy people who get on there and say "I will  detox you in 4 days!!" Seems like a scam to me.  Just my opinion.  

It makes sense to me that dogs and animals would instinctively do that.  She has thrown up a few times recently.

John S
PDX OR

She poops in the garden and I just slide it underneath some mulch.  She also poops elsewhere and we bag it and toss it.  

John S
PDX OR

I burn it, crush it, then inoculate it for a week.  Then I dig it into the soil and cover it up so it doesn't dry out.  

Unfortunately, she can smell the inoculant in it and digs it up and starts eating it.  

I chase her away, when I can see her doing it.

She stops eating it after it has been in the soil for a few days.

Whaddya think? Serious problem or just cute?

John S
PD OR

This article was very inspiring to me.  When this guy was a kid, he started recovering this forest.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-rio-grande-valley-was-once-covered-in-forest-one-man-is-trying-to-bring-it-back/

Now it's his full time job.  Climate change makes it worse.  They are making it happen in a tough place!
John S
PDX OR