My Potting Soil Had a Fear of Water!

My cuttings from this post have been rooting beautifully! 

So, with some small pots I picked up at a garage sale, I potted them.  Well, the potting soil was dry and would not absorb ANY water. Even though the soil was a name brand and just purchased from the store, it was dry. I've had this problem before and is probably why I've had some plants die.

This time I Googled it.

It's called hydrophobic soil and is common in soil mixes that contain a lot of peat. 

I'm a little hydrophobic, or more accurately, swimsuitphobic...lol!  

One solution I read was to put water in a five gallon pail and swish a bar of ivory soap in it until it begins to get soapy.  Then add your soil.

So, I dumped my new plants back out and started over.

The source I read didn't say how much water to how much soil.  So I winged it.  I also didn't have a bar of ivory soap so I figured a few drops of Dawn should work. :) I just saturated it all and then squeezed it out as I repotted.

 So, now I have a small plant nursery started.  (More pots underneath)

  I thought it would be fun to add some bits from my Dad's old shop.

 Because I had so many cuttings, I put 2-3 in each pot.

Plus, I'm impatient and I hope it makes for a fuller pot sooner.

These glass insulators are chipped, but I don't care as I think they just look neat.

I still have cuttings rooting.  As I'm pruning back my big plant trying to get it to be fuller, I just don't like to throw them if I can make a new plant instead.  Plus it's pretty green and purple color in a jar like flowers.

Now, hopefully, they'll grow!

Do any of you have experience with hydrophobic potting soil?  How, did you solve it?   Now, I sit with a half tub of mud of what's left...I guess I'll just put a lid on it until I need it?  or maybe let some of it evaporate outside and then put a lid on it? 

Continuous Shutter Release

We had a family reunion last Saturday.  For the last number of reunions, after the gathering at a hall for the noon meal, a number of family members gather at my Mom's for more visiting and target shooting.

I don't shoot myself, but it's fun to watch. And this year I thought that maybe I could get a good Gif out of it.

Setting my camera at a high shutter speed and continuous shutter release did the trick. Photoshop helped a bit too. You can see the shell casing as it flies above my bother's head.

We had the nicest time catching up and getting reacquainted with family members.

How about you?  Do you have family reunions in the summer time?  We still have two more to attend!  Pretty sure there won't be guns at the next ones though.

I hope you had a nice 4th of July celebration!  God Bless America!

Wordless Wednesday

Texture Tuesday

We, meaning my 13 year old daughter and I,  have a basket of needles and yarn waiting for time and patience to work on a 4-H project.

I had found what I thought was a very simple pattern for a scarf for her to knit.  Not so.

I don't know much about knitting so I Googled.  

Good gravy how did those poor souls live before being able to Google the answer to their every question?! Ha!  I lived quite nicely before Google and the internet, but I don't want to live again without it.  

I'm not sure what that says about me.  Me, who loves all things old and nostalgic.

Anyway...back to the knitting.  There has been just as much "unknitting" as knitting and I'm thinking there will not be a knitting entry for the fair this year. 

So it goes.

She made a really pretty flower arrangement though for the fair with no "unflowering" needed!

I'm linking up today with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday.  Both images were textures with "Soft and Sanded Shakespeare Sonnet" desaturated.

Photo template courtesy of Paint the Moon.