I just caught up with a thread in which you said to bury banana peels around shrubs etc. What's the purpose of that?
Thanks.

On 11/24/2013 12:57 PM, Kalmia wrote:
> I just caught up with a thread in which you said to bury banana peels around shrubs etc. What's the purpose of that?
> Thanks.
>

High in potassium, an ingredient in fertilizer.

A woman at work has the nicest garden in the area. Banana peels, fish
heads, coffee grounds, egg shells. House plants she waters with a tea
made from compost.

On Sun, 24 Nov 2013 14:50:53 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 11/24/2013 12:57 PM, Kalmia wrote:
> > I just caught up with a thread in which you said to bury banana peels around shrubs etc. What's the purpose of that?
> > Thanks.
> >
>
> High in potassium, an ingredient in fertilizer.
>
> A woman at work has the nicest garden in the area. Banana peels, fish
> heads, coffee grounds, egg shells. House plants she waters with a tea
> made from compost.

How does she keep critters from digging the fish heads up?

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 11/24/2013 3:34 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 24 Nov 2013 14:50:53 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>
>> On 11/24/2013 12:57 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>>> I just caught up with a thread in which you said to bury banana peels around shrubs etc. What's the purpose of that?
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>
>> High in potassium, an ingredient in fertilizer.
>>
>> A woman at work has the nicest garden in the area. Banana peels, fish
>> heads, coffee grounds, egg shells. House plants she waters with a tea
>> made from compost.
>
> How does she keep critters from digging the fish heads up?
>

Nothing but putting them deep enough, about 6 to 8 inches. near the roots.

On Sunday, November 24, 2013 2:50:53 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 11/24/2013 12:57 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>
> > I just caught up with a thread in which you said to bury banana peels around shrubs etc. What's the purpose of that?
>
> > Thanks.
>
> >
>
>
>
> High in potassium, an ingredient in fertilizer.
>
>
>
> A woman at work has the nicest garden in the area. Banana peels, fish
>
> heads, coffee grounds, egg shells. House plants she waters with a tea
>
> made from compost.

I'll have to try it around my holly tree.

Now, can you tell me how to keep squirrels out of an oak tree? They are chewing off all my tiny branches. I think they are trying to get them to the ground so they can get to the acorns. I'm finding 15-20 ends of branches on the ground every morning. The tree will be down to the trunk pretty soon. No, don't suggest poison or guns, please. That's out.

On Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:51:30 -0800 (PST), Kalmia
> wrote:

>On Sunday, November 24, 2013 2:50:53 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>> On 11/24/2013 12:57 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>>
>> > I just caught up with a thread in which you said to bury banana peels around shrubs etc. What's the purpose of that?
>>
>> High in potassium, an ingredient in fertilizer.
>>
>> A woman at work has the nicest garden in the area. Banana peels, fish
>>
>> heads, coffee grounds, egg shells. House plants she waters with a tea
>>
>> made from compost.
>
>I'll have to try it around my holly tree.

Compost tea is a good fertilizer but uncomposted organics will cause
all sorts of disease, for plants and animals. Any benefit derived
from burying fish heads is offset by the diseases it spreads as it
rots. That someone has a nice garden is due to other reasons, not
from burying uncomposted organics, and especially meats. Also banana
peels are best omited from composters, all the composting literature
will say so, banana peels do not compost for many years, neither corn
cobs.

>Now, can you tell me how to keep squirrels out of an oak tree?
>They are chewing off all my tiny branches. I think they are trying
>to get them to the ground so they can get to the acorns. I'm
>finding 15-20 ends of branches on the ground every morning. The
>tree will be down to the trunk pretty soon. No, don't suggest poison
>or guns, please. That's out.

There's nothing to be done, squirrels eat acorns. Anyway they are
doing you a favor, they are pruning your tree (do you have any idea
how much an arborist would charge, and the squirrels are doing a far
better job than any human can) and they are limiting how many acorns
sprout all over your property. The squirrels are a benefit, just rake
up those few twigs or hit them with the mulching mower.

On 11/25/2013 12:23 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:51:30 -0800 (PST), Kalmia
> > wrote:
>
>> Now, can you tell me how to keep squirrels out of an oak tree?
>> They are chewing off all my tiny branches. I think they are trying
>> to get them to the ground so they can get to the acorns. I'm
>> finding 15-20 ends of branches on the ground every morning. The
>> tree will be down to the trunk pretty soon. No, don't suggest poison
>> or guns, please. That's out.
>
> There's nothing to be done, squirrels eat acorns. Anyway they are
> doing you a favor, they are pruning your tree (do you have any idea
> how much an arborist would charge, and the squirrels are doing a far
> better job than any human can) and they are limiting how many acorns
> sprout all over your property. The squirrels are a benefit, just rake
> up those few twigs or hit them with the mulching mower.
>
Oak tree sprouts! Arrrgh. I wish the squirrels here would have a
*huge* bash in that damn live oak tree in my front yard! In the spring
and summer there is no grass to speak of. Just a gazillion little oak
trees trying to sprout. I've asked at lawn and garden centers. I've
asked the lawn care people. I'm told there's nothing much I can do
about them.

But you're right, it would cost quite a bit to have that tree trimmed.
In my case I'd have to get permission from the architectural review
board to have an arborist trim the thee. For some reason "live oaks"
are considered a precious commodity. I have no idea why. They're all
over the place down here. It's not as if this is a 300 year old
historic tree. There's one of those in the cemetery on the island:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/sc1125.photos.213950p/

Jill

On Monday, November 25, 2013 1:03:16 PM UTC-5, jmcquown wrote:
>
> Oak tree sprouts! Arrrgh. I wish the squirrels here would have a
>
> *huge* bash in that damn live oak tree in my front yard! In the spring
>
> and summer there is no grass to speak of.


I don't have much grass under one of my oaks, but I'll take the shade and the lower A/C elec. bill any day. Besides, I love the birds who land in it.

A friend who worked as a power use consultant for an elec co. would get ppl suddenly beefing about their bill skyrocketing, and her first question was
"Did you take down a tree near the house?"

On Monday, November 25, 2013 10:03:16 AM UTC-8, jmcquown wrote:

.. For some reason "live oaks" are considered a precious commodity. I have no idea why. They're all over the place down here. It's not as if this is a 300 year old historic tree. There's one of those in the cemetery on the island:



Jill, the reason they are considered a precious commodity is because of a blight/disease that hit the South not too many years ago. It killled off a LOT of live oaks. I miss those beautiful trees. Here in the Pacific NW we have magnificent trees but those live oaks are my favorites. Especially when they have moss hanging from the branches.

On Monday, November 25, 2013 12:23:56 PM UTC-5, Brooklyn1 wrote:







> There's nothing to be done, squirrels eat acorns. Anyway they are
>
> doing you a favor,



Is it possible for them to do me too MUCH of a favor, i.e. sicken the tree somehow?


The squirrels are a benefit, just rake
>
> up those few twigs or hit them with the mulching mower.

I do a morning pickup, being careful to bend right, then left, then right etc. Trying to keep ME trim too.

Squirrels seem to be in abundance this year, likewise, the acorns, yet I don't have a large problem with seedlings starting. I did find an oak sapling last spring started in a planter on the deck, brought it to my health food store where the owner planted it 'tween her property and the next, and it's grown another foot over the summer. I'm hoping it'll be ONE mark I leave on this earth. She is hoping for it to throw some shade in a few years.

In article >, gravesend10
@verizon.net says...
Also banana
> peels are best omited from composters, all the composting literature
> will say so, banana peels do not compost for many years,

That's nonsense.

> neither corn
> cobs.

So's that. I put both in my compost heaps and just a few months later
they're so decomposed they're unidentifiable.

Janet UK.

On Monday, November 25, 2013 7:08:41 PM UTC-6, Janet wrote:
> In article >, gravesend10
>
> @verizon.net says...
>
> Also banana
>
> > peels are best omited from composters, all the composting literature
>
> > will say so, banana peels do not compost for many years,
>
>
>
> That's nonsense.
>
>
>
> > neither corn
>
> > cobs.
>
>
>
> So's that. I put both in my compost heaps and just a few months later
>
> they're so decomposed they're unidentifiable.
>
I had one compost pile that I hadn't added to for several years that had
corn cobs and recognizable avocado skins in it. Citrus peels don't seem
to break down easily either.
>
> Janet UK.

--Bryan sex+

On Monday, November 25, 2013 11:23:56 AM UTC-6, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> Also banana peels are best omited from composters, all the
> composting literature will say so, banana peels do not compost
> for many years, neither corn cobs.
>

Add to that citrus peels, avocado and pomegranate skins, and if you live somewhere that has yard waste recycling, don't put sticker bush stuff like rose prunings or old blackberry canes in the yard waste. Put stickers in the garbage. They make lousy, pokey mulch.

--Bryan

In article >,
says...
>
> On Monday, November 25, 2013 11:23:56 AM UTC-6, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> >
> > Also banana peels are best omited from composters, all the
> > composting literature will say so, banana peels do not compost
> > for many years, neither corn cobs.
> >
>
> Add to that citrus peels, avocado and pomegranate skins,

I compost all those too, no problem at all.

Janet UK

On Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:51:30 -0800 (PST), Kalmia
> wrote:
>
> Now, can you tell me how to keep squirrels out of an oak tree? They are chewing off all my tiny branches. I think they are trying to get them to the ground so they can get to the acorns. I'm finding 15-20 ends of branches on the ground every morning. The tree will be down to the trunk pretty soon. No, don't suggest poison or guns, please. That's out.

You need some sort of predator... like a dog, a cat or if you're
lucky, a predatory bird. If you don't have any of those, you could
wrap the tree trunk with a band of solid metal prevent them from
climbing up it in the first place.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Monday, November 25, 2013 2:02:40 PM UTC-5, sf wrote:
> You need some sort of predator... like a dog, a cat or if you're
>
> lucky, a predatory bird. If you don't have any of those, you could
>
> wrap the tree trunk with a band of solid metal prevent them from
>
> climbing up it in the first place.

These wily little rats can jump onto the tree from the roof.

In article >,
Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 11/24/2013 12:57 PM, Kalmia wrote:
> > I just caught up with a thread in which you said to bury banana peels
> > around shrubs etc. What's the purpose of that?
> > Thanks.
> >
>
> High in potassium, an ingredient in fertilizer.
>
> A woman at work has the nicest garden in the area. Banana peels, fish
> heads, coffee grounds, egg shells. House plants she waters with a tea
> made from compost.

My sister puts a banana peel in the ground when and where she plants
tomatoes. She had a bonanza crop this year and swears by it.
--
Barb,
http://www.barbschaller.com, as of April 8, 2013.