On Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:45:57 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

On 24/11/2014 1:54 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:01:18 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

On 22/11/2014 12:55 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 21 Nov 2014 13:17:06 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

Has anyone ever grown cotton in their home garden? I've just ordered
seeds for 3 different coloured cotton so would like some growing tips
form anyone with experience. I am after the bolls as I'm a spinner and
thought it might be interesting to try to grow my own cotton so I'm
after the flowers followed by the bolls.

I had thought that feeding with 'flower and fruit' fertiliser might be
appropriate once I get them growing.


A friend grew some in her home yard just this past summer and got
enough to spin a bit. You need way bigger than a backyard crop to get
serious with it, though.

Well that sounds positive. It's good to know that it is possible to
grow enough to have a play with it. Next time you talk to your friend
could you see if she has any particular cultivation tips please and
report back?


I will. Her garden is in Alabama - long, hot & humid summers. Cotton
territory.


Ah. We don't have humid here. Hot yes, but not humid as we're inland.
Is humid important for cotton do you know?

Drat, now I've got a song about Alabama running my brain and I'm darned
if I can remember who sun it or enough of the lyrics to do a google!!!!

Certainly here in the US cotton was grown under such conditions (its
commercial heyday is long gone here) .

Granted, these requirements are mainly for commercial plantings, but a
quick Google shows what you see blow...Odd, the list below mentions
"dry conditions," but when cotton was king in the south before the
Civil war, I assure you, nothing was dry about the climate down
there....Mississippi River delta provided the water and the shipping
lanes..


http://www.organiccotton.org/oc/Cott...quirements.php
Cotton is grown between latitudes of 37° north and 30° south in
temperate, subtropical and tropical regions and on every continent.

Ideal conditions for the cotton plant a

Long vegetation periods (175 to 225 days) without frost.
Constant temperatures between 18 and 30°.
Ample sunshine and fairly dry conditions.
A minimum of 500 mm of water between germination and boll formation.
Deep, well-drained soils with a good nutrient content.

On 24/11/2014 11:19 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:45:57 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

On 24/11/2014 1:54 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:01:18 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

On 22/11/2014 12:55 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 21 Nov 2014 13:17:06 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

Has anyone ever grown cotton in their home garden? I've just ordered
seeds for 3 different coloured cotton so would like some growing tips
form anyone with experience. I am after the bolls as I'm a spinner and
thought it might be interesting to try to grow my own cotton so I'm
after the flowers followed by the bolls.

I had thought that feeding with 'flower and fruit' fertiliser might be
appropriate once I get them growing.


A friend grew some in her home yard just this past summer and got
enough to spin a bit. You need way bigger than a backyard crop to get
serious with it, though.

Well that sounds positive. It's good to know that it is possible to
grow enough to have a play with it. Next time you talk to your friend
could you see if she has any particular cultivation tips please and
report back?


I will. Her garden is in Alabama - long, hot & humid summers. Cotton
territory.


Ah. We don't have humid here. Hot yes, but not humid as we're inland.
Is humid important for cotton do you know?

Drat, now I've got a song about Alabama running my brain and I'm darned
if I can remember who sun it or enough of the lyrics to do a google!!!!

Certainly here in the US cotton was grown under such conditions (its
commercial heyday is long gone here) .

Granted, these requirements are mainly for commercial plantings, but a
quick Google shows what you see blow...Odd, the list below mentions
"dry conditions," but when cotton was king in the south before the
Civil war, I assure you, nothing was dry about the climate down
there....Mississippi River delta provided the water and the shipping
lanes..


http://www.organiccotton.org/oc/Cott...quirements.php
Cotton is grown between latitudes of 37° north and 30° south in
temperate, subtropical and tropical regions and on every continent.

:-)) Did you notice that although that cite mentions cotton being grown
on 'every continent' there is none shown on the map as growing in
Australia? I got a chuckle out of that - we often don't exist for the
rest of the first world. Not that I particularly mind that in these
post 9/11 days.

I've checked out where it's grown on my continent and it's in dry places
but also a lot further north or west than where I am - worth a try:
http://cottonaustralia.com.au/austra...re-is-it-grown


Ideal conditions for the cotton plant a

Long vegetation periods (175 to 225 days) without frost.
Constant temperatures between 18 and 30°.
Ample sunshine and fairly dry conditions.
A minimum of 500 mm of water between germination and boll formation.
Deep, well-drained soils with a good nutrient content.

Excellent. I think I might just be able to do that with a bit of work
at the later end of the season. Might have to buy some plastic sheeting
but worth a try. The seeds arrived in the mail today so I'm hot to trot.

On Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:44:33 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

On 24/11/2014 11:19 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:45:57 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:



Certainly here in the US cotton was grown under such conditions (its
commercial heyday is long gone here) .

Granted, these requirements are mainly for commercial plantings, but a
quick Google shows what you see blow...Odd, the list below mentions
"dry conditions," but when cotton was king in the south before the
Civil war, I assure you, nothing was dry about the climate down
there....Mississippi River delta provided the water and the shipping
lanes..


http://www.organiccotton.org/oc/Cott...quirements.php
Cotton is grown between latitudes of 37° north and 30° south in
temperate, subtropical and tropical regions and on every continent.

:-)) Did you notice that although that cite mentions cotton being grown
on 'every continent' there is none shown on the map as growing in
Australia? I got a chuckle out of that - we often don't exist for the
rest of the first world. Not that I particularly mind that in these
post 9/11 days.

I've checked out where it's grown on my continent and it's in dry places
but also a lot further north or west than where I am - worth a try:
http://cottonaustralia.com.au/austra...re-is-it-grown


Never be discouraged from growing things out of approved climate. I am
in northern New Jersey here in the states...I have an olive tree.
Granted - it is in a tub and I bring it in in the winter, but
by-the-gods I get to pick enough olives to play with a bit in the
fall. I assure you olive growing is not recommended within my state.
We get mighty cold here in the winter.

I grow citrus, too....again, I pull the tubs inside for winter. Makes
the kitchen and garage and basement a bit crowded, but the lemon
blossoms scents filling the place makes it worth while.

Boron

On 11/25/2014 8:28 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:44:33 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

On 24/11/2014 11:19 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:45:57 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:



Certainly here in the US cotton was grown under such conditions (its
commercial heyday is long gone here) .

Granted, these requirements are mainly for commercial plantings, but a
quick Google shows what you see blow...Odd, the list below mentions
"dry conditions," but when cotton was king in the south before the
Civil war, I assure you, nothing was dry about the climate down
there....Mississippi River delta provided the water and the shipping
lanes..


http://www.organiccotton.org/oc/Cott...quirements.php
Cotton is grown between latitudes of 37° north and 30° south in
temperate, subtropical and tropical regions and on every continent.

:-)) Did you notice that although that cite mentions cotton being grown
on 'every continent' there is none shown on the map as growing in
Australia? I got a chuckle out of that - we often don't exist for the
rest of the first world. Not that I particularly mind that in these
post 9/11 days.

I've checked out where it's grown on my continent and it's in dry places
but also a lot further north or west than where I am - worth a try:
http://cottonaustralia.com.au/austra...re-is-it-grown


Never be discouraged from growing things out of approved climate. I am
in northern New Jersey here in the states...I have an olive tree.
Granted - it is in a tub and I bring it in in the winter, but
by-the-gods I get to pick enough olives to play with a bit in the
fall. I assure you olive growing is not recommended within my state.
We get mighty cold here in the winter.

I grow citrus, too....again, I pull the tubs inside for winter. Makes
the kitchen and garage and basement a bit crowded, but the lemon
blossoms scents filling the place makes it worth while.

Boron


My dwarf citrus are now in very large flower pots. At my previous
house, I had only a dwarf lemon in a tub. The tub rested on a wheeled
platform. Since night frosts were common in the winter, I would drag
the lemon into my garage when I came home from work and place it behind
my car. In the morning, I would drag it out again and place it on the
driveway in the sun.

A redwood tub is not forever. Eventually, either the wood rots from the
constant moisture and nutrients, or else the steel straps rust and fall
apart. I switched from tubs to pots when I had trouble finding
replacement redwood tubs.

At my current house, we also get occasional frosts at night. However,
the pots are just too heavy to move. Furtunately, my lemon, navel
orange, and kumquat are in pots such that the branches and foliage are
high enough above the ground that the colder air does not reach them.

As it is, kumquats and Eureka lemons are relatively hardy. Navel
oranges are more hardy than Valencia oranges. And we get less frost here.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On Tue, 25 Nov 2014 11:30:59 -0800, "David E. Ross"
wrote:

On 11/25/2014 8:28 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:44:33 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:

On 24/11/2014 11:19 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:45:57 +1100, Fran Farmer
wrote:



Certainly here in the US cotton was grown under such conditions (its
commercial heyday is long gone here) .

Granted, these requirements are mainly for commercial plantings, but a
quick Google shows what you see blow...Odd, the list below mentions
"dry conditions," but when cotton was king in the south before the
Civil war, I assure you, nothing was dry about the climate down
there....Mississippi River delta provided the water and the shipping
lanes..


http://www.organiccotton.org/oc/Cott...quirements.php
Cotton is grown between latitudes of 37° north and 30° south in
temperate, subtropical and tropical regions and on every continent.

:-)) Did you notice that although that cite mentions cotton being grown
on 'every continent' there is none shown on the map as growing in
Australia? I got a chuckle out of that - we often don't exist for the
rest of the first world. Not that I particularly mind that in these
post 9/11 days.

I've checked out where it's grown on my continent and it's in dry places
but also a lot further north or west than where I am - worth a try:
http://cottonaustralia.com.au/austra...re-is-it-grown


Never be discouraged from growing things out of approved climate. I am
in northern New Jersey here in the states...I have an olive tree.
Granted - it is in a tub and I bring it in in the winter, but
by-the-gods I get to pick enough olives to play with a bit in the
fall. I assure you olive growing is not recommended within my state.
We get mighty cold here in the winter.

I grow citrus, too....again, I pull the tubs inside for winter. Makes
the kitchen and garage and basement a bit crowded, but the lemon
blossoms scents filling the place makes it worth while.

Boron


My dwarf citrus are now in very large flower pots. At my previous
house, I had only a dwarf lemon in a tub. The tub rested on a wheeled
platform. Since night frosts were common in the winter, I would drag
the lemon into my garage when I came home from work and place it behind
my car. In the morning, I would drag it out again and place it on the
driveway in the sun.

A redwood tub is not forever. Eventually, either the wood rots from the
constant moisture and nutrients, or else the steel straps rust and fall
apart. I switched from tubs to pots when I had trouble finding
replacement redwood tubs.

At my current house, we also get occasional frosts at night. However,
the pots are just too heavy to move. Furtunately, my lemon, navel
orange, and kumquat are in pots such that the branches and foliage are
high enough above the ground that the colder air does not reach them.

As it is, kumquats and Eureka lemons are relatively hardy. Navel
oranges are more hardy than Valencia oranges. And we get less frost here.

Some years ago, Costco had a variation on a wheel-barrow - large tub
that stood perfectly upright with handle (think of a hand truck that
had a built-in tub at the bottom) and I snagged a couple of them for
maybe $20-25 apiece. One holds my olive tree, one holds a Texas fig.
Makes it really easy to cart them around.

The citrus are not as easily carted about.