This great cold weather
 

Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring.
Also, it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or
irises of any note.

On another note, we've had a huge male opossum living in our large
brush pile out back. We discovered him dead, but he was very close to
the house. Would an opossum eat one of those rat killing things?

This great cold weather
 

In article ,
Jangchub wrote:

Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring.
Also, it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or
irises of any note.

I did not get paperwhites or peruvian daffodils last year either.
I'm hoping they do better this year.


On another note, we've had a huge male opossum living in our large
brush pile out back. We discovered him dead, but he was very close to
the house. Would an opossum eat one of those rat killing things?

Yes.

Possums are scavengers.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

This great cold weather
 

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 08:40:38 -0600, Jangchub wrote:

Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring. Also,
it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or irises of any
note.

On another note, we've had a huge male opossum living in our large brush
pile out back. We discovered him dead, but he was very close to the
house. Would an opossum eat one of those rat killing things?

I've got an apricot tree, planted with the wildest of optimism. I
actually managed to get one fruit the year before last. I hear tell that
once every 5 or 6 years conditions are right and I may get a full harvest.

Those "rat killing things" - ? No, opossums don't eat cats. G

They will eat those poisioned baits though. Usually they mix the poison
with a purgative so that if a "non target animal" such as a housepet gets
into it, it'll be vomited up before much of the toxin is absorbed
(rodents' plumbing doesn't run in reverse). Unfortunately this works
better in theory than in actual practice so many non-rodent mammals are
poisoned by the baits. I don't like them for this reason.

--
Mike Harris
Austin TX

This great cold weather
 

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 09:49:22 -0600, Mike Harris
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 08:40:38 -0600, Jangchub wrote:

Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring. Also,
it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or irises of any
note.

On another note, we've had a huge male opossum living in our large brush
pile out back. We discovered him dead, but he was very close to the
house. Would an opossum eat one of those rat killing things?

I've got an apricot tree, planted with the wildest of optimism. I
actually managed to get one fruit the year before last. I hear tell that
once every 5 or 6 years conditions are right and I may get a full harvest.

Those "rat killing things" - ? No, opossums don't eat cats. G

They will eat those poisioned baits though. Usually they mix the poison
with a purgative so that if a "non target animal" such as a housepet gets
into it, it'll be vomited up before much of the toxin is absorbed
(rodents' plumbing doesn't run in reverse). Unfortunately this works
better in theory than in actual practice so many non-rodent mammals are
poisoned by the baits. I don't like them for this reason.

Gee I hope he died of natural causes. He's been our friend for seven
years and never bothered a thing out in the gardens. He did like his
sunflower seeds.

I thought an animal dying of natural causes would do so in privacy.
One day we'll live in the wilderness and I won't have to deal with
murdering *******s as neighbors. At least they won't be unnatural
murderers.

I saw the Horse Whisperer for the first time this month and I am
totally enthralled with the high plains and Rocky Mountains of Utah
and Montana, but it is truly frozen tundra for a very long period of
time every year.

This great cold weather
 

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 09:49:22 -0600, Mike Harris
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 08:40:38 -0600, Jangchub wrote:

Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring. Also,
it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or irises of any
note.

On another note, we've had a huge male opossum living in our large brush
pile out back. We discovered him dead, but he was very close to the
house. Would an opossum eat one of those rat killing things?

I've got an apricot tree, planted with the wildest of optimism. I
actually managed to get one fruit the year before last. I hear tell that
once every 5 or 6 years conditions are right and I may get a full harvest.

Those "rat killing things" - ? No, opossums don't eat cats. G

They will eat those poisioned baits though. Usually they mix the poison
with a purgative so that if a "non target animal" such as a housepet gets
into it, it'll be vomited up before much of the toxin is absorbed
(rodents' plumbing doesn't run in reverse). Unfortunately this works
better in theory than in actual practice so many non-rodent mammals are
poisoned by the baits. I don't like them for this reason.

Oh, on the apricot...it is not unusual to get a good crop every other
year on most stone fruits, but if the conditions are so horrible as it
was last winter (for stone fruits) they can go years without good
production and during those years can easily develop diseases from the
stress.

This great cold weather
 

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 12:16:34 -0600, Jangchub wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 09:49:22 -0600, Mike Harris
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 08:40:38 -0600, Jangchub wrote:

Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring. Also,
it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or irises of any
note.

On another note, we've had a huge male opossum living in our large brush
pile out back. We discovered him dead, but he was very close to the
house. Would an opossum eat one of those rat killing things?

I've got an apricot tree, planted with the wildest of optimism. I
actually managed to get one fruit the year before last. I hear tell that
once every 5 or 6 years conditions are right and I may get a full harvest.

Those "rat killing things" - ? No, opossums don't eat cats. G

They will eat those poisioned baits though. Usually they mix the poison
with a purgative so that if a "non target animal" such as a housepet gets
into it, it'll be vomited up before much of the toxin is absorbed
(rodents' plumbing doesn't run in reverse). Unfortunately this works
better in theory than in actual practice so many non-rodent mammals are
poisoned by the baits. I don't like them for this reason.

Gee I hope he died of natural causes. He's been our friend for seven
years and never bothered a thing out in the gardens. He did like his
sunflower seeds.

I thought an animal dying of natural causes would do so in privacy.
One day we'll live in the wilderness and I won't have to deal with
murdering *******s as neighbors. At least they won't be unnatural
murderers.

I saw the Horse Whisperer for the first time this month and I am
totally enthralled with the high plains and Rocky Mountains of Utah
and Montana, but it is truly frozen tundra for a very long period of
time every year.

I doubt it was the poisoned bait, given his age. It sounds as though he
had a better than average run, frankly:

http://www.wildlifeprairiestatepark....es/opossum.htm

This great cold weather
 

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 12:18:13 -0600, Jangchub wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 09:49:22 -0600, Mike Harris
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 08:40:38 -0600, Jangchub wrote:

Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring. Also,
it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or irises of any
note.

On another note, we've had a huge male opossum living in our large brush
pile out back. We discovered him dead, but he was very close to the
house. Would an opossum eat one of those rat killing things?

I've got an apricot tree, planted with the wildest of optimism. I
actually managed to get one fruit the year before last. I hear tell that
once every 5 or 6 years conditions are right and I may get a full harvest.

Those "rat killing things" - ? No, opossums don't eat cats. G

They will eat those poisioned baits though. Usually they mix the poison
with a purgative so that if a "non target animal" such as a housepet gets
into it, it'll be vomited up before much of the toxin is absorbed
(rodents' plumbing doesn't run in reverse). Unfortunately this works
better in theory than in actual practice so many non-rodent mammals are
poisoned by the baits. I don't like them for this reason.

Oh, on the apricot...it is not unusual to get a good crop every other
year on most stone fruits, but if the conditions are so horrible as it
was last winter (for stone fruits) they can go years without good
production and during those years can easily develop diseases from the
stress.

I don't know the reason for apricots not bearing here. It
might be chilling hours. The tree itself is healthy and pest-free, puts
forth abundant blossoms in the spring, but drops them without forming
fruit for the most part. I don't recall the variety but I did select
one with low chilling requirement and not needing a pollinator.
pollinator

This great cold weather
 

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:30:42 -0600, Mike Harris
wrote:

I don't know the reason for apricots not bearing here. It
might be chilling hours. The tree itself is healthy and pest-free, puts
forth abundant blossoms in the spring, but drops them without forming
fruit for the most part. I don't recall the variety but I did select
one with low chilling requirement and not needing a pollinator.
pollinator

Last winter I had one night for two hours with below freezing temps.
My tree was loaded with tons of flowers, but every peach aborted in
its very early stage (flower still attached).

When stone fruits don't produce, it is almost always chill hour
related, especially here in TX. I have a peach 'Dixieland.' It is
the lowest chill hour with a free stone. It still have 400 chill hour
requirements at temps below 45 degrees. I don't believe we've had
temps like that, steadily, for several years.

This great cold weather
 

* Jangchub wrote, On 1/14/2007 12:16 PM:

Gee I hope he died of natural causes. He's been our friend for seven
years and never bothered a thing out in the gardens. He did like his
sunflower seeds.

I saw one close up for the first time in the garden center at Lowe's the other
night. I wandered around behind him for awhile watching. Such a strange animal!

I thought an animal dying of natural causes would do so in privacy.
One day we'll live in the wilderness and I won't have to deal with
murdering *******s as neighbors. At least they won't be unnatural
murderers.

I saw the Horse Whisperer for the first time this month and I am
totally enthralled with the high plains and Rocky Mountains of Utah
and Montana, but it is truly frozen tundra for a very long period of
time every year.

Sure is. I can't speak for Utah, but grew up in Montana. It's also very dry --
12" average annual rainfall in the plains and very little snow cover in winter,
though mountainous areas fare better. And COLD and WINDY. I miss it though.
If only because my entire family lives there.

Cindy

This great cold weather
 

"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring.
Also, it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or
irises of any note.

I wonder if I'll get less pears next year. Had a GREAT crop this year that
the branches almost fell off. Then in late October, the trees budded again
and more pears! All the little baby pears have finally died and dropped off,
but I wondered why I got two crops this year.

This great cold weather
 

On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:48:54 +0000, Justin Wilson wrote:


"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring.
Also, it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or
irises of any note.

I wonder if I'll get less pears next year. Had a GREAT crop this year that
the branches almost fell off. Then in late October, the trees budded again
and more pears! All the little baby pears have finally died and dropped off,
but I wondered why I got two crops this year.

Justin,

What area are you in, and what variety do you have? I love pears, but my
tree never fruited and ultimately succumbed to fireblight.

This great cold weather
 

On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:48:54 GMT, "Justin Wilson" wrote:


"Jangchub" wrote in message
.. .
Maybe, just maybe I will get some peaches and apples this spring.
Also, it's been two years since I've had a stand of daffodils or
irises of any note.

I wonder if I'll get less pears next year. Had a GREAT crop this year that
the branches almost fell off. Then in late October, the trees budded again
and more pears! All the little baby pears have finally died and dropped off,
but I wondered why I got two crops this year.

Pears do usually have good fruit production every other year. I'm not
sure why you got two crops, but when you do, I suggest you side dress
the tree, out to the drip line using compost and organic fertilzer.
Something like Sustane, or LadyBug Brand.

This great cold weather
 

"Jangchub" wrote in message Pears do usually have
good fruit production every other year. I'm not
sure why you got two crops, but when you do, I suggest you side dress
the tree, out to the drip line using compost and organic fertilzer.
Something like Sustane, or LadyBug Brand.

Thanks Jang, I will. What will that do?

This great cold weather
 

"Mike Harris" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:48:54 +0000, Justin Wilson wrote:
Justin,

What area are you in, and what variety do you have? I love pears, but my
tree never fruited and ultimately succumbed to fireblight.

I actually live just north of SA. I believe the pear tree is a Pfanstiel
hybrid - I don't recall the exact spelling. But the trees are very strong,
healthy, and almost too much fruit. Luckily the dogs help clean up the yard.
Plus, I try to remove many of the new fruit to prevent limb breakage.

I wonder of the Bayer systemic formula would prevent fireblight?

This great cold weather
 

I don't believe there is any cure for fireblight. Prune off the bad areas
and get the chain saw.


"Justin Wilson" wrote in message
...

"Mike Harris" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:48:54 +0000, Justin Wilson wrote:
Justin,

What area are you in, and what variety do you have? I love pears, but my
tree never fruited and ultimately succumbed to fireblight.

I actually live just north of SA. I believe the pear tree is a Pfanstiel
hybrid - I don't recall the exact spelling. But the trees are very strong,
healthy, and almost too much fruit. Luckily the dogs help clean up the
yard. Plus, I try to remove many of the new fruit to prevent limb
breakage.

I wonder of the Bayer systemic formula would prevent fireblight?