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Post by glen on Jan 30, 2018 13:08:07 GMT -6
I am going to try and tie some horizontal string onto the pvc to give the vines something to lay on so it has a chance to climb up the pipes. I don't have electric power cord long enough to drill holes in the pipe where they are right now so I am going to have to use trial and error to figure out a solution. Once I get this done I will take foto's. I have some twine that I will try and use to wrap around the teepee but getting the twine to stay in place is going to require imagination. I was thinking of trying to use tape. That may or may not hold. HMOOSEk thanx for joining the conversation. I love growing vines myself. I have never tried growing beans on PVC. I had the material laying around left over from a different project and thought I should try and repurpose it. I usually grow this cowpea on the fence. Its much different than normal pole beans. Its no where near the energetic climber that a nice twining style pole bean is. Its a runner. Not a climber.
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Post by glen on Jan 30, 2018 17:31:02 GMT -6
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Post by macmex on Jan 31, 2018 6:37:17 GMT -6
How deeply did you set the PVC pipe into the ground? Here in Oklahoma we have some very strong wind. I have to use a iron bar to make an 18" hole into which I set my poles for beans.
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Post by glen on Jan 31, 2018 15:10:20 GMT -6
I didn't set the pvc too deep. I did use stakes though that go about a foot into the ground for each stake and I used wire to bind the pvc with the stakes. The set-up seems strong at this point however, the vines are not tall yet either. If I see some instability in the teepee my hope is that I can beef it up more later if needed. This is going to be a learning experience I can see right now. If I have made mistakes they will show themselves later I am sure.
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Post by aftermidnight on Jan 31, 2018 22:34:18 GMT -6
What I now use for my climbing beans are 10 ft. lengths of conduit, about a foot hammered into the ground. A cork with a nail pushed into the top I can hang as many lengths of jute as I want TeePee fashion. Loop the jute over the nail and then anchor to the ground with long staples made from wire. If using the conduit pole for 2 or 3 bean seeds I loop a length of jute over the nail then wind it tight around the pole and anchor it in the ground, this way the vines have something to grab hold of and don't slip down the pole. This method has worked well for me.
Annette
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Post by glen on Feb 1, 2018 12:34:48 GMT -6
Great idea Annette, thanx. I have a lot more experimenting to do. I don't have any conduit laying around the house but I could make use of your idea with the jute. The vines appear now to at least be trying to climb to some extent. Cowpea's are not the best climbers I have ever seen.
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Post by glen on Feb 1, 2018 20:17:11 GMT -6
I now have the thick twine secured to both trellis. Its real windy this time of year so the only worry will be how secure the trellis are to the ground. They might blow over. They feel secure now but when those vines get big, and they will, things might get dicey. For the moment things look better though. The vines are already trying to twine now around the pvc and other vines. This variety takes time to get established but once they do they turn into aggressive growing strong vines. The vines live a long time here in Panama and get long and thick. This is definitely an indeterminate vine. So far the vines are insect free and real dark green and pretty. Pests like white fly and mites have been a problem in the past as well as virus but for the moment things look good.
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Post by macmex on Feb 2, 2018 6:26:18 GMT -6
Don't know if you have it there, though, I'm sure it would grow; I grow my own bamboo poles. They work great. The main downside of most bamboo, is that it is highly invasive. I plan on starting a new patch, right in the middle of our pasture, and surrounding it with cattle panels. Whatever escapes past the cattle panels will be EATEN by our goats. The original patch is too close to my daughter's house and they want me to eliminate it. It will be challenging, but I have a plan and believe it will work.
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Post by glen on Feb 2, 2018 14:14:41 GMT -6
I used to collect and grow bamboo in Florida for several years before selling out and moving to Panama. Bamboo is a very interesting plant. However, it is important to select the right variety for your needs. Florida has a vast variety of bamboo to choose from. Bamboo can be very expensive also and it takes time to grow. Also, depending on the variety, they can get very large. If I had the space, I would grow bamboo. My lot is only 500 square meters so I have very limited space. Land in Panama that is near town is prohibitively expensive here. My current lot is half the size of the lot I owned in Florida and I thought my lot in Florida was small. I had to make a choice of living a short distance from town where there is a grocery store and a hospital etc, or I could have chosen to live a long distance from town and bought a very inexpensive large lot. Because of my age and income level I made the decision to go with the small lot, close to town. So, I cannot grow things like bamboo right now. I probably won't move either so my bamboo growing future is most likely grim. Here in Panama they do not grow much bamboo either. Good ryzomes for interesting variety's would be very difficult to find. We only have one variety that is common here in Panama. I can't remember the name but it is a yellow variety that is about 4 inches in diameter and they are big specimens that take up a lot of space. The poles are kind of soft material that are really not of much value. They would be ok for use in the garden though. If I had several acres I would be able to experiment. I barely have enough space right now to have a small garden. I am finding though, that as I get older, my energy levels get lower and the allure of owning more land and have bigger projects is beginning to fade.
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Post by glen on Feb 3, 2018 17:33:42 GMT -6
This morning I noticed that the vines got attacked by cutworms last night. I did not see any cutworms. However, the plants were chewed on royally. It doesn't appear that they ate anything. The just cut the plants and vines. Into pieces. Very frustrating. I sprayed.
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Post by macmex on Feb 5, 2018 6:56:22 GMT -6
Glen, cutworms hide in the soil near the base of the plants. Sounds like you have one of the southern (climbing) varieties, which can clime a plant and cut it higher up.
The way to kill them that works best for me, is to scratch around the base of the plant, down to about an inch deep. Usually, I can find them. Then,... I feed them to my chickens.
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Post by glen on Feb 5, 2018 12:45:23 GMT -6
From what I have read about cutworms, there are quite a few different types. Most are the progeny of moths. I will try your solution. I also sprayed and have not seen additional damage. Here in Panama we have many different types of catepillars that eat our plants. Some are only found on particular plants. Some are very beautiful and very large. Some sting if you handle them. Cutworms evidently don't like to be seen doing their dirty work.
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Post by glen on Feb 12, 2018 15:44:15 GMT -6
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Post by hmoosek on Feb 12, 2018 18:09:24 GMT -6
Those Dadgum cutworms can sure ruin your day. They got 3 of my plants last year!
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Post by glen on Feb 12, 2018 22:25:30 GMT -6
Now what I am seeing is a copper colored insect. Looks like a long legged ant. Might be a mite. They don't seem to be doing any obvious damage yet. There are so many insect pests here that I never saw until I moved to the tropics. Cowpeas are very durable and vigorous but at the same time they attract many types of insects and virus.
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