The Tropical Fruit Forum

Thank you again 🙏!

Looks like City of LA stuff is tested, but the compost and multiple I get are not filtered from trash so it’s less appealing to want to use for vegetable gardening as you can see in my photos if you open up to max resolution. There’s a lot of trash in there, especially plastic bags pieces. I’ve been wanting to go Griffith Park composting which is only 9 miles away, but I have a closer pickup site near by to save some time. And from the City of Sanitation link, the mulch giveaway site material come from Lopez Canyon Enviornmental Center.

Boyle Heights Mulch Giveaway Site
 850 N Mission Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90033

——————
https://compostingcouncil.org/participants/

City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation
Contact: John Hamilton
T: 818-834-5111
F: 818-834-5116
Email
2 Compost Manufacturing Facilities, 3 STA products
1 – Lopez Canyon Environmental Center
11950 Lopez Canyon Rd.
Lakeview Terrace, CA 91342
2 STA products – Compost and mulch

2 – Griffith Park Composting Facility
5400 Griffith Park Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

**There are some lab results from Griffith Park compost at bottom of this post, but the results are more than 1 year ago, thank you “pineislander” for the link!

https://www.lacitysan.org/san/faces/home/portal/s-lsh-wwd/s-lsh-wwd-s/s-lsh-wwd-s-gw/s-lsh-wwd-s-gw-gpcf?_afrLoop=10913309291897147&_afrWindowMode=0&_afrWindowId=y0u3t17ux&_adf.ctrl-state=cq7kiua1h_568#!%40%40%3F_afrWindowId%3Dy0u3t17ux%26_afrLoop%3D10913309291897147%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_adf.ctrl-state%3Dcq7kiua1h_572

Just because 'some guy' says so isn't a real reason to do anything.
Check the data for LA compost yourself:
https://www.lacitysan.org/san/faces/home/portal/s-lsh-wwd/s-lsh-wwd-s/s-lsh-wwd-s-gw/s-lsh-wwd-s-gw-sta;jsessionid=gKClzcD1tR_tjv7w78SrUzg30q9XWsy_E78tNqKqmJb6rsa7mc4U!1511500448!727084434?_afrLoop=10738200133044499&_afrWindowMode=0&_afrWindowId=lanacion.com.ar;apw_exc_fcf=1540350000.0.1.n_2184390.gDoedE9_kIVq213Mwi32nOWX_n4q7kYjw3XObKzO3yM;apw_aac_0=1542937916.34.1.KG5fMjE4NDM5MCwxNTQyOTM3OTE2KQ.sCJLmRAQUbXZJ7qHtZNSmBQzWwdxlmt7WyT8FDNcx-8&_adf.ctrl-state=10kapfr3g9_1#!%40%40%3F_afrWindowId%3Dlanacion.com.ar%253Bapw_exc_fcf%253D1540350000.0.1.n_2184390.gDoedE9_kIVq213Mwi32nOWX_n4q7kYjw3XObKzO3yM%253Bapw_aac_0%253D1542937916.34.1.KG5fMjE4NDM5MCwxNTQyOTM3OTE2KQ.sCJLmRAQUbXZJ7qHtZNSmBQzWwdxlmt7WyT8FDNcx-8%26_afrLoop%3D10738200133044499%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_adf.ctrl-state%3D10kapfr3g9_5

The mushroom compost uses horse stable manure which has medications and cottonseed meal most of which is GMO and roundup ready. However, I figure composting takes care of most issues.
If you live in LA or most any city you've already accepted a highly polluted environmental legacy in soil and present in air.

Thank you pineislander. Now I have to wait and see, hardest part, patience.

Lucky I didn’t try gypsum, but it was a valid suggestion.

I think you are in the right place. Its clear you are new and hope we haven't confused you. All of us struggle getting started and have success and some failures. I hope your planter box grows well for you. Remember that most failures of containerized gardens stem from overwatering you need to check down into the soil and keep it moist but not sopping wet, hope it has some drainage to avoid that. Try some simple things if winter melons grew well before and you like them try that. Some beans, cucumbers, etc are cheap and easy things to start with. Good luck!

I don’t want to make adobe.

Sigh. Am I posting on wrong forum?

Quote from: smartdriver on October 17, 2018, 09:23:00 PM

Quote from: pineislander on October 17, 2018, 09:14:29 PM

Looks like your very dry soil is shedding the water. I would mix in the screened compost with the soil and water slowly over a few days to get it wet. It may take some time. Some people use hair shampoo as an additive to water as a surfactant which may help, don't use too much, maybe a spoonful per 5 gallon bucket. The shampoo ingredient list should include sodium or ammonium laurel sulphate, an anionic surfactant.

I was going to use a 5 gallon bucket of sand to loosen up the dirt, do you think it will work?

Doesn't sand + Clay (and organic material such as straw) make Adobe? I haven't tried it without compacting it but I would think that would make the soil worse.

What it looks like mixing in half bucket of sand. Couldn’t get to the store to buy gypsum yet.

Seems like my passion fruit vine is out of breath in the small bucket. I plan to transplant it to the clay soil and dress it on top with the 1. Screened compost and 3. Mulch. And plenty of water  everyday for 2 weeks Morning/evening,  1 week every other day , there after 2 day a week.
Will my plant survive or do I need to prep my soil in another way?

I try to soak the soil but it doesn’t absorb, look at picture labeled #4, #4A when I turned the soil, it’s still dry underneath.

Thank you for any help.

Hey everyone!
I was just about to put my raised bed garden together and pulled out the upc label to find something shocking! “WARNING: This product may generate wood dust, a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.”

I’ve purchased my wood from a local Lowe’s.  When purchased the wood label read “GREEN DOUG FIR” 🌲 please refer to my photo and let me know if I’ve bought chemical woood?

1 yard = 3 ft

1 Square yard = 3 ft x 3 ft = 9 sq ft

1 cubic yard = 3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft = 27 cubic ft

Ahhhhh.... finally clarified. Thank you CA Hockey
Thanks Lyliu
Thanks BajaJohn

I think your best bet is still to get tree trimmings for free from local arborists and just dump a huge layer of that.  After about 6 months it'll decompose into really good soil for trees.  You can always add coffee grounds, manure, compost, and other things on top and as you water them they'll filter down and mix with the tree trimmings.

Got it. I’ll be stalking that City mulch and try to find some premium top soil.

Yeah it looks like greenery recycled yard waste compost.  Absolutly good stuff.  I use truck loads of the stuff.

 To be honest your soil looks pretty decent.  Is the soil pretty easy to dig when wet?  Drains ok?  Looks like decomposed granite or sandy loam type stuff which plants love.

  I would just top dress the soil with an inch or 2 of the free compost and then get their free mulch or wood chips and top dress on top of the compost.  Once you start watering the worms will show up and work it into the soil for you and take care of things.

The water is not easily absorbing right now since it's been sitting and covered with sheets of wood, but it's easily to dig(should I dig up the dirt and turn it to losses up soil?) not rocky but someone managed to throw so aquarium gravel on one area.

I've never remember my parents growing anything in the back besides Winter Melons. The melons grew to good size, so I guess I can grow some things in my backyard.  While cleaning up, I see buckets of dirt in the back which my parents had taken from friends and family because they think our dirt at home isn't good. I guess I just have to add some compost and should be good to go? How about worm castings and some people use sand? or rock dust? epson salt? even Charcoal?

Appreciate the help!

I found a place close enough for a drive. Anyone recommend and use these companies before?
http://whittierfertilizer.com/product/topsoil-for-landscaping/
http://www.calblendsoils.com/product-list.html

As some may know I’m working on my back yard after 10 years of domancy dirt. I found that City of LA provides soil to the resident of LA for free but it comes from different scources so not organic. I saw another gentleman there loading some soil and ask how he uses it, he said I can mix it up into my existing soil really good and it will turn into soil.

I’m woronding should I take the risk for my exotic pants( ie:passion fruit plant, Logan, atymoya)  or use it only on my misc plants (ie: mint, bamboo, green onion, non bearing fruit plants)?

Here are some photos. Also found the site from the city.
https://www.lacitysan.org/san/faces/home/portal/s-lsh-wwd/s-lsh-wwd-s/s-lsh-wwd-s-gw/s-lsh-wwd-s-gw-ycp
 

Quote from: smartdriver on June 07, 2018, 04:14:15 PM

I am currently waiting for the sun to set to the west so I can tell how tall a plant is needed to save me from the scorexous sun in 2-3 years time

Remember sun angle and direction varies through the year. This is a handy calculator which uses GPS coordinates to visually show you where a shadow will lie at any location on earth any time of day. It also animates to show how shadows travel through a day. Very cool and very useful if you play around with it.

https://www.suncalc.org/#/40.1789,-3.5156,3/2018.06.08/11:19/1/2

AMAZING!

I was tracking it by eye lol. And taking photos from my bedroom to try and remember the sun. This is absolutely fabulous.

Hi my wife's Atamoya tree is growing flowers but at different speeds, where the male flower has died before there were female flowers.
What is the proper way to store pollen to pollinate the female flowers?
Photos were taken by my wife.
Thank you pros!