this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2024
191 points (98.5% liked)

Gardening

3045 readers
144 users here now

Your Ultimate Gardening Guide.

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

We planted a variety of plants, at different stages of growth. After a bit of experimentation, cosmos grow extremely well. These were cuttings we put in just a couple weeks ago, and they're already bigger than most of the other plants that have been in there for over a month.

The very young plants did not survive, but the larger ones did. If they're too small, they just get swallowed down into the cups by the bobbing of the water.

Seems like the plants need to be large enough to reach all the way to the bottom of the pots, and still stick out enough.

Going to be interesting to see what it looks like at the end of the season.

top 16 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] systemglitch 3 points 4 days ago

That's quite the recovery from your other post I remember seeing.

[–] Bitswap 3 points 4 days ago

Awesome experiment. Keep the updates coming.

[–] macrocarpa 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

My experience with cosmos is you're going to have a lot of cosmos, in unexpected places, a lot of the time.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Don't bees love them?

[–] shalafi 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm going to make one for my swamp! How thick is the mat? I have some old yoga mats, but I don't know if they're rigid enough. And how did you punch the holes? I was going to try cookie cutters.

[–] mipadaitu 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I used 1/2" thick puzzle mat, which was plenty to keep things floating. I used a 3" hole saw, but only cause I had it already (ran it backwards so the teeth wouldn't grab and tear the mat.)

A yoga mat would probably do ok, but I had to add a little bit of weight to the corners to stop the mat from flipping up in the wind (see previous post) so the yoga mat might not be able to support that extra weight.

If you didn't need the cookie cutters anymore, you could probably put a board on top of one and smack it with a hammer to cut circles in the yoga mat, but it also may not work. You'd have to experiment a bit.

[–] shalafi 1 points 1 day ago

I've got hole saw bits, forgot! You can get 1/2" mats cheap enough, but wanted to try what I already have which is thinner.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Oh that's awesome to see I'm glad you didn't give up!

[–] mipadaitu 8 points 4 days ago
[–] camr_on 4 points 4 days ago

Really cool project. One day I'll have a pond to do something similar

[–] LesserAbe 3 points 4 days ago

Interesting, I hadn't seen your earlier posts but went back and checked out your profile. Neat idea

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

How are the hemp plants doing? /s

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Are you filling them with dirt first?

[–] mipadaitu 2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

We're using LECA as a substrate to keep the plants in there, but I think gravel would probably work as well, or possibly better. (the extra weight would likely help stabilize things)

Random LECA link: https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-leca-and-why-do-houseplant-gurus-love-it-5092763

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

I guess I should have said substrate. lol

What I was getting at was trying to figure out if you were just sort of setting them in the netting with the stem up and letting roots grow through the whole thing.

Like when you grow something in a jar vs full on hydro.

I was wondering what kind of fish would live in that little super protected area, or if could act as a miniature breeding chamber where the little fish fry are safe.

[–] mal3oon 0 points 4 days ago

Which area/climate is this? Being outdoor I doubt it can withstand low temperature/frost.