The acid is working slowly to kill the elms along the back fence. Llower branches are losing their leaves and higher leaves are gradually curling up. One or two more treatments should do it.
The reaction in the process made me realize something that helps narrow down areas where there is too much salt in the soil.
Dehydration is similar in plants and animals. Dehydration is not a matter of lack of fluid but a lack of fluid available to tissues. The result of dehydration is lysis and dessication. The deprivation of fluid to tissues. This can happen in the presence of plenty of water.
One source of dehydration is infection. Bacterial, fungal or even toxins.
Another source of dehydration is chemical or mineral concentration. Acid can be one of these. Salt can be another. Though they do work differently, the result is the same. Acid does direct tissue damage, making the tissues unable to absorb fluid. On the other hand salt (or any base) lyses fluid, depriving the tissues.
This knowledge does come in retrospect from all the leaves I have seen curl up in the garden, now knowing it's from too much salt. One of the big problems with salt is that watering more doesn't help for long. Not unless you water enough to leach the salt away in some direction. If you water but not enough for that purpose, all you really do is dissolve the salt, so more of it is absorbed into the plant. It also rises in the soil if you don't water so much that it leaches downward.
Been feeling really tired this week and haven't gotten much done. Figured out why this evening. Allergies. The steroid nasal spray is helping but the Zyrtec I've been trying isn't. Took half a Benadryl tonight and felt better 20 minutes later. But that happened too late to be much good. Good to know for tomorrow, though.
Got the pure sucralose in the mail today. It's supposed to be one of the sweetest substances on the planet, 600 times sweeter than sugar. Couldn't resist this evening, opened the package, dipped the tip of a finger in and tasted it. Yep! Really sweet! I'm estimating this 4.4 oz bag will last 3-4 months. It will take as little as 1/4 tsp for a gal of Kool-Aid or tea. Yet no calories and better for controlling Candidiasis, if nothing else by seriously reduced volume, meaning less for yeast to feed on. (Been keeping that pretty well under control but this will make it easier.. and cheaper.)
The reaction in the process made me realize something that helps narrow down areas where there is too much salt in the soil.
Dehydration is similar in plants and animals. Dehydration is not a matter of lack of fluid but a lack of fluid available to tissues. The result of dehydration is lysis and dessication. The deprivation of fluid to tissues. This can happen in the presence of plenty of water.
One source of dehydration is infection. Bacterial, fungal or even toxins.
Another source of dehydration is chemical or mineral concentration. Acid can be one of these. Salt can be another. Though they do work differently, the result is the same. Acid does direct tissue damage, making the tissues unable to absorb fluid. On the other hand salt (or any base) lyses fluid, depriving the tissues.
This knowledge does come in retrospect from all the leaves I have seen curl up in the garden, now knowing it's from too much salt. One of the big problems with salt is that watering more doesn't help for long. Not unless you water enough to leach the salt away in some direction. If you water but not enough for that purpose, all you really do is dissolve the salt, so more of it is absorbed into the plant. It also rises in the soil if you don't water so much that it leaches downward.
Been feeling really tired this week and haven't gotten much done. Figured out why this evening. Allergies. The steroid nasal spray is helping but the Zyrtec I've been trying isn't. Took half a Benadryl tonight and felt better 20 minutes later. But that happened too late to be much good. Good to know for tomorrow, though.
Got the pure sucralose in the mail today. It's supposed to be one of the sweetest substances on the planet, 600 times sweeter than sugar. Couldn't resist this evening, opened the package, dipped the tip of a finger in and tasted it. Yep! Really sweet! I'm estimating this 4.4 oz bag will last 3-4 months. It will take as little as 1/4 tsp for a gal of Kool-Aid or tea. Yet no calories and better for controlling Candidiasis, if nothing else by seriously reduced volume, meaning less for yeast to feed on. (Been keeping that pretty well under control but this will make it easier.. and cheaper.)
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