Here is a link on an article that details what the plant is experiencing:

http://www.bachmans.com/tipsheets/general_gardening/TooMuchWater.cfm

The solution works, yet approximately 60% of the weeds may recover because the
roots are not destroyed. If you add salt to the solution, it will completely
destroy the weeds yet your soil will maybe sterile for two years. In addition,
salt will kill anything near the weeds by dehydrating all roots around it.

You’ll need the following:

1. Empty plastic drinking containers  with lids (8oz, 12oz, 1 liter, 2 liter soda or water bottles) that are symmetrically shaped
2. Cotton yarn or string
3. Box Cutter
4. Common Nail, Nail Setter, or anything that will assist in punching small holes in contain lids
5. Soil (we use Sun Gro’s Metro-Mix for our starters)
6. Seeds
7. Water

You want to punch multiple holes in the cap large enough to slide the cotton yarn through them but not so large that soil will leak through.   I use a soldiering iron to melt the holes or hammer a nail in several places.   You want minimum of 3 holes.  The amount depends on the size of the cap and bottle you are using.  I usually make 5 holes.   You then want to several strings (quantity should match the amount of holes he created in the lid) as long had the full height of the bottle.  You want to thread the strings through the holes in the lid (1 string per hole).  Cut the bottle in half about 1/3 down from the top (drinking rim).  Add water to the bottom half of the bottle at a little past half full.  Take the top half and screw the top on.  You want to insure that the thread is extending 1/3 down the top half the lid and the rest extending out the opposite end.  You now want to invert the top so that the cap is seated first into the bottom half of the bottle.  Add soil to the top half of the bottle.   The strings should be mixed throughout the soil (the other half of string should be emmersed in water).  Now place the seeds into the top half of your planter. Water the soil.  Label your planter.

Let your plant grow!

How it works:  The string wicks the water to the top to keep the soil moist.

Tip: Never let the water come above the lid.  The soil will become to moist and the situation can lead to mold.  Once the initial water is used we put the seedlings on compost tea.

Steps towards starting a rabbitry
1. Read- We read Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett and a few other books (insure you read more than one to get well rounded understanding)

2. Decide – As you read, you will develop a solid idea as to what you are looking for in raising a rabbit. We initially had thought we would raise them for meat. We eventually found we wanted them to sell, fertilize our garden, and for show. We still wanted the option to use the rabbits for meat but it no longer was our primary focus once we finished reading. Once you know what you would like to accomplish, you’ll need to settle on a breed. We went with New Zealand Whites because they were good for showing and meat. If you are raising for pets you may look for a more interactive intelligent breed, perhaps smaller or larger breeds. ARBA has a list of different breeds with detail descriptions. Go to ARBA.net .

3. Research – We went to ARBA to assist in finding a breeder. We wanted show quality rabbits for our foundation. We researched the winners of the national shows. We also researched the particular breed clubs to find winning breeders.
4. Plan – We had to figure where and how we would house the rabbits. When developing your plan, try to factor in your growth rate in 3yrs. You’ll need to create housing that will last. We created a lean to building as suggested in Storey’s Guide. We anticipated the housing to hold approximately 30 rabbits. The book suggests using a method of housing where the cages are hoisted off the ground (high enough that critters cannot reach the cages). We found method to be hard to maintain and there was a lot of unused space and hard to clean. We ended up redesigning the layout so that all cages were in a shelving unit that allows us to maximize the space (capacity increased to 50 rabbits), easier to clean, and air circulation was better.
5.Timely Roll Out – We created the lean to building before the rabbits arrival. We then created the cages by hand (used Storey’s Guide). Finally, the foundation rabbits arrived.

Additions:
1. Purchased and installed a watering system – We started with flex tubing. Eventually, we move to PVC watering system. We had a few unruly rabbits that would pull off the valve off the hose and create a leak.
2. You’ll need a software to assist in maintaining your records. We used Evans Software.  We found most members of our rabbit clubs suggested Evans.  Evans is user-friendly, affordable, and they have outstanding support for their product.
3. Registered with ARBA immediately and appropriate clubs for your breed, state, and city.

•      ARBA Application

4. Network yourself- You should make all be aware of your goals and how to contact you.  You may find that your competitors may often run short of filling orders for clients.  They often reach out to their club members to partner up to meet a quota. Also, you’ll find many individuals that are happy to extend helpful tips and tricks.

This year we decided to plan our garden  in a way to defeat 2 issues.

1.  Lack of pollinators

2. Issues with water retention in the soil.

Lack of Pollinators

Years 2003 and 2004 bees were plentiful throughout the yard.  A small plot was created in the garden about 5′ x 7′.   There was a nice honeysuckle and mulberry tree in the front yard.  Now since about 2006 bees have declined so much I can’t remember the last time one was found in the yard.  This year we decided to hire some bees.  We purchased 2 bee nucs.  Bee nucs are basically a young beehive on 5 frames.   We ordered and built our beehives and moved each nuc into each hive (one orange and one yellow).  We decided to start the foundation using a natural method we followed in a beekeeping 101 video. You just take about 2 inches of natural beeswax foundation and put it in the frame using melted beeswax to hold it. Each hive had its 5 frames they game with and 15 frames we prepared between two hive bodies.

Lack of water retention

We moved to going with raised beds. We created 24raised beds in the garden.  Each bed is 10″ high and the boxes are 8′ x 4′.    We laid fabric cloth down and filled each box with either pure horse manure or a mix of sand and horse manure.   We used pine wood on 24 of the beds.  We already had 1 additional box created from cedar wood and it was filled with Natural Miracle grow and our compost (composted rabbit manure, wood ash, and vegetable kitchen scraps).  We call the box cedar wood box “Nelly”.  We tested Nelly last fall and had fantastic results (extreme growth and great water retention).

All the beds were filled during the winter.  The had an average of about 3 months to set (avoiding ecoli and burning the plants/seeds).

Additional thoughts

Insect Maintenance

We decided to do companion planting to give diversity and attract a balance of beneficial and non-beneficial insects.  We usually use scraps of our handmade soap, water, and tobacco to make a insecticide spray.  We cannot use the spray because it could harm the bees.  The companion gardening was a plan to allow nature take its course.   Eventually the idea is the soil will develop to give the plants a strong start.  The non-beneficial insects may eat off the plants but they should sustain until the beneficial insects come to eat the non-beneficial insects.

Soil Building

We purchased 4000 red wiggler worms to breed and raise to assist in building soil.  As worms move through the soil, they leave a secretion that assists in helping the soil retain water.  Also, worms improve the soil by lessening compression and their feces are good fertilizer for the plants.

Expected results from planning

Soil – We knew that the first year our results will be unpredictable because the soil is new and barely composted.  We do expect the soil will retain water

Insects – We have no idea if companion planting will work

Worms – We had them in a plastic bin. We followed instructions found on Youtube and gardengirl.  We expected good potting soil from our first bin and use the extra population per month to add to the raised beds.

Gardens_2011

Results

We planted over30 different types plants throughout the beds mid March.  OMG it was awlful.

Worms Are Gone

We found our worms were gone during the beginning of spring.  We had checked them periodically and one day they were gone.  No dead bodies or nothing. Instead we found there was a ton of Ants and a few baby red wigglers.   The soil was gorgeous but we lost our wigglers.  We do not know what happened.  It was still spring.

Many seeds did not germinate.  We think it was because the soil was to green and may have burned seeds.

Early May the garden looked very promising.   Seeds that we had dismissed as being gone sprouted.  We had the diversity of insects we expected in the garden.  Ladybugs thrived eating the bugs that were eating the young vegetable plants.

Mid June

Texas heat brought on death to majority of the garden.  The blazing sun destroyed the majority of the garden.  Tomatoes, okra, carrots, and cucumbers are the only thing that survive.  The squash had not quarrels with the sun but squash bugs ate them out of existence.  They almost killed off the cucumbers until one day the squash borers/bugs  declined.   I still see a few in with the cucumbers but they cucumbers are thriving.

We planted watermelon into 2 beds that nothing germinated in.  We added compost to the beds  and planted  2 types of watermelon.  The 2 watermelon beds are thriving.  One bed has a Bull Blood beet that decided to germinate in the bed suddenly.

July

There are 4 beds with tomatoes but only 2 beds have tomatoes that are flowering.  Carrots were planted too close together so they are not growing well.  This may be why 2 beds of tomatoes are not flowering.    We have bell pepper plants that are surviving the heat but they are not flowering as well.  The bell peppers are located Nelly (bed made up of finished compost and Natural Miracle Grow soil).   Everything else in Nelly has perished (including some tomato plants).  We water daily through the Texas Drought to keep the soil composting.

The bees are fine.  We found that they had trouble with our foundation we installed.  They took the foundation out and drew their comb.  The frames are taking a long time to build.  We hope they’ll have areas of storage for the winter soon.   We are now planning for a fall crop to help fill our empty freezer and help the bees prepare for winter.

Well we are now working to prepare the beds for the Fall planting in Mid August.

Notes:

1.  We had the dirt exposed ….we will work to put some ground covering over the exposed soil.  We’ll use free mulch or leaves.

2.  We will not be using any soil that there is a chance it will still be green.

3.  We will be careful not to crowd the plants.  Carrots are too crowded and cannot grow.

4. We’ll try a different method of raising worms.  We may try raising in the rabbit barn and lay ground oatmeal or grits around the box to defend against ants (the natural feed will explode in their bodies when it meets with the ants digestive system).

All 3 rabbits will play with the ball several times a day at about 5-10 minute increments.   One rabbit plays with his for fun like a soccer ball controlling it around in his cage.  Another rabbit, Calvin, seems to try to eat the ball and finds himself chasing it after every attempt to bite it.  Now Tim he does a little of both.  Once I caught him playing with it.  He was moving it around with his nose in his cage until the ball gets pinned.   I’ve also caught Tim trying to get a bite of it and instead he got in a few laps in his cage…..Muhahahaha (my villain laugh).

I found the wooden balls on Ebay.   You want to get a ball at a diameter sizable to your rabbit and insure it is too big for he/she to try to swallow.   The wooden ball is fun for you and your rabbits.  Keep Your Rabbit Active!

When competing in rabbit shows you will find you have to leave your rabbits overnight.  This happens during stock shows,  state fairs, and national shows (ARBA Annual Shows).  It is  in your best interest to be prepared.

1. Evaluate your rabbits residence and its neighbors. We have New Zealand White rabbits we have to cover all sides of the cage to insure the preventions of hutch stains (often urine from a neighboring rabbit…especially males).  Hutch stains are very prevalent on a white rabbit.   You want to cover the  sides if you have a light colored rabbit.  I have found a then peg board cut out held on “s” hooks do just the trick.   The peg boards take minimal time to attach to the inside of the cage and it allows options to still be able to attach items to the temporary holding cage.  If peg boards are not available, simply use cardboard, feed sacks, hay,  or something pliable and safe for rabbits to consume (in the case they are destructive  and take a few nibbles).  Also,  inspect the cage for weaknesses that may allow your rabbit to run for freedom or visit an unsuspecting neighboring rabbit.  Finally zip tie the door whenever you leave your rabbit for the evening.  The zip tie helps to prevent people from trying to pet your rabbit.
2. Bring Supplies.  Most sites provide free food, small metal cans (holds food and water), and wood shavings or hay (to retain rabbit waste).  You should always have BACKUP! The small metal cans that are provided may be dirty or full of germs...bring a disinfectant cleaner. A bottle of diluted peroxide is the best cleaner.  You can spray it on the cage and all of the supplies the site offers.  A site may offer hay rather than cedar wood shavings or vice versa.  If you have a preference, bring a package of your preferred bedding just in case.  Last but not least, bring extra food and water containers that are easy to attach to virtually any cage.
3. Show sites assign you quarters for each rabbit.  In sure you bring a permanent marker to write the cage location  on your rabbit’s ear (opposite your rabbit’s tattooed ear).
4. It improves the cleanliness of your rabbit if you build a wire platform that lifts your rabbit off of the floor of the cage.  You can use a 1/2 x 1 wire mesh and fold in the four sides.  You want at least a 1″ clearance underneath.

Nellie had 7 healthy kits.   Please welcome the newest members of our family at Lyn Weiss Rabbitry!