Recent content by BradTheGeek

I am not going to plant bait plants with the hops, that would draw beetles in. My understanding is that the like grapes better, so I plan to groow some on the other side of the property. Hopefully that will help lure them away.

I don't know who the manufacturer is, or even if the posts may have been replaced at some point. For now the universal is holding 15 lbs of pressure for most of a week. So, it seems okay. I just do not want to open the fridge to a multi-gallon waste of booze! If II have problems, maybe I...

Sorry to confuse too, I sprayed with starsan solution, and filled the keg with starsan in prep for filling it tomorrow. Those are leftover suds, not bubbles from a leak.

No, not leaking. Pressure testing tonight, but no I just do not like the way it sits. In my mind a well engineered valve should seat square and put even pressure on the seals/gaskets/orings. It is messing with me head, and I am imagining the uneven pressure wearing the oring faster and...

Do they lean like mine do or fit better? How long do they last you?

I have some very old pin lock kegs I bought at a yard sale years ago. They have been good, but a couple were leaking at the poppet valves. I had never replaced these valves before, so I did one tonight. The old poppet seated much better - they had a flat seal not an oring so I could not...

These are first year. Had some june bug issues, but they are still kicking. Going to put milky0 spore down this week, and plant bait plants for next year.

You can see some of the damage here. :(

So. I have made skeeter pee many times. I can give you my whole process if you want, but I normally ferment in a converted wine fridge with a homemade temp controller. This is done at 62-65F. I use EC1118 yeast, that I start in .25 to .5 Gal white grape juice and rack the juice off. I am...

I got the DE right on the feeding bugs, they wil get cut up. Most of the leaves have a fair dusting, especially ones where they were feeding/mating and left pheromones. Gonna check them today, and do milky spore near the end of the month.

Thanks, I do not want to use sevin. I did dust the plants with diatomaceaous earth today. If they persist, I will get pyrethrin.

Seems the japanese beetles have moved in. At first it was a ccouple and I knocked them away, but they are finding the way in and really starting to eat the leaves in greater numbers. I don't want to use pesticides if I can, but I know I will now have grubs in the ground under the plants for...

Starting to get little tiny hops. You can really tell the family relation here! ;)

Thanks, I had an empty spot there, and a free rhizome - so I figured it would be cool over my walk. Not worried about production, but I will use whatever it gives me that I can pick off.

I am far from an expert, but that is a bit late. Hops are a northern latitude plant though and grow fast in short seasons. Make sure they get plenty of water (but not sopping), some good N fertilizer (I use fish emulsion - its not to strong that it burns), and hopefully you have them in full...