Hi Patti,

Aloha, From another Oregonian dreaming of Hawaii on the Aloha Chat Thread!

Nice to see you over here! I'm part of the OSU master gardener program, and yes we do have brown recluse!

They have a web that looks like a funnel. So watch out for brown spiders in funnel webs. They worry me too. We have acres of grass fields. When I walk through there in the spring I see hundreds of spiders scurrying around on the ground in the grass. It's a wonder we haven't all been bitten!

In the northern Willamette Valley we don't have any rattlesnakes, and for that I am grateful as I lived most of my life in Nothern California and we had them there. So that's one thing I don't have to worry so much about anymore.

But spiders, yes, we have them. I didn't go to that HTML link up above yet, but hopefully there will be a picture of the Brown recluse posted in the article.

Aloha Diana,

Oh no! One more thing to watch for I checked out the link and I am sure that I will be looking closer at all of the spiders from now on.

We have rattlesnakes here and I am very watchful of them. I don't go outside without my dog, just hoping he will warn me if one is near.

Where in Northern CA did you live? I lived in Auburn CA for many years when I was younger.

Diana, here's an article on funnel spiders. They're not dangerous to humans.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

An interesting factiod my son learned in biology is that the most toxic spider's venom is the Daddy Long-Legs, but they only have a tiny bit of it.

We have lots of black widows, but I believe in peaceful coexistence unless they get agressive. We had one in our pump box that for a long time scurried whenever I opened the lid, but the first time she stood up on her hind legs and looked me in the eyes, it was time for the Raid. If they don't run when they see me, they're toast. They're not nearly as dangerous as brown recluse. If you ever see them before they bite (which most people don't) they have a violin pattern on their back.

Patti, We're from the bay area. Sonoma County. My husband and I both worked in Santa Rosa, and then Healdsburg. We usually lived out in the rural rolling hills in the vineyards. That's why we like the scenery over here in the Western Willamette Valley. We have rolling hills and Oak trees, just like we did there in the Bay Area.

You have vineyards up that way also don't you?

My grandparents are from the Drain area and there people were from the Dallas area in Polk county. The Willamette Valley is a beautiful place that is for sure!

I love the Santa Rosa area. Lots of vineyards around there, lucky for me I had a driver the last time I was in that area.

Janet, Thanks for straightening me out on that web. Somehow I remember being shown a funnel shaped web in a class I took, but I just looked at that Brown Recluse link and they describe it as loose and irregular. So I must but thinking of another spider they showed us. I've had this in my mind for a few years, because when I am cleaning in my potting shed I rememer seeing those funnel type webs and wiping them away with my long handled duster. Thinking that they belonged to a bad spider. I do have spiders in that shed, I just hope they are the nice ones.

Patti, Yes we have vineyards here too. Some in Polk county and even more up in Yamhill. I don't grow winegrapes anymore, just a few table grapes and we have a small evergreen tree plantation on this property. The grape business is volatile and the weather here is more unpredictable.

I have funnel web spiders here, and they are pretty harmless and very interesting. I have one that looks like a small version of a tarantula, it's a type of Trapdoor Spider. None aggressive when I end up unearthing them in my raised beds. I just move the to another spot so I can keep working.

Well, 'Red Beauty' had about 39 offsets, best count I could get.

Clint congratualtions on the good news even if it still hurts just as much.

Hope I never tangle with a Black Widow! Here in Tn there are 4 kinds of poisonous snakes including rattlesnakes. Hopefully I manage to avoid meeting any of them!

MollyD

Molly, It is so good to see you back. How are you doing? No more spiders.
Hey twit, 39, well that is certainly impressive, she is giving her all.
My Purdy's Big Red is still forming new offsets. I have never had one get this big and produce like this. I need to do a count and see where it is at now.

I definitely want to do a trade for Big Red one of these days.

39 offsets! Thats amazing!

You got it twit, and Chris also. Some of her babies are coming your way.
Twit, I've never had one do offsets the way Big Red is doing. How do I get all of those to root since they are no where near soil?

Mama will continue to provide sustenance until the chicks get established. If the offsets get to be about 1" and cannot find room, just remove them and plant. It depends on what you want to do and if you are concerned about appearance. When they get too crowded, its time for a bigger pot or thinning. Chicks will also send roots downward even if inches away from the soil, but this takes awhile.

While on the topic of rooting, it's interesting to see how the Jovibarba rollers root once detached and rolled away. As you might think, there is no obvious reason for the jovi roller to land bottom side down. Why then do you always find the adult plants facing upwards? Turns out the roller will send roots down regardless of how its positioned and will use the root to slowly reposition the chick into the proper orientation. It does take a while. Amazing how smart these guys are!

twit, thank you so much for that great info. I have never been in this situation before. I am not concerned with appearance, just the well being of the chicks. I still don't know if the hen will live on after these chicks. The hen is a last fall's chick herself. The other three hens of the same age are not experiencing the same growth rate or production of chicks. I will definitely keep these chicks separate and labeled in order to see if they perform the same as their parent plant.
I only have one jovi (bought last fall), and it is really amazing to see what this clump is doing. I keep finding tiny offsets up to 6 or 7" away from the clump. Good thing I have them planted among semps that make ID easy. : )

Lynn, by the time Big Red chicks are ready, I'm sure I'll have some others to trade too. Thanks for keeping one for me!!!

My Ali chicks roll all over the place. They even get in the lawn and root. Cool little plants.

Clint and Molly
I sure hope you get well soon!
I did a few things outdoors and had to stop..It's really getting warm quick today!
I went to Walmart for a bag of soil and look what I also came home with!
They had these NOID in flats and just could pass them up. They were only 7.00 a flat or should
I say a six pack. My cat had to check them out too.

Wow great deal! And it looks like they're cat approved.

Yep she approved them!