I'm about to go out in the rain and try to get a decent upclose pic of the brandywine....with blooms....I don't know about the clear plastic but so far, all 3 of my plants are growing great...and the ones in the clear bottles seem to be outdoing the one in the 5 gallon bucket...but we'll see. I have decided to 'sucker' these extensively to cut down on the weight, although I know it might make the fruit larger and still be too heavy....but we will see. Going out now to try to get a pic.
Rebecca
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Here's the first one...just a pic of the plant. Looking incredibly healthy and happy.
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-15.jpg[/img]
And here is the closeup of the blooms....
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-14.jpg[/img]
The Brandywine in the ground, as I said, is also blooming but not quite as large. When the rain slows some I will make the trek out there and get one of it as well.
Rebecca
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-15.jpg[/img]
And here is the closeup of the blooms....
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-14.jpg[/img]
The Brandywine in the ground, as I said, is also blooming but not quite as large. When the rain slows some I will make the trek out there and get one of it as well.
Rebecca
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Ok...for comparison purposes....here is the Brandywine in the ground:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-17.jpg[/img]
...and a closeup of the blooms:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-16.jpg[/img]
So you can see that they are proceeding - AT THIS POINT - at pretty much the same rate.
But as I have said several times....we shall see.
Rebecca
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-17.jpg[/img]
...and a closeup of the blooms:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-16.jpg[/img]
So you can see that they are proceeding - AT THIS POINT - at pretty much the same rate.
But as I have said several times....we shall see.
Rebecca
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I'm not sure the stem size is a true indicator, Scott, for it seems to me the in-ground model would need a sturdier stem to hold itself up, whereas the hanging model would not necessarily have that requirement. From the looks of the bloom and the general health of the hanger at this point, I am letting myself hope for a few possible fruits before it completely outgrows it's container! But....we shall see.
...and you're a lucky man to have a Rebecca for your wife. I know my husband certainly feels blessed!
Rebecca
...and you're a lucky man to have a Rebecca for your wife. I know my husband certainly feels blessed!
Rebecca
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He and I should compare notes sometime; there might be beer involved...
I agree with your take on things and was talking with my friend Lisa (whom I have always credited for my organic conversion) this morning about it. She says her daughter is going into year three with hangers and loves it, but she has no real experience herself...
I remain sceptical...and curmudgeonly, entrenched in my thinking. I need data...
HG
I agree with your take on things and was talking with my friend Lisa (whom I have always credited for my organic conversion) this morning about it. She says her daughter is going into year three with hangers and loves it, but she has no real experience herself...
I remain sceptical...and curmudgeonly, entrenched in my thinking. I need data...
HG
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Yes, any note-comparing you'd do with my sweetie would most definitely involve beer.
Is there any other specific data you want that I am not currently providing? You want me to get out there with my cloth tape measure and actually measure those stems so we can compare? I will if you think it's necessary. But I will tell you that after you said that about stem size, I looked a lot closer at both plants yesterday, and there is actually very little difference in the circumference of the stems. There has been rain for two days now, and I expect a big growth spurt in the next week....soon, we should start being able to tell if the bottle is going to be large enough, for there'll be signs of stress to the plant if it isn't. I am HOPING for the best, because at the moment, it is a beautiful, healthy plant, and those blooms! Of course, the other two look good too, but this one is a beauty.
Oh, and one more pic of the blooms, from another angle:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-20.jpg[/img]
Rebecca
Is there any other specific data you want that I am not currently providing? You want me to get out there with my cloth tape measure and actually measure those stems so we can compare? I will if you think it's necessary. But I will tell you that after you said that about stem size, I looked a lot closer at both plants yesterday, and there is actually very little difference in the circumference of the stems. There has been rain for two days now, and I expect a big growth spurt in the next week....soon, we should start being able to tell if the bottle is going to be large enough, for there'll be signs of stress to the plant if it isn't. I am HOPING for the best, because at the moment, it is a beautiful, healthy plant, and those blooms! Of course, the other two look good too, but this one is a beauty.
Oh, and one more pic of the blooms, from another angle:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-20.jpg[/img]
Rebecca
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Now you know I don't mind the data collection - I do it anyway for my garden journal - I just hadn't realized you were going to want things like stem circumference!!
Checked on these guys a few minutes ago, and I swear they've grown 6 inches in the past couple of days! Amazing. I'm holding my breath....
Rebecca
Checked on these guys a few minutes ago, and I swear they've grown 6 inches in the past couple of days! Amazing. I'm holding my breath....
Rebecca
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Came back from picking asparagus yesterday at a friends, and the first thing I noticed was my Bloody Butcher in the 5 gallon pot was all limp and dying. Upon further investigation, found the stem was nearly rotted through right where it came out of the hole in the bottom of the bucket. Not sure about why this happened in the 5 gallon bucket and not the bottles, but the Brandywine is lovelier than ever and blooming like a crazy-plant!
RIP Bloody Butcher.
That sounded ominous.
Rebecca
RIP Bloody Butcher.
That sounded ominous.
Rebecca
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Hi, sorry for the late response, haven't been on in a little while.The Helpful Gardener wrote:Vette, do you believe that starting with equal plant stock, if we put one in the ground with adequate space for roots, and one in an upside down milk jug, upside down itself, allow the same photoperiod, fertilization and watering regimens for both, the two plants willl have equal yields?
HG
I think that the yeild will be the same if the plants are equally strong to begin with, and the sun exposure is equal.
The watering and fertilizing is a wild card in my mind though. I think it is very difficult to have the same drainage characteristics in the two contaners.
Even if you have a raised bed garden, I think you have more water retention than you do in the hanging variety. If you using liquid fertilizers I would expect that more nutrients would be lost in the hanging plant than one on the ground.
I do have two questions about the bucket that contained the plant with the rotted stem.
Was the hole in the bottom of the bucket a tight seal to the stem? If so water may have pooled around the stem and caused it to rot.
Were there any signs of bugs? I don't know what would eat the stem of the plant, but I had a pest problem wtih my zucchini last year that rotted the stems. The hanging plants should have fewer pests though.
I use a nylon trellis net for my raised bed tomatos, I want to try hanging a few plants from the top of the trellis support and letting the plants grow towards eachother. Save space, and re-use some of the water run off from the hangers.
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What's the drainage like in the five gallon bucket? If I had to guess, I would say the flat bottom of the bucket is retaining more moisture at the bottom near the stem than the coke bottle, which is angled to allow more water to drain out.elevenplants wrote:Not sure about why this happened in the 5 gallon bucket and not the bottles
By the way, I'm enjoying reading about your experiment. I have a topsy-turvy planted this year out of curiosity, too, but I'm not doing a controlled study like yours.
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Thanks for the input! Let me answer the questions. The 5 gallon bucket had a hole about and inch and a half in diameter. There were no other drainage holes in the bucket, though in retrospect I am thinking perhaps there should have been. I faced the hole with waxed paper to hold the soil back, sort of a little collar...The day before, I had noticed roots were trying to sprout out on the u-turn that the limbs make when they try to climb up while hanging down. The first thing I noticed past the wilted foilage yesterday was that those little rudimentary roots had dried up. Immediately I looked underneath, and found the stem where it came out of the hole to be black and already somewhat mushy. I had looked at it before I left to pick asparagus and it seemed fine, although I did not do a thorough check. I was gone for about 3 hours altogether. It seems sudden, but I still think it was water-related. I wish I had taken a picture of the stem, but I was upset. It's in the compost heap now, and I'm not digging it out.
I tend to agree about the angle of the clear bottle, and also, the bucket had more surface area to collect water...which then had only one hole to drain from! This model needs some work. Someone mentioned somewhere about covering the clear bottles with reflective material, so I'm thinking of silver duct tape? That would be relatively easy to apply to the bottles and should be somewhat reflective, would at least keep the sun off the roots. What does everyone think?
So, this leaves the Brandywine (planted out Valentine's Day), and the Amish Paste (planted out April 1), as the 'hangers'.
The Brandywine in the ground has blooms, but much smaller. It is approximately 8 inches shorter, but was not planted out until Good Friday. The other Paste is poking along, not ailing but not excelling. No blossoms on it as of yet.
Nice to meet you sweet thunder.
Rebecca
I tend to agree about the angle of the clear bottle, and also, the bucket had more surface area to collect water...which then had only one hole to drain from! This model needs some work. Someone mentioned somewhere about covering the clear bottles with reflective material, so I'm thinking of silver duct tape? That would be relatively easy to apply to the bottles and should be somewhat reflective, would at least keep the sun off the roots. What does everyone think?
So, this leaves the Brandywine (planted out Valentine's Day), and the Amish Paste (planted out April 1), as the 'hangers'.
The Brandywine in the ground has blooms, but much smaller. It is approximately 8 inches shorter, but was not planted out until Good Friday. The other Paste is poking along, not ailing but not excelling. No blossoms on it as of yet.
Nice to meet you sweet thunder.
Rebecca
I tried hanging a 3-gallon bucket last year with a big boy(?). It seemed to never take off; it just kept stretching with little foliage. We also had alot of rain (over 11" in 9 hours), so it got pretty wet. I've become convinced that it could not reach the sunlight below that big flat bottom of the bucket.
This year I'm going to hang some cherries out of the side of a red bucket. They'll get more sun there.
This year I'm going to hang some cherries out of the side of a red bucket. They'll get more sun there.
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New pics:
The Brandywine hanger...difficult to get a good shot, so much green there is nothing in the background to give much contrast!
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-25.jpg[/img]
Brandywine blooms (and check out that stem circumference Scott!):
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-26.jpg[/img]
The Amish Paste hanger:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-27.jpg[/img]
The next set of pics will feature the in-ground plants.
Rebecca
The Brandywine hanger...difficult to get a good shot, so much green there is nothing in the background to give much contrast!
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-25.jpg[/img]
Brandywine blooms (and check out that stem circumference Scott!):
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-26.jpg[/img]
The Amish Paste hanger:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-27.jpg[/img]
The next set of pics will feature the in-ground plants.
Rebecca
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@ Vette: I used Jungle Growth Water Wise. First I put in my plant, then covered it a couple inches with the dirt, then added a bit of pellitized calcium, epsom salts and bone meal (which is the mix I put in the planting hole when I put them in-ground). Then finished filling with dirt. I really think it was a drainage issue, if you could have seen the stem...it was black and already mushy. I should have put in extra drainage holes. So Duh_Vinci, keep that in mind when constructing your hangers. Good luck. You're welcome for the inspiration, glad to provide it whenever I can!
Rebecca
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As promised, here is a pic of the in-ground Brandywine:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-30.jpg[/img]
And here is one more shot of the Brandywine hanger blooms:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-32.jpg[/img]
Didn't get one of the Amish Paste, I'll get that one posted tomorrow. Been a busy day!
Rebecca
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-30.jpg[/img]
And here is one more shot of the Brandywine hanger blooms:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-32.jpg[/img]
Didn't get one of the Amish Paste, I'll get that one posted tomorrow. Been a busy day!
Rebecca
Hello, I'm really a novice at gardening - trying it for the first time this year. I found your discussion thread interesting because I only recently heard about the idea of growing plants upside down. After a friend told me how excited he was about the topsy turvy planter that someone gave him for Christmas, I saw them in the store and decided to give it a try. It had not occurred to me that I could grow them upside down in buckets ... I'll have to keep that in mind for future if I like the upside down method.
I tried to grow plants from seedlings, and they look like runts compared to the beautiful plants that others have posted on here. They were very small when I put them in the upside down planters last Tuesday (5/12). The area where they are hanging gets plenty of sun, but the little seedlings started to look worse by Friday. I realized that they were not getting any sun - they are just way too small and remain in the shadow of the topsy turvy.
Someone else (GRDrip) mentioned this issue with your hanging buckets, so I thought I would post about what I am trying: This past weekend, I made some sun reflectors out of aluminum foil and half of a cardboard box, and hung them below the topsy turvy, so that they bounce the light up onto the bottom. I cut a small hole in the bottom corner for the water to drain out of the reflector box.
I can't seem to get my pictures to post on my replies, but here is a link for a picture of the reflectors I made; this one has cherry tomato plants.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12308962@N07/3543734642/
I put peppers in the other topsy turvy - this photo better shows the size of the seedlings (the tomato was about the same size), and you can also see how the light is bouncing up onto the bottom of the planter:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12308962@N07/3543734968/
Maybe this idea will help someone else. I hope it works for my little plants
I tried to grow plants from seedlings, and they look like runts compared to the beautiful plants that others have posted on here. They were very small when I put them in the upside down planters last Tuesday (5/12). The area where they are hanging gets plenty of sun, but the little seedlings started to look worse by Friday. I realized that they were not getting any sun - they are just way too small and remain in the shadow of the topsy turvy.
Someone else (GRDrip) mentioned this issue with your hanging buckets, so I thought I would post about what I am trying: This past weekend, I made some sun reflectors out of aluminum foil and half of a cardboard box, and hung them below the topsy turvy, so that they bounce the light up onto the bottom. I cut a small hole in the bottom corner for the water to drain out of the reflector box.
I can't seem to get my pictures to post on my replies, but here is a link for a picture of the reflectors I made; this one has cherry tomato plants.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12308962@N07/3543734642/
I put peppers in the other topsy turvy - this photo better shows the size of the seedlings (the tomato was about the same size), and you can also see how the light is bouncing up onto the bottom of the planter:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12308962@N07/3543734968/
Maybe this idea will help someone else. I hope it works for my little plants
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That's strange about the broken link. I've been consolidating things to make the forums easier to navigate lately and thought I was keeping URLs the same.
I think Cynthia may have been referring to this discussion about [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=40999]Upside Down Tomatoes[/url]:
I think Cynthia may have been referring to this discussion about [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=40999]Upside Down Tomatoes[/url]:
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Here's a pic of my Brandywine hanger babies! Just found them yesterday:
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-39.jpg[/img]
Still no maters on the in-ground model, though she is growing and blooming very well. I have tomatoes on all my varieties except the Amish Paste and the Black Cherry.
Rebecca
[img]https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww13/elevenpictures/photo-39.jpg[/img]
Still no maters on the in-ground model, though she is growing and blooming very well. I have tomatoes on all my varieties except the Amish Paste and the Black Cherry.
Rebecca
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Well we're not giving like amounts of water at this point, right? So we' are requiring higher inputs of energy and water. Seems to me the in-ground models are getting less reward for better behavior...hmmph! (Sound of stomping around on sour grapes in background... )
I am surprised, really surprised. Maybe I shouldn't be; stressed plants often flower and fruit better (called the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersensitive_response]hypersensitive response or harpin response[/url] after the chemical messenger that causes it). But it ain't over yet... if it HAS gone hypersensitive, it is really cranking up it's metabolism and the reason I didn't jump on the Harpin bandwagon a few years back is I didn't see sustainable results. It was all the rage and I tried harpin on my tomatoes, with no really different results from years prior to and following. But I've seen stressed fruit trees or diseased flowering trees flower their heinies off, in fact I'm a little worried about my oldest blueberry as it is off the charts right now. But who knows? Gardening is a humbling thing; there is always something new and no matter how much you think you know, Nature will always show you new stuff. Hey, if this works I will go uside down next year, more room on the ground for squash...
HG
I am surprised, really surprised. Maybe I shouldn't be; stressed plants often flower and fruit better (called the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersensitive_response]hypersensitive response or harpin response[/url] after the chemical messenger that causes it). But it ain't over yet... if it HAS gone hypersensitive, it is really cranking up it's metabolism and the reason I didn't jump on the Harpin bandwagon a few years back is I didn't see sustainable results. It was all the rage and I tried harpin on my tomatoes, with no really different results from years prior to and following. But I've seen stressed fruit trees or diseased flowering trees flower their heinies off, in fact I'm a little worried about my oldest blueberry as it is off the charts right now. But who knows? Gardening is a humbling thing; there is always something new and no matter how much you think you know, Nature will always show you new stuff. Hey, if this works I will go uside down next year, more room on the ground for squash...
HG
Few shots of my try at this upside down strategy. Grew in just under a month from 8-10" (after I stripped bottom leafs and burried them deep) to these healthy looking plants.
Just hanging from the side of the back deck, getting about 9 hours of sun, starting with the very first ray in the morning:
[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/upside_down_project_2009_valencia_o.jpg[/img]
Orange Valencia now has few clusters of flowers:
[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/upside_down_valencia_orange_blooms.jpg[/img]
Plum Lemon actually has it's first tiny fruits:
[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/upside_dwon_pllum_lemon_heirloom_ru.jpg[/img]
Here is what I observed so far:
Virtually care free method
Soil stayed moist for long time (Compost/Vermiculite/Peat Moss/Organic Potting mixture)
Very healthy leafs (since far off the ground?)
Grow just as quick as the inground (visually, nothing scientific)
Depending on the fruit production, I will do this again next year, it's fun!
Question: What do you think about possibly adding smaller cages to the bottom of container for support against wind and maybe more "manageable" growth pattern?
Regards,
D
Just hanging from the side of the back deck, getting about 9 hours of sun, starting with the very first ray in the morning:
[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/upside_down_project_2009_valencia_o.jpg[/img]
Orange Valencia now has few clusters of flowers:
[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/upside_down_valencia_orange_blooms.jpg[/img]
Plum Lemon actually has it's first tiny fruits:
[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/upside_dwon_pllum_lemon_heirloom_ru.jpg[/img]
Here is what I observed so far:
Virtually care free method
Soil stayed moist for long time (Compost/Vermiculite/Peat Moss/Organic Potting mixture)
Very healthy leafs (since far off the ground?)
Grow just as quick as the inground (visually, nothing scientific)
Depending on the fruit production, I will do this again next year, it's fun!
Question: What do you think about possibly adding smaller cages to the bottom of container for support against wind and maybe more "manageable" growth pattern?
Regards,
D
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Duh_Vinci, is that basil growing from the top of your planters? I like the idea of reusing space like that.
I've got the brand name Topsy Turvy planter, as a gift from Christmas this year. Thus far, I think my results may be closer to what Scott expects: I have a small plant, and the leaves are doing all right so far, but the plant has literally bent its stem 180 degrees to grow upward again. It's smooshing itself into the bottom of the planter now.
I'm hoping that as it grows, it will clear the edge of the planter and do some downward growing. If it keeps growing like this, I worry that it will snap at some point, when the weight gets high enough.
[img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/glishara/planter.jpg[/img]
I've got the brand name Topsy Turvy planter, as a gift from Christmas this year. Thus far, I think my results may be closer to what Scott expects: I have a small plant, and the leaves are doing all right so far, but the plant has literally bent its stem 180 degrees to grow upward again. It's smooshing itself into the bottom of the planter now.
I'm hoping that as it grows, it will clear the edge of the planter and do some downward growing. If it keeps growing like this, I worry that it will snap at some point, when the weight gets high enough.
[img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/glishara/planter.jpg[/img]
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DV hits on a key point; keeping them off the ground eliminates the early blight issue, and a bunch of other splas-up diseases just like it. Certainly a good point... (I just do that with compost mulch, fish, milk, and calcium...)
My scepticism is lessening; but it is my inherent nature as a swamp Yankee to be mistrusting and derisive until such time as it proves out, at which time I will inform you all that I never had a doubt this was the right way to go, never had a doubt...
But I do have to admit I have seen some nice plants here; enough to probably try it out next year... but it ain't over yet...
HG
My scepticism is lessening; but it is my inherent nature as a swamp Yankee to be mistrusting and derisive until such time as it proves out, at which time I will inform you all that I never had a doubt this was the right way to go, never had a doubt...
But I do have to admit I have seen some nice plants here; enough to probably try it out next year... but it ain't over yet...
HG
GardenerGirl - yes, basil indeed. I figured since suggested by so many that it adds flavor to tomatoes, why not? And looks better than the black hole alone
As far as your concerns go with stem and branches not yet cleared the edge - they will, don't even worry. As Sweet T suggested, they will clear and start growing in many directions.
Good luck with you tomato, post the progress when you can!
Regards,
D
As far as your concerns go with stem and branches not yet cleared the edge - they will, don't even worry. As Sweet T suggested, they will clear and start growing in many directions.
Good luck with you tomato, post the progress when you can!
Regards,
D
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Scott - that is exactly right, contact paper. Had some left over from the shelf lining, I think these now look a little more appealing than "Kitty Litter".
And I do prefer the sturdiness of these buckets to the green bag - by far! Plus, the large opening I made in the bottom is large enough to accept more mature plant with larger roots compare to the green bag.
You know you want to try it, don't deny - should I save you a bucket or two?
Regards,
D
And I do prefer the sturdiness of these buckets to the green bag - by far! Plus, the large opening I made in the bottom is large enough to accept more mature plant with larger roots compare to the green bag.
You know you want to try it, don't deny - should I save you a bucket or two?
Regards,
D
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