I can’t believe how much I am enjoying the Life series. And I actually think Oprah as narrator is kind of great, when I didn’t know how I would feel about it before.
Two quick questions: picked up a bunch of cypress mulch to do some yardwork this week-end. It was only the cocoa bean that is harmful to dogs and pets, right?
I need some indoor plants that are low maintenance and not harmful to cats. Any suggestions?
Elie
All my plants are eaten by my cat Buddy — even those that are supposed to be semi-poisonous.
I have no recommendations, John. Buddy devastates my house plants and then looks at me with wide, smiling eyes…He has never gotten sick to my knowledge but my plants have horrible, lacy looking leaves and beg me for a solution. What seems to work the best for me is perfume. I spray liberally on the low lying leaves, etc and it seems to do the trick for a while — you DO have to keep it up as it wears off and then Buddy is back at it….
stuckinred
Man, I just hit the google on the cypress muclh and dogs since we just put out about 50 bags. I got this info more than once
katherine
All of the plants in my house are for the cats . . . various palm plants, kitty grass, and catnip. The palms are supposed to be good for cats and my kitties love to eat them.
Tunch
Dude, I want some fucking hemp or some shit like that.
Just remember, when you sleep, you’re laying there all helpless.
Tunch
WereBear
If you have a sunny window, grow herbs year ’round. Then it doesn’t matter if Tunch nibbles on them. Just pick un-nibbled leaves for cooking.
In any case, it helps if you grow some kitty grass; then the cat has their own plants to eat, and you have a reasonable shot at working out “mine and yours” with a cat.
African violets are wonderful; constantly blooming, comes in many bloom colors, and once you have the right light (morning light, or western window with a light reducing shade) and soil mix (even more vermiculite than the usual container mix,) durn easy.
And non-toxic to both dogs and cats.
Bad Horse's Filly
I have an Ellen Danica plant I just love. It’s a type of grape ivy. Grows like a weed, low maintenance. My animals have never touched them.
EDIT: Oh, and I grow a couple of pots of oat grass for the cats. Love it, don’t throw it up.
Midnight Marauder
That is just gross.
+4
T.R. Donoghue
Our cat eats every plant within reach. My wife has finally given up.
jl
I recommend vats and vats and vats of catnip in the windows. For Tunch’s pleasure and Cole’s safety.
Cole should look for books on how to prune and nip the catnip plants like you do dope plants to get high quality buds. I just decided that can be actually done to produce strong nip that will rip Tunch up good, for some reason. It must be true. It will be true. It is true.
Josie
Palms are sturdy and non-toxic. On another topic, Colbert interviewed Jake Tapper tonight on the fact-checking plan for ABC’s Sunday show, and it was pretty funny. Tapper made reference to McCain’s statement that he had never thought of himself as a maverick as an example of something that needed fact checking. Colbert was really giving him a hard time, but Tapper was a good sport about it.
Elie
@WereBear:
I give my cats (Buddy and Bill), wheat grass and it has NO impact on Buddy’s desire for house plants. He eats the wheat grass and the houseplants (not the succulents though).
My boy is just mischievous and head strong. I still have to watch him in the kitchen where he has been known to jump up on the counter and help himself to anything from butter to the chicken I am preparing to cook. He is just a marauder… I contain him but I can’t fully control him.
Did I say he is a marvelous companion and a hoot to live with? Always into everything and nosy about every little thing… many laughs…
Kristine
I hunted around, and could only find warnings about cocoa mulch. The ASPCA site recommends pine, hemlock, or other types.
Elie
@T.R. Donoghue:
I hear that…totally.
John Cole
@stuckinred: Jesus. What kind of asshole cuts down a tree just to turn it into mulch. I just assumed mulch was made from byproducts of something useful.
Fucking asshole Americans.
HRA
http://www.cfa.org/articles/plants.html
Here is a list of plants harmful to cats.
I was going to suggest cactus for low maintenance. It is on this list as harmful.
Francis
Per NOAA, March 2010 was the warmest March on record.
Seriously, if we don’t get behind the climate change bill, it won’t be our grandchildren who are f*cked; it’ll be our children or even us. By 2050 the planet likely will be very different from the one we have now, with a lot less food.
The US wastes megatons of food, so there’s room to accommodate, for a while. Then things get tight, water runs low, and really nasty wars start.
According to Joe Romm, the climate change bill goes out Apr. 26. Please, hit the phone lines.
me
http://www.tomscott.com/stupidfight/#johngcole-vs-JONAHNRO
WereBear
@Elie: He’s what I call an Alpha cat.
They have to have a paw in everything; but they are also great clowns, and utterly charming.
I’ve known people to solve their houseplant problem by planting the cat their own pots of goodies, but Alphas enjoy interaction with everything, especially things that are living or once were.
Input, input, input is their mantra.
Meg
Peace Lily ( Spathiphyllum). Easy to care for and so far my cat did not care for it.
jake
I have cat grass in the living room and some on the patio. My cats absolutely love the cat grass. They don’t bother anything else, although I did catch one of my cats peeing in one of my flower beds on the patio….Not sure what to do about that.
OT: From Crooks and Liars, I just watched some videos submitted by teabaggers to the NY Times…OMG…These people are trying so hard not to be racists…But, when you listen to their complaints about the country’s direction, they cannot hide their contempt for having a black President, WHILE not realizing they are trying to protect their own priviledge. If they genuinely cared about large government and the Constitution, they would have started protesting during the Bush years…
getsmartin
@stuckinred:
Freshly “skewered” on my freshly cypress mulched shrubbery beds by permaculturist GF.
louisiana.sierraclub.org/pdf/Quiz-cypress-mulch.pdf
Elie
@WereBear:
“If other attempts to rouse you are not developing as expected, they will, soon or later, walk on your head. Exasperated, you get up and evict them from the bedroom. Congratulations! Your Alpha has now trained you to open the door when they walk on your head. You need to be able to see these things coming.”
Buddy absolutely does this and also attacks Bill to get me up to feed him breakfast. I am definitely his tool.. he has all the buttons to push — absolutely an Alpha — thanks so much WearBear!
Linda Featheringill
@Tunch: Aren’t you the clever one?
WereBear
@Meg: Like diffenbachia, or “dumb cane,” peace lilies have crystals that can make a cat’s tongue or throat swell, sometimes to life threatening dimensions. It’s a good thing your cat leaves it alone!
jake
@Elie:
To my surprise because my kitties never go on tables and counters, one of mine apparently stole a lamb chop off the counter yesterday….We found the remains of the missing lamb chop in the living room, and one happy kittie smiling and cleaning her paws…I still can’t figure out how she did it — she apparently has strong strategy and tactical skills…
Ajay
As for mulch, I now use small red pebbles instead of wood mulch. Its a one time deal and is far better than wood mulch that needs replenishing every year or so. Use good much paper (I use Costco’s) and 3/8 inch pebbles and you are set for a long time. I have had a good portion of my front yard like this and it has been pain free for 3 years now.
fordpowers
BONSAI!
SIA
Does anyone download movies from sources other than Netflix or Blockbuster? There’s a site called “Like TV…Only Better” and others that are similar. Started to subscribe for a month to try it and then got the jitters about giving my Amex. Any one have experience with any of those?
kommrade reproductive vigor
Does Tunch usually mess with plants? Mine get into everything but the only time they ever showed an interest in plants was when they were small enough to use the pot as an alternate litter box.
I was going to say the tiny bag of hate (may she rest in peace) was an alphacat, until I got to that part. She soon took a very Fuck You response to any attempts to dissuade her from whatever she wanted to do. The most I ever accomplished was getting her to run and hide for a few minutes when she knew the water squirter was on its way. Once the coast was clear she’d start up again.
Man, she was a bad cat. More than an alphacat. An Ubercat perhaps.
WereBear
@SIA: The SO started out with such a site, on a monthly subscription. He thought they were licensed for such distribution… the movies turned out to be pirated.
We had to cancel the card we used. Google the name of the site with the word “scam” and see what comes up. This particular one apparently operates under many different names, and shuts the different ones down without warning.
SIA
@WereBear: That’s a good idea – will do that, thanks.
SIA
WereBear, here’s another take on the Obama Nuclear Summit you might enjoy:
http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2010/04/obamas-summit.html
WereBear
@kommrade reproductive vigor: There are hateful cats.
I have a very good batting record, and have rehabbed many cats, but my husband’s uncle had one who not only rejected my friendship overtures, but got pissed at me for even trying to be nice to her.
She spent the next hour lurking around trying to slash my ankles.
However, such cats are exceptions. I currently live with three cats who have hearts of butter.
arguingwithsignposts
@SIA: Can’t say that I’ve done that, although I have used Amazon to buy seasons worth of House, West Wing, and Law & Order. Works fine, and you can download to your PC (but not your Mac).
jake
LOL….A quote from a teabagger…
Clearly, she needs a professional to help with her tax prep…
Note to VA woman — you have to pay taxes on contract income throughout the year — just like everyone else…
Snarki, child of Loki
Spider plants. Basically a good-looking weed, so they thrive even if neglected. Well, not quite 100% a weed, or they’d thrive even when you actively try to kill them, but reasonable close.
Cat-edible. I think they like them for “roughage”, but the growth rate is enough that cats can’t do much real harm.
WereBear
@SIA: Oooh, thanks, what a great pic. I love bagnewsnotes for the photo analysis, I don’t get over there nearly often enough.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
I just bought several bags of garden soil to replace in my mator planters. I have a bunch of tropical indoor plants but don’t know what they are called. You might try Cannabis, Tunch will be your buddy for all time and I hear you can make tasty brownies from the buds.
Gus
@Ajay: Went to a community ed gardening class in my fairly hippie neighborhood. Dude said that mulch is overrated, that it prevents too much water from getting to the plants’ roots. He recommended planting ground cover, specifically mint.
Loneoak
I definitely recommend some Purple Kush, or maybe Sour Diesel.
SIA
@arguingwithsignposts: So you downloaded them, or they sent you the DVDs?
arguingwithsignposts
@SIA: Well, I watched them online (because I have a Mac), but if you have a PC, you can download them. They’re heavily DRM’d though, from what I’ve read. IIRC, you can also play them on a DVR.
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
So Fox yanked on Sean Hannity’s leash and brought him to heel?
Shorter Fox: We didn’t get a cut of the take.
Excellent. Some of the Hannity Teabaggers will back him and be pissed at Fox and others will be pissed at him for not going forward with his appearance anyway.
Another win win for us.
worriedman
Cypress mulch is evil. And most of what is cut these days is
new growth that lacks any insect repellent characteristics. I mean, how fucked up does something have to be for Walmart to refuse to sell it?
Orchids are a great indoor hobby plant. They require a lot of interaction with real satisfying results. Cat safe, too. Not much soil in the pots so when the cat knocks them over it’s not a huge mess.
Jennifer
JC – I recommend pine straw for mulch. It lasts a good long time without breaking down, it’s attractive, it doesn’t smother the roots, and you can probably get it for free from someone close by who has a lot of pines in their yard. And no trees cut down and shredded up to make it.
kommrade reproductive vigor
@WereBear: She wasn’t hateful to humans (other animals, not so much). She was actually very affectionate. Like, bite your hands when she wanted to be petted affectionate. Like, hop on your lap and put down sharp pointy roots so you couldn’t move her affectionate.
She was just a BAD cat and definitely the boss of everyone. But, even when she was destroying shit, terrorizing other animals and making a four point landing in a plateful of food she was funny.
(Just had to clear that up in case she’s haunting the place.)
SIA
@arguingwithsignposts: OK thanks AWS!
replicnt6
Hmmmm…. dogs as opposed to pets. I agree with you, they’re full-fledged members of the family, but many don’t take this view, and regard them as merely pets.
Some people wouldn’t even allow the dog hospital visitation rights, for crying out loud.
monkeyboy
I used to edible garden a lot, but in the past years I’ve mainly just grown basil. This year I decided to put in some rhubarb plants. I started looking up the phone numbers of all the local gardening centers I used to know to see if they had rhubarb rhizomes. Guess what? They have all been driven out of business by the local Home Depot. I knew HD had killed all of the local hardware stores but hadn’t realized the garden store I went to 2 years ago had finally succumbed.
So I go to Home Depot and none of the ‘sales associates’ know what rhubarb or where it might be found even though I say I want to buy it in root form. Eventually by diligently wandering around I find a selection of boxed ‘roots for plants’ – roses, bramble berries, and ah yes rhubarb.
Next I want a bag of soil amendment such as composted cow manure because my dirt is rather heavy and clayey and in the past I’ve found the best way to put in new plants is to dig a big hole and add a lot of organic material as you add the dirt back in.
The only thing HD had was Moo-Nure “100% natural & pure – Organic compost with cow manure”. (Why in the hell are these bags soggy wet? Is that part of the 25lb net weight?).
So I get home and start digging my holes and open up my bag of Moo-Nure and take out a hand full. No smell, compost looking stuff with a lot of twigs in it, and a lot of sand???? I look at the fine print on the bag and it says “Derived from: natural forest product, green waste, & composted cow manure”. Nowhere does it say that it contains a large addition of sand.
I really have no idea what they mean by “organic”. whether it includes cow poop from non organically raised cows and whether weeds killed with weed killer fits the loose definition where sand is natural and organic.
Yes, I could probably drive 20 miles and back to buy a $3 bag of cow poop but that shows how ridiculous things have become. When there were 3 local gardening stores they had knowledgeable people who could intelligently tell you that a bag of pseudo-cow poop contains a lot of sand and offer you alternatives. HD at the moment seems to be mainly stocking shredded wood chip mulch that comes in a wide range of designer colors.
kindness
I used to grow catnip indoors. Needless to say the cats were overjoyed with this and I hardly ever had viable plants left.
It’s a fun thought though.
Elie
@jake:
Uh-HUH — she KNOWS you and when you turn away and leave things exposed…
melmoth
Jade plants are ideal.
bey
@kommrade reproductive vigor: I can completely relate. I had a Bad Cat too, named Lois.
If Joan Crawford and Miss Piggy had had a baby, it would have been Lois. Her motto was What have you done for me LATELY?
Lois lived to be 20, because she was just too mean to die. When she was born her mother didn’t chew through the umbilical cords and her back feet had the circulation cut off. She had them amputated at 3 days old. Her fighting weight was all of 7 lbs, but she completely dominated the household.
She beat the shit out of the neighbor’s doberman once.
She chewed the feet off my son’s Barbie. Jealous we think.
She once opened up the broiler and stole our dinner right out while it was cooking.
She would walk across cold tile on her front paws by tucking her stubs under her belly.
She would climb on you in the night, send Density Tendrils to the center of the earth and you could.not.move.her. It was unreal.
Bad cats make the best stories.
Gina
The only houseplant types that I can grow with the three feline ninja assassins in the house are jade plants and cacti. Definitely low-maintenance! Every other thing gets turned into cat barf.
greennotGreen
HRA @15 (sorry, I don’t know how to make the link, or at least not without the possibility of embarrassing myself when a bunch of code shows up instead):
The poisonous-to-cats list names *candelabra* cactus, but *candelabra* “cactus” isn’t a cactus at all but a euphorbia, quite a few of which are poisonous to people as well as cats.
jl
@worriedman:
The pets might like orchids. Go with orchids. Good practice for Tunch for his Paw of Death.
General Sternwood: Do you like orchids?
Philip Marlowe: Not particularly.
General Sternwood: Ugh. Nasty things. Their flesh is too much like the flesh of men, and their perfume has the rotten sweetness of corruption.
from the The Big Sleep
electricgrendel
Catnip! It’s a really low maintenance plant, and- well- it’s certainly not harmful to cats. :D
limniade
LMAf-inO. Density tendrils. A cat with only two feet who can nonetheless beat up a dog and steal food out of an operating BROILER? That must’ve been the Chuck Norris of cats.
tenkindsofgrumpy
@worriedman: The man did say low maintenance. I recommend Clivia, John
slag
@WereBear: Yes. Peace Lily is on the poisonous list: http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/Poisonous_Plants.htm.
Plants that my cats tend to ignore: orchid, aloe vera, jade, and some other succulent I don’t know the name of. I say go with big-leafed plants if you want Tunch to ignore them. The cast iron plant is well-known for being an easy one: http://www.architecturalplants.com/plant.html?code=AEIN.
tenkindsofgrumpy
@monkeyboy: The reason you have sand is that these materials are aggregated on a very large scale using front end loaders, which will inevitable pick up some of whatever these materials are sitting on. Like sand for instance. And cow manure in plastic bags? Please, can’t you eliminate all those middle men?
mai naem
@monkeyboy: HD isn’t that much less evil that Wallymart. They are killing a number of businesses – nurseries, electrical and plumbing supply places, carpet stores, tile stores, appliance stores etc. and BTW HD doesn’t even necessarily have the best prices. Furthermore, some of their stuff is seconds.
As far as plant recommendations – I got one word – mint, It takes over.
Anne Laurie
Check out Snopes, for goodness sakes, Cole — there has been a total of ONE, (1) dog poisoned by cocoa mulch. And that was a Labrador, so, basically an appetite with legs, and probably an IQ lower than its body weight in pounds. Don’t use cocoa mulch if you don’t want to, but don’t assume Lily is such a moran that she’ll fill her guts with wood pulp just on the off-chance it might turn out to be edible. Nothing you’ve said on the blog, at least, indicates that she’s one of those dogs with pica who can’t be trusted around plastic toys or swallowable stones — give the poor thing some credit for knowing better than that! (Now, corn cobs, the plastic wrap off a meat tray, or the contents of a cat box… those fall into a category of Canine-Delicious that even a highly-educated dog will break training for. But mulch, even dogs who try a nibble will not be encouraged to continue the project.)
As for indoor plants… now that you are a homeowner, you can sink plant hooks in the ceilings and suspend pots where Tunch can’t climb up & get into them. (Less of a problem with Tunch than a high-energy kitten, shall we say.) Spider plants are pretty that way, and supposed to be good air cleaners as well. And we’ve have good luck in the past with scented geraniums (pelargoniums) which are neglect-tolerant, and come in a wide range of shapes & smells. You might even leave an upper pane UV-film-free on that lovely bay window, and try one of the “Tiny Tumbler” cherry tomato plants in a hanging pot. Also, as others have said, herbs — Tunch (& maybe Lily) might munch your basil or oregano, but after the novelty wears off they should leave enough for you as well.
burnspbesq
This looks an awful lot like conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/us/16tapes.html?hp
What am I missing?
hamletta
Nashvegas is so fecund, we have chipper crews out year-round. They collect it all and give away the mulch. (Please! Take my mulch!)
Also, I was wrong about Box Turtle Ben. Atrios just posted the back story, and I’d missed the part where John Cornyn’s minions were dumb enough to hire Ben Domenech.
But to give Big, Bad John credit where it’s due, he never actually spoke the words written for him about box turtles.
Even he isn’t that dumb, unlike Not So Gentle Ben.
hamletta
He was evil. Mint’s something you plant right next to bamboo and kudzu if you want to live through The Day Of the Triffids.
Michael Carpet
John, try a Zizi plant. Takes neglect, low light, pretty good looking and it is not on the CFA poisonous list for cats. I saw huge ones in pots in an indoor mall in Bloomington, IN.
Liz
@Anne Laurie:
so much love. Thanks Anne. :)
LT
Really? God, I think Oprah is stiled and awkward inthis series, and the writing is horrible. I mean I’ve still watched a couple of them, the content is really something, but man, I especially don’t like the writing.