June
2003
"In June as many as a dozen species may burst their buds on a single
day. No man can heed all of these anniversaries; no man can ignore all
of them."
--Aldo Leopold (1887 -- 1948) American scientist, conservationist,
author
"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are
never alone or weary of life."
-- Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964) American
biologist, ecologist, author
It is no wonder that the weather is the quintessential topic of conversation.
Unlike religion or politics, we can hardly get into trouble discussing
weather. It is usually a rather benign subject. It is also a subject that
we all can talk about -- no matter our religion or politics, no matter
our background, race, gender, or age. It is good to find topics that we
all have in common. We are all subject to weather's influence. The
merciful, refreshing rainfall, the blazing heat, the slippery ice storm,
the tornado, and the hurricane remind us that we are not fully in control
here. We all--to a greater or lesser degree --are at the mercy of Nature.
This is why every year is a different experience for gardeners. There
is always a learning curve, no matter how experienced a gardener is. Of
course, for beginning gardeners that curve is steeper, but there is always
a curve, nevertheless. We cannot accurately predict Nature. We can never
know everything about Nature. We are privileged to be a part of this mystery
of Life.
While we cannot predict her every move, we learn to anticipate Nature.
Right now we can anticipate the extreme heat of July and August. Therefore,
this month is our last chance to prepare the landscape for the summer
heat, before it gets too hot to do anything outside. First of all, we
should be finishing any planting now before it gets much hotter. In addition,
we try to restrain the urge to make plant purchases over the next couple
of months. If we succumb to temptation, we must be prepared to pamper
any new plantings throughout the summer with extra water and rooting hormone.
What else do we need to do to be prepared for summer in the garden?
There are three main avenues of preparation as I see it: nourishing plants,
mulching, and, of course, watering.
Since the extreme heat of Texas summers are a stress on plants -- even
natives -- it is important that plants have no other additional stresses
on them. One of the most important ways to reduce stress in the garden
is to garden organically. Giving plants nutrients from organic sources
and enhancing the life in the soil are organic practices that give the
plant just what it needs. Any time we take care of our own needs, our
stress is reduced, isn't it? It is the same with plants. Even the
seemingly benign chemical fertilizers do more harm than good. They kill
off the life in the soil and leave behind salts, which harden the soil
and create more stress on the plant. Any time a pesticide is used, even
organic pesticides, more than just the target pest is killed. Sometimes
it is better to allow a plant to look ugly for a while than to spray a
pesticide that will throw the surrounding complexity of life off balance.
Many insect pests in the garden can be left alone without serious detriment
to the plant. If pest control is needed, it is important to choose the
least toxic method of control. Of course, accurate diagnosis of the problem
is the most important step in this process.
How can we nourish plants at this time to make them strong enough to
make it through the heat? The first important step is to spray the landscape
regularly with seaweed. Seaweed has been used by farmers and gardeners
for centuries, and various studies and university tests have proven why
it is so valuable. One book, Seaweed and Plant Growth by Dr. T. L. Senn,
Ph.D., from Clemson University, goes into great detail about the benefits
of seaweed.
Seaweed contains a wide array of trace minerals and hormones. Seaweed
is known to enhance flowering and fruiting. Seaweed helps plants survive
during stress, including transplant shock, heat, drought, and insect infestation.
It has improved the cold hardiness of plants, including lawns. "Seaweed
sprays can suppress disease (botrytis on strawberries), reduce the number
of pests (red spider mites on cucumbers and apples), increase the shelf
life of many crops and even protect plants against frost damage," says
Organic Gardening magazine. Lawn, vegetables, flowers, shrubs, and trees--all plants benefit from its properties.
Maxicrop seaweed is commonly available in our area, and comes in a liquid
concentrate or a dry concentrate. The most efficient way to apply seaweed
is to spray the solution on the leaves of the plant. Spray in the early
morning or in the evening after the sun is off of the leaves, as often
as once a week. Regular application of seaweed provides the most benefits
- once a week, once or twice a month--as often as your schedule and
your budget will allow. In addition, new transplants benefit from seaweed
solution every time they are watered, for the first month or more.
The second part of nourishing plants for the summer is applying a good
organic fertilizer. While the seaweed contains hormones and perhaps some
micronutrients that other organic fertilizers may not have, plants still
need more of the big three nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
It is important to know the analysis of these three nutrients when choosing
a fertilizer. A fertilizer label, by law, must indicate the percentage
of these three nutrients in this order: nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium.
In general, the nitrogen is for green growth; the phosphorus is for roots,
blooms, and fruit; and the potassium is for stem strength and overall
vigor and stamina. If lawns and flower beds did not get fertilizer back
in April, they will need a boost of these nutrients going into the summer.
If you are already using seaweed spray, one easy way to fertilize is
simply to add a fish emulsion to the solution. At our nursery, we know
when Natasha has fertilized the plants because it smells like the beach!
There are several fish fertilizers on the market. Alaska brand fish emulsion
has a 5-1-1 analysis, making it high in nitrogen to promote green growth.
Neptune's Harvest 2-4-1 is high in phosphorus, which will promote
more blooming and fruiting in a balanced soil. There are many other liquid
fish fertilizer products on the market, but these are two of the most
popular. Another route is to get a liquid fertilizer that is already a
mixture of fish and seaweed. Bioform is one such product. The Lady Bug
brand John's Recipe is the cadillac of such mixtures, containing
fish, seaweed, molasses, and Medina Soil Activator. The molasses provides
potassium and feeds the microbes in the soil, and the Medina stimulates
the microbes in the soil, improves soil texture, and adds some trace minerals.
Foliar feeding is a great way to administer nutrients directly to the
plant, getting immediate results and building up disease and pest and
stress resistance in the plant with seaweed. However, it is still a good
idea to add fertilizer to the soil. It is important to keep the soil rich
in nutrients and to feed the soil life; organic dry fertilizers serve
this purpose. While liquid fertilizers should be applied every week or
two, dry fertilizers need only be applied two to three times a year. The
best times to apply dry fertilizers are, in general: April, June, and
late September or early October.
For lawns, the Lady Bug brand 8-2-4 fertilizer is ideal. It is a dry,
pelletized, organic fertilizer that can be applied with a regular fertilizer
spreader. The 8-2-4 is also good for shrubs and trees. For flower beds
and flowering shrubs, including roses, Rabbit Hill Farm brand "Buds and
Blooms" or "Rose Food" are good choices. These two fertilizers are dry,
but not pelletized. They are sprinkled onto the soil and scratched in.
It is important to get a soil test done regularly, which may alter these
recommendations. Since phosphorus and potassium are not mobile in the
soil, they tend to build up with repeated fertilization, whereas nitrogen
is very mobile. If a soil test indicates a high phosphorus and/or potassium
and a need for nitrogen, choose blood meal only for fertilizing. To get
a soil test done, contact Texas Plant and Soil Lab in Edinburg, TX. They
can be reached at (956) 383-0739 or www.txplant-soillab.com.
Once the plants have been nourished, the next step is to add mulch.
Wherever possible, the ideal would be to add an inch or two of compost
first, then three or more inches of shredded or chipped wood mulch on
top of that. Compost amends the texture of the soil, by improving both
the water-holding capacity and the drainage of the soil. A high quality
manure compost also adds beneficial microorganisms to the soil, along
with nutrients. The beneficial microbes in the soil not only make nutrients
available to the plants, but can even help plants to resist diseases.
After compost, how do we choose a mulch? That top layer of mulch helps
to prevent erosion, to keep the soil cooler in the summer (and warmer
in the winter), to hold in moisture, and to keep out weeds. Three or more
inches of mulch should be added to get the full benefits; anything less
is simply cosmetic. Almost any good quality mulch will do the trick. Your
choice of mulch will mostly depend on your aesthetic preference: do you
like a dark-colored, finely-textured mulch or a more coarsely-textured
and light-colored mulch? They all basically do the same job. However,
there are some differences to consider. The shredded mulches tend to stay
in place better during a deluge than the chipped mulches, such as pine
bark. I would completely steer clear of the large, two- to three-inch
chips of pine bark as mulch. They leave too much space between chunks,
and therefore will not hold in the moisture and keep out the weeds as
well as the other shredded mulches and the finer-textured chipped mulches.
Also, forget about the lava rock as mulch: it simply does not do the job,
and makes the landscape look like the surface of the moon.
Two things that will make the mulching job much easier are a pitchfork
and a friend. In fact, the more pitchforks and friends, the easier the
job! This is not a job for a shovel or a garden fork; they will only frustrate
you and strain your back prematurely. Once the mulching job is through,
be sure that the compost and mulch are not piled up on the stems of plants.
At this point, or at least some time in the next week after you have rested,
pull the mulch and compost away from the main stems of your plants about
an inch or two.
Areas of the landscape covered by lawn or ground cover must be approached
differently when it comes to compost. Of course, mulch is out of the question
in these cases. Lawn should only be topdressed with manure compost in
early spring or in the fall. Late spring through summer is too hot for
this task (thank goodness!), and may put stress on the grass, AND the
compost application technician. However, most groundcovers can benefit
from the light application of about a half inch of compost even now, which
then should be watered in thoroughly.
And now! Introducing! That substance that is more precious than gold!
The liquid that will get us all safely through the summer! ...WATER! Watering
should be done as infrequently as possible and as deeply as possible.
Morning is the best time to water, so that moisture has a chance to dry
quickly off of the leaves during the day. Watering at night, allowing
the leaves to stay wet longer, encourages fungal disease problems. Watering
in the middle of the day is wasting water to evaporation, and risking
burning the leaves whenever the sun is out.
How do we make the most of this precious commodity? First, we should
ensure that our watering system is delivering the proper amount of water,
as efficiently as possible. After one complete cycle of our irrigation
system, or after hand watering, go out and gently dig into the soil to
see just how deeply the water has penetrated. (Avoid digging extensively
in wet soil--it can ruin the soil texture for years). Lawn should be
moist to a depth of at least six inches; flower beds and vegetable gardens
need twelve to eighteen inches of moisture; trees and shrubs will need
more. The best way to water is through soaker hoses or a drip irrigation
system rather than spray heads or oscillating sprinklers that waste an
inordinate amount of water. The easiest and quickest method uses soaker
hoses, often made from recycled tires, hooked up to a regular water faucet.
It requires the smallest initial investment of money, too. A helpful addition
to any watering system is, of course, a water timer. At the very least,
we can use that kitchen timer to avoid flooding our garden and wasting
water.
The slightly more complex but longer lasting system would be a drip
irrigation system such as the Submatic brand that we carry at our nursery.
There is no glue necessary; the compression fittings just insert snugly
into each other. Submatic provides a free booklet to explain how to design
your drip watering system; these booklets are available at The Natural
Gardener. It is best to start with the booklet at home, drawing up the
best layout plan according to your landscape configuration.
The following is an overview of a general drip irrigation design, to
get you started. You would need to begin with a backflow preventer, a
filter, and a pressure regulator first, in that order. These attach directly
to your faucet or garden hose. Then, using a series of ½" and 3/8"
hoses, called poly flex hose, you take the water to the garden and to
the plants. Depending on your plants, you then choose the type of emitters
you need to release the water to the individual plants or to the whole
garden bed. Finally, at the end of each poly flex hose, you need closure.
There are a couple of choices of closures available from Submatic.
There are many choices regarding how emit the water to your plants.
Submatic carries one type of hose, the precision dripline hose, which
has emitters already installed. For do-it-yourself emitter installation,
the simplest would be the tiny Submatic drip emitter. For sloping areas,
there is a pressure-compensating emitter. There is a multi-flow emitter,
which can be adjusted to emit between 1 and 10 gallons per hour. There
is a button emitter that can be extended from the poly flex hose using
¼ inch distribution tubing and dropped into potted plants or hanging
baskets. There is an in-line emitter which is also used with the ¼
inch distribution tubing. Several in-line emitters can be strung like
Christmas lights in a series around trees or shrubs. There are several
choices of spray emitters if you would like to use a low-arching spray
instead of drip. For do-it-yourself emitter installation, of course you
will need a tool to punch the holes; there are three types of hole punch
tools. There are also "oops!" plugs to close off holes that are
not needed.
The main benefit of using a drip system is the water savings. Less water
is lost to evaporation, since the average sprinkler system sprays high
up into the air, and a drip system emits water no further than an inch
or so above the ground, and can even be placed under mulch. The precision
dripline hose can even be buried under soil! Less water is lost because
of overspray into the street or the sidewalk, because the water goes right
where you need it. Less water is lost to runoff. Because the drip system
slowly emits water into the soil, the soil is given time to absorb it.
Less water is lost overwatering areas that don't need as much water,
because the drip system can be more customized to each individual garden.
Long story short, the drip system saves money too, since the water bill
will be lower. More importantly though, it saves that most precious resource
- water - that is more valuable to us than gold.
We're heading into the cicada-chirping, pool-dipping, lemonade-sipping
days of summer. It helps for us to be prepared for the heat, so that once
it hits, all we have to do is turn on a faucet or two and kick back and
enjoy the company of family and friends whenever we can. And if we are
lucky enough to go on a vacation this summer, we know that our landscape
is prepared to take the heat. Enjoy!
June
2002
April was starting to feel like August. Then a startling suprise arrived
in May: coolness to the tune of sixty degrees and a teaspoon of moisture.
At the end of May, we had the blessing of a downpour. Who knows what June
will bring? I can assure you, I am not only visualizing world peace, but
ample summer rains as well. Imagination must be good for something; why
not make it beneficial?
June is the beginning of the season to simply putter in the yard, if
we do anything at all. There is no need to knock ourselves out doing strenuous
work that has little payoff in the heat anyway, risking heat exhaustion
or heat stroke to boot. (Now is a good time for us to learn about the
symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion, and avoid them by drinking
plenty of water and listening to our bodies). Puttering and planning are
the goals for the heat of the summer, along with watering, of course.
Mulching should be finished by now. To avoid all that time, energy, and
water wasted, why not also consider a drip irrigation system? The easiest
system would include soaker hoses, often made from recycled tires, and
hooked up to a regular water faucet. A helpful addition is a water timer,
or at the very least, we can use that kitchen timer to avoid flooding
our garden and wasting water.
The more complex but longer lasting system would be a drip irrigation
system such as the Submatic brand that we carry at our nursery. There
is no glue necessary; the compression fittings just insert snugly into
each other. Submatic provides a free booklet to explain how to design
your drip watering system; these booklets are available at The Natural
Gardener. It is best to start with the booklet at home, drawing up the
best layout plan according to your landscape configuration.
The following is an overview of a general drip irrigation design, to
get you started. You would need to begin with a backflow preventer, a
filter, and a pressure regulator first, in that order. These attach directly
to your faucet or garden hose. Then, using a series of ½" and 3/8"
poly flex hoses, you take the water to the garden and to the plants. Depending
on your plants, you then choose the type of emitters you need to release
the water to the individual plants or to the whole garden bed. Finally,
at the end of each poly flex hose, you need closure. There are a couple
of choices of closures available from Submatic.
There are many choices regarding how emit the water to your plants.
Submatic carries one type of hose, the precision dripline hose, which
has emitters already installed. This is the kind of hose that we have
in our Butterfly Garden. For do-it-yourself emitter installation, there
are many different kinds emitters from which to choose. For example, the
simplest is the tiny Submatic drip emitter. We use this one most often
in our vegetable garden beds at the nursery. For sloping areas, there
is a pressure-compensating emitter. There is a multi-flow emitter, which
can be adjusted to emit between 1 and 10 gallons per hour. There is a
button emitter that can be attached to the poly flex hose using ¼
inch distribution tubing, and then dropped into potted plants or hanging
baskets. There is an in-line emitter which is also used with the ¼
inch distribution tubing. Several in-line emitters can be strung like
Christmas lights in a series around trees or shrubs. There are several
choices of spray emitters if you would like to use a low-arching spray
instead of drip. For do-it-yourself emitter installation, of course you
will need a tool to punch the holes; there are three types of hole punch
tools. There are also "oops!" plugs to close off holes that are not needed.
The main benefit of using a drip system is the water savings. Less water
is lost to evaporation, since the average sprinkler system sprays high
up into the air, and a drip system emits water no further than an inch
or so above the ground, and can even be placed under mulch. Less water
is lost because of overspray into the street or the sidewalk, because
the water goes right where you need it. Less water is lost to runoff.
Because the drip system slowly emits water into the soil, the soil is
given time to absorb it. Less water is lost overwatering areas that don't
need as much water, because the drip system can be more customized to
each individual garden. Long story short, the drip system saves money
too, since the water bill will be lower. More importantly though, it saves
that most precious resource - water - that is more valuable to us than
gold.
I can think of at least one reason, however, why we still might want
to hang on to one of those oscillating sprinklers. We may still want that
opportunity -- in the summer when the days get sweltering hot -- to don
our bathing suits and play in the sprinkler.
Do you have any children in your life? Have you shared your love of
the outdoors, nature, and gardening with them? Some of the most rewarding
times in my life are when I have shared my love of the natural world with
children. Right out of college and working at the Dallas Arboretum and
Botanical Society, I was lamenting that I had gotten a Horticulture degree
instead of the Education degree I sought when I first entered college.
During my stint as one of the first gardening interns at DABS, now simply
called the Dallas Arboretum, I was reading some great books on children
and education, such as Dibs, In Search of Self by Virginia M. Axline,
and How Children Fail, and How Children Learn, by the wise father of real
education, John Holt. I was busy wishing I were a teacher, when I ran
into a volunteer at the Arboretum who was also a teacher at The Lamplighter
School, a private elementary school in Dallas. Lo, and behold! They needed
a "Farm and Garden" teacher! Thus began my five-year teaching experience
with 3 to 10-year-olds. Planting seeds and making compost and finding
insects are such a delight when shared in the company of little people!
I believe that little people, for the most part, are born with an affinity
for nature. It is especially important when they are young that we preserve
their love of nature and encourage it to stay with them for their entire
lives. This is one of the most valuable things we can do for all of the
little people in our lives. How we react to our own children and young
family members, as well as the children we see in the park or our neighborhood,
influences not only their future, but our future. Whether they are sniffing
a flower or pulling on a tree limb, we can respond to children with our
own curiosity and compassion for nature, and it often becomes contagious.
The two biggest detriments, however, to a child's innate curiosity about
nature is an overemphasis on not getting dirty, and a fear of insects
or other fears of nature. Getting dirty and wet and making mud pies and
the like are an important part of childhood. Likewise, there are so many
harmless insects that are most interesting to watch! Pill bugs seem to
be a common subject of childhood play, as are earthworms, lightning bugs,
and ground beetles. Playing with such insects provides a wonderful opportunity
to teach compassion and respect for life. (I cringe to think of how the
neighborhood boys would smear lightning bugs - fireflies - on their shirts
just to watch their shirt glow!) Having the regular opportunity to play
- without an agenda - in a chemical-free yard or natural area is likewise
imperative. We may have to honestly admit our own fears about certain
aspects of nature to our children, but we can also try not to impart that
fear. For example, perhaps we can try to transform our surprise and alarm
over an insect landing on our arm from "Oh, my!" to "Oh, my! How interesting!"
In the early '90s, I worked with high school students from the harsh
neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. They were more afraid
of the woods ("Are there bears in here?") than their crack-ridden streets.
They had more familiarity with concrete than with trees and soil. Of course,
we fear most what we do not understand. However, after working with our
crew of forest restoration technicians for one summer, these young men
and women developed a rapport with the forest, and one gentleman decided
to focus his future studies and career in the environmental field.
There is a good article entitled "Kids in the Wild" in the May/June
2002 issue of Body & Soul magazine. It is described on the cover as
"Kids and Nature - from 'Yuck' to 'Yes!'" There are also a number of books
available containing great ideas and instruction in exploring nature and
gardening with children, for pro and novice alike. A few that we have
in stock at our store, as of this writing, are Roots, Shoots, Buckets
and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy, The Children's Kitchen Garden by Georgeanne
and Ethel Brennan, Grow Your Own Pizza by Constance Hardesty, and Keeper
of the Earth and Keeper of Life by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac.
With or without children, someday I want to plant my own "Sunflower House"
- with its sunflower walls and morning glory ceilings - as described in
Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots. What fun!
Saving water and playing in the water this summer do not have to be
mutually exclusive activities. No matter our age, summer is a time for
play, for exploration, and for revering the bounty of natural life that
sustains us. May we all usher in the season of summer this month with
activities that nurture life and all of its abundance. Enjoy!
|
8648
Old Bee Cave Road
Stacey
(Rosina) Newton is a graduate of the Texas A&M University (Aggieland)
Horticulture Department, class of 1984, and has been in the environmental/horticulture
field ever since. She learned everything she knows about organic gardening
while working at The Natural Gardener, starting in 1997.