Way back in 2010 (and then again in 2012) I wrote about a bizarre belief that cornmeal could be used to treat fungal diseases, from lawn spot to athlete’s foot. Rather than rehash what’s already been written, I’ll invite readers to read those posts for background. And of course look at the comments, which are…interesting.
The weird thing is that this post from 2010 is the single most popular post on the blog. (Our stats are only for the last two years since we migrated the web site – who knows how many there were before May 2017?)… Continue reading this article “Cornmeal magic – the myth that will not die”
Category: Uncategorized
Bare Rooting – a guest post from a commercial landscaper
Today’s blog post is courtesy of Mary Blockberger of Sechelt, BC. As you’ll see, Mary and I go way back. I thought it was important to our ongoing discussion to see how the industry can use the root-washing technique effectively and economically. Here’s Mary:
“Before I began managing the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden in Sechelt, BC I had a small residential landscaping company. By small, I mean that I was the employee of the month every month of the year! … Continue reading this article “Bare Rooting – a guest post from a commercial landscaper”
Amending Soils—Why??
I think the blog and garden professors web page is pretty full of research and benefit descriptions of mulching, particularly with arborist chips. A little less clear is the role of amendments in garden soils. I always like to ask the “why” questions for gardening practices. Like “why” prune trees? Why fertilize, etc? Ideally gardening practices should be founded on a basis of science and inquiry as to their necessity. Poor structure early structural training or a damaged canopy may prompt tree pruning, mineral nutrient deficiency symptoms may suggest
fertilization.… Continue reading this article “Amending Soils—Why??”
Plant Control to Major Tom(ato): The Art of Spacing Out Your Plants
“Why don’t you just plant it up against the house,” piped my mother-in-law. She was talking about a run-of-the-mill “old fashioned lilac” that we had received in the mail for our donation to Arbor Day. While I don’t necessarily think of the organized tn as a source of high-quality or novel plants, I felt beholden to make a donation since it was founded and is still located in Nebraska (and we have visited the Arbor Lodge, home to founder J.… Continue reading this article “Plant Control to Major Tom(ato): The Art of Spacing Out Your Plants”
Problems with Planting Trees
Ok. I admit this blog is going to turn into a rant pretty quick because there seems to be a lot of ways to screw up a fairly simple horticultural practice—tree planting. Since Arbor days are happening/happened everywhere around now, its a good time to talk about how to plant trees. First let me state some simple and useful guidelines for a successful tree planting.
-When at all possible, plant trees bare-root. Even washing the container media away.… Continue reading this article “Problems with Planting Trees”
Understanding the mysteries of plant diseases: Prevention, Control and Cure (Part 3 of 3 in this blog series)
Understanding the mysteries of plant diseases: Prevention, Control and Cure (Part 3 of 3 in this blog series)
What next?
You’ve done your research and made a diagnosis—now what? Sometimes the plant has to be removed and never planted there again. Start over, do something else.
Controlling plant pathogens or abiotic disorders can be daunting, frustrating, even impossible. As I mentioned in the last blog early detection gives more options for control because the disease has not advanced to a degree where it can not be controlled.… Continue reading this article “Understanding the mysteries of plant diseases: Prevention, Control and Cure (Part 3 of 3 in this blog series)”
Feel the Heat: Temperature and Germination
In most parts of the country it is time to dust off the seed starting trays, pick out your favorite seeds, and get a little plant propagation going on. There’s definitely a lot of science (and perhaps a bit of art) to successful seed starting. While the process starts (and relies on) the imbibition of water, one of the biggest factors that affects the success, efficiency, and speed of seed germination and propagation is temperature. … Continue reading this article “Feel the Heat: Temperature and Germination”
Understanding mysteries of plant diseases: Diagnosis and Detection (Part 2 of 3 in this blog series)
Something is wrong?
Do you ever have a feeling that there is something wrong with a plant? It’s just not healthy looking, or it has not grown for awhile? As we discussed in the last blog, disease is a process–it occurs over time. When in the disease time-line you notice the process, can be quite varied. Some astute gardeners may know something is wrong before there are symptoms, others may not take notice of the process until the plant is dead.… Continue reading this article “Understanding mysteries of plant diseases: Diagnosis and Detection (Part 2 of 3 in this blog series)”
Tuning up for Pruning Up–Care, Maintenance and Utilization of Hand Pruning Tools
A. J. Downer
Fall is passing into winter and the bare sticks in my deciduous fruit orchard are calling to my annual fruit tree pruning chores. I can prune my entire orchard with very few tools: a good pair of bypass clippers, a similar set of loppers
(optional) and a high quality “razor” or “tri edge” saw. Most hand tools require some maintenance especially the clippers and loppers. Clippers are easily sharpened but modern saw blades can not be sharpened by gardeners.… Continue reading this article “Tuning up for Pruning Up–Care, Maintenance and Utilization of Hand Pruning Tools”
Grow Garlic – Keep the Neighborhood Vampires at Bay
While most of those gardening tasks are coming to an end, in most parts of the US it’s time to think about planting a few things in the veggie garden to bring a flavorful bounty next year – garlic (and a few related alliums).
I often reference Halloween and vampires when I talk about garlic, not just because traditional lore says that garlic repels vampires, but because it is a good reminder of when to plant garlic in the garden.… Continue reading this article “Grow Garlic – Keep the Neighborhood Vampires at Bay”