An acquaintance of mine (not coincidentally, an irrigation supplier) brought to my attention a recent editorial from USA today by Laura Vanderkam, entitled ‘’Out of Fashion: Green Lawns.” http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-08-17-column17_ST_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip#uslPageReturn The basic premise of the editorial is that we Americans are ruining the environment by maintaining lawns. Now, to be sure, there is plenty of room for improvement in lawn and landscape maintenance, particularly in terms of water management and pesticide use. But, for better or worse, Americans love their lawns. … Continue reading this article “Is brown the new green?”
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Balanced Fertilizer and Peak Phosphorus
When I first started reading extension recommendations for plants around 15 years ago now, I read a lot about “balanced fertilizers”. Today I still see balanced fertilizers recommended, but not nearly as frequently, which is a good thing.
At this point you may be asking yourself “what is a balanced fertilizer?” A balanced fertilizer is one that has three numbers on its label which are the same — such as a 10-10-10 or a 14-14-14 (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are the three nutrients indicated by
these numbers). … Continue reading this article “Balanced Fertilizer and Peak Phosphorus”
Restoration ecologists – you need us! Part 2.
Last month Linda posted on the need for horticultural knowledge for those trying to restore native habitats or at least establish native plants. There seems to be a pervasive notion that if we plant natives all we have to do is stick them in the ground and walk away. They’re native, right? Don’t need irrigation; don’t need fertilizer; all that good jazz. Well, often there is lot more to it than that.
A case in point. … Continue reading this article “Restoration ecologists – you need us! Part 2.”
The importance of knowing your plants
One of the first courses a horticulture student takes is plant materials, or, in the case of a forestry student, dendrology. Why? Pretty simple; it’s hard to select plants if you don’t know what they are and what they’ll do in the landscape. Of course, the classic example is a large tree or shrub planted in a tight spot that eventually devours an entire house. But we usually don’t have to look too far to find situations where a homeowner or landscaper clearly had no idea what plant he or she was dealing with. … Continue reading this article “The importance of knowing your plants”
Jicama (The Yam Bean)
Every once in awhile I get the urge to try and find something interesting in old literature, and today was one of those days. So I went over to my pile of old “Journal of Economic Entomology” journals and snatched a 1943 issue from the top. The pest issues that we had to deal with during the war years were interesting because resources were tight — we had DDT (and lead arsenate), but all of it was going to the front to protect our soldiers from lice. … Continue reading this article “Jicama (The Yam Bean)”
Want an organic source of nitrogen that isn’t shipped from halfway across the world? Urine luck
There are lots of organic fertilizers out there: Fish emulsions, corn gluten meal, guano. Many of these fertilizers (all that I listed above with the exception of the guano) are by-products of some other industry. Still, they need to be shipped from somewhere to somewhere to get to our garden and so they cost energy — and of course they cost us money. But there is a high nitrogen fertilizer that you can use which doesn’t come from a long way away, and that’s pee. … Continue reading this article “Want an organic source of nitrogen that isn’t shipped from halfway across the world? Urine luck”
Questions on sustainability
Linda’s recent post on the sustainability of topiaries got me to thinking, is any horticultural practice sustainable? And, does it matter?
Picking up on the topiary theme I thought of the ultimate form of tree manipulation, bonsai. I few years ago I visited the National Arboretum in Washington DC, which includes an incredible bonsai display. Some of the bonsai specimens in the collection originated in Japan and are over 300 years old. Is 300 years long enough to consider this a sustainable practice? … Continue reading this article “Questions on sustainability”
An interesting blog for science-loving oenophiles
There’s a new blog already generating a lot of discussion among wine aficionados. The not-so-subtly named “Biodynamics is a hoax” discusses all things related to Rudolph Steiner and his philosophies, including the pseudoscience of biodynamics.
Garden seminar coming to a place near you?
I just got back from British Columbia where I spoke to 2 garden club/Master Gardener groups. It’s always easy for me to do seminars in BC or along the west coast, but I rarely get a chance to go elsewhere. Many times it’s the expense that keeps groups, especially garden clubs and nonprofits, from bringing in speakers.
So here’s my idea: I keep a gift account budget here at WSU with the donations people make towards my educational program. … Continue reading this article “Garden seminar coming to a place near you?”
What’s old is new again
While the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) continues to expand in the upper Midwest (see http://www.emeraldashborer.info/files/MultiState_EABpos.pdf for a current infestation map), EAB is old news here in Michigan, especially in the southeastern part of the state. Efforts to restore urban and community forest canopy lost to EAB will continue, however, for the foreseeable future. In 2003 we established an Ash Alternative Arboretum MSU Tollgate Education Center in Novi, MI – which is near ‘Ground Zero’ for the EAB infestation in North America.… Continue reading this article “What’s old is new again”