Posts Tagged ‘soil’

 

Now is the time to buy nematodes…

The warm weather is almost here. Time to care and show off your lawn. We are reposting one of our most read blog post, giving you great advice to achieve the best looking lawn of the season!

Following our blog last week, we received several  emails asking what nematodes  actually look like.  Here are a few pictures.  Keep those inquiries coming!

 

 

Nematodes- Steinernema carpocapsae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nematodes Heterorhabditis bacteriophora

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nematodes Steinernema feltiae

 

Now is the time to buy nematodes…

The warm weather is almost here. Time to care and show off your lawn. We are reposting one of our most read blog post, giving you great advice to achieve the best looking lawn of the season!

Hi folks!  Welcome back for the scoop on how beneficial nematodes work. Beneficial nematodes are natural organisms that seek out destructive lawn grubs.

The battle that takes place below the soil line rivals any horror or sci-fi movie.  Refresher – beneficial nematodes are effective in controlling Japanese Beetle, European Chafer and June Beetle grubs (grubs are the larval stage of the beetles). Grubs chew the roots of grass plants as they make their way to the surface to prepare for their emergence as adults.  Brown patches on the lawn, turf that can be lifted easily, and signs of digging skunks are all indicators that these invaders are making short order of your grass.

Nematodes, once introduced into the lawn, seek out grubs by detecting carbon dioxide, excretory products and temperature changes from the grubs.  Talk about a sophisticated radar system! The grubs don’t have a chance!

The third larval stage of the nematode enters the grub through a body opening – mouth, spiracles, anus – get the picture?  It’s not a pretty one.  Some species can also pierce the body wall of the grub. These are war games – and nematodes have the upper hand!

Once the nematodes have set up ‘housekeeping’ inside the grub, they release bacteria into the body of the grub host.  These bacteria break down the body tissue inside the grub – providing ‘grub soup’ for the young nematodes.  When the nematodes reach a certain level of maturity, they exit the body of the grub and move on to a new host – and so the battle continues!  Thank goodness they’re on our side!

The key to successful control is time and method of application.

Stay tuned for: Part 3 – Successful Application of Beneficial Nematodes

To continue with our recent blogs about caring for indoor plants, today’s post provides a few simple and concrete suggestions for tending to African violets.

Where to keep the plant

• The plant needs a lot of natural or artificial light, but should never be exposed to direct sunlight
• African violets thrive when surrounded by plants of the same kind
• The plant likes to be kept in a small pot; it can grow to be three times larger than the pot.
• Once a week turn the plant around or change its place so that the light does not always fall on the same spot

Watering

• Water the plant every seven days using water at room temperature.
• Do not overwater
• Pour water into the bottom plate three times out of four and into the pot from above once every four times, taking care not to moisten the leaves
• Be sure to check the watering: if there is excess water in the bottom plate an hour after watering the plant, you gave it too much water. Remove excess water
• The plant may need a bit more water during the summer

Nutrition

• You may nourish the plant with liquid vitamins (SCHULTZ brand for African violets) – except when in flower- giving the recommended dose of 7 drops per liter of water. Use vitamins once or twice a month except in August, a month during which the plant should rest

Leaves and flowers

• Any leaves showing brown spots should be removed
• White pigmentation spots are not harmful
• Once the plant has flowered, carefully remove the dried stem and flower down by the root

Repotting

• Be sure to stir the soil well before repotting.  Once or twice a year, change the soil, taking care not to disturb the roots. Use the following mix: half of the mix should be FAFARD soil for indoor plants (no additives) and the other half FAFARD soil for African violets
• Always use clean pots
• Plastic pots are preferable to clay pots which retain too moisture.
• It is important to put the plant in a different place in the house

If you have more pointers to add, send them along!

Photos: http://www.creativecommons.org/

It’s that time of year again.  The days are getting shorter and temperatures are dropping.  Now is the time to bring your tender plants inside for a winter rest.  After all, they have worked very hard for you all summer.  Remember: tender plants are plants that cannot survive frost or freezing temperatures. 

The advantage of preparing and storing your favorite plants is not just economic; you may be fond of a particular flower colour and want to ensure you have an endless supply for your garden year after year. 

The actual calendar date that you bring these plants in will depend on the seasonal temperature changes and frost dates in your area. 

Important things to remember: 

1. Check plants very carefully for signs of pests-if you have had aphids over the summer-don’t bring them in – aphids will come back to haunt you.
2. If you are over wintering the whole plant (annual Geranium, for example), remove existing garden soil and pot up in fresh soilless mix.  Trim back the root system and the stems-the plant will experience some transplant shock, so it’s best to reduce the size.
3. Isolate plants for at least 2 weeks -if pests emerge you want to protect your other house plants from becoming infested.
4. If you are digging up tubers or corms, cut back the top growth, remove the soil from the root systems and dry out on newspapers first before storing in a cool, dark area.

See the links below for more specifics on propagation and storage of a variety of plants: 

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/overwintering-tender-plants.aspx 

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=337 

http://gardening.about.com/od/floweringbulbs/a/StoringBulbs.htm 

For more details, check out the photos below: 

Annual Geranium – There are a variety of ways annual geraniums can be over wintered – you can remove the soil and hang the plant up in a cool dark place, repot and bring in the home, or, take stem cuttings for new plants.
Photo property of Biofloris 

Canna Lily – The Canna Lily is a tuberous root which does not survive our cold winters.  Dig up before frost, cut back to about 5”, and dry out on newspapers-cleaning off most of the soil before storing on a tray.  Mist occasionally to prevent desiccation.
Photo from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Coleus or Flame Nettle – Taking cuttings is your best bet here.  Take a 4”-6” stem cutting, making sure you cut about 1’4” below a leaf node.  Remove the lower leaves and place in water until roots appear.
Photo property of Biofloris 

Tuberous Begonia – Before frost, dig up your plants and clean off the soil.  Cut off the top growth and let the tubers dry for a few days before storing in dry peat moss or sawdust in a paper bag . Mist the sawdust or peat moss very lightly to provide the slightest hint of moisture-too much moisture will encourage fungal growth.
Photo from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The urban gardener can easily get an idea of the soil composition in their garden with a simple at home test.

To determine the percentage of sand, silt and clay, take several samples from the garden in the top few inches of soil.  Use a trowel and just ‘take a slice’.  Aim for a total of about a cup and a half of soil.

Mix the composite sample thoroughly in a bucket. Lay the soil on newspapers and let it dry out.  Remove stones, sticks and debris and break up the larger clumps of soil.  Place one cup of the dried soil and two cups of water in a litre size glass jar and shake vigorously for five minutes.  Place the jar on a level surface and let it remain undisturbed for 48 hours.

Voila!  Like magic, your soil particles will separate and settle into layers resembling a chocolate parfait. The sand particles will settle at the bottom of the jar.  The silt particles will settle on top of the sand and the clay – which takes the longest time to settle – will form the top layer.  Organic matter will float in the water.

By observing the depth of the various layers the gardener can determine how much organic matter they need to add to increase or reduce the speed of water drainage in the garden beds.  A sandy soil will require much more organic matter than a soil with high clay content.

“Plant Health Care” is a pro-active or best practices approach to developing and maintaining a healthy and productive garden.

The basic concepts of Plant Health Care are: 

1)                 Selecting the right plant for the right location. Choose plant material that is a ‘good fit’ for your garden. All plants have specific light, soil and water requirements.  Getting your plants off to a good start will prevent future headaches.   

2)                 Water deeply once a week. One to two inches of water per week is recommended if there is no rainfall.  Frequent and shallow watering is detrimental to the root system. Roots have ‘memory’ and will remain shallow unless you force them to search for water in the deeper layers of the soil.

3)                 Garden sanitation. Weed and remove spent flower heads regularly. Decaying plant tissue is a perfect medium for fungal spores, and weeds will compete for available water and nutrients.

4)                 Provide good air circulation.  Pests and diseases can spread like wildfire if plants are crowded together – allow your plants the space they deserve.

5)                 Correct Pruning. The removal of diseased, damaged or dead wood does not just improve the architectural form of the plant. Fungal diseases can establish themselves very easily in damaged wood, while wounds in bark and ragged branch cuts are prime real estate for insects to lay eggs.

6)                 Amend your soil. Add organic matter every season to your soil.  This will prevent compaction, regulate soil temperature and retain moisture in the root zone.

By Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

Great garden soil is more critical to overall plant health than anything else.  Soil is a living complex teeming with micro-organisms just ready to do their jobs.  A healthy soil can contain millions of beneficial bacteria, funguses, protozoa and nematodes – you get the picture. This complex food web is responsible for making nutrients more available to plants – and we all want healthy plants! How do we get and maintain a strong soil food web?  Adding organic amendments such as compost or manure is the key. Soil is composed of sand, silt and clay in various amounts – in other words – mineral components.  The addition of organic amendments pushes mineral soil particles apart to create pore spaces; increases moisture retention, encourages the growth of beneficial micro-organisms and helps transfer critical nutrients to root systems. If your soil is compacted, the roots have a tough time moving through the soil to access water. Adding soil amendments to your garden beds in the spring and fall creates an environment for your plants that encourages strong root systems, increased plant vigor, and reduces the incidence of pests and diseases.  Top dress flower beds with 1” to 2” of organic matter, or aim to have a ratio of 1/3 organic matter to 2/3 soil in shrub beds.

Remember – your plants can’t pick themselves up and walk away if they don’t like where they live – it’s up to you to provide a healthy environment – and it starts with your soil.