This is the beginning of our third year. We have seen a dramatic increase in visitors to our website. More then 10,000 hits go directly to our Newsletter. I guess that means that I am doing something good for the organic movement.
There is one thing that bothers me. I get very few responses. I do not know if I am covering the topics that YOU want. And if I do, am I being as thorough as I should be?
As time goes on, I know I will run out of material, my brain can only hold so much. I have been lucky enough to have several guest writers, some who asked to do an article and some whom I have asked. To these people I would like to say thanks.
I have had many offers from people who want to proof my writings. But, by the time I finish it is time to go online. So, unless I get more organized you will have to put up with my grammar or lack of.
The good news is that through our website, a master gardener's club at a local airbase has requested that GreenSense Products be carried at the base' post exchange. Because both the Army and Air Force were already set up to purchase through a national lawn and garden wholesaler, GreenSense Products should be available shortly to independent garden center owners in your area. We will let you know the details once everything is up and running. When that happens, you can help us by asking your local, independent garden center owner to pressure the wholesaler to carry the GreenSense line.
I will let you know when you can do this.
On Christmas Day, I am driving my family to Carlsbad Caverns, NM. My son, Victor, is thrilled with the idea of going through the caverns. My daughter, Assisi, is not. Sandra says that she will wait for us at the hotel. From there we continue to Sedona, AZ and then Williams. In Williams we will take a train, on New Years Eve to the Grand Canyon, where we will spend the night. After that we head on back to Dallas.
I wish everyone Happy Holiday’s and a safe and uneventful (no Y2K problems) New Year.
Things to Do in December
There is nothing more frustrating then laying down comfortably on the coach, feet propped up, a warm popcorn bowl resting on your chest, and then you hear the phone ring… and the next thing you know your wife is looking down on you. "The Smith’s just called, they want to come by around 5:00 to leave off a Christmas gift and the flower beds are tacky looking. Run over to Rohde’s and get some pansies. HURRY!" In shock, not yet realizing that your wife just screamed at you, you leave all the comforts of your couch for the sake of unfinished chores. Before you become a couch potato there are still something’s to do in the garden. These chores will help protect your plants from freezes and your pocketbook from unnecessary expenses next spring.
Planting Trees and Shrubs
When I bought my house last year I knew that the three 15 year old Yaupon Trees were in the wrong place. They were way to tall and cramped into very tight locations that they were becoming deformed. One of them was blocking the panoramic view from a large window and was also blocking the warm winter sun rays so we decided to move these large trees to more open and appropriate locations in the yard. In their place I will plant smaller more colorful deciduous plants, that will not block any views, will let the sun shine in and not have to be trimmed on a regular basis to protect the eve or roof of the house. By transplanting I am saving money, keeping mature plants and highlighting specific areas of my landscape with specimen plants.
So now you know that the Fall and early winter are the best times for planting or transplanting trees, perennials and shrubs. All plants will suffer a minimum amount of transplant shock when moved at this time. Before transplanting shrubs be sure that the bed is ready to receive the transplant. If planting into a bed have enough compost and other soil additives mixed into the existing soil. Prepare the new planting soil about twice as large as the root system of the plant being planted or transplanted. Be sure to set the plant at the same level as it was previously growing. Large trees or shrubs should be staked to protect them from wind-whipping during strong winter wind storms.
Bulbs
There still is time to plant bulbs of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and the other spring flowering bulbs. Prepare the soil by mixing the correct amount of bulb fertilizer; soil dust and organic humus with your existing soil. Plant the bulbs approximately three times deeper than the greatest diameter of the bulb. For example, a crocus bulb with an average one inch diameter should be planted three inches deep.
Weeds
Take time to pull or cultivate weeds that are growing in all parts of the garden before they flower and go to seed again this winter. Otherwise, you will be fighting those weed seed for many years to come.
Lawn Fertilizing
The first part of December is considered one of the best times of the entire year for fertilizing the lawn. If moss is a problem in the lawn choose a brand of lawn fertilizer that has a moss control product added, so you can accomplish both projects with one easy application. Fertilize lawns if you did not do so in November. Apply one pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet using a slow-release formulation with a 3-1-2 ratio.
Pruning
December is a good month to prune stone fruits like cherries, plums, prunes and peaches. Apples, pears and other trees and shrubs can be pruned later this winter, after the holidays. Delay pruning roses until late February or early March.
Taking Cuttings
Now is a good time to take cuttings of evergreens, including heathers, rhododendrons, azaleas, etc. Take the cutting from new established tip growth. Keep the cuttings indoors in a spot with bright light, where temperatures range near seventy degrees during the day and night.
Watering
It is especially important to check the plants under tall evergreens and under the eaves of the house to see that they have sufficient moisture. In many cases the plants in these locations are just about bone dry, And, the lack of moisture and cold winter weather can be fatal to many of these plants, The plants in most other parts of garden now have received enough moisture from fall rains to survive quite well, so every effort should be made to conserve water. Check planting beneath roof overhangs and water if the soil is dry.
Winter Plant Protection
Should the weather turn really cold all of a sudden like it has in the past, it would be a good idea to provide some special protection to tender or early flowering plants like, camellias, and annual color. One of the best ways to provide this protection is to simply cover the plants with some type of cloth material. First place three of four stakes around the plant then drape the burlap, old blanket or other cloth type material over the stakes so it does not come into direct contact with the leaves of the plant, This covering is only left in place during the cold spell, as soon as the weather moderates, remove the covering completely.
Composting
Fallen leaves and unused plant parts should be added to the compost pile to help make compost humus for use in next years garden. Keep compost piles from becoming water logged by covering with plastic tarps. Turn pile before covering.
Dormant Spraying
November, December, January and early February are the months to apply dormant spray to help control over-wintering insects and diseases on deciduous trees and shrubs. Liquid lime-sulfur and oil spray combinations are usually used for this seasonal spraying. Specialists usually recommend that dormant sprays be applied three times during the winter, with the first application being made in November, the second in December and the third in late January or early February about the time the new growth buds begin to break-open. There is no need to spray any of these types of plants if there has been no insect or disease problems this past season. Protect peach trees from peach leaf curl. Dormant sulfur or copper fungicides are ideal with the first application made at the end of December. If the weather is cold, the second and third applications can be timed at 4-week intervals. If the weather is warm 3-week intervals between applications will be more effective.
Fertilizing Trees
Because trees flower, produce foliage or fruit in the spring it is very important to ensure that they have proper nutrition. If we mimic Mother Nature’s care for trees that grow in forest or areas where the leaves fall and breakdown to become organic matter for the soil, then we would fertilize once a year, in the fall.
A flowering or fruit tree may need more frequent fertilizing then other trees to ensure proper production and health of the tree.
As homeowners we can apply the fertilizer in a dry form by using There are two main methods of applying fertilizer to trees. The fertilizer can be applied as chicken feed and sowing the fertilizer as evenly as possible or by using as fertilizer spreader. Howard Garrett recommends applying organic matter over the soil and then punch the soil with a large section of PVC pipe attached to a watering hose.
As you stab the soil you force the organic matter into the root system of the tree as well as aerate the soil.
You can also use your power drill and attach a Landscape Auger to it. Even though the augers may be 16 inches long or more, you only need to drill down four to eight inches. Starting just inside the drip line and working away from the tree drill holes about two or three feet apart. Apply the fertilizer at recommended rates and water thoroughly.
What to Use
Referring back to Howard Garret’s recommendations for fertilizing trees we should use:
Texas Greensand for the potassium and iron content, Lava Sand for magnesium, sulfur, for moisture retention and cation exchange, Corn Meal to help combat disease and promote microbial activity.
If you add GreenSense All Purpose fertilizers as your nitrogen source, to the above, you will also be applying: Zeolite, molasses, yeast and other micronutients derived from the organic matter included in the production of this fertilizer.
What Not to Use
Syntethic Fertilizers, specially those that contain herbicides. A major cause for tree damage or death in residential lawns.
Fertilizer stakes may be convenient to use but provide nutrients to a small area for a large amount of money.
How Much to Apply
The amount of fertilizer to use is normally stated on the bag under Directions For Use. However, when you use molasses, corn meal, cottonseed meal or other products normally used in animal feed recommend application rate is 10 to 20 pounds per 1000 square feet.
Nitrogen in synthetic fertilizers determines the recommend weight per 1000 square feet. I won’t get into that since we do not recommend these products.
Go to the North side of the tree and measure the length of the canopy. Go to the West side and repeat the process. Even though this will not give you the diameter of the canopy, it will save you the hassle of pulling out the old calculus books, and be close enough to give you the square footage so that you can determine the amount of product necessary to apply.
Treasure or Trash
by Carol Feldman
The trailer wheels were almost flat with the load. But we were ecstatic! We envisioned this load of used pegboard sheets covering the walls of our unfinished garage. It would be the insulated, cozy, garage workspace that we needed. In addition, we would be saving the space in the landfill by recycling these building materials. This was the spring of 1987.
Recently, I met with other concerned individuals who wanted to learn about sustainable building techniques and sustainable urban landscapes. The conference, "Building for the new Millennium—Energy Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Homes", was packed full of information and flamed my desires to do what I could as an individual. Of course, I design landscapes with Native Texas Plants, recycle products from the landscape, use organic gardening techniques, and low water use.
At my home, however, it was time to clean out the attic and the garage. (Greg Rohde wanted me to point out at this time that I probably couldn’t get my car into the garage anymore. I only laughed, this garage was so full that it was hard to walk through, let alone get a car in there.)
I admit it. I am a pack rat person. I save stuff. "I only save things that I might want to use—later. "The other part of this story is that I do reuse much of what I keep, but not until I need it, of course. Other things I find new homes for, just like I would find a new home for a stray dog.
This time the attic/ garage cleaning was a two-weekend job.
By 1991, it probably was evident to our friends that the pegboard was not going to make it onto the walls of the garage. In our minds, however, the pegboard was still valuable. We took one sheet of the pegboard out to the street with a sign: Pegboard, 20-25 pieces, $40." At the end of the day, with not one inquiry, we took our precious pegboard back to the garage.
The first weekend we cleaned out boxes, boxes and more boxes. Old computer boxes, stereo boxes, camera boxes, more stereo boxes, more computer boxes, a computer box with an old 512K Macintosh computer inside (cute little thing), speaker boxes, and the list goes on. Of course each of these boxes included Styrofoam pieces and peanuts to hold the equipment in place. Other things in the attic were set aside for a garage sale: an answering machine, sheets, towels, a wicker bathroom shelf, metal storage boxes and old suitcases.
I have to admit that I was so tired by the end of the day, that I just set everything out for a bulk trash pick-up. Fortunately, before the bulk truck arrived, the Dallas recycling day rolled around. I spent fifteen minutes on that morning, breaking down the cardboard boxes and putting the Styrofoam into bags. At the end of the day, only four small bags remained, the recycling truck had taken 90% of the pile. The remainder fit into my regular trash receptacle.
"Maybe we can sell the pegboard by selling it by the piece." On that fall 1994 Sunday morning, we put one piece of pegboard out on the curb with a sign: "$1 per piece," by afternoon the $1 was crossed out and $.50 was written in it’s place. At the end of the day, most of the pegboard remained in the garage.
By the second weekend of attic and garage cleaning we were sorting "real stuff" Dishes, a two drawer file cabinet, almost new shoes, a computer printer, sheets, towels, an oversized room rug, toasters, blenders, and a host of other items. Great garage sale stuff. But we had enough, after sorting for two weekends; we were not going to spend the next weekend hosting a garage sale. Where to recycle these treasures? After a couple of phone calls, we found that The Salvation Army was open to receive items on Sunday from 1-5 pm. My pickup was piled high. These were people, who would make use of the shoes, repair the appliances and value our treasures as if they were their own.
In our Oak Cliff neighborhood, we have a gentleman who watches the bulk trash piles for "really good stuff". "We hired him to do some work around the house. But before he was gone from the premises, I offered him my treasure, "come look at this pegboard, you can have it all if you want." That was just last year.
Late on Sunday afternoon, we get back from the Salvation Army, "We have to load it and go, the transfer station closes at 5 pm." Will they take it or consider it building materials? The bulk transfer station accepts a homeowner’s trash but they have a rule against building materials. We load and arrive at the transfer station at 4:45. Six pickups in front of us and none are entering the station. A tractor is clearing the building area. Ten minutes passes. Our truck is in line, but outside the gates. Finally, the first pickup is allowed into the dumping area. We watch closely, are they turning away trucks with illegal bounty? Slowly we make our way to the front of the line. No questions asked. We take our place and start unloading the pegboard. An attendant is standing close by; will he stop us before we finish unloading? The last piece of pegboard slides out of the pickup bed. I re-enter the pick-up cab and offer a ‘high five.’ "Yes."
We had stored the pegboard for 12 years. This item made the transformation from "treasure" to "trash." I am glad that it is gone. Recycling the pegboard would have been my preference.
Maybe I should have tried the "Pass it On" in the Home Section of the Friday issues of the Dallas Morning News.
Call your cities Trash Collection Department and find out if they have a recycle program. You will be surprised at how few cities do not recycle.
Introduction to George Branning, MD
The following is an article written for us by a frequent visitor and customer of Rohde’s. George has been kind enough to keep me informed on new findings of how pesticides are effecting our lives. His insight and desire to share this important information prompted me to ask him to write an article for our Newsletter.
Treating Your Soil
George Branning, M.D.
Proof and the Pudding
In 1890, Robert Koch, a German microbiologist came up with his four famous postulates that would prove whether agent "A" causes disease "B". 1. The agent must be present in every case of the disease. 2. The agent must be isolated from the diseased host and be grown in pure culture. 3. Inoculation with this isolated agent reproduces the disease. 4. The same agent is recoverable from the newly infected host. Of course, he was dealing with bacteria, specifically Bacillus anthraces, the cause of anthrax. These one hundred year old laws of microbiology are still valid...when you are speaking of bacteria. But not all infectious diseases, let alone all disease states are caused by bacteria. There are viruses, and even smaller infectious particles, called prions, which are thought to be the culprits of mad cow disease for example, that do not lend themselves to Koch’s Postulates very well at all.
It is easy to loathe bacteria, viruses and fungi, and equally easy to accept that some of them make us ill. Their connection to disease is usually cut and dried. M. tuberculosis causes TB; the rhinovirus causes the common cold; Candida albicans causes athletes foot. As a physician, I am fairly able to control these organisms with an arsenal of antibiotics, antivirals and antifungals. Of course, I may also be contributing to resistant organisms by prescribing these medicines. How easy is it to accept that something makes us ill when that connection is not so obvious? What if exposure leads to disease in years instead of days? How ready are we to accept responsibility when we manufacture the cause and readily expose ourselves to its effects? One would think that awareness of a substance’s link to disease would be all that is necessary to stop the use of that product. But look at tobacco. More than thirty years after the Surgeon General linked smoking with lung cancer, people still smoke. In fact there has been a surge in new smokers, especially among teenagers. Denial is a powerful defense mechanism.
Can we link exposure to pesticides and herbicides to disease? The EPA has done it numerous times. They have banned numerous synthetic toxins from use in the United States due to the dangers they hold. We know for a fact that these substances can do incredible harm in the environment. The Great Lakes and the Mississippi River have been proving grounds for the dangers of organophosphates to the fauna. So a few fish die, and a few birds get close to extinction. So what? Humans aren’t vulnerable, right? Wrong!
There is mounting evidence that a class of substances exist that mimic the actions of hormones in animals, including Man. They turn on, alter, or switch off the receptors of certain hormones in the body. Hormones are the way the body communicates with itself. During fetal development, these signals are crucial for proper timing and formation of all the body’s systems including neurological, reproductive and skeletal tissues. These mimics are called Endocrine Disruptors (ED’s) and your EPA acknowledges their existence and their potential dangers. Go to the EPA's website and search for ED’s. Hopefully it will frighten you into action. You should also read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and Our Stolen Future by Colborn, Dumanoski and Myers. These are primers in environmental awareness. Both have been blasted by critics and heralded by activists, but this only shows that the information in these books have hit a nerve in the organiphobes. If you want proof that these compounds exist, the best documented evidence of ED’s took place over forty years ago. The subjects were pregnant women and their female offspring. DES (Diethylstilbestrol) was given to women who had a history of miscarriage, or had threatened a miscarriage. It was used to prevent pregnancy loss. It was found to have one major problem. A large percentage of female babies who were exposed to DES in utero were born with reproductive tract abnormalities. Some had a malformed uterus that rendered them incapable of holding a pregnancy to term, while others got a rare, but specific form of vaginal cancer. What is the mechanism? Although DES only remotely looks like estrogen on the molecular level, it triggers the estrogen receptor at a high rate, and that interferes with the developing child’s reproductive embryology. I have had several "DES Daughters" as patients and you cannot help but feel frustrated that these otherwise healthy women have had their reproductive futures stolen from them even before they were born. No one knew any better when their mothers were given these medicines, but its tragic just the same.
It is a fact that laboratory animals exposed to organophosphate pesticides have higher than normal rates of neoplasms (tumors), immunological diseases, stillbirths and birth defects. It is a fact that, in nature, many documented exposures to these substances have resulted in the same outcomes. It is a fact that no one is going to expose humans in a lab to pesticides and see if there are any adverse effects. It is unethical and the liability would be enormous. Toxicologists talk about LD50’s (the dose it takes to kill 50% of the test animals), but the concept of long delayed health problems is difficult to confirm. Bottom line...there are no Koch’s Postulates for this problem, no cut and dried proof of cause and effect. A reasonable person should look at the animal data, the toxicology profiles, the EPA warnings and regulations and make a simple conclusion that these substances could be dangerous. Why then do people insist on ignoring these warning signs and argue that pesticides are perfectly safe, let alone use them around their families? Why is the organic movement met with such resistance? Denial is a powerful defense mechanism.
Live safely and treat your soil.
Terms of the Garden: G-M
G
Galls: Large or small, green, brown or almost any other color these swellings never look the same, these tumors are caused by insects. Even though a gall can grow on any plant it seems to favor the Oak’s. Unless the gall has formed on the root system on the host plant no long term effects occur.
Garden: The proper term for landscaped area or yard. To many Americans, the term refers only to the vegetable garden.
Garlic as a fungicide and an Insecticide: When sprayed on plants Garlic is absorbed through the foliage and stems of plants preventing fungal diseases and repelling insects.
Germination: Not the cooties one receives after the first kiss, but when seeds begin to sprout.
Girdling: An apparatus that my sister in law wears, but also refers to damage caused by tying rope or other similar material too tightly around the branch or trunk of a plant. This usually happens to newly planted trees in an effort to brace the tree from predominate winds, when we forget to untie the brace the rope or wire disrupts and restricts the growth sometimes killing the plant above the girdled area.
Girdling Root: A root that has become wrapped around the trunk of the plant which inhibits the uptake of nutrients; usually occurring in plants grown in containers.
Gray Water: The use of household waste water for watering of landscape areas. Many customers who live in rural areas use Gray Water for maintaining grassy areas and gardens. It is advised not to use Gray Water on vegetable gardens or other edible crops.
Grafting: Method of propagation for trees and shrubs by inserting a section of one plant, usually a shoot, into another so that they grow together into a single plant.
Green Manure: Plowing under of living plants so that their decay will increase the humus of the soil.
Growth Regulator: A chemical that speeds or slows plant growth or maturation.
H
Habitat: The natural dwelling place of an animal or plant; the type of environment where a particular species is likely to be found. Rohde’s Nursery is certified as a Wildlife Habitat.
Hard Frost: A frost where both the air and the soil has dropped below freezing. Many plants can survive a light frost which cannot survive a hard frost.
Harden Off: Gradually to accustom a plant to more difficult living conditions, as moving from the greenhouse to the partial shade of a tree before planting into the garden.
Hardiness: The ability of a plant to withstand winter cold and summer heat.
Hardy: A term used with plants to designate the ability to withstand cold. It does not mean that the plant is long lived, pest resistant or drought tolerant.
Hardpan: A layer of soil sufficiently clogged with clay or other particles which often prevents the penetration of water and shrub or tree roots.
Hardscape: The non-living elements of a landscape installation, made of wood, brick, concrete, etc.
Hedgerow: A row of shrubs or trees enclosing or separating fields, often on a low berm of earth.
Herbicide: A product that kills weeds or vegetation. Selective herbicides normally kill one type of weed, without harming the desired crop. Nonselective herbicides, kill or damage any plant that they come in contact with. Some herbicides are contact killers, while others are translocated within the plant before they kill. When herbicides are used incorrectly (calculated to be as much as 60% of the time) they will run off of the surface where they were sprayed and into gutters and finally into streams and ground water causing health and environment hazards. Organic herbicides break down quickly with out causing any environmental hazards. Vinegar (10 or 20%) and Citrus Oil are commonly used by the organic gardener.
Herbicide, Pre-emergent: A weed or grass killer that kills seeds before they begin to grow. Organically we use Corn Gluten Meal.
Heel In: To temporarily store plants with their roots in moist soil or sawdust to hold them for several days or weeks until the gardener has time to plant them properly. Heirloom plant: A plant that was developed and in cultivation sometime in the past. Shepherd Seed Co. Has a large selection of vegetable seeds that are heirloom.
Herbs: Aromatic plants used for seasoning, medicinal purposes, or garnishes. Aromatic herbs are the ones that have fragrant or smelly leaves or flowers.
Herbaceous: Having little or no woody tissue; leaf-like in color and texture. Said of a plant which dies back to the roots each year during winter, as opposed to a plant which remains green all winter.
Hoe: An implement with a thin flat blade and a long handle used for cultivating, weeding, or loosening the earth around plants. There are several types: draw hoe, scuffle hoe, wheel hoe.
Honeydew Drip: The sticky mess on your car after parking under trees which have aphids or other sucking insects infesting the tree. Certain ants and fungi also feed on the honeydew, increasing the mess.
Host: The insect or the plant on which a disease or parasite grows.
Hydromulch: The process of mixing grass seed with water and mulch for spray application directly onto bare soil.
Hybrid: Often refers to a plant or variety that has been developed by interbreeding two or more varieties, species, or genera.
I
Inorganic: Something that was not a plant or animal. Example: Synthetic fertilizers.
Insectivorous: Feeding on insects. Example: Praying Mantis, Beneficial Nematodes.
Invasive: Something that spreads like a wild fire and goes out beyond it’s intended area. Example: Bamboo.
IPM: Integrated Pest Management: A recommended pest managing method where one monitors insects before applying a combination of preventative and control techniques.
Iron Chelate: A powdered compound used as a soil additive to boost the amount of iron available to plants.
Irrigation Method: Various watering techniques that let the water run from a hose or a sprinkler system that minimizes the amount of water used to improve the growing condition of the plants
K
Knees: The above-water spongy roots of cypress, Taxodium, when growing in a swamp; these provide air to the interior systems of the tree. Go to The Fair Park In Dallas and look at the knees growing from the Cypress in the lagoon.
L
Landscape Architect: A person trained in the location of elements for human use and enjoyment, involving the placement of structures, traffic flow and plantings. Carol Feldman
Landscape Contractor: A company or individual performing landscape installations. Rohde’s Nursery.
Landscape Designer: A person self taught or with some college training that is familiar with placement of plants in an appealing manner. Sally Sutton
Landscaper: Any one that has the tools and strength to do landscape work usually as a means of making a living.
Layering: A method of propagating plants in which a stem is induced to send out roots by surrounding a section of it with soil while it is still attached to a parent plant.
Leaching: The process whereby a substance, such as fertilizer, dissolves and is carried away by rain water or over watering of potted plants.
Leaf Miner: Any of various insects which in the larval stage tunnel through leaves feeding on the tissue and leaving conspicuous traces of their paths.
Leaf Spot: Any of various plant diseases that cause well-defined areas of tissue to die creating noticeable spots.
Leggy Growth: New growth that is out of proportion to the rest of the plant, many times caused by inadequate sun light.
Please remember to shop at Rohde’s for your Christmas gifts.