North Texas Schools Beautification Program

After trying to tell several customers what our new donation drive is for we decided to shorten the name from the above title to TAS. Trees At Schools For those of you who did not log on to our website in January here is a repeat of last months introduction to our new pet peeve.

Most of you know that in the past we have asked for donations to the Animal Adoption Center of Garland. Last year they received donations totaling more then $85000.00, between October and December. Of course only a very small part of that came from donations that many of you made at Rohde’s. However, with that money they were able to purchase the building and land that they were in. Financially that is going to take a big burden off of their shoulders. Because of their financial strength, we at Rohde’s want to go in another direction with the donations you leave with us.

In 1999 we gave discounts in plants and labor or made donations to schools in Dallas, Richardson, Plano, Allen and Garland. Some of these schools were Private and some where in Independent School Districts. Many of these schools have created living learning gardens, where the teachers plan to encourage their students to grow vegetables and herbs, Native plants and trees and plants that encourage wildlife’s return to their areas. In a couple of schools water gardens have been created to encourage toads and turtles to stay in the area. The idea of children going to school and learning not only reading, writing and arithmetic, but actually learning about the birds and the bees appeals to me. The legacy created by today’s PTA’s will brighten the education of tomorrow’s students.

We do not have the funds yet, we will not have enough money to start making donations to schools until the end of January. At that time with your donations or from the money we receive from your discounts, Rohde’s will help any school with a donation of up to $500.00.

To qualify we ask that your school present a plan using native plants or plants that will attract wildlife to the garden. Easy enough. First come, first serve.

We think that we will be able to help one school a month.

Things to Do in February

First thing to do is: Don’t Panic! The good thing about the January 26-30^th freeze is that it came with moisture, so the plants had plenty of water to take from the soil and move through their system. Most of the perennials that made it through last winter with out dropping their leaves like the butterfly bush, turks cap among others, will more then likely have to be pruned back later on in the spring. Annuals like The hamelia or butterfly weed and banana tree which made it through last years mild winter did more then likely die this year unless it was in a greenhouse or very well protected.

Do not prune or cut back yet. Remember that February is normally our coldest month and pruning can encourage new growth if we get warm temperatures again. And you know that we will! Apply a GreenSense Kelp Product to the root system of your plants. GreenSense Kelp products contain Asscophylum Nodosum, and have been proven to improve circulation of the plants keeping them 3 to 4 degrees warmer then atmospheric temperatures.

One of the best months for gardening is February. Seeds can be started and vegetable gardens can be worked on. If weather permits there are several chores that can get you of the couch and into your wife’s good grace.

Fertilize: As long as the ground is not frozen, GreenSense all Purpose fertilizer can be used on all soils. Grass, vegetable gardens, trees and shrubs. For roses and other flowering acid loving plants use a specialized type fertilizer to feed them such as GreenSense Rose Food. Be sure to water thoroughly to help accelerate the organic breakdown after applying. If you are trying to improve your microbial population now is a good time to use GreenSense Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment. These microbes live in the soil and breakdown organic matter making nutrients available to plants, they provide aeration, increase soil percolation and help to increase and maintain soil health.

Molasses can be applied to help these microbes have the energy to work quickly. Apply molasses at a rate of 10 to 20 pounds per thousand square feet. Molasses also contains sulfur and usually is coating soy bean, this also makes it a mild fertilizer. When people ask me about applying molasses to the yard I always get asked if this will attract ants. The answer is no! I think it is the sulfur in the molasses that helps to get rid of fire ants. Since GreenSense fertilizers contain molasses I do not make extra applications of molasses. I do use molasses on new beds to encourage microbial activity and worm population and in my compost pile to help heat up the pile.

Weed Control: I am becoming a firm believer that the best way to control weeds is through aeration and added minerals. Where Corn Gluten Meal works under proper conditions, getting the conditions proper does not always work. I was able to see a decrease in weeds in my lawn and the 75 lawns that we maintain by applying humates, sul-po-mag and by increasing my fertilization program. Last year I applied GreenSense Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment after each application of fertilizer. Be brave, do your own test. Keep a diary of what products you used and when you applied these products. Look at the areas of heavier weed development and monitor them regularly. Are they increasing or decreasing in size and number?

Pruning: February should be tree pruning month. Remember that you prune to improve the shape of the tree, improve air circulation and better sun exposure, however remember that tree pruning for most part is to your benefit and not that of the tree. I would trim by starting with any branches that are dead, broken or branches that are rubbing other branches. Safety and liability is a good reason to trim trees. If a branch is rubbing against your house or hanging over the street or sidewalk where it might hit a passing car or person then I would trim it. I do not like pruned Crape Myrtle’s and have come to realize that not only does this disfigure the tree but also has no benefit of extra flowering to the tree. I only prune Live Oaks and Red Oaks in the month of February since it is during this cold month that the trees are less susceptible to the Oak Wilt Disease.

Before pruning look for electrical wires and make sure that the branches are not near these. If so call the utility companies and they will prune the tree for you.-Do not prune while standing on a ladder. If you do not have a pole prunner and you can climb into the tree then stand above the branch so that it will fall away from you. Do not climb into the tree if there is ice on the branches.

Before pruning a heavy branch or one that may now be weighted down by ice always make the first cut several feet from the trunk of the tree. This will prevent any tearing of the bark as the weight of the branch falls. Make your first cut on the lower side of the branch and go upward a few inches. Then start on the top side of the branch just above the lower cut.

Make your final cut at the trunk at the outside collar of the branch. The collar looks just like a T-shirt collar. This will help the wound heal quickly. Under no circumstances Deciduous plants like forsythia, quince, spirea and other early spring flowering shrubs should be pruned a little later, after they have finished flowering. Or, you can cut a few branches early and force them into early bloom in warm water.. Always start your pruning by removing all dead, decayed or broken branches. Water sprouts, suckers, and crossed branches can also be removed to improve the appearance of the plant and encourage a better shape. Roses can be pruned late this month.

Spraying: Application of winter dormant oils can be done now. For those who read the directions, this should be time for your last application. Dormant Oils should be used on fruit, flowering and deciduous trees and shrubs. Always read the instructions before spraying. The application rates and temperature requirements are clearly explained for the dormant oil you purchased. The dormant oil we recommend is soy bean based and is called Ultra Fine ™ . Spray when the wind is not blowing. If you applied beneficial insects such as Green Lacewings, Lady Bugs and Tricograma wasp do not apply dormant oils.

Garden Preparation: If the soil is not to wet turn the beds. Compost or any other organic matter mineral additives such as rock powders, lava sand, greensand or additives such as molasses and cottonseed meal. Go ahead and turn your cover crop.

Seeds: It is so difficult to say when is the proper time for starting seeds outdoors. The bad thing about Mother Nature is that she likes to mess around with the temperature. Atmospheric temperature plays an important role in soil temperature, but many people are fooled by this. Just because it is warm outside and it is Saturday or your day off do not plant even one seed until you have checked the soils temperature. Look on the package of seed that you are going to plant and make sure that the temperature of the soil is at the recommend temperature. Do test the soil a few days in a row to make sure that the temperature is constant. If you call your local Agricultural Agency they can send you a chart with proper times and temperatures for each plant.

When the soil temperatures have reached 45 degrees plant: Spinach seeds, potato seeds and onion sets and asparagus transplants.

When the soil temperatures have reached 50 degrees plant: Carrot seeds, lettuce seeds, radish seeds, cabbage and broccoli transplants.

When the soil temperatures have reached 55 degrees plant: Turnip seeds, Collard seeds, Chard seeds and Beets seeds. We do have soil thermometers and these tools will be of great help to you for years to come. Start seeds indoors by picking a warm, bright spot. Plant perennial vegetables (onions, asparagus, potatoes) along the perimeters of the garden so they do not get trampled on as you work the rest of the bed each season.

Planting and Transplanting: All those plants that have overgrown or are in the wrong spot should be transplanted now. Remove as much of the root ball as possible to ensure the health of the plant. After you have transplanted your shrubs then go to your nursery and pick out new plants to fill in the areas. This time research the plant. Make sure that the height and space available is adequate and that the plant meets the sun or shade requirements. You do not want to transplant ill placed plants every year. This is a perfect time to plant fruit trees, ornamental trees and trees for shade. Berries can be planted now. We get our shipment of antique roses around the 10 of February. We have just received a very large assortment of trees. Native Pecans, Grafted Pecans, Fruit trees, Ornamental and Shade trees.

Xeriscape

by Cathy Brock, Master Gardener Dallas County

According to the National Weather Service, these warm and dry conditions will continue to be a factor that we gardeners must deal with for some time to come. We must ALL do our part to conserve water. That is what xeriscape landscaping is all about: landscape water conservation. Traditional landscapes might use one or two principles of water conservation, but the total xeriscape concept incorporates seven basic principles to effectively reduce water waste.

1. Start with a plan. A good design addresses the water needs of a site, makes the most of resources already available such as low areas where water collects, and combining plants according to similar needs.
2. Analyze and improve the soil. Improved soil that is rich in organic matter will hold more moisture, promote healthy plant growth, and will drain properly.
3. Use practical turf areas. Putting the right turf in the right place and limiting its area can result in major water savings.
4. Select appropriate plants. Using native or adapted plants and placing them in an area similar to their native habitat, not only reduces water use but the need for insect and disease control. Grouping plants according to their water needs is also equally important.
5. Use efficient irrigation and make every drop count. The most effective way to conserve water is to learn how to water efficiently. Water on an as-needed basis, slowly and deeply during the early morning. Learn how to manage your irrigation equipment so that it is working properly and you, not a timer, determines when and how much to water.
6. Use mulches to conserve water and prevent weed growth. This is common sense, right?
7. Maintain appropriately. Become familiar with your landscape so you can identify potential problems and take corrective action. A landscape that is stressed will require more water, fertilizer, pest control, and labor!

With an investment of nothing more than time, you can visit and stroll through an organically maintained xeriscape that is free and open to the public during regular business hours. It is located at the old pump house on White Rock Lake, 2900 White Rock Road in Dallas (Mapsco 37T). Remember to take a pen and paper with you to jot down the plant names. Most of the plants are carried on a year-round basis at Rohde’s in sizes to fit every budget. Whether you are installing a new landscape or remodeling an old one, consider the xeriscape concept. Xeriscaping not only conserves water and protects the environment but it also saves time and money.

I would like to see something on when to put down molasses, alfalfa meal, corn mean, corn glutton mean, etc.. and whether these can be overdone (which I assume they can). With the weather appearing to be dry this year, maybe some tips on what to grow that doesn't take as much water like tomatoes do; don't know if zucchini, peppers, squash take as much water. Of course, mulching would help but to me the tomatoes just take too much water. If you know of any places that take the bad fertilizers and other stuff and that don't charge a lot, it would be helpful; I've been holding on to some of this stuff for five plus years but can't find an inexpensive place to get rid of it.

A Learning Experience

It was 7:00 a.m. on Christmas morning 1999, when my alarm went off. Of course, excited with anticipation, I was already awake and just going over all the plans I had in mind for the days ahead. Every Christmas Day I leave on Vacation with my family. This year instead of flying away, we decided to drive.

Since we had been up late on Christmas Eve the children were tired, so I used my perfect driving skills and the soothing Christmas carols that were playing on the car radio to keep them from waking up and becoming restless. 12 noon. On the dot. The cries of: “I am hungry, I need to go to the bathroom, are we almost there, yet!,” come from the back of the car.

Well, so much for serenity. I pulled over to one of those huge gas stops that have now have restaurant chains associated with them. Everybody jumped out of the car and headed for the bathroom, but then they saw a family walking a dachshund that looked just like Alfred.

For the next 20 minutes the kids and (especially) my wife, petted and scratched this dog, choking back tears and telling the owner about our dog having to stay in a kennel and how badly he was missed. It had been one day since they had last seen him.What seemed like hours later we got back in the car and continued on our way. Next stop, Carlsbad, NM. Luckily the children and now Sandra were asleep again. As soon as we entered New Mexico, I was amazed at the amount of cattle and how near they were to the highway. I woke up the kids to show them this and asked them if they knew how a cow said moo in New Mexican. They did not know, so I said loudly to Sandra who was still asleep: “Sandra! How does a cow say moo in New Mexican?”

“Whaaat?” was her answer. Ha, ha, ha. We all laughed until Sandra caught on to my joke. “Oww!” I yelled in pain as she pinched me.

As most of you know, children stay free at Holiday Inn, which is the perfect reason for the Rohde’s to stay there. After a wonderful night of sleep we woke up early the next morning and went to Slaughter Canyon Cave. The sign at the foot of the mountain said that the hike up to the cave’s entrance would be arduous and would take 45 minutes. Forced to keep up with Victor and Assisi, we made it in 30 minutes, loping past the two National Park rangers who were to be our guides.

The cave was fantastic. The two women guides who protected us and explained the different areas of the cave could not have been nicer. We entered the Twilight Zone, going from light to total darkness in just one step. However, I was already walking in darkness since my glasses were fogged over by the heat generated from my overexertion from jogging up the hill. For the next two hours I had to constantly wipe my lenses, but, when I did, I was pleased to see some of the most unusual rock formations ever.

After we left Slaughter Canyon we went to have lunch in the Big Room, which is the largest known cave in the world. Thank god that they had an elevator that took us 700 feet down to the entrance of the cave and on to the cafeteria where we quickly ate our boxed lunch. As we walked along the pathways set up by the NPS, we were awed by the display of well placed electrical lighting and shadows that they cast around that magnificent cave. It was surreal. The unadorned forces of nature are incredible. The human need to tweak nature’s wonders, making them more beautiful, were clearly demonstrated there. It worked. Even Victor and Assisi were speechless. Until you look at these pictures offered by the NPS you will not be able to imagine the beauty of what we saw.

Thank god we had an elevator to take us back up to go ground level! By now my knees were shaking, and my back and legs were sore. As soon as we got in the car we drove towards Alamogordo. Our next stop—The White Sands Desert. While we were driving towards our destination I started feeling sick. By the time we made it to our hotel I wanted to die. That night I woke up just in time to reach the bathroom and lose my lunch. I realized at that moment that I was no longer the young, athletic father that I thought I was.

The White Sands Desert displays true testaments to the will to survive. How the native plants can live under such harsh conditions is a wonder. The dunes in this area are constantly in motion. In order for a plant to survive it must put out large, deep roots and grow faster than the sand that accumulates on each dune. The variety of plants that have been able to survive are many and varied. I tried to explain the uses and beauty of native plants to my children by pointing out their flowers and the defense systems. Even though Victor and Assisi seemed interested at first, I quickly lost their attention. They wanted to play in the sand. After a while we got back in the car and I tried to regain their attention by having them look for the desert animals. I told them that here the animals were as white as the sand and very hard to spot. “Wait! I think I see something over there,” I shouted, pointing wildly in every direction and weaving just a wee bit off the road.

Victor then asked me if I knew that the police car behind us just turned on his lights. I pulled over. The US Park police officer asked me to step out of the car and courteously wondered if I would mind performing a few tests. My first test was to blow in his face so that he could smell my breath. He asked me to do that twice. He then asked if he could inspect my car. When he looked in the car he immediately saw my opened container of Chewable Pepto Bismol and asked me if I was feeling all right. I explained about my possible overexertion from the hike and/or food poisoning during the last 24 hours. He reminded me to drink plenty of clear fluids and to please drive safely. As he said good-bye I was pleased to know that the parks are protected by officers who are so pleasant.

Now we were heading to Salinas, which was an old Spanish Mission until the 1600s. The Spanish priests came to New Mexico in the Salinas area in the 17^th century. Their main motives were to increase the wealth of Spain and to bring their teachings in the Christian faith to the inhabitants of the area. Later, many Pueblo villages and missions in the area were abandoned due to a double whammy of severe droughts and frequent raids by other Indian tribes. I was trying to explain that Pueblo Indians lived in apartment-like complexes in the Salinas Valley and were able to survive in an agricultural society and make their area a major trade center of the Pueblo world.

My kids did not want to go to a church on Monday. They expected the mission to be fully operational and staffed by zealous priests.

Once we arrived at the ruins of this mission, the kids were amazed by the old structure that had stood on that mountain side for hundreds of years. I was surprised to find kivas next to the church. Kivas were underground rooms where the Pueblo men performed duties and held secret ceremonies out of sight of women and visitors. Some of the duties were weaving and pottery making, activities they were embarrassed to be seen doing. Those who entered the kivas without permission were usually killed on the spot. After hearing this, Victor really enjoyed the kivas. He started making plans to build one in our back yard so that he could have his privacy, something he says he needs, but never gets.

In Albuquerque we went to the Old Town Area, visited the Mission and let the girls do some shopping. Very boring. Victor and I wanted to go and see more ruins.

Chaco Canyon. The drive there was interesting, to say the least. Most of the travel time was spent on dirt roads and, of course, my helpful wife was telling me to slow down, slow down, slow down, slow down, slow down……. Two hours later we got there. Man, it was worth it! The apartment-like dwellings were made out of pieces of stone about the size of a sandwich. The time and patience it must have taken those people to construct those perfectly straight walls for the dwellings and the even more perfectly round kivas is incredible. The Chaco Canyon complex becomes even more breathtaking when you climb the 200 or so feet to the mesa above the canyon and see the structure from above. Victor Peck from the Dallas Zoo recommended that I go to Chaco Canyon and I am grateful that I took his advice.

We got really lucky and arrived at the Painted Desert early in the morning and stayed long enough to see the sun travel upward in the sky and change the colors of the stone formations and the sands around it. In the park they have set up viewing areas that in some cases are not even miles apart. But even traveling short distances makes the scenery and the colors completely different. The air that you breath is so pure that we were able to see the San Fernando Mountains hundreds of miles away.

Following the same road from the Painted Desert we went on to the Petrified Forest. On the way we stopped and saw some petrogliphs and were doubly rewarded by seeing wildlife that appeared out of a rock formation. First a rabbit appeared, then came Sandra’s favorite, a little mouse. Soon we saw a chipmunk-like rodent and then, to my amazement, a horny toad. We stayed and watched these animals for thirty minutes until they caught the attention of some squealing kids who ran us off.

I was really disappointed with the Petrified Forest. I expected to see thousands of trees and all I saw was thousands of pieces of small chunks of stumps, left over from the dynamited trees that were destroyed by the thousand’s of souvenir seekers who had ransacked the forest in the late 1800’s. As we traveled west towards the Grand Canyon, Assisi insisted on going to the Meteor Crater. We were all fascinated by the size of the hole created upon the impact of this meteor that was only 150 feet across. They found debris from the explosion two miles away. I sure would hate to have been standing around that area when that event took place.

We arrived in Williams, AZ on the 30^th and decided to take an airplane tour of the Grand Canyon. Poor Assisi had to sit in the very back seat of the airplane all by herself while Victor rode as copilot. I took the same flight over 20 years ago and did not think that I would be that excited by this flight. Was I wrong! I could not keep my eyes open wide enough. Assisi just stared out the window, her mouth wide open as well. (We found out later it was because she was gasping for air. There was a lack of fresh air).

The view was unbelievably pretty. Millions of years in its formation and the canyon is not finished yet. Sandra and Assisi were feeling nauseous after the flight, so I was able to afford to go with Victor on the helicopter tour. Again with Victor as the copilot we took a different route and actually flew under the rim as we headed on a gentle climb up to the Northern Rim. We still could not get enough of this magnificent wonder of the world so we went to the Omni Theater. Wow! What a magnificent movie. I could have seen it over and over again, but we ran out of money. Our budget once again was blown and we still had three days left on our vacation.

On the 31^st we boarded a train in Williams and headed back to the Grand Canyon. On the way we saw deer and antelope (and watched them play) and some beautiful scenery. As soon as we got off the train we went to our hotel room, left our luggage and jumped on the bus just in time for the Tower Tour. With blue skies and the temperature hovering near 50 degrees, we could not get enough. I do not know how many times I have said and will say that. The beauty at each turn of the road, the changing rock formations and dazzling colors took our breaths away. Then, at our first stop…..

Victor ran to the ledge and, after making sure that all of us saw him, he jumped. One lady screamed and I ran over to see where he had gone. My son was laying on his back three feet below the ledge he had jumped from, trying his best to restrain his laughter. Once he saw me, he just could not stop laughing. You got to love him. Like father, like son. As we all tried to forget about Victor’s suicide attempt, we focused once again on the panorama in front of us and the shining ribbon of the Colorado River snaking it’s way through the Canyon.

Sandra screamed, “Puppy!”. Another dachshund. This creature was huge. It’s name was Peanuts, but there was nothing peanuty about this dog. It was just huge. The owner said that it weighed 38 pounds, and had not been carried in the last two years. Peanuts weighed way to much to lift. My kids and my wife forgot where we were. This dog stole the thunder from the roaring river far below. By the time the bus was about to leave for our next stop the kids were still petting Peanuts.

When we got to the Tower we discovered it was a stone construction where you paid a fee to climb up the 425 steps to the third level making sure that you were now hungry and certain to eat at the cafeteria, where hamburgers were three dollars each. But, having ran out of money, I told the kids that they could use their coupon to get a free soda and that we could go to dinner early that night. Ha! It’s great to be me. Sometimes it pays to be cheap. As Victor begged and pleaded for food, the cashier asked if we would like some free burgers. The cafeteria was about to close up and they had excess food. We each grabbed a hamburger and sat back down to eat, when, I swear, about 20 to 30 people walked in and, yes, so many people ordered hamburgers that they had to cook some more. Of course, they were charged for theirs.

Back at the hotel the kids wanted to watch MTV until it was time to go to dinner. Sandra and I walked to the rim to see the sunset. It was beautiful. I was mesmerized by the magnificent sunset and Sandra’s smile. She too appreciated Natures beauty as it painted a masterpiece in front of us. Around midnight we all bundled up and walked the 300 yards to the rim where we planned to usher in the New Year. I was really disappointed because the sky had become cloudy and we could not see one star. All I could do was complain about how overcast it was. I had wanted to look for a shooting star.

It was five minutes before midnight when Victor, told me to look up. To my surprise the skies had cleared and you could not count the shining stars. It was like popcorn in a bucket. It was the prettiest collection of stars I had seen since the time I was in Fiji. At the stroke of midnight my family gave me one big hug and to my heart’s delight thanked me for a wonderful trip and hoped that we would spend many more New Years together.

When we walked back to our room the skies became cloudy and I never saw my shooting star. But, it really did not matter. I had what I wanted, a beautiful trip with my family. One that would be remembered for a long time.

You might think that this story is over, but it is not. As marveled as I was by all the beauty that I had seen during the last week, it was topped by the six inches of snow that fell during the night. We walked back to the rim to see the new look of the Grand Canyon and were delighted to have gotten two views for the price of one.

Now, I am back in Dallas wondering if my kids really enjoyed the trip. When I asked Assisi what she thought of our trip, she told me that even though we had been to New York, Washington D.C., Germany, Austria and France, this trip was way cool. She told me that she learned a lot on this trip and was surprised to see female forest rangers and airplane pilots. She said that this nature tour that we went on really had more to offer than cities with buildings and man-made landscapes like Central Park, Disney World and the grounds at Versailles in France. She was amazed at the tough plants that survived on the mountainside and surprised that we had some of those at Rohde’s, like the Agarita and several of the sage varieties that we saw in the desert. One of her friends told me that Assisi talked about the trip for several days and how they plan to repeat this trip the summer that they graduate from high school.

Victor and I have already talked about going back to Chaco Canyon and with our bicycles so that we can take the bike trail that is supposed to be over 100 miles long.

I am embarrassed, almost, that for the last 10 years I have always tried to take my kids on vacations to cosmopolitan cities, and had forgotten to show my children nature’s beautiful offerings. I want to show them what civilization was like 200, 600, or even 2000 years ago, and how lucky we are now (?) to live in an age where we can enjoy both nature and the advancements of men when we travel around the United States and the world in mechanical comforts and not in wagons with wooden wheels that carried the brave pioneers into the west.

At the end of my January Newsletter I said that I would never take another road trip again. I was wrong. The number of beautiful things we saw, the history that the children experienced in such a short time can be visible in other areas of the United States. To finish in a corny way, I ask you to sing with me: “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies…”