Spring is here, we are getting lots of rain but not enough to relive some cities or counties from passing water restrictions, we need to be prepared for a hot dry summer. April is the month to get the lawn and garden ready for the summer.
Thing to Do in April
The Lawn: Sod can be put out at any time now. Most people know that Buffalo Grass is more drought tolerant then Bermuda, but harder to keep weeds from invading. Bermuda is more drought tolerant then St. Augustine in full sun; but St. Augustine can grow better in shade then Bermuda, and can also send out runners that will takeover Bermuda, under optimal conditions.
Now here are two other grasses that I have used with some success:
Fescue: This grass is used, mainly in northern areas of the US. This cool season is easily seeded in the spring and fall. I have best results when I seed fescue in the fall. In Dallas, fescue works best for me in heavily shaded areas. The draw back is that fescue requires more water in the heat of the summer, July, August and mid September and the grass grows in clumps and does not spread or re-seed. Because fescue is shade tolerant, it make a good grass for area of traffic under trees and where dogs need to roam. Fescue is somewhat drought tolerant it just goes dormant in the heat of the summer and comes back after temperatures drop to the mid 80’s again. Fescues remain green during the winter months requiring mowing about every two to three weeks. I have used six varieties of fescue seed in the last 15 years. I always get best results with a brand called Vegas.
Zoysia: This grass is a low growing grass that creeps along like St. Augustine. It is heat resistant, but slow to get started. Some people have been disappointed with Zoysia, or should I say impatient and pull it up or sow Bermuda seed over it. Once established it is an aggressive grass that competes with weeds. Zoysia has one major draw back. It hurts. It hurts like hell! I mean if you are into pain this is the grass to get. Roll on it. Naked! Owwwwww. I like zoysia in areas of little traffic and in areas that kids will not try to play. Definitely not a grass to walk barefoot over. I am at the stage of my life where I would much prefer landscape areas where the grass has died or will not grow. The less mowing I have the more time I can spend doing other things, like this Newsletter. If you research native plants, including ground covers and perennials you can have a beautiful landscape in other wise difficult lawn areas.
Fertilize: Now is a good time to fertilize using an organic fertilizer such as one of the Green Sense all Purpose fertilizers, apply at a rate of 20 pounds per 1000 square feet.
Microbes: To improve percolation and aeration as well as quick break down of your fertilizer and organic matter in the soil use Microbes. Try to apply the microbes immediately after fertilizing.
Brown Patch: As I have walked my fat dog Alfred, he is only eight inches tall but is three feet around (not really), I have seen many lawns in my neighborhood that already have brown patch, a fungal disease causing brown spots in the lawn. Brown patch appears as circular spots that are a yellowish color. I know that in my hood there are only a few lawns that are organic and I know who most of these are. The lawns that I have seen with brown patch are still using high nitrogen fertilizers promoting the growth of the disease. Use baking soda or better yet Actinovate or Potassium Bicarbonate for control of fungal diseases. Baking soda and Potassium Bicarbonate go out at a rate of three to four tablespoons mixed in one gallon of water over 400 square feet. Actinovate, which is a powder goes, out dry at a rate of one pound per 1000 square feet. I have had customers tell me that they have mixed Actinovate with Corn Meal with great results. Howard Garrett recommends applying corn meal at a rate of 20 pounds per thousand square feet. So put one pound Actinovate in with 20 pounds of corn meal.
Aeration: I like to wait until after the rains have passed to do aeration. In our heavy clay soils the rain tends to collapse the soil in the holes that were made during aeration. When you do aerate that is a good time to apply compost, lava sand, humate and grass seeds.
Weeds: The best way to help decrease your weed problem and to prevent more weeds is to remove the unwanted plant, mow your grass as soon as you see that the weed is starting to flower. One weed flower can produce hundreds of weed seeds. Use White Vinegar, 10 or 20 percent and not the five percent that you find at the supermarket. Mix ¼ of a cup of soap per gallon of vinegar and using a all plastic sprayer apply this solution carefully on the weed. You can actually see the weed turn brown within minutes.
Flowering Ornamentals: After the spring flowering ornamentals have bloomed you can prune the plant back to its natural shape, by selectively cutting individual branches. Start a regular fertilizing program so that the plant will be able to store enough nutrients for next springs flowers. Your local nurseries should have a great selection of shrubs ready to be installed now. Know your plants water requirements. Know your soils moisture content, how fast does it dry out after a rain.
Annual Flowers: You can now plant your seasonal color using plants like: ageratum, begonia, blue daze, coleus, gaillardia, gomphrena, pentas, impatiens, lobelia, mexican heather, nicotiana, purslane, , ornamental peppers, phlox, annual salvias, torenia, verbena and zinnia. I love using the small pepper plants as an annual flower, specially the chile pequin. Mockingbirds love eating these hot peppers.
Caladiums: Do not get in a hurry to plant caladium bulbs. Wait until the soil temperature is in the 70’s. Plant caladium transplants anytime they become available after the 15th of March. If possible plant bulbs of the same variety six to eight weeks after you did the transplants this will ensure that your caladiums will be around through September. Most caladiums should be planted in shade in well drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Strap Leaf Caladiums can be planted in full sun.
Perennials: My garden has more perennials then annuals and all of the landscapes that Carol Feldman does excludes most annual flowers. Be patient with the perennials that you have in your garden some may wait until warmer temperatures before putting out new growth. There are too many perennials to mention but the most popular seem to be Echinacea, lantana, lisianthus, Louisiana phlox, rudbeckia, perennial salvias and turks cap. Find out which plants require you to remove spent blooms in order to keep blooming vigorously. If possible stay away from those. Fertilize on a regular bases with Green Sense Vegetable and Flower Food.
Roses: Watch roses for aphids. Spider mites and check blooms for thrips. You can use Neem Oils as a way of controlling these insects but only do so if you have an infestation other wise squish the bugs that are visible or release Lady Bugs. Establish a regular feeding schedule for your roses. Apply a foliar spray that contains kelp to help discourage aphids and spider mites.
Vegetables: We now have a large selection of vegetable transplants such as beans, beans, cucumbers, eggplants, okra, peas, squash, tomatoes, and peppers.
Mulch: In order to conserve water make sure that all soils are covered with a thick layer of mulch. If you put down and maintain a three inch layer of hardwood, cedar, cypress or my favorite pine straw you will be able to keep the soil temperature from getting to hot and the moisture will not evaporate as quickly. If you are on a budget call around for free or cheap tree trimmings, try Mesquite or Plano Waste, or tree services like Holcomb, Condren or Arbological Services. If you can compost what ever free mulch you find first so that you can kill of any seeds from trees, like hackberries, do so for a couple of months before applying. Hurry! If you did not have time to compost do not complain if you do get some weeds sprouting from this mulch, just be glad that you were able to save your plants.
Square Foot Gardening
I have had several customers tell me that the best garden for them is the square foot garden.
The first thing to do is find your garden location you want the area to receive full sun for six hours or more, with good drainage.
If you live in an apartment and have a patio use planter boxes and make sure that you are using a good potting soil that will retain moisture, such as Green Sense Potting Soil. If you have a large patio try using planters of different textures and sizes to make your garden look more interesting.
One thing that most have told me is to not over do it. Start with a few plots or planters, most started with four areas measuring four by four and easily accessible by pathways that divide the plots. The plots can be made into raised bed by using concrete blocks, natural stone, pavestone or untreated wood.
Prepare your soil using organic matter and amend the soil by using lava sand, green sand and rock phosphate colloidal clay. Before planting water the beds really well, almost flooding them and then see how long it takes for the soil to drain. Make corrections if you need to before you plant. If you use planters and your potting soil contains peatmoss, like Green Sense Potting Soil pre moist the material.
Get a soil tests if you want to, I would not. I like observing the plant growth and color and tweaking the changes needed. If your garden is a disaster the first year send out for a soil test.
If we were to use plots like the four by four areas use a string or long thin bamboo to divide each plot into 16 squares and plant a different plant in each square. Some people will plant the same vegetable in one plot because they like that particular plant, I have had more people say that they like to mix it up for color and foliage difference and it seems to help keep an abundance of bugs away. Remember bio-diversity.
If you are going to grow vine crops save those bamboo sticks that you used to divide the plots and make supports with them. At Rohde’s we sell bamboo sticks at a very good price.
One of my customers sent me this spacing guide for some of the vegetables that he grows:
Basil: 1/sqft
Beans: bush-type 9/sqft; pole-type 8/sqft
Beets: 16/sqft
Broccoli: 1/sqft
Cabbage: 1/sqft
Carrots: 16/sqft
Cauliflower: 1/sqft
Celery: 4/sqft
Swiss Chard 4/sqft
Corn: 1/sqft
Cucumbers: 2/sqft.
Eggplant: 1/sqft
Garlic: 4/sqft
Leeks: 9/sqft
Lettuce: 4/sqft
Marjoram: 4/sqft
Okra: 1-2/sqft
Onions: 16/sqft
Oregano: 1/4sqft
Parsley: 4/sqft
Peas: 8/sqft
Peppers: 1/sqft
Potatoes: 1/sqft
Radishes: 16/sqft
Savory: 1/sqft
Spinach: 9/sqft
Squash, summer vine-type 3/4sqft; bush-type 1/3sqft
Thyme: 4/sqft
Tomatoes, bush-type 4/4sqft; vine-type 1/sqft
Watermelon bush-type 1/sqft; vine-type 1/2sqft
Zucchini: 1/sqft
China, Not Just Rice and Noodles
"Halo-halo. Whan dalla, fa u!"
These were the first phrases I learned during my vacation in China. Of course, it did not take me long to realize that these were not greeting calls from the hundred or so Chinese people that greeted my group every time we came off the tour bus. These words were from very entrepreneurial street vendors trying to sell 100 percent silk ties, scarves, umbrellas and other authentically made Chinese products at unbelievable prices. "Fife fa tan dalla".
All this began in November when I went to a web site in search of a good price on a Tektronix Printer. In the upper right hand corner of the opening page there was a folder that said, “Travel”.
Being the curious type, I clicked on the icon and was amazed by the travel destinations offered by the site ... exotic locations in the Far East ... luxury cruises to Antarctica ... safaris to Africa!
Wow, China! Trip for two people. 14 day, three cities including airfare, hotels, American breakfast, guided tours… “How much,” I thought as I clicked for more details. Caution. Do not bid more then $9000.00 for this trip. High bid today $2400.00. Bid closes tomorrow at 3:00 p. m.
I bid for two sets of tickets, Sandra and I, and our children Assisi and Victor. I lost the bid on that occasion but rebid later, raising my bid to $2800 for each pair of tickets. That was $100.00 a day per person. Fodor could not beat that! I received an e-mail the next day congratulating me on my winning bid. There were 20 or so possible travel dates. We picked March 1st as our departure date and left on the trip of a lifetime at basement prices.
After traveling in several airplanes for almost 23 hours, we arrived at one of the prettiest and newest airports in the world. Beijing! The airport had marble floors and walls, windows so clean that they looked invisible, stainless steel columns and superb lighting. Neither Sandra nor I remembered any of this. Were we in China? We had been to China in 1987 and had landed at a very unappealing airport that actually scared us. This new place excited us. We asked each other if a country like China could change so quickly and so pleasingly in such a short amount of time.
Yes! The tollway into Beijing had four lanes, was well lit and inviting. It was not the two-lane, dark and bumpy road that we had traveled on just 13 years ago. The buildings in Central Beijing were modern skyscrapers, with mirrored windows and marble panels, with lights shining from every direction, saying, “Look at me, please come inside.” The tour bus, clean as a whistle and as comfortable as any I have ever traveled on, arrived at our hotel and parked in front of a sign proclaiming our hotel as one of the Nikko Hotels, a superb chain that has great rooms around the world (including San Francisco where my in-laws invited my family to stay two years ago.) How much did we pay for this trip, will there be a surcharge for staying here, we wondered?
Early Friday morning, we woke up to a wonderful breakfast that included over 50 items. Are you sure this is included? After breakfast we waddled out to the bus and rode to Tiananmen Square. Standing in front of Mao’s Memorial Hall, we looked across the huge square trying to imagine the hundreds of thousands of students that bravely stood up against their leaders demanding more freedoms and more rights. On the cobblestone floor there were barely visible stains. Victor asked if they could be from the blood of the students that died here.
As we walked towards the North we could see the entrance to the Forbidden City, THE GATE. There is no doubt that the craftsmanship and beauty of The Forbidden City is unequaled in the world. I could go on and on about the Forbidden City with the beauty of The Palace of Heavenly Purity, which was the residential complex. The Hall of Middle Harmony must have been awesome as the Emperor inspected the seeds to be used for that year’s planting as well as other ceremonies that were held at this area of the complex. The massive marble terraces surrounding the Hall of Middle Harmony only made these structures more overwhelming. Of course, one of my main reasons for wanting to go into the Forbidden City was to see the Imperial Garden.
Twelve years ago when Sandra and I first saw these gardens the temperature was in the low 20s and the wind was blowing so hard it would knock you off your feet. To our delight the temperature was in the mid 50s and there was no wind at all. Most people are familiar with Japanese gardens, but Chinese Gardens are as spectacular and are amazingly beautiful for sure. The Imperial Garden uses large boulders, sometimes stacked as high as 40 or 50 feet high. Walkways, literally built for an emperor, go over streams and ponds that lead to a temple that overlooks the entire garden. You can imagine the trees in full bloom in the spring, the rustling of the leaves as a cool breeze caresses them. There are trees that are hundreds of years old in this garden, older than the history of the United States. When Sandra and the children left me to go shopping for souvenirs, I asked myself, who, a long time ago, designed this garden and I wondered if he was thinking about posterity. How long would these gardens survive? Who would know his name? Is it hidden somewhere among these rocks? Of course, I asked myself if any of the landscapes that I have helped install would be around 100 years from now, 200 years from now.
I do not know how much time passed before the tour guide came to and told me that everyone was on the bus waiting for me, but as I left I tried to etch a picture of the garden in the back of my memory, so that years from now I would be able to bring it back as clearly as I was looking at it then.
Much to my delight we were heading to the Summer Palace. I remembered how pretty it was back in ’87. I was hoping that with trees budding out it would be prettier now. Although the Long Corridor is very impressive with the almost 800 feet of painted ceilings, with posts and railings that led you deep into the grounds towards the Marble Boat, which is a huge structure built in the lake that almost looked like it could navigate those waters, I was very disappointed with the gardens. The massive numbers of tourists and locals have wreaked havoc on the grounds of that garden. Seeing the broken branches, packed soil and the trash that is frozen in the icy waters of the lake on the west side of the garden disappointed me almost to tears. After that mornings pleasurable visit to the gardens in the Forbidden City I expected so much more from this Imperial retreat.
“Let me speak to the manager,” I demanded. “I want my money back,” I shouted as I was whisked away by the policeman in the green uniforms. “Close the place down and refurbish it if you are going to try to show it off to millions of foreign tourist each year!”
I did not get my money back and I was not taken away, since I, of course, did not say anything, but I was very disappointed with my visit to the Summer Palace. It was so much prettier 13 years ago before all the tourists arrived.
The last stop on that day’s tour was to the Qinian Hall. This Temple has one of the most interesting roofs I have ever seen. With over 50,000 blue tiles to represent the sky, this three-tiered roof was built without a nail. I wish that someone would be able to explain to me how such a feat was done. Inside the round structure there are four massive columns built from singletree trunks. A fire had damaged the temples several decades ago and the four trees that were used to rebuild this temple were shipped over from the United States and clearly say: “ Made in the USA”. But you have to look closely in order to see this. “USA, USA”, I chanted as the locales looked at me in a curious way. That night we went to eat at McDonalds.
Early the next morning we headed out to Ming Tomb. The bus left us out in front of Spirit Way for a long and impressive walk down a tree-lined boulevard where larger-than-life stone carved figures of animals, sit or stand on either side of the ceremonial road that led to the tombs of 17 emperors.
At the end of this walk we were to be picked up by our bus and be on our way to the Great Wall, but first we had to go through a gauntlet of English speaking peddlers who were selling everything from bottled water to silk scarves each for "Whan dalla! Just fa u. Whan dalla, fa u!"
I never want to climb another stairway for the rest of my life. The Great Wall has its ups and downs that make any roller coaster that I have been on seem un-thrilling. As you struggle to the top you have just enough time to catch your breath before the excitement of the landscape’s beauty makes you want to go to the next lookout. By the time you realize that you are heading downward, inertia makes your body go so fast that, if you try to stop, you know your legs might try but your body won’t and you will fall head over heels just like that lady, and that one, and that guy. People were tumbling everywhere. And it would have been funny but I knew it was about to happen to me…. Nope.
I did make it to the farthest point allowed for visitors. On the other side of the last tower you could see the Great Disappearing Wall of China. Local farmers had found a good source of stone that they could easily remove and take home to use for building their own homes. This vandalism did not take away from the majesty of The Wall. The Wall does not just go North or East or South. You could see the Wall disappear over a hill and then reappear only hundreds of yards away, only to disappear again and again. If they would have built the damn thing in a straight line they would have saved a lot of time and material. Of course it probably would not have been such a major tourist attraction. Those emperors knew what they were doing!
Early the next morning we tried to wake up Victor and Assisi for a walk to the park and to see some Tai Chi.
Even though they were interested, the fatigue of jet lag and two full days of sightseeing sapped their enthusiasm and strength. Sleep was what they really wanted; besides they said we could take photos and use the camcorder so they could see it later. Boy did they miss out. The park that we went to had thousands of people exercising. They were working out in groups of five, of fifty and of hundreds. We walked through the park and saw women exercising with red fans, as if they were a certain group. A younger group was using swords; we decided not to take pictures of them. All of a sudden we heard a slapping sound and as we came to the other side of a hill we saw over a hundred people, mostly elders, slapping their thighs, then their butts, their chest as if they were trying to keep warm on this very chilly morning. The slapping noise continued for over thirty minutes as we continued our walk through the park, amazed at the many ways they practiced Tai Chi. Victor would have enjoyed that.
Our next city was Xian, which once served as a capital during the Han Dynasty. This city was established some 200 years B.C. It is said that the emperor of Rome appeared at a luncheon dressed in beautiful garments made from Chinese silk, the next day a road was created to bring silk back to Rome. The Silk Road led the Romans to Xian and such trade began that it made Xian one of the largest cities in the world. Eleven dynasties ruled from this Chinese city.
With as much history as this city has, the main attraction for me was the Terra Cotta Warriors. In the surrounding country side, as you drive along you see mounds of dirt that appear as hills, these are the tombs for several emperors.. There are so many that you almost think of them as natural terrain, but they are mausoleums. Starting way back, 200 years B.C., an emperor had several thousand soldiers placed around his tomb to protect him after he died. These soldiers would be there forever, they were made of clay.
To make these soldiers more menacing, he ordered that no two look alike. We entered the dig site, to our great delight. No small cave or crampy quarters here! The dig site consisted of three large buildings, the second one more splendid then the first and the third building more spectacular then the second. Inside these structures were thousands of Terra cotta warriors that were fully or partially dug out. These soldiers were lined up one after another, placed in the same spot where they were found. Restoration is slow and some say that it will take hundreds of years until the last soldier is excavated and placed in the spot where he was set over two thousand years ago. Most of the soldiers were damaged during a fire set by peasants hundreds of years ago, but some of the soldiers, found just last year, escaped the high temperatures of the fire and still had colored uniforms. The faces were clearly visible, showing different markings to distinguish one from the other. We left that location in awe. The amount of effort, the manpower and the tons of clay that was used are unimaginable. Definitely worth the money paid for the entire trip.
Our last city on this trip was to be Shanghi, just another big modern city. Of course, it was nothing that you would expect to see. I mean you hear about the poor labor conditions and workers who slave all day long for pennies. But, until the 1940’s this city was the commercial capital of China, where many Europeans lived and obviously prospered.
The tour took us to "The Bund" a promenade along the Huangpu River's edge. Unfortunately, this was the first rainy day we had and the inclement weather kept us from walking through the parks along the river front, but from the area where the bus left us off for our very quick stroll we could see the buildings were different here then any other we had seen in China. The European style structures that once housed the foreigners are now Banks and trading corporations. Even though these buildings seemed out of place, it was interesting to see this area before heading over to our next stop, Yu Yuan.
I had read about the Yu Yuan gardens before we came to China, and I enjoyed the contrast of the small, modern city’s landscaped areas on The Bund with the splendor of this ancient Chinese garden. I read somewhere that Yu Yuan was the most beautiful garden in China.
To get to Yu Yuan Gardens we had to walk in the cold rain for several blocks, through a commercial area where modern restaurants cooked their foods next to huge open windows. Warm kitchen air and all the aromas slapped you in the face and invited you in. But, as tempting as they were for me, the excitement of seeing the garden was more alluring. The Yu Yuan, was planned in the architectural style of the Ming dynasty. I was told that it is the only garden that is still run by the local municipality.
This incredible garden is over 400 years old and at the entrance has a Gingko tree that is 250 years old. When you go beyond the gate you enter a series of gardens with over 30 hallways that lead you to the different areas of The Garden. As you make your way along the hallways you can go into six different parts of the garden where streams and intricate rockwork catch your attention and inspire you. Well at least they inspired me.
After a while you have time to see the details of the walls and notice that there is a serpent-like structure on the top of the white wall that has separated the different garden areas. As you make your way down just one more hallway you realize that the garden is protected by a large gray dragon whose head adorns the entrance to another section of the garden. We stayed only about an hour, then the cold rain started to come down harder, but the ideas I got for stonework and plant placement made this short visit worthwhile.
The next day we took a bus to Suzhou, also known as “The Venice of China”. Built some 2500 years ago with many canals laid out as highways that run under thousands of carved moon arch bridges, this city is so similar to Venice it even has the littered water and terrible smell. Thank God we were not here in the warm season! Despite the trashy water, the boat ride leading us to the original wall that protected the city and the street vendors that waited for us was worthwhile.
The main reason that I wanted to go to Suzhou was for its gardens. And the one garden that we were able to visit did not disappoint me. Paved winding walkways with intricate artistic rock work, with lotuses and birds made from small stones, led you through gardens with several ponds and pavilions that had curled roofs painted in soothing colors. Nowhere did I read about their Bonsai Garden where we saw over 300 bonsai, some that were 300 years old.
All good things must come to an end and gratefully we left China for our long trip back home. Thanks to Egghead.com we were able to go on this fantastic trip at a very affordable price. Check it out. If they ask you how you found out about them, give them my name; I may get some free ink for my printer.