Things to Do in October

This is going to be a long newsletter. The heat and drought damage is evident in trees growing on your property or out in wooded areas all around Texas, we need to address this problem now so let’s start:

Trees: You may not notice any damage now, but beware. If you cannot see any dried leaves or roots pretend that your tree has gone through a hell of a summer and has suffered heavy root damage. Well, you don’t have to pretend it has happened and you need to address this unseen problem. Follow Howard Garrett’s Sick Tree Program:

Aerate the root zone heavily. Start between the drip line and the trunk and go far out beyond the drip line. A seven to twelve inch depth of the aeration holes is ideal but any depth is beneficial. An alternative is to spray the root zone with a living organism product such as Bio-Innoculant or AgriGro. Green Sense makes it similar product called Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment and can be ordered on line.

Apply Texas greensand at about 40-80 lbs./1,000 sq. ft., lava sand at about 40-80 lbs./1,000 sq. ft., cornmeal at about 10-20 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. and sugar or dry molasses at about 5 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. Cornmeal is a natural disease fighter and sugar is a carbon source to feed the microbes in the soil.

Apply a one inch layer of compost followed by a three to five inch layer of shredded native tree trimmings. Native cedar is the best source for mulch. In turf use a one inch layer of horticultural cedar flakes.

Spray foliage and soil monthly or more often if possible with Garrett Juice (see formula below). For large-scale farms and ranches, a one-time spraying is beneficial if the budget doesn’t allow ongoing sprays. Adding garlic tea to the spray is also beneficial while the tree is in trouble. Green Sense makes a similar product called Foliar Juice and can be ordered on line

Stop using high nitrogen fertilizers and toxic chemical pesticides. Pesticides kill the beneficial nematodes and insects. Fake fertilizers are destructive to the important mycorrhizal fungi on the roots.

Mycorrhizal fungi are an essential part of all plant growth. Mycorrhizae, which means “fungus-root,” work as an extension of the plant’s root system to help the plant take up soil nutrients and water in exchange for a steady source of sugars. The co-dependent (symbiotic) relationship has evolved over time to the mutual benefit of both the plant and the fungus. Thousands of research studies have shown the fungi/plant partnership helps plants to survive stress, absorb more water and essential elements, and increase resistance to root disease pathogens and pests. Without mycorrhizal fungi, plants cannot thrive.

If you want to go one step further use: MycorTree™ Root Saver™

MycorTree™ Root Saver™ is used as a vertical mulching and root zone treatment of trees and shrubs. It contains a blend of mycorrhizal fungi, beneficial bacteria, biocatalysts, organic soil nutrients, proteins, complex carbohydrates, humic acids, yucca plant extracts and seakelp extracts and TerraSorb™ hydrogels.

Application Rates:

For use with coring drill or auger. Apply three ounces of MycorTree™ Root Saver™ per two to three inch diameter hole eight inches deep on 2.5-foot centers. Each 22-pound box treats 710 square feet of tree rooting area.

Directions for Use:

1. Remove mulch or grass from immediate area to be drilled.
2. Apply three ounces of MycorTree™ Root Saver™ directly onto soil forming a small pile.
3. Drill directly through small pile of MycorTree™ Root Saver™ to an 8-inch depth.
4. Mix product and soil by drilling up and down two or three times.
5. MycorTree™ Root Saver™ and soil are now mixed thoroughly throughout entire column of soil.
6. All soil and product mixture around outside top of hole should be put in hole.
7. Step on the vertical mulched hole to pack the mixed material.
8. Replace mulch.
9. Water after inoculating.

Now on to the rest of Things To Do For October.

Watering: I decided to inspect my sprinkler system the other day and found that this summers drought cause the soil to shrink in some areas down by the creek and caused the underground pipes to separate from joints like 90’s and tee’s or other couplers. With Sandra’s help it took me about an hour to inspect and repair my system. Some heads were not spraying in the correct direction and had to be turned slightly. In my perennial bed the plants had grown higher then the head so I raised it. I hope that the small adjustments that I made will keep my concrete areas dry and my plants and grass well watered.

Get out there and do the same. Save this resource and water wisely!

Fall is a good time to wean your plants and lawn from regular watering. Do not keep your sprinkler system turned on to scheduled watering. Check the moisture in the soil before watering. Even after heavy rains check the plants around the house that may be protected by the eaves.

Lawns: If you hurry you can still work on rebuilding the lawn. Damaged lawns, that may be a result of the summers heat and drought or grub worms, can still benefit from a good application of an organic fertilizer. To encourage the spread of runners lower your lawn mower a couple of notches so that the energy will be focused on lateral growth and not upright. If you had grub damage apply the Beneficial Nematodes. BN’s will attack grub larvae, plus some other 200 insects that have at least one life cycle in the ground.

If you had a heavy weed infestation you have several options:

1. Even though I used to recommend applications of Corn Gluten Meal, as a pre-emergent, I really don’t talk about it that much anymore. The reason I don’t like it is because the timing has to be perfect. If you are going to use CGM I think you must apply it every two to three months throughout the year. This will leave a residual buildup of the product and work more efficiently. This can get expensive and still not be fool proof.
2. Application of an all purpose natural fertilizer to encourage root growth of the grasses during the winter so that the weeds will be choked out in the spring.
3. Over seed with a winter grass seed like Rye or Fescue or Clovers. Fescue will be a permanent grass, so apply Fescue in shady areas where St. Augustine won’t grow.
4. Pull weeds as they come up, do not let them set flowers. Learn to recognize NUT SEDGE and resist all temptations of pulling this nasty weed.

Planting: Fall is for planting! Before running out to buy more plants, transplant from the over crowded landscaped areas into new beds or existing beds. Determine if the plants that did not fair well through this summer would do better in another shadier bed. Transplant them now or wait until they are dormant.

Buy trees or shrubs that will grow large enough to shade specific areas of your lawn, garden and home. Do not forget to shade the a/c unit from next years hot summer sun.

Use Native Plants to your area. There is no reason to plant ill adapted trees and shrubs just because they cost less. Consult with your local extension service, join a Native Plant Society, consult books or better yet hire a Landscape Consultant or Landscape Architect that is familiar with Native Plants. Make sure that they are familiar with native plants! Many designers/architects say they know about native plants, but really do not. They often recommend native plants that are not suited for a specific location or function.

Winter Color: Pansies, dianthus, kale, cabbage and Swiss chard will do well for winter color. Plant now so that they will have a healthy root system and be able to withstand any freezing temperatures that we may get. Apply kelp at the time of planting and continue applications as directed throughout the winter.

Fall Vegetables: Be sure to harvest vegetables at their peak of flavor, and before they are damaged by frost or cold temperatures.

If you feel lazy some of the smaller vegetable plants can just be turned into the garden. Add molasses to the soil to encourage microbes to help break down this organic matter.

Prepare your beds for next spring by adding organic matter. Do not rake the soil even! Leave the soil rough to allow good water penetration. Grow a green manure cover crop like Hairy Vetch or one of the clovers or a combination of seeds and till it in before planting the bed in the spring. Compost fallen leaves.

Bulbs: If you haven't already purchased your bulb, you better hurry. But, do not hurry to plant them. Remember that this newsletter is written down south and our soil temperatures are still warm. After a couple of freezes soil temperatures should be low enough to plant spring bulbs such as, crocus, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips bulbs. Remember two things about Tulip Bulbs.

They are not good repeaters down south and they must be refrigerated for about 30 to 45 days before planting.

Composting: There are several cities in our area that offer composting classes or certification for Master Composters. The Cities of Garland, Plano and Grapevine offer composting classes regularly. If it grew on your yard learn to keep the dead plant there. Composting will produce organic matter that can be put back in the garden, over the lawn or in potted plants.

Fallen leaves and grass clippings should not be composted. If it is on the ground mulch it. Only compost the clippings if you have an excess amount of leaves debris that makes the lawn look messy. If you over seeded with rye and need to mow the lawn do not catch your clippings, let them stay on the lawn.

Nematodes

Nematodes are roundworms of the Phylum Nematoda order. Most nematodes live in the soil in very large numbers and are best known as plant parasites that live in or on plant roots. However, studies are now revealing lesser-known, beneficial types of nematodes that help in pest control and the breakdown of organic matter. These nematodes are often referred to as free-living nematodes and can be found in moist soil around plants, especially around the roots of plants.

For gardening purposes, nematodes can be classified into two different types: destructive nematodes which destroy plants and beneficial nematodes which break down organic matter and feed on harmful insects.

Destructive nematodes are herbivores and were the first ones studied by colleges and agricultural experts because of their destructive nature. They push their needle-like mouthpart into the root system of plants where they feed at the root surface. Another species of plant-destroying nematodes actually enter into the root where they can live and feed.

Beneficial Nematodes

These are the nematodes that are most talked about in the organic realm. Even though most nematodes help with the break down of organic matter, the beneficial nematodes actually feed on insects that have at least one life cycle in the soil. Beneficial nematodes are not as common as the others but can be economically introduced into most soils as a form of biological control of soil-dwelling pest insects.

Beneficial nematodes are microscopic, non-segmented worms that attack soil-dwelling insects without harming plants. They enter the bodies of their host mainly through cavities and sometimes through the body wall where they reproduce, leaving their offspring to destroy the host. They can sense temperature changes caused by soil-living insects and move toward them. Gases emitted from these insects also attract beneficial nematodes in their direction. Beneficial nematodes are very effective against fleas, ants, termites, roaches, flies and grubs, some of the most damaging or pesky critters in the residential garden.

When I was reading up for this article I found that the EPA considers beneficial nematodes to be so safe that they waived the application requirements. We have had customers ask if beneficial nematodes are harmful to humans, pets and earthworms and the answer to that is: “NO!”

Insects Attacked by Beneficial Nematodes

Landscaping with Walls

Not to long ago I went out to do a consultation at a customers house that just had some landscaping done by another landscape company in Dallas. As I walked up to the front door I was impressed by the beautiful garden that wrapped around the sidewalk and front of the house. I started to ask why I was here. The landscape was well manicured, all the plants looked healthy and the plants that were used were well adapted to the area.

I walked through the house towards the backyard and was impressed by the panoramic view offered through the large picture windows. You could see in the distance a gradual slope of the yard towards the creek and wooded areas.

My customer invited me out into the back yard and with out saying a word took me to the end of the first terraced area of the formal lawn. She showed me the retaining wall, which was built from a natural stone called Millsap. This wall looked great it was about three feet high and 25 feet long. The grass was growing up to the edge and was well manicured.

Next she took me to the lower level where after a walk of about 50 feet with a slope of about five degrees we came to another wall that was about 50 feet long and about five foot tall. Before the wall there was a bed of perennials, crape myrtles, roses, annual flowers and other assorted plants in a bed that was about eight feet wide. Some of these plants had black spot and powdery mildew and the plants had an overall bad look to them compared to the rest of the landscape. The wall was pushed forward as if it was about to fall over. I walked into the bed and sank to my ankles in a very wet muck.

After cursing and trying to find my shoe that got sucked off of my foot in the wet soil I walked around to the front of the wall and noticed that there were no weep holes for water to drain out so I thought well maybe they installed a drain pipe?

The soil was fairly dry at the top two inches but wet enough below that to allow me to stick my hand down up to my armpit and guess what? There was no gravel, no drainpipe and a lot of water.

I confessed to my customer that I did not want to get involved in any lawsuits, I recommended that she call an engineer and have him evaluate the situation so that he could represent you if the landscape company that installed the wall would not correct the problem.

That night as I walked around my neighborhood I was amazed to see several walls that were falling over. Just two houses away from mine there is a wall built from landscape timbers that is about to fall over. Whoever built this wall wanted to stop the erosion from his lawn on to the sidewalk. His problem is that he did not put in deadmen to anchor the wall. At the entrance to our neighborhood there is a bed made of mortared flagstone. This wall has several problems. The wall was built without a footing to support the weight of the stone as the root of the tree grew and as the soil moved it lifted the stone, there were no weep holes to allow for drainage and the corners were not interlocking but just butt up against each other. Both of these walls were less then three feet high.

I was amazed to see other walls in the area that were as high as 10 feet and had no problems what so ever. If done properly a wall can hold back mountains and turn unusable areas in to beautiful landscape or more useable living space to add on to the home or can hold the soil around the foundation so that it does not slide away or as the other side of my house to hold back my neighbors uphill side from placing pressure on my foundation from soil eroding .

Before you jump into a wall project make sure you know more then just the basics. Find out about water flow, drainage, approximate weights of soil and the different options that you will have for materials to build the wall with.

Just a note, wood materials will not last as long as stone or concrete. No matter what you do stay away from railroad ties. These ties are treated with a very toxic product called creosote. If you drive around rail road lines were new ties are on the grass waiting to be set in place you will notice the grass around the ties is dead or dying. If you lift a tie with your bare hands you will see a red welt form on your skin, a burning or itching sensation will be felt a short time after. If you need to cut a tie and you made a mistake of not wearing a mask or eye protection the sawdust will burn your nasal passages, irritate your throat and make you cry like a baby.

Doing research for this article I found out that a small retaining walls that is about four foot high and 15 foot long can retain about 20 tons of wet soil. Most cities will allow a four foot wall no matter how long it is to be built without engineer’s specifications. So if your wall needs to be taller you can do what was done at my house. The original owners built one three foot wall down by the creek and backfilled it back four feet. At this point he built another wall going up to four feet and again back-filled to the point of a third wall also four foot high. This stair step or terracing approach works very well because you distribute pressure caused by the weight of the soil. By the way if you build a mortar less stonewall never go above three feet. If the project scares you always consider using a landscape architect an engineer or an experienced construction company for advice or for the actual installation.

As noted earlier I mentioned the blowout that occurred at my consultation. Under normal circumstances it can take years for a wall to blowout, but in some cases it will happen quickly. Blowout can be prevented with very little extra effort and expense.

You will not get a straight wall unless your first coarse is level. If you are using a dry stalked wall (no mortar) dig a trench at least three inches deep make sure that it is level and start to build on that. Do not get in a hurry; chip away any excess stone to maintain a level wall. You can use these chips as shim to keep smaller stones level. Always make the wall lean into the backfill at one inch for every 12 inches of height. To avoid erosion from between the dry stack walls use landscape fabric to avoid erosion.

When building a wall, Carol Feldman, our landscape architect, always has us use landscape fabric. Landscape fabric permits water to flow through it without letting soil pass through. Now notice I said landscape fabric and not weed barrier. Big difference, so be sure you got landscape fabric. Use a four inch perforated pipe, it doesn’t matter if it is corrugated or rigid PVC. Make sure that the pipe has a gradual slope of one inch fall occurring every four feet. Back fill and tamp with coarse gravel after each row and continue until the last three or four inches of subsoil. The last 10 to 12 inches should be a good compost loam base to support root growth. If you are using mortar or building your wall out of concrete include one weep hole for every five feet of wall.

We always use a concrete beam with rebar for the base of a brick or stonewall when we are going to use mortar. This will keep the wall straight and upright for a very long time.

Now remember that I said I would not build a wall from railroad ties, but if you decide to use cross ties or landscape timers you need to use deadmen. Deadmen, work as anchors that are buried in the soil to help hold back the wall. Deadmen look like a T and should be at least six feet back from the wall.

When I redo my wall that is built out of railroad ties I am going to use Pavestone Wall Stone. These interlocking prefabricated under heavy pressure stones come in several natural colors and have a stone like appearance. They are easy to work with and relatively inexpensive.