This week I received two e-mails, the first one was from Mary Sutton—as you may remember, last month I wrote an article about Mary and asked for donations from readers to send her to Tanglewood. Many of you responded by buying Rohde’s T-shirts and even made cash donations.

Mary sent this note and asked me to post it in the newsletter.

Dear Rohde’s customers,
I would like to thank you for helping me be able to attend the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. There, I will be studying composition among other young composers and musicians who feel as strongly about music as I do, and I will be learning from experienced professionals whose insight and intellect will surely impact me as a person and as a musician. Only with your extreme generosity and support has this been made possible. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Mary Sutton

When Watering, Make Every Drop Count!

I have seen several cities in the area place special markers at storm drains, but I really did not understand the need for these markers until I saw someone dumping a gallon of paint down one of these marked sewer drains. I asked him if he knew how to read and his answer was “no”. And you all thought I was a smart ass. Anyway, I asked the City of Garland to forward some of their earth friendly tips and pass them on to you.

City of Garland—Storm Drain Inlet Marker Project

What is the Storm Drain Inlet Marker Project?

The City of Garland Storm Drain Inlet Marker Project utilizes volunteer groups to place markers on storm drain inlets in the city. This project is designed to increase awareness of indiscriminate dumping into storm drains. Federal regulations require the City of Garland to reduce the number of pollutants entering a storm drain. This marker project is an effort to do so.

What areas can we mark?

Volunteers mark an area agreed upon by the project coordinator and the group. Markers, adhesive, wire brushes and orange safety vests will be issued. For safety reasons, the City’s Street dept. mark inlets located on roads heavy traffic.

Why mark storm drain inlets?

The majority of the general public does not realize the storm drain system is a separate system from the wastewater system that handles household by-products. Unlike the wastewater system, storm drains carry everything that enters them to the nearest water source. Anything put into the drain ends up in a nearby water body. Furthermore, city ordinances restrict any person from intentionally placing items into storm drains.Storm drain markers help increase awareness to combat this problem.

Who do we contact?

For more information on this project, contact Karah Hosek at 972-205-2191 or email khosek@ci.garland.tx.us. Thanks for your interest!

Even though spring has long gone, tips from the following article should be carefully considered at any time of the year.

Earth-Friendly Spring Tips

Once again it’s time for spring cleaning, “do-it-yourself-ing” and gardening! But do you realize the impact your activities have on our water?

• Do you substitute harsh cleaning chemicals for a little “elbow grease”?
• Do you change the oil in your automobile at home and let the oil drain onto the ground?
• Do you blow grass clippings or leaves off your yard and into the street?

These are things that people do every day that damage the water supply and harm the environment. If each of us makes small changes, they can add up to big improvements. It’s our social responsibility! Consider these tips:

Cleaning and Household Chores

• Baking soda and vegetable soap are two earth-friendly cleaners that work well on bathroom surfaces.
• Use tools rather than chemicals when possible. A plunger and a plumbing snake are much easier on the environment than chemicals that unclog drains. Prevention is also easier than unclogging a stopped-up sink; install a strainer where feasible.
• Use a linen cloth or squeegee on mirrors instead of paper towels.
• Open bathroom windows when possible to promote air circulation. A dry bathroom can help prevent mold growth.
• If you must use chemical cleaners, buy only what you need, use promptly and in accordance with label instructions.

When You “Do-it-Yourself”

• Dispose of oil and other automotive supplies properly. DO NOT allow them to make their way into the storm drain. 260 billion gallons of oil are improperly disposed of each year in America – equal to 24 Exxon Valdez oil spills! The City accepts some automotive supplies (as well as many other household items) at its Drop Off Recycling Center, 1426 Commerce Street, Garland. Call 972-205-3500 for recycling information.
• Clean up spills by absorbing them with material such as kitty litter, then sweep them up and dispose of them in the trash as solid waste.
• When you mow your lawn, mulch or compost the material, don’t bag it.

The Lawn

Finally, people are beginning to realize the best way to maintain a lawn is through organic practices. A convert, I mean new customer, came into the store after having a soil test done by a major Texas university. The soil test showed very high levels of sodium and actually recommended he discontinue the use of synthetic fertilizers and add organic matter to his lawn. (Great advice!) Another customer was told that he had brown patch on his turf and that applications of synthetic fertilizers actually encouraged fungal growth. He was advised to discontinue fertilizers that contained high amounts of nitrogen. He then realized his best bet was to use organic fertilizers, since nitrogen levels are normally 5 or 6%.

Several customers have come back to buy more lava sand for their lawn. They have said the lawn needs less water and the color of the grass is a darker green. Many of these customers have also encouraged their neighbors to start using lava sand and organic practices. In July,one of the things that I would like for you all to do is spread the word: “Organic practices do work!”

The other email I received follows (bet you thought I forgot).

Hi, I live in Austin. I find your articles helpful. For the horticulturally challenged, do you have, or could you make a simple yard (grass and trees) schedule by month that shows the minimum/critical care that one should give their yard?

In advance, thanks for your help.
John

My Response For Simple Yard Care

November through March: Rake. Water when needed. Fertilize once a quarter. Sleep

March through October: Mow, Water when needed. Fertilize once a quarter. Sleep.

During all the sleep time you can dream of having a beautiful landscape.

The more you do initially will improve the landscape’s chance to becoming self-sustaining. Until the soil your landscape grows in is healthy, there is no simple schedule for month-to-month maintenance. That’s why my newsletters are so long.

When you do as much as you can, whenever you can to improve the health of your soil, there will be a time when you will notice fewer plants need to be fertilized, and fewer plants need to be treated for insects or diseases. Then, and only then, can you sit back and watch your plants thrive on that care and make your own schedule of minimum/critical care that you should give the yard.

So for now get out there and continue:

• Mowing the grass at a higher level and leaving the grass clippings on the lawn.
• Watering the lawn infrequently, but ensuring that you apply at least 1 inch of water, at least once a week.
• Aerating the lawn with a mechanical aerator or apply a bio-stimulant to encourage microbial activity.
• Applying a thin layer of organic matter, preferably compost that does not contain a lot of sawdust. As the compost works its way into the soil, reapply another thin layer, especially in low spots throughout the lawn.
• Fertilizing plants that look weak and tired to encourage new growth and flower production.
• Treating plants for fungal problems. Powdery Mildew on Crape Myrtles, Black Spot on Roses and other related plants such as Photenias and Cleyeras can be treated effectively with Potassium Bicarbonate. Recently we have found that if you apply Potassium Bicarbonate with a spreader-sticker, such as liquid soap, the fungi will decrease at a faster rate than if you used a product like Foliar Juice or plain ol’ molasses.

Potassium Bicarbonate: On June 12, 2002 we applied a combination of Potassium Bicarbonate and Foliar Juice, at a rate of 2 ounces of each per gallon of water, on 43 Crape Myrtles that were showing Powdery Mildew at 20 different residential properties in North Dallas.

On Thursday, June 21, 2002, I went by 10 of these homes to inspect the sprayed Crape Myrtles and found that out of 43 trees, 6 of them seemed unaffected by the application- still showing powdery mildew, 15 of them showed very little signs of powdery mildew; and the rest had no visible residual of powdery mildew.

The Garden

First things first. MULCH!

Conserve moisture, cut down on weeds with one product. Mulch.

After all the work that went into planning, preparing and planting your garden, please remember that the plants will be in less stress if the soil they are growing in has a 3 inch layer of MULCH.

As the mulch breaks down add more MULCH.

Ok. So now you have mulched the garden and you noticed that there were some plants that died for whatever reason. Do you go out and buy another plant identical to the first one, do you transplant another plant to the area or, ( if you’re brilliant, hint-hint) -do you investigate and try to find out why the plant died?

Too much water?

Not enough water?

Too much shade?

Too much sun?

Was the soil staying too dry?

Was the soil holding too much water?

Was the soil draining properly?

Was the plant properly planted?

Did you use enough compost for the area?

Wait a minute, why am I asking all these questions? I don’t care. I want all the plants to die. I sell plants for a living, the more plants that die, the more I sell, right !? I want customers to come back and replace their plants without caring to find out what caused their plants to die, because then they’ll kill yet another plant. Not at all! To us, an unhappy customer isn’t just an unhappy customer, but an unhappy gardener- potentially an ex-gardener. Whew, I am sorry but sometimes it blows my mind to see things that I see and hear from customers.

One of the reasons we prefer to sell perennials over annual flowers, and encourage an organic approach, is to make the landscape more enjoyable at a lower cost. But, we all make mistakes and since we are talking about gardening and not brain surgery, most everything you do can be corrected with out much loss, allowing us to enjoy our part in the process of growing plants into beautiful things.

The Beautiful Things

Unfortunately, most things that live have a peak in their beauty and then at some period need cosmetic help. I am different. Unlike my wife, I just get better and better with age…Ouch!

Man, I hate it when Sandra sneaks up on me and reads over my shoulder.

Anyway, things that bloom leave their spent flowers behind and in many cases, these flowers look ugly, so we deadhead them, or trim them back to improve their appearance and encourage new growth and blooms.

There are exceptions though. Did we grow a flower so that its seeds would feed the bird? If so, don’t cut back those spent blooms. Leave them on the plant for birdseeds.

If you have not trimmed spring blooming plants, now is a good time to do so. Even though it can be tedious, schedule your work during the cool of the day, and your plants will reward you with more beautiful, bountiful blooms later on.

CHINCH BUG ALERT: Be on the look out for chinch bugs. Chinch bug damage usually happens when the lawn is hot and dry, and the damage may appear next to sidewalks and driveways. Bermuda grass seems to have more damage by chinch bugs then St. Augustine. Chinch bugs are easy to control with Diatomaceous Earth.

CHIGGERS: Common chiggers are related to spider mites, needing both moisture and shade to survive.

Have you ever noticed that chiggers seem to bother you more after a rain or on humid days? That should help you realize that they love to live in tall weed patches or thick groves were shade keeps the soil and plants moist.

When you go out for a picnic and you place a blanket under the shade of a tree, are you smart enough to claim your place on the blanket for the whole day? Do you laugh while the unfortunate sit or better yet lay on the grass where chiggers climb up and irritate the unsuspecting? Do you gloat and mention that they should have brought a blanket with them?

It is actually the larvae of the chigger that needs mammals to feed on and it is these little creatures that climb on to our bare legs or exposed skin and attach themselves inside the pores of our skin. Once it gets comfy it makes us uncomfortable by releasing a toxin in our skin that breaks it down into small enough particles for them to eat. We react by scratching and cussing, but these actions are usually futile. The skin swells up around the chigger protecting the little %@#$*&.The chigger is related to the spider mite and many of you know that you can kill a spider mite with Insecticidal soaps, sulfur, diatomaceous earth, and pyrethrum.

I like using a diluted form of Green Sense Soil Drench applied to the plants and ground. After shaking the container well and making sure that the citrus oil is thourghly mixed, apply over the entire lawn at a rate of 2 ounces per gallon of water. At this rate you will be able to control Chinch Bugs, Chiggers, Fleas, Ticks and any cricket that comes in contact with this product.

Because this product contains molasses and manure tea do not spray on painted surfaces that do not easily wash off.

The Vegetable Garden

This is the time to start your seeds for fall gardens. Start with a really good potting soil, (like Green Sense Potting Soil) and place the soil in small pots or egg cartons. Make sure that you have good drainage. Place two or three seeds in each container, place the containers in lots of sunlight so the seeds can germinate.

Fertilize the existing vegetable garden with a good fertilizer that contains cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal and trace minerals like Green Sense Vegetable & Flower Food. Apply foliar sprays early in the morning and add an extra tablespoon of kelp (seaweed) to your solution to help the plants through the heat stress. Green Sense Foliar Juice and Green Sense Kelp make great applications for newly planted vegetable seeds and transplants.

Stake tomatoes and cover them with bird netting. Many customers think that if the leaves of the plants are covering the fruit they should remove these leaves so that they can expose the fruit to sunlight. Removing leaves does not hasten ripening and may result in sunscald.

Beneficial Nematodes can be applied to the vegetable garden since we tend to keep the soil moist. BN’s will go after many of the insects that ruin our vegetable plants.

Spider mites thrive in hot weather. If leaves of plants have a stained appearance, inspect the undersides of the leaves and look for webbing. Hose mites off the foliage. Spraying an extra dose of kelp at a rate of three ounces to a gallon of water helps to prevent spider mites.

Some Neem Oil products are registered for use on food crops, but remember that Neem will also kill your beneficial insects.

Flowers and Shrubs in the Natural Garden

by Don Trotter

Hello fellow Earthlings, and welcome to the flower garden! Let’s look at some fun ways to keep them blooming as the heat descends upon us this summer.

When we bring plants into our ornamental gardens, it is because we like them as they are or that we can envision how they will look in time. Although I love green landscapes, I am particularly drawn to colorful displays of flowering shrubs mixed with greenery. It adds flavor and some interest to the garden, not to mention a direct expression of the gardener's creativity. Caring for green and flowering plants to ensure they continue to put on a show of their beauty is a challenge to any gardener. A display of well-tended plants around your homes is a way to say to admirers that you care about your surroundings and these plants have a good home. Taking the next step in understanding of how these ornamental gardens can be richer is the playground of the natural gardener.

I love to see a landscape where there is a layer of mulch placed under all of the shrubsin an orderly manner. That says to me that the gardener really cares about his or her roses and camellias because that gardener is making sure that the soil these plants are growing in is being cared for so the plants will live a long and productive life. How many neighbors do you see in your neighborhood that are constantly replacing plants they installed only a few weeks or months before? They dig and dig and make no connection between the quality of the soil and the health of their plantings. You may hear things like "I just can't get these blasted gardenias to grow in my soil" or "These darned azaleas just keep dying". They will even say that the soil conditions are to blame but won't make the connection. To gardeners like these the soil is merely a place where the plants anchor their roots and has little or no part in the overall vigor of their garden. They will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to keep their gardens looking like they just came off of the pages of Hearst's Country Living Gardener Magazine but don't understand how or why they have failure after failure. If we were to think of plants in our landscapes kind of like they were animals in a reputable zoo wouldn't we make sure that the penguin's enclosure was cold or that the tropical birdcages were warm?

Plants are no different. If you want to grow gardenias and azaleas give them what they need and begin with the soil. A living soil will provide your landscape planting investment with all of the things any plant requires. It is up to you to manipulate the soil to accommodate special requirements, but the main thing is to keep that soil alive. In the Old Testament of the Bible there is a chapter where a litany of begats and begots refer to the lineage of the human race. Well the nitty gritty of this rather than a long roster of names is that without life there is no more life. Or life begets life. This is a statement that could not be more true when talking about soils. A living soil begets more life and that life force ends up as a healthy landscape full of flowering plants and bright green shrubs.

When choosing landscape shrubs and flowers there are a few things to consider: Is the plant you like capable of thriving in your climate and does it have special watering requirements that would make it incompatible with the other plants where you want to plant? Does it have to be in the shade or will it take some sun. And most of all, does it have special soil requirements?

It is difficult to get rhododendrons to thrive in a cactus garden. And it is very difficult to get cactus to thrive in a rhododendron garden. Incompatibility of plant types is one of the easiest ways to fail in the ornamental garden, or in any garden for that matter. Choosing plant types that are compatible with one another is a great way to have a successful landscape. If you love hostas and know they require some shade why would you plant them in the full sun? Exposure to sunlight is another way to ensure plants succeed or fail. Planting shrubs and flowers that require long exposure to direct sunlight in the deep shade of a tree or on the shady side of the house seems a little silly just to get yellow flowers for a few weeks. There are oodles of yellow flowering plants that grow well in the shade; you just need to find them. In the case of shade plants being subjected to direct sunlight, unless you are doing experiments on sunburned foliage there is no point in trying it.

Ask your nursery professional what kind of exposure a particular plant that has caught your eye requires, they will be happy to tell you. And if you're looking for those yellow flowers that grow in the shade, ask the nursery professional if they know of any. Another thing to do when you are at the nursery or garden center looking for new plants is to look up. If you see the sun, chances are the plants you're looking at prefer a sunny spot in the garden. If you look up and see shade fabric or it is a shady spot in the nursery, chances are the plant prefers a spot where there is little or no direct sunlight. This simple observation that will save you headaches and money.

Growing shrubs and flowering plants in the garden is easy if you pay attention to a few small details.

Remembering that they have to grow in the soil, and concentrating on organic matter applications in the form of composts and mulches will serve you and your plants well for years to come. Feeding of your landscape shrubs and flowering plants is an easy task that only requires two applications of food per year in most climates. Remember, compost and mulch are plant foods as well, so fertilizer and mineral supplements should focus on correcting imbalances in your soil while providing nutrients to plants.

See you in the Garden!

Got Questions? Email the Doc. Don Trotter's natural gardening columns appear nationally in environmentally sensitive publications. Check out Don's books "The Complete Natural Gardener" and "Natural Gardening A-Z" at your local bookstore or any online bookseller for more helpful gardening tips. Both books are from Hay House Publishing.