Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park Spring/Summer 2003 Events

April 4 - June 22 Nocturnal Splendor: Digital Images of Moths by Joseph Scheer
Larger-than-life stunning digital images capture spectacular colors and textures that usually are hidden in darkness. Art, science and technology combine to shed new light on these amazing creatures of the night.

May 2 - June 8 How the Caterpillar Earns Its Wings
Get the real lowdown on the miracle of metamorphosis and see live caterpillars with their native host plants. Solve the mystery of which beautiful butterfly each caterpillar will become!

May 3 (Sat.) 9:00 am - noon Butterfly Gardening Workshop
Learn the best nectar, host plants for Dallas yards, plus design tips. Registration fee includes a flat of starter plants. Advance registration required. Conducted by Tina Dombrowski, Director of Horticulture.

May 10 (Sat.) 9:00 am International Migratory Bird Day Celebration
Stroll through the gardens and Fair Park with bird expert Mike Moore. Afterwards, participants will have the opportunity to see native Texas hawks and owls from the Heard Museum Raptor Center.

May 17 (Sat.) 10:00 am 3^rd Saturday Garden Walk: Caterpillar Crawl
Take a stroll through the garden in search of caterpillars with butterfly expert Dale Clark, plus see more caterpillars on display in the conservatory. Learn about the miracle of metamorphosis.

June 7 (Sat.) 10 am - 3 pm Butterfly Plant Sale
Attract beautiful butterflies to your yard! Select a wide variety of hardy native and adapted plants.

June 14 ( Sat.) 11 am - 4 pm Day in Fair Park - Backyard Pond Celebration
Learn how to build and maintain a natural water habitat in your backyard. Turtles, toads, frogs and other slippery friends from the pond will be on display, courtesy of the DFW Herpetological Society.

June 21 (Sat) 10:00 am 3^rd Saturday Garden Walk: Winged Wonders
Guided tour through the garden in search of butterflies and other colorful winged wonders. Afterwards, see an amazing exhibit of exotic moths in the lobby.

July 1 - Sept. 1 Plant Hunter: Benny Simpson Exhibit
Texas A&M researcher Benny Simpson collected plants from West Texas and the Big Bend for development as hardy ornamental plants for the Metroplex. Photographs and historical information also will be on display

July 6, 13, 20, 27 2:00 pm Basically Beethoven Series of free concerts on Sunday

July 18 (Fri.) 10 am - 1 pm Magic & Mystery in the Garden
Summer class for children 7 - 11 years old. Unlock the mysteries of plants in a magical garden and earn a Garden Wizard Diploma!

For more info, call 214-428-7476 or check the website at http://www.texasdiscoverygardens.org/

I'm Goin’ Hollywood?

Probably not....., but during the last week of April, a local news station interviewed me. The consumer reporter wanted a lawn assessment for an organic treatment as opposed to a conventional chemical lawn treatment. His request was to determine what kind of lawn we were looking at and what conditions I thought might be present in the lawn.

The subject's lawn was Bermuda Grass with a bad case of Brown Patch. Instead of recommending a product to control the fungus, I tried to determine the reason for the problem. This was easy to find by just walking around the corner of the house where the gutters discharged onto the lawn. Because we were looking at a very flat lawn, the water slowly made its way to the street, pushing soil and debris until there was a slight build up that actually served as a dam. Water would sit for long periods of time permitting the fungal spores to grow.

Poor drainage can be one reason for brown patch to develop on a lawn, but there are other factors. Use of fertilizers containing high nitrogen and lawns that have a lot of thatch usually suffer the most. People notice brown patch in the spring and fall usually after several days of showers, overcast skies and temperatures between of 60 and 80 degrees during the day.

How does it start? When moisture stays around a plant for too long, fungi starts to form and attack the plant. On grass it attacks an individual plant, usually starting on the foliage. With prolonged periods of moisture or if undetected, the disease spreads and the plant wilts. Many customers admit that when they saw the plant wilt, they thought it was a watering problem- so they increased water applications. Talk about a bad situation just getting worse!

What starts out as tan spots that look like someone splattered paint from a brush- usually on the edge of the grass quickly turning large areas brown. Soon plants wilt and start to turn brown. When the grass stolon becomes infected it then spreads beyond the initial problem area. This fungus is called Rhizoctonia solani, a pathogenic fungus that causes root rot in a variety of crop plants.

In Bermuda grass, small circular patches appear and quickly increase in size. Eventually several patches meet increasing the size of the problem and becoming irregular in shape.

In St. Augustine the same occurs, but since this grass is usually kept higher the Bermuda you actually seem to have a low spot in the problem area.

You can remedy the problem, but it may take some time. If you are using chemical fertilizers, like the homeowner of the consultation subject lawn admitted using, STOP!

Even the most hardheaded chemical gardener knows that high levels of nitrogen promote the growth of the young leaves that are susceptible to the disease.

Start using organic fertilizers.

Apply Corn Meal at a rate of 10 pounds per thousand square feet and/or Potassium Bicarbonate at a rate of two tablespoons per gallon of water for 400 square feet. Add a spreader sticker to this solution or better yet mix it with GreenSense Aunt Rohde’s Compost Tea. This product is a blend of three different types of compost and can help combat fungal diseases. You can also use this combination to control Black Spot and Powdery Mildew. Repeat applications every 7 to 15 days until symptoms go away.

Do not overwater the lawn in periods of cool weather. Turn the system off and water only when needed. Irrigation systems are convenient, but can be the accomplice for many diseases attacking your landscape investment.

Correct your drainage and make this a priority other wise you will never win this battle. Fill in low lying areas, improve water flow- even if that means installing a French drain or a pump.

Apply GreenSense Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment to help minimize thatch.

Do not mow the lawn when the soil is wet. This will further compact the soil.

Do not mow the lawn in the same direction week after week. Change your direction to North-south, East- west and even Northeast-Southwest.

CATCH GRASS CLIPPINGS and compost them - just until thatch has been reduced. Thatch is a good resting spot for fungal spores and makes it hard for ANY type of fungal control to break it down.

What is Thatch? Thatch is dead but non-decomposed debris that has accumulated below the grass stems and above ground. In our lawn service we have seen more thatch build up in lawns that are under chemical maintenance treatments. Many years ago I purchased a de-thatcher that I used on several of the lawns that we maintained. Since we have been organic for 13 years we have not used it. Anybody interested in a slightly used machine?

"Thatch roof" is something that comes to mind now. What do thatch roofs do? Keep moisture out. Thatch in lawns will do the same thing, decreasing moisture and air penetration into the soil.

Mechanical core aeration will help get the water away from the surface and speed up recovery of the lawn. This is the only instance where I recommend aeration before June. I prefer aerating the lawn after the heavy spring rains have passed so that they do not collapse the new holes left from the aeration process.

Things to Do in May

Take an easy stroll around your neighborhood and look at the landscapes that surround the homes and businesses near you. See anything that you like? Inspiration! The heart and art of gardening. Now keep walking -- come on over to Rohde’s and see if we have that plant and if it will do well in your situation.

May is the time for flowers and new growth. You will see that even the foliage of plants that you may have considered boring in the past look beautiful and appealing in the spring. Don't be afraid to stray from the straight-line landscape. Get wild, fell free and uninhibited, mix it up and increase the sex appeal of your home.

I received the best compliment a homeowner can receive. Some unknown person had his realtor ask if we would like to sell our house. I said yes, the boss (Sandra) said "NO". He said he liked the simple park-like landscape in front of the house.

Landscape adds an immeasurable, intangible additional value to the financial worth of your home, as well as the pleasure of daily life.

WEEDS. Winter or cool season weeds are still showing their ugly heads. Remember that if they go to seed you will have more weeds to contend with later on. You can get control of the weed problem by mowing more often, use a grass catcher, or what can be called a weed seed collector, if you do not have any grass to mow just yet.

In Dallas we have a long period of seed germination, so apply corn gluten meal as many times as the budget allows. Remember that agricultural college testing has shown that CGM may stop seed germination.

This time of year, I keep the lawn mower height at a lower level than summer height. The reason I do this is to force the grass to grow laterally rather than upward. I hope to encourage the grass to crowd out some of the weeds. As temperatures rise, I raise my mowers height.

SHRUBS THAT GO BLOOM! If they are finished blooming, trim them back now. You can fertilize, but I would prefer that you apply a fresh layer of compost. Do not exceed a 3” layer and make sure to remove any compost from around the bark of the plants.

It would also be a good time to apply GreenSense Kelp to the foliage. Plants that have been sprayed with Kelp are able to bloom more, repel insects and go through heat (and cold) with less stress.

Grasshoppers are on their way! And caterpillars, aphids, whiteflies, snails and slugs.

Grasshoppers

Don't wait until you see mature grasshoppers to apply Nolo Bait. This biological insecticide, Nosema Locustae, is a naturally occurring disease that affects grasshoppers and crickets. As soon as you see the cute little babies, apply Nolo Bait.

This bacteria is so specific that if a bird were to eat a diseased grasshopper, it will not be harmed. Once a grasshopper dies, other will eat him, and yes they will get the disease.

If you spray the leaves of plants with Kaolin, a natural clay dust, grasshoppers seem to stay away. Kaolin also works to discourage and birds from fruit and vegetables and can be washed off easily from any plant at harvest time.

Caterpillars

Caterpillars are baby insects of moths or butterflies. As soon as a caterpillar can, it will feed from plants until it is ready to change into a pupa, if it is to be a moth- or a chrysalis, if it will be a butterfly.

Now remember many of you come into Rohde’s or other nurseries to buy plants for butterfly attractants. So, before you go out and kill these caterpillars, do some research. Find out if they are going to be a desired butterfly or just a nuisance moth. Check websites for information, starting with The Dallas County Lepidopterist Society. It's a great website and has lots of photos, information and links to other sites.

At home I planted two Passion Vines to grow up columns in front of our porch. Sandra loved the beautiful flowers and wanted me to plant more in other areas of the garden….until the Gulf Fritillary caterpillars arrived and started devouring the beautiful plant and its flowers. Now she wanted them gone and the plant too. I started to hand pick hundreds of the caterpillars, especially the one that were near the buds of the plant, with this control method, I was able to enjoy butterflies and please my wife.

Less desirable caterpillars can be very destructive and just make plants look ugly. These include leaf rollers that can take every leaf off of a tree or shrub, tent caterpillar and bagworms that can make a once beautiful tree scary to go under. Cabbage loopers, and cutworms can cause a lot of damage to flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. There is no reason to be nice with these guys. I would definitely use Trichogramma Wasp or BT k products such as Thuricde, or Dipel as a control method.

I want you to try to remember when is the last time that you saw or heard of someone who lost a tree or shrub to a caterpillar? Unless we mention junipers or vegetables and flowers like Begonias and Impatiens, I cannot recall any major losses. So do not panic. Do not use a product that will kill every insect around. Be patient and let the least toxic Bacillus Thuringiensis work or give time for predators to work.

Whiteflies

Like aphids, scale and mealy bugs, whiteflies suck sap from plants. The last two weeks of April, many customers asked about the seeming over-abundance of whiteflies this year.

Whiteflies can be found underneath leaves. But it seems that if you disturb them later in the day when it is warmer, swarms of these pests fly up your nose (maybe only if you have a big nose like mine).

In the morning go back to the area where you were attacked, slowly look under the leaves and you may see a small doughnut like circle where the eggs have been deposited.

GreenSense Citrus-nella-Repella is a combination of d’limonene and citronella formulated to kill bugs on contact and repel migrating pest, Neem Oil or the new Bioganic* sprays can be used for easy control. Bioganic* is a new product at Rohde's – this all natural, non-toxic horticultural oil that is safe for most situations and controls a wide variety of critters by blocking key neural pathways specific to insects - neural pathways not present in humans or animals. That's what we call "Good Science"!

Snails and Slugs

Snails and slugs are out in force and already seem to be larger than they were last year.

You know that you have a problem with snails when you see the silvery slime trail left by this pests and are most active during the night when they feed. They mostly eat living plants and will chew holes in leaves and cut down soft-stemmed plants such as flowers.

It is really not that difficult to control these critters. Picking up and crushing can be satisfying, but time consuming. Go a more practical route and remember that since they seek shelter from the sun, remove all debris such as fallen roof shingles, paper or cardboard. But that does not mean you cannot trick them into finding some conveniently placed shelter that you can easily pick up and dispose of every morning. I use a piece of cardboard that I soak just enough so that the material turns a dark brown but still remains rigid and place this in the area where I've seen problems. Try not to plant flowers near ground cover beds since leaves and moisture there do make good resting spots for snails.

Sluggo is non-toxic bait that consists of naturally occurring Iron phosphate and is safe to use around pets. Beer traps work, but can make you sick when you empty them--due to nausea from disgust! EEEUUU! Icky, but effective. Place beer taps in the soil and put an ounce or two of the cheapest or flattest beer you can find. Don’t use imported beer or expensive brew, you may see a neighbor sneaking over with his flashlight and long straws.

Decollate Snails: Attack and kill the common brown garden snail. Also eats snail eggs and juvenile snails.

Mosquitoes

Now is the time to eliminate breeding areas for these disease-carrying insects. Clean gutters of debris, including small accumulations of mud in low spots caused by loose gutter nails or damage from tree branches. Check for low spots behind shrubs where water accumulates. Empty and properly discard old tires, broken pots or any water holding object.

Start applying products that contain Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis. These specific bacteria will kill larval stages of mosquitoes, black flies, and fungal gnats. The sooner you get started the fewer offspring’s will be born from the first generation then the next.

Continue to apply Aquabac, Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits throughout the summer.

CONTINUE TO CLEAN GUTTERS AND OTHER WATER HOLDING OBJECTS ON A REGULAR BASIS. Rohde’s offers an application service of liquid bacteria (BTI) in the Dallas area.

Compost, the Key to Plant Fertility

by Warren Johnson, Marketing Director for GreenSense Fertilizers and Back To Nature Compost

To the American pioneers, the Great Plains were truly a gift from God…over a half million square miles of unclaimed, undisturbed soil. A self-sustaining carpet that supported not only itself, but millions of living creatures, great and small. When plows first broke ground on the Great Plains it was hard to tell in the fresh turned earth where soil ended and plant life began.

Without pointing fingers, it has taken man, in his constant quest for ‘more’, less than 150 years to reduce that resource to less than 1% of what it was. To place that statement in its proper perspective, it may be helpful to recognize that the thin layer of topsoil that remains is all that stands between us and extinction.

Turn over a shovelful of earth today and if you’re lucky you will see a dark layer at the surface that contains lots of organic matter and maybe even an earthworm or two. That dark layer is topsoil. If you look closely you will see that it consists primarily of dead and decaying organic matter. The rest of your shovelful of earth will consist of clay, sand, stone or a combination of them, and while those things are important in the overall scheme of things, it is the topsoil that gives soil its fertility.

Organic matter in soil has a significant impact in aeration, moisture retention and temperature regulation. It also acts as a home and food source for beneficial soil organisms that convert nutrients to a form plants can use. These organisms in turn improve aeration through their tunneling movements and facilitate the transferal of nutrients from the soil to the plant. Still other organisms help to maintain a balance between harmful and beneficial forces in the soil.

Experts agree; the single most beneficial thing we can do to restore soil fertility is to return organic matter to the soil, preferably in the form of compost. Composting raw organic matter is important because heat generated by microbes in the process of decomposition helps to destroy weeds, insects and pathogens. Smaller particle size that is a result of composting will make nutrients more readily available, also.

You can make an impact on soil health by using a mulching mower and leaving the clippings on your lawn when you mow. Grass clippings are a free source of fertilizer. Every blade you cut has essential nutrients within their cell structure. They are high in nitrogen and break down quickly in healthy soil, making their nutrients again available for other plants. A true example of the cycle of life.

Some household waste can be added to a compost pile and eventually contribute to the fertility of planting beds. Your local nursery or county agricultural extension office can provide you with free information on composting.

There are a number of commercial composts on the market, but be careful. Not all composts are created equal and good compost isn’t cheap! In our opinion, the best compost on the market is Back To Nature Cotton Burr Compost. Cotton gin trash has been used as a soil conditioner in the Southern U.S. for over 150 years. Cotton is a heavy feeder, and the ‘burr’ or ‘boll’; fleshy husk (sepal) that surrounds the cotton fiber contains a significant amount of plant essential nutrients.

When properly composted, cotton burrs are prized for their ability to break up clay, won’t cause nitrogen tie-up like wood/wood by-products and hold as much moisture as peat moss. Recent studies have shown the greatest asset of cotton burr compost may be its value as a food source for beneficial soil organisms, whose population levels soar rapidly with its use.

Cotton Burr Compost works either as a mulch for existing beds or can be tilled into soil. Back To Nature provides and packages GreenSense Cotton Burr Compost.

Too many projects and none get finished....

There's a couple that my wife, Sandra and I know and socialize with quite frequently. This couple is one of those where the husband is much older than his wife, and as a matter of fact, I don't know very many people that are older than him. There are times when we've gone out to dinner and have wondered if he was in the beginning stages of senility.

Not to long ago we were waiting for a table and while standing by the bar, his wife was telling us about some furniture that she had been looking for, all of a sudden the smile on her face disappeared and a look of concern overcame her. I followed her eyes and looked behind me to see that our friend, who I will call Mr. C, was in deep conversation, his mouth was moving and his hands were trying to explain some shape or form to who ever he was talking to. I was very surprised to find that he was talking to himself.

Sandra and I looked back at his wife and as this behavior was a common occurrence, she simply stated that he did that a lot. One thing you must know is Mr. C is smart, he has his own business that networks computers for several companies throughout the metroplex.

Since no two businesses are alike, different networks have to be used and some jobs more demanding then others. I wondered if this was due to his age or was he just trying to walk his way through some troublesome computer installation he had coming up?

I have been to Mr. C’s house on several occasions and have noticed that he does not take on one project at a time, but has many projects going all at once. So many that some have not been completed in over four years. The projects that I know of are to replace the base boards that were removed when the tile floor was put in. Even though Mr. C and I went to look for and found matching boards two years ago, they still sit somewhere collecting dust. The ceiling fan in the kitchen was removed to be oiled since there was a slight squeak that “annoyed” him three years ago. The galvanized tub is going to be painted a terra cotta color some time in the near future, his wife is hoping for 2004. Christmas lights should be coming down just in time for him to put them back up next Christmas.

If that isn't enough, Mr. C is also working on his landscape. He has been working on it diligently for four years now. For every hour that he spends installing a new plant or placing a rock in the perfect spot, he will spend another three hours wondering if that perfect spot should be moved over just a little bit.

On a Sunday in March Mr. C called me up and asked me if he could borrow my trailer and a tree dolly to collect some boulders that he saw on a vacant lot near his house. I offered to bring the trailer to his house and help him collect he boulders after work. “Oh, we don’t have to do this today”, he said. I asked him if he wanted to wait until next year to get this done. He said he would wait for me after work. We went to get the stone and after smashing my index finger and getting numerous ant bites we returned to his house and placed the boulders in his landscape where he thought he wanted them. A few days later I went by his house to deliver some mulch and noticed that the boulders had been moved.

A week later, I went by his house again and noticed that the boulders had been moved one more time. I only noticed this because there was a slight indention in the soil where they used to be. MR. C came out and asked me what I was doing in his neighborhood. I told him that I was spying on him. I wanted to see how many times he would move the rocks around. He confessed to moving them four times already and was not even sure that he was happy with their present location. While I was there, he asked me if I could get some green paint for him so that he could repaint the metal edging that had been in his lawn for a few years now and was starting to rust.

“Wait a second” I said. “I thought that your wife asked you to repaint the wrought iron fence last year, don’t you want too finish that first?

After a threatening look from Mr. C, I decided that I should just get the paint.

A few weeks later, I found the wrought iron fence and antique sewing machine had been painted, but it was the Mrs. that got the job done. Apparently "somebody else" started another project, this one putting coasters on a refrigerator to store soft drinks for the kids.

During these few weeks of seeing Mr. C became more and more overwhelmed with things in his life, a very regular customer came into the store to show off his landscape with some photos of his property. He first showed me a “before” picture. I was not impressed and could see why he would want to change the landscape of his home.

Then he showed me a picture that was taken at the end of last year. Wow! I was impressed with the quick change and the results that I thought were the finished job. Nope! The third picture showed the landscape in all its glory. All the walkways in place, the fountain was working and plants were in full bloom. “How long have you been working on this?” I asked.

Two years ago he started working the beds- adding plenty of soil amendments and loving care. The beautiful color and size of the plants showed that he did not skimp with the bed preparation. Additives such as cotton burr compost, corn meal, lava sand and GreenSense Lawn and Garden Microbial Treatment were generously used. Ninety percent of the plants came from Rohde’s and he had continued to maintain the plants using organic methods recommended by the staff at our nursery.

While I was talking to my customer, I started to think about Mr. C’s landscape and I noticed a couple of things.

First, my customer was much more perseverant, decisive and directed than Mr. C., he was able to start a project and stick with it until it was finished.

Second, he was physically fit and able to work for long periods without having to sit down in the Adirondack chair and nap.

Yes, I do worry about the deteriorating condition of my older friend and can only hope he will quickly finish some of his numerous projects, before his young wife tries to take over some of his tasks.