January 22, 2019 Kim’s Weekly Garden Blog
Hi Gardeners,
Our nice weather is over.
The wind is howling outside today.
It was -7 last night but quickly rose to 25 degrees with a little sun and
the wind from the south. But it doesn’t
feel like 25 degrees. Our house faces
south and in that direction it’s flat fields and pastures, and the wind just
sweeps across them. When the winds from
the south this old house leaks cold air like crazy. The north wind doesn’t hit us that hard
because there are woods and hills in that direction.
We are supposed to be getting snow then freezing rain
tonight. That’s not good, especially
with the high winds. I’m worried about
the power going out. Bitter cold is going
to come back in another day or two. It
looks like the easy winter we were having is going away for a bit. A little snow is welcome to insulate the
roots and crowns of plants during the below zero nights but we don’t need much
more than the couple inches that are on the ground now.
I am reviewing some courses on line this month. If you have Amazon
Prime, they have a new series of “Great Courses” you can get. You get a week’s free viewing then it costs
$7.99 a month, which isn’t much considering what these college level courses
usually cost. The courses cover a wide
range of subjects from science subjects, literature and art, religion, even
holistic medicine. The classes are in 30-minute
segments and you can pause at any time, then continue when you want to.
I am currently reviewing a course on forensic science and one on
botany. Yes, I have had college botany,
I even taught botany but that was many years ago. It’s always good to see what has changed and
learn something new. The teacher is quite interesting even if she wanders off
topic from time to time. If you have any
free time during this awful winter- take a course.
I am thumbing through garden catalogs and looking on line for
plants I want to try this year. I am seeing people asking for recommendations
for good seed and plant companies on social media. There are many, many reputable places. Try my garden catalog/website list here; http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/have-youreceived-any-garden-catalogs-in.html
One little hint here- many seed companies get their seed from the
same seed wholesalers. If the catalog or
site doesn’t say they grew the seeds or that the seed or plant is exclusive to
them, you can probably find it in other places.
Shop around for the best price, you would be surprised at the wide range
of prices for the same seed or plant.
Make sure you take into account the size of the seed packet or
plant and the shipping and handling charge, so you are comparing the same
thing. Ignore free gifts that are offered when choosing where to buy from, as
these are usually not worth choosing a higher priced source over a more modest
one.
With garden shopping and garden classes winter will pass quickly
and we can get right to real gardening.
Is potting medium hazardous to your
health?
It’s the time of year when pent up gardeners begin to think of starting
seeds, potting up bulbs and transplanting houseplants. To do that one needs
potting medium or garden soil and compost. And so it’s this time of year when
stories about diseases people can get from potting medium and soil start going
the rounds on social media.
I had a question from someone this week about the possibility of
contracting Legionnaires disease from potting medium (soil). They were wondering if they read a fake news
story or if it was true. The answer is
that yes, you could get Legionnaires disease from
potting medium but it’s not very likely.
There are actually many diseases that one can get from soil and
potting mediums. But for healthy people
the chance of contracting any of them is very low. You have a much better chance of getting a
disease from eating fresh produce or dozens of other common daily activities.
Potting medium would be somewhat less likely to transmit a disease
than garden soil or compost, but the possibility remains. Potting medium is a mixture of organic
materials such as ground bark and inorganic materials such as perlite.
Composition can vary from company to company and even from area to area. Many companies have several places that
produce mixes for them, and they source materials locally. So all bags of “Wondermix” may not contain
the same ingredients from the same places.
Different diseases are more prevalent in the soil and organic matter
of various areas of the country or world.
Soil composition, moisture, temperature and pH can affect what diseases
are present in high enough concentrations to be a problem. All areas don’t have
the same chances for certain diseases to exist. Legionnaires disease from potting mediums is
more likely to happen in Australia, New Guinea and some Asian areas, but it has
occurred in the US.
Almost all organic materials used in potting mediums will be contaminated
with soil and that’s why the remote possibility of disease still exists. Sterilized
mixtures are safer, but they too can become contaminated, especially when bags
are opened and sit around.
Some of the diseases its possible to get from potting mix or soil
include: tetanus, botulism, anthrax, Legionnaires disease, E.coli, staph and strep
infections, Bacillus cereus gastroenteritis, Listeria, Campylobacter, Melioidosis, Coccidioidomycosis, Blastomycosis, Histoplasmosis, Paracoccidioidomycosis, Sporotrichosis, and pulmonary Aspergillosis.
There are other rarer fungal and bacterial diseases that are also
transmitted in soil. Parasites such as roundworms and the parasite that causes Toxoplasmosis are also transmitted
through soil. Even inorganic materials, like perlite and vermiculite can
cause lung problems if they are inhaled.
But don’t get too worried.
For a person with a healthy immune system these diseases are very unlikely
to be transmitted to you. You have a better chance of being hit by lightning
while standing in the garden with a trowel in your hand. And there are good bacteria in the soil that
are actually beneficial to our health, so don’t give up gardening.
But there are things a gardener can do to lessen the even remote
possibility of contracting a disease from potting medium or soil. If you are an
immune compromised individual, you may have already been instructed about what
protective steps to take when working in the garden or if you should work with
soil. Follow your doctor’s instructions. Immune compromised people should always wear
gloves and a mask when working with potting medium or soil and clothing that
protects skin areas in contact with soil or potting medium.
All gardeners should get a tetanus shot. Tetanus is always in the soil and it’s a fatal
disease. You only need a shot every ten years, but you may be asked to get a
booster if you get a deep wound.
Open bags of potting mix so the dust wafts out away from you. Try
not to inhale dust from potting mixes or to inhale dust stirred up in the
garden either. Keep potting mixes dry
until you are ready to use them. Potting
mediums that are wet and that sit in a warm area or in the sun are like
incubators for any bacteria or fungi that are in them. And close bags tightly so they aren’t
contaminated by dust blowing into the bags or by animals.
When working with potting medium or soil don’t eat, drink or
smoke. People who got Legionnaires disease from potting medium were found to
have been smoking, eating or drinking while working with the mix. If you need a
break for water stop, take off gloves and/or wash your hands. Wash your hands
even if you use gloves, soil always finds its way inside. Be conscious of what you are doing. Don’t hold your gloves in your teeth while
you do something (yep people do that, I’ve done that), or chew on the pencil
you poked holes in the potting medium with.
It probably is a good idea to wear gloves when working with
potting medium or soil. I know I often don’t, and I’m sure many of you are the
same way. But at least wash your hands very well, including scrubbing under
those nails when you finish. It’s also a
good idea to change your clothes and shoes when you come inside from gardening.
Don’t work with potting medium or soil when you have open sores or
cuts. If you are diabetic like I am, you have to be very careful about avoiding
skin infections. But anyone who gets cut
or scraped while gardening should stop and immediately wash the area with soap
and water. Then cover any wounds well if you go back to gardening.
Of course, you will wash all fruits and vegetables from the garden
well. Even organically grown food needs
washing before you eat it.
With a little common sense, you don’t need to fear gardening or
getting your hands in the soil. Everything we do carries some risk. Gardening and growing plants inside has so many
health benefits that it would be foolish to give those up because you fear a
rare disease.
More reading
Salt
and other deicers- and their effect on your gardens
It’s been a messy winter in many areas of the country
and the salt is being lavishly sprinkled on roads and walks. But that salt can have serious effects on
your gardens and landscape when it washes into soil or is splashed on plants by
passing cars. Plants on the “hell strip”
between roads and walks are particularly in danger of being harmed, but if you
sprinkle salt on walks, driveways and patios in your yard plants near them can
also be affected. The salt seeps into
the soil, where it can cause harm even long after winter has passed.
Sodium chloride, the same salt we use on food, is
probably the most harmful salt for plants.
Calcium chloride is less harmful, but it too can cause problems if too
much gets into soil. Magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, or calcium magnesium acetate are other forms of
deicing salt that are less harmful than sodium chloride, but they are harder to
find and more expensive.
Alternative deicers
In some areas, beet
juice (molasses), pickle brine and cheese brine are mixed with a little
salt and applied to roads. These items are waste products from processing food.
These bio-degradable products are generally applied before a storm, as they
work best as “anti-icers” rather than deicers, which are applied after snow and
ice falls. These brine solutions melt
ice at lower temperatures than plain salt and they stick to roads for up to a
week. They reduce the corrosion on
vehicles, beet juice even has some protective affects against corrosion. They work because ingredients in them, like
sugar, reduce the freezing point of water.
But these brine solutions
do have drawbacks. They still contain some salt, usually they are about 20%
salt. Beet juice leaves a reddish blood-like
slush behind and like pickle and cheese brines, leaves a distinctive
smell. They are more expensive than
plain salt brine and not available everywhere.
Usually they are used in areas which process beets or make pickles and
cheese. You can, however, buy products
for home use that contain molasses or beet juice.
These mixed brine products
are safer for plants, but they are not without environmental consequences. Even with a smaller concentration of salt
these brine solutions may harm salt sensitive plants. When they get into
surface water research has found that these brine products affect aquatic
insects, causing death and stunted growth.
Because they provide food for bacteria, they also decrease oxygen in
surface water, which can harm all life in ponds and lakes. Some brines also have high levels of
potassium, which causes its own problems.
Can you mix up pickle juice or molasses
solutions at home to melt ice? Yes, you can. You’ll need to add some salt for best
results, about one cup of salt to 5 cups of pickle brine or thinned molasses. It’s a liquid solution. It will be messy and smelly. Under some conditions these products could
become slippery, even when not frozen. Adding
some sand after applying it would make the path safer. And beware, these mixtures make a smelly mess
when tracked into the house on boots and shoes.
Molasses juice might attract deer to your yard also.
Fertilizer can be used to melt ice, but a general-purpose
fertilizer isn’t as effective as salt.
And many fertilizers do contain salts.
Too much fertilizer will be harmful to plants also, so if you anticipate
having to frequently use something on walks and drives for ice it isn’t any
better than salt. Pure urea or other
nitrogen fertilizer will work a little better and is safer for plants. Mix 3 pounds of pure nitrogen fertilizer with
100 pounds of sand for best results.
Apply at a rate of 10 pounds per 100 square feet. Run-off of water containing fertilizer can
pollute surface water and should be avoided.
What
to do to prevent salt damage to plants
Signs of salt damaged plants include yellowed foliage
and stunted growth in spring. Evergreens
splashed with salt can turn brown. The
buds of dormant plants that are splashed with salt may dry out and die. Dead
parts on the sides of plants closest to the salt source are common. Some plants will die if the salt content in
the soil is high, even if it isn’t on the upper plant parts. The salt produces
conditions similar to drought by drying out roots. It also affects how plants absorb necessary
minerals from the soil. Plants in heavy
clay soils often suffer worse. In sandy
soils salt is often washed down beyond the range of plant roots by spring
rains.
In winter use ice melting salt sparingly and only
when necessary. Keep the salt away from
the edges of walks and drives. Try other
items like sand, cinders or kitty litter on walks before using salts. Don’t plow or shovel salted areas into lawn
or garden areas if you can help it. Salt
after shoveling or plowing.
If you have plants close to
roads that are salted and salt can get splashed on them, you may need to put up
a barrier between the plants and the road in winter. Burlap or landscape fabric on stakes could be
used.
Don’t use plants that are
very sensitive to salt such as white pines, rhododendrons, azaleas, roses, and
yews close to areas that are heavily salted.
For planting next to heavily salted areas you could try salt tolerant
plants.
If spring seems to be dry
you can try and help flush salts down out of root range by heavily watering
areas that may have received salt run-off.
You’ll sometimes see recommendations to add gypsum to the soil in the
spring to alleviate salt damage.
Research hasn’t supported this.
While gypsum may have been helpful if it had been added before sodium
chloride got into the soil, it does little to help when added later.
Fertilizing with a regular NPK fertilizer in spring is also suggested in some
articles as being helpful but this is a tricky fix. Salt based fertilizers can make the problem
worse.
More reading
https://www.trees.org.uk/kenticotrees/Trees.org.uk/files/6a/6afae9aa-0145-4713-b12b-4d2a7c721ba2.pdf
Beech
tree decline
A new unknown disease is killing beech trees. It was discovered in north eastern Ohio in
2012 and has since spread to Ontario and Pennsylvania. It’s also been found in
Europe, where it is also a new disease. Researchers are worried the disease
will quickly spread to other eastern states where beech trees grow. They are
asking that everyone watch for the disease this spring and report any suspicious
trees to your DNR, state agricultural department or local Extension office.
Beech disease, as it’s being called starts as
darkened areas between the veins on beech leaves. These areas feel raised and
thickened. The leaves then turn completely black, leathery and shrivel up. The
twig then dies, then the limb, and eventually the tree. Young trees seem to hit first and hardest.
 |
| Photo from Ohio State Forest Pathology |
Researchers believe it’s a disease not an insect that
causes the problem, but so far, they have not been able to identify it. Some
research, however, has suggested that a nematode, (a microscopic worm), might
be the cause. Last year nematodes thought to be found only in New Zealand were
found on some beech trees in Ohio, but they haven’t been definitively linked to
the disease. There is no cure.
Beech trees are an important part of forest ecology.
Their nuts provide food for a variety of wildlife. They thrive in the shade of
larger trees and are deer resistant. And
since we have lost elms, chestnuts and ash trees in these same forests the loss
of the beech trees is even more of a hit to the environment.
Once again, the USDA is dragging its heels on funding
research, imposing quarantines, destroying infected trees and those nearby, and
restricting the movement of beech trees and wood. And just like with Emerald Ash Borer it’s
probably already too late, after 7 years, to do anything about halting the
spread of the disease.
More reading
Unusual
melons to try this year
Do you grow melons in your garden? If you have found traditional cantaloupe or
watermelon difficult or just want to try something different, why not try some
of these unique melons?
‘Ginkaku’ is a Korean melon that is easy to
grow. It has small, 1½ pound melons that
turn yellow with white stripes when ripe. The interior flesh is white, with a
taste that’s described as a cross of pear and cantaloupe. Pinetree seed https://www.superseeds.com/
‘Banana’ is an heirloom melon that will grow well in
northern gardens. It has, as the name
suggests, banana shaped fruits about 20” long.
The flesh is creamy white with a sweet cantaloupe flavor. Pinetree seed.
https://www.superseeds.com/
‘Lambkin’ is a new Piel de Sapo melon. Piel de Sapo melons have sweet white flesh
with a taste between honeydew and cantaloupe.
This new variety is better suited for northern gardens than other melons
of the type. The fruit is oval, about 3 pounds and turns yellow with green
stripes when ripe. Johnny’s seeds.
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/
‘Cal Sweet Bush’ is a new variety of watermelon that
forms a compact bush. It’s great for
containers or small gardens. Each bush
produces 2-3, 10-pound fruits of round, classic green striped watermelons with
red flesh. Territorial seed http://www.territorialseed.com/
‘Santa Claus’ melon is a type of Charentais melon
that is renowned for its storing ability.
Melons take about 110 days to mature and then when stored properly,
might last until Christmas. The 9-pound
melons are yellow and green on the outside, with sweet, pale green flesh. John
Scheepers Seeds.
Spiders are
fascinating
Most gardeners have seen the huge webs of orb spiders stretched across
the garden. Orb spiders are those big fat spiders that scare people to
death. They are often brightly colored
and patterned. Scientists, Dr Dirk Sanders of the University of Exeter and Benjamin
Eggs from the University of Bern, found a surprising fact about Orb spiders
when they investigated the feeding habits of juvenile Orb spiders.
They knew that Orb spiders regularly eat their webs to recycle the
proteins in them and construct new webs.
Because airborne pollen gets caught in webs as well as insects, they
thought web recycling might account for the pollen they found in spider
guts. But as the research progressed,
they found that Orb spiders regularly eat pollen trapped in the web even if
there were plenty of insects and the web wasn’t being recycled.
Pollen contains fat and protein and young spiders fed pollen grew better
and faster than those whose diets were restricted to insects. The researchers found that in a natural
setting about 25% of an Orb spider’s diet consisted of pollen and that they
chose to eat it even when insects were available. The research suggests that Orb spiders at
least, should be classified as omnivores and not carnivores.
Spider
power
Nature is far more complex than we can ever
dream. Scientists have discovered that
the sticky substance that spiders coat their webs with actually has
electrostatic properties as well as being sticky. As insects fly through the air they build up
static electricity and when they near a spider web the surface of the web
actually jumps toward them, giving the web an advantage in “capturing”
prey. This movement has been captured by
high powered cameras. This action
actually pulls particles like pollen floating through the air toward the
web.
What’s even more astounding is that this
electrostatic glue alters the earth’s electric field around a spider web. It’s a very small alteration in a very small
area- several millimeters around a web- but it is measurable. Researchers believe some insects can sense
disturbances in the earth’s electric field and this may help some of them avoid
spider webs.
I keep picturing a science fiction scenario where
someone gathers a million spider webs together in a room and creates a time
warp.
Mistakes are proof you are trying
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without
permission.
And So On….
Find Michigan garden events/classes
here:
(This
is the Lapeer County Gardeners facebook page but all gardeners anywhere are
welcome)
Newsletter/blog information
I write this because I love
to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my research
each week (or things I want to talk about). It keeps me engaged with people and
horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my
mailing list and at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me
know. If you or anyone you know who would like to receive a notification by
email when a new blog is published have them send their email address to
me. KimWillis151@gmail.com
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