Getting the Garden Ready

Maybe you're asking yourself, how much can I plant? How much area do I need? How much of that monster pile of compost or soil to I actually need?

To determine how many plants you can fit use formula: 

Square footage x Spacing factor = quantity of plants

Let's take for example, I have a garden area that is 8 feet wide and 20 feet long. I'm interested in planting some squash and cucumber. According to the seed packet or pot they should be planted at 18" on center.

160 square feet (8x20) x .42 (spacing factor) = 67 total plants

If you've ever been to a mulch or soil yard, it can be very intimidating to guess how much of the huge pile you want in your pickup truck or trailer. Use this formula to gain some confidence in your numbers. (You might want to ask if they deliver...compost mixed soils and especially sand are very heavy. I have compromised the suspension in my pickup truck trying to be overly ambitious!)

Use this formula for cubic yards of mulch, soil, compost, etc.

Square footage x depth factor = cubic feet/27 (3'x3'x3') = cubic yards

We will continue with the example as above. My native soil is pretty pathetic and I want to till in some compost to amend the soil. (This is a great way to get your plants adapted to the native soil. It will provide nutrients for establishment and allow the roots time to strengthen before they enter the native soil.) A healthy 6 inches of compost will be adequate for me to till in this season.

160 square feet (length x width) x .5 (depth factor) =80 cubic feet / 27 = 2.97 cubic yards of compost.

Happy Backyard Farming!

Cameron

Interior Landscaping

Recently we have had some friends over as we near the holidays and thanks to my wife’s great decorating, a bit of cleanliness and one little trick a lot of people have complemented us on having a nice little basement apartment. We are so accustomed to noticing pictures and decorations in a home, but do you ever notice the green… or lack of green in someone’s home?

After some friends left I mentioned to my wife…” I bet they never noticed that we have a bunch of plants in here. It creates an atmosphere that they appreciate, but I bet they never really acknowledge that there are plants in here.”

There are too many benefits of interior landscaping to not put at least a simple planter in your home:

-Studies have shown a higher productivity rate… up to 12% increase in attentiveness in a certain workplace that a study was done with and without interior plants. Imagine doing 12% more of your cleaning or doing it 12% faster! I’m sure every mother would be happy with an extra few minutes to watch their favorite show, read a book or take a nap.

-Here in Utah the temperatures can get pretty high in the summer, and in the winter the air gets extremely dry. Wherever you live, plants will regulate both the temperature and humidity of the home. Because plants cool through a process called transpiration, they can decrease air temperatures drastically. In addition, transpiration releases moisture into the air and creates the perfect humidity level for humans (30-60%).

-Tight on money? ….. “According to the International Society of Arboriculture, the net cooling effect of one young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day. According to literature from the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, proper selection and placement of plant materials can lower heating and cooling costs by as much as 20%.” Plants at Work.

-This time of year we open our doors just fast enough to get in or out and shut it quickly to keep all of the warm air in. Our windows are sealed and never opened. Think about all of the bacteria, mold and “stuff” in the air! Research shows that plant-filled rooms contain 50-60 percent fewer airborne molds and bacteria than rooms without plants. That dirty air can be food for indoor plants… they will pull it in and feed your house with naturally filtered air.

- With all of the variety of plant materials you can make your home really beautiful and enjoyable! My wife and I were at an interior landscaping expo in Las Vegas a few months ago and scored some cheap pots that we have scattered throughout the apartment, filled with a few varieties of plants and we love our indoor “jungle”.

Not convinced? I guarantee you can go to a local hardware store or even some grocery stores will sell the most common Pothos plant for very cheap. These plants will live through anything (extremely low maintenance/ watering)… and you will see how much you enjoy having a little bit of green… then you can branch out and broaden your plant material in the home.

~Cameron

Pruning

It's pruning time, especially here in Utah with the warmer air and as trees, shrubs and flowers are all preparing to bloom. We are learning a lot in my arboriculture class about good pruning techniques and the more I learn and practice the more I realize it's pretty much common sense with a little bit of an eye for art/ balance and some basic technique. I will just share a bit of the things I've learned that you can use in your own yard or helping out a neighbor who needs some help.

1. For everything you prune, the first thing you need to do is to set a "goal" for the tree.

Where do you want it to grow? What do you want it to look like today when you are done? Next year? How much fruit/ cleanup do you want from it? etc.

2. Assess potential problems: Are there power lines above the tree that it could grow into soon? Is the tree touching any power lines currently? (If so get professional help, some trees that hold lots of water are great electrical conductors and could give you a nice shock!) Is it headed towards a fence/ house/ roof/ too close to a sidewalk, etc.? Are there crossing limbs/ branches?

3. These factors will determine what you do with your pruning, so once you have assessed the situation.... go for it! Start making some cuts... but remember some important things..

4. Trees don't heal... they seal. You will often see the results of poor pruning when a tree struggles to seal off an improper cut. The desire is a perfect circle exposure. The more oval shaped the cut, the more surface area, and therefore the more energy required to seal the wound. So when you make your cuts, angle your loppers, saw, etc. so that the blades are perpendicular to the stem or branch. If you see a donut shape overcoming your cut in the next year or two... nicely done! You have made a quality cut.

5. Keep your cuts close to a lateral. There is what is called a bark branch ridge on every new branch. Your cuts need to be just outside of the ridge and as close as possible. A tree is full of starches (energy) to keep the tree growing. When you make a cut, all of the energy that was being sent to the cut branch now can be used elsewhere! If you leave a long stub, the starch will continue to shoot down the stub and it will be wasted. If the cut is close to the lateral branch, it will thrive and receive the extra energy you want it to gain.

6. Step back after 5-10 cuttings. It's really easy to get excited and make lots of cuts, but if you don't step back and see the big picture, you may be stuck with a gaping hole or unbalanced tree. So be patient and take a few steps back and look at the tree from all angles. If you are unsure about a cut, have someone watch the tree and shake what you will be cutting. They can tell you what it will do to the overall appearance of the tree.

7. Keep moving. Don't get stuck in one spot. Keep moving around and taking cuts from all sides of the tree and it will quickly thin out.

8. If you need it to grow a certain direction, cut just above a bud facing the direction you would like it to grow. The burst of energy will force the bud to shoot.

9. If it's too tall, use the rule of 3rds. Although many of us were fans of the flat top back in the 90's, it's not a good look for a tree. Pull back 1/3 of the taller limbs 1/3 of the way. Another 1/3 pull back 2/3 and the last 1/3 you can remove.

10. Every tree is a bit different. You have a different goal for each tree and they will each respond according to your actions. Keep fruit trees, for example, open in the middle, they like to branch out with an open center.

Tree care is a long term, low intensity process. Be patient and be smart about your pruning. Quality pruning will give you a well balanced and quality tree or shrub, and maybe you'll enjoy it now, maybe next year!

Keep that soil healthy...

I am currently taking a Soil Science class and also a corresponding Soil Science lab...
We have done some pretty fun things that may be good for you to try in determining what to do with your soil for this spring/ summer planting. Many of the experiments require hazardous chemicals, sweet lab goggles and machinery that few to none have at home... so I will just tell you about one of the more simple experiments.. maybe something to be done with your kids or family.

Soil texture is defined by the proportionate quantity of sand, silt and clay in the soil. These three components make up soil, and determining their percentages will tell you what kind of soil you are working with. Sand particles are the largest of the 3 ranging from 2.0- .05 mm. Silt particles span from .05- .002 mm and finally clay particles are anything smaller than .002 mm. But none of us have a microscope to measure such sizes... so I will show you how to do what is called "Soil Ribbons".

1. Go into your yard and find a sample of soil that doesn't have any pebbles, rocks, roots, mulching, etc.
You will want about a handful to give yourself enough to work with.
2. Moisten and knead an amount of soil about the size of a golf ball into a moldable condition.
3. Feed the soil between your thumb and forefinger to form a ribbon. Allow the ribbon to be suspended over the forefinger until it breaks off.
4. Measure the length of the broken ribbon pieces.
5. Repeat to confirm results.

The length of the ribbon depends on the clay content of the soil.
Using the soil texture diagram you can find different combinations of the three factors (sand, silt, clay).
-A loam soil will produce ribbons less than 1 inch.
-A clay loam will make ribbons between 1 and 2 inches.
-Clay soils will produce ribbons longer than 2 inches.


Another more simple experiment to do is to find the texture by feel.
1. Again you will want to get a small amount of soil in your hand and some water in a cup.
2. Moisten the soil until it is easily movable and quite wet.
3. With the wet soil in your palm, use your finger from your other hand and stir it up gently.
4. Pay attention to how the soil feels. You are looking for one of 3 feelings.

A. Gritty feel- sandy soil
B. Smooth feel- Silty soil
C. Sticky feel- Clayey soil

Now what do I do?
Once you have discovered what kind of soil you have, you need to determine whether to leave it, or how to enhance it. Many different diagnosis can be done, if you live near a university or a large soil lab (and you are very serious about your yard), you can get a soil analysis done which will give you results of many different categories, followed by specific recommendations.

We often laugh in class because we always know the right answer... to be honest... almost every answer when it comes to "how can i improve my soil?" is "ADD ORGANIC MATTER". As simple as it may sound, organic matter brings life to your soil and is a cure-all-remedy.

Organic matter will improve:
-soil texture- giving you more pore space for leaching of harmful elements, also allowing more air filled space to bring oxygen to your roots. Better drainage will result as well, keeping your plants from having root rot.
-soil pH will balance to a healthy and stable level
-available nutrients- organic matter is full of them

How do I get organic matter?
Dead and decaying life- Compost is a great way to get nutrients into your soil. Keep fruit/ vegetable scraps in a container and periodically empty it into your soil and be sure to stir it in very well mixing it with the existing soil. The more surface area you can get to touch your addition, the faster it will decompose. Also be sure that the soil will receive sunlight or some form of heat, this speeds up the process as well.
-Living organisms- Bring in the worms. If you have little boys, they might love this project if you are scared of them. Worms are a great way to get your soil to improve. They move aroundand keep the soil aerated, they bring life to your soil and help slow erosion.
-Other additions- Is your husband/ are you a woodworker? Sawdust is an excellent way to add organic matter. Run to a local hardware store and see if you can round up their collected sawdust. Sprinkle it over your soil and mix it in. Being so finely ground, this is a great addition that decomposes very rapidly. You all know the color of potting soil for potted plants.... that rich dark brown/ black color is what you are searching for. If your budget is large, you can always load wheelbarrows full of rich soil and spread it throughout.
-Ask someone locally- Soils vary throughout the world extensively. Alkaline, acidic, sandy, clayey, etc. A local professional will be able to diagnose your soil just from some basic information provided through the experiments above.

~Cameron