August 12, 2009 – Strong to the Finich and Spring Bulbs

Plant Profile: Spinach! (And other fall plantings)

“He’s strong to the finich ’cause he eats his spinach! …

Good Source of: vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), tryptophan, dietary fiber, copper, vitamin B1 (thiamin), protein, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B3 (niacin), selenium …

• Read everything you need to know on spinach!

Selecting Spring Blooming Bulbs for Fall Planting

Now is the time to select spring blooming bulbs for fall planting. Most bulbs
that bloom in the spring require a cold treatment. Tulips, daffodils, snowdrops,
crocus, and other favorites require chilling in order to bloom well. Here are
some pointers for selecting and planting your spring bulbs:

• Look for bulbs that grow well in your area. For instance, there are daffodil
  varieties that grow much better in cooler northern climates, and daffodils
  that are well suited to the humid south.
• If you live in the south and want to grow bulbs, buy bulbs that are labeled
  as pre-chilled or pre-cooled.
• Buy in large quantities. (No, we aren’t just saying that because we like
  to sell things.) Most bulbs look best when planted in large masses.
• Follow planting instructions that come with the bulbs. Some bulbs need
  to be planted deeper than others.
• Do not add bonemeal or any type of bloodmeal to the planting hold.
  Those meals can lure animals to dig up the bulbs.
• Amend the soil with compost before planting.
• Plant in late September to early October, and water the bulbs well
  right after planting. They need to grow roots before the ground
  freezes solid.

• Buy fall planting bulbs at Bloomingbulb.com

  

Summer Organic Lawn Care

If you have been transitioning your lawn to organic care, the late summer can be the most difficult time for you. The naturally frequent rains and cool weather of the spring are replaced with heat and drought. It is possible to power through, and have a lawn that is not just surviving, but thriving once the cooler weather of fall arrives. Here are our top tips for summer lawn care during heat and drought:

• If you water your lawn, continue to water deeply and infrequently. This will encourage deep root growth.
• Set your mower blade as high as possible for the particular species of grass in your yard. Bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue should be cut to a height of 3-4 inches. Zoysia and St. Augustine are best at between 2-3 inches, and Bermuda at about 1.5 inches.
• Do not fertilize during periods of extreme heat. Synthetic fertilizers are made of salts that can significantly dry out the lawn. Even organic fertilizers can stress the grass if they are added when the weather is extremely hot.
• Avoid applying herbicide-either pre emergence or post emergence herbicide (synthetic or organic). In extreme heat, the herbicide will burn the plants, rather than being taken in and working through the plant systemically.
• Avoid de-thatching and aerating in overly hot weather.

Basically, in order to help your lawn through periods of extreme heat and drought, it is best to mow high, water deeply, and otherwise leave your lawn alone! Renovation, aeration and other lawn projects can be undertaken in the fall when the grass is less stressed.

Product Review: Milky Spore as Organic Grub Control

Late summer is a perfect time to treat Japanese Beetle Grubs, if you have a grub problem. During the late summer, the adults have stopped feeding, laid eggs, and the eggs have hatched into vulnerable larvae susceptible to treatment. In order to treat Japanese beetles, you need to understand their life cycles.

The best way to control these pests is by using Milky Spore in the lawn and soil. You need to apply it during late summer when the grubs are small. One application of Milky Spore, if well-timed, can last for up to ten years. This is an organic treatment method. Milky spore is a bacterial disease that affects the grubs.

Read more on milky spore and Japanese beetles

Using Old Newspapers for New Rasied Garden Beds!

If you have an area of yard you wish to turn into a flower or vegetable bed, don’t go through the labor of tearing up sod or double-digging the soil. If you can wait till next spring, try this – in late summer or early fall, lay several layers of newspaper (about 6 sheets) over the area you wish to convert. Place a couple inches of compost (it doesn’t need to be totally finished), as well as old shredded leaves, grass clippings and other organic matter. Cover everything with an old blanket, or landscape fabric (anything where rain can get through) so nothing blows away.

In the spring, most of this material will have broken down into fresh soil, and the grass underneath would have decayed. Voila, you now have a raised garden bed!

Special Offer: 10% off your organic control order!

Use coupon code CW100 at checkout.

Your Organic Gardening Questions

Question: I was told to use sprinkle diatomaceous earth on my eggplant leaves to fight beetles. What is it, and what is the efficacy of it?
Mark

Answer: Diatomaceous Earth is crushed fossil rock – the sharp ridges of the fossils and shells cut into the soft bodies of insects crawling along the ground, such as slugs. You sprinkle it on top of the soil to form a barrier around your plants. It’s no good on the leaves, as it will simply blow away. Beetles will have to walk along the ground to get "cut".

There are better methods – one I heard of is to wet the leaves and sprinkle wheat bran on top. The beetles (I assume they are Colorado Potato beetles) will eat the bran, bloat, and rupture their stomach.

Otherwise, every morning, lay plastic sheeting around the affected plants, shake to remove the beetles, and dump the sheets and the beetles into soapy water to kill them.

These beetles plant eggs on the undersides of leaves and in the soil, so next spring make sure you rotate your garden – it might not solve the problem, because the beetle larvae can seek out plants up to 200 feet away, but it’ll slow them down. This is where the diatomaceous earth will help, as the larvae crawl along the ground.

Chris

Question: My tomatoes have black squishy spots on their ends. What is that and how do I fix it?
Lisa

Answer:This problem is called “Blossom End Rot,” and is, unfortunately, all too common in tomato plants, especially near the end of summer. This problem is caused by a lack of available calcium in the soil, and by frequent wet/dry/wet/dry periods.

Correct this problem by conducting a soil test to ensure that factors are right for calcium uptake and maintaining steady moisture around the tomato plants. Optimum soil pH is between 6.5-6.7. That will allow for calcium intake. Adding lime to soils with low pH readings also helps increase calcium intake.

Katie