Tag: small space gardening

Posted on by

Spring 2021 – Let’s Rethink How We Garden

spring 2021

organic land care EMS logo

Organic Land Care & Garden Maintenance

 

Residential backyard with pond in the foreground organic lawn spring 2021
Self-watering garden bed on a back deck organic lawn spring 2021

  

Land Care Organically for Spring 2021

    

The name Eat MY Shrubs came from the idea that we can plant beautiful gardens that are completely edible!  

Growing food does not have to be in a rectangular shaped, tilled-row garden.  In fact, the best gardens are interplanted species, or polycultures.  

This is because some plants are only there to benefit  the plants that we really want.  They may attract beneficial insects, or fool herbaceous animals away from other plants.  Also, all this can be achieved without the use of harmful chemicals. Practices that destroy (what we now have come to realize is) the delicate balance of life in the soil, can also be a thing of the past.

Spending time outside on your property, no matter the size or setting, has a positive effect on your health and well being. Choosing to practice organic land care is not only important if your growing food.  Ornamental gardens, meant to be a relaxing setting, can be anything but. Especially if your are spraying chemicals everywhere to make it look good and keep the mosquitos away.

Endless pulling of plants and spraying compacted ground is not going to keep the tap roots like thistle and dandelions away. But, relieving the compaction and improving the microbial life, that increase the water and air holding ability of the soil, that will. It just takes a bit of time.

Using organic, regenerative practices for Spring 2021

By using organic, regenerative practices, the soil begins to come alive once again. These rushed practices and instant remedies to our properties over the years have stripped most of the life away from the soil. There is endless evidence of this. However, every spring herbicides and pesticides, unnecessary fertilizers and enhancers, are sprayed and sprinkled all over the soil. Killing many beneficial animals, fungi, and bacteria. They then work all summer to recover their population. Freeze or go dormant in the winter, and be bombarded again in the spring with another dose.

Organic & regenerative gardening teaches that everything on the landscape is there for a reason. Once you realize what that reason is. Altering something in the land to discourage or encourage what we want, will be much less daunting, and deadly. We must then work with the garden to come to some sort of agreement. Give the microbes and fungi the food they need. And then deprive the microbes and fungi that we do not want of their food. Stacking the deck for the beneficial life to win. Then in turn, we get the results we desire, or some form of them.

“Not only are they beautiful, but you can Eat MY Shrubs”

SOUL logo Organic Urban Land Care

 

Posted on by

Organic LandCare – don’t get stuck on the term (..or spelling)

Organic & Regenerative LandCare is WAY WAY more than just the products you buy, and the garden group you belong too. It’s a mind set, a way of thinking. An understanding of our place in the garden. (its not at the top.)

bee on flower spring fever organic land care

Flowers and trees will grow without the gardener. Try growing them without bees.

“Commercial growers have to meet strict standards to become certified, but for the home gardener, organic gardening is more loosely interpreted, and mainly it assumes that you are growing your produce without the use of pesticides. It also implies that you are replenishing your soil with organic matter, so that it can support future crops without it becoming depleted.” – June Flanagan

Using Organic and Regenerative landcare practices on our lawns and gardens. Coupled with a better understanding about what goes into our body. We create a cleaner and healthier space to live. Do not try to control Mother Nature. Try instead to understand what the garden is telling us.

For example,

The soil is compacted beside the garage, that is why the dandelions are there; or,

The tomatoes are all plant and no tomato. It could be the calcium level in the soil is high, but the phosphorus or magnesium level is low.

Most of the issues in the garden have their solution in bringing the soil to a balance that is beneficial. To the plants and the microbiology. That is going to be different in different areas of the garden. Which is another reason for companion planting, crop rotations and using plant guilds.

plant guild organic landcare

We need to give back to the soil.

Composting our food and yard waste and mulching grass clippings and fallen leaves. Naturally giving the soil the nutrients that it needs in a form that is available to the plants and microbiology in the soil.

surprised worm organic landare

To do that, it is necessary to look at our outdoor space more as ecosystems, and less as an extension of the living room. Though don’t get me wrong I like the idea of a hot tub.

There is a whole other life system beneath our feet, in the soil. There are organisms that can help us in so many ways, with so many things, if we would just give them a chance to thrive.

Think about Organic LandCare this way

Back in the 1700’s, Antoine Lavoisier…..

this guy…..

Stated that “matter can not be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another”.

This means that every molecule and atom in us has to come from somewhere else first, right? Mainly, the food we eat, which comes from the soil.

Organic matter, be it food waste, yard waste or whatever, is broken down (eaten) by microorganisms. Whose waste and is digested by smaller beings, whose waste is digested by smaller beings, whose waste is…well you get it.

Until we get humus, which is organic matter than can no longer be eaten and excreted. Basically nutrients in a natural state.

Organic matter (or whatever you want to call it) is placed on the ground, where it is decomposed by little organisms. Mycorrhizal fungi (fungus that grows in and around plant roots) plays the major role, but there are many players. The plants in turn use those minerals and nutrients to grow stronger and ward off pests. At the end of the plants growth cycle, in nature at least, the plant (or part of it) falls to the ground and the cycle continues.

So it is important that if we are going to be part of this cycle, that we are part of the CYCLE.

If we interrupt the growth cycle by mowing our lawn or harvesting our garden, then we have to put those nutrients back into the soil for future plants to use.

It comes down to this.

We feed the soil…

The soil feeds the plants…..

organic landcare

The plants feed us……

and so on….

“Feeding” the soil and treating our space “organically” (or in a way that regenerates life), can seem daunting these days. I get it. So many products and processes claim to be “organic”, or “natural”. Things that are not organic claim to be the easy or quick fix. A person really has to do their research on the products they buy. This is especially true when purchasing anything new for your garden. A lot of green packaging out there.

Compost and compost tea are an organic gardeners best friends. A supply of nutrients and beneficial microorganisms in concentration, but readily available to the plants. Waste reduction and keeping food and yard waste out of the landfills. Therefore, adding compost has many benefits.

Other Easy Organic LandCare Practices to start with:

Rainwater collection is huge. The amount of money and municipal water spent on irrigating lawns and gardens is ridiculous. The amount of rainwater and snow that falls and quickly drains off our urban properties in a year, is more than enough to supply our outdoor water use.

Groundcover keeps the moisture in the soil and protects the plant roots, and all the biology in, and on the surface of, the soil. This will lead to using less water in the end as the loss to evaporation goes down.

Organic LandCare principles teach the best way to cover the ground is with life.

plants with a purpose organic landcare

Plants….living plants.

The difference even a thin cover has on the soil. Retaining moisture in the soil is literally the difference between life and death for many beneficial soil bound organisms. So, as a soil guy, I can’t say enough about ground cover.

In nature bare ground does not stay bare very long. Nature does not like bare ground. So if we don’t cover the ground with living plants, Mother Earth will and, she will do it with plants of her liking, not ours.

Pioneering Species

They are called pioneering species. Most people call them weeds. They are the plants that are pioneering the soil, to make it better for other more delicate plants to follow. The taproots like dandelions, and other plants that grow where nothing else will. Therefore, learning what these plants can tell us about the soil they are in is most valuable. Because improving the soil is the only real way of getting those plants to “pioneer” somewhere else.

Mulch. The next best thing to living plants are dead ones. Parts of dead ones at least. Bark mulch, grass mulch, leaf mulch, what have you. This organic matter will break down and help improve the soil and soil life, so Mother Nature will fill that space with living plants you both like, as the soil improves.

wild rose native organic landcare

Planting native species for your area has a number of benefits. Native species communicate better with native pollinators. They are more resistant to local issues such as diseases, and used to the local climate etc.,

One Last Organic LandCare Tip.

Some of the bugs we see in the garden that we think are “pests”, are there to eat the actual bad bugs. Known as beneficial predators, they (and their equally misunderstood friends, the plant eating organisms) are actually part of the delicate balance in the garden. Now I know we think we understand them, they are eating our crops, but there are more to these little bugs than meets the eye.

Check out more tips. Click the logos and follow the links.

organic landcare
www.eatmyshrubs.com
SOUL logo Organic Urban Land Care
www.organiclandcare.ca
Posted on by

The Goal Achieved!!

The goal map 2020

The Goal

Last January I set a modest goal of doubling the traffic on the website www.eatmyshrubs.com. I had learned a lot in 2019 about website development and content, and I was sure that I could do it. The numbers are not large. There were 323 visitors and 705 page views in 2019. Probably the same number that Amazon has in the time it takes to type 323, but that is not the point. I am not competing with anyone. I started the website in 2014 and did not have an actual human on it until 2017, when I started to take it seriously and saw the use in having a website. That is when I started to learn about the inner workings of a website.

It can be a whole other world, with its own language and slang. When you get up in the morning to work on your latest addition, only to find the whole site is down. Trying to figure out why, how to fix it and prevent it from happening again, can be like falling down a rabbit hole at times.

The Modern Day “The Butcher, The Baker & Candlestick Maker”

Running your own business in this age is a daunting task even once it is established. Building a business is not for the faint of heart. After working all day and week doing the actual physical work, you then have to do the “business” side of things. Invoicing and estimating, planning and coordinating, marketing and sales. My wife (who also runs her own separate business) and I chuckle a bit at the mention of a weekend. Whats a weekend?

As an organic gardener with many years of landscaping and earthworks experience, website development and maintenance was not, and is not, my forte. Heck I used spelling and grammar correct twice on that past sentence, but here it is.

Back in October when I finally surpassed the views goal of 1410, double the 705 for 2019, I took a screen shot of my WordPress stats page. I had reached the visitor milestone a few weeks before, but I waited until both goals were reached to take the pic. Super Pumped!!

The goal stats page

Lets Not Stop There

So I thought at 864 in October, lets see if we can get 1000 visitors and 2000 views. The goal was reached already of doubling the previous years numbers, so why not right? I do think the 2000 views may be a bit lofty, but yesterday, with 11 days to spare!

The goal second stats page

BAM!!!!!

1000 visitors. I can’t thank everyone enough. The coolest part of having a website for me is this below:

As one might expect, most of the traffic is coming from North America. Thank You fellow North Americans! But, of the 195 or so countries in the world. 61 of them are represented on this map. 61 countries!!! Thats so cool!

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!

The Goal 2021

So what’s next? Well, we moved! Still located and based out of High River, Canada, we moved to a bigger location with room to expand both (Eat My Shrubs Organic Land Care & DJ Wellness Consulting) of our businesses.

Consider these some of the before pictures from our yard. Check out the website for future blog posts and follow me on Instagram to watch the development of this bare, canine destroyed lot into something (hopefully) beautiful, organic, and self-sustaining.

As far as website goals. Lets try for 2000 visitors from 98 countries in 2021. I think we can make it happen. Woo Hoo!!

If you are still reading this, happy holidays wherever your are, be healthy, and all the best in 2021!!

EMS logo for Terms and conditions page
Not only are they beautiful. You can Eat My Shrubs!
SOUL logo Organic Urban Land Care
Posted on by

Neem Oil Garden Spray

YouTube player

How-to mix Neem oil & Castile soap for a garden spray

Visit https://eatmyshrubs.com/neem-oil/ for more on mixing your own Neem oil garden spray.

Oyster shell scale is rampant in the Calgary area. I took this video while mixing up some neem oil garden spray. I wanted to add the extra to the tea tree essential oil garden spray, that I use all the time, to clean my pruning tools between properties.

A little while ago I took some pictures of oyster shell scale from a Jasmin plant. Not what I expected, but have a look below. The male turns into a little white fly, which is how they travel. As well as on pruning tools when not properly cleaned.

close up of oyster shell scale for neem oil garden spray
Close up of bark covered in scale
Close up of oyster shell scale for neem oil garden spray
Adult Female Scale

Tea tree oil is anti-bacterial & anti-fungal, however, the oyster shell scale is a little insect, so I wanted to take an added precaution. It is hard to get rid of once you have scale, and rare to see a property with out it in Calgary.

The mixture for the essential oils garden spray is the same ratio. Exchanging the Neem oil for drops of the essential oil specific to your garden issue. Neem oil is an insecticide though, so tread lightly. It will go after the good bugs as well as the problem ones.

On the other hand, Neem oil is used in natural skin care products, and has beneficial qualities for us. Contact me for more info.

Posted on by

The Lawn

Natural lawn rehab
Organical

Love them or hate them, the lawn is a part of our communities. For those that love them, they are a little park of our very own. A place to gather with others. A place for the kids to play. For those that hate them, they are a constant source of work and frustration.

For years people have been fed the story that we need to aerate and power rake in the spring and spray weed killer & lawn feed, or some other chemical, on our grass. Then we cut the grass as short as possible to give it the “manicured look” all summer, and water it everyday with municipally treated water. In the spring, the dandelions come up first before the grass is green. We do it all over again.

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY!!!!!

organically maintained lawn

Height:

There are many varieties of grasses and they all have different characteristics. The grass on your lawn can not be just cut shorter to create a golf course green. (Something I have been asked by a couple of people about over the years.) Golf courses use specific species of grasses and a strict mowing schedule to create what they do.

The ideal height for the standard residential lawn is 2 ½ – 3”. Only annual bluegrass (which is considered a weed in most places) and bent-grass (which is what they use on golf course greens) can tolerate being mowed lower than 1″

We should not cut more than 1/3 of the shoot height either. So if your lawn is 3” high, you can cut off 1” to a height of 2”. If your lawn is 4 ½” high you can cut off 1 ½” to a height of 3”.

Don’t cut it down below 2”!

‘Told you to get your mower fixed.’

Mowing at the optimal height leaves the plants with sufficient photosynthetic capacity to maintain a strong root system, and still leaves the lawn thick and strong enough to support foot traffic without flopping over. The longer leaves or tillers cushion the crowns, and create a dense canopy that prevents water evaporation from the soil surface. It also provides a lot of surface area to catch the morning dew – which is an important source of water in the summer.

Lawn Mowing Frequency:

In late spring and early summer, when the grass is growing quickly, mowing every 3rd or 4th day may be advisable. When the grass is dormant during mid summer, we don’t have to mow at all. The mowing schedule should be determined by how fast the grass grows, not by the calendar or pocketbook.

How The Lawn Grows:

growth cycle of grass

Without getting too deep into Rhizomes and Stolons and the intercalary meristem, there is a few things to keep in mind for the average lawn.

Grass has a crown.

Cut above the crown, plant survives. Cut below and the plant dies. The lower the crown to the soil surface, the shorter you can cut the lawn. Crowns are also the grass plants major storage organ. The healthier the crown, the more tillers / leaves it will have. The more tillers, the denser the turf. This is not only more beautiful, it also protects the crown better from injury, reduces the evaporation of water from the soil, and shades out germinating weed seeds

manual reel mower spring fever sale

Water:

By late spring, leaf production outpaces root growth, which peaks in early summer. As the temperature rises, leaf production drops. The grasses in the lawn will remain green, as long as they have sufficient water. As the weather gets cooler again, leaf production increases until it peaks again in early fall. Then it quickly drops once more, until the grass goes dormant for the winter.

If the summer heat is coupled with drought, some cool season grasses can enter into complete dormancy. In this case, the plants withdraw their energy into their crowns. They allow the foliage, and many of the roots, to die. The size and vitality of the crowns will determine the length of drought an individual plant can withstand. During an extended drought a good proportion of the weaker plants die, resulting in a thinner turf than before the drought.

The absolutely worst thing we can do is to force the plants in the lawn to do something they are not naturally supposed too. Cutting the lawn very short, and fertilizing with synthetic nitrogen fertilizers direct too much energy to the leaves in the early spring. These activities stimulate immediate shoot growth to replace the photosynthetic capacity at the expense of root growth, which is what the plants are supposed to be growing in the early spring. This results in a shorter root system, less drought tolerance, and increased irrigation needs during the summer, as the upper layers of soil dry out.

Sack of Cash

Creating a lot of unnecessary and counterproductive work. Which is bad enough when you do it on your own. If your lawn care providers are charging you for all of these steps……….it is counterproductive and expensive.

Let’s rethink how we take care of our properties.

I haven’t even talked about the pesticides and how they get carried into your homes and spread through the air ducts….Yet.

SOUL logo Organic Urban Land Care

Also, check out the Canadian Society for Organic Urban Land Care. Click the logo to follow the link.

Posted on by

Organic Garden Sprays

essential oil bottles spring fever

Organic Garden Sprays…

Garden pest sprays do not have to be toxic to everything. Most of the sprays that are available are just that. They are broad spectrum pesticides, which means they kill everything. Good bugs and bad.

Organic land care has a more direct approach when it comes to controlling pests in the garden.

Remember: EVERYTHING IS THERE FOR A REASON!

Some insects are on this planet, in part, to eat weaker plants so they are not consumed by animals further up the food chain (that’s us).

It is only when the populations get out of balance that we need to step in and adjust things. When that happens, here are some concoctions that will help keep specific pests (not all of them insects) from throwing off the balance of your garden.

The best long term solution to a healthy garden, is healthy soil. Insects are attracted to the weaker plants. Plants that are properly placed in the garden for optimum sun and water for that plant, will be less likely to be attacked by insects than one that is struggling for sunlight, or water. Also, proper nutrition is needed. Not just N-P-K, but all the micronutrients as well. Something you would find in a good quality compost.

Click on any of the links for an Organic Garden Sprays recipe.

Flea Beetles

flea beetles garden concoctions

Squirrels

squirrel organic garden concoctions

Cats

cat organic garden concoctions

Dogs

Aphids

peppermint organic garden concoctions

All Purpose Insect Spray

essential oil pic

For more information. or to chat about something specific, check out

www. eatmyshrubs.com

EMS logo for Terms and conditions page

Not only are they beautiful. You can Eat MY Shrubs!

*A special note on the ingredients.

By and large, these sprays work against the strong sense of smell that larger garden pests have. The insect sprays are more masking, or hiding the desired plants by making them “look” like other plants to the insect. As such, be sure to buy quality ingredients. Organic garlic is more flavourful to us, as an example, and in turn will be smellier to the deer. Without breaking the bank of course.

Posted on by

Water Regulating Garden Bed

Water Regulating Garden Bed

Water Regulating Garden Bed – They are also referred to as self-watering beds.  But, this is misleading.  They are self regulating.  They will only fill so much before draining.  However, they do still require water input.  The result of the water being stored under the soil, is less water wastage due to evaporation.  The plant roots are also being drawn deeper into the soil.  This action will make them stronger and more drought tolerant.

Usually raised garden beds, wicking beds are simply a style of garden bed.  They use a method of gardening where the garden bed has its own reservoir of water under the soil.  This is achieved by placing a waterproof barrier in the frame of the bed.  Then filling it with material that promotes the soils natural tendency to wick moisture up.

three layers of a wicking bed

A wicking bed primarily consists of 3 layers. The container (usually a raised garden bed, but not necessary), the reservoir and the planting/wicking material. The main container could be anything from a small potter to a large field. Literally, anything sturdy that will hold water.

Water Regulating Garden Bed – Enhanced Raised Garden Beds

The basic idea is that the water “wicks”. The water is pulled up from below into the empty pore spaces in the planting soil. This is known as capillary action. The difference in pressure in the soil allows the water to raise. A good illustration of this is a river bank. Look at the soil. You will notice it wet about a foot above the water level of the river. That’s wicking in action.

wicking started in wicking bed
wicking midway wicking beds

The reservoirs are the same as rain barrels in principle. From the overflow, the water can go into another bed. They can be plumbed together on the same grade, though the piping may get in the way of access. Therefore, it is much simpler design have the water flow down hill from one bed to the next.

raised garden bed

To store and use as much rainwater as possible, before it leaves your property is the target.

wicking beds dogwood hedge

Once you decide which container you want to use, filling it up is what makes it a “wicking bed”. What I do, is keep everything within 2 feet. That is 1 foot for the reservoir material, and 1 foot for the growing material. Most vegetables and annuals that like moist soil, will do just fine in 1 foot of beautiful soil. Especially when it is kept just at the moisture level they like.

filled up with soil wicking beds raised garden bed

Water Regulating Garden Bed – Some things to remember.

1. You want to keep the roots of plants, especially any perennials, out of any pipe installed or they will eventually clog it.

2. Water will only wick up so high, and not all soil materials wick the same.

3. Plant roots can only sense the water so far. If there is a space between how far up the water will wick and how far down your sprouts’ roots can “smell”, then things won’t work.

4. As the growing material absorbs the water, the soil level will go down. Have extra handy for a top-up before planting.

raised garden bed - enhanced

Check out the Wicking Bed pages for more information, descriptions, walk through a build, and then, see it all in action.

Posted on by

Essential Oils for the Garden

Essential oils for the garden.

The weather is warming up and things are beginning to awaken from their winter slumber. Many of us are wanting to get out and start making our property beautiful again. While the first buds are sprouting, and the insects are staring to buzz around the warm corners of buildings, now is the time to finish preparing for the outdoor season.

Although each garden is different. Many of the insects pest that wreck havoc on our peaceful places are similar. Organic Land Care teaches us how plants deal with these pests. We can aid in their processes without releasing a toxic cloud of chemicals that drift through our neighbourhoods. When the balance is off in the soil and the plants become weak, insect populations may explode overnight. When that happens, it is time to step in to help.

Before you run to the hardware store or garden centre for chemical sprays and powders. Have a look below for DIY garden sprays for the most common garden pests. Sprays will work to keep the pests away in the short term, but the plants need to be healthy to keep them away for good.

The mixtures can work out to less than $2 a bottle, and are only harmful to the specific insects. They all have benefits for us in different ways.

Check out www.eatmyshrubs.com to learn more and purchase top quality essential oils.

essential oil pic

All Purpose Essential Oil Pest Spray

In 1 Litre of Water add 10 – 15 drops each of

Rosemary Essential Oil,

Peppermint Essential Oil,

Clove Essential Oil,

& Thyme Essential Oil,

Add

1 Tablespoon of Castile Soap

Mix all the ingredients into a spray bottle (preferably glass if you are going to leave the mix in the bottle for an extended period of time) & spray liberally to the effected plants and surrounding soil.

essential oil bottles spring fever

Peppermint Spray for Aphids

In 1 Litre of Water add

15 drops of Essential Oil

1 Tablespoon Castile Soap

Mix the ingredients into a spray bottle & apply liberally to the effected plants.

Substitute Different Oils For Different Pests

Ants – Peppermint

Aphids – Peppermint, Sandalwood, or White Fir

Beetles – Peppermint, or Thyme

Caterpillars – Peppermint

Chiggers – Geranium, Lavender, Lemongrass, or Thyme

Cutworm – Thyme

Fleas – Lavender, Lemongrass , or Peppermint

Flies – Basil, Clove, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary, or Geranium

Gnats – Patchouli

Mice – Peppermint

Mosquitos – Geranium, Lavender, or Lemongrass

Moths – Lavender, Peppermint, or Geranium

Plant Lice – Peppermint

Scorpions – Basil

Slugs – Fir, or Cedarwood

Snails – Patchouli, or Fir

Spiders – Peppermint

Ticks – Lavender, Lemongrass, or Thyme

Weevils – Patchouli, Sandalwood, or Cedarwood

EMS logo for Terms and conditions page
Posted on by

Indicator Plants (a.k.a weeds)

indicator plants

Now that the snow has seemingly slowed for the foreseeable future. At least where we are here, south of Calgary, Alberta. We can start to think about growing things in our gardens again. The first thing for many people, especially in urban settings, is the lawn. Grass being one of the first things to turn green and make us think about summer and being outside…..6 feet from everyone else of course.

As the new green shoots of grass come up through last years brown. The broader leaved plants begin to show up as well. This is the time to spend looking at what is growing around your yard. The plants that will do the best are the plants growing in soil that is suited for them, in an area of light that follows suit.

By identifying what plants are growing, we can then decide what we need to do to either, enhance their growing, or changing something to deter them from growing, and encourage something else to grow.

Some indicator plants that are common in our lawns & gardens are listed below with a few things that they may indicate about the soil. I also included some benefits that these plants actually bring to the soil.

They are there doing a job after all. If we remove them, we now have to do that job. Best to know what the job is.

White Clover

white clover insecticidal plants indicator plants

Indications: High Magnesium & Chlorine levels. Good drainage. Compacted soil

Benefits: Fixes Nitrogen in the soil, helps to loosen compaction, suppresses other plants from growing, edible plant and flower

Dandelions

dandelions indicator plants

Indications: Very low Calcium level. High Potassium and Chlorine levels. Compacted soil with low hummus levels.

Benefits: Puts Calcium in the soil, helps to loosen compaction, some of the first food sources for pollinators in the spring, edible plant, flower, and root.

Toadflax

toadflax indicator plants

Indications: Low Calcium level. Low hummus levels and very little bacteria in the soil.

Benefits: Though some species are invasive, they bring nutrients and ground cover to bare and discarded land. Medicinal uses and the bees love them.

Plantains

plantain indicator plants

Indications: Low Calcium except broadleaf variety which indicates a high Calcium level. High nutrient levels but low hummus and moisture levels.

Benefits: Brings nutrients to the soil and provides ground cover, helps to loosen compaction, many medicinal uses as well.

Chickweed

chickweed indicator plants

Indications: Low Calcium levels but high Magnesium. Low hummus levels and sandy soil.

Benefits: Helps to loosen compaction, improves soil fertility, provides ground cover and erosion control, edible plant and flower.

Leafy Spurge

leafy spurge

Indications: Very low Calcium and Phosphorus levels. High in Magnesium and and Potassium. Low hummus in sandy soil. High Aluminum level.

Benefits: Though considered invasive in many places, it will grow where most other things won’t, provides erosion control, ground cover and brings nutrients to bare soil.

Common Tansy

Tansy indicator plants

Indications: Low Calcium and hummus levels. High magnesium level. Low soil porosity, bacteria levels, and poor drainage.

Benefits: considered noxious in some places, the scent will confuse insects away from vegetable crops, accumulates potassium in soil, many medicinal uses as well.

Knotweed

knotweed indicator plants

Indications: Low in Calcium but high in Magnesium. Anaerobic, compacted soil with poor drainage.

Benefits: Helps loosen compacted soil, good for wind protection and erosion control, it will grow anywhere and can be very invasive. This plant will grow through a crack in concrete or asphalt.

Ox-Eye Daisy

ox-eye daisy indicator plants

Indications: Low Calcium but very high Magnesium levels. Low hummus and bacterial activity.

Benefits: Great food for pollinators, brings nutrients and ground cover to depleted soil, many medicinal uses as well. Considered noxious in some places.

Crabgrass

crabgrass

Indications: Low Calcium but very high Magnesium levels. Low hummus levels with poor drainage.

Benefits: Provides ground cover to bare, salt damaged, degraded soil. Will grow where most plants won’t.

Quack grass

Quackgrass

Indications: Low Calcium but very high Magnesium levels. Low hummus level. Anaerobic, compacted, sandy soil.

Benefits: Helps control soil erosion, Provides ground cover to bare, salt damaged, degraded soil. Will grow where most plants won’t.

Perennial Sow-Thistle

perennial sow thistle

Indications: Very low Calcium but high Magnesium levels. Low hummus level but good drainage.

Benefits: Brings a number of nutrients into the soil including Calcium, and Potassium. Provides ground cover to bare soil, many medicinal uses as well.

Lamb’s Quarters

Lamb's quarter

Indications: Low Potassium and Phosphorous levels in particular but, degraded soil.

Benefits: A dynamic nutrient accumulator and nitrogen fixer. Provides ground cover to bare, degraded soil, edible leaves and many medicinal uses as well.

Many of these indicator plants have other benefits not listed above. Every plant can be an indicator, as they will grow best in soils and locations best suited for them. The healthier the plant, the better the conditions are for it. This is true for plants we want to grow as well as those we do not. Check out some of theses pages as well.

Ground cover plants

Insectary plants

Insecticidal plants

Plants that perform double duty

Plants deer do not like

Aromatic pest repelling plants

SOUL logo Organic Urban Land Care
Posted on by

Spring Lawn & Garden Tips

Spring is only 19 days away!

Spring lawn & garden tips

Even though there is STILL snow in the forecast and the ground is STILL frozen, I can’t help but look outside and see the trees starting to bud, and the Canada geese back on the river. Soon the robins will be picking worms out of the lawn. The bees will be buzzing around the windows, especially we start diffusing orange essential oils.

Lately, here in the Alberta foothills, the blanket of snow is starting to reveal the sleeping gardens that have been hiding for the past 7 months. As humans we get excited at the first sign of warm weather and want to be outside.  Usually, the spring melt and thaw leaves behind debris and dust all over our lawn & garden spaces.  To our eye, it’s messy and we want to clean it all up.  To make our space look neat and inviting.  All good things, but….

Wait!

The warm days and freezing nights are good if you are collecting tree sap to make syrup. (Hello! New Brunswick!) If you are a bug however, sleeping soundly under a brush pile or cluster of leaves. Having the blanket taken off during a warm spring day, may have you believe it is time to get up and start looking for food. But, when the sun goes away and the temperature dips below freezing, you don’t stand a chance. Plus you are hungry because there is no food yet. No hope!

All the debris and leaf litter left behind by the fall and winter wind and snow, are homes and winter shelter for all of our tiny garden friends. We need these little beings for our plants to survive and thrive.  Little beetles still hibernating for example. Even smaller, their eggs waiting to hatch in the spring warmth.  All laying under that thin layer of leaves and twigs, and the first few inches of the soil.  If we are too early in disturbing their protective layer, we risk killing a good number of beneficial microorganisms that are so important to our lawn & garden health. 

 Cabin Fever?

If we don’t rake the leaves or disturb the soil, what are we to do to keep from going crazy?
Here are a few spring lawn & garden tips and ideas:

Organize, Sharpen & Clean

It is good to keep your work area organized, and your tools clean through out the season. I am often to be reminded about things that were dull or broken at the end of the previous season, when I pull them out for the first use of the season. I then have to take time to sharpen or repair the tool before I can do what I was originally set out to do. If you take the opportunity of a warm day to sit outside and organize and clean all of your garden tools and storage spaces. When the actual fun of gardening gets rolling, you will be all set for whatever comes up.

Bottle of Doterra Tea Tree oil with twig in background spring lawn & garden tips

Be sure to disinfect things as well, especially cutting or pruning equipment. Using a tea tree (Melaleuca) oil spray works well. By doing this early in the season you can catch any pests that have been snoozing in you garden equipment before they wake up.

Trade Shows & Courses

The timing is different, of course, depending on your location, and most things are still virtual. However; around this time of year a number of pre-garden season shows and courses begin to happen. Home & garden shows, spring markets, and specific classes geared to different aspects of land care. All great ways to spend weekend days when the weather starts to get nice and collect even more spring lawn & garden tips. Most of these things are inside also, so even if Mother Nature decides to remind you who is in charge that day. You can still enjoy the time. If it is a nice day, consider having lunch in a sunny corner. Experience a micro-climate of summer.

Check out your local horticultural society, or garden group to see what they have organized. Community newsletters and social media pages often will have information about markets as well.

Visit Garden Centers

Garden centers are some of the first places where it starts to feel like summer. As the days get warmer and longer, the greenhouses get fuller and fuller. (I can almost smell the clean air of a full greenhouse as I am typing.) They are usually up on the latest ideas and gadgets to make life easier in the garden. The staff can be very informative to figure out solutions or to give direction and more spring lawn & garden tips. So you can be sure of your success in the garden once you get home and start planting.

Start Plants Inside

If you have a sunny window and the space by it, having plants start their growing season inside can really give you a jump on the very short summer season. Another step would be a small greenhouse. One step further would be to add some sort of grow light, but a sunny window ledge can be enough. Especially if you are a small space gardener.

sprouts for spring lawn & garden tips

Different variety of plants require different things to get started. It is a good idea to research how long the plants you want to have take to germinate, and what other requirements they have. Some seeds need to be refrigerated before they will germinate! I know right…

Once the seeds germinate, the plants requirements will change. It is good to know this in advance because new sprouts are fragile and will die easily under the wrong conditions.

Prune Trees And Shrubs At Proper Times

This heading could be a post on it’s own. The bottom line is that not all trees should be pruned at the same time. And, it should not be just at our convenience. Pruning improperly, or at the wrong time, can leave the tree susceptible to pests and diseases, and unable to fight them off. Look at pruning as “tree surgery”. It should be done thoughtfully, and cleanly. Knowing what variety of trees you have on your property will allow you to ensure your trees are pruned at the right time of year for that tree. It may also help to spread out the cost of having all your trees pruned at the same time.

Having said all that. I must say, trees in general, never need to be pruned. In nature, in the forest, trees are not pruned and live healthy and strong for hundreds of years. In urban settings, trees are often pruned to allow access for humans, or for looks. Many times, the health of the tree is not taken into consideration, or is at most, an after thought. In many orchards, trees are pruned for production as well.

If a limb is not producing more energy than it is using, the tree will discard it. The thing to remember about trees is that their life span is slow. It may take a couple of years for the limb to actually fall, but it will. No help from us.

Plan, Stretch & Exercise

yoga for spring lawn & garden tips

As a professional gardener, I can attest to some aching muscles and sore backs, especially at the beginning of the season. After spending the winter months hibernating, only coming out to clear snow really, my body is not conditioned for a day of kneeling and bending.

One of the best spring lawn & garden tips I can give is, spring clean-ups can be demanding, even if you are only doing your own. So, as the afternoons bring small bursts of warmth. Take the opportunity to go for a walk, or join a yoga class. Walk to a patio somewhere. Have a beverage and plan out what you are going to do once the spring growing season actually gets started.

Check out the Canadian Society for Organic Urban Land Care. Get involved in the movement! Click the logo to be taken to the website.

SOUL logo Organic Urban Land Care