Hits & Misses: Logarithmic growth & poor planning
Question of the Week: Why are the new leaves on my dogwood curling up?

Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out how a dandelion could be such a formidable competitor in our yards. But I think I now have the answer. According to an article in the latest issue of Horticultural Review, two very patient technicians from Turf King, a lawn-care company in Sudbury, painstakingly extracted the root of a dandelion that measured a whopping 7’4” long! I’m thinking it’s safe to say that dandelion forks and weeders just make taproots mad.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Logarithmic Growth
It never ceases to amaze me how rapidly our garden mums go from unrooted cuttings in early June to mounded plants covered with buds in July. In fact, the logarithmic-like growth of mums reminds me of that old math question about a penny. You know, the one that asks how much money you’d have if you started on the first of the month with a penny and doubled the number of pennies every day? Well, to spare you the math, by the end of the month, a whopping $10,737,418.73 will have accumulated. But here’s a tip: if someone does offer to double your pennies everyday for a month, don’t pick February. You might not think those two fewer days would make a big difference, but from day 28 to day 30, the penny value increases from $2.6 million to $10.7 million!

Miss: Poor Planning
The recent windstorm on last week has tested the structural strength of the trees in the boulevards and gardens. Most fared well in the 100+ kilometre-per-hour winds, but a substantial number either lost large limbs or toppled over. Sad as it is, there are some valuable lessons to learn from damaged and destroyed trees. The most important being that each and every tree-planting site should be evaluated thoroughly before the first spade of soil is dug. Sunlight, soil, proximity to sheds and playgrounds, availability of water, and growth characteristics of the tree species are just some of the critical parameters that must be addressed before transplanting. Remember, you don’t plant a shade tree for yourself; you plant it for your grandchildren.

Question of the Week
Why are the new leaves on my dogwood curling up?
There is a very good chance that your dogwood is suffering from the handy work of aphids. The infestation this year seems quite widespread, which has a lot to do with the extremely dry conditions we’ve been experiencing. There are a large number of aphid species, but what they all have in common is a taste for new leaves. To combat their destructive ways, apply insecticidal soap to the undersides of the leaves before the aphids become firmly established. Remember, though, if the soap doesn’t cover the aphids’ bodies, it won’t kill the pests.

Did You Know?
The art of sculpting old and dead trees is called ‘arborglyphs.’

“There is no snooze button on a cat that wants breakfast.”
—Author Unknown

first published July 16, 2009
There is no question that most of us still have a love affair with our lawns. After all, can you name another group of plants that can be stomped on, chopped down, whacked with golf clubs, sprayed with weed killer, subjected to the abyss we call winter and still emerge ready to not only grow, but thrive? In spite of that, these workhorses are coming under increased scrutiny. And the reason can be summed up in one word: water. Give a lawn a lot of water, and it will reward you with dense, beautiful grass from early spring and well into fall. But with water management becoming a huge issue in most households, are lawns destined to become the dinosaurs of the urban landscape? Well, I for one think not. But as is the case with most relationships, there comes a time when you have to better manage what you’ve likely taken for granted.

Historically, many of us didn’t think twice about watering the lawn. Water was cheap, and its supply seemed inexhaustible. Today, however, we know better. And in knowing better, we are changing our attitudes toward water use and conservation.

So where do we start? Well, we all know about smart watering practices, but there’s another part of the lawn equation worth re-examining: the species of grass seeds we plant in our yards.

The standard grass species that dominates virtually every seed package bought on the prairies is Kentucky bluegrass. And with good reason. When adequately watered and fertilized, Kentucky bluegrass is the impeccable standard for colour, density and texture. But there is another category of grasses that can give Kentucky bluegrass some competition. It’s called fescue grass, and while it doesn’t have quite the aesthetics or feel of bluegrass, it is more tolerant of drought—something we know a lot about this year.

Fescues are not some exotic new type of grass. In fact, most lawn seed mixtures contain creeping red fescue because of its shade tolerance—a trait that Kentucky bluegrass is seriously lacking. Two other grasses gaining prominence in blends are chewings fescue and sheep fescue.

Chewings fescue is a non-creeping, bunch-type grass that forms a high-density turf with good shade and drought tolerance. Sheep fescue is similar in drought and shade tolerance but is decidedly grayish to bluish-green. Neither chewings nor sheep fescue can compete with Kentucky bluegrass’s soft touch, but in areas of your lawn where you don’t need to lay on your back and gaze at the stars, the fescues just might be the ticket. My suggestion for delving into the world of “eco-turf” blends is to start by experimenting with a small pocket of your yard. Even a patch as small as one metre by one metre can give you a good idea as to whether or not the grass’s tolerance for drought matches your tolerance for the grass.

Let’s face it: I, like many others, love the look of a well-manicured, well-watered and well-fed lawn, but I also know that there’s a limit to how much water we can dedicate to an indulgence. So what is the key to responsibly managing the millions of grass plants that inhabit an average-sized yard? Well, perhaps the answer is to host them as you would people at a party: invite the right blend of guests, quench them responsibly and cut off those who have had enough.

Hits & Misses: Acquired tastes & cool temps
Question of the Week: Why was I told not to prune my Oak tree now, in July?
Science & Technology: Sweet news

Confucius said “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Well, so too begins our journey toward the Enjoy Centre, our soon-to-be new home. Last Tuesday, the family, staff and those involved with the actual construction of this new facility, trudged through the mud to turn over a few mucky, clods of clay and unofficially launch the building of the Enjoy Centre. As we walked through the field, good old prairie gumbo clung to shoes and built up the point where we all left enlarged, duck-like imprints on the slick clay. In fact, if Confucius were to have accompanied us on our walk, I’m thinking he’d have downsized his quote from a thousand miles to a thousand metres. Just the same, it was a wonderful morning, and we can’t wait to celebrate with the public at our official sod turning in the fall.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Acquired Tastes
We had our first call of the year about an interesting organism called Fuligo septica, a slime mould that grows on compost or bark and usually shows up a few days after a soaking rain. Now, I must confess that few gardeners would classify this mould as a hit. After all, it didn’t get the common name “dog vomit slime mould” by winning a popularity contest. However, the good news is that DVSM doesn’t actually harm plants. Instead, it engulfs and feeds on bacteria and can even turn compost as it seeks food. In Mexico, DVSM is harvested and cooked like scrambled eggs. So, all those who think DVSM is a fascinating organism that deserves a place in everyone’s yard, say “Aye!” Sounds a little quiet out there…

Miss: Cool Temps
Cucumbers pretty much refuse to grow in cool temperatures, so it’s no surprise that this last spate of bad weather has put the cucs into a state of suspended animation. However, if the hot weather arrives in the next week, as predicted by meteorologist David Philips at Environment Canada, the cucumbers should put on some explosive growth. Unfortunately, with long-term weather forecasts being what they are, I predict one of the following two scenarios: either you’ll need to start building another cold room for your dill pickles, or you’ll want to bronze a gherkin to prove you actually grew cucs in 2009.

Question of the Week
Why was I told not to prune my Oak tree now, in July?
In general, pruning trees while they’re actively growing will increase the chance of insect or disease damage. The reason being that the fresh cuts will be exposed when the pests are abundant. Also, pruning fully leafed limbs at this time will reduce your tree’s ability to produce food.

Science & Technology
Sweet News
In the latest issue of HortScience, researchers at the University of Georgia investigated the possibility of using honey as a root-promoting compound for chrysanthemum cuttings. According to the researchers, although the honey didn’t increase rooting, the shoots on the treated plants had higher shoot:root ratios (the amount of above-ground growth to below-ground growth). Simply put, honey favoured shoot and leaf growth. Sweet!

Did You Know?

The yucca plant depends entirely on the yucca moth for pollination, and the yucca moth depends entirely on the yucca plant for food. Neither can exist without the other.

“The bed is a bundle of paradoxes: we go to it with reluctance, yet we quit it with regret; we make up our minds every night to leave it early, but we make up our bodies every morning to keep it late.”
—Charles Caleb Colton

Staff are hard at work planting poinsettias! It’s time to think Christmas…

first published July 2, 2009

Trees are braver than people. And the proof is obvious: trees can’t run away from insect pests. Unfortunately, the same just can’t be said for a 200-pound human who serpentines through the yard, screaming and swatting at a half-gram wasp that mistook Axe aftershave for a hamburger.

Of those brave trees, there is one better equipped to stand and fight than almost any other. It’s called the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), and it’s believed to have originated in regions of Assam and Burma in South Asia. And what exactly is it that makes this tree so magnificent? It’s physical stature maybe? Spectacular flowers? No. The greatness of the neem tree resides hidden beneath its surface.

Contained within the seeds of the neem tree is a powerful concoction of extracts called neem oil. In that oil, is a group of plant chemicals that are effective at killing or repelling over 200 species of insect pests. One of those chemicals, azadirachtin, does its dirty work by mimicking the growth regulators that insects need to molt from one phase of their life cycle to the next. When that molting process is interrupted, the insect dies. It’s a pretty ingenious defense mechanism, but not all of the chemicals in neem oil are that brutal. Some are merely repulsive, such is the case with the antifeedants.

An antifeedant is just that—a chemical that’s unappetizing. When phytophagous insects (a fancy word for plant-eating insects) find a plant treated with neem oil, they become repulsed by the antifeedant and eagerly move on to plants more appetizing. Even more impressive, however, is that as good a job as it does repelling insect pests, neem oil is surprisingly easy on beneficial insects. The reason for its benevolence towards predaceous insects like ladybugs is likely because most good bugs don’t eat leaves. And since good bugs aren’t chewing on neem oil treated foliage, they don’t succumb to the oil’s insecticidal affects. But here’s the rub.

Before you run out to buy a bottle of neem oil to control the insect pests feeding on your plants, there’s a caveat about the use of it. That caveat is this: technically speaking, you can’t legally use it for killing insects. Currently, neem oil is sold in Canada strictly as a leaf-shine product.

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) regulates all the pest-control products in Canada and does not allow anyone (myself included) to sell or promote neem oil as a pest-control product. In fact, in a very Kafka-esque telephone conversation with a PMRA representative from Ottawa, I learned that while I can promote and sell neem as a leaf-shine product, under no circumstances am I allowed to tout it as an insecticide. The rational is simple. Since neem oil is not registered as a pesticide, it cannot be sold as one.

In all fairness, I must say I can empathize somewhat with the PMRA’s take on the situation. Because neem oil isn’t registered as a pesticide here in Canada, there is nothing on the label that prescribes application rates or precautions during use. Also, considering the fact that neem oil can be rather variable in its biochemical composition (depending on the source and processing of the neem seeds), consistent oil quality can’t be assured as it would if it were a registered pesticide.

So to avoid a fight with the PMRA (tough to run the greenhouses from prison), I’ve laid out a couple of rules with respect to neem oil. The first rule of Fight Club…I mean Neem Oil is that you do not talk about neem oil. The second rule of neem oil is that you DO NOT talk about neem oil. But, damn, that neem oil sure does shine up plant leaves!

For more great gardening info, check out Hole’s Greenhouses on Facebook. You don’t have to be a member to visit, but if you are, be sure to sign on as a fan.

Hits & Misses: Home runs & rolled leaves
Question of the Week: I’m leaving on vacation; can I leave my indoor plants in the bathtub filled a bit with water?
Science & Technology: Radio carbon dating

My wife, the kids and I took a bike ride through the North Saskatchewan River valley this past weekend. The bike path was fantastic (as usual), and the weather was glorious (for once). Every now and then, however, we’d cycle beneath a canopy of maple trees adorned with masses of boxelder leafrollers, dangling like mobiles from silken threads. And while I thought I was doing a masterful job of bobbing and weaving through them, I inevitably became a form of rapid transit for quite a few green hitchhikers. For those of you less amused by these creatures, the good news is they’ll be finished feasting in another few weeks. The bad news is that they’ll begin turning into fat moths that lay tons of eggs for next year’s infestation.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Home Runs
Each year we plant commercial containers for restaurants and businesses throughout the Edmonton area. This year, we used Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia) as one of the feature plants, and they’re winning rave reviews at the downtown Earl’s in Edmonton. Within a few short weeks, the Brugmansia have flourished, doubling in size! The huge trumpet-shaped yellow flowers are not only visually stunning but also fragrant on hot summer nights. Plus, the massive leaves do a pretty good job of filtering light on sunny afternoons. Sounds like a winner to me.

Brugmansia is a statement-making plant with its signature trumpet-shaped flowers.

Miss: Rolled Leaves
Some of our tomato plants developed a bit of “leaf roll” these past few weeks. The rolling isn’t caused by insects or disease but is instead due to the changing temperatures and light levels in the greenhouses. Even though the cupped shape looks somewhat abnormal, the rolled leaves have little effect on fruit production. It really is a minor and temporary problem. Once the tomatoes are planted outside, the new leaves should emerge nice and flat.

Question of the Week
I’m leaving on vacation; can I leave my indoor plants in the bathtub filled a bit with water?
In a word, no! Plants should never sit in water. A better plan is to have a friend check in on them once a week. But before you leave, be sure to give your plants a proper once-over. Cleaning even a few leaves will allow you to check for pests and diseases that could cause problems in your absence. While you’re cleaning, don’t forget to deadhead and to remove any unsightly foliage. Follow that up with some written watering instructions, and you’re good to go. It also won’t hurt to leave out a few bath towels and a broom, just in case.

Science & Technology
Radio Carbon Dating
Radio carbon dating is one method that scientists use to determine the age of ancient organisms. But without plants, radio carbon dating wouldn’t be possible. The way it works is something like this. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and for every 750 billion carbon atoms that a plant breathes in, 1 slightly radioactive carbon atom is absorbed. That atom is called carbon-14. Since carbon-14 has a predictable carbon decay rate, it is possible to determine the age of a dead organism simply by calculating the ratio of carbon-14 to normal carbon. And, yes, because we eat plants (and animals that eat plants), all humans are slightly radioactive. So, essentially, Spiderman isn’t the only one with radioactive blood.

Did You Know?
Although your plants may not care, there is a difference between a frost and a freeze. A frost is caused by radiational cooling that occurs on a clear, calm night. A freeze is an event that causes heat loss by wind.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
—Annie Dillard

Today the Hole family, architects, future tenants and some of the staff gathered in some much needed rain to officially start the construction process for the new Enjoy Centre.

first published June 25, 2009

Hanging baskets are capable of causing both great joy and sorrow to gardeners. It seems the plants either cascade in a profusion of flowers and foliage or retrograde into a death spiral before morphing into brown sticks. The good news, however, is that with a little forethought, one doesn’t have to settle for dried flower arrangements.

The first step, which may be a moot point if you’ve already filled your containers, is to start with only the highest quality plants. Lanky, stretched, weak plants will struggle and rarely, if ever, put on an outstanding show before season’s end. So if you’re still shopping, look for well-branched plants—they’ll develop the best mounding or trailing habits. Remember, it’s garbage in, garbage out. Start with the best, and by midsummer the volume of plants in your basket will easily be two or three times the volume of the pot. But that’s not where it ends.

To achieve that plant volume above the soil surface, there has to be lots of volume below the surface. For example, 8-inch diameter baskets often languish during the summer because they simply don’t have enough space for vigorous root growth. Eight-inch diameter baskets, surprisingly, have only half the soil volume of 12-inch diameter baskets. And since root growth is intricately tied to leaf and flower growth, my advice is to always go with the larger size.

Just as there is no substitute for root volume, so too is there no substitute for adequate watering. Whenever I walk down the aisles of the greenhouses, I can’t help but reach up and smack the bottoms of the baskets with my knuckles. If the baskets barely move, I know they contain plenty of water. But if a tap manages to launch one off its hanger, I know that even with a good drink of water it may not survive. Remember, hanging baskets, like pets, need access to water seven days a week. In other words, if you’re heading out to the lake on a hot weekend, make sure there’s someone stopping by to give your plants a good soaking.

So now you have great quality plants, in large baskets, and plenty of water to keep them healthy. What more could a hanging basket want? Fertilizer. And keep it coming. Consistent fertilizer applications are more important for hanging baskets than for any other category of plants in the garden. The reason is simple. It doesn’t take long for roots to explore every nook and cranny in a basket and, in the process, suck up all the nutrients along the way. The plan for feeding baskets is simple. Add 1 gram of 20-20-20 to 1 liter of water, and apply it each time you water. Next on the list, maintenance.

Giving your plants a regular haircut will keep them well branched and dense. Some plants, such as geraniums, will also need to be deadheaded once a week, which involves nothing more than a quick clip of the spent flowers. Other plants, such as ‘Surprise’ and ‘Shock Wave’ petunias, are self-cleaning, which means their spent flowers don’t mess up the foliage and, therefore, don’t need to be removed. Either way, a little trim always keeps baskets looking their best.

Oh, and one last tip. Clip one end of a carabineer to the hook on your hanging basket and the other end to the hook on your house. This handy little gadget will allow you to turn your basket for more even exposure to the sun, and all without having to unhook it from the hanger.

By adhering to the basics of growing a great hanging basket, success can easily be yours. True, sticking to a watering schedule takes a little effort, but so does convincing your friends that your dried up basket is just a fine example of xeriscaping.
Enjoy gardening!

Hits & Misses: Victory & surrender
Question of the Week: What’s the best way to water my perennial beds?
Science & Technology: Holy moly!

Arriving just in time for Canada Day are—wait for it—poinsettias! Yes, I know the last thing you want to think about during the first week of July are plants synonymous with that special event whose name I dare not speak in summer. However, the reality is that it takes 4 to 5 months to transform a 5-centimetre tall, rooted cutting into a fully branched, 50-centimetre tall and flowering Chris…er…“late December plant.” Considering that poinsettias are one of the easiest houseplants to care for, it’s kind of ironic that they require so much TLC during the growing stage. You know, now that I think of it, perhaps there is a market for poinsettias on Canada Day. Red maple leaves and red poinsettia bracts…lots of common ground from my perspective.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Victory
My Yucca glauca (soapweed) is on the verge of flowering after having been in my garden for three years. Apparently, a lot of people have trouble getting these plants to bloom, so I will divulge the secret to getting tall spires of white booms: do nothing. I never water my Yucca, nor do I fertilize it, prune it or talk to it. The only bit of care I provide is the snow I shovel atop its sword-like foliage. Now, wouldn’t it be nice if all garden plants would adopt the yucca’s stoicism.

Miss: Surrender
We tried adding a few ‘Diamond Frost’ Euphorbia plants to our petunia hanging baskets this year. And while Diamond Frost is a great-looking plant in its own right, it’s no match for the aggressive growth habit of trailing petunias. In the battle for basket dominance, petunias were easy first-round victors, with Diamond Frost struggling to produce a few wispy white flowers…or are they white flags?

Question of the Week
What’s the best way to water my perennial beds?
The biggest mistake that many gardeners make when watering is to sprinkle foliage instead of soaking the soil at the base of the plants. When you water deeply, you encourage your plants to develop deep root systems. This helps them cope with dry spells. Drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses work well in vegetable gardens and flowerbeds. For laws and broadcast applications, use attachments that deliver coarse droplets rather than fine sprays.

Science & Technology
Holy Moly!
Poinsettias are one of only a few species of plants that require molybdenum (moly) to grow properly. Molybdenum is an element essential for converting one form of nitrogen to another form of nitrogen that poinsettias can then use as building blocks. Technically, moly is classified as a micronutrient, which means that while it is essential for plant growth, it’s only required in extremely small quantities. I add sodium molybdate to our fertilizer mixture in the first week of September, and that’s sufficient to carry the poinsettias through to maturity. Poinsettias deficient in moly develop distorted leaves rather than broad, flat leaves. To give you an idea of just how little moly is required by poinsettias, consider this: for every one million atoms of nitrogen that a poinsettia requires, only one atom of molybdenum is needed. A little goes a long way.

Did You Know?
One of the reasons that leaves change from green to red in the fall is to ward off aphids. Aphids find red apple leaves less appealing for eating and also less appealing as a place to over winter.

“The most exciting attractions are between two opposites that never meet.”
—Andy Warhol