June 28, 2006
June Garden To Do List

 Not too late to plant vegetables
 The growing season runs well into October and is enough time for large seedlings.of warm season plants like tomatoes to mature. I have a sunny bed around my tiny lawn that gets water all summer. Here is where I’ve tucked in tomato plants and 50 day-to-maturity bean seeds.
While you are planting a pot of flowering annuals or perennials include some basil. Basil prefers heat to be successful and would be happy in pots on a hot patio. You can cut stems all summer until it goes to seed. Save some cuttings to root from the parent plant. Fresh purple Thai basil is an essential ingredient for the best curries and soups. Here is a favorite recipe of Mom’s:

Helen’s Summer Pasta
 Toss warm pasta with virgin olive oil and blanched fresh green basil. Top with parmesan.

Fruit trees
 Thin fruit on fruit trees to encourage larger fruit.
Pick up fallen fruit from the ground to prevent the spread of molds, fungus or bacteria. Groundfall fruit is attractive to rats and other undesirables.
Remove suckers from the base of the trees. Suckers are straight, whiplike stems that will literally suck energy from the fruit tree and remain unproductive.

Aphids
Periodically you will notice a rose or other plant seemingly covered with soft-bodied pin-head sized aphids feeding on new leaves and flowers. Distorted and sticky leaves may be another sign of aphids. Aphids can be green, black, yellow, red or brown.
A good hosing off with a strong spray of water will usually take care of a noticeable problem. Most aphid infestations last only a few days until predatory insects like ladybugs find them.
Aphids and ants have a special relationship. Ants protect the aphids from predatory insects and guard the plant from other insects that can damage it. Ants herd aphids and milk them for their sugar-rich “honeydew.”
Plant sap is rich in sugar but poor in protein and other food substances. Aphids eat a lot of sap to get a proper diet. Surplus sugar is passed out as honeydew.
If there are no ants, aphids flick drops of honeydew off their hindlegs to stick on leaves. Honeydew buildup encourages molds that can infect the aphids as well as the plant.
Ants also like to eat the sweet peony flower’s secretion. They don't eat the plant and are not harmful to peonies. Contrary to popular belief, ants are not required to open the buds.

Aphid and ant spray
 Use only when needed. Test a few leaves before spraying entire plant.
1 tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 tbsp. dishwashing soap, 1/2 tsp. eucalyptus oil to 1 gallon of water.

Camellias
Pruning is only necessary for camellias for shaping. Feed Camellias with an acid-type camellia, rhododendron or azalea food. Rake up all flowers and foliage underneath the plant to prevent the spread of disease. Mulch with pine needles or oak leaves taking care to pull the mulch a few inches away from the base of the trunk.

Roses
Roses have had a tough time this year with powdery mildew and black spot. Prune out rose shrubs to allow for air circulation, water early in the day and keep water off foliage. Pick up damaged leaves and dispose away from rose.
Trim off dead flowers to encourage repeat blooms and add 1/2 cup epsom salts around the base of your roses mid-June.

Mildew Spray
2 tbsp. baking soda, 1tbsp horticultural oil to one gallon of water.

Pull weeds
Weeds steal nutrients from your desirable plants. Many weeds such as bermuda grass or convulvulus spread quickly underground and are best eradicated when first spotted. Annuals like grasses set seed as they dry and become a fire hazard. Oak and walnut trees send deep tap roots that become hard to remove later.

Lawn
Mow high, three to four inches for fescues. To “GrassCycle” or mulch mow, cut it frequently and leave short clippings on the lawn.

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May 24, 2006
What is Mango Mulch and why is it so great?
Renewed annually, mulch is a protective covering of organic substances placed around plants that prevents evaporation, protects roots from temperature extremes and controls weeds. Mulch is essential to successful plantings and attractive garden landscapes.

Healthy Mulching
Good mulching requires a balancing act. Nitrogen is a necessary ingredient for photosynthesis. It is a component of proteins and DNA. Too much nitrogen in mulch is as harmful as too little. Nitrogen released too fast from fresh manures can burn sensitive plant roots and kill helpful microorganisms in the soil. Manure is best used after it has aged or composted.
Undecomposed or fresh plant mulch like bark chips or grass clippings takes nitrogen out of the soil as it rots or decomposes. After it has broken down and composted for a few months it begins to release nitrogen into the soil in a form that plant roots can use.
Fresh mulch like bark chips or grass clippings can be used as a top dressing. They can later be dug into the soil after a few months of decomposing.

Vegetable Gardens
Vegetable gardens can be mulched with compost, seedless hay, partially decomposed mulch and newspaper. Worms are attracted to mulch. They eat it and create highly desirable worm compost as an end product. Worms add good bacteria and healthy microorganisms to the soil.

Sheet or “lasagna” mulch.
Alternate layers of brown and green organic material such as newspaper with soy-based inks, peat moss, grass clippings and whatever you may have at hand up to 18 inches thick. Water it in, cut holes into it, fill with compost and place your vegetables.

Landscape Plants
Dig compost or partly decomposed mulch in around landscape plants, top off with four to six inches of mulch. Pull mulch a few inches away from the base of your plants to provide air circulation and prevent disease spread from mold or harmful bacteria.

Mango Mulch
Marin gardeners report miraculous results from the application of Mango Mulch. It is rich and loamy, crumbles well like chocolate cake with a dark brown appearance and pleasant smell. I’ve been very impressed with the gardens I’ve visited where they have used Mango Mulch exclusively.
Mango Mulch is prepared at Grab ‘N Gro Soil Products and can be purchased in bag or bulk. OMRI certified organic (www.omri.org), Mango Mulch contains: horse and cow manure, grape and apple pomace, rice hulls, straw, green sand, and soft rock phosphate. Use as top dressing, dig in to break up clay soil or to enrich sandy soil
Kate at Grab ‘N Gro says that at this time of year the bulk mulch is very fresh and should be allowed to sit for about two weeks before application.
Grab ‘N Gro (707) 575-7275, 2759 Llano Rd, Santa Rosa. Monday through Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Closed Sundays.
Mango Mulch is available at Green Point Nursery wholesale and retail at 275 Olive at Atherton in Novato (415) 892-2442. Owner Jim Ballestreri sells Mango Mulch ready-to-use in bags for $7.50/cubic foot. He will also arrange for bulk delivery. Open weekdays only, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Redwood bark chips
Marin Landscape Materials is a good source for bulk redwood bark chips. 7596 Redwood Blvd. Novato, (415) 897-1337. www.coloredgravel.com

Cocoa bean hulls
Cocoa bean hulls are available from local garden centers. It is a dark brown sweet smelling decorative mulch that breaks down slowly. Toxic to dogs.

Free wood chips
Novato Corporation Yard 550 Davidson St. Self-service.

Mulch Donts
Shredded redwood “gorilla hair” is highly flammable, banned for use in urban-woodland interface, compacts and actively repels water.
Landscape cloth and plastic sheets always work their way to the surface where it flaps in the wind. Weeds take root above it and it can cause drainage problems around your house.
Exercise caution when mulching native plantings and stick to top dressing of oak or redwood bark chips. Native plants often prefer unamended or lightly amended soil and little or no fertilizing.

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April 26, 2006
Sunshine and Mosquitoes
Halleluia sun! I’m watching flowers unfold as spring sloshes and warms into summer. Now to hunt for potential mosquito breeding places, puddles of squirming water filled with minute “roller” mosquito larvae. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in still water. Overturn saucers and birdbaths; shake out puddles in protective tarps, clean debris out of gutters and rainspouts. A single teaspoon of stagnant water can breed millions of mosquitoes in a few weeks time.
Mosquito “Dunks” are an effective, mosquito specific Integrated Pest Management (IPM) alternative to insecticides in ponds. Dunks are available at garden centers and Ace Hardware and are effective for 30 days. While floating, they slowly release a biological mosquito larvacide Bacillus thuringiensis israaelenses, BTI. BTI is a naturally occurring soil bacterium. BTI spores that are eaten by mosquito larvae release toxins into the mosquito's gut, causing the larvae to stop eating and die. It does not harm beneficial predator insects like dragonflies or effect fish, plants, people or wildlife.
The Marin Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District recommends Dunks for ponds and also supplies free mosquito fish which are not recommended if you attempting to breed dragonflies (dragonflies eat mosquito larvae). Contact: (707) 285-2200; or toll-free (800) 231-3236. Website: www.msmosquito.com.
Clint Kellner, entomologist, habitat restoration specialist, also recommends mosquito Dunks as an excellent garden alternative to spraying with pesticides.
On spraying (both heavily regulated malathion and banned DDT were once commonly used): “The genus Culex carries the West Nile virus. Culex breeds in containers of water, temporary ponds, ponds with cattails, etc. ...Other species of Mosquitoes are abundant in Novato, such as the tree hole mosquito. Just because there are Mosquitoes around, does not mean that West Nile virus is a concern. It is only a concern with Culex Mosquitoes.
Years ago, fogging the forest with pesticides in the Tahoe Basin resulted in an outbreak of conifer pests. The predators and parasites of the herbivorous pest insects had been killed. The few pest insects that survived were able to reproduce so rapidly that [conifer pest] outbreaks resulted. The predators and parasites could not keep up and control the high populations of pest insects. We need to be sure the same thing does not occur here.”
On mosquito fish:
“The only time that mosquito fish are not a good alternative is in habitat for some rare species, such as California red-legged frog and California tiger salamander. The mosquito fish eat the eggs and larvae of the frog and salamander. Usually mosquitoes are not a problem in the habitat of the California red-legged frog and California tiger salamander so there is not a conflict between human health and rare species.”

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April 19, 2006
Wet Clay Soil
What can you do in your garden when the ground is this saturated? Neighbors spend sleepless nights worrying about creekside erosion and possible flooding. Others watch and listen to their hillsides and home for signs of mudslide. Landscapers are months behind on their projects.
Most Novato soil is underlined with a layer of clay that is both nutrient rich and has poor drainage. In these conditions you may see unwanted pools of standing water. In the hills larger than usual vernal pools, provide a home to happy frogs, salamanders, herons and swaths of wildflowers. We can expect a fine, late lasting wildflower season.
The last frost date has passed. Gardeners want to plant vegetable seeds now. When weeding we have to be careful to avoid walking in garden beds so we don’t pack down the soil.
If you planted a fall or winter vegetable garden like Brian Stompe’s, you are reaping a late harvest of broccolli, brussels sprouts, cilantro, sorrel or kale. Brian’s soil is soft; it springs back when stepped on. It is formed of thick layers of composted barnyard mulch.

Raised bed gardens that have soft, compost-rich soil can be planted if you listen to weather reports and wait for a break in the rains to give your soil a chance to drain. Turn the soil with a fork and not a shovel (shoveling can further compact wet soil). Immediately after planting you may want to protect your seeds and tiny seedlings from heavy rain until they sprout with some kind of tenting, a raised tarp or fine mesh screen.

How to dig in wet Clay Soil
Gardens with heavy clay content present a problem. Dig the soil now and you will create adobe brick when it dries out. You will have to wait until we have larger breaks of three to four days between storms. When you do work the soil be sure to fork in plenty of dry compost or other soil amendment. Do not dig in dripping wet soil. Myself, I will wait until late May and look for the biggest possible nursery grown tomato plants.
Black plastic sheeting is not aesthetically pleasing to plant in but it is useful to both prevent weeds and warm the soil and it can be re-used several times. The ground has been slow to warm this spring with cooler than usual day and night temperatures. As a side effect it may help some water run off the vegetable bed while it is still raining.

This may be the year you grow your veggies in a container garden. Full size tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and leafy greens can be grown in containers whether you use a wine barrel or large pot. Make sure your container has drainage holes and that they are blocked with screening. It is not necessary to place rocks in the bottom, in fact the roots will be healthier if grown only in soil. Choose a loose, well-draining potting soil, preferably one with organic nutrients.
Leafy kale can be planted any time. There are rainbow stemmed kales on the market that make an eye catching focal point when planted with herbs or colorful trailing annuals. Kale is hardy and can survive our heat, rain, or cool weather and will produce for more than a year if you continue to pick off mature leaves.

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April 5, 2006
Learning to love weeds
The flowers know it is spring, hillsides are strewn with brodia, blue-eyed grass, blue dicks and yellow primroses, buttercups and other countless wildflowers past the horizon. Ladybugs, butterflies and bees reassure us that all is on course. Tulips and iris open, before being battered by rain, I cut their long stems. Their light fragrance alters the feeling of the cloud darkened house and lingers through the night.
Weeds know it’s spring. Weeds are any plant growing where we don’t want them. It may include plants that have spilled over or mounded like lamb’s ears or licorice and are choking out other plants. These will rejuvenate with trimming.
Hand-pull all the weeds you can. Annuals like chickweed, wild celery and groundsel pull up easily, roots and all from soft soil or mulch. For weed perennials, I take a fork and lift out wild white-flowering onions that spread from bulb and seed; trowel after deep-rooted bindweed (the morning glory-like convulvulous) before it twines into the lavenders; dig spreading roots of burclover and oxalis.
In garden beds a heavy layer of mulch will suppress weeds but eventually break down into soil that provides a home to a new generation of weeds. Planting groundcovers, dense interplanting or allowing deciduous trees to provide their own annual mulch (don’t rake up autmn leaves) will all prevent weed growth.
Pre-emergents like corn gluten are only effective before any weed seeds have sprouted. Apply it after you have cleared an area of weeds. A new product on the market that shows some promise against annual weeds is called “Burnout.” It contains a mixture of clove oil and vinegar. Vinegar alone is also effective on small areas.
For persistant perennials, solarize garden soil with clear plastic or sheets of black plastic. Covered soil can reach high temperatures, cooking weeds and seeds. It can take as much as a year to be completely effective.
“Lasagna mulch,” layers of newspaper, can be wet down and used as an effective weed barrier that will decompose to become part of the soil. Earthworms are attracted to wet newspaper.
Professionals may judiciously, carefully use fire against weeds. Don’t try this yourself or even consider it during the dry season. The Marin Open Space District is researching using thistle-eating cows for weed control.
Away from the house, some gardeners mow landscape weeds after spring bloom season and do not water all summer. A natural meadow of summer dormant native wildflowers and bunchgrasses will return at the next rainy season with no help from us. Native Nasella, purple needle grass or deep-green Carex pansa can be mown for an attractive “lawn,”and allowed to go summer dormant or watered a few times in the summer.

We need to develop a greater tolerance for weeds on public properties where the size and expense is an issue. The City of Novato and the Novato Unified School District practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM). They mow and weed whack where possible and consider herbicides or other potentially toxic chemicals as a last resort in tough to reach places.
Public places don’t have to be sterile museum pieces. In the interest of protecting our health, we can learn to tolerate a few weeds around the base of our trees or untamed plants weaving through our fences. It’s in our best interest to reduce the amount of public and private lands devoted to high-maintenance turf (lawn grass) or impermeable hardscape that raise the temperature of cities and whose runoff waters contribute to floods.

We owe it to ourselves to bring the wild back into the city so that our children are comfortable with playing in the natural world. Playgrounds are our childrens' laboratory for life’s lessons. School garden playgrounds offer an expanded range of active and imaginative play. It provides classroom context for science, math and health projects. They are places where children own their projects and eat the fruits of their labors.
Schools like Novato Charter and Pleasant Valley are leading the way to a new idea of what a public space can look like. The Marin Master Gardener program continues to work closely with hardworking NUSD garden committees at schools like Sinaloa, San Ramon and Lu Sutton to slowly transform portions of their campuses into more sustainable garden areas. There is room for turf, butterfly gardens, vegetable gardens, miniature forests and meadows with meandering pathways.
After all, one person’s plantain weed is another’s butterfly larvae food plant.
Further information: Pacifi Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, www.pesticide.org

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March 2006 Spring Home & Garden
Sustainable Lawn Care
A small organic lawn can be environmentally friendly. In some wildland interface areas of Novato, a lawn close to the home is a facet of a fire-resistant landscape.
A lawn maintained with organic fertilizers and Integrated Pest Management instead of chemical pesticides can be both beautiful and better for our health. Our pets are particularly sensitive to toxins in pesticides. Increased rates of cancer, childhood leukemia and miscarriage have all been directly linked to pesticide use.

Question your prospective landscaper
The number of ecological landscapers is increasing. Ask: Will they use organic fertilizers? Do they understand and use Integrated Pest Management practices?
Healthy soil
Begin with healthy, weed and stone free soil to a depth 6-12 inches. Dwarf fescue prefers a pH from 5.5-6.5 (slightly acid). Adequate nutrients should be provided by organic soil amendments or compost. Use a soil test kit or have a garden center or nursery test it. Clean topsoil is available from Marin Landscape Materials on Redwood, (415) 897-1337.
Best Grass
• Recommended for the Novato area are dwarf fescues such as BonsaiTM, BoleroTM or NuggetTM; disease resistant, heat and drought tolerant. A tall fescue might be preferred for shade. The only way to produce organic sod is to grow your own.
• Commercial sod can be delivered fresh to your house. Sloat, Armstrong or California Bay Garden Centers provide guidance; order and arrange for sod to be installed properly. Sod is also available through Marin Landscape Materials.

Organic Care for a Healthy Lawn
Water deeply, less often
•From 5 to 20 minutes, alternating on-off cycles to prevent run-off, encourage deep roots to better withstand periods of drought or heat.
• Skip days between watering to prevent disease or fungus growth and discourage insect pests.
• Water between 2 to 8 a.m. to prevent evaporation loss.
• The North Marin Water District can help you determine optimum watering duration based on water flow rate and type of soil. Contact: (415) 897-4133, www.nmwd.com.
Organic fertilizer twice a year
Spring is an important time to fertilize
• Organic fertilizers are made of plant or animal materials. It is the lawn equivalent of slow release vitamins.
Recommended:
EB StoneTM Organic 8-1-1 Lawn Fertilizer and Weed Suppressant corn gluten meal.by Nancy H., Sloat Bedding Plant Buyer
Bio-TurfTM is recommended by Ed M. If not in stock in Novato it is available from Green Jeans Garden Supply, 690 Redwood Highway (415) 389-8333
Nancy mows weeds with the grass. Ed's lawn is very small and thick so the weeds are easy to hand pull.
• Read instructions and ingredients carefully. Feed twice a year with the smallest amount recommended. Too much fertilizer causes damage.
BioTurf: www.downtoearthfertilizer.com
E.B. Stone’s: www.ebstone.org
Mow high with sharp blades
• A clean, sharp cut prevents infection.
• Trim high and more frequently for a vigorous weed resistant lawn: 1.5 to 3 inches.
• “Grasscycle” with a mulching mower. Mow about once a week, cutting no more than 1/3 height. Leave short clippings in the lawn to become fertilizer. Don’t try this when grass is long or “thatch” results.
Aerate when needed
Aerate your lawn every two to four years if it has a thick thatch (undecomposed organic matter near the soil level). Thatch causes drainage problems and mushroom growth. Aerate by hand or rent machine lawn aeraters to remove small plugs of grass so water and nutrients reach the soil better.
Lawn Care Equipment rentals: rototillers, brush chippers
All Star Rents on Grant Ave. (415) 892-4621, www.allstarrents.com
Hertz Equipment Rental on Olive Ave. (415) 924-4444 www.hertzequip.com

Convert to an “Eco-Lawn”
An eco-lawn may include white or red clover, fescue, native grasses and wildflower seeds such as poppies.

    • Low-mow Flowering Lawn Mix
      80 percent dwarf fescue
      20 percent dwarf yarrow (Achillea tomentosa)
      Prepare soil, broadcast seed; rake to cover lightly, water daily until two inches high.

Remove lawn, plant native or low-water use gardens
The North Marin Water District has a popular ongoing program “Cash for Grass,” www.nmwd.org.


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Pesticide Alternatives
Marin Beyond Pesticides
Ginger Souders-Mason is a leading force behind Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition that represents 44 Marin County agencies, non-profits, and organizations.
What is your past and current association with Pesticide Free Marin?
The founders are all friends working on the same foundation as our Pesticide Free Zone Campaign...to get rid of all synthetic and toxic pesticides. There exists natural and exempt products that serve the purpose that these nasty products purport to solve.
Was there any specific issue (or person that inspired you) that drew you to this cause?
I was inspired into action by Francine Levien (non deceased), who founded Marin Breast Cancer Watch and Dr. Sandra Ross who is founder/director of Health and Habitat. They helped me establish Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition. I have been further spurred into action by Judi Shils who founded the Marin Cancer Project. These are all local women who do not sit on their laurels but whose concern is focused on actions to help create a healthier community.
Are there any specific recommendations you would make to Novato gardeners?
My suggestion for Novato residents is to get out in the yard, take out the lawn and plant a vegetable and flower garden. Get dirt under your finger nails and wear it as a badge of honor. In that way you are connected to the earth. Enjoy.

All over the country communities are creating Pesticide Free Zones in parks and schools. Check out Beyond Pesticides web site for up-to-date info.
Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition, www.marinbeyondpesticides.org

What is Integrated Pest Management?
The State of California and Marin County have directed schools and public organizations to follow Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. The county is currently educating landscapers and homeowners to the benefits of IPM.
University of California Cooperative Extension and the Master Gardener’s program are educated IPM advocates that work directly with farmers and the public.
IPM is based on an understanding of pest life cycle and habits. Informed monitoring allows you to determine if, when, and how to intervene for optimum pest control. A number of different plans, often at the same time, may be used for pest control. Prevention and removing their pest homes are emphasized. Chemicals are considered a last resort.
IPM includes the use of
Traps: coddling moth and sticky whitefly traps, fly paper, roach motels,
Barriers: copper slug and snail barriers, sticky “Tanglefoot”keeps ants out of plants.
Proper plant care: a healthy plant with good drainage and air circulation is not attractive to pests.
Beneficial insects: good predator bugs eat bad bugs A few examples include beneficial ladybugs that eat aphids or mealybugs, beneficial nematodes that eat soil-dwelling weevils, gypsy moth larvae, grubs. Lacewings and praying mantis are also useful garden predators.
Sloat Garden Center and Ace Hardware regularly stock beneficial insects such as ladybugs and nematodes. Armstrong features a line of mail-order beneficials.

Further info:
Marin Master Gardeners: 1682 Novato Blvd. Suite 150, 499-4204.
Pesticide Action Network, www.panna.org. On one page of their site you can type in your pest or plant problem and it will provide you a list of IPM recommended solutions and further links for information.
Richard Fagerlund, The Bug Man: syndicated column appears in many newspapers. www.fagerlund.addr.com/

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Simple kitchen remedies for the garden:
Weed killer:
1. White vinegar undiluted: spray on plant for small patches of weeds.
2. Newspaper mulch (also called lasagna mulch) two to six inches thick. Will decompose if watered occasionally. Can be planted into after it breaks down.
3. Solarize (cook) under plastic sheets for large areas.
All-purpose bug sprays:
1. Hosing with plain water will remove most aphids and whitefly.
2. Soap and water. Dilute one two teaspoons mild soap in quart of water and spray plants on a foggy or cloudy day, effective on most bugs. Combine with horticultural oils for use against scale or mealybug.
3. Compost tea spray, see recipe
Fungus or mildew spray:
1. Baking soda: 1/4 oz. per quart of water or combine with one to two teaspoons mild soap or horticultural oil, spray every 4-5 days.
2. Compost tea spray, see recipe

Compost Tea Recipe:
What is the big deal about compost tea? Why do gardener value it so highly? Compost tea is effective against many pests and mildews because of microorganisms that exist in it naturally.

  • Fill a 5-15 gallon bucket halfway with compost and finish filling with water. Let the mix sit about two weeks. Drain the liquid.
  • Dilute to one part compost liquid to four to ten parts water until it looks like iced tea. Strain solids out.
  • Add two tablespoons of molasses to each gallon of spray if you want it to stick. Add a few drops of citrus oil for greater pest killing power.

Spray compost tea on leaves of affected fruit trees, perennials, annuals, vegetables and roses. It is also a natural foliar (leaf) fertilizer.

Compost Recipe:
Ingredient list is suggested and varies with what is easily and freely available to you. Any mix will compost. You can find free compost materials at the Novato Yard at the end of Davidson.

Alternate layers of:

  • 40% assorted green vegetation: leaves, grass clippings, chipped tree trimmings, food scraps (no meat or dairy), weeds (Exceptions: no ivy, bermuda grass, poison oak, eucalyptus or acacia)
  • 40% assorted dry vegetation: clean hay (no seeds), sawdust, grain hulls, ground up nut hulls, chipped bark
  • 20% manure (optional): chicken, horse, cow, llama, donkey, bat guano

Mix together in a container of wood, hay bales, wire, concrete blocks or simply pile on the ground.
Water to the consistency of a squeezed-out sponge.

Oxygen is provided by the mix of coarse and fine textured material and monthly turning.
Micro-organisms (similar to yeast) will feed on this mix of organic materials, water and oxygen. The center of the pile will heat up as it decomposes. Worms will find your compost pile if it is directly on the ground and add their nutrient rich worm castings to the mix.
Partially decomposed compost can be used as mulch. After several months finished compost should be dark brown, smell like sweet forest soil and crumble like chocolate cake.

Want to learn more about composting?
The Marin Master Gardeners, (415) 499-4204, often sponsor free classes.
“Let it Rot” is a great classic book on composting.


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Termite Solutions
IPM in action: Termites are everywhere. As one of natures efficient decomposers, they are part of the natural cycle of life. No one wants to find evidence of these critters inside their house. If you notice them swarming in the spring or suspect you have termites in your home you must first identify the type. Pest control companies or the Master Gardeners desk can help you identify them as subterranean or drywood.
In addition to the health risks associated with pesticides, pesticides are not a permanent solution and always require reapplication. New methods using heat, cold, microwaves and electricity can all be used as spot treatments.
Ask your pest controller if they are familiar with biological baits that use insect growth regulators (IGR) instead of poisons. Bait stations require time to work. Baits are not effective when termites are dormant. They are often combined with other IPM methods such as the use of borate (a naturally occurring mineral) and habitat destruction.
In new construction, fine sand and wire mesh barriers have proven to be good deterrents to termites. Borate impregnated pressure-treated wood can be used in problem areas.
Termites want two things from us: food and water. It is our job to keep these out of their reach. Pest control companies can help you identify problem areas.
Simple things to do that help prevent termite infestation
Remove all wood debris from the foundation and roofline of your house including bark chips and mulch. Crawl spaces underneath should be well-vented and clear of debris. There should be 18 inches of space between ground and any wood.
Trim all plant material a minimum of six inches from the outside of your house. Branches and vines can provide termites with a pathway directly into your home.
Destroy termite tubes, they act as termite freeways.
Fill foundation cracks. Termites walk up these like stairways.
Vent. Foundations and rooflines should be kept dry. Vents should be screened.


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February 22, 2006
Easy care Summer Bulbs
Splendid golden joy, a host of daffodils dance in the breeze. As leaves begin to fade, leave them on, to build up photosynthized food harvested from sunlight that it stores in the bulb for next year. Remove dried foliage when it pulls away easily.
Summer blooming bulbs can be planted now. Be adventurous and try a few new varieties this year. Follow planting instructions carefully especially for water and drainage. Keep your summer-dry climate bulbs separate from your summer-water bulbs. If they are successful they will return year after year with little or no effort on your part.
Deer or gopher resistant bulbs
Planting flowers and bulbs is like setting out hors d’oervres for deer and gopher. You can grow your treasured bulbs in gopher cages or screen-lined flower beds or you can choose resistant plants. These plants generally have sharp flavors or may be poisonous.
Ornamental allium, full sun lovers in the onion family, can be found in many sizes. Six-inch blue-flowered A. cyaneum perfect for rock gardens, two-foot tall lilac-flowered Christophii (Star of Persia) to four-feet tall A. giganteum with six-inch wide blue pom-poms may bloom from early to mid-summer.
Most allium flowers are blues, reds and whites. After blooming, their flower stalks dry as pale star shapes that can be used in dried arrangements. They will naturalize and may need to be controlled. Allium make excellent border plants and will grow in almost any kind of soil.
Amaryllis belladonna has proven a hardy survivor of poor soil and dry summers and is found along fence lines and the foundations of old California homesteads. Its wide strappy leaves die back to the ground in late spring. When the ground is at its dryest, it pokes flower stems out of the ground that announce waning summer when they open. We call its sweetly fragrant hot-pink trumpets “naked ladies.”

Hemericallis Daylilies
Spotted and speckled orange and yellow flowered daylilies require only occasional summer water to look their best. Many bloom in late summer into fall when much of the flower garden has passed its peak. Big green clumps flower in Novato median strips where they receive little care.

Summer water: Tuberous begonias, canna, gladiolus, dahlia and lilium
These flowers provide long bloom periods from late spring to first frost. Exciting new bi-colored varieties will not remind you of grandma’s garden. They do require some summer water and prefer good drainage.
Hanging basket tuberous begonias are perfect for a shady patio. Their butterfly shaped, bold colored flowers sparkle with iridescence.
Canna can add a tropical accent with lurid reds, yellows and orange flower stems, bright green or striped foliage that grows on four to eight-foot tall stalks . Tolerant of bright sun or semi-shade, grow them in clusters or at the back of a bed. Canna are also tolerant of poor soil.
Excellent as cut flowers Gladiolus, dahlia, Asian and Oriental lilies like plenty of compost and raised beds. They will not be successful in clay soil. They will look their best planted in rows among other summer flowering perennials or annuals.
Gladioli reach two to four-feet tall and can display at the back of a flower bed. Oriental or Asian lilies are spectacular accents that may need some staking and shelter from Novato’s hot afternoon sun and wind.
While most can be left in the ground or container each year, dahlias will produce their largest flowers only when dug out in late February, early March and divided. Replant after about two weeks. Space them out and give them plenty of air circulation, many are quite shrubby.

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February 15 2006
Success With Seeds
Cool weather, fast maturing seeds such as lettuce radish and bok choy can be planted directly in the ground. Warm season plants such as tomatoes and peppers should be started indoors in pots or flats.
Counting back from Mother’s Day planting, we arrive at late February early March as an ideal time for seed starting of summer vegetables and annuals.
Successful seed starting has four basic requirements: healthy seeds; sterile planting medium (soil); even moisture; warm sunny location with plenty of air circulation.
Seed viability
Viability is the percentage of seeds that will germinate (sprout). A few simple tips make a big difference. Start off with new seed packs purchased from a garden center or nursery. They have selected seeds that will be most successful for our area and have high viability rates. Your seed packs left from last season will not be as viable.
The old stand-bys such as Burpee, Thompson & Morgan or Parks are good choices. Renee’s Garden Seeds, (www.reneesgarden.com) are grown in Northern California and feature cottage and heirloom organics. Territorial Seeds (www.territorial-seed.com) are grown in the Pacific Northwest and include a huge selection of Asian vegetables, peppers and heirloom tomatoes.
Seeds of Change (www.seedsofchange.com) are organically grown and open-pollinated. Native Seed/SEARCH (www.nativeseeds.org) features Native American traditional and heritage plants well-suited to hot, dry climates. If you can’t find them in stores, there is still time to order online.
Sterile well-drained growing medium
Whatever mix you choose to use make sure it is sterile and drains well. The soil or potting medium has been heated to kill bacteria and fungus.
You will be keeping the medium evenly moist and warm which is a perfect environment for nurturing damping-off fungus. This appears as rotted patches of seedlings in a flat or a dark shriveled area at the base of the seedling stem. Make sure your containers, tools and hands are clean as well. After sprouting, young seedlings are vulnerable to bacteria which may first appear as black spots on the leaves.
Sterilized potting soil, peat moss, vermiculite or perlite are all good for seed starting. Start seeds in paper cups or peat pots and you can plant them directly in the garden without disturbing their roots.
Even moisture
The growing medium should be kept evenly moist but not wet. A seedling does not need or use a lot of water. Too much or too little water equals seedling death. Too much water will suffocate the roots, cause roots to rot or encourage the growth of bacteria and fungus. Not enough water will cause the seeds and seedlings to dry out.
Commercial nurseries have overhead misting systems. Recreate the same effect by watering the growing medium well before planting, allow it to drain, then water as needed with a misting bottle.
I use a mini-greenhouse tray with a clear fitted top, lift the lid regularly and remove the lid when seeds have sprouted. Make one using a baking tray covered with plastic wrap or a sheet of glass for a lid.
Warm sunny location
Commercial propagators have the advantage of heated planting beds and unlimited sunlight. You can choose a warm spot in the house, near but not on a heater or in a sunny window. Give them plenty of air circulation and protect from baking sunlight, you don’t want to cook your seeds or seedlings.

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January 25, 2006
Cut back Ornamental Grasses and Woody Perennials
While you are shopping for bareroot roses and fruit trees or contemplating where to add one more camellia, be on the lookout for bargains on ornamental grasses and perennials at local nurseries or garden centers at this time of year.
The gardener may use ornamental grasses as accents in perennial beds, they may cascade down a hillside, provide a backdrop for summer color, create a screen, line a pathway or soften a rock garden. Short bunchgrasses are included as part of a meadow plan and may be useful for an interesting, uneven lawn area. Easy care plants, they add texture and contrast to the landscape and can be successful in containers.
Many ornamental, feather or bunchgrasses that were bronzed and gilded in their fall glory are, in late January, the epitome of sadness; limp and beaten by the rains. Cold nights have nipped penstemon and salvias and left black leaves and shriveled stems behind. Look closely at the base of the plant clumps. There you will see bunch grasses sprouting bright shoots and small buds forming below blackened stems.
You may be tempted to rip out these pathetic remains. Instead, dig out your clean, sharp pruning shears and cutting knives and go to work.
Woody perennials should be cut back at least two-thirds while still somewhat dormant. Leave a bit of green growth at the bottom and do not cut into hard wood or they may not grow back. If you don’t cut back perennials such as penstemon, they will thin out in the middle and stems will break off. If you delay and cut back late in the season you will be cutting off their spring blooms.
Tattered and faded bunch grasses should be sheared back to the level of new growth. You will be amazed at how fast they grow back. Some grasses may need shearing every winter, others may need cutting back every third or fourth year such as Mulenbergia rigens (deergrass).
Perhaps you have short tufts of festuca (blue and red fescue) that require a little clean up beneath and between their clumps or shoulder high Calamagrostis foliosa (leafy reedgrass) that should be cut back and renewed every two years.
If you’d like to learn more about the types and cultivation of California native grasses, sedges and rushes look for the book “Wild Lilies, Irises and Grasses: Gardening with the California Monocots” published by UC Press. The writers demystify some of the confusion that surrounds the various classifications and naming conventions of grasses and makes it possible to match the most successful native ornamental grass for your soil, light and water conditions. Novato photographer Saxon Holt’s work is featured.
Non-native ornamental grasses are not recommended for use near open space. Some popular varieties can become invasive such as the delicate, pale Nasella tenuisama (Mexican feather grasses), tall stipas, glorious striped or dark green sprays of Miscanthus. These may be appear green year round yet still require some thinning out. Cut them back hard to renew. Pennisetum fountain grasses have different needs. Pennisetum setaceum (purple fountain grass) may die back completely, but look for it to send up new shoots if it hasn’t already.
The best idea book for landscaping with ornamental grasses is “Grasses: Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Design” by Nancy Ondra with captivating photos by Saxon Holt. From cultural basics to design planning, many popular non-natives and natives are photographed in the landscape and in closeup.

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January 18, 2006

A pomegranate question
Dear Lazy Gardener,
Can you give me your opinion on growing pomegranates here in Marin? I read in the Sunset Western Garden book that the standard pomegranate does not set fruit in cool coastal climates. Are we in a warm enough zone here in Novato for it to be worth the chance of putting one of these in my garden? When we used to live down in Fresno, we had many of these from an ancient looking tree. I'd love to have them again. Also, is it possible to keep the height down to about 6 ft. either by careful pruning or just choosing the right tree variety? Regards, R. H.

Dear pomegranate lover,
Full size pomegranates will set fruit in Novato. Most of our summers have plenty of hot afternoons. Summer heat or cold effects tomato yield much the same way. Dwarf pomegranates do not set fruit dependably and if they do, the fruits are much smaller than standard. Do not plant a dwarf pomegranate if you want fruit.
Pomegranate trees respond well to pruning but you will have trouble keeping a pomegranate to 6 feet. They make an excellent screen reaching 15 to 20 feet tall. Even the dwarfs can get out of hand quickly.
Try the Ambrosia, Ruby Red or Wonderful varieties. Granada needs heat to mature, Eversweet prefers a cooler coastal climate. All will tolerate clay soil but prefer well-drained loam. You can plant in a slight berm and dig in plenty of mulch and compost to improve drainage.
RE: the cold
Mulching under the dripline will help protect roots. We get few hard frosts in Novato and any frosts are usually short-lived. You may want to protect a pomegranate for the first year or two. After the plant has established its root system it should survive the cold in our area. If you can, plant it on the South side of the house or in a relatively sheltered area. Trim off any frost damaged foliage when the weather warms in January.