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January 26, 2007
The Grasshopper Wars
Master Gardener Column 1/26/07
Gardening requires many hats. Perhaps, the most important is the mystic’s cowl because gardening is ultimately a spiritual experience. William Blake said it best, “To see a world in a grain of sand / And heaven in a wild flower / Hold infinity in the palm of your hand / And eternity in an hour.” Gardeners begin with awe.
The nurse’s cap fits the gardener who patiently brings sickly plants back to health, nursing, caring, and tending. Of course, gardeners always wear a Crime Scene Investigator’s hat as they prowl through their gardens, poking here and there, peeking into the underside of things, on the look-out for the latest infestation of bugs, noxious weeds, or sociopathic mychorrizae.
A soldier’s helmet best fits the gardener facing a grasshopper infestation. Negotiating with grasshoppers is a fool’s errand; however, a war on grasshoppers cannot be pre-emptive, striking at the enemy before it attacks because grasshoppers may fly in from a neighbor’s yard. Attacking a third of the world is risky at best and foolhardy at worst. The only war possible is a defensive war in which no mercy is shown the invading host. The French say it best, “ne pas faire de quartier.”
Strategically, a two-fold defense is best, ground and airborne. The ground strategy is to lure the grasshoppers with attractions more toothsome than their usual fare and then zap them, closing in on them in a pincers movement. Unlike the French fixed Maginot Line, which failed to stop the Germans in World War II, the ground strategy has to be mobile, placing the traps where the grasshoppers are the most likely to see the deadly meal as in barren spots where foliage does not hide the trap.
Tactically, two attractive traps are easily available. The pesticide, carbaryl, comes with a warning, not to ingest it, inhale it, or let it contact the skin. While not lethal, it can cause great discomfort, but it is deadly for grasshoppers and bees which means to avoid laying carbaryl traps near plants attractive to bees. As with all soldiers, gardeners must always respect their weapons and treat them carefully.
When mixed with a host material, usually wheat bran which attracts the grasshoppers, it can be spread on the ground, but not the plants. Gardening soldiers don’t poison themselves, just the grasshoppers. As with all good mobile defenses, the traps are laid out before the grasshoppers arrive, early in the spring. After they arrive, it may be too late because carbaryl works best when the grasshoppers are young in their nymph stage.
Unlike carbaryl which looses its punch after a time and after rain, the biological protozoan Nosema locustae, while a slow starter, lasts longer even after it has knocked off the nymph grasshoppers. Grasshoppers are cannibals so that when a live grasshopper eats a grasshopper killed with Nosema locustae, it is eating the poison that killed the grasshopper on which it is feasting. As in the principle of martial arts, it uses the adversary’s energy. Nosema locustae are gifts that keep on giving.
These tactics used throughout the spring, summer, and fall will significantly reduce the invading host which means the airborne forces are used to finish off the remaining grasshoppers. Birds are one half of the air forces, especially the black ravens and purple Stellar’s jays which means a good soldier in the gardening army will feed these birds all during the winter to keep them around for the rest of the year. A well-protected garden is bird friendly.
After securing an adequate air force of birds, the next armament is the praying mantis or, correctly, the praying mantid. Resembling a skinny skyhook helicopter, the praying mantid is a veritable grasshopper gunship. Praying mantid eggs are readily available. As soon as the praying mantid emerges, it starts eating with a voracious appetite.
Ultimately, it’s boots on the ground that win wars. Gardening soldier Lally McGhie, the attractive, well-coiffured and clad local realtor, is a model soldier as she mops up the remaining stragglers. As Lally walks through a garden, her left arm reaches out like a Bofors anti-aircraft gun, pow-pow-pow, grabbing grasshoppers in her hand and crushing them.
We need soldiers so that we can wander our gardens in wonder, else we’ll live in a wasteland, so, gardeners, like Elijah of old, gird up your loins and join the battle.
By Dana Prom Smith
The author is a Master Gardener volunteer for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. For more information about the Master Gardener Program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:45 AM
January 20, 2007
Gardener's Block
Master Gardener Column 1/20/07
The last time I tried to garden was so painful, I had to put down my trowel and go inside. That was on September 19th - a warm, sunny late-summer’s day in Virginia. My mom had died the day before. My sister and her husband and I were staying with my dad, and decided that the best thing we could do for him on that day was to clean up my mom’s garden and plant some containers full of cheerful mums and violas, to make the garden look the way she would have kept it. But I just couldn’t do it. I haven’t been drawn to the garden since that day. My mom taught me to garden, introduced me to all her favorite plants, indoctrinated me into her secret ritual of making each plant feel at home, and shared her joy in each perfect leaf and flower. Now that she was gone, her voice was silent, and the garden was empty.
And so the last few months have slipped by and I haven’t done any gardening to speak of. Fortunately, my garden has been mostly dormant and I don’t think it has suffered from nearly 4 months of neglect. I haven’t had any desire to read about gardening, to visit gardens, or to write gardening articles.
But a few days ago I realized that the days are getting longer. The shortest day of the year was on December 22. Already since then we have gained almost 10 minutes of daylight. By the end of January, we will have gained a full 40 minutes. Even though, here in Flagstaff, we still have long months of winter ahead, this lengthening of the day shows that spring is coming. Inexorably, as the Earth rushes around its orbit, the northern hemisphere is slowly swinging around to lean in towards the Sun.
In another few weeks, as the hours of daylight increase, the plant communities of Flagstaff will begin to respond. Early blooming bulbs will break dormancy and start sending flower stalks toward the surface. Leaf buds on trees and shrubs will start to swell, slowly at first and then all in a rush, as if they knew there was no time to waste in our short growing season. As the winter snows melt and soak into the ground, all kinds of beneficial fauna (microbes, bugs, worms, etc.) will begin to stir. And in the mailboxes of gardeners all over Flagstaff, seed catalogs will begin piling up, filled with pictures of the latest hardy roses, most desirable native shrubs, and fascinating heirloom vegetables that deserve a place of honor in our gardens. I can almost hear my mom saying, “We’d better get some seeds started. It won’t be long now.”
Like a dormant bulb that’s felt the first stirrings of the coming spring and has started reaching out roots and stems for warmth and moisture that are sure to come, I find my gardening instincts coming back to life. It’s time to clean up my seed starting trays, buy some fresh soil, get new bulbs for my grow light, and pore over those seed catalogs. My mom’s voice is silent now, but her gardening spirit lives on, and we’ve got a lot to do!
By Alice Monet
The author is a Master Gardener volunteer for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. For more information about the Master Gardener Program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:50 AM
January 17, 2007
Lectures from Grand Canyon Wildlands Council
The 2007 Schedule:
28 January, 2007, Sunday. 2:00-3:30p. Pearson Hall, MNA (on the east side)
Flagstaff during the last million years. Gwendolyn Waring and Grand Canyon Wildland's Council
25 February, 2007, Sunday 2:00-3:30p. Pearson Hall, MNA (on the east side)
Flagstaff natural history through the seasons, a look at Flagstaff's plants and animals through the year. Gwendolyn Waring and the Grand Canyon Wildland's Council.
Have you every wondered what Flagstaff looked like a million years ago, or even half a million years ago. This lecture looks at the many aspects of Flagstaff's natural history that have changed and that have stayed the same during this time period. Be sure to make this lecture for that larger perspective.
The second lecture will describe the patterns of plants and animals through our seasons, who's blooming, who's migrating, who's mating and when.
The Wild World of Flagstaff Lecture Series is sponsored by a grant from Flagstaff Cultural Partners and support from the Museum of Northern Arizona, to Grand Canyon Wildlands Council.
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:25 AM
January 13, 2007
Propagating Native Plants with Native Soil
Master Gardener Column 1/13/07
At this time of year when the holidays are past and the night temperatures are still in single digits, the promise of spring frequents my thoughts and images of warm, sunny days and green gardens appear.
In preparation for that time, many of us who lack patience with Mother Nature choose to start growing plants indoors. This activity can be therapeutic, educational (especially if you have children) and inexpensive, particularly if you choose to grow native plants that you might purchase otherwise for use around your home.
Most native plant species have the advantage of drought adaptation, thus they require less care
and less water than non-native species. However, prior to purchasing seed, you should check the habitat requirements for the mature plants and make sure that you can provide those needs.
Once you have chosen which plants you wish to grow, you will need to provide three basic needs to the growing plant: Sunlight, water and soil. The soil is by far the most complex of the three basic needs and it can be crucial in determining propagation success. In addition to the basic plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), the soil also contains a host of microorganisms that play an important role in plant growth. Probably the most important of these organisms is a group of fungi known as mycorrhizal fungi. The term mycorrhiza literally means "fungus-root." These organisms form symbiotic associations with plant roots that are
generally beneficial. The fungus provides the plant with improved water and nutrient uptake, while the plant provides the fungus with a source of food (photosynthate). Additionally, mycorrhizal fungi can also provide their host plant with improved drought tolerance, protection from soil-borne pathogens and protection from certain herbivores. The benefits provided to the plant by the fungi are particularly important in dry soils with low fertility, like those found in much of northern Arizona. As an added bonus, they are completely natural.
You may be wondering at this point which plant species form these amazing partnerships, and the answer is nearly all of them. Approximately 95 percent of all known plant species form mycorrhizal relationships. There are two main types of mycorrhizal fungi. The arbuscular mycorrhizas associate mainly with herbaceous species (herbs, grasses and forbs). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form structures for the "exchange of goods" inside of the plant roots and these structures can not be seen with the naked eye. The ectomycorrhizas make up the second main group and they associate primarily with woody plant species (trees and shrubs). Ectomycorrhizal fungi form little fungal "socks," also known as fungal mantles, on the outside of the root tip and these can be seen by the naked eye.
Adding a source of mycorrhizal inoculum to your potting soil will provide many benefits to your growing plants and is easily done by mixing a portion of native soil to your potting mix. Because fungal spores are very small, it takes very little native soil to provide your seedlings with what they need. Collect enough native soil to fill your container approximately 1/6 full and mix this with enough potting soil to fill the remaining space. Native soil should be collected from the top 8 inches of soil, preferably from below a healthy specimen from a site where your plants are natively found. For example, if you choose to grow pinyon pine, you would want to collect soil from beneath a healthy pinyon in a pinyon-juniper woodland. If you are unable to obtain native pinyon soil, then using soil from beneath another pine species (e.g., ponderosa pine) will also be helpful. And, as a last resort if you can not obtain any local live soil (because the ground is frozen), then you can purchase mycorrhizal inoculum from certain garden stores or on the World Wide Web. Commercially available mycorrhizal inoculum contains very common species of arbuscular or ectomycorrhizal fungi or both, depending on the type you purchase.
Although this source of mycorrhizal fungi will not be as appropriate as native fungi, the
commercially available inoculum will still provide your growing plants with many benefits and this is a better option than having no mycorrhizal fungi at all.
The application and use of soil microorganisms, specifically mycorrhizal fungi, in improving
propagation and out-planting success is on the rise. This practice has been found to significantly reduce seedling mortality in the greenhouse as well as mortality upon out-planting. For those of you in disbelief, try growing some seeds with native soil (with mycorrhizal fungi) and some seeds in sterile potting soil (without mycorrhizal fungi) and observe the results for yourself. For more information on where you can acquire mycorrhizal fungal inoculum and on how to determine what type of mycorrhizas your plants form, please contact Kris Haskins at the Arboretum at Flagstaff. 774-1442, ext. 114.
The author is a research scientist at the Arboretum at Flagstaff. For more information
about the Master Gardener Program, call 774-1868, Ext. 17 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 4:39 PM
January 6, 2007
Winter Gardening
Aside from refreshing composters, winter gardening begins with seed catalogues which are akin to horticultural travel brochures, something like an imaginary gustatory world tour. Beginning with one of the sources of our civilization, the Thessaloniki tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) appears smack dab in the middle of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (www.rareseeds.com.) The ancient Greeks didn’t have tomatoes because they came from the Incas of Peru by way of the Spanish Conquistadores. The Thessaloniki tomato, a favorite of Tickaboo Ranch’s Diane Scantlebury, is a fit for the High Country, being an early producer. A good companion for the Thessaloniki tomato is Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare.) They bring out the best in each other. By the way, Thomas Cahill’s Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, an excellent retelling of the story of the ancient Greeks, is an delightful accompaniment to the Thessaloniki tomato.
Other tomatoes in a world-tour would certainly include that czar of all Siberians, the Galina tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum), a golden cherry of subtle and complex taste. It, too, is an early riser and an abundant producer. Happily, one doesn’t have to take the Trans- Siberian Railway at $2,000 a head or spend time in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago to enjoy the many Siberian tomatoes that are good fits for the High Country. The seeds are available down in Cornville at Bill McDorman’s Seeds Trust (www.seedstrust.com.)
After some time in Siberia, it would be pleasant to visit sunny Tuscany and fetch some seeds of Cavalo Nero or Tuscan kale (Brassica oleracea.) De-stemmed, chopped, blanched, and pressed dry, it is great in soups and as a side dish sauteed in olive oil with raisins and roasted pine nuts. Tuscan kale seeds can be found at Nichols Garden Nursery (www.nicholsgardennursery.com.) Tuscany is the birthplace of the Renaissance. When dining on Cavalo Nero, one is also dining with Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Dante while studying the Mona Lisa.
Not to be outdone, Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch kale brings to mind Adam Smith, John Knox, Rob Roy, David Hume, and, of course, Rabbie Burns, as the Scots call him, with his poems “To a Mouse,” “To a Louse”, “A Red, Red Rose,” and “Auld Lang Syne.” Not a bad set of dining companions if they weren’t eating haggis, the national dish of Scotland. Oatmeal mixed with sheep entrails and suet and boiled in a sheep’s stomach, haggis can only be eaten when washed down with vast draughts of Scotch.
Giant Walking Stick kale, a Portuguese favorite, also from Nichols Garden Nursery, is a treat for children because it grows tall and walking sticks can be fashioned from the stalk. Strolling through the countryside, sporting a Portuguese kale walking stick, would be a treat alongside Prince Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama, and the Duke of Albuquerque. At least, one wouldn’t get lost with Prince Henry the Navigator as a guide.
Any return trip to Italy is well-worthwhile, especially a trip to Genoa and Genovese basil which actually comes from Asia, Africa, and India. The Genovese were great mariners, such as Christoforo Colombo and Andrea Doria, which means that they brought back herbs to Genoa from all over the world along with tomatoes from the Incas. Johnny’s Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com) offers a wide variety of basil in addition to Genovese basil. The Red Rubin basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a rich, dark purple and highly prized by Diane Scantlebury.
Any travelogue isn’t complete without a visit to Merrie Olde England and the Bull’s Blood beet (Beta vulgaris.) A British heirloom, seeds can be obtained from Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.com.) Bull’s Blood does double gastronomic duty with its dark purple leaves and sweet, dark roots. It is a beet lover’s beet and would be fit for dinner with either Winston Churchill or William Shakespeare.
Bon voyage et bon camarade.
By Dana Prom Smith
The author is a Master Gardener volunteer for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. For more information about the Master Gardener Program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 7:45 PM
January 5, 2007
High Desert Gardening & Landscaping Conference
14th Annual "High on the Desert" High Desert Gardening & Landscaping Conference
Does this latest snow storm have you wishing for warmer weather? Cochise County Master Gardeners are hosting a gardening conference that will entice you to take a visit south. The High Desert Conference benefits all gardeners and features over 20 sessions focusing on food production, landscaping with native plants, and environmental stewardship.
Location: The Palms, 255 W. Wilcox Drive, Sierra Vista, Arizona
Date: Thursday February 15th and Friday February 16th, 2007
Time: 7:30 am to 5:00 pm
Cost: $50.00 one day; $85.00 two days - includes breakfast, lunch & Friday Reception
Open to the public: High on the Desert Vendors. Come discover low water use plants and succulents, rainwater harvesting barrels, desert gardening books, art, tools & supplies, information booths and much more! Open from 7:30 am - 5:00 pm.
To get a copy of the conference brochure and agenda, go to the conference website at http://ag.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/hotd2007.htm
Posted by hbraun at 12:04 PM
January 3, 2007
Docent Training Program at the Arboretum
Develop your knowledge of native plants while learning how to lead tours of The Arboretum gardens.
On Tuesday, January 30, from 1 until 3:30 pm, an Orientation/Mission of the Arboretum and Current Programs session for the 2007 Docent Training Program will be led by Steve Yoder. The orientation will be followed by a docent mixer.
Share your love of the natural world with Arboretum visitors by becoming a volunteer educator. Training classes will take place from February 6th through April 24th on Tuesday afternoons. To RSVP for the January 30 session, or to learn more about the Docent Training Program, call Rachel Edelstein at (928) 774-1442, ext.110 or visit thearb.org
The Arboretum at Flagstaff
Contact: Rachel Edelstein
Rachel.Edelstein@nau.edu
Posted by maxmaddy at 3:21 PM
January 2, 2007
UofA Publication on Iron Deficiency Available
Home gardeners who are struggling with iron deficiency in their yards may be interested in a new Cooperative Extension bulletin: Recognizing and Treating Iron Deficiency in the Home Yard.
The brochure can be downloaded at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1415.pdf.
Iron deficiency is a frequent problem for some ornamental plants in the low desert areas of Arizona. The underlying cause is the high pH soil level. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) builds up in desert soils because precipitation is not sufficient to wash or leach these naturally occurring materials out of the soil.
Calcium carbonate deposits are often visible as light colored lumps which range in size from less than 1 inch to several inches across or as a solid layer, ranging from a few inches to several feet in thickness. When these deposits form solid layers they are known as caliche. In this high pH environment, iron solubility is minimized. In desert soils there is usually plenty of iron; it just is not soluble enough to provide adequate nutrition to certain plants.
The three-page extension bulletin suggests ways to treat iron definciency by acidifying the soil, applying iron fertilizer to the soil, or applying iron directly to the plant foliage.
Posted by hbraun at 9:09 AM