FAQ: Peat moss
- On June 22, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: I’ve been using peat moss in my garden for years but now I’ve heard that it’s bad for the environment. Is that true?
A: That depends who you talk to. Conservationists and peat producers have been debating this issue for years and years. Peat moss is the partially decomposed remains of sphagnum moss that comes from peat bogs, which can literally take hundreds to thousands of years to develop. When peat moss is harvested or “mined,” as some describe the process, parts of the bogs are destroyed by all the digging and stripping away of layers.
This, conservationists and scientists assert, is not only destroying habitat for everything from bog rosemary to wildlife and insects found only in these bogs. It is destroying wetlands that help purify our water and our air (moss absorbs carbon dioxide just like rain forests do). Manufacturers of peat moss products claim these bogs are renewable resources that quickly reestablish. To help protect peat bogs, boycotts have been started in many countries and parts of Ireland (where bogs are plentiful) have banned the harvesting of peat moss completely. As gardeners, it’s up to us to decide what to do. I have decided to stop buying it and I’m currently looking for good alternatives to try.
FAQ: Keep mint under control
- On June 07, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: Last year, mint went completely insane in my garden and spread everywhere. I’m planning to rip some of it out. How can I grow this herb without having it take over everything?
A: It’s true. A little bit of mint goes a long way. If you don’t want to have to do the back-breaking chore of yanking a bunch out each year, plant it inside a deep container in your garden bed, leaving the pot’s rim just above the soil line. Use this trick with other invasive plants, too, such as milkweed, which butterflies love.
FAQ: Should roots of rootbound plants be sliced before planting?
- On June 03, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: Is it true that I should cut the roots of plants before I plant them, especially if they’re rootbound?
A: Good question. This one gets debated a lot. You know you’ve got a rootbound plant when you tip it out of its container and matted roots are more prevalent than soil. Wrapped in a tight ball, the roots usually circle the bottom of the plant because they’ve had no place else to go and the soil around them has broken down. It is best to separate the roots as best you can before planting, and that probably means cutting out some of the most matted parts.
Being rootbound puts a lot of stress on growing plants because they lack the nutrients they need to thrive. If you don’t try to correct the situation at planting time, those plants are likely to be stunted. They may even fail to grow much at all or even die. The debate comes in over whether to slice the roots on the sides of container-grown plants whether they are rootbound or not. Studies have indicated that the practice doesn’t help but many gardeners think it does. So you might want to try experimenting with that yourself.
FAQ: Meaning of NPK
- On May 26, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: What do the three numbers next to NPK on fertilizer packages mean?
A: Those numbers refer to nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K), respectively. Like us, plants need nutrients to be healthy and strong. Nitrogen helps plants build chlorophyll, which helps them use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugars that feed the plant. You can tell if a plant isn’t getting enough nitrogen if its leaves look yellow or pale green. Symptoms usually appear on the lower leaves first. Potassium helps stems and roots develop and gives flowers their rich coloring. Plants that are low on potassium will often have yellow leaves, too, but the yellow starts at the leaf’s edges and works its way in. Phosphorous is important for rapid root growth, so it isn’t always easy to see a deficiency in this nutrient until a plant is clearly stunted.
FAQ: Slugs and Beer
- On May 16, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: Is it true I can kill slugs by putting out beer traps?
A: I’ve had mixed results with this so I did some research on the subject and discovered two important things thanks to Jeff Gillman’s great book, “The Truth About Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn’t & Why.”
First, not all species of slugs are attracted to beer. Second, as Gillman so aptly puts it, “a poorly designed beer trap will attract a slug without actually trapping it.” Ah-ha! Turns out, I was setting my little dishes of beer on the ground, which meant the slugs probably couldn’t climb up the side to have a drink (and die, of course). If you want this to work, you have to make sure the lip of your cup or dish is even with the surface of the soil. Gillman also suggests that the beer be about an inch below the top of the cup so slugs have to lean out a bit to get it, ensuring that they’ll lose their balance and tumble in. (I know this sounds horrible. I go back and forth all the time on letting the poor things live and wanting to commit mass slug murder.)
FAQ: Disease resistant plants
- On May 08, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: What does it mean when a plant is labeled as “disease resistant?”
A: Contrary to what the name suggests, plants labeled “disease resistant” are not actually immune to a particular disease or diseases. Instead, they are able to tolerate some diseases and overcome the harmful effects of the fungi, bacteria or other pathogen that might be attacking it. While no plant is resistant to all diseases, seeking out disease resistant varieties is a good idea.