Plant Nutrition in Mediterranean Climate Gardens – The Importance of Feeding in the Spring

Spring is the ideal time for feeding garden plants as this is the primary season for plant growth and development. No more is this the case than in Mediterranean and similarly dry climates, where the hot, arid summer causes many plants to enter into a mini-dormancy, where growth is minimal or ceases altogether. (as with Ice Plants for example)

Not so long ago, home gardeners were put-off by the apparent technical complexity of calculating exact amounts of readily soluble chemical fertilizer. Excess dosages of chemical fertilizer can indeed damage a plant, which is one good reason for not using them at all, particularly as there is a far better way of providing nutrient to the garden plants.

With the possible exception of feeding lawns, adding well-rotted organic compost provides most of the nutritional needs of the plants, albeit at a slower rate than chemical fertilizer. The real benefit of compost though, is less as a source of nutrient, but rather for the positive processes that it induces long term. These can be summarized as follows:

*The consistent adding of compost enhances the quality of the soil by improving the air/moisture balance in the root zone, by providing raw material for essential soil organisms such as earthworms, and for lowering the pH (in alkaline soils). Furthermore, it allows for balanced nutrition by making trace elements which are just as essential for plant growth as nitrogen and phosphorous, to become available to the plants’ roots.

*Compost or humus, indirectly strengthens the plant’s resistance to disease by creating an ecological balance in the soil between a multitude of organisms, ranging from bacteria, fungi and small animals. The greater the variety of life in a habitat, the better the chance of keeping in check the population levels of pathogenic organisms.

*While chemical fertilizer supplies the mineral requirements of the plants, both directly and cheaply, all the benefits to the soil, (the habitat in which the plants grow) are not only lost, but also put into reverse. So that while high percentages of humus improve the air/moisture balance by developing a healthy, crumbly, soil structure, persistent use of chemical fertilizer is liable over time to cause the soil structure to degenerate.

*The leaching of nitrates and phosphorous from readily soluble fertilizers, applied by farmers and gardeners, is a serious form of pollution in rivers and lakes. It must be admitted though, that commercially produced composts and earthworm casting products, are not blameless either in this field.

Feeding Lawns

*Most perennial lawns in dry climates are deep-rooting varieties like Bermuda or Zoisia grass, that tend to produce a heavy thatch of organic tissue that does not break down easily. This thatch inhibits both the infiltration of water into the soil, and the exchange of gasses between the root zone and the atmosphere. The spreading of compost actually exacerbates the thatch problem, and so chemical fertilizer, especially the slow-release kind, is preferable overall.

*Slow release fertilizer may be more expensive than readily soluble fertilizer such as Ammonium Sulphate, but it is much easier to calibrate and apply the correct dosages, small amounts of nutrient are steadily applied over a period of 3-6 months, and the leaching of pollutants, while not absent, is reduced.

Petrol Garden Tools – Simple Maintenance Tasks for the Home Gardener

Petrol garden tools easily out perform their electric equivalents. In the long run they also make more economic sense, because although 2-3 times more expensive, if well maintained, a tool from a reputable manufacture could last the home gardener a lifetime.

Many people however are put off buying a gas-powered lawn mower or strimmer, because of what they perceive to be complicated and expensive maintenance procedures. This is though, is a myth and not a good reason for preferring an inferior, albeit cheaper electric power tool.

For a start, most maintenance tasks are a matter of turning the tools over once a year to a decent small-tools repair shop. The costs for regular maintenance should not be far in excess of $50 - $100 for each tool per year. This should fit into the average homeowner’s gardening budget. If the plugs, oil, and filters, e.t.c. are replaced on time, then for the average home gardener, there should hardly be any need for expensive repairs.

In between the annual trip to the repair shop, there are a number of simple steps anyone can take, to ensure that the machines work properly and efficiently. The most important thing is to clean air filters as regularly as possible.

*Most 4-stroke engine lawn mowers have a paper air filter that just needs a simple bang on the pavement to remove dirt and chaff. This takes about 1 minute, but if done after every mowing will ensure optimal filtration until it’s time to replace the filter. (Usually between 25-50 working hours)

*Likewise, the air filters for 2-stroke engine tools like strimmers, blowers, and hedge-trimmers, need regular cleaning. These are usually sponge filters, which can be rinsed in some petrol to dissolve the oils that have accumulated. The whole operation should take you about 2 minutes, although the filter has to be thoroughly dry before returning to the machine. Be sure to wear rubber gloves for protection as well.

*Another task that will take up between 1-2 minutes of your valuable time is inserting grease into the axis of strimmers and hedge trimmers. Read the instruction book carefully to locate the points that require greasing. Failure to do so will severely reduce the lifespan of the tool, which is a pity for the 2 minutes work required every hour or so of operating time.

”My Lawn Mower Won’t Start”

This is a common refrain at the beginning of spring amongst homeowners. The cause is invariably the failure to empty the petrol tank at the beginning of winter, or at the onset of any extended period when the mower will not be in use. If you cannot siphon the petrol out, simply run the machine until the gas has run-out. Alternatively, and preferably from a gas-emissions point of view, ask the repair shop to do it, as part of the annual maintenance program.

Perhaps there are a number of tasks, such as cleaning the air fins of a lawn mower with a jet of air, or sharpening blades, that the average home gardener will not wish to carry out. These, as mentioned, can be done by a professional. Nonetheless, it is wise to consult with the instruction manual, to make sure that nothing is missed.

Overall, the performance and longevity of petrol garden tools are so superior to those of electric ones, that the investment in time and money required over the year should not deter the home gardener from choosing a gas-powered garden tool.

Ground Cover Plants – The Benefits of Growing Junipers as Ground Cover, Landscaping Plants

There is a wide variety of Juniper forms grown as landscaping plants, ranging from trees, shrubs, high-growing and very low-growing ground cover plants. All are evergreen conifers, with needle-like foliage, and fleshy berrylike fruits instead of the wooden cones typical of coniferous plants.

With increasing water shortages in hot, dry climates, many gardeners are looking for alternatives to water guzzling lawns and flowers, and drought-tolerant ground cover plants are often thought of as a possible answer to the problem. As drought-resistant plants, the ground cover varieties of Juniper, although not without some drawbacks, are often excellent candidates for the job.

Junipers constitute a stable element in the garden. Most species, but not all, are relatively pest and disease-free, while established plants require virtually no care and maintenance through the year. If grown under suitable conditions, (more about that in a moment) they are probably amongst the easiest of plants to grow – ideal for the home gardener pressed for time.

The main disadvantages though, are that they are slow growing, while they need to be planted at a distance from each other that almost corresponds to the final width of the species or variety. This, in some cases can be quite considerable, as with the Bar Harbor Juniper (J.horizontalis “Bar Harbor”) which spreads to about 3 meters. (9-10 ft)

It is a mistake to over-plant Junipers or to fill in the gaps with ephemeral plants such as annuals or short-lived perennials. There is no alternative but to be patient and wait for the new plants to cover the ground, which can take a few years or so.

This leads to another drawback. Small specimens, planted at large distances not only look poor, but are easily taken over by weeds. On the other hand, the option of planting large specimens ends up being very expensive indeed, because Junipers, as slow growing plants, are not cheap.

The Importance of Mulch

To overcome the problems associated with planting relatively small specimens, it is essential to spread a good layer of organic mulch, such as decorative wood chippings, between the plants. This will not only improve the general appearance of the garden, but suppress weeds, and help to keep the root zone cool – a considerable benefit in hot summer climates. The improved growing conditions that result from an organic mulch, help the Junipers to survive the first difficult year, and cover the area more rapidly.

What Junipers Need

Junipers are tolerant of most soil types, including the alkaline soils typical of dry climate regions, but they must have decent drainage. In hot summer areas, they prefer deep, widely spaced watering to frequent, shallow irrigation. Remember that they are more susceptible to a lack of air in the root zone, than a lack of moisture.

Adding copious amounts of well-rotted compost into the soil prior to planting, together with a decent layer of organic mulch on top of the soil, will of course, improve the air/moisture balance in the root zone. Organic soil amendments should also take care of all the feeding requirements of the Junipers. The genus is sensitive to excessive nutrient levels, and so applying chemical fertilizers is undesirable.

Despite some of the drawbacks involved in the first few years, Juniper ground covers are attractive, drought-resistant, easy maintenance, and relatively pest-free landscaping plants. For dry climate gardeners therefore, they are particularly important.

Spring Garden Care – Pruning Landscape and Fruit Trees in Mediterranean Climate Home Gardens

Deciduous trees should be pruned in their dormant season, which in Mediterranean and similar mild winter climates, means towards the end of winter. They should not be pruned in the spring as pruning causes the sap that is rising in the plant to “bleed” thereby depleting the tree of valuable energy and nutrients. If you have missed the boat, either wait till next year or carryout a very light pruning in the summer.

On the other hand, broadleaved evergreens and trees that come from tropical or sub-tropical climates are likely to be sensitive to cold and late frosts, and can incur severe damage if pruned too early in the year. They should not be touched until all possibility of frosts has passed.

In Mediterranean climates, spring is the best time for pruning because it anticipates the plants’ principle growing season. There is little point in allowing the tree to expend energy on new growth only to remove that growth a month or so later.

As opposed to shrubs and bushes, the aim of pruning landscape trees is to develop and maintain the tree’s natural shape. For this reason, it is a mistake to shorten branches as this detracts from the natural “flow” of the tree.

Instead, whole branches and limbs should be removed at their base, which is either where the branch is attached to the main trunk or a thicker branch. An exception is when a stem shoots forward into a long, thin branch that is out of proportion to the rest of the branches on the tree. It is best to clip such stems.

Pruning Fruit Trees

There is considerable confusion amongst home gardeners as to how best to prune their fruit trees. It is common to see the branches cut back as though the tree is a rose bush or some other flowering shrub. This is a technique borrowed from agriculture where the farmer is more interested in maximizing yields than in maintaining the natural look and beauty of the tree.

In my view, garden trees are ornamental, landscaping elements first, and providers of fruit second. In fact, by pruning fruit trees as one would landscape trees, (i.e. by removing a few limbs entirely) one gets the best of both worlds – a worthy, natural-looking specimen that produces enough fruit to supply the needs of the average family.

The Health of the Tree

Another reason for not pruning fruit trees according to the agricultural method concerns the long-term health of the tree. Persistent pruning that involves the removal of large volumes of material, depletes the energy potential of the tree, and renders it more susceptible to pests and disease. Remember that the tree, whether fruiting or otherwise, is the most precious element in the garden, and that pruning should be carried out as carefully, conservatively, and judiciously as possible.

Home Garden Care – How to Prune Your Garden Plants in the Spring

Correct pruning in the spring is one of the most important factors in obtaining exciting results from your garden plants. As getting it right is largely about timing, it’s important to be on the ball at this time of year with your secateurs, loppers and cutters. Spring being the onset of the growing season, and in dry Mediterranean climates, the primary growing season, is the ideal time for pruning most, but not all plants.

Other than with trees, which are a separate category, the purpose of pruning is to induce more and superior flowering, denser and more compact growth, or both together. Cutting back herbaceous perennials for instance, prevents the plants from becoming bald and leggy, while pruning shrubs maintains bushy, green growth from the top to the ground.

What not to Prune

Remember that deciduous trees and shrubs should never be pruned in the spring, because of the sap rising in the branches at this time. Deciduous plants, i.e. broadleaved plants that originate from cold winter climates, should be pruned during their dormancy in the winter, although light pruning is possible in the summer.

It is also important to know that flowering shrubs whose blooms develop from buds that originated in the previous spring will not flower if pruned now. Lilacs and some species roses are typical examples, and the complaint– “my rose bush never seems to flower” – is a common refrain.

Similarly, fruit trees that belong to this category will never produce fruit if the flower buds are accidentally removed by early pruning. As a rule therefore, delay pruning trees and shrubs that flower on the previous year’s growth, until the end of the flowering, while being careful not to remove the spent flowers of fruit trees.

Pruning Perennials

A common mistake with perennial bedding plants is to wait until the last of the flowers have withered before deadheading and pruning back the plants. Many species in use in hot, dry climate gardens fall into a semi dormant state in the summer, while flowering is their final burst of activity towards the end of spring.

It is far better to give up on the last 25% or so of flowers and cut the plants back in order to induce vegetative growth and thus cause the plant to “cover itself” in foliage before the onset of summer. This applies particularly to Ice Plants, African Daisies, and many herbs of Mediterranean origin, such as Sage, Artemisia, Lavender, and Thyme.

Pruning Shrubs and Bushes

Without pruning, most shrubs ape their larger cousins, and develop a tree-like habit in growth and form. Sometimes, a bush grown as a small tree can be a valuable and creative addition to the garden. But in general, the role of shrubs is to create a screen or background of dense, compact foliage. To wait until the middle of the summer, is to cause the plant to waist the valuable energy it has expended by its spring growth.

While tree pruning involves the careful and judicious removal of a small number of limbs, shrubs can be shortened by about a half of their height, while old wood can be removed altogether. This applies to flowering shrubs like Hibiscus, Trumpet Vines, or Cestrum, as to purely landscaping bushes.

Home Garden Care in the Spring– Aphid Control Guidelines for the Home Gardener

Spring is the season when a host of pest organisms come to life and feed massively on our garden plants. Foremost amongst them are species of tiny flying insects, known commonly as aphids, which while not generally fatal, cause a lot of visual damage to a wide range of plants.

The initial symptom of aphid activity is the secretion of sugary substances on new leaves, stems, and flowers. This can be extremely unpleasant with honeydew dripping on to paths, parked cars, and other plants. More dangerous to the plants’ health is the sooty mold, which is a complex of fungi that develops from the honeydew. Left unattended, the soot blocks out light from reaching the plants’ foliage, thereby depriving the plant of its vital energy source.

Before going into how to deal with aphids, remember that the purpose of pest control is not the complete eradication of the offending organisms, but rather the control of their population levels to manageable proportions. The indiscriminate use of insecticides only succeeds in clearing the way for pest populations to explode, as the insecticides reduce the population of natural predators. For this reason, quite apart from environmental considerations, it is best to avoid applying pesticides in the home garden altogether.

As intelligent pest management is about control and not elimination, non-poisonous, “environmentally friendly” insecticides, such as insecticidal soaps, can do a satisfactory job. Better still is to use the good old-fashioned garden hose at high pressure to wash off the aphids, with a little help from your thumb and forefinger. Will this be 100% effective? The answer of course is negative, which as previously mentioned, is a good thing in itself.

As aphids in the spring tend to attack young juicy growth, they are mostly found on the plants’ growing tips, making it easy to remove them by simply clipping the plants lightly. This works perfectly for foliage plants such as Artemisia or Ivy, but of course might prove very unsatisfactory for flowering ornamentals and fruit trees. It is also possible to let nature take its turn. In the Mediterranean region for instance, periodic hot, dry winds kill aphids just as effectively as insecticides.

With pests in general and aphids in particular, timing is all-important. Ultimately, we should be striving to turn the garden into a balanced eco-system, but this is easier said than done. In the meantime, aphids should be treated at the first signs of infection.

One sometimes sees a gardener spraying the honeydew or even the sooty mold that has grown on the plants’ foliage and stems – a case of shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted. Aphids produce a number of generations within a single spring, so there is every chance that the gardener is spraying the symptoms and not the cause itself.

Drip Irrigation – How Professionals Lay and Space the Drip Irrigation Pipes

Drip irrigation is probably the single most effective tool for water conservation at the dry climate gardener’s disposal. Unfortunately, many, perhaps most home gardeners do not know how to space and lay down the pipes, in order that the system provides adequate moisture to the plants, while saving water as much possible.

A Common Mistake

The worst error is to snake a dripper line in a long loop around the plants. There are three reasons why this is wrong.

*Firstly, a long, looping line will reduce the operating pressure of the system, causing the drippers at the end of the line to emit far less water than those at the beginning. Remember that the aim of efficient watering is to provide water as evenly as possible.

*Uneven coverage makes it impossible to calculate the volume of water necessary for any given watering, and then to use just that amount. For as quantities are determined by area, (i.e. 3 liters per square meter a month for established, drought tolerant trees and shrubs) it follows that each part of the irrigated area should be receiving the same amount of water.

*A looping, snaking dripper line is unsightly. Lines that are straight, taught, and parallel to each other, catch the eye less, and give a more ordered look to the garden, until the plants cover them up.

Laying the Dripper Lines

The problems just outlined are avoided when the dripper lines are placed parallel to each other in short, straight lines, and where the drippers themselves are evenly spaced within any given line. But what is the optimal distance between the lines? The principle to follow is that they should be close enough to supply adequate coverage to the plants, but distant enough so that the amount of water emitted by the system per unit of time, is as low as possible. The purpose here is to allow the soil to absorb the water without run-off and wastage, or in technical terms, that the flow rate of the system be suited to the infiltration capacity of the soil. Here are some examples.

Shrubs and Bushes : For drought-tolerant bushes, choose a spacing of 1 meter (3ft) between the drippers and I meter between the lines. For less hardy landscape shrubs, 0.5*0.5 may be necessary. Add a circle of drippers around young trees at a distance of about 30cm (1ft) from the trunk.

Heavy Soil v Light Soil : Space the lines further apart in heavy, clay soil as opposed to light, sandy soil. For example, with flowers, a spacing of 30cm*30cm may be needed to supply moisture in light soil, whereas such a spacing in heavy soil will cause puddles to form very quickly. As water moves horizontally in clay soil, a spacing of 30*50 would be more appropriate.

Integrated Dripper Pipes : Although more expensive, it is always better to buy pipes that are pre-inserted with drippers, as opposed to adding individual drippers to a blind line. These come in varying spacings such as 30cm. 50, 70, or 100cm. Choose the appropriate spacing according to the principles outlined above, and make sure the flow rate (given for each dripper) is the lowest available.