Ah- The Magic of Fertilizer!!

Ah– The Magic of Fertilizer!!

I know this a weird way to start a July newsletter, but it’s actually totally appropriate… the thing is – mid-July is when all of the problems start to show up in the garden.  Most of the plantings are about 6 weeks old – give or take a bit – and the plants have used up any and all of the soil energy that was available to them at the beginning. Most people started their garden work in the spring by digging in compost – their own or purchased.  And for very many people, this is considered enough support for the plant’s growth for the year.  The reality is that it’s not except for rare circumstances – very rare in my experience…

 And – we’ve been off for our vacations, had a party or two, lost a bit of focus – and the gardens let us know that all of that has happened by succumbing to early blight, powdery mildew and a host of other problems.  This is also the time of the season that the insect world (and other invertebrates like slugs) attacks with a vengeance…how many of us wish we could just wave a magic wand and go back to the promise of Memorial Day weekend??  Most of us I think…☺…at least based on the comments coming through the store!

So, with this list of problems – why did I start this off with fertilizer instead of pesticides?  Because, powdery mildew (squashes and cucumbers) and early blight (tomatoes) are partly caused by plants that are cannibalizing themselves to complete their reproduction cycle (produce the veggies you want to eat!).  They strip back the potassium and sugars from the oldest leaves and send those critical nutrients up the plant to the flowers, fruits and growth tips.  That means those older leaves are now very weak and become vulnerable to all kinds of diseases.  In short, the base line energy of your plants is sliding and the only cure at this time of year is liquid fertilizers and foliar sprays. Obviously, there are pesticides of all kinds to help manage the disease, insect and mollusk pressures, but that’s only a patch on the problem (although a very necessary stop gap step!).   What if the real problem is the plant’s health itself?  Think about it – when you get run down and too stretched out physically – you get sick.  The same is true of plants.  

Here’s a way to think about that miserable insect pressure that’s linked to that earlier discussion of disease:  insects can be considered the garbage collectors of the local ecosystem.  They’re looking for those weakened plants because weakened plants are easier to digest.  What a concept!!    

Granted, it’s not quite as simple as these statements make it out to be but the concept is well worth working through.  Check out this link for a very good description of the plant health pyramid – here’s the opening line: “True plant health is not merely the absence of disease but the presence of vitality.” John Kempf. Interesting concept that – vitality…how do your plants and animals stack up against that kind of word?!?

Now let’s bend the conversation back to fertilizers – especially the liquid kinds that are immediately available to the plant…liquid fertilizers can be applied either as a drench or as foliar application – and you can often add some of the organic pesticides to the foliar sprays (think Neem oil) to great benefit all the way around. Remember, if you’re plants aren’t looking the way you think they should, start with liquid fertilizers top and bottom and then go on to other controls.  We can help you figure out which fertilizer to use – bring us in a picture or a leaf (in a ziplock please!!  You would not BELIEVE what has come into the store in a baggy!!).  

Your plants may also need a bit of water as July is running dry, except where downpours happen.  And repeated downpours (like those in June) can drive minerals (like calcium) deeper into the soil.  Water is critical and the goldilocks principle of “not too much” and “not too little” – “just enough” really is a fairy tale!  So, keep your eyes open for the subtle changes that tell you a plant is starting to slide.  Once you know how to look, you can catch your problems about 2 weeks before they become critical…

To make this all a bit easier to understand, we’ve started a series of plant trials here at the store in the space below the greenhouse, but still inside the plant yard.  These plantings (all veggies and all in containers) are now 4 weeks old and are showing some signs of stress.  We’ll be documenting all of the details this coming week and then adding in specific liquid drenches and foliar sprays as a means of stabilizing the plants and ensuring a harvest.  We’ll be experimenting with well-known products like Neptune’s Harvest fish and kelp liquids, and then my personal favorite – Rejuvenate (which I have mentioned in the past). But we’ll also be looking at Bio-canna, Canna Terra, Tiger Bloom (got to LOVE these names!!) and a couple of granular fertilizers worked in followed by liquid humates.  As you can see – there’s a lot to look at!  In fact, we’re going to hold another workshop on foliar sprays and nutrient drenches so that anyone who’s interested can get a chance to see how the trial is going – and to ask questions!! We’ll walk you through the process that we’re following and you can see the results for yourself.

Speaking of workshops – we have a whole series of different workshops worked out for the next few months.  I’m also working on a couple of other topics and will let you know as soon as I have them worked out. Check this list out – and let me know what I’ve missed (and I mean that!! – there’s always something new that you might be interested in)!  

August 3: 10:00-11:30am Foliar and Drench Supports for Healthy Plants.  Find out how our trials are doing, learn about options new to the area and get your questions answered on whatever problems your plants are having.  $15.00/person.

August 17: 1:00-2:30 Growing Quality Cannabis Part 3: Harvesting the crop correctly.  Learning the technicalities of drying down the crop, finessing the storage of the buds so that they don’t lose quality and you can still enjoy your harvest in the depths of winter. $35.00/person.

September 7: 10:00-11:30 Houseplant Care and Re-potting.  Houseplants are hot!!!  And so incredibly critical to a healthy indoor living environment for the winter.  We’ll go over how to safely bring all kinds of plants inside and either store or grow them for the winter and we’ll go over how to effectively pot on a favorite houseplant.  Bring one (1) houseplant that you want to work on and we’ll go over each plant individually.  $15.00/person plus the cost of potting mix and any pot needed for the repotting.

September 21: 10:00-11:30 Looking at Trees of all kinds.  There is so much more to trees than the standard Bradford pears, crab apples, red maples etc.!  There’s nothing wrong with those trees, but how about an edible forest? Or a pollinator/insect support forest edge plan? Or how about introducing hardwood seedstock trees to damaged woodlots?  Join us as we look at all things trees.  $15.00/person.

September 28: 10:00-11:30 International Rabbit Day. Join us as we celebrate the joy of working with house rabbits.  Rabbits can be house trained, develop strong personalities and tastes, and can become valuable members of the family.  However, there are some critical basics that everyone who wants to own a rabbit as a pet needs to have under their belt.  The House Rabbit Rescue Network will go over the basics and answer any questions that you have.  $15.00/person. 

October 5: 10:00-11:30 Fall Mineral Mixing. If you have a yard or garden then you probably know that gardens don’t always perform the way they’re supposed to.  Most soils are damaged and are non-functional or intermittently functional. Poor nutrient cycling is inherent in how these damaged soils operate, but fall is THE time to fix this!  Join us for a mineral mixing day at the store on we walk everyone through how to mix different minerals together to wake up and strengthen soil systems. $15.00/person plus the cost of the minerals you take with you.