Take 1; Scene 2; a Survey and the DROUGHT
I did warn you in the last newsletter!!!
Before I get to the meat of this newsletter, I have a favor to ask…PLEASE see PDF at the end of the newsletter to see store survey, download it to your desktop, fill it out and send it back to me at ml@thegoodearthfgc.com I know it’s a lot to ask since everyone’s life is so busy, but I’m hoping that you’ll take the time! We’re making it worth your while though – if you send it back (I’ll print out your survey and add it to the box), bring your hard copy to the store or stop in to the store to fill out a hard copy that we’ll have at the counter, your survey will be added to the box. Then you’ll be eligible for a drawing for a $40.00 gift certificate for the store. This is your chance to let us know what we need to be improving on, carrying as products (what are we missing?), or what makes you happiest when you visit. We’re really looking forward to hearing from as many of you as possible. Tell us your story ☺
And one quick note: the holiday houseplants arrived this week – and the plants look great! We’ve got holiday cactus, winterberries, tropical mixes and all kinds of philodendrons and peperomias. We can pot up anything you want into some really cool pots you’ll find at the store as well. You’re sure to find something to enjoy on your kitchen table (or counter) or gift to a friend.
Now on to the real content of this newsletter:
The Drought…that’s biting deeper and deeper…
and how it’s affecting everything from forest health, to gardens and landscapes to back yard chicken health, milk production in on-pasture dairy, etc. Worcester county now has the dubious distinction of having the driest fall on record to date (from the mid 1800’s – that’s a bit of time!).
As you can see, it’s quite a list of biological effects so let’s take a look at a few of them.
I’m starting with the chickens because we’ve had more than a few flock owners coming in with some (not all) of their birds showing mild congestion. It’s almost always the lower pecking order chickens, and they respond quickly to support. I’m suspecting that the super dry air and winds (that are giving us our red flag warnings day after day) are causing that respiratory distress. I can feel it myself! People have had success with Vet RX Poultry, Rooster Booster Poultry Cell, and herbal stall mixes that freshen the air in the coop. All are available at the store. I’ve used this exact approach for one of our oldest ducks…Ginger is about 7 years old and hanging out with much younger birds. She started showing real distress, so we sequestered her and started her on the above regimen, and she’s now back in the flock and holding her own. Can’t
ask for better than that!
Now on to the plants – the trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs of all kinds -in fact anything planted or growing naturally in and around your home. EVERYTHING that’s green is under stress. As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter - , late fall into winter is THE time that woody plants build roots for the following year. It’s also the time of year that spring bulbs like daffodils and tulips – and garlic – send out their roots for the next years growth. And we have NO soil moisture. Most of us have blown out our irrigation systems (if we have them at all) and rolled up our hoses…and therein lies a problem…getting much needed water on to critical plants in the yard.
I know it’s impossible to water everything. There’s no way to water the woodlots for example! And there will be damage in those woodlots, but that’s a bit beyond the support level that we can manage as homeowners, gardeners and farmers. What we can do though, is to direct support to those plants that are most important to us. The one advantage that the woodlot trees have is that their root systems – good or bad – have never known a knife or spade and have been working their way through the soil they started in from the very beginning of life – not so with almost anything green in our yards! Most of what’s in our yards is damaged edge trees, and any plants that we have selected, planted and cared for. ALL of these plants are subject to drought stress and the less time they’ve spent in your yard the HIGHER the stress levels are. Did you know that it can take 2 years (or more!) for new woody transplants to be independent? Do you know how long people’s memory is for managing new transplants? Generally, one season – if the plants are lucky!
Then there’s the quality of soil –
Sandy soils accept water easily, but shed it just as fast as gravity and evaporation move the water away. Clay soils hold onto water, but are harder to get wet once the drought has dried them out. The answer to both of those issues is to develop an organic soil structure based on bacteria and fungi – and of those two – fungi are the most important because their actual body structure helps to hold onto water and minerals in the soil. Got to love those ’shrooms!!! If you get really curious about the value of fungi, check out Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets.
Connected to this critical assessment of the quality of the soil is the realization that the modern world has decreed that trees, shrubs, perennials -and heck – anything in a pot actually – be grown in a bark/peat/coco mix. This makes them “light” – hah! to transport, easy to water and fertilize at the nursery and fast to grow - increasing rates of return – BUT – that same approach leaves the new plants very vulnerable when planted because that mix ALWAYS dries out ahead of the surrounding soil, can be VERY hard to rewet once hyper dry, and maintains that reality for the plant until the plant has established new roots beyond those in the pot (see above for time lines!). This is one of the reasons why working strongly with the root system when planting is so critical.
And then there’s the other problem of how to tell if the soil system is really in need of extra water. Most of our plants have lost their leaves (so we can’t see whether they’re limp or not – and they WOULD be limp!) or are dormant (like our perennials). So, how do you tell?? For starters – take a look at the all of the big rhododendrons in the area and you’ll see their leaves starting to pitch down. They haven’t started to curl yet but they are on their way. Next, try flooding the soil around the plant(s) you want to work with. Does the water go down smoothly or mostly sit on the surface (or run off if on a slant)? If it goes down smoothly then all you’ll need to do is water. If it doesn’t go down smoothly then you’ll have to “fix” the situation…
All of these details are not supposed to depress you!! I’m hoping that knowing about some of the issues – and their possible fixes- will help you develop a plan to manage the plants in your yard. And the good thing is that there ARE fixes!
Fix #1: Every new plant in your yard (less than 2-3 years in-ground) and any plant that you’re worried about needs to be watered from the crown core out – NOT the classic water around the plant and hope it goes in to the roots approach. This means that you’re watering down the trunk, over the flare, through the crown – whatever it takes to get the water in to the area directly below the center of the plant and have that water leach in to the surrounding soil. The roots will “chase” that water out in to the new soil over time if you keep this approach up.
Fix #2: If your plant/soil system has reached the hyper dry stage of repelling water, then you’ll need to use a weird approach that includes molasses, liquid soap, & luke-warm water as a core drench. For most smaller plants, use a 5-gallon pail with 1 cup of molasses, ¼ cup of soap (I use Palmolive, but any liquid soap will work). Swirl the mix and then SLOWLY flood over the top of the plant in question. Use this drench as the first step. It opens the soil (the soap) and provides easy food for microbes (molasses) that will help to keep the soil open for the next steps. Let this drench do its job for a night and then move on to the next step. If you’re dealing with a large, mature tree then use a 32-gallon trash can and use a quart of molasses and 1 ½ cups of soap – and you may have to use 3 cans per tree if the tree is mature. You’ll be adapting the amounts of drench to the size of the plant you’re working with.
Fix #3: Second drench to follow up 24 hours later…same amount of water, but this time you’re adding liquid humates and liquid fish to the molasses and soap. Add ¼ cup liquid humate and ½ cup of liquid fish – and keep the liquid fish just fish – the fish proteins and fats support the fungi the best. The cool thing about the Cannabis plant and its popularity is that products like liquid humates are now available – cannabis needs the liquid humates for best production. So, we get to use it for other plant systems. Liquid humates hold water in the soil, feed the living organisms in the soil, and release locked-up nutrients for plant growth. Here’s one of the ones we’re carrying at the store that I’ve used with great success.
Fix #4: Use a granular mineral based fertilizer low in nitrogen but complex in origin. Follow the package directions for amounts and work in to the top of the soil. We have several kinds at the store and can go over specifics with you to match the fertilizer to your specific needs. Cover the fertilizer with whatever kind of organic material you have around from bark mulch to wood chips, straw, ground leaves – seriously – whatever you’ve got or can get. The plants don’t care. What you want to do is cover that fertilizer so that it’s protected from the air. That allows the bacteria and fungi that you’ve been waking up to access the energy in the mix over the winter. Water this last application in with clean water and hope for rain in the next two weeks – or drench again with clean water.
Fix #5: For any broadleaf or needled evergreens you’re managing, take this additional step: Use a product called Wiltpruf - Very useful product that can help the plants not shed quite so much water and that’s going to be critical this coming winter. Rhododendrons that are going in to the winter drought stressed have a very high chance of “burning” in early spring.
Hopefully these suggestions make sense – the drought is REAL and needs to be managed as best we can for the plants and animals we care about. Stop in to the store if you have questions, need more information or just need a fix of early holiday cheer. And don’t forget to look at the holiday activities – they can make for a great break in routine ☺
As promised: the Survey: Please fill it out and email back to ML@thegoodearthfgc.com
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