Flapjacks are so popular because of their strange, pancake-like leaves that grow in a “head” much like lettuce. By the end of summer each Kalanchoe thyrsifolia will bolt into a tall bloom stalk. This destroys its original tidy form, but don’t throw it away. This signals time for you to switch gears. Cut the plant back to just a few of inches of stem, then set in an out of the way location. Water and feed like normal until new sprouts appear. Each of these can be plucked and rooted in Black Gold Cactus Mix and washed sand for many new free individuals to populate much more of your garden next year.
Author: Maureen Gilmer
Maureen Gilmer is celebrating her 40th year in California horticulture and photojournalism as the most widely published professional in the state. She is the author of 21 books on gardening, design and the environment, is a widely published photographer, and syndicated with Tribune Content Agency. She is the weekly horticultural columnist for the Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs and contributes to Desert Magazine, specializing on arid zone plants and practices for a changing climate. She works and lives in the remote high desert for firsthand observations of native species. Her latest book is The Colorful Dry Garden published by Sasquatch Books. When not writing or photographing she is out exploring the desert on her Arabian horse. She lives in Morongo Valley with her husband Jim and two rescue pit bulls. When not writing or photographing she is usually out riding her quarter horse.
Keys to Developing Quality Garden Soil
Whether you’re growing a family food garden or cultivating your favorite roses, the key to developing quality garden soil is always organic matter. This material is vital to plant life whether you are growing all organic, partially so, or using standard horticultural practices. Consider this the panacea to many problems that routinely plague home gardens during the growing season.
1. Organic matter is vital to improving soil structure. When mixed into clay soils it opens up the tiny particles of heavy clay soils to help them drain, and it helps to retain such drainage over time. This is also the case for adding organic matter to porous soils, which helps retain moisture like a million tiny sponges. This first step is accomplished with Black Gold Garden Soil for structural changes to soil for fantastic organic food and outstanding flowers.
2. Organic matter feeds microbes. When organic matter is partially decomposed and fine textured as is the case with fine textured Black Gold Garden Compost Blend, think of it as fuel for the huge populations of microorganisms that live in your soil. This invisible life force in topsoil includes fungi, bacteria and algae. They work symbiotically with your plants to help them grow faster and fruit more abundantly. Microbes in the soil are much like intestinal flora in the human body. Both are directly related to a healthy functioning immune system. Organic matter is Nature’s perfect pro-biotic.
3. Organic matter adds fertility. All soils contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but there’s not enough to feed a garden year after year. Make it a practice to fortify the soil each year with a healthy dose of Black Gold Soil Conditioner, which offers organic matter as well as slow release fertilizer in a single all-organic package. It contains plenty of compost for organic matter, but what boosts this amendment is a variety of natural nutrient sources such as kelp and guano. Kelp is vital to adding lesser known micro-nutrients thereby resolving any lack of trace elements. Where Soil Conditioner may not be available, combine Black Gold Garden Compost Blend with healthy additions of a starter and transplant fertilizer for similar results.
Remember: organic matter isn’t forever. Whether you add Black Gold Natural & Organic Soil Builder or Black Gold Garden Compost Blend to your garden, consider this your soil’s annual meal. Be generous to ensure the entire garden receives a good sized portion. During the growing season, this organic matter is broken down and used by both microbes and plants. Unless you replace it on a regular basis, your garden will not produce the same results the following year. Without regular applications, soil may revert to heavy clay, the microbe population will drop off and fertility declines.
Plan on two large feedings a year with smaller applications as needed in between. Apply the largest quantity in spring before planting time. Till it in before hand so microbes have time to increase their numbers prior to arrival of plants and seed. Use it again as a summer mulch around individual plants to retain moisture and keep roots cool. Then till in a final dose at the end of the year, which feeds microbes all winter.
Stick with Black Gold quality organic matter and you’ll find the keys to perfect garden soil in the palm of your hand. Whether it’s structure, fertility or to grow microbe populations, the result is always beneficial, your yields always abundant.
Spotlight On Fancy Leaf Begonias
Begonias have always hovered in the shadows. They cluster beneath trees, in slotted shade of lath houses and on sun-deprived exposures. These unique plants, beloved by grandmothers everywhere, fell out of favor in the last few decades. Sure, I used Begonia richmondensis in hanging baskets and little wax begonias were a staple for shaded bedding areas, but these simply solved problems in shaded landscapes.
For effective begonia culture, choose Black Gold® African Violet Potting Soil.
Then I paid a visit to Ball Horticulture’s demonstration garden some years ago, and was so impressed by the fancy leaf forms displayed there. Instantly begonias were back on my radar! Colors, spots, stripes and textures make each of the many varieties a living work of art. This group has been rediscovered by haute designers who utilize colored foliage to spice up interiors. The plants have proven their love of fluorescent lights or a bright window, but never in direct sunlight. They also do nicely in sunrooms and greenhouses, then may come outdoors to accent sheltered patios and verandas during the summer.
Rex Begonias
Known as rex begonias, these are certainly the kings of indoor color. Up close they are eye catching and so unique that guests may mistake the living foliage for silk or well crafted plastic. They do bloom, but the flowers are small and not particularly showy. Foliage lovers promptly pinch the flower buds when they first appear so that growth energy is restricted to developing lots of bright new leaves.
Rex begonias originate with a fleshy rhizome that sits just below the surface of the soil. They are often sold online as a dormant bare root, which is the most economical way to acquire new varieties. This rhizome resembles that of bearded iris or fingerling potatoes, and must have well drained yet very moist conditions to thrive.
Repotting Rex Begonias
As the plants age, rhizome grows longer. Over time it may no longer fit in the pot, so the begonia must be repotted in a wider container that need not have greater depth as the roots remain shallow as well. The wider your pot, the larger a rex foliage mass becomes. Otherwise an overgrown rhizome may be divided into pieces and transplanted into numerous smaller containers. These make money saving gifts for friends and family. They also allow you to trade with other rex begonia lovers to enlarge your collections without spending a penny.
When repotting your begonias, use Black Gold African Violet Mix, which is formulated to resemble the soils beneath tropical forest canopies. Its texture, water holding ability and PH are ideal for these royal begonias. This soil also works nicely for other indoor or conservatory favorites such as fuchsias, flowering maples, Venus flytraps, pitcher plants and some terrestrial orchids.
If you don’t yet own a rex or any other exotic begonia, consider buying one this year to add a little zing to a bright kitchen or greenhouse window. Visit your local garden center to see the many fancy leaf forms as potted indoor plants. One of these gets your started with a single purchase, but be prepared to pay dearly. If you’d like more selection for less, explore begonia nurseries or summer bulb stores online. Begonias won’t be shipped until after risk of cold damage in transit is passed. Be sure to pick up a bag of Black Gold African Violet Mix in advance for prompt potting when the bare root rhizomes arrive in the mail.
Re-Hydrating Potted Plants
Watering potted plants is easy, but getting the whole root ball wet is hard. When you let the root ball dry out it shrinks away from the inner walls of the pot. If you pour on water, it goes straight down this gap and out the drain hole. The best way to rehydrate a plant in peat based potting soils wets the entire root ball, encouraging roots to travel into the center.
You can do it on the kitchen counter by filling a shallow container with a few inches of lukewarm water. Then set the potted plant right into the water. Let it sit until the surface of the potting soil is visibly wet. It may take at least an hour, then remove it to drain in the sink before returning to its place. Do this whenever a plant (indoor or out) has become overly dry to give the peat time to rehydrate completely.
Create a Seasonal Green Roof
This isn’t a true green roof but it offers a whole new way to plant succulents for your summer garden. You can turn the roof of any garden shed into a new place to grow succulents. Simply apply a edging on top of the fascia, then spread a layer of thick plastic sheeting on top of the roofing material. Poke small drain holes where you want it to drain. On top of this spread shallow layer (4″ min.) of Black Gold Cactus Mix Potting Soil over the area to be planted. Moisten and pack it into place. Then plant your seedling succulents so they mature over the summer. When end of season rolls around, remove it all for winter and pot up the succulents to bring indoors.
Harvesting and Planting Moss
Cool, damp winter temperatures bring mosses out in all their glory. These amazing spore-bearing plants often grows on rocks, in shaded tree dells, the north side of a house, and anywhere else where it’s wet enough. This moss is perfect for using in glass terrarium containers and as a surface covering for bonsai specimens.
Mosses look great at the base of bonsai or shade plants, and harvesting and planting moss is easy. To harvest free, wild mosses from your yard, gently lift patches of moss up with your fingers so that it comes up in large chunks. Bring the pieces indoors and keep them damp until you’re ready to use them. Then separate pieces to transplant onto exposed soil beneath any decorative container plant. The result always looks great!
Learn more about Sun Gro® Horticulture’s Preservation and Reclamation Policy.
Putting the Fruit Back in Fruit Trees
In the hoity toity world of landscape architecture, small flowering trees known as “accents” are often fruit trees bred to enhance the flowers but eliminate the fruit. The Japanese flowering cherry is a famous example in Washington DC. The Bradford pear has become a favorite white accent for urban gardens. But times have changed and my clients are all clamoring to get the fruit back without sacrificing beautiful flowers.
Continue reading “Putting the Fruit Back in Fruit Trees”
Soil, Seed and Supplies: Planning Your Garden
The Three S’s of Garden Planning boils down to: soil, seed and supplies.
One of the best things about backyard food gardening is that it demands we live by the seasons. Spring is for planning your garden. Summer demands maintenance. Autumn is the harvest. Most important of all is winter – the time for planning. Just as a landscape architect creates a garden on paper before it’s bid or built, it saves a lot of money and time to use January to plan your own food garden with research, notes and sketches. Do it right and you control your costs. You’ll save time to when plants and supplies will be on hand when you need them.
SOIL
Soil improvement is the most important part of organic gardening. For existing gardens, plan to add amendments and fertilizers to your soil every year to compensate for what last year’s garden drew out. Amendments should be thoroughly tilled in to feed microbes so their numbers do not decline. Some of the best choices are: Garden Compost Blend, Earthworm Castings, and Just Coir for more water retentive soils in dry climates.
SEED
Research vegetables for your garden via online or print catalogs. Measure the garden and sketch out a basic boundary to help you remember what you grew last year and where you’ll grow each new plant. This allows you to rotate your crops so that each square foot grows an entirely different kind of plant each year. It is well known that diseases build up to big problems when plants inhabit the same place year after year.
Gather sticky tabs, a yellow highlighter and a note pad before starting in on your seed catalogs. Your ability to mark interesting varieties and take notes is a big help since there are so many kinds of lettuce, peppers and squash to choose from. Ordering online is a lot easier because you won’t have to write out all those seed names on a form. Click and buy makes growing from seed fast and easy.
SUPPLIES
Order supplies you’ll need for growing from seed so they’re on hand when it’s time to start. Black Gold Seedling Mix offers the perfect sterile medium to germinate seed successfully in a flat topped with clear plastic cover to retain warmth and heat. When the seedlings put on their second leaves you’ll need to move them into individual small pots with more fertile Black Gold Natural and Organic Potting Soil to mature further until they are large enough to move outside. When it’s time to plant them into the garden you’ll need starter & transplant fertilizer to help them quickly adapt to their new summer home.
Amaryllis After Care
If you have any gorgeous, red amaryllis left over from the holidays, treat it well and it will reward you with blooms again next year. After the current flower fades, cut the stem off at the base but leave any newly forming leaves to remain. The foliage carries on photosynthesis to store energy in the bulb before it goes dormant.
Move the potted bulb to new sunny location and keep it adequately watered until the leaves die back naturally. Then remove the bulb from its pot, clip off all residual roots and leaves, then store it in your refrigerator. Replant in new pots next fall with Black Gold All Purpose Potting Soil.
Teaming With Microbes
With organic gardening, it’s all about soil microbes. What we do to enrich our soils with organic matter and humus helps to feed this population of invisible organisms. Their presence enhances fertility to help plants grow healthier with a stronger root and immune system. To truly understand how important this microbe-plant relationship is to your food garden, read Jeff Lowenfels’ outstanding book: Teaming with Microbes (Timber Press). It is the modern gardener’s guide to the soil food web, what it is, how to protect it and why it’s essential to use organic fertilizers, amendments and potting soils that support this vital population.