Some Experience From This Year

8. December 2008 by admin.

People love the idea of reducing their carbon footprint, but we all know they are ambivalent if it means spending to much more. The most controversial area in eco landscape care, after chemicals of course, is noise. Folks hate leaf blowers, and they don’t want to pay more for raking.

Just to correct a stand I took on this issue, we went out and initiated a blower-less business this year, and found, raking really does take more time. The tighter and more complex the garden, the more time it took.  I don’t know what kind of steroids the grandmother in California who claims she can rake as fast as a leaf blower was on, but our guys aren’t taking them.

I still believe there is a market for raking over leaf blowing, I cant stand the noise myself to tell you the truth, but there definitely is a labor factor to be dealt with here!

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Fall Activities

19. October 2008 by admin.

Things That Need Doing In the Fall

Fall is a great time for planting, so if you’re seeing any bargains on plants you have lusted after, don’t hold back. It’s also a good time for transplanting materials and splitting perennials. This is because as it gets cooler, most plants are slowing down and shutting down so you won’t interfere with their growth process by moving them now.

Generally, you will want to be cutting down perennials and mulching your beds for the winter. Mulch will give your plants an extra blanket this winter (and its supposed to be a cold one). Some gardeners advocate leaving perennials to be cut back in the spring for this reason, however, your garden will look very messy if you go this route. Better to clean out those dead and dying leaves now and mulch a little heavier.

Do not prune or trim shrubs and trees at this time. Remember that these plants are winding down. Cutting and trimming will stimulate growth and encourage trees and shrubs to grow when they should be going dormant.

Irrigation systems can be blown out, however, if we get a couple of weeks with no rain and temperatures hold above 40-45 you will need to do some supplemental watering. Personally I prefer to blow out the system second week in November, about one month after most irrigation “specialists” like to shut down. Speaking of irrigation, now is a great time to lay in new or supplements to existing irrigation systems, as well as execute hardscape and or woodwork projects. Most landscape professionals are anxious to get a little extra work under their belts after the fall shutdowns and will give better pricing.

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Perennial Care In The Fall

12. October 2008 by admin.

Fall Gardening

Fall is for planting, though no one believes it. It is also a great time for splitting perennials, and transplanting, particularly with the moisture reach year we have had. If your perennials have been in the ground three years or more, they are not only eligible for division, but ripe for it.

When perennials in limited beds are left to their own devices for too long, they tend to start choking themselves out. By digging them up, dividing them and replanting them, you are actually doing them a favor. Have no room to plant them you say? Consider creating some new beds in front of shrubs and around trees. Get rid of lawn areas that are constantly failing, or are in an unused area of your property. The side of the house is a prime candidate for replanting split perennials; many “foundation” plantings lack perennial beds of any kind.

Select an area you want to plant, take some rope or a garden hose and lay out the beds before you do anything else. Look at the relationship of the bed to whatever is behind it and consider the height of the tree, shrub, or structure. If there is room, try to reflect the height with the widest point of your lovely curved bed. In tighter spaces, where it is not possible to reflect the height of other objects, consider the width of the area you are working with. Generally, a ration of 2/3 to 1/3 will work in tighter spaces.  For example, 2/3 open space, 1/3 planted or even vica versa if you are defining a transitional path.

Once you have defined the area you are working in, rework the soil, add in organic composted topsoil, maybe some peat moss or composted manure depending on what you are splitting and transplanting. Peat tends to be acid, while manure less so. Most perennials are not acid lovers. Till the new material into the soil and try to get some live, active compost to mix in as well. Alternately, purchase a product by Plant Health Care called Bio Pack, or get some compost tea. Any means to bring active biological agents into the soil will yield healthier plants in the future. Once you have prepared the soil split your perennials and start to plant your bed.No doubt there will be some extra room, with the economy down and this being fall, there are a lot of plant materials on sale right now.

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Naturalizing Bulbs

27. September 2008 by admin.

Planting Bulbs That Last!

We all know fall is the time to plant those bulbs for spring flowers. Most of our favorite bulbs will bloom a year, maybe three if you are fortunate and then die, never to return. However, there a group of bulbs that naturalize, meaning they acclimate to our harsher New England weather patterns and with the proper care and conditions, return year after year.

Over the years, this column has covered the Narcissus family, along with grape hyacinths, extensively as naturalizers, and indeed, this columnist has planted literally thousands of mixed Narcissus/daffodils  in and around Pelham with the Pelham Preservation and Garden Society that still return every spring despite being cut back to early and receiving little or no care.

In addition to the bulbs above, there are groups of smaller woodland bulbs that naturalize as well. These bloom from early February weather permitting) to as late as April. Woodland bulbs tend to be smaller and less showy than daffodils and though not so well suited for viewing from afar, are ideal for smaller more intimate garden areas.

A plethora of little bulbs is superb from late February or early March into early May, like

·         the common Galanthus nivalis and its sturdier counterpart, G. elwesii

·         the apple-green-leaved G. ikariae,

·         Spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum)

·         winter aconite (Eranthis hiemalis). Its yellow flowers are a bright grace note to the spring woods. Scilla

·         Chionodoxa

·         grape hyacinths.

·         Guinea hen flower(Fritillaria meleagris)

·         Shade Tolerant Crocus tommasiniannus.

·         C. tommasinianus ‘Taplow Ruby’ and ‘Whitwell Purple’,

These can be ordered individually from specialty growers or in woodland groups from growers like Van Bourgiendien and Burpee seed. If you want some free samples of naturalizing woodland bulbs, come to Franklin Field Saturday, October 4^th ,between 8:30 and 11:00 am where representatives from Greener by Design will be giving samples  away with more information on fall planting.

Posted in Fall Gardening | 1 Comment »

Think About Your Lawn This Fall

9. September 2008 by admin.

Fall Is  A Great time For Over Seeding

If your lawn took a little bit of a beating this summer, as did mine, this is a great time to over seed it. Generally we all think of spring as seed time, but when it comes to lawns, fall is pretty ideal as well. First, weed your lawn and get out all those undesirable daisies, sedge grasses, crab grasses and anything else that does not belong there. Next figure out if you need sun or shade, or a sun shade mix.  Application rates for over seeding are about half of what is recommended for a new lawn.

Get yourself a seed spreader. If you don’t want to spring for a push spreader, a little hand spreader is just fine for this job. Over seed the whole lawn laying seed a little thicker in blank spots. Next put a thin layer of composted topsoil. Many folks like to use peat moss for this, but always remember that peat moss will make the soil more acidic. If your soil needs to be more acidic this is not a bad thing, but most of our lawns tend to be a little on the acid sign as it is. Overly acidic soil will inhibit the seeds form sprouting and encourage certain weeds. For example, if you tend to get a lot of dandelions, your soil is most likely on the acid side already; however, if you get plantain weed (big round low leaves) then your soil is alkaline and can stand a little peat moss.

Next most important step is making sure you water the freshly seeded lawn at least once a day. Seeds need damp soil to germinate. If it’s unseasonably warm like it was last week, you might want to water twice a week. Don’t cut the lawn for a good three weeks and avoid foot traffic. This will allow the seedlings, which are very tender, time to root and grow strong.

Consider looking for specialty seeds. There are new varieties of bluegrass and fescues that are very drought tolerant and generally use less water than the standard grasses we find at the big box stores. These are available on line for the most part; I haven’t seen them in stores yet. If you keep over seeding with these new tougher grasses, over the next year or two, they will eventually out compete the weaker grasses you have already established.

Posted in Fall Gardening, Lawns | No Comments »

String Trimmers

31. August 2008 by admin.

New B&D 36 Volt String Trimmer Kicks Butt

Going just a little less esoteric here for a change, I want to announce that Black and Decker finally has taken the lead in something. As a carpenter, I have frowned on B& D equipment. They are generally noisy tools that deliver less value than their more expensive competitors. However, B& D is moving into the battery operated garden tool arena with vengence.

My first corded mower was a B&D and I still use it today. I recently picked up the new B& D 36 volt string trimmer. What a fantastic tool! Quiet, not too heavy and absolutely competitive with gas string trimmers in terms of power.

This Battery operated trimmer runs on a 36 Volt battery which gives it tremendous power. Mind you the battery runs down after an hour, but for home use thats all you need and for commercial use this can be compensated for by carrying spare batteries. The string is self feeding as well eliminaating the need to tap tap tap the trimmer to get a feed.

No more fuel mix, no more fuel spills, and no doubt, the cost of the baterries will be made up for in the savings in fuel and time. No more carborater cleaning, pollution, or noise!!! The only set back is the support strap is a cheap flimsy thing that slips as you use it. Replace it or dump it, the trimmer jsut is not all that heavy.

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Cut Out The Gas When Cutting Grass

24. August 2008 by admin.

Save Money & The Planet With Electric MowersIt is a little known fact that 5-10% of air pollution in the United States comes from lawnmowers. Though the EPA is moving to regulate the power equipment industry and mandate pollution control devices, it will take years for change in this area to take root. The surefire alternative is the push mower, with electric mowers coming in second. There are now battery powered mowers and electric robotic mowers that cost far less to run, are quieter, lighter, and come with u to a 19” blade.

 

Other alternatives are propane driven mowers, but these start at around $10,500.00 and are for commercial use.  There has been some success converting conventional mowers to run on biodiesel, however, this is an expensive process and no mass produced models have been made available yet.

Given the huge carbon footprint of the conventional gas mower, it behooves all of us to seriously consider the alternatives. A recent study on lawn carbon sequestration shows that though turf grass is quite good at storing carbon, using a gas mower negates some of these benefits. For every four pounds of carbon sequestered in the soil, one pound is put back into the atmosphere by a gas mower cutting it.

Las t week this column spoke of the reluctance of consumers to pay more now to save money later in organic lawn care. A problem incidentally, that has dogged almost every earth friendly idea on the face of the earth. Electricians for example install thinner gauge wire to land wiring jobs (consumers want to pay as little as possible) when in fact; more expensive thicker gauge wire would save the consumer thousands of dollars in electricity further down the line.  It is unfortunate that this may also be true of electric mowers. However, the difference in cost is made up very quickly in money saved on fuel. While a 19” electric mower costs about $ 100-150. More than a gas mower of the same size, the energy costs are as follows:

 

Approximate cost to run a gas mower:
YEAR 1: Gas and Oil: $35
YEAR 2: Gas and Oil: $35 / Tune-up: $60
YEAR 3: Gas and Oil: $35
YEAR 4: Gas and Oil: $35 / Tune-up: $60
TOTAL: $260

Approximate cost to run an electric mower:
YEAR 1: Electricity: $2.80
YEAR 2: Electricity: $2.80
YEAR 3: Electricity: $2.80
YEAR 4: Electricity: $2.80
TOTAL: $11.20

 

With savings like that, what is holding you back from changing mowers right now? If the reasons are that you contract grass cutting out, then maybe it’s time to look for a company that has some of the equipment described above.

 

 

Posted in Tools, Lawns | 1 Comment »

Real Costs of Lawn care

3. August 2008 by admin.

Our company, Greener by Design, has had an upsurge in local calls for pricing on organic lawn care. Consequently, we have a price sheet similar to what chemical lawn care companies have pricing various programs in thousands of square feet per year. We are not unique in this, there is a national organic franchise offering services locally that operates similarly. Interestingly though, despite the growing concern for the environment, consumer preferences are still very price driven.

It is ironic that the same factor raises our concern for the environment and makes a more harmonious lifestyle seem too expense.  Specifically it is the price, and after effects of oil. Most of our environmental issues have to do with being a petrochemical industrial society. Carbon from oil production and usage accounts for a large percentage of our global warming issues. Plastic products and oil byproducts are the source for a good deal of our pollution. The fact that we are running out of oil has both made it (and our lives) more expensive and food prices are going up as more acreage is dedicated to growing alternatives. As a culture we are driven to alternatives that appear too expensive given how costly our lives have become, a “catch 22” situation.

The truth is however, that getting off of oil products like chemical fertilizers and pesticides is only expensive for the first year. Here is why; lawns and gardens that have chemical nitrogen and pest controls applied to them at the manufacturers recommended rates have dead soil. These chemicals basically kill all the biological agents in the soil that help plants digest organic material like leaves, and grass clippings for example. Chemical fertilizers feed plants directly, similar to if we were all to take food intravenously and kill off the symbiotic organisms in our intestines.

The result of killing the biological is that lawns can no longer digest mulched organic material like grass clipping and leaves and so develop “thatch” requiring additional services. Thatch is removed; leaves are blown and removed using more energy. Soil is further depleted and holds less water as it has less and less organic material, more water is needed to keep plant material alive as there is less organic material to hold moisture.

When you look at the cost as a whole, not even considering the carbon footprint left by chemical fertilizers, blowers, municipal trucks hauling leaves, etc, the chemical approach is more expensive in terms of labor, and water costs. Consumers tend to focus on the initial application cost alone and don’t see the increased water usage and the blower and leaf collection service cost (which is supplemented by municipal governments that collect and remove leaves with taxpayer dollars). 

To convert your lawn to organics from years of chemical use takes more than just putting some organic fertilizer down. Much like people who have had their intestines depleted by heavy antibiotic use are told to eat yogurt with live cultures in it to re-establish digestive agents in their intestines, it is necessary to restore the biological agents in the soil so that it is better able to digest the organic material. In addition to using chemical herbicides which are known to kill helpful biological agents in the soil, the national franchises miss this point as do many consumers. Consequently, the first year of organic lawn care can be more costly, but following years will be equal to or less than chemical applications. The reason is not the cost of the applications themselves by the way, but the fact that your lawn and garden is now a mulch eating machine. Grass clippings and leaves no longer need to be moved, but simply mulched into the lawn. Higher organic content means you use less water since the soil will retain moisture better. Live soil means deeper healthier roots and stronger more valuable plant material. Stronger plant material means less disease and insect infestations which in turn means lower mortality and replacement as well as little or no pesticide us. Less pesticide use and elimination of chemical fertilizers means stronger ecology and development of beneficial insects that prey on plan predators.

The punch line here is pay a little more in the first year to get your plants off of their chemical addiction and you will reap the benefits in healthier, stronger, more valuable plants in the years to come. You will reduce your water costs (which go up 6% a year), and eliminate the need for blowers on your property. You will be feeding the soil directly with the clippings and leaves that land on it and reducing the need to amend the soil and feed it as often as you did when you were chemically fertilizing, and you will turn your property in a carbon sequestering machine instead of increasing your carbon footprint by using chemical fertilizers and herbicides (6lbs of carbon released into the atmosphere to make 1 pound of chemical fertilizer).

Posted in Lawns, Organics | 1 Comment »

Late June Garden Tips:

22. June 2008 by admin.

Hold off on cutting down those acclimated spring bulbs like narcissus for another week or two, and let them recharge their bulbs even if they are laying flat on the ground. 

Just like spring-flowering bulbs, lilies need their foliage to make food for next year’s flowers. Unlike spring bulbs, the flowers bloom on the same stems as the leaves. So when you cut lily flowers, don’t cut long stems and remove too many leaves.

Cut the shortest stems possible when cutting rose flowers because the more foliage you leave on the plant, the better for photosynthesis, and the faster it will rebloom. Experts now recommend cutting above a 3-leaflet leaf instead of lower down the stem at a 5-leaflet leaf.

Avoid pruning other woody plants after early July, as this will just stimulate new growth that may not harden properly before winter. Spring is the best time to prune most fruit trees and woody ornamental trees and shrubs. Likewise, avoid fertilizing these plants after early July.

Strawberry plants are in very active growth these days, and new runners will proliferate. Remove runners to keep plants spaced according to the method you’re using so plants will put their energy into producing future fruit instead of new runners. Left alone, a bed will turn into a mass of foliage and few berries.

Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and other fresh, very perishable fruit should be kept refrigerated and not washed until serving time. Green vegetables, however, such as broccoli, peas, and beans, as well as beets and carrots, should be washed before storing in the refrigerator.

If you haven’t thinned beets and carrots yet, it’s time. Even if you’ve thinned once, take another look because these crops need space for their roots to fill out. If you have the space, sow seed for later crops, covering at least the carrot seed with fine-textured soil. Don’t let the soil dry out.

To help your tomato plants direct all their energy into growing the fruit that’s already set, prune off some of the vines that contain flowers but no young fruit. Pinch off suckers growing from where the branches connect to the main stem (the leaf axils). Keep moisture levels even to prevent blossom end rot. Renew mulch if necessary.

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Roots of Eco-Landcare Theory

26. May 2008 by admin.

The idea of Mass production and centralized processing is a given in the

United States. The great industrial age of

  America was founded on the idea that it is more efficient to produce and process centrally than it is in small batches. This idea has been applied to every facet of American life including the care of the  landscape.

 

 

   We mass produce and bag soils and fertilizers, than we transport them in, we remove leaves and lawn “waste”, and ship them out, and in our minds it all makes sense. It’s theoretically cheaper and easier to do things in large batches. Except that means transporting, storing, large machinery for processing. The larger the machine, the more frequently it has to be used for maximum efficiency and payback. After a while we are looking for ways to use our machines more efficiently and the machines drive us.

 

 

 This piece is not a resurgence of Taylorism by a long shot, but rather a demand that we re-examine process. Toyota if not already the number one auto manufacturer in the world soon will be because they abandoned mass production as we know it post world war two.

Toyota manufactures their products on the theory of “Just In Time” and meet demand for product instead of producing cars and hoping they get sold. Through JIT production,

Toyota abandoned mass production as Americans know it, using simpler machines and greater employee involvement to produce cars in the quantities that the public was willing to purchase and to the specifications and needs of their clients.

 

 

 

Toyota consciously or not, has adopted models from nature in their production system. The principles behind the production system, the mode of production, the elimination of stockpiling and return to local batch production all mimic natural process.

 

 

 

 

 Landcare, in order to be eco-friendly, must abandon mass production and do its best to mimic natural process. It means less specialization, minimal centralized production, more on site activities like mulching, composting, water recycling.

Property is a manmade idea, but is applicable in the sense that while we “own” a piece of land, we are the primary caregiver of this property and must strive as self sufficient as possible within it. This is how ecosystems work, cells within larger cells. The more diversity of interacting cells, the less reliance on any one particular system. The less reliance on a particular system, the stronger the eco-system.

 

 

   The same is true for landcare practices. The less centralized and more site specific our practices, the stronger each individual property/system is and the less dependent on a larger system of care it becomes.

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