tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45401955655622715462024-03-08T01:17:37.301-08:00Enfield's Enhanced EnvironsA place to discuss and share ideas, problems, solutions, questions and more about designing, gardening and landscaping. The focus is on Southern Nevada, but many ideas shared here will work anywhere.
Enfield's Enhanced Environs is a holistic, earth friendly yet budget minded consultation, installation and maintenance business focusing on enhancing the environs or surroundings that we live, work and play in. We are soon to open in Las Vegas, Nevada. John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-17422738361142581052017-07-28T17:28:00.003-07:002017-07-28T17:28:22.857-07:00Tiny House Living? The Tiny Apartment Came First :) <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tiny Apartment Patio</td></tr>
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<br /><b>So</b>, you've finally found an apartment that has it all: close to where you need to be, has a pool, lawns with 'gasp' actual grass under the trees (something hard to find today in the Desert Southwest), a private patio, all the features you need inside and you can actually afford the rent without having to get a second job. There's only one catch: it isn't very big. I'm talking about the patio. For a gardener who can't really afford to own their own house, that's a big deal. We were glad to find one that even had a patio at our price range. Even found an apartment in the complex that had the coveted North facing patio (sun exposure and shade is critical here - especially in the furnace of the summertime). But, it's not much bigger than a large shower. What to do? <br /><br /><b>After</b> shuffling the stuff around a bit, this is what we've come up with for now. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to my new personal garden!</td></tr>
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<br /><b>The chairs </b>are the bungee cord suspended 'low-g' style which are much more comfortable than the old vinyl weave lawn chairs. The only problem is, the foot rests are so long that, while two chairs will fit, only one person can have the foot rest up at a time. The red one is Joani's as it's a little smaller and shorter than the brown one so it fits her short legs better. One great thing about this patio is that the patio above forms a roof so we can fold up the chairs and leave them out there without them being fully exposed to the elements. <br /><br /><b>The cart </b>is an all metal, power coated one from Ikea. The shelves are vented so water flows through. It was the sturdiest yet most portable cart I've seen in a while that I could actually afford. It's narrow enough that it doesn't take up too much width which is the biggest limiting factor on this patio. It holds this asparagus fern quite well with storage below. The other plant holder/storage units are actually milk crates - stacked two high with the tops facing outwards to the side to form shelves. I wired them together so that they can't fall over or come apart if they get jostled about. <br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ikea cart and real milk crates get the job done.</td></tr>
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<br /><b>Each </b>plant has its accompanying <b>'hardscape'</b> element. The asparagus fern has an all metal, candle holding lantern also from Ikea which I like because the plastic ones fall apart in this heat and dry air. The society garlic has a tall, narrow terra cotta pot that I found at a thrift store. It doesn't have any drainage, so I fill it with water to create an evaporation pool which is handy for raising the humidity around plants. The aloe has a ceramic dragon with a secret compartment inside which I got from Z-Castle, a cool little store that has the stuff you find at Renaissance fairs - even real swords that you can use for practice dueling - only year round. <br /><br /><b>The plants</b> were carefully chosen for their ability to tolerate shade as well as a few hours of intense sunlight; heat and occasionally dry soil. I rescued the society garlic from the clearance shelf at a Lowes. It is planted in a shallow yet very wide terra cotta pot so that there is room for broadcast seed planting other herbs around it. It had cilantro in it this Spring. Currently, it has a few flowers from a wildflower mix. There is another pot below the asparagus fern with more wildflowers. They didn't seem to be doing well with the amount of sun they were getting, so I'm using the shelf as even more shade for them. Eventually, the society garlic may overtake the pot unless I pull the new bulbs out and transplant them elsewhere. The asparagus fern was on sale at a Home Depot. The aloe is from a KMart also on sale. <br /><br /><b>Yes,</b> I do prefer planting stuff by <i>seed </i>but sometimes, you want something perennial with some size to it and that's often best achieved (without having to wait for years for seedlings to grow) by getting a potted plant. I usually don't do that unless I can get them at less than full price though. By seed is always the way to go for getting annual plants as they grow much faster. I'll be replacing the wildflowers with herbs seeded herbs this fall. I'm using the wildflowers as living mulch for now. <br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramic Dragon lurks behind the aloe.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>I've yet</b> to see any of the wildflowers attempt to bloom. Perhaps they are getting enough light to grow but not enough to stimulate blooming. For now, the society garlic adds a touch of pink to the green pallet. But there is variety in texture with the spotted and toothed aloe and the cloud of tiny almost spike like leaves of the asparagus fern. By the by, if you have ever wondered why they call it asparagus fern, its because the edible asparagus plant we have in the kitchen is just a young sprout that grows into a plant that looks a lot like this if you don't pick it. <br /><br /><b>In this picture above</b>, you can see the evaporation pool formed by the terra cotta pot better. There is another, short and shallow drainless pot below the metal cart full of water for another evaporation pool. I got the idea for evaporation pools from the observation that there is a wider variety of plants in the desert near open water like wetlands and ephemeral streams - partly due to the somewhat higher humidity in those places. These evaporation pool pots are deep enough that they don't need filled every day, I usually just add a bit to them when I water the other plants. <br /><br /><b>While</b> a huge back yard would be nice, it would also be too expensive for us at this current time. For that matter, it would also demand more of my time, cutting back on how much time I have to work on other's landscapes. So, this little patio of potted plants makes a nice little private oasis for sitting outside reading and relaxing. I like walking our dog, Tigger, on the grass lawn under the pine trees in the common area and feel lucky to have that rather than a pile of crushed rocks, but this little patio gets me away from the occasional chaotic play of the neighbor kids. While those kids can be a bit annoying at times when I want quiet contemplation, I am glad to be living somewhere where the kids feel safe enough to play outside for hours at a time. <br /><br /><b>Do you</b> have a tiny garden space? What are you doing with it? If you have any questions or have neat ideas that you've come up with, feel free to contact me here. <br /><br /><br /><br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-43286860380552041812017-05-16T08:54:00.000-07:002017-05-16T08:56:21.546-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h2>
The sun: both an ally and an enemy, especially here in the Desert Southwest. </h2>
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<b>We've been talking</b> about the importance of afternoon shade and morning sun quite a bit on this blog. That's because here in the Desert Southwest (and everywhere that has very low humidity, high temperatures and salty soils and water), sunlight has a profound impact on plant health. Not enough sunlight is a problem everywhere and only a short list of commonly grown plants tolerate low light levels on a daily basis. But here, excessive sunlight is an even bigger problem. Our humidity (usually below 20% unless it is trying to rain somewhere nearby) makes the negative effects of the sun, especially drying things out and damaging plant tissue (people aren't the only things that can sunburn) even more intense. <br />
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<b>We've recently moved </b>to a new place. this apartment was carefully chosen with the sun in mind. We chose an apartment that doesn't have an outside wall that faces the West and that has its South facing wall shaded by large trees and other buildings. Here, it is the long hot afternoons in the summer that make growing so many plants a real challenge. We managed to find one that had its patio facing the North and with shade from overhead sun thanks to the patio above it. The only direct sunlight it receives is in the morning from the East. <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbLVz5da03A/WRsR1wcWJ9I/AAAAAAAAECM/UH8Vw7remdcpdodGcmKsOFmp2gF1iAWJgCEw/s1600/P1080102.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbLVz5da03A/WRsR1wcWJ9I/AAAAAAAAECM/UH8Vw7remdcpdodGcmKsOFmp2gF1iAWJgCEw/s400/P1080102.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<b>Here</b> it is at 7 AM in the middle of May. The sliding glass door opens into the master bedroom. It's just big enough for a couple of folding lawn chairs and a few potted plants. <br />
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<b>You</b> can see in the photo that the sun shines very nicely into the patio in the morning from the East, but from the West, the design of the building makes it so we have full shade in the afternoon from the West and South. <br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Se_kgXDSyxo/WRsR-fH4uSI/AAAAAAAAECM/ast7QD1MPUUa3puZP10ZowMhPdvXz0wSwCEw/s1600/P1080094.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Se_kgXDSyxo/WRsR-fH4uSI/AAAAAAAAECM/ast7QD1MPUUa3puZP10ZowMhPdvXz0wSwCEw/s640/P1080094.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b>This </b>is the current layout for the left corner of the patio. The great thing about using crates and carts is that we can move things around easily if we find this set up no longer works as the alignment between the sun and earth changes over time. In this position, each of these pots gets bathed in direct morning light for about 2 hours each morning and has diffuse light all day. The metal cart has holes in the shelves so that excess water can drip out of the pots and eventually to the ground. The plastic crates double as both plant stands and storage for gardening supplies. <br />
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<b>Currently</b> in the garden, we have from left to right: garlic, a mix of annual shade loving wildflowers, a pot that is half radishes and half carrots, oregano (still sprouting). On the cart on the top shelf we have: aloe vera, cilantro and on the bottom: chives which are looking a bit poorly because they sort of survived being outside over the winter. Most of the chives have already been harvested from the pot, but I am leaving some of them in there to see if they'll snap out of it and maybe bloom for me later on. <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5kKIyWbC3vI/WRsSHskjGdI/AAAAAAAAECM/vSZ2-6SvXmQxgy_gXYYYPspgMEkfSLtkQCEw/s1600/P1080093.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5kKIyWbC3vI/WRsSHskjGdI/AAAAAAAAECM/vSZ2-6SvXmQxgy_gXYYYPspgMEkfSLtkQCEw/s640/P1080093.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b>Then</b>, in the middle of the patio, we have this lovely young asparagus fern. I didn't grow this one from seed, but I carefully chose it for its healthy vigor and signs that it is ready to start spreading. It came in a tiny little pot that was too small for it, so I transplanted it to this larger terracotta pot. Someday, I'll transplant it again to a pot about twice this size in diameter. The pot that the radishes are in might be the type I'll use. It's the first time I've used a pot of that type and I really like how wide, yet short it is, giving more room for the plants while being less top heavy than most pots I've used are. I just love asparagus ferns! They look so delicate, yet they are quite hardy and can handle our weather very well. Most plants in my current potted garden are practical being either edible or useful in herbal remedies, but this one is purely ornamental. One might say that it is still beneficial though as having its bright cheery shade of light green year round has a pleasant effect on one's mood. Mental health is just as important as physical health as one affects the other. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--T2rf_E46dI/WRsSIdevuXI/AAAAAAAAECM/HCNYfDT04c0mAYGjR1O6XZGcxMecIOurgCEw/s1600/P1080095.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--T2rf_E46dI/WRsSIdevuXI/AAAAAAAAECM/HCNYfDT04c0mAYGjR1O6XZGcxMecIOurgCEw/s640/P1080095.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b>The wildflower mix</b> has Siberian wallflower (Cherianthus allonii) a biennial that will be just leaves this year and will bloom next year; Shasta daisy (Chrysanthemum maxium) one of my favorites; Garland flower (Clarkia elegans) a native flower discovered by Lewis and Clark on their famous expidition across the then, mostly unsettled Louisiana Purchase; Lanceleaf ticksseed (Coreopsis lanceloata) one of the most beautiful and delicate looking yet toughest desert flowers I've seen, grows wild all over the Mojave Desert; Larkspur (Delphinum consolida); Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) a perennial that will attract bees and hummingbirds; Echinacea purpurea the plant famous for being a natural antibiotic; Baby's Breath (Gypsophila elegans) a must for floral bouquets; Candytuft (Iberis umbellata) a member of the mustard family that I've seen growing among tickseed plants in the desert; Perennial flax (Linum perenne) which will hopefully persist for me; Forget-me-not (Myosotis aplestris); Baby blueeyes (Nemophila maculata) which will work with the Forget-me-nots to add a splash of blue to the mix; and Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) another deceptively delicate desert flower. I look forward to seeing which of these grow well in my patio. I may need to transplant them to a bigger pot or a group of small pots if all of these species sprout. ;) <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mJSySYerhoA/WRsSJkOcjlI/AAAAAAAAECM/NF0YV0EKqSsWklhhRbKPa7MNjgLL7i4awCEw/s1600/P1080100.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mJSySYerhoA/WRsSJkOcjlI/AAAAAAAAECM/NF0YV0EKqSsWklhhRbKPa7MNjgLL7i4awCEw/s400/P1080100.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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<b>I transplanted</b> this aloe to a larger pot after the wide shot picture was taken as I noticed that it was already starting to get too big for that little pot. I love aloe but it can be tricky to avoid overwatering it without having it dry out with our low humidity. Hopefully, the soil mix which is high in perlite will help it drain enough to prevent waterlogging. <br />
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<b>I'll keep you posted</b> on how this experiment in taking the concept of morning sun and afternoon shade to this extreme turns out. It's going well so far, but as in all gardening, time will tell. <br />
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-40376193612203019832017-03-31T11:38:00.002-07:002017-03-31T11:41:54.976-07:00Strong Winds Need Not Uproot Your Trees!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomato cage protecting Catclaw Acacia from being broken by wind but letting it move.</td></tr>
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<h2>
Horrible Winds Ravage Las Vegas! Trees ripped from the ground! </h2>
To watch the news the last couple of days, you'd think this has never happened before. It happens every year. Strong winds whipping through mountain valleys, especially in the Spring is quite common and normal phenomena. It's what we do to prepare for them, or the lack thereof, that makes the difference between a Spring breeze and a disaster. <br />
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There are four things we can do (applies anywhere really) here in the Desert Southwest to keep our trees and the things around them, from becoming a statistic, and possible headline in the news - in a bad way. Wouldn't it be great if they did a story about a tree that weathered the storm brilliantly and talked to someone who knew about why that was so? <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>1) Remove all stakes</b> from recently
planted trees. Let the tree grow strong by being blown about by the wind.
Movement stimulates the plant (all plants) to grow thicker cell walls and to
lay down more lignin cells in their trunks and stems. There are ways to make
cages that let the trunk move quite a bit, but keep the root ball from rotating
or pivoting in the hole. I've successfully used tomato cages that were anchored
down on small trees and there are larger ones for larger trees. <br /><br />If you remove the stakes from a tree and it falls over, it was planted wrong to start with. Dig the tree the rest of the way up, re-dig the hole right and plant the tree right. Before re-planting the tree in the same spot, check to see if it was a good spot to begin with - see #4 below. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>2) Water the entire root zone! </b>Do
not just put a couple emitters at the base of the trunk. Roots will not grow in
dry soil, so you have to apply water at least as far as from the trunk out to
the drip line or furthest extent of the tree's branch canopy. If the tree has
been butchered and many of the branches have been removed or shortened
(probably because it was planted too close to a building, walkway, etc. in the
first place), then you need to extend the irrigation out to where the drip line
should be for that species of tree or shrub. You can look this up in many books
and websites that give details about different plant species. Sunset magazine,
your area's university extension service (ours in Las Vegas is University of
Nevada), the USDA's NRCS, and some nurseries have excellent information about
this. </span></div>
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<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>3) Feed your plants</b>. Leave dead
leaves and the smallest branches (twigs) around the bases of the plants so they
can decompose and return nutrients and organic matter to the soil in the root
zone. Or, if you can't bring yourself to do that, get a leaf vacuum (many are
blowers that can be converted with a kit that you buy separately or that comes
with them) that sucks the leaves and twigs up, grinds them up and puts them in
a bag. Then, spread this ground up mulch (free mulch!) around the tree.
Purchased tree bark isn't as good as it doesn't decompose very well especially
in the desert, but it's better than rocks. You can also use commercial
fertilizer (but please use it with mulch, not instead of it)- read up from the
above mentioned sources, especially the university extension services and the
NRCS about what different needs different species have. For example, palms need
very little nitrogen, but need a lot of potassium and micronutrients. </span></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>4) Plant trees smart. </b>Avoid planting
them where they will be in the way once they are full grown. The less you
'have' to prune them, the better off they'll be. The above sources talk about
the expected height and width of the plant once mature. Sunset is good about
adjusting these figures for the desert southwest as many species tend to grow
less here, but maybe not as much less as one may think. Plant them also where
they will have as much shelter from the prevailing winds as possible. In Las
Vegas, the winds swirl a bit, but tend to come from the Southwest in Summer and
North in Winter. If there isn't any or much shelter from wind yet, plant
several trees - spaced far enough apart so they won't tangle with each other
much once full grown - in a windbreak (NRCS has excellent info about this) so
that they will create wind protection for other plants in future. <br /><br />Good sources for further information: <br /><br /><a href="https://www.unce.unr.edu/">https://www.unce.unr.edu/</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.sunset.com/">http://www.sunset.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/">https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<a href="http://forestry.nv.gov/ndf-state-forest-nurseries/planting-information-resources/">http://forestry.nv.gov/ndf-state-forest-nurseries/planting-information-resources/</a>John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-28675885662442736332016-09-19T12:06:00.000-07:002016-09-19T12:31:52.064-07:00In Praise of Papier De Toilette Alternatives<br />
<br />
<b>When</b> we started this blog, we said we'd be talking about more than 'just' gardening and landscaping, and we have done a blog article or two on other topics. We think it's time for another to continue to show how holistic, or all encompassing, our view of environs enhancement can be. <br />
<br />
<b>Today</b>, the topic is something near and maybe, or maybe not, dear to all of us: the bathroom. Not decorating, in this case, but using it. To be more specific, finding alternatives for that product we all buy and use, but few are comfortable talking about: <b>toilette paper.</b> First of all, what is it? We all use it, but what do we really know about it? <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EiNWEdu-EdQ/V-AvpA8R-KI/AAAAAAAAD0U/g7jG_g1qufALkMaCUoGsQZqVR4KoaJcHQCLcB/s1600/800px-Toiletpapier_%2528Gobran111%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EiNWEdu-EdQ/V-AvpA8R-KI/AAAAAAAAD0U/g7jG_g1qufALkMaCUoGsQZqVR4KoaJcHQCLcB/s320/800px-Toiletpapier_%2528Gobran111%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your basic roll of 2-ply, quilted toilette paper or 'TP' (Brandon Blinkenberg, Wikimedia Commons)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Toilette paper</b> in the United States, at any rate, is made (regardless of what brand is largely printed on the package) by five companies: Kimberly Clark, Georgia Pacific, Fort James, Marcal, and Proctor & Gamble. It primarily comes from trees that are grown in orchards or man-planted plantations that are carefully managed just like any other crop. I have personally been to such a plantation in Southeast Oklahoma and saw those pine trees growing in rows with trees of different ages growing in different sections of the place. As soon as they cut down a portion of a section that has trees of the age they need, they plant new tree seedlings in the place of the cut trees. Those trees were being used mostly for printing paper, cardboard and particle-board products, but they told us that this technique is how almost all of the wood for products made in America is grown these days. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQDk2LMNmSI/V-AvJU1_coI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/FvcdhKw4HIwV6a9H9uPocKjzl2NfFzdwQCLcB/s1600/1200px-Pine_trees_planted_for_timber_at_Newlands_Forest_Cape_Town_3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQDk2LMNmSI/V-AvJU1_coI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/FvcdhKw4HIwV6a9H9uPocKjzl2NfFzdwQCLcB/s400/1200px-Pine_trees_planted_for_timber_at_Newlands_Forest_Cape_Town_3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pine Trees planted specifically for timber harvest. The sort of place TP ultimately comes from. (Wikimedia Commons)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>The farmed trees </b>are taken to a mill where the branches are removed and the needles are removed from the branches to make pine oil for soaps and scented products. The branches and smallest trunks are ground into a fine sawdust that is almost as fine as chalk dust. That's why paper products such as typing paper and toilette paper are so smooth and you don't see chunks of wood or fibers in them. They mix the dust with water, usually grey water (that isn't potable or drinkable and is reused from some other process) and bleach most of the resulting plup so that it all looks uniformly white. Increasingly, people are buying 'natural' paper which isn't bleached, so they don't bleach all of it anymore. <br />
<br />
<b>The</b> paper that is made for toilette paper is very, very thin so that it feels 'soft' to the touch. To keep it from just wadding up the instant it gets damp, they add stuff to the slurry, kind of like they do for paper money, like cotton fibers and chemical additives to make it tougher without making it rougher. <br />
<br />
<b>When </b>they are pressing out most of the water and forming the pulp into sheets, some companies put patterns on the presses so that the sheets will be 'quilted' which we are told will make them clean our bums better. Well, that's what the red bears say on TV, anyway. Some brands also press two or more sheets together to give us the 'stronger' 2-ply or even 3-ply paper. <br />
<br />
<b>There's</b> more to it, of course, but let's get on to the main topic at hand. There are three reasons why we suggest using something other than the usual roll of dry toilette paper: <b>cleanliness, economy of effort and environmental concerns. </b><br />
<br />
<b>Cleanliness:</b> The regular toilette paper brands advertising today tell us that their product will get our bums amazingly clean, but can they really? Have you ever gotten a little (or maybe a lot) of poo on your fingers while changing a baby's diaper? Or, perhaps when you yourself are having a 'loose stool'? What luck did you have getting it off with dry toilette paper? Not much. Did you leave it at that? No. If a sink wasn't right there, you grabbed a pre-moistened wipe to get it off. So, we say, why not just use a pre-moistened flushable wipe to begin with each time you need TP? If you can't get it off your fingers with dry paper, what makes you think you are getting it off your bum with that stuff, even if it is 3-ply with the latest quilt design?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zdnuSIPR3Xk/V-AxdZLMWDI/AAAAAAAAD0c/nyy0X4a9F4ECN-uwfMQEvly6Qth8SYLTwCLcB/s1600/P1070629.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zdnuSIPR3Xk/V-AxdZLMWDI/AAAAAAAAD0c/nyy0X4a9F4ECN-uwfMQEvly6Qth8SYLTwCLcB/s320/P1070629.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TP Versus The Pre-Moistened Flushable Wipe</td></tr>
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<b>Another</b> aspect of cleanliness with dry toilette paper that we think about even less is<b> lint</b>. In the course of our work in cleaning and decorating homes, we spend a fair amount of time dusting, with lint and dust attracting cloths these days, but that's another blog. One of the dustiest rooms in any home, we've found, is the bathroom. Why? Out of curiosity, I've used different colors of dusting cloths to see what I'm picking up better. I've noticed in bathrooms, that much of it is white, fluffy stuff of which the thickest layers are always near the......toilette paper dispenser. It's lint and dust that flies off that soft stuff each time we pull sheets off the roll. Using an alternative to the usual toilette paper, we've found, really cuts down on the amount of dust in a bathroom, and thus the amount of time and effort needed to clean the room. Not to mention the fact that the people spending time in those rooms are breathing that stuff in. Talk about indoor air quality issues. If you use pre-moistened flushable wipes, there's no white fluffy dust at all.<br />
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<b>Economy of Effort:</b> According to studies by Charmin, the average person uses 8.6 sheets per trip to the bathroom (that they need TP for). They also found that a roll of their TP lasts an average of 5 days. No wonder we have to buy new rolls of TP so often. Here at Enfield Enhanced Environs headquarters, we find that we only need one or two sheets, three at the most, of the pre-moistened flushable wipes per trip. A 144 sheet-pack of them usually lasts us around two weeks. <br />
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<b>If </b>you want to pay less than $1 or $2 per roll of dry TP, you have to go to the big box membership only stores and buy 'off-branded' massive 30 roll packs, which then use up storage space in your home or office. Even then, you'll only get the price down to $0.80 or so per roll. And that's for a 400 sheets-roll that the studies say you'll use up in less than a week. Or, you can go to any regular store, that doesn't require a membership, and get a 144 sheet pack of premoistened flushable wipes for around $4.00. It's $0.03 per sheet. 500 sheets of it would be about $15. But, it only takes one or two sheets of the flushable wipes to do what 8 (often quite a bit more, if things get messy) sheets of dry TP kind of does.<br />
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<b>So,</b> maybe the flushable wipes aren't cheaper according to the math, but they are a lot cheaper when you think about things that there aren't exactly hard figures for, but that nevertheless matter a lot to us in our daily lives. I call this <b>Economy of Effort</b> and it is part of the Enfield Enhanced Environs philosophy:<b> Make achieving the desired goal take as little time and effort as possible.</b> Our time is the most precious commodity we have and is ultimately the only non-renewable one. Barring the unlikely, however alluring, invention of time travel, we'll never be able to get back the time we have already spent. How we spend that time matters too. The less of a perceived ordeal or effort the activity we are spending our time on is, the more we tend to enjoy it (sports enthusiasts such as marathon runners and such are an exception to this, but you know what I mean). It takes far less time and effort (and gas and wear and tear on cars, etc) to go to the nearest grocery or department store and pick up two packs of the flushable wipes than it does to go through the above mentioned extreme to get enough dry TP to last as long as the flushable wipes do. <br />
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<b>Space </b>is precious too. Even if you haven't joined the minimalist or tiny house movements, I'm sure you can think of better uses for the space that those giant packs of dry TP take up. Meanwhile, a couple packs of flushable wipes can sit comfortably on a little shelf mounted on the wall next to the toilette. <br />
<br />
<b>And, yes</b>, they are flushable if you follow the recommended use and keep your plumbing working properly. We've had plenty of problems with plugged toilets in the past, but not since we switched to the flushable wipes. The plumbers I've talked to say the main causes of plumbing clogs are faulty toilets that don't flush with enough water pressure and people cramming too many things in the bowl per flush. The wipes, they say, only cause clogs when too many are used at a time and the toilet isn't set to use enough pressure per flush. <br />
<br /><br /><b>Environmental Concerns: </b>Our primary concern with traditional toilet paper is that it just takes far too much of it per use per person for it to even come close to doing what the companies claim it does. As we mentioned above, and as you've not doubt observed yourself, it does take a lot of sheets of TP, even the quilted multi-ply stuff, to do the job. Simply switching to an alternative that uses less paper to make and that takes less of the product to get the job done, is one way to cut down on waste. There are other, even more environmentally friendly alternatives out there, of course. We'll discuss some of them below. <br /> <br />
<b>We've</b> focused on the pre-moistened flushable wipes in this article, but there are other alternatives to consider too. None of them appeal to me, necessarily, but they are worth considering if one is desiring to stop using the TP we've been talking about but also don't want to use the flushable wipes.<br />
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<b>"Family Cloths":</b> These are essentially squares of flannel cloth (usually cotton). You spray your bum with a mister or moisten the cloth with a little water and alcohol before you sit down; wipe your bum with it; then put the used cloth in a bucket of water mixed with alcohol or some plant oil such as teatree; then later on, wash all the used cloths. You can wash them by hand if you are <i>really </i>into it, or put them in a pillow case and wash them in the washing machine. My grandmother said that the best invention of the modern age was the disposable diaper. She remembered all too well, and none too fondly, the days of having to wash cloth baby diapers before there was an alternative. <br />
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<br />
<b>Plant Leaves: </b>This is what some call the 'original TP'. It's certainly the most natural of options, if green, soft leaves are available. You have to be careful, though, to make sure the leaves you are picking are from plants that don't have irritating or even toxic sap, spines, irritating 'stiff hairs' (fine waxy scales on the leaves that stick to your skin and then make you itch), etc. If you can find and identify them, some good choices are: <i>Verbascum thapsus</i> or Common mullein; <i>Stachys byzantina</i> or Lamb's Ear; Artemesia ludoviciana or Woolly sagewort; or<i> Plantago patigonica or </i>Woolly plantain<i>. </i>The last two are quite prevalent here in the Desert Southwest in the spring. As you might imagine, you'll be quite tempted to 'cheat' on this method by also washing your hands, and possibly even your bum, with something else when you are done. If you should find yourself in the urban jungle where most of such wild plants aren't readily available, you could try your luck in the produce department of your local grocery store. Some of the species or varieties of lettuce and cabbage might do the trick, though they'll lack the 'soft fine hairs' that make the above wild plants a bit more comfy on the skin. Check out the pictures below to aid in identification of these plants. <br />
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<b>Smooth River Stone: </b>Yes, apparently, according to my research, some cultures use, or have used, smooth stones that were large enough to hold comfortably in the hand. They would get them wet and then basically scrub their bum clean, often having to rinse the stone off a few times during the process. A fine alternative, is suppose, if you find yourself near a fast moving stream that is relatively clean and you remember to do this process downstream from where you collect your drinking water. <br />
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<b>Sponge or Brush on a Stick: </b>This method is, as you might guess from the name, attaching a sponge or brush to a stick or handle. It's a technique we are already familiar with when it comes to cleaning our toilet bowls. What they say, is that you can get or make something similar, only with a shorter handle and much softer end material to do the same thing to your bum. My wife tried it when she had shoulder surgery and had trouble reaching down and behind her far enough to use the wipes. Apparently, the flushable wipe method is better, because as soon as she was healed enough from surgery to be able to reach as far as before, she abandoned the brush on the stick and went back to the wipes. The key challenge that I can see to this method, besides getting used to carefully getting this contraption in position and using it without hurting yourself, would be keeping the thing itself clean. About as much trouble as the 'family cloths', except you might not get any poo on your hand with the stick method. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w9xDwfG5-RE/V-AoFgX2U3I/AAAAAAAADzo/RuSO1WllXDcC2VUbLgEpznOb64DFFadiwCLcB/s1600/Verbascum_thapsus_bray-sur-somme_80_25062007_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w9xDwfG5-RE/V-AoFgX2U3I/AAAAAAAADzo/RuSO1WllXDcC2VUbLgEpznOb64DFFadiwCLcB/s400/Verbascum_thapsus_bray-sur-somme_80_25062007_1.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Verbascum thapsus</i> or Common mullein (Wikimedia Commons)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X5MX11itksQ/V-AoNEk-e2I/AAAAAAAADz0/0M4sQ9E64jAxxi-gQRbDMjx-FI42zr5dwCLcB/s1600/800px-Lamb%2527s_Ear_Stachys_byzantina_Leaf_2448px.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X5MX11itksQ/V-AoNEk-e2I/AAAAAAAADz0/0M4sQ9E64jAxxi-gQRbDMjx-FI42zr5dwCLcB/s400/800px-Lamb%2527s_Ear_Stachys_byzantina_Leaf_2448px.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft,
fine 'hairs' on leaves that make them feel soft. They are actually wax
projections on the leaf surface that reduce water loss from wind and
help the plant be drought tolerant.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHpobxjq5xo/V-AoJZ0JhkI/AAAAAAAADzs/SK0q48E4Z1gCEh_Y3QHiD9ohXbg_yy70ACLcB/s1600/Artemisia_ludoviciana_ssp_albula_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHpobxjq5xo/V-AoJZ0JhkI/AAAAAAAADzs/SK0q48E4Z1gCEh_Y3QHiD9ohXbg_yy70ACLcB/s400/Artemisia_ludoviciana_ssp_albula_8.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artemesia ludoviciana or Woolly sagewort (Wikimedia Commons)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> Plantago patigonica or </i>Woolly plantain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yHt973iDfnA/V-ApshyNI-I/AAAAAAAAD0A/lRy8KZpVOacMf6O6iVg17TME8KGq7TD4QCLcB/s1600/1024px-Lamb%2527s-ears_Betony_Stachys_byzantina_Plant_2800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yHt973iDfnA/V-ApshyNI-I/AAAAAAAAD0A/lRy8KZpVOacMf6O6iVg17TME8KGq7TD4QCLcB/s400/1024px-Lamb%2527s-ears_Betony_Stachys_byzantina_Plant_2800px.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stachys byzantina</i> or Lamb's Ear</td></tr>
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<b>While</b> the other alternatives are interesting, and would probably work okay if regular TP were not available, but our own family would rather stay with the flushable wipes when we can.<br />
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We would include more pictures of the other methods, but all of the pictures we found were either copy-write protected or were of branded products. We never recommend and try to avoid appearing to recommend one brand over another on this blog. John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-14659397665197815652016-06-21T19:05:00.000-07:002016-06-21T19:05:16.417-07:00Desert Heat <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hu5q-Fcmqgo/V2nhN6siqmI/AAAAAAAADp0/RB6xO6Sh-5EES4wPNVl02FzoKTKYOgUBQCLcB/s1600/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hu5q-Fcmqgo/V2nhN6siqmI/AAAAAAAADp0/RB6xO6Sh-5EES4wPNVl02FzoKTKYOgUBQCLcB/s640/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">115 Degrees Fahrenheit. In the shade. On the East side of the house. At 5:00 PM CST </td></tr>
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<br /><b>One could</b> say that is is just a <i>little </i>warm today here in the Mojave Desert on June 21st. This is day three of temperatures over 112 for us here in Sunset Zone 9a in Fabulous Las Vegas. We are on the East side of town but low enough at the base of the foothills that it's not the coolest part of town. That would be up on the slopes of Mount Charleston, where it seldom exceeds 95. But there are warmer spots such as down in Laughlin, NV where it got up to 120 yesterday. <br /><br /><b>So, what</b> does a gardener do when it's this hot? Try to keep perennials as comfortable as you can. That means three things: mulch, shade and water. Mulch we've already taken care of as mentioned in previous posts. We've supplemented it a bit with the stems of 'bonus plants' which have either ended their annual life cycle already and/or succumbed to the heat. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u3ESXG6i7cE/V2nj_R071PI/AAAAAAAADqA/Cidhc0FnhXoeTeo9nI72Dgyrht1XUm-HgCLcB/s1600/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%252811%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u3ESXG6i7cE/V2nj_R071PI/AAAAAAAADqA/Cidhc0FnhXoeTeo9nI72Dgyrht1XUm-HgCLcB/s400/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%252811%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead 'bonus plants', dormant Bermuda grass (also bonus) and wood chips insulate the soil here.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br /><b>In the</b> case of this West facing car port, all we can do really is try to insulate the creeping acacia with mulch and try to keep a few standing 'bonus plants'. <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GVnZ6lNJ5T8/V2nllF5gxqI/AAAAAAAADqM/-Szzchr8uPE069FecC4grhjFZQESJqE5ACLcB/s1600/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%25286%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GVnZ6lNJ5T8/V2nllF5gxqI/AAAAAAAADqM/-Szzchr8uPE069FecC4grhjFZQESJqE5ACLcB/s400/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%25286%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree and shrub branches under cloths keep these shelves shady. </td></tr>
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<br /><br />We've also amped up the shade with trimmed limbs and cloth on the shelves along the East wall. As well as moving more shelves over there to help get more of the plants into afternoon shade. The big elm tree helps (and the tree itself is doing well thanks to the soaker hoses) shade the plants for part of the afternoon, but unfortunately, the setting sun gets under it in late afternoon. <br /><br /><br />Our new catclaw acacia will someday be able to handle the heat fine on its own, but it's still a little sapling, so we are trying to help it out with extra afternoon shade...... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkaNFQmZvTY/V2nmWWpXB6I/AAAAAAAADqY/A6GEFI7QOHI-N-SMrhpJIbFMzA18Uv8QQCLcB/s1600/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkaNFQmZvTY/V2nmWWpXB6I/AAAAAAAADqY/A6GEFI7QOHI-N-SMrhpJIbFMzA18Uv8QQCLcB/s400/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This old lawn chair is just right for PM shade for our little catclaw acacia.</td></tr>
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<br />......courtesy of an old lawn chair that I keep around even though I probably should get rid of it. I'm glad I kept it this year as it's fairly tightly woven mesh back is just right to give this little catclaw acacia some afternoon shade when the heat is the worst. <br /><br /><b>Then, there is water. </b> It's tricky to deal with in this heat as you don't want to over-water anything and drown the roots. On the other hand, plants evapotranspirate (a combination of purely physics based evaporation along with plant energy requiring transport of water from roots to the rest of the plant) and use water to cool themselves more than what they actually use to grow. This is especially the case when it is so hot outside. It's one thing for a plant to keep its cells cool while they grow, respire and (in some cases) carry out photosynthesis - all of which produce heat in the plant. It's quite another when the air outside the plant is even warmer than the plant's normal temperature. <br /><br /><b>When </b>that happens, most plants will take up more water than usual as long as it isn't too hot. When it gets above 80, most plant processes begin to slow down and growth usually stops. Almost all plant processes stop when it gets well above 100. Then the plant enters a sort of dormancy state but it is not as dormant as some plants get when it is too cold in the winter and still needs water and other nutrients. Then, when it cools off at night (even as hot as its been here, it gets down to the high 70's - low 80's at night this time of year), the plant will resume growth and most other processes. I've observed the most growth on closely monitored plants in the morning after a cool (or at least somewhat cooler) night. <br /><br /><b>Even </b>'drought tolerant' and desert native plants behave this way to a greater or lesser degree. It's part of what makes them able to live in such hot places as they are better at shutting down and insulating their stems and leaves from outside heat than plants from wetter, cooler places are. So, we increase our watering times from the once a day schedule in late Spring (the weather, never what the calendar says) to two times a day (early morning and early evening - never water in the middle of the night as that's a ticket to fungal problems) in June to ever six hours or so during the day when it is above 110. <br /><br /><b>We can </b>do this without over-watering the plants because we are using soaker hoses which put out about 1/4 a gallon of water a minute for every 10 feet of hose under the typical house's hose bib delivery capacity of 30 gallons per minute. And we run the hoses for 30 minutes each time. That comes to a total of 3 gallons per foot of hose covered area each day. This is enough, when you estimate losses from evaporation, to get about an inch of water in the top 2 inches of the soil (if the soil drains well) and hopefully, part of an inch soaked down deeper into the soil to encourage a deeper, better root system. <i>Evaporation is not a total loss though, because it helps cool the soil, plants and the air immediately around the plants. </i>Yes, it is good to try to minimize evaporation, which is part of what mulch and shade do, but some evaporation is necessary, especially when it is this hot. <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pmzcznNFyAI/V2nvGJB_1ZI/AAAAAAAADqo/XsqPSlk9i1Q6uRWekE27tBbDb9_TEPIBwCLcB/s1600/2016%2BTishs%2BYard%2Bin%2BSpring%2B%252863%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pmzcznNFyAI/V2nvGJB_1ZI/AAAAAAAADqo/XsqPSlk9i1Q6uRWekE27tBbDb9_TEPIBwCLcB/s400/2016%2BTishs%2BYard%2Bin%2BSpring%2B%252863%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This clay pot without a drain makes a great evaporation basin.</td></tr>
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<br />That's why I encourage evaporation pans like these around plants in dry climates. It helps simulate an environment that you'd have near a stream or pool here in the desert where the more showy plants that we like to have live in nature. This clay pot in the above picture doesn't have a drain hole. I found it at a thrift store and figured it was a perfect little mini-water storage basin. Placed under the soaker hose, it catches some of the water and stores it, releasing it by evaporation slowly thanks to how small diameter it is relative to how deep it is. Plants nearby enjoy a somewhat more humid, cooler microclimate like what they'd have at the edge of a pond. <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEYrhdQ_egk/V2nwIrmHkBI/AAAAAAAADq4/2D9LQgwB8yMt1RNmlA0L2AbfHRCDpL2ngCLcB/s1600/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%252812%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEYrhdQ_egk/V2nwIrmHkBI/AAAAAAAADq4/2D9LQgwB8yMt1RNmlA0L2AbfHRCDpL2ngCLcB/s400/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%252812%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This volunteer sunflower wilts each afternoon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /> <i> </i>For some plants, all of this effort isn't quite enough, but some are hanging in there and kinda bouncing back by morning like this volunteer sunflower. This sunflower is getting some water from a soaker hose, so it does well in the morning and early afternoon, but is rather wilty by evening. If it survives to bloom, great. If not, I won't be terribly surprised. <br /><br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-44xaLngAW3c/V2nwJtjguYI/AAAAAAAADrs/FTwei1I3YTQKe2lmm0niPoKizIS_9TXkQCKgB/s1600/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%25288%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-44xaLngAW3c/V2nwJtjguYI/AAAAAAAADrs/FTwei1I3YTQKe2lmm0niPoKizIS_9TXkQCKgB/s400/2016%2Bhot%2Bsummer%2B%2B%25288%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These wildflowers are doing just fine. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Other, more desert adapted or native plants are doing much better like these wildflowers from a mix that I broadcast last fall. In fact, they didn't bloom until a couple of days ago. <br /><br /><br />We'll see how everything turns out once things start cooling down again. I wish you luck with keeping your plants happy (or at least alive) this summer!<i> </i><br />
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-26411831921635880372016-06-16T10:00:00.000-07:002016-06-16T10:09:01.295-07:00Experimenting with Amaryllis Flowers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pmKHVjDiaV4/V2LO_fFH53I/AAAAAAAADoY/maRPh2sS_cUf0mLKI22BiBAlk2OsQTmIgCLcB/s1600/amaryllis%2Bbulb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pmKHVjDiaV4/V2LO_fFH53I/AAAAAAAADoY/maRPh2sS_cUf0mLKI22BiBAlk2OsQTmIgCLcB/s1600/amaryllis%2Bbulb.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bulb of an Amaryllis (<span style="color: #004000; font-family: "times new roman" , "times";"><i>Hippeastrum spp) </i>flower.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Last </b>winter, my sister was given a big bulb as a gift. Not a light bulb, but a flower bulb in a tiny decorative pot with a tag saying "Amaryllis" on it. She gave it to me to see if I could grow it and the experiment began. <br />
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<b>I started, </b>as I always try to do, with a little research first. I looked up Amaryllis to see what it was as I wasn't familiar with it already. I discovered that it is a native of the tropical and subtropical areas of South America, which doesn't usually bode well for trying to grow it in the Mojave Desert and I don't recommend it as a rule. But it was only one bulb and it was a gift, so I figured it could be fun to give it a try. I didn't expect it to do well, not even in the house, since even the house humidity doesn't get very high. <br />
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<b>But then</b> I looked further and found that it's native plant community wasn't a rain forest jungle or anything like that, but rather the plateaus and savannas that are also in parts of South America in the higher elevations. Those places have cool, somewhat rainy winters and rather warm, dry summers, so it looked slightly more hopeful for our new patient. <br />
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<b>So, </b>we planted it, but kept it in the house in the sunniest room, which turned out to be the wash room with it's South facing door that has a window in it and occasional rises in humidity thanks to the washer and dryer. It also didn't get too warm in that room since it doesn't have a heat register in it. So, it worked out that we were able to kinda mimic the winter conditions this plant developed under as we gave it occasional water. I planted it in a terra cotta pot (the best choice for most plants really) with a cactus potting soil mix that has high drainage, low organic matter and no added fertilizer as I knew that such places in the wild are rather harsh environments. Plants adapted to living in rocky or sandy soil with extended dry periods are actually harmed by babying them too much with really moist, rich soil. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IsAHZCd5nfw/V2LSY_IfNpI/AAAAAAAADok/JJeR9Vxl9_gRGzb9eMRQ7EPImmQLf8JRgCLcB/s1600/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bflower%2Bstarted%2Bfrom%2Bbulb%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IsAHZCd5nfw/V2LSY_IfNpI/AAAAAAAADok/JJeR9Vxl9_gRGzb9eMRQ7EPImmQLf8JRgCLcB/s400/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bflower%2Bstarted%2Bfrom%2Bbulb%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amaryllis sends up flower stalk before any leaves elongate.</td></tr>
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<b>As you </b>can see in the picture above, we did our best to prevent the roots from getting waterlogged by putting the pot on a plant stand but with the drip tray below the stand to keep water from being absorbed back into the soil. This is also critical when watering with our local water supply that is high in salts. <br />
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<b>Amaryllis</b> is interesting in that it is among those plants that seems to take forever to do anything with its bulb after it is planted (we planted it with the top half sticking up out of the soil as my sources - several websites by university horticulture departments recommended). Then, just when you begin to think nothing will happen, the bulb splits open at the top and a green spear emerges! This develops into the flower stalk and eventually, you see leaf tips emerging from the bulb below it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mkoNBr6kAi8/V2LUDdf1i6I/AAAAAAAADow/UF1r_1FGE5o_vZAk7CWg9OepXRrOsxZwQCLcB/s1600/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bflower%2Bstarted%2Bfrom%2Bbulb%2B%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mkoNBr6kAi8/V2LUDdf1i6I/AAAAAAAADow/UF1r_1FGE5o_vZAk7CWg9OepXRrOsxZwQCLcB/s400/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bflower%2Bstarted%2Bfrom%2Bbulb%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once it got started, it really took off! Now there are two flower stalks.</td></tr>
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<b>The Best </b>place to put our patient wound up being right in front of the air intake vent for the HVAC system, so the plant also got a nice light 'breeze' from the air being drawn in past it every day. We also put it on this tv tray to keep it up away from the coldest parts of the drafts when someone would open the door that winter. It also kept it from getting knocked over accidentally by passersby. It looked like this with its big, green spears for several weeks before it showed us why my sister's friend gave it to her....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEPc5Q9NwK8/V2LU16-0GaI/AAAAAAAADo4/6flBuAPcisQAeuAkWj-J_sKKJsYR9ebKwCLcB/s1600/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bflower%2Bstarted%2Bfrom%2Bbulb%2B%252811%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEPc5Q9NwK8/V2LU16-0GaI/AAAAAAAADo4/6flBuAPcisQAeuAkWj-J_sKKJsYR9ebKwCLcB/s640/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bflower%2Bstarted%2Bfrom%2Bbulb%2B%252811%2529.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't it glorious! Soon, there were three spears, each with three of these huge flowers!</td></tr>
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Suddenly, our curious green speared thing was a thing of amazing floral beauty! It began growing these enormous (the size of my palm) flowers as you can see from this picture of the first bloom above. They had a very pleasant aroma, smelling like really expensive perfume. Some of the scent even went in the HVAC system and scented the whole house. :) I cut the anthers off the flowers shortly after they developed to keep pollen from spreading though. No one in our house has hay fever, but I figured it was still a good idea, especially if we had guests who did have allergies. Cutting the anthers off didn't seem to hurt the plant any and the flowers lasted just as long as the websites said they would, about two weeks each. They reminded me a bit of tiger lilies in form and texture. Only these have shorter petals and a different structure to the anthers and pistil. <br />
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<b>By the time</b> our winter was over in February, so was the blooming. When the last of the blooms broke down, I cut the flowering stalks off with a very sharp pair of shears cleaned with rubbing alcohol (always a good idea, especially with plants that you aren't sure how sensitive they are to infection yet). It stayed in the house until my favorite weather service (Weatherunderground.com) stopped forecasting frost for our area. Then, I moved it outside to the shadiest part of our yard that was also not too cold. At the time, that was the South side of the house up against the North facing wall. By May, it was getting warm enough that it needed to move to a cooler spot, so I put it along the wall on the East side of the house where it is now. <br />
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<b>Shortly after</b> I moved it outside, even though I put it in the shadiest spots, it still lost most of its leaves. I would have been concerned had I not learned that this is common for plants that are moved from inside to outside, especially ones that have finished their reproductive period. I'm happy to report, that I've been pleasantly surprised at how well it has recovered and even thrived outdoors. I wasn't sure if it would grow anything all summer, but it has. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEGgomGuRJ0/V2LYTm-b3RI/AAAAAAAADpI/jOP0d3PGsL8KaiGigRuf7vd3voeOCJ2ZQCLcB/s1600/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bresprouting%2Boutdoors.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEGgomGuRJ0/V2LYTm-b3RI/AAAAAAAADpI/jOP0d3PGsL8KaiGigRuf7vd3voeOCJ2ZQCLcB/s400/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bresprouting%2Boutdoors.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Re-sprouting outdoors. This time, leaves are leading the way.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yT81WovKCsw/V2LY7Z2mOSI/AAAAAAAADpQ/Km-39hH-Nn8mX-kW-7xSKzhD4vcS6cP5wCLcB/s1600/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bthriving%2Boutside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yT81WovKCsw/V2LY7Z2mOSI/AAAAAAAADpQ/Km-39hH-Nn8mX-kW-7xSKzhD4vcS6cP5wCLcB/s400/2016%2BAmarylis%2Bthriving%2Boutside.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this current photo (6/16/16) we have two wonderful leaves!</td></tr>
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Interestingly enough, now that it is outdoors where it is drier and warmer, it is growing leaves first. This picture was taken shortly after it started emerging its first new leaf. They said that it was a very persistent perennial that can do this for years, but I wasn't sure if that would be the case in our climate. So far, so good as you can see by the current photo that I took this morning. The plant gets watered twice a day by a soaker hose dripping down on it on a timer, so it doesn't get a lot of water at once, but the soil is being kept from drying out completely. It also has partial shade in the morning and full shade in the afternoon thanks to being under a bid shade tree and the branches I've laid on top of the shelves on this West facing wall that is on the East side of the house so that it gets shade cast on it in the afternoon. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xM2iVgH-HqU/V2LaTSnJPQI/AAAAAAAADpg/0zlIurtjCLERb-jKb7ereDi6rM1jfRyDQCLcB/s1600/P1070394.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xM2iVgH-HqU/V2LaTSnJPQI/AAAAAAAADpg/0zlIurtjCLERb-jKb7ereDi6rM1jfRyDQCLcB/s400/P1070394.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural shade from cut branches works well for partial shade.</td></tr>
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<b>Will the Amaryllis</b> bloom again this winter? I have no idea, it's an experiment. Stay tuned! <br />
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John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-21691439186682197582016-05-26T12:15:00.000-07:002016-05-26T12:31:06.760-07:00A Case of Mistaken Identity<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nH3TnaH6Nlo/V0dA6IZ6ChI/AAAAAAAADlo/NJ8YNaZ_6JwLPJgBEn_1t0SHRfLeP6EeACLcB/s1600/2016%2BSapporo%2BAutumn%2BGold%2BUlmus%2Bpumilia%2Bx%2BU%2Bdavidiana%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nH3TnaH6Nlo/V0dA6IZ6ChI/AAAAAAAADlo/NJ8YNaZ_6JwLPJgBEn_1t0SHRfLeP6EeACLcB/s400/2016%2BSapporo%2BAutumn%2BGold%2BUlmus%2Bpumilia%2Bx%2BU%2Bdavidiana%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is this tree?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gs_krauh8Yo/V0c_lHm-8WI/AAAAAAAADlY/1fumjrihPLM_s38eJZrbiZTrk1VrO8PXwCLcB/s1600/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FFXUpGvMUyo/V0dDRygrdII/AAAAAAAADmk/J2_lT8hnPiYI-JnBsClY3TdHHvAi0DmrgCLcB/s1600/Ash_trees_in_Cwm_Sorgwm_-_geograph.org.uk_-_588549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<b>The </b>following is a cautionary tale. Don't let this happen to you. When I first started caring for this property, I was asked "What kind of tree is this big shade tree?" Rather than taking the time to take some pictures and samples and study the tree in detail, comparing it to tree ID dichotomous keys in my books at home and online; I made the capital mistake of saying the first tree name that popped into my head that roughly fit the description of what I was looking at. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FFXUpGvMUyo/V0dDRygrdII/AAAAAAAADmk/J2_lT8hnPiYI-JnBsClY3TdHHvAi0DmrgCLcB/s1600/Ash_trees_in_Cwm_Sorgwm_-_geograph.org.uk_-_588549.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FFXUpGvMUyo/V0dDRygrdII/AAAAAAAADmk/J2_lT8hnPiYI-JnBsClY3TdHHvAi0DmrgCLcB/s400/Ash_trees_in_Cwm_Sorgwm_-_geograph.org.uk_-_588549.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actual Ash Trees</td></tr>
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<b>I said </b>it was an Ash tree, but wasn't sure which one yet. I've never been quite able to make up my mind which ash it was as it seemed to fit the general idea of one, but not exactly of any specific species of ash. While trying to key out another plant that has been popping up in the yard recently, I was diligently studying this new 'weed' (as I should have done with the big shade tree) and was comparing it to samples and pictures of the tree as well as those in other yards in the neighborhood. It occurred to me suddenly that my 'Ash' tree couldn't be of the Fraxinus genus because it didn't consistently show certain key characteristics. Yes, it has a lot of opposite branches and frequently produces new branches in nearly matched pairs, but the leaves are actually simple (not compound) and are always produced in an alternate fashion rather than opposite. I should have known better, since ash trees have compound leaves (that look a lot like individual leaves until you look closely at the pedicels of each leaflet for the buds - which you won't find if they are actually leaflets). <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y1qXIVGxzrY/V0dA6N8p4aI/AAAAAAAADmc/bqugBfRfVSgVMHkra30SMsn_235KmJyugCKgB/s1600/2016%2BSapporo%2BAutumn%2BGold%2BUlmus%2Bpumilia%2Bx%2BU%2Bdavidiana%2B%252811%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y1qXIVGxzrY/V0dA6N8p4aI/AAAAAAAADmc/bqugBfRfVSgVMHkra30SMsn_235KmJyugCKgB/s320/2016%2BSapporo%2BAutumn%2BGold%2BUlmus%2Bpumilia%2Bx%2BU%2Bdavidiana%2B%252811%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each
leaf has buds and is produces alternately along the stem. These aren't
compound leaves. You can see the frequent matched pairing of branches
though which had me fooled into thinking this tree had opposite branches.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>I fell</b> for the very Ash-like trunk covered with ash-grey bark and the serrated leaves that seem to be oppositely branched a first glance without studying it closely enough. The big kicker out of the Fraxinus genera and into the Ulmus though was the leaf bases. They are very frequently asymmetrical with one side wider and longer than the other. Ash leaflets have symmetrical bases. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oGfiPB-rdfA/V0dA7D7aJ6I/AAAAAAAADmc/IvdQN9rlX8UBWr5kVopTJvTbSgmRqnX-wCKgB/s1600/2016%2BSapporo%2BAutumn%2BGold%2BUlmus%2Bpumilia%2Bx%2BU%2Bdavidiana%2B%25285%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oGfiPB-rdfA/V0dA7D7aJ6I/AAAAAAAADmc/IvdQN9rlX8UBWr5kVopTJvTbSgmRqnX-wCKgB/s320/2016%2BSapporo%2BAutumn%2BGold%2BUlmus%2Bpumilia%2Bx%2BU%2Bdavidiana%2B%25285%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note how the leaves seem to be attached crookedly to the stem. They aren't symmetrical like most leaves are.</td></tr>
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<b>I felt </b>like a first rate idiot, but in my defense, in the year and half since I've known this tree, I've never seen it bloom nor produce any sort of reproductive structure. Flowers and seeds are the very best ways to identify plants and are dead give-aways when you finally see them. Had I seen the distinctive small-winged single seed pods (called 'samara' by botanists) of the Ulmus genera on the tree or scattered below it, I would have known right away that it was an Elm of some sort. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cja606c8lLw/V0dFZs2D52I/AAAAAAAADmw/16mcfSuwLIk-HIy9G3EqMtNdAIqsbYMdACLcB/s1600/PSM_V19_D181_Various_seeds_of_trees.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cja606c8lLw/V0dFZs2D52I/AAAAAAAADmw/16mcfSuwLIk-HIy9G3EqMtNdAIqsbYMdACLcB/s320/PSM_V19_D181_Various_seeds_of_trees.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If
only I had seen some seeds! Then it's relatively easy. The seed labeled
(e) is Elm while the one labeled (i) is and Ash seed. Can you guess which
ones the rest are? A hint is that there are seeds of Fir, Birch, Pine,
Sycamore, Maple and Lime Hornbeam in there. </td></tr>
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<b>Then,</b> I tried to narrow down which of the many elms it is. That proved difficult as it seemed to have characteristics of several elm species. That led me to consider that it might be some sort of hybrid, so I looked up elm hybrids and crosses. <i>I can't be 100% sure,</i> but I am currently leaning toward it being a Sapporo Autumn Gold Elm <i>Ulmus pumilia x Ulmus davidiana var. japonica. </i>It's a hybrid that was developed at the University of Wisconsin by Eugene Smalley from Siberian and Japanese Elms and has been recommended and planted across the U.S. since the 1980's for its resistance to Dutch Elm Disease, Verticilium Wilt and its drought and high pH tolerance. The drought and high pH tolerance is probably why the first owners of this yard planted it. <i> </i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j4C0oJSGEgw/V0dIUlCymfI/AAAAAAAADm8/LwuLiqo25ncraqvUIw7g2mBp-0h_LYHxQCLcB/s1600/Sapporo_Autumn_Gold_unpruned_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j4C0oJSGEgw/V0dIUlCymfI/AAAAAAAADm8/LwuLiqo25ncraqvUIw7g2mBp-0h_LYHxQCLcB/s320/Sapporo_Autumn_Gold_unpruned_1.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of an unpruned Sapporo Autumn Gold from Wikipedia </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i><br /></i><b>It </b>is never easy to admit when you are wrong, particularly when you are wrong about something in your own field, but professional integrity and my sense of moral honesty finally won out over the instinct of personal pride and I told my client of my mistake. We are all human and we all make mistakes. <br />
<br />
<b>Intelligence is what you gain by studying, wisdom is what you gain when you attempt to apply what you have studied. </b><br />
<br />
<b>P.S.</b>, I'm still trying to figure out what the other 'mystery plant' is and am doing another wise thing, asking for help from my peers (and in some cases, betters). Perhaps you know what it is. If so, please comment to this blog post. <br />
<br />
<b>The </b>leaves feel dry and papery and are not resinous nor glossy. There must be a coating of very fine 'hairs' on the surface of the leaves as they feel slightly rough when you rub them in a direction towards the leaf base. They are essentially odorless except for the 'cut grass' smell you get when you crush the leaves. The stem on the oldest ones (about two months old now) is turning brown and woody suggesting that they might be perennials. I see no sign of flower buds on any of the oldest plants too. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ELBLzqMb4Ms/V0c_lXq09vI/AAAAAAAADlc/GUiBw0VthTwzSKcLAHiXFTGAkgxrM_ZegCLcB/s1600/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25286%2529.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ELBLzqMb4Ms/V0c_lXq09vI/AAAAAAAADlc/GUiBw0VthTwzSKcLAHiXFTGAkgxrM_ZegCLcB/s320/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25286%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is growing all over the place where it can get water and shade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gs_krauh8Yo/V0c_lHm-8WI/AAAAAAAADlY/1fumjrihPLM_s38eJZrbiZTrk1VrO8PXwCLcB/s1600/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gs_krauh8Yo/V0c_lHm-8WI/AAAAAAAADlY/1fumjrihPLM_s38eJZrbiZTrk1VrO8PXwCLcB/s400/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a roughly two month old plant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oYGyBN6BICQ/V0c_lJbAR4I/AAAAAAAADlQ/SAyQiUdkvxc1Kyq01SLyAYNkmK8bfvZygCLcB/s1600/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25284%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oYGyBN6BICQ/V0c_lJbAR4I/AAAAAAAADlQ/SAyQiUdkvxc1Kyq01SLyAYNkmK8bfvZygCLcB/s400/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25284%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-td3o6-W9V80/V0c_k7Mjd5I/AAAAAAAADlM/kGmieNPRj54utBxqKupr6H_SICSNC17DQCLcB/s1600/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25283%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-td3o6-W9V80/V0c_k7Mjd5I/AAAAAAAADlM/kGmieNPRj54utBxqKupr6H_SICSNC17DQCLcB/s400/2016%2BMystery%2Bplant%2Ball%2Bover%2BTishs%2Bback%2Byard%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you see this plant and know its identity, contact us right away. <br />
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(This photo looks a bit like a mug shot of a suspect doesn't it?)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-14500371508108944682016-05-20T08:19:00.000-07:002016-05-20T08:19:03.802-07:00First Bloom on Butterfly Bush Recovering From Cat-astauphic Damage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-opWTNJQUHmY/Vz8lE2iRLtI/AAAAAAAADic/bB6XisD1LcsntqeNQcan4rcf6SiWxR_5gCLcB/s1600/2015%2Bbutterfly%2Bbush%2Bbroken%2Bbranches%2Bpruned%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-opWTNJQUHmY/Vz8lE2iRLtI/AAAAAAAADic/bB6XisD1LcsntqeNQcan4rcf6SiWxR_5gCLcB/s400/2015%2Bbutterfly%2Bbush%2Bbroken%2Bbranches%2Bpruned%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpZmiS0kh9g/Vz8k1UlxR4I/AAAAAAAADjU/Rbuu2IeS6IgUio3dn72J7xTFQwxy7TxKACKgB/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpZmiS0kh9g/Vz8k1UlxR4I/AAAAAAAADjU/Rbuu2IeS6IgUio3dn72J7xTFQwxy7TxKACKgB/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-madQe2L1Jzw/Vz8k7M6lsdI/AAAAAAAADjc/1ZB4pTCjC68Cd8bEpP_3CRhwvsMhPOdkQCKgB/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-madQe2L1Jzw/Vz8k7M6lsdI/AAAAAAAADjc/1ZB4pTCjC68Cd8bEpP_3CRhwvsMhPOdkQCKgB/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%25286%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-za9gUqB7HLw/Vz8k_e2IfjI/AAAAAAAADjc/CCydTgC0IeUU1TesAW2uHBDjKbVtxNmhACKgB/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-za9gUqB7HLw/Vz8k_e2IfjI/AAAAAAAADjc/CCydTgC0IeUU1TesAW2uHBDjKbVtxNmhACKgB/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%25288%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mOw1kFD_lik/Vz8kmUwKgjI/AAAAAAAADis/j_h5jcjGu7kyp7YUOGrgxbijmIM2YC2FgCKgB/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252810%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mOw1kFD_lik/Vz8kmUwKgjI/AAAAAAAADis/j_h5jcjGu7kyp7YUOGrgxbijmIM2YC2FgCKgB/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252810%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3gRizu5BbYs/Vz8klUb_kdI/AAAAAAAADis/DVx_7aFpjo40t-z8pEFSvXPQrdmct1UpwCKgB/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252811%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3gRizu5BbYs/Vz8klUb_kdI/AAAAAAAADis/DVx_7aFpjo40t-z8pEFSvXPQrdmct1UpwCKgB/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252811%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gnkskq1_qEU/Vz8lDPMLNlI/AAAAAAAADjc/aFwi3sZyvIkjagjso7AQMzONRefx1v4sQCKgB/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gnkskq1_qEU/Vz8lDPMLNlI/AAAAAAAADjc/aFwi3sZyvIkjagjso7AQMzONRefx1v4sQCKgB/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-MhFR23V-A/Vz8lUigZ6_I/AAAAAAAADjc/TgFn3gvlmFwf07a4uu-V0AJzh_o00p-5gCKgB/s1600/2016%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2B1st%2Bbloom%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<b>Remember</b> the butterfly bush that we rescued from the clearance
rack of 'the orange store' last year? We carefully pruned the broken
branches off it, transplanted it to this bigger pot and eventually
planted it in the ground on the East side of the house.<br /><b><br /><br />It</b> recovered well and was doing great.....until the neighborhood cats decided it was a nice thing to lay on and play with that is. So, then we put this little fence around it with a 'roof' of sticks on top to keep them out. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-MhFR23V-A/Vz8lUigZ6_I/AAAAAAAADjc/TgFn3gvlmFwf07a4uu-V0AJzh_o00p-5gCKgB/s1600/2016%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2B1st%2Bbloom%2B%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /> <br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V2u2JPwdrC4/Vz8lVA2fqiI/AAAAAAAADjc/IDOm-G0xb3MIgjSH7HzgIApJ_L4PZPStACKgB/s1600/2016%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Bwith%2Bwildflowers.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V2u2JPwdrC4/Vz8lVA2fqiI/AAAAAAAADjc/IDOm-G0xb3MIgjSH7HzgIApJ_L4PZPStACKgB/s400/2016%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Bwith%2Bwildflowers.JPG" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><b>The cats </b>had broken most of the new branches that had grown on it over the winter after we transplanted it and we weren't sure if it would recover from this. <br /><br /><b>But now</b>, it has grown a few new branches and one of them is even blooming! This is one tough plant and is certainly a good choice for landscaping in our climate of the Mojave Desert. It gets just a little water every day from the soaker hose that you may see in the pictures above. The hose circles around the plant just outside the dripline (or where the dripline was before the cats mangled the plant). That seems to be all it needs once it is established and is still this size. As it gets bigger, we'll set up a bigger irrigation system for it using netafin tubing. <br /><br /><b>It is </b>doing well now, but has really lost a lot of ground compared to where it would be by now had it not suffered cat-astrophic damage. If you have cats, <i>please keep them inside! </i> Do not let them run your neighborhood tearing up other people's stuff and turning their yards into outdoor litter boxes. Much of the upkeep for the yard at this house is trying to clean up after all these loose cats. <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-MhFR23V-A/Vz8lUigZ6_I/AAAAAAAADjc/TgFn3gvlmFwf07a4uu-V0AJzh_o00p-5gCKgB/s1600/2016%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2B1st%2Bbloom%2B%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-MhFR23V-A/Vz8lUigZ6_I/AAAAAAAADjc/TgFn3gvlmFwf07a4uu-V0AJzh_o00p-5gCKgB/s400/2016%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2B1st%2Bbloom%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EWmt3D6V3S8/Vz8lVKkAnRI/AAAAAAAADjc/oxA4F4V-JxYLqQjN6NtyhZqSQ0TLsDbpACKgB/s1600/2016%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2B1st%2Bbloom%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EWmt3D6V3S8/Vz8lVKkAnRI/AAAAAAAADjc/oxA4F4V-JxYLqQjN6NtyhZqSQ0TLsDbpACKgB/s640/2016%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2B1st%2Bbloom%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First bloom on this butterfly bush since the cats mangled it earlier this spring.</td></tr>
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-23608847479950129252016-05-01T09:59:00.000-07:002016-05-01T11:18:07.473-07:00Celebrating April Showers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3eDYhKdWzz4/VyYyFo7bvcI/AAAAAAAADeY/cD8G873mKjohdmeFGvseS5HD75RyVmOoQCLcB/s1600/2016%2BAfter%2Ban%2BApril%2BRain%2B%2528144%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3eDYhKdWzz4/VyYyFo7bvcI/AAAAAAAADeY/cD8G873mKjohdmeFGvseS5HD75RyVmOoQCLcB/s320/2016%2BAfter%2Ban%2BApril%2BRain%2B%2528144%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Living </b>in an arid place, like the Mojave Desert, really makes me
appreciate and celebrate rain more than I ever have anywhere else. In
Eastern Oklahoma and Nebraska, most Springs (except for the droughts of
course) were so rainy that it became a nuisance and I'd come to dread
another rainstorm by the time Summer had finally arrived. But here, it
rains so seldom that every rainstorm is exciting! <br />
<br />
I'd like to
take a break from my usual blog post style to just share some pictures I
took with you right after a nice, long (for here anyway) rain shower.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7EtRPUGb1z8/VyYyGHUwixI/AAAAAAAADeo/RRZ58UW2AYg4QAHmVb9mHyro29jX8cFlQCLcB/s1600/2016%2BAfter%2Ban%2BApril%2BRain%2B%252887%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7EtRPUGb1z8/VyYyGHUwixI/AAAAAAAADeo/RRZ58UW2AYg4QAHmVb9mHyro29jX8cFlQCLcB/s320/2016%2BAfter%2Ban%2BApril%2BRain%2B%252887%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I hope you enjoyed these pictures. It was fun taking them. Rain makes the air cleaner and washes off all the dust making everything seem fresh and new. John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-69864101076378951122016-04-25T11:25:00.002-07:002016-04-27T11:09:38.302-07:00Planting native and naturalized desert plants from a Forest Service Nursery sale. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KR9iXVGFLTk/Vx5l8pD6QfI/AAAAAAAADdY/bGSbZdD5jCMKwv8ewynRyqjK1WHFwXvigCLcB/s1600/Girdling_Roots497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KR9iXVGFLTk/Vx5l8pD6QfI/AAAAAAAADdY/bGSbZdD5jCMKwv8ewynRyqjK1WHFwXvigCLcB/s320/Girdling_Roots497.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girdling roots! (Photo by Missouri Botanical Garden.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5hVjU2szv4/Vx5l8XbajBI/AAAAAAAADdQ/IRraqEIAySsUWyctPvyZa_VA295zxt94ACLcB/s1600/Girdling_Roots510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5hVjU2szv4/Vx5l8XbajBI/AAAAAAAADdQ/IRraqEIAySsUWyctPvyZa_VA295zxt94ACLcB/s320/Girdling_Roots510.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Root flare: how all trees should look. (Photo by Missouri Botanical Garden.)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jb4gxF4mCx4/Vx5l8smGBVI/AAAAAAAADdU/hnCTgn9UmqE1HD4snKS--v0Z_I3G5h9zgCLcB/s1600/Girdling_Roots709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jb4gxF4mCx4/Vx5l8smGBVI/AAAAAAAADdU/hnCTgn9UmqE1HD4snKS--v0Z_I3G5h9zgCLcB/s400/Girdling_Roots709.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What eventually happens when a tree has girdling roots. May take years, but eventually it kills the tree and there is no solving it once the tree is transplanted. The only cure is prevention through proper growing in the nurseries by transplanting the seedlings from one pot size to the next soon enough to prevent the roots from growing in circles around the inside of the pots. Another way, if you are patient enough, is to grow shrubs and trees from seed right where you want them to be in the landscape. (Photo by Missouri Botanical Garden.) </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catclaw acacia <i>Acacia greggii </i></td></tr>
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<b>This</b> will grow into a large shrub that has the ability to grow to be about 40 feet tall, but in our Mojave Desert climate, usually never gets any bigger than about 15 feet. It is native to the Desert Southwest, including Southern Nevada where we are, so it well adapted to our climate and will be low maintenance. It naturally grows in what the Forest Service calls 'Desert Wash' plant communities which include salt cedar <i>Tamarix ramosissma</i>, velvet
mesquite <i>P. velutina</i> and desert broom weed <i>Gutierrezia sarothrae. </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eKyQkkgliGA/Vx42L_zTDHI/AAAAAAAADZs/0P_ikUs7uakNEPdqmWeqwg1B2UGit3UQwCLcB/s1600/desert%2Bwash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eKyQkkgliGA/Vx42L_zTDHI/AAAAAAAADZs/0P_ikUs7uakNEPdqmWeqwg1B2UGit3UQwCLcB/s400/desert%2Bwash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of a Desert Wash in the Mojave Desert (photographed by Eric Frisbee)</td></tr>
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<b><i> </i>Such</b> plant communities are places with infrequent, but heavy influx of water during the Spring and Fall rainy seasons, so it will be best to plant it where it will only be hand watered about once a week at first and maybe only once a month once fully established. I'll give it a deep soak at those times. I'll also be able to plant it in full sun without having to worry about sun scald damage. <br />
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<b>I</b> chose this particular specimen from the many at the Nevada Forest Service Nursery sale (you need to find out if you have such a nursery near you and if and when they have plant sales, as you can get locally grown plants at a fraction of what they cost at retail stores or online) because it has a good, sturdy trunk with a well developed root flare at the base of the trunk. I could not find evidence of girdling or circling roots in the pot neither.<br />
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<b>Tree</b> seedlings that do not share these characteristics are best avoided because defects at this young stage will continue to haunt the plant all its life. Girdling roots are especially bad because they can lead to premature death of the tree or shrub including potential damage to people and structures when they fall over. It also has good branch structure that suggests to me that it will seldom need pruned. Tree and shrub seedlings and saplings with co-dominant branches (trunk or large branches of equal or nearly equal size lead to sever damage later on if one isn't pruned off), crazily crossing branches and such are a nightmare to take care of properly. Evidence of that potential can often be seen even in a sapling this size. It takes a bit of extra time to examine a new plant this carefully, but it is well worth it in the trouble you avoid later on. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FS_WVA6xB68/Vx4w54nB2UI/AAAAAAAADZU/wM8CywD57NgdEBzaqTlVghzmprmwsQlTwCLcB/s1600/2016%2Bscarlet%2Bglobemallow%2Bpotted%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FS_WVA6xB68/Vx4w54nB2UI/AAAAAAAADZU/wM8CywD57NgdEBzaqTlVghzmprmwsQlTwCLcB/s640/2016%2Bscarlet%2Bglobemallow%2Bpotted%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlett Globemallow <br />
<div data-canvas-width="239.1606" style="font-family: serif; left: 124px; top: 263.014px; transform: scaleX(1.02205);">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sphaeralcea coccinea</i></span></div>
<div data-canvas-width="89.53226666666666" style="font-family: serif; left: 363.187px; top: 263.014px; transform: scaleX(1.01741);">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> (Nutt.) </i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zQBI3ac5_l8/Vx479_Vd_2I/AAAAAAAADZ8/i9DciFVnA8QEmOgN7z3lpYbzUsH0pdB-wCLcB/s1600/scarlet%2Bglobemallow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zQBI3ac5_l8/Vx479_Vd_2I/AAAAAAAADZ8/i9DciFVnA8QEmOgN7z3lpYbzUsH0pdB-wCLcB/s400/scarlet%2Bglobemallow.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What Scarlett globemallow flowers look like. Simple, yet stunning in a group. (from Wildphotosphotography.com)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dg5RDXByWgc/Vx47-Tz0g4I/AAAAAAAADaA/nhvPlMf8ixAfEcYf7yhOC9Pru_lqreE6QCLcB/s1600/stellate%2Bhairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="542" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dg5RDXByWgc/Vx47-Tz0g4I/AAAAAAAADaA/nhvPlMf8ixAfEcYf7yhOC9Pru_lqreE6QCLcB/s640/stellate%2Bhairs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture from Western New Mexico University shows the stellate hairs that cover the leaves. Super cool huh? Helps keep the plant from losing too much water in the desert so it can have larger leaves than many desert plants do. </td></tr>
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<b>This</b> is one of my favorite native flowers! I was so glad to see it at the sale that I couldn't resist buying a couple of them. It's also native to the Desert Southwest and tolerates high pH, calcareous soils and low watering. It blooms in the Summer and can be either a biennial or perennial depending on how severe your winters are. Here in Southern Nevada, I predict it will become a perennial sub-shrub with a little care and watering. A sub-shrub is a really small shrub that is distinguished from a forb or wildflower because it develops bark on its older stems and continues to grow new material from them, rather than starting over every year with new stems from the root crown like perennial forbs do. This plant has the potential to get up to 16 inches tall and wide, so I'll be giving it plenty of room. <br />
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<b>I love </b>this plant because of its salmon pink flowers in late Spring and Summer until it gets too hot. The leaves are covered with stellate or star-shaped hairs which look really cool under a hand lens. It's also great because it will flower and go to seed year after year. Hopefully, the seeds will come up elsewhere in the bed where I'm planting it and I'll have lots of them eventually. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JVjBBLC3q9o/Vx4zklDV6hI/AAAAAAAADZg/dAXFqq1Hq0ItP4tJOWh1YL0lxnbT_8BjACLcB/s1600/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2Bnew%2Bplanted.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JVjBBLC3q9o/Vx4zklDV6hI/AAAAAAAADZg/dAXFqq1Hq0ItP4tJOWh1YL0lxnbT_8BjACLcB/s400/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2Bnew%2Bplanted.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prostrate or Creeping Acacia<i> Acacia redolens </i></td></tr>
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<b>Creeping acacia </b>is a plant that is actually native to Western Australia but they have very much the same climate and soils as our Desert Southwest do, so the plant does really well here. Unlike the plants above (which are much harder to come by), I see this plant used all over Las Vegas in landscaping. I chose it to solve a very specific problem which we'll discuss below. <br />
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<b>It</b> is an evergreen perennial that is relatively short-lived (about 20 years) but quite hardy in our climate, as long as you don't live at an elevation where it gets colder than 15 degrees F. that is. It will spread as far as it is allowed to (but grows pretty slowly) and gets to be around six feet high, though I imagine that the ones I bought are of the dwarf cultivar 'Low boy' which only gets to be two feet high, judging by the smaller "leaves" they have relative to the size of the stems. The larger growing cultivars usually have bigger "leaves". I say "leaves" in quotes like that because what this plant and a few other acacias actually have are phyllodes which are modified stems that perform like leaves yet do not have the typical net-like veins that broad-leaf plants have. It's part of what makes this plant do so well in full, hot sun. It will have tiny, puffball looking yellow flowers in the Spring that aren't much to look at individually, but look and smell nice in large bunches. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehXwuUzGH3M/Vx5A5o5PUNI/AAAAAAAADaQ/BP48oU8wX7QEhCg4JdNLvCdCCsQPUZZXACLcB/s1600/Acacia-redolens-Low-Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehXwuUzGH3M/Vx5A5o5PUNI/AAAAAAAADaQ/BP48oU8wX7QEhCg4JdNLvCdCCsQPUZZXACLcB/s200/Acacia-redolens-Low-Boy.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What the flowers will look like. Picture from bushandflora.com.au</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AzjjeksQf6s/Vx5B8u-8D6I/AAAAAAAADaY/LHESM-fIz8YRDPTdPUtDF9545bPGbJ6WQCLcB/s1600/2016%2BScarlet%2BGlobemallowprep%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AzjjeksQf6s/Vx5B8u-8D6I/AAAAAAAADaY/LHESM-fIz8YRDPTdPUtDF9545bPGbJ6WQCLcB/s320/2016%2BScarlet%2BGlobemallowprep%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking the soil to get it ready to dig. An important step in desert gardening.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-It6r85dNx3w/Vx5DH1330OI/AAAAAAAADag/ut7v-bM4fZAKhbg8M-xktEwCewwI-bkFwCLcB/s1600/2016%2BPower%2Bof%2BMulch%2Bnote%2Bthe%2Bworms.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-It6r85dNx3w/Vx5DH1330OI/AAAAAAAADag/ut7v-bM4fZAKhbg8M-xktEwCewwI-bkFwCLcB/s400/2016%2BPower%2Bof%2BMulch%2Bnote%2Bthe%2Bworms.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because we've been mulching this spot for a little over a year and irrigating it for the sake of the rosemary shrubs, it has many of these wonderful little gardener's friends: earthworms!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QySlScAV1QM/Vx5D27Q7joI/AAAAAAAADao/TTjADM-2Gwo4P02vF3FGJp0hk2Lw7ixLwCLcB/s1600/2016%2BScarlet%2BGlobemallow%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QySlScAV1QM/Vx5D27Q7joI/AAAAAAAADao/TTjADM-2Gwo4P02vF3FGJp0hk2Lw7ixLwCLcB/s320/2016%2BScarlet%2BGlobemallow%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Where</b> this landscape happens to be located in Las Vegas, it used to be a beach along the saline lake that once filled most of the valley long ago. So, it is blessed with a somewhat lower level of salts and cliche 'clay' (it's really crushed limestone, but kind of acts like clay so the locals call it that) than what is in some other areas of the valley. Instead, the soil in this location is more of a sandy loam. Still, it doesn't hurt to soak the soil before planting to make it easier to dig. It's vital in places with more cliche as those soils are nearly hard as pavement when they are dry.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QySlScAV1QM/Vx5D27Q7joI/AAAAAAAADao/TTjADM-2Gwo4P02vF3FGJp0hk2Lw7ixLwCLcB/s1600/2016%2BScarlet%2BGlobemallow%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QySlScAV1QM/Vx5D27Q7joI/AAAAAAAADao/TTjADM-2Gwo4P02vF3FGJp0hk2Lw7ixLwCLcB/s400/2016%2BScarlet%2BGlobemallow%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a soaker hose under the mulch just above those rosemary shrubs (which I clip sprigs from for cooking - so good with poultry!) I've planted the Scarlett Globemallow above the hose as it will need less water than the rosemary does. There is a bit of a slope here (about a 1% slope) so it makes it possible to place plants of different water needs together in the same bed - just place them differently in relation to the water source depending on how drought tolerant they are. The bed is on the South side of the house but is North facing with a cement block wall about five feet tall behind it.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9R06_lEtMa4/Vx5FRo7cBeI/AAAAAAAADa0/C4nJIInXfLwEblsPlzlPqpoRn6Ue2acfwCLcB/s1600/2016%2BSpring%2Byard%2B%252815%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9R06_lEtMa4/Vx5FRo7cBeI/AAAAAAAADa0/C4nJIInXfLwEblsPlzlPqpoRn6Ue2acfwCLcB/s400/2016%2BSpring%2Byard%2B%252815%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Bird of Paradise <i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Caesalpinia mexicana </span></b></i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">with companion plants of wild mustard. </span><i><b><br /></b></i></td></tr>
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<b>The</b> Creeping Acacia was chosen to eventually fill in a gap between the South wall of the property and the driveway's 'patio' area (where the checkered pavers are). The gap was left because whoever put up the wall didn't do a good job cleaning up the excess concrete and grout from installing it and just left it to pile up along the wall. So, the guys who put the pavers in later couldn't get them right up against the wall. I've been trying to grow all sorts of things along there including desert wildflowers, but with no luck. The wind and water just scoured the area too much to get anything to stay. Then, I got the idea of just letting the 'weeds', mostly wild mustard in this case, move in. I had to convince the HOA that I had a good reason for it in order to keep them though. <br />
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<b>I </b>explained to them that these weren't 'weeds', they were annual flowers that I wanted (mustard does have wonderful yellow, fragrant flowers in the Spring here) and that they were also a cover crop, living mulch or nurse plants for other things I was trying to get started. It's a common practice among habitat restoration specialists, such as I was back when I worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, to allow disturbed areas to be colonized by tough annual plants like wild mustard first in order to develop a micro-climate that is more suitable for other less hardy annuals and eventually perennials to get started. Once the annual 'weeds', or as we called them 'pioneer species', got established for a couple of years, you can broadcast seed in the other annual and perennial forbs, shrubs and grasses that you really want. It is how I was able to help farmers turn their worn out wheat fields that couldn't even grow enough crop to make the harvest profitable anymore into wildlife habitat through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). <br />
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<b>In</b> this case, this gap has had wild mustard and prickly lettuce on it for a year and a half and now and other plants are beginning to get a foothold, including this Mexican Bird of Paradise in the picture. Once that plant showed up and started doing well, I knew that a micro-climate suitable for a longer lived perennial like Creeping Acacia had been created. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiEvE-G3aOU/Vx5I1YmuccI/AAAAAAAADbA/5wdwO8Xv4XQhVRmlZr3kvG7eRKLGMIzkwCLcB/s1600/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2Bfrom%2BNevada%2BForestry%2BNursery%2B%25284%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiEvE-G3aOU/Vx5I1YmuccI/AAAAAAAADbA/5wdwO8Xv4XQhVRmlZr3kvG7eRKLGMIzkwCLcB/s400/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2Bfrom%2BNevada%2BForestry%2BNursery%2B%25284%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creeping Acacia planted in the gap. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjW2ElgEMt4/Vx5N9wda8II/AAAAAAAADbs/Q5E77p7nW58MbtRwWOO---DUQM5epNhmgCKgB/s1600/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2Bfrom%2BNevada%2BForestry%2BNursery%2B%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjW2ElgEMt4/Vx5N9wda8II/AAAAAAAADbs/Q5E77p7nW58MbtRwWOO---DUQM5epNhmgCKgB/s400/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2Bfrom%2BNevada%2BForestry%2BNursery%2B%25286%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut Wild Mustard for temporary mulch until 'HOA approved' woodchip mulch can be applied. The log bed border helps hold it in place as does the cut stem bases intentionally pointed toward the West where most of the wind swirls in from.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MT3FQlXOfwI/Vx5PJ2JeiiI/AAAAAAAADb0/eN1yWJqj42g6Xs54Y9vwUokif8a-tSX7wCKgB/s1600/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2B%25288%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MT3FQlXOfwI/Vx5PJ2JeiiI/AAAAAAAADb0/eN1yWJqj42g6Xs54Y9vwUokif8a-tSX7wCKgB/s400/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2B%25288%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now
that the wood-chip mulch has been installed, the HOA might be happy.
It'll stay put now too thanks to roots and still-intact trunks from the
wild mustard underneath it. </td></tr>
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<b>Creeping</b> <b>acacia</b> doesn't need much room to grow and can handle fairly harsh conditions once the soil is stabilized (which is what the mustard did). I've cut (not pulled up) most of the mustard out of the way and left the roots in the ground to add organic matter and help keep the soil held in place. I left one of the bigger mustards next to the Bird of Paradise to let it continue to shelter that seedling. <br />
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<b>Creeping acacia</b> often grows its stems in a recumbent or laid over way naturally, so I wasn't concerned about the way some of them were laid over in the pots, I just focused on checking for circling roots and unhealthy looking stems. The ones I found looked really good. A few had brown tips on the phyllodes, but that's normal for them when they are starting out in a dry place like we have. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6dUlthmTlM/Vx5Kj6QSY1I/AAAAAAAADbM/1RQp8ohQ5FQhJLvhodU3aF1gUqWvrAPkACKgB/s1600/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6dUlthmTlM/Vx5Kj6QSY1I/AAAAAAAADbM/1RQp8ohQ5FQhJLvhodU3aF1gUqWvrAPkACKgB/s320/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another good site for Creeping Acacia. Ground cover under trees helps them do better in rock mulched landscaping. </td></tr>
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<b>I've</b> been trying to keep the soil from getting so hot and dry under the trees on this property by putting down wood chip mulch and letting small dead branches stay on the ground. It helps, but what is even better is a living ground cover. So, we also planted a couple of Creeping Acacias here. They handle partial shade as well as full sun well, so they'll do well here. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkeEVSFY6H4/Vx5LwRM-lOI/AAAAAAAADbU/E6mxbtGB36QWV4SEHcEnwrhvhqGTZTJFgCLcB/s1600/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkeEVSFY6H4/Vx5LwRM-lOI/AAAAAAAADbU/E6mxbtGB36QWV4SEHcEnwrhvhqGTZTJFgCLcB/s320/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the problems you run into when planting in 'rock mulched' landscapes: weed barrier plastic!</td></tr>
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<b>I hate, hate</b> 'weed barrier' materials! I beg of you not to use them when you put mulch of any kind down. They suffocate the roots of anything you actually want that you plant in the ground. They also heat the soil here in the desert making it difficult to keep the roots cool. The solution to preventing weeds in mulch is to make the layer of it at least three inches deep and to rake it at least once a year. <br />
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<b>I </b>had to cut out and pull up as much of this plastic as I could before I could plant the acacia. Not a fun job, but necessary for plant success.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6bDqQ4LJ4pg/Vx5LwgAhD-I/AAAAAAAADbg/Y0f2iashNWMbVh6GPE-K0wgDeMlWDotygCKgB/s1600/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2B%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6bDqQ4LJ4pg/Vx5LwgAhD-I/AAAAAAAADbg/Y0f2iashNWMbVh6GPE-K0wgDeMlWDotygCKgB/s320/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found this layer of almost pure sand underneath. It's wet in the picture because I soaked the hole after I got the plastic out of the way. It was nearly bone dry under that plastic when I pulled it up despite the fact that I water under that tree daily. The plastic makes the water run off rather than soak in. Finding this, I got out my handheld aerator and went to town around the tree, punching more holes in the plastic. </td></tr>
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<br />
<b>The</b> sand under the plastic isn't a deal breaker in the case of Creeping Acacia as it can grow in sandy soil just fine, but some plants, even some desert plants, can't do too well in it. Had I picked one of those, I'd have either had to plant something else or dig all of that sand layer out. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wQXg10QYBdI/Vx5LwWGmkfI/AAAAAAAADbg/hd5iWTrrqB00qvGFSk4sNrUS6I3xZ9S6ACKgB/s1600/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2B%25284%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wQXg10QYBdI/Vx5LwWGmkfI/AAAAAAAADbg/hd5iWTrrqB00qvGFSk4sNrUS6I3xZ9S6ACKgB/s400/2016%2Bcreeping%2Bacacia%2B%25284%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It wasn't easy, but I got the Creeping Acacia properly planted. Worth the effort to do it right. <br />
<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T5zxMTY2-kw/Vx5QIVzsOeI/AAAAAAAADb8/3N-L-GAgHHImrkgqS2nRTH9QhbZoJyU2ACLcB/s1600/2016%2Bplanting%2Bcatclaw%2Bacacia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T5zxMTY2-kw/Vx5QIVzsOeI/AAAAAAAADb8/3N-L-GAgHHImrkgqS2nRTH9QhbZoJyU2ACLcB/s320/2016%2Bplanting%2Bcatclaw%2Bacacia.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Site for the Catclaw Acacia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The </b>spot that we got the Catclaw Acacia for used to have an Ash tree (probably a Velvet Ash) tree growing there. It was starting to get way too big for the space though and it had to be cut out. You can see the stump of it (painted grey to discourage re-sprouting) way, way too close to the house. That's why we are placing this shrub farther away from the house and closer to the sidewalk. It's a private sidewalk in the back of the house, so it won't have to be pruned to death to satisfy the HOA when it gets bigger, like trees do along the public sidewalks. <br />
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<b>This</b> is also a good site as it gets some shade in the early afternoon and it is in a little bit of a swale, thanks to yours truly digging it last year to prevent water from running towards the foundation of the house. This will mimic the desert wash terrain that the shrub is native to fairly well. I'll be able to give it a nice soak periodically, yet keep it fairly dry the rest of the time here. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--zQ6RZPa58E/Vx5R873S5OI/AAAAAAAADcI/WEIbC-ojERAF357c8xsSqQRRUHumE03UQCLcB/s1600/2016%2Bcatclaw%2Bacacia%2Bwatering.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--zQ6RZPa58E/Vx5R873S5OI/AAAAAAAADcI/WEIbC-ojERAF357c8xsSqQRRUHumE03UQCLcB/s400/2016%2Bcatclaw%2Bacacia%2Bwatering.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The created swale mimics the hydrology of a desert wash. </td></tr>
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<br />
<b>I</b> was careful to plant this, and all of the plants in this blog, so that the root flare (the place where the trunk transitions into the rootball) is above the soil. I made sure that each plant had been grown that way in the pots too when I bought them. Perennial plants are just healthier for their lifetime when they are grown this way for a host of reasons, one of which is that the root system doesn't get easily drowned or suffocated that way. Remember that plant roots actually breathe in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide just like animals do, only through pores in the roots' surface instead of with lungs. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LMcTQjPkDz4/Vx5TO5ju0OI/AAAAAAAADcQ/_1jRziRNjXAi1njZkCRK5XQOFcMwZcu_wCLcB/s1600/2016%2BCatclaw%2Bacacia%2B%25286%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LMcTQjPkDz4/Vx5TO5ju0OI/AAAAAAAADcQ/_1jRziRNjXAi1njZkCRK5XQOFcMwZcu_wCLcB/s400/2016%2BCatclaw%2Bacacia%2B%25286%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Custom built wind protection - much better than staking!</td></tr>
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<br />
<b> After</b> I planted the shrub, it occurred to me that such a tall and kind of spindly, even though it was the most robust of the bunch I saw at the sale, plant will need some protection from the wind. In the wild, saplings like this are protected by the mature shrubs, trees, grass, etc. around them. But in a situation like this, they need some help from the humans who put them in this predicament in the first place :) Thank goodness, this nursery knew better than to tie a 'nursery stake'
to the trunk of this shrub while it was growing in the pots, so it has a
fairly strong trunk already. However, I still need to stabilize it so that the rootball doesn't move around in the hole as the trunk sways around. Once the rootball has sent out roots into the surrounding soil and has anchored itself in place, I can remove the supports. <br />
<br />
<b>The</b> last thing I wanted to do was to put it in a vice like grip of the traditional tree staking methods. All they do is wind up making the plant weaker at best and can even cause it to become severely damaged at worst. Plant trunks and stems only grow as strong as they need to for the situation they are in. Swaying in the breeze and/or being bumped into by other things stimulates the cells in the plant stems to grow thicker cell walls and for the plant to lay down more of the tougher more fibrous tissues that makes it stronger. Even house plants can be made stronger by gently swatting them around as you are watering them or blowing a strong fan on them. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pjDaqwZI3yk/Vx5WTJD-VgI/AAAAAAAADcg/gFVG0Q7p3-c31mZfANIbUCbUAPL1XL0gwCLcB/s1600/1105.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pjDaqwZI3yk/Vx5WTJD-VgI/AAAAAAAADcg/gFVG0Q7p3-c31mZfANIbUCbUAPL1XL0gwCLcB/s320/1105.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FcKuxCYFD30/Vx5WSgrgrOI/AAAAAAAADcc/wIom5kxTlTc-tWJGR74uLdaR4Qkm6lbyACLcB/s1600/staking-hose_hortus5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FcKuxCYFD30/Vx5WSgrgrOI/AAAAAAAADcc/wIom5kxTlTc-tWJGR74uLdaR4Qkm6lbyACLcB/s320/staking-hose_hortus5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duYhxMIStO8/Vx5WTa9HZZI/AAAAAAAADck/nIJ53aQY6zYp6DiGayQW-K1mXAEvyv_AACLcB/s1600/tree-stake.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duYhxMIStO8/Vx5WTa9HZZI/AAAAAAAADck/nIJ53aQY6zYp6DiGayQW-K1mXAEvyv_AACLcB/s320/tree-stake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ONQT2FRZsQE/Vx5XfL37AtI/AAAAAAAADcs/eU2noHP9WpYqbrLnNRs3cK_1jPldmmdAQCLcB/s1600/badtaper.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ONQT2FRZsQE/Vx5XfL37AtI/AAAAAAAADcs/eU2noHP9WpYqbrLnNRs3cK_1jPldmmdAQCLcB/s1600/badtaper.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh heck no! Look at how deformed the trunk is even growing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AElixZhg3o/Vx5XfV1yIDI/AAAAAAAADcw/grpMxhGM80Y2OoFcT_1dL6N8G0vOQZWmACLcB/s1600/content_img.8717.img.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AElixZhg3o/Vx5XfV1yIDI/AAAAAAAADcw/grpMxhGM80Y2OoFcT_1dL6N8G0vOQZWmACLcB/s320/content_img.8717.img.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No! What good could this possibly do other than to suffocate the trunk? </td></tr>
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<b>The </b>above pictures labeled 'no' are just some of the many ways people, who don't know any better, wind up torturing their plants rather than helping them. <br />
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<b>The</b> way I did it is better because it allows the trunk to sway around enough to make it stronger without swaying so much that the rootball will move around in the hole. It also is padded so that the bark won't get damaged by bumping into the sides of the cage. <br />
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<b>Note </b>on the video below: you may want to turn your volume down before watching it as the sound of the wind was picked up by my camera's microphone. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s0DSTG4Dtyo/Vx5aNcYIhaI/AAAAAAAADdA/2S4RYreg944bWvmtK_gqgUPfZBlt7nlWACLcB/s1600/2016%2BCatclaw%2Bacacia%2B%252810%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s0DSTG4Dtyo/Vx5aNcYIhaI/AAAAAAAADdA/2S4RYreg944bWvmtK_gqgUPfZBlt7nlWACLcB/s400/2016%2BCatclaw%2Bacacia%2B%252810%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes!</td></tr>
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<b>All</b> I did was take a large tomato cage, that you can get in any garden department, and drove it into the ground on the outside of the rootball (never stake anything into the rootball as it damages the roots and won't help stabilize the tree at all,) then padded the sides of the cage with pieces of pool noodle. Then, I drove a rubber coated metal plant stake into the ground in the soil outside of where I dug so that it would be more secure in the undisturbed ground and tied the cage (not the poor tree!) to the stake. I then anchored the cage down with these logs just in case the wind got strong. We've been known to have winds over 40 mph in our area so it doesn't hurt to take precautions. Once the rootball has sent out roots into the surrounding soil and has anchored itself in place, I'll remove the cage (probably about two months from when I planted it, though I'll make sure then by giving the trunk a good shake and see if the soil cracks around the base of the trunk. If it does, I'll fill the crack in, and put the cage back on.) <br />
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<b>Planting</b> all of that was fun, but now it's time for a rest. My shoulder still isn't 100%, so I've got to do some stretches (we really ought to stretch before and after gardening anyway to prevent injury, just like we do when we exercise since it's physical work) and then ice it down for a while. <br />
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-60304183365622940022016-04-20T15:30:00.001-07:002016-04-20T15:30:17.048-07:00April Showers Bring May Flowers....and the bring wind and wind damageT<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X04WVDiUUIw/VxfvGiWHmxI/AAAAAAAADV8/pcECTVgwehsrDcQX8lI3jecGLHFxFbt0wCLcB/s1600/P1060962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X04WVDiUUIw/VxfvGiWHmxI/AAAAAAAADV8/pcECTVgwehsrDcQX8lI3jecGLHFxFbt0wCLcB/s320/P1060962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to get prepped up for surgery</td></tr>
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We're back from a long winter of debilitating shoulder pain stemming from a past car accident. After trying everything else, I finally relented and agreed to let the specialists I've been seeing for physical therapy and pain management for two years do electroscopic surgery on my shoulder. <br /><br />After the surgery, she said that the rotatory cuff tendons had finally healed, but there was a great deal of debris and concretions (looked like stalagmites in the pictures) that had been rubbing on the tendons and keeping them inflamed. I was in an immobilizer for two weeks and boy did I get stiff and sore. <br /><br />Now, after weeks of painful post-surgery physical therapy, I'm cleared for light-duty work. I've been gradually getting my range of motion back and a little of my strength. I've been doing more and more of housework, watering plants and such, each day a little easier and a little less painful than the past. I feel it's time to take care of some slightly more strenuous issues in our landscape. <br /><br />We've had a lot of rain - for Las Vegas anyway: 1.03 inches so far this April and a great deal of wind along with it. The oleanders along our North fence provided some wind protection for the house, but took a little bit of a beating themselves. Branches that had once reached for the sky were now bowing to the mulch below. Some were either broken or cracked and near to breaking. <br /><br />Time for us to conduct a little surgery of our own. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NbEOLWRr678/VxfvRvS6IbI/AAAAAAAADWA/CA3-ldf_1B80FT8mpzWqo0GEi5LfxwWxgCLcB/s1600/P1060974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NbEOLWRr678/VxfvRvS6IbI/AAAAAAAADWA/CA3-ldf_1B80FT8mpzWqo0GEi5LfxwWxgCLcB/s320/P1060974.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our instruments of choice for this surgery, recently sharpened too. </td></tr>
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We wore hard hats (never know when a branch will somehow conk you on the head while you are pruning, especially such chaotically branched plants as oleanders); eye protection (always a good idea when pruning large branches); gloves and I wore a leather weight belt (for back support as my lower back hasn't been feeling well either, possibly due to sleeping on a wedge for many nights to avoid putting too much pressure on my shoulder. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xda-S5mqB_c/VxfvgNCJidI/AAAAAAAADWE/3V3v9n6QsvkdAYAl7j9Srxxifvdn8f4zgCLcB/s1600/P1060966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xda-S5mqB_c/VxfvgNCJidI/AAAAAAAADWE/3V3v9n6QsvkdAYAl7j9Srxxifvdn8f4zgCLcB/s400/P1060966.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many of these branches touching the ground are bowed down from quite a ways up the trunks.</td></tr>
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Before the strong winds started coming, these oleander bushs' lowest branches were not touching the ground, but now they are dragging on it and putting too much pressure on each other. We're concerned that even more of them will eventually break under the stress. With our hot, dry summer coming soon, even tough oleanders can't afford to have that added stress. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOfo01m_3Bw/Vxfv22v7irI/AAAAAAAADWM/qkG_GVarMIMOsEtKQFjHS1SGLaRsnQWLgCLcB/s1600/P1060972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOfo01m_3Bw/Vxfv22v7irI/AAAAAAAADWM/qkG_GVarMIMOsEtKQFjHS1SGLaRsnQWLgCLcB/s400/P1060972.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a nice floral display from the street, but it's hiding big problems.</td></tr>
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The bowed over branches are also putting too much pressure on the chain-link fence and cinder-block wall as well as on each other. Plus, they are starting to rub the bark off each other more than they normally would. The cinder-blocks are also rubbing the bark off, with all this added pressure from above branches, than the plant can keep up with by laying down more scar tissue on the bottom of the branches touching the blocks. <br /><br />This bark damage could let insects get into the plant and do more damage than it can handle, so many of those branches rubbing on the wall are going to have to be shortened back past the damaged parts. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bMqqRoa3VlM/VxfwJhxaGNI/AAAAAAAADWU/CvTr_9xetI4YQ3aakx6J5NcLAJpgmJiAgCLcB/s1600/P1060986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bMqqRoa3VlM/VxfwJhxaGNI/AAAAAAAADWU/CvTr_9xetI4YQ3aakx6J5NcLAJpgmJiAgCLcB/s400/P1060986.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the neighbor's side of our North wall of the branches laying over and rubbing on it. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mW7IFCw8cQ4/Vxfxgla8DlI/AAAAAAAADXg/EGakGrRSAK89oW7_XPgxjjzURmrzGfqBgCKgB/s1600/P1060971.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mW7IFCw8cQ4/Vxfxgla8DlI/AAAAAAAADXg/EGakGrRSAK89oW7_XPgxjjzURmrzGfqBgCKgB/s320/P1060971.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pressing branches threatening to damage porch supports</td></tr>
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Here's an example of how we selectively pruned to lighten the pressure of the bowing branches in hopes of getting them to spring back upwards without having to cut them clear off. We do this because we value both the utility of the shrubs in providing wind protection, shade and privacy screening as well as valuing the health of the plants themselves. Excessive pruning, especially in a hostile climate like the Mojave Desert, is very bad for any plant's health. <br /><br />In this example, the branches are pressing against the back of this porch roof support, threatening to bend it eventually. We don't want to wait for that to happen to take action. So we'll selectively head the branches back without losing too much of them, thus reducing the pressure. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yUFiAJv-6Cw/Vxf6jkmfXkI/AAAAAAAADX0/GmvzAGzAyR0Tpc3iKDpttBpUNocKiOrIgCLcB/s1600/P1060968.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yUFiAJv-6Cw/Vxf6jkmfXkI/AAAAAAAADX0/GmvzAGzAyR0Tpc3iKDpttBpUNocKiOrIgCLcB/s320/P1060968.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Examine, decide, check then cut as little as possible, properly placing the pruner each time - that's selective pruning.</td></tr>
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It's not easy to show the step by step process in pictures, but basically the idea is to make branches that are too damaged and/or too heavy to stay upright, just short enough that they can once again support themselves without laying on anything. <br /><br />In the above picture, we're cutting a branch off at the first crotch (where a 'daughter' branch is growing out from the 'mother' branch) back from the tip of the branch. We're cutting just in front of the crotch at an angle and putting the anvil of the pruner towards the 'daughter' branch so that the sharp pruning blade doesn't accidentally slice into it. We're getting as close to the crotch as we can to hide the cut to reduce the amount of dead material that will have to be scabbed over as the branch heals. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A properly pruned branch.</td></tr>
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Now that the weight of the daughter branch is off, the mother branch (pictured) is able to spring back up a little and away from the porch support. It will recover quickly from that small wound and most of it is still there to carry out its many purposes for both us and the shrub. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another example of a good prune cut.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now, the porch support is unencumbered by branches, yet the porch is still nicely shaded.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This wall now has less pressure on it and the meter is readable again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pruning has taken the bending out of this fence. The fence would have broken long ago without us heading back the branches when needed. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time for clean-up</td></tr>
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Once we were done pruning, it was time for cleaning up. Tidying up anything always seems to make a bigger mess until it's properly dealt with. We started with the tools. Oleander sap is sticky and not very pleasant to smell either. It'll gum up your pruners if you let it dry on, so we wipe it off with alcohol moistened wipes, taking care to avoid cutting our own 'branches' on the sharp blades by keeping a glove on and wiping the blade from the dull spine side and wiping towards the sharp side. <br /><br />We also decided that the branches we'd cut off weren't infected with anything yet upon examination, so we used them for mulch under the shrubs. They'll keep the crushed rock covered soil cooler this summer. Since we didn't get carried away with our lumber-jacking and cut off as little as possible, we were able to neatly tuck all of the branches under the drip-line of the shrubs and out of the way. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why throw small branches away when they can be free mulch?</td></tr>
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Now, that we're all done, it's time to take a shower, stretch my shoulder and back and apply some nice, cold ice. <br />
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-46380799154735251652015-11-04T11:09:00.001-08:002015-11-04T11:09:31.281-08:00Rain tests out the new stain job on the wooden wheelchair ramp<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OB-ZyprIOKI/VjpJvBYq3II/AAAAAAAAC84/56L6K2QaU8I/s1600/2015%2Brain%2Btest%2Bon%2Bstain%2Bjob%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OB-ZyprIOKI/VjpJvBYq3II/AAAAAAAAC84/56L6K2QaU8I/s400/2015%2Brain%2Btest%2Bon%2Bstain%2Bjob%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainwater beads up nicely on this freshly stained wood.</td></tr>
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<br /><b>Nothing beats a trial by fire. </b> Or, in this case, rain. We thought we did a good job of staining this wooden wheelchair ramp, but a nice little rainstorm early this morning really put it to the test. The water beaded up and ran off just like it should. <br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even these handrails repelled water well.</td></tr>
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<br /><b>We inspected</b> the whole job and found that even the dryest and most weathered wood took the stain well and is repelling water as it now should. It doesn't rain often in the desert, but when it does, it still does damage to wooden structures so this was worth doing. <br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why stain your wooden hardscape? This picture tells the tale.</td></tr>
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<br /><b>We had</b> some stain left over after finishing the ramp (better too much material than not enough), so we stained a few other wooden hardscape objects as well. It makes them all match and they all needed protection just as badly as the ramp did. The puddles on this raised garden bed tell the tale of why staining wood outdoors is worthwhile. <br /><br /><b>But how does water repellant wood stain work?</b> I mean, it's liquid itself right? It soaks into the wood, especially this weathered wood, really well. It didn't form a plastic like coating on the surface of the wood. Other than being a little darker, it looks and feels the same as before. But now the rain water isn't soaking in. I did some research. <br /><br /><b>The first thing</b> I found out was that the stain we chose contains linseed oil. The oil fills the pores in the wood so that water cannot enter them. It, like all oils, is naturally water repellant. Everything is made from atoms which are incredibly tiny, electrically charged particles made up of negative electrons, positive protons and neutral neutrons and those atoms are combined to form molecules. Some molecules are fundamentally stable enough to be considered elements, such as the oxygen and hydrogen that make up water. The hydrogen bonds that hold water molecules together are such that they leave some electrons still free to attract to other positively charged molecules, such as those that make up cotton fibers (which is why cotton clothes soak up water like a sponge). <br /><br /><b>Oil on the other hand</b>, is made of chains of molecules that are bound together in ways that there aren't nearly as many electrons free to bond with other things, making a liquid oil nearly neutral in charge, thus the negatively charged water isn't attracted to it. It get's quite complex, but that's about the most simple way to explain it. <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c56lqh8MeSo/VjpM-hFOhxI/AAAAAAAAC9U/fLKdYQ8i1L4/s1600/1280px-From_flax_to_linseed_oil..JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c56lqh8MeSo/VjpM-hFOhxI/AAAAAAAAC9U/fLKdYQ8i1L4/s400/1280px-From_flax_to_linseed_oil..JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great picture of the flax plant and its products by Handwerker on Wikimedia Commons.com</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water molecules. Note the positive charge of the hydrogen (H) is attracted to the negative charge of the oxygen (O)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A simple oil molecule. Hydrogen (H) electrons have filled all the available bonds with protons in the carbon (C) atoms, thus no space for the available electrons on the oxygen atoms of water to be attracted.</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><b>The stain </b>we used also has what they call WaterGuard water repellants, which are trademarked and not disclosed, but are likely to be man-made polymers that are a lot like natural oils and that enhance the properties of the linseed oil. <br /><br /><br /><b>In addition</b> to the raised bed, we also stained this wooden fence protecting a little patio area.<br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water is running off this wooden fence now.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stained this shade awning for the water system</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br /><b>And this shade awning</b>. Shade awnings like this are essential for protecting hoses, pipes, etc. of water systems for homes in the desert. Otherwise, the UV light from the sun will weaken the rubber and plastic they are made from. The awning also reduces the amount that the water gets heated during the summer so that water won't be so warm when it comes from the tap in the sinks. <br /><br /><b>Staining wood</b> isn't terribly fun as it's difficult to keep the stain from getting on places where you don't want it and it's a sticky mess to get off your hands (rubbing alcohol on an old rag works about as well as anything), but it is important for having a sustainable landscape. Being sustainable and environmentally friendly includes preventing materials in the landscape from becomming so damaged that they have to be thrown away and replaced. By protecting these wooden structures, we're avoiding adding damaged wood to the landfill (or even the effort, time and money involved in getting it recycled before its useful life is truly over) and avoiding having to contribute to the demand for new lumber (and all the enviromental costs involved there), at least for the time being. John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-4055770955236086742015-10-26T11:34:00.002-07:002015-10-26T11:34:42.496-07:00Saving a wooden wheelchair ramp from an early demise.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This wooden wheelchair ramp is only about 6 years old.</td></tr>
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<br /><b>Wood </b>is a great mateial to build things with and has been since the dawn of human civilization. It's one of the lightest yet strongest materials to work with; most flexible in terms of what you can build with it; easiest to work with without expensive tools and one of the most pleasing to the eye in a landscape. However, it does have it's downside: it does'nt last as long as some other materials do, especially if it is not properly protected. <br /><br /><b>This wooden wheelchair ramp</b> is only about 6 or 7 years old, yet it looks much older. It is still strucurally sound for the most part, but is showing signs of beginning to fall apart already. <br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood on this handrail is seriously warped & is coming loose.</td></tr>
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<br /><b>The wood</b> was stained back when it was built, but they must have used a very low quality stain that lacked good UV and water protection. In places, it is as grey as an old barn. Worse yet, it is really drying out in our hot, dry climate and is starting to splinter apart. The handrail above will be unsafe to use soon if something isn't done. <br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood rot on this siding.</td></tr>
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<br /><b>The lower sides </b>of the ramp are covered with wooden siding which is working well for the most part, but in the places where they piled dirt and crushed rock against it, it is starting to rot. We dug the rocks back from it and will keep them away. We don't get a lot of rain in Las Vegas, but enough to cause wood rot if the wood isn't allowed to dry out fast enough. <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VVbB7eamb20/Vi5qWVvYp3I/AAAAAAAAC7Y/d2QLjxu_ox4/s1600/2015%2BStaining%2BTishs%2BDeck%2B%252814%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VVbB7eamb20/Vi5qWVvYp3I/AAAAAAAAC7Y/d2QLjxu_ox4/s400/2015%2BStaining%2BTishs%2BDeck%2B%252814%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some sort of borer larva, possibly Flathead Borers, have been munching on this post.</td></tr>
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<br /><b>This post </b>shows signs of some species of <b>wood borers</b>, maybe Flatheads, tunneling in it. It is still sound so far, but will have to be replaced if the damage gets any worse. We'll be keeping an eye on it now that we know about it. Haven't seen any signs of damage in the other posts yet. <br /><br />We <i>highly recommend</i> looking over all of your wood structures on your property for damage like this.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We dug down as far as we could around posts to get them protected too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good quality stain with UV & water protection</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br /><b>We decided </b>to start with a well applied coat of good quality stain first and see if that is enough to deal with the drying wood and hopefully, even retard further borer damage. We don't endorse any products, so we won't show the brand, but the things to look for are ultraviolet light (UV) protection, water resistance and a moderate price. Like many things, you get what you pay for and the really cheap stain isn't truly worth your time to use as it doesn't last. <br /><br /><b>This project</b> was done in the autumn in Octorber as it's a great time of year in the Desert Southwest to do outdoor hardscape projects. Cooler weather makes it more pleasant to do physical work like this and the stain will cure better when it is neither too hot nor too cold. <br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><b>Not only</b> is the wood better protected from our harsh climate, it looks much better too. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-50778743197147151642015-10-09T09:22:00.001-07:002015-10-09T09:24:30.267-07:00Rescued Butterfly Bush Finds A Home<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y2WxVRm1_tY/VhfOBSbjB5I/AAAAAAAAC1Q/vLSgum5grLI/s1600/2015%2Bbutterfly%2Bbush%2Bbroken%2Bbranches%2Bpruned%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y2WxVRm1_tY/VhfOBSbjB5I/AAAAAAAAC1Q/vLSgum5grLI/s400/2015%2Bbutterfly%2Bbush%2Bbroken%2Bbranches%2Bpruned%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly Bush <i>Buddleia davidii</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>This </b>Butterfly Bush (<i>Buddleia davidii</i>) was rescued from the discount rack at a local big box store that we call 'The Orange Store'. It came in a tiny, flimsy plastic pot barely big enough for the roots, but only cost $2. It was wilty and sad looking at the time, but we saw promise in it because it had the best formed trunk and branches; no obvious evidence of girdling roots and several flower buds. <br /><br /> <b>When</b> we brought it home, we put it in a spot under a California fan palm sapling (that will be transplanted too someday) and on the East side of the house to protect it from being blasted by the hot, setting sun each afternoon. We transplanted it into two nested pots filled with a soil-less potting medium high in pearlite to ensure drainage and watered it until water began to drip from the bottom of the pot (it was sitting on a stand so that the water could drain out) every day. <br /><br />After it quit wilting, about two weeks later, it started to flower. The flowers sure are pretty! We are looking forward to seeing how it looks when the plant can support full inflorescences of blossoms. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly bush blossoms</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>The </b>pink blossoms contrast nicely with the opposite leaves of this plant which are dark green on top (adaxial surface) and covered with fine, silvery white hair-like wax on the bottom (abaxial surface). It may continue to produce pink blooms, or the next set might be a darker red, even almost purple as these plants have some variety in blossom color. The flowers are quite small as seen above and are rather simple, yet elegant, in design with one row of petals, each with serrated edges, fused into a tube with a deep center that hides the pistil and stamens. <br /><br /><b>Butterflies </b>and hummingbirds possess tongues long enough to access the sweet nectar that these flowers produce. We hope that this bush will become a natural feeder for them so that we'll get to enjoy watching them flit around the yard. Since we never spray pesticides in our yard, we think we stand a better than average chance of attracting them now with this bush. <br /><br /><br /><b>Once </b>the bush flowered for a while (another couple of weeks) and even began growing new leaves (a very hopeful sign that it might survive after all), we decided to transplant it again. The weather was cooperating too with highs in the 80's forecasted the whole week and a 40% chance of rain. Cool, rainy weather is ideal for transplanting many species in the desert. <br /><br /><b>To give</b> the plant the best chance of success, we carefully planned its new location. A well placed and well dug hole is the key to success when it comes to transplanting out here. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ideal spot was between this wall</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this planter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We paced 7 ft from the wall to give the bush room to grow<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>This </b>is a good spot because it will get morning sun, but afternoon shade from the house and it is close enough to my makeshift drip irrigation set up (someday, I'll install a proper irrigation system) that I can set a drip on it if I'm gone for an extended period. It is also in a fairly level spot which will make controlling runoff much easier than planting on a slope. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Butterfly</b> bush can grow to be about 15 feet wide and 12 feet tall, so we wanted a location where it would have plenty of room to grow without getting in the way of anything. As you may have noticed from other blog posts, we are not big fans of needless pruning. Had we planted this bush closer to the sidewalk or wall, it would need pruned almost annually. Where it will be, it won't be too close to any of the traffic paths, and may even cast a little shade over the planter box someday. <br /><br /> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Weed Barrier" is in the way!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weed Barrier is a myth. It doesn't prevent weeds for more than a couple of years after installation. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fine gravel under the plastic?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>When </b>we started digging, we discovered to our dismay, that the previous owners of this property had fallen for the myth that putting a layer of black plastic under your rocks would prevent weeds. Apparently, they placed it over the entire yard. We'd already removed some of it around the trees shortly after we moved in. This plastic is going to have to go away if we can hope for healthy root systems for our plants. It's preventing gas exchange between the soil and the air and is impeding water infiltration. <br /><br /> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good soil under the rocks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The soil profile of our yard. Note the compacted layer on the surface.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Now </b>that we've gotten the rocks and plastic and compacted soil out of the way (please oh please dear reader, never cover your yard with rocks no matter what your water district says!), we've found actual soil. We're blessed to have chosen a location in the Las Vegas Valley that has loamy sand soil with fine gravel! This is primo soil for the Mojave Desert. Very good drainage and just barely enough clay and loam in it to help hold moisture and nutrients. Other places in the valley aren't so lucky and have layers of caliche 'clay' which is actually coral that was pulverized and buried when the volcanoes that are now the Black Mountains to the South erupted, burying what was once a huge lake as big or bigger than the Great Salt Lake to the North of us. Where I am digging used to be part of the shoreline around that lake and is a bit more like digging in a beach than a lake bottom. This is perfect for many desert native and adapted plants, including our little Butterfly bush. <br /><br /><b>I know</b> this soil well, so I know what its physical and chemical properties are. If I wasn't sure, I'd do a couple of tests before deciding to plop a plant in here. First, I'd get a little vinegar and drip it in a shallow hole. If it fizzed a lot, I'd know that the soil was very alkaline and may not be the best material to use for a plant species that is not adapted to the desert (such as roses or violets). Then, I'd dig a small hole down to my planned root zone depth and fill it with water, noting the time that I did so. I'd come back every 10 minutes or so to check the water depth. If the hole still had standing water in it after 30 minutes, I'd consider planting somewhere else or build a raised bed if there were no other good locations for the plant. Never plant anything (other than maybe plants from swamps or marshes) in a place with poor drainage. Your plants will never be healthy there. <br /><b><br /><br />We </b>dug the hole down just as deep as the flower pot was and about four times as wide to be sure to get as much plastic and rock out of the way as possible. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJ3zY7f-jZg/VhfbP0eieuI/AAAAAAAAC24/vTAbl9ejaeA/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252810%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJ3zY7f-jZg/VhfbP0eieuI/AAAAAAAAC24/vTAbl9ejaeA/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252810%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luckily, the pot happens to be as deep as a spade is tall....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makes measuring hole depth easy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>People used </b>to think that digging a really deep hole was key, but research has found that most trees and shrubs do not grow a really long tap root that winds up being as deep as the tree is tall. Only a very short list of trees actually do that, most of which aren't even grown in the U.S. Actually, the key to tree stability is lateral roots. A wide fan of lateral roots extending out beyond the drip line of the mature tree canopy is what keeps trees from falling over. That's why one spade deep is deep enough for this bush, but we made it as wide as we could. Someday, we'll probably come back and dig up even more of the rocks and plastic and move them out of the way as the bush gets bigger. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c28KFRHDzTY/VhfgD4nQ_NI/AAAAAAAAC3M/phO3XwJLRTY/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252812%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c28KFRHDzTY/VhfgD4nQ_NI/AAAAAAAAC3M/phO3XwJLRTY/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252812%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gently tapping the rootball out of the pot...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqyPCrOBW4Y/VhfgDG65aJI/AAAAAAAAC3E/hEz6DaJL0rs/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252813%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqyPCrOBW4Y/VhfgDG65aJI/AAAAAAAAC3E/hEz6DaJL0rs/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252813%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">keeps the roots from being damaged</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDOKGzrhMY8/VhfgENzgriI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/jGT-jAXm3LI/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252814%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDOKGzrhMY8/VhfgENzgriI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/jGT-jAXm3LI/s320/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252814%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placing the rootball in the hole, ensuring that potting soil is under and on all sides of it</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Since</b> the Butterfly bush was grown in soil-less potting media, we chose to keep that around the roots and to line the inside of the hole with it. Our soil is pretty good by desert standards, but it's good to keep as much of the original soil around the roots to avoid breaking off any more root hairs (the tiny, almost invisible parts of roots that do all of the water and nutrient uptake) than we have to. Eventually, the roots will grow out of the potting media and into the native soil, so we made sure to avoid compacting the bottom and sides of the hole, even raking at the surfaces with our fingers to make sure the spade didn't compact the soil too much. Smooth, firm holes just become underground pots, preventing future root growth. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0wdpfITDy70/VhfiqfBJ0bI/AAAAAAAAC38/hMbVzIUVQ-Q/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252818%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0wdpfITDy70/VhfiqfBJ0bI/AAAAAAAAC38/hMbVzIUVQ-Q/s400/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant%2B%252818%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The
native soil was gently placed around and on top of the rootball and
gradually sloping away from the trunk, leaving a gap about a finger's
width around the trunk to help prevent stem rot. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8GN16zcsN78/VhfiqAv3ufI/AAAAAAAAC34/r_id7pyeAd0/s1600/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8GN16zcsN78/VhfiqAv3ufI/AAAAAAAAC34/r_id7pyeAd0/s400/2015%2BButterfly%2Bbush%2Btransplant.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bare soil was then covered with wood chip mulch out to what will soon be the dripline</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Now</b> that the plant was in the hole, we gently placed native soil around the sides of the potting media pile and over the top of it up to about a finger's width of the trunk. Then, we covered that with a <b>two to three inch thick layer</b> of wood chip mulch also within a finger's width of the trunk. That will help reduce the chance of stem rot that sometimes happens when soil and mulch are piled up around the trunk. The mulch will help keep the soil moist and reduce soil erosion. We used such a thick layer to help prevent weeds and to keep the mulch in place better than a light scattering would have. As the bush gets bigger, we will move more rock and plastic away from it and add more mulch in its place. <br /><br /><b>We </b>then irrigated the plant with about a gallon of water and will water it about every other day to prevent wilting. Thanks to the good drainage of this soil, that won't water-log the roots. In heavier clay soil or in caliche, we would have to wait longer between waterings to avoid drowning the roots. If the soil was really tight, we would have just built a tall planting box full of potting medium on top of the ground with a reservoir hole filled with gravel underneath it and planted the bush in that. Once the bush is established, a deep watering once a week will be all it needs, even in summer. <br /><br /> <b> Now,</b> if all goes well, no guarantees when it comes to growing things, we'll have a lovely Butterfly bush to enjoy for years to come. </span><br />
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-67720038077429000442015-09-12T08:49:00.000-07:002015-09-13T13:50:00.305-07:00Mystery of the Chewed Up Pepper Plants Solved<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q8YdynLHs_o/VfQ9ZUGU-aI/AAAAAAAACyk/Ur4ei0KaVcc/s1600/2015%2Bcaterpillar%2Bon%2Bpeppers.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q8YdynLHs_o/VfQ9ZUGU-aI/AAAAAAAACyk/Ur4ei0KaVcc/s400/2015%2Bcaterpillar%2Bon%2Bpeppers.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot the culprit?</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">We've</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> been noticing that our pepper plants in the raised flowerbed no longer have entire margins. They've been 'redecorated' by some unseen agent for the past several weeks. Now, many of them have margins that are beginning to look more like those of holly plants :). <br /><br /><br /><b>Up</b> until now, we have only been able to guess who's behind this baroque design. While we were harvesting some nearby onions for dinner, we finally spotted the culprit. Can you see it in the picture above?<br /><br /><br /><b>How </b>about in the picture below?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--IKkC6XIYpk/VfQ9WKvl_6I/AAAAAAAACyQ/isqDoCLh2h8/s1600/2015%2Bcaterpillar%2Bon%2Bpeppers%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--IKkC6XIYpk/VfQ9WKvl_6I/AAAAAAAACyQ/isqDoCLh2h8/s400/2015%2Bcaterpillar%2Bon%2Bpeppers%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here he is!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>He's </b>huge! One of the biggest caterpillars we've seen in Las Vegas. He's green with diagonal white stripes across his sides and a reddish 'horn' on the tail end. What is he? We compared him to pictures from several websites and found a 'mug shot' that fits him pretty well.....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41Eng2FdL84/VfRA67_bn-I/AAAAAAAACyw/ay0Gnh3VWf0/s1600/tomato-worm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41Eng2FdL84/VfRA67_bn-I/AAAAAAAACyw/ay0Gnh3VWf0/s320/tomato-worm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Tomato Hornworm picture looks a lot like our new friend</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>On</b> the 'Green Caterpillar Identification' page at this link <a href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/green-caterpillar-identification.html" target="_blank">Green Caterpillar Identification</a>, we found the above picture that looks very much like our little guy. We think he's a Tomato Hornworm or <i>Manduca quinquemaculata. </i><br /><br /><b>An article</b> from the University of Minnesota Extension Service found here: <a href="http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/tomato-hornworms-in-home-gardens/" target="_blank">Tomato Hornworms</a> says that they only eat plants related to nightshade (the Solanaceae family), so that explains why this guy is sticking to our pepper plants and not bothering the squash nor the corn. <br />They say that common weeds such as jimsonweed and horsenettle are also in the Solanceae family and that the best way to reduce the chance of getting Tomato Hornworms is to pull such weeds in your garden. <br /><br /><b><br />If </b>we put him back in the garden, he may form a cocoon and turn into one of these......<br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LQPqflft8Oo/VfRFoFbbjiI/AAAAAAAACy8/f0CaoAl8yGE/s1600/hummingbirdMothEBrashear_lg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LQPqflft8Oo/VfRFoFbbjiI/AAAAAAAACy8/f0CaoAl8yGE/s640/hummingbirdMothEBrashear_lg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our caterpillar could turn into a Hummingbird Hawk Moth!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HoQOvU6ttc0/VfQ9W8EQGrI/AAAAAAAACyc/cz-PaLW1k9A/s1600/2015%2Bcaterpillar%2Bon%2Bpeppers%2B%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HoQOvU6ttc0/VfQ9W8EQGrI/AAAAAAAACyc/cz-PaLW1k9A/s400/2015%2Bcaterpillar%2Bon%2Bpeppers%2B%25284%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live-Jar for the caterpillar</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>For now</b>, he'll be educating Joani's students in his little jar we've set up for him. Maybe he'll turn into a Hummingbird Hawk Moth for them. We took a Mason jar and replaced the sealing disk with a rough woven cloth. To keep him from drying out, we drip water on the cloth. He'll have plenty of pepper leaves to live on as he seems to be the only surviving one in the bed and has left most of the pepper plants standing so far. There are also sticks in the jar so that he can climb up and make his cocoon on the cloth. <br /><br /><b>Update from original posting: </b>I learned from Holly, a member of Gardening Blogs, Videos and Websites community on G+ that we need to add 3-4 inches of potting medium to the jar if we want him to pupate. She says that hornworms actually put their cocoon in the ground rather than hanging it from a branch. We missed that detail in the research we did. We so love to learn new things! Please, feel free to comment on our blog so we can share, not only what we know, but what others have found out as well. <br /><br /> <b>So </b>the next time we see a caterpillar like this, we'll think twice about just smashing it. Hummingbird Hawk Moths are good pollinators and will pollinate the same flowers that true hummingbirds do. Other than redecorating the leaves on your tomatoes and peppers, they are actually beneficial. We might 'thin them out' a bit if we start getting a bunch of them as we don't want them to annihilate our garden, but we do want some of the moths around to pollinate our salvia, butterfly bush, jasmine etc. <br /></span>John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-86209763050093190332015-08-31T14:58:00.002-07:002015-08-31T15:04:10.553-07:00Rescued Butterfly Bush<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly transplanted Butterfly Bush</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>One </b>of the things we love to do when we visit the 'big box' home improvement stores towards the end of a season is to look for the bargains. It's the best time to buy 'seasonal' stuff that you know you'll use next year anyway. Most of my gardening tools that we've bought <i>new</i> (most of our tools are actually either my grandma's or are from thrift stores) were from sales like that. It's part of making gardening financially sustainable. <br /><br /><b>Even better </b>is when we find plants languishing on the 'clearance' racks. The poor things! We are sorely tempted to buy the whole rack of them, but usually manage to restrain ourselves to getting the ones that look like they are more likely to survive after a little TLC. In this case, we found a shrub with very few broken branches, a well developed main stem, no signs of disease (such as weeping bark, weird growths or galls etc) and dry, but relatively well developed leaves. This one also had only a couple of previous flowers on it which is good in this case as a profusion of flowers tends to indicate that the plant is <i>really </i>stressed and attempting to ensure the survival of its kind by throwing all of its remaining resources into seed production. This process of looking the plant over critically is kind of like triage for plants. <br /><br /><b>This </b>season, one of the plants we've rescued is this Butterfly bush </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 104%;">Buddleia davidii. </span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 104%;">It's a perennial that will die back to the root crown after a <b>hard freeze</b> and then grow back up the next spring to be about two or three feet tall, assuming of course that they have adequate root reserves. If the plant is under-watered and stressed the growing season before it freezes, it will just die. If we don't have any hard freezes during the winter (which sometimes happens here) it will continue to grow and get to be a bigger plant. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 104%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 104%;">Though they start out small when we buy them, these are true shrubs and can get to be around <b>15 feet tall and about 10 feet wide</b> if people don't prune them to death <i>and</i> if they are planted in a good spot with protection from North winds yet still enough room between the trunk and the nearest hard, immobile structure or walkway to grow. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 104%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 104%;">With perennial plants, a good deal of thought put into where and how it is planted will give you a healthy plant. Lack of planning gives you either a dead plant in the near future or a headache of a plant that is always 'in the way'. <br /><br /><b>This little gal</b> that we've rescued has the start of a true trunk with a layer of grey, corkey, shredded bark, so she's probably two to three years old as it takes a while for the bark to develop. She'll probably start sprouting new stems from the base at some point, which we'll let her do. We hate to prune plants up to fit some preconceived idea of what they should be rather than what they naturally are. <br /></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VYqWGhJNxxw/VeS78bFc89I/AAAAAAAACwg/YAydn4n9VO4/s1600/2015%2Brescued%2Bbutterfly%2Bbush%2B%25283%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VYqWGhJNxxw/VeS78bFc89I/AAAAAAAACwg/YAydn4n9VO4/s400/2015%2Brescued%2Bbutterfly%2Bbush%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This plant is developing a true trunk but may sprout from the base later</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 104%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 104%;"><b>Butterfly bush </b>has striking, dark green leaves with silvery bottoms, thanks to a thick coating of short wax 'hairs' </span></span></span>on the abaxial side of the leaf blades. The leaves are small, thin, lanceolate and entire with slightly serrate margins. They are one of those plants that are lovely to have around as they don't drop their leaves very often and when they do, the leaves are so small that they don't tempt people to rake them up. It's namesake comes from the beautiful purple (sometimes white) clusters of tiny flowers. The flowers are tubular with four tiny petals at the fringes of the tube. Hummingbirds, butterflies and other flying, nectar sucking critters love these flowers, so hopefully, this plant will act as a natural humming bird and butterfly feeder and we'll start seeing more of those lovelies in our yard again. At our previous residence, we had Salvia bush growing nearby which is also a great plant for these creatures to feed on. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmCcR_EXlO8/VeS76USm_zI/AAAAAAAACwQ/WlGeEXNX1cw/s1600/2015%2Brescued%2Bbutterfly%2Bbush%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmCcR_EXlO8/VeS76USm_zI/AAAAAAAACwQ/WlGeEXNX1cw/s400/2015%2Brescued%2Bbutterfly%2Bbush%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remnants of a previous flower stalk</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-x-Jb2Douo/VeTLORRCjAI/AAAAAAAACw4/92qczR0N5Fw/s1600/Swallowtail_on_Butterfly_Bush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-x-Jb2Douo/VeTLORRCjAI/AAAAAAAACw4/92qczR0N5Fw/s400/Swallowtail_on_Butterfly_Bush.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hopefully, ours will have flowers like this on it someday</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">We found </span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">this plant in a tiny little pot that was barely big enough for it, as evidenced by all the roots that were starting to emerge from the soil in the top of the pot and to circle the bottom of the inside of the pot. When we transplanted her, we gently broke those circling roots up and pruned the tips of them off to encourage them to start growing outwards into the soil-less media that we put in the current pot. We chose soil-less media because that was what was in the pot that we bought. It's best to try to minimize barriers created by sudden changes in soil texture and structure when transplanting as water doesn't travel very well from one type of soil into another type that is quite different from it. When that happens, you wind up with lots of water in the pot, but a dry rootball. The pot that we transplanted it into is large enough that it can stay in there until the bush is recovered from the shock of the poor treatment it was getting at the store and from being transplanted. She'll also benefit from being in the shade of a little palm tree <i>Washingtonia filifera </i>on the East side of the house until she's a bit bigger and stronger.<br /><br /><b>Later on</b>, when the shrub begins to grow larger and the branches start hanging over the edge of the pot, we'll consider locations to plant it. There's a good spot for it along the North end of the West facing wall where it will get partial shade from the house and nearby oleanders in the afternoon and it will get protection from the North wind in winter. We'll never put planting stakes on her as we've learned that trees and shrubs actually grow stronger and more stable without them, especially if you <b>don't </b>prune all the lower branches off in a misguided attempt to 'train' it into being a miniature, mature looking tree. We may build a raised bed for it at that time so that we can give it amended soil and plenty of rooting space more easily. That will be an interesting adventure that we're looking forward to sharing with you on here. </span><br />
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-58516208821817462152015-08-31T11:00:00.000-07:002015-08-31T11:15:02.958-07:00Noisy Vents Are 'Exhausting'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dirty, noisy exhaust vent</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>When </b>was the last time you turned on the exhaust vents in your ceilings? "What exhaust vents?" you say. Take a look at the ceiling of each room in your building. Depending on how your HVAC system (heating, venting and air conditioning) was installed, you'll see anywhere from one to several little vents up there. Unless your heating and air conditioning comes up from the floor (as ours does), you'll find all of the vents up there. In the bathrooms and maybe even the laundry room or kitchen, you may also find another vent that doesn't blow air when the AC is on. That's your exhaust vent. <br /><br /><b>There should</b> be a switch somewhere in that room that doesn't turn on a light when you flip it. Go ahead and flip it on. If you hear a gentle wooshing sound, that's good. That is the exhaust vent doing its job right. On the other hand, if it sounds a bit more like your vacuum cleaner or worse yet, the garbage disposal in your sink, that's <i><b>bad</b></i>! The only thing worse is if it makes <i><b>no </b></i>sound at all. That means you need to call an electrician to come and see if the thing is even wired up properly and then if the thing works at all. I have actually heard of people moving into a brand new home only to find out that some things, such as these vents or the exhaust vent over their stoves, weren't even wired up. If you don't find a vent at all, you need to contact that electrician (maybe even a carpenter if there's no vent pipe at all) to install one.<br /><br /><b>"What </b>do I need an exhaust for?" you ask. Exhaust vents (sometimes known as 'fart fans') help to draw <b><i>unpleasant odors</i></b> out of a room. They are especially helpful in rooms without windows as bathrooms and laundry rooms often are. If none of the windows in your building are open-able, there should be an exhaust vent in every room. <br /><br /><b>Humidity </b>isn't something that one thinks of worrying about when you live in the desert, but even here it can cause problems if it becomes excessive after everybody in the family has taken a shower especially. Warm, sunless, humid environments, such as your bathroom, are great habitat for all sorts of fungi. Mildew, that weird smell that damp stuff gets if it's been sitting around too long, is caused by fungi. You can even get mold on the inside of your bathroom cabinets, bottom of your sink and surfaces of your toilette and tub/shower, even the back side of the wall board or 'sheet rock' in your bathroom over time if the room is never aired out. <br /><br /><b>Exhaust</b> vents also help to draw hot air out of rooms thus making them <b><i>cooler</i></b>. As the warm air rises, it isn't trapped against the ceiling where it can then circulate back down to where people are if there is an exhaust vent to draw that hot air out. Some designers call this concept a <b>'heat chimney'</b> and are starting to install large ones in some of the more eco friendly buildings. The buildings at the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas are a prime example of how heat chimneys, in concert with ceiling fans and great insulation of walls and ceilings can cool buildings without hardly ever having to run air conditioners at all. Even in our little modular home, we find that we don't have to run the AC as often if the exhaust fans and ceiling fans (adjusted so that they draw air up rather than blow air down) are on all day. Those little motors that run them use much less electricity than the compressor for the AC does that's for sure. <br /><br /><b>Maybe </b>you know where your exhaust vents are, but don't use them any more than you absolutely have to because the things are so noisy that the annoying sound is stressful, even mentally exhausting to listen to. If that's the case, it's past time they were cleaned. Let's look at how to do that.<br /><br /> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once the cover is off, you can get to the actual vent</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <br /><br /> <br /><b>The first</b> thing you have to do is reach the ceiling safely. Find a sturdy ladder (one that won't make you shake like a leaf once you get up there) that is tall enough that you can stand on the second, better yet third, step from the top and still reach the vent without having to stretch your arms to their extreme and position it so that you won't be leaning over backward or too far forward to reach the vent. If you don't own such a ladder, borrow one from somebody or buy one. Don't risk your safety by cobbling something together or stacking stuff on top of each other. <br /><br /><b>Now </b>that you are up there, remove the decorative/protective plate that covers the vent. Each manufacturer seems to need to have their own way of doing it. If you aren't sure how to get it off, look it up in the manufacturer's manual. Most likely, you won't have the physical manual there, but you can usually look it up on their website by doing a search for the manufacturer adding in terms such as 'exhaust fan' and 'manual' along with it. This Broan exhaust fan has a weird wire hanging system that took a bit to figure out without breaking it. <br /><br /> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be sure to shut off the wall switch then unplug the fan unit before doing anything else!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><b>As</b> soon as you get the cover off, <i><b>unplug the power cord to the fan!</b></i> Sure, the wall switch is in the 'off' position, but it never hurts to be absolutely sure when it comes to dealing with electricity and things that spin really really fast. Not worth the risk of getting hurt. Unexpected, bad things like accidents are just that: unexpected. The exhaust fan can't hurt you though if it isn't getting any power. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get the big stuff with a vacuum cleaner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then, get the harder to reach stuff with a pipe cleaner</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>The tools </b>of choice are a vacuum (the most powerful one you have) with all of its extensions, the crevice tool and the brush tool followed by a sturdy pipe cleaner. Be gentle with these things and don't hit any part of the housing or fan too hard. If it won't come off with the vacuum attachments without smacking the housing with it, switch to the pipe cleaner and use back and forth motions as if you were brushing your teeth. We want this thing clean, but not broken. </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get in all the crevices on the front and back</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Pipe Cleaner made short work of the vent cover</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Now</b>, use the pipe cleaner to get in all those little cracks and crevices on the vent cover. Be sure to do both the front and back of it. Not only will it look nice, but most importantly, the air will flow more efficiently into the exhaust. The fan can not work its magic if the vent slots are plugged. That goes for lots of things including floor fans, AC air return panels, even the cooling vents on TVs, computers and the ones in your car (don't forget under the hood!)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now that it's all clean, make sure the wall switch is still in the off position and then plug the fan back in</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><b>Take </b>one last look to make sure it's all clean. Don't forget to get up in there with the pipe cleaner. Up in side the housing is where the air has to flow to get out of the house. Then, make sure the wall switch is in the 'off' position. Once you are sure, plug the fan cord back into the socket in the fan housing and put the cover back on. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done! Now it will look nice and do its job more quietly</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><br /><b>To</b> look at it, it may seem like we haven't done anything much, <i>but </i>when you flip the switch, you should now only hear a nice 'swoosh' of air. Your room will now be <i>cooler, less humid and less stinky.</i> It's not just the big, flashy things we do for our spaces, but also the little, rarely noticed things that make a big difference. The difference may even show up as lower utility bills. <br /><br /><br /><b>If </b>it still makes an awful noise, now it's time to call in backup and get an electrician. You many have to replace the exhaust fan. Letting it run in a plugged up, dirty condition for too long can ruin the motor. Hopefully, though, these cleaning tips will be all you need to do and will keep your exhaust vent or 'fart fan' running for a long time yet. </span>John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-1223188726433963852015-08-25T09:09:00.000-07:002015-08-25T09:09:16.581-07:00Control. Control! You must learn control! - Yoda<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Anger, aggression....the Dark Side are they.....</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Felt </span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">in the Force a disturbance, did I. I went outside this balmy, cool 80 degree morning, which is downright pleasant by Las Vegas standards, to carry out my daily morning ritual of enjoying our garden and making sure that nothing needed special attention. Every day, I check the soil for adequate moisture, the mulch and soaker hoses to see if they need re-arranged (our neighborhood cats love to redecorate the yard at night) and the plants to see if they are reasonably healthy depending on the species and where they are in their life cycle. <br /><br /><br /><b>Usually</b>, when I examine our surprise pumpkin vine, I notice a little insect damage, heat stress and general aging of the older parts of the vine and think little of it. It's what one can expect when a plant of this type is nearing the end of its life cycle and is starting to focus on fruit production. It is still getting a few new leaves and flowers, but they are fewer and farther between. I had long ago learned that plants do not have to look 'Better Homes and Gardens' Coverplant perfect in order to be pleasing....or so I thought. <br /><br /><b>For</b> some reason this morning, the insect damage on the pumpkin seemed so much worse than before. Bad enough, in my eyes, to jeopardize the nearly ripe pumpkin featured in my previous blog post. <br /></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The oldest leaves are being eaten alive!</td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>All </b>I could see in that moment was the damage and ooh! I had to find the culprits and make them pay! <br /><br /><br /></span><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsZ7Q3SMpTE/VdyACRsO7KI/AAAAAAAACrA/YqPmjSKYYmI/s1600/2015%2BSquash%2Bbugs%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bpumpkin%2B%252810%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsZ7Q3SMpTE/VdyACRsO7KI/AAAAAAAACrA/YqPmjSKYYmI/s320/2015%2BSquash%2Bbugs%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bpumpkin%2B%252810%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>There they are!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>But what </b>were they? Even in my fit of righteous indignation, I still had the presence of mind to go to my trusty home-built computer and look it up. According to University of California - Davis' Integrated Pest Management website (a great resource, be sure to bookmark it!) <a href="http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/pumpkin.html" target="_blank">A list of critters that love pumpkin as much as we humans do <br /> </a><br />This miscreant was a Squash Bug (Not the most inspired name, but it'll do) AKA <u>Anasa tristis. </u>To quote the site they are </span><br /><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">"0.63 inch long, grayish or yellowish brown, flat-backed, and somewhat speckled,
often with a dense covering of black hairs. Edges of the abdomen are orange or orange and brown striped.
Nymphs are pale green to almost white."</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>A moment</b> of translation may be in order. the 'abdomen' is the last segment of an insect, that is, the South end of a Northbound bug. 'Nymphs' in this case are not fairy tale creatures, but rather the younger versions of an insect. In some species, the nymph stage looks noticeably different from the adult stage other than just being smaller. Knowing what the young look like can help you spot an infestation sooner than waiting for adults to show up before you can recognize the critter. <br /><br /><b>That </b>was what I was seeing alright. To confirm, they had a lovely little mug shot of some adult versions along with another shot of the wilty result of the damage they cause as they suck your plants' leaves dry. <br /></span><br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaves on the left starting to wilt from damage. Note also the grayish nymphs taking a break from wreaking havoc on these leaves.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>So, now</b> I knew who my nemesis was, but what to do about him? UC-Davis' IPM page doesn't have anything very comforting to say for this momentarily impatient gardener: <br /><br /><i>" In spring, search for squash bugs hidden under debris, near buildings and in perennial plants in the garden. Inspect
young plants daily for signs of egg masses, mating adults, or wilting. Place wooden boards throughout the garden
and check under them every morning, then destroy any squash bugs found...."</i></span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Squash bugs are <b>difficult to kill</b> using insecticides because egg masses, nymphs, and bugs are often hidden near
the crown of the plant and difficult to reach with sprays. </span></i><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Several insecticides are available that are <b>less</b> toxic
</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">(</span></i></span></i><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">note it does not say harmless</span></span></b><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">)</span></i> to the environment including products containing soaps and oils such as neem oil, horticultural oil, and canola oil.
These soaps and oils are <b>most</b> effective on the <b>smallest nymphs</b>, but <b>good penetration throughout</b> the canopy is <b>essential</b>
so that nymphs under the leaves and deep within plants will be covered. Other <b>more</b> toxic pesticides are also registered
for use on squash bugs; <b>however, these materials should be used with caution because of negative impacts on bees
and beneficial insects</b> such as predators and parasites that help to keep other pest insects and mites in check. In
addition, they are </span><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">not likely to give better control than handpicking combined with softer chemicals. "</span><br /></b></i><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>So,</b> at this point where I had let so many of the Squash Bugs become adults and so much damage was already done, it was too late to waste my time and money on such things as Neem oil and insecticidal soaps since those, and even the 'harder chemicals' only work on the nymphs and only when you can get to the bottom side of every leaf and bit of debris in the garden. The shade cloth, logs and soaker hose that I had placed in my raised bed earlier this Summer to create a cooler, moister microclimate so that the little pumpkin and other plants could survive the dry heat was now working against me! Oh well, that's how it goes. <br /><br /><i><b>That leaves just 'hand picked'</b></i> and that's what I ran back out to the garden to start doing with abandon! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-agn8vfu6ZAw/VdyGQNFe9gI/AAAAAAAACrY/ElFPbd7bKic/s1600/2015%2BSquash%2Bbugs%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bpumpkin%2B%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-agn8vfu6ZAw/VdyGQNFe9gI/AAAAAAAACrY/ElFPbd7bKic/s640/2015%2BSquash%2Bbugs%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bpumpkin%2B%25285%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EVEN RESORTING TO FENCING PLIERS ON SOME OF THEM! <span style="font-family: inherit;">THEY DON'T BITE PEOPLE, BUT THE BIGGER ONES LOOK LIKE THEY COULD.</span></span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></td></tr>
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</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>I wetted </b>down the entire raised bed of plants with water (I'm fresh out of canola oil as I rarely fry anything) to flush the bugs out from hiding and started squishing! It's not for the squeamish as <span style="color: #6aa84f;">green goo</span> gushed forth from them each time I smashed one. Sometimes, I folded them up in the leaf they were on and squeezed the whole thing, other times I used my bare hands. On the bigger, nastier looking ones, I resorted to using my handy dandy fencing pliers that my mentor at the NRCS gave me years ago, saying "If you have a pair of these along with what you've learned, you are equipped to do a lot of our work." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <b>When </b>I couldn't find anymore that I could catch (they are adept at crawling out of the way and at falling off their perch when you aren't fast enough). I took a break....then realized that what I was doing was wrong. Not only was it futile, since I couldn't possibly find every Squash Bug, nor especially ever find all of their tiny eggs, but also because the vine was just about done doing its duty anyway. It has almost completely ripened the only pumpkin that is likely to survive the dry heat of my yard (others had started, but had shriveled up right on the vine from the heat), so what's the point of postponing the inevitable? <br /><br /><b>Even </b>if the Squash Bugs had never shown up, the vine would eventually shrivel up when the cold Autumn winds froze it anyway. Moreover, the pulp in this pumpkin that I'm so worried about is destined to wind up in a pie. The rest is destined to first be a jack-o-lantern, and then to be mulch for the seeds inside it....provided that it survives long enough to be picked. Either way, it's going to die and turn back into the nutrients from whence it came eventually.<span style="color: #38761d;"> <br /><br /><span style="color: #6aa84f;">"Death is a natural part of life.....Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not, miss them do not" - Yoda <br /><span style="color: black;"><br /><br /><b>If </b>I am going to commit to being an 'organic' and 'Earth friendly' gardener, shouldn't I be much more careful about how I attempt to exercise the powers at my disposal? Sure, I could spray the whole raised bed with pesticides ('organic' or not) and try to wipe them out...all of them. But there's no guarantee that I'd actually get all of them. In the meantime, I would be risking poisoning the very fruits that I hope to someday eat from the plants. I'd certainly be killing any beneficial insects that happen to prey on the bugs I'm so worried about for a living. Even though my squishing tirade didn't kill all the Squash Bugs, if I do have any predatory insects in my bed, they'll have slimmer pickin's for a while. They might even move on and leave my bed altogether if their prey population drops too much. <br /><br /><b>It would </b>be easier to spray than to squish, but then if I spray my own vegetables for bugs, why bother growing them at all? Why not just buy them all from the store? All of those are sprayed too. Even the allegedly 'organic' ones are probably sprayed at least with Neem oil (which isn't totally benign either and even has warning labels) otherwise, how could they send so many lovely looking fruits and veggies to the store? They can't possibly be turning most of their crop into compost since picky customers won't buy insect or disease 'damaged' produce...can they? <br /><br /><br /><b>I </b>could give into the Dark Side every morning and squish bugs until my hands were sticky with their fluids, but I'd still never get them all and I'd feel just as bad as I do when I pull 'weeds' from a bed. Who am I to say whether this plant or that bug is 'bad' or 'doesn't belong'? If we get carried away with pest control, are we really being 'green' or just being 'green-ish' when it suits our purposes? <br /><br /><b>As Yoda says, we must learn control. </b>Control of our own egos, emotions and short shortsightedness.<b> </b>Something to think about for me and for all of us.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A5HOWBj2gu4/VdyM_cvL1oI/AAAAAAAACro/fauMCcL7Arw/s1600/2015%2BSquash%2Bbugs%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bpumpkin%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A5HOWBj2gu4/VdyM_cvL1oI/AAAAAAAACro/fauMCcL7Arw/s640/2015%2BSquash%2Bbugs%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bpumpkin%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The leaves on my pumpkin vine may not look so pristine anymore, but my pumpkin is still growing. So are the peppers on this neighboring plant in the foreground (which the experts tell me the Squash Bugs won't eat anyway, just hide in). That's what matters, right?</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span><br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-17965251853793709272015-08-24T08:10:00.000-07:002015-08-24T08:13:22.012-07:00A Touch of Autumn in August<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-exBokZhTif8/VdssnzIh5DI/AAAAAAAACqA/_4jtKzC1zOc/s1600/P1060413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-exBokZhTif8/VdssnzIh5DI/AAAAAAAACqA/_4jtKzC1zOc/s320/P1060413.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've got a pumpkin ready for autumn decor! How'd this happen? Here's the story in reverse.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MCxumxWXd3M/VdssmL9gKrI/AAAAAAAACp8/hbLzdgXOfNs/s1600/P1060400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MCxumxWXd3M/VdssmL9gKrI/AAAAAAAACp8/hbLzdgXOfNs/s320/P1060400.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I knew for sure this wasn't going to be a squash :)<br />
<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yG5b26J8P-c/VdssiruM5kI/AAAAAAAACps/w1RpC8DCOtg/s1600/P1060378.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yG5b26J8P-c/VdssiruM5kI/AAAAAAAACps/w1RpC8DCOtg/s320/P1060378.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey! Here's a fruit! Note the soaker hose. It's coiled throughout the raised bed for even watering.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJev7WAo0_I/Vdssf-aEgGI/AAAAAAAACpk/FDN6PqaUNDk/s1600/P1060338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJev7WAo0_I/Vdssf-aEgGI/AAAAAAAACpk/FDN6PqaUNDk/s320/P1060338.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's Blooming! Aren't they pretty? I hear they are yummy too.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R9E5u_LOVOQ/VdsskXscBfI/AAAAAAAACp0/mGX6wBPlVFc/s1600/P1060386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R9E5u_LOVOQ/VdsskXscBfI/AAAAAAAACp0/mGX6wBPlVFc/s320/P1060386.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From a "Weed" in the flowerbed to this! Is it Summer Squash?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kCx7LgebGAo/Vdswvv2Of6I/AAAAAAAACqU/khjd88RyaoU/s1600/2015%2BPumpkin%2Bseedling%2Bmaybe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kCx7LgebGAo/Vdswvv2Of6I/AAAAAAAACqU/khjd88RyaoU/s320/2015%2BPumpkin%2Bseedling%2Bmaybe.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It all started out looking like this. This is another one popping up in another pot.</td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">If all continues to go well (our pumpkin vine is facing challenges from aphids, leafcutters and etc. now, but that's the breaks when you garden organically. We try to remove insect eggs and larvae by hand, but you can't get them all.), we'll have our own little pumpkin for a tiny jack-o-lantern! Raising your own plants from seed is fun. Give it a try. If you have, drop us a line below about how it went along with any questions you may have about growing plants from seed. <br /><br />Speaking of surprise plants, here's an update from my last post: the top ear of corn is starting to fill out and the silks are fully elongated. It's like waiting for Christmas morning, the anticipation of seeing how well the cob has been pollinated. Each plump kernel will be a female flower on the cob that was pollinated. </span>John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-85879205513191333962015-08-18T12:39:00.002-07:002015-08-18T12:41:04.996-07:00The Accidental Corn Farmer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2IbvB52AlU/VdOGvT-okZI/AAAAAAAACn8/vrUEuHwEl38/s1600/2015%2BTish%2BGarden%2BCorn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2IbvB52AlU/VdOGvT-okZI/AAAAAAAACn8/vrUEuHwEl38/s320/2015%2BTish%2BGarden%2BCorn.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This corn plant showed up volunteer!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r2rqMLjgyO4/VdOHgy9XypI/AAAAAAAACoE/Ky7l0frljCg/s1600/2015%2BTish%2BGarden%2BCorn%2B%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r2rqMLjgyO4/VdOHgy9XypI/AAAAAAAACoE/Ky7l0frljCg/s320/2015%2BTish%2BGarden%2BCorn%2B%25287%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tassle has opened</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l31beIO7oRI/VdOII5niKuI/AAAAAAAACoM/M4Bpzee-kic/s1600/2015%2BTish%2BGarden%2BCorn%2B%252810%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l31beIO7oRI/VdOII5niKuI/AAAAAAAACoM/M4Bpzee-kic/s320/2015%2BTish%2BGarden%2BCorn%2B%252810%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two ears emerging</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>You </b>just imagine my surprise when I came back from vacation this summer to find this growing in my raised bed! I didn't even know that corn kernels had fallen into the bed, but at least one must have. Now, we've got a corn plant growing in our little garden in Las Vegas. This picture on top was taken three weeks ago. Now, it has tassels on it (the male flowers) and the start of two ears (the female flowers)! We may wind up with an ear or two of corn by fall. It's been fun to watch this plant grow from a seedling to an almost mature plant over the course of a couple months. Good thing I know what corn seedlings look like and didn't mistake it for some species of turf grass. I didn't get a good picture of it when it was smaller but corn seedlings look like this next picture below that I found online. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jtnhnzho0pI/VdOJt79-isI/AAAAAAAACoU/Sc-b10zg490/s1600/fig1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jtnhnzho0pI/VdOJt79-isI/AAAAAAAACoU/Sc-b10zg490/s320/fig1-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <br /><br /><br />What adventures with surprise or volunteer plants have you had?<br /><br /><br /></span>John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-88583917953030265132015-08-13T10:42:00.001-07:002015-08-13T11:07:47.595-07:00Fun Plant of the Day: Gooseberries!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--FLOHMS7sjI/VczOKaLnH2I/AAAAAAAACnE/cK0PACVGyeY/s1600/P1060029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--FLOHMS7sjI/VczOKaLnH2I/AAAAAAAACnE/cK0PACVGyeY/s320/P1060029.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These goosberries are ready to eat!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KeOK_ZyEmAQ/VczOIlPaUGI/AAAAAAAACm0/uS5pMAFHEPc/s1600/P1060030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KeOK_ZyEmAQ/VczOIlPaUGI/AAAAAAAACm0/uS5pMAFHEPc/s320/P1060030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gooseberries grow in brambles and are wild in some places</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YJvnvvCWKjc/VczOJCf6ZCI/AAAAAAAACm4/i4-kWlqHX-E/s1600/P1060031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YJvnvvCWKjc/VczOJCf6ZCI/AAAAAAAACm4/i4-kWlqHX-E/s320/P1060031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They grow thorny canes with distinctive leaves</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wivg-YJgrH4/VczQoBglrWI/AAAAAAAACnQ/VpxkIp8ErZQ/s1600/Mountain_gooseberry_Ribes_montigenum_flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wivg-YJgrH4/VczQoBglrWI/AAAAAAAACnQ/VpxkIp8ErZQ/s320/Mountain_gooseberry_Ribes_montigenum_flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have tiny pinkish green flowers</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <b><i>G</i></b>ooseberries are members of the currant family and are widespread in Europe and parts of North America. There are two main strains of wild ones: <i>Ribes hirtellum </i>(which is native to America) and <i>Ribes grossularia </i>(from the Causcaus Mountains and Northern Africa). Most of what we buy today are hybrids of the two. Where I grew up in Nebraska, many homesteads, or places where the pioneers settled, have brambles of gooseberries growing wild long after the inhabitants of the homestead have gone. <br /><br /><b>The fruits</b> are soft, slightly sweet when ripe and so juicy! They are excellent in desserts of any kind, but are mostly used in pies, tarts and such. Most gooseberries are harvested while they are still green and then sugar or honey is added to the dessert to help cut their sharp tartness. They can be more tart than cranberries when green but are still plump and juicy. When you can manage to find ones that have fully ripened and are purple in the late summer / early fall, they are even good right off the stem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><b>G</b>ooseberry anything is so hard to find in Las Vegas that I always look forward to looking for them when I visit my parent's ranch in Nebraska. Once in a great while, <b>DuPar's at the Golden Gate</b> <b>Casino</b> has gooseberry pie, but that's the only place I've seen it. If you've seen gooseberry desserts elsewhere in Las Vegas, let me know. Another option is to buy canned or frozen gooseberries if you can find them and make your own dessert. Here's one:</span><br />
<ul class="ingredients">
<li class="ingredient">4 cups gooseberries (fresh, frozen or canned can be used)*</li>
<li class="ingredient">3/4 cup sugar (better yet, replace with 3/4 cup honey)*#</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/4 all purpose flour (unbleached if you can get it)*</li>
<li class="ingredient">Pinch of salt</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 tablespoon butter*</li>
<li class="ingredient">Pastry for double-crust pie (or already refrigerated pie crust) (Mom's 'secret' crust recipe adds cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of sugar to the dough for a crust with actual flavor) <br /><br />*May need a bit more than this at altitudes above 3,500 ft as many of us in the Southwest are.<br /><br />#May need less of this if you can get actually ripe, purple berries<br /><br />Directions:<br /> </li>
<li><span class="txt">Stem and wash gooseberries. Put in large mixing bowl. Combine sugar/honey, flour and salt in a smaller mixing bowl. </span></li>
<li><span class="txt">Add sugar/honey mixture to berries, then toss gently to coat the fruit. (if you use canned berries you can skip this step as they are already in syrup) </span></li>
<li><span class="txt">Fill
a pastry-lined nine-inch pie plate with the gooseberry mixture; dot
with butter. Adjust top crust. Seal and flute the edge with a fork. Make
four slits in top of crust. Baste the crust with a butter and salt wash for a really golden brown crust. Cover crust with foil if desired. </span></li>
<li><span class="txt">Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes (possibly longer if you live at elevations above 3,500 feet) </span></li>
<li><span class="txt">Remove foil and bake another 25 minutes or until golden brown. </span></li>
<li><span class="txt">Cool on a wire rack. (Cover with a tea cloth since we are in a low humidity environment here in the Southwest)<br /></span><span class="txt"></span><h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you have any recipes for gooseberries, please share them below.</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>T</b>hey grow great in Nebraska, and further Northeast because they have cold winters with mild summers. They can be grown with great care in the Southwest, but do best in areas of high elevation if you don't want to have to tend to them too much. Here in Las Vegas, I would have to grow them as houseplants so that I could provide the shade, humidity and water they need. They may survive outside in dappled full shade if they are near a water feature such as a waterfall or fountain, but they would have to be in containers to provide the well-drained slightly acidic soils that they are used to. It could be a bit like trying to raise ferns here. I'm sorely tempted to try it though as I so love the fruit that gooseberry brambles produce. <br /><br /><b>I</b>'ve heard from folks at the Nevada Cooperative Extension Office that <b>blackberries and boysenberries</b> can be grown in Southern Nevada with enough irrigation and shade, but they didn't have any information about gooseberries. If I decide to try it, I'll keep you posted on what happens. <br /><br /> </span><br />
<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-86702115231417525472015-08-07T14:07:00.000-07:002015-08-13T10:44:24.507-07:00What is a Palm and How Do We Care For Them?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rd9L-kXy98w/VcT_mc6y6xI/AAAAAAAACko/6KUm7YQ5KB4/s1600/Healthy%2Bpalm%2Btrees%2Bat%2Ba%2BCalifornia%2BArboretum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rd9L-kXy98w/VcT_mc6y6xI/AAAAAAAACko/6KUm7YQ5KB4/s320/Healthy%2Bpalm%2Btrees%2Bat%2Ba%2BCalifornia%2BArboretum.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unpruned but healthy Mexican Fan Palm <i>Washingtonia robusta</i> at Fullerton Arboretum, CA </td></tr>
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<b>A</b>reas around the world with a Mediterranean climate such as The Middle East, Florida, The Caribbean Islands and even places in the American Southwest have both native and introduced species of palms that grow well. Las Vegas and Palm Springs are especially well-known for having palm lined streets and palms in many landscapes. These popular plants are often referred to as 'trees' but they don't really grow nor behave much like most of the trees we are familiar with. What are they and how do we take care of them? We're going to briefly discuss those two questions in this blog post. <br />
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<b>T</b>his information is based on personal experience as well as discussions with teachers at the College of Southern Nevada's Ornamental Horticulture Department and University Research Extension Service circulars from both The University of Nevada Reno and The University of Florida. The extension services of these and a few other universities have even more detailed information about palms than we are going to go into here. We encourage you to look into it if you are interested in learning more. We can also discuss these topics in depth in the comments section if you would like. <br />
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<b>F</b>irst, what is a palm really? There are two families of plants that are commonly called 'palm trees': Palmae and Cycadaceae. Most are in the Palmae family, but at least one commonly planted 'palm' in the Southwest is in the Cycadaceae: the Sago 'palm' <i>Cycas revoluta</i>. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;">Female (in background) and Male (in foreground) Sago Palms (<i>Cycas </i><span style="color: #0000ee;"><i>revoluta</i>)</span></span></td></tr>
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<b>B</b>oth palms and cycads are<b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">dioecious </span></b><span style="font-weight: normal;">meaning that there are separate plants in each species: one being female and the other male. You have to have a male plant nearby for the wind to carry its pollen to the female plants if you want fertilized fruit. Some species of palms have edible berries or dates as long as they come from fertilized flowers. This is beneficial to landscape designers since if you don't want to deal with the fruits falling on the ground, you can plant a male of the species. On the other hand, if the people who will be near the plant the most have hayfever, you can plant the female plant instead to reduce the pollen count around the property. Most of these plants do not flower until they are several years old, the exact age varying among species and depending on the health of the plant. You can also prune off the flower stalks before they start dropping pollen or fruit without hurting the plant. Removing <b>flowers</b> is <u>harmless</u>. Removing <b>leaves </b>is <u>harmful. </u> <br /><br /><b>N</b>either palms nor cycads are true trees. They have significant differences in their anatomy and their behavior from what most real trees are like. Palms are more closely related to grasses than to pines or deciduous trees and have anatomy somewhat similar to grasses although they are not anywhere near as tolerant of being pruned or cut as most grasses are. Cycads are more closely related to pine trees in that they have a similar sort of flower structure as other gymnosperms (broadleaf plants that do not produce showy flowers). Most trees will recover rather quickly from being pruned, even severely cut however palms and cycad species either recover extremely slowly or not at all depending on where the cuts happen. <br /><br /><b>T</b>he most critical difference between palms and cycads versus most other plants we are familiar with is how they grow. Both have their <b>primary growing point at the very top of the plant.</b> If the buds at the top of the main stem are removed or killed (by frost, sun scald, pesticides, insect damage etc.) the plant will <u>never</u> recover from it and will be stunted at best, or begin to decline and die rather quickly at worst. They cannot sprout at the base of their trunks as many trees can in response to damage. They also lack true bark. What some call the bark on these plants are just overlapping leaf bases and a porous material similar to what you see in the middle of a grass stem. If this is damaged, it never scabs over and leaves wounds that make the plant more susceptible to insects and disease. <br /><br /><b>M</b>ost species of palms also start very short and stay that way for many years as their trunk diameter gradually increases. Once the trunk has reached the <b>maximum diameter</b> for the species (also depending on the plant's health), the trunk <b>will begin to grow taller</b>. When the palm has reached its maximum height for its species (groups of palm species are capable of achieving different heights with species such as California Date Palm and Canary Island Date Palm being among the tallest at around 60 feet tall and pigmy palms such as </span><i>Phoenix roebelenii </i>and Sago palms that only get about eight feet tall at the most), it will begin to age and decline, living less than 100 years in most cases. The shortest species, tend to be multi-trunked and spread out more, so they need more square footage of clearance where they are planted. Trying to prune a multi-trunked species so that it looks single trunked is a<u> huge mistake</u> and will make the palm fall apart as it grows bigger. Almost all palm species should have at the very least 10 to 20 feet of space or more between the mature sized trunk and traffic areas, power lines etc. to avoid having to prune them because they are 'in the way'. <u>Never plant a palm or cycad right up against any solid object such as a wall, fence, sidewalk etc. or you are asking for trouble later on. </u><br />
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<b>T</b>here are two main appearances of palms: <b>'Feather' and 'Fan'.</b> The feather types have leaves that look like a bird's feather since they are so deeply lobed that they appear to have hundreds of long, narrow 'leaves' growing out from the central axis of the leaf in a sort of herringbone pattern. Fan palms look more like the palm of a persons hand or ceiling fan with wide leaves that appear to be almost completely entire with lobes of varying length (depending on the species) extending beyond the solid part almost like little fingers from a persons hand. The solid part usually looks corrugated like a piece of tin or carboard. All types of palms produce strong, stringy material from the leaf margins with the strings being longer or more abundant on some species than others. California Fan Palm<i> Washingtonia filifera</i>, for example, has so many of these threads that it is how it got its name. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fan Palm leaf style vs Feather style</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yrzg7qQY_AQ/VcURGa76fuI/AAAAAAAAClE/LrYWFcWNmxo/s1600/010418-washingtonia-filifera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yrzg7qQY_AQ/VcURGa76fuI/AAAAAAAAClE/LrYWFcWNmxo/s320/010418-washingtonia-filifera.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">California Fan Palm<i> Washingtonia filifera </i>with its threads</td></tr>
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<b>In</b> general, the feather type palms tend to do better in full sun than the fan palms do here in the Southwest, so it does make a difference which type you plant in certain locations. It especially matters what exact species you plant as some species get much bigger, height or width, than others. <br />
<b><br />We</b> recommend <b>Pygmy</b> <i>Phoenix roebelinii </i>and <b>Sago</b> 'palms' for most residential purposes in Las Vegas as they don't get very tall and are easier to care for than the palms that get huge. If you have the room and want a really hardy palm <b>California Fan Palm</b> <i>Washingtonia filifera</i> which is actually native to the Southwest and grows wild in oasis in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. The younger of a plant you get, the better it will survive the transplanting process and the healthier it may be later on. It is sometimes easier to tell what sex the plant is once it is several years old. <br />
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<b>P</b>alms should be planted in the <b>late spring,</b> after the last hard freeze, but way <u>before </u>temperatures start getting up into the 100's. It is a myth that palms establish best when it is really hot. They should be watered almost daily as they get established, but only need water occasionally once the root system has anchored in. When they are watered, it is important that they are irrigated long enough for water to moisten the soil down to the bottom of the rootball. Light watering will leave them drought stressed. However, that does not mean that they will tolerate saturated soil for long. They need to be planted in soil that drains quickly such as a fine sand or loamy sand. They do best with irrigation water that soaks into the soil around the root zone of the trunk (from the trunk out several feet, depending on the species and age) rather than having water sprayed at them. In fact, our high pH water can actually cause salt damage to the trunks and leaves of palms when it is sprayed. <br />
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<b>P</b>alms also need a <u>lot </u>of <b>Potassium (K)</b> and usually need it supplied by a low Nitrogen (N), low Phosphorous (P) but high Potassium fertilizer. Over-supplying Nitrogen and Phosphorous runs the risk of polluting the ground water since the soil needs to be fast draining and over-fertilizing will not benefit the plant. Potassium deficiency is the leading cause of most of the poor performance we see in palms. Having leaves that droop, turn brown and 'need' pruned off (they never need pruned off as long as humans don't decide that they have to be) every year is a sure sign that the palm is lacking K and maybe other nutrients. It is also probably not getting enough water either. <br />
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<b>Most</b> palm species have <b>leaves that live three to five years at least, and as long as 10 years </b>when the plant is really healthy. Also, the 'dead' leaves are beneficial to the plant as they provide physical support to the younger leaves above them; protect the trunk from temperature extremes; and gradually release their nutrients back to the rest of the plant as long as they are still attached. In fact, yearly pruning can lead to chronic K deficiencies that actually wind up causing even more rapid leaf drop and shortening the palm's lifespan. <br />
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<b>Some</b> palm species hang on to their old leaves longer than others but all of them will shed the leaf when it is totally drained of mobile nutrients and has dried out completely. Some shed dry leaves a few at a time over a very long time period, like evergreen trees do, while others will shed several all at once. How clean you feel the area around your palm must be is something to consider when picking a palm species to plant. If you are a neat freak or have others around you who dictate that nothing can stay on the ground, it's best to either not plant a palm at all, or to pick species that produce very little fruit, the smallest fruit, drop leaves less often and, if you can get them, the male of the species. That species usually winds up being the <b>Sago 'palm'</b> as it has tiny berries, delicate leaves and drops them very seldom. <br />
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-85726782406046696072015-07-30T13:03:00.000-07:002015-08-13T10:45:19.208-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oleanders pruned properly by yours truly</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same Oleanders pruned wrong by someone else</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I've been pruning these Oleanders for several years. This year, I wasn't available when the owner decided to have them pruned. The person who they hired was asked to cut just a little bit off the top so it doesn't stick above the glass of the windows. That person chose not to listen and did way too much. <br />
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Now, I will do my best to heal the Oleanders back up. It will take a long time. Many species of shrubs wouldn't even recover from a severe cut like this. Oleanders are among the very few that can. They will most likely start sprouting from the base before they begin to look like they used to be. We will probably have to cover them with sheets on cold nights this winter to prevent frost damage. We may try planting Buffalograss underneath instead of Lantanas as the owner has now informed me that they don't want a lot of growth under the Oleanders. Buffalograss will only get three inches tall or so out here. <br />
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This is a good lesson to learn. Be careful who you hire. Make sure you find someone who actually knows what they are doing and will actually listen to you instead of doing whatever they usually do. <br />
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<span id="goog_1445386264"></span><span id="goog_1445386265"></span><br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-46075865005470699502015-07-07T10:28:00.001-07:002015-07-07T10:37:36.018-07:00Soak up the water around your property, don't make it run away!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LGU2vfDW5yU/VZwHyD7u9QI/AAAAAAAAChs/FcYMDY4jMsA/s1600/P1050888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LGU2vfDW5yU/VZwHyD7u9QI/AAAAAAAAChs/FcYMDY4jMsA/s320/P1050888.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This mulched bed has the start of a rain garden at the toe (or base) of the slope. We'll be planting small cacti and annual flowers into it this fall. This trench slopes towards the middle from both ends rather than towards the street.</td></tr>
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<b>Even though</b> we don't get much rain in Southern Nevada, rarely more than two to three inches a year, we still get a lot of runoff and even some flooding when it does happen. Also, irrigation leaks and activities such as washing your car at home and hand watering can lead to runoff if not done carefully. <br />
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<b>It's impractical </b>and downright silly to demand that people stop using water outside and there is nothing we can do to stop cloud-bursts from dumping rain on us (why anyone would want to, I don't know since rainwater is the best irrigation one could hope for). But we can make an effort to keep what water we do have on our properties and out of the storm sewers. <br />
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<b>The easiest solution</b> is to reshape the landscape around your property. You still want the soil to slope away from your buildings, but it can then slope towards the middle of a flower bed or lawn rather than towards the street. It can usually be done by hand with shovels and maybe a pickaxe if needed. One can dig a trench or a series of holes around the property. The deeper you dig them, the longer they will last before they need dug out again. <b>Always be sure to call your utility companies and whoever installed your irrigation system before you dig to make sure you don't wind up digging up a pipe or wiring!</b> Then, slope the soil gently to direct the runoff towards the digging. The bottom of the hole or trench is then lined with crushed rock to help maintain drainage. Some people add geotextile fabric below the rock, but I've found it doesn't really help and just gets in the way when you need to re-dig the hole. You can either fill the whole trench or hole with crushed rock or add layers of coarse sand or fine gravel on top of it. <br />
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<b>To make it even better</b>, you can turn this into a rain garden and plant lovely flowers in and around the trench or hole. Be sure to only use annuals or biennials (plants that live only two years). Perennial plants will develop tough root systems that will make it really difficult to re-dig the trench later on. <br />
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<b>Others</b> have done such a great job of diagramming and describing rain gardens in detail that I will leave a link below so that you can go to their page rather than trying to make my own. Just be sure to ignore any advice on these pages that suggests planting perennial plants, trees and/or shrubs in or near your rain garden. <a href="http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/raingarden_design/whatisaraingarden.htm" target="_blank">Low Impact Rain Garden Design Templates</a><br />
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<b>This article</b> (in .pdf form) from the University of Nevada Reno does a good job of summarizing the many ways one can soak up rain, irrigation and spill water rather than letting it run off. I couldn't really say it much better myself so I'll recommend it to you. <a href="http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/nr/2010/fs1048.pdf#search=%22rain%20gardens%22" target="_blank">Ways to make water soak into your property</a><br />
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<b>This website</b> is excellent in that it helps explain the difference between two terms that get used interchangeably but mean quite different constructions and that are often confused with rain gardens: french drains and swales. These are both similar to a rain garden only they actually direct runoff away from the property, but at least slow it down first compared to just a smooth pipe running from a grate or a concrete trench. This website is done by an association of certified home inspectors so their information is pretty reliable. May as well make your home and business construction pass inspection by design rather than having to re-do it later after it is inspected. <a href="http://www.nachi.org/french-drain-inspection.htm" target="_blank">French drain inspections </a><br />
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<b>Finally</b>, if you are considering installing or repairing the pavement in your driveway or sidewalks, here's a more environmentally friendly option to concrete that will also help keep water on your property rather than letting it run away. It's a vendor neutral article by a non profit organization so it's facts rather than hype. <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/1106.asp" target="_blank">Permeable Pavement</a><br />
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<b>Not only</b> are these permeable pavers and paving systems good for soaking up water, but they are actually easier to do compared to mixing and pouring concrete. I've done enough laying of concrete to know that I'd rather not do it if I can help it. :) <br />
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A rain garden can <b>enhance</b> the beauty of your property and help manage runoff at the same time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain gardens can be established with or without a drain to the sewage system. They are great to install around existing drainage systems to slow and sometimes even intercept the water before it gets to the drain. </td></tr>
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540195565562271546.post-46701267819467446932015-06-30T14:37:00.000-07:002015-06-30T14:37:27.430-07:00Mobile Home Makeover: The Dining Room<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ofLqo_18yw8/VZMK4sndV1I/AAAAAAAACgM/HY1cpbOc6A8/s1600/2015%2BTish%2BHouse%2BRedecorating%2B%252829%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ofLqo_18yw8/VZMK4sndV1I/AAAAAAAACgM/HY1cpbOc6A8/s320/2015%2BTish%2BHouse%2BRedecorating%2B%252829%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This dining room had become a dysfunctional and uncomfortable home office.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6xr-A6w0gio/VZMLDOVPBzI/AAAAAAAACgU/qWUMrk5jXCQ/s1600/P1050885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6xr-A6w0gio/VZMLDOVPBzI/AAAAAAAACgU/qWUMrk5jXCQ/s320/P1050885.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a bit of clutter management, clever re-arranging and interior decorating, we've enhanced it! Now, it's both a dining room and home office that is fully functional and comfortable for the whole family. They can even put leaves in the heirloom dining table and invite guests over now. </td></tr>
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<br />John E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02939543959370126926noreply@blogger.com0