Eco Gardeners

Mid-summer is the time when homeowners begin panicking if their lawn is not looking up to par. The emphasis is usually on green, full and pest/weed-free lawns.
Many lawn problems are simply symptoms of poor soil or growing conditions, or just poor lawn care practices over the years. It is amazing how often people with less-than-perfect lawns think that it must need more water. The emphasis should be on learning what a healthy lawn is, and what you can do to make or keep your lawn healthy.
A healthy lawn growing in organic soil will result in rich color, and it will crowd out many weeds and will be highly resistant to disease, drought and insects.

Water becomes more precious with each passing year. As a gardener or homeowner, it is imperative to know as much as possible about using water wisely and doing what you can to improve your lawns, plants and soils so as to obtain the best possible water management.
Choosing the best grass for your climate, giving it the best care to promote healthy and deep root systems, and improving the soil so it holds water better are all going to influence your water needs. To learn about grass types contact your local extension office. For help with establishing healthy root and soil systems contact The Happy Gardener.
According to an article in last years’ USA Today, entitled “A Drought for the Ages”, one third of the country is experiencing drought, and in some areas this has been going on for almost a decade. David Bach, author of Go Green, Live Rich, states that “we use up to 7 billion gallons of water a day on landscape irrigation, a third of all residential water usage.”
Following is some useful information to consider when planning your mid-summer lawn watering schedule:
• The Need for Water: Grass plants have to take in most of their basic nutrients dissolved in water and through their roots. Without enough water in the soil, a lawn can’t get to the nutrients it needs for food production, growth, defense and reproduction. In this situation, the grass can shut down, dry out on top and go dormant. The grass will come back to life when there is sufficient soil moisture. It is actually better for grass health to let it go completely dormant than to keep it just barely green and growing with light watering.
Keep in mind that water is not just to keep your lawn green – water is also needed when you want to keep the soil improvement processes going. If you are working on improving your soil with organic soil conditioners and/or compost, you want to keep the soil somewhat moist. When soil dries out, earthworms disappear and microbial activity and thatch decomposition ceases. It doesn’t begin again until there is sufficient moisture in the ground.

• Don’t Water Too Early In the Spring: There is no point in watering the lawn before the grass actually needs it, and there is some benefit to delaying watering. You want to get the roots of the grass to dig deeper for water as the soil dries out. If the soil is constantly saturated with water, the roots won’t have the incentive to grow deep. If you want to know how dry the soil is, dig into it with a spade to see for yourself.
Begin watering your lawn when soil has dried out well into the root zone. A good indicator of the appropriate time is when you can see footprints in the lawn after you’ve walked over it.
• The Best Time to Water: Watering in the morning, before the heat sets in is the best possible time to irrigate a lawn. The next best time is late afternoon/early evening when the sun’s rays are less intense. Night time watering is generally frowned upon due to higher disease potential. The reason for not watering in the heat of mid day is simply that you are going to waste some water due to evaporation.

• How Much Water? Homeowners are always asking “How long should I water?” and “How many inches should I water?” Turf pros generally agree that the amount of water a lawn requires whether through rain or through your sprinkler is ¾ – 1 inch per week. This amount is for lawns that are actively growing and not dormant or in a slow growth stage.

David Bach gives a good tip to see how much rain is falling each week. Simply place a cat-food size can outside. If rain fills it to the brim each week, you don’t need to water at all.
Now that you have a clear idea of what your lawn needs to establish a healthy and deep root system, you will be better able to plan your water-wise, green lawn. Please let us know if you have any questions and if there is anything we can do to help you and garden.

The heat of the summer is now showing in drooping and drying-out containers.  Save your beautiful blooms and plants by following a few simple tips. Getting ready for your summer vacation? These tips will help protect your containers while you’re away:

•    Water early in the morning to decrease evaporation
•     Add succulents to containers that require less watering such as sedum
•    Add a layer of Coir Fiber as a top dressing to your containers. The coir fiber will retain moisture and will protect plant roots from heat, PLUS its environmentally-friendly!
•    The Happy Gardener’s Store n’ Feed Gel can be added to existing container plants simply by using a pencil to make 4-6 holes in the soil. Fill each hole with ¼ teaspoon of the gel powder. The gel acts as a water reservoir for plants.
•    Install a rain barrel to collect rain water to use for watering your containers. Click here for more information on how you can make your own rain barrel.

Summer is a time of beauty with flowers and greenery galore.  Indoor plants bring many decorative and health benefits to your home living space. Read on for some interesting houseplant research provided by AOL and Prevention:

1.    Plants Fight Stress:  Virginia I. Lohr, PhD, a professor at Washington State University has been studying the subject for more than 30 years. It’s suggested that evolution wired humans to know that plants are essential to survival, so seeing one makes us calm and settled.
2.     Plants to Boost Creativity:  Studies show that plants are a mood booster, and good moods are associated with higher levels of dopamine, the hormone that controls the flow of information throughout the brain.
3.    Plants to Fight Colds:  Dry air can lead to a parched nose and throat and raise the risk of infection or sinusitis, says Michael Janson, MD, author of User’s Guide to Heart-Healthy Supplements.
4.    Plants to Cut Toxins:  When plants take in oxygen and carbon dioxide, they also pull in any toxins floating around in the air, says Kyle Wallick, a botanist at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. The toxins travel through the plant, ending up near the roots. There, bacteria in the soil break down the chemicals into nontoxic compounds that the plant uses for food.

•    In one study from Washington State University, people in a room of plants including the Chinese evergreen had a 4-point drop in their systolic blood pressure after taking a stressful test, compared with only a 2-point drop in a group that had no exposure to plants.  In another study, the arrowhead vine helped induce a 4-point drop in systolic blood pressure among stressed-out test subjects.
•    In a study from Texas A&M University, women who worked for an hour in a room decorated with two potted plants and a bouquet of flowers generated 13% more ideas than women in a room with abstract sculptures.
•    Studies show that plants are a mood booster, and good moods are associated with higher levels of dopamine, the hormone that controls the flow of information throughout the brain.
•    Houseplants can inject moisture back into the air and boost humidity by up to 5%, finds research from Bavarian State Institute of Viticulture and Horticulture in Germany. According to a study from the Agricultural University of Norway, people with table and floor-standing plants in their offices reported 37% less coughing.
•    The small openings on the underside of an ivy plant’s leaves release moisture into the air, boosting humidity to alleviate cold symptoms. Because of English ivy’s high volume of leaves, horticulturists recommend it as one of the most effective cold-fighting plants.
•    In one study from the Agricultural University of Norway, people with office plants including the heart-leaf philodendron reported 37% less coughing and 25% less hoarseness after 3 months than when they left their offices plant-free.
•    Peace lilies paired with a few other plants, including the heart-leaf philodendron, can boost a room’s humidity by up to 5%, finds a study from the Bavarian State Institute of Viticulture and Horticulture. In the dry winter months, this small increase is enough to relieve dry throats and noses.
•    Three Janet Craigs cut VOCs in a 130-square-foot room by up to 70%, finds research from the University of Technology in Australia.