Eco Gardeners

On the 11th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Our home & garden should be phosphate-free.”

What is phosphorus and why are so many counties and states throughout the US regulating its availability in household and lawn/garden products?

Phosphates are found in most fertilizers (the “P” in the N-P-K plant food nutrient ratio), especially formulated for lawns, and are present in consumer products such as detergent, baking powder, toothpaste, cured meats, pharmaceuticals, and water softeners.  Within the past decade research is concluding that an excess in phosphorus is very damaging to our water and marine life.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified eutrophication (over-enrichment with nutrients) as the main threat to water quality. In most cases the nutrient of importance is phosphorus.

With the inclusion of phosphorous in our waterways, the decrease in oxygen severely inhibits the growth of many aquatic organisms, especially fish (e.g., recreational catch fish such as trout) and in extreme cases may lead to massive fish kills. Excessive input of phosphorus can change clear, oxygen-rich, healthy water into cloudy, oxygen-poor, foul smelling, toxic water. Therefore, control of the amount of phosphates entering surface waters from domestic and industrial waste discharges, natural runoff, and erosion is recommended to prevent eutrophication.

The Maine Extension Office reports that 90% of lawns tested in the past five years would not have been any greener with the addition of phosphorous. This means that our lawns and lawn care budgets can stay healthy without using phosphorous. When looking for a do-it-yourself or commercial lawn care program be sure to find one with 0% phosphorus, such as The Happy Gardener’s Lawn Feed n’ Weed and Lawn Conditioner.

Check the ingredient list when choosing garden & lawn fertilizers. Products that include animal manure will also contain high levels of phosphorous. Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture Sciences & Natural Resources reports that one of the major concerns associated with manure application is the buildup of phosphorous in the soil. This occurs because manure contains more phosphorous than the crops/vegetation require. Choose products that do not contain manures such as The Happy Gardener’s full line of organic, vegetarian plant foods, pest control, weed control and lawn care.

Spring is here and more and more Americans are turning to our backyards to provide us and our families with healthy produce.  Growing our own vegetables, fruits and herbs allows us to monitor specifically what we put into our garden soil, which in turn will feed our edibles, which in turn will feed our bodies.

Whether the home gardener eats a vegetarian diet or not, it is a smart idea to start treating our gardens and lawns like one. By eliminating the use of animal by-products as plant fertilizers, we  significantly decrease the risk of bacteria contamination such as E. coli & salmonella (bad for us) and excess phosphorus buildup (bad for water supplies).

Animal by-products and manures have been used by home gardeners as routine fertilizer for garden plants and lawns and are found in most conventional and organic products sold in stores and garden centers. However, choosing vegetarian alternatives (plant and herb based) will provide us with health benefits for our families and the environment without sacrificing effectiveness and quality.

By checking the ingredient list on the product label you will be able to see if the particular plant or lawn fertilizer contains animal by-products. The vegetarian gardener wants to stay away from products containing ingredients such as urea, poultry litter, manure, bone meal, blood meal, feather meal. Vegetarian alternatives include plants, herbs, vegetables and grains as the nutrition source for garden and lawn performance.

The Happy Gardener has offered home gardeners a full line of high quality, organic, vegetarian plant foods, pest control, weed control and lawn care since 2006.We are committed to helping gardeners learn effective, easy and affordable ways to ‘grow your own’ healthy and safe plants.

For more information or to have your questions answered, please call us at 877-798-9280 or visit our main web site www.thehappygardener.info

The Happy Gardener offers an Organic Holiday Tree Preservative that will prolong the freshness and vitality of your cut tree!

SeaResults for Holiday Trees is an organic, monthly tree food that is safe to use around children & pets & will give lasting results.

Check it out at http://www.shopthehappygardener.info/stor/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=277&idcategory=2

Watch our YouTube video demonstration at:

SeaResults Holiday Tree Preservative Video

Roses are my most favorite flower to grow. They provide the most colorful, perfect blooms that enhance any outdoor or indoor living space. Whether they are growing among your perennials or are the focal point of a formal accent garden or are enjoyed in vases in your home, roses bring a fragrance and beauty like no other horticultural specimen.

Many people are disheartened by the common threat that roses are difficult to maintain. Disease and pests can turn many away from even attempting to grow them.  The thought of using so many harmful chemicals can also discourage the inclusion of rose bushes in the garden.

I have been growing roses for as long as I have been gardening. And I have not used anything other than organic, non-toxic products on them for summertime maintenance and care. Following are some of my tried and true tips for continued beautiful, low-maintenance and ORGANIC roses:

• Condition the Soil: Healthy, organic soil will provide roses with a safe garden home and will encourage healthy, strong stem and leaf growth. Provide a summertime feeding by adding some compost or an organic soil conditioner (I recommend Happy Naturals Soil Conditioner for Roses) around the perimeter of the plant and cultivating it into the top 2-3 inches of soil will give roses a well-deserved boost.
• Water: Roses like to be watered at the roots. Limit water getting on the leaves and stems as humidity and water can lead to fungus and disease.
• Deadhead: Removing dead blooms will encourage reblooming. I recommend pinching spent blooms right off from the base of the bloom leaving as much foliage as possible. After deadheading, water your rose plants with an organic nutrient supplement such as SeaResults Micronutrient Solution.
• Pests and Disease: If you see signs of aphids or Japanese beetles you can either pick them off by hand or use an organic pest control. I recommend Outdoor Foliar Feed as it is made from 100% vegetable oils and takes care of pests and provides nutrients that will enhance leaf color. If you see signs of black spot remove the affected leaves, discard and treat your plant with a fungus preventative to eliminate risk of spreading.

These are some easy ways to keep your roses looking beautiful all summer long. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at annette@thehappygardener.info or post a comment/question below.

As you grow your own organic vegetables, fruit and herbs this season, you may want to rethink your fertilizing methods. We all know that to get the best harvest plants need quality organic feedings throughout the summer, however, just because you are using organics doesn’t mean you’re using the healthiest plant foods.

• Remember the 2006 recalls of organically grown spinach and the 2007 tomato contamination? “Food safety is not an organic versus conventional issue,” says Shelly Diaz, spokesperson for the Center of Disease Control. Organic farmers using animal manure as a fertilizer method need to be careful of harmful bacteria such as E.coli. This strain of bacteria is found in the lower intestines of all warm-blooded animals and the O157:H7 strain that causes the most cases of food poisoning in the U.S. comes from cow manure that comes in contact with groundwater used on crops such as spinach.

• Though E.coli receives more publicity because of its severity, the CDC reports more cases of salmonella than other type of bacterial illnesses in 2005. Salmonella bacteria also live in animal waste.

• I recently saw a segment on 20/20 reporting an average of 5,000 U.S. annual deaths resulted from ingestion of contaminated food.

The Happy Gardener’s exclusive line of Happy Naturals organic plant foods and soil conditioners do not contain any animal by-products. We use certified organic vegetable and grain based ingredients in all of our garden and lawn care products to ensure the safest and healthiest produce for you and your family.

Fall is here and it’s time to fertilize. Why now? Taking the time to fertilize in the fall will strengthen your plants’ and lawn’s roots, giving them a strong base on which to survive the winter and thrive next spring.

• The first thing to understand about fertilizer is the formula, which is represented by three numbers such as the common conventional 10:10:10. The first number represents nitrogen, which promotes lawn blade and foliage growth; the second number stands for phosphorus, which helps root growth; and the third for potassium, which promotes cell function and absorption of trace elements. With organic gardening it is important to understand that the NPK ratio should be 1/3 of conventional formulas.

• In my opinion, all trees and shrubs need fertilizer, because most of them are located in mulch beds that use up nitrogen as they decompose. In addition, every fall homeowners usually rake leaves off these beds, depriving plants of the nutrients that decomposing leaves would traditionally release. To compensate, I recommend applying a balanced, slow release soil conditioner containing micronutrients to the bed and cultivating lightly.

• I prefer fertilizing trees in late September and early October to promote root growth. These nutrients will still be in the soil come spring when plants start to grow. If you have a tree or shrub that does not flower well, a fall feeding will help promote spring/summer flower growth. However, if the plant is not located in the right spot, all the fertilizer in the world won’t make it flower.

• Overall, the basic goal of fall fertilizing and organic gardening for plants and lawns is to promote root growth. When you have strong roots, you have healthy plants with numerous flowers.

Fall Lawn Care Calendar: Want to know when to do what to your lawn? Click here for complete details.