How do I keep my lawn green in the summer?

If you have a lawn, you want to make it greener. If you live in an area like we do (Idaho), it’s also very hard to get the right type of grass for your lawn. There are three varieties of grass: Cool-season (northern part of the US and Canada), Warm-season (southern-most states), and transition zone (hardiness zones 6-7).

So, once you have the variety you should, making sure you water properly is incredibly important. You want to make sure you water in the morning – not the afternoon- so you don’t lose water through evaporation. Make sure you water until you have moisture 6-8 inches down. Otherwise, your grass’ roots (heh) will be too short and won’t be resistant to drought.

There is also evidence to show your grass height correlates to root depth. So basically, if you cut your grass too short, the roots will be too shallow and not resistant to drought. It’s best when you mow to only cut about 1/4 inch off the top. The other negative to having too short of grass is it will allow enough sunlight for weeds to take hold. On the other hand, if it’s too long, it begins to thin out and kind of look like prairie grass.

When grass is cut (most plants do this, actually), the plant will put more energy into spreading out and you’ll get a more thick, lush looking lawn. But, of course, you can’t just mow your way to a healthy lawn.  Sorry!

So nutrients – We love our Lawn Mix – it’s got quickly available nitrogen, which is awesome for a green lawn. The dry analysis is about 30-10-10, with 12% calcium and 5% sulfur. Extreme Blend, of course, is great for any growth promotion as well.

But what about weeds? Is there a way to get rid of them without using chemical fertilizers? Well, yep. Vinegar is a great way to kill weeds, although you have to be careful because it will kill your grass, too. Just make sure when you are going after the dreaded dandelion (dun dun duuuuuuuuuhn), that you pull the dandelion (get as much of the taproot as you can), and spray the vinegar solution as well.

You may have to do this a few times as dandelions roots can go as deep as 10 inches and will regrow if there is any viable root. Another valuable piece of advise is to get the dandelions in the fall if possible. They are not as strong over the winter and if you weaken them enough, you can get quite a few of them for good.

LAWN MIX EXTREME BLEND

Powdery mildew . . . how do I get rid of it?

Powdery mildew is one of the most frustrating and recognizable plant diseases a gardener will experience. Depending on the plant type affected, it can either be merely unsightly, or it can cause a reduced yield of buds and fruit, and can affect the flavor of what does appear.

Powdery Mildew

What plants are susceptible to powdery mildew? Well, there are several strains, and because of that, most plants are susceptible to one form or another. You see it a lot in roses, lilacs, cannabis, zinnias, and several food-bearing plants like beans, cucumbers, squash, grapes, and melons.

Usually, powdery mildew will not actually kill your plants. It’s definitely ugly and frustrating, but not usually fatal. However, it can be very tricky to get rid of. In fact, the best thing you can do is prevent it in the first place. If you don’t over-plant an area, that helps a lot. An oddity about powdery mildew – it doesn’t require direct contact with water to spread, like most other mildews. It does, however, grow best in humid, warm climates with cool nights. So basically, it does best in late summer.

Keeping this in mind, it’s best not to use a nitrogen-rich fertilizer in late summer, as nitrogen encourages growth of succulent tissue, where powdery mildew does best. Plants also are more resistant to powdery mildew when they are healthy, and fed the nutrients they need early on in the season.  MKP (mono-potassium phosphate) has been shown to suppress powdery mildew, and it’s great because the dry ratio is 0-52-34, so you won’t be adding any nitrogen at this critical time. Used as a foliar spray, you’ll see great results in suppressing the powdery mildew.

MKP

So basically, you won’t normally lose a plant from powdery mildew, but you’ll definitely feel its’ effects. Get rid of the affected areas of the plant if you can, and don’t compost them. Normal compost temperatures aren’t hot enough to kill the spores. Make sure you give your plants plenty of air circulation by not over planting in any one area, and give them the right amount of sunlight on their leaves (certain plants, of course, are more shade-loving, so double-check before you plant one in an area that’s too sunny). This helps to inhibit spore germination in the first place.

Happy Strawberries . . . Happy Strawberry PIE!!!

Alright, so I mentioned last week I was going to be posting some fun recipes for all the delicious foods that will be coming out of your gardens – well, here we go! So I love love love fresh strawberries. The only thing better is fresh strawberries in a pie. Mmmmmmmmmmm. So I found this recipe (this one is for pie crust), and I have to pass it on to you!!!

Now, this recipe is called “Strawberry Pie” (original, right? Hah!), and oh my goodness . . . sooooooooo good.

You need 1 quart fresh strawberries, the pie crust, 1 cup of white sugar, 3 TBSP cornstarch, 3/4 cup water, and then heavy whipping cream to top.

Arrange half the strawberries in the baked pie crust, and mash the rest. Combine them with the sugar, in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. In a small bowl on the side, mix cornstarch and water. Gradually stir this mixture into your boiling strawberries. Reduce heat and simmer, about 10 minutes, until it thickens (stirring constantly). Pour over the berries in the pie crust, and chill for several hours. Yummy!!! Then top it with your whipped cream if you like.

Now, if you’re like me, you love a good strawberry pie. But even better than a good strawberry pie is a good strawberry rhubarb pie. Holy cow. So good. So here is an amazing recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb pie.

So there ya go! Yummy recipes for your strawberries!  And please, send us recipes you’ve found for your produce! We’d love it!

What are the benefits of using organic fertilizers?

There are sooooo many different varieties of fertilizer out there! And there are upsides to most of them. We are pretty partial to the natural varieties, of course, but even synthetics do have benefits. For one thing, usually you have a quicker uptake with synthetics.  Your real difference is your objective. Do you want to increase the nutrients in your soil for a long-lasting improvement overall, or do you want quick uptake?

The problem with quick-uptake synthetic fertilizers is they tend to kill off a lot of beneficial life in your soil, thereby necessitating their use again and again. They are also not sustainable. If you are smart with your organic fertilizers and nutrients, you can turn your soil into its’ own micro-system teeming with worms, vegetation, healthy bugs, and all sorts of nutrients your plants can use.

Healthy soil is such a beautiful thing, isn’t it?

So your soluble chemical fertilizers will contain a lot of mineral salts so they are absorbed quickly. But, as stated before, they don’t provide a food source for microorganisms or earthworms, and can actually repel earthworms. Worm castings are hugely beneficial to your soil, as they output a huge number of beneficial microbes.

These microbes assist in growing healthier plants, improving soil texture, and providing water soluble nutrients to the plants in your garden. We have two products containing worm castings – our Potting Mix and our Compost Tea Starter, both of which are excellent organic nutrients for your garden.

The nice thing about organics (besides actually helping your soil) is that they are usually mild enough you won’t burn your plants. You can, of course, overdo just about anything, but it’s much more difficult with kelp, for instance, than with most synthetic fertilizers.

Kelp Field

Kelp’s benefits are pretty cool, too. You can use our kelp as a soil additive, foliar spray, transplanting aid, to promote additional buds, and to extend the shelf life of your fruits, veggies, and cut flowers. Kelp contains over 60 nutrients which help your plants organically.

Another great product is Bat Guano (this always reminds me of Ace Ventura lol). Bat Guano helps blooms development and fruits ripen, and it’s really most effective to use it in the root zone of your plants.

Bat Guano

So basically, there are tons of options you can use to organically improve your soil. We feel the best way to help your plants is to help your soil, so we very highly recommend all our organic products.

POTTING MIX COMPOST TEA STARTER KELP BAT GUANO

Growing happy strawberries

There really isn’t much more summer-y an activity than picking and eating strawberries fresh from the garden. Warm from the heat of the sun, red, they smell wonderful and taste even better. There is something so satisfying about eating your own harvest.

The Mad Scientist’s very own strawberry harvest.

Strawberries aren’t super difficult to grow, but there are a few things which are helpful to know in advance. For one thing – don’t expect berries the first year you plant. You may get a couple, but your second harvest will be much more plentiful.

Strawberries are really kind of cool – they send out a”runner” which put out roots and grow a whole other plant – a “daughter” plant, it’s called. These daughter plants also send out runners, and so on. Strawberries will sprawl over a pretty huge area if you let them, although your first and second generation plants will give you your best yields.

The first year you plant, don’t let the plant send out and grow too many daughter plants, however. It will detract from the very necessary building of a root system in the main plant. Also, if you do happen to see flowers and/or fruit on the plant the first year, it’s really a good idea to pull them and not let them grow – again, it detracts from root building.

The second year, it’s a go! You don’t have to worry about pulling fruit or anything like that – at least, until it’s time to eat! And then, go for broke! Although – interesting fact – it’s a good idea to get berries off the plant at least every 3 days, so the plant can reroute it’s energy to other areas. So yes – you have an excuse . . . er . . . a reason .  . . to be out there picking berries all the time. 

As far as technical aspects – strawberries like a pH of about 5.5 – 7, so they are pretty forgiving. Don’t forget, you can use our pH Up and pH Down to get your soil where it needs to be. It’s also a good idea to begin incorporating compost (use our Compost Tea starter) a couple weeks before you plant.

There are a few different varieties of strawberries, as well, and you can choose depending on your location and the way your summer goes. All these varieties do require 6-10 hours of direct sunlight, though, so make sure to take that into account when you consider placement.

Day-neutral: these berries aren’t sensitive to the length of the day, and will produce runners, flowers, and fruit as long as your temperature remains between 35 and 85.

Everbearing: these berries will produce fruit in the spring and the autumn. You will get berries in the spring from the flowers formed the previous autumn, and the plant will produce flowers during the long days of summer, and fruit in the autumn.

June-bearing: I’m sure you can imagine when you get berries off this plant. These berries are sensitive to the length of the day, and produce buds in the autumn, then fruit the following spring. You’ll see the plant send out runners during the long days of summer.

It’s also a good idea to use row protection (we used a black mesh over ours – you can see in the photo of the Mad Scientist’s berries) to keep birds off your berries!!!

So enjoy! And yes, we’ll be posting recipes for these delicious berries!!!

PH UP PH DOWN COMPOST TEA STARTER

So what do I do with all these tomatoes?

So you’ve grown all this produce, it looks and tastes wonderful, and now what? You can’t eat tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner . . . oh wait – yes you can!!!

First of all – there are a ton of things you can do with tomatoes once they are harvested!!! You can freeze them, boil them, cook them into spaghetti sauce, salsa, picante sauce; and of course – you can eat them fresh.

To freeze them, simply put them in a freezer bag and stick them in the freezer. You can also blanch them and remove the skin first if you like, but either method works fine.

You can make tomato soup – and there is no better tomato soup than that made with your own tomatoes from the garden. Here is a really good recipe for fresh tomato soup:

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

You need 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, 1 slice of onion, 4 whole cloves of garlic, 2 cups chicken broth, 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp All-purpose flour (or if you’d like to make it gluten free, use corn-starch (or gluten-free AP flour) and eyeball it), 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp white sugar, or just to taste.

Put everything but the butter, your thickening agent, the sugar, and the salt into a stockpot and gently boil it for about 20 minutes. Then run it through either a food mill or food processor and strain it. In the stockpot, melt the butter, stir in your flour and let simmer until it’s light brown. Then gradually add in your soup mixture (so you don’t get lumps do it slowly), and add the salt and sugar to taste.  I got this recipe here, and it’s amazing.

There are so many other ways, too – Salsa is my favorite, and the Spaghetti sauce you can make is literally amazing when you use fresh tomatoes. Not to mention, there is something so special about eating your own produce, isn’t there? We’ll do a weekly recipe for you folks to try out, and don’t be afraid to send us your favorites!

You can sweeten your produce by adding molasses to your growing regimen – we have it for only $22.95 per liquid gallon, or (since we are Kelp4Less, and Paying for Water Sucks) you can purchase it in powder form for only $16.95 per pound! This makes a gallon of liquid if you add the water yourself  .

MOLASSES MOLASSES POWDER

AY ay ay!!! Peppers!

Ay ay ay! Peppers! Lol. So, I love peppers. They are so varied. You have sweet peppers, spicy peppers, KILLER spicy peppers . . . they are so different and wonderful. So I did a little research around the web and found some fun FAQ’s and some really good tips on growing peppers. Enjoy!

Black Jalapeno Peppers

Peppers are really really cool (hah! get it?). They are beautiful in your garden, super-simple to store, and you can make a TON of things with them. The satisfaction of growing your own ingredients to make salsa is pretty great, I have to say.

There are a few different categories of peppers, including Sweet, Specialty, Southwestern, Specialty Hot, and Ornamental. They are all really cool, and I found an awesome article about peppers and a chart to help you determine which peppers are best for you here.

Bell Peppers

Peppers like a pH between 6.0 and 6.5, a sunny area, and warm conditions. However, if you are in a cooler climate (like Idaho, for instance), you can use row covers at night to help out with this. Also, peppers are verysimilar to tomatoes and require much the same care. One thing to remember – make sure your soil drains well, as standing water will really encourage root rot in your peppers (and tomatoes).

For some really good information on transplanting tips (which will be excellent for tomatoes, too) –  check out this article on Organic Gardening’s website. One thing I found interesting is they recommend to take your peppers outside the first time on a cloudy day, so they don’t get sun shocked. Very helpful!

For taste: Lack of water can produce bitter peppers – who knew? As for making your peppers hotter – there is a lot of conflicting information out there. Pepper Joe says you can’t. It’s all to do with genetics. However, there was a study done in 2008 showing spicier peppers appeared where there was more water, whereas less spicy peppers thrived in areas where water was more scarce. So it seems as though spice-less peppers are more drought-resistant . . . but honestly, who knows?

Ghost, Jalapeno, and Habanero Peppers

In my humble opinion, if you want a really spicy pepper, you should pick a hot variety (habaneros, ghost, etc),  take the seeds from your hottest yield one year, and just keep propagating that pepper until it’s as hot as you like it.

Peppers can experience Blossom-end Rot just like tomatoes, and also Blossom Drop, so you want to make sure you regularly water (don’t let them dry out and then drench them), and don’t let them get too hot. They will drop their blossoms if temperatures rise above 95°-ish.

Watch for aphids. They are awful little buggers. However, they are reasonably simple to get rid of – organically. First – if you have ladybugs, just be patient. They get rid of aphids. Otherwise, you can spray the aphids with Garlic/pepper spray – recipe here. Note – since aphids are soft-bodied insects, our Diatomaceous Earth won’t get rid of them – sorry!!!

Aphids

GMO Labeling – What can you do?

As you know (or may not know, in which case check out our Blog on GMO foods here), a GMO is a Genetically Modified Organism. The issue of GMO-labeling is a major one here in the United states, and GMO-labeling bills have already passed in Connecticut and Maine. We fully expect more to pass in many more states across country.

Companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft, Kellogg’s, and General Mills have spend millions of dollars trying to fight the passage of these bills, even though they already label GMO-foods in more than 64 countries across the globe (by the way, this includes all of Europe, Russia, China, India, South Africa, and Syria).

Just this last year, Prop 37 to label GMO’s in California. Monsanto was the top contributor, with around $8million. Pepsi was 2nd with around $2 million, and Kraft and Coke following with $2 million and $1.7 million respectively. The question remains – why would these companies be so opposed to telling us what is in our food??? The American people have consistently shown that 90% would support GMO-labeling of foods. 26 states have introduced legislation just this year to pass GMO-labeling laws. It seems like a pretty clear case of demand – so where is the supply?

We like the website: http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/ for information regarding upcoming and ongoing legislation around GMO-food labeling. They are up-to-date with their information and gaining more and more influence every day. Washington State has introduced “Initiative 522″, and is already garnering some real opposition. There is already $1 million in opposition from Monsanto, Dow, The Grocery Manufacturer’s Association, DuPont, and Bayer.

However, the “Yes” group is gaining momentum too, and this looks like it could actually pass. For more information, check out Food Democracy Now’s website, above.

Flowers form on my tomatoes, but they never turn into fruit – Why?

If you’ve grown tomatoes or peppers for any length of time, chances are you’ve had this situation: your plants look great, flowers form, and then they . . . drop. No tomatoes. What?!?!?!

Blossom drop, as it’s commonly called, is usually caused by a sudden change in temperature, or when you see daytime temperatures above 95° Fahrenheit and nighttime temperatures above 75° Fahrenheit, nighttime temperatures below 55° Fahrenheit. Most commonly you will see this issue from heat. The tomato or pepper won’t be able to sustain the fruit, so they don’t produce it. They will, however, produce fruit once there is a cool-down. This can also be made worse by a lack of moisture and/or high winds.

Looking in the picture above, on the left are two healthy tomato branches. You can see the swollen area with an arrow pointing to it. This stem will produce fruit. See the broken area on the right with the arrow pointing to it? This will not produce fruit, and is breaking because of Blossom Drop. A healthy tomato branch will be swollen and full, like the non-broken one above.  If the plant can’t sustain any additional fruit, it will drop the rest of the flowers as seen above.

So what can you do? Well, mulch is a great way to keep your plants warm if you are expecting a temperature drop. In the case of lack of moisture, obviously you want to water consistently. Hoop tunnels with shade cloth are a great way to regulate daytime temperatures.

Hoop tunnel with shade cloth

The one thing you can do to aid your plants to be able to produce fruit when the temperature allows is to make sure they are fully fed. You want to make sure you give them plenty of Nitrogen, so they are healthy and happy when the time comes to produce fruit.

Amino Acids are an excellent organic source of Nitrogen to aid your plants – we sell it for only $12.00 per pound! You can use Amino Acids as a Foliar spray, soil additive, or hydroponically. Also, our Extreme Blendhas a wonderful Nitrogen content (from Amino Acids), as well as our soluble Humic Acid, Fulvic Acid, andKelp.

All these products will help, and your plants will thank you for it. Once they are able to produce fruit, you can increase their yield by making sure they are prepared. You can also use Compost tea for this, and we have an awesome starter kit to get you going.

COMPOST TEA AMINO ACIDS EXTREME BLEND

Mycorrhizae – a fascinating fungi . . .

So you know we sell Mycorrhizae. And you hear quite a bit about it, but no one ever tells you what Mycorrhizae actually IS. In short – it’s a fungus. But there is so much more to it than that.

In researching Mycorrhizae, I was stunned to learn how much plants actually depend on these fungi to thrive. Soil, especially when it is nutrient-deficient, is made so much more valuable by the addition of Mycorrhizae.

There are a few different classifications of Mycorrhizae – Ecto and Endo being the most popular. Basically, theEctomycorrhizae variety forms a sheath around your plant roots. Endomycorrhizae actually penetrate the roots of your plants. But what do they really do? And isn’t it bad to have fungus in your soil?

NO. It’s not at all bad to have certain fungi in your soil. There is a very healthy, symbiotic relationship that occurs between your plants and Mycorrhizae. One huge benefit of Mycorrhizae is they increase your plants ability to uptake what water and nutrients there are from the soil.So if you don’t have the greatest soil, Mycorrhizae will help your plants get as much as possible from it. Also, because of the ability to make the most of the water in the soil, this will help your plants be more drought resistant.

One really cool thing Mycorrhizae do is to send out microscopic shoots from the plant roots. These will help to break up the soil and increase air and water into the root zone. In excessively sandy soil, it will bind together to hold more moisture.

Mycorrhizae will also enhance the rooting of your cuttings, help increase root generation, increase salt tolerance, and even reduce transplant shock. These are hugely beneficial fungi. They have been found in the roots of plants up to 400 million years old – that’s crazy!

The cutting on the left was treated with Mycorrhizae. The cutting on the right was not.

Another huge benefit of Mycorrhizae is they are sustainable. This addition of Mycorrhizae actually improves your soil year after year, instead of depleting it like so many commercial fertilizers do. Indeed, Mycorrhizae are not a fertilizer – they are an addition of a symbiotic fungi to help your plant be more self-sufficient.

Mycorrhizae

One other fungi that deserves mention here (especially since we have it in a combo pack with our Mycorrhizae) is Trichoderma. Trichoderma are fungi which are naturally occurring in soil as well, and help to suppress plant pathogens and have been in use and studied extensively since the 1920′s.

Trichoderma produces antibiotic substances, and since the Trichoderma colonize the plant roots (and will also sometimes penetrate the roots), this helps the plant to resist disease. Trichoderma can actually dissolve the cell wall membranes of other pathogenic fungi that may attempt to infect your plants.

Trichoderma can also aid hydroponic growth through their ability to increase the plants’ ability to uptake several nutrients, including copper, phosphorus, iron, and sodium.

Trichoderma

So it sounds like these might be kind of difficult to deal with, considering they are live. But really, it’s very simple. For the both the regular Endo Mycorrhizae and the Trichoderma and Mycorrhizae blend we sell, simply 1 dry ounce with 1 gallon of water, and spray well. This will cover about 150 square feet. You can also use this mixture for a root dip or a transplanting aid. One thing to remember – don’t store this product for more than two days once it has been mixed; use the product within 12 months of delivery, and store it in a cool, dry area. TheEndo Mycorrhizae is only $14.36 for 4 ounces, which will make 4 gallons of product. Myco and Tricho blend is only $8.50 per ounce.

ENDO MYCORRHIZAE MYCO AND TRICHO BLEND

As always, if you have any questions, please call us! 208-346-7194.