OK... Who Sold Me This Metric Watering Can?

 


Today's garden quiz: Farmer Fred wants to fertilize his citrus tree. 








The fertilizer instructions state: mix 1 tablespoon of water-soluble fertilizer with one gallon of water.



 




Farmer Fred has a 10 liter watering can.







 



His measuring scoop is one ounce.








How much fertilizer should Farmer Fred mix with into a full container of water?
a) Where's a fifth-grader when you need one?
b) Where's Google when you need one?
c) What am I doing with a watering can measured in liters;   was Jimmy Carter re-elected?
d) Measuring is for wusses. Just guess!
e) Screw it. I'm going for a single malt Scotch.


Outdoor chores frequently involve mathematical calculations. How much mulch do I need for the garden bed? How many square feet are under that oak tree? And most importantly, how much beer do I need for tonight's barbecue?

For those of us who are number-impaired, here are some quick tips:

• Keep all your measuring devices in one spot. You might get lucky and find one with the right calibrations, either metric or whatever we call our weird-ass system. 

• If someone asks, play dumb.
And that's not just good advice to avoid solving garden math problems in your head. You can get away with sneaking into the kitchen and stealing the good measuring utensils once. But as soon as you answer the question, "Honey, where is the measuring cup?" with "Oh, I'll get it; it's next to the Malathion..." you'll be immediately off to the store to buy a new measuring cup.

• Get a water and dirt-resistant case for your smartphone. And you, too, can just reach into your pocket, whip out the Internet, and discover the handiest search phrase on Google: "convert ounces to tablespoons". And the answer pops up without a further hunt: "2 U.S. Tablespoons." (Don't confuse the issue, asking about liquid vs. dry. Have a little faith, will you?)
Then, peck in with your wet, dirty index finger: "convert 10 liters to gallons". Voila! There are 2.64 gallons in 10 liters.


And now comes the dangerous part: doing the rest of the equation in your head. So, Farmer Fred would need to use slightly more than a scoop (a little over one ounce) of fertilizer in that 10 liter watering can. Can you say "heaping"?


And the worst part? Your smartphone is now encrusted with dirt and water.


• Other handy garden formulas:
  

• To determine the area of your yard, multiply the length by the width (both in feet). The answer will be in square feet.

• To determine the diameter of a circle (such as a tree trunk): circumference divided by 3.14. To measure the circumference of a tree trunk, wrap a fabric tape measure (or a piece of string) once around the trunk, about waist high.

• To determine the area of a circle: 3.14 times the radius squared. When measuring the area beneath a tree, the radius can be calculated by extending the ruler from the trunk to the drip line (the furthest extension of the tree branches).

• Approximately one cubic yard of mulch will cover 100 square feet with three inches of mulch. A more exact formula: Area (in square feet) times depth of mulch or compost you want to apply (in inches) divided by 324 will give you the number of cubic yards to purchase.

• 27 cubic feet equal one cubic yard.

• Three teaspoons equal one tablespoon. Two tablespoons equal one ounce. 16 tablespoons (eight ounces) equal one cup.


• Google.

 

Don't Overfeed Your Plants, Warn the Garden Professors

One of my favorite blogs to follow is "The Garden Professors", a collaboration of horticulture experts from Washington State University, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota  and Virginia Tech. They could easily subtitle their blog, "Everything You Know is Wrong". 

The postings there have included such topics as the wrongheaded practice of heading back trees in nurseries, how alcohol stunts plant growth, using fabric softener sheets to thwart fungus gnats or linking to how-to garden videos that will make you cringe.

In a recent posting, Linda Chalker-Scott , Horticulture Professor at WSU, compiled extensive research findings on the relationship between excessive fertilizers and plant susceptibility to pests and disease.

 

Her conclusion: like too much candy given to children, too much fertilizer will sicken your garden plants.

Her more surprising solution: just feed your landscape trees and shrubs mulch. 

"For routine landscape needs," she reports, "use woody mulches rather than fertilizers and nitrogen-rich composts. This 'slow food' approach not only benefits your plants, but provides ideal habitat for mycorrhizal species, which have been shown to help restrict root uptake of excessive nutrients, while assisting with uptake of less available ones."

And another little gem hidden in that quote: mycorrhizae actually help plants avoid overeating (where are they when I need them?).

What about annuals, especially garden vegetables? Another of the "garden professors", Jeff Gillman of the University of Minnesota, cautions against using "balanced fertilizers".  The problem? When using a product like a 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 or 16-16-16, you may be adding excessive amounts of phosphorus and potassium to the soil, which is then susceptible to runoff, polluting our waterways. "I like a ratio of about 5-1-2 or 5-1-3 for an N-P-K ratio in a general use fertilizer," says Gillman.

The only improvement I would like to see to that blog would be to change the way to search for previous entries. The right sidebar lists the blogs by month, with no dropdown menu of titles. Even though their categories of "recent posts" and "by interest" is helpful, a more detailed list of titles would help gardeners find some of the best researched information for their garden problems.

The Garden Myths Quiz

     Why should your kids have all the fun this time of year in school? Here's your end of the semester, Garden Finals Quiz. All answers are true or false:

1. Vitamin B-1 aids in reducing transplanting shock for new trees and shrubs. 

2. Don't plant trees in the summer.

3. Landscape trees need annual applications of a nitrogen fertilizer to stay green and healthy.

4. You have to buy new seeds for flowers and vegetables every year.

5. The only fertilizer your new bulbs need at planting time is bone meal.

6. The mounds of dirt created by earthworms are harmful to your lawn.

7. Water your lawn every day in the summer.

Answers:

 
1. False. University research has shown that Vitamin B-1, by itself, does not reduce transplant shock. It's the other ingredients in that container, the small amounts of fertilizer, that do the job. 

 

Save your money and just use a diluted, complete liquid fertilizer at planting time.
 

2. False. If you plant a tree correctly, water it regularly while it is getting established and use a mulch to conserve moisture as well as cool the soil, a summer-planted tree will grow.
 

3. False. In tests conducted by University of California Cooperative Extension agents, applications on newly planted and established landscape trees of quick release fertilizers or slow release fertilizer showed no growth difference compared to trees where no fertilizer was added. The key, though: start with a healthy soil before planting. Add compost throughout the area. Top with several inches of an organic mulch.
 

4. False. Stored properly in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark location (such as under your bed or in the vegetable crisper drawer of your refrigerator) most seeds can remain viable for two or three years, perhaps longer. Exceptions include high water content seeds, such as corn.
 

5. False. Bone meal is just one element, phosphorus. A better choice at bulb planting time: a complete, balanced fertilizer that contains not only phosphorus, but also nitrogen, potassium and necessary micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, manganese and iron.
 

6. False. Earthworms are actually improving your lawn. They aerate the soil and add nutritious compost via the castings (the mounds) they leave behind. If you find the mounds unsightly, just rake them down back into the soil.
 

7. False. Lawns only need to be watered two or three times a week in the summer. Just be sure to water deeply.
 

Scoring:
0-3 correct: Add these two excellent garden references to your reading list: the Sunset Western Garden Book and the California Master Gardener Handbook. (find out more about these books on the links to the left, "Farmer Fred's Brains in a Box: Recommended Garden Books".

4-5 correct: Your thumbs are well on their way to being totally green.

6-7 correct: You probably have the healthiest yard on your street!