March Monthly Newsletter
We have undergone one of the most depressing winters I can remember. The snow melted just as another arctic blast coated the ground with more snow. Black ice threatened our driveways, walks, and parking lots and the chance of falling was always present. We spent time housebound in fear of going out. I found closing the Nursery for three months in the winter was not relaxing. When we had the heat on in the greenhouses I used to love working in them. On a sunny cold winter day the flowering plants lifted my spirits and the sun provided solar heat. The greenhouses were warm and comfortable. My father always said he never needed to go to Florida all he had to do was go down into his greenhouses. Customers would come to take a walk just to get there winter fix. It’s amazing how Mother Nature can affect our moods. I can’t wait for warm weather, for the grass to turn green and for the early bulbs to poke their way through the ground with the first signs of spring color. On Monday March 2nd Sprainbrook Nursery opens its door for business. There will be a lot of work that we will need to do to get ready. Annuals and vegetables to be seeded, plugs to be planted, organic supplies to be received and displayed and repairs to be made. Last fall we blended over 20 yards of organic soil which we have stored in the basement of the Garden Center. Soil which is not only good for transplanting but for starting seeds. We are ready and anxious to get started. We need to fill our greenhouses with beautiful organically grown plants. Organically grown plants perform better in gardens and will outperform anything that you will be tempted to buy on the mass market shelves. I have chosen varieties for you that will fill your yard with a floriferous display of color. We refer to this trait in annuals as flower power.
Lets all make the organic movement part of our yard this year. We need to work together to turn around the destructive path that we have created by following a chemical approach to gardening. We need to change agricultural education to focus on healthier food production. We are stuck with a system that was created under false pretenses that cheap chemical fertilizers are the solution to the world’s hunger problem. We have created an agricultural society, farmland, infra structure and a mind set in our country that is difficult to change. We the people must force this change if we want to avoid the destructive course we are on. The solution to this complex problem starts in your backyard garden. Once we change the mind set of our population we will be able to come up with the solutions that we as a country need to employ to solve this problem.
I was taught by one of our leading Agricultural institutes the chemical way to grow plants. I ended up spending the better part of my life following this approach. When Rachel Carson wrote her book ‘Silent Spring’ which was the start of the organic movement in this country I sided with our Agricultural Universities which were in an uproar about her writings. Our institutes cited the tremendous amounts of lives that DDT saved by killing mosquitoes that were spreading Malaria in 3rd world countries. They cited how important pesticides were to combat the insect epidemics occurring in our world. Rachel Carson pointed out the tremendous damage that is done to our environment by applying these very potent insecticides. She showed us the terrible effects that can occur when we upset the balance of nature. She pointed out that there are better solutions to our problems and that we need to work with nature and not against her.
Our educational teachings continue to focus on cures rather than prevention. We have made tremendous advancements in both our medical profession and our Agricultural endeavors in curing disease but very little in preventing them. Had we reversed our energy and resources we would have had a lot less to cure. Cures are important but prevention is even more important.
Climate change has created one of the most turbulent periods in our history. The damage from droughts, storms and temperature changes has cost us millions of dollars and great suffering. Too much co2 in our atmosphere is considered by most to be causing global warming and upsetting good weather patterns. Most is blamed on burning fossil fuels which we release into our atmosphere. Our concerned politicians have been working to reduce carbon emissions which is a great cause for us to embrace. There are other avenues we also need to pursue. The Rhodale Institute in a 23 year study compared conventional farming to organic farming. They found that organic soils trap atmospheric carbon dioxide and convert it to carbon a key component in healthy soils. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers speed up the decay process so that it is released into our atmosphere as carbon dioxide rather than stored in our soils as carbon. A scientist once calculated that if we increased our organic contents of our farmland by just one tenth of a percent it would offset all of the co2 produced by burning fossil fuels. Using organic plants to take the carbon dioxide out of our air and place them into our soil as carbon is a huge step to reducing carbon in our atmosphere. We need to do our part to employ this strategy in our back yard. As homeowners we can change the chemical practices that occur on our property. . Most urban areas employ gardeners who follow the chemical approach to lawn care. By following a chemical approach we are adding to the pollution of our environment and by following an organic approach we are helping to reduce the carbon emissions in our air. The organic lawn is not only healthier for our children and pets to play on but it can play a part in helping reduce co2 in our atmosphere.
In the last ten years I have made the switch at Sprainbrook Nursery to an organic approach. I no longer use insecticides to control insects on my plants. I have instead developed a beneficial insect program to control them. Each day I am amazed at how great an organic program works. I have become a compulsive advocate of the organic movement. The more I dig into the subject and the more I learn the more committed I become. I have written, tweaked and have come up with programs so that every home owner can make the switch. I have written a book to outline what can be done. My latest endeavor is to come up with a website (naturalgardennews.com) to get this message out. We are all in this together and I need your help to help spread the word.
When the ground is workable, it is a signal that we need to get to work in our garden. There is lots to do when the season arrives. We need to follow the phonological calendar not the calendar hanging on the wall. The birds, the plants and the animals live in the outdoor world and their instincts are key to their survival. When the outside world becomes alive, spring is in the air. It is time to fertilize your plants and lawn, remove winter protection, mulch bare areas, condition your soil for spring planting, prune shrubs while they are still dormant, spray dormant oils prior to new growth. There are lots of chores that need to get done. The season moves rapidly forward. I am concerned about the nutrient value of the food we eat and the potential food shortages that will occur. Anyone who owns land has the ability to grow vegetables, herbs and fruits in their yard and should consider doing so. .I have been pushing growing vegetables in our back yards. I have spent a great deal of time on this subject in my emails. To read in depth coverage on this subject go to the archives of naturalgardennews.com. Lets get schools and young children involved.
I am thrilled to see that the organic movement is taking hold. What I, as a grower, love about the organic approach is that it makes sense and the results are incredible. It’s all about employing good growing principles and meeting the needs of your plants. This is a better way than using chemical fertilizer, toxic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. We can grow great plants if we follow nature’s ways. The switch makes sense for our environment, for the health of our children, pets and ourselves. We can produce superior quality plants, turf, fruits and vegetables in our garden. Those who have religiously followed our monthly recommendations have reported terrific results. Read my book “12 Steps To Natural Gardening”.
SPRING CHORES
Skillful pruning will be important before the sap begins to flow. Prune out dead branches but scratch the bark first to make sure that they are really dead. Control height and width. Read the chapter on Pruning in my book on page 65. Dormant spraying should take place prior to new growth. When the sun shines and the temperatures become warm, we gardeners are in our glory. March is a very erratic month and can manifest tremendous temperature fluctuations, so take advantage of the good days. As soon as the ground is workable, go out and garden. Plant cool weather crops in window boxes close to the protection of your house. Color brings beauty to your garden and lifts spirits. .
The organic approach to gardening is quite simple for the month of March. We are recommending that you fertilize all plants with an organic fertilizer as early as you can. Use Plant-tone for alkaline loving plants and Holly-tone for acid loving plants. Apply Milorganite as soon as the ground thaws. We like to apply Milorganite early since it is also a great Deer Repellent. If you are in Deer Country you can apply Milorganite to your entire garden. Our programs and our emails will lead you through the year step by step. Pass on our emails to friends and fellow gardeners.
EVERGREENS, TREES AND SHRUBS
Spray your yard with dormant oils when temperatures are above 50 degrees to get rid of any over- wintering eggs which will hatch into future insect problems. Fertilize all evergreen plants with Holly-tone, deciduous plants with Plant-tone. Prune and shape plants with broken branches. Mulch your soil to a two inch depth. Mineralize your soil.
Deer do a tremendous Amount of damage in late winter as food is scarce and they widen their territory. Deer repellents are particularly important at this time of the year. If you affect two of their senses, both taste and smell, you will get better control. We like Deer Scram which repels by smell along with Deer Stopper which repels by taste. Alternating Deer repellent products is advisable.
ROSES
Winter protection should be removed and the roses should be pruned. Use a good pruner such as the Felco 2 which gives a sharp, clean cut. We have an excellent 2 page diagram showing you in detail how to prune the various groups of roses. It is free at the Nursery. Feed roses with one cup of Rose-Tone fertilizer per bush. Spray a B Hairpin product on your roses as soon as new leaves have developed. Make sure your rose beds are well mulched.
LAWNS
Fertilize your lawn as soon as the weather permits. Milorganite is a high organic nitrogen fertilizer that is rich in iron, calcium and acts as a deer repellent. Apply Mineral Rock Dust to re-mineralize your soil and Gypsum to help alleviate compaction.
PERENNIALS
Fertilize with Plant-tone, clean up any dead debris that may be lingering or lying on top and make sure all perennials are adequately cut back. As the ground becomes workable, divide clumps that are too large and plant new perennials. Top dress with Fundy Blend which acts as an excellent nutritive mulch. The preparation of new beds can take place as soon as the ground is workable. For instructions see Preparation Of a New Planting Bed. The formula is listed in my book at the end of this article. Once your plants are growing, spray with a B-harpin product monthly.
SOIL AMENDMENTS
March is the time to enhance your soil. Organics should be worked into new beds and top dressed into existing beds. Vegetable, perennial and flower beds all need help in the spring. Our favorite organics are the fish based composts from the Coast of Maine. They are Lobster Compost ( Quoddy Blend) and Penobscot Blend. I like adding them together for best results. We have been getting terrific feed back from customers who have been using them.
MOST ASKED QUESTION
How do I prune my Hydrangeas? The arborescens types should be pruned all the way down to the ground in early spring. The paniculatas should be pruned back but not all the way in early spring. Both of these bloom on current year’s growth. The macrophylla types cannot be pruned in the spring as they bloom on second year’s growth. They should be pruned as soon as the flowers fade in the spring. However, last year’s dead flowers and old growth should be removed. Refer to our chapter on Pruning on page 65 in my book.
PREPARATION OF A NEW PLANTING BED
This formula transforms the worst possible soil to the best possible soil. Per 100 square feet dig in and mix to a depth of one foot. This formula builds a sustainable garden. You need a good soil to grow a great plant.
Per 100 square feet dig and mix into the top one foot area:
1 bale of peatmoss 3.8 cubic feet.
1 Coir block
2 bags of Lobster mix: 40 lb bags of compost
2 bags of Penobscot mix: 40 lb. bags of compost
2 bags of Cow Manure
2 bags of Fafard Top soil
1 pound of Mineral Rock Dust
5 pounds of Lime
4.5 pounds of Bone Meal
8 pounds of Plant-Tone
