Download Acidity and Available Nutrients

Welcome!
Soil is LIVING!
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Soil is NOT dirt and not a sponge that simply
holds water.
Good garden soil contains microbes, bacteria
and fungi that feed on and breakdown raw
ingredients in a form that plants can utilize.
These organisms do the work making soil and
are essential for proper plant growth.
There are many soil organisms (fungi) that form
a symbiotic relationship with plants that
breakdown and help extract nutrients from the
soil.
Feed the Soil!
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There is no such thing as plant food! Plants
manufacture their own food via photosynthesis –
we give the soil food via raw ingredients.
We do not feed plants, we feed the SOIL so the
soil is able to FEED the plants.
This is why composting the single most
important thing you can do for your garden
because it is the ultimate recycling program!
Even more on Feeding Soil!
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All you need in order to begin composting is
food, air and water!
The food is a proper balance of Carbon (browns,
such as dead leaves) and Nitrogen (greens such
as cut grass)
This is the FOOD for the microorganisms.
Water and air is free and easy
Build or purchase a good composting bin and
simply add to it and turn frequently during the
warm months.
“You can’t grow a good rose
without a good Cow…”
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Soil is made up of dead and decaying plants,
animals and minerals… therefore, the more
organic matter we can add to soil the better off
life is for soil microbes.
Organic matter is the food for the microbes, the
main feeder and worker for plants.
Chemical fertilizers do NOTHING to help the
microbial activity in the SOIL!
In fact, chemical fertilizers can be detrimental to
soil life and structure by breaking down chemical
bonds in soil particles, resulting in runoff and
erosion. Accumulation of salt can also occur
Soil Basics
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Keep it in place (more on this later)
Keep it porous (cultivate weekly)
Keep it organically rich (add manures, etc)
Do not use bark mulch to keep weeds at bay, as
it is highly acidic (low ph) and also leads to soil
compaction. (Except for acid-loving plants such
as rhododendrons, azaleas and taxus)
To foil weeds, cultivate your soil – loose soil is
aerated, which keeps the soil porous, warms
faster and aids in water absorbtion.
The Soil Triangle
Why Soil Ph is Important
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Ph indicates the concentration of hydronium
ions, low ph (acid) is a high concentration while
a high pH (base or ‘sweet’) indicates a low
concentration.
As the Ph drops, many nutrients become
unavailable to plants - especially Nitrogen, the
most mobile and important nutrient.
Adding lime will raise the Ph and ease the
mobility of Nitrogen and other nutrients. Lime
takes 4-6 months to become effective so add it
in the fall.
More on Ph!
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A soil test from your local extention service is a
must and a good starting point to understand
your soil make up.
Buy a pH meter! They are cheap and very
useful.
Add components like manure and composted
soil typically have a neutral Ph and adds food for
the soil microbes.
Remember - Microbial activity does the work
that essentially makes great soil.
Acidity and Available Nutrients
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The pH scale goes from 0-14 (Acidic to base)
and is the measure of hydronium ions (from high
to low)
Neutral pH is 7.0 - but most New England
plants thrive between 5.8 and 6.8, as most soil
nutrients are available between this range.
Below 5.3 pH, Nitrogen, the most mobile and
important element becomes unavailable.
The difference between 5.9 and 5.8 is 10 times
more acidic
Photosynthesis
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(Literal meaning = “combining light”)
This is the plant food manufacturer (not
fertilizers)
The process converts light energy into chemical
energy which is used to fuel cell activity in
plants.
When a proper light wavelength hits a cell, a
chain reaction within the cells takes place.
This energy is passes into several proteins like
ATP. Adenosine TriphosPhate is an energy
carrier for cells in all living organisms.
Proper plant selection and
siting…Sun or Shade?
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Choose the correct plant for the site!
Know the plants sun and moisture needs
Plants suited for full sun use more energy than
plants suited for shade.
High energy plants like roses typically need
richer, less acidic soil.
‘Shade loving’ more often refers to soil moisture
needs, NOT only light needs.
Plant siting continued
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South facing slope is best for sun loving plants
Shade loving plants use less energy than full
sun plants. Hold back on fertilizing shade loving
plants.
Do not plant shade loving plants directly under
trees . Trees may respirate hundreds of gallons
of water a day…
What the deal with keeping roses
alive in New England?
Cold weather Acclimation
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We define ‘hardiness’ as the lowest extended
temperature a certain plant can survive. (Zones)
The prevention of a plant cell from freezing and
bursting is dependant upon its genetics: the
amount of starches and proteins in and around
the cellular tissue.
Plants that can survive the lowest temperatures
ALSO typically have larger airspaces between
the cells than that of warm climate plants
The acclimation process:
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The main trigger for plants and stage 1 of
acclimation to winter is decreased photoperiod
(length of daylight)
Respiration increases as water is taken into the
root system and away from branches, stems and
leaves.
Starch levels double, proteins increase and act
as a type of ‘anti-freeze’ to protect plant cells.
In order to help plants acclimate, halt all
fertilizing toward the end of July/beginning of
August.
Helping the acclimation process
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Stop deadheading (roses) and remove petals
(for sanitation) toward the beginning of
September, allowing the plant to produce seeds
and naturally shut down.
The seed development in rose hip also helps
trigger the plant to slow new production of
flowers.
When the soil begins to freeze, mound compost
on each rose bush in order to keep the plant
frozen.
If we apply winter protection too early, many
critters will make rose beds their home and
De-acclimation
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In late Winter/Spring, a slow warming of the soil
is optimum.
A fast Spring warm up calls on water that is
normally locked in frozen ground.
Use indicator plants to help predict soil warmth.
When crocus begin to bud, this is a sign that the
soil can begin to be worked.
Also a time to slowly remove winter protection
(remove soil mounds and/or salt marsh hay)
Salt marsh hay is used as a insulator as it is
devoid of weed seeds (this does provide a home
for voles and mice, which can damage plants)
Proper watering technique
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Rain contained many nutrients that is not in
ground water. Rain drops collect nutrients in the
atmosphere as they fall.
Due to its larger surface area, SNOW contains
more nutrients… and is often called ‘poor
farmers fertilizer’
Water deeply and weekly, or about 1 hour for a
normal lawn sprinkler during weeks of no rain.
Daily brief watering is damaging as this will only
moisten the surface of the soil and will not allow
the roots of plants to go deep, which will result in
unhealthy plant development. (and draught
Fertilizing
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There is really not such thing as ‘plant food’!
Plants manufacture their own food via
photosynthesis. (remember that?)
We need to give the plants living soil and tender
it by feeding the soil.
Available organic fertilizers such as a 5-3-4
(NPK) releases slower and more effectively into
the soil than a chemical fertilizer
Success for great roses
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Roses need at least 6 hours of sun per day, so
choose a site that suits those needs. (watch for
tree roots, because trees respirate and remove
hundreds of gallons of water per day)
Maintain proper Ph soil balance (lime here in
New England)
Add as much organic material in soil as possible
such as Manures and compost.
Proper and timely deadheading throughout
summer to encourage new blooms.
Count on natural rainfall, if not, water deeply and
weekly
More Rose success
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Timely application and removal of winter
protection.
Correct spring pruning: ¼ inch above bud scar
of each cane thicker than a pencil…
Roses need rich, evenly moist, (not soaking wet)
soil.
Use a good organic fertilizer twice per season.
(typically two cups per rose bush at the end of
May and the end of June) Water thoroughly!
Pests and Fungi 1
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The ‘rugosa’ rose is a good example of evolution
of disease resistance – many thorns on the
canes prevent predation and the hairy leaves
prevent fungi spores from germinating and
insects from chewing into the leaf surface
Many of these evolutionary characteristics were
unintentionally bred out of roses in our quest to
make a bigger, more colorful, more fragrant and
floriforous rose.
We need to tender our fine roses with some sort
of pest control, not all pest control is toxic!
Pests and Fungi 2
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The best way to prevent disease is to choose a
resistance rose variety.
Choose your rose cultivar carefully – recurrent
or non-recurrent bloomer? Low maintenance or
more care?
However, there are many ‘clean’ and ‘green’
pest controls.
‘Green Cure’ is a fantastic fungus control
product that is a potassium bicarbonate-based
fungicide and a safer alternative to harsh
chemical fungicides.
Pests
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Rabbits, Japanese beetles, deer, voles, aphids,
spider mites all share our love of roses!
Recognizing favorable conditions and taking
action (if necessary) before damage occurs in
the best way to control an outbreak.
Consider the injury level of the plant BEFORE
taking action. If a small population of spider
mites exist, look for their predators – Ex: Are
lady bugs present?
Even more on Pests!
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Predator/prey relationships are dynamic and
very important to understand.
Improper or indiscriminate control measures will
result in an explosion of the prey species and
more damage will result to your plants.
Prey species outnumber predators by 100:1 or
more.
For every 100 aphids, there may be 1 or two
lady beetles feeding on them.
Controlling Pests
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Applying a control measure may have a small
effect on the insect you want to control, but may
wipe out the entire population of prey that
naturally keeps their numbers in check.
Be sure the insect or animal is the one doing the
damage. Observe carefully!
Be aware of the ACTION of your control
measures! (Stomach poison, contact, films that
suffocate, etc)
Most often, NO control measures are needed!
Observe before you act is the best rule to follow.
Genetically Modified Organisms
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GMO’s are not a result of cross breeding plants, but the
introduction of genetic material into species that were
not meant to be mixed.
A virus, bacteria (such as Bt), herbicide or insecticide
may be genetically manipulated into a plant.
The pollen produced by a plant that is genetically altered
is free to breed with wild plants, effecting the future
generation of all plants in general.
Corn, soy and Canola represent most of the GMO in the
country.
GMOs explained further…
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‘Roundup ready’ are plants that have been engineered
to be resistant to this herbicide.
This allows farmers to apply herbicide to a field to kill
weeds and not the crop.
Weeds will build up tolerance and more herbicide will be
needed
Insecticides are also spliced into plant genomes in order
to kill insects that feed on them.
Many top scientists are obviously concerned and have
warned that humans and animals will be effected after
ingesting GMO plants.
Baccilus thuringiensis (Bt)
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Bt is related to a species of bacteria that causes food
poisoning and also to the bacterium that causes anthrax
(bacillus anthracis). Bt kills only very specific species of
insects.
Many organic farmers have used Bt for over 50 years as
a pesticide to control insects. Bt is also used to control
mosquitoes, and other insects that bite and spread
disease.
BUT now, genes from Bt are used to modify plants so
that the plants produce the Bt toxins and kill insects that
try to eat them without any external spraying.
More on Bt
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For every single synthetic pesticide that is in use
today, there are species of insects that are
resistant to it.
Many of the more powerful synthetic pesticides
have been or will be taken off the market due to
health and environmental hazards.
There have been reports of 2 species in the field
that are resistant to Bt, there will be more.
Lets take some Questions!
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I actually may have some answers!