Mulch in Winter- Protect Soil & Plants

Nearing the end of December, it’s supposed to be cold…right? And when you’re cold, what do you do to make life more comfy? Put on a cozy coat or sweater, maybe snuggle under a blanket? Whatever your choice of ‘cover up,’ you probably do NOT tough it out and dress as though it were summer. Our trees, flowers and soil deserve the same consideration - and how do we accomplish this? One word – mulch.

Mulch (noun) is “a protective covering of organic material laid over the soil and around plants to prevent erosion, retain moisture, and enrich the soil.” Mulch acts as an overcoat for soil and plants; providing protection, insulation and natural, chemical-free weed control. Materials such as leaves, bark, straw, newspaper, compost and even plastic, may be used as mulch. Only one of these offers great potential for restoring ecological processes to degraded soils, while diverting a valuable natural resource from landfills – and that is compost.

Applying compost and mulch to the landscape increases soil organic matter (S.O.M); providing vital nutrients that create structure and pore spaces - allowing soil to easily soak up excess rain water. This helps reduce runoff from lawns and gardens during storms, which can help reduce flooding, sewer overflows, and erosion. Improving your soil can also save you money by reducing summer irrigation needs because plants grow deeper roots and the soil holds more water. Healthier plants have fewer pest and disease problems and need less fertilizer, so you’ll need fewer chemicals, which is good for your family’s health and our environment. The beneficial soil organisms (fed by compost and mulch) also break down pollutants and help move carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere into long-term storage in the soil.

Three steps to building healthy soil:

1) Amend the soil with compost

• Dig or till 2-4 inches of compost into the upper 6-8 inches of soil when preparing beds or new lawn areas for planting. Amend the whole bed. Amending just the planting holes can limit root growth.
• Top dressing - improve existing lawns by aerating, then raking ¼ to ½ inch of compost in, spring or fall.

2) Mulch existing plantings regularly

• Spread mulch in the spring or fall, to control weeds and conserve water, reduce runoff, and prevent erosion (keep 1 inch away from tree trunks). Renew mulch layers annually.
• On garden beds and around shallow-rooted annuals, mulch with 1-2 inches of compost, shredded leaves, or grass clippings.
• Around trees and woody perennials, use 2-4 inches of wood chips (from a tree service) or leaves. Medium-sized bark mulch (fine bark can repel water) is a second choice.
• Save your fall leaves, or gather them for free – they’re a great mulch for most plants.
• Use conifer tree needles as a mulch around conifer trees, or around acid-loving plants.
• Mulch-mow (leave the clippings) on your lawn, to build denser turf, deeper roots, and a drought resistant, healthy lawn.

3) Avoid using chemicals, and choose organic or slow-release fertilizers

• Pesticides (weed and bug killers) like “weed-and-feed” may hurt beneficial soil life, wildlife, and our families’ health too – use the resources below to find better alternatives.
• Over-fertilization with quick-release chemical fertilizers is also bad for soil life, and harms our lakes and streams by causing algae blooms. (The algae later dies, and uses up oxygen in the water as it decomposes, suffocating fish).
• Fertilize moderately (compost can replace most fertilizer needs), and look for the words “natural organic” or “slow-release” on the fertilizer bag. They cost a little more but they feed plants a long time, and they don’t wash away in the first rainstorm.

When purchasing compost for your lawn or garden, be sure it's USCC STA Certified compost - preferably BULK (less expensive and no plastic bags to clog the landfill)

Questions? Expert answers are a call or click away!

 

GOT MULCH? Mulching protects plants from heat

Here on the Central Coast we seem to be experiencing a minor heat wave; this means a little extra TLC is needed for landscapes and gardens. Without some human help, a heat wave can wipe out a vegetable garden in just a couple of days.

The high temperatures of a heat wave damage a plant in several ways. First, there's the evaporation of soil moisture, which robs the roots of water. A heat wave will also dehydrate a plant by extracting moisture through the leaves and stem. Finally, the hot rays of the sun can sunburn the leaves, turning them a pale yellow-to-tan color which eventually die and fall off. Protecting your vegetable garden from a heat wave means slowing down the loss of water and minimizing sun damage. Here's how it's done:

Mulch, mulch, mulch │ Mulch is more than a pretty way to decorate a garden. It actually serves an important function in shading tender roots from the sun and slowing the evaporation of ground moisture. Mulch doesn't have to be expensive or fancy to work – bark, newspaper, straw, leaves, grass clippings and compost are affordable and do a great job. Just make sure to keep bark and compost a few inches away from the base of trees and shrubs to discourage insects.

Compost as mulch │ Applying compost to garden beds is a win/win. Not only are plants and soil protected from the elements, compost adds vital nutrients to the soil; increasing porosity and water holding capacity, encouraging a healthy root system. Premium STA Certified Harvest Blend Compost is the perfect choice; Naturally! Click for a map of our trusty dealers

Change how you water │ A vegetable garden can basically be watered in two ways, either at ground level or overhead. During a heat wave, overhead watering with an oscillating or other type of sprinkler head should be avoided. The combination of high temperatures and a hot sun can evaporate up to 90% of that water even before it hits the ground. A better watering solution is to use a soaker hose system, watering through channels, or hand watering the roots.

Other changes that need to be made include -

• Increasing the watering times to twice a day until the temps dip below 90 degrees.
• Avoid watering between 10 am and 7 pm, unless you have a soaker system or irrigation channels. Overhead watering when the sun is beating down on your plants can scald the leaves and kill them.
• Deep water when possible. Deep watering encourages deeper root growth.

Provide shade if possible. To protect more vulnerable vegetable plants, we set up a canopy to shade tender veggies during a heat wave. If you don't own a canopy, sheets draped over 5 foot bamboo stakes can also provide some plant relief.

Plants and soil sometimes need a little extra help from their human caretakers; and periods of extreme heat and/or cold are 2 of those occasions. For more info on compost uses and benefits, visit www.GotCompost.com or Like us on Facebook.

Plant a Tree - Insulate Your Home

We don't need to be tree-hugging environmentalists to realize the impact trees and other plants have on our immediate surroundings. If you’ve ever hiked through a forest on a windy day you’ve discovered the quiet stillness trees provide. The further in you go, the less wind there is and the quieter everything becomes.

In the natural world trees call the shots; they set the conditions for other plants to grow. They provide shade and keep temperatures down in summer and shelter delicate species from the blasting winds of winter. Homeowners can just as easily use trees and shrubs to protect property from harsh weather.

Keeping a home warm with Trees and Plants

Our recent cooler temperatures have us thinking about various ways to conserve heat and protect our homes from cool winds.

During winter months, most areas of the country experience the usual cold breeze or wind. Once you know which direction it’s coming from, you can set up wind breaks with trees and shrubs. Evergreen species are more effective for this kind of role. Of course deciduous trees and shrubs, those that lose their leaves in winter, offer less protection.

Wish we could list all the trees that would offer your landscape the best protection, but local climate conditions and soils vary so much it’s best to visit your local landscape supply center and ask an expert. Or check out established trees and shrubs growing in your community for an idea of what will work in your neighborhood.

Once you have chosen your species, all you need do is find the most strategic places to locate them. You will be amazed at how much less electricity a well sheltered home uses for both heating and cooling.

Keeping a Home Cool with Plants and Trees

If you’re careful in your planting, shade trees and shrubs can reduce indoor temperatures by as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit, according to some studies. Protecting South facing walls from the full impact of the sun at midday is the most important consideration. If your attic is well insulated, shading the roof is not as important...but every little bit helps.

Strategically placed large tress can achieve shading but of course you need to be sure the roots are not too close to the home or they can damage foundations and/or plumbing. Leafy shrubs can offer similar protection to walls, at least and many species can be safely planted close by. For one story homes, shrubs might be all you need. And fast growing shrubs can offer protection very quickly.

House plants are surprising good at cooling interiors. It is the constant evaporation of water from leaves that gives the cooling effect.

Amend soil with compost to give your trees a healthy start:

You should have dirt/soil from the hole dug for your new tree. Before re-filling the hole with this soil, make sure to amend it with compost. The added organic matter increases soil structure, oxygen and water retention for a healthy foundation. Harvest Blend Compost builds healthy soil and plants. For more info, click here

To better help the homeowner, the US Composting Council has recently unveiled its Consumer Compost Use Program - to clearly identify the types of uses for which a compost product may be used. These uses are:

Remember Trees Need Pruning and Maintenance

Bringing a bit of nature into your yard is one of the joys of home life but trees and shrubs need some care. You’ll need to make time to clear leaves and prune routinely. Enjoy your beautiful trees (and your reduced heating/cooling bills!)

• Trees & Shrubs
• Flower & Vegetable Gardens
• Lawn

Look for these icons when purchasing compost products to insure a quality product and a successful project.
“We now have an easy way for the homeowner to identify quality compost products that can be applied to their specific gardening needs.” Frank Franciosi, USCC President.

Healthy Soil is a Balancing Act

The health and beauty of a plant or the productivity of a crop is directly related to the health and vitality of the soil in which it grows.  When the pH is wrong, nothing works right - not fertilizers, not weed killers, and especially not the biological components within the soil. When the Soil Organic Matter (SOM) content is low, the soil is unproductive, and crops, trees or turf lack the energy sources to help them grow.

When soluble salts and chlorides are too high, the microbes that live in the soil and help aerate and digest dead plant material (turning them into organic material) are killed, thereby increasing soil compaction. When the soil is compacted, not enough air, water or nutrients can enter the root zone, so the plants suffer greatly.

Is your lawn telling you something?

Our lawns are a great barometer of soil health. They can’t lie, so if something’s wrong with the soil beneath your grass, it shows up in some not so subtle ways.

Symptoms of Sick Soil:

·        Bare Patches – if grass won’t/can’t grow, soil is definitely not well

·        Shallow Root System – anything less than 6 inches

·        Compacted Soil – soil probe penetration less than 6 inches

·        Puddling – water quickly runs off or pools in low areas rather than soaking into the soil

·        Disease Prone – annual outbreaks of diseases; either the same disease during the same time period each year or different diseases through the season.

·        Insect Infestations – like diseases, insect problems are many times related to thatch, but can also be a sign of low levels of soil nutrients.

·        Thatch – dead grass stems, blades and roots that are not breaking down into organic matter, but accumulating on top of the soil and creating conditions that favor disease and insect problems, as well as restricting moisture from getting into the soil.

·        Weeds – especially if there are a wide variety of weed types.

What causes ‘Sick Soil’?

When nutrients are out of balance with each other or just not available for the plant’s use, plants become unhealthy and are more susceptible to disease and insect attacks.

When secondary & micro nutrients are in short supply, plants become weak and are damaged more easily by wear & tear, drought conditions and insect/disease problems.  

Soil in very poor condition may need to undergo a comprehensive soil test to find out what unhealthy conditions exist and what can be done to fix the problem.

If corrections are not made, lawns may develop thatch, weed, insect and disease problems. This means added chemical usage, mechanical intervention and unnecessary costs.

How to remedy sick soil?

Adding Organic Matter in the form of compost will raise, or help maintain, SOM to the 5% level. Top dressing lawns or amending soil with Harvest Blend Compost will correct many symptoms of unhealthy soil by:

1.      Improving soil structure, porosity and density to ensure a healthier root environment.

2.      Infiltrating heavy soils thereby reducing erosion.

3.      Increasing water holding capacity of soil so that water is used more efficiently.

4.      Stabilizing pH and improving the soil's ability to hold nutrients.

5.      Supplying valuable microbes, micro and macronutrients and organic matter to the soil environment.

6.      Helping to suppress soil-borne plant pathogens.

7.      Binding and degrading specific pollutants.

When soil is healthy, all plant life is healthier and more productive; better able to survive weather and environmental stresses, and insect/disease attacks.

The US Composting Council is promoting healthy soil through their “Strive for 5%” campaign, educating the public on the importance of building Soil Organic Matter to 5%. Click here for details

Click here for more info on Harvest Blend Compost. Naturally!

Peabody School Completes Playground Renovation

On September 30, 2011 a dedication ceremony was held at Peabody Elementary, in Santa Barbara, CA, to recognize the completion of the school’s renovated playground. Representatives from Engel & Gray, Inc. were on hand to receive a certificate of thanks along with a large poster, containing messages and signatures from the students of Peabody.

Four months ago, Engel & Gray Regional Compost Facility delivered 160 cubic yards of compost to Peabody School, a participant of the City of Santa Barbara’s Food Waste Recycling program. Project manager, Jeff Holbrook, worked with Engel & Gray to arrange for delivery of the donated soil amendment, used to improve soil for a safe, revitalized playground.

Parents, students and teachers appreciate their food waste recycling program coming full circle. The students and faculty have regularly sorted their food waste and other compostables into 65 gallon bins, to be collected by Engel & Gray Regional Compost Facility in Santa Maria. Recycling Peabody’s organic materials into nutrient rich compost for use in renewing the playground is the ultimate in recycling – helping the community to successfully “Complete the Cycle”.
Santa Barbara has a waste diversion goal of 70 percent, and in 9 more years, an ambitious 85 percent.

With time, effort and education, students will learn to recycle and compost like it’s second nature. They will have years of hands-on experience sorting, recycling and composting their waste – and Engel & Gray, Inc will be on hand to serve and support the effort. Naturally!

For more all the details on compost use, click here

Confession of a DIY Composter

OK, hopefully DIY composters will read this and decide there is some value to my message. I’m a little afraid some may want to attack me with rotten tomatoes. Then I remembered that die-hard composters would never waste good rotten tomatoes! They go in the compost pile, of course!  

Here goes, we’ve been composting at home for years now and I have a confession: I buy a couple yards of compost each year from a landscape supply center that carries compost from a local compost facility. They compost locally collected organics, supplying dealers with STA Certified Compost products.

Here are a few reasons to buy bulk compost:

1. Quantity:  a home composter would have a difficult time coming up with enough compost to make serious improvements to a landscape. Many times, homemade compost will need to be supplemented with bagged compost, a costly addition if you’re amending soil or top dressing a lawn.
2. WEEDS!: Homemade compost usually sits in a spare corner of the back yard, attracting a multitude of seeds from ground and air. When lawns are mowed, seeds can be collected with the clippings, going right into the pile. Seeds can also survive in leaf debris or on mature weeds that you pull from your garden. The only way to kill off these seeds in your compost pile is to monitor the temperature of the pile. Within a week, temperatures in a properly constructed compost pile should reach 130 degrees. That quickly kills many seeds and stabilizes the composted material. But it takes 30 days of exposure to temperatures of 145 degrees or more to kill seeds from tougher weed species. How do you know whether you’ve achieved the right temperature? Though compost thermometers are ideal, you can also reach into the pile. If it is uncomfortably hot to the touch, you’ve probably achieved the temperatures you need.

Sound like fun? Didn’t think so. Plus, most home composters don’t have the time or energy to tend to a compost pile this carefully so weed seeds stay alive in the pile, just waiting for a chance to sprout in lawns and gardens. Leaving them unchecked is the same as physically planting weeds into flower and vegetable gardens.

The Solution

For less than $100 annually, you can bring in two yards of quality organic compost; top dress lawns, load it into flower beds and be done in one day. Can you imagine the time and effort it would take to make 2 yards of compost every year? You’ll be able to put those organic materials to work sooner and see faster results! A definite win/win!

Oh, just a reminder: fall is fast approaching. Our lawns could use a breath of fresh air about now, so why not take a little time and add a fine layer of compost over the entire lawn (top dressing) and work it in with a stiff broom. Water thoroughly and in no time your lawn will be strong and green. Contact your local Harvest Blend Compost Dealer for compost and all the details.

By the way, we’re not going to give up on our compost pile. We’ll continue recycling our eggshells, potato peelings and coffee grounds, for a small harvest of the dark brown stuff. But to keep soil healthy, top dress lawns and grow the veggies our family loves so much, we invest a little "green" to gain a vibrant, healthy lawn and garden. Naturally!

Improve Soil Structure - protect your landscape during the winter months

At this time of year we need to make sure our garden soil is in the best shape possible. Cold temperatures and rain can destroy plant life, especially if soil is compacted, sandy or clay based. It isn’t easy to change a soil's basic texture, but you can improve its structure--making clay more porous, sand more water retentive--by adding amendments.

Compost is the most nutrient rich, readily available soil amendment you can choose to improve soil conditions. It’s jam packed with beneficial microbes tired, sandy and compacted soils are lacking. The organic matter opens up the soil structure, increasing oxygen to plants’ root systems, helping them grow strong.

Compost is composed of the decaying remains of plants and animals. As it decomposes, organic matter releases nutrients that are absorbed by soil-dwelling microorganisms and bacteria. The combination of these creatures' waste products and their remains, called humus, binds with soil particles. In clay, it forces the tightly packed particles apart; drainage is improved, and the soil is easier for plant roots to penetrate. In sand, it lodges in the large pore spaces and acts as a sponge, slowing drainage so the soil stays moist longer.

Though the particular organic amendment you use is often decided simply by what's available at the best price, many experts favor compost over all other choices. Harvest Blend Compost is simply your best choice! It’s registered with the United States Composting Council Seal of Testing Assurance program (STA) – a compost testing, labeling and information disclosure program designed to give you the information you need to get the maximum benefit from the use of compost. Only the highest quality compost is awarded the STA label. It’s your guarantee of excellence!

Click here for a Google map of your nearest Harvest Blend Compost dealer

Adding amendments: when and how
New beds for landscape plants should be amended before any plants go into the ground. For long-term benefits, choose an amendment that breaks down slowly. Shredded bark and peat moss hold their structure the longest, taking several years to decompose. It's a good idea to include compost in the mix as well; though it breaks down in just a few months, it bolsters the initial nutrient supply available to soil microorganisms--and these will contribute humus to the soil, improve soil aeration, and help protect your new plants from some diseases.

In vegetable and flower beds: amend the soil before each new crop is planted. Compost is preferred by most gardeners, since they dramatically improve the soil's structure, making it hospitable to the fine, tiny roots of seedlings. Un-amended soil may dry into hard clods that small roots cannot penetrate, and plants may grow slowly, be stunted, or die as a result. Compost will break down after several months--so be sure to add more before you plant each crop.

To add amendments to unplanted beds, spread the material evenly over the soil, then work it in by hand or with a rototiller to a depth of about 6-8 inches. If your soil is mostly clay or sand, spread 4 to 5 inches of amendment over it; once this is worked in, the top 8 inches of soil will be about half original soil, half amendment. If the soil is loamy or has been regularly amended each season, add just a 2- to 3-inch layer of amendment; you'll have a top 8-inch layer of about three-quarters original soil, one-quarter amendment.

Permanent or semi-permanent plantings of trees, shrubs, or perennials benefit from soil amendment too, but you need to do the job without damaging plant roots. It's often sufficient simply to spread the amendment over the soil surface as mulch; earthworms, microorganisms, rain, and irrigation water will all carry it downward over time, gradually improving the soil's top layer. If the plant isn't a shallow-rooted type (that is, if it doesn't have many roots concentrated near soil level), you can speed up the improvement process by working the amendment into the top inch or so of soil, using a three-pronged cultivator.

Where the climate is generally mild and winters are rainy, amend the soil in established plantings annually after fall cleanup. In cold-winter regions with spring and summer rainfall, do the job as you begin spring gardening.

For more info, visit

www.GotCompost.com If you have questions or concerns about compost and it’s uses, we’re happy to help. Naturally!

Healthy Turf = Fewer Sports Injuries

Top dressing playing fields can significantly reduce the number and severity of sports injuries. How can improving the soil actually help increase the safety factor? Well, when a field is dry and compacted, uneven and riddled with pot holes (see photo above) players are way more likely to suffer painful falls or step in one of the pot holes we just mentioned, causing a season ending sprain or tear. Ouch!

Note: Photo taken in May, 2010 right before renovation began. For a look at the after photo, please scroll to the bottom of this post.

How About Artificial Turf?
The dangers here are related to the playing surface becoming compacted and uneven in spots. We also need to remember the risks associated with heat build-up on artificial turf. These conditions can take their toll on an athlete, no matter what his/her age or level of play.
In May of this year, Orcutt Jr. High Soccer Field was in need of help: the turf was hard and uneven. You couldn’t take more than 10 steps without hitting a pot hole. The field would be vacant for a few months, so it was the perfect time for a renovation! Engel & Gray Regional Compost Facility to the rescue! A team of community partners was assembled to carry out the project. What a difference top dressing can make!

Here, the field is being disked - loosening grass,

rocks and old dirt for removal a little later





When the field was cleared of old grass and debris, Engel & Gray began delivering the twelve truckloads of Harvest Blend Compost they had donated for this project. All in all, this amounted to 400 cu yards of compost! Amending the soil with compost added valuable nutrients while increasing soil structure and water-holding capacity. Compost acts as a kind of conditioner for problem soils, with the added oxygen giving a boost to fragile root systems.

Workers from Nishimori Landscape are busy spreading compost evenly over the field

Pre irrigation sprinkler pipe was generously

donated to the effort by Craig Reade

Craig and his company were also responsible for the final disking and laser leveling of the area.


















Then it was time to Hydro-Seed the entire area. It was so nice to see it all coming together, especially since this process colors the field a nice green while adding the seed.







And here's the field, dressed in a coating of green hydro-seed. Kind of gave everyone a hint of what was to come!




July, 2010: the first blades of grass made their appearance! A little patchy, but coming in nicely.

August, 2010: the new turf enjoying it's first watering

Finally, the field was ready to take on the pounding of little feet! Thanks to our community partners, and with help from parent and student volunteers, local residents will be able to enjoy their own field of dreams for years to come. Naturally!

For info on top dressing your lawn, or compost use in general, visit:

www.GotCompost.com

Harvest Blend Compost - Healthy Soil Starts Here. Naturally!