Soil Basics, Part 1

Published on February 16, 2012 in Gardening Basics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

“The easiest and most dramatic way to improve any garden is to improve the soil.” Joy Jones, OSU Extension Service.

Never did I dream that I would get excited about dirt! However, my Master Gardener class on soil was so enlightening, that I actually got excited. The complexities of soil are often not understood, and we tend to overlook its significant contribution to our lives. But it is in fact, a unique habitat specifically designed to support plant life. Soil helps to provide moisture, nutrients, heat, and support to all plants. If we understand it, our gardens will reap the benefits of our knowledge! So, in today’s blog post, I want to share with you some basic facts about soil and maybe some helpful ideas to improve your garden.

What exactly is soil? This pie chart shows the breakdown of ingredients. Soil is 50% solid and 50% pore space. Of the solid portion, 45% is decomposed rock (minerals) and 5% is organic matter. Ideally, the pore space has  equal portions of air and water.

Productive soil allows water to permeate it and then supplies water to the plants. Pores can be created by earthworm and root channels as well as by the aggregation of soil particles. Pores can be large (they let water permeate) and they can be small and hold water against gravity making it available to the plant roots. Soils that have a balance of large and small pores have the ability to both allow water in and the ability to hold water for supply as needed by plants.

Porosity is of huge importance to maintaining plant health, and there are factors that affect soil porosity. The texture of the soil is one factor. There are coarse and fine particles than make up soil. Sand is the largest particle and is visible to the eye. Silt is a smaller particle that is similar in size to an individual particle of white flour. Clay particles are the smallest, and they can only be seen with a microscope. Both sand and silt are rounded and look like little rocks, but clay is flattened and the particles stick together like slices of buttered bread. These particles all seem small, but the relative difference in their sizes is very large. If a clay particle were the size of a penny, a sand particle would be the size of a house!

So, pore sizes in sandy soils tend to be large and in silt or clay soils, the pores are smaller due to the particles size differences. Sandy soils are easy to permeate, but they are fast-draining and not able to retain water. Silt or clay soils allow water to be held, but they do not allow permeability.

The perfect combination of pore sizes and particle sizes would be created with roughly equal parts of sand, silt and clay. This ideal soil is called loam. Most garden soils are not ideal but a combination of sand, silt and clay in other ratios that might make the soil more challenging to work with.

Good soil structure is also vitally important to allow water and air movement. Structure is the aggregation of individual particles of sand, silt and clay. The particles will bind together with “glue” from organic matter and provide structure to the soil. If the structure is good, the soil is acting like a sponge, allowing water to enter and soak in and letting excess water drain down. However, structure is fragile and can be damaged or destroyed by compaction. Compaction will cause the soil structure to resist water movement and root penetration as well.

What causes compaction? Compaction often occurs during site preparation or house construction. It’s often difficult to establish a garden and landscape in a new housing development. Although large earth-moving equipment is not the only thing that damages soil structure. Excessive tilling or tilling when the soil is too wet can cause compaction. Heavy foot traffic or running a heavy wheel-barrow over and over will also cause compaction.

So, where does all this information lead us to? We all want productive soil that is permeable to water and is able to supply water to plants when it is needed. But, maybe we live in an area where our soil is sandy, and water soaks in but our plants dry out quickly. Or maybe we just remodeled our home and trucks hauling building supplies drove over our garden space several times. Sometimes there are just circumstances that are beyond our control.

One very important action that we can take to improve the porosity of our soil is to add several inches of organic matter to the soil each year. Adding organic matter will:

  • Stabilize soil structure. Humus is actually what holds particles together.
  • Increase water holding capacity in sandy soils.
  • Improve pore space in clay soils making it more permeable.
  • Provide nutrients to plants once it decomposes.
  • Provide a food source for beneficial micro organisms.

To keep soils from compaction:

  • Do not till or spade soil when it is too wet. It must be dry and crumbly before tilling.
  • Do not overwork soil with a rototiller. One pass is usually enough.
  • Use raised beds and paths. By using paths you limit the area being walked on and the plant roots are never walked on.
  • Grow a cover crop, especially one that produces deep roots like annual rye.
  • Increase or maintain applications of organic matter.
  • Aerate your soil, especially lawn areas that have heavy foot traffic.
  • Double dig your soil. Here’s a great video to explain this concept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W85QmZgDxFk

I hope this information is useful to you. Next week, I will share some more information from my soil class on amending soils.

Question for the week: What type of soil do you have?

Diagram of soil ingredients from: http://www.vanaturally.com/guide/soil.html

Diagram of soil particle size from: http://pnwmg.org/mgsoils.html

 

 

Botany Basics, Part 2

Published on February 9, 2012 in Gardening Basics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Welcome back to Botany Basics, part 2! Last week we looked at the vegetative parts of the plant (roots, stems, shoot buds, and leaves), and this week we will examine the flower of the plant which is where sexual reproduction takes place. To me, the flower is the part of the plant that is favored; it is lovely in shape, design, color and often in fragrance. Never have I really thought about why flowers are so beautiful, and maybe I’ve even just assumed that they were lovely for human enjoyment. There may be some truth to that, but an even deeper truth is that showy, sweetly scented flowers attract pollinators, and when pollination occurs, the continuation of that particular flower species is ensured. Isn’t nature fascinating and clever!?!

Here is a diagram of the flower structure from the OSU MG Program. Let’s just take a look, piece by piece and marvel at the ingenuity of its design!

The stamen is the male reproductive organ, and it contains the anther which is a pollen sac that is held on a long, supporting filament.

The pistil is the plant’s female part, and it generally is in the center and shaped like a bowling pin. The pistil is made of the stigma, style and ovary. The ovary contains eggs or ovules and once an ovule is fertilized, it will develop into a seed.

The sepals are small, green and leaf-like. They are located at the base of the flower and are there for protection and support of the bud. Collectively, the sepals are referred to as a calyx.

The petals are generally the highly colored portion of the flower. Collectively, the petals are called the corolla, and they may contain perfume.

The diagram above shows a complete flower. This means that this flower has a stamen, pistil, petals and sepals. A rose is an example of a complete flower. If any one of these parts is missing, the flower is called incomplete.

Often though, flowers are lacking parts. If a flower has both the stamen and pistil, which are essential for seed production, the flower is considered to be a perfect flower even if petals or sepals are lacking. But, if either the stamens or pistils are lacking, the flower is called imperfect. Plants with imperfect flowers may have separate male and female flowers on the same plant, or they may bear only male flowers at the beginning of the season but later develop both sexes. Also, there are some species that have separate male and female plants. In this case, male and female plants must be in close proximity in order for pollination to occur.

Pollination is the key to producing seed. It is when pollen from the anther is transferred to a stigma. This can happen through either wind or pollinators. Plant species that are colorful, patterned, and have fragrance or nectar attract birds and insects. While looking for nectar, the pollinator (like a bee) transfers pollen from flower to flower. When the pollen reaches the ovules, sperm is released and typically fertilization occurs and the ovule develops into seed.

Fruit is made up of fertilized mature ovules plus the ovary wall. Some fruit may be fleshy, like an apple, and some are dry and hard, like an acorn. Technically, “vegetables” that develop from a flower are actually fruit (ie. tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and eggplants).

So, what are some useful take-away points for us gardeners? Well, a term that is used a lot in our MG class is biodiversity. It simply means the variety of life within a specific area. If we consider our gardens and how to help them thrive, we can begin to look at what types of plants will be attractive to beneficial insects. Even if our gardening is focused on vegetables, by planting a greater diversity of flowering species amongst the vegetable plants, we’ll increase our likelihood of having a successful vegetable production. With a little planning and research we can greatly increase the chances of pollination and the reproduction of seeds and production of fruit.

  • To bring butterflies into your garden, plant flowers that produce an inflorescense, or cluster of flowers. Common Milkweed is a wonderful butterfly plant with sweet, nectar rich flower clusters as well as foliage that supports the butterfly larvae.
  • To bring bees into your garden, consider planting native perennials, like Purple Cone Flower, that are rich in nectar and pollen. Often flowers are hybridized to create qualities that gardeners want, like disease resistance, but hybridization often reduces the amount of pollen and nectar found in the flower.
  • Plan to have a variety of plants with different colors. Bees seem to be attracted to blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow.
  • Have a variety of plants for all of the growing seasons.
  • Do not use broad spectrum pesticides. If you have a problem with a particular pest, find a product that targets a pest or a small spectrum.

I am so glad that plants share their amazing beauty with us, and to think, their beauty is also their means of survival. Next week, my blog is going to get dirty! We will move to the next chapter in my MG course book on Soil and Fertilizers.

Question for the week: What is your favorite flowering plant and why?

Botany Basics, Part 1

Published on January 31, 2012 in Gardening Basics. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

My Master Gardener Program has commenced! We are off on a fast-paced learning adventure, and we began with the basics of botany. I don’t know about you, but I have not studied botany since high school! I remembered a few key words and the simple concepts, but there was much that I had forgotten. It did not take me long to realize just how much I take for granted when germinating a seed or transplanting a young seedling into a vegetable garden. It is so easy to forget that plants are incredible life forms and that they are essential to our lives here on earth.

Studying the basics gives us a chance to step back and have an even deeper appreciation for the unsurpassed value that plants add to our lives. Here’s Botany Basics, part 1. I hope that you enjoy this simple refresher course.

First and foremost, our first instructor, an OSU professor of Botany, gave us permission to use glossaries! There are so many new terms that it is impossible to commit them all to memory. So don’t feel badly if you need to refer to them often.

Diagram of external plant parts (from OSU Master Gardener Program).

The different plant structures are actually called organs. Each organ is a specific type of tissue that performs a particular function. For today’s blog, I’m only going to focus on the vegetative parts. These include the roots, stems, shoot buds, and leaves. The second group of structures has to do with sexual reproduction. I will save this latter group for part 2, next week.

Interesting note: Even though the vegetative parts are not involved in sexual reproduction, they can be used in asexual reproduction such as cuttings or grafting.

Roots: They have the principal function of the absorption of water and nutrients, and they also act as an anchor for the plant and a support for the stem.

A primary root that has few lateral roots and continues to extend downward is called a taproot. An example of a taproot would be a carrot, a root that we eat as a vegetable. If the primary root stops elongating and many lateral roots develop, the root is referred to as fibrous. An example of a fibrous root structure would be turf grass.

Gardening tip: When transplanting a young plant into the garden or planting a seed, do not put fertilizer in the transplant hole or next to the seed. Instead, place a band of fertilizer 2 inches below and 2 inches to the sides. As the plant begins to grow, the roots will soon reach the needed nutrients for optimal early growth.

Stems: Their function is to be the plant’s plumbing system, carrying water, dissolved nutrients and sugars. Stems also have nodes which are areas of active cellular growth. Nodes are where small buds develop into leaves, stems or flowers.

Here are some very interesting facts about stems. We think of stems as being above ground, but they also grow below ground in the form of rhizomes (bluegrass), tubers (potatoes), corms (gladiolus) or bulbs (daffodils). To be classified as stem tissue, it must have nodes for buds or leaves.

There are also specialized above-ground stems. Stolons are horizontal stems, sometimes called runners (strawberry), crowns are compressed stems and leaves (dandelion), and spurs which are short, little side stems that are fruit bearing (pear, apple, and cherry). A stem that we commonly eat is asparagus.

Buds: They are the location of an undeveloped shoot that will either be a leaf or a flower. Leaf buds tend to be less round and more elongated, and flower buds are the opposite.

Terminal buds are located at the tip of a stem and lateral (axillary) buds are located on the sides of a stem. A terminal bud that we eat is cabbage. A lateral bud that we eat is brussels sprout. Broccoli is an example of a flower bud that is eaten.

Leaves: The main function of a leaf is to absorb sunlight and to produce sugars through the process called photosynthesis. The leaf can be stalkless and attach directly into the stem, or it can be attached with a little stem called a petiole. An example of a leaf that we eat would be lettuce. A petiole that is eaten is rhubarb.

I’m going to wrap it up there and let the vegetative structures sink into my brain some more! Next week, part 2 of basics will cover flowers – the sexual reproductive structures. It’s all just so fascinating in both design and function. Sure hope you’re enjoying this refresher!

Question for the week: What new information did you learn from this botany basics post?

A Journey to Becoming a Master Gardener

Published on January 23, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Hello! Let me introduce myself to you, I’m Kimberly Bell, and I, like millions of other people across the nation, find a pure, simple joy in gardening, and each spring that enthusiasm is renewed! What started as a simple hobby 20 years ago has turned into an insatiable passion. I have such an appreciation for plants – of all kinds – as well as a tremendous appreciation for other like-minded people who have the same irresistible urge to create natural beauty.

So, what am I doing here at Outsidepride? I am the new Social Media Director, and you will be hearing from me regularly. What an amazing position this is and what an honor it is to be the one filling it! Combining my love for growing with my love for socializing is a perfect match!

As the newer employee looking in with a fresh perspective, I am excited to see the value that Outsidepride places on the customers. Our customers represent an entire array of gardening enthusiasts. For some it may be a leisure activity and for others it may be their livelihood. Whether the novice or the professional, Outsidepride is here with quality seed and products as well as objective information and resources that will help our customers fulfill their gardening, lawn and landscaping dreams.

Our customers’ success is important to us! We have been diligent in our collection of accurate information, and since our beginning we have been avid supporters of university extension services that are offered in each state. The universities have the latest, objective, research-based information for their local areas. Working in many counties throughout the United States are Master Gardeners who have received intense training in home horticulture from the universities, and in exchange for the training, the Master Gardeners payback the extension agents with many hours of volunteerism.

So how does someone become a Master Gardener? Here in Oregon, most of our counties offer a new program each January. In Marion County where I reside, there are 74 hours of class time and 66 hours of practical experience as a volunteer. The volunteer hours are broken down: 40 hours at the Help Desk answering questions and giving advice by telephone, in person and by email; 12 hours of working in the Marion Garden with a trainer; and 14 hours of miscellaneous activities. Each Master Gardener Trainee is also matched with a mentor who offers advice and assistance until the program is completed. It’s a very organized, structured and well-supported program.

Here are some Oregon statistics from 2010 that show just how beneficial this Master Gardener Program truly is: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/master-gardener-program-quick-stats

You may have guessed it by now, but I enrolled in the program! Becoming a Master Gardener has always intrigued me, and when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it! What an awesome opportunity to learn and to network with many new people as well as share the valuable information as I blog along the way. I would be thrilled and honored to take followers along this journey with me, and we will all have a graduation celebration in December 2012!

Next week, I’ll introduce you to my class and we’ll discuss Chapter 1, Botany Basics, in my textbook Sustainable Gardening. Until then, here’s my question for the week: Have you ever used the services of the Master Gardener Program in your area? Tell me about it!