Notes from The Science of Gardening with Linda Chalker-Scott PhD

[HydroponicFireman]

I'm a fan of sustainable ag. Been trying to practice that for a while now.

She does mention several times that there is a big difference between gardens and agricultural growing. She also mentions the differences between organic and non-organic fertilizers and reccomends organic for gardens. Remember, these are just condensed notes and also deals a lot with shrubs and trees, etc which wont be consumed. I dont know much about either of these people but if someone told me to chant around a compost pile with an ox horn I would laugh my ass off and never take them seriously again.

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Growing weeds in indoor containers under artificial lights and in designer soils however, would throw this real world neophyte into a tizzy... she wouldn't have any more clue what she was doing than I did when I first started growing weeds. I was great at growing prize tomatoes, knew how to fix and care for trees, but pot had me feeling like a total rookie.

*ahem* not a weed, an herb

growing cannabis cant be all that different from growing tomatos can it??

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Wow, ts, comparing biodynamics growers to klansman. Thats impassioned

Thanks for sharing the write up HydroponicFireman.

NP, hopefully someone can benefit from them...but im only 2/3rds done...

 

[Emilya Green]

*ahem* not a weed, an herb

growing cannabis cant be all that different from growing tomatos can it??

They are similar in needs to be sure... but growing indoors in a closed container is a whole new ball game when compared to growing outside in the dirt. Weeds don't get black dot either... lots of things different about how they grow too.

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Lecture 14
Creating food-safe gardens

make a chart of what you are exposed to - see FDA's "risk cup"

minimize risk of heavy metals in gardens

• heavy metals stay in soils
• be aware of local pollution that puts it there (soil, water, air)
• when plating in-ground, how the history of the local area
• GET A SOIL TEST

sources of lead: near roads, old paint, old pipes

Pesticides: arsenic-based pesticides were common for fruit trees

tires/rubber mulches, as they break down - zinc, lead, rubber and other heavy metals leach into soil

atmostpheric deposition - things like smelters that put toxins in air

landscaping timbers - if old can have heavy metals, old pesticides, etc

waste water/rain barrels - know what your roof is made out of since this water comes from there, zinc, etc can leach into it. filter it.

flooding can also bring toxic material inland, check EPA files for maps of known toxicities

iron, a macronutrient, is also a heavy metal

cereals and root veggies are primary sources of cadmium toxicities

heavy metals are found more in urban veggies than rural veggie gardens
you can always buy good soil

uptake of heavy metals from air depends on species, tissues and life stages

sand and silt dont bind nutrients of heavy metals [in soil]

earthworms increase heavy metal uptake
chealating fertilizers can solubilize heavy metals for uptake
phosphate fertilizer increases heavy metals in soil
organic matter will bind to heavy metals and increase uptake

• metal mobility in soils (no easy rule of thumb) - acidic conditions means the roots will trade for heavy metals and uptake them
• roots and mycorrhizae can acidify the root zone as normal process

order of contamination, in plants, for heavy metals

• roots (beets, carrots, etc)
• stems (rhubarb, etc)
• leaves (lettuce, etc)
• fruits (typically contain seeds) (excluding zuccini which tends to aggregate heavy metals in its fruit)

uncertified organic products have not been tested for any type of contamination
certified organic compost has been checked

have your soil tested for heavy metals

• not bad idea to wear dust mask and gloves when working with soil that may be contaminated
• use untreated wood when using for gardening/staking, etc

can replace soil or use raised beds when planting outdoors
use things like untreated timber or concrete/bricks which dont leach bad things into soil

herbs like conditions that drain well and are sunny - raised beds can recreate this environment











Lecture 15
Water-wise landscaping

• reduce evaporation of water (windbreaks, shading)
• direct flow of water (hardscape, pavers)
• create hydrozones (plants with same requirements, group together)

succulents can tend to use as much water as given, not as much as needed to thrive
dissected leaves - helps reduce evaporation
blue-green or waxy leaves - reduces evaporation
pubescence - hairs on leaves reduce evaporation thru heat/wind

packing plants together can reduce evaporation (creates more humid area)

turf uses the most water of any plant
[she talks about sustainable lawns]
she talks about a story of her replacing her lawn 3 different times;
tried it once then next time she wanted to save the roots, good stuff in the soil, etc so she flipped the sod over and put mulch on top and it worked well. 3rd time she mowed it back during fall and let it cook during summer, turf was gone and soil structure was undisturbed
[wow that seems like dedication to having a green lawn that I cant relate to...]

protect water quality as well as availability

• manage storm water (can wash soil away)

woodchip mulch can be used to propigate good fungus before transplanting into more woodchips to innoculate and help/grow to the root zone of nearby plants

be careful of the source of water - what is in your water?
just because it doesnt hurt your plants doesnt mean it wont hurt you


reduce contamination from phosphate fertilizers and reduce use of pesticides
using not at all or as little as possible means less exposure

limit use of rich organic soil (contaminants can aggregate when used a lot)

agriculture (usually monoculture) and growing lawn is easy to guage how much water is needed, everything else can be tough to guage - wilting often signals to water

• PLANTS DONT RECOVER FROM TERMINAL WILT, dont wait to water when plant wilts
• indicator plants wilt first, once they wilt water all the plants
• make sure wilt isnt caused by something else like overwatering

finger test = get your fingers in the soil,

• can you form a ball of soil in your hand and will it stay? enough water.
• falls apart, too much/little

Evapotranspiration Coefficient (ET Coefficient) = mathmatical model to predict how much water is used by each plant (often used by golf courses, etc) but wont work in a landscape

Physiology and biochemistry: why crabgrass stays green and why succulents need less water

photosynthesis involves carbon fixation (most important step), the only way you can get carbon is by ingesting something with carbon, plants can only get it from a gas (air). Photosynthesis takes light and CO2 and turns it into oxygen and sugar with help of chlorophyll.

RuBisCO fixes carbon into a solid form (oxygen poisions this process by more redilly binding to it than CO2)

Photorespiration - cuts photosynthesis off
[great chart in the lecture shows the whole process, try googling it]



Types of photosynthesis by example:

• beauty berry
  • C3 pathway(photosynthesis) (all plants do C3 at some level)
    • requres less energy to photosynthesize, when photorespiring they can lose weight by all the energy they use
• ornamental grass
  • C4 pathway(same as C3 with one extra step - CO2 binds to PEP Carboxalase)
    • great diagram of how Mesophyll cell takes this new step to the bundle sheath cell [see Krans anatomy] and RuBisCO then on to Vascular tissue for sugar conversion
    • C4 uses more energy at beginning than C3 but overall uses less energy overall because of a reduction in photorespiration
    • C4 loses a lot of water, may not do well in hot climates
• suculent ("fat plant") [lol]
  • Can revert back to C3 if given enogh water
    • can use more water than a lawn this way
  • CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) plants = differnet method of photosynthesis - just like C4 except have a temporal (time) seporation - ie night time [dark light cycle]
  • they close stomatas down when hot and dry outside (day time), although cant photosynthesize during this time but they open at night to start process
    • PEPC can metabolize at any time (why they taste sour in morning time)
      • again, a great diagram, google it

Lecture 16

She has traiing as a plant stress physiologist - they match symptoms to whats happening inside the plant

plants die most often from poor horticulture practices instead of pests and disease

its not just the plant, its the environment as well but you must see the entire plant too if diagnosing

root zone & leaves show problems the best

first decide if the plant even has a problem (or did you ID the plant wrong?)

• know what a plant of the same species looks like, needs to thrive and does throughout the seasons

look for symptoms of damage, pests or other biotic factors

• be able to describe the abnormality you find to get help with it
• hard or impossible to diagnose from a pic or a leaf, need whole environment to factor in

with trees and shrubs - soil problems from a few years ago may manifest later on, site history comes into play to find out what real problem is

know how the plant was installed

• planted properly?
• how site was prepared
• what happened during planting

roots should go out like spokes on a wheel, if root bound break up and spread out when transplanting

• surface roots are a problem (can grow and emerge from soil can be OK, circling roots above ground = bad)
• single-trunk species with multiple trunks can indicate problems below ground

[she shows how pruning can caues suckering in a tree and therefore lack of water gets to the top and it 'bonsais' itself by getting shorter and dieing back the part where water cant reach - the top] - could be root issue or water competition issue, etc


non-living stress factors on leaves:

• wilting - "leaf doesnt have enough water" (water related stress, notice "leaf" insted of "soil")
• chlorosis - yellowing of leaf, they do this before falling
• intervenal chlorosis (green veins and tissue between veins is yellow) -lack of iron/manganese, likely over-fertilized which limits uptake of these elements
• necrosis- tissue death - related to water usually or early dying (brown and crinkley tissue thats dried out)
  • notice the pattern, it will be on tips and margin, water is lost from tips of leaf first (drought issue)
• tissue redening - out of season = water stress, sometimes tree leaves turn red before yellow when dying for fall
• surface damage (could also be just abrasion) can be from sun "frying" the leaf with too much light
• distortions (like leaf warped or cut) and can vary in what caused it

location of discolorations on leaf:

• tips/margins = water related
• surface = sun related
• uniform = nutrient related

leaf size

• if multiple plants look at leaf size in realtion to each plant
• smaller leaves = water related stress

Living stresses shown in leaf: (insects, diseases, etc)

• missing parts of the leaf (like its being eaten)
  • line of dots or big dead spots = something munching on your leaf
  • leaf skeletonization - pest eats everything but epidermis layer
• discoloration - like a bullseye pattern on a leaf (fungal spore growing)
• bacterial infections typically have angular shape, unable to grow past veins at first
• chlorotic pattern (like web or pathway) indicate virus infection

Things that cause a variety of symptoms:

• crappy location (water, sun, etc)
• poor plant selection
• bad soil management
• compacted soil (lack of oxygen)
• bare soil/no mulch - some plants die off with this

Causes of lack of root establishment:

• circling roots (pot bound) = bad, if not fixed will cause problems
• not planted at grade - lack of oxygen, early death

Staking can cause problems - lack of upkeep can kill plants and grow into it

Phosphate fertilizers and over fertilizations are most common problems
over use of organics can also cause this problem

bad pruning - overpruning will stress your plant and open it up to stress and pests

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Lecture 17
Garden CSI: Case Studies

skipping this one, its mostly trees and shrubs anyway and would involve at least pics of each evaluation, its impossible to explain fully without being able to see it. Its basically examples of terrible pruning, neglect and bad grafting.





Lecture 18
Integrated pest management


Gardening is managing the plants, not controlling (good luck with that)


"weeds" and "pests" can mean very different things to different people


Manage pests problems with as little changes/"inputs" as possible

• this makes it as least toxic as possible at all times​

Integrated Pest Management:
1. make sure you diagnosed the problem accurately
2. know exactly what your pest is
3. learn pests behavior and life-cycle in your environment (when eggs hatch, larval stages -help to ID pest)
can use monitoring tracks
4. keep a "diary" to help you ID issues, find changes that work


usually very, very hard to fully get rid of pests, but you can get them down to a manageable level

be mindful of healthy pollinators

cultural control:
change plant (more resistant species) or environment (make it less hospitible to pest)


opportunistic pests take advantage of a weak plant

• pest came after issues
• typically colonize leaves

optimal water can prevent issues with weak plants


coarse organic mulch can reduce weeds

• weeds take water away from wanted plants and can invite pests

crop rotation/polyculture can reduce weeds

• a variety of plants can confuse pests and they do less damage

low air movement invites pests


a "blast of water" can remove some pests like aphids


prune infested limbs and use monitoring traps to prevent pests


bug zappers can kill good and bad insects, be careful of use
[doubt this is a problem with indoor cannabis]



cultural control = plant slection and environmental changes, etc

mechanical control = physically blocking or removing pests, etc

Biological control = introducing a preditor, parasite or parasitoid to a pest population

• is it worth the risk of introducing ANOTHER species to the problem?

chemical control = last resort, pesiticdes, etc



...story of tansy ragwort (cattle eat and die, ranchers hate it) and found they found cinnabar moth (from its natural EU environment) is a preditor of this plant. Introducted to great effect, no more dead cattle because no more tansy ragwort in their fields. Ranchers and moths both happy.


augment natural enemies that are already around:

• lacewing for aphids
• lady bugs (lady beatles) for aphids and other various pests
  • (asian variety can displace local lady beetles since theyre aggressive)
• nematodes for root weavels
• parasitic wasp for various types of pest insects

insects tend to migrate, when food is gone they are gone

natrual pathogens:

• bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) - natural pesticide that can be used against variety of pests (mosquitos, beatles, moths, etc)

fungicides and bactericides can also remove the good ones as well as the pests

broad spectrum pesticides:

• least desirable
• kill beneficial pests too, and can cause secondary pest outbreaks (like scale)
• pests can become resistant, this is how nature works their next generation of pests will be resistant

Once determined, pesticide will improve the situation - decide which one will be used and apply it (legal, registered pesticides for users - not industrial pesticides there are certifications and requiered training for this)

Avoid mixing your own, this assures an accurate dose - and read labels carefully

ensure bees and beneficial insects wont be injured - avoid during flowering time, but fruit-set time is OK since polinators have already done their job

never use home remedies (like nicotime) - these may not tested scientifically, no data and can cause damage to you, environment, plants, etc

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Lecture 19
Understanding Pesticides

Pesticides: prevents, destroys, repells or mitigates a pest

• insecticides are a subset of pesticides
• along with
  • miticides
  • nemacides
  • bactericides
  • fungicides
  • herbicides
  • molluscicides
  • rodenticides

in US: certified organically grown produce is still sprayed with pesticides

read label, dont use pesticides for fungus, etc

State Dept of Agriculture and EPA will let you know which pesticdes are legal in your state, they certify them, see if its legal to use

Before a presticide can be certified:
it has to be research in regards to impact on human health
impact on environmental safety, peer reviewed info

neither DoA or EPA document or requre proof a pesticide works for it to go to market and sold legally [LMFAO]


organic (come from carboon based compunds)
vs
syntheic pesticides (manufactured)

organic pesticides not neccessarily the safer option - manufactured pesticides may target only one species of pest and safe for everything else
selective pesticides - kill a targeted organism only


pyrethrin - Mums make these naturally
pyrethoids - not for organic growing use, synthetic


OMRI certifies things to ues, see "OMRI list"

GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) - not tightly regulated as other pesticides are


Preventative Pesticides - must predict pest behavior to be effective (like when feeding)

• Feeding Repellent - odor, taste, "feel"/touch modified to prevent feeding pests​
• Diatomaceous Earth is gritty and acts as a repellent​

Coating leaves (oils) will also work for preventing spore germination in additon to some pests

• Suffocate, Starve, Interfere with egg laying​

Disrupting processes:

• Cuticle abrasion
• Interfere with ability to grow/develop
• Poison enzymes
• Neurotoxins

Inorganic pesticides:

• boric acid
• copper, (copper sulfate, etc, various types)
• copper tape
• diatomaceous earth
• ferric phosphate
• kaolin clay (not for slug use)
• potassium bicarbonate (use this one), sodium bicarbonate (puts sodium into soil, not recommended)
• sulfur - miticide

Organic pesticides:

• oils (sesame, etc)
• organic soap
• vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)
• botanical extracts (neem)

Repellent oils: (organic, doesnt hurt human health but some may not be very effective) (works better indoors than outdoors)

• black pepper
• cedar
• cinnamon
• clove
• garlic
• peppermind
• rosemary
• thyme
• wintergreen

...careful with repellent oils:

• dont use mixed concentrates, only want specific oil
• mixing a bunch of these together wont make it work better
• efficacy data or marketing info?

phytotoxic - if applied directly can kill plant, plant specific

high temps cause oils to damage leaves, etc

• test small patch first then apply to entire plant

Bacteria that can be used against pests:

• Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
• paenibacillus popillae
• pseudomonas species
• streptomyces species

Fungi that can be used against pests:

• Beauveria bassiana
• coniothyrium minitans
• gliocladium virens
• nosema locustae
• trichoderma harzianum

Nematodes that can be used against pests:

• Steinernema species, etc

Virus sprays exist, can be used against some pests


Corn Gluten Meal = herbicide



Modes of Action for herbivores:

• Neophobia(animals stay away from "weird new stuff"
  • bone meal​
• Conditioned aversion(animals learn whats dangerous)
  • coyote and fox urine, Thiram​
• Irritation(gets into mouth, nose and irritates, animals hate it)
  • capsaicin (from hot peppers)​
• Flavor modification (tastes like crap, prevents eating)
  • Blood meal​
• putrescent egg solids/granules - smells bad
• pheromones - repel some animals

organic pesticides break down quicker, must be used more

pests can become resistant to both organic and syntheic pesticides

She reccomends against home remedies and random crap from the internet
ie peanut butter with boric acid - great way to poison dogs, animals, etc
ie mothballs - kids tend to eat them since they look like candy
ie tobacco sprays - kills just about every insect it touches, also poisionus to humans/animals
etc, etc

"...it may even be illegal for registered teachers to reccomend untested, unverified home remedies in training sessions/schools"
[assuming because it can be unsafe]

 

[Trala]

Lecture 17
Garden CSI: Case Studies

skipping this one, its mostly trees and shrubs anyway and would involve at least pics of each evaluation, its impossible to explain fully without being able to see it. Its basically examples of terrible pruning, neglect and bad grafting.





Lecture 18
Integrated pest management


Gardening is managing the plants, not controlling (good luck with that)


"weeds" and "pests" can mean very different things to different people


Manage pests problems with as little changes/"inputs" as possible

• this makes it as least toxic as possible at all times​

Integrated Pest Management:
1. make sure you diagnosed the problem accurately
2. know exactly what your pest is
3. learn pests behavior and life-cycle in your environment (when eggs hatch, larval stages -help to ID pest)
can use monitoring tracks
4. keep a "diary" to help you ID issues, find changes that work


usually very, very hard to fully get rid of pests, but you can get them down to a manageable level

be mindful of healthy pollinators

cultural control:
change plant (more resistant species) or environment (make it less hospitible to pest)


opportunistic pests take advantage of a weak plant

• pest came after issues
• typically colonize leaves

optimal water can prevent issues with weak plants


coarse organic mulch can reduce weeds

• weeds take water away from wanted plants and can invite pests

crop rotation/polyculture can reduce weeds

• a variety of plants can confuse pests and they do less damage

low air movement invites pests


a "blast of water" can remove some pests like aphids


prune infested limbs and use monitoring traps to prevent pests


bug zappers can kill good and bad insects, be careful of use
[doubt this is a problem with indoor cannabis]



cultural control = plant slection and environmental changes, etc

mechanical control = physically blocking or removing pests, etc

Biological control = introducing a preditor, parasite or parasitoid to a pest population

• is it worth the risk of introducing ANOTHER species to the problem?

chemical control = last resort, pesiticdes, etc



...story of tansy ragwort (cattle eat and die, ranchers hate it) and found they found cinnabar moth (from its natural EU environment) is a preditor of this plant. Introducted to great effect, no more dead cattle because no more tansy ragwort in their fields. Ranchers and moths both happy.


augment natural enemies that are already around:

• lacewing for aphids
• lady bugs (lady beatles) for aphids and other various pests
  • (asian variety can displace local lady beetles since theyre aggressive)
• nematodes for root weavels
• parasitic wasp for various types of pest insects

insects tend to migrate, when food is gone they are gone

natrual pathogens:

• bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) - natural pesticide that can be used against variety of pests (mosquitos, beatles, moths, etc)

fungicides and bactericides can also remove the good ones as well as the pests

broad spectrum pesticides:

• least desirable
• kill beneficial pests too, and can cause secondary pest outbreaks (like scale)
• pests can become resistant, this is how nature works their next generation of pests will be resistant

Once determined, pesticide will improve the situation - decide which one will be used and apply it (legal, registered pesticides for users - not industrial pesticides there are certifications and requiered training for this)

Avoid mixing your own, this assures an accurate dose - and read labels carefully

ensure bees and beneficial insects wont be injured - avoid during flowering time, but fruit-set time is OK since polinators have already done their job

never use home remedies (like nicotime) - these may not tested scientifically, no data and can cause damage to you, environment, plants, etc

Thank you so much for this information

 

[Redcup]

This is a fun read, rather epic in scope Like reading the Master Gardeners Handbook in one sitting lol

I wanted to add a couple small points that are cannabis specific and helpful

Pesticides - some states provide a list of approved pesticides for cannabis that could be considered beyond organic. They are very conservative and targeted to smoked cannabis, so some products that might be organic and food safe are not on the list (eg sponosad). Of course with any product, follow the proper usage protocol. Its advisable to make sure anything you use is on the list, and that you are using it correctly, including how late in flower it is to be used, the harvest interval.

Here is oregons site, with a list of approved products

State of Oregon: Pesticides and PARC - Cannabis and Pesticides

www.oregon.gov

Heavy Metals - this is of special interest to cannabis growers, because cannabis is an accumulator. Famously cannabis is being used to recover the land around Chernobyl, because it extracts the radiated metals.

Heavy metals accumulate in the soil and are present in many fertilizers, including (or especially) some organic sources and compost. Synthetic chelators like edta are building up in the soil and becoming more of a concern, as they cause increased heavy metal and aluminum plant uptake.

If a garden is in the backyard or in reused container mix and rock phosphate or lime is added every season, and the compost and maure is used, this can be a concern. There are plenty of articles published all over, if it sounds like something worrying.

 

[Buds Buddy]

I have learned a few things by reading this so Thanks for the info.

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Lecture 20
What to do about weeds
[*gasp* ...well assume not cannabis for those outdoor *environmentally safe* guerrilla growers, I see you out there Little in here is useful to indoor growers but I decided to do this one anyway, only 4 left ]



a weed is "a plant out of place"

[I would say an unwanted plant]



[USA-centric:]

Most 'weeds' from from Europe, Asia, Africa and brought here from immigrants, sometimes even for food
Some came over accidentally in ships, bushels, as seeds, etc
Some weeds were brought because they needed "Functional Plants" to:

• control erosion
• make hedgerows
• create windbreaks

Noxious weeds are: (sometimes laws against propigating them)

• competitive (can displace local population, compete for resources)
• persistent (perennials, hard to remove)
• invasive

How does a weed spread?

• by seeds - cut off before seeding to eliminate next generation weeds
• vegetatively, by runners, etc - dig out, replace soil, etc

"reduce light availability to bare soil to reduce weeds" (also works in wetlands)



she mentions getting seedling weeds out of a landscape (context: a home lawn landscape) you can use boiling water, weed-wacker or flame thrower
[LOL had to include that for the flame thrower, thats what I'm talkin about!] but it doesn't take out the roots and thus wont affect perennials




No herbicide method of removing perennial weeds:

• mow everything flat to remove green material (this removes the power source to grow roots) and put down a bunch of mulch – 6in to a foot depending on whats needed
• roots now have low resources to grow shoots up beyond the mulch
• most cant do this and die, those that get through are weak and easily pulled and may even die out alone around well-established plants

-goats can be used instead of a lawn mower, they eat everything and companies seek places for their goats to graze
-insects can also be biological control agents and control some weeds


horticultural soaps – may effectively get rid of weeds, broad spectrum so put it on a leaf and it dies



myrothecium verrucaria – a cellulose decomposer – breaks down weeds immediately




glyphosate – targets a specific enzyme found only in plants and some fungi.

• No biochemical affect on animals or humans – we dont have the enzym
• paint on leaves as plant flowers and the seeds will die
• paint on leaves as going dormant to kill roots of perennials
• very effective herbicide, researched for decades, some controversy surrounds it [I assume from legal cannabis grows, more scrutiny on the chemicals used]

she notes: some researchers have been advocating to get rid of glyphosphate – she talks about an article she read in a “pay to play” journal (non-peer reviewed) and it was suggested through meta-analysis wrongly correlated “causation” and correlated human health hazards. She goes on to say the persons field of expertise was computer science and not horticulture and advises to be careful when evaluating your information and where it comes from.






English Ivy example of how ‘weeds ‘affect a landscape – basically high competition for water, leaves nothing but tall trees. Also climbs up and then goes to seed. Its also very heavy and breaks branches. Hedra helix makes great environment for rat nests. Goats love to eat ivy.



Kudzu example – used in “dust bowl” to stop soil erosion but got out of control. Moving into colder regions. Spreads by rhizomes and runners. Grazers love to eat it. Myrothecium verrucaria (fungus) takes it out effectively without damaging other underlying woody plants.



Purple Loosestrife (lythrum salicaria) example, look for “field of purple in wetland areas”. Not native to USA. Spreads by rhizomes AND by seed “like the plague”. So dense it displaces other wetland plants and even fish by reducing water flow. Dont use chemical control to get rid of when in wetlands it will drift on the water and end up somewhere else anyway.







Tamarisk Tree (tamarix) example... huge tree sucks up tons of water even if its salty...etc...etc..etc
[swear to god the pic in this example is of a tree that looks EXACTLY like a devil laying down resting his head on his arm with the living part of the tree is his dick...I even rewound it several times just to make sure im not just too high and imagining it LOL]






Find info on invasive weeds @ EPA web site [epa.gov]



[observation: there seems to be a lot of specifically named beetles that eats specific things only]

 

[HydroponicFireman]

This is a fun read, rather epic in scope Like reading the Master Gardeners Handbook in one sitting lol

LOL no joke 24 hours of my life watching this series and taking notes.

Thanks for the additional info!

3 more lectures left! gettin cramps! lol

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Lecture 21

What to do about insects



if you can, “let nature fight your pest battles for you”




4 Prongs of IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Control:
1. Cultural (plant selection, environment, etc)
2. Mechanical (spray off with hose, etc)
3. Biological (predators, etc)
4. Chemical (pesticides, etc)



try planting in polyculture "pods" instead of rows


use trap plants (pest specific)


diatomaceous earth- put on ground, various insects, interferes with their respiration


kaolin clay – mix up and spray on plants, repels insects, helps prevent laying of eggs


parasitoid – adult lays egg inside another insect, always kills its prey


pheromone traps – be careful on how you use them



aphids - “little green bags of sugar” reproduce quickly



Controlling Aphids:

• keep weeds down
• nectar-producing flowering plants attract wasps which control aphids
• dont overfeed plants
• provide water source
• provide shade

Biological Control of Aphids:

• Lacewings (stay around longer than lady bugs)
• Lady Bugs
• Parasitic wasps (provide nectar for adults so they stay around)
• fungal insecticides

Aphids are also an agricultural problem and a lot of money and research has been put into it – there should be a solution for you


Most chemical controls (pesticides) are broad spectrum and can kill all nearby insects

Insecticidal soaps – can also etch leaves, they work by stripping away wax from insects



neem and pyrethrum also work on aphids and is organic




Controlling Mosquitoes:

• Ultrasound devices dont work – no regulation means theyre a scam
• bug zappers work but also get beneficial insects
• candles and oils (citronella) – more effective in greenhouses, inconvenient
• keep grasses/weeds cut down low – they like hiding in them where its cool, wet, protected
• remove standing water – its where they breed (can apply oil to water surface)
• add aeration to ponds, etc
• there are biological controls for mosquito larvae (mosquito dunks, etc)
• fish are predators of larvae
• DEET
• Eucalyptus oil

Controlling Japanese Beetles:

• learn lifecycle of them, kill them early
• Kaolin clay spray
• cover the plant with screening
• beetle traps
• istocheta aldrichi fly
• tiphia vernalis wasp
• milky spore disease (attack larvae in soils)
• pyrethrum
• neem

Controlling Lacebugs:

• leaves look silver/bronze from their feeding
• lacewings
• spiders
• assassin bugs
• predacious mites
• contact insecticides will kill lacebugs too

systemics may move into pollen and nectar, careful using outdoors



she recommends also considering growing plants that insects like more next to the plants you want to keep in order to keep them over there



...3 more....

 

[HydroponicFireman]

Lecture 22
What to do about herbivores


Slugs, Deer, Rats, rabbits are herbivores


Consult Dept. of Wildlife before trapping or killing animals, some species may be protected
Legal issues apply to mammals as opposed to previously discussed insects.


Ways to stop herbivores:

• Diversify landscape to attract predictors
• fencing (mechanical control)
• Provide alternative food sources

Behavior modification for herbivores:

• startle inducers
• motion sensor lights
• sprinklers
• flags
• yard decorations that move around or are shiny, etc

The more hungry animals are the more likely to not care about being startled
They might also not care about something that tastes bad.



Deterrents and Repellents:

• neophobia
• conditioned aversion
• irritation
• blood meal
• bone meal

Biological control:

• dogs (work great)
• [outdoor cats but I doubt they work that well, although they do have high prey drive for a few hours a day]

Ineffective methods:

• sonic devices
• chemical repellents and deterrents (no regulation, most dont even work)
• pest-proof plants (no such thing)

Beer is an attractant to slugs

• put a plate of it out and they will drown in it
• the cheaper the beer the better it seems to work
• not much studying done on this

Biological control of slugs:

• predaceous ground beetle
• slug mites
• nematodes
• frogs and toads
• lizards
• large birds
• snakes
• small to medium mammals
• humans - “natures escargo” [no idea how to spell it]

Ferric phosphate can posiion dogs and other animals, be careful with it


Rats
[not really covering this part, except below, etc, etc, etc]
“Vitamin D3 works well against rats”

Moles:
[not really covering this part either, see video, etc, etc, etc]

Rabbits:
[use chickenwire, etc, etc, etc]

Deer:
[fencing, “keep in mind they can jump about 8 feet over things”]











Lecture 23
Gardening myths and misinformation




CRAP test to evaluate resources of information:

• C
  • authors credibility and credentials/qualifications?​
• R
  • big ag or home gardening?​
• A
  • science based?​
  • Objective?​
  • Current?​
• P
  • Educational or Commercial?​
  • Political, ideological, cultural, religious, personal biases​

Companion planting
ie Corn (acts as support for beans, Beans (Nitrogen fixer), Squash (acts as a mulch)

Phytoremediator – change the soil and improves it and the water around it

Nitrogen fixers – Put more nitrogen into soil

Habitat plants – a pollinator that a bee prefers, the bee pollinates other nearby flowers too, they get benefit by being near the other plant that drew the bee near

over-extrapolation – taking what was studied in a very controlled lab experiment and applying it to the real world and expecting exactly the same results

poorly interpreted research – peer reviewing helps eliminate bias that humans have a hard time seeing themselves, study may be with different plant, certain things may be selectively highlighted, not reading past the abstract of the white paper, author doesn't have degree or training in the field, etc, etc



Correlation vs Causation
example: Eating cheese and stranging yourself with bed-sheets while sleeping are correlated. There is no causation between the two meaning you wont die by bed-sheet if you eat cheese.



[basically do your research and dont believe everything you read without proof or actual science backing it up]











Lecture 24
Applied garden science



[a pretty good example of transforming a 3 acre landscape within 5 years with basically just mulch]

[another example,…..]

[another example of a yard...shrubs and trees, etc, etc, etc]


“often times when regular people on Craigslist give away ‘dirt’ its actual soil”, she mentions in previous example she used a bunch of that for free to transform her lawn





AND THATS ALL OF IT!
FINALLY DONE!

 

[HydroponicFireman]

• Diversify landscape to attract predictors

should read:

"Diversify landscape to attract preditors"