Follow up to the question; Do Dandelions fixate oxygen in the soil.
Nitrogen fixation, the conversion by certain soil microorganisms, such as rhizobia, of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that plants and other organisms can assimilate.
No, they do not have nodueles that help fixate oxygen in the soil. They do have a tap root that can help your soil from washing out. Dandelions were introduced from Europe, some varieties can be used in salads.
Clover is a protein, contains high levels of nitrogen and does fixate nitrogen from the soil. Early lawns were comprised mostly of clover and were very green in appearence.
POWER POINT PRESENTATION NOTES
PLANNING:Hardscape,Raised Beds,Pathways,Water,
Benches, Artwork,Lighting!
OH WEEDS: Pull after rain,compost, cut off flower heads or dry and bury (organic landscaping) recycle in town brown bags. Do not throw out in regular garbage.
DIVIDE&TRANSPLANT: After 3 years in the fall after flowering is generally a good time to divide most plants. Irises, day lily, grasses etc. when transplanting remember to plant in like conditions or better conditions.
PROPAGATE: Hardwood cuttings of many kinds of deciduous trees and shrubs can be made the latter
part of this month. Tie in bundles and bury in sand in a cold frame or outdoors. Remove
from sand in early spring and plant in bed out doors.
PRUNING HYDRANGEAS: IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE LABEL, LEAVE THE PRUNING UNTIL SPRING. AFTER THE BUDS HAVE FINISHED SWELLING IT IS SAFE TO PRUNE UP TO THE BUD
WHAT NOT TO PRUNE: Canker, failed branch union, serious crack indicates failing tree ..too hot to prune!!!
CLEAN UP BEGINS WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS: GOOD TIME TO SHARPEN YOUR TOOLS.
FOUNTAINS & PONDS: Drain garden pools to avoid freeze damage. Store tropical (non-hardy) as well as hardy water lilies indoors. Roots and rhizomes of most kinds can be overwintered at about 50 degrees F. in a basement in moist sand that is not permitted to dry out. Many gardeners find it easier to purchase fresh propagules every spring.
OVER –WINTERING DELICATE TREE ROSES: Prune tree rose in fall down to 10 inches,attach plastic bag under rose crown and full with soil,close plastic bag around rose bush,cover with pail an civer with two burlap bags,,and secure wit rocks,and mulch over
. Take preliminary steps to protect roses. Final winterizing is usually done in late October after a deep freeze, but tying the canes loosely beforehand will ease the job. For the final winterizing, cut the canes back to about 6 to 12 inches and mound the plants with fresh topsoil purchased earlier. Cover with cones or bushel baskets for complete protection. Many gardeners successfully overwinter their roses and other tender perennials by covering with bags of leaves collected in the autumn.
AFTER THE FIRST FROST: After a heavy frost, remove all blackened plants such as zinnias, petunias, marigolds, etc. Remove and destroy plant stems on any perennials which may have had diseased foliage (ie. peonies and lilies). Good sanitation now will result in fewer problems next spring.
11. Do not cut down the tips of asparagus until they have been killed by frost. The longer they remain on the plant in a green condition, the more food will be stored for next spring's crop.
Plants of parsley and chives may be dug from the garden, potted, and brought into the house for fresh herbs through the winter. DO NOT COMPOST: DAHLIAS AND TOMATOE PLANTS, They may have diseases that you can not see or that will over winter in your compost pile.
OVER WINTERING: three basic methods for keeping tropicals and tender perennials alive through the winter. Some I store in almost total dormancy in a cool, dark place; some stay in cool but bright conditions; and a lucky few spend winter in a warm, bright setting. None of my methods are foolproof, so I always expect a few casualties. Aside from watering plants that spend the winter in active growth, there’s not much time or work involved.
Warm, bright surroundings are a safe bet inspect them for insect and diseases and repot any that have outgrown their containers.
Return them indoors in time for them to readjust to their indoor environment before the heat is turned on. Expect some leaf loss or the browning of leaf edges on some plant species. This simply indicates adjustment to lower light and humidity levels indoors.
Two plants which will require special care after their summer outdoors are the poinsettias and Christmas cactus. Both have similar requirements in that they need a 14 hour period of continuous darkness each day from October 1 until mid-December to set flower buds. Two methods to accomplish this are to either set the plants in a closet or place a cardboard box over them from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. for the period listed above. At all other times, the plants should receive normal light exposure.
These would include but not be limited to glads, dahlias and tuberous begonias. Many can be enjoyed right up until a good frost blackens their tops. Be sure to dig the bulbs carefully, retrieve any offsets that may have developed, and leave the foliage intact. Place the bulbs in an airy, sheltered spot to dry for a two to three week period. Except for begonias, foliage and stems can be cut off with a sharp knife near but not at the point where they emerge from the bulb. Allow begonia stems to dry until they are brittle enough to break off from the bulbs. The bulbs will overwinter well in a dark, cool place (45 to 50 degrees F.) when stored in vermiculite, peat moss, or similar material. It is also recommended to dust with a fungicide (Bordeaux mixture) and insecticide (Sevin dust) to curb disease and insect development in storage.
Except for daffodils, mice and other rodents consider bulbs of all kinds to be premium food, so store bulbs where these pests will not have access to them.
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Finish planting spring flowering bulbs (ie. tulips, daffodils, flowering onions) and dormant, deciduous nursery stock while the soil remains manageable. If cankerworms were a problem the past summer, take action at this time to limit their damage next season. Fall banding with Tanglefoot should take place by mid-September to take care of the fall species of cankerworm moving into the canopy of trees. In most areas, however, the spring species of cankerworm is more destructive and warrants control in the early spring by banding with the same material in late March or early April. Apply this organic (castor oil, waxes, and resins) brown paste around the trunks of trees and shrubs to block access of crawling insects to leaves, buds, and fruit.
Tree Tanglefoot Pest Barrier is effective against crawling insects such as ants, cutworms, inchworms, gypsy moth, cankerworm, pecan weevil, obscure root weevil, forest tent caterpillar, and tussock moths. Do not use in pheromone traps.
Place rooted cuttings made during the summer and sow well-rooted frame. Ventilate freely on warm days; and even at night, unless frost threatens, a little ventilation may be provided. This is to harden young plants in preparation for winter.
CONTAINER CARE FOR WINTER: It’s What’s inside! Start with a clean container….Durability: What is the shelf life of your container?
Man made or natural! How does mother nature effect your containers?Cover Drainage holes, add drip irrigation and container feet.
Conserve soil: helps reduce weight by using mulch, newspapers and inverted pots. Remeber annuals have shallower root mass, requiring less soil than perennials or trees and shrubs.
FERTILIZE LAWNS BY OCT: Lawn care in the fall will yield maximum results the following growing season. Apply herbicides in September to control weed infestations. Aerate if the soil is compacted or if thatch is a problem and apply gypsum and fertilizer to improve soil conditions and provide nutrients for healthy turf growth The nitrogen should be mostly from water insoluble nitrogen (WIN) or controlled release nitrogen (CRN) to prevent excessive top growth. Continue mowing the lawn so that it is no higher than 1.5 to 2.0 inches going into the winter. A lawn should be only 1.5 inches tall where the snow tends to accumulate and snow mold or powdery mildew might be a problem. Most cool season lawns are best maintained at a 2- to 3-inch height during the growing season. As the month of October nears, the height can gradually be reduced to the overwintering heights.
If the grass ceases growth before all deciduous foliage has fallen, use the mower as a leaf mulcher or vacuum to keep the leaves from packing down and smothering the grass. Have the mower serviced and stored for winter to maximize efficiency and longevity of the machine.
PREPARE THE SOIL TO SOW LAWNSEED.
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Amendments… Affect pH?Water retaining properties. Some organic ingredients such as peat moss provide needed water-holding capacity, and others, like pine bark, can lend a porous structure to avoid compaction.
Inorganic ingredients like sand, vermiculite and perlite generally lend porosity. They can also help retain moisture and add weight or density.
Expanded shale and green sand …. Expanded shale (ES)is a "puffed" rock that is stable (like lava rock), not crumbly (like vermiculite). It is incredibly lightweight (for a bunch o' rocks...) ES can hold water, nutrients, and a constant supply of air (30% of storage capacity is air). This keeps plants from drowning in clay soils or drying in sandy soils, and is generally helpful for annual-type garden beds. (That is most of our food plants, except for perennial herbs, fruit trees, etc.) heated to 2000 degress. It acts as an insulator in the soil mixture and protects plants from rapid temperature extremes. ESCS retains a high percentage of its weight in absorbed water and waterborne nutrients, making it an excellent buffer. ESCS is user friendly because it is lightweight, inert, pH adjustable, easy to handle, economical and readily available.
Greensand is an olive-green coloured sandstonerock which is commonly found in narrow bands, particularly associated with bands of chalk and clay worldwide; it has been deposited in marine environments at various times during Earth history, such as during the Jurassic and Cretaceousperiods. Greensand forms in anoxic marine environments that are rich in organic detritus and low in sedimentary input. Greensands are occasionally fossil-rich, such as in the late Cretaceous deposits of New Jersey
NO MULCH:Read your label, know your plant. CAMILLAS, HYDRANGEAS, SKIP Laurels, Euphorbias, cherry laurels, etc.
Wind Breaks & Other Protection:Install simple windbreaks to protect young, tender plantings from drying winter winds. Anything that encourages snow accumulation will help provide excellent protection against low temperature or wind desiccation. Where evergreens are exposed, spray with an anti-desiccant to provide protection from drying winds. Spray again in mid-winter during a thaw when the temperature will be above 40 degrees F. for a few hours.
Many other symptoms result from prolonged lack of water, such as leaf scorch and premature
discoloration of leaves. There is also internal damage which will manifest itself next spring, if the plants are not properly watered now. Keep your plants well watered till ground freezes.
SCOUT FOR PESTS…IPM:Protect young apple, maple and other tree species from rodent damage. Wrap tree trunks with hardware cloth (� inch openings) up to the expected snow-line to provide the necessary protection. Plant material that has developed a thickened or corky bark is usually not vulnerable to damage of this sort.
If there is time, turn the soil over in vegetable and flower gardens. Litter-free areas in the garden or under fruit trees will help eliminate many disease and insect problems the following season. Open spaces of fallow, weed-free soil are more attractive in winter and will make the soil ready for planting early next spring.
If the soil is particularly heavy, the addition of gypsum at 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet will help to soften the soil next spring. Thorough incorporation of generous amounts of organic matter such as compost or peat moss is also very beneficial.
Finally, to stretch out flowering a couple more weeks in the autumn, covering plants with plastic or cloth sheets, boxes or newspaper tents will provide protection against the initial frosts. Frequently, unprotected plants damaged by light frosts can be given an extension of useful beauty by hosing them with water before the sun rises.
Environmentally friendly alternatives to pesticides
spray plants with natural insect controls such as garlic spray, white oil or dishwashing detergent mixed with water call for reinforcements. Create a garden where ladybirds or predatory mites make a meal of pests encourage visits by insect-eating birds by providing a suitable habitat prevent damage to citrus trees by circling the trunk with grease to reduce the damage of some sapsuckers. Cover fruit to deter larger chewing insects get Mother Nature on side with companion planting, choosing plants that attract insect predators or release certain chemicals (such as marigolds) prevention is best. Keep plants healthy, weed-free and disease-resistant. Select plants less susceptible to insect invasion use natural pesticides such as pyrethrin and derris. However, use them carefully and sparingly, as they too can cause environmental harm to reduce fungal problems, remove old leaves and avoid watering leaf surfaces
WINTER WATERING:For plants, water slowly for several hours.
Trees and shrubs require deeper penetration and a root feeder or similar type of tool is the best
answer. For most plants, five or six inches of soil should be kept wet, but trees and shrubs with their deeper roots need a greater depth of water than this.
