Spill the Beans - Agriculture and Natural Resources Blogs

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Gardening Information by UC Master Gardeners of Napa County

Published on: September 6, 2021

by Melody Kendall

We have lived in our home now for almost 40 years; gosh, time flies when you are having fun! Until about five years ago we had been unsuccessful in establishing a garden in the front yard under the only window seen from the street, wanting it to be a major design feature of our home. About every three years we had to totally rip out the languishing current garden incarnation and start over. As a busy young family we dealt with it, but it sure became boring, tiring and just plain frustrating.

Five years ago we entered our retirement years, began an uncluttered lifestyle and had more free time. We decided to tackle this problem area head on. First, we had to discover what was causing anything we planted in this area to decline and eventually die. So, thinking that the soil was the culprit, we planned to dig out all the soil in the 4 foot wide by 20 foot long area to about 8 inches. Right away the mystery was solved. Oh my goodness, the entire area was literally clogged with clumps of hair like roots. My husband likened it to hairballs that are usually found when unclogging a drain in bathroom sinks. Removing the soil required the use of sharp bladed tools and a lot of back-breaking work. We used a hoe to chop and a shovel to stand on to cut through the wads of compacted roots. These humongous root masses filled an entire large yard waste container. After we removed all the root material there was only about a quarter of the soil remaining, mostly because the root masses were so compacted no amount of pounding or chopping could break them up enough to release contained soil. Okay, we had planned on replacing the soil anyway.

Now we know why plants in this area didn't thrive. Those roots were taking all the nutrients and water and the poor vegetation was literally being starved out. Where were these roots coming from? We have some absolutely lovely Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) all around the circumference of our front garden area, and I guess they didn't want to share the space with any other plants. Because the garden bed area was regularly watered and fertilized, those lovely Maples turned into very nasty neighbors, sending thieving roots into the bed to leach all that tasty food and water from the helpless tiny plantings. With research we found that this is perfectly normal behavior and to not judge the trees too harshly. Since we didn't water or feed the trees, why wouldn't they seek out an easy meal nearby? So, short of removing the trees, which was not an option, how could we create a garden area in this space?

We went on a hunt for information and helpful advice on this problem. The best info we could come up with said exclusion was the best method to avoid this root ‘hairball' situation. So we lined the excavated garden bed with two layers of a permeable weed cloth. The permeability will make sure the garden area is still drained properly so plastic is not recommended. We read that because the weed cloth is intended to be left in place, it's not recommended for vegetable gardens or annual flower beds.

We had intended to replace the soil and replant but we had a brainstorm and thought why not create another layer of exclusion and decided to purchase large planters to put the plants in. We placed these directly on the weed cloth, laid irrigation lines and surrounded them with large cobbles to match the rest of the landscape.

We then filled the planters with fresh soil and, based on the mostly shaded location, put in 5 Azaleas Rhododendron spp. and we were done. NOT!

Two years ago I noticed that the azaleas were looking pekid and when I walked over the pots were full of water. I was not a happy camper. I decided to take one of the azaleas out of the pot and see what the problem was, quite a chore by itself. Bending over while gently removing the soil around a shrub, trying not to spill onto the cobbles and/or the adjacent lawn was a nightmare. Finally, I was able to disinter the shrub and put it temporarily into another area of the yard. This way the roots would not dry out until I could put it back into the pot. Once all the soil was removed I found out just how insidious those pesky tree roots were. They had not only come through the two layers of weed cloth but had totally clogged the drain hole in their enthusiasm for the water and nutrients in the pot.

So now what!? I was a woman on a mission. I reread all the old information on excluding tree roots from planters and found some new recent information and decided what I needed was an air gap. When planting a shrub in the soil it is always suggested that, once the plant is in the ground, you add water and gently tamp down the new soil around the plant to remove any large air gaps. This means to me that large air gaps are not a good thing for roots. So, if I deliberately created a large air gap between the tree roots and the planter this just might be the answer.

After removing all the soil from each of the five planters, which took a week and much back liniment, I was ready to put my theory to the test. I tore out those cheeky roots, relined the area under each pot with new weed cloth and created a three inch base out of bricks that the pots could stand on. I now had a large air gap. As I am not getting any younger and certainly don't want to do this again, I went one step further. I created a brick base in the bottom of each pot and put a layer of weed cloth on top of the bricks to create a second large air gap. I finished up by purchasing cloth planter bags to sit on that base. Now there were two complete large air gaps. The reconstruction was accomplished and we were ready for the test of time. Two years have gone by and the Azaleas seem to be thriving and the pots draining nicely. I think my plan is working… fingers crossed

Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: Mel Kendall

Information links:

Morton Arboretum-tree root problems

https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/tree-plant-care/plant-care-resources/tree-root-problems/#!

UC IPM

Maple http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/maple.html

Azalea http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/azalea.html

UC ANR-Solano UCMG-correct planting http://solanomg.ucanr.edu/files/246185.pdf

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Heal the Earth – Water Wisely

Author: Jane Callier

Published on: August 30, 2021

This is the last post in this series following concepts and information from UC Master Gardeners of Napa County presentation, “Soil is the Solution, healing the earth one yard at a time,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqA8DqBtRuo . The presentation describes practices we can learn and implement about soil to help slow and ultimately reverse the damage humankind has done and slow global warming. Soil carbon sequestration has a great potential for reducing emissions at the lowest cost. Previous posts were May 24, June 7, June 28, July 19, and August 9, 2021.

It may seem obvious to practice judicious water use since nearly all of California is in extreme drought and our landscapes have dried to a crisp. Maybe the decision has been made to remove the lawn. The simplest path forward would seem to just stop watering altogether and watch it perish. This isn't advisable – water molecules bind together and if the lawn dries out completely, we're back in the dust bowl again. The soil becomes hydrophobic and water just runs off, taking precious topsoil with it as it flows down the gutter.

The problem, of course, is that soil is left lifeless, and our aspiration in this series is to sequester carbon from the atmosphere with plants and their ability to do this, along with their roots, the soil biome and all of the other trimmings that go along with it.

Field capacity is a term used to describe the amount water that is able to be held by soil after runoff and time to dry out a little bit. The more organic matter in the soil, the more available water there is for plants. A better choice than lifeless soil is to have some wonderful plants that have adapted to our summer-dry climate. The choices are endless, but a good place to start might be with UC Davis Arboretum All Star plants. Using the right plant in the right place will probably mean less pruning, maintenance and yard waste. Any waste that is collected can be used for mulch or a compost pile.

We can also keep water out of the gutter by using permeable hard surfaces for driveways and sidewalks. The water saving mantra is this: Catch it, slow it, spread it, sink it. Irrigating by hydrozones is another good practice. Achieve this by grouping plants together with similar water needs, adjusting irrigation times accordingly. Rain gardens can be installed to catch water. Create a depressed area in the landscape to collect rain from a roof or driveway allowing it to soak into the ground, making it a cost effective and beautiful way to reduce runoff from your property.

The final concept for reducing carbon in the atmosphere is to reduce energy. The usual suspect, cars, are mainly culpable, but it might be shocking to learn about the polluting capacity of gas powered leafblowers. Edmunds automotive engineering editor, Jason Kavanaugh, reported that a two-stroke leaf blower generated 23 times the CO and nearly 300 times more NMHC (non-methane hydrocarbons) than a crew cab pickup. In perspective, that means to equal the hydrocarbon emissions of about a half-hour of yard work with this two-stroke leaf blower, a person would have to drive a Raptor pickup for 3,887 miles, or the distance from northern Texas to Anchorage, Alaska. Right now would be a great time to rethink the use of these abusively noisy polluting nightmares, delegating them to a historical footnote.

A recap of what we have learned about healing the earth and what we should actively keep in mind:

Increase soil organic matter
Use compost, not chemicals
Maximize living roots
Minimize soil disturbance
Keep soil covered
Increase plant diversity
Practice judicious water use
Reduce energy use.

When it comes to our landscape practices, at the risk of sounding facile, maybe we can ask ourselves WWND, what would nature do? Let's help mother nature sequester carbon so she can breathe and so can we; she's been pretty good to us.

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: Richard McNeil, Creative Commons 3.0

References: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum-all-stars

https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/emissions-test-car-vs-truck-vs-leaf-blower.html

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Cape Balsam

Published on: August 23, 2021

by Melody Kendall

From small to large in 8 months

I am not usually the type of person that colors outside the box. Following rules and being on the straight and narrow have been my usual modus operandi and, if the truth be told, my comfort level. Six years ago I took a brief trip on the wild side. When touring a local public garden, I took some unauthorized cuttings. Whether you scoff and ask “what's the big deal,” or react with a sharp intake of breath, I still get heart palpitations thinking about that adrenaline rush. This slight straying from the straight and narrow allowed me to acquire cape balsam (Bulbine frutescens), that has forever changed my garden.

The orange variety has thinner leaves and stays more rounded

That small bulbine cutting has since grown into multiple plants that are featured throughout my landscape. In fact, in a recent yard redo project I created an entire section showcasing this low-water, low-maintenance pollinator friendly plant.

The leaves of the cape balsam are thick and fleshy, well adapted to store water. There are two colors of cape balsam flowers: yellow and orange. The plant cutting that I took on that fateful day was the orange variety of bulbine. The orange has longer thinner leaves than the yellow variety that look more grass like and tend to stay in a globular shape with the flowers growing throughout the globe. The yellow has thicker, fleshier leaves that grow in clumps and the flowers tend to originate around the circumference of this irregular plant mass. Both types add great interest in the garden with their 3+ foot wide spreading green shapes, the interesting succulent-like leaves and the 12” to 15” thin stalks displaying small orange or yellow blossoms on the ends. Needing little water once established, these evergreen native perennials from South Africa are hardy down to 25 degrees F and can take multiple hardships in stride while still providing volumes of pollinator friendly blooms. Enjoying full sun but doing quite nicely, thank you, in mostly shade, the bulbine blooms from early spring through late fall and only requires removal of spent flower stalks to neaten their appearance. The flowers also work well in flower arrangements.

The yellow variety has fleshier leaves and has a clumping growth habit

The bees and butterflies definitely reap the rewards of my little pilfering adventure. The neighbors have commented multiple times about the look of these plants in my landscape, so I have been giving out the little self-started seedlings to anyone who wants one. I hope to pay back my bad behavior in this manner with the aim of balancing my “garden karma.” Though I don't think I will do anything like that again, I am glad that I discovered this amazing plant.

Plants self propagate, seedlings in 4" pots

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: Mel Kendall

Information links:

UC Davis arboretumYellow https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant/cape-balsam

Monrovia-orange https://www.monrovia.com/orange-stalked-bulbine.html

Focus Area Tags: Yard & Garden

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Carpenter Bees

Published on: August 16, 2021

Melody Kendall

A well traveled hole

As a child, a bee sighting was usually accompanied by a lot of screaming and general chaos. As I matured bees were given a wide berth and usually avoided. When raising our family we removed any and all plants that attract bees, something that I have come to regret as a more educated and seasoned UC Master Gardener.

About twenty years ago we noticed large black bees congregating around our wooden pergola. Closer inspection showed bees entering and exiting holes that had been neatly drilled into the support beams. My husband was not amused. Having been recently enlightened about bees and pollinators in general I suggested a cautious approach instead of wholesale slaughter of them. We took one of the bees that had died of natural causes to the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's office and asked them about the cause and future progress of this infestation. The Ag Commissioner's office staff provided us with information and suggestions. Basically, the bees are benign but would continue to ‘drill' holes. It was suggested that we fill the holes and paint the support beams.

Carpenter bee next to a quarter

There are three species of Carpenter bees here in California: Xylocopa varipuncta , X. californica & X. tabaniformis orpifex. I'm not sure which one that we have. All three species are the largest bees in California at around an inch long. The Carpenter Bee eggs are the largest of all insect eggs at about ½ inch long. The females are black and shiny and the males are large and colored gold or yellow. The females are the ‘carpenters' using their mandibles to drill deep holes eight to ten inches in depth in untreated wood. They will sting but only when provoked. The males don't sting, are territorial and spend their time lying in wait for passing females.

No more than 4 holes per beam

Carpenter Bees are great pollinators in our area and their specialty is California native plants. Seeing one flying around pollinating the garden is quite exhilarating, due in no small part to their massive size and loud buzzing. Because they have great potential for pollinating crops there is ongoing research as to their value in greenhouse ‘buzz-pollination'. This is where the bee hovers at the opening of the flower and using its beating wings creates movement via sonic waves that causes the pollen in the flower to release and thus fertilize the plant. The size of this bee makes entering some flowers a problem so they use ‘buzz-pollination' and ‘stealing the nectar' methods to get the nectar from many flowers. When ‘stealing the nectar' the bee actually cuts the corolla of the flowers that have narrow openings and steals the nectar without pollinating the flower.

Since we noticed their living arrangements we have done nothing to curtail the carpenter bees in our yard and, in those twenty years they have not excavated any additional holes in our pergola. The bees continue to buzz quite loudly during the summer, pollinating the garden and bringing home food to their nests. In the winter months they quietly sleep in their snug tunnels. The only downside to their chosen habitat is the bee ‘frass' left on the deck furniture. In my opinion it's a perfect cohabitational living arrangement considering all of the Carpenter Bee's wonderful beneficial attributes.

Information links:

UC IPM http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7417.html

UC News about Entomology and Nematology

https://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/index.cfm?tagname=carpenter%20bees

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: Mel Kendall

Focus Area Tags: Natural Resources

Comments: 1

UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources

Variety is good for the garden

Author: Jane Callier

Published on: August 9, 2021

This is the fifth post in this series following concepts and information from UC Master Gardeners of Napa County presentation, “Soil is the Solution, healing the earth one yard at a time,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqA8DqBtRuo . The presentation describes practices we can learn and implement about soil to help slow and ultimately reverse the damage humankind has done and slow global warming. Previous posts were May 24, June 7, June 28 and July 19, 2021.

Another feature of robust, healthy soil is a diversity of plants. Not only does this make an area of the landscape interesting; it means it's part of a healthy biosphere, working as nature intended allowing microscopic and larger organisms in the soil to achieve their full potential. Having a diverse natural system translates to stability in that system. Having a greater diversity above the ground also means a greater diversity below the ground.

It should be no surprise that a diversity of root systems is beneficial for healthy soil. Undisturbed soil has a variety and character of root systems that are as individual as their plant parts above the ground. Grass roots have net-like character, others sink deep tap roots. All roots increase the active level of the soil microbiome and sequester carbon. Because of this diversity, plants will recover faster from adversity such as fire.

Does this mean we rush out and buy plants and put them in the ground willy-nilly with no thought as to whether or not they are invasive, or their water and other cultural needs? For our mediterranean climate, California native plants are a good choice, plus there are many perennials and bulbs from other summer-dry mediterranean climates of the world that greatly increases our palette. There are many excellent plant lists to consult before a mission of diversifying a landscape. A combination of trees, shrubs and perennials are ideal. When planting food crops, plant starts of cold season crops as summer crops fade. This idea is called interplanting.

The discussion also needs to include the welfare of pollinators. Their importance can't be stressed enough. Without pollinators there would be no food, hence no life and we couldn't have a discussion at all. For now, as we think about plants for the landscape, keep in mind pollinators and plants they favor. Just as our tastes range from sandwiches to ice cream cones, so do pollinators appreciate a variety of plants. Plant a stand of flowering plants three to six square feet to make it easy for them to find. Provide fresh water and house them according to their needs, so they can feed, live and raise their young.

For safety in fire prone areas, non-combustible mulch should be used for areas less than five feet away from structures and shouldn't have plants. Live plants, even when irrigated, can ignite. For mulched areas between five and thirty feet from structures, large bark nuggets and composted wood chips can be used in non-contiguous areas.

Our takeaways are these:

A diversity of plants builds into a healthy system of root varieties, greater soil activity and carbon sequestration.

Appropriate plants for our climate are best.

Take care of our pollinators.

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: Creative Commons (CC BY-ND 2.0)

https://www.ebmud.com/water/conservation-and-rebates/watersmart-gardener/watersmart-plants/

https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Prepare/Landscaping/Mulch/

https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8498.pdf

Public Value: UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources

Focus Area Tags: Yard & Garden

Comments: 0

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