by Bob Niklewicz
Did you know... There are over 600 muscles in your body?
Dia. 1: The muscles attach on either side of each joint. Muscles only pull (contract/shorten) and, when they do so, they move the joint in one direction. Muscles do not push a joint. The muscles exert force by contracting to achieve motion. The muscle can generate the most power in its intermediate range. This middle range is often the neutral position of the joint.
Muscle components: Think of it like a co-axial cable with thousands of fibers. Each has its own nerve and blood vessels It attached to the bone via a tendon.
There are different types of muscle:
Dia. 4: The smooth muscles contract around your blood vessels and your intestines.
Skeletal muscles produce locomotion and are tubular and in bundles. For the purposes of this article, skeletal muscle function will be our only concern. With a hard skeletal muscle contraction, 60% of the circulation can be cut off from the nutrient pathway that will lead to fatigue.
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.
Diagrams: Vecteezy.com
by Maureen Jett
Heat Island Effect is a man-made phenomenon in which air temperatures and surface temperatures are higher in urban areas than in the surrounding rural settings.
A team from the Master Gardener's Climate Change and Soils committee recently recorded temperatures of different surfaces in one neighborhood in Napa (see Surface Temperature Chart). Readings were taken on two different days, March 4th and June 21st. On June 21st, two recordings were done, one at 10:30am and the other at 3:30 pm. The temperature reached 104° that day.
Soil organic matter is what keeps soil alive and healthy, in other words, the living world below. A teaspoon of healthy soil contains millions of living organisms. This graphic from the USDA displays the threshold temperatures that expose your soil to potential “death”, in other words turning your soil into plain dirt. Read the chart from the bottom up to see what happens to Soil Organic Matter (SOM) at different temperatures.
140° F — Soil bacteria die. (We're talking about good bacteria).
130° F — 100% moisture is lost through evaporation or transpiration.
113° F — Some bacteria species start dying.
85% — moisture lost through evaporation.
90° F — Plant growth slows.
70° F — 100% moisture is used for plant growth. The ideal range plant growth and planting is (65 to 86 F).
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Plant more trees that will protect against high winds, erosion and flooding, as well as keeping carbon in the ground and keeping groundwater clean. The big plus is the shade provided for our homes thereby reducing energy consumption.
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Cover the ground with living plants to absorb CO2 rather than reflect the sunlight. Given, turf (grass) is green and it is cool, and in many circumstances needed for pets and children, but an expanse of green lawn requires heavy watering for maintenance and it and contributes little to soil health because the roots are shallow. On the other hand, plants and shrubs provide abundant roots, creating healthy soil and sequestering carbon in the earth.
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Where plants are not growing, try to cover the ground with organic mulch. In the temperature readings, notice that the soil under the mulch is significantly cooler than the mulch itself. But be aware that all mulch is not created equal. Some dyed mulches may leach toxins into the soil and dark/black mulch heats up and can be detrimental to tender plants. Rock may seem like a good choice and in some cases may be appropriate, perhaps around cactus, but large areas covered with rocks/stones in the sun will absorb and retain heat, later releasing it back into the atmosphere. Keep rocks/stones in shady areas under plants, trees or next to the house.
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Use permeable hardscapes (including permeable pavers) instead of concrete and other solid surfaces. Rain is absorbed into the soil rather than running off into the gutters and streets and will not retain the heat like non-porous and darker surfaces.
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Resist the urge to put down artificial turf. Not only is it hot to the touch, but it kills anything living in the soil underneath of it. There is truly nothing beneficial about it. Notice it is the hottest reading on the Surface Temperature chart.
If you want to learn more about Heat Islands, what can be done, and what's been implemented or being proposed in some cities to mitigate heat island effects, check out these US government's websites:
Heat.gov (National Integrated Heat Health Information System/ NIHHIS) https://www.heat.gov/pages/urban-heat-islands
EPA https://www.epa.gov/heatislands
And for children: NASA has a website, Climate Kids, chockfull of great information and age-related activities: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/heat-islands/
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: Rawpixel
by Kathrine Parsons
What is common among fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, living landscapes and grazing lands? They all grow in soil and require water. More importantly, they support all human and animal life either directly or indirectly. And it doesn't stop there; these living entities naturally cool earth temperatures and do a spectacular job of sequestering carbon. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at soil's makeup and how the precious commodity of water infiltrates it.
What is Soil?
Soil has a microcosm of living organisms. As shown in the Healthy Soil pie chart below, 45% of soil is a combination of silt, sand, and clay, while air and water make up 50% of the total content. Only 5% of soil is Soil Organic Matter (SOM) where the life force happens, but only 5% of this 5% (= .25%) feeds living roots and organisms.
Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
Soil Organic Matter is a living biomass of microbes, fresh and partially decomposed organic matter, and humus. It supplies the nutrients and food for the communities of microbial diversity within our soils. By increasing soil organic matter, the health and function of our soil is improved. In short, SOM is the critical part of soil that is alive.
Looking at soil's horizontal layers, the area circled in red below is the most biologically active layer making up approximately the top 12 inches. It's here that the vital Soil Organic Matter resides.
It makes sense then that a plant's healthy roots within the organic matter greatly contribute to a fertile soil biome. In the photosynthesis process, carbon dioxide is taken in through the leaves of a plant, carbon sugars are created. These carbon sugars feed the plant and up to half of it is exuded from the roots which feeds the living organisms in the soil. These sugars attract good fungi that attach to the roots, and which produce thread-like structures called hyphae that can extend for 300 yards. The hyphae together with the roots create an extensive root network capable of supporting not only the “parent” plant, but other plants in the same network. The hyphae slough off a super sticky substance called glomalin that glues particles of sand, silt, and clay together to create aggregates in the soil, thus providing space where air and water can infiltrate. What a system!
Water Infiltration
When soil is porous via aggregated structure and plant roots, there's plenty of avenues for water to infiltrate. When healthy, porous soil is damp, the water already in the soil pulls new water down. Infiltration happens.
Conversely:
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Dry, lifeless dirt has no porosity because it has no structure, and water will simply run off. Think about a storm when heavy rain is pelted onto dry, crusted ground. The water immediately runs off, leaving the ground as dry as it was before the rain.
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Living soil has the structure to hold water. Keep it slightly moist and any added water will be absorbed.
In summary, there is a symbiotic relationship between plant life, soil life, human life, and our planet's life.
Common to all is the need for healthy soil and water. Our job as gardeners is to use water judiciously including setting up our gardens, landscapes, and grazing lands for the best water infiltration possible.
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: public domain
Information Links:
UC ANR-Healthy Soils Basics https://ucanr.edu/sites/soils/Soils_101/
by Cynthia Kerson
Our most recent UCMG home garden tour was to a beautifully manicured property in downtown Napa and another garden featuring California native plants.
The tour of the garden in old town Napa started at the front entry path greeting us with colorful, lively zinnias before leading us further into lavender and hydrangeas on this gorgeously renovated, historic 1871 property.
Along the street side of the property, there was a hidden alcove covered in jasmine with a table and chairs inside. MGs thought this to be the perfect spot to launch a scare on Halloween.
Our next tour takes us to two gardens in rural west Napa. Stay tuned for that write-up.
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: Cindy Kerson
Information links: UC IPM
Zinnias http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FLOWERS/zinnia.html
Hydrangea http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/hydrangea.html
UCMG Santa Clara-Lavender
https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/herbs/lavender/
UCMG Sonoma Lawn removal
Drip Irrigation https://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Drip_Irrigation/
Mulch https://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Mulch_A-Z/
Did you know there is a direct link between soil and climate change?
How we treat the soil in our home gardens and landscapes can either contribute to global warming or help decrease the effects of climate change. Our global temperatures are increasing due to the burning of fossil fuels, but also traditional farming and gardening practices have added greatly to the problem.
Historically, tilling the land and leaving it fallow between crops have been the normal practices, which releases carbon into the atmosphere. We have an overabundance of carbon and other greenhouse gasses trapping heat and raising temperatures. When soil is left bare, the sun bakes it to such high temperatures that it kills the essential organisms underground that plants need to grow.
Healthy soil is full of living organisms and is exceptionally complex, comprising a vast community of microscopic bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes, as well as earthworms, spiders, and insects. This soil community builds carbon stores through its interactions within the soil structure of living roots and decomposing organic matter.
Home gardeners have traditionally performed similar soil preparation methods as farmers. We dug throughout the garden to break up dirt clods and loosen the soil, while at the same time we were destroying the web of living roots and organisms needed to grow healthy plants. Instead, dig a hole only the size needed to accommodate a plant, avoid compacting the soil so air and water can penetrate, and keep the ground covered to retain moisture for roots and living organisms to stay cool. The added benefit is the carbon will stay stored in the ground where it can benefit the life there.
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: USDA.gov
