Above 2000 ft. : prune deciduous fruit trees, cane berries Below 2000 ft.: prune grapes, roses, crepe myrtle. Paint trunks of bare root and young fruit trees to prevent borers and protect from sunburn. Use interior white latex paint with equal amounts of water and apply generously.
Is your garden soil not quite what you want it to be? Need to make some improvements? Soil amendments may be a solution. Before making any additions or changes to your soil, its good to know what soil amendments are and how they may work in your soil.
Soil health and fertility underlie success in our food and ornamental gardens, but not all soils are ideal for productivity. In many locations of Sonoma County, heavy clay predominates while loose sandy soil is found in coastal areas as well as in isolated pockets inland. Some home gardeners find that…
Compost benefits the garden as well as the environment. Photo: Pixabay.com The process of composting is good for your garden and for the environment. Home composting allows gardeners to recycle organic material while conserving landfill space and reducing reliance on fossil fuel.
Decomposition occurs naturally over time, affecting all organic matter. Managing the process for soil improvement in a compost pile provides rich organic material for the garden.
Compost is multi-purpose. It can be used as mulch, topdressing, soil amendment, or as an organic fertilizer. Adding compost to the garden is one of the best ways to improve soil and support plant health.
Soil science now advises gardeners to refrain from disturbing the soil in order to preserve the vast web of life beneath the surface including beneficial bacteria, fungi, algae, and other microbes that enrich soil.
Of the many different types of materials that can be used to cover the ground, only mulch derived from plants benefits the soil and the garden. Learn why.
The real work of composting is done by a variety of underground inhabitants including earthworms, sowbugs, bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms. Some you can see, but most you cannot.
