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Nature’s Way Resources owner John Ferguson, “The Lazy Gardener” Brenda Beust Smith and Pablo Hernandez welcome your feedback and are so grateful to the many horticulturists who contribute their expertise

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“You could cover the whole earth with asphalt,

but sooner or later green grass would break through.”  I. Ehrenburg

Moving Past Just Beautification

 

 

RIGHT TREES MAY DETERMINE OUR

FUTURE LIVES

BY BRENDA BEUST SMITH

THINK TREES ARE STRICTLY ORNAMENTAL? NOT ANY MORE! Increasing we are accepting what many have known for a long time. “Clean air, clean water, cooler temperatures, lower energy costs, quality of life and aesthetic issues” are among survival supports provided by “the right” trees, noted BARRY WARD, Executive Director, Trees For Houston.

Best news: Trees For Houston, our region’s leading tree advocate, has reached a milestone with a record 101,000 trees and understory species planted in 150 zip codes during the 2023-24 planting season (October to April). These were distributed at 473 tree plantings and 165 tree giveaway events. This success is due in part to the increased accessibility and visibility of Trees For Houston through the new Kinder Campus and the Chevron Tree Nursery, in addition to strong community partnerships.

If these figures makes you relax … DON’T! They don’t begin to compensate for established, life-contributing trees we’ve already lost (and will continue to lose) as treasured old trees come down to make room for new construction and through natural losses. Any idea what the tree loss is in your area? (Detailed data map – Kinder Institute, Rice University

Proof is already all around us. One example from the Kinder ReportTrees shade 42+% of West University Place, helping to maintain average temp high of 83º. Five miles west, in below-poverty line-area, very little shade: Average temp: 90º.

Other local comparisons confirm more common disparate situations. Click link above for Greater Houston area updated tree loss. In Greater Houston, Ward adds, developers are fined for not replanting RIGHT trees or number of removed trees on residential/commercial properties and given incentives to keep existing canopy.

Despite continuing efforts to control or compensate for this loss, older, larger, most environmental-helping trees are dying off and/or being cut down faster than they can possibly be replaced or will grow into their useful size. That’s not good, folks, for our health and especially not for future generations.

This really hit home for us personally when recent rains flooded thickly forested Eisenhower Park in East Harris County. It is now closed indefinitely as damage assessment continues. It was one of our favorite drives.

Do you have any idea about loss is in your area? For the health of loved ones, you should! Again, check this data map – Kinder Institute, Rice University

KUDOS, therefore, to all who have already added proper trees for your area and to Trees For Houston, the national leading tree advocate and a major contributor to Houston Climate Action Plan, which has a goal of planting 4.6 million trees over 10 years. Become a supporter!

Thinking of adding a tree to your landscape? Ward warns the most common mistake is “…choosing a tree based on immediate or short-term appearance and size. Failing to anticipate size, shape, and root zone at 10-, 20- and even 30-year intervals can prove to be very expensive and possibly result in the necessary removal of the tree just as one might otherwise be enjoying its benefits at maturity.”

Consider yourself forewarned!

  • SO FASCINATED BY “GARDENING FOR THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE” title (Isabel Lloyd & Phil Clarke), I ordered the book! First had to look up why they repeatedly say “When zombies’ come over the hill . . .” Couldn’t find answer.

But, as 4th-gen New Orleans-born woman, I heard the word “zom-BEES” a lot in my youth! Still don’t know much about them. But Mark Vorderbruggen will probably explain in his gardening-oriented review of this book.

John’s Corner

NEWS FROM THE WONDERFUL WORLD

OF SOIL AND PLANTS # 291

Subject: Neonicotinoids, Soil Types

Most gardeners know that pollinators are essential for our gardens and our food supply. A group of pesticides called collectively neonicotinoids, are particularly harmful to bees and other pollinators.

A study a few years ago in 2019, found that agriculture had become 48 more times toxic to pollinators by 2014 since the introduction of these pesticides.

Another study has found just one corn seed (kernel) has enough neonics (poison) in it to kill 250,000 bees! Unless one buys organic corn, this may be what you are eating.

Maine has become the second state along with Vermont to protect the public and our pollinators by prohibiting these dangerous chemicals. Four other states have introduced legislation to restrict neonics. Eco Watch 2014

Often when trying to figure out a plant health, pest issue, or weed issue, it is very useful to know what type of soil one has. Frequently when I ask folks what type of soil they have they answer, I do not know.

From a gardening perspective we can break it down into six basic soil types. These are clay, silt, sand, chalky, peaty, and loamy. When a plant is planted in the soil type it prefers, it grows faster, produces more flowers or fruit, and has less insect and disease issues, and requires less care and water. Hence, knowing the soil type one has can help one have better gardening results.

A soil that is good for blueberries or azaleas will kill many succulents like cactus and conversely a soil good for cactus will kill a blueberry or azalea.

The chart below illustrates the size of soil particles, and it is one of the ways to explain the differences between clay, silt, and sand. These soil particles are primarily composed of silicon-based minerals that are sometimes referred to as quartz minerals.

 Clay particles are extremely small as the dot in the chart shows. Silt particles are hundreds of times larger than clay and sand particles are hundreds of times larger than silt particles.

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Chalky soil is formed from the accumulation of calcium carbonate in the soil, which gives it a distinctive whiteish color. It may also contain some magnesium carbonate. Chalky soils are found all over the world and tend to be dry, and nutrient-poor.

Chalky soils vary in texture as they can range from gravelly to clay-like, with the clay-like element often being mainly finely divided calcium carbonate minerals. Chalky soils also tend to be alkaline with a pH over 7.0.

Peaty soil is a type of soil made from decomposed organic materials that form over thousands of years. Peat soil has a high percentage of organic matter content from plant materials like decaying sphagnum peat moss. Peat soil accumulates in wetland ecosystems called peatlands or peat bogs. Peat soils are defined to have organic content above 75% and plant remains in peat can be found at various degrees of decomposition. Peat soils tend to provide low fertility.

Loam soil is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay. Loam soil holds nutrients and has a texture that retains water long enough for plant roots to access it, yet it drains well. It often has a high organic matter content and is full of microbial life.

When soil has lots of organic matter the microbes can glue the soil particles together creating what we call peds that create good soil structure. When a soil has a lot of peds, air and water move easily into the soil as shown in the diagrams below.

These peds create good soil structure where beneficial soil life can live and grow. Additionally, roots can easily grow into spaces to find water and nutrients as shown in the diagram below.

A few other soil types a gardener might encounter are Fill Dirt, Topsoil, and Blended soils like a Rose Soil.

Fill Dirt is commonly a sub-soil of low fertility and organic matter and not very good for plants to grow in. If one has a large project or deep hole to fill, then fill dirt can be used and then a good soil 18-24 deep on top of the fill dirt for the root zone.

A true Topsoil is from the top 8-12 inches of soil from a forest or grassland. It is high in organic matter and full of beneficial microbes. It is also full of seeds waiting for the right conditions to germinate. These may be grasses to wildflowers, but they are weeds when they grow where we do not want them.

Often blended soils are a mix of compost sand topsoil etc. in different proportion based on the requirements of certain plants. For example, roses are heavy feeders hence most suppliers sell a Rose Soil is a higher quality blend.

The quality of soil varies greatly from one supplier to another as there are no labeling laws, and any seller can name the soil mix what they want. As an example, a lot of soil providers obtain sandy loam soil from along the highway 290 corridor in northwest Houston. For decades this area was farmed with rice and cotton where many toxic chemicals were used, hence the topsoil is often high in arsenic and salts but it is very cheap. In other words, “Buyer Beware” as one gets what they pay for.

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ABOUT US

BRENDA BEUST SMITH WE KNOW HER BEST AS THE LAZY GARDENER . . . but Brenda Beust Smith is also:  

  • a national award-winning writer & editor  
  • a nationally-published writer & photographer   
  • a national horticultural speaker 
  • a former Houston Chronicle reporter   

When the Chronicle discontinued Brenda’s 45-year-old Lazy Gardener” print column — started in the early ’70s as a fun side-project to reporting, it then ranked as the longestrunning, continuously-published local newspaper column in the Greater Houston area. The name, she says, is not just fun, it’s true. Brenda’s gradual sideways step from reporter into gardening writing led first to an 18-year series of when-to-do-what Lazy Gardener Calendars, then to her Lazy Gardener’s Guide book which morphed into her Lazy Gardener’s Guide on CD, which she now emails free upon request. Brenda became a Harris County Master Gardener and, over the years, served on theboards of many Greater Houston area horticulture organizations. She hosted local radio and TV shows, most notably a 10+-year Lazy Gardener specialty shows on HoustonPBS (Ch. 8) and her call-in “EcoGardening” show on KPFT-FM. For over three decades, Brenda served as Assistant Production Manager of the GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA’S “BULLETIN” magazine. Although still an active broad-based freelance writer, Brenda’s main focus now is THE LAZY GARDENER & FRIENDS HOUSTON GARDEN NEWSLETTER with John Ferguson and Pablo Hernandez of Nature’s Way Resources. A native of New Orleans and graduate of St. Agnes Academy and the University of Houston,  Brenda lives in Humble, TX, and is married to the retired Aldine High School Coach Bill Smith. They have one son, Blake. Regarding this newsletter, Brenda is the lead writer, originator of it and the daily inspiration for it. We so appreciate the way she has made gardening such a fun way to celebrate life together for such a long time.  

JOHN FERGUSON John is a native Houstonian and has over 27 years of business experience. He owns Nature’s Way Resources, a composting company that specializes in high quality compost, mulch, and soil mixes. He holds a MS degree in Physics and Geology and is a licensed Soil Scientist in Texas.  John has won many awards in horticulture and environmental issues. He represents the composting industry on the Houston-Galveston Area Council for solid waste. His personal garden has been featured in several horticultural books and “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine. His business has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal for the quality and value of their products. He is a member of the Physics Honor Society and many other professional societies. John is is the co-author of the book Organic Management for the Professional.  For this newsletter, John contributes articles regularly and is responsible for publishing it.  

PABLO HERNANDEZ Pablo Hernandez is the special projects coordinator for Nature’s Way Resources. His realm of responsibilities include: serving as a webmaster, IT support, technical problem solving/troubleshooting, metrics management and quality control. Pablo helps this newsletter happen from a technical support standpoint. 

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