Harvesting the Web – 20200227

There are some amazing gardening resources to be found on the Internet and most of them are free. Of course viewers have to put up with some “nag” screens and pop-ups, but that is a small price to pay for valuable information. At least that’s my opinion. I decided to write about some of my findings for those who may also be interested in these gardening articles.

I have been gardening and growing plants for more than fifty years and I am currently a Master Gardener in Maricopa County, AZ (Phoenix area. I hope you find something useful among these harvested tidbits.

What to Do With Dried Potting Soil?

Author Katie Jensen, graduate of Arizona State University, points to some interesting hints for those who find that their potting soil is depleted of nutrients or so dry that it cannot absorb the necessary water when potting new plants.

As Master Gardeners, we are well aware of the problem of using peat moss in a potting mix and then having it become hydrophobic when dry. Jensen offers several good pointers at the link above.

NOTE – What has worked for me in the past, if one needs a speedier answer to hydrating soil, is to use very warm water. The warmer the water, the better. Do not use boiling hot water as it may hurt beneficial microorganisms and elements.

When dealing with soil that has the potential of being depleted of nutrients after long-use, I create a new mixture of two-thirds new potting soil and one-third old soil. I then increase the recommended amount of fertilizer by one third (+/-). In the desert, additional applications may be necessary because of increased watering.

Naturally, these procedures have worked in my N. Phoenix area, but your mileage may vary.

More garden-related articles from Hunker:

Garden Basics
Garden and Lawn


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Seven top tips for sustainable living in urban gardens

James and Dick Strawbridge from across the pond, so-to-speak, offer up some hints about urban gardens that focus on the goal of zero-waste. While zero may not be practical, many gardeners can work toward the goal of more sustainable gardening.

One suggestion in the article that some may not have considered before is eating “peelings.” Why not? Restaurants often serve potato skins as an appetizer and that includes the peels. The Strawbridges suggest other peelings that might be just as tasty with a bit of imagination in their preparation.

Another tip that is worthy of some consideration is “creating a wormery.” Worm castings have been demonstrated to be excellent fertilizer. The process in our desert is a bit different than elsewhere, but a visit to the Arizona Worm Farm * will get you started.

Read more about sustainable gardening at the link above.

*Here is the link for the Arizona Worm Farm

Arizona Worm Farm YouTube Videos

The Worm Farm offers very interesting tours of their operation and has vermiculture workshops. For fees and hours visit their website. Even our non-gardening guests have found the AZ Worm Farm an interesting place to visit.




Hardenbergia violacea is sometimes called the Lilac Vine. In the Sonoran Desert, it blooms at the end of January or the beginning of February. It produces fountains of purple flowers against dark green, leathery leaves.

 

That’s all for now, happy gardening!


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©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 – JBRish.com



Hardenbergia – Desert Lilac Vine

Hardenbergia close view

In the Sonoran Desert this is a transition time of year as we are moving from the cooler winter weather where the temperatures can be relatively low to the warmer daytime temperatures of mid-to-high seventies. This year it seems as though we have been breaking records with temps in the eighties already; yikes!

This has encouraged our Hardenbergia vine (Purple Vine Lilac) to put on quite a show. The wet winter without a frost and the warmer temperatures have our plant strutting her early spring finery!

Late afternoon hardenbergia spray with beee

The late afternoon picture (above) shows that the bees (upper left-ish) enjoy this plant as well.

What makes this post extra sweet for me is that this particular plant was a box store rescue. They had it on a discount table for $1. Of course it looked nothing like its current self and was a leaf or two away from the compost heap!

The photo below is one of my favorite (even though the shallow depth of field has only some of the plant in focus) because the bright yellow anthers look like little eyes and with a bit of imagination, I can see a face in some of these small flowers.

Another close view of the hardenbergia

Hardenbergia originates in Australia and likes to dry out between waterings which is well suited for the desert landscape with just a bit of extra care. It is often used as a ground cover down under, but with the critters we have in the desert, we don’t need to create more hiding places!

Here is a picture of the complete vine which is more than six feet tall!

Full length picture of the hardenbergia vine; higher than six feet

You can read more about Hardenbergia violacea here


See more JBRish gardening and desert gardening posts here HERE