Muck About

Dirty Hands--Happy Face

Take off your work gloves; exposure to dirt just might make you happy, may be the conclusion of current studies. Recent experiments show there could actually be a physical connection; exposure to the bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae, found in soil, may be responsible for an increase of the chemical serotonin in our bodies.

Bristol University conducted experiments that show mice exposed to the bacteria produced more of the happy chemical. Dr Chris Lowry, lead researcher at the university, said, "These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining mental health. They also leave us wondering if we shouldn't all be spending more time playing in the dirt." Just ask gardeners, they already know.

Plant Bits

Here are a few tips to help you in your garden.

Acidic Soil

Acidic soil sometimes is deficient in magnesium. When this happens, it is better to add dolomitic lime, which will increase the pH level and add the deficient mineral. Use Epsom salts if the soil’s pH level is at or near neutral, when magnesium levels are low.

Coffee Grounds in the Garden

With many coffee houses and espresso stands giving customers spent grounds, it has become a popular compost material. There are several things to consider when using grounds in the garden.

Coffee grounds add nitrogen (2 percent) and small amounts of phosphorus (0.3 percent) and potassium (0.3 percent). When applying, sprinkle on top of the soil; do not incorporate it, as it will tie up nitrogen while it breaks down, just like any uncomposted vegetative matter.

Many believe that spent coffee grounds are acidic and using it in the garden will lower the ph level of the soil.  In reality once it’s brewed the grounds become neutral.

Coffee appears to have allelopathic chemicals which will inhibit the growth of some plants, including many weeds. Lettuce benefits from coffee grounds; however, tomatoes, ryegrass and wheat are negatively impacted. Using grounds after they are composted will insure plants will not be adversely affected by coffee. Use care when using them fresh in the garden bed.


Beer Fertilizer?

Sure you’ve heard some “self-proclaimed” garden experts give advice to use beer for fertilizer on lawns and in the garden. I sometimes wonder if these “experts” come up with creative garden concoctions after consuming a few too many. Yes, beer has vitamins and minerals in it, which in larger amounts might prove beneficial to plants. Yet, beer contains alcohol, which in worse case scenarios can cause plant death or leaf burn. At the very least, alcohol stunts their growth.

Instead of using liquor products in the garden, save the beer for human consumption. Buy a quality fertilizer (organic being the best choice), or make your own organic fertilizer that is formulated to feed plants what they really need and want.

The Impulse of Spring!

Pastel tulips, puppies, kittens, lambs, and oh don’t forget the bunnies; all signs that spring is here.  My greenhouse is full of living things that are having growth spurts, some clear up to the ceiling, and my garden is coming alive.  Oh my!  My camera is whirring off photograph after photograph of life returning to the dead-look-alikes.

Here on the west coast we had spring one day ahead of the east coast.  They celebrated the New Year earlier, but we have spring!  Nice to be a step ahead in time, even though it happened technically at the same time our spring came early on the 19th.  How cool is that?

Warning!  <Preachy-mode on>

Spring in the gardening business means hectic schedules, and plants flying in and out, hopefully most out the door and home to happy customers.  Grocery and box stores get into the act, selling their flowery plants quickly; many of them tend to be one season wonders, sold while in flower to sucker entice the customer to buy on impulse.  Grown to perfection for those impulse buyers, the optimum health of the plant is often secondary.  Annuals are pushed into blooming early so the plants will catch the eye of the unaware shopper.  I don’t mind this if I want a few primroses or pansies to place in a decorative basket temporarily by the door.  However, for the garden I want to be sure my plants grow in a way that insures they will live up to their full potential, either as an annual for one season, biennial for two, or perennial for many seasons.  Their full potential shouldn’t be sitting in a four-inch pot stacked in racks by the grocery store entrance.  When you plant them in the garden, they are unlikely to grow or continue to bloom for long.

This is where buying from reputable nurseries is invaluable to gardeners.  Nursery owners, who love their plants, grow them well and offer only the best for their clients.  Buy your fertilizers, chemicals (better yet, get off the chemical yo-yo round) and whatnots from the box stores if you must;  but buy your plant material from locally owned nurseries who know what will grow best in your garden.  Better yet, buy all your garden needs from your local nurseries.  Not only are you buying locally, but helping your own community in many ways, while thanking your hardworking nursery people for providing you with well-taken care of plants.

</Preachy-mode off>

Moreover, just to be clear, I don’t always practice what I preach.  Above impulse buy is a harlequin blue bicolor primrose.