{"id":8960,"date":"2022-06-02T14:34:54","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T18:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=8960"},"modified":"2022-06-02T14:34:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T18:34:57","slug":"gardening-consider-the-soil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/gardening-consider-the-soil\/","title":{"rendered":"Gardening | Consider the soil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Master Gardener Volunteer Lesley Arrandale<br>mail@floridanewsline.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s early May and I\u2019ve been watching the ground become parched. Our rain gauge measures zero for the past week\u2019s total, which is miserable enough, but it has been even longer without rain. I\u2019ve been hand-watering the Simpson\u2019s stoppers (<em>Myrcianthes fragrans<\/em>) and Darrow\u2019s blueberries (<em>Vaccinium darrowii<\/em>), which were planted less than a year ago. A length of soaker hose around the Shumard oak (<em>Quercus shumardii<\/em>), which has been in the ground a little longer, will give it a long slow drink when needed. Last year\u2019s perennial wildflowers are holding their own with just a little help and I\u2019m delighted to see them growing so well, but plants installed this spring need close attention. It\u2019s a trade-off between using potable water in a landscape that I\u2019ve been hoping will be able to survive drought periods and losing precious plants that would be costly to replace.<br>Some wildflowers that have volunteered unexpectedly in my garden are the sort that probably get overlooked. They have small flowers and delicate foliage but are pretty nonetheless. Blue toadflax (<em>Linaria canadensis<\/em>, www.flawildflowers.org\/flower-friday-linaria-canadensis) first caught my eye about 25 years ago, flowering in the grounds of my daughter\u2019s primary school. About a foot tall, it covered the field in a haze of lavender blue. About the same time, I found clasping Venus\u2019 looking glass (<em>Triodanis perfoliata<\/em>, www.flawildflowers.org\/flower-friday-triodanis-perfoliata) while browsing in a native plant nursery. It wasn\u2019t for sale, but growing quite happily in a small display garden; the owner seemed to think I was a bit sad, for finding it so lovely! Oakleaf fleabane (<em>Erigeron quercifolius<\/em>) is a diminutive member of the aster family that I would also like to see in my yard. Its flowers can be white or lavender, with a yellow center, but the lavender is most appealing. These wildflowers are hosts and nectar sources for insects that we barely notice, but which are all part of a balanced ecosystem.<br>Drought is a potent reminder to add compost and replenish mulch to enhance the ability of soil to hold water. Adding organic matter also supports the \u201cSFW,\u201d or the soil food web. If you\u2019re unfamiliar with the term, it refers to myriad organisms that dwell in healthy soils. This article gives a very clear explanation, and I encourage you to check it out: https:\/\/edis.ifas.ufl.edu\/publication\/ss664.<br>During Earth Month I discovered a movie called \u201cKiss the Ground,\u201d about regenerative farming. It was heartening to see how some farmers have employed techniques, including no-till sowing, to turn their businesses around. Back in the \u201890s, one farmer in the rural heartland suffered catastrophic crop losses for three or four consecutive years and decided things had to change. Now he runs a profitable mixed farm, takes no government subsidies, and has beautiful fertile living soil which enables him to do so. His land is also home to innumerable birds and other wildlife, as well as native plants. No mean feat. The answer is in the soil.<br>For the homeowner, composting, mulching, leaving fallen leaves in place and grass cuttings on the lawn go a long way to building up soil. But, as with regenerative farming, an important step is to cut way back on chemical use and avoid physically disturbing the soil unnecessarily. Every assault on the soil, which includes pesticide applications, reduces the numbers and the health of soil-dwelling organisms. Bacteria and fungi, as well as the tiny animals living in soil, together make it healthy and supremely able to support healthy plants. And healthy soils keep carbon in the ground \u2014 which is an absolute necessity if we are to rein in rising global temperatures.<br>Rethinking gardening from the soil up is fundamentally what we all need to do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, timely advice is available in \u201cA New Leaf \u2013 Yard and Garden\u201d: https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/2p899u5c, and the Master Gardener Volunteer newsletter, \u201cThe Neighborhood Gardener\u201d: https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/2p8bmajf. And there is also the UF\/IFAS gardening calendar, https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/3fyzv79w, to keep us moving along.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Master Gardener Volunteer Lesley Arrandalemail@floridanewsline.com It\u2019s early May and I\u2019ve been watching the ground become parched. Our rain gauge measures zero for the past week\u2019s total, which is miserable enough, but it has been even longer without rain. I\u2019ve been hand-watering the Simpson\u2019s stoppers (Myrcianthes fragrans) and Darrow\u2019s blueberries (Vaccinium darrowii), which were planted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[12],"class_list":{"0":"post-8960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creekline-st-johns","8":"category-mandarin","9":"tag-gardening"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Gardening | Consider the soil - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CreekLine, Mandarin NewsLineBy Master Gardener Volunteer Lesley Arrandalemail@floridanewsline.com It\u2019s early May and I\u2019ve been watching the ground become parched. 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