Friday Fact #5

Eighty percent of the world's rose species come from Asia.

Monday's Myth #4

When it comes to garden chemicals, if a little bit is good, a lot is better.

This myth is not only false but dangerous. Doubling or tripling the dose of any garden input can have disastrous results. Weed killers used in this manner can injure plants you never intended to harm, not to mention leaving long-lived residues in soil. Over-use of insecticides may kill beneficial bugs, harm plants, and render vegetables unfit for consumption. Doubling the recommended rate of any pesticide increases the chances of poisoning people by inhalation, absorption through the skin, and by other routes.

Friday Fact #4

One tree can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, equaling 11,000 miles of car emissions.

Gardening is therapy

Working with plants can do more than lift the spirits. It can be an effective therapy for many chronic diseases.

Program seeds a path to healing

By KARLEE WEINMANN, Star Tribune
May 14, 2008

Wes Buss gingerly patted the dirt around his newly transplanted tomato plant. His hands seemed to know just what to do.
They didn't tremble. They didn't fumble. They didn't give up.
Several years ago, when his Parkinson's disease began to make it difficult for him to tend to his many gardens, Buss built sidewalks and a ramp to ease his scooter's path around the yard. But let the disease prevent him from gardening? "I'll never be ready," said the 73-year-old Twin Citian.
Buss was just the kind of person Jeannie Larson had in mind 16 years ago when she started a therapeutic horticulture program through the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The idea was to use plants to improve the body, lift the spirits and stimulate the mind.
Each year the number of people who have turned to Larson's therapy has grown, swelling to 5,500 last year. And Larson has learned to tailor gardening tasks to the person and the condition.
For a Parkinson's sufferer such as Buss (who attends Larson's once-a-week sessions at Struthers Parkinson's Center in Golden Valley), working with plants can free up movement and minimize depression.
"It's not like I have a one-size-fits-all program," said Larson, program manager for the Center for Therapeutic Horticulture. "I go to where a person is and then I say, 'OK, I can make this work for what your interest is.' "
Developing the program has been a personal and professional journey for Larson, who has dyslexia. She's found that being with nature helps her focus and brings her a sense of peace.
It's those qualities that can turn gardening from a pleasant occupation into a therapeutic aid, said Larson. Plant-filled environments stimulate the senses, unlike some traditional therapies, and help people engage with and concentrate on the activities they're doing.
Larson manages five consultants, all of whom have formal education in horticulture therapy-related fields, as well as about 30 volunteers. They bring programs to metro-area group homes, eating-disorder treatment centers and more. Some people drawn to the therapy are lifelong green thumbs; some are greenhorns when it comes to plants.
Four paths to healing
With each different condition, Larson considers how "four domains" of her program -- the physical, psychological, intellectual or social aspects of gardening -- can be applied to help.
For people with Parkinson's, planting can lessen the characteristic tremors.
"Working with plants, their mind gets into another topic instead of focusing on decreasing the tremor in their hand," she said.
And because Parkinson's often is accompanied by depression, accomplishing easy gardening tasks can be especially rewarding.
"I gear my programs toward success. They're dealing with very small, doable situations," Larson said.
Li-jung Lin, a doctoral student who works with Larson, said she has seen participants' outlooks transform as they work. "The plant has very special healing effects for people," she said. "When you touch it, smell it, you want to take care of it."
That's the case for Curtis Johnson, 77, a Struthers attendee. A lifelong gardener, Johnson volunteered at the arboretum for 12 years before his Parkinson's was diagnosed.
Now, he goes to Larson's sessions.
"I like seeing things grow," he said.
Seeking recognition
Horticulture therapy has faced a bumpy road to become a legitimate therapy option that insurers will support. (While some practitioners use the technique, they're usually reimbursed through physical or occupational therapy programs, Larson said.)
Larson hopes to change that with her Ph.D. research, which is meant to help standardize certification. A certification test would be "the crown jewel for insurance companies to validate this therapy," she said.
According to Larson, legitimizing the therapy could mean wider interest and use.
"Of course, I'm always hoping for that," she said. "It has such a holistic approach, and I think we're re-embracing our connections with nature."
Karlee Weinmann is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Star Tribune.

Monday's Myth #3

Fall is the best season for pruning.

This is false for several reasons. Shrubs and trees store carbohydrates (food materials) in their branches and leaves, so fall pruning can reduce their cold hardiness.

Azaleas and other spring-flowering plants would bloom poorly if pruned in fall, as next year's flower buds are present at that time. Such plants are best pruned in spring right after petals fall.

Friday Fact #3

The inside of a cucumber on the vine measures as much as 20 degrees cooler than the outside air on a warm day.

Monday's Myth #2

Moss growth in lawns means a need for lime.

This is not necessarily true. There are others factors responsible for moss growth such as excessive shade, poor drainage, and low fertility.

Friday Fact #2

The amount of money spent by Americans in lawn care annually is $6 billion.

Enviro 911!

Recycle your PLASTIC GARDEN POTS, POLYSTYRENE TRAYS &
HANGING BASKETS at your participating local garden center this season!

Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association is offering their popular recycling program this year! Bring in your plastic pot(s) to participating garden centers to be recycled. Most drop sites are taking these containers from April 15th- November 1st.

Please note:
• Do not bring household plastic or clay pots.
• Dump all soil and remove metal hangers.
• Some garden centers will only take plastic on June 21 and 22 and September 20 and 21.
• Each garden center is ONLY able to take PLASTIC pots, trays & baskets.

Click here for more info!

Monday's Myth #1

Mushrooms sprouting in lawn= poor soil!

Mushrooms are the above-ground growth of fungus organisms living in soil. Some fungi live on buried lumber, dead roots, or fine particles of organic matter while others live in harmony with tree roots, assisting in the uptake of water and nutrients. The sudden appearance of mushrooms does not mean the lawn needs lime, fertilizer, or anything else. If you do not want them sprouting in lawns or gardens, use a rake to dispose of them. There is no chemical control for mushrooms.

Friday Fact #1

With the inception of our new blogspot comes a little fun fact (Friday Fact) that we will post every Friday following a horticulture wisetale we'll dub as "Monday's Myth", of course being posted every Monday. Here goes:

Friday Fact #1:

The largest tomato ever grown weighed 7lbs 12oz.

See, isn't that fun??

Organic vs. Conventional Farming

Here's a very interesting article in regards to a study done by Cornell University. Beyond the feel-good nature of organic culture, studies such as this are building a strong case for the bottom line:

Organic farming produces same corn and soybean yields as conventional farms, but consumes less energy and no pesticides, study finds

By Susan S. Lang

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Organic farming produces the same yields of corn and soybeans as does conventional farming, but uses 30 percent less energy, less water and no pesticides, a review of a 22-year farming trial study concludes.

David Pimentel, a Cornell University professor of ecology and agriculture, concludes, "Organic farming offers real advantages for such crops as corn and soybeans." Pimentel is the lead author of a study that is published in the July issue of Bioscience (Vol. 55:7) analyzing the environmental, energy and economic costs and benefits of growing soybeans and corn organically versus conventionally. The study is a review of the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial, the longest running comparison of organic vs. conventional farming in the United States.

"Organic farming approaches for these crops not only use an average of 30 percent less fossil energy but also conserve more water in the soil, induce less erosion, maintain soil quality and conserve more biological resources than conventional farming does," Pimentel added.

The study compared a conventional farm that used recommended fertilizer and pesticide applications with an organic animal-based farm (where manure was applied) and an organic legume-based farm (that used a three-year rotation of hairy vetch/corn and rye/soybeans and wheat). The two organic systems received no chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Inter-institutional collaboration included Rodale Institute agronomists Paul Hepperly and Rita Seidel, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service research microbiologist David Douds Jr. and University of Maryland agricultural economist James Hanson. The research compared soil fungi activity, crop yields, energy efficiency, costs, organic matter changes over time, nitrogen accumulation and nitrate leaching across organic and conventional agricultural systems.

"First and foremost, we found that corn and soybean yields were the same across the three systems," said Pimentel, who noted that although organic corn yields were about one-third lower during the first four years of the study, over time the organic systems produced higher yields, especially under drought conditions. The reason was that wind and water erosion degraded the soil on the conventional farm while the soil on the organic farms steadily improved in organic matter, moisture, microbial activity and other soil quality indicators.

The fact that organic agriculture systems also absorb and retain significant amounts of carbon in the soil has implications for global warming, Pimentel said, pointing out that soil carbon in the organic systems increased by 15 to 28 percent, the equivalent of taking about 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per hectare out of the air.

Among the study's other findings:
In the drought years, 1988 to 1998, corn yields in the legume-based system were 22 percent higher than yields in the conventional system.

The soil nitrogen levels in the organic farming systems increased 8 to 15 percent. Nitrate leaching was about equivalent in the organic and conventional farming systems.

Organic farming reduced local and regional groundwater pollution by not applying agricultural chemicals.

Pimentel noted that although cash crops cannot be grown as frequently over time on organic farms because of the dependence on cultural practices to supply nutrients and control pests and because labor costs average about 15 percent higher in organic farming systems, the higher prices that organic foods command in the marketplace still make the net economic return per acre either equal to or higher than that of conventionally produced crops.

Organic farming can compete effectively in growing corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and other grains, Pimentel said, but it might not be as favorable for growing such crops as grapes, apples, cherries and potatoes, which have greater pest problems.

The study was funded by the Rodale Institute and included a review of current literature on organic and conventional agriculture comparisons. According to Pimentel, dozens of scientific papers reporting on research from the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial have been published in prestigious refereed journals over the past 20 years.