Thuja (standishii x plicata) “Green Giant”

August 14th, 2010

Green Giant Thuja’s are fast becoming one of the most popular plants for the landscape, and for good reason. They are one of the fastest growing known evergreen trees. They can grow as much as 5 feet per year or more.

The result from a supposed cross between a Japanese thuja and the US native western redcedar (not a real cedar, actually thuja plicata,) it looks strongly like the plicata and definitely different from the (at this point) more commonly planted eastern white cedar (also not a real cedar) which is thuja occidentalis most commonly seen in garden centers as Emerald Green Arborvitae.

This plant family has really confusing common names, but hopefully you can follow along.

Anyways, probably about 6 years ago I bought one, just one, and planted it. Then moved it, then moved it, then moved it. I moved it three times in three years, finally planting it on the north side of a fence where it had good soil, but little sun.

The last two years once it reached a “critical mass” of growth and started getting some sun thanks to it’s height, it started taking off. It is growing really fast now, and is getting big. In the picture, the fence is 6 feet. So my 2 foot tree ordered online, transplanted three times, and planted in shade, has grown that fast, as an evergreen.

Deciduous trees can often grow that fast or faster, I’ve seen trees put up multiple feet of new growth in a year, the cherry tree immediately to the right of the thuja is only about 3 years old, but it is getting near it’s top (and is in extremely improved soil). But such deciduous trees cannot top this thuja for attractiveness, and in the winter, it is still there.

For a hedge, or a border, there is nothing better.

In the below pictures I found when doing some reading the trees were planted in 2005 at 10 inches high only, now the biggest are over 12 feet.

When Thuja Green Giant first started being offered by nurseries and garden centers it was somewhat expensive, and many places still overcharge not realizing it. But I just bought a few weeks ago on ebay 12 of them, 3 feet high, shipped free, for $50. Around $4 a tree, really good deal.

Deer will eat them, of course, perhaps the only downside of this plant, but they will grow tall, they will grow fast, they are very attractive, and the lumber is valuable and useful. All around an excellent tree to grow. And yes, only $4 each.

Some times a tree or plant is marketed and sold by nurseries in their catalogs and it doesn’t live up to the hype. Green Giant definitely does, highly recommended.

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Dec 13, Alkaline soil: Discover what top gardeners know

Alkaline soil:

When it comes to measuring the pH level of a soil, the resulting measurements are identified as alkaline, acidic or neutral. The pH scale begins at zero and ends at fourteen.

If the pH test results say that the measure is seven, which is at the middle of zero and fourteen, the pH level is considered as normal.

If the test results are below seven, the soil is acidic and the lower the number is, the more acidic the soil is. If the test results show a number that is above seven, the soil is alkaline and as the number gets greater, the more alkaline the soil is.

To test your soil for pH levels, you can bring samples taken from different areas of the garden to bring to a nursery that has a testing center, or you can buy a home pH test.

Alkaline soil is sometimes called ?sweet soil?. It contains a high amount of calcium, magnesium, and sodium and is not as soluble as acidic soil.

If the alkaline level is quite high, it will not have elements like phosphorous and iron. This type of soil naturally occurs in arid, dry, desert conditions that has very little rainfall.

There are many plants that will thrive in soil that is alkaline by nature. Desert plants are one of these because these soil conditions are what they are accustomed to, but it is necessary for the soil to have good drainage properties.

Flowering plants like lilac, lavender, calendula, chrysanthemum, iris, periwinkle, and clematis will grow well in such conditions.

Herbs such as Russian sage, Globe thistle, Oriental poppy, Oregano, and Thyme prefer this type soil. Vegetables like celery, cucumber, cauliflower, and cabbage can also be planted in alkaline soil.

There are several ways to amend the soil to make it less alkaline. Adding sulfur based fertilizer or incorporating organic matter like cottonseed meal and peat moss can effective lower the alkaline level of the soil.

Watering soil with ?hard water? that has high lime content can help reduce alkaline level. Another option that you have is to create a raised bed made of topsoil so that you do not have to wait for the lengthy amendment process.

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Dec 14, Allamanda Cathartica:

Golden Trumpet, Allamanda Cathartica

This is one of the most beautiful ornamental plant to have, yet what lies beneath its beauty is the amazing fact that it is has both medicinal value and if not properly prepared, can be toxic at the same time.

The outstanding beauty of Allamanda Cathartica, what is commonly known as Golden Trumpet, Yellow Bell, or Buttercup Flower, made it the official flower of the City of Can?vanas in the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico, where it is proudly displayed as the city's seal in the downtown plaza.

This is because the beautiful yellow bell-like flowers of the Cathartica Allamanda plant grows in profusion in this city. It was named after an 18th century Swiss Botanist, Dr. Frederich Allamanda.

Description

The allamanda cathartica is a perennial shrub that can grow up to a height of up to 15 feet tall or more.

Its most distinguishable part is its yellow bell-like flowers that are about 5 to 7.5 centimeters in diameter.

The allamanda cathartica has been cultivated to produce larger blooms of different colors such as orange, white, purple or pink.

These funnel shaped buttercup colored flowers normally grow prolifically at the ends of the branches.

The fruits are similar to prickly capsules and it produces winged seed. When given support, it can trail like a vine. The flowers emit a delicate and fruit sweet scent.

Cultivation and Culture

Native to Brazil, this plant is commonly found growing along riverbanks and other similar areas.

A sun loving plant, it can tolerate light shade but will not do well in shaded areas. Though it can tolerate most kinds of soil with good drainage properties, it does not thrive well in alkaline soil. It is more of a summer plant and will freeze at 30 degrees Farenheight.

You would have to keep the ornamental plant dry during the winter season and prune it in springtime to prepare it for regrowth.

It will grow rapidly when given the right environment with a rate of 1 to 2 meters annually. Propagation may be done from seeds or cuttings done during the warm months.

Ornamental Use

The Golden Trumpet is primarily used as a landscape ornamental plant as it can be trained to grow up a trellis, tree or any similar kinds of support.

In places that experience cold winters, the Allamanda can be grown inside the house as a container plant. It can be presented as a shrub, but need regular pruning to keep the desired effect.

It can also be grown as a hedge plant or even grown as trees. The versatile and easy to maintain nature of this plant makes it one of the ideal plants to use in any landscape.

Toxicity and Medicinal Properties

Though it has notable medicinal properties, all the parts of the yellow allamanda are to be considered as poisonous.

This warning is not be left unheeded because of its highly cathartic toxins. The milky sap of the plant that oozes out when broken can irritate the skin.

There are some cultures like that of the Suriname, which uses this plant to relieve coughs. The leaves are boiled and the vapor is inhaled to clear the nasal passages.

The leaves where also made into decoctions for use as a purgative. This plant has anti-bacterial and anti-cancerous properties. It was also widely used in the treatment of jaundice.

Processing this allamanda cathartica plant as an herbal remedy is not recommended to be done by people who have little or no experience in alternative medicine.

To get the full medicinal benefits of this allamanda cathartica, you may be able to buy herbal products made with to ensure that it is safe.

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Dec 14, Hydroponic Supplies

Hydroponic Supplies

Hydroponic gardening does not employ soil in cultivating plants. In today?s time and age, hydroponics is an efficient solution to maximizing the crop production without using too much water.

Experts recognize hydroponics as the ultimate approach to gardening. To get started, a gardener needs the basic hydroponic supplies such as the hydroponic systems, grow lights, growing medium, nutrient solution, airflow supplies.

Hydroponic systems

There are five hydroponic systems used. These are the wick, ebb and flow, water culture, aeroponics, and nutrient film technique. Each of these systems requires unique paraphernalia that are ready to use. They are readily available in any hydroponic stores as well. Once the system is understood how it works, anybody can build his own system.

Grow lights

Hydroponic gardening is an indoor undertaking. Hence, it needs grow lights to compensate for the lacking sunlight requirement. Plants cannot process photosynthesis without sunlight.

Nevertheless, with the advances in technology, experts are able to mimic the brightness of the sun to support photosynthesis.

The basic types of bulbs used as grow lights include fluorescent, metal halide, high-pressure sodium, and LED.At times, a combination of light systems is employed to best meet the lighting requirements of plants.

Growing medium

A few of the hydroponic systems are passive, which means that a growing medium is alternatively employed. The function of a growing medium can be likened to the soil?it anchors the plant roots.

There are many growing mediums used in hydroponics. Some of the common are vermiculite, rockwool, perlite, expanded clay, and coconut. More options are available in any hydroponics stores.

Nutrient solution

The nutrient solutions function similarly as do plant fertilizers. They are the principal food source of plants. In most hydroponic stores, the nutrient solutions come in variations. Experts recommend choosing the formulation that best meets the requirements of plants cultivated.

Each formulation used in preparing the nutrient solution is uniquely designed for certain requirements. Thus, to achieve the optimal results, it is best to know what sorts of nutrients a gardener?s plants need.

Airflow supplies

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The elements essential in outdoor planting are similar to indoor. In hydroponics, the airflow supply is among the hydroponic supplies. Without oxygen, fruit and crop production may not be excellent. Some of the airflow supplies are fans and blowers. There are also carbon dioxide injectors and air purification systems available.

Hydroponics gardening is an excellent choice in areas where water supply and arable land are scanty. Under certain circumstances, the harvest is doubled or tripled than in traditional gardening of similar conditions. Of late, scientists are experimenting on how hydroponics can meet the consumer demands locally and globally.

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Pesky parrots

Dec 10

Posted by: lyn in: Pest-free Gardening

Another post about roses this morning, but this is a problem that can affect the entire garden. Amy in WA is having trouble with ‘twenty-eight parrots’ nipping leaves and new growth from her treasured rose bushes. I understand how annoying some parrots can be as sulphur-crested cockatoos used to bite through the stems of my flowering flag irises and leave the garden littered with damaged flowers.
Twenty-eight parrots are a sub-species of the very inquisitive Port Lincoln parrot that inhabits south-western and central Australia. Amy has tried a variety of methods of deterring these pesky parrots and is now resorting to netting the roses but wants to be able to access the plants.

To be effective in protecting foliage and crops from large birds, the netting will have to sit at least 20 cm clear of the foliage and be strongly supported. We have found that hoops of 49 mm flexible irrigation pipe are very effective supports for netting (and shadecloth), and allow access to crops for watering, progressive harvesting, feeding etc. The arches are left in position permanently so that plant protection can be provided quickly when needed.
To make the hoops, measure across the area you want to protect and add 40 cm to the width (20 cm clearance each side) to give you the width (diameter) of the arch. Use a calculator to multiply this measurement by 1.6. The result is the measurement of an arch of that width. Add 75 cm to that measurement to allow for slipping the ends of the arch onto wooden garden stakes as shown in the photo. For example, if the bed is 120 cm wide, adding 40 cm gives you a width of 160 cm. Multiplying 160 by 1.6 equals 256 cm; adding 75 cm equals 331 cm, but 330 cm, or 3.3 m. is close enough. Pipe is cut into 3.3 m for each hoop.
If you also want to make shadecloth covers for beds see: Sun and heat protection

P.S. Someone advised me that attaching a large ‘red nose’ (these were produced for vehicles for ‘Red Nose Day’) to a fence near the irises would keep the cockatoos away as they think there is a large eye watching them – and it worked! They didn’t bother my garden again. These ‘red noses’ are no longer available but you could try painting an old basketball bright red, or using a red balloon on a string.

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The Imperfect Garden is Good Enough

I'm reading Carol Deppe's fantastic book, The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times (Amazon link), and I have to say it is a very informative read. I'll be reviewing it here on About.com Organic Gardening in the next couple of weeks, but I heartily recommend getting your hands on this book.

What I love is that Deppe is very no-nonsense about many things. For instance, one of my favorite sections of the book is called "Selective Sloppiness." Deppe says that much of what we do in our gardens is just unnecessary busy-work. She begins the chapter with this statement:

"Only some things are worth doing well. Most things that are worth doing are only worth doing sloppily. Many things aren't worth doing at all. Anything not worth doing at all is certainly not worth doing well."

Love it.

She goes on to give examples of what she means. Making the surface of your garden bed perfectly smooth, free of any little indentations or low areas, is a complete waste of time. An uneven soil surface has areas in which water will collect and slowly irrigate your plants. A smooth surface is great if you want to encourage water run-off.

Pulling weeds is necessary (unfortunately...) but carting those weeds off to another location is not. Leave them in your paths, or, heck, just throw them right back into the bed where they'll break down and enrich the soil. As a bonus, insect pests will often feed on the weeds and not your lettuce.

Are you obsessed with planting seeds at EXACTLY the recommended planting depth? Deppe explains that soil temperature has more to do with successful germination than planting depth does. She is inexact in her soil depth, and ends up planting seeds at different depths. No matter what, she always ends up with a successful sowing.

"Eschew unnecessary symmetry," she advises. Most of us rely on straight lines that, for one reason or another, never end up looking straight. Embrace curves and end up with a prettier garden (with less work!)

One final thought from Deppe: weeding the vegetable garden late in the season is generally unnecessary. The plants are too big to suffer from competition from weeds, and most late-season weeds won't have enough time to set seed before frost anyway.

Deppe is definitely my kind of gardener! What do you think?

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Budworms

Dec 10

Posted by: lyn in: Pest-free Gardening

Joanne in S.A. is having problems with budworms attacking her roses. Budworms are caterpillars of the Helicoverpa moth family (previously called Heliothis moths). These destructive pests also attack stressed plants of sweet corn, tomatoes, a range of other fruits and vegetable plants and ornamentals.
The moths lay their eggs at night on young foliage close to fruits or flower buds and the young caterpillars feed on the foliage first before moving into buds or developing fruits. After several weeks of feeding, the caterpillars burrow into the topsoil beneath the plant and pupate until rain that produces a burst of new plant growth will signal an opportune time for adult moths to emerge from pupa cases and lay eggs. If you netted plants after the first moth attack, they won’t be protected from further attacks because the pupating moths will be inside the netting.

The first thing to do is remove all damaged buds, fruits/vegetables and caterpillar-infested young foliage and give them to the chooks or dispose of them in a sealed plastic bag – not in the compost heap. Then spray young foliage near buds and fruit with a registered organic treatment that is effective against this moth larvae. Nature’s Way Caterpillar Killer and Naturalyte Insect Killer are a couple of examples. Check daily for individual eggs laid on young foliage and respray when necessary, or after rain. The caterpillars have to be controlled before they enter buds or fruit where the sprays are not effective.

Although rain stimulates egg laying, we have found that this moth only lays eggs on plants that have had a period of water stress. Plants can only absorb the elements they need for pest-resistance from damp soil, and water stress provides the conditions that make them susceptible to attack from this and other pests. Where water is in short supply, apply a 5 cm layer of mulch around your plants and use an upturned 2 litre plastic container with the base removed and the neck embedded into the top soil to apply water efficiently, directly to the root area of plants (see photo). After rain, give plants a drink of organic seaweed extract tea to assist in building disease-resistance.

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