Mowing high helps save the Bay - and you can help prove it

The University of Maryland needs your help in their Mow Right – Mowing Height Field Study.

The purpose of this study is to measure the adoption of a single lawn care practice: correct mowing height (3 inches or highest setting).  This is the single most critical practice that homeowners need to do correctly to have a healthy lawn. All lawn best management practices hinge on proper mowing.  Many university studies have shown that mowing at 3 inches prevents weed problems, puts less stress on the grass, contributes to a healthy root system and drought resistance. Since it also provides  better resistance to insects and diseases, and helps prevent run-off  of soil, fertilizers, chemicals, and pollutants, maintaining proper mowing height also helps protect the Chesapeake Bay from pollution from runoff.

This study is a regional effort among participants from University of Maryland Extension, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, Audubon International and its members, and large and small lawn care companies. It is our goal to achieve widespread adoption of the 3 inch mowing height across the region.

Why mow at 3 inches?

• It has been widely documented that three inches is the ideal mowing height for residential turf across the country. 
• Low and infrequent mowing may be the major cause of lawn deterioration.
• It is best to remove no more than 1/3 of the grass blade each time you mow.
• Mowing to the proper height can reduce weed problems by as much as 50 to 80%.
• Sharpen or replace mower blades at least once a year or more frequently if needed.
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn. It is a way to recycle nutrients.

For more information, visit the Growing Green Lawns website.

Drip...drip - Drip Irrigation for the Patio & Small Garden - Saturday, July 16th

Saturday, July 16: Drip…drip – Drip Irrigation for the Patio & Small Garden.  8:00am-10:00am. 

A hands on workshop for your own drip irrigation system guaranteed to stop your "water worries" on those long weekends or vacation in August.

• Participants will learn how to assemble a low cost drip system.
• Participants will evaluate a variety of dripper and mini-sprinklers suitable for patios and small gardens.  
• Participants should be able to go home, order, and install a small custom system for less than $125.
• Participants will tour Common Good City Farm's drip system which was installed by the instructor.
• Principles learned will be adaptable to larger gardens and orchards.

Teacher: Murray Schmechel is a retired life long gardener who has been "dripping" for the last 15 years. He has helped numerous neighbors become "drip" enthusiasts.  He is part of the Common Good City Farm staff.  Register Now!

Become a Master Watershed Steward

As eco-friendly gardeners, we've learned many things that we can do from our own homes and yards to help protect the local watersheds. For those who would like to learn more, you may want to consider becoming a Master Watershed Steward.

 

Deadline for Applications is July 22nd 

The fall course of the cutting edge National Capital Region-Watershed Stewards Academy will begin in September. A 15-class course spanning 5 months, the Academy will be held primarily at the University of the District of Columbia at the Van Ness campus in DC right near Metro. 

 

Through the course, we will help empower community activists and leaders help their neighbors change how they handle stormwater.  Participants become Master Watershed Stewards by completing the course and taking on a Capstone Project that will begin to reduce pollution and runoff at its source, neighborhood by neighborhood. 

Course charge is $225, but scholarships are available. The Academy is being run by a coalition of local and regional watershed nonprofit organizations.

 If you want to expand your activism and deepen your knowledge base and resources about the environment as it pertains to watersheds and stormwater management and the quality of life of your community, we invite you to apply to the Watershed Stewards Academy. 

 Please visit www.ncr-wsa.org for questions and to apply.

Prince George's County Butterfly Count

In a previous post, I talked about the fun and importance of the annual North American Butterfly Association annual butterfly count. If you haven't had the opportunity yet to participate in one of these counts, there is another one coming up on July 16th.

NABA Count – "Prince George's County Butterfly Count"
Saturday, July 16, 2011 (Rain Date: July 23) 9am – 5pm
NABA Count Fee: $3 per person

Clearwater Nature Center
11000 Thrift Rd
Clinton, MD 20735
301-297-4575

Count Coordinator: Glenda Jordan
glenda.jordan@pgparks.com

This butterfly count has been held annually since 1992. All participants must be physically prepared to handle the summer heat/humidity and hiking. Participants are responsible for bringing their own water, hats, field guides, cameras, etc. This program is better suited to teens and adults. Previous butterfly count experience is preferred, but not necessarily required.

Tour of Local Rain Gardens & Stormwater Management Projects

Wednesday July 20th, 6:30pm-8pm

  

Hosted by the Takoma Horticultural Club

  

See how the fabulous Hancock Avenue Rain Garden is progressing, a year after its installation. Check out the sedum blooms and how they have spread on the Green Roof at the Takoma Park City Building.  Gaze wistfully at Cleveland Avenue's well-established rain garden and their use of pervious pavers.  Finish off at a member's house to view her above-ground cistern, rain garden, conservation landscaping, and those of her neighbors.  Guides and residents will answer questions about design, construction, native plants used,  and rationale for these methodologies.  Open to the public. FREE.

Meet at the Takoma City Building Maple Avenue at Philadelphia Avenue at 6:30. Walk or carpool from there. Walk to Hancock, carpool to Cleveland Avenue and then on to finish with a snack at Kit Gage's. Full directions at the meeting place.

More details on the Takoma Horticultural Club at http://takomahort.org/.

 

Information provided by Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine.

Edible Urban Garden Tour - July 15th

GET YOUR GROW ON with DC's first Edible Urban Garden Tour hosted by Loulies.com, Friday, July 15th, from 5-8PM.

Explore city spaces and residential gardens that will open their doors and gates for the public to see what growing good food in our own backyards, front yards, rooftops, and empty lots is all about.  It’s a chance to ask questions, learn from and hear what inspires some of DC’s best gardeners.

The tour will start at the beautiful, plant-filled garden shop named Old City Green and stretch through the revitalized neighborhoods of Shaw, Bloomingdale and Ledroit Park.  Plus, see for yourself and learn more about Common Good City Farm the community garden that Prince Charles recently toured as part of his inspiring Future of Food visit to DC.  A map of tour locations will be distributed on the day of the event at Old City Green. The tour is self-guided and will cover several miles. Bring out your bikes (or use Capital Bikeshare’s two-wheelers), strap on your walking shoes (if you’re feeling up to it), or consider carpooling with a group.

Organizers of the tour hope to  support the "grow your own" movement and create a community event designed to be a resource for the many local residents interested in finding ways to grow their own food.  For questions, please send an email to Bettina@loulies.com.

To Purchase Tickets for this Event, Click Here. Tickets are $10 each, with a portion of the proceeds to support Eat Local First DC.

Raise a glass for Washington Youth Garden

Need a good excuse to stop for a drink on the way home from work? Well, emPower magazine wants to  give you one.

Every month, emPower hosts a Happy Hour to support a different non-profit in the Washington DC Metro area. For July, emPower magazine, in partnership with Washington Gardener Magazine is hosting an emPower HAPPY HOUR at Tabaq Bistro*.

The July Non-Profit emPower HAPPY HOUR Recipient:

Washington Youth Garden

WYG's Mission: Using the garden cycle as a tool, the mission of the Washington Youth Garden at the U.S. National Arboretum (WYG) is to inspire children and families to engage in self-discovery, explore relationships with food and the natural world, and contribute to the health and well-being of their communities. The primary goals of our programs are to: a) educate youth and families about the relationship between food, its origins, nutrition, and health; b) connect children (and adults) to the natural world as a place of wonder, exploration and resource for their personal growth; c) develop interpersonal skills, awareness of civic responsibility, and land stewardship; and d) expand interest and public awareness of urban gardening and gardening with children.

Attendees can give in two ways:
• By drinking (10 percent of the beverage proceeds will go to the non-profit)
• By bringing non-monetary donations (depending on the needs of the organization)

Non-monetary Donations:

Cookbooks (gently used)
Garden Gloves
Trowels
Pruners
Spices (sealed)
Olive Oil (sealed)
Honey (sealed)
Vinegar (sealed)

Date: THURSDAY July 7, 2011, 5:30 – 8:30 pm

*TABAQ is located at 1336 U St NW, Washington, DC  — a few blocks from the U St-Cardoza metro stop.

Admission is Free

Please RSVP at either:

Facebook: July emPower Happy Hour

OR

Eventbrite: July emPower Happy Hour

Information provide by Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener Magazine

Native Plants to Attract Pollinators - a Workshop for Children and Parents

The District Department of the Environment and the Department of Parks & Recreation, in partnership with Audubon MD/DC, are presenting two free workshops that will teach children and parents about  creating wildlife habitat in their backyards.

The topic of the first workshop is Native Plants to Attract Pollinators and is scheduled for Thursday, July 7th from 9am – 1pm at Lederer Children's Garden, 4801 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE.

The second workshop is Thursday, July 14th from 1pm – 4pm at the Aboretum Recreation Center, 2412 Rand Place NE.

The two workshops will consist of presentations and hands-on activities. Participants will help plant a garden and  will receive books, literature, a birdhouse kit and  live plants to get them started in creating a wildlife habitat at home.

You can register online on the DDOE website.

To learn more about attracting pollinators, read our post Enjoying the Birds and Bees.

Do Environmentalists need Shrinks? Here is my answer

There has been an article kicking around on the internet  called Do Environmentalists Need Shrinks. The article talks about a theory and subsequent research by  John Fraser, a psychologist, architect, and educator with the Institute for Learning Innovation, who thinks that environmentalists may be suffering an emotional toll from their strong beliefs and concerns for the planet.

"We're asking people to accept that something they have always believed is their passion is also something that's hurting them," Fraser was quoted as saying.

I didn't pay a lot of attention to the article when I first read it.

But I've been feeling pretty stressed lately so I went out early this morning to take a walk. The sounds and sights of nature were just starting to unfurl the tight ball of tension inside me and clear all the conflicting "racket" and to-do tasks out of my mind when two female joggers came up behind me on the other side of the street.

Since they were running and I was walking, I only heard a few tiny bits of their conversation, but it was enough to take away my peace again.

I'm not sure what the topic at hand was, but one woman was telling the other one "I just pour the gasoline onto the ground and burn it until it is all gone and then keep repeating it."

For some reason, I assumed she was talking about ways to remove grass from her yard to create a garden. But she may have just as easily been talking about ways to get rid of old gasoline or kill insects.

In any case, my immediate reaction was that I wanted to pick up my pace, jog after them, and lecture them about Stormwater runoff, non-point source pollution and every human's responsiblity to keep chemicals out of our water supplies. The peace that I had just started to feel again after weeks of tension, was gone.

The article about Fraser's theory  immediately came to mind.

I thought about other times that I have driven after people who were throwing trash out their car windows, honking and waving my finger. I thought about the times that I have called government agencies and reported people for chopping down trees that they shouldn't. And I realized that there is some truth to what Fraser said.

But here is the bottom line and the answer to the question Do Environmentalists Need Shrinks . For me, nature is my shrink. It is the one place where I can go to unwind and de-stress  and get away from all of the other tensions in the world. So I DO need my shrink. And I need everyone else to quit abusing her.

Sugar as an eco-friendly weed control? Food for thought

I've written several posts about pet and animal safety in our gardens. One entitled Pets and Pesticides specifically detailed some of the research done on pesticides and how the can affect animals. The other one, called More Pet Safety in the Garden, talked about some of the other items we use in our gardens that can also harm our pets.

So when I saw a post today called Pet Friendly Weed Killers by Lori Thomas on AllPetNews.com, I had to check it out and see if I could learn anything new. I did.

The article states that SUGAR can be used as a pet-safe weed control. Since I had never heard that sugar can control weeds, I did a little more research to see if I could track down a reputable source for that statement.

Here are some excerpts form a study carried out at Charles Sturt University in Australia in 2005:

 A Sweet End to Weeds

By Margrit Beemster, December 2005. 

Sugar has the potential to control annual weeds according to recent research trials conducted by researchers from Charles Sturt University. The researchers, ecologists Dr Suzanne Prober, Dr Ian Lunt and Dr Kevin Thiele, have applied sugar to trial plots for a project funded by the NSW Environmental Trust on how to restore understorey species in endangered Grassy White Box Woodlands. 

The researchers have found that sugar provides a good, short-term non-chemical and ecologically friendly method of weed control. "It appears sugar is a tool we can use to help change a system back to one dominated by native species rather than weeds,” says Dr Suzanne Prober who has been working to conserve and restore grassy white box woodlands for the past 15 years. Nearly all of the woodland belt, from southern Queensland to north-east Victoria is now used for agricultural purposes, principally wheat and sheep. 

So why does the sugar work? Because it is one of the fastest ways of reducing soil nitrate levels. Dr Prober’s compared soil nutrients in undisturbed woodlands and disturbed, degraded sites. She found the most striking difference between the two was in nitrate levels, which were extremely low in undisturbed remnants and high in degraded remnants. 

“It seems that many of our weed problems are due to high nutrient levels”, says Dr Prober. “There is an enormous amount of information on how to increase soil nitrogen to improve crop growth, but very little on doing the reverse. However there has been some research done overseas where sugar was used to tie up nitrogen levels for a short time.”  

The researchers, who spread half a kilogram of refined white sugar to each square metre of soil every three months, found this inhibited weed growth of most annual weeds giving the native plants the opportunity to become well-established. However more research is required to work out the optimum rate of application. “We realise that the sugar levels we used in our trials would not be economic to use over broad scales”, said Dr Prober, “but at the moment we don’t know if we would get similar results if we used less sugar or if we used cheaper alternatives such as molasses or sawdust”. 

So how does sugar reduce soil nutrients? “When sugar is spread on the soil, it feeds soil micro-organisms, which then absorb lots of soil nutrients as they grow,” explains Dr Ian Lunt from CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society. “The micro-organisms then hold these nutrients so the weeds can’t gobble them up. In effect we are ‘starving’ the weed species that require lots of nutrients to grow.” The lack of nutrients stopped the weeds from growing large, allowing the native plants, which can grow well in low nutrient levels, to grow bigger and faster. click here to read rest of article.

Whether or not sugar is a viable alternative for most of us in our search for earth-friendly ways to control weeds may require further research. But any method that adds fewer toxic chemicals to the ground certainly sounds like a sweet one to me!