Ask Monty’s for 8/30/2010 Rain Barrels, Tomatoes, and Herbs

By Dennis on August 30, 2010

Ask Monty’s:

“I want to put in some rain barrels at the bottom of my downspouts for all the right reasons.  I was wondering if it makes a difference as to what kind of material the barrels are made of.”

Lowell,
Clifton, Colorado

Lowell:

Welcome to one of the most rewarding and easiest forms of water conservation!  Your plants and garden are going to love your mineral rich rainwater, while slashing your water consumption by up to 40% depending on how much you use it.  Plastic or wood rain barrels are fine and are sold commercially.  The normally come in 25 to 100 gallon options.

Just something to keep in mind though as a note of caution, rain barrels that collect water from copper roofs or from roofs where wood shingles or shakes have been treated with chromated copper arsenate to prevent moss or algae growth should not be used on editable plants.  If you have treated your roof with any chemicals at all you won’t want to use that water either.

Two other notes on rain water collection barrels:

In your neck of the woods especially, you’ll want to empty your rain barrel when the weather starts to freeze over the winter.  If you don’t have a protected indoor area to store it, just turn it upside down and secure it to prevent animals from making a winter home in it or getting water accumulation in it which can freeze, expand, and potentially crack the barrel, especially one that is made of plastic.

Finally, make sure you keep a mesh screen over the top and that you clean it frequently.  The mess can collect debris which will interfere with collection and provide a place for mold and mildew to form.  However, without one all of those items will end up in your barrel and can foul your water.  Additionally, mosquitoes look for ponded, still water to lay their eggs.  An open rain barrel would make an ideal breeding ground for them.  Not only will that make time in your yard less pleasant, across the south this year there has been another outbreak of west nile virus. By eliminating standing water form your property you can greatly reduce mosquito populations for you and your neighbors.

If you are having trouble finding a barrel in your area, may we suggest you talk to one of our friends in Louisville?  This is the link to Naturally Horton’s  for those in the Louisville Metro, its in The Highlands.

Ask Monty’s: 

“When is the best time to harvest herbs?”

Carol
Aitkin, Minnesota

Carol:

The best time to harvest herbs is right before the flowers open.  This is when their aroma and taste in their essential oils are at their peak like thyme, basil and mint.  The preferred time to pick them is also in the morning when they are at their freshest and the most potent.  Never pick herbs in wet or humid conditions. Finally, Monty’s 2-15-15 works well to keep the plants in the flower cycle and may help elevate brix levels, which in herbs will increase the aromatics and flavors as well as improve shelf life.

Also, don’t forget one of our favorite places to visit and to visit virtually is Beagle Ridge Herb Farm in Wytheville, VA.  They are a great source for information for all things herbs, natural gardening, and GARLIC!  check them out here.

Ask Monty’s:

“I’ve read that instead of pulling out spent tomato plants, you can simply cut them back and keep watering them to encourage new growth and fruit.  Is there any truth to this?”

Mike
Norwalk, Iowa

Mike:

Depending on your weather cooperation, this is true and new growth will develop, along with a respectable new harvest.  Make sure you pick tomatoes often, keeping the weight off the stems and branches so they don’t break or bend.  It’ll also give your other plants more room to produce freely.

Once you prune them, you will want ot help encourage new growth as well as help the plant deal with the stresses involved with pruning.  Monty’s 8-16-8 should help with that, then once your plants have regrown and have begun to set blooms again, switch to Monty’s 2-15-15 to enhance flower set and fruit production.

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Ask Monty’s for 8/9/10: Raised Beds, Hostas, and Dragonflies

By Dennis on August 9, 2010

Ask Monty’s:

We put a small pond in our backyard this summer, along with quite a bit of appropriate landscaping plants and flowers around it.  It turned out nice and it is attracting a lot of wildlife to it.  I’ve noticed a lot of dragonflies particularly, something I’ve never really thought much about or thought would find the pond so attractive.  I don’t know much about them but I want to make sure they aren’t a type of bug that is going to cause me any trouble or damage to the plants.  Are they good guys or bad guys?”

 Sandra and Steve,                                                                                                                                                                         Ava, Missouri

 Sandra & Steve,

It’s all good!  Ponds and lakes do attract dragonflies and damselflies and you are the proud recipients! They have excellent eyesight and their aerial agility allows them to capture and eat vast amounts of insects that are smaller than themselves.  So they’re very interested in the uninvited “guests” that frequent your new environment like moths, beetles, mosquitoes, aquatic larvae and nymphs.  And with the food supply being so plentiful, they will court and lay their eggs here too.  They do need some vegetation to feed on so if you have planted such things as bulrush, cattail or water lilies you will encourage them to stay.  They also like blue flag iris, cardinal flower, red-twig dogwood and summersweet.  If you have to use any kind of insecticide, be conscious of the good insects and wildlife that may be living there and try to stay as organic as you can.

Ask Monty’s:

“I have two rather large raised garden beds that seem like they dry out very quickly.  I love the fact that I don’t have to bend so far over to maintain the garden, but it seems like I’m always watering it.  Why would these beds dry out so quickly?”

Marty,                                                                                                                                                                                           Seattle, Washington

Marty:

If you’re watering daily you may not be watering long enough or deeply enough. When you water make sure you’re soaking the soil at least five to six inches below ground level.  Another thing to look at is your soil content.  Having a lot of sand in your soil would contribute to why your soil is drying out so fast.  If that is the case the more organic matter, like peat moss and broken down compost, you can incorporate into the soil, the better.  It will help provide nutrients to the soil and help hold moisture.  Regardless of what kind of soil you have, mulch is a must for you as it will help insulate the soil and keep it moist.  Then once the growing season is over you just till it all into the soil for added nutrients as it breaks down over the winter.  Grass clippings and shredded leaves are great for this.

Ask Monty’s:

“I have staggered my green and variegated hostas throughout areas of my yard for creating some color and diversity.  The green hostas come up and do great every year, but my variegated hostas are always smaller and less vibrant.  Why do they look so shabby compared to the green ones when they’re in the same soil getting the same conditions?”

Pat and Lynne,                                                                                                                                                                    Leadmine, Wisconsin

Pat and Lynne,

 Green leafed plants take in more sun which they need to make chlorophyll, which feeds the plant.  Variegated-leafed plants just can’t produce enough food energy as a green leafed plant.  As a result, they can’t keep up with their green leafed neighbor.  But you do have the diversity you were looking for, so despair.

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Ask Monty’s 6/17/2010

By Dennis on June 17, 2010

We are starting a new segment on the blog called “Ask Monty’s”.  Whatever your most challenging lawn and Garden questions are, feel free to send them on to us.  From growth zones and insects, to how to grow particular plants. If it is green and growing (or should be) we’ll do our best to answer any questions you may have.

Just post your questions in the comments section.  Be sure to include your first name and the town you are in (you know, we need to check growth zones, climates and soil types so we can make sure we are giving you the best info possible.)

That’s all there is to it.  We’ll be updating this at least weekly so make sure you check back frequently for the best answers to your Lawn and Garden questions from “Ask Monty’s.”  

Now, here’s this week’s column:

Question:

“I bought some dahlias for the first time through the mail and was sent tubers – which I simply am not familiar with.  The package says there are enough for three plants.  The package is a mass of tubers, so how do I know how many to plant in one hole?”

Elise, Marshfield, Wisconsin

Answer:

If you take them out of the bag you will notice they are actually separated into three clumps or bunches.  If not, just do a visual separation and plant them by putting them on their side about 15-35 inches apart.  You’re going to love them!

Question:

“I read some where that a good way to get rid of weeds is to poor boiling water on them.  Does this work?”

Dorian, Naperville, Illinois

Answer:

It’s a very inexpensive and environmentally friendly way to get rid of weeds. You just pour boiling hot water right on them.  It may take a few applications, but it will do it.  It’s not something I would recommend for large areas, but for a few stray weeds or weeds growing in the cracks in your driveway or sidewalk it’s fine.

Question:

“I’d like to plan some baby’s breath. The make such nice additions to flower bouquets. Are they hard to grow? What do they prefer for sunlight?”

Janine, Crown Point, Indiana

Answer:

First of all there are both annuals and perennials, but I’m assuming it’s the perennial version you want.  Plant the seeds directly in the area you want them to stay long term. While they are low maintenance, they do prefer well drained soil and full sun.  Baby’s breath planted in shady areas won’t bloom to their full potential and will get leggy and floppy.  Left undisturbed, they’ll thrive for years to come.

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More Uses for Grass Clippings

By Dennis on May 1, 2010

Short entry today.  Storms are moving in this evening and I have a lot of work to do.  Weather man says we are expecting 4+ inches of rain.  We’ll see.

Anyway, mowing season is in full swing and I have found another use for grass clippings.  My son and I are using them to create paths so we can walk through our garden, even after a rain, without bogging down in this god-forsaken E. Tennessee clay.  Additionally we are using it around the tomatoes to help suppress weeds.

One word of caution that I learned the hard way last season.  DO NOT try this if you have a Bermuda grass lawn and your grass has formed seed heads.  The seeds will germinate and you will spend the rest of the summer fighting to keep Bermuda grass out of your garden.

The benefit of using the grass clippings like this is that it does give us the paths and the weed barriers that I am looking for with the added benefits that I can till it in in the fall to add organic structure into the soil, plus unlike using bark mulch, which is expensive and semi-permanent, I can reconfigure the layout of my garden each season so that I can easily rotate my crops to keep disease and insects in check.

Happy gardening.  I’m back to work.

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Pine Bark Beetle Control with Monty’s Plant Food Products

By Dennis on February 24, 2010

The Pine Beetle continues to be a problem for residents across a broad swath of the country. Below is a control method that one ID arborist has used for the past several years for help controlling the pest for his customers.

Those who are now also dealing with the Emerald Ash Borer may also consider a similar treatment for their trees.  Though we have no evidence that this program will provide definitive results for the Ash Borer our experience with the Pine Beetle lead us to believe it may be worth a try in your area.

Monty’s Protocol for Treating Infested Trees
 
The following is a protocol which Drew Andrew developed in his business as an Arborist in Idaho over the past four years. This is the sole treatment he uses on his customers trees and woodlands. He does not use insecticides which require strict licensing requirements and can further harm the environment. While this treatment has not been validated by replicated academic trials, anecdotal evidence would support his success in a variety of settings.
Again, this treatment will not treat nor destroy the insects themselves but has shown promise in preventing attack and saving trees already infested with pine beetles. For complete treatment, we advise that you consult with an arborist, your local county extension or other professional for insecticides approved for use in your area for treatment of pine beetles.
 
As a rescue treatment follow the below guidelines two to three times per year. As a preventative, or to discourage re-infestation of previously affected trees apply annually in the spring as the trees break dormancy.
  • Prepare 18-24 ounces of Monty’s 2-15-15 Formula in 25 gallons of water in a spray tank suitable for spraying trees.  
  • Set PSI to 35 lbs of pressure on spray tank.  
  • Thoroughly saturate the trunk of the tree from the base to as high as you can reach. 
  • Spray mixture into any visible holes where possible. 
  • Combine bark treatment with a foliar application to the needles, or crown, of the tree when possible.

 For heavy infestations and if the tree is already showing significant signs of browning at the crown,combine all above steps with the following:

  • Root drench the above mixture with a deep feeder from the base of the tree to the edge of the drip line. 
  • Additionally, drill small ¼ inch holes into the trunk of the tree just past the outer bark layer and inject 1-2 ounces of solution per hole.

 Additional results may be noticed by adding 16 ounces of Monty’s Liquid Carbon or by using this as a tank-mix with your insecticide of choice.  Always read and follow label directions on any insecticide you may use.

A PDF of our full program and tech bulletin on pine beetle control is available by contacting Monty’s Plant Food Company.

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Garden Cheaply, Garden Well

By Dennis on January 18, 2010

Welcome to a Monday morning.  I am a little sore this morning from an unexpected opportunity to get out in the garden and lawn this weekend. It’s not too often that we get sunshine and 50+ degree weather in January in the mountains of East Tennessee.

This weekend I had the chance to compost and line out some of my flower beds, prune some bushes, etc.  But it was the composting that I wanted to talk to you about.

Free compost My kids and I unloaded this weekend. It recieved about 1.5 inches of rain over the weekend

Free compost My kids and I unloaded this weekend. It received about 1.5 inches of rain over the weekend

Many of you want to compost but you are afraid of the process, have heard horror stories or don’t have enough plant material to get your pile started.  For me,these reasons and the fact that I live in a neighborhood and don’t really have a place to establish the size pile I would need got me searching and asking questions.  The question I asked:  What does the city/county do with all of those leaves and Christmas trees they collect throughout the year?

The answer:  In many communities, they have established FREE compost areas.  In my community, they have a location about 5-10 miles or so outside of town where they take dump-truck load after dump-truck load and pile up the leaves in long rows.  The trees and limbs they pick up through the year are run through a chipper/shredder and blown onto the same piles.

There are rows that are three+ years old and some rows of fresh (this season) and everything in-between in various stage of decay.  The only thing it cost me was the gas to travel out there, and a few hours of work loading and unloading this free source of good quality compost.

When I used to live in Frankfort, KY they had a similar program but it was located in the heart of town so it was more accessible. This brings me to a couple of points to consider.  In many cases this is a ‘free’ or tax-subsidized program so its existence in your area may vary.  I had to call several agencies from city hall, county government, park and recreation department, and sanitation until I found someone who could tell me about it.  Strangely enough, none of these bureaucrats knew anything about it…they all told me that we did not have anything like that in our area.  It was not until I met one of the truck drivers for a leaf collection crew at McDonald’s that I got the answer I was looking for.  Point is, you are likely going to have to look for it to find it.  I have also discovered that some cities charge a nominal fee for the compost while others operate it as a completely free service.  Further, (especially in the free service areas) management of the piles can vary widely. So, know what you are looking for when you go pick it up so you can tell if it has been turned regularly, etc.

Like anything there are some things to consider:

Since these piles are created from leaf-collection services their focus is collection NOT creating perfect

This close-up of the compost after we had pile it around our dogwood tree shows the texture of the free compost and the fact that it was made of various materials which are in different stages of decay

This close-up of the compost after we had pile it around our dogwood tree shows the texture of the free compost and the fact that it was made of various materials which are in different stages of decay

mulch/compost.  Therefore, I had to sort out some various bits of pop bottles, plastic, wires, small scrap metal.  All in all though, I only sifted out enough garbage to fill a small plastic grocery bag so its a small price to pay.

The compost is made of various types of plant material with various acidic conditions like oak and pine so your pH levels can be all over the place.  Therefore, I recommend testing it with a pH meter.  I am taking mine to a friend this week to have it tested.  I will update you once I have the numbers. Plus any info I have on amending it as needed.

Some areas will have staff on hand with a front-end loader, others will not and you will have to load it yourself.  One area I am aware of, does not have a front end loader, but they don’t mind if you bring your own.  For just a few dollars you could probably hire a farmer to meet you out there and load it for you.  I used a pick-up truck to haul my mulch and it held three front-end loader scoops.  It took far longer to unload it than it did to load it.

I used a standard shovel to unload it and it took approximately 20 heaping shovel loads to fill my wheel-barrow.  That will give you an idea of the time and effort it will take if you are loading it by hand.

Bottom line,  this is a good, though not perfect, system for many of you to be able to access compost in volumes that most home-owners/gardeners could not.  This compost is similar to the quality you would have to pay $40+ per front-end loader scoopful at a retailer and it is free and readily available.  Additionally, it is a good use of material that, ten years ago, would have simply ended up in our landfills.  This is the essence of  Reduce Reuse Recycle and is an example of where it works efficiently and effectively.  For these reasons, and because I am always looking at ways to save money on my gardening projects, this is one I wholeheartedly support and recommend.  If you’ve got the time and the labor available and you don’t mind waking up sore on a Monday morning, do the research find the location and go get yourself some good, free compost.

We were able to get most of the compost spread in our flowerbeds and around our trees before the rains began. This pile is adjacent to our garden we will get it spread when the soil is dry enough to walk on. Hopefully we will be adding to it with another load of free compost next weekend, if the dry weather continues.

We were able to get most of the compost spread in our flowerbeds and around our trees before the rains began. This pile is adjacent to our garden we will get it spread when the soil is dry enough to walk on. Hopefully we will be adding to it with another load of free compost next weekend, if the dry weather continues.

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Build Your Own Home-made Automated Irrigation and Fertility Injection System for Under $50

By Dennis on January 17, 2010

Brent Coffee’s farm in Northern Arkansas is a testament togreen production techniques and the cost saving nature of what we used to call ‘southern ingenuity.’  Both he and his wife work full time and his job has him on the road through most of the summer.  He wants the benefits of his home garden but can’t always guarantee he will be home when his crops need to be watered or fertilized.  So, using a recycled chemical drum and some common parts, he built his own watering system that also applies Monty’s Liquid Fertilizer to his garden as it waters.

When we spoke Brent showed me how simple this is to build for under $50.  These applications of Liquid Fertilizer are the only nutrients the garden receives apart from what is available naturally through the compost-based raised beds.

 Home Irrigation and Automated Fertilizer for under $50

Learn how you can build a similar system by watching this video segment from Brent.

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Time to Work Those Glutens

By Dennis on January 15, 2010

So, you’re looking out the window, snow on the ground– a little stir-crazy–waiting to start your spring projects out in the garden.  After you have spent as much time dreaming and planning and going through seed catalogs as you can bear, you just want to DO something.  I understand.

So, here is a project that you can do long before your soil is ready for planting and it will save you hours of weed-work later this season.  As an additional benefit, it will control weeds and serve as a fertilizer while maintaining a natural approach to gardening.

Corn Gluten Meal makes an excellent organic or all-natural weed and feed fertilizer but the trick is to get it

Corn Gluten Meal is an effective all-natural pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer. It is available in bulk (shown) and in bags or cannisters

Corn Gluten Meal is an effective all-natural pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer. It is available in bulk (shown) and in bags or cannisters

 out before the weed seeds begin to germinate. Corn Gluten Meal is a by-product of the wet-milling process of corn.  Ethanol plants make it, liquor distillers make it and for years it has been used as a high quality feed for cattle, especially dairy cattle.  In the 1990’s those some enterprising students from Iowa State University discovered its benefits as a pre-emergent herbicide.

You will want to apply approximately 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet between Feb 15th and March 15th, depending on your climate.  A second application can be made around June 1st for late flush weed crops, and again post-harvest for any winter weeds that may appear in your garden.  If you are using ‘green manure’ cover crops, wait until after these plants have germinated and started growing before applying Corn Gluten Meal.  The key is to get the product down before the seeds germinate.

Additionally, at 10 percent N content, Corn Gluten Meal also makes a good supplemental source of nitrogen and a nice organic fertilizer

Various sized packages of Corn Gluten Mealcan be purchased at your local independent garden retailer in either a natural powder form or, combined with binders, in a pelletized form.  the powder form is farm more effective and cheaper, but they will be very dusty and messy and a bit harder to work with in most situations. 

As many of you know, there is money to be made catering to the zealous nature of many green gardeners and enterprising business owners have capitalized on this by elevating costs of these products compared to their synthetic counterparts.  So, you can purchase the commercially available forms of Corn Gluten Meal, however, if you are willing to put in the back work and do the research, many of you can find it far cheaper in bulk.  Look for a feed store or feed mill in your county or an adjacent county, this is the place where local farmers will go to purchase raw feed-stuffs for their livestock.  Around Monty’s home office Burkmann Mills is a good source of Corn Gluten Meal.  In your area, just look for a location that will either custom-mix rations or ask a local farm store if they sell it.  Once you find your source they will either sell it in super-sized bags or may even be able to fill up your pick-up bed with lose bulk meal.  Also, if you live near a distillery or an ethanol plant, give them a call and ask if they sell the meal direct to the public.  Most do, but be warned, this is a great cattle feed and many of these locations have a waiting list for everything they spin-off from their distillers.  Finally, if you have a dairy farm in your area and you do not need much, you might talk to the farmer.  He may be willing to sell you what you need, and while you’re at it, you can ask him about picking up some free manure (trust me they have more then they know what to do with!)

That’s really all there is to it.  Just a few notes on using and storing it.

  • Make sure you lightly incorporate it into the soil as it will attract animals if it is just left on the surface
  • Do not let it get wet, and make sure you clean your wheelbarrow, spreader, (and back of your pick-up if buying in bulk) well.  If not, when Corn Gluten Meal gets wet the resultant fermentation leaves an odor reminiscent of REALLY strong stale beer. It is more than a bit overwhelming.
  • Do NOT apply within 2 weeks of planting from seed.  This stuff does not know a weed-seed from a beneficial and it will damage your vegetable/flower seeds.  This is a non-selective herbicide.
  • Do NOT use this in conjunction or simultaneously with traditional herbicides, the synthetic herbicides will cancel out the benefits of the Corn Gluten Meal.
  • Soil sample until you reach a comfort level with using this product but this should take care of most of your Nitrogen needs for the period in which application is made.

Now that you know what to do, how to do it, and where to get it.  You have an activity that can get you outside and get you started on your garden.  Just follow these simple guidelines and precautions and you will be one step closer to the all-natural, weed-free garden you always wanted.

For additional information on the original study and on corn gluten in general, check out this article.

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Monty Helps Open New Store, Naturally

By Dennis on October 12, 2009

Larry Horton, owner of Naturally Horton's in Louisville, pauses during his grand opening for a picture with Monty. Monty's and Larry's passion is educating people about sustainable options for lawn & garden care.

Larry Horton, owner of Naturally Horton's in Louisville, pauses during his grand opening for a picture with Monty. Monty's and Larry's passion is educating people about sustainable options for lawn & garden care.

Monty meets with customers at the grand opening of Naturally Horton's over the weekend.

Monty meets with customers at the grand opening of Naturally Horton's over the weekend.

This past weekend, during the Belknap Fall Festival, Larry Horton opened up a brand new store, Naturally Horton’s.

On hand at the Louisville Highlands Community event was our own Monty Justice.  Horton invited Monty to the grand opening because, in his words, “We have carried his product for years in our hardware store and we believe in buying local whenever we can. Since Monty is local and we had access to him, we thought it would be a perfect fit to have him on site to help teach our customers about

natural fertilizer and soil conditioner options. He’s just a genuine guy trying to make a difference.”

Horton has been in business with a local hardware store for 15 years.  His new store will focus on

ecologically freindly home and garden products including rain barrels, compost bins, cleaners, fertilizers (MONTY’S), and pesticides among other things.

Monty helped Horton’s draw in over 100 people for their grand opening and they are excited about the future.

We at Monty’s Plant Food Company were glad that we could be a part.  We look forward to a long and successful partnership.  Naturally Horton’s, Welcome to Louisville!

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