The next program meeting of the California Native Plant Society - San Gabriel Mountains Chapter will be this Thursday, May 27, 2010.
The program will be Easy Natives for Your Garden, with our own Orchid Black: Why grow native cultivars — the named varieties? Because in many cases these have been selected for their reliability and consistent bloom in the garden. This talk will discuss the easiest cultivars and other selected natives that grow reliably in a wide range of gardens.
As always, our meeting will be at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center. We will gather for conversation, refreshments and informal plant ID at 7:00 p.m. The program will begin at 7:30. Eaton Canyon Nature Center is located at 1750 N. Altadena Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107. Directions.
Education, Seed, Nursery and bookstore. The only LA area nursery devoted to the retail customer, with over 500 species. Sale days feature many activities. Educational workshops. Knowledgeable staff. Open Tue-Sat 8:30-4:30, reduced hours in summer. Spring garden tour.
Oldest native nursery in Southern California. Website has much useful plant info. Limited Retail days and hours. Their catalog is used as a reference by designers and architects.
CNPS Local Chapters is the website for the LA Chapter. Many field trips. Fall plant sale. Meetings, which feature informative lectures and discussions, and field trips are open to non-members.
Nursery website with detailed information on hundreds of plants. Includes www.mynativeplants.com, a feature that allows searches by zipcode, watering preference, shade and drainage. Online ordering of many species. Nurseries in Escondido and Santa Margarita.
The following books address permaculture and the natural farming methods of Fukuoka. Though starting from opposite philosophies (permaculture is enthralled with the brilliance of human logic, Fukuoka tried to distance himself from human logic and rely on nature to show the way), both came to strikingly similar results.
Fundamental Realities, an article by Hazelip, Emilia was found at the Fukuoka Farming Website – but as of this writing that website is no longer in existence. However, You Tube has several videos with Hazelip describing how she has adapted Fukuoka's principles to a Western market garden.
While permaculture has played a role in my thinking about gardening, Fukuoka has spoken to my heart and the Hazelip videos have informed a lot of my decisions in the past four or five years. The video quality is not the best, but it and three others on You Tube are worth the effort to find and watch; I think you will find them inspiring and very enlightening.
The second field trip for the Greener Gardens sustainability class will be this Saturday, May 22. We will convene at 11:00 a.m. at the home/urban farm of classmate Dave Keitel, then move on to the Casting Pond at Arroyo Seco at 1:00 p.m. (map links and directions below).
Dave will show you what he has done over the past 1-2 years on a relatively small and challenging site, including:
400+ sf of planted edibles (winter and summer crops + herbs)
Multiple system composting operation
20+ fruit trees
3 laying hens
Lawn and ivy replaced with drought-tolerant landscaping
A real world lab to consider options/issues for additional sustainable features (eg: rainwater recovery system)
A few logistics and practicalities:
1) Bring sensible shoes and sun protection (part of Dave's site has many steps)
2) Parking is relatively easy - anywhere on the sides of Micheltorena St. or Lucile Ave. that do not have "No Parking Anytime" signs)
3) Carpool if you can!
3) Call Orchid or Dave if lost or late. Dave's home: 323/669-0704 Dave's cell: 213/247-4065
4) Please RSVP to Dave at davekeitel@sbcglobal.net so he can better plan to provide some light refreshments (beverages and garden fresh salad)
If you are approaching from the west side or the valley, exit the 101 (Hollywood) freeway at Silver Lake Blvd. - which is just a few miles north of downtown.
Take Silver Lake Blvd. north to Parkman, where you'll make a left at the signal. Take Parkman one block to Sunset Blvd, where you'll take another left.
Take Sunset west to Micheltorena, where you'll make a right at the signal. Take Micheltorena all the way up and just over the hill to 1975, which is on the corner of Lucile Ave.
If you are approaching from the north/northeast (eg: Pasadena), exit the 5 (Golden State) freeway at Los Feliz Blvd. - which is roughly between Glendale and Dodger Stadium. Take Los Feliz Blvd. west less than a mile to Griffith Park Blvd., where you will make a left at the signal. Take Griffith Park Blvd. about a mile to Angus, which is just past the signal at Hyperion Ave. Make a left on Angus and go up the hill to Micheltorena (your first stop sign). Make a right on Micheltorena and travel about a mile to 1975, which is at the corner of Lucile Ave.
If you have additional or specific questions, please call Dave at the numbers above.
It is just north of the Lower Arroyo Seco Main Entrance, and can be reached by exiting the 110 N at Orange Grove and going north (left), turning left at California Blvd and right at California Ter., then left at Norwood. Turn right once you are down in the park. There is parking near the casting pond.
If you will be coming from the 134/ 210, exit the 134 at Orange Grove, turn right on California Blvd., then follow directions above.
The National Wildlife Foundation has a page on how to certify a habitat with the Foundation, that has lots of information about creating habitats and how to certify yours.
From an absolutely delightful book, Trowel and Error, by Sharon Lovejoy, these suggestions are helpful substitutes for more violent means of pest control. This is only a small sampling of good things I've learned from Sharon's book, the only thing I have against it is that she is as clever as any one I know and got published first!
Some common materials that can do double duty as non-toxic pesticides:
uncoated aspirin to fight mildew, black spot and more. Dissolved in water.
baking soda (really useful!) prevents fungus spores from invading plants.
boric acid or borax wipes out ants, roaches and more.
canola oil works to smother insects and as a surfactant* but any vegetable oil that isn’t too heavy will work – I like Trader Joe’s grape seed oil
chili powder is used as a pesticide and a repellant
cinnamon powder is useful as a an anti-fungal and anti-ant
corn gluten meal inhibits seed germination (or at least it has in studies)
Epsom salts provide a shot of magnesium and help promote growth of flowers and foliage
essential oils, when mixed with water, help defer feeding and work to eliminate pests
fish emulsion & kelp wonderful organic fertilizers that promote healthy plants
flour, white but not self-rising, can be sprinkled on plants plagued by grasshoppers
honey is a sure-fire lure for ants
isopropyl rubbing alcohol, the 70% stuff, desiccates and destroys insects – if a bit tedious to apply
molasses, good ol’ blackstrap or horticultural grade, jumpstarts microbial action and feeds beneficial insects – can be used to attract harmful insects into traps
petroleum jelly can be used as a sticky barrier (around a tree trunk for example) to prevent access for undesirable insects
liquid soap – NOT detergent! (almost all “dish soaps” today are really dish “detergents” and they are more harmful to plants and not as effective as insecticides – you will have to seek out Dr. Bronner’s or any other pure castile soap) can be used as a surfactant or as the active ingredient against many pests, insects and fungi alike; liquid soap is the basis of many home-made pesticides because it works to allow other ingredients to blend together (emulsify). You can have a bucket of soapy water in the garden in which to dump insects and help them die in the cleanest of ways.
Tabasco sauce can be used as a pesticide and repellent (I like to tell about the time Grandpa used a syringe to inject Tabasco sauce into the watermelon closest to the road, it works to repel even human pests!)
vegetable or mineral oil destroys insects and can also double as a barrier
vinegar, either apple or white, buy whatever is less expensive, fights fungus gnats, can be used to kill some weeds and destroys pests – I use a solution 50% vinegar with water to kill ants when they invade my home or the greenhouse, as they often do.
white glue is very useful to seal pruning cuts – especially roses against the rose borer which is a significant pest around here
GENERAL NOTES ON HOME-MADE PESTICIDE APPLICATION (also valuable for commercial sprays)
Test your spray first on a small portion of the plant before applying it to the entire plant. I mean, it should go without saying that you’d rather knock the pests off and not kill the plant.
Always, always, always use soap not detergent – you may not know the difference but your plants will.
Spray early in the morning, on a foggy day or, if you’re not an early riser, later in the day. (Early morning IS the best, but if you, like me, just can’t seem to get around early enough, late evening might be your only opportunity.) Do not spray when the temperature is at, or soon will be at, 85 or higher.
Wear rubber gloves when spraying – especially those sprays containing peppers, alcohol, citrus concentrates, mint oils or any other material that could irritate skin.
Do not spray when the wind will not allow you to control the destination of your spray.
Thoroughly examine the plant to be sprayed right before spraying it, specifically looking for beneficial insects or their eggs.
Most mixtures will require consistent agitation to keep the ingredients evenly mixed, so shake as you go. So to speak.
Make sure all of your solutions get on to the leaf undersides as well as the tops.
TABASCO TOODLE-LOO
1 t Tabasco sauce
*1 t liquid soap
Shake mixture well and decant into sprayer.
Tabasco, straight, can be used to prevent rabbits and other omnivores from chowing down on tender shoots. Test to make sure the tender shoots won’t themselves be
“prevented.”
BASIL SUN TEA
1 hand full fresh basil leaves and
stems
1 large glass jar – at least ½
gallon – with water
Put the basil in the jar of water and set in the sun for a few days; strain out solids and store (out of the sun) in a capped container until you need it. When using it, decant into a sprayer and add *1teaspoon liquid soap and shake well before using. A poor use for basil in my book but offered in the name of science here.
RED PEPPER WRECKER
2 T red pepper
6 drops of liquid soap
1 gallon water
Allow the mixture to brew overnight, or should we say 'ferment?'
Stir thoroughly before spraying. Repeat about weekly to protect the Crucifers – cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower - from destructive critters.
BUTTERMILK SHAKE
¼ cup buttermilk
2 cups wheat flour
2 ½ gallons water
Shake the ingredients all together thoroughly and spray on plants infested with spider mites.
GARLIC SOUP
2 garlic cloves
1 quart water
*1 t liquid soap
For plants with fungal or bacterial disease and rash outbreaks of vampires in your garden, puree the garlic in a blender on high for a minute. Slowly add the water and continue blending for about six more minutes. Strain, into a storage container adding the soap (adding the soap while blending is NOT recommended) and cover tightly.
To use, mix one part garlic soup concoction with ten parts water in a sprayer. I have read that scientists have discovered that garlic leaves can be used in place of the garlic bulbs and do the same duty; so you can use two handfuls of leaves and keep your bulbs for eating. Now THAT is useful information!
HEALTHY HOLLYHOCK SPRAY
1 ½ t baking soda
1 T canola or other light oil
½ t liquid soap
½ cup white vinegar
1 gallon water
While this says “hollyhock” it is useful to spray on any rust-prone plant – and in our area that includes roses. Blend the ingredients and decant into a sprayer. Shake thoroughly before and during applications, applying weekly to the whole leaf on susceptible plants. If you have diseased foliage, remove it and send it away – do not compost unless your are certain your compost is hot enough to kill the spores.
TAKE TWO ASPIRINS AND DON’T CALL ME
2 uncoated aspirins dissolved in one quart of water can be used as a foliar spray to deal with fungus infections, which include black spot, mildew and rust – all popular in our climate.
CORNELL’S
FORMULA
1 T canola, mineral or other light oil
1 t baking soda
1 gallon water
Cornell published this as a remedy for fungal blights on tomatoes and potatoes. Shake thoroughly before using.
ROSE TONIC
2 t baking soda
2 quarts water
½ t liquid soap
Keep handy in sprayer and shake before using – this is especially useful with powdery mildew or black spot – two fungal infections almost all roses get in Southern California.
*a surfactant is a material used in a spray that helps “hold” the material to the plant, allowing it to spread over the surface.
You can buy books, plumbing supplies, etc. from this website. Reading the articles on the website is an education in water storage and reuse. The only source of salt-free dish and laundry that I am aware of.
Contents of this site, text and photography, are copyrighted 2009 through 2017 by David King - permission to use must be requested and given in writing.
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