Garden Club – January 2012

The partying season is upon us! The Garden Club held its annual Christmas–Chanukkah–Kwanzaa–Festivus party in the Shores

ClubHouse. It was very well attended, and was especially festive with a beautiful ChristmasTree, music and pretty table decorations. It all came together thanks to the splendid coordination of Ann Strauss and her volunteer elves. The food was weelderig (for those folks who don’t speak Dutch, it means sumptuous!) and the gift exchanges

The Garden Club’s next meeting will be on January 16 and attendees will hear about “organic farming” from Nic Romano of VR Green Farms.

Organic Farming: Organic farming is the method by which agriculturists develop and cultivate vegetables, dairy products, grains, meat and fruits. The method of organic farming has been brought into use to preserve water and soil and also to reduce the pollution that can be caused by farming. In conventional farming, synthetic chemicals are made use of to increase growth. However, in organic farming it is preferable to use organic wastes and compost in the form of fertilizers, which can result in increasing the nutrients supplied to the plants.

More Gardening Myths:

l. Watering the lawn at night prevents evaporation and keeps the grass happy and healthy. Reality: No, watering your lawn at night exposes it to fungal pathogens. That’s why you get that orangish rust growing on it every single year. It’s quite logical: Fungal pathogens love cool moisture and dark places. Watering your lawn late in the day and/or at dusk gives them exactly what they need to thrive. So stop it! Water your lawn early in the morning; this gives the grass blades time to dry out during the day, while minimizing water evaporation from the soil itself. Buy a timer, attach it to your faucet, set the timer for 5:00 a.m. and hook up your hose and sprinkler.

2. A bleach solution is the best choice for disinfecting pruning wounds and tools. Reality: If you’re looking to sterilize your pruning tools and the pruning cuts you’ve made to your favorite plants, you can do better than chlorine bleach—much better. Bleach is an oxidizing agent, which means it is corrosive. You don’t find bleach for sale in unlined metal containers, and there’s a reason for that. If you spill it on your clothing when you’re out in the back 40, you’re stuck with a big, white spot unless you can immerse the affected material in clean water immediately. Isopropol alcohol works best, and is not corrosive to your tools.

“I’m no interior decorator, but I just have a feeling that plastic plants in the bathroom… probably not a good idea.” —Kyan Douglas

-Morris Meadow

 

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