Organic Fertilizer Vs. Dog

Organic gardening… it’s a great to be able to grow your own fruits, vegetables and beautiful plants in a manner that is safe for the planet and it’s occupants but it isn’t always easy. I have been converting my fertilizer methods over to organic bit by bit, as much as possible but I have recently found a huge problem with my client’s homes that I have not experienced in my own home.

Let me preface this with the fact that I have two SMALL dogs. One of them is a little bit of a digger, the other not at all. The digger (my terrier) has recently done a little bit of damage to my pepper & eggplant container, plants were fine – he dug in the dirt but that’s about it. These plants and all the other vegetables and herbs are planted with organic fertilizer. So, I thought nothing of bringing organic fertilizer over to two different client job sites where I was planting. Well, that turned out to be a mistake.



The first house has a lovely Golden Retriever who once my back was turned promptly stole a bag of bone meal (duh, Julie!) and my gardening gloves. After eating ¼ of the bag and sniffing around the top of the first pot I planted, I thought I’d be smart and mix the fertilizer into the bottom 1/3 of the soil and then top it with plain soil. It worked while I was there… but after I left he dug up some of the small plants again. Here’s Rufus with his head in the pot.

Second house, an adorable Black Lab (Bogey pictured below) found my mixed organic fertilizer just as scrumptious as Rufus did – even before I took it out of the package. When I read the package, it made complete sense; Blood Meal, Bone Meal, Kelp, and more… sounds like lunch to me! I am now on a quest… organics without the yum!

My research is leading me to Cottonseed Meal (which I use in my garden for my green tea plant) and Alfalfa Meal, but I need to supplement the Phosphorus or nothing will bloom or bear fruit.

Now, I get to go back up on my soapbox and it’s made of mulch. I think that is it very important to get more organic material into your soil on a regular basis so remember to use mulch in your planter beds and for an additional boost add compost too. This will help your soil utilize whatever kind of fertilizer (especially the phosphorus) you add to your garden. You can buy bags of compost or better yet, start composting those kitchen scraps.

I’m on a mission, so stay tuned!



There will be a Composting workshop in Santa Clarita (yes, I found out after I posted my August Events) on 8/21/10 from 9:30 – 11:30 at:

Castaic Lake Water Agency
27234 Bouquet Canyon Rd.
Santa Clarita, 91350

BEGINNING Smart Gardening Workshop - Attend a FREE Smart Gardening Workshop and learn more about backyard composting, worm composting, grass recycling, water-wise gardening, and fire-wise gardening! Compost bins can be purchased at the subsidized prices of $40 each for a backyard compost bin and $65 each for a worm compost bin (this price includes 1/2 lb. of worms).

Thank you to the "Dog Moms" that let me feature their babies: Phillis Stacy Brooks & Kim Rocke. Both amazingly talented women.

For more on my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreener

How to Pick Trees for Fall Color (and other things to do in November)

November is a great time to add trees to your landscape. Especially deciduous trees with fall color. You can pick trees now, because as you shop for them you will see what they look like in full fall color. Each tree has a slight variation in color and now is the best time to see what the colors of a specific tree are! A planting tip to think about...Remember to support trees in windy areas.



A few other things to do

Use a bloom-booster fertilizer on cool-season flowering annuals to keep them blooming, and if you have Plumeria or other May - July flowering plants you can add some to them too.

If you have a fall/winter crop of vegetables treat them weekly with water-soluble fertilizer only if you did not add slow-release fertilizer at planting time.

Remember... organic is better for our environment! Plants won't know the difference, but the planet will!

What to do in the Garden in October/November

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler, so you need to make the most of your gardening time. Here is a list of some things that you should be doing in your garden now.

Plant cool-season herbs - chives & parsley & pot up summer herbs & bring into the kitchen.
Plant seeds for cool weather veggies - send me an email if you want a list. Make sure to treat vegetables with slow-release fertilizer at planting.

Dig & divide flowering perennials & ground cover - lily turf, irises, agapanthus,and day lily

Trim evergreen shrubs - remove & replace overgrown shrubs if necessary

Clean up around fruit trees and discard split fruit check those berries and remove raspbery and blackberry plant canes.

Mulch over tender bulbs (cannas, caladiums, dahlias, tuberous begonias & gladioli)

WATERING NOTE: Up to 80 percent of residential water use goes to maintaining our yards. Is your irrigation system running every day? That’s too much! Try taking a day off the timer, preferably the same day the lawn is mowed, and watch the health of your yard improve. If that day is off already… take another one off.

Plant annuals - ageratum, begonia, petunia, sweet alyssum, pansies for winter color

Now is time for the last fertilizer application of the year--including your lawn! Be sure to take this opportunity to fertilize. Make sure to feed citrus trees with a citrus fertilizer at a rate of 1 pound per food of tree spread

Fertilizer Note for Palm Trees, shrubs, and ornamentals:

Slow-release fertilizers provide a steady supply of nutrients for the plants over a long period of time. The primary advantage of a slow release fertilizer is the convenience. In general, slow release fertilizers do not need to be applied as often as water-soluble fertilizers. The optimum fertilizer regimen is three applications per year: once in early spring, once in early summer, and once in late fall. Use a balanced fertilizer (equal numbers) with micro-nutrients.

Add a thin layer of compost to just about everything - your houseplants & lawn included!



"If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener."
~ J. C. Raulston