You can’t watch the news anymore without hearing about America’s big push to go green. Companies are announcing daily their new plans to be green and reduce their carbon footprint. I often load materials into customer’s cars and more often now see people driving hybrids, they usually have their reusable grocery bags in the back as well. Now don’t get me wrong I think this is incredibly important. Anything we do as a society to reduce our impact on the environment is a step in the right direction.

Should we all not be concerned in leaving our planet in better shape then when we got it? Do our children and grandchildren deserve to enjoy those beautiful sunny spring days, the crystal clear waters of lakes such as Tahoe? Of course they do, so with us making an effort today tomorrow can be a brighter “GREENER” future.

All this has made me realize what a huge impact we can make on reducing our personal carbon footprint right in our own yards. Plants, trees and shrubs are not only green friendly but they provide oxygen, some provide food and nutrition, they assist in cooling our homes in the summer and in some cases are instrumental in removing toxins and pollutants from the soil. A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 lbs. /year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings.

So think about it if we all planted one single tree what a difference we could make in our planet. Reducing your carbon footprint can be as simple as planting a beautiful dogwood in your yard, reduce it even further by planting a fruit tree, then not only are you getting the benefits of the tree but you reap the reward of the harvest for your family and friends. Not that difficult, right?

It just makes sense! Being earth friendly does not mean you have to spend a fortune, it does not require huge sacrifices, you can be green just by looking around your home. Plant a tree or two, compost your yard waste, take a look at an effective organic green waste composting system such as a O’Donnells Worm Composting Bin. Recycle, papers, cans and bottles. Get the whole family involved in making your home GREENER! Now go plant a tree!!

So now let’s go into that garden shed or garage?? We’ll cover that on my next blog !

Look no further for your concrete needs! Yamasaki Nursery provides the very best in Concrete Construction in Auburn CA.

Go GREEN Instead of Red This Valentine’s Day
We Urge Consumers to Give Sustainable Gifts Rather Than Traditional Items That End Up in the Trash

While Valentine’s Day is often associated with gifts of fresh roses, balloons, cards and boxes of candy, we are urging local customers to think “green” by considering more durable and sustainable alternatives for their Feb. 14 gift-giving. The idea of the holiday is to share your sentiments with those you care about – not to create additional waste that ends up in a landfill. There are a number of gestures you can make to celebrate the holiday without generating additional waste … it truly is easy to think green. Here are some “green” alternatives to traditional Valentine’s Day gifts:

Instead of… …
Fresh Cut Flowers…..Give Potted plants, flowers or trees that can be transplanted into a garden. Remember a living gift is not only earth friendly it is a gift that will give enjoyment for years to come. Did you know that two simple houseplants in a room can increase the air quality significantly in your home?

Instead of… …
Valentine’s Cards….Give E-mail greetings or a photo with your message written on the back

Instead of… …
Boxes of Candy….Give a beautiful blueberry plant or dwarf citrus plant. Either of these gifts are health heart friendly alternatives that will lasy years longer then that box of chocolate.

On any gift-giving occasion we always encourage giving gifts that aren’t disposable – whether it’s a durable,re-usable gift, a gift card or an activity.By thinking creatively you can come up with the perfect gift for your sweetheart and also for the environment.

Decrease your carbon footprint this Valentines Day and let us show you how!!!

Bareroot Season is Here!

Many people love bareroot season, they load themselves up with a huge variety of fruits, berries and roses. So if you plan on getting into the bareroot craze its important to remember the key to success is preperation. It is also important to remember bareroot planting does not provide you with the instant gratification a containerized plant will. For instance a bareroot blueberry may take 3-5 years to bear fruit where as a 2 gallon containerized blueberry will bear fruit that season. So when selecting and planning your garden keep that in mind.

Follow our suggestions below to help make your bareroot adventure successful and bountiful.

1. Keep the roots wrapped or covered in soil until you are ready to plant. Even short exposure to sunlight can shock the root system.

2. Now get out your secret weapon: Big Bloom Liquid Organic Fertilizer. That’s right—it’s not just for flowers. Big Bloom is actually a great root drench that will get bareroot plants off to an amazing start. In a bucket, mix 1/4 cup of Big Bloom per gallon of room temperature water. Soak the roots in the mixture for 1 hour prior to planting, being sure to keep the roots out of sunlight.

3. While your roots are soaking, dig a hole 2-3 times the size of the root ball when it’s spread out. Fill with a mixture of FoxFarm’s Original Planting Mix or Happy Frog Soil conditioner, combined with native soil.

4. Mix with our dry Peace of Mind Starter Organic Fertilizer according to package directions.

5. After your roots have finished their spa treatment, carefully place each bareroot plant in its hole, making sure to spread the roots out and cover them well. Water immediately. That’s all you need to do until you start to see new growth in the spring. To get the most out of those bareroot plants, start a regular feeding schedule with American Pride, our time-release fertilizer for roses and other flowering shrubs and trees, or Marine Cuisine, the time-release blend that works best for blueberries, trees, and evergreens.

Best of luck to you and remember if you have any problems or questions we are always free to assist you!

I recently attended a seminar on plant patents by a California based company called PLANT HAVEN. Plant Haven patents plants for growers assuring that the creator and developer of the plant are compensated for there plant when it hits the market. One of the plants they spoke about was this gem the Phormium Jester. What a stunning plant it is with its bright cherry color. The following is a description of the plant courtesy of San Marcos Growers. We hope toi see this stunner in our nursery this spring!

Phormium ‘Jubilee’ PP19,059 – A New Zealand Flax cultivar that grows to 3 with slightly arching long leaves that have a green center and pinkish-red margins on the upper surface and are entirely red below. Plant in full sun to light shade. Can tolerate fairly dry conditions (coastal) but looks best with occasional to regular irrigation. Hardy to 15-20 F. Possibly root hardy below these temperatures but with severe foliage damage unless protected. A very interesting color combination and a bit stronger with less reversions than the parent plant, Phormium ‘Jester’. This plant was discovered by Arroyo Grande nurseryman Christopher Chaney who in 2000 purchased a plant labeled Phormium ‘Red Heart’, known in the trade as Phormium ‘Jester’, from Monterey Bay Nursery where he then worked as an outside salesman. Phormium ‘Jester’ is an attractive cultivar that is predominantly pale red on its upper surface with narrow green margins. Mr. Chaney divided his plant but noted one of his divisions had a fan of leaves with the reverse coloration, having strong red margins and a green central stripe on the upper surface and an entirely red underside. In 2003 he selected and rooted this fan and has since subsequently propagated repeatedly from the original, using the method of division. It was co-introduced into the nursery trade by Chris Chaney and Monterey Bay nursery and received a U.S. Plant Patent in July 2008. It is marketed in the U.S by PlantHaven. The description above is based on our research and observations of this plant growing in our nursery and in our own and other Santa Barbara gardens.

Here in the foothills our gardens suffer from those winter doldrums. Very little color if any is left in our yards especially this year after our early December snow and deep freeze. Here’s a nice addition to any garden, adds a little bright color and tolerates our extreme temperatures.

Choisya ternate ‘Sundance’ aka golden Mexican Orange has brilliant bright yellow foliage with white summer flowers. Slow growing reaching 4’-5’ tall at maturity. An evergreen that will take partial sun turns yellow in the cooler months and greener in the warm summer months. Feedback from customers is that deer tend to avoid it, nibbling only when newly planted.

A Choisya ‘Sundance’ is a welcome addition to any garden adding that bright splash of color in an otherwise dull and dreary time of year for our gardens.

After a wet and cold December you may not even be thinking about summer, but now is the time to start thinking about Summer wildfire protection. Preventative measures now will pay off this coming summer.

First start off by surveying your property, ask yourself “do I have sufficient defensible space?” You should have 10′-15′ of defensible space around any structure. Defensible means clear of any dry grass or debris. Look at your landscape are your plant selections “fire smart”. Conifers and Eucalyptus often have high amounts of resins, meaning they are extremely flamable. Do you have allot of dry or dead vegetation near structures if so now’s the time to prune and clean that up.

Secondly look at your property lines. A safe fire barrier is 30′ of defensible space. Clean up debris, prune trees, if needed apply a good pre emergent weed killer. You want a solid 10′ between the crowns of trees to prevent the fire from jumping from tree to tree.

Another big mistake in many landscapes is the use of bark near structures. Remember bark is highly flammable and hard to control if on fire, a reality we experienced here during the 49 fire in August. Look at options, STEPABLES is a ground cover line perfect for area with foot traffic where you want weed or erosion control. Make sure to keep these plants healthy by feeding them a great fertilizer like Fox Farm Tiger Bloom Liquid Fertilizer… serious magic in a bottle!

A little effort now could save your home in the future. There are NO absolute “fire retardant” plants. But making a smart choice with your landscape and regular up keep will provide that much needed defensible space in those hot hot summer days.

Need help with wildfire prevention? Don’t be shy… reach out and contact us anytime!

Please enjoy our first “Guest” Blogger, Carolyn Singer…………………….

Oh those pesky deer!

Just when you felt confident, “deer-resistant” list in hand, the plant you so carefully selected and planted from your highly reliable local nursery is almost gone the following morning! What?! But they SAID it was “deer-resistant”.

Well, it may very well be! But the nitrogen fertilizer used to grow that healthy plant may in fact be just that extra flavoring (salt?) the browsing deer desire to devour a plant they would otherwise ignore.

So…when you bring the “deer-resistant” plant home from the nursery, don’t serve to the pesky deer as an “all-you-can-eat” smorgasboard. Protect the plant with netting until the effects of the nitrogen fertilizer wear off. Allow several weeks for new growth to establish before removing the netting.

Carolyn Singer, author
“Deer in My Garden”
http://www.carolynsingergardens.com

Carolyns books are both available at Yamasaki Nursery………………………

Looking for a great gift for that garden enthusiast or are the deer destroying your garden? How about one of these great books from local and award winning author Carolyn Singer. Deer in my Garden, Volumes 1 & 2 address the issue we all have here in the foothills, DEER!!!

These are informative books written by an experienced gardener for gardeners with varying levels of expertise. Even gardeners who do not garden with the challenge of deer will find lots of good information.With 28 years’ experience teaching and consulting, author and photographer Carolyn Singer includes description, cultural requirements, bloom, companion plants and landscape use, seasonal interest, maintenance, and propagation for more than 100 species of “deer-resistant” plants in each volume.

Finally, a fertilizer that’s blended for the unique needs of Japanese maples. Japanese Maple Fertilizer uses a lower-nitrogen formula that supports a natural tendency to grow in cool weather environments. This means less leaf scorch in summer—even in sun—and a smooth transition to dazzling fall color. A lower pH helps the roots take up the nutrients they need, and phosphorus and potassium deliver color illumination like you’ve never seen before. You’ll get all the brilliant reds, purples, and oranges that make Japanese maples the crowning glory of the garden.

Fox Farms Japanese Maple fertilizer contains premium organic ingredients like bat guano, cottonseed meal, feather meal and humic acid, a naturally occurring organic material that is formed when organic matter decomposes. Humic acid helps with seed germination and may increase the uptake of important micronutrients.

Best of all, Fox Farm adds 20 species of beneficial microbes to help convert fertilizers into vital plant food and fight off disease. It’s granulated and easy to use, and it provides gentle, slow-release feedings all season long. All of our Peace of Mind® organic fertilizers are specially formulated to replenish the soil, lift the human spirit, and beautify the Earth, naturally. Bring your plants to life!

Our experience here at the nursery and from customer feedback is that you will enjoy a much longer period of spring color without the fade out as well as increasing the trees tolerance to sun and heat. Please stop by let us chat with you about this as well os other organic products by Fox Farm.

Garden tip: Use 1/2 cup for every two feet of plant height, and feed monthly January through July. Because Japanese maples have shallow root systems, mulch regularly with Happy Frog® Soil Conditioner and keep soil damp.

Peace of Mind®—Smart Organics for Everyday Life!®

I just read about this on another garden blog. “Recently a new law in San Francisco took affect, enacting the strictest trash ordinance in the country. Everyone either has to compost at home, or get a separate bin to put their compostables in for curbside pickup, or be fined with fines starting at $100 for individuals and $500 for businesses”.

Organic green waste represents a huge percentage of what is dumped into our already stressed landfills. This law is not only now in place in San Francisco but neighboring Oakland and Alameda as well. It’s only a matter of time before we see some form of this law in Northern California. Weeks ago I posted a blog on worm composting which I reposted below. Worm composting is a awesome alternative to standard composting. Let the worms eat your garbage! Check out my previous blog below…………….

Organic gardening has a new tool. “Vermiculture” is the technique of using worms to eat and compost your garbage. Worm composting is using worms to recycle food scraps and other organic material into a valuable soil amendment called vermicompost, or worm compost or in the case of our composter you harvest the effluent or tea..

In many communities across the Nation Vermicomposting has become the norm. Here locally the City of Oakland has developed and implemented a program which supports and encourages vermicomposting to reduce food waste. Reduce waste, create nutritious organic compost and be earth friendly at the same time!

Worms eat food scraps, which become compost as they pass through the worm’s body. Compost exits the worm through its’ tail end. This compost can then be used to grow plants. To understand why vermicompost is good for plants, remember that the worms are eating nutrient-rich fruit and vegetable scraps, and turning them into nutrient-rich compost.

For one pound per day of food waste, you’ll need two pounds of worms (roughly 2,000). If you are unable to get this many worms at the start, reduce the amount of food waste until the population increases. And the population will increase. Redworms mature sexually in 60-90 days and can then produce cocoons which take 21 days to hatch baby worms. Once they start breeding they can deposit two to three cocoons per week with two baby worms in each cocoon. The limits on their reproduction include availability of food and room to move and breed. So worm populations don’t usually exceed the size of the container.

We have a working composter here at the nursery, we harvest one gallon of effluent weekly which in turn becomes four gallons of rich organic fertilizer. We add a small amount of organic liquid fertilizer such as Fox Farm’s Big Bloom to our effluent and with a hose end sprayer fertilize the entire nursery.

The advantage to our composter is that it is hand free plus, odor is kept at a minimum allowing it to be used successfully inside. Stop by and say hi to our worms!

Yamasaki Nursery carries the latest and state of the art worm composter. Call us for more info.

530.885.3433 Ask for Jeff