January 17 , 2013
Mushrooms: Your Garden’s Best Friend
call back last leap and fall when mushrooms appeared like trick ? I always get a few , but last year , many mornings were absolute wonderland!Some nurseryman fear that mushroom mean something really malign .
Actually , it ’s just the opposite!Tom fit with Ashley McKenziefrom theTexas Wild Mushrooming Groupto explain what mushrooms are doing and how lucky you are to have them .
What is a mushroom ? Ashley tells us that it ’s the fruiting body of an underground electronic connection called a mycelial mat . This mat is interspersed among all habitats . If you see a cobweb sort of construction under the dirt , that is the flatness .
The mycorrhizal family relationship between plants and fungus kingdom , like mushrooms , is very beneficial for plant health , grunge fertility and drought permissiveness , to name just a few . you’re able to buy mycorrhizae , but if you ’ve obtain mushrooms , it ’s free !
Ashley describes the habitat where they ’ll pop out up in our gardens , why they come forth after rain when soil temperatures are cool , and how to collect their spores and encourage more .
ascertain out theTexas Wild Mushrooming Meetupgroup to join them for their educational and fun “ flash forays ” after a rainwater to determine what is edible .
Until then , certainly do n’t eat up anything from your garden — just let them feed your plant !
Find out benefits from Texas A&M.
In Austin , South Austin Mushrooms is cater Oyster and presently , Shitake mushrooms , if you want to spring up your own comestible unity ! For now , they ’re only on Facebook , but will havetheir website up soon .
Pruning ’s on our minds , so permit ’s not blank out those tree on our to - do list !
Daphne explains why to cut back in wintertime while they ’re sleeping . “Their industrial plant sap , which contains water , nutrient and hormones , is n’t actively flow at this time of year . This signify that the cut surface wo n’t have tidy sum of tomfool rushing to it , as it would in the spring , which would draw insects and disease spores — which are also more dynamic in warmer weather — to the source of a verbatim route into their trunk . ”
Still , we want some sap flow to naturally heal the cutting . SO , you do n’t need to paint slice on most trees , since that will impede natural healing . But , you MUST paint cut on blood-red oak and live oaks immediately to protect them from the beetle that transmitter oak tree wilt . You ’ll want to get those trees pruned in the next few week .
Ah , now about pruning everything else ! loose : there ’s no reason to scurry around to straighten out up . Top growth can protect roots , grass over veil overwintering butterflies , and seeds feed hungry brute and birds .
Instead , take a winter walkway in your garden to just revel in its beaut .
sprain off your editing mode and absorb its graceful shapes and textures and how the light play upon them .
rather of clamping those pruner , ponder the mystery interlace into each seed head .
Then , just rave over the vivid color that only come with frost .
We ’ll get into pruning next week ! For now , take a winter wander throughLynne and Jim Weber ’s garden , where wonderment never take away a break .
We can institute many things , likeDaphne ’s Pick of the Week , Mountain pea ( Orbexilumsp . ) .
If you want the perfectly behaved plant for Sunday or even shady spots ( like under your oak trees ) , this one is for you ! As a 2 ’ magniloquent “ ground cover , ” its goodly leave and rounded variant make a peachy foil against other textures . In gloam , petite blossom are just a bonus against its evergreen simplicity .
I first meet it years ago whenPat McNealintroduced it on CTG as a lawn replacing . Then , it was harder to find out , but thanks to agriculturist who recognize a good thing , search for it at your local baby’s room . I cop one ( and more to fare ) from Michelle Pfluger atGreen ‘ n Growing . Here ’s herCTG listfor other great groundcovers .
Plus , while it ’s still cool , we can get after those projects on our lists — like bodily structure to brawl vining flora and approaching tomatoes . Trisha render you how .
Thanks for stop in ! See you next week , Linda
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