FIRE

NEW GROWTH FROM THE ASHES

I’d like to begin this week for thanking the Buncrana Fire Brigade, without whom I would be sitting in a pile of ashes where the house once sat.

Allow me to elaborate. March to June is the prime time for fires in the country and as last week was an exceptionally dry spell made it a very busy time for the fire crew. Dead vegetation sitting on the ground from winter and the fresh breezes coming down the Swilly gave rise to loads of hillside fires, one of which came perilously close to our house.

MY HEROS
It was Saturday morning and we were heading out in the car. At the top of the driveway were three fire engines with fire fighters walking up and down the narrow country lane that takes us to the main road. Noticing a huge plume of smoke on the horizon, I stopped to ask one of the lads what was happening. There was a fire near Stragill on the other side of the hill from us and if the current wind direction stayed the same it posed no real threat to us. We carried on our way in the car not thinking much about it. The wind did change direction though, very quickly.

It was the vigilance and professionalism of the Buncrana Fire Brigade who waited patiently and assessed the situation perfectly. The lads were in the right place to stop the fire from heading down the hill where it would have enveloped our house and also a group of houses further down from us.

We got back from our jaunt in the car to see the hillside had been turned to charcoal and white foam was hanging off the trees in the hedgerow. It took the full crew of the three engines to use their beaters to control the blaze, which came within five yards of our garden. Left to its own devices the fire could have spread to the town. The lads were calm and friendly, taking all of the action in their stride. It must be the fact that they save lives that makes them so collected.

I want to be a fireman when I grow up.


ASSESSING THE SITUATION
I took a walk along the hillside to see the effects of the fire. The ground above us is quite wet and there is a lot of heather growing. Heather is quite a dry wood so that has been hit hard, although the roots are unaffected. The dead bracken and grass has all gone up in smoke leaving a fine black dust on the ground. Grassland fires like the one we had here tend to burn more readily than forest and shrub ecosystems. The fire moves through the stems and leaves of herbaceous plants only lightly heating the underlying soil even in cases of high intensity. In most grassland ecosystems, fire is the primary mode of decomposition as the resulting ash adds nutrition to the soil.




MAKING THE MOST OF IT
There have always been fires, even before us humans came along, and there can be beneficial effects rising from this. Fire reduces the build up of dead and decaying leaves, wood and needles that accumulate on a forest floor or grassland. It reduces or eliminates the overhead forest canopy, increasing the sunlight that stimulates new growth from seeds and roots. Some plants and trees such as the eucalyptus we have growing ten feet from where the fire stopped, have leaves coated in flammable oils that help to create an intense fire. The heat will cause their fire-activated seeds to germinate and capitalise on the lack of competition in the burnt landscape.

Other plants have smoke-activated seeds as well. Serotinous cones of Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) are sealed with resin until fire melts it away and releases the seeds onto the ground. Many plant species, including shade-intolerant giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), require fire to make light gaps in the vegetation canopy. This allows their new seedlings to compete with more shade-tolerant seedlings of other species and establish themselves in a process known as “recruitment”.

WILDLIFE
Like plants, animals can cope, but they must avoid the actual fire to survive. Though birds are vulnerable when nesting, they are generally able to escape the fire and can often profit off prey items fleeing from the fire. They also can recolonise burned areas quickly because of their high mobility. Mammals are also often capable of either fleeing the fire or seeking cover while it passes and then recolonising quickly. Amphibians and reptiles may avoid flames by burrowing into the ground or using the burrows of other animals. Amphibians in particular are able to take refuge in water or very wet mud.

PREVENTION
Fires on the land become increasingly dangerous as they head for homes. Because of our built environment where houses are placed randomly in the countryside there is always a possibility of a fire heading towards people. The Forestry Protection Guidelines from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has some sound advice on how to prevent fires from starting and also suggests developing a Fire Plan if you have vulnerable land. The Fire Plan consists of access points to the land, water pipes and the introduction of fire break areas to control a blaze. Good neighbourly relations and vigilance is also a key factor to keep the fires at bay once they have started.




RAISED AWARENESS
According to the guidelines, the likelihood of a fire starting spontaneously in Ireland is pretty rare. Raising the awareness of just how easily a fire can start is a key issue with the Department. Fire risk increases with the presence of people who are likely to be careless with fire and who do not appreciate the flammability of vegetation. The fire that came to our house was reportedly started by a farmer clearing reeds from a field. Thinking before lighting any fires or throwing cigarette butts on the floor will spare the fire crews from risking their lives to save our homes.

Ponds

A floating raft on top of a pond. No quite as exciting as my old quarry, but it looks good.

LURKING IN THE DEEP

When I was a youngster I was lucky enough to have a disused sand quarry at the bottom of my garden. Just a hop over the garden fence took me into a 50-acre wonderland of gold coloured sandstone cliffs left over from the glory days of the extraction. There were large dunes where we could hide and loads of really dangerous plant equipment had been left behind after the quarry closed, which gave us an enviable play park full of sharp rusty metal and old lorries to play on. We rolled down old conveyor belts, got trapped in large storage tanks and clambered up rickety 100-foot platforms that wobbled as we ascended the vertical steps to get a good vantage point to spot the rival gang members approaching. Oh, the days before health and safety. There were also six very large and very deep lakes with small islands in the middle of them that were made from where the sand had been removed. Home made rafts were scattered along their shores and with the aid of an old plank we would paddle out to our own sanctuary islands out of the way of the world.

The Big Freeze

In winter the quarry ponds took on a completely different use. I’m not sure if it’s the changing climate or the fact that these ponds were inland, but they seemed to freeze over for weeks at a time. Ice formed to the depth of about two feet in some places and the resulting platform was safe enough to drive a lorry over (not that we could ever get them going of course).

This year was about the first time in Inishowen I have experienced anything like those big freezes we used to get. My exploits sliding across the frozen water back then went unnoticed, unlike this year where the celebrities that went out on Inch Lake for a bit of fun ended up on the front pages of the local papers.

If these winters persist then we might have to rethink how we build small ponds in the garden, especially ones built from concrete or have fish in them.

Frozen ponds
Expanding water from freezing could damage the rigid structure of a small pond; especially concrete ones as this material is quite inflexible. Butyl rubber on the other hand can expand so this makes it more reliable and less susceptible to leaking. These are prone to leaking though through heron or stone damage or by any other sharp object poked into the side of the pond.

If you have sprung a leak in your butyl pond though I have a great tip for finding the hole.

Fixing a hole
Wait for a spell of dry weather or just allow the pond to keep losing water by protecting it from rain with a cover. At some point the water will stop disappearing, indicating the lowest point of the leak. Keep an eye on the water level if you have fish, the hole could be right at the bottom of the pond. The next step is to find the hole. Check around the perimeter of the pond at the level that the water has stopped dropping for any visible holes or tears. If none are visible, top up the pond with an inch or two of water and gently pour a cup of milk as close to the centre of your pond as you can get. It should be sucked toward the leak and you will be able to see the white milky trail. If you see no trail from the centre, wait for a calm day and add milk to areas around the perimeter. If and when you find the hole, you can patch it with a liner patch kit available at most garden centres or online. If the pond is concrete it will be a bit more difficult as cracks can be very persistent. Try making friends with a plasterer.

Fish
The quarry ponds were very deep and because of this all the giant fish and monsters that lived in the murky depths managed to survive the winter.

Fish swim deeper into ponds as the water freezes. If the pond is about four feet deep it will always have an area for them to swim about in and keep safe. After saying that, most fish can survive for short periods in shallower ponds as long as it isn’t totally frozen. Freezing isn’t always the full problem though. An ice-capped pond stops the normal gas exchanges between the water and atmosphere. Even when water temperatures are low, fish still continue to metabolise, requiring oxygen and releasing CO2. Other gasses accumulate under the surface and they can reach levels that can affect water quality, making it turn ‘sour’.

Releasing the gasses

To release the gasses thaw a small hole by pouring some boiling water on to the ice. Ice needs to be thawed quietly, without banging or breaking the ice with physical force as the pressure waves and noise can shock the fish. If the frost isn’t that severe but looks like it will last a long time, try putting a football on the water. When the ball is taken out of the water it will leave a small hole where the gasses can escape. If you have the resources there are heaters especially designed to rest on the water to stop it freezing. Sold with a float, the pond heater (usually 100W) gives off sufficient heat to provide a hole in the ice, with the same running cost of a standard light bulb.

Seeds

SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE

Throughout the winter I occasionally got a bit stressed thinking about how much work there was to do in the garden before spring. There were hedges to cut, beds to dig, leaves to clear, trees and shrubs to prune and lawns to care for. I told myself that I would go out every week over the winter and slowly and systematically work my way through everything to be on the ball for the new growing season. The ice and snow put all garden work on hold, but somehow, I don’t know how, I have actually achieved most of the things on my ‘To Do’ list without out much effort. The great weather last week helped me to catch up with soil preparation and grass cutting. Later in the week I actually couldn’t see anything that really needed doing. So I swept the driveway from top to bottom, which took a good hour, but was very enjoyable. This leaves me in the enviable position of being able to get ready for some seed sowing. I’ll make the most of it before everything goes mad next month.

Different type of seed sowing

What is sowing in situ?
This is sowing your seeds where they are to grow and mature. There are different ways to do this.

Broadcast method: Sowing them broadcast means scattering them on the surface of the soil, and then lightly covering. This method is great for annuals where you have a lot of seeds and need a bright splash of colour.

Preparing the ground for broadcasting
Good ground preparation is important for successful germination. If the seed doesn’t touch the fine soil then they will either not germinate or dry too quickly and die. Rake the surface and clear it of stones and lumps of soil. When you have what is called a ‘fine tilth’ of soil the seeds are ready to be sown and then gently raked in and watered.

Sowing in drills: means sowing the seeds in a shallow trench in a row before covering them. This method is used either for vegetables or sowing each drill with different plants then re-planting them as they mature to a permanent place.
Preparing the ground for drills
Prepare the soil in much the same way as the broadcast method. Use a string line or the large straight edge of a plank to get the lines. Sow your chosen seeds in rows, then cover by raking the soil from the side of the row over the drill. Again, water gently. Small seeds will probably need to be thinned out as they grow. Larger seeds such as peas and beans can be planted about 2.5 cm apart and there will be no need to thin these.

All of the seeds will need close attention to make sure they are kept moist and are pest free. Cats, dogs, mice and birds can destroy a bed in no time. For a less stressful growing season, remember the saying “One for the Rook, one for the crow, one to die and one to grow” chuck in another one for the family pets too.
Sowing in seed trays:

When I was growing commercially I used to use a lot of separate seed modules. I found these very effective, as the roots of each plant were not disturbed when transplanting into larger pots or into their final growing place. The downside of these modules is that, like separate plant pots, they do take up a lot of space and you would need a lot of windowsills for growing loads of summer bedding. Planting the seeds in trays is the other option. Water the compost first then plant the seeds to about the depth of the width of the seed. Watering first saves small seeds from being disturbed.

Follow the instructions on the packet and check if they need to be kept in the dark for a short period, some seed won’t germinate unless this is done. If you were feeling very professional you could use a heated propagator. These have a very high rate of success when it comes to germination. One way to make sure your seedlings get off to a good start is to get the seed spacing right. There is a device called the Magic Seeder on the market to help you spread the seed evenly and efficiently across the compost. I am giving two of them away this week in a free prize draw.

FREE PRIZE DRAW

MAGIC SEEDER

This week I have been using the Magic Seeder seed sowing tool which is based on the principles of automatic seed dispensing machines that large growers use, but this fits snugly into one hand and only cost €6.90.

The Magic Seeder can be used to sow seeds of all shapes and sizes up to 2mm. One problem when sowing seeds is getting compost and water onto our fingers, which makes the smaller seed sticky and hard to spread out properly. The Magic Seeder keeps the seed dry and accurately spreads the seeds out in trays, pots or plugs.

It took a bit of time for me to get used to the device as I have to figure out how hard or gently to press down my thumb on the syringe like plunger that frees the seed from the chamber. Once I had mastered this I tested the device on seed as small as lobelia to the size of lettuce seed, laying them out neatly in straight, even lines. Another benefit from using the Seeder is that it can reduce seed wastage and cut down the chance of disease through sowing too thickly. The Magic Seeder also is used by the Royal Horticultural Society with great success. See them in action on the magicseeder site.

To win one of two Magic Seeders I have to give away, just go to the gardening.ie site and leave your e-mail address, mentioning the name Magic Seeder. Good luck

Closing date March 31st 10

Hedging

ESCALLONIA FEELS THE PINCH

The cold spells this winter have taken it out on our Escallonia hedging. I tend to keep the hedges quite tidy around the garden and I cut them late in the season last year so the fresh new leaves had no real protection from the exposure to the elements.

Some of those around the back of the house I didn’t get around to pruning before the frost and snow and I thought these looked a lot better, as the older leaves seemed to offer a bit more resistance. That is until I cut them back this week. Underneath the older leaves, the young shoots have been totally destroyed by the cold and turned crinkly and brown. I’m not too worried though as I am sure the plants are resilient enough to sprout new leaves all over when the warmer weather comes.

I remember one time a neighbour of mine panicked when this happened way back in the early 90’s. The first thing he did was to hack back ten years of growth and reduce the hedge to a foot high. Yes it grew back again, but so did other hedges that were left alone that weren’t touched and they had the benefit of still being of a reasonable size to keep children’s footballs out of the gardens.

Cold weather cordyline crisis

The same issues have affected cordylines and yuccas around the peninsula too. Their tops and younger shoots have been destroyed completely by the frost and some are looking very sad. If they are mature it hopefully won’t kill the plant tops, it should just check them back. There can be three outcomes from this happening. The plant will die right back and new shoots will grow from below the base, the head of the plant will die and new offshoots will appear high up making the shrub lovely and bushy. The third outcome will probably mean a trip down to the garden centre to buy a new specimen. Some people tie up the plants with sacking to protect their tops, which in hindsight was a very good idea.

Dog resistant plants




Our veggie patch is well on the way to being ready for planting. Julie went in and did the initial weeding and I have gone around in her shadow and mounded up the soil in the beds to dry it off and warm it up in the sunshine. As usual I am totally averse to digging so I didn’t strain myself too much. The beds look good, all I have to do now is to find the piece of paper with our planting crop rotation on it to decide where to put things. The plan this year probably needs to incorporate vegetables that don’t get dug up by dogs. We still have the stray dog living with us. It has been very helpful rolling around in the soil where I am trying to work, breaking it into a fine tilth for me then dropping it all over the kitchen floor.

We got a custom made kennel from Mickey Donaghey ‘s Carry Garden Sheds in Drumfries and put it near the front door to keep it out of the house where it is systematically eating all of our shoes. I carefully made a nice bed for the dog out of a wool carpet and a foam pillow. Within an hour of laying it all out, everything is all over the decking in tiny pieces along with a pair of Wellingtons and an old shoe she found in the garage. But when she looks at you with those big brown eyes, what can you do?


COMPETITION TIME





I have a bit of an offer for you this week. It is a free draw to win an acupressure mat. I have been using an acupressure mat, (also known as the ‘Bed of Nails’) for a while now and taking time out every day to relax on the 6000 sharp needles. It all sounds a bit bizarre, and I suppose it is, but it seems to have improved my mood, which the family will agree is always a good thing.

Ease the pain
The mats are supposed to help other symptoms too apart from gardener’s back Reports say they can be effective for stress, depression, insomnia, poor circulation and allergies. It works by releasing endorphins in the body, so just to let you know it’s VERY prickly. Restex Bedding in Letterkenny and Buncrana are also stocking the mats if you wanted to see them before you entered the free draw

To enter the FREE prize draw to win a mat costing €48, go to the shakti.ie website and answer a simple question. Ends March 31st 10. Good Luck!