Art, drainage, or just a way of getting rid of old crocks?
I have a LOT of cracked and broken terracotta pots. I have
been looking at a few ways to use them and initially I thought that these
shards of pottery – or "crocks" could go at the bottom of plant pots
to increase drainage. It turns out this is detrimental to the plants growth and
dispels a century of advice for the poor gardener. It turns out that it was just a Victorian
fashion for practicality and not wanting to throw things away. I’m turning my
broken crocks into works of art instead.
Folklore
Gardening is steeped in folklore and superstition and is now
incorporating a lot of New Age ideas in biodynamic and holistic approaches. On
any allotment you'll soon find someone convinced that potatoes must be planted
on Good Friday, that garlic keeps aphids away, or that human hair wards off
eelworm, I tried the latter once – it doesn’t work but does make you wretch a
lot when applying it. Spraying with homeopathic cures prepared in a sheep’s
skull or channelling vital forces through a cows horn buried full of manure
might keep you entertained for a while, but do they work? Maybe it’s just
paying attention to the plants that matters and if that’s by feeding them
rescue remedy then who’s to judge? There
must be something in it as there are 120 Biodynamic farms in the UK and the
patron of the organization used to be the director of the soil association. But
not all agree, Biodynamic gardening is dismissed by the Royal Horticultural
Society, and likened to witchcraft by some leading plant scientists.
Fact or Myth?
Here are some more ideas that could go under the heading of
“Myths” in the garden.
Fermented “tea” made from compost with sugar made in much
the same way you would homemade beer. According to supporters, it increases plant
growth, provides nutrients, adds beneficial organisms and suppresses disease. The
results show water is more effective and the buckets could be a breeding ground
for E. Coli.
MYTH 2 Lighten clay
soil by adding sand
Clay soil turns rock-hard when dry, drains badly, takes an
age to warm up in spring and is tough to cultivate. However, it holds its
nutrients better than most types of soil and, if drainage can be improved, it
produces bountiful plants. You would need almost as much sand as you have clay.
Converting a garden is a mammoth task. The RHS estimates that you would need
250kg of sand or grit for every square metre of clay soil. Make a raised bed.
Young trees
should be staked
Botanists showed in the 1950s that trees allowed to sway
with the wind grew thicker lower trunks than those staked. They also tend to
have thicker branches, but don't grow as tall. In horticultural circles, the
response of trees and plants to wind is called thigmomorphogenesis. The
buffeting from winds releases ethylene gas, a growth mediator that triggers the
formation of wood-strengthening lignin. Buy young trees and don’t stake them
for best results.
Sun through
water burns leaves
The belief that water droplets on plants focus solar rays
and burn foliage has persisted for generations. Study in Budapest found that water droplets
were too close to leaves to cause burning before they evaporated. The only risk
was on hairy plants such as ferns, which kept the droplets far enough away to
act as lenses. Tell that to my scorched spinach seedlings.
Tree wounds
need dressing
Countless generations of gardeners have painted tar or paint
on wounds after lopping off branches. It was believed that, without protection,
trees would be vulnerable to pests and disease. All proof now shows that applying
tar does nothing to help protect the tree but can provide a home and protective
layer for pests and fungi.
Add bone meal
and compost when planting trees
Although bone meal contains calcium and phosphorus, which
are needed for plant growth, the minerals are rarely in short supply in gardens
or allotments. Anyway, bone meal does not stimulate plant growth; It’s only a
mineral, not a plant growth regulator.
Natural is
safer
Pesticides may be against the spirit of organic gardening,
but garden centre shelves are full of organic treatments for insects, slugs and
fungi. Although they are labelled "natural", that doesn't make them
friendly to the environment. Some natural home-made organic pesticides contain
20% vinegar, which is effective at killing the tops of plants, but not their
roots. It is also toxic for frogs and toads.
Bordeaux mix, which is an organic treatment for potato
blight contains copper, which could build up in the soil and be harmful. Another
common organic insect killer is pyrethrum, made from an extract of
chrysanthemum. Natural it may be; discriminating it is not. It will kill
beneficial ladybirds and bumblebees as easily as it kills asparagus beetle.
