G ro&o m m o o l B Fawn Lawn Care LAWN SERVICES:
Weekly maintenance, soil samples, clean up, aerate, de-thatch Landscape Services and Materials Ph: 250-354-7334 fawnlawn@gmail.com www.fawnlawncare.com
Great advice Great products Great selection It’s all here
Shrubs are in now. Hurry in for best selection! Ace Building Centre Kaslo Hwy 31 250-353-7628 www.kaslobuilding.com
Slocan Valley
HOME HARDWARE
“Spring has sprung & we have everything you need to tackle your garden!”
Pruning Time
Pruners, loppers, ladders, sprayers. All that is needed to prepare your trees & shrubs for a healthy season
Lawn & Garden Tools
• lawn seed • soil • manures
Wire fencing, posts, gates
Flower & vegetable seeds, flats, inserts, pots, domes & more!
Early bedding plants from Four Seasons Greenhouse
Septic systems, sewer pipe 5763 Hwy 6, Winlaw 250-226-7771, Open 9-5 daily, Sundays 10-4
Funk Farm
OPEN APRIL 19TH! Greenhouse open every day, 10am-5pm
Bedding Plants • Baskets • Veggie Starts • Pots 143 Meadow Creek Road, Meadow Creek
facebook.com/FunkFarmGreenhouse 250-366-4417
G room & Bloom 1. SANDY SOIL
The ideal type of soil for your kitchen garden is loam. It contains a balance of all three soil materials—silt, sand and clay – plus humus, the organic component of soil, which is formed by the decomposition of leaves and other plant material. Because of its organic matter content, loam has higher pH and calcium levels than the inorganic soil materials. This guide is a basic outline of the type of soil you may have, and how to correct it so that your garden flourishes. Silty soil retains water longer, it’s fairly fertile, but can’t hold on to its nutrients as long as one would like.
Sandy soil is dry and gritty to the touch, and because the particles have huge spaces between them, it can’t hold on to water.
IMPROVE SILTY SOIL Add organic matter like compost or humus. Add sand.
To test, roll the slightly wet sandy soil in your palms, no ball should be formed and it crumbles through your fingers easily.
IMPROVE SANDY SOIL: Add organic compost , incorporate peat moss, add Bio-Char (charged).
2. SILTY SOIL Silty soil has much smaller particles than sandy soil so it’s smooth to the touch. When moistened, it’s soapy slick. When you roll it between your fingers, dirt is left on your skin.
3. CLAY SOIL
•• •
0 - 10% clay 0 - 10% silt 80 - 100% sand
•• •
10 - 30% clay 30 - 50% silt 25 - 50% sand
•• •
50 - 100% clay 0 - 45% silt 0 - 45% sand
To know what soil type you’re working with, fill a jar half full with soil. Add water near the top, shake vigorously and let the soil settle overnight. Next day, you’ll see distinct layers. Sand stays at the bottom, clay at the top and silt in between. Their percentages will be your clue on your soil type.
A plant’s growth is limited by the nutrient in shortest supply, so re-mineralize with Azomite® 250.359.5926
www.diggardencentre.com
Come in and explore
KOOTENAY CRITTERS CASTLEGAR
Discover the Tranquil World of Ponds and Water Gardening 502 Columbia Avenue Castlegar 250-365-7370
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Apr. 16,16, 2019 Apr. 2019
Due to the tiny size of its particles and its tendency to settle together, little air passes through its spaces. Because it’s also slower to drain, it has a tighter hold on plant nutrients.
DIG has everything you need to get started with your garden:
The Law of the Minimum:
Contact Mark Loran @DIG Exclusive Canadian Distributor
Clay soil has the smallest particles among the three so it has good water storage qualities. It’s sticky to the touch when wet, but smooth when dry.
Great selection of seeds, nursery pots, starting trays, heat mats, lights, soils, amendments, fertilizers & tools!
At Playmor Junction, turn left behind the Credit Union
WATER GARDENING
WET PETS & SUPPLIES
~ Koi & Fancy Gold Fish ~ Preformed Ponds & Liners ~Water Plants: Lilies, Marginal & Bog ~ Pumps, Filters & Lights ~ Fountains ~ Lawn & Water Ornaments Knowledgeable Staff Pennywise N = view picture of this item on our website: www.pennywiseads.com
Clay soil is cold, and in the spring it takes time to warm up, since the water within also has to warm up. If moistened soil feels sticky, rolls up easily, and forms into a ball or sausage-like shape, then you’ve got yourself clay.
O
EENHOUSE IS OPE R G N! UR Come see US for your
IMPROVE CLAY SOIL Add organic matter or sand. Avoid compacting the soil.
Strawberries Blueberries Raspberries Seed Potatoes Shrubs Perennials Dahlia Bulbs Onion Sets Gladiolus Bulbs Onion Sets Veggie Starts
WHAT DO PLANTS ‘EAT’? Soil texture is an important factor in making nutrients available to the roots of the plant. So what nutrients do plants need if they are to grow vigorously?
The Law of the Minimum is a reminder that a plant’s ability to flourish is limited by the nutrient or mineral in shortest supply.
All plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to grow. Nitrogen (N) is largely responsible for the growth of leaves on the plant. Phosphorus (P) is largely responsible for root growth and flower and fruit development. Potassium (K) is a nutrient that helps the overall functions of the plant perform correctly. If you buy packaged fertilizer you have probably noticed a numbering system that follows this pattern: 15-10-5. These are also known as NPK values. The three-number series describes the relative concentration of Nitrogen (the first number, or 15 here) to Potassium (the 10 above) and Phosphorous (the 5.)
So Much More!
NELSON FARMERS SUPPLY Serving the region for over 80 years
524 Railway St., Nelson 250-352-5375
TILLERS TF224 The weight and size of this tiller makes it extremely easy to handle, maneuver, transport and store. This machine is perfect for homeowners who want to prepare garden patches and flower beds without using a spade. And that’s just the beginning, with this tiller you can do so much more. Powered by reliable, easystart Husqvarna engines, the TF224 is equipped with carrying handles for easy handling before and after use. $649.99
FIND YOUR HUSQVARNA AT
www.kootenayindustrial.ca
Kootenay Industrial Supply Ltd.
N
toll free 1-888-663-4KIS (4547)
www.kootenayindustrial.ca
The West Kootenay’s #1 Husqvarna outdoor power equipment Super Store
323 Vernon St., Nelson 2181 Columbia Ave, Castlegar
250-352-5301
TR 317D One of the few dual rotating tillers on the market, the Husqvarna TR 317D offers the advantages of both a forward rotating cultivator and counter rotating deep soil tiller. The Husqvarna engine is powerful and able to handle the conditions a homeowner might experience. The TR 317D has a sealed transmission for long life and a sturdy frame. $1149.99
250-304-2900
Kootenay Industrial Supply Ltd.
The West Kootenay’s #1 Husqvarna outdoor power equipment Super Store
323 Vernon St., Nelson 2181 Columbia Ave, Castlegar
250-352-5301
toll free 1-888-663-4KIS (4547)
Pennywise = view picture of this item on our website: www.pennywiseads.com
250-304-2900
2019 PAGE1313 Apr.Apr. 16,16, 2019 PAGE
G roo m & Bloom Sources: www.gardeningknowhow.com, www.veggiegardener.com, Dig Garden Centre, and Kootenay Biological Soils
Offer your garden some tea… and other ideas Compost teas add probiotic life into the soils and this in return allows the microbes to digest and cycle the nutrients so plants can uptake the nutrients they need. They feed the soils and microbes, not the plants. Plants nourished this way have enhanced flavour profiles and aroma. Another benefit is enhanced resistance to pests and powdery mildew since the teas add a biological protective film to the leaves. High calibre teas such as Boogie Brew are used on agricultural vineyards, fruit orchards, hops farms, herbs, cannabis farms, food crops, veggie farms, garlic, flowers, nursery stock, and more.
The teas are brewed for 24 hours for a bacterial dominant tea and up to 36 hours for a fungal tea. To really get the most out of biological compost teas, aeration or bubbling is critical. 45 litres of air pushed into the water per minute is key for actively aerated compost teas (AACT).
OTHER SUPPLEMENTS TO LEARN ABOUT Kelzyme element xx is an amazing high calcium powder derived from ancient fresh water kelp beds that are now mined. This has 35% calcium and 15% iron. It’s great in soils, or for top dressing, watering into the soils, foliar feeding and hydroponic uses. (Kelzyme is also an all natural organic animal feed supplement. This will keep eggs hard and all animals and foods full of nutrients). Biological mycorrhizal and bacterial root inocculants are affordable options to ensure your plants get a great start Myco also assists in the uptake of nutrients and builds an amazing bond with the soil food web. Soy aminos-soy bean hydrolysate is a water soluble amino acid powder and protein for plants. Plants love this stuff. For more information or to register for classes: Ryan 1.250.200.0445 or visit Boogie-Brew.ca Courtesy of Kootenay Biological Soils
Friendly, knowledgeable advice backed by 34 years of growing experience.
Four Seasons
Greenhouse & Nursery 5531 SLOCAN RIVER RD, WINLAW 250-226-7254
Turn left at Mama Sita's Café, left off Winlaw bridge 1.5 km Only 45 minutes from Nelson or Castlegar
PAGE 14
OPEN 10-5 DAILY
Apr. 16,16, 2019 Apr. 2019
Kootenay Biological Soils www.kootenaybiosoil.ca
www.boogie-brew.ca Would you like to maximize your Soil Biology? Want to achieve gardening excellence, while growing vegetables, hops, cannabis, indoor plants, vineyards, fruit or orchids? KBS can source any organic or biological products you might need. Nutrient rich peat based soils, endomycorrhizal root inoculants, single amendments, formulated dry top dressings and dry compost teas.
No farm too big or too small, we can service them all. INLINE HOSE MOUNTED WATER FILTERS Remove: Chloramines, chlorines, fluoride, sediment, and
other contaminants. This filter works great for pets, ponds, salt water fish tanks, hot tubs, gardens, drinking water.
Bi-weekly growing classes for agricultural foods & cannabis (recreational or medicinal) For more information or to register for classes: Ryan 1.250.200.0445 855 China Creek Rd, Genelle BC V0G 1G0
www.boogie-brew.ca
• Worm Castings • Water Soluble Humic/Fulvic Acid • Epsom Salts • Zeolite •
Pennywise N = view picture of this item on our website: www.pennywiseads.com
Soybean Hydrolysate • Amino Acids • Biochar • Kelzyme Element XX • Beneficial Mycorrhizal & Bacteria & More....
Trees & shrubs Perennials, roses, vines Soils, manures, topsoil • Fertilizer Bedding plants, flowers & vegetables Growers of the finest fresh vegetables in the Kootenays: tomatoes, long English cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplant. Pesticide-free and local.
Non Toxic Essential Oil IPM • Air Pump Kits • Aloe • Rock Phosphate • Fishbone Meal • Alfalfa Meal • Rice Hulls • Kelp
• • • • •
SOME MORE SOIL AMENDMENTS Azomite is mined from a 30 million year old deposit in Utah, USA. While not a source of the macro-nutrients nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, Azomite supplies the A to Z of over 70 macro, micro and trace elements, including 31% of the essential element, silicon. Since 1942, farmers in over 35 countries have used Azomite to produce superior crops. It’s safe, non-toxic and it will not burn plants. Mulch is a great idea. It moderates the temperature of the soil, keeps the weeds down, and provides a nice habitat for all the microbes and tiny critters that make for a healthy living layer on top of your soil. Bone Meal is sometimes recommended for vegetables as an organic source of phosphorus and calcium. Tomatoes need calcium to produce healthy fruit, especially to resist the common disorder, blossom-end rot. Although bone meal is an organic fertilizer, using it is not risk-free.
Phosphorus can accumulate in your soil with successive or large applications of bone meal. High levels can skew the balance of beneficial soil microbes, potentially harming tomatoes more than helping.
THE SCOOP ON POOP Farmers and gardeners have been using manure for centuries to add organic matter to their soil. Animals digest their food in different ways. And different animals eat different sorts of food, so it’s no surprise that the end product will vary from creature to creature. Chicken: All birds have relatively high metabolisms and body temperatures. One of the best qualities of chicken manure is that few, if any, weed seeds can survive passing through the gut of a chicken. The manure of all poultry is extremely high in nitrogen. Fresh chicken manure should be fully composted. It makes a good additive to your compost pile, combining well with high carbon matter like lawn clippings and leaves.
Cow (or steer) manure may be the most balanced of all manures because of the nature of cows’ stomachs. Cows can digest the cellulose that makes up so much of the bulk of the plants they eat, so their manure breaks down very easily. It’s not strong in terms of nutrients. Horse manure is also well balanced. Horses digest their food less thoroughly than cows, so their manure is richer in organic matter. It is, however, more likely to contain viable weed seeds. Pig manure should be com-
Spring Cleaning Time
posted to the point that it has little or no smell before use in the home garden. Organically farmed pig manure is an excellent amendment. Sheep, like cows, digest their food well. Their potassium rich fertilizer has an NPK rating of 0.4/0.3/0.8. Mushroom manure is usually a mix of straw, horse manure, dried blood, chalk, and other ingredients that have been thoroughly composted. If you can find organic mushroom manure, it’s an outstanding soil amendment with an NPK of 0.7/0.3/0.3.
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MATS GROWERS Celebrating 17 Years of Fresh Ideas for Growing Gardens
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The season is moving along really fast & now my spring annuals are blooming! I still have for sale. Shrubs and perennials are waking up – all hardened off to the outside too!
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1247 Green Road, Balfour 250-229-2131