Gardening With Nature

City of Kirkland - Natural Yard Care

hab·i·tat/ˈhabiˌtat/Noun:The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.A particular type of environment regarded as a home for organisms.

“If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive.” ~American Quaker Saying

Understanding Your Garden as Habitat

Scale: The home garden occupies a smaller scale than the surrounding neighborhood.

Soil Life: What goes on beneath the surface of your garden soil is more important than what you are viewing above.

Plant Choices: Choosing plants native to the Puget Sound region helps native fauna identify food, nesting and shelter materials.

Maintenance Practices: Make informed choices. You will use less product, save money and create a healthy habitat.

Scale“On every stem, on every leaf,... and at the root of everything that grew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar, aphis, or other expert, whose business it was to devour that particular part.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Impacts of tall trees and buildings in urban environments; SHADE

Urban settings are often space challenged

Integrate your garden into the surrounding landscape; create corridors for

wildlife including pollinators and beneficial insects

Seasonality makes a difference

Soil Life“In a thimble full of soil - about a gram weight - you can expect to find• 100 million to 1 billion bacteria• several yards to several miles of fungi depending on whether you have agricultural or forest soil• several thousand protozoa and up to several hundred thousand in forest soils• from ten to several hundred nematodesThis is all in a thimble full of soil. And this doesn't begin to count the larger mites, spiders and earthworms who together form a complex called the Soil Food Web.”From www.the-compost-gardener.com

"If a healthy soil is full of death, it is also full of life: worms, fungi, microorganisms of all kinds ... Given only the health of the soil, nothing that dies is dead for very long."- Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, 1977

Soil is composed of mineral and organic content

along with air, water and microorganisms

Worms Bacteria

Fungi

Arthropods

Building Habitat

• Plants diversity is key –shape and size and species• Don’t be overly tidy • Leave some ground bare for ground nesters• Leave moss intact for bird nests • Provide larval food plants for butterfly caterpillars• Plant dense areas for shelter• Provide snags, wood blocks, rock piles for basking, nesting and

safe sites• Provide a water source – puddles for butterflies, fountains or

baths for birds

Create a Habitat Garden NORTH

trees & shrubs for screening and wildlifeFlowering Tree

patio

veggiegarden

rainbarrels fern garden

PNW native border

herbs

Ground Dwelling

Bees

Native wetland plants

Bat House

Wildflower Garden

Fruit Tree and Mason Bees

Rock Piles

Snag

Wildlife Habitat

What do you suppose?A bee sat on my nose.Then what do you think?He gave me a winkAnd said, "I beg your pardon,I thought you were the garden."~English Rhyme

Garter Snakes eat slugs! Need grassy areas, warm sunning spots

Ladybeetles lay eggs in plant material where aphids are present, pupate on plant leaves

Bumble bees need bare earth

in the garden for

nesting

Wildlife Habitat

Hover Fly; larvae are predators of aphids, adults pollinate

flowers

Bats eat 600 to 1,000 insects per hour, need structures to roost in

Great Blue Herons eat large insects, need large trees for

nesting

Integrated Pest ManagementWhat is IPM?

“IPM is a sustainableapproach to managing pestsby combining biological, cultural, physical andchemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health and environmental risks. “

National IPM Network

Why IPM?

• Pesticides are designed to kill organisms• Increase in pesticide use -170% between 1964 and

1982.• US crop production - 37% reduction each year by

negative pest effects; a percentage that has stayed stable over the course of agriculture.

• Pesticide use puts non-target organisms at risk –including you, your family and pets

• 5% active Ingredient versus 95% inert ingredients• Inert ingredients are not required to list and might be

“trade secrets” and just as toxic or more so as active ingredient

• Risk to humans = toxicity of the material used and length and intensity of exposure to that material

IPM Resources• Use your resources to learn about pesticides

– Safety Data Sheets – aka Material Safety Data Sheet

– Grow Smart, Grow Safe website– Washington Toxics Coalition– Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides

IPM Steps

• Prevention – create a healthy landscape

• Monitoring and Observation – be a detective and scribe

• Intervention – decide if you need to do something

Prevention• MULCH – prevent weeds, conserve moisture, moderate soil temp• IMPROVE SOIL – test, amend, fertilize, cover crop• RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE – meet plant’s needs• SANITATION – remove diseased or pest infested plant materials• PROVIDE AIR SPACE - overcrowding can cause disease issues• WATERING – in morning, deeply, slowly and keep foliage dry• ROTATE CROPS – tomato, onion and cabbage family plants• PLANT DIVERSE GARDENS – get help managing pests• FLOATING ROW COVER – use to keep out flying pests• USE REFLECTIVE MULCHES – silver flashing deters flea beetle• SLUG TRAPS – beer or yeast in containers

Monitoring and Observation

• Observe your garden all year long• Learn about your plant’s needs - native habitat - mature size and

shape - soil, sun and water needs• Learn about life cycles of pests

SIMPLE - Stink Bugs – egg to nymphs to adult COMPLETE - Imported Cabbage Worm Butterfly – egg to larvae to pupae to adult

• Pests versus beneficial insects• Keep a notebook

Courtesy University of Missouri Extension

Which One is the Pest?

Ground Beetle Root Weevil

• Assess your tolerance levels for any given issue • Review plant placement guidelines • Assess for a problem plant that needs to be removed• Review your plant care practices • Treat the issue

Intervention

Treatment Options

Cultural – adjust watering, prune for air flow, fertilize, check trunk flare, check soil moisture

Mechanical – hand remove the pest and dispose of, pull the weeds before they go to seed, use preventative measures like slug traps

Biological – beneficial insects or pesticides derived from bacteria, fungi or other biological sourceBtk or Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki - controls tent caterpillar

Chemical - use as a last resort and use lowest toxicity products first

Chemical Treatment

• All chemicals have potential toxicity. Use least toxic first.

• Inert ingredients are often not described on the label.

• All are manufactured products.• Use as a last resort.• Read and follow label instructions.• Acquire the Material Safety Data

Sheet which will outline safety information.

Bees and Neonicotinoids

Organic Versus Certified Organic• Organic refers to a

carbon based substance.

• Frequently used on product labels; indicates product is made of organic matter

• Certified Organic is applied to a product that has met a set of standards developed by the USDA in order to be used in organic production.

• Can be identified by USDA or WSDA seal or OMRI logo

Beneficial Insects

Lady Beetle and Larva

Green Lacewing and Larva

Adults and larvae are proficient aphid eaters

Larvae also called Aphid Lions

• Resemble bees• Larvae are the

predators of aphids, mealybugs, and small insects

• Adults are important pollinators

Hover Flies

Soldier Beetles

• Often confused with plant eating insects

• Pollinators as well as predators• Predators as adults on aphids

and soft bodied insects

Parasitoid Wasp

•Parasitize by laying eggs in the host insect. The host is entirely consumed by the developing larvae.

•Caterpillars, moths, leafminers, wood-boring beetle larvae, flies, aphids, gypsy moth, weevils, and spiders.

They Do Not Sting!!!

Butterflies and Moths

Monarch and MilkweedAnise Swallowtail Larvae

Taylor’s Checkerspot

Western Sheepmoth

Native Bees• Bumble Bees – 30 species in western North America• Solitary Bees – mason, leaf cutter, carpenter• Green Bees and Small Bees – ground nesting, semi -social

Yellow Faced Bumble Bee - Bombus vosnesenskii Western Bumble Bee - Bombus occidentalis

Planting Choices• Native plants are pest and disease

resistant and recognized by native fauna

• Group plants together• Three season bloom• Intermix with edibles• Include cover crops

• Three important plant familieso Mint – Lavender, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sageo Daisy – Echinacea, cosmos, zinnia, calendula, marigoldo Carrot – Parsley, cilantro, dill, fennel, lovage

Mint Family – Lamiaceae

Daisy Family – Asteraceae

Carrot Family - Apiaceae

• Many individual plants

• Grasses that like to grow tall

• Good competitors when healthy

• Permeable when healthy

• Hungry!

• Thirsty!

Lawns are…

Basic NeedsOf a Healthy Sustainable Lawn

• Lawns need 6-8 hours of sun – if too shady try alternatives

• Provide adequate water - 1 inch per week to 6 inch depth

• Good drainage matters - aerate and de- thatch and spread compost and reseed regularly to keep them invigorated

• Choose the best site for your lawn!

Lawns in the Wrong Place• Slopes - No more than 12% grade – avoid runoff, hard to mow – use

groundcovers instead• Ponding – Indicates compaction or high water table – assess for and

correct or plant adapted plantings• Under Conifers – Shade, tree roots, needles, ground water – substitute

with shade loving perennials, ferns or groundcovers.• Shady Garden – Lawns need 6 – 8 hours of sun daily Substitute with

shade loving plants and natives.

• Mowing height – 2 inches minimum to outcompete weeds, shade soil, conserve moisture – especially important as we go into winter weather

• Grasscycle – reduces need for fertilization to one application in the fall

• Use natural, organic lawn fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizers

• No Phosphorus is allowed in lawn fertilizers unless your soil test shows P depletion – protects waterways

Growing a Healthy Sustainable Lawn

Improving Soil for Your Lawn• Use compost as a top dressing• Apply in fall (or spring, or both!) • Apply after de-thatching and aerating• Apply lime in the fall if pH is low – check

your soil test

Lawn and Seed Choices for NW Gardens

• Perennial Rye• Perennial Fescue• Kentucky Bluegrass• Eco-Turf• Native Grasses• Steppable Groundcovers• Perennial Clover

Perennial Rye

Perennial FescueSteppables – Creeping Thyme

Eco-TurfWhite Clover

www.kirklandwa.gov/YardSmart

• Focus area = Forbes Creek Watershed• Includes large parts of the North and South

Rose Hill neighborhoods, as well as portions of the Highlands, Totem Lake, Juanita, and Norkirk neighborhoods

• Free technical assistance

• Rebates up $3,500

• Installation of simple and beautiful projects to manage flow of rainwater from your property.

Slow it Down, Soak it Up

– Prevents flooding and erosion

– Naturally filters water

www.kirklandwa.gov/YardSmart

www.kirklandwa.gov/YardSmart

What do you suppose? A bee sat on my nose. Then what do you think? He gave me a wink And said,

"I beg your pardon, I thought you were the garden.”~English Rhyme