Early to bed, early to rise/Work like hell and fertilize, suggests Emily Whaley. Good advice for houseplants but not so out in the garden. Despite the imploring of plant food firms, this time of the year lay off the nutrients and encourage the garden to start thinking about the end of the season--the first day of fall is the 22 September.
Diversion No. 1
A new study suggests that people in affluent neighbourhoods have a richer variety of arthropods in their homes, something they call the "luxury effect." It works like this, explains Jessica Boddy, Science: People in wealthy zip codes tend to have more extensive landscaping with a greenery variety of plant spies. That means, in turn, that the arthropods that they attract--creepy crawlies including spiders, flies, and millipedes--are also more diverse
Indoor plant enthusiasts have a half-century of science supporting surrounding oneself with certain house plants could combat the potential harmful effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a main category of interior pollutants. NASA came out with research showing spider plants where tops in this category. Over the years, this has been followed by many other varieties. But those that must have the latest electronic gadget will find they can replace that innocent Chlorophytum comosum with a whizz-bang that destroys pollutants with light. According to the current issue of Popular Science, the Molekule Air Purifier will available early next year for a mere US$799. A bromeliad costs about $15 to $20 and requires no power source. Yes, bromeliads now top the list, according to a study by researchers at the State University of New York and presented at the 252nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia late last month.
Diversion No. 2: British Lawn Mower Racing Association's 12 hour endurance race
Over 40 teams of lawn mower racers descended on Billingshurst in West Sussex for the British Lawn Mower Racing Association's 12 hour endurance race that is known as 'Le Mow' in this grass roots motor racing sport. There's no business like mow business, they say as they are 'lawn to be wild.'
If you want to stay cool, keep off the artificial turf. Not only are grassed areas cooler, they won't melt your shoes when the weather turns hot. Some amateur soccer players in Toronto say that the artificial turf they're playing on was melting the bottom of their shoes and breaking down the glue that holds their athletic footwear together, CBC News reported. Toronto Public Health investigated the health impacts of artificial turf fields and found they're hotter than asphalt in the sun. A researcher measured one field at a scorching 95ºC.
The much touted, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance landscaping is not much better. Researchers in Los Angeles have shown that eliminating lawns when switching to such plantings raises local temperatures
Of course, artificial turf is not attacked by chinch bugs, the despair of many Eastern Canada gardeners this hot summer.
Diversion No. 3: Drought-tolerant landscapes adding to heat
University of Southern California scientists determined that if a many of Los Angeles property owners switch their lawns to drought-tolerant landscapes, it could increase local temperatures and exacerbate heat waves, and would other similar consequences [Geophysical Research Letters]
Once again a dubious U.K. study has resulted in questionable claims. Do one in ten children believe parsnips grow on trees and pears only grow in pairs? Does a similar number have no idea that peas grow in pods while six percent of eight-year-olds think chocolate grows on trees in squares? Just that, according to research funded by Genius Gluten Free in collaboration with Allergy Adventures, examining 2,010 children aged seven to eleven. This is not a peer-reviewed study. It was not submitted to any respected scientific journal. Try reversing the numbers. Nine out of ten know that parsnips do not grow on trees or pears only grow in pairs. Possibly inner city or new immigrants might hold such beliefs. Even this questionable public release shows most kids don't.
Anyway can it be true that a further seven percent of Brit eight-year-olds believe sausage rolls are made by rolling sausages down hills covered with flour? Sounds like the kids gave appropriate answers to questions.
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Diversion No. 4: Titan arums
Botanists across the U.S. are trying to figure out why so many titan arums, Amorphophallus titanium--better known as corpse flowers--are blooming simultaneously around the country this year. This is super weird, because there have been only 157 recorded blooms ever between 1889 and 2008. But this year in the U.S. alone, at least seven flowers have bloomed, revealed ScienceAlert
Want to learn how to grow great garlic? If you are in the Toronto area 25 September, head up to Richters in Goodwood northeast of the city. Melissa Spearing of Ground Covers Unlimited will share her lessons learned from hands-on trials of nearly all types of garlic grown in Ontario 2-3 pm
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
