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New Science on Dynamic Accumulators and Weed Tea

Gardeners talk a lot about dynamic accumulators, and they are important for techniques such as permaculture and regenerative agriculture. The problem was that we didn’t have an accepted definition for them – nobody agreed on what they were.

The science of dynamic accumulators has recently advanced, and we now have a proper definition, an extensive database of possible candidates, as well as some research supporting claims about them. There is also new testing of weed teas made from them.

This may become more important to gardeners than you realize.

Russian comfrey with bags of fertilizer hanging from leaves.

Key Takeaways

We have an official definition for Dynamic Accumulators.
About 10% of plants in the database qualify as dynamic accumulators for at least one nutrient. None qualify for all nutrients.
Nutrients in weed tea are lower than most people expect.

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Fish Fertilizer vs Miracle-Gro – Growth Test

Is fish fertilizer better than a synthetic fertilizer like Miracle-Gro?

If you read the advertising for fish fertilizer, you might conclude that it will grow much better plants, but those same products don’t show you any data to support the claims. Where is the proof?

I decided to run my own test to see if fish fertilizer grows bigger tomato plants.

Key Takeaways

Fish fertilizer did not grow statistically better plants.
The extra cost of fish fertilizer can’t be justified based on growth.

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Growing Streptocarpus Outdoors

Lots of people in warmer climates grow Streptocarpus outdoors, but what about growing them outdoors in colder climates where winter is so cold that they won’t survive?

It does not seem to be a common practice, but since I do a lot of outdoor gardening in zone 5, I had to try it. Here is what I have learned.

pot with white and blue flowers in it. — Streptocarpus ‘White Ice’, grown outside in zone 5 by the author

Key Takeaways

Not much luck growing in the ground at my place.
Grows well in a container.
It can be overwintered in a cool, dark place.

Purchase Streptocarpus seeds, leaves, and plants.

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The Climate Change Myth!

Is climate change real? Is the Earth warming? Are humans the main cause of warming?

If you are like me, you believed all of the headlines. Global warming is mostly caused by humans burning fossil fuels. This heating phenomenon is causing huge changes in the climate. Ice caps are melting, reefs are bleaching and dying, the sea level is rising, the intensity of storms is worse, there are more forest fires, etc.

You would have to be living in a cave not to know this is all happening. It is on the news almost every night.

A few years ago, I started looking at the scientific data. In summary:

There is almost no data to support the catastrophic headlines you see.

However, there is a lot of published data to show that the climate is not changing at alarming rates.

Based on the comments, I think a lot of people did NOT read this last sentence. The Earth is warming. Climate change is happening – it is always happening. But …. climate change is not changing at an alarming rate.

What if all of the information you have been fed is wrong?

It means that most of the government efforts, using your hard-earned tax money, are a waste. It means alternative energy sources won’t solve anything. It means governments and society are doing the wrong things to make our future better.

This is so serious that we all need to start asking questions. We need to demand data to support the news claims.

The purpose of this blog post is to collect and summarize the data we do know. The post will be published shortly, but I will continually add new data as I find it. In some ways, it is a documentation of my journey towards the truth. If you find some data, for or against climate change, please let me know in the comments, and I will add it.

I am not a climate denier. I am a climate realist!

cloudy day with the words Gardening and climate change — Watch my video: Gardening & Climate Change

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Growing Streptocarpus: Planting Too Deep

The common advice for growing streptocarpus is to plant fairly shallow. Soil should not go much higher than the top of the root ball, or the plant will rot and die.

However, you are also told that to propagate the plant vegetatively, you should take a leaf or part of a leaf and plant it an inch or two deep. I usually plant these leaves about an inch deep, and they grow just fine.

Streptocarpus are also known to form plantlets from roots, deep in the pot (see image further down in this post). These grow underground for quite a long time before the tips reach above the surface of the soil.

How can all of this conflicting information be correct? Is this another Streptocarpus myth? I decided to test the claim that planting deep will cause Streptocarpus to rot and die.

small plant with three large pink and yellow flowers — Flowering streptocarpus RP193 from Experiment 25

Key Takeaways

Planting deeper will not kill a streptocarpus plant.

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Japanese Knotweed Myths & What Does Work?

Japanese knotweed is one of the most notorious invasive plants in temperate gardens—but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. Let’s bust some myths and explain the latest science on how to control it.

large shrub with light green leaves and dainty white flowers — Japanese Knotweed, source: Depositphotos

Key Takeaways

DIY solutions do not work.
Standard solutions used for other weeds also don’t work.
Herbicide spray works best, but it still takes a couple of years and has to be done correctly.

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Which Form of Nitrogen is Best for Plants

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for plants because it is almost always in short supply. The amount of nitrogen available controls plant growth.

Synthetic fertilizer usually supplies nitrogen as urea or nitrate. Organic fertilizer supplies it as proteins and amino acids, and they claim these forms are better for plants. Which forms of nitrogen can plants use, and which is the best form for gardeners to use for growing plants?

diagram showing the movement of nitrogen from one form to another. — Nitrogen cycle, source: Depositphotos

Key Takeaways

Nitrate and ammonium are the main forms of nitrogen used by plants.
Plants can use urea and amino acids directly.
Plants also seem to be able to digest proteins and then absorb them through roots, probably as amino acids.
Organic gardening techniques don’t seem to significantly alter the amino acids in soil.

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Do Lettuce Seeds Need Light to Germinate?

A lot of specialty seeds need light to germinate, but it never occurred to me that vegetable seeds might need light until a couple of months ago, when I read that lettuce needs light. I have always covered my lettuce seed, and it germinated just fine. How can that be if they need light?

How much light do they need? Does a thin covering of soil allow enough light to reach them?

I decided to do some tests to figure things out, and that just made the picture murkier. Here are my test results and information from a number of scientific studies. The answer is not what you think.

guy planting lettuce seedlings — Planting lettuce seedlings, source: Depositphotos

Key Takeaways

Lettuce seeds can germinate in the dark.
The light requirement for germination depends on the cultivar.

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Fertilizer in Potting Soil – Good or Bad?

In the good old days, commercial potting soil (media) contained no added fertilizer. Today, more and more products contain some fertilizer, either in synthetic or organic form. Gardeners have been led to believe they can fertilize less and skip fertilizing seedlings. Some believe they can stop fertilizing houseplants entirely. But no one seems to discuss the elephant in the room!

How much fertilizer has been added? Should you stop fertilizing? When does the added fertilizer run out? How quickly are the nutrients available to plants? This blog will answer these and other questions about this mysterious fertilizer.

girl repotting some houseplants — Do you need to fertilize potting media source: Depositphotos

Key Takeaways

Potting soil manufacturers don’t provide adequate information about their products.
The fertilizer in these products is too low to grow plants.
Repotted plants, including seedlings, should be fertilized right away.

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Fertilizer PPM Calculator

Gardeners normally talk about “teaspoons” of fertilizer when they make up fertilizer solutions, which leads to all kinds of confusion and misuse of fertilizer. Some of you are using too little, while others use way too much. On the other hand, horticultural professionals don’t make these mistakes because they talk about PPM values instead.

It’s time gardeners change their habits. Start using Parts Per Million (PPM) units instead of teaspoons in your discussions. This will improve online information and reduce your fertilizer mistakes. I discussed the reasons for doing this, along with several examples, in Calculating the PPM of Nitrogen in Your Fertilizer.

To help you use ppm values, I have created this simple-to-use Fertilizer PPM Calculator, which shows you how much fertilizer to use to make up a required ppm solution. It works for both metric and imperial units, and can be used for both solid and liquid fertilizers.

plant in soil while fertilizer is added to the soil — Fertilizer PPM Calculator, source: Depositphotos

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Can Monarchs Smell Milkweed From 2 Miles Away?

Monarch butterflies and milkweed plants share a special bond. Monarchs rely on milkweed to lay their eggs and feed their caterpillars. For gardeners and conservationists wanting to support these beautiful insects, understanding how monarchs find milkweed is key. A common claim pops up: Can monarch butterflies smell milkweed from 2 miles away? Let’s explore what science says about this remarkable relationship.

Monarch landing on the pick flower of a milkweed — Monarch landing on Swamp milkweed (*Asclepias incarnata*), source: Depositphotos

Key Takeaways

Monarchs do NOT smell plants 2 miles away.
They use sight and smell to find milkweed 100-200 feet away.
Monarchs do use their feet to taste plants once they land.

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Does Rainwater Make Plants Greener?

Many gardeners have noticed that grass is greener and plants look healthier after a good rain. They conclude that rainwater is better for gardens than tap water. Is that really true? Is rainwater better than tap water? Does rainwater make our gardens greener? Let’s open that umbrella and find out. Key Takeaways Are Plants Greener … Read More