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Malibu surfside news | January 24, 2019 | 13
Don’t Panic, It’s Organic
The essentials of winter plant care
Andy Lopez
Contributing Columnist
Invisible Gardener
Many folks have
asked me to
make a winter
to-do list.
The first obvious thing is
to deal with rain. Over the
last few years, we have had
a dry winter. This year, we
will not only have a wet
winter, but a cold one, too!
This poses new problems
in mediating damages from
flooding, etc.
Flood control is a different
story — one I will
cover next week.
There are many things
you should be doing to
your property, not only to
help it grow well, but also
to assist in holding water
and releasing it slowly
over the next few months.
First, buy several different
sources of rock dust.
Green Thumb Nursery in
Ventura has several types
of pelletized rock dust.
Rock dust is a generic
term used in the gardening
world, but there also are
different names. Some say
rock dust, but most do not.
At Green Thumb, they
carry 40-pound bags of
azomite and gypsum, both
pelletized. Make sure it
is pelletized and not the
fine powder. This is much
easier to apply.
In Ventura, there also is
CropProduction Services.
They, too, carry different
types of rock dust.
In Malibu, Anawalt carries
rock dust, but only in
the small, 1-pound sizes.
I also buy rock dust
from a place in southern
California called Agriwinn.
Their rock dust is
not pelletized, but it
has 30 percent calcium!
Another place I get rock
dust from is Down to Earth
in Oregon. I buy the soft
rock phosphate and several
other rock dust products
from them. It depends
what they have available.
I buy about 14 different
sources for the rock dust
mix I use. Another source
is called Nitron Industries,
and I get their glacial rock
dust. Many types of rock
dust are available over the
internet.
The basic idea is to get
rock dust from different
sources, as they will
have different amounts
of minerals and you can
ensure that you are getting
as full a blend of minerals
as possible.
I even buy other sources
of minerals. I also get
Sea-90, which has 90 trace
minerals.
I especially love Aqua
Veta, a unique source of
trace minerals (soluble
sea crystals). These liquid
sources are for foliar
spraying and should be
used throughout the year.
Along with rock dust,
you also will want to apply
various sources of microbial
life, which will eat
the minerals and make the
mineral available to the
plants via their roots.
MycoGrow is an excellent
source of mycelium,
which is very important
for the soil and plants.
The mycelium is damaged
or destroyed by fire and
toxins. It usually comes
back over time as new
mycelium moves in to
clean up, but mankind has
some very toxic chemicals
that will take a long time to
decompose.
So, once you have laid
down a thin layer of rock
dust mixed with microbes,
apply organic fertilizers
at the proper levels, mix it
with the soil you have and
add a layer of live compost.
I am always talking
about live compost as
opposed to dead compost.
Of course, compost is
never totally dead unless
it is made in a factory that
sterilizes it before it goes
into a bag. Compost that is
alive will have small holes
in the bag to allow the microbes
to breathe. I would
buy from local sources of
clean, live compost. Just
ask them what they are
putting into the compost.
You want nothing added.
Try Peach Hills or Organic
Solution.
Finally, add a thin layer
of mulch on top of everything.
I would only use
azalea/gardenia mix. Many
stores sell a gardenia/azalea
mix, but they are not
equally as good. Only one
product has my approval.
You can just get this mix
from Trancas Nursery or
Green Thumb Nursery.
Read the ingredients. It
should be made from
earthworm castings and
aged wood. That’s it. Most
are not.
If you have any problems,
send me email and I
will help you out.
The above should be
done to all plants and roses
(don’t prune roses until the
first week in February),
vegetable gardens and fruit
trees.
Your lawn should get a
good top dressing of everything
except the mulch.
Don’t try to get just
one organic fertilizer for
everything. Trees require a
different organic fertilizer
than roses, as does your
lawn.
I would do such fertilization
at least twice a year —
now or anytime in February
or March, and then
again in May or June.
Also, check your drip
system for leaks. You
should cover the drip system
with mulch. I would
use subsurface irrigation,
as it is meant to be buried.
This will easily save you
75 percent water usage
over the year.
RainBird makes a subsurface
irrigation system
that lasts 10 years. You
just have to either make
a map of the system and
post for the gardeners to
see, or learn to look for it
when digging. The system
should not be deeper than 1
foot down for best results.
Till next week.
Any questions? Email me at
andylopez@invisiblegardener.
com.
firefighters
From Page 11
“organize their bodies and
minds by having integrative
dialogue with them.” She
often provides ongoing support
to firefighters and their
family members to ensure a
strong support system.
Dr. Steve Johnson, founder
and director of the Men’s
Center of Los Angeles,
oversees the organization’s
therapeutic services and coordinates
its annual retreats
for firefighters and their
families.
“The retreats provide a
time for couples and families
to relax and be in a safe
environment where they
release, express themselves
and interact with one another,”
Johnson told Malibu
Surfside News. “Meditation,
yoga and prayer flags are
all available so that those
attending can start to have
healthy relationships and
deal with the stress.”
Rick Brandelli, co-founder
of Firefighters Down, discussed
the positive impact
of such modalities.
“The organization can
help firefighters deal with the
trauma that we witness on a
daily basis so that they don’t
take that baggage back home
to their families,” he said.
“It also helps spouses to understand
what we’re dealing
with and how to cope.”
Henry noted that technology
has enhanced the effectiveness
of various outreach
efforts.
“Now, firefighters needing
support or their families
can open up a laptop and
have a face-to-face session
with our peer-to-peer
program,” he said. “It’s
important to note that the
firefighters’ culture is usually
such that the firefighters
themselves don’t reach out
for help; generally, a spouse
does and, therefore, we need
to be available to help.”
Henry noted that the peerto-peer
program has attracted
older and retired firefighters
who did not have
such a support system and
who see an imminent need
for such programs.
Sometimes, history
should not be repeated, and
Firefighters Down seeks
to avoid firefighters experiencing
the silent battles
— including heart attacks,
stress disorders and early
death — that their older colleagues
often did. One at a
time, Firefighters Down is
changing how the stresses
faced by some of America’s
bravest are mitigated.
Firefighters Down is planning
a couples retreat for
families of firefighters who
fought the Woolsey blaze.
The organization is seeking
donations and is working
to coordinate a location for
the event because its usual
venue, Camp Hess Kramer
in Malibu, was partially destroyed
by the fire.
For more information,
email info@firefighters
down.com or call (310)
770-0766.