Keeping Your Conservation Landscape Beautiful Aug. 2017 Keeping Your Conservation Landscape Beautiful Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin – Score Four: Students, Schools, Streams, and The Bay https://www.potomacriver.org/resources/educator-resources/score-four/score-four-materials/ This PowerPoint should be used in conjunction with ICPRB’s Score Four Maintenance handout and agreement for conservation landscape projects. Score Four: Students, Schools, Streams, and The Bay Rebecca Wolf and Nguyen Le Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin

Why Maintenance Matters This was once a pretty garden created by students. Now, weeds threaten to outcompete flowers for space, food, and light. This could lead to dead plants and lots of student work & money down the drain. Remember: It is much easier to weed regularly than to try to rescue your garden when weeds are large.

What Does Maintenance Include? Watering Mulching Weeding Other Maintenance (in the future) Moving crowded plants Pruning Removing old stems. Details on each of these are covered on the following slides.

Watering Your Flowering Plants During the warm seasons, water around the base of each plant. First 2 weeks: water 3 times/week Second 2 weeks: water twice/week The rest of the year: water once/week If it rains more than an inch in a week, watering might not be needed. Remember: “Baby” your new plants. We can’t bring back plants that die of thirst! Students tend to spray the plants and to not water the plants enough. If using a hose, direct them to keep the hose on each plant for 1 to 2 minutes. You also could have them water each plant with gallon jugs. If the plants aren’t getting enough water, most will wilt. Watering is not needed from Dec. – March.

Get a free rain gauge from CaseyTrees! Watering Trees Trees in the ground for less than 3 years need 25 gallons of water per week. Check rainfall from weather reports or with a rain gauge. If it rains less than 1.5 inches in a week, it’s time to water. Slow-release watering bag. Just fill it with 25 gal of water once a week! Get a free rain gauge from CaseyTrees!

Mulch functions similarly to fallen leaves Mulch is Great Mulch functions similarly to fallen leaves over forest soil. Use shredded bark or leaves as mulch to: Keep moisture in the soil. Reduce weed growth. Add organic matter to the soil (as it decomposes). Check your garden’s mulch every season to make sure: The mulch is 3 inches deep. The mulch surface hasn’t hardened. If so, rake away the old and apply new. Old mulch can go in the compost. Mulch is not essential, but it does reduce maintenance, and seems to be the best option for schools. Some gardeners opt for planting their plants very close together to reduce weeding. They instead add organic compost to the garden every year. Mulch also regulates soil temperature.

Mulching Trees ― dos and don’ts Use shredded bark or leaf compost. Use the 3-3-3 rule: 3 inches of mulch In a 3-foot ring mulch 3 inches away from the trunk. X  Use shredded bark or leaf compost. Apply using the 3-3-3 rule: 3 inches of mulch in a 3-foot ring with a 3-inch space around the tree trunk. Avoid volcano mulching. Shredded hardwood with no dye is preferred, but composted wood chips or leaves can be used. Adding compost under the mulch will benefit your soil and plants. For lots of tree tips, see Kasey Trees. https://caseytrees.org/resources-list/how-to-care-for-trees/ Donuts – YES! Volcanos – NO!

Weeding: a must! Weeds are plants you don’t want in your garden. Many weeds and invasive plants spread by their roots or stems, or they have long-enduring seeds, so: Dig out the complete root. Remove all parts of the weed. Weed before they seed! And weed at least every 2 weeks. Part of the reason we don’t want “weeds” is that they don’t add any beauty to the garden; another is that they can outcompete the plants we want. Dig out the complete root, using a hoe, hand trowel, or other tool. Weed before the seeds form and spread by the wind or animals. Grass roots can become entangled in the plant, taking nutrients and water it needs, and making it hard to remove. So pull it while it is small.

Spring Cleaning Leaving stems and seeds in gardens throughout the winter provides food and shelter for wildlife. Late winter and early spring are good times to: Cut old plant stems down to about 3-4 inches. Cut decorative grasses down to about 6 inches. Rake up old leaves, and put them in your compost. Tree and Shrub Pruning Shrubs and trees can be shaped and kept small (if desired) by pruning. It is unlikely that pruning will be needed in the first few years. Minor pruning can be done any time of the year. Major pruning should be done in late winter to early spring. Some gardeners trim off old flower blossoms after the flowers die, so that they will bloom again during the summer. This is hard at a school. If you want to attract birds, leave old seed heads and stems on during the winter, and cut them off in the spring. If your school community prefers and “cleaner” look, have the students cut them back in late October (after all the flowers have stopped blossoming). You can save seeds to plant next season. It only is necessary to prune shrubs, trees, and grasses. Directions can be found on many websites for this. In many instances, pruning is a matter of personal preference.

Maintenance Down the Road Spreading Joy Perennials spread by roots and seeds – some more than others. If some are pushing out other plants, you can move them elsewhere or share them with other gardeners. If some of your plants are not flowering as much or look spindly, they might be overcrowded (usually after 3-5 years). Some can be removed. Fertilize the Natural Way Because your site has been planted with appropriate native plants and is mulched regularly, fertilizer is rarely needed. However, working compost into the soil or using it as a mulch every year will continue improving your soil. One great thing about native plants is that many spread quickly. They can get overcrowded after a number of years and start looking less healthy. That’s when it is time to thin them. You can either pull some of the plants and toss them into your compost pile, or carefully remove them and replant them elsewhere. The replanted plants will need to be watered well for the first 6 weeks.

Example of a Maintenance Schedule Chart for Planning Maintenance of Conservation Landscapes Task Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Monitoring1 Apply mulch2 Cut back perennials and grasses3 Watering4 Weeding as needed5 Replace, thin, and add plants as needed6 Snow management7 Check for weeds and depth of mulch. Remove trash or other debris from garden. Apply shredded cedar or hardwood mulch in April and November to maintain a depth of 3 inches. Cut back perennials (not shrubs or trees) to about 4 inches. Water to an equivalent of 1” per week until established. Once established (about a year), water from May to October when there has been no rain for 10 days or more. Clean up winter weeds in late February/early March and then weed every 2 to 3 weeks from April to November. Replace dead plants and thin plants if needed from June to October. The optimum times for adding or moving plants are April through May and September through October. Avoid placing snow on top or in close proximity to garden. Limit deicing salt within close proximity of garden.