The Science of Gardening

Knowing how many horticultural practices are based on anecdotal evidence from one's neighbor or grandmother; their validity; an unregulated wave of gardening products and practices; accessing science-based information to create a sustainable garden.

Many make landscape choices based on plant aesthetics; learning to first identify the location's topography, prevailing winds, hydrology, soil type and other environmental factors; choosing a plant well-suited for the long term.

Unless one lives in an undeveloped area, chances are that their home garden soil is not native; learning what makes a great soil; determining approximate amounts of clay, silt and sand; looking at nutrients and pH before purchasing any soil addition.

Plants cannot grow without a supportive microbiome; plant roots, bacterial sheathes and long filaments of fungus function to support the plant's growth; enhancing the uptake of water and nutrients; the effects of adding unnecessary fertilizers.

Native plants are always a better home-garden choice than non-natives; they thrive in the soils and ecosystems of the area; probing whether garden science supports those truths; how introduced species can enhance garden and landscape biodiversity.

Landscaping provides privacy, protects soils from erosion, moderate temperature and manages storm-water runoff; learning how to select the appropriate plants with respect to morphology, growth rates and physiology; achieving specific goals.

Successful landscaping starts with picking the healthiest specimens; inspecting nursery plants from the crown to the ground for evidence of quality and health; estimating root health by checking for suckers on single-trunk trees and root flare.

Many believe that one should fertilize before planting; gardening science reveals that many popular practices including fertilizing every time one plants, are neither necessary nor sustainable; a natural way to add organic material to a garden.

Learning about the variety of mulch types; including glass, wood and compost; the science-based pros and cons of each; considering specific site conditions and personal aesthetics; blending a variety of mulches to transform a struggling landscape.

The need to change the way one has been planting trees for the past half century; considered controversial by nursery professionals, plant science supports the old method of bare-root planting; a vigorous root system supports a healthy crown.

Learning the basics of watering, mulching, fertilizing, staking and pruning newly transplanted trees or shrubs; this care might change in subsequent seasons when the plant is well established; the wiggle test to check healthy root growth.

The aim of fertilizing is to match soil and plant needs with the right sources of nutrition; understanding specific soil test results; determining which nutrients are deficient and which are present in toxic quantities; whether to buy organic.

Seeing a tree cut painted with tar or another sealant; a crown chopped completely bare; both are common practices that are harmful to the plant; using applied plant physiology and science-based guidelines; the best timing and methods for pruning.

It seems intuitive that vegetables grown in a home garden will be safer and healthier than those bought at the supermarket; that could be a dangerous assumption; garden soil may contain elements such as cadmium or lead; making right plant choices.

Reducing water use and protecting water quality using knowledge of plant biochemistry and photosynthesis; designing garden changes; choosing appropriate plants based on morphology and color; incorporating shading and mulch to reduce evaporation.

Home garden plants mostly die due to poor horticultural practices, not disease or pests; learning how to appropriately remedy any problem; knowing when the plant will heal on its own; identifying the warning signs of future problems.

Diagnosing problems in unhealthy plants based on the science of plant physiology; seeing tree girdling, plants that become smaller instead of larger and scorched shrubs; diagnosing and treating any of the garden's plants that might be failing.

There is no lack of chemicals to get rid of the pests in one's garden; that pest may be a plant, insect or other organism; for long-term health, integrated pest management provides a better and science-based approach with minimum chemical inputs.

Learning why one should always stick with the chemical pesticides approved by the EPA and other authorities; never use the home remedies promoted online or in non-science-based books; whether organics are always safer ecologically than synthetics.

Americans are familiar with the damage caused by English ivy, kudzu and the tamarisk tree; each of these hardy plants drives out other plant species and limit the availability of diverse animal habitats; the mechanisms to control these plants.

Before resorting to chemical sprays, managing insects by increasing plant diversity, establishing trap plants and using repellents; understanding the life cycle and reproductive physiology of the insect helps one make effective management choices.

Keeping slugs, rats, moles, rabbits, squirrels, deer and other herbivores out of the garden; some of those purchases have little value if feeding pressure is high in the surrounding habitat; the few options that are both safe and effective.

Making science-based gardening decisions by assessing the credibility, relevance and purpose of the information; learning the role played by peer review; the difference between correlation and causation; over-extrapolation and misapplied science.

The stories of a wetlands restoration and a home garden project reflect the benefit of science-based planning by considering soils, temperature, sunlight, moisture and pests; becoming a citizen scientist; contributing by asking the hard questions.