Skip to main content

Articles

Thompson Shuswap - October 25, 2022

URBAN TREES SERIES

Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’

MATURE HEIGHT                   40-50 feet (12 to 15 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                    30-40 feet (9 to 12 metres)

Thompson Shuswap - October 25, 2022

URBAN TREES SERIES

Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’

MATURE HEIGHT                   20-30 feet (6-9 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                    15-20 feet (4.5-6 metres)

LIFESPAN                                   45 years

Thompson Shuswap - October 25, 2022

 URBAN TREES SERIES

Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ‘Harve’

MATURE HEIGHT                    Up to 50 feet (15 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                     Up to 35 feet (10 metres)

Thompson Shuswap - October 25, 2022

URBAN TREES SERIES

Betula platyphylla ‘Jefpark”

MATURE HEIGHT                           25 – 40 feet (7-12 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                           7 feet (2 metres)

MGABC - October 20, 2022

NEXT TSMG BASIC TRAINING:  JANUARY 2024:  
Thank you for your interest in the TSMG's 2024 Basic Training class. The class is now full! 

Click here for the TSMG BASIC TRAINING APPLICATION

Thompson Shuswap - October 2, 2022

URBAN TREES SERIES

WHY do you want to plant a tree?  For shade?  Fruit?  Colour?  Wind screen?  

WILL you have time to nurture the tree (prune, water, fertilize)?

CONFIRM what you are buying – use the latin name.

Thompson Shuswap - October 2, 2022

URBAN TREES SERIES

Trees provide immeasurable  benefits to homeowners and the communities in which they live, delivering cool shade to privacy, beauty, windbreak, water runoff reduction, pollution reduction … and the list goes on.

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

IT’S LIKE MAGIC – just type a gardening question into the Google search bar and voila – thousands of results pop up right before your eyes!

Whether a new or experienced gardener we’ve all done it – followed well-intentioned advice trusting that the advice was reliable, relevant and unbiased, when it wasn’t.

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Many of the plants labelled as CHRISTMAS cactus are THANKSGIVING cactus, or of blended ancestry.

Christmas cactus and Thanksgiving cactus are closely related, so it’s easy to mistake them for the same plant. Both plants are in the genus Schlumbergera:

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Blossom end rot appears as a sunken, leathery, brown to black spot on the blossom side of a fruit in tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and some cucurbits.

BER is associated with a lack of sufficient calcium in developing fruit and conventional wisdom holds that calcium-rich amendments like EGGSHELLS and ANTACIDS (i.e. TUMS) can help prevent BER.

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

SAY YES TO THE CHIPS!

FRESH wood chips, when used as a MULCH, do NOT leach nitrogen from the soil.

In areas where TREES and SHRUBS are a dominant feature of the landscape, arborist wood chips have been cited as superior mulches for enhanced plant productivity and represent one of the BEST MULCH CHOICES.

So go ahead and say YES to the local arborist looking to unload wood chips for FREE!

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Pine needles themselves are acidic but they do not have the capacity to appreciably change the soil pH (make it more acidic).

Pine needles break down naturally and the microbes (decomposers) in the soil neutralize them.

Pine needles can be used to mulch shrub borders, flower beds and vegetable gardens

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Tree staking is seldom necessary, but when trees are staked, they are typically staked TOO HIGH, TOO TIGHTLY, and for TOO LONG.

Improperly staked trees grow taller than wider. When a tree stake is removed, a lack of trunk and root development makes the tree vulnerable to breakage or blow-down.

Newly planted trees CAN require staking if:

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Plants with woody roots often need corrective root pruning before transplanting.

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Most dish soap products are not true soaps, but powerful surfactants called detergents. They can contain phosphate, bleach, enzymes, dyes, fragrances and rinsing aids

TRU SOAPS are made from natural oils and fats.
 

Spraying a plant with diluted dish soap removes the plant’s natural defences against pests and diseases.

Dish soap alters everything it comes into contact with, including BENEFICIAL insects.

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Placing sand, gravel, pebbles or pot chards in the bottom of a container before potting houseplants or outdoor plants OBSTRUCTS water movement.

Water doesn’t travel easily from layers of finely textured material to layers of more coarsely textured material

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Most houseplants like a more humid environment than you do, and it can be a real struggle providing our plants with the levels of humidity they require during the dry winter months.

There are several scientifically proven ways to keep your plants healthy and happy during the winter months. But, contrary to popular belief, MISTING is NOT one of them:

Indoor temperatures evaporate moisture QUICKLY!

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Bone meal supplies high levels of phosphorus and calcium.

Phosphorus and calcium are required for plant growth, but both (especially phosphorus) can cause problems if they occur in high concentrations. 

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

This myth may stem from the fact that if clay is the smallest soil particle (leading to poor drainage) and sand is the largest soil particle (leading to fast drainage), mixing the two will create a well-drained soil.

BUT

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

MYTH: A bleach solution is the best choice for disinfecting pruning tools

THE FACTS

A bleach solution is NOT the best method for disinfecting pruning tools

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

Add an aspirin (or chlorine bleach, borax, vinegar) to prevent bacteria from building up in the tree stand’s water reservoir. Or add corn syrup (or sugar, molasses, honey, soda) to nourish the tree. These are just a few of the additives promoted to make your Christmas tree last longer.

THE FACTS

Not one of the above-mentioned ingredients has been shown to do any significant good. Contrary, some ingredients may adversely affect the tree.

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Epsom salt, also known as magnesium sulfate, is a naturally occurring compound that contains magnesium, sulfur and oxygen

There are MANY online recipes for using Epsom salt:

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

ALL plants NEED WATER.

Drought-tolerant plants are those that, once established, will survive receiving low levels of rainfall or watering.

Plants considered drought-tolerant typically have EXTENSIVE root systems.

Newly-installed trees or shrubs, drought-tolerant or not, LACK the root system needed to draw in sufficient moisture, thus require adequate irrigation to establish sufficient root systems.

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Adding organic matter, fertilizer or other substances to the planting hole of a LARGE TREE or PERENNIAL SHRUB can REDUCE plant growth

Adding amendments to backfill promotes root growth, but

- Roots and water DO NOT move well across the interface between amended soil and native soil 

Thompson Shuswap - September 26, 2022

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Buried Banana Peels or Banana Peel Tea

Banana peels are essentially just another form of plant-based organic matter – there’s nothing unique about them