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The Informed Gardener
Linda Chalker-Scott
In this introduction to sustainable landscaping practices, Linda Chalker-Scott addresses the most common myths and misconceptions that plague home gardeners and horticultural professionals. Chalker-Scott offers invaluable advice to gardeners gardeners who have wondered:
o Are native plants the best choice for sustainable landscaping?
o Should you avoid disturbing the root ball when planting?
o Are organic products better or safer than synthetic ones?
o What is the best way to control weeds-fabric or mulch?
o Does giving vitamins to plants stimulate growth?
o Are compost teas effective in controlling diseases?
o When is the best time to water in hot weather?
o If you pay more, do you get a higher-quality plant?
o How can you differentiate good advice from bad advice?
The answers may surprise you. In her more than twenty years as a university researcher and educator in the field of plant physiology, Linda Chalker-Scott has discovered a number of so-called truths that originated in traditional agriculture and that have been applied to urban horticulture, in many cases damaging both plant and environmental health. The Informed Gardener is based on basic and applied research from university faculty and landscape professionals, originally published in peer-reviewed journals.
After reading this book, you will:
o Understand your landscape or garden plants as components of a living system
o Save time (by not overdoing soil preparation, weeding, pruning, staking, or replacing plants that have died before their time)
o Save money (by avoiding worthless or harmful garden products, and producing healthier, longer-lived plants)
o Reduce use of fertilizers and pesticides
o Assess marketing claims objectively
This book will be of interest to landscape architects, nursery and landscape professionals, urban foresters, arborists, certified professional horticulturists, and home gardeners.
Linda Chalker-Scott is an extension urban horticulturist and associate professor at Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University. She is the Washington State editor of MasterGardener magazine and for six years she authored an online column, "Horticultural Myths."
Hear Linda Chalker-Scott's interview on KUOW at http://www.kuow.org/defaultProgram.asp?ID=14535
Reviews:
"An informative, helpful guide to sustainable landscaping, with valuable emphasis on cutting through many of the myths and misunderstandings that now surround this increasingly hot topic." -Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"[Linda Chalker-Scott's] book does great service in helping the urban gardener move past common practices that hinder instead of help, looking to nature itself as the ultimate teacher of truths." -Cascadia Weekly
"Linda Chalker-Scott is gardening's version of television's 'MythBusters.' Ok, so she isn't so keen on blowing things up, but she does use scientific research to explain why many traditional horticultural practices aren't suitable for urban landscapes." -Tacoma News Tribune
Table of Contents:
Preface
CRITICAL THINKING
The Myth of Absolute Science
The Myth of Indisputable Information
The Myth of Organic Superiority, Part I
The Myth of Organic Superiority, Part 2
UNDERSTANDING HOW PLANTS WORK
The Myth of Fragile Roots
- Pruning Flawed Woody Roots Before Transplanting
The Myth of Mighty Roots
The Myth of Top-Pruning Transplanted Material
The Myth of Tree Topping
How Big is Big?
The Myth of Hot-Weather Watering
HOW / WHAT / WHEN / WHERE TO PLANT
The Myth of Instant Landscaping
The Myth of Native Plant Superiority
- Going Native? Or Not?
The Myth of Well-behaved Ornamentals
The Myth of Plant Quality
- Choosing the Best Plants at the Nursery
The Myth of Drainage Materials in Containers
The Myth of Collapsing Root Balls
The Myth of Tree Staking
SOIL ADDITIVES
The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 1
The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 2
The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 3
The Myth of Phosphate Fertilizer, Part 1
The Myth of Phosphate Fertilizer, Part 2
The Myth of Beneficial Bonemeal
The Myth of Polyacrylamide Hydrogels
The Myth of Wandering Weedkiller
MULCHES
The Myth of Landscape Fabric
- Using Arborist Wood Chips for Weed Control
The Myth of Clean Compost
- How Does Mulching Reduce Pesticide and Fertilizer Use?
The Myth of Paper-Based Sheet Mulch
The Myth of Pretty Mulch
- Characteristics of an Ideal Landscape Mulch
MIRACLES IN A BAG / BOTTLE / BOX
The Myth of Compost Tea
The Myth of Compost Tea Revisited
The Myth of Mineral Magic
The Myth of Vitamin Shots
The Myth of Vitamin Stimulants
The Myth of Wound Dressings
Essential Garden Tools and Products
Index
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Pub Date:
2008
ISBN:
PAPER:
0-295-98790-1
978-0-295-98790-3
Price:
Paper: $18.95
Subject Listing:
Gardening, Landscaping
Bibliographic information:
240 pp., 36 illus., index, 5.5 x 9 in.
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