MSN_071119

14 | July 11, 2019 | Malibu surfside news sound off
malibusurfsidenews.com
Poet’s Corner
Creatures
Allen Waldman
Malibu resident
The earth is filled with
creatures
Some are large, some are
small,
They’re all a little different
Some can run, some
must crawl
We share a common
space
And the dignity of life.
We must protect them
From the ravages of man
In this world so full of
strife.
Want to submit a poem to
the Surfside? Email Editor
Lauren Coughlin at lauren@
malibusurfsidenews.com.
Come visit our showroom
Don’t Panic, It’s Organic
Keeping bark beetles at bay organically
Andy Lopez
Contributing Columnist
Invisible Gardener
The bark beetle is the
effect.
So, what is the
cause? Trace mineral
deficiency.
Malibu Newsstand
24 years in Business. Still A thing.
We carry -
- Magazines: New and Vintage,
Foreign and Domestic!
- Drinks! Candy & Snacks!
- Malibu Souvenirs and Ephemera!
- Irreverent Diatribes! Books!
- Digital Community Advertising!
Items like tweets and blogs,
but in print form!
- Beach Equipment! Plus more!
Sick soil produces sick
trees. Reduced water flow
means reduced mineral
flow. Reduced minerals are
followed by an increase
in pests and diseases. Sick
soil is soil without the
proper microbes, and that
equals trees/plants lacking
in certain trace minerals.
What is more important
to a tree? Nitrogen or
minerals? Chemical fertilizer
companies believe it
is nitrogen, so they make
sure their fertilizers are all
high nitrogen based.
Urea in nature is less
than 2-percent nitrogen,
while manmade urea is
Malibu Newsstand 23717 ½ Malibu Rd. in the Colony Shopping Center | 310.456.1519 | Malibu.newsstand@gmail.com
45-percent nitrogen! Yes,
nitrogen makes things
grow fast, but they are
stressed out and weak.
So, the cause here is
a complex one — one
entirely caused by humans.
The drought caused us to
use the ground water which
trees have relied upon during
droughts, and the lack
of water in the right place
also is causing stress. Top
that off with the fact we
have destroyed the topsoil.
Adding chemical fertilizer
to make that lawn of yours
lush and green has produced
a dead soil environment
— one that is stressing
out the trees. Recent
rains help, but do nothing
to bring the soil back to life.
High stress always results
in pests and is followed by
diseases. All diseases are
soilborne. They are in the
soil but under control by
the beneficial bacteria. Kill
the good guys, and the bad
guys move in!
It is better to underwater
than to overwater, and
better to use a drip system
for trees than overhead
sprinklers.
Many folks have trees
surrounded by lawns. They
water the lawn almost
daily (many do four or five
minutes a day) while trees
Malibu Glass & Mirror 310.456.1844
Windows and Doors
Showers and MIrrors
Railings and Skylights
Screens and Glass Repair
Additional Services
www.malibuglass.com
fax: 310.456.2594
3547 Winter Canyon, Malibu CA 90265
Licensed Contractor #396181
prefer once a week if you
have bad soil, or twice a
month if you have good
soil. The high nitrogen
fertilizer that your gardener
uses on the lawn, while you
may think it is good for the
lawn (it isn’t), it certainly is
not good for the trees.
Do you remember a few
months ago, after all that
rain we had, when many
trees toppled over? That
would not have happened
if the trees were deeply
watered. Their roots would
have been deep.
By just watering your
lawn and not the tree, the
tree will die sooner.
You should have two
watering systems: one
for the lawn that uses an
overhead sprinkler, and one
for the trees, which should
get anywhere from half an
hour to two hours drip once
or twice a month.
It is not a good idea to
have a lawn around your
trees unless the lawn is
organically fertilized. Then,
it is perfect, and the watering
for the lawn will not
adversely affect the tree.
Organic lawn fertilizers
come with soil microbes
and some trace minerals.
Organic lawns require
less weekly watering than
chemically grown lawns.
Trees also require different
organic fertilization
than lawns do. They do not
like high nitrogen. High
nitrogen actually inhibits
mineral intake and absorption.
Organic lawn fertilizers
are not high nitrogen.
Pay attention to your
trees’ needs and your trees
will be much happier for it.
But, what do you do if
you think there is something
wrong with your trees?
First, find out from a tree
arborist. They always use
chemical pesticides to kill
the borer and prevent them
from coming back.
You all know I do not
support chemical use; I use
organic materials instead.
I would ask the arborist
if they can do it without
chemicals. Tell the arborist
you want to use Orange
oil like Orange TKO or
XT2000. XT2000 is used
on termites and also is
registered for tree borer
control, and you must be
a pest control operator to
use it. OrangeTKO is an
organic orange oil that
is injected with a needle
through the bored hole. The
oil will kill the borer and its
eggs on contact.
You also can spray the
orange oil onto the trunk
of the tree to prevent more
attacks. I use 50 percent
Orange TKO, and 50 percent
mineral oil and I spray
that on the lower part of the
trunk. You can also paint it
on. You should do this once
and then look for signs of
any new bore holes with
dust showing up. If that
happens, treat those also.
How are trees being
watered? Install tree vents.
I use clay drain pipes about
1-foot deep. Turn the drip on
and see how fast the water
goes down the pipe. When it
starts to overflow, that’s the
length of time to water. You
will increase this over time.
Inside the vents, add rock
dust, compost and mulch.
Add an organic fertilizer
with microbes.
Foliar spray the tree
monthly with a mineral-rich,
bacterial-rich compost tea.
Any questions? Email me at
andylopez@invisiblegardener.
com.