Have you ever used or considered a home remedy for a garden or landscape problem? Maybe it was baking soda for fungus diseases, vinegar for weeds or Epsom salts for anything.
Some of the more curious home remedies involve beer or urine applied to plants or soil, in some arcane combination with other ingredients. Sometimes the home remedies work, but wouldn’t it be great if someone tested them in a scientific setting?
Well, thank goodness for Linda Chalker-Scott. She has spent most of her career at Washington State University studying horticultural myths and home remedies, publishing her results and sharing the scoop. Her rigorous research also enables people like me to recommend, or refute, remedies based on outcomes of scientific study.
Here are a few examples, according to the research of Chalker-Scott:
Affirmed: Sand makes an effective amendment for clay soils, in equal amounts with organic matter.
Busted: “Peat moss is an environmentally-friendly soil amendment.” Peat moss is not a renewable resource, and its extraction causes much damage — also releasing carbon to the atmosphere.
Affirmed: Tree paint on cuts and wounds has no helpful purpose. It can actually set up a barrier to effective wound response by the tree.
Busted: “Landscape fabric offers an effective long-term barrier to weed growth.” Landscape fabric very quickly presents its own set of maintenance demands, and doesn’t even control weeds very well.
Affirmed: Gypsum can be effective in amending a clay soil, but not clay soils with additional issues like water saturation or urban issues.
Busted: “Companion planting is an effective pest control strategy.” Some plants grow well in association with certain others, and can even set up useful interactions; however “like horoscopes, these lists may be fun to use, but they should not be perceived or promoted as scientifically valid,” Chalker-Scott said.
Affirmed: Corn gluten can provide effective pre-emergent weed control on lawns. The research notes that corn gluten tends to be more effective on weeds such as crabgrass under Midwestern conditions than in the Northwest where she practices.
With use of peat moss now frowned-upon, what’s a gardener to do? Compost from your own garden is the next best renewable thing. Not composting? Coir from coconuts is another renewable option, and it ships in light, compact bricks.
Your questions about methods and alternatives are always welcome at our office. From Chalker-Scott, you can find more on these and other horticultural myths at puyallup.wsu.edu/lcs/.
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The urge to use common household products as garden fertilizers and pesticides is compelling for many consumers who want simple, cheap approaches to landscape management. However, the use of any chemical in a landscape should be thoughtfully considered:
• Is it necessary?
• Can it cause damage?
The science behind the use of Epsom salts is only applicable to intensive crop production in situations where magnesium is known to be deficient in the soil or in the plants. It is irresponsible to advise gardeners and other plant enthusiasts to apply Epsom salts, or any chemical, without regard to soil conditions, plant needs, and environmental health.
— Linda Chalker-Scott, Washington State University, 2007, in mastergardeneronline.com
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Kris Medic is Purdue Extension Bartholomew County’s educator for agriculture, natural resources and community development. She can be reached at 812-379-1665 or kmedic@purdue.edu.
