Soil (Biology) is Sexy

The Show

Soil (Biology) is Sexy

air date: May 11, 2024

Go underground for the key to beautiful gardens and happy plants. Soil health specialist Andie Marsh explores basic principles that apply to any garden. When downhill rainwater runoff plagued a family’s home, they plunged into a whimsical, colorful makeover. See why to love aphids with entomologist Wizzie Brown! Amber de la Rosa, who started Central Texas Plant People to share plants with friends and the community, shows how to propagate plants from stem cuttings.

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Episode Segments

On Tour

Artistic Collaboration Goes with the Flow

When stormwater runoff plagued a family’s home, they plunged into a whimsical, colorful makeover. Local artists, landscapers, and sculptors united to reframe a beige, boxy house into a gregarious octopus and elegant mermaid overlooking tumbling streams framed by native plants.

Watch more "On Tour" videos on YouTube →

Interview

Soil Health: What Does That Mean?

Go underground for the key to beautiful gardens and happy plants. Soil health specialist Andie Marsh explores basic principles that apply to any garden.

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Question of the Week

How Aphids Keep Ladybugs Around

Ladybugs, hoverflies, and green lacewings hurry over to our gardens to feed on aphids—as long as we don’t wipe out their food pantry. Entomologist Wizzie Brown explains how to keep a healthy prey-to-predator balance and a non-chemical way to manage aphids if they’re out of control. Check out Wizzie’s fantastic podcast Bugs by the Yard!

Watch more Question of the Week videos on YouTube →

Backyard Basics

It all started as a way to save a few bucks. Quickly, Amber de la Rosa’s plant swaps among friends grew into Central Texas Plant People, bringing together all kinds of gardeners from around the region. Amber shows how to propagate plants from stem cuttings.

Watch more Backyard Basics videos on YouTube →

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CTG Episode Archive

November To Do List

Plant: ornamental & wildlife

Perennials, shrubs, ornamental (clumping) grasses; fall is the best time to plant
Avoid planting cold tender plants like Pride of Barbardos, Esperanza, lantana, plumbago
Trees
Strawberries (best time to do it!)
Winter annuals, including calendula, snapdragon, pansy, viola, dusty miller, ornamental kale and cabbage, alyssum, stock, cyclamen, dusty miller, flowering kale and cabbage
Early to Thanksgiving: native wildflower seeds like bluebonnets, phlox, Mexican hat, Indian paintbrush, Indian blanket (gaillardia). Also, non-native poppies, larkspurs, hollyhocks
Early to Thanksgiving: spring bulbs

Plant: herbs

Perennials thyme, oregano, lavender
Cilantro transplants, parsley, dill, fennel , chervil, summer savory, borage, chives, rue
Be prepared to cover in case of deep freeze

Plant: food crops

Keep planting winter crops for successive harvest
Water weekly with liquid seaweed
Spray cabbage loopers on broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Planting Guides (Central Texas) http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/home-landscape/edible-gardens/growing-vegetables/

Prune

Avoid pruning shrubs right now unless you see damage
Okay to prune live oak and red oaks through January
Okay to prune trees
Thyme

Divide/Move

Shrubs, roses, trees, evergreen spring-blooming perennials

Prep

Mulch cold tender plants like gingers, Esperanza and semi-tropicals
Select spots where you want fruit trees, grapes, or berries to plant in January; for now, prep with compost
Get that row cover ready! Do not protect plants with plastic!

Lawn

If must mow, keep high to shade out germinating weeds
It’s really not a good idea to overseed with rye unless you have new, muddy construction and a dog!

Other tasks

Cut basil to freeze in oil in ice cube trays to use this winter in soups and stews
Collect seeds from summer annuals to dry and store indoors until next spring
Take cuttings of tender annuals to propagate in warmth to plant next spring
Rake leaves into beds to mulch over winter and return nutrients to the soil
Mow leaves on grass (if not raking to beds or compost) to break them down
Collect leaves from neighbors to add to compost pile!
Deeply water new plants; keep new seedlings moist but not drenched

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