Mrs. Ichabod went to Hobby Lobby, so I went over to a nearby serious hardware store, the ideal place for tools. I bought a rake and tried it out around the crepe myrtle bush in the front yard. The soil creatures under the bush have been busy using up anything I put there for mulch - mushroom compost, shredded cyprus, mulched grass, and clippings from the bush itself.
We have sun today and a steady breeze, but the wind does not blow away the maple leaves that I raked up under the bush. The leaves interlock and stay in place. They will insulate and shade the soil while stopping wind and water erosion. Soil creatures (earthworms, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and fungi) need food and water. Mulch provides the food and holds water.
I had a big box of newspapers, easy to lift. After 3-4 inches of rain soaked into the box, lifting became a major chore. The difference is water held by the spongy nature of newsprint. Leaves are no different. They are like torn pieces of newsprint, but more artistic and pleasant to see blowing around.
I added Tending My Garden to the list, because she follows organic gardening methods. She advocates organic amendments for the soil, which is the non-mystery of Creation gardening. God works out all the details at a microscopic level.
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| A fungus knows how to trap and kill a nematoday, something most gardeners do not realize. |
Fungus is one example. One fungus will attract a nematode (worm) with chemicals, then use several cells to spring a trap. Fungi do not have mouth parts, so they dissolve their way into an organism and absorb the chemical components for their own use and to swap with plant roots.
Another fungus attracts nematodes with a chemical and stuns it with another chemical. Next it dissolves the nematode, moving its wormy nutrition along its incredibly long (for a fungus) body.
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| This graphic is a good summary for those who have read the material, but otherwise as useful as an auto mechanic's guide for new drivers. |
I like reading the small print in gardening books, the elaborate explanations, which are simplified for the non-scientists, a small indication of the infinite number of complexities and relationships in God's Creation, all dependent on each other.
