Planting wildflower seeds

11/12/23

Pre Wildflower Seeds:

In preparation to plant wildflower seeds, we must create the best soil condition. Our volunteers watered the soil, making it easier to hoe the weeds. The roots of grass have extensive roots, which take all the nutrients from the soil, competing with the wildflowers. Grass was pulled up to provide our wildflower seeds with nutrient rich soil. We will plant our seeds after it rains this week!

Irrigating Trees:

While watering our Apricot trees in donut ditches, we noticed trees with different health levels (yellow and green leaves being the indicator) had different rates of soil moisture absorption. This is a question that would need more investigating, but it may be correlated to the nutrient content of the soil for the tree.

~ KK

We are curious about what might be health indicators for the trees. The results of soil analysis and leaf tissue analysis have provided clues. More about that later.

Alot has happened since our last post. The Los Altos History Museum has now taken over responsibility for this urban green space. Our new orchardist, Terence Welch, is keen on cultivating soil fertility, conserving water and inviting pollinators. We are on track to become certified organic, which will be good for restoring biodiversity. This land has been cultivated as a monoculture for over 120 years, so we are eager to watch it recover with a low-till regenerative agriculture approach.

The bluebirds and warblers are passing through this week and we have received our first rain showers!
~JP

Posted on 18 de novembro de 2023, 05:16 AM by jmpackard