Unknown: Well hello, and thanks for joining us for another episode of min American gardener.

I'm your host Tinisha Spain and joining me as someone who needs no introduction, but we're going to have her introduce herself anyway.

So Marty, tell us about you.

And where can we find you?

Hello.

My name is Martie Alanya.

I'm a pretty much retired landscaper, I did a lot of home and some commercial landscapes.

I kind of specialize in perennials and shrubs and trees for the smaller, smaller landscapes.

But nobody's called me to do Windsor Castle over so yet it hurt, you know, yeah, but I'm still I'm live with the Queen said she's clearing her schedule until spring.

So you might get that call.

Just, I love Korea.

I love them.

So I'm Hardy.

As you can see, she came fully prepared today.

She's the good student, we're gonna be talking soil samples, soil testing, how to get things ready, how to know what your landscape is needing for what you want to grow.

So she's going to teach us how to test that.

And she's got samples from other places.

Also, we had a lot of people send in Facebook questions.

Thank you very much about landscaping.

And we happen to have the landscaping lady in house.

So tell us so you've got samples from different places?

Yes, take it away.

Okay, I went to a local garden center, you can get these anywhere.

And I bought a soil test kit.

Now this one has 10 tests, okay.

All this does is pH it just is just the the alkalinity or acidity of your soil.

But we pause there for just a second just to talk about what likes what you know what plants like a little slightly more acidic.

Okay, so people can kind of typically, typically, I would say it's safe to say that plants on the drier side enjoy a little bit more of a lime, sweeter, higher pH, the average pH is like, I don't know what six to something like six between 665 Okay, six points just a it's just a measurement.

And it tells you how sweet, alkaline or acidic you're, your soil is.

And plants that live in swampy boggy areas will typically like more of an acidic environment to grow best evergreens.

rhododendrons, azaleas, Holly, there's a lot of plants in that genre who enjoy and actually really even need to do well.

They need more acidic soil.

But most vegetables don't.

So good to know either.

Yeah, yeah.

So yeah.

Okay, so these are these are widely available.

And if you want to tighten up the shot on that or not, but these are widely available everywhere, you can get them that do like 20 samples.

But I'd say people online by are just not that big.

So these are really, really easy to do.

I've suggested this often.

And here we are the perfect time.

Perfect time getting ready.

Okay, so this comes with full instructions.

Okay.

It's very, very easy.

And that's even got a plant preference list.

Ah, that's why I was included.

Yeah, you certainly back.

Thank you.

So yes.

So you need soil.

And this got these little pills, these little capsules and you empty those little water.

We're just going to do that right now.

It would be better if the soil was on the dry side.

That seals really, really well look at that.

And let me see.

Okay, we'll just take samples numerically.

This is from cornfield near my house, and there's all these up the ground is frozen.

Right?

And she's such a friend of the show a good day.

Yeah, I don't know.

You looked at me like a secret.

No, no, no.

She said drag on such a hardcore MidAmerican gardener person.

She went out dug up frozen soil for us.

Yes.

Me and the dog and a shovel.

So okay, so it's better if the soil is a little bit on the crumbly side, okay, drying.

Okay.

Got some?

Here.

That's we're gonna have to wipe the table off later.

All right.

Okay.

Pay me the big boy.

That's right now I've heard about that I haven't seen.

Okay, so there's a little line on here that tells you how much helpful to put soils just a little bit.

And then there's a line up here that tells you how high to fill it with water and it's just being See on the back here.

There's a big space here, there's just this little this little bit where the soil and the water and the tester material goes.

Okay, hang on to that.

Sure.

Fall.

Okay.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yes, we're able bodied assist here.

Here to start with Okay.

All right.

You've got a you have 10 Nacua Do you hear your kid has enough to test 10 samples 10 But they had one that did like 21 and why it would be 21 instead of 20 I thought was very odd, but there you go.

I'm just gonna Herculean effort this little bag open.

You think they make a ziploc but they didn't.

So?

Probably we are.

Okay, so you take one of these little dudes.

Okay.

And you tear it open.

Still slightly illegal, but it's not.

It's not.

I mean, it would be if this was cocaine, but it turns out it's not probably.

Okay.

We'll just moving on.

And we'll put that back in there.

That's what we're doing.

Okay, get over that little fella.

Okay, so I think you can probably slurp water up with this, which is pretty handy.

They include it.

Well, isn't that goes on the same side or the larger side?

It goes in this side.

Okay.

And you just fill it up to the little wine at the top?

Well, they think everything.

I mean, I had a paper cup.

Thanks to my able bodied other assistants here.

But yeah, so Okay.

Yes.

Give her that in there.

Do you need me to turn it around so you can see the water level line?

Or, you know, I'm a professional.

That's right, I forgotten.

I forgot who I was dealing with here.

It hurt.

Alright, and we put the little lid on, okay.

And it's section for the big side in the little side.

So you don't make a horrible mistake.

And fling this all over your quit step and alone tail there.

Okay, all right.

Sugar, sugar, sample one.

Chicken.

Yes.

The bowl.

It's, it's, it's thrilling.

So there has to process for a couple of minutes, right?

It takes just a couple of minutes.

It's not long.

But just by the time that the the soil settles out of it, you just want to get it shook up real well.

And then by the time the soil settles out, then we'll have color that matches one of these, and it'll tell you about where your pH is.

It's very simple.

It's very simple.

This can save you a lot of agony.

Like why aren't those stupid tomatoes growing the way I want him to?

Well, no, because he might help the tomatoes prefer and you'll find that.

Oh, so while we're waiting for that to process we have we had a lot of folks send in landscaper questions because I told them you were coming.

Okie dokie.

Let's see my adoring public Lorraine.

Her fourth says I'd like some advice on trimming and shaping a young Redbud tree.

Mine has several very long branches that make the tree look lopsided.

So what would you do to rectify that and when you can pruning right now is to go and step back from the tree.

Obviously learn you've done this already you looked at it, you didn't like the way it looked.

But step back from the tree, say across the yard.

Probably Probably.

There are also sprouts coming from the ground.

It's typical for red bud to be planted when it's kind of small.

And it's really easy to plant a small tree too deeply.

And then they get little suckers on the bottom.

And they're trying because where the trunk comes down and meets the part of the tree where the roots begin is it's absolutely essential that that is not under the ground.

Okay, and right there, there's a little flare at the bottom, even no matter how small the tree is, there's a little flare there where the trunk stops, the above ground part stops and the roots begin.

And if you if you cover the flare, like that even an inch two you're going to have you're going to have sprouts.

But even if you don't have those whips in redbuds are really, really common, because they grow pretty quickly.

They're not a long live tree.

And also probably they're an understory tree.

So I'm just guessing green, that the whips are going way out to the sunny side.

And it's oh, you know, like that's not what I want.

So, follow the whip back and take it off where it where it begins.

I mean take it off.

Whoo, take it off there.

Just take it off right there.

And it's you know, whips or, I don't know, maybe as big as your thumb, maybe as big as your finger.

Just take them off.

Really flush.

Don't leave a little Don't Don't do that.

Take it all the way.

Take it flush when you cut something off of the tree, take it off flush.

Because otherwise it looks horrible.

So, okay, so well that's looking pretty green.

There.

It is.

Quite dark.

I'm thinking.

Yeah, maybe we need we need backlighting.

Oh, no, it looks Yeah, almost hunter green.

Yeah, it's seven, five.

That's what it looks like.

So for that, and which sample was this one where this was the cornfield, the farm field right near my house.

Well, so the farmer I was gonna say, good job.

They're watching here.

It's it's in tip top when the cornfield.

Okay.

Okay, so that was good.

Um, I wonder if there's anything at all that I could dump that right into the truck.

And while you're resetting for the next one, how about I fire off another question?

Absolutely.

This is from Dan Phillips.

And Dan says his backyard is pretty shady, wants to know if more fertilizer using more than the recommended rate, or overseeding with Shady grass seed together, or both or individually will help get some grass in those shady spots.

Then, pal, I since bad news.

I got bad news, right?

No amount of fertilizer is gonna make that grass grow in shade.

It's just not no overseeding with grassy with shade tolerant.

There's no such thing as a shade loving grass, but shade tolerant grass.

That's going to help you a lot.

And boy, this is clay soil.

And it's really being clay.

Yeah, yeah.

So for all you new homeowners.

So Dan, what you also need to do is get with Lorraine.

Sharpen your pruners and see if you can open up the canopy of the trees there.

Because what your grass needs is light.

Grass loves light.

Corn grows in light.

Lawns grow in light.

needs light.

Yeah, those are all grasses.

So for a shady backyard worse than me, he's got some pretty mature trees.

And I would I would guess, but even so you can, you can sometimes even very mature trees have a couple of low hanging branches.

And I'm sorry, but really, if you want to get rid of or you want to get your, your grass encouraged to grow, what you're going to need to do is somehow get it more light.

And that's it.

So you can also I don't know the situation, I'm guessing you've probably already considered the possibility of not grass.

So and there's no shade loving ground covers, or is it shady enough that you could have a delightful hosta garden?

Because you know, you could?

So maybe consider some other things other than grass.

Yeah.

But if you really want grass, what you're really going to have to have is more like it's the fertilizer is not the issue.

Okay.

All right.

Angie Walsh writes, maybe too soon.

But how do I get my Wisteria to bloom?

It grew like crazy last summer, but not a flower insight.

Are those kind of fussy?

Yes, I think yes, they are.

Especially when they're young.

They're beautiful.

Just they are beautiful.

But they'll just strangle small children on the way by these things.

They are ramping growers.

There's no doubt about that.

But also the blooms now could that be a pH thing that Angie is not typically a stereo like girls on the moon.

So yeah, I think so.

I'm not saying it blooms, Angie.

I'm just saying it grows.

So don't feel bad.

Oh, yeah.

Don't feel bad.

So yeah, we're stereo typically need to be in the ground.

At least two, possibly seven years.

And you also need to think about not getting it just letting it grow when you can.

Oh, yeah.

Okay, so we're putting clay in here, by the way.

Okay.

This is the client wearable shaken up.

Oh, I'm a professional.

Don't try this at home.

I'm just glad you did.

Cuz really?

Yeah.

Me too.

I go.

Well, there goes that this was gonna be on the cutting room.

I'm 61.

So you know, you I'm getting there.

You weren't there.

You weren't on I'm trying to.

So So maybe, yeah, your Western might be too young, but also trying to prove it really hard.

The ones I've seen that do well, usually.

And you can as you probably know, you have to have an amazingly sturdy thing for them to grow on because they're just cray cray.

But, but they will do they will do it.

Mostly it's just time.

Don't try to encourage it with extra fertilizer or anything like that.

Just Western It does what it wants to do.

Just try to stay away.

Don't stand too close while you're napping.

Because Okay, so there's that's the Clay Right?

It's the clay.

Okay, so we'll see what it looks like.

But it's Illinois clay.

So it's it's like filter that's from a pile of, of like clay filter.

clean dirt.

First of all it's never it's always Rick bracken.

But then it's also it's highly CLAY Yes content so my backyard is is just full of clay and I have a lot a hard time getting things to grow back there because it's just so heavy and Oh, water.

Yeah, all the things it's no fun.

So we've tried raised beds we've tried hay bale gardening, anything to just get things off the ground because it's so hard to get it to grow.

I know guy.

Okay, we haven't we haven't my other solution on number 34.

Okay, so, Genie Genie or Jean Goble.

She has lots of questions about landscaping.

So I'll just hit you with a couple of them.

She's got a great big backyard, and is looking for a single element for the big pop.

So a great big spacious area.

What's something that you you know, is very stunning, very eye catching that you one of your faves?

If space was No, yeah, constraint got, you know, the job spot didn't?

Well, there are so many options.

I mean, is it a sunny backyard?

Is it is it surrounded?

Is there a backdrop of, of woods or lake or?

Like be at the property to try to assess it makes you kind of do I mean, do you have a fabulous backdrop of evergreens?

Because if you do, you might want to do a really colorful if you want a single focal point in the yard, which is not typically what is done in a big yard like that, but if you do, you know, you might go for a really colorful tree.

really colorful, like autumn colored tree.

There's just, it's really hard.

That's a tough question.

All right.

All right.

All right.

I mean, I kind of need a picture.

You know, how how big is big?

Is it a big city lot?

Is it?

Is it an acre and a half?

acres we our Genie, I challenge you to send us a picture of your to do.

I'm sorry, I'm not any more helpful now.

But really?

No, that was a tough question.

It's a visual thing.

And I'm like, I have no idea.

I mean, picturing probably 100 Different yards.

If you lived in an apartment.

This studio is a whopper, you know, but true.

It's true.

Yeah.

So, so anyway, what do you what else you got?

Oh, it's in and out a little bit here.

Yeah.

Okay.

She had several questions.

So another one was what is a good ornamental grass that you like that will help block a neighbor view?

Depending on how bad the neighbor view really is.

There are a number of Miscanthus that come in to yeah Miscanthus.

Its maiden hairgrass morning light is common variety.

And you know, you can you can also do Pampas grass, which is enormous, but grass has more maintenance than evergreens.

So I'm thinking I'm thinking maybe lucky windbreak or something.

You know, because I don't know.

Are they nudists?

Or are they just junk?

Just yeah, I don't know.

Which one is it?

I'm kind of neighbors are we dealing with much do you really want to see Yeah, okay, that's true.

That's true.

That's something okay.

Okay.

I think we got this one.

Not as dark as the first one.

I don't know if you can probably start the first one.

But I'd say this is boy you really do need a light cry.

Hold it up here to the light.

It really looks more like we've got lights in the studio.

People aren't just when I'm thinking six five, lightly acidic.

Yeah, I think is that what you would expect for clay?

I would think Yeah, yeah.

Clay is typically typically a little more acidic.

And that's because it holds more water.

Okay, you know, it doesn't doesn't just allow so we've got about seven minutes left cam.

Do you use any witch hazel shrubs, and if you do, are there any they're pretty they are pretty so narrow.

Nice.

No recommendations on that one.

What was the question?

What types of witch hazel shrubs would you recommend?

There's mostly people select them just because of the hammer.

Malice is the genus.

Most people just select them because of their the color of their bloom.

They come in yellow, orange and red.

And if I'm not mistaken, I think they have full color as well.

On their foliage there.

They're kind of a big romping shrub.

I was just gonna ask what their Yeah, growth is like and yeah, where you put them in You know, in thinking of the future, yeah, in front of the dining room window is not a good spot.

It's just a little bit too much there.

Okay, for the sake of time, what's this one?

Oh yeah, that's the limestone.

I'm going to do some well rotted horse manure compost.

Here.

This is completely cold and ready to rock and roll.

Yeah, it's ready to use when you have a compost pile made of manure, when the weeds begin to grow on it, you've arrived.

Yes.

The pitchfork and yeah Burnham in.

So okay, so yeah, witchhazel it's, it's beautiful.

So if if hemodialysis is, in fact, what you're talking about doing?

Like I said, it's kind of a big romping shrub sort of like Forsythia.

So it, you know, it takes off and flies it goes all over the place.

And if I'm not mistaken, it will sucker a little bit.

Okay, but so on the edge of a property back in the back corner where you can appreciate its form.

But not, don't hold on, but not take over.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's not snagging you on the way back and well, I tear the end off and then the thing comes apart.

Now you're just being recalcitrant.

look that one up?

Yeah.

That's a big word, children.

There we go.

All right.

All right.

Last one, probably, I think we might we might run out of time before we get to another one, maybe.

And then while you're doing that, somebody asked, and I thought this was a great question for you.

How do you know how do you choose your landscaper?

I'm sure you were just so pleasant and peach to work with.

That's a given.

But how do you choose when you have someone come to the house?

You know, how do you choose your landscaper?

Well, what are some key attributes that kept your customers coming back?

When you have to?

Well, I am Jeremy.

But see what kind of questions to ask you.

Instead of you know, first of all, meet him when you meet people and you know, right away whether or Oh, and you know, he that you feel like they've got a feel for what you're talking about?

And if they in my opinion, if they ask you questions like, What colors do you like?

What have you tried here before?

How do you see this area?

Do you look out this window a lot, you know, stuff like that?

But if they go well, here, I'll just sketch this out.

No problem.

There's no give it to you, you know, it's like, oh, you know, your yard is is important because I come and work in it.

And then I'll leave exactly what to do.

We'll try to do something that makes you happy.

I mean, I had a, I had a long standing client that I just adored, and I, and usually I worked with her husband.

But one day, he wasn't there.

And I came to work.

And she came out on the deck.

And I said, What do you like, what?

What differences would you like to make?

I never get to talk to you about this.

And she said, I look at this kitchen window a lot.

And I don't like the view.

Oh, and that she probably had the worst view of the whole yard because there was some still some junk and stuff, kind of some bricks and things piled up there.

And I said, Wait, fix that.

Yeah, so I did.

And she really liked peonies, we planted a bunch of them.

They had a lilac tree that bloomed.

We put some, it was just it was such a relationship that you build having those conversations.

So if you've got someone that's just coming in, kind of fly by night and rushing you through it probably well, even even like, I don't know, if somebody comes in and they want to tell you what to put in instead of asking you what you'd like to see.

Since there don't live there.

I thought that was important.

I thought that was important to find out.

You know what the client would like?

Here's a good question.

Do they ask you if I've had a couple clients who were Foursquare against particular colors in the yard?

As a landscaper, it's important.

So yeah, I made the mistake once of doing it backwards.

And I said, Well, here I was gonna do these and then there was like me, I thought purple would go really nice against the house.

She liked and she did not like purple.

I went home again.

And I got out more graph paper.

That's what I did.

So that's good advice.

That's all good advice.

Just mean I mean this, like somebody.

I don't know, I always felt like I had a friend relationship with my my clients.

I just didn't I send blast in and do something over and over to check by.

You know, I just, I don't know.

Okay.

So we've got one minute left We're going to make the test and time we're going to finish our test into our built out sold out sold out sale downstairs.

And this is the this is the compost.

But there's the stuff in the bottom.

Oh Dagnabbit Come on.

That one might not make it.

But if it doesn't, what typically where does manure fall it's going to fall and possibly on the acidic side because compost made out of manure has uric acid has urine in it and there's usually a bedding of some kind.

serratus is what my horses are bed on.

And sawdust breaks down as any thing breaks down against the soil.

It eats up nitrogen.

Gotcha.

But then the uric acid from the urine kind of it kind of counterbalances that.

So what compost is really great for is not pH correction as much as just lightening the tilt of your soil, like that clay, it could sand a truckload of this, because it's nice and it's still not quite turning yet, but that's all right when I shook it, I thought those little gone well, they imagery get the gist, right?

Yeah, get the gist.

You know what?

You need to buy one of these things get and come out to my barn, get some poop and see what you think.

And we're gonna end on that.

Okay.

Well, thank you so much, Martie.

It's always fun.

Always a pleasure.

Thanks for bringing thanks for having dirt into the studio.

And thank you for watching and sharing see you next time