RENEGADE GARDENER™
The lone voice of horticultural reason
My Of The Week Archive
Little did the Renegade Gardener know that of the five regularly updated features on the site, “Myth of the Week” would prove to be the most popular. Is it their superb timeliness? Their horticultural accuracy? Their unflinching profundity? The fact that they provided easy fodder for snotty one-liners?
You decide.
- “Coffee grounds, pine needles, oak leaves, distilled vinegar and sour milk products can be used to acidify soil”
- “A compost bin should be placed in sunny or semi-sunny areas, so it gets light.”
- “A compost pile needs to be turned and watered regularly”
- “A home compost pile or bin can spontaneously combust”
- “Add gravel to the bottom of containers to improve drainage”
- “Adding peat moss to your soil will lower the pH”
- “Always buy and plant perennials in threes.”
- “Always plant a tree at the same depth it was in the pot”
- “Always plant a tree at the same level as the soil in the pot or top of the root ball.”
- “An easy way to increase air circulation to the bottom of the compost pile is by first laying a foot-high, loose structure of stout brush on the ground, then adding the layers of compost materials on top if it.”
- “Annuals bloom all summer long”
- “Arborvitae grow in shade”
- “Bone meal is good to add to soil when planting trees and shrubs”
- “Boughs cut from your Christmas tree work beautifully as a winter mulch on the garden.”
- “Crabgrass pre-emergent should be spread on the lawn every spring”
- “Deadheading lilacs increases next year’s bloom”
- “Dirt is dirt, and ‘fill’ is dirt”
- “Don’t call shrubs ‘bushes.’”
- “Drought tolerant plants means they don’t need to be watered.”
- “Evergreens Need Sun in Winter’’
- “Fall Bulbs Need to Be Planted in the Fall.”
- “Fertilizer runoff is the chief cause of excess algae growth in ponds, lakes and rivers.”
- “Free trees or shrubs that I can dig and move to my yard are a good deal”
- “Gardening is always a peaceful, soothing pleasure.”
- “Gasoline in a can or tank is good all season”
- “Genetically modified grains are potentially hazardous to human health.”
- “Glyphosate is the Agent Orange of our time”
- “Groundcovers have a tough time under pine trees because the soil is too acidic.”
- “Hostas are a shade plant, and don’t tolerate sun.”
- “If I water my trees and shrubs heavily starting this fall, it will help them survive winter, even though I’ve pretty much neglected them all summer long.”
- “Installing an automatic drip or overhead irrigation system for shrubs, trees or perennials mean you never have to water them by hand”
- “It’s a good idea to add a little lime to your soil at the start of each gardening season, particularly spread on the lawn.”
- “It’s a good idea to rototill your garden beds every year.”
- “Japanese beetle traps are helpful in controlling these pests in your yard”
- “Lawn mower manufacturers create five height settings on lawn mowers so that I can opt for the lowest setting and ignore the other four the entire rest of my life.”
- “Lawns should be fertilized in early spring”
- “Moisture in the soil increases frost depth in winter”
- “Moss growing in your lawn is a sign of acidic soil”
- “Native plants will attract more wildlife – birds, bees, butterflies – than cultivated plant varieties.”
- “One can have a low-maintenance landscape”
- “Organic fruits and vegetables are not sprayed with chemicals.”
- “Organic pesticides don’t harm the environment.”
- “Organic produce is healthier and has more vitamins and nutrients than conventionally grown produce.”
- “Organically produced food is safer than conventionally produced food”
- “Perennials should be divided in the spring.”
- “Place the broken shards of an old clay pot over the drainage hole in the bottom of containers to keep the potting soil from seeping out.”
- “Plant trees a little deeper than grade because roots deeper in the soil find more water”
- “Planting milkweed is always beneficial to Monarch butterflies.”
- “Plants can tell the difference between organic and synthetic fertilizers”
- “Plants have a pre-programmed height that they grow to.”
- “Roundup Causes Birth Defects.”
- “Roundup, and its devil-spawn, Kleen-up, are hideous, monstrously toxic chemicals created in smoking vats by evil, monolithic corporate chemical companies who are reaping huge profits while poisoning our children.”
- “Specially designed grow lights work better than plain fluorescent bulbs when starting seeds”
- “Spring is the best time to plant a tree.”
- “Thatch increases in lawns where the grass clippings are allowed to remain on the lawn.”
- “The best time to plant trees is in early fall”
- “The most important design consideration in choosing and placing perennials and annuals is color of bloom.”
- “The new USDA Hardiness Zone map reflects the new normal for planting zones.”
- “The Renegade Gardener is Infallible”
- “The soil under and around pine trees and oaks is acidic”
- “The Stella de Oro daylily blooms all season long.”
- “Trees and shrubs should be fertilized at time of planting.”
- “Trees roots can grow into a house foundation and cause damage.”
- “Trees should be watered every two days after planting”
- “Using weed barrier fabric means you won’t have weeds.”
- “Vegetables grown in beds edged with copper chromium arsenate-treated wood are unhealthy to consume.”
- “Wait a minute, maybe dogs CAN be harmed by eating cocoa bean hull mulch”
- “Water newly planted container trees and shrubs once a week”
- “Water suckers and shoots on trees should be pruned in the spring”
- “Water-soluble fertilizers work just as well as granular, and are in many ways easier and more beneficial.”
- “Watering my trees and shrubs is covered, because I have a lawn irrigation system”
- “We’re doomed.”
- “When buying tomato plants, buy the biggest plants you can find.”
- “When planting a new tree, DO NOT AMEND THE SOIL you shovel back into the hole around the tree.”
- “When planting a tree, dig a hole twice the diameter of the container.”
- “Wood mulch attracts carpenter ants”
- “Wrapping the trunk of a young tree with paper tree-wrap in the fall prevents winter sun scald.”
- “You always wait for the ground to freeze before applying winter mulch.”
- “You can plant ball and burlap (B&B) material without removing the wire cage or burlap.”
- “You can’t grow cactus in Northern Zones”
- “You can’t plant a tree in the same spot where you had a tree removed”
- “You cover perennials with mulch in the fall to keep the ground warm”
- “You need to add extra nitrogen to the soil anywhere you use shredded bark or wood chips as mulch.”
- “You should add sand as an amendment to clay soils.”