Homesteading in the City: Wrap Up

Is it December already? For this year's "homesteading in the city" theme, our definition of homesteading went beyond living off a 160-acre homestead; to finding resourceful and innovative ways to live, whether living off the land, pioneering something new, or choosing an alternative way to live. In that spirit, we delved into making and doing for ourselves with our modern gadgets; read books about and by homesteaders; and continued to appreciate plants, animals and the natural world.

Homesteading in the city - with all our modern gadgets and conveniences

Homesteading with Gadgets

Homesteading in the kitchen, with all our modern tools.

Making Yogurt (video)

Roasting Chicken (video)

Summer Treats (video)

Fluffy Dinner Rolls (video)

Books about Homesteaders

Interesting homesteaders of all kinds.

Four Walls Against the Wind

Tisha

Two in the Far North

I Married the Klondike

Little House in the Big Woods

Farmer Boy

Books for Homesteaders

Resources for homesteaders of all kinds.

Practical Formulas

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter

A Year of Holidays

Enjoying Nature

Enjoy the seasons, the moods of nature, and the local birds and critters.

Here are the Hummingbirds (video)

Rainy Winter Night

Should I Take Down My Bird Feeder?

Shadow Play

Mourning Doves (video)

Scrub Jay with a Mangled Leg

Fall Back and Full Moon

Eastern Fox Squirrels (video)

Garden Projects

Work on garden infrastructure, and enjoy the yard and neighborhood.

Month-by-Month: Winter   Spring   Summer   Fall

Landscaping Site Visit

Urban Forestry (video)

Fall Arrangement: Pampas Grass

Dyeing with Plants

Excursions

We took a few excursions to get out of the house, expand our horizons, and enjoy life.

Farewell to our Hemet Haven
Back to Work in San Ramon
Farmer's Market: Summer and Fall Bounty
Golden Hour at Lake Temescal
Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden
Mendocino, Fort Bragg, and the Rugged Coast

Soil Restoration Under the Oak

 The soil under the oak tree needs some help. The soil has compacted over time, and some of its roots are exposed above ground. The root zone is not a foot traffic area, but over time, gravity and natural drainage have eroded and compressed the soil. We stopped irrigating the area years ago. The lawn died, and was replaced with moss (beautiful during the rainy winter season, but less so during the dry summer months). It's good that we stopped watering, since too much water during the warm season invites disease for oaks.

Majestic oak tree trunk and limb

I scheduled a consultation with our arborist from Brende and Lamb to discuss the health of our oak tree, and get the scoop about soil restoration. Our landscaper had expressed concerns about several small cavities and cracks in the bark at the base of the tree. We've been letting the oak leaves collect under the tree in a natural duff to jump start the soil restoration process. I wondered whether we could do more, such as bring in a load of wood chip mulch (see Wood Chips Everywhere!), or aerate the soil using a soil aerator or an air spade (a.k.a, an air knife). I also wanted to discuss irrigation, since we have plans to modernize our old, broken system.

Small cavities in the oak bark go back several inches

Our arborist has been monitoring and pruning our oak for years. He opined that the cracks in the bark were part of the natural growth pattern, and that the small cavities were probably fine since they did not harbor standing water. Limb attachments in a v-shape are more worrying, since they can trap moisture that can lead to rot (versus u-shaped attachments, where water rolls off more easily). He recommended that we bring in wood chip mulch to protect the soil, and encourage its restoration. He also recommended that under our big trees, a soaker hose  is a good irrigation solution (even oaks appreciate an occasional (monthly) drink of water during the hottest months).

Ridges and roots under the oak tree

Optionally we could aerate the soil. He thought the air spade would be overkill, since our oak is not in a high traffic area. But he described a method of using a deep-root irrigator to create holes in the soil, and then filling them with organic mulch to enable the exchange of oxygen in the soil. Many tree services offer the service, but it would be quite expensive for the area under our oak. Instead he recommended doing it ourselves - chipping away at it over time, especially during the rainy season when the soil is typically moist. It's a pleasure to meet with someone who knows and loves trees. We now have the information we need for the next steps!

Wood chips in the foreground, and leaf duff beyond

The Chinese Elm Drops a Branch

Our Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) recently dropped a branch after several days of intense rain. The tree has Anthracnose, a slow moving fungal disease that eats away at the bark and causes cankers. Eventually a branch may become weak and die.

Branch descended from the Chinese Elm (Spring 2019)

The tree dropped another branch about two years ago, in similar circumstances, after the heavy rains that brought us out of the drought. What's unique about the tree is that, in both cases, the limbs descended slowly, making muted snapping sounds as the compromised wood fibers gave way. The branches did not come crashing down as they might have in other trees.

Another branch blocked gate (Spring 2017)

Our arborist has been monitoring the disease over the last 20 years, trying to keep the tree for as long as possible. It has lovely mottled bark, shiny single-toothed leaves, a graceful stance, and provides lovely dappled shade along side our big oak tree. So far we have been able to save the tree. As always, we called Brende and Lambe to clear away the fallen branch, aesthetically prune what remains, and assess the safety of the tree.

The branch has been removed and the tree still provides shade (Spring 2019)

Street Trees Through the Seasons: Wrap Up

Learn more about the magnificent trees that grow in our world, and follow common Bay Area street trees through the seasons. Seeing mature trees and trees in season may help you pick the best trees for your garden or landscape.

Oak mixed forest near Redding, California

Getting Started 

The importance of trees, and how plants are named, classified, and identified.

Plant Identification Terminology
Plant Identification Keys
Plant Classification
Botanical Names
Tree Registries (Oct 2016)
Ancient Trees (Oct 2016)

Tree Basics 

Learn how trees work, and how to care for them.

Back to School – Tree ID
Working with an Arborist (May 2011)
The Art of Structural Pruning (2011)
Leaf Peeping (Oct 2014)
Fall Colors (Sep 2014)

Street Trees Through the Seasons 

Follow eighteen common street trees through the seasons in Dublin, California.

Aristocrat Pear	Ficus
Birch	London Plane Tree
Cherry	Nuttail's Scrub Oak
Chinese Hackberry	Pin Oak
Chinese Pistachio	Raywood Ash
Coast Redwood	Robinia
Columnar Hornbeam	Scarlet Oak
Crape Myrtle	Silk Tree
Desert Willow	Upright English Oak

Terrific Trees 

Look for terrific trees here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and beyond.

Sacred Groves
The Trees of Overfelt Gardens
Trees of Mountain View Cemetery (Jan 2015)
Trees in Washington Park (Jan 2014)
Legacy Trees in Burlingame (Jan 2014)
Trees of Lakeside Park (Feb 2013)
Capitol Park Tree Tour (Jul 2014)
Street Trees in Santa Cruz (Jul 2011)
Oaks in Zion Park

Parks and Arboretums 

Visit parks and arboretums to see magnificent native and exotic tree specimens.

Capitol Park in Sacramento (Mar 2013)
Roberts Regional Recreation Area (Nov 2017)
Redwood Regional Park (Feb 2017)
Joshua Tree National Park (May 2013)
Santa Cruz Arboretum (Feb 2015)
South Seattle College Arboretum (Jan 2019)
McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Garden (Jun 2017)

Books, Movies and Music 

Read about trees, and enjoy them in film and song!

Alaska Trees and Shrubs
Gardiner's  Latin
Trees of the California Landscape
Ginkgo (Jan 2015)
Ancient Trees – Portraits of Time (Jul 2016)
Summer Movies: The Tree of Life (Jul 2012)
O Tannenbaum (Dec 2012)

Eden by the Bay – First Anniversary

Yesterday the Eden by the Bay blog celebrated its first anniversary! That means 154 posts covering everything from Mediterranean climates, desert plants, arborists, pruning, and vegetable gardening to Sunset climate zones, roof top gardening, great gardening books, holidays, movies with plant movie stars, and gardening history. For the most part, I’ve stuck with the original charter of gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area. But, I soon found that there is a connection between the larger botanical and gardening world, and the specific world of gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Welcome to Eden: The first post!

I’ve learned a lot about blogging in the last year, and had fun trying out the Google Blogspot tools. I’ve especially enjoyed interactions with the Eden by the Bay community. We have readers from all over the world, including Russia, British Isles, Canada, India, Pacific Rim, Europe, Eastern Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East, to name a few, in addition to the Americas. I love having gardening friends all over the world! I also love getting links to interesting articles from readers, and try to share them. Keep them coming!

It has been a great year. I plan to keep going and hope you’ll continue joining me on the wonderful journey of gardening, whether in the San Francisco Bay Area, or in the wide world of gardening!

Caring for Oaks

In nature, oak trees can live 350 to 500 years, well over the human lifespan. They grow through several stages – seedling, juvenile (2-5 years), adolescence (15 – 50 years), maturity (50 – 200 years), and senescence (200 plus years) – as they form their particular shape and character. Oak trees require space and have particular soil, watering, and nutrition requirements. Caring for oaks in the garden requires basic understanding of these needs, and a vision that extends beyond the gardener’s own lifespan:

A Quercus agrifolia seedling. This acorn was most likely
"planted" by a squirrel in preparation for winter.

• Seedlings require lots of water to become established. This may mean deep, weekly watering (15 gallons) for the first two years.
• Once established, oaks require much less watering. Many California native oak species are adapted to the summer-dry climate. After three years, they should not be watered in summer, except during extreme or prolonged drought.
• Oaks establish a deep tap root, as well as many shallow feeder roots at the surface within the drip line. These feeder roots should not receive any direct water, to avoid root rot. This means clearing away lawn or plants under the oak.
• If you do plant under an oak, select species with compatible water needs, preferably within its natural plant community.
• Protect oak roots during construction projects. Problems may manifest in an oak tree long after the project is completed if roots are damaged during construction.
• Mulch with the oak’s own organic matter (fallen leaves, acorns, and catkins), up to, but not touching, the trunk. Do not use other fertilizers.
• Prune toward the end of summer, when the weather is still dry, since oaks seem to be susceptible to water borne pathogens. Work with an arborist to develop a strong limb structure through pruning, while the tree is young.

Urban oaks face continual menace from damage, overwatering, space constraints, improper pruning, and disease. With some care, they can live into maturity, giving pleasure to people, and providing habitat for birds, insects, and wild life.

Arborist to the Rescue

It's the retaining wall

Our arborist came to assess the health of our trees, and give an estimate for pruning some of the big trees. This is something we do every two or three years to keep the trees in scale with the property, and ensure safety.

He also gave a diagnosis for the death of the three maple trees - last year’s broken sprinkler and the retaining wall conspired to flood the roots and drown the trees. Roots need oxygen in the soil in order for the tree's hydraulics to work. The water and oxygen exchange draw water up the trunk and out through the leaves. With flooded roots, the tree suffocates.

The soil may have also become compacted. Soil compaction can be a problem with clay soil. The solution to this is aeration to increase pore space in the soil, enabling a better exchange of water and oxygen. The process involves using an aerator to dig holes in the ground every 18 inches, and fill the holes with compost.

Once we remove the trees , we'll be  planting new maple trees, because we miss their beauty, elegance, and grace. 

Evil Comes to Eden

Death has come to my little piece of Eden - three Japanese maple have died. All three maples stand in a row, near a retaining wall, which separates the slope of the yard from the patio. All three maples have thrived since we moved into our home fourteen years ago. All three maples now show the same symptoms – first the buds did not develop last spring, then mushrooms and conks began to grow in the fall, then the bark peeled on the northern face of the trunks in the winter. Looking back, death happened over a period of time, so I could have take action sooner.

One of the maple trees - notice the
peeling bark

And, looking back, I can see several events that may have contributed – several years of drought, followed by two very rainy seasons. There was as sprinkler incident last spring, where we realized we had an underground leak, which might have flooded the root zone. Perhaps the soil itself is infected with something. A beetle infestation might explain the peeling bark (although, in the Arboriculture class I took last fall, we learned that pest infestations may be a secondary symptom for a tree that is already in a weakened state).

Symptom: dead branches

Symptom: peeling bark

Symptom: conk (the fruit of a wood-rotting fungus)

HTML Tables

Another possibility is that circling roots may have strangled the trees (I also learned in the Arboriculture class that many container grown trees develop circling roots; after they are planted, the trees grow fine until they reach a certain size, and then the roots cut off the vascular system and strangle the tree). And a final thought is that every living thing has a life span, and eventually dies. Enough speculation, it is time to call in our arborist, Brende and Lamb of Berkeley (http://www.brendelamb.com/), to diagnose the problem. They have been pruning my big trees and providing guidance for years.