Taking a Good Soil Sample

Beneficial results of a soil test depend on a good sample. A soil sample must be taken at the right time and in the right way. The tools used, the area sampled, the depth and the correct mix of the sample all influence quality of the sample.



The Timing
Ideally the soil should be tested a few months before planting. This allows time for lime applications (if recommended) to adjust the pH of the soil before you plant. You can test with less time before planting but it will be difficult to correct ph issues ahead of time.

The Right Way

• Use a clean probe or spade to take the sample.
  

If a spade or shovel is used, dig a V-shaped hole to the sample depth (4-6”), then cut a thin slice at the sample depth.

Each sample should represent only one type of soil or area- for example, a lawn, vegetable garden or landscaped area. If soil varies in these areas take separate samples for each soil type. For each unique area take at least 6-8 subsamples.

Mix soil subsamples from each unique area in a clean bucket. Do not use a bucket that has held fertilizers or chemicals. Be sure to mix thoroughly.

Allow samples to dry before transporting them to testing site.

Be sure to attach a note to each sample that contains your contact information including name, address, phone number and an email address. Also label the type of sample (lawn, vegetable garden, landscape area, etc...)

Help Out Nesting Birds

This time of year, birds are putting together nests for their eggs. You can help them out by providing the following items.

Nesting Materials
Find a mesh bag (onion bag) or empty suet feeder and fill it with a mixture of the following:
· short pieces of yarn, string and/or fabric
· human hair
· pet hair
· feathers
· twigs
· dried grass
· dried leaves
These items can all be used by birds to build their nests and make them soft and warm for their eggs. Mount your bag or feeder on a post or in a tree where birds can easily get to the nesting materials. DO NOT use fishing line, dryer lint or dryer sheets. These can be harmful to the birds and the eggs.

Food & Water
Keep your egg shells and help the female birds replace calcium lost from producing eggs. Clean your egg shells and dry them in the oven at 250 degrees for 10-30 minutes. When the shells have cooled crush them into small pieces and put them in an open spot on the ground or in a dish by your bird feeder(s). You can also mix them into your bird feed.

Provide CLEAN, shallow water for drinking and bathing. If possible, provide this year round, if not, especially make water available on hot days. Keep your feeders full and feed high protein foods such as peanuts, suets and mealworms.

If you come across a birds nest stay away from it, don’t linger and don’t return to it. We leave a scent that could attract predators and endanger the nest.

Providing these items will attract birds to your backyard for your pleasure and help them out during this busy time. Have fun watching the birds nest and the young learn about their new world.

Getting Started with Chicks and Ducklings

Baby chicks and ducklings are a sure sign of spring. However, if you plan on raising any specie of poultry, there are some very basic things to keep in mind.

Heat and Space for Chicks- One of the best ways to determine whether or not it is too hot or too cold for the chicks, is to observe the way they are behaving. If they are in a pile or bunch huddling under a heat lamp, it is probably too cold. You can lower the heat lamp to warm the area up. If they are hanging out as far as they can from the heat source, it is probably too hot and you can set the lamp up further away. If your brooder is set up in a way that you could hang your heat lamp from the ceiling or top a lamp that hangs would be best. If you have the birds in a brooder that doesn’t allow for anything to hang above you would be better with a lamp that can clamp onto something stable nearby.

Bulb for the Lamp- Most people use a 250 watt bulb. Some use a white bulb, some use a red bulb. Since chickens, quail and pheasants have cannibalistic tendencies, the red is said to deter them from pecking at each other. Ducks do not have these tendencies so using a white bulb for them would be fine. If you begin to have a problem with “pecking” you can purchase some anti-pick.

Feed and Water should be of free choice when they are young. We recommend for chicks using a starter feed medicated with amprolium, which helps develop an active immunity to coccidiosis. Keep in mind that you cannot feed this to ducklings, so feed them an unmedicated version (recommended for ducks and geese). For mixed flocks, the unmedicated version works best.

Size and Quantities of the Feeders and Waterers you choose will depend on the size of your flock. For most, starting with one or two 1 qt feeder base and the jar is sufficient. These setups allow for constant feed supply. Another way is using a feeder that isn’t self dispensing such as a 20in plastic feeder. Again for starting out, most flocks can thrive on one or two quart size or gallon size waterers. For smaller birds such as quail we recommend a quail base to the same jar. As the flock grows, larger feeders and waterers should be provided. Again it is important to keep fresh feed and water available at all times.

No matter what kind birds or what you plan to do with them when they become adults, a good start with proper housing and feeding can ensure you a happy, healthy, stress-free flock!

What kind of ice melt should I get?

When it comes to melting snow and ice, people have different needs.

Some just want the most inexpensive way to melt, which is plain sodium chloride, also known as rock salt or halite. This product is usually available as a 25 pound or 50 pound bag.

Others are concerned about melting the snow/ice quickly and keeping it from refreezing or melting in extreme temperatures. For these needs, we recommend calcium chloride. It comes in the form of pellets or flakes. QuikJoe is a calcium chloride product in the pellet form. Calcium Chloride melts at extreme temperatures, all the way down to -25 degrees F. It does not leave a powdery residue and has a lower application rate than other de-icers. Calcium Chloride also does not chemically harm concrete.

Another need is for a safe product to use around pets, children and vegetation. A magnesium chloride product is usually recommended to those with this type of need. It is safe for pets to walk on and will not harm their paws. It is also safe for people to touch during application. Due to magnesium having one-third fewer chlorides that calcium the chances of damaging plants by leaf burn or root toxicity are greatly reduced. Magnesium is also safe for concrete and will melt ice down to -25 degrees F.

There are many products that are available that mix these de-icing chemicals to provide a product that has a mix of these benefits. For example, Polar Express Ice Melt is 80% Sodium Chloride, 15% Calcium Chloride, and 5% Potassium Chloride. This results in a low cost ice melter that is safer on concrete than 100% Sodium and will melt down to a lower temperature than 100% Sodium Chloride.

Winter Horse Care

When it starts getting cold outside a horse’s body starts to make changes to adapt with the temperature. Probably the most noticeable change from our eyes is their hair coat. If a horse’s coat is allowed to grow, it can give them just as much protection from the cold as a blanket. Unless you are showing regularly through the winter months you should never clip any part of your horse during this time. When a horse feels colder weather coming on its hair reacts and tends to stand up to retain heat. If you are showing during the winter and your horse is body clipped a blanket may be necessary. Be sure that your horse is dry before you put a blanket on. Trapping moisture under a blanket for an extended period of time may cause skin problems on a horse. Use good common sense when blanketing. If it’s cold and snowy and windy, put a blanket on. If it’s cold but sunny take the blanket off.

One thing you can do during the winter to keep your horse a little warmer is give it a little extra hay. On those bitter cold nights a little extra hay can go a long way. During digestion a horse’s body produces heat. Digesting hay produces a lot more heat than digesting grain. This is why you should never give your horse extra grain during the winter to try to keep it warm. This increase consumption of hay you would think would make your horse want to drink more. However, in the winter months a horse actually decreases water consumption. This makes it especially important that you make sure it always has access to clean, fresh water. Frozen water buckets are not pleasant to anyone but there are a couple things you could do to make it easier. Rubber buckets are a blessing in the winter since you can hit them a little harder to break the ice versus plastic buckets. If your barn is wired for electric good enough, heated water buckets are also available. These can also be dangerous if the manufacturer’s instructions are not followed. It’s also a great idea to put heat tape around exposed hydrants in your barn. They can prevent water pipes from freezing and keep your plumbing bills down!

If your horse is outside during the winter and in the snow you will want to make sure ice is not being packed and making it hard for them to walk. Horses can slip much easier if ice is packed in their hooves. Be sure to keep up on getting your horses hooves trimmed during the winter. If hooves are not maintained during the winter you risk problems in the spring and it may prolong the time you wait until you can ride again.

Every horse owner knows that horse care during the winter is a lot more difficult than in the summer months. Frozen water, frigid temperatures, high winds and snow can make it miserable but your horse’s health will be better if it has the proper care and your wallet will be bigger not paying those expensive vet bills if something bad would happen.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree.

One of our favorite holiday traditions is going out as a family and picking just the right Christmas tree at a local Christmas tree farm and cutting it ourselves. However, over the past few years, we have discovered some tips to help our Christmas tree last through the holiday season. One thing that really helps is to spray the tree with an anti-wilt product. This minimizes needle loss and helps the tree maintain valuable moisture that it will lose being in a climate controlled home. We also put our tree up in a cooler part of the house, in front of a window and away from heating ducts. This also helps the tree retain moisture. One year we chose to get the tree with the bulb so that we could plant it in the yard after the holidays. When we did this we got a large galvanized tub to house the bulb of the tree. Depending on the bulb size and shape, it is not always easy to get the tree positioned just right. You can stabilize the tree in the center of the tub using rocks or bricks. Keep the bulb watered as often as necessary to moisten the roots but be sure to not make it soggy. It is also important to NOT apply any nutrients or fertilizer to the bulb while you have it in the house. This may initiate growth, which you do not want to occur in the dormant tree. However, once the tree is planted outside, you can use evergreen green fertilizer spikes to ensure that your holiday tree has the nutrients it need for many more Christmases to come!

Look out for the Lady Beetles!

When I got home the other day, my front porch was overrun with ladybugs (multi-colored Asian lady beetles). I went to my mother’s house to pick up my children and her house was overrun with the pesky little beetles as well. I wondered what caused such a sudden outburst of ladybugs and my mom said that it was because the farmers in the area were cutting soybeans. When I asked her why that had anything to do with the beetles, she wasn’t sure of the answer. She just heard that when farmers cut soybeans, it disturbs the ladybugs. However, it did seem weird to me that there was a huge correlation that the farmers in the area were cutting soybeans and suddenly there are tons of ladybugs.

I decided to do some brief research and ask a few different people and I found out that ladybugs control the aphids on soybeans. Now it all made sense! When the farmers cut the soybeans it obviously disturbs the ladybugs and that is why they are all over my front porch.

The ladybug in not a native to North America and was originally brought over from Australia to control aphids on orange trees and other crops. The ladybug has no natural predator in the United States and that is why there are so many of them. They also have some sort of mechanism in their bodies that keep them from freezing. I was told that if you put a ladybug in water completely submerged, froze it, and then let it de-thaw naturally, the little beetle would de thaw and crawl away. I may have to try this.

For more information on the Multi-colored Asian Lady Beetles, click here.