RADICLE Thinking

Charlie & Kathleen Marder: PRFCT from the start!

From the beginning of their business in 1975, Charlie and Kathleen Marder have taken a stand on protecting land from pesticides while offering an alternative to “cookie cutter” landscape designs.

In Marder's property care departments, nursery and garden shop, they are aggressively committed to all-organic practices to this day. That is why the Marders have partnered on our #ProtectYourPet campaign to let animal lovers know pesticides are dangerous to your pet!

The Marders name is synonymous with stunning, healthy landscapes – you can kick the toxic chemical habit and still have a fabulous property, one that is safe for you and your pet. Thank you Marders for supporting our #ProtectYourPet Campaign! Help spread the word with a donation of any amount.

Lawns were essentially organic before World War II, after which they went downhill because of an excess of nitrogen petrochemicals and a massive PR campaign that made clover a public enemy. Clover is actually good for lawns.

– Charlie Marder to Hamptons Cottage and Garden

Hi I'm Olive. Even though I stay indoors, that doesn't mean I am safe from lawn and landscape chemicals. Dangerous lawn and landscape chemicals can be tracked inside on shoes and clothing. Once indoors, out of direct sunlight, chemicals can persist in fabrics and on rugs for up to TWO YEARS!

Look for little pellets in the grass, yellow pesticide application signs and move your walk to the other side of the road, especially if your precious pet is with you! 

I love to nap on the couch, to play and roll on the rug, (and if you ask me, shoes are fantastic to chew!) The problem is my soft paws, underbelly, eyes and noses are all susceptible to chemical exposure, and chemicals cause everything from minor skin irritation to liver, kidney and GI tract damage in cats. In dogs, they are linked to health hazards from skin rashes to bladder cancer and canine lymphoma.

#protectyourpet

Please keep poisons out of my house, make a donation to the PRFCT #protectyourpet campaign and spread the message.

Thank you!
Olive Juniper
@olive_bythesea

Pre-emergent are herbicides designed to kill weed seeds BEFORE they sprout. They are usually granular and are applied to lawns and flower beds in the spring, but they persist for three months – that means prolonged time for human exposure. 

Below we have gathered important information about some typical active ingredients and their effects:

Prodiamine – carcinogen, neurotoxicity
Pendimethalin – extremely toxic to fish and aquatic organisms
Isoxaben – possible carcinogen, kidney/liver damage, toxic to birds
Oxyfluorfen – possible carcinogen, reproductive, birth and development effects, kidney/liver damage, skin irritant, toxic to fish and aquatic organisms
Oryzalin – kidney/liver damage, skin irritant, birth and developmental effects, toxic to fish and aquatic organisms
Trifluralin – extremely toxic to fish and aquatic organisms

Also, since the active ingredient is usually only 1% ... what are the 99% "other ingredients" ? They are often a blend of equally toxic ingredients that amplify the deadly effectiveness, which means they are even more toxic for you too.

Safe alternative? Although corn-gluten is often recommended as an organic pre-emergent for lawns, it is expensive, and timing is too critical to be effective, so we don’t recommend it. The PRFCT nature-based approach to weed control is to outcompete weeds in lawns. Overseed lawns in the fall or early spring before weeds germinate. In shrub and flower beds plant many small plants close together, leaving little to no space or sun for weeds. More plants is always a better option for filling space than bark mulches from far away.

If a green lawn is a sign of health, then the first brightest, greenest lawn in the spring has to be good, right? If you knew that what it takes to make a lawn jump the season, you might think differently.

Nature has its own schedule, worked out over millenia. Greening up earlier than nature intends requires heavy doses of fast-acting nitrogen. Much of it ends up in runoff and pollutes your nearby beloved water bodies. Over-fertilization causes fast, weak growth, at the expense of deep, healthy roots. This chemical-fueled growth is more susceptible to fungal diseases and insect attacks, which means more chemicals will be needed later on to correct preventable issues. This is the beginning of a cycle of chemical dependence – your lawn on drugs.

Why do you need your lawn to be green before its time? Will you think differently? When you see early green lawns, will you give them the (green) thumbs down? Will you be proud that your lawn will not join the party until it is old enough to drink (natural nutrients) responsibly?

Willow Water

IBA is a plant hormone that stimulates root growth and is present in high concentrations in the growing tips of willow plants. By soaking, you can get significant quantities of IBA to infuse into the water. SA is a plant hormone involved in signaling the plants defenses and works to fight off infection and threats giving cuttings a better chance to thrive.

Below, follow the steps to brew your own natural plant root hormone from your spring clippings of any Salix species of willow. We'll share with you how our experiment is progressing and send us your results!

How to Make Willow Water

Gather a handful of willow twigs, cut early in the spring. Use the newest, greenest twigs you can get because these have the highest acidic properties. These are the supple green new-growth portions of our willow cuttings.

Remove all of the leaves (and compost them, or throw them in the garden as mulch)

Cut your twigs into short pieces 

Place your twig pieces into a pot or a mason jar, and cover with boiling water, just as if you were making tea. Let it stand overnight.

When finished, pour the liqui d though a strainer or sieve and store in glass container with a tight lid.

If you keep your willow water in the refrigerator you can use for up to two months.

To use, just pour some of your willow water into a small jar and place the cuttings there like you would flowers in a vase. Or you can use it to water whatever propagating medium you have used for your cutting.

We will test our willow water on this Jade plant propagation. So far we have waited 2 weeks for roots and they are just starting to appear. Stay tuned for results!