Garden Doctors: From deadheading to composting

Al K. of Windsor asks: What does the term “deadheading” mean, and is it something I need to do to my plants? I guess that would be for flowering plants?

Deadheading, or pinching, spent flowers will keep the plants producing blooms throughout the season. When a flower bloom is finished, a plant then focuses on producing seeds. But by removing the spent bloom, the plant will put its energy into producing a new flower instead, providing you with color for as long as the plant grows that season.

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Janet U. of Healdsburg asks: Why does “pH” have a little ‘p’ and a big ‘H’?” I don’t get, as a gardener, why should I care about soil pH?” And, what does that mean “pH” stand for?

The abbreviation “pH” stand for “potenz Hydrogen,” a phrase meaning the “power of hydrogen” or the “potential of hydrogen,” and it’s just easier to abbreviate it as pH. The H is capitalized because the chemical name abbreviation for hydrogen is H, as in H2O for water.

The pH is simply a measure of acidity, and it uses a scale ranging from 0-14. Neutral pH, which is neither acid nor basic, is 7.0. A pH below 7.0 is considered acid, with lower numbers being more acidic. (For example, 3 is more acidic than 6). A pH above 7.0 is basic (or alkaline), and 13 is far more basic than 10. The scale is logarithmic, meaning that a pH of 5.0 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 6.0 – not just 1 time more acidic. This could also be interpreted to mean that pH 6.0 is 10 times more basic than 5.0, even though both are considered acidic.

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Steven B. of Sebastopol asks: Last summer, I thought I would try making a compost pile for the first time. I added everything I could think of from the kitchen, a few weeds from the garden, and plant cuttings. After some time had past, the compost pile started to smell bad and it turned into one big pile of muck. It was difficult to turn over and it smelled really bad. What did I do wrong?

If your compost had a funny smell, like ammonia or vinegar, it’s not getting enough oxygen. Turn it. This will help break things down to create compost more quickly.

The most common mistake gardeners make with a compost pile is throwing in too much waste from the kitchen. Although such organic material is beneficial under ideal conditions, too much creates a pile that’s too wet. Additionally, such waste, especially if it’s not chopped well, draws flies and even small animals. You need to add some “brown” dry material, like fallen leaves, dead flowers, straw, sawdust, shredded paper (especially newspaper), shredded cardboard or paper towels. This provides the “bulk” part of a good compost. Never use meat and bones, dairy products, greasy foods, dog or cat feces, diseased or invasive plants, or weeds with lots of seed.

The first time you turn your pile, you might see steam rising from it. This is a good thing. With each turning, the steam will become less and less. Most importantly, make sure that your compost pile is at least 3’ x 3’ in size. This size will provide the necessary amount of materials you need to create a productive compost pile.

Dana Lozano and Gwen Kilchherr are garden consultants. Send your gardening questions to The Garden Doctors, at pdgardendoctor@gmail.com. The Garden Doctors can answer questions only through their column, which appears twice a month in the newspaper and online at pressdemocrat.com.