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Healthy Gardening

how to's  & Tips for your garden

What is Compost Tea?

5/29/2017

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Did you know that plants can absorb nutrients 10 times more efficiently through their leaf surfaces than through their roots?  There’s a great way to utilize this aspect in nature and reap the benefits. Compost Tea.
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Spraying foliage with Super Compost Tea can produce remarkable yields.
We all know that adding compost to flower beds, lawns, and gardens are beneficial. The organic matter improves soil quality and gives plant much needed nutrients. However, it is the billions of living organisms that are found in the forms of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and other micro and macro soil organisms that do the work of unlocking the minerals and nutrients that are needed.
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Components that make up Compost Tea

Compost tea is a liquid derived from high quality compost.  Beneficial fungi, protozoa, bacteria, and nematodes along with other micro and macro organisms are extracted from the compost by a process of brewing a small amount of compost and water. They are then added to more water, the high oxygen content in water causes the reproduction of these organisms to explode. This results in a larger culture containing liquid of the original compost microorganisms.
To make a good compost tea, you have to start with quality ingredients at every level.  
  1. Compost - we start with a blend of manure, sawdust, and hydroscopic fiber (wool) that has been turned and heated for a minimum of 3 weeks.
  2. Water - water can add unwanted chemicals into you mix. Super Compost Tea only uses spring water, resulting in a purer product.
  3. Dust - wool dust ??? why is this added, is it food??
  4. Molasses: we add a small amount of unsulphured molasses to provide just the right food source for our micro-organisms
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Benefits of Compost Tea

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  • Low strength fertilizer: super compost tea is an effective, low-strength, all natural fertilizer for house plants, seedlings, and gardens. Reducing salt accumulation in soils that come from commercial fertilizers
  • Protects against many plant diseases: when sprayed on the plants, compost tea will coat and stick to the leaves providing a protective barrier that does not allow other harmful, disease causing organisms to attach to the plant.                            
  • Increase the numbers of predator organisms: Many of the good microbes are also predators of bad microbes devouring large numbers of them reducing the risk of disease.
  • Increase the biomass and species diversity of microbes: With the concentrated micro-organisms in compost tea you will be well on your way to a healthy rich soil and plant life.
  • Speeds the breakdown of toxins: Many herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides have harmful chemicals that kill the beneficial organisms in you soil. Compost tea speeds the breakdown of toxins and Reduces fertilizer use and leaching into groundwater
  • Increases the ability of soil to hold nutrients and retain water
  • Improves the soils pH buffering ability through microbe diversity    

Wild Valley Farms Super Compost tea has beneficial bacteria and fungi suspended in a water form that makes them quickly available to your plants. ​This can be applied through spraying the plant itself or drenching the soil around it.  
 
By adding compost tea to your plants and soil, the benefits of quality compost go much further.
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How to Use

For best results, spray plants especially after transplanting,  and during blooming time and just after fruit sets.
 
Wild Valley Farms Super Compost Tea comes in  32 oz concentrate bottles or 300 gallon bulk tanks.
order now
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How Do I Soften My Soil?

5/15/2017

 
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We’ve all seen it. Hard, dense, compacted soil. Not only is this difficult if not nearly impossible to dig in, it can create a host of other problems for growing plants in your garden.  Ideally, water will absorb through your soil to a depth of about 6 inches. This doesn’t happen in hardened soils, water will take the path of least resistance and you’ll end up with run off, puddles, and a water depth of only a couple of inches. This makes for thirsty plants and muddy messes. ​
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What we want is rich, dark, nutrient rich soil that has organic matter, aeration, and porosity. Soil like this allows for deep root growth and ideal environment for your plants. So how do you get from one to the other?  ​
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The Solution: Organic Matter!

Organic matter consists of the decaying remains of plants and animals. Examples of these include: leaves, manure, bark, grass clipping, and compost. Some of these organic materials will work better and faster at softening your soil, the best is a good compost. Adding compost will soften your soil and improve soil structure, compost also adds nutrients to your soil that your plants need.  Compost does a good job of binding clay particles together (better than gypsum). This results in improved drainage and aeration as well as softer and lighter soil. It also increases the soil's fertility while creating a friendly environment for beneficial soil microbes and earthworms.
Compost is considered a soil conditioner, rather than a fertilizer, but it can retain and make existing nutrients more readily available to plants. ​
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Another solution to soften your soil and create oxygen space in your soil is by adding wool pellets. Wool Pellets not only provide water holding in your soil, but they create oxygen space for root expansion that will help your plants be hardy and strong. Wool Pellets are able to hold 20X their weight in water helping to reduce the times you water.  By holding water they can wick away extra water, protecting your plants from over watering. Wool pellets expand with water helping to increase porosity in the soil for optimal root growth. ​

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Our signature Soft Soil is the perfect blend of the highest quality top soil and our premium organic and all natural Terra Zest. Terra Zest is a special blend of manure, sawdust. Soft Soil is great for raised bed gardens or for adding 2-3 inches of nice soft soil to flower beds, garden plots, or lawns. Soft Soil really is the soil of your dreams! ​
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How much do I add?

The short answer is as much as you can. Adding organic matter and compost is not an overnight fix, but each time you till in Terra Zest you will improve the condition of your soil this may take 3-4 years if starting with a heavy clay soil. ​
You can add Terra Zest at anytime. Till the added layers into your soil prior to planting in the spring, then at the season's end add another 2 inch layer on top creating an additional barrier to weeds while contributing to the overall softening of your soil. ​
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Why miss an opportunity to increase your soil's fertility and nutrients for growing? Soil that has Terra Zest and wool pellets regularly added to it becomes rich, dark, and wonderfully crumbly and often requires less fertilizer.

Don't expect overnight results. Because plants, microbes, and earthworms break down organic matter, you'll need to add more next year. But eventually, you'll have that rich, soft soil you've always dreamed about.
Buy Wool Pellets
Buy Soft Soil
Buy Terra Zest
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10 Fun Facts

5/11/2017

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FROST CAN MAKE VEGETABLES SWEETER! When cool season vegetables come into contact with frost, they naturally react to the cold and produce EXTRA SUGARS which can make some of the more BITTER tasting vegetables taste rather SWEET. So start planting your cool season veggies now. What do you like to plant in early spring? ​

During the 1600s, tulips were so valuable in Holland that their bulbs were worth more than gold. The craze was called tulip mania, or tulipomania, and caused the crash of the Dutch economy. Tulips can continue to grow as much as an inch per day after being cut.
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There are more microorganisms in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth. It's aliiiiive! OK, in all seriousness, that fact might make you itchy, but microbes are important for keeping your soil full of nutrients. WATCH FOR OUR UPCOMING GARDENING BLOG ABOUT JUST THAT.
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A compost pile should reach an inside temperature between 140-160 degrees fahrenheit and this temperature should be maintain for at least three weeks. This cooks out 99.9% of any seeds and kills all pathogens. The whole compost process should take 6 months or more.
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The white lily, the symbol of the resurrection, is the special Easter flower. But did you know that only the white and tiger lilies are known by their beautiful smell. Other species of lily are odorless. The Lily is a perennial plant which means that it can survive more than two years in the wild. The Lily flower consists of 6 tepals (fused sepals and petals). It can survive for days in a vase and even longer if you remove the pollen from the flower. 

Did you know the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970? Yep, Earth Day originated in the US but became recognized worldwide by 1990. On Earth Day 2009, Disney released a documentary film called Earth that followed the migration paths of four animal families. (I LOVE the Earth films, dont you?) Every year on April 22, men, women, and children collect garbage, plant trees, clean up coral reefs, show movies, sign petitions, and plan for a better future for our planet. What do you plan to do? 
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Buy Wool Pellets
Did you know that Arbor Day has been around for 145 years?!?!? It has. Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska on April 10th, 1872. On that first Arbor Day there were approximately 1 million trees planted. 1 MILLION TREES!!! In 1872!! When J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day back in 1872, his idea was simple—set aside a special day for tree planting. Trees help improve out lives in so many ways. Make plans to plant some in your area. Visit the www.arborday.org for tips and resources and don't forget to head on over to www.wildvalleyfarms to get nutrient packed soil and wool pellets to give your trees the aid they need. Trees love our wool pellets. Trees need lots of water in the early stages, wool pellets hold 10x their water and give the porosity roots need to grow.

Did you know that the first full week in May is INTERNATIONAL COMPOST AWARENESS WEEK?!?! The GOAL of this education initiative is to RAISE the AWARENESS of the public regarding the BENEFITS of using COMPOST to improve or maintain high quality soil, to grow healthy plants, reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides, improve water quality and protect the environment. The program includes a poster contest, programs at schools and activities and events promoted through governments, public municipalities and local businesses. CLICK on the LINK to see how you can get involved. http://compostfoundation.org/icaw
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Mother’s Day sees around one quarter of all flowers purchased throughout the year falling on this holiday. Some of the most popular Mother’s Day flowers include lilies, orchards, tulips, roses, irises and callas. Although pink is a traditional color favorite for Mother’s Day flowers, brighter, bolder color combinations are becoming the trend. Popular plants for Mother’s Day include hydrangea, azaleas, chrysanthemums and blooming kalanchoe plants. Are you planning to give flowers this Mother's Day? WOOL PELLETS are perfect for potted containers and lower the amount of times you need to water. 
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The daffodil’s name is from the Old English, affo dyle, or “that which cometh early,” because it is one of the earliest blooming flowers. The Romans believed the sap from these flowers had special healing powers. 
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Why Does Mulch Fade in the First Season?

5/1/2017

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You’ve weeded, planted your annuals and bulbs, trimmed and pruned your roses, and laid a layer of mulch only to see it fade gray to nearly white in the first season. Why is it that some mulches can fade so fast? And is there a way to ensure you are purchasing mulch that will last longer than the first few months after purchase?
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Benefits of Mulch

Spreading mulch over your garden soil is the best way to save time and energy in your yard. Mulch helps regulate soil temperature in addition to helping the soil hold moisture so you don't have to water as often. It also suppresses weeds. And over time, mulches made from organic materials break down and increase your soil's structure and fertility. ​
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Our premium colored mulch is an environmentally safe product that conserves water and suppresses weeds all while protecting your plants from extreme temperatures.
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How Mulch is Made?

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Colored mulch is made through a multi-step, technical process.
Step 1:​ Recycled and wood waste are passed through grinders at a processing facility, creating smaller wood fibers, or bare mulch. Most of the wood at Wild Valley Farms has been recycled three or four times before we recycle it into beautiful colored mulch.
Step 2:​  
Wood is placed in the kiln for drying.
The timber of living trees and freshly felled logs contains a large amount of water.

A wood drying kiln is an enclosed space where air speed, temperature and humidity are controlled. The benefit of kiln drying the timber is that it is dried in a controlled environment, has rigorous testing, and is extremely quick giving a higher quality end product.  Kiln drying offers several benefits with respect to preventing lumber degrade ensuring long lasting and slow decomposition. It’s lighter texture and weight helps prevent soil compaction.  Moreover, kiln dried lumber is stronger (over 2x) and stiffer (nearly 2x) than green lumber so it will stand up to weather exposure. Bugs and insects are also killed during the drying process making for a pest and pathogen free product.
Step 3:
The mulch enters a coloring system, whereby ultra-concentrated, environmentally safe colorant is mixed with water and applied to the wood fibers
Step 4:
The colorant completely encapsulates the wood, ensuring maximum adherence and UV protection​

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Fading

Natural Organic woods will fade quickly. Weather extremes and sunlight exposure play a part in the discoloration.
Starting with the cleanest and the finest quality wood product ensures the best outcome. Wild Valley Farms premium colored mulch is produced using the cleanest and the finest quality wood chips available. By combining kiln and air dried hardwood and softwood lumbers, and using only the highest quality colorants, we are able to produce a consistent, long lasting, weed and bug free product that is safe for use around your home and garden as well as children and pets.
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Types and Colors of Wood Mulch

There are several options available in type and colors of mulch on the market. Most are tailored to give homeowners and business’ the flexibility to tailor the landscaping to individual preference. There is much debate and opinion that varies wildly regarding such.  
Wood mulch is most often categorized by type of wood, size of chips, and coloring.
Common hardwoods and barks used are: Aspen, pine, cedar, cypress, and fur.

Sizes:

Shredded

Shredded hardwood bark knits together tightly aiding in weed prevention. It works well on slopes and won’t wash away as easily as mulch in nugget form. It is easy to spread and slow to break down into the soil, making it a common choice for natural-looking pathways
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Chips & Nuggets

Whether you choose large or mini nuggets, this longer-lasting pine bark mulch is a much looser mulch. Better suited for flat areas rather than slopes as the larger nuggets may wash away with rain and wind. This chunkier, more durable form of mulch is best used for playgrounds, paths and walkways.
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Colors

Mulch is available in a number of colors — red, black and brown are the most popular. The mulch’s coloring comes from a water-based dye, making it safe for people and their pets. Dyed mulches retain their bold color much longer than traditional, non-dyed mulches.
Dyed mulches are also available triple-ground, making the mulch much finer for easier spreading and a richer appearance.
Our premium colored mulch is made from kiln dried wood which is why it holds it's color for 2 years before fading.
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How Much to Use & When to Apply

Wood & bark mulches are inexpensive, help soil moisture and temperature and look good. They break down over time adding more organic matter to your soil improving the soil structure overall. Mulch needs to be reapplied yearly to maintain the optimal depth of 2 to 3 inches. Keep in mind that this depth needs to be reduced around the base of trees and must not cover the root base to prevent rot. It is best to add a layer of mulch in the fall to protect plants in the harsh winter and spruce up look of lawn in fading summer. Spread mulch in early spring to prevent weed growth and enrich the look of your landscape.
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Wild Valley Farms premium colored mulch is produced using the cleanest and the finest quality wood chips available. By combining kiln and air dried hardwood and softwood lumbers, and using only the highest quality colorants, we are able to produce a consistent, long lasting, weed and bug free product that is safe for use around your home and garden as well as children and pets.  Wild Valley Farms Mulches will last longer saving you time and money while maintaining the look you want.
buy now
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customerservice@wildvalleyfarms.com

Hours:
Monday - Friday  9:00AM - 6:00PM
Saturday  9:00AM - 12:00PM
Sunday  Closed

Phone:   435-400-4373

 6000 E. Croydon Rd.   Croydon, UT 84018
Photos used under Creative Commons from blumenbiene, lundyd, James St. John, moonlightbulb, vastateparksstaff, blumenbiene, Ajithpoison
  • Home
  • WHY WOOL?
  • Products
    • Home Garden Products >
      • Wool Pellets
      • Intelli-Soil
      • Super Compost Tea
      • Intelli-Mulch
      • Nurtiwool Pots
      • Woolly's Frost Guards
      • Scented Soap
    • Bulk Landscape Products >
      • Soils
      • Manures
      • Terra Zest
      • Colored Mulches
    • Commercial Products >
      • Bulk Wool Pellets
      • Spore Block
  • Dealer
    • Become a Dealer
  • Store
  • Healthy Gardening Blog
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • In The News
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
  • Return Policy/Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy