Rain Barrels Now Legal in Colorado

Photo by Carol King

As of Aug. 10, 2016 House Bill 16-1005 became law,  allowing most Colorado  home owners to use up to two 55-gallon barrels to collect rainwater from their rooftop downspouts. This spring appears to be a rainy one, so as a homeowner you might want to try your hand at capturing rainwater.  There are some caveats however so read the bill carefully before deciding to install barrels.

Highlights of the law are as follows:

1. Homeowners may use rain barrels to collect rainwater at single-family households and multi-family households with four (4) or fewer units.

2. A maximum of two (2) rain barrels can be used at each household and the combined storage of the two rain barrels cannot exceed 110 gallons.

3. The captured rainwater must be used on the same property from which the rainwater was captured, for only outdoor purposes, including to water outdoor lawns, plants and/or gardens.

4. Rain barrel water cannot be used for drinking or other indoor water uses.

5. House Bill 16-1005 requires the container to be equipped with a sealable lid.

6. Watering plants in a greenhouse where such a building is specifically dedicated to growing plants is NOT allowed. 

It is important for rain barrel users to understand that the capture and use of rainwater using rain barrels does not constitute a water right. The State Engineer will deliver its first report on rain barrels sometime in 2019 and if a water right holder can prove that those rain barrels have impacted their ability to receive the water that they are entitled to by virtue of their water right, rainwater collection will be curtailed.

Other considerations for the homeowner who choses to capture rainwater and use it in the landscape include the following cautions:

• Untreated rainwater collected from roofs is not safe to drink, due to concerns surrounding microbial contamination of harvested rainwater. 
• Because of the infrequency of rainfall there can be an accumulation of bird droppings, dust and other impurities on rooftops between rain events. Roofing materials, pitch, and heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, and chromium may occur in high concentrations when it does rain. 
• Acid rain can also cause chemical compounds to be leached from roofing materials.
• Filtering  and screening out contaminants before they enter the storage container can help to mitigate this problem. Dirty containers may also become a health hazard or a breeding ground for insects and other pests.

For complete information on use of rain barrels in the state of Colorado, please refer to Colorado State University’s Fact Sheet. http://tinyurl.com/CSU-rainwater

The complete House Bill can be found here: http://tinyURL.com/rainwater-bill

Flowers Succesfully grown on the International Space Station By Joyce D’Agostino

Astronaut Scott Kelly's Twitter Post

This week some exciting news came from the International Space Station. An experiment to grow zinnia flowers was successful and resulted in the plants sprouting, growing and then producing bright flowets.  

Here on earth, Zinnias are know as one of the easiest and hardiest flowers to grow. But according to the following article, there were some challenges including  too much and too little humidity and of course trying to get plants to sprout and keep stable in the absence of earthly gravity.

Unlike some of the vegetables they have successfully grown such as Romaine Lettuce, the flowers needed more attention to get them to grow as a healthy plant without disease or other problems. The flowers also took more time to grow and develop compared to lettuces. An additional interest with this flower is that it is edible.

The “Veggie Lab” is planned to be an ongoing experiment onboard the Space Station with goals to be able to produce fresh food for the astronauts.

This is the second flower to be tested and grown on the ISS, the first was a small sunflower. The variety of the Zinnia grown on the ISS is Zinnia hybrida “Profusion”. The seeds are readily available from a number of seed companies.

http://www.coloradonewsday.com/trending/347946-first-flower-grown-in-space-revealed-on-international-space-station.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plants_in_space

Spiders Paired with Unlikely Partner to Make Silk by Elaine Lockey

Spiders use their silk for building webs to catch prey, as a safety or drag line if they are spiders that roam, spider "dens" (think orb spiders) and more. Spider silk, a protein fiber, is stronger than steel. Humans discovered the benefits of silk thousands of years ago for fishing lines, the healing of wounds and blood clotting. In more recent years silk has been used in body armor, fishing nets, a thread for optical crosshairs such as telescopes in WWII, beautiful cloth, and violin strings!

However, as you can imagine, it is very difficult and time consuming to harvest enough silk for most applications. So researchers are looking at a host of other ways to extract silk or create silk more efficiently.

That's where goats come in. Yes, goats. Through biotechnology, transgenic goats can produce spider silk proteins in their milk. Amounts average 1-2 grams of protein per liter of milk. However, the silk still does not fully retain the properties of natural spider silk. The following video explains the science behind this strange pairing and should reduce any horrific images in your head about what this looks like.

The science is moving quickly as researchers have also had some success with genetically altering silkworms to produce spider silk and also using bacteria to produce spidroin, the spider's dragline.

top photo courtesy of  http://www.gutsandglorytennis.com/

For more information on spiders and spider silk research, check out these links:

http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/media/periodic-tabloid/2012-05-23-the-amazing-adventures-of-spider-silk.aspx

http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Pests/spiders.htm

Carbon Farming with Jatropha by Elaine Lockey

photo courtesy of http://research.ifas.ufl.edu

There has been much recent press about the desert shrub Jatropha curcas and it's potential to soak up carbon monoxide emissions. A team of German scientists, publishing in the international science journal Earth System Dynamics, analyzed data from Jatropha plantations in several countries and found that approximately 2.5 acres of Jatropha can capture 17-25 tons of carbon monoxide per year, over a 20 year period. 

According to the study’s lead author, the plants can lower desert temperature by as much as 2 degrees Fahrenheit as well as increase rainfall in these regions. Scientific American.com states that if the 1 billion hectares of suitable land was to be used for growing Jatropha, it would be "enough to offset the annual CO2 pollution of China, the U.S. and the E.U. combined."

This poisonous scrubby plant grows as a shrub or small tree and can handle low-nutrient soils. It can live for over 50 years and has not shown to be invasive. The benefit of growing Jatropha is that it grows well in the most arid of regions where it is difficult to farm for food.  Instead, it is grown for ‘carbon farming’. Ideally this plant would be grown in coastal regions where it can receive some minimal irrigation.  The cost of planting these plants if you use existing desalination devices would be more cost effective than higher-tech practices.

Flower Grown From Siberian Permafrost Seed

Approximately 30,000 years ago, a squirrel burrowed into the ground in Siberia and stored its hoard of fruit and seeds. Russian scientists found the treasure chamber in the Siberian permafrost and managed to reproduce an entire plant.

 Meet Silene stenophylla, the oldest plant ever to be regenerated.

Silene stenophylla

 It is fertile, producing white flowers and seeds. What does a gardener ask except "How soon we can order from a seed catalog? "

Read more here.

Pothole Gardening!

Guerrilla Gardening at it's finest!

2012 USDA Hardiness Zone Map by Carol King

Exciting news for all you plant nerds! On Jan. 25, 2012 the U.S. Department of Agriculture  released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map,  updating a useful tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 1990. The new map (developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service and Oregon State University's PRISM Climate Group)—is available online at www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov.  Long-awaited changes in the climate zone guide show northward warming trends, while also targeting a few colder areas in the mountains.

Hardiness zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature during a 30 year period in the past. It is not based on the lowest temperature that has ever occurred in the past or might occur in the future. Each zone is based on 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Two new zones were added in hotter climates this year for a total of 13 zones.

No More Latin Descriptions for New Botanical Species!

I'm sure all you plant nerds will have an opinion on this one.  Botanists who discover new species no longer have to provide descriptions in Latin and can publish their information on line!

And why is this important you might ask?

Read all about it here!

The Supertrees of Singapore by Elaine Lockey

photo by Wong Maye-E, AP

 Singapore is currently constructing an astonishing botanic park, integrating massive tree sculptures in with their gardens.  Dubbed “supertrees”, they range from 82-164 feet and weigh hundreds of tons. These mega trees are made of concrete and metal rods, with steel frames on the trunks to host huge vertical gardens.  

The Supertree Grove will support flowering climbers, epiphytes, ferns and other plants that can do well in such an environment.  Eventually when the supertrees project is complete, there will be 18 trees covered in over 200 plant species, giving the feeling of a woodland grove. Huge built tree canopies will provide shade to the live plants and ground areas. There will be rainwater catches added to the trees and some of the trees will have solar panels to provide lighting to the gardens. Aerial walkways will connect two of the trees and a treetop bistro will give visitors a great view of the gardens and the bay. 

Kim Bone, 2011 Plant Select Photo Winner!

Our very own Jefferson County CSU Colorado Master Gardener, Kim Bone, has won the 2011 Plant Select Photo Contest in the Great Groupings Category!

See all the winners here.

Congratulations Kim.  It is a great photo!

Mountain Pine Beetle Spreads to Front Range

Photo Courtesy of University of Wyoming

The Denver Post reports that the mountain pine beetle has spread to Colorado's Front Range cities, but forestry experts and city arborists do not expect losses on the scale seen in Rocky Mountain forests.

Read the whole story here!

Herbicide Imprelis Recalled by the EPA

After reviewing thousands of complaints of damage to evergreens and other trees, the Enviornmental Protection Agency has ordered a recall of DuPont's new herbicide Imprelis.

Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/green/article/epa-orders-recall-of-duponts-imprelis/#ixzz1VDOsC72k

2011 Annual Flower Trials at CSU

Salvia 'Summer Jewel Red'

Dr. James E. Klett,  CSU professor and Extension Landscape Horticulture Specialist,  invites us to come view the 2011 Annual Flower Trials conducted by the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Fort Collins. The trial garden consists of approximately 1100 varieties of annual bedding plants, both in the ground and in containers. Twenty-five plant and seed companies are participating in the 2011 trials.  The site, located at 1401 Remington Street, in Ft. Collins, Colorado, is also an official All American Selection Test and Display Garden.

Compare many new bedding plant varieties against some of the standards. The best viewing time is now through mid-September or first killing frost. Visit the website for photos of last year’s winners and other updates: www.flowertrials.colostate.edu



Here's the 2011 AAS Winners.

Become a Citizen Scientist by Shelly Taylor

Gardening appeals to people for various reasons.  Some like the idea of producing their own food, some appreciate the beauty of flowers and well-planned landscapes, some find it relaxing.  Because gardening necessarily involves watching plants grow, well or not so well, and observing the weather (and who isn't interested in the weather, especially recently), many gardeners sooner or later become interested in the underlying science of botany, and/or  horticulture, or meteorology.  That is one of the reasons some people become master gardeners, who receive training and can then share what they have learned.  Others begin to read about science on their own, or take classes, or research on the Internet.

Corn,Beans, and Squash in the White House garden

Evan Vucci

I am always interested to see what the latest "goings on"  in the White House garden are. Last week, Michelle Obama invited a group of Native American children to her plot on Friday to help plant what are called the “three sisters” — corn, beans and squash. They also harvested vegetables that were planted two months ago, and some of that will be used on Tuesday.

Here's the story.

Plant Select Announces 2011 Winners

Avalanche White Sun Daisy

Every year, Plant Select^® chooses new and underutilized plants to promote to regional gardeners and landscape professionals. New plants are evaluated on their ability to thrive in a broad range of garden situations in the Rocky Mountain region, their resilience to the region’s challenging climate, uniqueness, disease and insect resistance, ability to flourish in low water conditions, long season of beauty in the garden, and noninvasiveness.


You might want to take this list with you to the garden center!

Tobacco Plant Helps Detect explosives

 So the next time you travel, you may not only have to have a body scan, you may also have to walk by planters full of Nicotiana!  Dr. June Medford of Colorado State University published a recent study in the journal PlosONE detailing her team's work with the tobacco plant to help detect explosives.  They have engineered the plant to turn from green to yellow when it detects explosives in the air.


Read the whole story here!

Where Did the Flowers in My Bouquet Originate?

Photo by Carol King

Did you receive a bouquet from your Valentine this year?  Did you ever wonder where the flowers come from?  More than likely the came from Columbia in South America.  Why Columbia you might ask?

Gardener Dave shared this article about why so many of our flowers come from there.  In 1967 David Cheever, a graduate student in horticulture at our very own Colorado State University, wrote a term paper titled “Bogotá, Colombia as a Cut-Flower Exporter for World Markets.” After graduating, Cheever put his theories into practice. Cheever’s paper and business efforts started an economic revolution in Colombia.

Read the whole story here!

Presidential Gardening

 In honor of President's Day, I am posting this video that gives a quick history of Presidential gardening!  Presidents have been gardening since day one.


The Garden of Eatin': A Short History of America's Garden from Kitchen Gardeners on Vimeo.

Happy President's Day!

Westminster High School Horticulture Program Awarded Grant

The Denver Post had an interesting story about Westminster High School's  horticulture program. It is one of the few left on the Front Range, has been awarded a $100,000 grant, the largest amount given out this year, from the garden show's nonprofit organization.

Read the whole story here!