Stanley speaks with Press Herald about nourishing garden soil
Liz Stanley, a horticultural educator with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was quoted in the Portland Press Herald article, “At fall lawn-feeding time, we offer you a recipe for nourishing your garden.” This fall, several home gardeners going in search of straw bales (for winter mulch) were advised by store personnel to buy plastic-wrapped “straw mulch with tack,” according to the article. Stanley said she got several calls from gardeners wanting more information about this “manufactured” mulch. Tackifiers are compounds that make straw stick together and can be made from natural substances like guar gum or worrisome ones like polyacrylamides, which can contain residual acrylamides, known as neurotoxins, the article states. Some gardeners also are tempted to pile on immoderate supplements, the Press Herald reported. “[UMaine] Extension staff are finding soil test results that indicate overdoses of compost, potentially leading to soil pH problems, nutrient imbalances and phosphorus contamination of water,” Stanley said.