Return of the Cicadas

Are you worried this spring? While some people are worried about cicadas taking over their gardens, others are excited for top water fishing to start in order to take advantage of the situation. Cicadas can wreak havoc on lawns, trees, and shrubs, but you can plan ahead for how to deal with them in a positive way! From covering younger plants, to mowing at the correct time, to not using pesticides, there are many options to protect your garden from cicadas this year. Check out this article for more tips to be prepared and this article for more background cicadas and their incredible life cycle. If you’re more an angler than a gardener, happy fishing and no worries for you!

Holy Hydrogels!

Have you ever noticed greenish colored beads in your plants or potting soil after bringing them home from the store? We recently found many of them in local Fairfax County streams. These beads are synthetic hydrogels that help plants retain moisture and fertilize plants, however, they are easily washed out of gardens and into local waterways. Do these beads degrade over time and do they cause problems in local streams? The short answer to both is yes, but take a read to see for yourself more information on these soil beads. This article is from 2016, but we still see these beads in the environment today.

Mission: Cool Composting

Domingo Morales, winner of the inaugural David Prize and its $200,000 grant, is a grassroots organizer who changes waste into community wealth. Domingo helps communities debunk myths about composting and provides funding that is independent from municipal governments. His goal: to widen the scope of composting in communities, especially underprivileged ones. When Domingo engages in community outreach, he teaches youth about the process and how he started his own successful business doing something good for the earth. Read more here!