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Eliminating Allergenic Mold Spores in Your Gardens
Author : Tom Ogren
Eliminating Allergenic Mold Spores in Your Gardens
ÓThomas Leo Ogren
Tiny mold spores cause plenty of allergies. Often our gardens
are full of molds but luckily there are many things we can do to
eliminate allergy-causing mold spores. All molds produce tiny
reproductive spores and the trick is to find ways to get rid of
the molds themselves. What we plant, and where, has a large
influence. I continually see the flat out dumb practice of
planting tall evergreen trees and shrubs on the South sides of
house. In the winter the sun is low on the horizon and we get
most of our light, and warmth, from the sunlight that shines
from the South. Our warm morning light comes from the East and
it is never a good idea to block that with tall evergreens
either. The best place for tall evergreens is on the North side
of our houses. There they can act as a windbreak and not rob us
of any needed winter sunlight. A house with tall evergreen
trees on the Southeast side, is one that will always be cold,
and damp, in the winter months. And cold and damp is exactly
what mold thrives on. Recently I was at a store, standing
outside waiting for a friend of mine to finish up inside. It was
a cool wintry day and I was in the full, deep cold shade of a
very large Canary Island Pine tree. I walked over about thirty
feet and stood in a spot, in between the trees where the sun was
shining through. There it was nice and warm. To my left was the
big pine shading that store, and just to my right was another
huge evergreen tree, a Ficus retusa, the Indian Laurel Fig. The
big fig cast a shade even deeper, and colder, than did the pine.
I looked down at the sidewalk to my left and right, and sure
enough, you could see mold growing in the cracks and along the
edges. The north side of the trees, where I was, also had a good
deal of mold growing on the tree leaves themselves. Deciduous
trees are perfect for these locations. In the hot summer they
will be all leafed out and will cool down the buildings behind
them. In the cold winter months they will be bare of leaves, and
the low sunlight will come through and warm things up. In this
day and age of exploding energy costs, it is just plain ignorant
to plant evergreens where they don't belong. For stopping mold
spores, deciduous trees on the South-Eastern exposures is the
only way to go.
Mulches Many people seem unclear on just exactly what is a
mulch. Very simply, a mulch is anything that covers the soil.
They can be made of old leaves, straw, rocks, bark, gravel,
boards, bricks, even plastic. Mulches are almost always a very
good idea but when it comes to mulches and molds, they aren't
all created equally. Bark is a very good material on which to
grow mold. Gravel mulches are good because they don't encourage
mold growth. I like smooth gravels, river gravel, and please! No
white gravel. Flat stones and pavers work well for this too and
in the right spot, they look good as well. Mulch holds down
weeds and cuts down on summer water loss. Earthworms often
thrive under mulch and in general mulches usually help plants
grow better. The one spot where mulches are less effective is in
those cold, always shaded areas. Here mulch will keep the soil
from ever warming up. Every where else though, mulch is useful.
Newspaper mulches by the way, not only look trashy, they also
grow lots of mold.
Buggy Plants and Mold Plants that are not being grown right will
usually get infested with insects. The insects secrete
"honeydew" and on this very nutrient rich gooey substance molds
grow quickly. The molds then start producing spores and pretty
soon there is a serious allergy situation in the landscape. The
insect dander itself is highly allergenic and just adds to the
problem. Buggy plants often look dirty and this is because they
are covered with honeydew, mold, and yuck! They are dirty.
Clean, healthy plants are what we want in our yards.
Why Are the Plants Covered With Insects? If a tree is native
to the cold, damp forests of Japan or Minnesota, it just won't
thrive in a place like Los Angeles. It certainly might grow in
Los Angles though, and that's the problem. It will grow there
but it won't thrive. Because it doesn't have the conditions it
needs it will always be somewhat weakened, and pests always prey
on the weak. Remember, insect pests equal mold spores. If an
area is very deficient in fertilizer the plants there won't
thrive. As they grow weaker, the insects start to prey on them.
If plants are getting far too much fertilizer they will also
become weak. If a tree is a type that needs regular water in
the summer but never gets it, again it will become weak and soon
be a target for the white flies, aphids, scale, spider mites,
and mealybugs. If shrubs or trees are native to an area with
acid soil and you're growing them in alkaline dirt, sure enough
they'll probably become bug infested. If a tree is simply not
tolerant of urban smog and it is planted right smack in the
middle of a great metropolis, it will draw the pests. If a row
of shrubs are all the kind that loves bright sunshine, but
someone has planted a fast-growing tree over them, perhaps a
pine, when the whole row of shrubs is now growing in deep shade,
if they live, they will certainly become an insect magnet. I
know of a hedge just like this near where I live. A large old
hedge of lantana, now shaded by a big pine, it is literally
covered top to bottom in white flies and mold. It is growing
right outside the back entrance to a health clinic! There are
many other cultural reasons for plants not to thrive and any one
of them can result in weak plants and mold.
A Word to the Wise on Natives Judicious use of natives is
often one of the very best ways to avoid many of these weak
plants-mold problems. However, make sure the "natives" you buy
are endemic to your own particular area. Also, make sure you're
not getting a bunch of male ( pollen- producing ) clones. Many
of the native trees, shrubs, and ground covers sold now are male
clones.
Air Flow In every place there are prevailing winds. The breeze
generally blows mostly from one direction. Many landscapes are
so plugged up, so crowded, that the breeze simply can't
penetrate the mess. A landscape with no air flow is one where
molds will thrive. Molds grow best in conditions with poor air
circulation. If your own yards are over-grown and choked for
lack of fresh air, then get out the pruning saw and start
thinning them out. Clean, fresh air, free to move about, equals
less mold and fewer mold spores.
Sunlight and Molds Bright light and fresh air are the enemies
of mold. Many landscapes have huge trees overhead that let in
little light. Consider hiring a tree trimmer to thin out some of
the branches overhead. Open the trees up so that the sunlight
can come through. Perhaps it would be a good idea to actually
remove a tree or two if they're growing too close. Let the light
shine! When planting any new tree, consider the shade that it
will cast when it is full-grown. Certain trees always develop
very thick canopies while others will be light and airy.
Watering and Irrigation Perhaps as important as any other
single mold factor is the watering. Too little water makes for
weak plants that attract insects. Too much water will also
always produce weak plants. Automatic irrigation systems, on
clocks, are responsible for a great deal of mold growth.
Allergists in desert areas often find very high mold spore
counts, in the middle of the summer! Much of this is being
directly caused by irrigation systems that are not being
monitored closely enough. Often they are set to irrigate lawns
that are already still soggy from the last watering.
Over-watered lawns will quickly become mold factories and will
shower everyone near them with an abundance of mold spores.
Plant Diseases and Spores Many pests of our plants are not
insects but are fungal type diseases such as mildew, rust, black
spot, scab, and leaf blight. These organisms also produce
allergenic airborne spores. The very best way to avoid these
diseases and their spores is by planting disease resistant
plants. The second most valuable approach is to keep plants
growing cleanly and strongly. Insect-attacked plants will often
later be attacked by fungus diseases, and visa-versa. Healthy
plants go a long way to keeping our air clean. Certain plants
if grown in the wrong area can almost be counted on to harbor
disease. Evergreen viburnum growing in the shade will certainly
get moldy and full of mildew. Crape Myrtle trees grown in an
area that doesn't have hot summers will always have mildew. A
cold, wet spring frequently brings out a huge flush of both
mildew and anthracnose on the leaves of California Sycamore
trees. In areas with cool, foggy nights and warm days, rust
will surely grow on any roses, hollyhocks, or snapdragons that
are not rust-resistant. Most roses grown in too much shade will
quickly mildew. Actually almost any plant that thrives in full
sun will run into problems in too much shade.
Insecticides and Fungicides When you see a plant covered with
insects or fungus, fight the urge to go get out the chemical
sprays. Many chemical sprays will themselves trigger allergies.
They may also weaken your immune system. A shrub full of
insects can often be helped immensely by just blasting off the
bugs with a strong jet of water from the garden hose. Spider
mites on plants can also often be brought under control with
this same stiff spray of water. Many insect pests can be killed
with a simple, non-toxic homemade spray of vegetable oil, water,
and liquid dish soap. For a gallon of water add two tablespoons
of vegetable oil and two to four tablespoons of soap. I like
Ivory Liquid. For fungus diseases spay them with a mix of
baking soda and water. I use from two to six tablespoons of
baking soda per gallon of water, depending on how bad the
infestation of disease is. This often needs to be repeated all
summer long. The baking soda will also kill some aphids. If you
like you can just add some baking soda to the insecticide mix of
soap and oil and have an all-around insecticide-fungicide spray
mix. Do not expect these homemade sprays to be just as
effective as the most powerful chemical killers. Often they're
not. But they do work and they are much safer and a whole lot
less likely to cause allergies.
IPM This stands for Integrated Pest Management and one of the
basic themes of IPM is that we are not looking to eliminate
insect pests, just to control them. Using beneficial insects
such as ladybugs, mealy bug destroyers, tiny parasitic wasps,
and green lacewings is always worth a try. It would be
worthwhile for any gardener interested in allergy control to
read a book or two on organic pest control.
Ants, Aphids and Scale Ants will farm out aphids and scale and
will protect them from their natural predators. When the aphids
and scale have ruined one part of a plant, the ants will move
them to another fresh spot. Frequently we can't seem to get rid
of the insects because there are so many ants on the trees and
to kill the ants I use a slow-acting but effective mix of
powdered sugar and borax. Look for the borax in a box in the
grocery store where they sell laundry products. Mix the sugar
and borax fifty-fifty. Sometimes I like to flood the area under
where the ants are thick with a hose and then when they're all
over the place, I sprinkle the sugar and borax mix. A few types
of ants don't much care for sugar and for these try mixing corn
meal and borax. This bait mix will also kill some other garden
pests such as slugs, earwigs and roaches. I have also had good
luck killing ants with a mix of non-dairy creamer and borax.
Cockroaches by the way, inside the house cause plenty of
allergies and the best way to kill them is with a mix of boric
acid and powdered sugar as a bait. Sprinkle this powder down
where the roaches will walk through it. You can buy boric acid
in almost any drug store. These baits are cheap, safer than
other poisons, and they work. Out in the yard don't put these
baits where the dog will eat them. Sometimes it works well to
hide them under old boards or flat rocks. A Note about
Ferns Ferns don't produce mold spores but they sure can produce
fern spores. Often these spores from the ferns can be just as
allergenic as the mold spores. Fern spores usually shoot out and
land fairly close to the fern. Small ferns growing in a shady
part of the garden rarely trigger much allergy. But people love
to grow ferns in hanging baskets and then they often hang these
over patio chairs, tables, right where someone will be sitting.
When these overhead ferns cast off their miniscule spores, they
will land directly on the unsuspecting victim underneath.
Hanging basket ferns are fine, but watch where you hang them!
Tree ferns are handsome creatures but again we need to watch
where we plant them. All too often they are planted right next
to front doors where with their added height, they can shower
spores on the people coming and going. Another consideration
with tree ferns is that they have millions of tiny reddish-brown
colored, needle-sharp hairs on their trunks. These little fern
hairs can make you itch and they can also cause plenty of
irritation of the throat and nose when they're inhaled. Plant
tree ferns back away from most human traffic.
Thomas Ogren is the author of Allergy-Free Gardening, Ten Speed
Press.
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