Water and Water Conservation

Due to climate change and global warming, drought is now a constant reality. Water conservation and using water wisely is critical. Water supplies and watershed must be protected and preserved. Gardening and sustainable practices must make use of waterwise irrigation.

Southern California officials are issuing new restrictions on outdoor water use amid the worsening drought. It’s fine for lawns to go brown – and it’s even better if we replace them. But we must keep trees alive and healthy. It’s OK to water them responsibly. Even the San Diego County Water Authority encourages residents to water their trees.

Trees are the most powerful weapon to fight against global warming and climate change. We know trees clean the air by filtering pollutants and producing oxygen. Trees also reduce energy costs by providing shade and cooling the air, offsetting the scorching heat coming from streets, concrete, and buildings. (the “urban heat island effect”). California street trees save the amount of electricity it would take to air condition 530,000 households every year.

During a drought, avoid pruning or other routine maintenance, and avoid fertilizing the tree. You don’t want to encourage too much growth. And if you are letting your lawn die around your trees, great! Lawn competes with your trees for water. In fact, it’s a great idea to take the lawn out around your trees, and replace it with something more drought-tolerant anyway.

Sustainable Design Ideas for San Diego Stormwater

Green Roof Salesforce Park in San Francisco. Photo: Greenroofs.com
  Amid the megadrought, the worst drought to hit California in 1200+ years, we are now experiencing a Pacific storm with the terrifying name of a bomb cyclone. And while the atmospheric river it’s bringing with it sounds poetic, it’s anything but. This brutal storm is bringing heavy rains, damaging winds and subsequent flooding to parts of California. In San Diego County, we’re experiencing rains and winds that may lead to major flood events in some areas. Over the last decade, flooding has caused millions of dollars in property damage, even in times of average seasonal rainstorms. (source: San Diego Co Public Works) San Diego is a coastal desert.… Read More

Keep Our Trees Green and Growing in Drought

San Diego's trees add to the beauty it is known for worldwide. Photo: City of San Diego keep our trees green
Several years ago, I encouraged blog readers to plant trees for the well-being of our planet. If you followed my advice, you have some shade to sit in while enjoying your beverage of choice! Now in the midst of the worst drought Southern California has experienced in our lifetime, the most important thing you can do now is to use the precious water available to keep our trees thriving. Put trees first in line for water Southern California officials are issuing new restrictions on outdoor water use amid the worsening drought. It’s fine for lawns to go brown – and it’s even better if we replace them.… Read More

Misting Indoor Plants: The Whole Truth

  Do you need to mist your indoor plants to keep them healthy? No, you don’t. If I stopped there, this would be the shortest blog post in Good Earth Plant Company history! But I wouldn’t do that to my loyal readers. Let’s discuss misting in a little more detail. We get asked about this frequently, especially during hot summer days. Plants and people like the same indoor  humidity Indoor plants prefer a humidity level between 40 and 60 percent. Most common types of indoor plants are native to parts of the world where there is a lot of rain and humidity.… Read More

Green Roofs Growing Strong!

My original green roof at Good Earth Plant Company in Kearny Mesa, still growing strong after 15 years.
It was 14 years ago this month when the first commercial green roof appeared on an occupied building in the City of San Diego. It was OUR main office at Good Earth Plant Company. You never forget your first! It’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years since we took this leap of faith, although it was made so much easier with all of the expert advice we followed and with the work of the partners who helped make it happen. So a few quick thank yous right at the start go to Ulf Waldman, Robert Thiele, Charlie Miller, Robin Rivet, and Paul Kephart.… Read More

How to Water Your Plants Using Sub-Irrigation

Good Earth Plant Company’s advice on how to water your indoor plants hit pay dirt! Many of you read, commented, and shared the advice in our blog post last week. We are happy to help and thank you for passing our blogs on to your friends and family. The watering tips and methods we discussed all involve surface irrigation. Surface irrigation is any watering technique adding water to the soil from above the plant. Rain provides surface irrigation. But there’s one more way to water your container plants – so call this part three of our series about watering your plants.… Read More

Basic Watering Guide From Our Plant Stylists

Good Earth Plant Company's plant stylists get asked about watering more than any other topic. Photo: Torsten Dettlaff/Pexels
In last week’s blog post, we shared tips from the Good Earth Plant Company experience on whether your plants like a drink of something other than water. Readers told us they enjoyed it – and then said “But we could really use more advice about watering our indoor plants.” If there is one thing we have heard over more than 40 years as plant stylists and indoor plant technicians, it’s this. People still aren’t sure how to water their plants. Proper watering goes hand in hand with proper placement for successful indoor plants. With people spending more time inside due to the coronavirus pandemic, and more picking up plants (see below) to keep them company, we’re following up with Part 2 in our advice series.… Read More

Happy Hour: What Do Indoor Plants Like To Drink?

Drink up! Plants need water - but do our plants like to drink anything else? Photo: Pexels
After 40 years in business, we’ve learned a lot about plant care at Good Earth Plant Company, and we love to share our best tips with you. One topic never seems to get old: how much should you water your plants? More people are guilty of overwatering their plants, not underwatering them. It’s important to get this right by monitoring your plants and checking the soil. Have you ever wondered if your plants would ever like something besides water to drink? Some people use commercial liquid plant food. But what about some of the common liquids in your home?  Believe or not, the answer is – yes, sometimes!… Read More

Rain or Shine, Do Your Part to Protect Our Oceans from Stormwater Pollution

In winter 2018, the last thing we needed to worry about was stormwater pollution. We only got 3.77 inches of rain in the official 2017-2018 water year in San Diego. Now here we are in 2019, and our first blog post of the year is about the pollution effects of all the rain we’ve been getting. It’s great news in Sana Diego to get some drought relief, watching our reservoirs fill back up and enjoying snow in the mountains. But now we need to be concerned about managing the negative effects of all this water, such as stormwater pollution. Stormwater runoff is the single biggest contributor to poor water quality in San Diego.… Read More

Can Plants Save The World? Isn’t It Worth Trying?

I started my career in the plant industry with a flower bucket stand in downtown San Diego. Now I’m heading toward my 40th anniversary in business at warp speed. It’s crazy! It took a lot of hard work, but it also took a little luck and lots of help along the way. I’m grateful for where it’s taken me. When you have the gratitude attitude, two things happen. First, you feel great. Second, you want to pass it on, and that feels great, too. In 2016, a presentation by Alpha Project Chief Operating Officer Amy Gonyeau opened my eyes to the growing scope of homelessness in San Diego.… Read More

Our 12 Tips to Prevent Stormwater Pollution Runoff

I heard the weather report like everyone else, but I never expected the steady amount of rain we received in San Diego County this week, did you? After more than 100 days without measurable rainfall, it was a welcome sight. Rainfall has many benefits, but there is one downside. When rain falls in San Diego after many months of dry weather, pollutants that build up on surfaces like rooftops, parking lots and streets get washed into our storm drains. The reason it’s a big deal: those storm drains dump out directly into the Pacific Ocean, and all those pollutants end up in the water hurting sea life.… Read More