Photo by Joel Holland on Unsplash

We made it through a dark and cold winter full of challenges and hardships. I must congratulate you on seeing it through. Many of us had to sacrifice a lot but I am happy to say that things are getting better. Slowly but surely.

With Spring comes warmer weather, new growth buds on trees, colourful flowers and new opportunities. I encourage you to focus on the positive things we can do for ourselves and for those around us.

The first thing that comes to mind is South Africa’s annual arbor day on the 7th of September. There is something really rewarding about planting a tree in a public space or in your own home. I cannot truly explain the ‘feel good factor’. There is a special bond that I enjoy when planting and caring for a tree.

Not all of us have green fingers and some trees are more trickier than others to grow. If you’re not sure, pick an easy one especially a tree that does not require much water or care.
I have a soft spot for nitrogen fixers because they grow so quickly thus providing shade in a shorter space of time and they supply much needed nitrogen in the soil through the bacteria that grows in the root nodules.

Indigenous trees are always a win and should be the first type of tree to consider planting. Food producing trees give back in more than just providing shade, supporting wildlife, creating humus and absorbing carbon….they feed us! Be mindful that these trees do usually require a level of care to keep them healthy and strong.

Remember to visit or pass by your tree often to water it and give it some compost or plant food. It’s an amazing feeling to watch it grow and this is a joy you can experience for many years to come.

A Quick Update

Now that Unicorn Cafe has down scaled to focus only on products that sell quickly, our turnaround time of processing orders has increased and I am feeling much better about our customer service and delivery times.

Photo by Jacqueline Munguía on Unsplash

I am pleased to say that I always have stock of Vital Wheat Gluten Flour and Unicorn Cafe will always supply this product. In case you don’t know what this is…. it is the protein of normal wheat flour that it used to make seitan and give artisan breads elasticity.

Another amazing product that Unicorn Cafe supplies is vermicast. This is probably the most incredible fertilizer and growth medium that you can use for seeds and your garden.

Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash

In my experience, I have had a much better success rate when growing seeds in vermicast as opposed to other mediums. I had a lot of fun transforming the garden of the office using vermicast. It’s great to see flowers growing when I arrive everyday. It’s such a wonderful start to the day and so uplifting when I walk outside to take a short break.

Sometimes I post pictures on Instagram. You are welcome to follow to keep updated with the little joys I experience. The Instagram handle is @unicorncafeza.

Photo by Morning Brew on Unsplash

Unicorn Cafe is selling it’s clothing at unbelievably low prices. These prices are so low, that I am practically giving away T-Shirts and warm comfy fleece jackets. Take a visit to our website www.unicorncafe.co.za and have a look. All stock must go.

If you supply a wonderful product that has an indefinite shelf life at room temperature and you can supply it reliably to our premises in Westlake, then get in touch. I will be more than happy to add it to the Unicorn Cafe website. Please note that it’s vitally important to be able to deliver the product to us reliably and that it contains no animal products.

Part 1 – Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Part 2 – Loss of Biosphere Integrity

Part 3 – Climate Change

Part 4 – Ocean Acidification

The biogeochemical flows, this planetary boundary is referring to, is the phosphorus cycle and the nitrogen cycle. These cycles happen naturally in nature over time, and without our intervention, remain in balance.

Let’s start with nitrogen

Nitrogen makes up 78% of the air we breath and so, it is all around us. This gas is made of two atoms with triple bonds. These bonds are very difficult to break. Plants and animals, including us, need nitrogen to survive. We cannot use the nitrogen in the air and neither can plants. So how do we access this nitrogen?
Tiny microscopic bacteria that live in the soil take nitrogen from the air and fix it into the soil. These bacteria produce enzymes that break these triple bonds and put nitrogen into a form that is accessible to plants. We can then access our nitrogen requirements by eating the plants. Nitrogen is returned back into the system when plants and animals die or when animals urinate or produce manure. Plants take this nitrogen up from the soil to grow. There are also special bacteria that convert this accessible nitrogen into atmospheric nitrogen or nitrogen gas. Another name for this  gas is dinitrogen.

Commercial agriculture uses synthetically made nitrogen to fertilize crops but this chemical leaches into rivers and lakes when it rains and causes algae blooms. When the algae dies, bacteria break them down but consume all the oxygen in the water by doing so. These oxygen consuming bacteria turn the river or lake into a dead zone. It’s called a dead zone because no other aquatic life can survive in water without oxygen. America’s dead zone off the eastern coast is visible from space. 

You can see from looking at the planetary boundaries picture, that we have crossed this boundary into the red high risk areas. This means we have too many dead zones around the world because of nitrogen pollution in seas and lakes. Commercial agriculture takes a lot unhealthy shortcuts to produce food but affects the natural balance of nature and thus negatively impacts our ecology. Permaculture methods do not use chemical fertilizers but lets nature do the work for us. 

The Phosphorus Cycle

Phosphorus is found in rock especially sediment layers and with constant weathering, is released into the ground. Plants take up phosphorus from the ground and we take up our needed phosphorus from plants. When animals and plants die, this phosphorus is returned back to the soil or runs into the sea, becomes a sedimentary layer and in a few million years, pops up as a mountain exposed to weather again. It’s a really slow process.

Commercial agriculture has messed up the phosphorus cycle so badly, that it is becoming deplete in the soil. Phosphorus is mined and used in chemical fertilisers that commercial farmers use. Permaculture does not use synthetic fertlizers to grow crops and harmonises with nature’s processes. Permaculture is the sustainable and regenerative method of farming because it treats the land as a permanent source of nutrition by building top soil and not depeleting it.

Also known as Keurboom, Tree-In-A-Hurry and Blossom Tree.
This tree is leguminous meaning it is a nitrogen fixer.

Growing Virgilia

The attractive fragrant flowers and the fast growth rate make the keurboom a popular tree for the garden. Of the two, Virgilia divaricata is the better choice as its foliage is more luxuriant, and its growth more compact and it is amazingly beautiful when in full flower.

A keurboom is the perfect tree for the new, bare garden because it grows so fast it will take only two or three years before it will be creating shade, or a screen, and filtering the wind – which is an important consideration in Cape Town suburbs. It is also one of the best species to use as a pioneer in the first stage in the succession to forest. It is happy to grow out in the open, grows fast and quickly and creates the shade that the slower-growing, more permanent trees need to grow in.

Virgilia is propagated from seed. The seed coat is hard and requires some stimulation to initiate germination. Seeds can be soaked in hot water before sowing, or the seed coat can be cracked artificially. They also respond to stimulation by fire and can be treated with the Kirstenbosch Instant Smoke Plus Seed Primer. Seed should be sown in autumn or spring, in well-drained soil at a depth of 0.5 – 1 cm and covered with the sowing medium or milled bark and then watered. Seed can also be sown in situ, e.g. for forest rehabilitation projects. The seeds are highly fertile and can remain alive for many years after they have fallen, even after as many as 30 years they will germinate if conditions are favourable.

Transplant the seedlings after the first pair of true leaves has emerged when they are large enough to handle. Virgilia seedlings grow fast and can be planted into pots or bags for growing in, or directly into their permanent position in the garden. Feed moderately with a liquid fertilizer and water generously. Plant the young trees into a permanent location in full sun or semi-shade. They need good, light soil and plenty of water, particularly during their first 2 to 6 years. Virgilias have strongly spreading surface roots and are greedy feeders; they will benefit from frequent generous applications of compost or organic mulch. Virgilias are sensitive to frost, particularly when young. Mature trees may withstand short periods of frost, but not prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures.

References

• Coates Palgrave, M. 2002. Keith Coates Palgrave Trees of southern Africa, edn 3. Struik, Cape Town.
• Goldblatt, P. & Manning, J. 2000. Cape plants. A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria & Missouri Botanical Garden.
• Palmer, E. & Pitman, J. 1972. Trees of southern Africa. Balkema, Cape Town.
• Phillips, E.P. 1928. Virgilia capensis. The Flowering Plants of South Africa 8: t. 305.
• Smith, C.A. 1966. Common names of South African plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 35.
• Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. 1997. Field guide to trees of southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town.

Giles Mbambezeli & Alice Notten
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
August 2003

Trees are incredible forms of life on this planet.

I can write pages and pages about them. If you knew what I knew about trees, perhaps you would hug them too now and again. They are essential to our existence and without trees, our planet would be inhabitable. I cannot empahsise enough how we must strive to plant them, whenever we can, and in many places as we can.

Just because you don’t have a garden, does not mean you cannot plant a tree.  Enhance public spaces like parks and sidewalks with trees. Choosing an indigenous and water wise species will increase chances of survival and not consume too much water.

Here are some important facts you should know about trees:

1. Trees seed rain

Trees transpire water which form clouds and rain back down. Check out these awesome videos which explain the process.

2. Trees increase the fertility of the soil

The leaves that fall off the trees, cover and protect the ground from evaporation. Microorganisms and other small creatures like worms, eat the organic matter and process it into nutritious soil for plants. The oranic matter becomes food for the ground. There are also trees that absorb nitrogen from their air and return it to the soil through their leaf litter and nodes in their roots. If the tree is large enough to prune, the stored nitrogen in the root nodes are released into the soil as the tree balances its roots with its canapy. When deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn, you can decide how you would like to use them, as they have great fertilizing qualities.

You can choose to rake up the leaves, and store them to make leaf mould. Leaf mould is an excellent form of compost, or you can let nature do all the work for you by leaving them on the ground. Fallen leaves have a wonderful purpose, they protect the ground  from extreme cold or heat. Leaves (as mulch) stop water evaporation and when the worms eat them, they turn them into super compost for the soil. This is nature’s cycle of returning nutrients back to the soil so that more life can grow.

3. Trees stabilize the soil

The roots dig deep into the soil to secure the tree and this also protects the soil from soil erosion. Soil erosion occurs when rains fall and top soil is washed away where there are no trees to hold the soil in place. This leaves big gaping holes where it is difficult to grow anything.

4. Trees provide shade and regulate temperature.

If you measured the temperature of various man made things like tar roads, concrete, bricks and steel and then compared those temperatures with the tops of trees, you will see a big difference. Trees regulate the temperature. Man made structures like roads and concrete increase the temperature in cities and contribute to global warming. I am sure all of you have experienced the sanctuary of shade underneath a tree on a very hot day.

5. Trees help in the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem balance.

Trees provide a home to wildlife and increase chances of survival of many species. They provide food and shelter. Where many species live together, a balance is retored and is called an ecosystem. An ecosystem can fall out of balance if a species of life is removed and this threatens the survival of all other life. Biodiversity is key for survival of all species.

6. Trees are a resource for fuel and building

Wood from the fallen and dried branches of trees, can be burnt to provide warmth. Burning dried branches also makes coal which can be burnt or used to clean water. It can even clean our teeth! We can make things with wood like furniture, shelter and paper. We must be careful to prune for the trees health, and not cut them down. Destroying a forest for our own needs is selfish when there are better and more sustainable ways of providing for our comforts.

7. Trees store carbon

Do you know about all that carbon in the air that is making our planet hotter and making the sea acidic? Well, it should be in the ground or in trees where it is safe and put to good use. Trees store carbon and return it to the soil by decomposition.

The Moral of the Story

Go out there and plant a tree for Arbor month. Plant 10 trees if you can and try stick to indigenous, water wise trees. Let’s fix the grass deserts in our parks and restore the land, climate and wildlife with trees. Plant some fruit or nut trees in your garden and you will be rewarded with delicious food.

Trees are so vital to our survival. We need more of them to fix the damage we have done to this planet.  Plant a tree for Arbor Month.

July is not really a planting month for vegetables, but you can still plant :

– Beetroot seeds
– Cape Gooseberry seeds in seed trays
– Cauliflower seeds
-Celery seeds
– Mint seeds
– Mustard greens/Cress seeds
– Pea seeds
– Potatoes
– Radish seeds
– Shallot seedlings
– Swedes/Rutabagas seeds
– Tomato seedlings
– Turnip seeds

GARDENING TIPS

Now is a good time to start planning your summer garden early in the month so you have enough time to source and purchase open pollinated seeds for early sowing.

Carry out soil tests, particularly on land where growth for one or more seasons has been poor. Here is a link to understand soil tests.

After winter crops have been removed, dig the ground well over and incorporate dressings of organic matter.

Broad beans can be side dressed, earthed up and given support with string or wire if required

Apple trees and grapevines can be pruned to ensure healthy growth.

In mild conditions, tomatoes can be sowed in seed boxes.