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Frequently Asked Questions

This is a list of frequently asked questions about permaculture in general and in particular about permaculture gardening in Fort Collins or the Northern Colorado Front Range, USA.

  1. What are the top two things I can do to get good harvests? First, lay down a thick layer (4-6 inches) of wood chip mulch, and secondly, get disease resistant varieties appropriate for this area.
  2. How should I water my trees? Ask an arborist, but here's what I do: I water them up to a couple times a month in summer, using the hose, on a very low flow level. For large trees I move the hose around in 30-minute spans near the drip line to give the tree a thorough, deep watering. Same for small trees, but for less time. In spring and fall, do the same thing but once a month. In winter, once a month but specifically at a time that it's been warm enough to melt the snow away for several days in a row. Do this and your grateful trees will reward you with opulent shade and bountiful harvests.
  3. What diseases are prevalent here?
    • Fireblight is a very serious problem here. Any affected wood must be immediately removed with sterile tools. Always re-sterilize after finishing. Lysol works fine for this. The diseased wood should be removed from the property immediately.
  4. What are some varieties thought to be disease resistant?
    • Apples: For fireblight resistance, look into Liberty, William's Pride, Sansa, Galarina, and Sundance (though there are numerous others). Honeycrisp is NOT resistant to fireblight.
    • Pears: Some fireblight resistant pears are Warren, Seckel, and Honey Sweet.
    • If you have a tree that's overcome with fireblight, cut it down immediately. Keeping it around will only help fireblight spread, the tree won't be a producer, and you'll just deprive yourself the opportunity of using that space for something else.
  5. What "pests" are common here?
    • Emerald ash borer is in Boulder and Larimer counties. It's only a matter of time before it spreads and kills virtually all ash trees in Colorado. I had our ash tree cut down years ago — it was used for firewood and the space it opened up now features multiple pear trees, a volunteer dogwood, an osage orange, comfrey, a bur oak, and a golden currant.
    • Pine beetle ravages local pine forests and is the source of "beetle kill" firewood.
    • Turn the problem into a solution: perhaps these pests give us an opportunity to get great firewood and mulch, while opening up space to diversify our canopy. Ash trees are something like 25% of the canopy in Fort Collins and that is not diverse at all!
  6. What things don't grow well here?
    • Acid-loving plants like blueberries and cranberries don't like our alkaline soil. Try utah serviceberry and golden currant instead.
    • Maple trees grow alright but may need extra care as the alkaline soil reduces their ability to draw iron from the soil, a problem known as Iron Chlorosis. The best treatment is to improve soil health through compost, and especially woodchip mulching. The woodchips lead to a more fungal dominated soil, and the fungi in the soil lower the pH, thereby diminishing if not eliminating iron chlorosis. If that's insufficient, the wise response is to accept that the tree in question is not suited to the local environment, and replace it with something that is.