San Diego, CA
Essential to the quest for rose-growing success: soil
Leonardo da Vinci famously mused in the fifteenth century that “we know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot.” Just as mind-boggling, the U.S. Forest Service tells us that “Soil is a complex, living system that serves as the skin of the earth. In just one thimble full of soil, you can expect to find 100 million to one billion bacteria, several thousand protozoa and 10 to several hundred nematodes. Dirt is literally squirming with insects, nutrients and life.”
The soil food web is the biologically active part of the soil, which is vital for growing healthy plants. As gardeners, our hands are often in contact with the soil, but unless we have studied botany or horticulture, most of us know very little about the soil in our gardens, other than the fact that our soil anchors and supports our plants’ roots and nourishes the parts of the plant aboveground. It is critical that we gardeners care as much for our soil as we do for our plants.
‘Just-right’ soil
Goldilocks was on a quest to find the “just-right” porridge and a “just-right” bed. If we were on a quest to pinpoint “just-right” soil, these are the attributes we would be looking for.
Texture: Soil can be sandy, silty, loamy or clayey (yes, this is the adjective for clay soil). Soil texture refers to the proportion of sizes of the various particles that make up the soil. Sandy soil has the largest particles. The next largest are silt and the smallest particles are clay. Loam is the best textured soil and contains about 40 percent sand, 40 percent silt and 20 percent clay. Loamy soil is ideal for many reasons including being well aerated and easily penetrated by roots.
Structure: Soil structure refers to the arrangement or aggregation of mineral and organic soil particles and the spaces between them. A just-right soil structure allows the soil to “breathe” and enables both movement and retention of water, air and nutrients. It also provides space for root growth.
Water-holding capacity: Water is delivered to plants from their roots. Water keeps plants turgid and is indispensable to the processes of photosynthesis, transpiration and the transport of nutrients from the soil to the plant. For these reasons, soil needs to hold and release just the right amount of water. Do a drainage test by digging a 1-foot-by-1-foot hole and filling it with water. Let it drain, refill it and time how long it takes to drain. In well-drained soil, the water level will go down at a rate of around 1 inch an hour. Less than that and drainage is inadequate, which is the case in very clayey and compacted soils. Very sandy soils drain too fast, which can deprive plants of sufficient water for their needs. Both sandy and clay soils can be improved with the addition of compost.
Fertility: A fertile, nutrient-rich soil is necessary to supply plants with the macronutrients and micronutrients needed in the proper form for plants’ roots to absorb them. Organic material such as well-rotted plant and animal residues provide soil fertility. Good soils contain 3 to 6 percent organic matter. We can improve our soil’s fertility, texture, water-holding capacity and soil aeration when we amend our soil with organic amendments such as worm castings, manure and compost. These amendments provide a food source for microbes, which can help soil structure regenerate.
Soil pH: An optimal pH is vital to the release of nutrients in the soil to the plant, so a correct pH level makes a huge difference to the health of our plants. Most plants grow best in slightly acidic to neutral soil (a pH between 6.0 and 7.0). The “just-right” pH for roses is a soil that tests between 6.0 and 6.5. An alkaline pH (typical in San Diego) can be adjusted with the addition of sulfur. A too-low pH can be adjusted with the addition of lime.
Soil porosity: Maintaining good air-filled porosity is important, as plants’ roots and soil organisms need oxygen. In water-logged clay soils and compacted soils, porosity decreases, which can limit root growth. Especially under wet conditions, we should refrain from tilling the soil or stepping on the soil, as both actions can lead to compaction.
Soil management and improvement
We may not be able to make our garden soil ideal or “just-right,” but we can take certain actions that will help improve our soil.
Avoid compaction: The lack of oxygen in compacted soils greatly limits plant growth because the lack of oxygen prevents good root growth. Compaction also decreases the micro-organisms inhabiting the soil that change organic matter in the soil into nutrients that plants can use. Is there anything we can do to avoid compacting our soil? Absolutely! Try to avoid walking in garden beds and step as much as possible only on steppingstones. Postpone your plans to work in your garden when the soil is wet after a rain. Limit tilling and spading the soil, as this damages soil structure, especially when the soil is wet.
Amendments to improve soil: Soil amendments such as worm castings and compost improve soil texture, structure, water-holding capacity, fertility, pH and soil porosity. In addition, the nutrients contribute to the soil biota, which help the plant uptake nutrients from the soil. Instead of digging the amendments into the soil, layer the worm castings and compost on top of the soil. Earthworms and other soil organisms will move the organic material into the soil. Adding liquid amendments like liquid humic acid, liquid kelp or seaweed, alfalfa tea or liquid fish emulsion is also a good way to enrich the soil without digging, and these products stimulate the growth of micro-organisms in the soil. Our best option to improve texture, drainage and nutrients in a clay soil and a sandy soil is to add organic materials.
Some rosarians will add gypsum (calcium sulfate) to clay soil to improve structure, compaction and drainage. Jolene Adams, master rosarian and past American Rose Society president, provides evidence in her article, “Will Gypsum Improve Clay Soil” that gypsum can help only a “sodic soil” — a soil with high levels of sodium and low levels of calcium and magnesium. Since the majority of clay soils are not sodic, Adams advises not giving in to the marketing hype and to get a lab test before using gypsum.
Organic mulch: There is a lot to be said for all the benefits that a good organic mulch can provide to the soil. It helps soil retain moisture for plant use, reduces erosion, improves soil structure over time, improves biological activity in our soil, impedes weed growth and it gives the garden beds a finished and attractive appearance. Mulch needs to be applied annually. When applying mulch, do not cover the canes or trunk of your plants.
Kick the chemical fertilizer habit: Synthetic fertilizers are lab-made and faster acting so they boost and expedite plant growth and bloom rate. However, these fertilizers are high in salts and do nothing to improve our soil’s health, texture or long-term fertility. They can be detrimental to populations of beneficial micro-organisms, and too much can “burn” our plants.
Cut out unnecessary fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides: Proper fertilization enhances plant growth without polluting the environment. Too much unnecessary fertilizer, pesticide and fungicide can not only injure, burn and kill a plant, they can also mess up and poison our soil and the soil organisms. Additionally, when these products are overused, they can run off into the ocean, lakes and streams.
Soil test: How can you tell if you are using an unnecessary amount of fertilizer? In addition to the pH of your soil, a soil test will tell you if your soil is deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium or any of the micronutrients. For a healthy soil and healthy plants, add only the nutrients your soil needs. Epsom salt has been added to rose gardens for decades by conscientious rosarians in the belief that epsom salt prompts basal breaks. But research shows there is no value to this practice unless soil is deficient in magnesium.
What is the top secret to success for gardeners? Take care of the soil, and it will take care of the rest.
Perwich is a member of the San Diego Rose Society, a Consulting Rosarian and a Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A Navy jet that crashed into San Diego Bay within striking distance of homes, hotels, and restaurants had climbed to about 8,000 feet in the air with no one on board after its pilots ejected following a failed landing in February, Team 10 has learned.
And now documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request from the recently completed investigation into the accident are shedding new light on the chaotic moments leading up to the crash of the $67 million EA-18G Growler.
They reveal concerns about runway conditions, a fuel leak midair, and a warning from air traffic control that created confusion in the cockpit.
According to the records, the pilot felt something was wrong with his brakes moments before the mishap.
On the day of the accident, the pilot and the electronic warfare officer in the backseat had to get into a spare jet due to a fuel leak. Capt. Brandon Viets/Premier Sportsfishing via AP
The crew took off from North Island and joined a tanker to refuel midair. They had a “minor leak from the basket” and decided to return to base rather than risking being more than 500 miles off the coast.
As they prepared their descent, the crew was told there was water on the runway at North Island.
The pilot landed but was up against tailwinds and higher-than-normal speeds. He told investigators, “I knew I would have to get on the brakes a bit more.”
He said as he applied them, he noticed the brakes felt “mushy or at least a bit different than normal.”
U.S. Navy
Fearing the jet wouldn’t stop in time, the pilot started a go-around maneuver. Then a tower controller warned, “Not enough runway.”
“This was said in a very concerned voice, which caused some confusion and concern,” the pilot said.
‘Eject! Eject! Eject!’
Retired Air Force accident investigator Rich Martindell said he was surprised the air traffic controller made that warning and thought it was inappropriate.
“The tower wasn’t in a position to really know the aircraft’s speed and what the whole situation was,” he said in an interview.
Martindell, who has flown the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, a similar aircraft that lacks the Growler’s electronic warfare gear, said the controller couldn’t have known how much runway was left.
“It clouded the issue and caused the crew to have more doubt about the situation.”
The pilot told an investigator moments after having issues with the brakes, “It felt like the jet was not going flying and the water was approaching, so I called for ejection with ‘EJECT, EJECT, EJECT’ and then we pulled the handles,” his witness statement shows.
Jack Fischetti
The crew safely parachuted into San Diego Bay and were rescued by a fishing boat.
The jet continued to climb to roughly 8,000 feet before dropping for over a minute and crashing into San Diego Bay near Shelter Island, the Navy investigation found.
“It looks like what it did is stalled. So, it got nose high, ran out of airspeed, came back around, and then the video we see of it going into the water, nose first, just all happened after the ejection,” said Martindell.
Amol Brown/Team 10
The Growler’s chaotic drop from the sky was captured on a resident’s doorbell and nearby surveillance cameras, which showed it nose-diving into the bay.
“If this aircraft had continued on even a second more, it could have hit Shelter Island or flown into a populated neighborhood in Point Loma — very, very close to a tragedy,” retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Steve Ganyard told ABC News after the crash.
Navy says human error, weather to blame
After Team 10 obtained the documents, the Navy confirmed in October that it had finished the investigation into the mishap and ruled out mechanical failure.
Instead, investigators determined the crash was caused by human error exacerbated by a combination of factors, including adverse weather.
“The aircraft was unable to safely stop on the runway due to wet runway conditions and landing with a tailwind. The investigation determined that the pilot should have instead executed maximum braking techniques,” said Navy Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The Navy spent weeks recovering debris from the water and said roughly 85% of the aircraft was recovered including significant debris.
“The U.S. Navy has well-established and rigorous programs for crew resource management, adherence to training rules, professionalism and airmanship,” Umayam wrote in a prepared statement.
“In the days and weeks that followed the crash, leadership across the enterprise reinforced to all crews that strict adherence to these programs is critical to safe and effective flight operations.”
Martindell still believes the air traffic controller’s warning was a contributing factor in the mishap and may have altered the pilot’s decision-making in the final moments before the ejection.
“He may have made a different decision I’m sure that that call had some influence on his decision to call for the ejection.”
Team 10 Investigative Reporter Austin Grabish covers military investigations, the Medical Board of California and the U.S.-Mexico border. If you have a story for Austin to investigate, email austin.grabish@10news.com
SAN DIEGO, CA — A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in a 2018 killing of a man in San Diego, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Monday.
Arthur Jordan, 28, was fatally shot July 19, 2018, by an unknown assailant while sitting in a car in the 3000 block of Martin Avenue. At the time of his death, Jordan was a barber working in his family’s barber shop.
San Diego Police Department investigators have interviewed witnesses and potential suspects, but have exhausted all leads.
“We are very thankful for the governor’s support in our efforts to find justice for Jordan and his family,” said SDPD detective Chris Murray.
Under California law, law enforcement agencies may ask the governor to issue rewards in specific unsolved cases where they have exhausted all investigative leads, to encourage individuals with information about the crimes to come forward. Public assistance is vital to law enforcement, and rewards may encourage public cooperation needed to apprehend those who have committed serious offenses.
SDPD has requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this murder, urging them to contact Sgt. Joel Tien at 619-531- 2323. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888- 580-8477.
The souped-up Pacific storm that will hit San Diego County on Christmas Eve could drop 3 to 4 inches of rain over a short period, making travel dicey and raising the risk of flooding, the National Weather Service said.
San Diego averages less than 2 inches of rain in December and hasn’t had a drop this month.
The region will catch the tail of a storm that tapped into copious amounts of subtropical moisture, causing it to grow and become more explosive. The Pineapple Express, as some call it, will affect the entire state. The first big urban hit comes Monday when the system is expected to slam the San Francisco Bay Area. It’ll then sink toward Southern California.
The storm, which also is packing strong winds, could slow or disrupt traffic on Interstate 5 and U.S. Highway 101, prime routes between San Diego and San Francisco.
Forecasters say the system will push into Orange and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire late Tuesday night and unleash heavy rain, and possibly lightning, on Wednesday. The wind could gust as high as 40 mph in spots from San Diego to Julian, forecasters said.
The most intense rain is expected to fall from mid-morning until late-afternoon Wednesday, when last-minute Christmas shoppers will be crowding freeways. Downpours could close some parking areas at the Fashion Valley Mall in Mission Valley, which often floods in heavy rain. Showers will last into Thursday, Christmas Day, and forecasters say a second storm could hit over the weekend.
A flash flood watch will be in effect countywide from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 1 a.m. Thursday.
The forecast has turned worrisome over the past couple of days.
The weather service earlier thought the storm could produce about 1.5 inches of rain in San Diego, and roughly twice as much across inland valleys and mountains.
On Sunday, they said San Diego could get 2.5 to 4 inches of precipitation. And there was deeper confidence that some areas east of Interstate 15 would be seeing 3 to 4 inches of rain.
Snow isn’t expected, though. The storm is comparatively warm due to its connections with the subtropics.
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