Pecking Order

We love to watch the birds in our garden. They are totally different from the ones we had in our garden in South Carolina, with the one exception of the house wren. The house wren here, however, is a different subspecies, and sings more sweetly than the one on South Carolina.

After two years of observation we have learned a lot about the birds. One of the biggest differences is that many of the birds here are nectar and fruit eaters. In South Carolina we put out mostly seeds, and ocassionally some suet. We tried putting out fruit a couple of times, but only succeeded in attracting butterflies and wasps. Here in Costa Rica, 16 out of the 78 species we have on our property are fruit and/or nectar eaters. We have two platform feeders where we put plantains, and sometimes bananas or papayas.

There is a lot of competition among the birds for the fruit. Some bird species tolerate other species at the feeder; other species will chase off any other birds. Over time we have figured out the pecking order, i.e., which birds dominate other birds. The order seems to be determined by a combination of size, size and shape of bill, and personality.

Blue-crowned motmot

Ironically, at the top and bottom ends of the pecking order are the two largest birds. The blue-crowned motmot is the uncontested king of the feeder. When it lands there, all other birds make a beeline for the bushes, where they remain until the motmot has had its fill and eventually lumbers off with a full belly. Although motmots are fairly sedentary birds and seemingly nonaggressive, they have long, vicious-looking bills, and will sometimes peck at other birds that try to land on the feeding platform. Motmots sometimes stay at the feeder for a half hour or more, resting between feeding sessions. If this goes on long enough, the birds in the bushes become wrestless and the clay-colored thrushes in particular begin to buzz the feeder, being careful to stay just out of pecking distance.

Near the bottom of the pecking order are the red-billed pigeons, which weigh almost twice as much as the motmots (the pigeons weigh 230 grams; the motmots, 120 grams). The pigeons have very small bills in relation to their size, and a very passive personality. They wait on top of our poro tree and watch the feeder till the morning feeding frenzy is over. Then they descend en masse on the feeder.

Male Hoffmann's Woodpecker (photo courtesy of R. Hays Cummins)

After the motmot comes the Hoffman's woodpecker. It is a medium-sized bird, but has a long, sharp and powerful bill. It is willing to share the feeding platform with other birds, but if challenged (which is usually by a thrush) will quickly drive the other bird off. It is kind of like Teddy Roosevelt -- it walks softly, but carries a big stick.

Next come the clay-colored thrushes (until recently called clay-colored robins) and the Baltimore orioles. There are lots of thrushes and they are around the feeder all day bullying the other birds to no end. The orioles are aggressive when they are here, which is only part of the year. They chase off most other birds, but seem to delight in squaring off with the thrushes. The thrushes usually stand their ground at first, but the orioles generally win out in the end.

Great Kiskadee

Great kiskadees come next in the pecking order and also fight a lot with the thrushes. Black-headed saltators follow. If at the feeder singly, they cannot stand up to a thrush, so what they do a few times a day is they come in as a family of four to six birds and take over the feeder. Not even a motmot can stand up to a mob like that.

The kiskadees and black-headed saltators are followed in the pecking order by a motly crew of grayish saltators, flame-colored tanagers, summer tanagers, and ocassionally hepatic tanagers. At times they will squabble among themselves, but they are basically non-aggressive birds.

Summer Tanager

Below these are blue-gray tanagers and Tennessee warblers. These birds almost always come in pairs. The blue-gray tanager seems to be a friendly bird and is generally not bothered by the other birds, with the exception of the thrushes. The Tennessee warblers just started showing up this year. They will land on the feeder when any other type of bird is feeding, with the exception of the motmots, and dart in to to peck at the plantain, and then quickly back out again.

We also have three species of hummingbirds, but they do not eat fruit, only nectar, so do not come to the platform feeder.

Happy gardening!

The Greenhouse

We have a greenhouse. It's a little different from most greenhouses. It happened because of two unfortunate circumstances. Here's how it came about.

Our guesthouse is built on a slope, with the front on the downhill side and the back on the uphill side. Instead of building the front a little above ground level (which we would have done, and which would have resulted in the back being AT ground level) the builder put the front at ground level, which resulted in the back of the house ending up about three feet below ground level. Then he extended a patio about 15 feet out from the back and built an eight-foot high retaining wall. So when you look out of the rear windows of the guesthouse you are looking at a wall. All this was done without our knowledge, and when we discovered what he'd done, it was too late to change it. So we had this little patio behind the guesthouse that we just hated.

Next, when I began gardening I quickly became aware that some of the plants (like tomatoes) did not like the cool, wet, windy weather. So, in essence, as they say, we took lemons and made lemonade -- we had our handyman build a transparent roof over the patio. Voila! we had a greenhouse, a place to put plants that were sensitive to wind and rain.

Rainwater storage tank

One unique design feature --  we designed it so we could collect the rainwater that ran into the roof-gutter and channel it into a 110 gallon tank with a spigot at the bottom. We use this water for the plants in the greenhouse. We also use the water to ferment compost tea. Being natural rainwater, with no chlorination, it is perfect for this purpose. After nine months of watering the plants, we have never run out of water from the tank.

I started tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, and a few other things in the greenhouse. Never having had a greenhouse, and never even having thought about having one, I was faced with a learning curve.The greenhouse was going to be the silver bullet to end all my problems, I thought. But, alas, things went downhill from the start -- everything became sick.

It just so happened that the beginning stages of the greenhouse corresponded with a month of damp, cloudy, foggy weather. Not good.

The tomatoes got blossom-end rot, early blight, late blight, and powdery mildew. Although the peppers got powdery mildew, they did produce some peppers, but they were small and sickly looking. Cucumbers were planted in pots that were too small, and they got powdery mildew, produced a few cucumbers, which quickly became infested with tiny green worms that bored into the fruit, and then they just pooped out altogether. The eggplants got everything that the tomatoes got, but in spades. I started some celery plants (which really didn't need to be in the greenhouse) and they were small and puny looking.

Gradually I began to discover my mistakes and have taken corrective actions. Things are doing much better now.

The first lesson learned was that most plants in the nightshade family -- tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers -- not only don't like a lot of rain, they generally don't like high humidity either. Ed Burnhardt of The New Dawn Center  taught me this. "Grow these things in the dry season, when the humidity is down," he told me. The dry season is upon us now, so time to start those tomatoes.

The second lesson was also taught to me by Ed -- tomatoes (and many other plants) will benefit from Epsom salts (and some lime) if grown in the wet topics. This is because the high rainfall leaches magnesium out of the soil. Magnesium plays a role in strengthening plant cell walls, allowing the plant to take in the nutrients it needs. It also aids in seed germination, photosynthesis, and in the formation of fruits and seeds. I had begun to use Epsom salts in the outdoor garden, but figured, I had given the plants in the greenhouse such good soil, they really didn't need Epsom salts. But then Art Sulenski, a gardener from the San Ramon area, mentioned in a post on the internet that he had used Epsom salts in his greenhouse. So I tried it. Within a week the plants had perked up and the tomatoes and eggplants were setting fruit for the first time.

The next big revelation was the importance of trays under pots. I had never grown anything in a pot before, so didn't understand the importance of having the pot sit on a tray or saucer. Over the years my wife had had potted plants indoors, and they always sat on saucers in order to protect the floor or furniture they sat on from water that might run out the bottom of the pots. I had also learned from her that African violets needed saucers, and when watering them, they should always be watered in the saucer, never from the top. But, I figured, I wasn't growing the plants indoors, and I wasn't growing African violets, so trays weren't necessary. The idea of trays came when I noticed that tiny ants were building colonies in many of the pots. I posted a message on the crgardening group about how to prevent ants in pots. The answer came back -- trays full of water under the pots. When I did this, the plants began to perk up almost immediately, especially the celery, which had been languishing (it is a plant that likes damp conditions). So, trays not only help control ants, but also keep the plants moister. Another benefit is that this reduces the frequency with which they need to be watered.

The other two minor lessons learned were to make sure the pots are large enough, and to prune off diseased and sickly-looking foliage.

Now that I have learned these basic greenhouse 101 lessons, I look forward to growing healthier plants.

Happy gardening!

November Weather Report -- Sunny weather returns

Pascuita (Euphorbia leuococephala) which begins blooming at the end of November, and is a sign that Christmas will soon be here.

 The rains stopped on the first day of November. The next morning the sun emerged after an absence of almost a month. Local radio stations began receiving calls from listeners reporting a strange round, yellow object in the sky (how quickly we forget what the sun looks like!).

The rest of November was sunny or partly sunny, with measurable rainfall every two or three days -- just about perfect for the garden. Clear skies brought warmer days and cooler nights, with highs around 77 and lows around 61. Winds picked up from the east (the trade winds) and we experienced gentle breezes or light winds most of the time. Total rainfall came to 7.7 inches. Rainfall for the year now stands at 124 inches.

I spent much of the month getting the vegetable garden ready for planting.

This was the third November we have experienced in Costa Rica. Although considered part of the rainy season, I have found November to be an overall pleasant month -- rains are diminishing while sunshine is increasing; humidity is dropping while winds are increasing, and changing direction from the west to the east. This is healthier for the plants, and also reduces mold and mildew in the house, so is healthier for the gardener as well.

Happy gardening!

Tree Tomatoes, revisited

In the blog entry for October 18 I mentioned how well tree tomatoes did here, but also some of their drawbacks:

  1. Hard to peel
  2. Not much pulp
  3. Seeds as hard as beebees

We have since learned more about the tree tomato, and that it really doesn't have any drawbacks at all. In fact, I'm now eating a couple of fresh tree tomatoes ever day and it has become one of my favorite fruits. In an attempt to describe its flavor, I'd say it's a little like a cross between a tomato and a persimmon. But please don't hold me to that, as it's been a very long time since I tasted a persimmon.

What we discovered was that we weren't letting the fruit ripen enough before eating it. One day I found one of its fruit that had fallen on the ground. I took it inside and put it in our fruit bowl. After three or four days I sliced it in two, scooped out the pulp and ate it. The skin was not nearly so tough, the seeds had become soft, and there was plenty of pulp.

I like the tree tomato so much now, the first thing I do in the morning is I go out and check the ground around the tree to see if any fruit have fallen.

Happy gardening!

October Weather Report

The rainfall for the last several months has been a little below normal. Well, the month of October made up for the slack. We got a whopping 33.3 inches. This beats the previous high rainfall mark set in August of 2010 (27.2 inches) by 6.1 inches.Total rainfall for the year stands at 116 inches. That's a lot.

The rainy, foggy, cloudy weather also brought cooler temperatures. The average high dropped from 79 in September to 75, while the average low stayed the same -- 63. The thermometer never reached 80 degrees during the month, the first time this has happened this year.

The important question is: how did all of this rain affect gardening? As for ornamentals, they weathered the rain pretty well, but I had to delay weeding for the most part, in order to avoid walking in the garden and compacting the soil.

Mowing the lawn was problematic because the grass grew so fast, and it was wet (and the soil soggy) almost continuously. I'd say, on the average we got rain about 14 hours a day, and it was cloudy all the rest of the time, with occasional periods of brightening, but no actual blue sky or sunshine. It was during these times of brightening that I would dash out with the lawnmower to cut the grass. The grass was so thick, I set the blades higher, and had to stop every minute or so to turn the mower over and clean out the clogged grass clippings.

The water garden (i.e., pond) was also a problem. We designed it so that a lot of water runoff from the driveway and the roofs flows through the pond. The rains kept the pond water crystal clear for the entire month. However, I'm still fine tuning our rather complex system of water runoff, and after a heavy rain near the end of September, one of my neighbors who lives "downstream" complained about the excessive water runoff from our property. So, I had my gardener and his helper dig a rather large catchment basin downhill from the pond. It seems to be working pretty well, and can handle all of the runnoff up to about two inches of rain a day. However, it then takes this water five to six days to completely evaporate away, or seep out.
Because we were getting more than an inch of rain a day, on the average, there were several times when it overflowed. However, the runoff is much reduced now and we received no further complaints from our neighbor.

The vegetable garden was also a problem, despite the fact that I have raised beds. I had planted carrots and beets, and because they were so small when the rains came, they got beaten to a pulp, but many of the plants survived and are beginning to show some progress now that sunshine has returned. Many of the lettuce and cabbage heads rotted. Beets and onions also took a beating, but are doing well now. Leeks had been growing for about two months when the rains came. They faired well, and we just harvested a nice leek crop. I'd say the one vegetable that came through with flying colors were the carrots, which had been planted about six weeks before the heavy rains came. They just loved all that water. However, my wife says the ones harvested lost much of their flavor.

Happy gardening!

Second Year of Gardening -- Fruit Trees

TREE TOMATO
The award for our best fruit tree has to go, so far, to the tomate de palo, or tree tomato. We initially planted two of them, and later a third. One was planted on a site with good soil and drainage. It did very well, but was unfortunately chewed down by a gopher, who went into a fit of rage after we disturbed one of his tunnels. The one planted in the location with poor soil and drainage has done pretty well, regardless. The third one, is by far the best. It was planted in a location where we had a truck-load of topsoil dumped, and later a load of compost.

Tree tomatoes are fast growing (and, we assume, short-lived) and begin producing fruit within a year. The leaves and fruit look more like egg plant, and so I like to call it an egg tree. The fruit is produced in clusters, and each fruit is about the size of a hen's egg, and orange, when ripe. We had heard the fruit can be used to make jam or chutney, which my wife did, but after her first attempt she reported they were very hard to peel, and there was very little meat in the fruit. The seeds have to be removed because they are very hard and could break a tooth. So, they are a lot of work for little results.

CAS
The only fruit tree we have not had a problem with is the cas, a relative of the guava. It is a slow grower, but looks good so far. We have high hopes for it.

AVOCADO
Avocados have been a problem. We planted a Hass avocado. It was a large one, complete with avocados, and we paid good money for it. It became sick from the high rainfall and the heavy soil. So, I eventually tore it out, dug a much larger hole, complete with drainage ditches, gave it a lot of really good soil, and planted a new Hass avocado. It's not looking good either. Later an expert told me that Hass is good for cool weather, but not for high rainfall, and that it will probably never do well in our location. Since then I have planted a third avocado tree, a Simpson. I've been told it can handle our wet conditions. It looks good so far. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

BANANAS & PLANTAINS
We planted a plantain tree as soon as we arrived. It was doing extremely well. Then the gophers discovered it and ate the roots. Gophers just looove plantain and banana roots. Later we planted a banana tree in a location where there are no gophers. It is looking good so far.

FIG
We planted a fig tree in a bad location -- lots of heavy soil and rocks. We have improved the soil, but the tree is not looking good.

ORANGES
Oranges do well around here.  We planted three -- two criollos and a Washington.
One was planted in an area of very good soil, and it is looking good and has actually produced three oranges. Another one was planted in an area of poor soil, but we worked hard on improving the soil and creating good drainage. It is doing well, but has produced no oranges yet. The third one was planted in an area of extremely bad soil, and even though we did a lot to improve the soil and the drainage,
it is doing just so-so.

GRAPEFRUIT
We planted one grapefruit tree. It was not doing well, and showed signs of calcium-magnesium deficiency. We finally gave it some Epsom salts (which is high in magnesium), and it seems to have turned the corner.
It has put out a new flush of healthy-looking leaves.

LEMON
We planted our lemon tree in an area that was too low and wet. We have since relocated it and it is looking a little better now.

MANGO
Mangoes like hot weather, and generally do not do well at our elevation. We purchased one mango tree which is supposed to do well at high elevations and cool temperatures. It was kind of an experiment (like everything else). At times it has seemed to struggle, and at other times it seems to do just fine. The jury is still out.

JOCOTE
We planted one Jocote tree. It seems to be doing just fine. However, since planting it we learned that our location is just a little too cool for them, and although it looks good, the locals tell us that it will probably not produce any fruit.

Happy gardening!

September Weather Report

The warm, sunny weather that began in July has continued on into September. Rainfall almost doubled the amount received in August -- 6 inches -- to 11.1 inches for the month. Despite the rain, we got lots of sunshine.

Total rainfall for the year stands at 72.7 inches.

To the right is a photo I took of a great egret sitting on the top of our poró tree. He comes to catch fish in our pond from time to time.We have only seen him a couple of times, but even when we don't see him, we know when he has visited because when I go out in the morning to feed the fish, they are hiding on the bottom of the pond and refuse to come up for food.

Happy gardening!