SUSTAINABILITY

For the long-term sustainability of the garden, a management protocol has been developed to educate staff on the range of seasonal landscape management needs and the preferred methods of care for soils, plants and the irrigation system. The protocol includes organic methods for building and maintaining healthy soil biology with a balance of beneficial fungi, bacteria and microorganisms. Additionally, an organic pest-control program to combat susceptibility to the Bronze Birch Borer has been developed: in the spring – the release of beneficial insects and the application of insect parasite nematodes and a parasitic fungus; in the fall – applications to stimulate root growth and enhance the Birch soil structure with injections of indigenous leaf mold, a blend of long-term food sources and beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes.