Soils/Mineral
25% air, 25% water, 5% organic matter and 45% mineral
What is the composition of a typical mineral soil?
Microbes (decomposers) get energy from this source in a compost pile.
What is carbon?
This functional part of a landscape design includes the curb, the front porch and the flower beds?
What is the public area?
Colorado soils have a high percentage of this component, making the soil easily compact-able and have poor drainage.
What is clay?
T/F: Growing hydroponically allows you to be certified organic.
What is false
What are the three main soil textures one will find in an agricultural soil?
What is sand, silt and clay?
Microbes (decomposer) get protein from this source in a compost pile.
What is nitrogen?
This type of landscape design emphasizes geometry and symmetry.
What is formal?
Average amount of ~15 inches.
What is the average amount of rainfall Colorado receives per year?
Walmart
What is the largest purchaser of organic food?
pH of 6-6.5
What is the pH in which most plants prefer to grow?
These are the heat-loving bacteria that thrive and increase the temperatures of a compost pile; up to 160 deg.F
What are thermophiles?
This functional area of a landscape design include the doghouse, place to hide garbage cans and sometimes the vegetable garden.
What is the service (or utility) area?
Colorado gardening has many challenges. This factor is the most difficult because of the rapidity in which it can happen.
What are temperature fluctuations?
This principle of organic farming ensures the customer that they are getting what they paid for. There are regulations and inspections to make sure this principle is met by the grower.
What is integrity?
This mineral can be found in animal manures, green manures, and salts of potassium and ammonia.
What is nitrogen?
You have two identical sources in a compost bin. Which one will take down longer to break down - a moist source or a dry source?
What is the dry source?
A principle of landscape design that presents an equal visual weight of elements to a viewer
What is balance?
The origin of the name 'Colorado' was 'color rojo', meaning an abundance of this mineral in the soil, giving the soil its red appearance.
What is iron?
These are the 2 general groups of decomposers one needs to have success in composting.
What are microorganisms and macroorganisms?
Iron, manganese, molybdenum, copper, boron, chlorine and zinc
What are the micro-nutrients?
An anaerobic environment in a compost pile is undesirable. This is due to lack of what?
What is oxygen?
This principle of landscaping involves the relationship between objects in a landscape
What is scale and proportion?
A common abiotic plant problem we see in Colorado occurs usually in late spring/early autumn with drastic drops in temperature.
What is frost or freezing damage?
The relationship between these 2 minerals should be the primary focus of starting a compost pile.
What is the C:N ratio?