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Greetings
From SeaWorld’s Garden of Discovery
July
2002
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What’s
Happening in SeaWorld’s Gardens This Month?
Of
all the trees in the SeaWorld plant collection one stands
out as a botanical giant. The Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla)
is a massive and majestic tree growing in the lawn area
west of the Skytower. This specimen was originally planted
at the west end of the park and was moved to its present
location in the mid 1970’s.
The
Moreton Bay Fig is native to the east coast of Australia.
A large buttressed trunk, huge scaffold branches and incredible
canopy spread (dripline) combine to make this species one
of the giants of the plant world. As the name implies, this
tree is a relative of the edible fig. The leaves on the
Moreton Bay are 4 – 8 inches long and leathery. The fruit
is round and about 1 inch in diameter. In Australia the
fruit is eaten by bats!
There
are several large Ficus macrophylla in the Southern California
area. Perhaps the 2 most noteworthy are in Balboa Park (by
the Natural History Museum) and Santa Barbara. The latter
tree was planted in 1877 and now occupies an entire city
block. Our tree at SeaWorld has a canopy spread of 78 feet
versus 181 feet for the Santa Barbara Ficus. This is not
a good tree for your backyard!
On
your next park visit be sure to checkout this magnificent
member of the SeaWorld tree collection.
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Garden
Irrigation Basics
Here
are some answers to frequently asked questions about maintaining
the proper amount of moisture in your garden.
Question:
How do I know if I’ve put down enough water?
Answer:
After you are done watering and the water has soaked in, take
a handful of soil from the root zone of your plants and form it
into a ball. If the soil is too dry the ball will not hold together
when you open your hand. If the soil is too wet water will run
out between your fingers when you try to form it into a ball.
The soil has just the right amount of moisture when you can form
a ball and it holds it’s shape.
Question:
How often should I water my garden?
Answer:
Seedlings and new small potted plants need daily watering. As
your garden becomes established skip a day and eventually water
two or three times per week. Established plants thrive with deep
and less frequent watering that allows the soil a chance to dry
out in between irrigating. Roots travel deep into the soil in
search of water and are better able to withstand hot weather.
Question:
I live in an apartment and all my plants are in containers, pots
or baskets. How often should I water?
Answer:
Plants in containers soon become root bound so there is less soil
in the pot to hold water. You may need to water everyday in the
summer and every other day the rest of the year. Also, root bound
plants won’t store nutrients very long so you may add a water-soluble
fertilizer once per week.
When
watering your garden think about the current weather, soil type/depth
and of the plant’s water needs.
For
irrigation information and water savings tips visit these great
web sites:
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Outreach
Update
On
July 2nd, Trina Baquera and Melanie Repikoff taught children (of
all ages) about gardening at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar,
California.
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Tour
The
last “Birds and Blossoms” tour is August 14th, 7:30 a.m., Pass Members
$10.00 and non-pass members $15.00. If you would like to attend
please call the Education Department at (619) 226-3900 ext. 3834.
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Wildlife
Watch
Recent
entries from our Wildlife Spotters log include:
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Wildlife
Spotted
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Name
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Hometown
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Black
Bird
|
Chloe
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San
Diego, CA
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| House
finch |
Hrl |
Israel |
| Red
winged blackbird |
Brittany |
Outer
Banks, NC |
| Tad
Pole |
Elaina |
Yuma,
AZ |
| Earthworms |
Jennifer |
El
Cajon, CA |
| Frog |
Brian |
Covina,
CA |
| Mourning
Dove |
Cindel |
Santee,
CA |
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Weather
Report
The
month of July begins summer weather at SeaWorld San Diego. Expect
daytime high temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s with overnight
lows in the mid 60’s.
Evening
weather includes temperatures in the low 70’s with a mild sea breeze.
Perfect conditions to enjoy ‘Mystique de la Mer’ night entertainment
in the park.
Visit
our live
weather link from SeaWorld’s Garden of Discovery.
For
information on your customized educational opportunity in the Garden
of Discovery contact Jeff Hall or Melanie Repikoff (619) 226-3900
ext. 2207.
E-mail us at SWCLandscape@SeaWorld.com
Visit
our SeaWorld
Garden Web site.
Garden
of Discovery Partners:
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