Introduction, anyone?

So I decided with good reason to name my blog 'Dirt Doc.' I don't normally flaunt my skill, but I don't deny it either. Once upon a time, I was a graduate student at Virginia Tech and though I was convinced I wasn't the brightest because I couldn't comprehend the chemistry of clay soils (i.e. the adsorption of orthophosphate to soil particles, bluh), I managed to graduate after two years. While at Tech, I studied the effects of composts (mostly chemical) on soil fertility and tall fescue grass vegetation. In other words, how did the nutrients in the composts (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc) effect the fescue grass- did it grow greener, taller, or more uniform than the fescue without compost? How much compost did I need to use and what was the best way to apply it so that the fescue growth and appearance was optimum? What nutrients and how much of those nutrients were in the compost and was it responsible for the effects I observed in my fescue grass? After I defended my thesis and graduated, I thought I was ready to head straight into the workforce and end world hunger with all of my knowledge but I was rudely met with my face slammed in the door.

My first real job (meaning I had 'real' health insurance) after graduate school was at a botanical garden. I oversaw five acres of roses in over 100 beds. I wasn't a complete stranger to roses so I buckled my work boots and dove right in. After only two months of having more interaction with roses than people, I came to realize the roses were speaking to me. If you think that sounds nuts, you've never connected to a plant. I began to speak a language I didn't entirely understand but at the same time, I already knew. I looked at my rose bushes and just knew what was ailing them. I learned to diagnose all sorts of diseases and pests without second glance. I'm not exactly when it first happened, but one day I began diagnosing soil borne diseases and nutrient deficiencies. From that point onward, I became known in my inner circles as the "Dirt Doc."

To this day, I practice "my medicine" in over a hundred acres of gardens. I often see sick plants and like a doctor, I can't help but try to remedy the situation. The beauty of soil science is that its so intimately related to overall plant health, it can't be ignored. Ignoring your soil is like feeding your body fast food everyday- an excess of one substance often leads to a deficiency of another. In the long run, it can also spell inevitable doom for your expensive plants.

Being a dirt doctor is a lot like being a veterinarian or a doctor to people. Ruling out one cause only narrows the possible list of causative agents. Often plants get cured by "miracles"- meaning the list of causative agents was narrowed down to one agent by treating the other possible agents previously with no success. Diagnosing plant ailments requires a knowledge of plant processes, their genetics (i.e. what Family of plants are they from?), soil fertility, a logical thought process, and patience. To treat a plant you have to ask all the same questions a medical doctor would: when did the symptoms start, is this the only affected plant, when was it last fertilized and with what, when was it last sprayed for insects etc, where was this plant growing, is this the first occurrence, are their other symptoms (you perform an examination)...and so on.

As I blog about my adventures as a caretaker for plants, I'll document my experiences so you can see for yourself how I go about a days work. I don't play plant doctor all day either- I grow vegetables from seeds and propagate plants from cuttings, etc. I also teach students and work with volunteers. I am a busy person because I'm passionate and I have fun. That's me. Class dismissed.