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Bleeding Heartland
Wednesday, Jul 28 2021
Common Mullein, Great Mullein and Woolly Mullein are all names for the same plant, a non-native weed introduced from Europe in the early 1800s. It has spread so widely that it is now considered naturalized. Common mullein can be found in all 50 states, and even though it is a weed, it is not pesty (at least not in Iowa).
Of all the Iowa wildflowers, this plant has some of the most fun nicknames, including Cowboy Toiletpaper, Quaker’s Rouge, Torch Flower, Flannel Plant, Tinder Plant, and Aaron’s Rod.
If you are a wildflower enthusiast, someone not familiar with common mullein may ask you, “What is that tall fuzzy plant that I saw on the side of the road?”
Photo by Michael Feldmann
Soil is much more than simple dirt. On close inspection, garden soil is a complex mixture of mineral particles, organic materials, moisture, living organisms and chemical nutrients. Different soil types contain different amounts of minerals and nutrients, providing different levels of plant life improvement. The quality of crops depends on the top soil, the nutritional value in which they grow.
In order for the crop harvested from the fields to be rich and healthy, a farmer would do well to know the basic properties of the soil, its types and preparation rules before planting plants. There are over 20,000 soil varieties worldwide. But the most common and important types of soils are six main groups of soils: clay, sandy, silty, peaty, chalky and loamy. Each of them has its own good properties, and it is important to know them in order to make the best choice and get the most for your garden.