Life on Capitol Hill 9
June 1, 2021
Ovarian Cancer Survivors gather for a group photo at the 2019 Jodi’s Race for Awareness. The event last year took place virtually, and the 2021 Jodi’s Race for Awareness, which is the 12th anniversary of the run/ walk, offers both a virtual and in-person event. The in-person event takes place on June 12 at Denver’s City Park. The virtual event allows participants to do the race anywhere, then livestream the Jodi’s Race Virtual Bash celebration, which will be emceed by Denver7’s Jaclyn Allen, at 10 a.m. June 13. Jodi’s Race is an educational event and fundraiser for the Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance. To learn more about the alliance’s programming, visit www.coloovariancancer.org. To register for the 2021 Jodi’s Race for Awareness, visit www.jodisrace. org. COURTESY OF COLORADO OVARIAN
CANCER ALLIANCE
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ucculent plants have fascinated gardeners for many decades and this trend shows no sign of slowing. There are many attributes that make them a great choice for Denver, and although GUEST into growing them COLUMN delving can be frightening, I’m Scott Preusser here to give you the 411 on making them thrive as you impress your friends and neighbors. Let’s first go over a few definitions and ground rules. Technically speaking, a succulent plant is any plant that has the ability to store water for later use. Generally, they want a lot of light and a little water. I know, easier said than done. For me, keeping the Denver Botanic Gardens’ indoor collection of succulent plants from around the world requires diligence, attention to detail and, of course, my trusty old crystal ball.
Kniech FROM PAGE 8
Improving Denver’s waste diversion rate Improving Denver’s waste diversion rate by increasing recycling and composting use throughout the city remains one of my major priorities. About 75% of Denver’s waste is recyclable or compostable (25% recycling, 50% compostable), yet the city’s recy-
Trees FROM PAGE 8
lished. You can also prune branches that impact the structural integrity of the tree. Be deliberate about what you prune from a tree. It’s important to prune around stop signs and to ensure sidewalks are clear to prevent accidents on or near your property. Stop signs should be clearly visible and sidewalks free of obstructions. The clearance requirements in Denver are 8 feet above sidewalks and 13.5 feet above streets and alleys. When should you prune your trees? While you may prune your tree yearround, ideally the best time to prune is
Success with succulents Now some tips to keep your plants healthy and happy. Keep in mind these are generalizations and are not to take the place of looking up individual plants for specific details. The general timeline that frost-sensitive plants can be grown outside in Colorado is from Mother’s Day to early October. When it’s time for the plants to fledge your nest, they must be carefully acclimated to brighter light or they will scar, burn or worse. One good trick is to put them in partial shade under a tree or under a shade cloth. Try to increase the light steadily for about a week. Containers: Keep it tight and pack it full of plants — it will be easier and prettier. I like pots that are more wide than deep. Soil: Bottom line is to just make it drain good without too much organic matter. Succulents would much rather have lean, fast-draining soil than that rich chocolate cake you grow your other plants in. There
is no one good mix for everything. I take regular bagged topsoil (about 50%) and add ingredients like charcoal, perlite, sand and gravel (the other 50%) to “chunkify” it to my liking. Watering: The best advice I can give is, when in doubt, do without. This is the hardest thing I struggle not to do — 18 years into collecting. I love succulent plants and I still tie a ribbon around my finger to not love them to death. For plants grown outside, I water thoroughly one time per week. The cycle of soil moisture should look something like this: totally wet for one day, medium moisture for three-to-four days and almost totally dry for two-to-three days. Times of Trouble: Things to look for that will require immediate action are things like stretching or discoloration. If your once nice, tight red plant is stretching in every direction and turning green, it needs more light and possibly less water.
Rot is another problem you need to act on right away. Pull the rotting plant out of the soil, cut off the rotted portion at least a half inch past the rot. Put rooting hormone on the wound and expose to sunlight for a couple days. Once the wound has sealed, place the plant carefully back into soil. Some stems may need to be braced until they grow roots again. Lastly, buy plants from reputable nurseries and garden centers who employ a trained horticulture staff. I guarantee you will get better plants and advice, and the plant will have a name tag. Spend time with your plants and pay attention to changes — they will tell you everything you need to know. Don’t give up even if you kill a few. I sure have and that’s how I’ve learned to do it right.
cling and composting rate hovers around 23% — far below the national average of 34%. Volume-based pricing for trash is a national best practice that incentivizes more recycling and composting. Residents are provided with free recycling and composting services and are then charged according to how much trash they throw away. Nearly 40% of residents in the United States use volume-based pricing. Locally, nine Front Range cities have successful volume-based pricing programs to provide fair, costeffective trash services, and those cities
have much higher recycling rates. Increasing Denver’s waste diversion rate through volume-based pricing would result in lower greenhouse gas emissions, conservation of natural resources, less need for landfills, reduction of air and water pollution, and the creation of private sector jobs to process the materials. I am actively working with our partners across the city to imagine what a volume-based pricing program could look like in Denver, and to engage our community in how we can all be a part of the change our planet needs to thrive.
By improving building efficiency, reducing waste and investing in necessary climate infrastructure, the City of Denver is helping protect our climate, quality of life and our economy. We welcome your ideas on how we can continue and improve our response to climate change. Please email my office at kniechatlarge@denvergov.org or call 720337-7712 with your thoughts.
late in the dormant season or early spring, before leaves form. This is typically a good time to remove excess or undesired branches because the tree is not putting forth energy to create foliage. Certain trees, including American elm (Dutch elm disease) and fruit trees in the rose family (fire blight) should only be pruned while dormant to reduce the spread of disease. Only prune a young tree two years after it has been planted and just focus on dead, broken, crossing and interfering branches.
Colorado has a very short growing season compared to other regions. A shorter growing season means the tree has a shorter period of time to create and store energy, which ultimately affects how quickly a tree can recover from pruning. A young established tree can tolerate removal of 0ne-third of its foliage in a growing season. A mature tree should never have more than 25% of its live foliage removed in one growing season. If you are pruning something off your tree that you can’t reach from the ground, it’s advised that you hire a tree care professional since they use specialized equipment such as an aerial lift truck/bucket truck and they have the needed field knowledge and expertise. In the City of Denver, tree contractors are required to be licensed and insured. A list of Denver’s licensed tree contractors can be found by visiting
https://www.denvergov.org/forestry. If you suspect an insect problem, contact a tree care professional to develop the most effective and environmentally conscious solution. Covering a wound or using wound dressings is not recommended and may be detrimental to tree health.
Tips for pruning Make sure that every pruning cut you make is clean and smooth. The best tool to use for pruning is a pair of sharp bypass hand pruners for one-inch branches because they make smaller cuts that the tree can recover from faster.
Scott Preusser is a horticulturist with the Denver Botanic Gardens
Robin Kniech serves as an at-large member of the Denver City Council
Want to learn more? Our friends at The Park People offer a community forester program with classes that cover a variety of topics, including pruning and tree planting basics. You can sign up online at https://theparkpeople. org/What-We-Do/Community-ForesterProgram. Happy pruning! Paul Cancik is the urban forestry operations assistant for Denver Forestry
