Floating row covers are handy items for any gardener in any
climate. A floating row cover is a lightweight spunbonded
white fabric made of either polyester or polypropylene. It
is most often used to protect plants from a light frost, but
it has uses for gardeners in warmer climates too.
When a light frost is expected in either spring or fall,
floating row cover fabric can be draped over plants to help
hold in warmth from the ground, protecting your plants from
freezing. A lightweight row cover will give 2-4 degrees of
temperature protection for your plants, while heavier row
covers will provide frost protection in temperatures as low
as 20 degrees. Used in the spring , row covers allow you to
start your garden up to two weeks early.
Sunlight and rain will both pass through the floating row
cover to your plants, so the fabric can be left on the plants
as needed. Since the fabric is so lightweight, any breeze will
send it drifting away if it isn't anchored down. Secure the
edges of the fabric to the ground with rocks, piles of soil, or
wire earth staples. Earth staples are simply U-shaped wires
that are pushed through the fabric and into the soil to hold the
fabric down.
Floating row covers make good barriers against hungry animals who
want to eat your plants. Foil the neighborhood rabbits by draping
floating row cover over young plants until the plants are a bit
older and not as desirable for bunny lunches.
Floating row covers can also prevent insects from attacking your
plants. This is particularly useful for vegetable crops such as
broccoli or squash. If the butterflies can't lay their eggs on
your crop you won't have any little green worms hiding amongst
the broccoli florets. Similarly, squash bugs can't reach squash
plants that are hiding under a floating row cover. But make sure
to remove the fabric from the plants when they begin to flower so
pollinating insects can reach the blossoms.
Floating row covers are available in garden centers and gardening
catalogs. The fabric comes in a variety of widths and lengths,
and can be purchased in lengths long enough to cover an entire row
of plants. If used and stored carefully, the fabric can last for
several years.
Fall is the Time to Plant Garlic
Fresh garlic is a staple in many kitchens, and good cooks
know that a hint of garlic can enhance many dishes. The
pungent bulbs are incredibly easy to grow and homegrown
garlic will be far better and keep longer than what is
sold in the supermarket.
Fall is the best time to plant garlic. Garlic cloves
may be planted in well-drained soil from about the time
of the first frost up until November. It is harvested
in the summer after the bottom half of the leaves have
begun to turn brown.
To plant garlic, break apart the bulbs into individual
cloves. To grow larger garlic bulbs, plant only the
largest cloves. Plant the cloves about two inches deep
and four to six inches apart in rich soil. The roots
will start to grow over winter, but you won't see any top
growth until spring. Give your garlic a blanket of mulch
to protect the bulbs from heaving out of the soil over
winter and to help keep down weeds.
Young garlic can be mistaken for grass when it begins to
sprout, but a quick pinch of the leaves will release their
aroma and eliminate any mistakes when weeding the patch.
There are many varieties of garlic available to choose from,
but two main types; soft neck and hard neck. The soft neck
varieties have a soft stem that makes them easy to braid.
Soft neck garlic bulbs have larger cloves on their outside
layer with smaller cloves towards the center of the bulb.
Soft neck garlic generally stores well, up to nine months.
Hard neck garlic has a stiff central stalk with fewer but
larger cloves. It tends to be more winter hardy than soft
neck varieties but doesn't store as well, typically only
five to six months. Hard neck garlic is a bit easier to
peel than the soft neck varieties.
If you enjoy garlic, try planting some this fall. You'll
be glad you did!
Fall Rose Plant Care
Proper care of rose plants in the fall will help ensure that
your plants come back strong and healthy next spring.
Roses love the warm days and cool nights in the fall and often
put out their best blooms for fall enjoyment. Fall weather
encourages the plants to form more perfect blossoms, but the
weather can also encourage blackspot, one of the most common
rose problems. Blackspot can defoliate a rose plant, and a
plant that loses its leaves too soon will struggle to survive
through winter. Maintain a regular schedule of fungicide
sprays for your roses until the plants go dormant and drop
their leaves naturally.
Gardeners in cold climates should stop fertilizing their roses
in early September. No matter where you live, a general rule
for roses is to stop applying fertilizers one month prior to
the first frost date for your area, or a month before the
deciduous trees typically drop their leaves.
Pruning your roses will encourage new growth and will also
cause the sap to run in the stems. Tender new growth is
vulnerable to winter damage, so rose plants should not be
pruned in the fall. During the growing season, the spent
blossoms should be deadheaded often, and this will also
encourage new growth. But stop deadheading spent blossoms
about a month before the first frost. This will allow the
remaining blooms to develop into rosehips and signal the plant to
prepare for winter and go dormant. Go ahead and cut a few of the
more beautiful blossoms to enjoy indoors if you want, but try to
limit any pruning or cutting of the plant in the fall.
Tips for Growing and Producing Flowers on Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla, the pink and blue hydrangea are
commonly known as Big Leaf or Mophead. Most of these bloom
in July or August in either blue or pink, although a few varieties
are white.
If you have pink blooms and would like them to be blue, simply amend the soil with aluminum sulfate. Your local garden center
will have aluminum sulfate.
Apply it around plants that are at least two years old and be
sure to water the plants well before applying. One tablespoon
of aluminum sulfate per gallon of water is recommended, and
can be applied throughout the growing season. Don't overdo it
though. Too much can burn the roots and harm the plant.
If your soil is naturally acidic but you want pink hydrangea
blooms, a fertilizer high in phosphorus will prevent the plant
from taking up aluminum and the blooms will become pink.
Prune your macrophylla hydrangea right after they bloom. They start producing flower buds for next year as soon as they finishing blooming, so if you wait too late to trim them you'll cut off the flower buds for next year.
PeeGee hydrangeas bloom white then turn pinkish. PeeGee's bloom on the current years growth. Therefore you can trim them
from the time they quit blooming until mid spring. PeeGee is hardy up to zone 3 and can also be trained into tree form.
Annabelle hydrangeas have white blooms that can reach up to
ten inches in diameter. They also bloom on new growth so trim
them just as you would PeeGee.
Oak Leaf hydrangeas like sun but they do not like wet feet. They
also bloom on old wood, and should be pruned after blooming
but before they start to make new buds in August.
1. I use chicken wire around my montauk dasiys to keep them upright and prevent them from spilling over..
2. for bee stings try mixing amona and accent(meat tenderizer) into a paste and apply to the bee sting.
3. toothpaste can also be applied to a bee sting.
4. Mr. Bills experiment with dahlia tubers after digging out in the fall and dried:somewhat shrunken,rotten/fungus plagued tubers were put into 4 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket with a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent and kept in a garage with a constant water temperature of between 40 and 45 degrees for anywhere from 7 to 10 weeks..when they were removed the tuber clusters were plump and healthy looking. Now they have to be planted to see if they flower..
5. Slugs thrive in moist, shady conditions. They like to hide under debris, under plants that offer the deep shade they love, and under logs or rock piles. To help prevent slug damage, water your garden in the morning so the plants are dry by evening when slugs are active.
You can use their attraction to shade to trap slugs. Set out boards, shingles or damp newspaper in the garden overnight. The slugs will see this as a new place to hide. In the morning lift the boards or newspaper, collect the slugs that have gathered beneath it and drop them into a container of soapy water. Do this for several nights and the slug population will be significantly reduced.
Another simple way to eliminate slugs is to use ordinary household ammonia. Add 2 ½ cups of ammonia to a gallon jug, then fill the jug with water. Spray this solution at dusk when the slugs are active. Be especially careful to spray under the leaves and on the ground beneath the plants where slugs hang out. If you're using boards or wet newspapers to catch slugs you can also spray this solution on the slugs that have gathered overnight. The spray will kill slugs on contact, and since ammonia is a source of nitrogen, the spray will also give your plants a little boost. When spraying the ammonia solution, be careful to not get it in your eyes.
THE INFORMATION ON OUR SITE IS MEANT AS A REFERENCE TOOL
Gardening Tips for
February
1. Stay off frozen turf as much as possible.
2. If not already done, order seeds it once for early
starting. Also ordered nursery stock
for later
delivery.
3. Check mulches
placed around plants in late fall to see if they are still in place.
4. We are pansies,
English daisies, and forget-me-nots are over-wintering cold frames, the frames
must keep cool and well ventilated all day when the temperatures above
freezing.
5. All kinds of cuttings, i.e., Coleus, heliotrope, fuchsia,
Begonia, and Lantana root easily at this time of year and make attractive
plants for setting out in May.
6. Sow seed of
kalanchoe, and Jerusalem cherry for blossoming plants next Christmas.
7. Prune flowering
shrubs, particularly old, overgrown ones and those that bloom and summer on
week that will develop the spring. Space
selectively prune and
spring flowering trees and shrubs soon after they flour.
8. Selling of the
following annuals that need a long season of growth should be made now. They include
browallia, Coleus, lobelia, Petunia (large flowered ) snapdragons ,
vinca rosea, and verbina. Use the soil
this mix is the propagating medium.
Choose Vegetable
Varieties According to Needs.
Choosing
seeds and plants thoughtfully can spell the difference between success and
failure is growing season. For each
variety consider the following points: specific use, growth habitat and
mature size, vigor in yield, adaptability, and disease and insect
resistance. Specific
use. Some varieties are best for
immediate use, while others may be ideal for freezing or canning. Some keep well in storage, and others
are fine for all of these purposes.
Just be sure the variety you select is right for the uses you have
in mind. Growth
habits and mature size. If you have
limited space in your garden, look for space-saving vegetable
varieties. Each year, new ones are
introduced, including compact forms of squash cucumber cantaloupe and
watermelon. Vigor
and yield. These qualities partly
depend on soil fertility, available water and other growing
conditions. However, when selecting
varieties it often pays to buy hybrids.
These are plants that have been developed for specific
characteristics, including improve quality and higher yield.Adaptability. How well of vegetable variety grows in a
given locality is basic to wise selection.
In part, this involves general climatic conditions, including
length of growing season. Much of
this information is found in seed catalogs and on the packet. However, you must be aware of your
garden's own growing conditions that can affect plant performance, such as
soil depth and texture and exposure to sun and wind.Disease
resistance. Select
disease-resistant varieties, where ever possible. This is especially important for
vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and cantaloupes that is subject to
wilts mildew and viruses.Insects
and other pest resistance. Plant
breeders have made some progress in selecting stock for resistance. One example is nematode - resistance
tomatoes. However, if you don't
want to be bothered by blogs, select types of vegetables it seem naturally
less attractive to pests. Some good
examples are carrots, lettuce, Swiss chard and butternut squash. You may wish to avoid those vegetables
known to attract bugs including corn, cabbage, beans and certain squashes.
Care of Your Indoor Plants.
1. Houseplants may be damaged by all watering and poor
drainage. If the drain is slow, repot
your plants use plenty of broken crockery while crushed stone in the bottom and
as soil mixed with additional sandal perlite.
2. Turn and prune houseplants regularly to keep them
shapely.
3. House plants need
all the light they can receive during the winter but may need the protection of
the thin gauze curtain from the direct sun in a western window in the
afternoon.
4. Do not place
plants on the TV set. This is one of the
hottest places in the house because of heat released by the tubes.
5. Group plants
together and place plants in the bathroom when in the kitchen sink this will
also increase the humidity level around the plants.
6. To increase
humidity around plants, place body plants on a shallow tray about 1 1/2 to 2
inches deep and fill it with pebbles.
Pebbles should always be kept moist.
Gardening Tips for Early March.
1. Hearty plants in
cold frames should be grown as cool as practical in preparation for their
transfer to the open garden. Keeps dash
off on favorable occasions in
ventilating a little bit night unless temperature is to drop below 30°F.
2. Have your garden soil tested for pH level by Cornell
Cooperative extension offices or garden centers.
3. Space complete any
pruning still to be done on fruit trees.
4. Begin indoor soling on the lights were in the greenhouses
of the following annuals:ageratum, alyssum, pastors, globe amaranth,nicotiana ,
bedding petunias, annual flocks, snapdragons, stocks and scabiosa.
5. Check stored tubers and bulbs remove any that show signs
of rot lightly moistened the storage material around them to initiate shoot
growth.
6. If orchids, a
forest, and other tropical foliage plants are grown in a greenhouse, light
shading should be put on the glass at this time.
7. Department plants in pots and tubs growing in the
greenhouses or greenhouses that did not get attention last month should
probably be repotted or lightly top
dressed.
8. Repot geraniums and Lantana has grown in the house over
the winter.
9. Sell peppers, early tomatoes, a plants, celery, broccoli,
and Coley flower under fluorescent lights or in the greenhouses. So peas in the vegetable garden.
Grow Healthy Seedlings IndoorsTo grow strong,
healthy transplants, one should use fresh seeds purchased from a reliable seed
dealer. Some seeds left from past years may germinate, but they may not have
enough figure to grow into strong, healthy plants, or it be selective about the
soil in pots you start your seedlings in.
The soil is plotting mixtures are excellent for starting seedlings
because they are sterile and are designed to provide adequate aeration of roots
and water retention. If garden soil is
used, it has to be sterilized. Simply
spread the soil in a thin layer over cookie sheets, and heated in an almond for
half an hour and 160°F. Gardener should
use plastic pots rather than clay ones, because clay pots are heavy and tend to
harbor organisms,that could be damaging to seedlings. Plastic cells and pot
should be sterilized by soaking them in a solution of one tablespoon of bleach
to every pint of water. Rinse well and
dry before getting the soil mixture.A slow release
fertilizer should be mixed into the soil.
And a very small amount before planting the seeds. That initial dose of fertilizer should be
good for about three weeks after that, fertilizer seedlings every two weeks
with a water-soluble plant food makes to half its recommended strength. What is seedlings when the growing media is
dry to touch, and provide enough water so that soaks the soil and runs out
through the drainage holes in the pot.
Never let a plants in water, to let plants dry between watering. All seedlings will need 14 hours of light for
best growth when artificial light is needed for supplement, position
fluorescent tubes five to 6 inches over the plants.
we would like to thank cornell cooperative extension of suffolk county
for their gardening tips.
Weeds need
oxygen, sunlight, and nutrition to survive.
So we have to find a way to deprive them of those essentials without
harming the plants and flowers in your beds.
First let's start with some
preparation work. The first thing you
must do is eliminate any and all weeds that are currently growing in your
planting beds. But the secret is to
start this process as early as possible, because it really takes at least two
weeks to do this effectively.
Basically what you are going
to do is disturb all the weeds
in your beds by either
rototilling, or chopping and digging with
a hoe or other garden
tools. Just loosen the soil and uproot
the weeds. You can dispose of the weeds
if they are large, but if they are just small weeds just uproot them and leave
them lay in the bed so the sun can dry them out. That will kill them.
Once you have all of the
soil disturbed just leave it be for at least three warm, dry days. Then repeat process again.
This eliminates any weeds
that you might have missed, or
any that have sprouted since
your last effort. You should do
this at least 3 times. Disturb all of the soil, then allow it
to dry, then disturb again,
then one more time.
Once you are confident that
you have eliminated all existing weeds, smooth out the soil and start spreading
newspaper over the bed area, then cover the newspaper with mulch.
But . . . . . the newspaper
must be at least 7 pages thick!
A single sheet of newspaper
won't do the trick.
The newspaper will keep any
weed seeds in the soil at
bay until they expire. Then the newspaper rots right into
the soil and you never even
know it was there.
A nice thick layer of mulch
on top of the newspaper will greatly improve this process. At least 2 inches, maybe 3 inches.
THE FOLLOWING ARE MONTHLY TIPS FOR EDIBLE,AND ORNAMENTAL PLANTS FOR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR USE. May - EdiblePotatoes and green peppers produce better when grown over a white plastic mulch.Harvest green onions, lettuce and radishes from early garden.Plant melons, peppers, eggplant, sweet potatoes and other warm season vegetables. Check to see if bees are visiting blossoms on fruit trees. Numerous bee visits mean a good fruit set. Soak roots of fruit trees and small fruits before planting.Tomatoes started from seed can be planted in the garden when they have 5-7 leaves.Use heavy duty mesh for reinforcing concrete for tomato cages. It will last forever and not rust. Deep transplanting is good for tomatoes. Remove all leaves that would be under the soil. New roots will sprout along the stem.Use a garden hose to outline a new garden bed.Cut or pinch off flowers in new strawberry plantings. Protect transplants from cutworms with collars. Cut
strips of cardboard 2" wide by 8" long and staple them into a band and
place around plants. Press collar about one inch into the soil.Harden off vegetable transplants before planting. Put outdoors for two hours first day and one hour or so each day for a week. Plant several varieties of sweet corn with different maturity dates.Begin spray schedule to control diseases and insects on fruit trees. Continue to harvest mature plantings of asparagus and rhubarb so they will keep growing. Water transplanted tomatoes using a 2 liter plastic
bottle with the bottom cut off. Drill a hole in the cap. Stick the cap
end 6-8 inches into the soil and fill bottle with water. Place bottle
about 12" from transplant.Mark the handle of your spade or hoe in inches for a
handy measuring device for row width and planting distances. Paint or
tape the measurements on the handle. A coat of varnish can make the
marks last longer.Cover tender vegetables with floating row covers
(Reemay) or old blankets or sheets when frost is predicted. Will
provide protection down to 28 degrees F. Continue to harvest mature plantings of asparagus and rhubarb so they will keep growing.Plant muskmelon and watermelon at end of month. May - OrnamentalsAvoid floppy peonies by planting the smaller flower Japanese singles.Plant trees, shrubs and fruit trees.Plant multiflora petunias. They withstand storms and heat better than other types of petunias.Plant annuals, perennial flowers and herbs near the end of May.Mulch around newly planted trees and shrubs. This
practice reduces weeds, reduces fluctuations in soil temperature,
retains moisture, prevents damage from lawn mowers and looks
attractive. Make a tomato cage birdbath. Buy a tomato cage, a large
plastic flower pot saucer, morning glory seeds and string. Criss-cross
string through the cage. Place saucer on top of cage. Plant morning
glory seeds around cage. Fill saucer with water. Choose plants that are easy to maintain. Plants that do
not need "deadheading" include begonias, impatiens, coleus, alyssum,
ageratum, lobelia, vinca and salvia.Prune most spring flowering shrubs like forsythia, viburnum and lilacs after bloom.Plant gladiolus corms early this month. Plant corms every 7-10 days for blooms all summer.Finish uncovering roses and tender perennials. Do not refuel a gasoline powered engine when it is hot
or running. The exhaust could ignite gasoline. Let engine cool 5
minutes before refueling. Allow spring bulb foliage to die naturally. Leaves
manufacture the food resources which are stored in the bulb for a
repeat showing next year. Grow statice, globe amaranth and strawflowers for drying. Factsheet available.As leaves emerge on roses spray with appropriate fungicide every 7-20 days to prevent blackspot. Pinch back annuals when 4 to 6 inches high to promote bushy growth. Some that require pinching are zinnias, petunias and salvia.Avoid deep cultivation of evergreens that might wound roots. Evergreens have many roots near the soil surface.Lawns maintained at the correct height resist disease
and weed infestation. Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue should be kept
between 2 to 3 inches in height. Mow frequently, removing no more than
one third of the blade at each cutting. Use impatiens in shady areas. Begonias, coleus, ageratum, salvia and vinca prefer light shade (5 to 6 hours of sunlight). Don't spray pesticides on a windy day. Not only is pesticide wasted, it may endanger other crops, animals or people. Put your tools away at the end of the day; clean them and hang them up, if possible. Keep the cutting edge sharp for easier use. Raised beds should be no wider than four feet so plants can be reached from both sides. Regularly water newly planted trees and shrubs during
the first year or two after planting to help establish a good root
system. They need at least one inch of water each week. Make a support rod for your hanging baskets using an old
mop or broom handle. Place two sturdy hooks into your porch or patio
roof about as far apart as the handle is long. Suspend the rod with two
equal lengths of chain. The rod can hold several hanging baskets,
depending on size. Break up the overgrown roots of container grown plants with a knife or trowel.Grass clippings can be used as a mulch in flower beds
and vegetable gardens if allowed to dry well before use. Fresh, damp,
grass clippings will mat and may attract pests. Never use clippings
from a lawn that has been treated with a herbicide. Cut off dead flower heads of tulips and daffodils.Identify garden insects before spraying with an insecticide. May - IndoorsCacti will bloom sooner if they are root bound in a small pot.Avoid chilling houseplants by watering them with cold tap water. Let water stand until it reaches room temperature.Water dry houseplants before fertilizing and never
fertilize wilted plants. Adding fertilizer to a dry root ball burns the
roots, damaging or killing the plant.Avoid over potting African violets. They bloom better in small pots.June - EdibleIn late June stop harvesting asparagus and fertilize.Harvest peas when pods are plump. After harvesting replant the area.Keep cucumbers consistently moist to keep them from becoming bitter. Do not walk through a garden after watering or rain. This can spread disease.Do not worry about June fruit drop on fruit trees. It is a natural occurrence.Make a homemade grow bag. Fill a large, heavy-duty, plastic trash bag with a soil mix (Pro-mix) and plant a tomato.Plant green soybeans. They have a buttery, crunchy flavor. Are a snack food in Japan. Stake tomato plants with 4'-5' stakes.Plant cucumber varieties 'Spacemaster' and 'Salad Bush' for small gardens or containers.Plant beans, cucumbers, squash, sweet corn and late tomatoes.Side-dress eggplants, tomatoes and peppers with fertilizer when they set their first fruit. Do not slice a tomato until you are ready to eat it.
According to USDA research a tomato loses its aroma and flavor just
three minutes after slicing.Mulch tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Mulches help keep
down weeds and conserve moisture. Different colored mulch materials
reflect different wave lengths of light and have produced noticeable
results. Tomato harvests increased significantly in both size and
quality when plants were grown over red plastic. Catch earwigs and sowbugs by trapping them in moistened,
rolled up newspapers. The earwigs and sowbugs will hide in the paper
during the day. Dispose of the newspapers.Make a vegetable cleaning box. Replace the bottom of a
wooden box with chicken wire. Place just picked vegetables in box and
rinse off.Harvest strawberries. Water the garden with the equivalent of one inch of water per week. To protect bees that pollinate many of our crop plants, spray pesticides in the evening after bees have returned to their hives. Make a sunflower room for the kids. Draw a square in the
soil and plant sunflowers around the square. Leave an open space for
kids to go in their outdoor room. Prune and tie "staked" tomatoes plants - factsheet available.Use about 3-4 inches layer of newspaper for a mulch
around vegetables. Dip newspaper in a bucket of water before placing on
ground so it will not blow around.Plant pumpkins in early June.Carve your child's name in the skin of a young pumpkin. Name will expand as pumpkin grows. Check cucumbers for cucumber beetles. Beetles can cause
a bacterial wilt disease. Cover with a floating row cover (Reemay)
until they flower.Grow sweet potatoes. Use the short season variety 'Georgia Jet.' June - OrnamentalsPinch back annuals at 4" - 6" high. Helps to promote bushy growth.For large rose blooms disbud the side shoots from grandifloras and hybrid teas.When you buy container grown nursery stock, check the
root ball and make sure it is not bound too tightly. A mass of circling
roots will stay that way even after it is in the ground. Bug zappers kill more beneficial insects than mosquitoes. They also attract insects.Do not use peat moss as a mulch. When it dries, it becomes impermeable to rain. It's best to mix it with soil. Climbing roses don't really climb, they have long canes
that require support. You'll need to loosely tie the canes to trellises
with broad strips of material. Do not use wire, it can damage the cane. Spray insecticides late in evening to avoid injury to bees. Grow scented geraniums. They make great air fresheners.Plant bottle gourds and make a birdhouse. Apply mulches to roses, annuals and perennials. Shrubs and perennials look nice as foundation plantings,
but rain may not reach under the eaves, so you may need to water
frequently.Bronze-leaved varieties of begonia do particularly well
in full sun. Keep the foliage dry and provide good air circulation
around the plants. Make your own hummingbird food. Boil 4 cups of water and
stir in 2 cups of sugar. Cool and fill feeder. Keep leftover food in
refrigerator. Harvest herbs just before flowering. The leaves contain the maximum essential oils. Cut herbs early on a sunny day.Mulch clematis roots with an organic mulch 4"-6" deep. They like their roots cool. Trees drop leaves in June. This is normal. Not to worry. Stake perennials as needed before they become broken or damaged. For hanging baskets in cool, shady location, use
trailing tuberous begonias, ferns, impatiens or fibrous rooted begonias
in combination with trailing plants, such as English ivy. Bats can be an important weapon for insect control. A
brown bat can eat 3,000-7,000 insects per day/night. Attract bats with
bat houses.. June - IndoorsDon't rush to move your houseplants outdoors. Cool weather can cause leaf drop.Keep cats away from diffenbachia. Diffenbachia contains
a chemical that is very irritating to the animal's mouth. It can make
the cat's tongue swell and interfere with breathing.Turn houseplant pots a half turn every two days to promote even growth.Rubber plants, Eureka palms, Peace lilies, Spider plants
and pothos can make your indoor environment healthier by removing
pollutants from the air.
Insects and Pests.....
There are very effective organic insecticides and repellents available these days, and in a pinch you can make your own natural insect repellent.
Most insects prefer a bland diet, so by making your garden spicy you can encourage insects to dine elsewhere. A hot pepper or garlic spray works great as a repellent and can actually prevent insects - and even hungry rabbits - from nibbling on your plants.
To make hot pepper spray, toss a couple of hot peppers, such as cayennes or habaneros, in a blender with about a cup of water. Puree the mixture, strain out any solids, then add enough water to make a gallon of concentrated hot pepper juice.
To use the hot pepper spray, mix a quarter cup of the concentrate with a gallon of water and a tablespoon or two of liquid soap. The soap will help the spray stick to the plants.
To make a garlic spray, roughly chop one or two garlic bulbs, place them in a quart jar and pour boiling water over the garlic, enough to fill the jar. Close the jar and let it sit overnight. Strain out the chunks of garlic and add the garlic water to your sprayer along with a few drops of liquid soap. Leftover garlic water can be kept frozen for later use.
A good place to buy liquid soap for this purpose would be a health food store. Do not use a detergent or a heavily scented soap as these can be harmful to plants. Once you've made your insect repellent concoction, test it on a few leaves first before spraying your plants.
The hot pepper and garlic smell will be strong when first applied but will fade, and your flowers and vegetables won't take on their odor or taste. The spray should be reapplied every week or two, or after a rainfall.
Why Some Summer Squash Doesn't Mature
It happens all too often. You'll see big blossoms on your summer
squash plants and tiny little squashes forming behind the
blossoms. But after a few days the blossom dries up and the
tiny squash shrivels and turns brown. Why does this happen?
There are a number of reasons why this may be occurring in your
garden. The first thing to consider is the weather. Extreme
temperatures of below 55 degrees or above 85 degrees while the
plant is flowering can affect the plant's ability to set fruit.
Squash enjoy warm weather, but not too warm!
Squash plants prefer to grow in full sunlight. If they're not
getting enough sun, the plants protest by not setting fruit.
They're also fair weather friends. If the plants are blossoming
and a heavy rain occurs, the rain can wash the pollen from the
male flowers, preventing the female flowers from being
pollinated. Likewise, never water your squash plants with an
overhead sprinkler early in the morning. Each male flower opens
for only a few hours in the morning. It's in the morning hours
that pollination is most likely to take place, and a sprinkler
can wash away the pollen.
You can help pollinate your summer squash but first you need to
know how to tell a female squash blossom from a male squash
blossom. It's easy once you know the difference. The female
blossoms will have a tiny squash forming directly behind the
blossom, while the male blossoms have just a stalk behind the
blossom. That little squash behind the female blossom is the
ovary, and if it isn't pollinated it will wither and fall off.
To pollinate your squash blossoms, go out to the garden in the
morning, before 10 a.m., armed with a cotton swab or small
paintbrush. Now locate a male flower and gather some pollen by
rubbing your swab or brush on the stamen in the center of the
flower. You'll see the yellow pollen on your swab or brush.
Then move on to a female flower and rub the pollen onto the
pistil in the center of the female blossom. Voila! You have
pollinated your squash and will be rewarded with fresh, tasty
vegetables for your dinner table.
Orange Stuff on Your Lawn
A lot of people have been wondering about the orange
powder that's getting all over their feet and shoes when
they walk across their own lawn.
It's called Rust. It's a turf grass fungus that forms on lawns when the temperatures are warm and the air is humid. It's
much worse if you water your lawn at night, or if you get
a lot of rainfall.
It's a catch 22 situation because we are told to raise our lawn mowers to the highest setting during the hot summer months to keep our lawns from burning out. But when we leave our grass that long, it doesn't dry as quickly as it should, and the lawn stays a lot more humid than is healthy.
Early morning watering is best, but we can't control rainfall. So when it rains at night when it's hot and humid, fungal lawn
pests appear.
Rust appears during hot and humid conditions. As soon as
temps drop as well as the humidity, the Rust disappears. It tends to attack stressed lawns more than it does healthy lawns. But then again, when it's really hot any lawn is stressed. Urrrrrg!
I have it on my lawn right now, and my coarse of action is
to just chill. It will go away.
For more details on this annoying lawn pest, check out this
January is the time to prune many of the trees in your yard.
They are dormant now and don't mind being pruned at all.
1. Start on the inside of the tree. Remove any dead wood
or any branches that are growing toward the center of the
tree.
2. Remove any branches that are crossing another branch
or rubbing together. The inside of the tree needs to be open and airy.
3. Move to the outside of the tree. Stand back and look at the tree and imagine how you would like the tree to look. Draw an imaginary line around the tree to the exact shape of how you want the tree to look. Then start removing any branches that are growing outside of that line.
4. The same rules apply for the outside of the tree. Open
the tree up a little and remove any branches that are too
close to another branch or are rubbing or crossing another branch.
6. When removing branches near the trunk of the tree
always make your cuts as close to flush with the trunk as possible and do not leave a stub sticking out.
7. Wounds larger than a 50¢ piece can be painted over with
a tree wound dressing, but in most cases it's not necessary, ands some professionals feel that wound dressings slow the healing process.
8. That's it! Your tree will love you for it.
Propagating Grape Plants
Many varieties of grape plants are really easy to propagate
and right now is a good time to try some as hardwood cuttings.
The easiest thing to do is just remove a long section of grape vine from the parent plant and cut that long vine into multiple cuttings. I've worked with grape vines as long as 13 feet long.
Since grapes are vigorous growers the amount of space
between the bud unions on the vine can range from 3 or 4
inches to as far apart as 10 inches. As you inspect the vine
it's easy to distinguish the bud unions, they are the bumps on
the vine that almost look like a knuckle or a joint.
Each cutting that you make should contain at least 3 bud
unions. One near the top, one in the middle, and one at the bottom. The cut you make at the bottom of the cutting is the most critical. You can use regular by-pass pruners to make your cuts, but when you make the cut at the bottom of the
cutting you want to cut right below the bud union, but NOT
INTO the bud union. Cut about 1/8" below the bud union.
At the top of the cutting just cut about an inch above the top
bud union. Leaving that extra one inch at the top protects
that top bud as you handle the cuttings.
After you make your cuttings just dig a narrow trench in
your garden, push the cuttings into the trench with the top
and the middle buds above ground and back fill with soil.
When spring arrives keep them watered and they'll root as
the soil warms.
Dipping the cuttings in a rooting compound might help, but
it's really not necessary. If the ground is frozen in your
garden don't make your cuttings until you get a thaw.
Next week I'll cover why and how to prune grape plants.
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