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March 29, 2000

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All Dressed Up and Nothing to Grow
It has been a very exciting week here.  Ryan Lawn & Tree finished my new flower garden and it is beautiful.  Missouri Organic Recycling delivered a rich topsoil/compost blend and it looks and smells great.  Now all I have to do is to be patient because it is still too early to plant.  So what do I keep doing?  I keep changing my design.  I find myself looking at a new catalog and I see something that I just have to have in the new garden.  I must remember that I have a bigger garden, not a whole acre of land to plant.  That is the hard part.

This weather also makes it hard not to plant.  It has been so nice out and my perennials are waking up from their long winter's nap.  I know that they are awaiting some new companionship.  So now patience is the key.

This weekend marks the beginning of daylight savings time so don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour.  Won't that extra hour of daylight be welcome?

Happy Spring!
~ Shelly               

Something to Chat About
Don't you wish you could ask a gardening question and get answers from others who have experienced the same problem?  We try hard to answer the questions sent to us by Savvygardeners but we don't always have first hand experience.  To address this need we are super excited to announce the arrival of SavvyChat - the on-line discussion forum for Kansas City-area gardeners.  On SavvyChat you can post garden related questions or ideas and get feedback from other area gardeners.  What a great way to share our collective wisdom!

It's Turf vs. Trees - But the Fix is In
Did you know there is a battle going on right in your yard?  It's a turf battle in the truest sense.  Your trees and your grass are in a constant struggle with each other competing for sun and water.  Thankfully this is a battle that everyone can win.  In his eye opening article "Lawns & Trees Can Coexist" Larry Ryan, president of Ryan Lawn & Tree, teaches us how to negotiate a truce between these warring factions.

Hot Tip from a Savvygardener
Savvygardener Larry G. of Wellsville, Kansas has found a clever way to provide bottom heat to speed the germination of his pepper seeds.  He uses an old waterbed heater under his seed flats.  "The one I have has a thermostat to control heat, and is big enough to put 3 flats on top.  I build a box out of plywood with sides about 2" high, put the heater on the bottom and put in about 1 1/2 inches of sand".  You've gotta love American ingenuity!

What's Hot on the Hotline
This week's hot topic on the Johnson County Extension Horticultural Hotline is spring garden inhabitants.  Questions and answers cover butterflies, songbirds, woodpeckers, worms & grubs, snakes, and a very funny discussion about squirrels.

You will find this very useful and entertaining list of Q and A's here.

Care for New Roses
Several weeks ago we advised that Savvygardeners do nothing with their roses but water them until mid April.  That advice still holds but what to do with new roses recently purchased by mail order or from local retailers?  We have posted instructions for the care of bare root roses in our newest section "Rose Tips" at our website.  Rose tips are provided by Al Karsten - local rose consultant and Extension Master Gardener.

Please Go Away, You're Bugging Me
As the weather warms the soil you are bound to see an increase in the activity of insects.  The first place you are likely to notice them unfortunately is in your home.  Here are a few of the common ones and some suggestions on controlling their forays into your home:
  • Ants - We just had a small run-in with these guys. We are using "ant traps" to control them. Commercial insecticides can be sprayed around entry areas (doors, windows, etc...) Natural remedies include red pepper, bone meal, and sulfur applied to nesting areas and near entrances to your home.
  • Clover Mites - Tiny, tiny red bugs that leave a staining smear when squashed. Commercial insecticides or insecticidal soap sprayed outdoors, near entryways should help. Because they stain when crushed you might limit the removal of clover mites to vacuuming.
  • Fungus Gnats - Fly-like insects that are attracted to moist, well lighted areas. Indoor potting soils are a favorite hangout. Remove infested soil and repot. Try not to let the soil remain too wet. Insecticidal soaps and pyrethrin spray will kill adult gnats.
When using commercial insecticides please use caution, especially around children.  Follow "appropriate use" guidelines at all times and if in doubt contact your local extension office for advice.

Slow Down Before Planting Summer Bulbs
A quick trip to any local hardware store or garden supply will have you facing vast quantities of summer flowering bulbs.  Feel free to snatch up all you can carry but please don't get over excited and start planting them this weekend.  This goes for Savvygardeners who have overwintered their Gladiolus, Tuberous Begonia, Dahlia, and Canna bulbs indoors.  Plan on planting your Gladiolus bulbs about two weeks before last frost.  The rest should be planted when all danger of frost has past.

Frost Alert Advice Refined
Savvygardener Honey Barnekoff, Master Gardener and Region President/National Director for the Gardeners of America/Men's Garden Clubs of America reminds us that when using plastic to protect plants from frost make sure the plastic does not touch the plants.  "Plastic conducts the cold and will freeze any plant it touches.   Newspaper or cloth (sheets, etc.) are far superior."  We agree.  Hopefully we're done with frost alerts anyway!
Finally...
"A hundred persons
turned together into a
meadow full of flowers would
be drawn together in a
transient brotherhood."    Henry Ward Beecher, Clergyman, 1813-1887

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