September
26, 2001
Falling
In Love...
I would hate to speak too hastily but I am beginning to think
that we may get a shot at enjoying some fall-like weather this
year. The mornings (a bit nippy for me) have been quite
chilly and the days have been filled with the fabulous fall
sun. Bright, warm, filling the landscape with beautiful
shades. The leaves are slowly beginning their change making
the fall palette complete. What a special time of
year! A time for summer plants to be put to bed and a time
for fall plants to awaken to fill the garden with their
short-lived lives. How I enjoy watching the garden
transition.
Kevin and I
ventured over to The
Sweet Onion recently and WOW, what a change! For those
of you who do not know, The
Sweet Onion is in the final stages of a complete renovation
and looks fantastic! Proprietor Andrea Neumann is exhausted
but says "The work has been well worth it". If
you have not had a chance to get over there do so now while they
still have a supply of mums. You should see the Helen red
mums that I purchased. Simply put they are
magnificent! Several colors to choose from, however red is
my favorite.
The outlook
for this weekend's weather sounds perfect for planting. So
venture out to our sponsors and finish that fall buying and get
busy planting!
~
Shelly
Make
Green Tomatoes See Red...
When it gets as cool as it has been lately the green tomatoes
still on your vines just aren't going to ripen there. And
what's worse, if a rogue frost descends on them it's game over.
Here are two approaches to getting them to ripen out of harms
way:
- Remove
the whole plant, roots and all, and hang it upside-down in a
cool, dark area indoors or in a garage. At temperatures
in the 60's those tomatoes should ripen nicely. Just
pull them off the vine as they are individually ready.
- If the
above method is a bit messy for you try picking the green
tomatoes and individually wrapping them in newspaper.
Place them in a paper bag or cardboard box and store in a
cool, dark place. Keep an eye on them periodically.
When they start to redden up unwrap them and let them finish
ripening at room temperature. Hint - If you're in a
hurry place an apple in the bag with the wrapped tomatoes.
Tasty red
tomatoes won't be far away!
Chilly
Change In The Air...
This time of year it's not unusual for overnight temperatures to
dip into the 40's. Brrr! There's no frost on the
horizon yet but keep in mind that our first frost is due
in mid-October. Remember that Mother Nature has her own
agenda and doesn't have much time for statistics and averages.
Surprise early frosts can be a problem if you're not prepared.
For those
of you new to Savvygardener.com we hope you will enjoy our
timely frost alerts. We send these e-mail alerts to all
subscribers when we believe an untimely frost is likely.
Hopefully we are still several weeks from our first frosty scare.
Cross your fingers!
Dig
This...
Fall is the preferred time to plant many trees and
shrubs. Warm soil, moderate air temperatures and autumn
rains all help a tree adjust to its new environment and set down
roots with a minimum of stress and shock. If you are
transplanting deciduous trees and shrubs, wait until their
leaves have dropped or at least changed color. Evergreens
and conifers, however, benefit from early planting in fall.
In either case watering (1 inch weekly until the ground is
frozen) and mulching the root zone are crucial to success.
Source
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Spaced
Out Bulbs...
As you plan your bulb planting it's important to know how
many bulbs to use in each area or garden bed you are
planning. In many ways the number of bulbs is determined by
the gardener's preferences but there are also requirements
related to the particular bulb species. Some gardeners like to
plant bulbs closer together, while others prefer to spread them
out. One should always keep in mind, however, that there is
a limit to the number of bulbs that can be planted per square
foot, and that this varies from one species to another. To
make it easy to estimate here's a table indicating the number of
bulbs you should plan on planting per square foot of garden
space:
Bulb Type |
Number
of Bulbs
per sq. ft. |
Tulips |
8-10 |
Hyacinths |
5 |
Daffodils
& Narcissi |
5 |
Crocus and
Minor bulbs |
10-15 |
Allium
Globemaster/Giganteum |
1 |
Allium
Purple Sensation |
5 |
Allium
Christophii |
1 |
Other
Alliums |
10-15 |
Fritillaria
Imperialis (Crown Imperial) |
3 |
Camassia |
5 |
Source
Only 90
Shopping Days Until Christmas...
Christmas is still a way off but if you are planning on
displaying home-grown poinsettias it's time to start planning.
Poinsettias are short-day plants and must be tricked into
blooming for Christmas. Follow these steps:
- Find a
dark, cool (around 55 degrees) place where the plant will be
kept at "night". It must be absolutely dark as
even short exposure to a light bulb will throw the process out
of kilter.
- Place the
poinsettia in this dark place at 5 Pm and leave it there until
8 AM the following day.
- Between 8
AM and 5 PM place it in a sunny window where temperatures will
remain near 70 degrees.
- Do this
for 11 weeks, watering and fertilizing as usual.
With care
and patience you should have healthy, blooming poinsettias for
the holidays.
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
As promised in last
week's hotline article, we'll wrap up the information on
bulbs by discussing those suitable for forcing and growing
indoors during the winter months. This is a terrific
exercise that will reward you with a colorful treat in the dead
of winter. Learn how in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
Wet Or
Dry? Here's Why...
Even Savvygardeners sometimes wonder which is more effective:
liquid or dry lawn products? Both have their place in turf
management, and either can be used interchangeably depending on
the product, equipment, and expertise. Broadleaf
herbicides, for instance, are often more effective and less
expensive when applied in a spray vs. those that are applied in a
"weed and feed" granular formulation. But to
increase the efficacy of the "weed and feed", be sure
to follow label instructions which generally states that it must
be applied to wet or dew-covered turf. Also, most gardeners
prefer to spray fungicides for best coverage.
However,
the opposite is true with fertilizers. Nitrogen sprayed to
turf can cause burn at higher rates or during warm weather, may
volatilize before the turf can use it, and only one form of water
soluble fertilizer (urea, 46-0-0) is widely available.
Granular fertilizer products are often superior because they are
available in a wide variety of formulations of N-P-K and in many
slow release forms, both of which are untrue for soluble or
sprayable fertilizers.
There are
few general differences between dry vs. liquid applications of
preemergence herbicides or insecticides. So the bottom line
is if we had to choose, we’d spray broadleaf herbicides and
fungicides, while using granular-style fertilizers.
Source
Finally... "Delicious
autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird
I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~
George Eliot, Author, 1857-1876 |