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Trick Or
Treat... There is something to be said about a garden that is cleaned up and ready for its long winters nap. A very clean and yet lonely surrounding. Your perennials for the most part are dormant and tired from blooming all summer long. They long for a warm blanket to get them through our cold midwest winter. Kevin and I always use leaves as our winter mulch of choice. First of all there are so many of them in our neighborhood. Secondly they decompose so nicely giving the soil some badly needed nutrients. A winning combination for our garden. For those of you who live "out south" and have few trees bark mulch does a nice job as well. Warning, with this warmer weather at hand be careful to not cover your gardens too soon! You could possibly kill the perennials underneath due to extreme heat (see our tip below). The Sweet Onion is offering pre-chilled bulbs for those of you who want to give bulb forcing a try. It's a lot of fun and will bring you colorful spring-like blooms during the gray winter months. I hope that all of you ghosts and goblins have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!!
Watering
Wisdom... Perfect
(Pungent) Paperwhites... They will take about six weeks to bloom so plan your start time according to when you need a floral display. When ready to plant, put a layer of peat moss in the bottom of a pot or bowl. Try to be creative about the container you choose. Add pebbles, gravel or crushed marble to within about 1 inch of the top of the container. Position the bulbs (pointy side up) in the gravel so that they are just touching each other. Water thoroughly. Place them in a well lighted spot like a sunny window and keep them watered. When the flower shoots are about six inches tall water the bulbs several times a week. The blooms aren't far behind. Neither is their breathtaking scent. Thwarting
Insect Invaders... Repotting your plants in fresh soil will eliminate many of these invaders. The others can be controlled mechanically - by broom and dustpan, vacuum cleaner, flyswatter or sole of shoe applied firmly to floor with the pest sandwiched between the flat surfaces. The best approach is to inspect plant pots closely before bringing them inside. Shake or tap pots vigorously to disturb beetles, millipedes, spiders and other creatures and encourage them to leave their hiding places. If you find scale insects, mealybugs, aphids or other plant-destructive pests, use a hard stream of water or insecticidal soap to remove them. Quarantine these plants from other uninfested indoor plants and observe them closely. Treat any new outbreaks as they occur and discard any plants that are severely infested.
Early
Mulchers Beware... Making
The Bed...
What's
Hot On The Hotline... Leveling
The Lawn...
Remove the turf by cutting 2 inches deep into the lawn with a flat-bladed spade, then angle the blade under the sod to cut it free, keeping at least 2 inches deep to get most of the roots. If you do it really well you will remove a single piece of sod. After filling the low spot, replace the sod, and keep it well watered until it is reestablished. Finally... ~ Grace Murray Hopper |
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