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February
6, 2002
The
Good, The Bad, The Ugly...
The good, the worst ice storm in Kansas City's history is behind us. The bad, as I type this editorial there are still close to 40,000 people in the metropolitan area without power. The
ugly, it saddens me to drive down Nall or Mission Road to see all of those big beautiful trees
lying on the side of the street ready to be picked up like the weekly trash.
What a tragedy. I am having difficulty coping with all of this loss.
As of February 6th, the Marsh house is still without full power
and we have moved into a nearby hotel. Our best friends, Larry, Tracy, and
daughter Nicole were kind enough to allow us to invade the privacy of their home for
the first five days. We hope to be back home in a couple of days.
Kevin and I are busily preparing for the Metropolitan Lawn & Garden Show and the last thing the two of us need to worry about at this point is if my parents, who are kind enough to be staying with the children while we are working the show, will have full power.
Timing is everything. I remember last year when we had a bad ice storm the first day of the show and we didn't have power then either.
I am still looking for the irony in all of this.
There is a rumor that another storm is moving in for the weekend.
Keep your fingers crossed. I would like for us to get the debris picked up from this storm before another one hits.
Not only that, we need a good showing at The
Metropolitan Lawn & Garden Show. Come out to meet us.
We are always eager to meet our readers. Our booth number is 559 so look us up and say
"Hello!"
~
Shelly
Tips For
Troubled Trees...
Let's face it. Last week's storm was a doozy.
Long-time readers of this newsletter know that we live in
Westwood - a city that prides itself on it's grand old
trees. Many of those trees are now piled high in front of
our homes waiting for the big orange trucks to chip them up and
haul them away. But what about the remains of trees still
standing? Glad you asked. We've scoured the Internet
for the best advice on repairing storm-damaged trees. We've
decided that these three articles should be of interest to anyone
with tree damage. Your feedback is always appreciated...
- Repairing
Storm Damage to Trees
Published by Michigan State University Extension this is a
very comprehensive article complete with simple but effective
diagrams detailing proper cutting techniques and tree wound
treatments.
- Managing
Storm Damaged Trees
Published by Iowa State University Extension this document is
also quite comprehensive and includes color photos. It
is in PDF format and is best printed first and read on paper.
- How
to Select an Arborist or Tree Service
Frankly, this article published by the University of Nebraska
Cooperative Extension is a must-read. Many of our trees
have gone through such major damage that a professional should
be called in. This article is a good primer for the
questions you should ask when selecting that
professional.
Thank
Heaven For Houseplants...
This time of year many Savvygardeners turn their attention to
houseplants. It's not the same as gardening outside during
the other three seasons but it's gardening nonetheless.
Repeated requests for information on houseplant care (cleaning,
fertilizing, containers, and light requirements) have prompted us
to post an informative article on Houseplant
Care. Find it in our Features
section...
Welcoming
Wet Feet...
From the "Let's Make the Best Of It"
department: As all this ice melts you may notice lingering
puddles where the soil doesn't drain very well. Think of
these spots as good locations to place plants that like "wet
feet". Some good choices include bee balm, cardinal
flower, globe flower, Japanese iris and purple loosestrife.
Ooh,
Ooh, Onions...
Next to garlic, onions are probably the most common
garden-grown plant that we cook with in the Marsh household.
(We keep a lot of breath mints on hand also!) Onions are
one of the earliest crops that can be planted in the garden -
late March in our area. As they usually require 6 to 8
weeks of growing time before transplanting they should be started
indoors now. Plant onion seed fairly close together - ½
to ¾ inch apart in a pot or flat filled with commercial seed
starting mix. (A lot of onion plants can be grown in a
small area.) Place the container in a warm (75° to 80°F)
location until the seedlings emerge. When the seedlings are
1 to 2 inches tall, move them to a cooler (60° to 65°F)
location with plenty of natural or artificial light.
After the onion seedlings are 2 to 3 inches tall, apply a soluble
fertilizer with each or alternate waterings. When they are
4 to 5 inches tall "give them a haircut" by trimming
the ends of the leaves to produce a shorter, stockier plant.
In early March, move the plants to an outdoor, protected location
for a few weeks prior to actual transplanting.
Winter
Wisdom...
Dealing with fallen and damaged trees may be the immediate
task at hand but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure. There are many things we can do to prevent or reduce
storm damage to our trees. Find out how in this
week's Winter
Wisdom...
This
Valentine's Day
Give
Her A Rose That That Grows
"Lover's
Lane" - 2002 Rose of the Year
From
Jackson & Perkins
|
Chilled
Out, Popping Up...
As this ice melts we are finding a few little surprises
lurking beneath it all. Many of our crocus have decided
it's time to come out for spring. A look up reveals that
our Magnolia tree is trying to bud out. Our friends at
K-State extension help us understand the confused state of these
plants...
Plants that become dormant in preparation for winter must
have a certain number of "chilling hours" before the
buds will begin growth the next spring.
"Chilling" hours are those in which the temperature
remains between 32°and 45°F. Plants differ in the
number of chilling hours needed with those adapted to colder
climates usually requiring more than those adapted to warmer
zones. In the Kansas City area this winter we have already met
the chilling requirements for some plants. For these plants, dormancy is over and warm periods
can lead to bud swell. Unfortunately, buds that have
swollen have lost virtually all of their winter hardiness and can
be damaged by severe cold. So what do you do if you have a
plant that has swollen buds? Actually, there is not much
you can do to slow the bud development process because it is
completely dependent on weather. However, watering during
dry weather may help. Readily available soil moisture will
aid in keeping the plant healthy so that it will be better able
to recover from cold damage if and when it occurs. Also, it is
important to determine if the swollen buds are flower buds or
leaf buds. Even if the flower buds are killed by cold
temperatures, the health of the plant should not be
affected. If, in addition to the swollen buds, you also see
small buds on the stems, then the swollen buds are flower buds.
Source
Finally... "A
garden without trees scarcely deserves to be called a garden." ~
Henry Ellacombe, 1822-1916, Clergyman and Gardener |
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