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July
31, 2002 |
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Got
Shade?
When Kevin and I purchased this house seven years ago it was
because of the older homes and the mature trees. Boy, back
then I never would have guessed the role that those mature trees
would play in our lives. We lost our air conditioning this
past weekend. The compressor seized up and, well, I guess
you can probably figure out the rest. It got HOT!
REALLY HOT! It happened Friday afternoon so we were without
air Friday evening, all day Saturday and finally on Sunday we
were back in business with a new air conditioner. I can't
imagine how hot it would of been if we had not had the shade of
the trees in our yard as well as our neighbors. Yes, it was
really hot inside but I know that without the shade the
temperature would have been at least 10-15 degrees warmer and
with the temperature outside pushing 105° who needs an extra
5-10 degrees? So needless to say I have not been too
excited about going outside and spending anytime in the garden.
How about that rain? We received ¾ of an inch here
in Westwood. Not enough, but beggars can't be choosy.
It was a relief to step outside Monday morning to a cooler, drier
air. I could feel a dramatic change in the humidity and I
have to say the breeze was cool and wonderful. Not for long
however as the sun came out and warmed everything up once again.
Just so you know, my garden enthusiasm is waning. It takes
everything I have just to water. I need a longer break from
the heat to recoup my gardening passion. I am barely
hanging on while wishing for cooler temperatures.
~
Shelly
The
Cutting Gardener...
OK, it's been way too hot to enjoy my gardens outdoors.
What's a Savvygardener to do? Enjoy the garden indoors of
course! I make sure to cut some of my prettiest flowers and
bring them inside to enjoy. Before you do the same, there
are some procedures to follow if you really want to do it right:
- Start
when flower stems are full of water - either early morning (6
to 8 AM) or late evening (7 to 9 PM).
- Carry a
clean bucket filled with very warm (100 to 120º F) water.
- Always
use sharp, very clean scissors or pruners when cutting.
- Immediately
place any cut flowers in the bucket of warm water.
- When you
bring the flowers in, re-cut each flower under water.
This pulls water into the stems more quickly. Flowers
that are not re-cut immediately after picking can lose up to
60% of their vase life.
- Place the
bucket of re-cut flowers in a cool area, such as the basement
and allow them to hydrate or harden for at least one hour
(although overnight is best).
- Arrange,
display, enjoy!
Source
Honk If
You Have Hornworms...
Tomato hornworms are serious garden pests. They like to
eat the leaves of tomato plants and will do so completely to the
mid-rib of the leaf. Fortunately they can be dealt with
without drenching the entire plant in pesticide. The trick
is early detection and removal. While it's hard to see a
green caterpillar on a green leaf the black droppings from the
caterpillar are a bit more obvious. When you see the
droppings look closely for the caterpillar and remove it
immediately.
Thump
Goes The Melon...
Watermelon growers probably have some pretty big fruit by
now. You don't want to harvest your melons too early!
Just check for these tell-tale indicators of ripeness:
- The
underside ground spot turns from whitish to creamy yellow.
- The
tendril closest to the melon turns brown and shrivels.
- The rind
loses its gloss and appears dull.
- The melon
produces a dull thud rather than a ringing sound when thumped.
Pesticide
Problem Prevention...
During these hot, rain-scarce days of summer it is especially
important to take care when applying pesticides. Make sure
you take the time to water your plants several hours before
applying pesticides. You see, those drought-stressed plants
have less water in their plant tissues and the chemicals that
enter the leaves will consequently be more concentrated.
This in turn can lead to an unwanted burn-like condition on the
leaves.
Ozone,
Mowzone...
By now you've heard your favorite weather personality refer
to Orange and Red Ozone Alert Days.
These are the hot, humid days that have lead to unhealthy
concentrations of ground-level ozone pollution. One
contributor to the problem is gas-powered lawn mowers.
Oversimplifying a little, daytime heat, sun, and mower emissions
combine to create the "bad" ozone. Here's where
you come in! By waiting until evening to mow your lawn you
can realize the following benefits:
- Your gas
powered mower will produce fewer ozone-creating emissions.
- Your lawn
will have the relatively cooler night to recover from the
cutting before being exposed to the daytime sun and heat.
Everyone
wins!
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
The crowning delights, and easily the most popular products
of the summer garden, are tomatoes and peppers. Whether
started from seed and lovingly nurtured, or bought as plants,
many gardeners anxiously count the 60 to 70 days needed to bring
them to ruddy, juicy maturity. But what if they're not on
schedule? Not the color we want? Find out why and
what to do about it in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
Tangled
Turf Tips...
There is so much (often contradictory) information about
proper lawn watering procedures that many Savvygardeners are
writing in for advice. Keep in mind that lawn care, like
any gardening activity, requires proactive and reactive
measures based on weather conditions. Deep, infrequent
watering has been the best proactive course of action -
preparing our lawns for the heat and stress of mid to late
summer.
Recent high
heat however means reacting with a different
strategy. According to Matt Fagerness at K-State
Extension it's time to, "consider moving to a lighter
and more regular irrigation schedule. Watering for the
benefit of roots is no longer valid because, with the heat, roots
will continue to decline even if they are watered deeply. A
better strategy is to water less at any one time but do so more
often to minimize the onset of stress. This will curtail
the appearance of turf plants that are crispy or have a pale,
grayish hue, both classic signs of summer stress."
Source
Finally... "There
are those who say that trees shade the garden too much, and
interfere with the growth of the vegetables. There may be
something in this: but when I go down the potato rows, the rays
of the sun glancing upon my shining blade, the sweat pouring down
my face, I should be grateful for shade." ~
Charles Dudley Warner, Author 1829-1900 |