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January 22, 2003 |
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Just Plain
Cold...
Wednesday must be our lucky snow day. I
am enjoying watching it fall while I sit inside where it is nice
and warm. I wish it were a bit
wetter but who could complain about any kind of moisture at this
point. It sounds as if we are
only going to receive about an inch or two. Not
nearly enough to help with the drought conditions we are
experiencing. On Monday night I
was watching the weather and I believe I heard that we are
presently 14 inches behind in precipitation. As
this crazy weather pattern seems to be leaving us out in the cold
and not giving us enough moisture, we will continue to struggle
throughout the rest of winter with any amount of precipitation we
receive. That is a staggering
thought. It sounds as if we may
need to rely on a wet spring to help us rebound from this serious
situation. I guess at this point we can only hope that spring will
bring us enough moisture to pull us out of this dry hole we're in
and also bring us additional water to help us through those long
summer months. What a vicious cycle!
It is going
to get dangerously cold tonight and tomorrow so please be safe
and remember to take care of your pets! The
wind chills will be dipping into negative double digits.
Stay warm! Only
58 days until the first day of spring!
~
Shelly
The Snow Is
So-So...
Today's and
last week's snow is pretty. It's also pretty darn useless
as far as precipitation goes. While many of us received 3
to 5 inches of the stuff last week, it was so dry and fluffy that
it amounted to hardly any added moisture. Our (admittedly
unscientific) experiments showed that it would have taken 17
inches of last week's snow to equal just one inch of rain.
So, if this weekend's temperatures allow for it, you might want
to haul out the sprinklers and do some watering.
Blowin'
In The Wind...
When those north winds blow we humans find ourselves feeling
colder than the actual ambient temperature would suggest. We
know this sensation as the "wind chill
factor". For warm-blooded animals, wind chills can have a
profound effect on their ability to keep warm. However, plants
do not respond to wind chills because they do not need to
maintain a temperature above that of the outside temperature.
It's not all good news for the plants however. Wind is
desiccating and can dry plant tissues. Plant tissues require
moisture to survive and high wind speeds can cause excess
moisture loss from those tissues. This desiccation may be great
enough to injure or even kill tissue, particularly the smaller
size wood as in peach twigs, apple spurs or blackberry canes.
Source
Jade In
The Shade?
Many Savvygardeners grow Jade plants because of their
tolerance for low light conditions. However, while jade will
survive in low light, it needs as much direct sunlight as
possible to look its best. Insufficient light will cause your
jade plant to lose most of its old, thick leaves and grow thin,
new ones on spindly stems. Not a good trade-off if you ask me.
Anxious
For Asparagus...
Want to grow asparagus from seed, but hate to wait the extra
year to harvest? Try seeding the asparagus indoors in late
winter to get two year's worth of growth in one season. Plant
seeds 3/4 inch deep in flats. Sow them 1 inch apart in rows 2
inches apart. Provide as much natural light as possible and
supplement it with fluorescent lighting. Fertilize the seedlings
every three weeks once they have their true leaves.
Source
Savvy
Citrus Crop?
Here's a mid-winter project that is sure to be fun for
Savvygardeners of all ages - grow plants from citrus fruit
seeds. Store-bought oranges, grapefruits, lemons and tangerines,
may have viable seeds. Try germinating them in a light,
potting-soil mixture containing half peat moss. Keep the seeds
well watered and in a warm location. If seedlings fail to appear
in six weeks, try again with new seeds. Citrus plants grown from
seeds generally will not produce flowers or fruit, but they do
have attractive shiny-leaved foliage.
Winter Wisdom...
With the anniversary of last year's
devastating ice storm approaching we have had some requests for a
reprint of the Winter Wisdom we offered at that time.
While the article was originally prompted by tree damage from the
storm, the advice on keeping trees healthy through regular
maintenance remains valid today (and every day). Check out
this
week's
Winter Wisdom...
Be
Savvy, Not Soggy...
Overwatering is a common problem with houseplants. Remember,
most indoor plants should not be watered until the soil feels
dry. Water thoroughly, let the water soak in, then water again
until water drains into the saucer. Empty the saucer within an
hour.
Finally... "The
cold was our pride, the snow was our beauty. It
fell and fell, lacing day and night together in a milky haze,
making everything quieter as it fell, so that winter seemed to
partake of religion in a way no other season did, hushed,
solemn." ~
Patricia Hampl, Author |