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January 29, 2003 |
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Signs Of Spring?
What a beautiful cold winter's day today!
It was brisk
and sunny and that bright
sunshine made me want to be outside walking around.
I am beginning to smell spring!
I could especially smell it in
the air yesterday with all of the thick moisture hanging around.
With the snow slowly melting
away, I could actually smell the dirt every time I walked
outside. A terrific day for
sensory overload! For those of us
who are waiting patiently to get outside in the garden we may not
have to wait too much longer. It
sounds as if the temperatures are on the rise heading into the
weekend. A good time to get
outside to check on perennials, shrubs and evergreens.
You can bet that if the
temperatures are in the high 50's, as
they seem to be forecasting, I
will be outside doing something!
We are
headed into the month of February and there is a lot going on for
Kansas City-area gardeners. There
will be two garden shows, The Metropolitan Lawn & Garden Show,
February 14-16 at the American Royal and then the Johnson County
Home & Garden Show February 28 - March 2 at the new Overland Park
Convention Center. Also don't
forget about the Lawrence Garden & Home Show February 21-23.
Kevin and I will have a booth at
the Johnson County Home & Garden Show and will let you know where
we will be stationed so that you can come by and say hello.
We will not have a booth at the
Metropolitan Lawn & Garden Show but will be down there chatting
with other gardening friends and sponsors so if you happen to see
us (we'll have our Savvygardener shirts on) stop us and say
hello. At last, something to take
our minds off the winter weather.
I am sure
that you all remember that this is the week of the anniversary of
the horrific ice storm we had last year. I
was interviewed by Fox-4
Television Tuesday afternoon about the storm and discussed
the extreme damage that was done to the trees in our area.
If you are interested in watching
the piece, tune in to Fox-4 Friday
night at 6:00 PM .
I hope we
get the opportunity to enjoy a great outdoor weekend!
~
Shelly
Black Knot Knowledge...
Have you seen black knots that look something like charred
marshmallows along the branches of your cherry or plum trees?
If so,
you are dealing with black knot, a fungal disease caused
by Plowrightia morbosa. Knots
initially appear as green to light brown swelling on younger
branches that harden off into elongated black knots.
The knots slowly expand each year
until the branch is girdled and dies. Eventually,
black knot can kill a tree. Knots
are easiest to spot during tree dormancy and should be pruned out
as soon as they are found. (Cut
three to four inches below the knot to insure that you remove all
the diseased tissue.) As
spores overwinter in the knots and spread during rainy
periods in the spring pruned knots
should be buried or burned.
Source
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
most of eastern and central Kansas. As they usually require 6 to
8 weeks of growing time before transplanting they should be
started indoors now. Plant onion seeds
fairly close together - ½ to
¾ inches
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 (75º to 80º
F) location until the seedlings emerge. When the seedlings are 1
to 2 inches tall, move them to a cooler (60º
to 65º 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.
A Gentler
Approach To Houseplant Pests...
Insects on houseplants are a major pain.
Not only are they hurting your plants but control measures using
chemicals are pretty undesirable to a lot of homeowners.
Here are three control approaches that minimize risk to you and
your housemates.
- Physically
pick-off caterpillars, slugs, and other larger pests.
-
Swab pests with a small brush or
cotton swab moistened with rubbing alcohol. This method is
feasible when plants are small and infestations very light. It
is tedious and must be done once a week over a period of time.
- Plants can also
be washed in a dilute mixture of water and
insecticidal soap, or gently spray-washed with lukewarm
water. Repeated washings over a
period of time are necessary to gradually reduce infestations.
If the
infestation is severe, it may be preferable to discard the plant
and replace it rather than attempt chemical control.
Source
Viability Verification...
So, you're getting ready to start some seeds indoors and
don't know if last year's leftovers are still good. Well, you
can start by checking the typical
viability of 20 popular vegetable seeds in the table below:
Vegetable |
Viability
(Years) |
Vegetable |
Viability
(Years) |
Beans |
3 |
Muskmelons |
4-5 |
Broccoli |
3-5 |
Peas |
3 |
Brussels
Sprouts |
3-5 |
Peppers |
2-3 |
Cabbage |
3-4 |
Pumpkin |
4-5 |
Carrots |
3 |
Radish |
5 |
Cauliflower |
3-5 |
Spinach |
5 |
Corn, Sweet |
2 |
Squash, Summer |
3-4 |
Cucumbers |
5 |
Squash, Winter |
4 |
Lettuce |
5-6 |
Tomato |
3-4 |
Lima Beans |
3 |
Turnip |
4-5 |
To be
absolutely sure here's a trick we use to determine if seeds are
still good:
- Take ten seeds
from the package and place them on a paper towel that you have
moistened with warm water.
- Fold the paper
towel over to cover the seeds.
- Keep the towel
moist and warm (on top of the fridge usually works for warmth)
until they start to germinate.
- If less than six
seeds (60%) germinate you might as well throw the rest away.
- If six or more
germinate it will be worthwhile to plant the rest.
- Don't waste your
test seeds! The ones that germinate should be carefully moved
to your preferred seedling container and cared for until ready
for transplanting outdoors.
Source
Winter Wisdom...
Think you've got your indoor plant care
covered? Don't be so sure. Indoor plants need special
attention - especially those that spend the warm-weather month
outdoors and are only indoors for the winter. If you have
any plants that fit this description you won't want to miss this
week's
Winter Wisdom...
Seed
Scarification...
The coat of certain seed is extremely tough and must be
penetrated by special means. Particularly hard seed may be
scarified. Scarification involves breaking, scratching or
softening the seed coat to allow moisture penetration. Two
methods of scarification commonly used by the home gardener are
mechanical and hot water.
- Mechanical
scarification involves breaking or weakening the seed coat
with a file, sandpaper or hammer.
- Hot water
scarification involves placing seeds in water that is 170º
to 210º F. After the water cools,
seeds should continue to soak for 12 to 24 hours.
Then they
are planted. Specific instructions for scarification are usually
mentioned on the seed packet or in the seed catalog.
Source
Finally... "Let
us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming
gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~
Marcel Proust Author, 1871 - 1922 |