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January 28, 2004 |
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The Joys Of
Winter...
As Morgan, our thirteen-year-old,
climbed into bed Sunday night she was absolutely positive that
Monday would be a snow day. No such luck. She came downstairs
Monday morning complaining about how the weather was suppose to
turn "bad" later on in the day trying to convince me that it
might not be safe to send her to school. It goes without saying
that on Tuesday she was thrilled when she received word that
school had been canceled. I remember those days. Wishing for a
snow day, getting one and then driving my Mom crazy because I was
bored and didn't have a thing to do. Some things never change. We
managed to get through Tuesday by making it board-game
day. After six hours of Monopoly we finally decided it was
time to stop and do something else -
like eat. Surprisingly, we
got through the day without too many
incidents. Perhaps letting them each have an opportunity to win
had something to do with it. All kidding aside it was a fun day
and hopefully we will get another opportunity this year to do it
again.
Stay warm.
The next couple of days are going to be chilly and it sounds as
if we might even get some more snow this weekend. Oh the joys of
winter!
~
Shelly
All Set For Onions...
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.
Tipping The
Scale...
Now is a great time to inspect your trees and shrubs for scale
insects. With the leaves off the trees, inspecting the stems and
bark crevices is much easier. Go slowly and look carefully, since
many types of scale look like a part of the branch or otherwise
blend in well with the host plant. Plan an application of
horticultural oil if scale populations are above tolerable
levels. Horticultural oil can be applied at any time of year, but
temperatures should be at 40°F or higher for 24 hours after an
application. Be sure to read and follow all directions on the
label.
Source
Frosty Footsteps...
Try to avoid walking on
your grass or ground covers while they
are frozen. The frozen leaves are
brittle and easily damaged. Ajuga is
especially sensitive to being walked on during the winter, and
large portions can die back, leaving bare spots for the spring.
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 diluted 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
|
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Winter Wisdom...
Hardly a day passes without a question about a plant that is
difficult to identify from the caller’s description.
Botanical names, or Gardener's Latin, provide an essential
tool in helping experts help you! Read more about botanical
names in 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 170°
to 210°
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...
"The stag bells,
winter snows, summer has gone
Wind high and cold, the sun low, short its course
The sea running high.
Deep red the bracken; its shape is lost;
The wild goose has raised its accustomed cry,
Cold has seized the birds' wings;
Season of ice, this is my news." ~
9th Century Irish poem |
