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March 24, 2004

It Really Is Spring!
Not only does it say so on the calendar, but you can tell by looking outside that spring has finally arrived. What magnificent colors! Bright yellows, purples, whites, pinks and greens. A gardener's rainbow rich with vibrant hues. Isn't it beautiful? The temperatures have been perfect for working in the garden. I have planted some pansies for now - it is still a bit early for other things I am interested in. Kevin planted our wonderful new blueberry bushes that we got from Water's Blueberry Farm in Smithville. Can't wait for that harvest!

Be cautious about planting anything too tender right now. Remember, our last official frost date in this area is around mid April, so the chance of a hard frost or freeze is still possible. If you would like, throw caution to the wind just make sure you keep an eye on the forecast to watch for freezing temperatures. If this does occur covering your plants will help to protect them from the bite of ole Jack Frost.

It was great getting to see many of you this past weekend at Family Tree Nursery's Spring Open House. What a great time! So much to drool over... and not just the food. Thanks to everyone at Family Tree for all of their efforts in making it a delightful first weekend of spring.

And the winner is..... Ms. Nelly Prezebel - winner of our fantastic giveaway at the Johnson County Home & Garden Show. Nelly has just recently moved here from Finland so she was thrilled to discover Savvygardener.com and the information it has to offer. Congratulations Nelly! We hope you enjoy all of your new gardening goodies.

It is going to be a great week to be outside - Hooray!

~ Shelly  

Clipping Clematis...
Clematis can be a confusing group of plants to prune, since they are not all pruned the same way.  In fact there are three methods that can be applied to major groups depending on the time of year the plant flowers.  The earliest flowering clematis bloom on old wood, while later flowering types must produce new growth in order for flower buds to form.  Prune carefully, since vines are usually well entangled.  The complete directions are a bit long to fit in this space so we published them in our Features section.  Check out Pruning Clematis...

Special Delivery...
Most catalogs don't deliver your plant orders until it's time to plant them.  Unfortunately sometimes local conditions are different than "usual" and your plants arrive a bit early for planting.  Don't panic, but don't ignore them either!  Your mail-order plants do need some care in the time between their arrival and your ability to plant them.  Unwrap them immediately and check for specific directions on early care.  Lacking this just keep them cool and moist in a protected area until you can safely get them in the ground.

Well Oiled...
Savvygardeners with fruit trees will soon be applying horticultural oils to fruit trees to reduce certain pests.  These oils are not poisons.  Instead, the thin film of oil covers the target insect or mite and plugs the spiracles or pores through which it breathes.  Pine needle scale, oystershell scale, euonymus scale, aphids, spider mites and small pine sawfly larvae are all effectively controlled by this method.

Proper timing is critical for success when using oils.  Dormant oils should be applied in late March or April before leaves or flowers show signs of breaking dormancy.  A common mistake is to apply 'dormant' oil sprays too early (on the first warm day in February or March) before insects are actively respiring and susceptible to the oil's suffocating effects.  Wait until as close to bud break as possible before applying oil sprays.  Also make sure temperatures will be above 40° for at least 24 hours.

 


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Better Spreaders...
Whether it's lawn seed, fertilizer, or weed killer chances are you're going to use a spreader for the job eventually.  But what kind?  Drop or broadcast?  Well, there's several things to keep in mind before you pick one.  Generally if both spreaders are of equal quality, a drop spreader usually will provide better accuracy.  However, a high-quality rotary will be more accurate than a lower-quality drop spreader.  There are these differences to consider as well:

Drop spreaders meter out the fertilizer and drop it directly on the lawn.  A drop spreader is best if: 

  • You have a small lawn.
  • Doing the job as precisely as possible is most important to you. 
  • You don’t mind taking a bit longer to apply products to your lawn. 

Rotary spreaders meter out the fertilizer and throw the granules in a swath up to several feet wide.  A rotary spreader is best if: 

  • You have a very large lawn. 
  • You like to get the job done as quickly as possible.
  • You do not have flower beds or gardens in the middle of your lawn.

Do Not Disturb...
Our bulbs are popping up all over.  I'll bet yours are too!  Look closely at your bulb beds.  Are there weeds popping up as well?  If so remove the weeds by gentle hand pulling.  Removal with a cultivator or other weeding tool may disturb the bulbs unnecessarily.

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
One caller to the Hotline volunteers this week was obviously distressed because something had come up and he would not be able to plant his Irish potatoes on March 17th. He was assured that the association of St. Patrick’s Day with the planting of potatoes was traditional rather than horticultural, although it certainly has merit inasmuch as Irish potatoes should be planted in mid-March to take advantage of the cool early spring weather. Find out what we told our caller in this week's What's Hot On the Hotline...

Weed Control for Newly Seeded Lawns...
While early fall is the optimum time to plant cool-season turfgrasses, many people seeded in late fall last year because of hot, dry conditions in September.  While it is uncertain what effect our dry winter may have had on these late seedings, crabgrass control options are more limited for turf planted in spring.  Remember that crabgrass preventers do not discriminate between turfgrass and crabgrass; we rely on having plants with roots below the herbicide barrier when we apply these products in spring. 

If you are in a situation where you seeded late in fall or must seed this spring, you have two options for crabgrass control.  Tupersan is a product that can be used at the time of seeding.  It is somewhat less effective than other preemergence herbicides but is safe to the newly seeded grass.  Tupersan only provides short-term control, so an additional application will be necessary about six weeks after the first.  Dimension is a newer lawn product that has potential for late fall or spring seedings because it has some postemergence effect on crabgrass.  Dimension cannot be applied at the time of spring seeding but, if spring seeding is performed before the end of March, use of Dimension in early May should be safe for your turfgrass and still effectively control unwanted crabgrass.  Dimension also offers season-long control, so a second application will not be necessary.

Source

Finally...
"In his garden, every man may be his own artist without apology or explanation."

~ Louise Beebe Wilder, Writer

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