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March 24, 2004 |
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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.
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.
Tell Your Friends About
Savvygardener.com!
You
Could Win A $50 Gift Certificate
Details...
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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 |