|
October 27, 2004 |
|
Lifting Spirits...
I had the opportunity to renew my gardening spirit this past
weekend. The weather was ideal for doing things on my fall
gardening to do list. I spent most of my time cleaning and
cutting, ridding the garden of overgrown, dead foliage
(photos).
How the landscape has changed in such a short amount of time!
Just last week we showed pictures of trees still waiting to
display their fall coats of color and this week the colors are
magnificent and changing daily. The trees are slowly starting to
shed their leaves which means extra work for those of us who
don't appreciate leaves on the lawn and in the gardens. In many
areas of Kansas City leaves start falling now and will continue
to fall throughout winter and into next spring. A full time job
for that particular gardener (me).
I spent
Monday evening with a lovely group of women from a local PEO
Chapter talking about what to do in the garden this time of the
year. We had so much fun. I took some ideas to share and brought
some home with me. I have always said,
"The best way to learn about gardening is talking and sharing
with other gardeners". It's true. I love sharing what I do but
more importantly I enjoy listening to other gardeners tell of
their ways. What works, what doesn't work and all of the why's
involved. I always learn something new and I will continue to
share all of my new found aspirations with you, my gardening
friends.
Believe it
or not but the Christmas
season is right around the corner. Don't forget to shop
our local garden centers and nursery's for the best poinsettia's,
Christmas trees, garland, wreaths and anything else you might
need to decorate for the holidays. They
continue to need our support throughout the year and without them
there would not be Savvygardener.com. Help
us by helping them.
Happy
Halloween!
~
Shelly
Press
The Squash...
When you harvest your winter squash (Acorn or Butternut)
check for maturity with your thumbnail. When pressed with your
nail the rind of a ripe squash will not be punctured. To harvest
the squash, cut the stem, don’t break it off. The cut stems will
dry and seal the squash so it will last for months in storage.
It is no exaggeration to say the squash you harvest in October
and store in a dry place at around 50° to 55° F. can still be
good to eat in April of next year.
Source
Tumbling Twigs...
Is your lawn getting covered with small
branches? Small branches accumulating on the ground and
the presence of clean-cut twigs indicate the presence of beetle
pests referred to as twig girdlers and twig pruners.
Both of these long-horned beetle species (Cerambycidae)
attack numerous types of shade, nut and fruit trees.
Heavily damaged trees appear ragged
and unattractive, and young trees can become deformed by repeated
attacks. The terms "girdler" and "pruner"
refer to the damage done by the insects leading to breakage and
falling of branch tips. For both
insects, the end result of their activities is the creation of
dying branch tips suitable for overwintering of
the larvae that have
been placed there.
Help
eliminate next year's pests by collecting and destroying infested
twigs and branches you find on the ground between now and May. If
practical, prune infested twigs still in the tree.
Source
Early
Mulchers Beware...
Did you know that mulches applied too early can do more harm
than good? Think about it. The primary function of mulch is to
keep soil temperatures constant and prevent frost heaving, not to
keep it warm. It is best not to apply
protective mulch until the soil temperature has
reached about 35°
- hopefully at least a month from now!
Thwarting Insect Invaders...
When cool night temperatures signal that it’s time to bring
houseplants indoors a host of insects and their relatives may try
to come indoors with them. Once inside they can undergo a
population explosion and spread from the plant they came in on to
others in your home. Other pests such as millipedes, centipedes,
sowbugs and pillbugs, spiders, and earwigs may not harm plants or
other materials, but their presence indoors makes them household
nuisances.
Repotting
your plants in fresh soil will eliminate many of these invaders.
The others can be controlled mechanically - by broom and dustpan,
vacuum cleaner, flyswatter or sole of shoe applied firmly to
floor with the pest sandwiched between the flat surfaces. The
best approach is to inspect plant pots closely before bringing
them inside. Shake or tap pots vigorously to disturb beetles,
millipedes, spiders and other creatures and encourage them to
leave their hiding places. If you find scale insects, mealybugs,
aphids or other plant-destructive pests, use a hard stream of
water or insecticidal soap to remove them. Quarantine these
plants from other uninfested indoor plants and observe them
closely. Treat any new outbreaks as they occur and discard any
plants that are severely infested.
Source
It's Too Late...
By far the most common question we are
getting right now goes like this, "Is it too late to plant grass
seed?". The short answer, Yes, it's too late.
Here's the
long answer. Grass seed put down now will have a hard time
getting the soil warmth necessary for proper germination.
Even if it does germinate it's very unlikely that the
roots can get established before the really cold weather arrives.
Hopeless? It's never hopeless. An unusually warm
November coupled with some very good luck could mean that seed
put down now could make it. It's a long shot
however.
What's Hot On The Hotline...
As the weather turns cooler, the thoughts of many insects and
quite a few rodents as well, turn to warmer quarters in which to
overwinter. Our homes often present irresistible targets.
From spiders to squirrels and more, we've got it covered in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Leveling
The Lawn...
Uneven lawns can really wreak havoc when you're mowing. These
"pot holes" make level mowing nearly impossible and even walking
through the yard less than ideal. You can fix small low spots in
the lawn by carefully removing the turf and filling in the low
spot with good topsoil.
Remove the
turf by cutting 2 inches deep into the lawn with a flat-bladed
spade, then angle the blade under the sod to cut it free, keeping
at least 2 inches deep to get most of the roots. If you do it
really well you will remove a single piece of sod. After filling
the low spot, replace the sod, and keep it well watered until it
is reestablished.
Finally... "All respectability,
all honor is meaningless if it drives you against your nature.
What can you do if you are not a lotus flower, but just a
marigold? Enjoy being a marigold." ~
Chandan |