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February 2, 2005 |
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Phil's
Phorecast...
It looks as if we have six more weeks of winter ahead of us.
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today. That crazy groundhog! As
long as it is just six weeks and not a week longer - I can't take
this weather much longer. It wouldn't be so bad if the sun would
make an occasional appearance. Too many days of cloudy, gloomy
weather makes me a bit slug like. I treated Sam Parker (the
family beagle) to a longer walk yesterday just so we could both
enjoy the warm rays. Although it was brief it sure felt great. Oh
how the sun lifts my spirit! It appears that the next few days
might just be the cure for these winter
doldrums I am
experiencing. We may be lucky enough to see temperatures soar
into the high 40's or low 50's. Wouldn't that be great? A good time
to be outside.
Have you
noticed the buds on many of the magnolias? Ours is just full
and with six weeks of winter left the opportunity of freezing
temperatures, ice, snow and other types of winter weather lie
ahead. We have seen this many times over the ten years we've been
in this house. The early buds you see now will have an affect
on what will happen when spring finally arrives. Most magnolias
will still bloom but not as full due to being tricked by Mother
Nature. A small warm up and plants begin to think it is time to
awake from their long winter's nap. Funny, that happens to me as
well. Maybe I'm a plant.
~
Shelly
Thank Heaven For
Houseplants...
This time of year many Savvygardeners turn their attention to
houseplants. It's not the same as gardening outside during the
other three seasons but it's gardening nonetheless. Repeated
requests for information on houseplant care (cleaning,
fertilizing, containers, and light requirements) have prompted us
to post an informative article on
Houseplant Care. Find it in our
Features
section...
Appropriate Use Of Force...
One of the great winter pleasures is forcing the stems of
certain woody plants into bloom for indoor display. Three of the
easiest are forsythia, pussy willow and flowering quince. These
plants have now gone through enough cold weather to satisfy their
chilling requirement and should bloom if given the right
conditions.
Choose a
day that is above freezing for collecting branches for blooming.
Cut the stems, keeping the stem length to 3 feet or less and
place them in a bucket of water. Once you have all the branches
you want, bring them into the house and soak them in warm water
for several hours to ensure that the stems and buds are fully
hydrated (a bathtub works well for this). Next, place them in a
container that has a warm preservative solution and place them in
an environment with high humidity and plenty of light. Floral
preservatives accomplish two functions; they prevent bacterial
growth in your water and provide nutrients and energy for the
life processes of the plants.
Normally,
forsythia will take about 9 days to flower, quince will require
between 12 to 20, and pussy willow needs from 5 to 15 days. The
time required will vary depending on your indoor conditions and
how late in the winter the branches were collected with less time
being required for later collections. Most woody plants will
remain in flower for about a week before the blooms start to
fade.
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.
Nature's Drip Irrigation?
Speaking of snow, another great benefit of that white stuff
is its slow release of moisture into the soil. It may not be a
lot of water but because it melts slowly into the soil it can be
a more effective irrigator than a hard rain. You can even
increase the benefit by shoveling sidewalk and driveway snow to
areas of the garden that will eventually benefit from the added
moisture. Just make sure the shoveled snow doesn't contain any
salty de-icers.
Valentine's Day Looks Rosy...
Valentine's Day is fast approaching. If
you are giving or getting potted miniature roses
we have some tips to keep them looking great.
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Start by providing the plant with as
much sun as you possibly can.
-
Keep it cool. Avoid
temperatures above 75°F and never place your rose near a heat
source.
- Keep the humidity
high by placing it on a tray of pebbles filled with water.
- Remove faded
blossoms and turn the plant frequently to counteract its
tendency to reach for sunlight.
- Monitor it
carefully for spider mites and discourage mite infestation by
giving your rose a shower in the bathtub every two weeks.
- When warmer
weather arrives in April, you can plant your
valentine gift in a sunny position in your garden or
move it to a larger container to add color to a corner of your
deck or patio.
Source
Seed Savvy...
It's getting to be seed starting time
around here. Depending on how adventurous you are there are
seeds to start indoors now and many, many more to start in the
weeks to come. Need some help getting started? We've got two
very handy (and popular) articles that you might enjoy:
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.
Finally... "Keep your faith in
beautiful things;
in the sun when it is hidden,
in the Spring when it is gone." ~
Roy R. Gibson |