This week's gardening tips from the Savvygardener

 

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May 18, 2005

Peonies, Memories...
This is the time of the year that so many people look forward to. It is the time of the peony. It is less than two weeks from Memorial Day and peonies are in bloom everywhere. It was and still is a tradition in my family for my parents to cut peonies to place on their parents' graves. This is a tradition that has been in our family for some time. For as many years as I can remember once they began to bloom I knew it would be just a few days before visiting the cemetery. My dad's mom was not only a terrific gardener but loved peonies. It seems only appropriate to leave at her grave side a bouquet of this magnificent flower. Does this tradition exist in other places or just small Midwestern towns? Kevin, having grown up on the East coast, had never heard of anyone doing this before. Tradition or not this is a flower like no other.

This is also an exciting time of the year for our sponsor Bannister Garden Center, located in Kansas City, Missouri. They have their annual Peony Festival where you can see some of the finest peonies in the Midwest. If you are wanting to purchase peonies, this is the place to go. Owners Neva and Tony Mistretta have been growing peonies for over 36 years and offer 100 varieties of potted peonies. They also have a full service nursery that carries many other plants for the landscape. When you stop in don't forget to ask them about the peonies points card. With every $100 purchase they will stamp your card which will allow you a free peony root to plant in the fall. How great is that?

Congratulations to Deborah Reiman! She is the lucky winner of the Family Tree Nursery $500 gift certificate! Way to go and thanks for helping me raise money for the Breast Cancer 3-Day!

~ Shelly  

Winning By Thinning...
A bountiful vegetable patch requires thinning when crops are grown from seed.  Be aware that vegetables behave like weeds when they are overabundant. Overcrowding among root crops causes poorly formed roots.  A good thinning program will:

  • Reduce the competition among seedlings for soil nutrients and water.
  • Promote better air circulation around the plants thereby reducing the chances of disease development.
  • Ultimately make higher yields possible.

For a list of common garden vegetables and recommendations for their spacing click here.

Rain Drain...
We welcomed that rain late last week but it's possible it was too much of a good thingHeavy rains can leech fertilizers from the root zone of your cool-season vegetable plants.  These crops are growing rapidly now and require adequate fertilizer to complete their growth cycle early.  If you notice that foliage color is slightly pale and plants are not growing as fast as you'd expect, a side-dressing of fertilizer may be in order.  

Use a general-use fertilizer or one high in nitrogen.  Organic fertilizers such as blood meal contain good levels of nitrogen and work well as a side-dressing.  Apply fertilizers along the crop row and lightly cultivate or hoe to make sure the fertilizer is incorporated lightly to quickly dissolve.  With rainfall, the nitrogen dissolves and is carried into the plant root zone.

Source

Getting Antsy About Aphids...
When you see ants crawling on your garden plants, look closely for aphids as well.  Some ant species protect aphids, moving them from plant to plant and even taking them underground into the anthill for overnight safety (seriously!).  The ants do this to ensure a supply of honeydew, a sugary water substance secreted by aphids, on which ants feed.

Source

Vine Crop Villains...
Savvygardeners need to be vigilant for the two most destructive insect foes of vine crops - the cucumber beetle and the squash bug.  Cucumber beetles, like most vegetable insects must be controlled early to prevent damage to the seedling and transmission of diseases like bacterial wilt.  Planting a trap crop, applying neem oil soap and using row covers are effective non-chemical methods to manage this insect pest.  Squash bugs can be repelled with insecticidal soap in addition to garlic and pepper sprays.

Source

Miners Not Allowed...
Many species of boxwood are attacked by the boxwood leaf miner, whose activity becomes very noticeable in mid spring. American boxwood is particularly susceptible. Blister like orange spots are a sign of the larvae of this insect, which hides between the leaf surfaces and feeds there until it emerges. The adults, orange in color and gnat-like, are easily controlled with a pyrethroid insecticide. Heavier infestations should be treated with a systemic insecticide containing imidacloprid.

Source
 


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Zoysia Tips...
Zoysia lawns are finally looking good all around the metro.  Now that they are greening up and growing you will want to make sure you do the following:

  • Reduce thatch layers from zoysia by verticutting or core aerating. 
  • Sod or sprig zoysia lawns to fill in bare areas.
  • Fertilize zoysia lawns with high nitrogen to promote green up and summer growth. 
  • Mow zoysia to 2 to 2½ inches tall.

Dull Blade Equals Brown Blades...
Have you ever noticed your grass turning brown at the tips several days after mowing
(photo)?  A quick look under the mowing deck might explain it all.  Chances are, your mower blade is not sufficiently sharp.  A quick visit to the local hardware store will fix the problem for about $5.

Remember to sharpen your mower blade several times each season.  It's even a good idea to keep a spare blade on hand.  That way you always have a sharp one.

 

Finally...
"... every tree near our house had a name of its own and a special identity. This was the beginning of my love for natural things, for earth and sky, for roads and fields and woods, for trees and grass and flowers; a love which has been second only to my sense of enduring kinship with birds and animals, and all inarticulate creatures."

~ Ellen Glasgow (1874-1945)

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