This week's gardening tips from the Savvygardener

 

Savvygardener.com

Missouri Organic Mulch, Compost, Bulk Soil
 

Visit Our Website
Previous Issues
Buyer's Guide  
Tell A Friend  

Donations

Send A Postcard!

Bookstore  
Magazines 
Gardening Catalogs

Site Search
Contact Us
Submit A Tip

Feature Articles

~ Houseplant Care
~ When to Start
Seeds Indoors
~ Seed Starting Indoors
~ Vegetable Garden Calendar
~ Seed Starting Tomatoes

~

Shrub Pruning Calendar
~ Pruning Clematis 
~ Gardening in the Shade
~ Summer-Flowering Bulb Care
~ Drought-Tolerant Flowers for KC
~ Preparing for a Soil Test
~ Changing the pH of Your Soil
~ Growing Herbs
~ All About Composting
~ All About Mulch
~ Worm Composting
~ When to Harvest Vegetables
~ Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
~ Organic Pesticides & Biopesticides
~ Cold Frames & Hot Beds
~ When to Divide Perennials
~ Dividing Spring Blooming Perennials
~ Forcing Bulbs Indoors
~ Overseeding A Lawn
~ Pruning Trees
~ Pruning Shrubs
~ Planting Trees
~ Deer Resistant Plants
~ Trees that Survived the Storm
~ More...

Rose Tips
What's Hot... 
Nuisance of the Week
Turf Tips...
Winter Wisdom
Gardener's Glossary 

SavvyChat
~ On-Line Gardening Forum

Books We Love
Great Products
Web Resources
Event Calendar

Local Sponsors

~ Family Tree Nursery
~ Missouri Organic Recycling
~ Prestige One Landscaping
~ Ryan Lawn & Tree

Subscribe

Tell A Friend

Privacy Pledge

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 1, 2005

Just What We Needed...
What a terrific storm last night! Great lightning, loud thunder and over an inch of badly needed rain. Just in the nick of time. Nothing like a good dose of rainwater. It makes everything look so healthy and fresh. I guess it's good to know that we got our inch of rain for this week - let's hope that sometime next week (preferably in the middle of the week) we'll get another inch or so. All of our plantings need an inch of water per week and if Mother Nature can help out now and again all the better. Imagine, if Mother Nature helped us out each week with an inch or so (we'd be living in Seattle) think of the money we would all save.

We did some family planting this Memorial Day weekend (photos). I'm only just now getting around to my annuals.  It seems as if I am way behind. I typically have most everything done shortly after Mother's Day. Oh well, I guess it will get done when I have the time. I am getting to the age where stressing out about it seems to be a big waste of time. Instead of trying to overdo this year (which in years past has always been the case) I am trying to simplify. Not only in the garden but with filling every pot I own. I still like the look I am achieving so I guess bigger and more is not always better.

~ Shelly  

Erupting Soon In A Garden Near You...
This time of year it's not uncommon to have a period of wet weather followed by some rather warm early summer temperatures.  If you have mulched areas in your garden, that unique combination is going to lead to something that's pretty disgusting to look at - slime mold eruptions.  You see, slime mold spores will grow and expand (at an alarming rate) until they "erupt" over the surface of the mulch.  It's not very pretty to look at but rest assured it's harmless.  Try to scoop it up whole (so you don't inadvertently release more spores) and dispose of it in a compost pile or trash can.  

Timing Is Everything...
Sometimes the hardest part of growing great vegetables is knowing when they're ready for harvest.  Timing is everything as they say and that's certainly true for your garden's bounty.  To make your job a little easier we've compiled a list of common garden vegetables and the guidelines you should follow to determine if they are ready for harvest.  You will find "When to Harvest Vegetables" in the Features section of our website.

Itchy, Scratchy, Savvy...
Poison ivy rash is an unfortunate byproduct of working outdoors for many gardeners.  The rash we get from our exposure to poison ivy (as well as poison oak and sumac) is an allergic reaction to contact with an oil called urushiol (oo-ROO-she-ol).  All species of poison ivy, oak and sumac have urushiol in their roots, stems, leaves and fruit.  The oil or sap is released when plants are bruised.  For this reason poison ivy rashes are more common in the spring and early summer when leaves and stems are tender.  The sap may be deposited on the skin by direct contact with the plant, through contact with contaminated objects such as shoes, clothing, tools and animals, or as airborne urushiol particles from burning plants.  

We're betting that you still cling to at least one of the poison ivy myths below.  Now is a good time to set the record straight: 

  • Myth 1 - Scratching poison ivy blisters spreads the rash. 
    Not true.  Fluid discharged from blisters will not spread the rash.  Well before the blisters form, however, you may spread the urushiol on your hands to other parts of your body. 
  • Myth 2 - Poison ivy is contagious. 
    Not true.  The rash is simply a reaction to urushiol.  The rash cannot pass from person to person; only the urushiol can be spread by direct contact. 
  • Myth 3 - You can "catch" poison ivy by being near it. 
    Not true.  Direct contact or contact with smoke from burning plants is needed to introduce urushiol onto the victim. 
  • Myth 4 - Once allergic, always allergic to poison ivy. 
    Not true.  A person's sensitivity changes over time, even from season to season.  People who were sensitive to urushiol as children may not be allergic as adults. 
  • Myth 5 - There's no need to worry about dead plants.
    Not true.  Urushiol remains active on any surface, including dead plants, for up to 5 years! 
  • Myth 6 - Covering up is good protection. 
    Partly
    true.  Urushiol can stick to your clothes which you can touch and spread to your skin later.

Source

Be A Deadheader...
So your perennials have bloomed and they are starting to look as if they are finished?  Hold on a minute...  If you trim off the dead blooms they will likely bloom again!  I'm talking about roses, bachelor buttons, coreopsis and dianthus (just to name a few)Sure, it's extra work (especially dianthus, it's wickedly time-consuming to trim all of those flowers back) but the reward is well worth it once you see them re-blooming.  If you are not sure whether your perennial will bloom again cut it back anyway to keep a neat appearance in the garden.

You should also deadhead petunias, snapdragons, geraniums, marigolds and zinnias.  This will prevent seed formation and promote continued flowering.
 


What Are You Reading
When You're Not Reading
Savvygardener.com
?

Great Gardening Magazines
Are Right Here!

 


Turfgrass Identification Tool...
Not sure what's growing in that lawn of yours?  Our friends at Purdue University have developed a nifty on-line Turfgrass Identification Tool.  With their library of great descriptions and photos (some that rotate 360
°) you can now confidently identify that rogue patch of whatever.

Ladybird Beetles...
If you see what looks like very small alligator-shaped insects on your plants, don't be concerned. This is the larval form of the ladybird beetle. The larvae are covered with spines, about 3/8 inch long, and black with orange markings. Neither the adults or larvae will feed on the plants but rather on other insects including aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, scale insects and the eggs of various other insects. Because those "other insects" normally are feeding on the plant, ladybird beetles are considered beneficial.

Source

Heading Off Seedheads...
Cool season turfgrasses such as Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass are currently producing seedheads - a natural phenomenon triggered by the current day length.  Seedheads are a nuisance for several reasons:

  • They grow quickly and unevenly detracting from the appearance of a lawn. 
  • The seed stalk is tougher than grass blades so they do not cut cleanly except with the sharpest of mower blades.  
  • After mowing, the grass may also appear a lighter green to yellow because of the exposed seed stalks.  
  • Turfgrass plants also expend a lot of energy producing seedheads and turf density may also decrease slightly as a result. 

The most effective way to control seedheads is through frequent mowing with a sharp mower blade.  Avoid the temptation to lower your cutting height as doing so will cause the rest of your turf to suffer as summer approaches.

Source

Finally...
"Brave old-flowers! Wall-flowers, Gilly flowers, Stocks! For even as the field-flowers, from which a trifle, a ray of beauty, a drop of perfume, divides them, they have charming names, the softest in the language; and each of them, like tiny, art-less ex-votos, or like medals bestowed by the gratitude of men, proudly bears three or four."

~ Maurice Maeterlinck, Old-Fashioned Flowers, 1907

To change your e-mail address, delivery method, or to stop delivery please follow the "Update Your Profile"  link at the bottom of your
e-mailed newsletter.

© 1999-2005 Savvygardener.com, Inc. All rights reserved.  If you wish to copy, transmit, or otherwise duplicate any of the material from our website please ask us first.  Thank you.