|
Making Up For Lost Rain...
Sometimes you have to be careful about what you wish for. We
needed rain, wanted rain and 4.6 inches later (the official
reading at KCI) we got rain. We were lucky to escape flooding in
our basement. Good news considering we were out of town. We were
visiting family and friends in McPherson Kansas. The weather was
wet and unseasonably cool - a welcome change. McPherson was not
as fortunate as Kansas City. It has been much drier there this
summer so they too were in desperate need of rain. Once the
weather had settled, total rainfall amounts were small in
comparison to what we received. I believe they
got only a bit more than an inch. Not nearly enough to rid
the ground of large, dry cracks.
It was fun
to walk around and admire my mom and dad's gardens. My mom just
recently took up gardening. After retiring she decided that it
was time to find out what my father had been talking about all of
these years. She has been bitten by the gardening bug and has
become quite good at deciphering what should be kept in the bed
and what should be pulled (Much to the
relief for my father). Dad's vegetable
garden was in great shape considering the lack of rain. He grew
cantaloupes as big as basketballs
(photos)
and they were amazingly sweet. Tons of tomatoes
too. Boy was I jealous!
Speaking of
tomatoes... Don't forget this coming
Sunday, August 21st 10:0 AM is the Savvygardener.com Tastiest
Tomato contest at Family Tree Nursery in Overland Park. Bring
your best tomato and the family. Prizes, a few wise cracks and
plenty of fun.
It's not too late to register!
See you there!
~
Shelly
They're Not Locusts...
It's that time of year when the din of the
singing cicadas makes it nearly impossible to hold a conversation
outdoors. It's also that time of year that people invariably
refer to these noisy insects as "locusts". Trust us, they
are not locusts. Locusts are actually a type of
grasshopper and have some significant traits that, fortunately,
we do experience with cicadas:
-
Locusts tend to travel in swarms.
Fifteen to thirty million adult locusts inhabit each
square mile of a swarm.
- Each locust
weighs less than one tenth of an
ounce, but eats
its weight in food each day. In a
single day, one ton of locusts, a very small part of a
swarm, consumes enough food for 2,500
people.
Cicadas
by contrast feed only during the underground portion of their
life cycle. They feed on tree roots and do not consume
enough to harm the host plant.
Garden Toppers...
If you have a vegetable or annual garden that is normally empty
in the fall and through winter you should consider planting a
green manure crop there at the end of this growing season.
The name green manure is given to any crop which is grown only to
be tilled back into the soil. As it rots, the nutrients in the
crop foliage and roots will be taken up by the next crop planted
in the same place. Green manures from the legume family, such as
peas, beans, and clovers, have an added bonus - nitrogen-fixing
bacteria living around their roots can draw nitrogen from the air
and convert it to a form the plant can absorb. This nitrogen
will then be available to subsequent crops.
Green
manures also act as "cover crops" protecting the soil from
compaction and erosion caused by wind and rain, as
well as reducing the extent that weeds take over bare
soil.
Well Rooted Evergreens...
Early fall is a good time to plant a balled and burlapped (B&B)
evergreen tree. The key here is "early". Because evergreens
transpire (lose moisture) throughout the winter months, fall
planting of B&B evergreens should be done in September to allow
time for the roots to become established before the ground
freezes. The trick is to make sure your newly planted evergreen
has enough moisture in its roots to weather some dry spells when
the ground may be frozen.
Another
consideration - If you leave the cloth burlap around the roots do
not leave any sticking above the ground as it may wick away
moisture and dry out the root ball. After planting, mulch around
the plant to a depth of 2-4 inches.
source
Honk If You Have Hornworms...
Tomato hornworms are serious garden pests. They like to eat
the leaves of tomato plants and will do so completely to the
mid-rib of the leaf. Fortunately they can be dealt with without
drenching the entire plant in pesticide. The trick is early
detection and removal. While it's hard to see a green
caterpillar on a green leaf the black droppings from the
caterpillar are a bit more obvious. When you see the droppings
look closely for the caterpillar and remove it immediately.
Still Time
To Divide Iris...
Late summer is ideal for
dividing, moving and planting iris. The
old foliage wilting from the summer’s
heat can be trimmed back at least halfway. Trimming also helps
when dividing iris to prevent moisture loss while the plants get
established. Follow these simple steps
to divide your iris plants:
- Dig Iris with a
potato fork, being careful not to damage the rhizome.
- With a sterile
knife, cut the rhizome vertically. Each division should be
approximately 2 inches long with 2-3 fans.
- Dig a shallow
hole mounded in the middle and spread the roots around the
mound.
- Set the plant
with fans facing to the outside of the garden to make room for
expanded growth.
- Fill the hole
with soil, being careful to leave rhizomes partially exposed,
and water well.
- Water the newly
planted iris regularly if the weather is hot and dry
being careful to avoid overwatering.
Source
Look Out For Lacebugs...
Continue to monitor azalea, pyracantha and Japanese andromeda
for the presence of lacebugs. Populations of these insects can
explode during the summer months, and left unchecked, may send
susceptible plants into a downward spiral of decline. Plantings
in full sun always fare worse, so check these most often. If you
find more than two or three lacebugs per leaf, prepare an
application of insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Be sure to
spray the entire plant upper and lower leaf surfaces for best
control.
Source
Oh Say Can You
Seed?
Yes you can! The best time to start new
cool-season grass seed is late summer/early fall. Considering
the trend toward lower-than-average temperatures this summer you
may want to get started soon. Seeding this time of year takes
advantage of warm weather for proper seed germination while
allowing the new turf to thrive as the temperatures cool into
fall.
Finally...
"Monotony is the law
of nature. Look at the monotonous manner in which the sun rises.
The monotony of necessary occupations is exhilarating and
life-giving." ~
Mahatma Gandhi |
