October's Frosty Finish...
We awoke this morning to another frosty day. Second one thus
far and my guess is that they will become more numerous. The
boys, Noah (age 9)
and Jake (7),
call it light snow. They wanted to know if the grass would break
if you walked on it. I assured them that the frost on the grass
will not endanger the life of the living blades. They are
comforted by my comment confident that the grass will not die if
they happen to mistakenly step on it. I love the fact that we are
raising our children to be consciously aware of all living things
- even if it is just a blade of grass.
I hope you
have enjoyed my product reviews from The Gard'n Wise Distributor
Show. Here is another product that I think you'll enjoy hearing
about. I don't know how many pairs of gloves I go through in one
gardening season but now that I know about the
Bionic
Glove that number just became
smaller. The gloves are made of top grade cabretta leather and
can be machine washed. They are designed by a renowned hand
surgeon, Dr. James M. Kleinert, to improve hand comfort. There
are anatomic relief pads which help reduce calluses, blisters and
hand fatigue. They have ergonomically designed zones and
breathable web for improved comfort, fit and flexibility. A bit
pricy but I think you'll agree that they are well worth the
money.
Halloween
is right around the corner and last night was the official Marsh
pumpkin carving event. When it comes to carving the family
pumpkins, Morgan and Kevin are the true designers and carvers.
Noah and Jake are great at designing
their scary faces on paper but I am not yet willing to let them
use the sharp tools needed for carving. I opt to clean all of the
pumpkins out and leave the designing and carving to those who
really know what they are doing. Everyone in the family always
looks forward to our little ritual.
Have a safe
and Happy Halloween!
~
Shelly
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
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
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!
Harvesting
Sweet Potatoes...
Sweet potatoes
need to be harvested before the roots are exposed to periods of
cold weather, so usually harvest begins about the time of the
first fall freeze. Freshly dug sweet potato roots are fairly
tender, so the skin can be easily damaged. A process called
curing solves this. Curing involves putting the roots in a warm,
humid location for 5 to 10 days immediately after digging. A
location about 85°
to 90°F
works best. A small area heated by a space heater and misting the
area several times a day is ideal.
The curing
process heals over scratches in the skin but also prompts another
important reaction - converting
starches in the roots to sugar. This improves the texture and
flavor of the roots resulting in the moist, sweet flesh we
associate with quality sweet potatoes. Always store sweet
potatoes in locations where temperatures will be above 55°F.
Cold temperature storage causes injury that can be irreversible,
shortening storage life, turning the inside of the roots dark,
giving them a strange alcoholic flavor, and causing premature
rotting.
Source
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.
Too Late To Seed...
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.
Why November Turf
Fertilizing Is Best...
Nitrogen stimulates increased
photosynthesis and the extra energy derived from this goes
directly into growth, respiration to maintain the plant (similar
to humans), or into storage. In early November, the temperature
is still adequate for photosynthesis, but cool enough to minimize
respiration demands and too cold for significant growth.
Therefore, most of the extra energy derived from a November
application of nitrogen is stored by the plant. Next spring,
these storage products are used in green-up of the plant and more
importantly, for root growth. It is important for the plant to
take up the nitrogen quickly in the fall and store the energy for
maximum root growth next spring with a minimum of shoot growth.
Though one might think that nitrogen applied early next spring
would do the equivalent as November-applied nitrogen, just the
opposite occurs and shoot growth is stimulated dramatically with
early spring-applied nitrogen. A spring application of nitrogen
will never compensate for a missed application in November.
Source
Finally... "I never had any
other desire so strong, and so like covetousness, as that I might
be master at last of a small house and a large garden, with very
moderate conveniences joined to them, and there dedicate the
remainder of my life to the culture of them and the study of
nature." ~
Abraham Cowley, circa 1655 |