Happy Birthday to Me...
43 years ago today I was brought into this world. I had a
wonderful day. I ran a few errands and then spent some quality
time at home (actually at one point I deliberated on whether or
not to go outside and rake). Ponderings like that are what make
my life so wonderful. I received many calls from friends and
loved ones. It is always so nice to catch up with friends who I
don't always have the opportunity to stay in touch with
throughout the year but are always in my thoughts around our
birthdays and the holidays.
I like this
age. A few years ago (maybe as early as even last year) I would
make a big "to-do"
about my birthday. I loved my birthday and thought that everyone
else should love it to. Not the case today. I was perfectly
content just hanging around by myself,
reading a book, picking up the house and wrapping presents. I
embrace getting older now. It was tough,
I must admit, at 40 but 3 years later I
am thinking that older is not so bad. I still believe that I am
young at heart and that is what is most important.
I received
"A Gardener's Bouquet of Quotations" as one of my presents and I
have been leafing through the pages all day. Don't you love it
when a book actually speaks to you? I find so many things in this
book that appeal to me. The quotes, the messages, they inspire me
to do so many things; not only in the garden but in life in
general. I would highly recommend this book as a gift for the
gardener in your life. Here's too many more fruitful years!
~
Shelly
Deicer Damage...
When ice and snow pile up it's not unusual to
reach for a deicing agent to help melt the frozen stuff away. Deicers work by lowering the freezing point of
water, creating a brine (chemical-water solution) and allowing
water to evaporate. The oldest and most common deicing agent is
sodium chloride (rock salt), but calcium chloride, potassium
chloride and magnesium chloride are also used. The damaging
effects of these materials on plants come from their reducing the
ability of plants to take up water and the effects may not show up
until late spring or summer when water stresses begin to prevail
so don’t expect damage to be immediate.
Limited use of deicers and spreading the ice
slush when scooping it away over a wide area will lessen
potential damage. Heavy applications of water in the spring
season can also flush salts downward through the soil. A new
chemical deicing agent called calcium magnesium acetate (or CMA)
is made from dolomite (limestone) and acetic acid (vinegar) and
has very minimal damaging effects on plants, animals, or concrete
surfaces.
Source
Goin' Buggy...
Most homes in winter become dry as bone meal. Keep an eye out
for spider mites on your houseplants - they thrive in that dry
air. Females lay about 200 eggs and the life cycle may be
completed in just 7 days. Do the math - it gets ugly fast!
At the
first sign of any insect infestation, isolate your plant.
Several thorough washings with soapy water (two teaspoons of mild
detergent to a gallon of water) should bring them under control.
Guy-Wire
Guidelines...
If you are using guy wires around newly planted trees make
sure hose sections (or other protection) are still covering the
supporting wires or ropes. Without sufficient protection the
recent windy weather could cause a young tree's bark to be
stripped away by bare wire or rope.
Two Out Of Three
Wise Men Recommend...
The holiday season is full of traditions involving the plants
we grow. Wreaths, mistletoe, Christmas trees, the list goes on.
How about frankincense and myrrh? What is that stuff anyway?
Well, they are both resins - dried tree sap - that come from
trees of the genus Boswellia (frankincense) and Commiphora
(myrrh). The way that people collect the sap is similar to the
way people collect rubber tree sap or pine tree sap. Cutting the
tree's bark causes the sap to ooze out of the cut. The sap used
to create both of these famous resins comes slowly and is allowed
to dry on the tree. Both in the time of the three wise men and
today, frankincense and myrrh are most commonly used to create
incense.
Pacing Your Paperwhites...
As the holidays near, you can adjust the bloom time of your
forced paperwhites. If they are coming along too quickly, place
them in a cool room (50-60º F) and
water less frequently. If you need to speed them up a bit, place
them in the warmest room in the house. With a little luck
they'll be blooming right on time!
Poinsettias
Perfected...
From our friends at
University of Missouri Extension here are some good tips to
make your poinsettias last longer and retain their color.
Consumers should consider several factors when buying a
poinsettia plant, said David Trinklein, professor of
horticulture. The plant should have bright bracts and healthy
foliage that does not look wilted. Its cyathia, the true flower
in the center of the bracts, should be tightly clustered and just
starting to shed pollen.
Once it is brought home these tips will keep
it healthy and happy:
-
Place it in a brightly lit location
away from cold drafts or hot air registers.
- Color can be
prolonged if the plant is kept at 60°
to 72°
with high humidity.
- Don't overwater a
poinsettia. Water only when the surface of the growing medium
is dry to the touch.
- If the pot
containing the plant is foil-covered, be sure there is a
drainage hole in the foil. Empty any water that might drain
through the pot and collect in the saucer below.
Source
Sharpen
Mower Blades Now...
Last week we
talked about putting the mower away for the winter. Now is also an excellent time
to sharpen mower blades so they'll be ready next spring.
Sharpening rotary mower blades is fairly straightforward. The
following steps will guide you through this process:
- Check the
blade for major damage. If you can't fix it, it likely will need
to be replaced.
- Remove grass and debris from the blade with a
moist cloth. Dry before beginning to sharpen the cutting edge.
- Remove nicks from the cutting edge, using a grinding wheel or
hand-file.
- If using a grinding wheel, match the existing edge
angle to the wheel. If hand-filing, file at the same angle as the
existing edge.
- Grind or file until the edge is 1/32 inch, about
the size of a period.
- Particularly with a grinding wheel, avoid
overheating the blade as this may warp it.
- Clean the blade with
solvent or oil for optimum
winter storage. Avoid use of water as it will promote rust.
Following these tips can help you better prepare your mower for
winter storage and also save you some steps this coming spring.
Source
Finally... "To me, the garden
is a doorway to other worlds; one of them, of course, is the
world of birds. The garden is their dinner table, bursting with
bugs and worms and succulent berries (so plant more to
accommodate you both)." ~
Anne Raver, Nature and Gardening Writer |