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Design, Build, Grow...
I am so excited! Yesterday I had the opportunity to scratch
my spring itch. I met with Cole Welch
the owner of a company called Tectonic. Due
to a well-educated and experienced staff, Tectonic offers
an integrated approach to a full range of landscape services.
Design, Build and Grow
is the company's motto. Cole and his staff
will be working with me on the renovation of our
landscape. There will be more about Cole and his company in the
weeks to come so keep reading and don't forget to look at the
photo page. There will be weekly updates once construction
begins. If you are interested in contacting Tectonic give them a
call at 816-278-5139. Make sure you mention that you heard about
them through the Savvygardener.com newsletter.
A small
chance of rain today and perhaps a few thunderstorms tomorrow.
Will March make its entrance like a lion or lamb? Since it is
just February 28 I guess we will have to wait and see. The long
term forecast looks mild and a bit rainy. Remember the ole
saying "Spring showers bring May flowers". I am content for now
with the warmer temperatures. The rain is a plus. It washes away
all of the gook that has been lying around all winter. Slow,
soaking rains are what we're looking for. If I only had it my
way...
~
Shelly
Feeding Bulb
Upstarts...
If you have spring bulbs in the ground we'll bet that at least
some of them are poking up through the soil by now. Last week
we talked about moving any leaves or compost out of the way to
make room for their growth. This week we tackle their care and
feeding.
"You need to
fertilize as soon as the foliage pokes up through the ground.
That's when the bulbs' roots are most active," said Ward Upham,
horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and
Extension. "If you wait until or after they're flowering, you're
basically wasting time and money."
Blood meal is
the traditional choice and still an excellent fertilizer for
spring-flowering bulbs, Upham said. Its application rate is 2
pounds per 100 square feet or 1 teaspoon per square foot.
Springtime
Splitters...
Now would be a great time to think about
dividing select perennials. We say this in the fall also.
Don't be confused. Just use the following logic: Divide
fall-blooming plants in the spring and spring-blooming plants in
the fall. Plants to divide now include asters, mums, shasta
daisy, and yarrow (to name a few).
When You
Just Can't Wait...
If you are just dying to do something in the flower garden
try sowing the seeds of asters, bachelor buttons, calendulas,
delphinium, dianthus, larkspur, and snapdragon. These hardy
annuals should weather the remaining cold days and get
your flower garden off to an early start. As insurance against
really cold weather you can always sow smaller quantities at
weekly intervals.
Peas Be With You...
Peas should be among the earliest crops you plant in your
garden, and can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked.
They love cool weather, grow quickly, produce abundantly for a
few weeks, and then succumb rapidly to our summer heat. More pea
stuff:
- Some varieties, especially snap peas, require
trellising, but many modern varieties do not. Seed catalogs
or packets usually will indicate whether this is required.
- Because plants don't stand very well on their own, peas
may benefit from being planted in double rows 6" apart that
will allow plants to support each other.
- Peas should be planted 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart
with about 2 to 3 feet between the double row. If trellised,
space rows 4 to 6 feet apart.
- Plant several varieties to make sure you get each type,
and to enjoy a succession of harvests.
Source
Crown Jewels...
Once the soil is suitable for digging
you may be thinking about planting some asparagus crowns. Don't
dig too far down when planting them. Yields improve
dramatically when crowns are set at a depth of 5 to 6 inches -
not the commonly advised 12 inches. Contrary to the standard
practices of deep planting and not harvesting for up to three
seasons, recent studies show that harvesting shallow-planted
asparagus after the first year boosts yields 40 percent over
three years.
Warm Season Weeds...
Warm-season grasses (bermudagrass,
zoysiagrass and buffalograss) need a different set of
instructions than those for more common cool-season grasses
(bluegrass and fescues). If you have warm-season grasses
you can use the month of March to spot-treat broadleaf weeds.
Make sure to spot-treat on a day that is 50˚
F or warmer. Rain or watering within 24 hours of application
will reduce the effectiveness of your efforts.
Head 'Em Off At The Pass...
Though cultural practices are the most effective crabgrass
controls, herbicides are often necessary to really get the job
done. Crabgrass can be controlled through an application of a
pre-emergence herbicide between mid-March and mid-April.
The herbicides available on the market have been shown to be
very effective crabgrass controls, but often control suffers
when the product is not applied correctly or when the lawn is
not maintained properly. When using pre-emergence herbicides,
keep in mind:
- Maintain a healthy dense lawn.
- Closely read and follow all label recommendations.
- Apply the herbicide accurately and uniformly over the
lawn.
- Apply the herbicide early because they will not affect
crabgrass already germinated. Early would be mid- March in
the greater Kansas City area.
- After application, apply enough water to move the
herbicide off the leaf blades to the soil surface for
maximum control.
- Do not apply these products over newly-seeded areas or
try to seed into areas where these products have been
recently applied.
Source
Finally...
"When we learn to
call flowers by name we take the first step toward a real
intimacy with them." ~
Mrs. William Starr Dana |
