Timely Tips from Over the Garden Fence
You can catch George Wedel on Over the Garden Fence, 9:05 am Saturdays on AM 590 WKZO.
And return here each week at www.wedels.com for the latest in Wedel's timely tips.
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Timely Tips From Over the Garden Fence May 18, 2002 Well, we finally made it! After a nearly unbroken string of cool and cold days for the last month, the temperature climbed to 70 degrees on Wednesday. The thermostat this morning reminds us that we’re not out of the woods yet. After the last two months, the theory of global warming is losing believers. Michigan is experiencing one of its coldest springs. Daily low temperatures records have been broken several times. What is a gardener to do? Well, “green thumbers”, there has never been a better time to sharpen up our weather wise instincts and talents. My grandfather’s rule of thumb for planting sweet corn was to wait until the leaves on the Black Oak trees were the size of squirrel’s ears. This spring even old formulas are out the window, oak leaves are the size of squirrel’s ears and the soil is still too cold to plant sweet corn. Following are some suggestions to encourage flower and vegetable plantings. Seed and Plant Guard floating row covers provide light frost protection and increase seed germination by creating a micro greenhouse environment to increase seedling plant growth and survivability. Seed and Plant Guard is 100% polypropylene and is sold in 10 by 12 foot sheets. Black weed barrier works well in the vegetable garden by increasing soil temperatures. Simply cut small holes and insert seeds or transplant. DeWitt Weed Barrier is a synthetic material and can be reused for several years. Wall of Water is a unique plant protector, using sun and water to create a warm micro-climate. The manufacturer claims plant protection to 16 degrees. Wall of Water plant protectors retail for about $3.50 each and will last for several years. Some garden seeds and transplants are more cold tolerant and can be planted now. In the flower garden, plant the following transplants; snapdragons, petunias, dusty miller, and sweet alyssum. Vegetable plants that will take cool soil include cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. Potato and onion sets planted now will be successful. Vegetable seeds that will germinate in cool soil include carrot, radish, lettuce, parsnips, peas, onion, beets, and turnips. Unless row covers or black weed barrier is used to warm the soil, I wouldn’t recommend planting green beans, sweet corn, squash, cucumber, or melon seeds or transplants until the daytime temperatures are consistently in the seventies. As we wait for warmer, drier days, let us rejoice in the beauty around us. We are reminded of God’s generosity in Psalm 65; “He makes the dawn and sunset shout for joy, He enriches the earth with rain and blesses its growth, the pastures are green, the valleys are full of grain.” And, I might add, the dogwoods have never been more beautiful. How blessed we are! In addition to their flower and vegetable gardens, many gardeners have a berry patch. Growing berries in the landscape is becoming more and more popular because recently, health experts have encouraged us to eat more berries for good health and a taste treat that can’t be beat. Now would be a great time to set out strawberry, blueberry, current, gooseberry, and raspberry plants. Planting this spring will assure you of fresh fruit from your own back yard next spring. At Wedel’s, the rose bush department is extra busy with folks selecting rose bushes for their gardens. This is a great time to buy rose bushes. Rose bushes that are planted now will bloom all summer. The best buy in rose plants are those growing in pots. Over 195 varieties of potted, growing rose plants are now available at Wedel’s Garden Center and are ready to move into your garden for all-summer enjoyment. Look for rose bushes that have three to four good canes and have been pruned back to six to eight inches with multiple bud breaks and good foliage. These features are indications of a plant that will produce more blooms for you. When shopping for rose bushes, look at some of the new introductions at Wedel’s. The new hybrid teas and grandiflora roses include: · Bronze Star with apricot blooms and a spicy scent. · Cardinal Song sports true red flowers · Crowd Pleaser has cerise pink blooms · Leonidas has cinnamon blooms that are accented with cream color · Perfumed Beauty has carmine flowers that are great for cutting · Peter Mayle has huge red flowers · Silver Star is a new lavender rose · McCartney is an eye-catching pink · Mellow Yellow has fruity scented yellow flowers and · Love and Peace has extra-large yellow blooms New Floribunda roses to look for are: · Charles Aznavour · Gold Marie and · Regensberg Shrub and Old-Fashioned newcomers include: · Ballerina · Carefree Sunshine · Cherry Meidiland · Country Dancer · Madame Isaac Periere · What a Peach · Starry Night · Rouge Royale · Mordon Centennial and · Radio Times Don’t forget to include some of the old tried-and-true rose bush varieties that no rose garden should be without: · Velvet-red Chrysler Imperial · Gold-pink Peace · Red Mr. Lincoln · Rink Queen Elizabeth · Coral-orange Tropicana · Pink China Doll and · Blaze Climbing Rose Looking for help to plan a rose garden? Be sure to consult with the Michigan Certified Nursery Specialists at Wedel’s for expert assistance. Recent rains have our lawns growing very rapidly. It is important that they be mowed at the proper time. Often, we set a schedule of mowing the lawn once a week or when it’s convenient. In the spring, that is usually not enough, especially during moist weather periods. It is important never to cut off more than one-third of the height of the grass blade. In case of rain, or a schedule that does not allow mowing when the lawn requires it, be sure to raise the mower height so that you don’t scalp the turf. If, for example, a mower height of three inches would normally take off one third of the growth, but the grass has grown to 4 ½ inches, you should raise the mower cutting height to four inches, then two days later, lower to three inches. Removal of too much of the grass blade at one time will put the turf under a great deal of stress and make it more susceptible to disease and weed invasion. The ideal is to mow when the lawn requires it; current weather dictates mowing every five days. The needed rain also has lawn weeds growing very rapidly. Broadleaf lawn weed controls can be applied successfully now. Broadleaf weeds, such as dandelion, buckhorn, and chickweed can all be controlled now with a spray of Dragon Lawn Weed Control. This can be applied as a spot treatment where needed. It is the least expensive and most effective way to control broadleaf weeds in lawns. Ever have a creeping vine in your lawn that seemed to defy all eradication attempts? The culprit could be Veronica filformis, or better known as creeping speedwell. Creeping speedwell weeds look much like chickweed with blue instead of white flowers. Most weed killers just bounce off with little effect. Ortho Clover Killer sprayed on flowering creeping speedwell gives excellent results without harming surrounding turf. Two applications of Ortho Clover Killer three weeks apart will rid your lawn of this creeping intruder. The need to care for valuable dogwood trees in our landscape has never been greater. Anthracnose disease is very wide spread in Southwestern Michigan and is moving into new areas rapidly. Dead branch tips are often the first signs of dogwood anthracnose infection. Plants in deep shade are the most vulnerable; in native unprotected areas, most trees are killed. The following care tips will help keep your dogwood healthy. Provide a wind-protected environment. Prune nearby trees so dogwoods receive at least one-half day of sun exposure. Remove water sprouts promptly from trunk. Prune out dead branches and twigs if they are present. Always use pruning paint to cover wounds. Be sure to destroy all prunings. Spray valuable dogwood trees with Immunox fungicide after rainy periods, most importantly from May 1st to June 15th. From August 1st through the end of September, spray dogwood trees every two weeks with Thiophanate or Mancozeb fungicide. Do not get foliage wet when irrigating dogwoods. Encourage dogwoods with yearly feedings of Holly Tone fertilizer, keep competitive grass clear of root zone, mulch with two inches of cedar or fir wood chips to the drip line, and water during summer dry spells. To improve the health and appearance of landscape trees and ornamentals requires a balanced fertilization program. In the forest and other natural environments, the decomposition of leaves and other organic material provides a natural nutrient source for the plants. The urban landscape does not have this natural source of nutrients and is often void of organic matter because the natural topsoil was removed. Poor soil is unable to maintain good healthy growth and may result in nutrient deficiencies. Thus, we are forced to provide nutrients through a fertilization program. A proper fertilization program will not only improve the health and appearance of the plants, but can reduce the amount of damage from insects, disease, and physical stresses. This should reduce pesticide usage and plant replacements. The fertilizer blends you select are extremely critical for a healthy program. Many fertilizers on the market contain high levels of salt, chlorine, and insoluble materials. These types of fertilizers were not designed for tree and ornamental fertilization but rather for agricultural crops or turf, which can tolerate these toxins. I recommend feeding shade trees with Espoma Tree tone and ornamental trees with Plant tone once every year. The proper feeding of landscape trees is important to their health and appearance. Don’t neglect your valuable trees, they are much easier to keep healthy than to replace. George Wedel |
Timely Tips
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09/21/02 |