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 GARDEN TIPS FROM OVER THE GARDEN FENCE JUNE 7, 2003 If the pot-bellied stove was fired up, it would have been a good place to discuss gardening this week. Several days have been down right chilly. Many plants are voicing their dislike for the current cool weather. Uneven soil moisture, some wet and some dry, add up to less than ideal growing conditions. So much for the greenhouse warming theory. Of course, there is a silver lining in every cloud, such as viburnum and rhododendron shrubs, late-blooming narcissus, alliums, and pansies that all have enjoyed the cool days and have prolonged their flowering time. As I was writing notes to share with you this morning, there was a mist in the air and it was unseasonably cool. Like a host of other gardeners, I'm more than ready for some good growing weather - like maybe sunny and 70 to 75 degrees. The spell of cool, damp weather has taken its toll on many vegetable gardens - noticeable by uneven seed germination and stunted or destroyed seedlings. When reseeding melon, pumpkin, squash, bean, and sweet corn, check the variety for number of days from planting to maturity. For example; if you had planted an 89-day sweet corn that now needs to be replanted, it would be best to buy and plant a 68 to 72 day rated seed. Warm weather vegetables seldom grow much after the first of September because of the shorter daylight hours. There are 85 possible good growing days until September, so select replacement varieties carefully. Gardeners can push many annual flowers and vegetables by warming the soil with a layer of weed barrier mulch. The weed barrier is black and will attract and hold the sun's warmth as well as suppressing the weeds. The cool, moist weather also damaged many annual flower plantings as well. "Damping-off" and other diseases have killed numerous bedding plants. Well-drained soils exhibit better growth and fewer disease problems. Sprays of Captan will often stop many weather related diseases of annuals. Remember these problem spots and condition soil with clay soil conditioner before you replant. Until temperatures rise, be careful not to over water. As soil warms, most plants should green up with no additional problems. Be sure to treat all annual flowers with a good liquid plant food feeding as soon as the temperatures rise. I would suggest using Schultz Bloom Plus water-soluble plant food. This should be sprinkled on the foliage as well as soaked in around each plant. The following garden and landscape pests are now making their annual appearance. Four-line plant bug damage is beginning to show up on some annual flowers, perennial plants, as well as some shrubs. Damage appears as small brown spots on leaves, but as the plant grows and the leaf develops, these spots enlarge and become quite unsightly during the summer months. To control four-line plant bugs, spray affected plants with Orthene. Slugs are becoming very, very abundant. The damp, cool weather is just what they like. If foliage on hostas, dahlias, impatiens, begonias, and other valuable flowers seem to be riddled with holes and eaten leaf margins, use Ortho Bug-Geta or Slug-It spray underneath these plants for good control. Mildew is abundant on roses, lilacs, and azaleas. Control mildew on these plants with Funginex or Halt fungicides. Ants, millipedes, sowbugs, earwigs, and ticks all seem to be present in greater numbers than usual. Permethrin granules will rid outside areas of these pests. Tulip and hyacinth plantings that are ripe may be lifted now. Lift bulbs carefully, cut the stems off of the top of bulbs, remove all soil, and peel off small bulblets. Put bulbs in a paper sack with pre-mixed Bonide Bulb Dust and shake gently to coat each bulb. Store for the summer in mesh bags in a well-ventilated area. Proper care and storage will assure good tulip and hyacinth bulbs for fall planting. With so many things in our garden that need our attention, the last thing we need is more weeds to pull. After cultivation and removal of all weeds in our landscape and gardens, and before mulches are applied, put a layer of Miracle Gro or Preen weed preventer on the ground. These easy-to-use products will prevent any more weeds from growing this year. Preen and Miracle Gro weed preventers may be used in flower gardens, landscape areas, and around most vegetable plants. Folks who have deciduous azalea shrubs should examine them closely. If leaves seem to be disappearing and the remaining ones are half eaten, place the blame on canker worms, not the neighborhood rabbits. Control canker worms with sprays of Spinosad or Pyrethrin. We are approaching Japanese beetle season and there is still time to protect your favorite plants. Place Bayer Tree & Shrub Insect Control at the base of rose plants, mountain ash trees, purple plums, canna lilies, Crimson King Maples, and other beetle favorites. Insect and disease activity on fruit trees becomes very rapid in damp weather. Be sure to keep fruit trees covered with Fertilome Fruit Tree spray to prevent disease and insect infestations. Adult moths of the lilac borer are now active and will begin depositing eggs on ash shade trees and lilac shrubs. Borer damaged branches should be removed and all cuts painted with tree wound paint. Keep susceptible lilac shrubs and ash trees covered with sprays of 10% Permethrin from May through September, spraying every two to three weeks. Ornamental peach, plum, apricot trees, Purple Leaf Sand Cherry, Flowering Almond, and Rose Tree of China are all susceptible to damage by peach tree borers, which kill many of these plants. Adult moths are currently laying their eggs. A prevention program is advisable. First, keep all grass and weed growth away from trees. A large area mulched under ornamental trees will encourage a more active root system. Irrigate thoroughly during dry spells. Feed ornamental trees yearly with Espoma Tree Tone to encourage healthy growth and repair of any previous borer damage. And be sure to spray trunks of ornamental flowering trees in June, July, and August with Spinosad to control borers. Haven't had time to plant your spring quota of flowers, vegetable seeds, landscape shrubs, trees, or grass seed? There is still plenty of time. Visit Wedel's Nursery, Florist and Garden Center and you'll find a host of possibilities to enhance your landscape and garden. New deliveries of plants keep rolling in nearly every hour; matter of fact, our selection has never been better. If you have the time, we have the plants you want. A note of interest from MSU; trees don't heal, they close wounds. Trees do not heal in the true sense of the word. Injured tree tissue is never repaired and returned to the former state as is a cut on the hand. Trees react by closing the wound and compartmentalizing or isolating the injured tissue from the surrounding tissue. New growth rings are laid down in the spring following pruning or injury and callus tissue begins to grow over the injured tissue. Over a period, callus tissue closes the wound. There are several things you can do to reduce further injury and decay following pruning or injury. First, clean the wound by trimming away loose or injured bark. Shape the wound into a vertical ellipse or oval whenever possible. A sharp knife must be used to create a clean wound edge. Cuts should be flush with the trunk, leaving no stubs. Fertilize and water injured tree to increase plant vigor and the rate of wound closure. There are several factors that cannot be altered but often affect the amount of decay resulting from an injury. Some trees close wounds more rapidly than others; some isolate the decay in the wood better than others. Long-lived trees are generally better than short lived trees at compartmentalizing and young trees close and isolate injuries better than mature or old trees. My rule of thumb is to shape trees when they are young to avoid interior decay and always seal pruning wounds with several coats of tree wound paint.
George Wedel <--Back. |
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