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 14, 2003 This has been a really great week for gardeners and all others who appreciate beautiful plants. How fortunate we are to live in Southwest Michigan where the climate and soils encourage a bounty of blooms that are found in few other places. Just now, we are enjoying the blooms of the peony, coral bells, cat mint, iris, perennial salvia, hawthorn, allium, Korean dogwood, daisy, Japanese tree lilac, roses, a host of bedding plants, honeysuckle and clematis vines, Kerria Japonica, and spirea shrubs. Lawns are lush green and the new growth on evergreens brightens many a landscape. What beauty we are surrounded with! Which reminds me, we gardeners need to stop pulling weeds occasionally to stop and smell the roses and drink in the blooms of our landscape, the neighbor's landscape, and the local parks. As this wonderful growing season progresses, gardeners are presented with tons of opportunities. This morning's choices include tilling up more ground for additional vegetable planting and another flowerbed, fertilizing the perennial flower garden, pulling weeds in the garden path, hanging up another hummingbird feeder, spreading slug bait pellets around the hostas, watering the hanging baskets and planters on the deck, and digging up all the ripe tulip bulbs and pansy plants and then preparing the beds for more petunias, salvia, and marigolds. I could also change the oil and sharpen the blades of the lawn mower, plant the Korean Spice Viburnum and Chokeberry shrubs that I purchased last week, put total vegetation killer on the gravel parking spaces, fill the wild bird feeder with sunflower seed (they are eating three pounds a day!), spray Grass Getter on the quack grass that is intruding into the daylily bed, and fertilize the lawn. This is just the beginning of the gardening possibilities! Sound overwhelming? Not for a real "green thumber"! Just think, when completed, every one of these activities will have provided good exercise, improved environment, increased property values, relieved stress, and given a great deal of satisfaction! And as an added bonus, all this gardening fun is just one step out the door. Work until you are tired and then sit back and enjoy the view. There's no need to fire up the car and pay the $1.59 per gallon gas prices. The benefits of gardening are endless. It's no wonder more folks garden than golf, fish, and bike combined. Green thumbers, you're in great company! Additionally, consider these projects. Some lawns are showing poor color from low nutrient levels. Other lawns are plagued with reoccurring bouts of red thread. Both of these problems are usually cured with an application of Lawn Pro Turf food with 2% Iron. This past week at Wedel's Plant Diagnostic Center there were many plant parts brought in for diagnosis. A large number of the problems could be traced to excessive soil moisture. The problem isn't rainfall, but too much irrigation. Before irrigating garden and landscape areas, check for actual needs. Adequate moisture is very important for growing success. Too little or too much can be devastating. Remember, never water ornamental landscape plants and flower gardens as often as turf areas. Woody plants in most soils need only occasional watering. Lawns need one-half inch of moisture twice a week during the summer. Garden soils, because they are mulched, should be checked by the "thumb method" before irrigating. Folks with pines in their landscapes that have experienced Pine Shoot Moth damage should take action now. Most likely this year's damage has been done, but spraying in June will kill the adult moth that will lay eggs for more damage next year. The damage shows up as deformed or killed lateral and terminal tip growth. Control Pine Shoot Moth damage on pine trees with sprays of Cygon in mid-April and again on June 15th and 25th. The weather conditions this spring have been ideal for Diplodia infection on Austrian and Scotch Pines. A preventative spray program ideally would have been started in April. But now is better than never, for if preventative measures are not taken, most specimens will die. In this part of Michigan, the number one pest of long-needled pines is Diplodia Tip Blight. As the population of susceptible pines increases, so does the problem. Austrian and Scotch pine varieties are the most susceptible. Red or Norway pines are seldom affected; and White pine is immune to the disease. Infected trees begin to show browning of branch tips late in June. The more moisture we have during the infection period, which is mid-April through June, the more severe the damage. If left untreated, entire branches, and eventually the whole tree will die. To prolong a useful life for Scotch and Austrian pine trees in the landscape, a control program must be implemented before tip die back is noticed. Spray Halt fungicide mixed with Spreader Sticker on the entire plant. Repeat applications every ten days through June. Next spring, begin this spray program in late April. Often pines and spruce are planted too close together to allow for healthy plants. If branches overlap, remove enough trees so sunlight reaches all parts of the tree. This will also improve air movement and drying conditions. Also, eliminate competitive grass under evergreens then mulch to the drip line with two inches of cedar bark mulch. Fertilize all pines, spruce, and fir evergreen trees once a year with Espoma Tree tone and irrigate during summer dry spells. Preventing stress and encouraging growth is very important to insure your evergreen tree's continued value in the landscape. Rhododendrons are one of the most enjoyed flowering shrubs that grace local landscapes. Rhododendrons are often called the "King of the Garden" because of their blossoms of splendor. The rhododendron flowers are renown, but how to prune this regal shrub remains a mystery to many gardeners. Let's discuss the basics of rhododendron pruning this morning, for this is the preferred time to do it. First, remove all spent flower heads. I suggest using a narrow scissor-type pruner, snipping the flower stalk at the base of the old flower truss. This will divert the plant's energy into next year's bloom, not seed production. Next, remove any dead or cracked branches, pruning just above healthy wood. If a rhododendron shrub is becoming too tall, not full enough, or misshapen, cut back each branch to the last whorl of leaves on the stem. If your rhododendron has become too tall, one-sided, or just totally out of shape, cut fifty percent of old branches back to twelve inches from the soil line. Cut just above a dormant bud. Next year, prune back the remaining branches to twelve inches. Don't be timid when pruning, rhododendrons are quite tough and will rebound from pruning to become a better plant. Always remember to feed rhododendrons after pruning with Holly Tone to encourage new growth. Many other spring-flowering shrubs have also finished blooming, making now the best time to prune them. Lilac, forsythia, and quince should have their old stems removed and newer branches pruned back to keep the plants compact. Pinch chrysanthemum and aster plants back by fifty percent at this time to encourage fuller plants with more flowers this autumn. For successful cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin plantings this year, be sure to apply preventative insect and disease controls. To prevent the collapse of healthy squash vines in summer from Phytophtora Crown Canker and squash vine borers, begin spraying as seeds germinate. Apply a combination of Pyrethrin/Canola Oil and Maneb fungicide at growing season rate from June 1st through September 1st. This combination should also control mildew, cucumber beetle, and squash bug activity. Do not spray when temperatures are above seventy degrees. I would like to extend an invitation to all "green thumbers" to visit Wedel's Nursery, Florist & Garden Center this week. I'm sure you will enjoy a walk through the gardens and sales yard. Of special interest are the flowering perennial plantings now in full bloom, as well as the many containerized perennials and shrubs. It is so nice to see a plant in bloom before purchasing. Dappled willows on standards or as shrubs are a hit this year and could be worked into most any landscape. Water garden plants are beginning to bloom and the fresh shipment of koi fish are a sight to see. Other plants in bloom include Deutzia, Mountain Laurel, mockorange, weigela, late blooming lilac, climbing hydrangea, and scarlet honeysuckle vine. For gardeners, a visit to Wedel's this week would be very enjoyable.
George Wedel <--Back. |
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