gardening tips

Expert Rose Advice

August 2, 2009 by Ilona Erwin

While perusing old garden links I came upon this page of rose advice. While spring is a better time for planting roses in this part of the country, advice is welcome at any time, and you might live in a climate where fall planting is fine for roses.

The advice attached to the above illustrations is as follows:

(Figure 1) Lift out enough soil to allow roots to spread naturally in the hole (1 foot deep and 2 feet in diameter). Add 3 cups of Witherspoon Planting Essentials* per bush if you did not previously add it during soil preparation. Mix well. Form an inverted cone of your soil mixture in the center of the hole.

(Figure 2) Set the plant so that the roots rest down the sides of the cone. The graft knob should be slightly above the ground level.

(Figure 3) Replace the soil and pack carefully around the roots eliminating air pockets under the roots.

(Figure 4) Leave a slight basin around the plant and water using 3 to 5 gallons per plant. Finish filling the hole with soil.

(Figure 5) Finally, mound soil or shredded mulch to the top of the plant and leave until danger of freezing is past. (This is usually around the third week of April in the Piedmont area of North Carolina.) This prevents the canes from drying out or freezing until the root action begins. If planting after danger of frost, mound plants for 3 to 4 weeks to ensure a good start.

The compilation of “Witherspoon Planting Essentials” fertilizer is as follows:
“combination of Bone Meal, Lime & Gypsum”.

That might do for an East coast garden with its more acid conditions, but I would be careful of adding extra lime to a soil that is already quite alkaline. The gypsum loosens up clay soils, and the bone meal is a long lasting fertilizer that is good for a healthy root system.

Diatoms

June 12, 2009 by Ilona Erwin

diatoms
I happened upon a most amazing picture. Who knew that diatoms were such a lovely lot?

Organic gardeners know that diatomaceous earth is useful for insect control, but I was surprised at its uses. There are food grade and pool grade, the latter being poisonous, but the food grade is good for worming, and to get rid fo fleas. I didn’t know that! Precautions of not being downwind of it, as it is drying to the eyes is something to remember.

Diatomaceous earth consists of the remains of microscopic one-celled plants (phytoplankton) called diatoms. They are fossilized remains of these tiny things from long ago oceans and lakes. These deposits are mined from underwater beds or from ancient dried lake bottoms thousands of years old. diatomaceous earth has an unlimited shelf life provided you keep it dry. – Info from Wolfcreek Ranch

***
“[FOOD GRADE] is not the same thing as the DE used in swimming pool filters. Pool grade DE is Diatomaceous Earth produced for pool filters and it is treated with heat, causing the formerly amorphous silicon dioxide to assume crystalline form. Pool grade DE should never be used for pest control. Swimming pool DE ranges from 60% to 70% free silica!” ~Golden Harvest Organics

Bad Bugs Bagged

April 27, 2009 by Ilona Erwin

Made the rounds and found many bagworms on the red pines in the back yard. These are insect pests that you pick off by hand.

In years past I have found them on the sweet gum trees, but this year they have favored the spruce and pines. Most seem within arm’s reach and they tend to be on the leeward side of the trees on my windy plat. Check your plants to see if you have any. I remove them and burn them.

The first photo is a normal pine shoot and budding cones. The second picture shows the bagworm and their nefarious natural disguise.

Advice from experts?

pick them off and that will actually help reduce the population,” Smith said. “The insect is protected by that bag so there’s no point in spraying.”

Roberts recommends putting the bagworms in kerosene or diesel fuel. She cited an instance in which a woman picked the bags and then put them in a garbage can in her garage. The next morning, all of the worms had escaped and taken over the garage ceiling. Boyd suggests simply putting the insects in a tightly sealed bag before disposing of it.

Other ways to rid them from your plants?

Now there is hope of deterring the bagworm pest altogether. New studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign show promise that planting members of the Aster family near and/or around the susceptible tree will attract a natural predator of bagworm, ichneumonid wasps.

Their life cycle is described by KSU.edu (pdf file):

Bagworms overwinter as eggs deposited in female pupal
cases, which are individually housed within spindle-shaped
female bags. Generally, from about mid-May through the end of
June, larvae hatch from eggs and exit from the posterior opening
of old bags. Individual larvae often drop down from the bag on
a fine silk. Swinging in the breeze, they come into contact with
limbs or foliage and immediately construct miniature silk-lined
bags. Only after the bags have been completed do the larvae
begin feeding. They decorate their bags with bits and pieces
of whatever foliage they are consuming. As larvae grow, bags
increase in size to accommodate them. (Figure 2)
Larvae remain in their bags as they feed and move about.
Only their heads and thoracic (legged) segments protrude from
the bag’s anterior opening when they molt. At this time larvae
temporarily close off the anterior opening. After molting, lar-
vae reopen their bags and continue to forage. The posterior of
the bags is always open, providing an exit through which fecal
materials and shed skins can be eliminated.
By mid- to late-August feeding is complete. Larvae firmly
anchor their bags to the twigs and branches on which they were
feeding, sealing the anterior ends of their bags. Within the bags,
the larvae turn with heads facing downwards near the posterior
opening of their bags and enter the pupal stage.
Pupation is completed in
two to three weeks.

Penn State Factsheet
Technorati Tags: bagworms, pests

super organic bugspray ( weedkiller ~ i hope~)

April 26, 2009 by Ilona Erwin

my new bundles of asparagus roots have arrived…gave them good sprinkle with
seaweed tea and heeled into shade of compost pile. my visit to their new bed
alongside the 20 just planted was daunting. although i had devoted several
different days to alleviate ( you’ll notice not “eliminate”) the bermudagrass
problem. hand weeding and pulling does the trick for a week, then every missed
bit of broken rhizome raises its little green head…spitefully letting me know
its true inevitability!
i must plant the new roots quickly; weather has jumped to early summertime
overnight, which means mid-80’s here in the mid-south @ edge of zone 7 …
i’m committed to organic to the point of plowing down (neglected) green beans
infested with bean beetle larvae, and weak in summer sun. better as dirt.
nothing kills bermuda, so they all say …
you just must spray noxious things on your land.

and so i am trying a non-noxious thing that i was using- spraying my horses for fly/mosquito
repellent- it is a combination of essential oils in a soap-sticker base of dr. bronner’s
peppermint soap. i made it last year after deciding that spraying loved ones with chemicals
was not nice. it has worked for me well enough. another true southern problem, besides
2 more generations of garden pests, is same problem with flies, ticks, fleas and mosquitoes.

i hand sprayed and soaked every bit of bermuda tops in the asparagus bed…carefully avoiding the new little ferns(also on a calm day) here’s hoping it will knock it back, even knock it out.
that may be too much to hope for, i know. we will see. i plan to re-apply after a couple hot
sunny days. will let you know how my super organic bug-spray works as a weedkiller.

as a bug repellent:
for those of you with animals- i have used on myself, livestock, and the dogs, but never a cat
( self-grooming licking). it keeps pesky mosquitoes away…little biting flies too!
here is the basic recipie: just add a bit more soap(maybe 2 Tbsp.) for coating/killing weeds.

in one quart clean spray container, put half bottle of witch hazel- tea tree or lavender if poss.)
add 2 tsp./quart dr bronner peppermint soap, and fill almost up with water. add drops
of pure essential oils ( not just scented, the real thing) you’ll thank me- some can also be
used in your medicine cabinet- will add ** to those. Add to quart mix;

25drops citronella oil
20 drops thyme oil
20 drops tea tree oil** ( for wounds, infections, antifungal too-toenails % )
15 drops lavendar oil**( skin problems, zits, great for healing burns with little scarring)
10 drops peppermint or clove oil
( you dont need peppermint if you have the peppermint soap)

SHAKE WELL before using,every time. it mixes in the oils. spray as needed…
this will NOT hurt bare skin, although if sensitive, you might want to do test spot for allergies.
(if it bothers you, add only half the citronella, thyme, and clove) apply lightly- heavier
on furry friends. it repels bugs, not kills ’em.

For Weedkiller, i added in about a Tbsp. or so extra of dr. bronner’s -it might need a little more-the soap causes the spray to”stick”to leaves and cover their pores. like a herbicide,
keep it from wind-drifting onto other plants. AVOID EYES, both uses!!

So, i will report my weed-killing results, if i have any. it is a most useful bugspray, at any rate.
Give them a try…..beats Off and Round-up any day! good luck j-lea

Artisan asparagus

April 18, 2009 by Joanne Dibble

Photo credit: jasonwebber01 from morguefile.com

Early in my “guest” period on this blog, i wrote about my back-killing efforts to plant more asparagus, and the perils of the monsoon rains and mud for weeks, thereafter. some tiny plants made it, but i must re-plant over half the bed. it is getting a bit hotter here, and will be in mid-80’s in may. VERY grateful it is already dug out, well prepared. i burn easy.

my “old” bed (planted 22 yrs ago- they can produce for many, many years) is 3 weeks or so into its peak production, and will continue to bear for another few weeks, before the emerging spears reduce to pencil size. at that point, the roots are exhausted, and they must be lightly fed and cut no more. use any gentle organic fertilizer, higher in phosphorus and potash. better yet, compost- and then allow the actual plants to grow out, undisturbed.

their tall stalks stay beautiful all through the summer; the airy light-green ferns
feed the roots for the rest of the season. asparagus is actually an ideal garden crop.
it has a clear season and cycles, and once well-planted, requires minimum maintenance.
as a market crop, i think “artisan” asparagus (organic, lovingly hand-tended, raised on well-built soils with fine mineral content, and with greatest flavor) are green Gold!

Some points and tips for asparagus culture: SO Sorry!! read parts#1-5-4-3-2 for continuity.
writing straight out of my head can often be disorderly, and changing large chunks of text is beyond my feeble e-skills. perhaps friend ilona can fix/edit it…hint hint.

1- preparation of the bed is 3/4 of the work. plant in double-dug ditch about 2’deep with plenty of compost and or other amendments worked well into the bottom section.
keep a lower nitrogen/higher phosphorus/potash ratio. kelp meal works well or bone meal, as does aged manure or alfalfa pellets.
plus hardwoodwood ashes, LOTS!!!
it is the main”secret ingredient” for a prime crop of strong spears.
asparagus roots respond very well to yearly ash applications, up to several inches deep.
the first one goes on very early–here in middle ga in late january– in still-winter cold.
this must be done at least a month before the earth warms up-whatever your garden zone- in the midwest or northeast it can be scattered
directly on the snow and thawing weather will slowly wash it in.
the other ashing is best done in late fall, after crunching down the dead stalks.
Never cut these! (like daffodils and other bulbs) they continue feeding the roots
all winter, even as strawlike and bone-dry dead as they appear.

2- mulching asparagus keeps weed competition down; the surface protection keeps soil moist and easy for the fragile tips to penetrate. apply a good mulch after the fall ashing.

light texture mulch is better than heavy rotted, even fall leaves mat too heavily, but work ok if mowed or chopped in a shredder. asparagus roots are deeply planted and survive well-protected during even the coldest winters.

there are two methods for timing your spring harvest…. for earliest production,
rake mulch off the bed in very early spring; the sun-warmed earth brings up
an earlier crop. enjoy! beware of a late-frosty night, though.
their tips can get nipped and the new spears shrivel.

leaving the bed mulched, as usual, delays and extends the harvest another couple weeks.
it depends on what you want to do with your crop, sell it in bulk bunches all at once, or enjoy it at your leisure. a gourmet delight in abundance. it is easily put up and pickled.
spicy dilled asparagus pickles are so good they will make you “slap yore grandma”….. a southernism which conveys the meaning very well, if granny was truly a consummate country cook.
another plus, the cut spears are long-lived and hardy; they keep in excellent condition-with no real flavor loss, in ziploc bags for a week or more, if you need to save them.
although so very delicious, i don’t necessarily want to eat it daily-all day, for breakfast (eggs benedict) lunch (cream soup) and dinner( with lemon butter and roast chicken)
actually, it has been my good fortune to have had all of these over the last week =D

3- care and cultivation: in spite of being very deep rooted, asparagus requires adequate water supply throughout the entire growing season, especially with our ongoing drought conditions here in the south. i water infrequently, a good long slow soak.
if you have chosen to rake off the spring mulch, it can be re-applied or added around the small spears growing up, post harvest, but must be very carefully tucked in.
do not wait too long to do this. if they have grown up too far into the very-tender
new ferns, don’t disturb them with mulching at that time.
just keep an eye on the amount of timely rains over the season ( it rarely needs an extra soaking) and add back a mulch cover after the ashing in fall. it will bear
a reduced crop in times of extreme hot dry weather, and should not be cut at all
during those( infrequent) high-stress conditions.

4- some words about planting technique: after working their nourishments into
the bottom of ditch, build a 6″mound of soil for each root, approx 2.5 to 3′ apart
(crowns spread in size as they mature over the years). arrange roots carefully around the crown sitting on top of the mound, they should never lie above crown level, arched slightly below is best. carefully place soil around the spidery thick roots, tucking and lightly firming with your fingers so they are well set with no air pockets.
keeping a good eye on the actual crown level, and partially fill in the ditch with the prepared dirt. the ditch row should be about half full, with crowns just at or below the surface. let the next good rain wash them in. if needed, add a bit more soil to keep the crowns barely covered and the warming sun will soon cause tiny sprouts to show you that their roots are well established and active. over the next week, gradually add layers of soil as they grow, until ditch is filled or slightly mounded. mulch well, using lighter materials , like old hay or wheatstraw, so as not to break their tender necks.

5- plants: the newer all-male hybrids are far superior in their bounteous harvest of spears.
they expend no energy on the seed/fruit process thus giving better crops.
purchase the oldest roots you can afford. 2yr. are most common, and give a very
small harvest the next season(which ought to be left alone to better nourish the
growing roots.) full production of larger stalks comes in 3d planting season, and spears increase in size with age of your bed.
the giant grade or 3 yr. roots are pricey…. they’re for for the immediate-gratification types.
one-year roots are cheapest, you can buy lots more but you must wait 3-4 years.
it is up to you and your garden budget. just remember this is an extremely longterm investment! it is more like planting fruit trees. 20 plants provide enough for a family for the spring season, but you and your friends will soon be hooked. more will be put in the ground, i promise… if you can get some digging help with bribes of bunches of the new crop, so much the better.

my french grandmother had a 50′ bed of blanched white asparagus. a bunch of
Mrs. Witman’s white asparagus was always an extremely welcomed and prized gift!
that bed was producing before i was born, and we greedily ate them every spring
whenever we visited the farm; i am certain its delicate sweet flavor, eagerly
awaited each childhood spring, created my lifelong asparagus passion!

Five Steps to Dazzling Daffodils

April 16, 2009 by Ilona Erwin

Daffodils,Narcissus species, are quite easy to grow, but there are a few things you can do to insure that the bulbs you plant produce a dazzling display of spring bloom year after year.

Be sure you plant your bulbs in a place that gets enough sunshine. Daffodils like at least part sun to bloom well. If they have orange or pink colorations they prefer part day sunshine to full sun, but they will not bloom if they are planted in too much shade. If your daffodil bulbs aren’t blooming this is the first factor to check.
Daffodils are wonderful multipliers under normal circumstances, which means you easily will have plenty of flowers, but it can also mean they get crowded and need division. If you have a plethora of leaves and few flowers, it is time to dig up your stand of bulbs to divide and replant. You can replant right away or dry the bulbs and store them over summer (my mom used those mesh bags they sell apples or oranges in) and plant in the fall.
Being long lived plants, they can use some feeding. I like to plant the bulbs initially with some handfuls of bone meal dug into the bottom of the planting hole or trench. Every so often it is a good idea to give them a 5-10-10 formulation of fertilizer. The initial number is small because you don’t want large amounts of nitrogen- that would produce more leaves; typically bone meal has a high middle number (phosphorus) which promotes rooting and setting flower buds.
Leave the leaves! This is one of the most important things to remember with plants that grow from bulbs. The bulbs are food storage units, but the way they get fat and sassy is through the photosynthesis action of the leaves. If you cut those off prematurely that limits the amount of nutrients available for the flowering for the next year. Allow the leaves to yellow and wither before removing them. This also means that bulbs growing in a naturalized manner in the lawn should be allowed to grow until well into June. A little mussiness is the price we pay for beautiful spring pictures.
Like most bulbs, daffodils like moisture but good drainage: don’t let them sit in water to rot. If you have heavy clay soil, some recommend sand or Perlite spaded into the bed, but I have grown them in clay soils with no diminishment of their health or blooming (attributing it to that handful or so of bone meal). Just make sure they aren’t planted in wet spots.

Instant Harmony

Follow these five steps and I’m sure you will have a brilliant show of daffodils each year. It is fun to grow the different types with their varied forms and close harmonies of color -daffodils don’t clash!

Deter Rodent Pests

Another thing going for them is that they are poisonous, a real plus when you want something to deter rodents, which are bulb eating machines.

Interplanting And Overplanting

Try interplanting daffodils with crocus, with daffodils 6-8 inches deep and a layer of crocus overplanted about 3-4 inches deep. The scent of the daffodils discourages pests from eating the crocus.