Filed under: Fruits/Vegetables, Garden, Lawn, Pests, Uncategorized | Tags: blossom end rot, crabgrass, cucumber beetle, nutgrass, squash vine borer
Our lawns, vegetables, and flowers are showing signs of stress from the heat and lack of rain (though, we have had drier summers). If you are ambitious enough to get out and water early –good for you! your plants thank you– you probably still come back in the house hot and sweaty. On top of the weather, your lawns and gardens are probably feeling pressure from the many pests this time of year: weeds, bugs, birds, and animals. Here is a quick run-down of the current trouble-makers:
Weeds — Weeds of all sorts are thriving in these conditions. The better they do, the more moisture and nutrients are sapped from neighboring plants and grasses. In your lawns, nutgrass and crabgrass are really big issues. (See our previous post for more information on nutgrass). Crabgrass is a usual nuisance and this summer is no different. Crabgrass grows low to the ground, and radiates out from its center point. You will often see crabgrass growing in disturbed areas. Note for fall seeding: a thick, healthy lawn is your best defense against crabgrass (and many other weeds). With the temperatures in the 90s, there is little you can do to treat the weeds currently. Sprays will be largely ineffective at such high temperatures.
Insects — Striped cucumber beetles and squash vine borers are in many gardens this time of year. The cucumber beetles may be striped or spotted, depending on species, and feed on many cucurbits (squash, melons, cucumbers, etc.). They can be controlled with several sprays, including organic options. The squash vine borers are more troublesome, both in damage and in control. Borer larva enter the stems, where they eat the plant tissue as they develop. You may not be aware of their presence until your squash suddenly wilts and dies. Sprays are ineffective, as the larva are inside the stem. Prevention is your best tool: insecticides must be sprayed at the base of the plant before the larva enter the stem.
Birds and mammals — Birds, rabbits, and squirrels are always a bit of a problem in the garden, but they get much more bold when there is little water to be found. Our garden produce is full of water and becomes a convenient source for thirsty animals. Fencing may keep the animals out, but you may find it easier to provide a bowl of water or fill a birdbath for the birds. (Of course, remember to change the water frequently to prevent mosquito larva from hatching.)
Physiological problem — If your tomatoes have blossom end rot, chances are you already know it. As the name implies, a brown spot or lesion emerges on the blossom end of the fruit, making it appear that the tomato is rotting. This occurs when the plant is not obtaining enough calcium. Calcium uptake is interrupted when the plant experiences extreme fluctuation in soil moisture, so even a plant in calcium-rich soil may develop blossom end rot if it experiences watering problems. Blossom end rot can also affect peppers. To avoid this condition, maintain regular watering practices: never letting the soil dry out, but not keeping the soil soaking wet either. Mulch will help slow the evaporation of soil moisture.
Filed under: Fruits/Vegetables, houseplants, trees, Uncategorized | Tags: citrus, dwarf trees, lemon, lime, orange
Is the idea of picking fresh lemons, limes, and oranges from your own tree tempting you? It is actually possible, and relatively easy… even in our climate. Your biggest challenge, if you even call it that, will be finding space for your tree indoors for the winter. Read on for some growing tips and you will soon be picking oranges from your deck!
Science has led to dwarf citrus trees that produce fruit at young ages. The dwarf, or semi-dwarf, growing habit makes it possible to keep these trees in containers (and makes moving it indoors easier). When potting your tree, use potting mix (NOT dirt from your garden), re-potting with fresh mix every one or two years.
As mentioned above, citrus trees need to be moved indoors for the winter. They cannot tolerate frost. At all. However, they will love our hot, humid summers, and would be happiest outdoors in warmer months. Citrus trees need at least eight hours of light per day, whether it is natural or artificial. When placing your tree outdoors, choose a location that is semi-protected from wind.
Proper soil moisture is extremely important for citrus trees. The soil should be consistently moist, even just on the dry side of moist. Never, never keep the soil soggy. Before watering, check the soil moisture about an inch below the surface.
Fertilization is also crucial, as citrus trees rely heavily on nitrogen. Find a fertilizer that is at least a 2-1-1 (N-P-K) ratio and follow the package instructions.
Pruning can be done year-round and will encourage growth and improve fruit production. Be advised that extreme pruning will harm fruit yield temporarily. To shape and fill out your tree without affecting yield, simply pinch back the tips of new growth. Cut off suckers (the shoots that appear below the graft scar) as soon as you see them. They will not produce your desired fruit but will use a lot of your tree’s resources.
Most citrus trees are self-pollinating, so you can sit back and wait for your fruit to appear. Enjoy!
Filed under: Lawn, shrubs, Uncategorized | Tags: azalea, blueberry, fertilizing, holly, Holly-tone, rhododendron, Zoysia
Now that the Azaleas have finished blooming, you can fertilize them. Repeat the fertilization every 30 days until early August. Stopping the fertilizing then will give the plants plenty of time to slow growth and prepare for winter. Because Azaleas like an acidic soil, you want to choose a fertilizer made for acid-loving plants. Espoma’s Holly-tone is an excellent organic fertilizer. You can also use it on hollies (bet you guessed that one already), Rhododendrons, and blueberries.
It is also time to fertilize your Zoysia lawn with a high-nitrogen fertilizer. You can repeat the fertilizing in about 6-8 weeks. A perk of having a Zoysia lawn: you need less fertilizer than you would use on other grasses. Generally, you shouldn’t need to apply more than two pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet annually.
Filed under: Disease, Garden, Perennials, Pests, shrubs, trees, Uncategorized | Tags: mulch
Perhaps volcanoes are on the brain, but have you noticed the mulch volcanoes popping up around town? What is a mulch volcano, you ask? It occurs when mulch is piled around and against the trunk of a tree (or the stem of a shrub, perennial, etc.).
So, beyond looking a bit odd, what is wrong with this mountain of mulch? When mulch touches a tree trunk or plant stem, moisture gets trapped against the trunk and creates an environment ideal for disease and insect pests. Ultimately, this could lead to plant death. Trunks and stems need air circulation around them, so when mulching, take care to leave a few inches free around the trunk.
When properly applied, mulch improves the health of your trees and plants. Mulch helps to regulate moisture and keep weeds away. Additionally, as the mulch breaks down, its nutrients become incorporated into the soil.
A final note: it is a little too early to put out mulch. Wait for the soil to warm up a bit more. If you apply mulch while the soil is still cool, the mulch acts as an insulating layer and keeps the soil temperature cool for a longer time. It isn’t the end of the world if you apply early, but it may delay the growth of many annuals and perennials.
Filed under: Disease, Garden, Perennials, Pests, Uncategorized | Tags: black spot, botrytis, Disease, fungus, Perennials, roses, sulphur
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Hmmmm… looks like we have a theme going with our spring posts! This is the time of year to prevent problems with your roses and herbaceous perennials. Two key fungal diseases, botrytis and black spot, become active again in spring. The disease spores overwinter on the surface of the soil. While emerging through the soil, the plants pick up spores. The wet spring weather encourages the spores to germinate and the fungus to grow. Once established on plant tissue, the fungus can be spread to other leaves or plants by wind or rain (from the splashing). If we do have a cloudy, wet spring, these diseases can spread alarmingly fast!
Fortunately, you don’t have to do much to stop this cycle. Sprinkle dusting sulphur over the soil surface now to help prevent problems later. Bonus: Dusting sulphur will also help reduce some populations of aphids and spider mites. To further help keep black spot from your roses, remove the old mulch from around your roses. Remove infected leaves (you will know from the black (or very dark brown) spots — no surprise there!) as you see them and do not add them to your compost pile. A cleaner garden is a healthier garden.
Filed under: Uncategorized
It’s hard to believe that this is Nov. 7; to have the sun shining and the 80 degrees is more like the weather that we were suppose to have on the last week of Sept. With this warm weather, don’t be alarmed if some of your plants start putting on some new growth. Your azaleas may even have some scattered blooms. Mother Nature has taken care of one of the most important plant preparations for winter by soaking the ground, but be prepared to water your plants at least one more time unless we have another couple of days of light rain in a week or so (remember that most of the heavy rain that fell in Oct. ran off into the sewers).
One way to help your broadleaf evergreens to make it through winter is to spray them now and again in late Jan or early Feb. with ANTI-STRESS 2000 (NO IT WON’T WORK ON YOUR STRESS, JUST YOUR PLANTS). Anti-stress helps to seal moisture in the leaves of the plant and reduces transpiration, helping to control WINTER BURN or SCORCH (the browning of the leaves), it also protects the flower buds and keeps them from drying out and blasting next spring.
Mulching will also help to prevent winter damage on your plants, but you have to use some caution not to mulch too early or too much. The goal of winter mulching is to let the ground get cold then mulch so that the mulch does the freezing and thawing, not the soil in the root zone. You also need to restrain yourself from over-mulching. You don’t want mulch piled 5 to 6 inches or more up the stem or trunk of the plant you’re mulching, that can lead to all sorts of insect and disease problems down the road… even death.
So to review:
1. water your plants regularly until we have consistent freezing weather
2. use Anti-Stress 2000 to protect your broad-leafed evergreens, and
3. mulch, but be careful when and how much you use.
Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be giving you some more tips on how to prepare your lawn and gardens for winter.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I had a trade show in Grand Rapids this week. We had one the same time last year — boy, what a difference a year makes! Last year the trees were still green with only a little yellow showing, and this year the full pallet of colors were starting to form. Hopefully, our FALL COLOR will be as nice.
I had a lot of time to think about fall and spring driving back and forth this week. I thought about this blog and how it would be a great time to remind you that now is the time to start planting your spring flower garden. Those Tulips, Hyacinths, Narcissus, and Crocus need to be planted this fall (you have from now until Christmas and some years until early January to get them in the ground). The spring flowering bulbs need to go though a cold treatment to bloom in spring.
A couple of things that you need to think about to make sure that your bulb planting is successful:
1. If squirrels and rabbits are a problem in your yard you will need to protect both the bulb and the flowers against them. You can soak your bulbs in one of the tried and true animal repellents for at least an hour before planting (make sure that you wear gloves when you handle the bulbs after their bath).
2. Make sure that you prepare the soil with compost, peat moss, or potting mix. The bulbs are grown in Holland and are used to a sandy, porous soil; you want to try and duplicate that.
3. Plant your bulbs in clusters. Grouping of 3, 5, 7, or more will give you a better show and allow you to plant other spring flowers between the clusters, allowing the bulb foliage to die back naturally. The bulbs will return the next year if their leaves stay on as long as possible after flowering.
4. Feed your bulbs when planting and after blooming in the spring with Bulb Food or any well-balanced garden fertilizer.
Bulbs bloom in three different seasons: Early (late March to early April), Midseason (mid April) and Late (late April). The bulbs come in all heights from 4″ to 3′ so you can create an incredible garden this fall for next spring.
As always, stop in and we can help you with your question and concerns about creating a spring bulb garden.
Have you had a chance to read the new Riverfront Times, yet? It’s the Best Of feature, and we’re in it! Rolling Ridge has been voted the Garden Center in St. Louis!! We are pleased, proud, and properly humbled. Thanks to all of our loyal customers — we wouldn’t be here without you.
Check out the RFT on paper or online: http://tinyurl.com/bestgarden
First a blog, and now Twitter — what is the world coming to? Whatever the answer, we’re tagging along! Follow us on Twitter for the quickest of tips, heads up on new inventory, and notice of “quick sales.” You can find us here:
http://twitter.com/RRNursery
