Gardener's Corner

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Comment by Chief Walks on October 12, 2016 at 9:14am

It seems so easy to water your garden. You turn on the hose, spray water around, and you’re done. Right? Not exactly.

Evaporation and water runoff in hot, dry weather means your plants aren’t getting enough water.

To keep plants healthy, water them deeply, so the water gets to their roots. Your flowers appreciate each refreshing drink, and when properly watered, you save money.

TYPES OF WATERING SYSTEMS:

1. Watering by hand is very common, and since it’s manual, also very time-consuming.
2. Soaker hoses minimize runoff and evaporation since they slowly release and deliver the right amount of water to flower roots while keeping foliage dry. Turn them on manually or with a timer.
3. Sprinklers with timers automatically deliver the right amount of water and are mobile.
4. Drip irrigation systems apply water and nutrients directly to the roots of plants at a controlled, automated rate, which conserves water and saves you money.
5. For those who prefer their watering systems hidden, underground drip irrigation systems are perfect. This is the type I have in my gardens.

WATER BY HAND-HELD HOSE:

1. Water early in the morning.
2. Focus on the roots of the plant. Wetting the foliage is a waste of water and can lead to disease. If you do get water on the leaves, they will have time to dry out during the heat of the day.
3. Give your garden about 1” of water a week. Place a rain gauge in an open spot to track rainfall.
4. To check if your plants are getting enough water, use a trowel to dig into the soil while being careful not to injure the roots. The soil should be moist 4”-6” down.

WATER WITH A SOAKER HOSE:

1. Place the soaker hose directly on top of the soil within 1”-2” of your plants.
2. Prevent kinking by pinning your soaker hoses with U-shaped metal landscape pins.
3. Cover the soaker hose with mulch to hide it and retain water.
4. Water for 30 minutes and check. Water should seep down 8”-12” into the soil, but not puddle.
5. Add an electric timer to regulate water scheduling for convenience – and to make sure you don’t forget to turn it on and off. A rain or moisture sensor will prevent it from coming on when you don’t need to water.

WATER WITH TIMED SPRINKLERS:

1. Water early in the morning, so foliage has time to dry out during the day.
To know how long to set the timer, mark 1” on an empty can and put it in your garden. Note the time, and turn the sprinkler on. When the water fills up to the 1” mark, turn the sprinkler off and check the time again. Now set your timer.
2. Add a moisture or rain sensor, so sprinklers aren’t on when it’s raining.

WATER WITH A DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM:

1. Installing your drip irrigation system with a DIY kit is the best option.
2. Check with your Garden Center associate for the drip irrigation system that meets your specific needs and follow the directions.

Comment by Chief Walks on October 12, 2016 at 8:58am

Harvest herbs to bring the flavors of summer into the kitchen year-round.

If you’ve enjoyed fresh herbs this summer, there’s no reason not to have that fresh taste through winter. Harvest and preserve herbs now before the first freeze.

HOW TO HARVEST HERBS:
Cut in mid-morning, after the dew dries, but before temperatures begin to climb. This is when the essential oils of the plant are strongest.
Harvest herbs often until frost. Be careful not to cut too close to the ground.
At the end of the season, harvest the entire plant.

THREE WAYS TO PRESERVE HERBS:

Dry:
1. Bind small bundles of rosemary, thyme, oregano and other herbs and hang in a warm place out of direct sunlight.
2. After a few days, place herbs on a cookie sheet in a 150 degree oven for an hour.
3. To dry a few sprigs at a time, place them between paper towels in your microwave. Zap for 30 seconds, wait a few minutes, then zap again until the herbs are dry.
4. Or use a dehydrator for crisp-dry herbs in three hours or less.

Freeze:
1. Lightly coat clean, dry herbs such as basil and parsley with olive oil and freeze on cookie sheets.
2. Or place herbs in ice cube trays filled with water, juice or olive oil. For a pesto-like paste, blend herbs with olive oil before freezing.
3. Once frozen, store in freezer-safe containers.

Infuse:
1. Place 1/2 cup of washed, dry herbs such as dill, basil, tarragon or thyme in a clean pint glass jar and fill with oil or vinegar.
2. Steep for a month.
3. Strain into a clean jar or decorative bottle. Add a fresh herb sprig. Close tightly.

Comment by Chief Walks on October 12, 2016 at 8:51am

When it comes to trees and shrubs, it’s fall, not spring, that is the ideal time to plant.

With cool temperatures and increased rainfall, roots have time to establish in warm soil before the ground freezes, getting a head start on spring.

Gardening in moderate temperatures places less stress on you and makes outdoor work pleasant. Plus, planting now means one less task to do next spring.

PLANTING A TREE OR SHRUB IN FALL:
1. Pick the right plant for the right spot. Take into consideration sun, shade and how much space the mature plant will need. A Garden Center associate can help you determine the best plant for your conditions.
2. Dig a hole 3-4 times as wide but no deeper than the container. You want to make it easy for the roots to grow outward.
3. Fill the hole with water and let it drain.
4. Ease the plant out of the pot. Gently loosen roots, being careful not to damage them.
5. Set the plant in the hole so the place where the trunk meets the roots is at the soil line, not too high and not too deep. Spread the roots out.
6. Fill halfway with soil and lightly tamp to eliminate air pockets. Replace the remaining soil and tamp again.
7. Build a shallow saucer of soil with a 3” lip around the perimeter of the hole to contain water.
8. Water gently and deeply.
9. Mulch around the plant, keeping the mulch away from the trunk. Do not mound mulch like a volcano. It can kill the tree or shrub.
10. Water regularly the first year, even during winter warm spells if the soil isn’t frozen.

Comment by Chief Walks on September 21, 2016 at 12:46pm

I have created a page titled: A Better Rainwater-Harvesting System
Check it out with all the other articles I have written under "Pages" to the right -------------------------------->

Comment by Chief Walks on June 14, 2016 at 9:04am

Comment by Chief Walks on June 14, 2016 at 9:04am

If that works go for it Thomas!  Sounds great.  My problem here in Florida is that we don't have Dandelions. lol  I wish we had worms down here like we did up north.  Guess they don't care much for sand.

Comment by Chief Walks on April 26, 2016 at 9:26am

My daffodils didn't rebloom this year. There are some tall trees but it doesn't seem like they couldn't have gotten enough sun. They produced some foliage but the tips are brown. Could this be winter damage?

It's possible that unusually cold weather damaged the developing flowers if they had emerged but were not yet open when the temperature dropped. Your neighbor's flowers could have been at a less vulnerable stage when the cold snap hit. If the flower stalks hadn't come up yet and only the leaves were up, it's less likely that cold damaged the flower buds, as they were still protected in the ground. Another possibility comes to mind from your mention of a wooded back area. Did your bulbs get enough sunshine last spring when their foliage was ripening? Or did you cut back the leaves before they had died down naturally? If the plants don't get enough sunshine on their leaves or the leaves are cut down while still green, the bulbs can't store enough energy to fuel flowering the following spring.
The brown spots on the leaves might indicate a little bit of frost damage, but it doesn't look like enough to have interfered with flowering. The clumps of leaves don't look all that robust, which leads me to think that the plants may not be getting sufficient light as the foliage matures to store sufficient energy to support flowering the following season. Another possibility is that the nearby trees are competing for nutrients (and the trees always win!). So I don't think the fertilizer you put on when you planted your other daffodil bulbs hurt these. In fact, I'd suggest fertilizing the bulbs that didn't flower. The best time to do this isn't now, since the plants are preparing to go dormant, but in the fall, at the time when you would plant bulbs. Even though there is no top growth, the bulbs are putting out roots and are primed to take up nutrients. Just scratch a complete fertilizer into the soil above where the bulbs are planted. You can also feed again lightly just as the leaves emerge in the spring.

Comment by Chief Walks on April 26, 2016 at 9:25am

It is best to prune evergreens in late spring or early summer. On most shrubs, it takes six or more weeks for new growth to come out vigorously. Cut the plants back farther than you want, so they have room to grow. Prune the tips of new growth up until late summer to get it to bush out instead of shooting straight up. Caution: Wait until after spring-blooming shrubs like azaleas have finished flowering to prune them, and avoid hard pruning conifers.

Comment by Chief Walks on April 7, 2016 at 7:21am

Comment by Chief Walks on April 1, 2016 at 5:02am

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