Archive for July, 2009
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Success Tip of The Week
No doubt about it – cooler temps this year and somewhat timely rain showers have reduced our overall watering needs. But we have had a few pretty dry spells, and when those happen, we need to supplement the lack of rain. And that means sprinkler time and watering your lawn and foundation plants. But what about the larger trees and evergreens in the yard? They’re big and mature with lots of deep roots, so they don’t need watering in the summer, right? Wrong!
Larger trees in the yard need supplemental watering during dry periods just as much as the lawn and the foundation plantings. As a matter of fact, when it comes to down to a push and shove on who gets the water first, it should be these guys, who are basically irreplaceable. Contrary to what most folks think, larger trees roots do not go way down into the ground. There are no tap roots here, and the majority of this trees root system can be found in the top 30 inches of the soil. So when the soil dries out, they too become just as susceptible to drought as the smaller plantings. Also remember that with both large trees and large evergreens, their massive amounts of foliage can actually umbrella water away from their own root systems! Just go outside, after a rainfall, and compare the soil moisture under a larger tree or evergreen, to that of an open area. It will usually be much drier.
So, what is a good way for homeowner to water larger trees and evergreens? Garden hoses at a slow trickle helps, sprinklers on low in the root areas will help, and even soaker hoses can help (make sure they stay on long enough to give a deep soaking). But one of the best ways for homeowners to water their larger trees is by using a Ross Root Feeder. This tool was originally designed for fertilizing trees with a water soluble fertilizer injected into the soil, but also makes the perfect tool for injecting plain old water into the root system. Attach your Ross Root Feeder to the garden hose, turn on the water, and insert the tool into the soil about 15-18 inches deep. Let it soak there for about 20-30 minutes, then move it about 15 feet and insert into the soil again. Keep doing this, working away from the trunk of the tree (start about 3-4 feet out) in a spiraling pattern, to the drip line or tips of the branches. As a general rule, plants would like 1 inch of rainfall every 10 days or so during the summer, and if they don’t get it naturally, you need to supplement. For larger trees like these, if you water like we just talked about once every 3-4 weeks (if needed), that will get these larger plants through a drought period in good shape. Remember, you can replace the lawn and foundation plants, but you can’t replace a mature tree. (PS – Vertical mulching will also help larger trees and evergreens absorb more surface water. We’ll talk about that some other time!)
Tags: large tree, mature trees, trees, watering large trees
Posted in Success Tip | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Plant of the Week
 Perennial Hibiscus Perennial Hibiscus – have you ever seen a flower as large and colorful as those from the perennial hibiscus? Perennial hibiscus, or sometimes known as ‘Rose Mallow’ are large growing woody-like stemmed perennials that actually die back over the winter and then re-grow during the following season. If they don’t totally die back, we cut them back close to the ground in the spring to stimulate new growth and a whole new plant. Perennial hibiscus are mid to late summer bloomers, and come in many colors and sizes, ranging from pinks, to whites, to lavenders, some with red centers – and the foliage can vary from smooth leaves to deeply serrated leaves, to maroon colored leaves. Some of the most popular varieties include: -Disco Belle Mix, with an assortment of wonderful colors for your garden -Lord Baltimore with his outstanding large red flowers – Lady Baltimore with her pink flowers – Fireball with its bronzy cut leaves and another outstanding red flower -Kopper King with its bronzy foliage, and supporting a pinkish white flower with a red eye -And how about Plum Crazy with its wonderful plum colored flowers – absolutely gorgeous! Perennial hibiscus tolerate full sun to light shade, loves moist soils but will grow in drier soils as well, are easy to grow and easy to maintain, and definitely something that you should consider adding to your perennial garden.
[Does killing time damage eternity?]
Tags: hibiscus, perennial hibiscus, rose mallow hibiscus
Posted in Plant of the Week | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Problems In the Garden
Again, another basic non-buggy week for me, besides the continued fight to keep the daddy longlegs out of the house! Bagworms are really starting to show now, so hurry and spray while the sprayings good. Although Japanese beetles have peaked (for the most part), you’ll still see some around and will for a few more weeks. Still time to treat your lawn with the grub preventer if needed, but hurry. Morning dew is starting to show a nice buildup of garden spider webs in the landscape plants. Did I say “nice buildup”? Okay, I hate spiders as much as the next guy, but they are the good guys in the garden. One last thing – spruce spider mite damage is now showing on evergreens (yellow stipples and bronzing of the needles). Funny thing is, this is damage that occurred either last fall or this spring. It shows up in hot weather. Yes there are summer mites, but damages you’re seeing is generally from cool season mites, who aren’t there now. They’ll be back in late September and October. Remember that a good hosing with water helps reduce mite populations, as well as spraying with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil – when the mites are there!
Are you hearing the cicadas singing their summer songs? Probably not as much as last year (they aren’t as loud at our house this year as they were last year). Those are the dog day cicadas, which are an annual cicada, and have 2-5 year life cycles which overlap, so we get them every summer. They usually show up July and August (dog days of summer), and cause very little noticeable damages to plant branches. Dog day cicadas are bigger than the periodical (17 year) cicadas, with green to brown bodies with black markings and a whitish bloom. Their wings have green veins. Remember, these big boys have no mouth, so they can’t bite and don’t sting. But, they still do a great job scaring the ‘bajeebers’ out of unsuspecting people. One last thing – the sounds you hear are the voices of the males, signing to attract the females. Just think, you live underground in the dark sucking on roots, then pupate into an adult that can’t even eat, fly around and sing your lungs out so you can do your best to mate as often as you can before your nutrients run out, and then you die. What a life.
This past weekend, while helping to take down two large declining trees, we discovered a nice sized garden snake in the lower rotted part of one of the tree trunks. What surprised me, was out of the six guys helping with this project, they all said “leave it alone! It’s good to have around!” I was very impressed – and even though I do not like snakes personally, I know they are the good guys in the yard and garden, so I, too, let them go their way. I also know that as one of the guys picked it up to put it elsewhere in the yard, as he went past the back porch where everyone else was hanging out, the small garden snake was also very good at making everyone on the porch scatter and run. Amazing powers that snakes have! J
Okay, time to check in with the one and only Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) who is reporting multiple reports of blossom end rot on not just tomatoes, but on squash, eggplant, peppers, and melons, as well as reports of just about any and every virus, disease, insect, nutrient deficiency, juglones (Black Walnut) and herbicide damages as well as weather related problems with tomatoes (number one grown vegetable, yet so susceptible to so many different problems), a perceived over abundance of ‘wild carrots’ (Queen Ann’s Lace) growing everywhere, rhododendron decline from rhododendron borer, more wilt diseases becoming apparent as soil moisture has become limited in many areas, verticillium wilt in Elms, volutella canker causing dieback of winter damaged boxwood, apple scab and frogeye leaf spot on apples, root rot, pith necrosis on tomato, verticillium wilt on watermelon, gypsy moth eggs (buff colored egg masses) showing up in non plant places such as dog houses, garden sheds, bird houses, split rail fences, behind garden art, under overhangs, and even in wheel wells of vehicles sitting still during egg laying periods, the Pandorus Sphinx Moth seen hanging on sides of buildings, Cabbage Caterpillars feeding away, lace bugs on Linden trees, heavy infestations of boxelder bugs still going strong, hornworms on tomatoes, Dogbane Beetles feeding on, yes, dogbane, rust on lawns, green June beetles buzzing lawns, Birdsfoot trefoil (yellow flower) popping up everywhere in grassy areas (especially along roadsides), and continued reports of bedbugs showing up in unwanted beds! -Catch The Buggy Joe Boggs Report every Saturday at 8:42am on 55KRC The Talk Station.
[Have you ever seen a toad on a toadstool?]
Tags: blossom end rot, japanese beatles, snake
Posted in Problems in the Garden This Week | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
“Did I hear you say that I should water before it rains? Why is that?” -If the soil is very dry, chances are it’s also very hard. By watering a day before the rains move thru, you actually pre-moisten the soil, which actually wicks more of the rain water down into the soil. If it’s hard ands dry, much of the surface water runs off before it gets a chance to be absorbed into the soil. This can also be a good practice when watering really dry soils. Water for a little while, wait for an hour or so, water again. (The same principal for wicking in water.) By the way, folks who core aerate the lawn, or have had their larger trees and evergreens vertically mulched, will benefit more from each rain shower, as the open chambers in the soil help to capture the surface water.
“My yucca has finished flowering, and now there are what looks like seed pods on the stalks. Should I let them go to seed?” -I wouldn’t. Most those seeds rarely germinate. And producing those seeds, along with having just produced their spectacular flowers, really takes a lot out of the yucca. I suggest removing the flower stalk as soon as it finishes flowering, and let the yucca put the rest of its energy into being a better plant and that means more flowers next year.
“Now that the daylilies are finished blooming and looking yellow, should I trim them for a better appearance?” -Yep. Get rid of that yellow and brown foliage. If it gets to a point where it’s all yellow and brown, cut it all off. They’ll re-grow and look nicer for the rest of the season. Remember, although spring and fall are the best times to divide daylilies, it can be done anytime after they’re finished flowering, with exception to the re-bloomers, who I would leave alone so they’ll re-flower (deadhead, feed, and water to encourage the next flush of color).
“I love gladiolas. When are they planted?” -Glads are a summer bulb, planted May thru mid June, and dug up early fall and stored away indoors for replanting next year. Usually take about 75 to 90 days to flower. Try planting them on 2 week intervals so they aren’t all in bloom at the same time. They love good loamy soils and full sun – perfect for that narrow spot between the sidewalk and the house (prep the soil).
“What’s the name of the book you recommend for learning about birds and butterflies and other winged critters?” -It’s “Attracting Birds, Butterflies & other Winged Wonders to Your Backyard” by Kris Wetherbee. This really is a great book. Great pictures, projects, easy read, and very informative. Go to www.wingedwildlife.com to order the book. Great for you and a great Christmas present! Hey, who said “Christmas”?
“What do you recommend to get rid of tomato hornworms?” -Are they tomato or tobacco hornworms? Actually, it doesn’t matter, because control is best done by handpicking and destroying them. Look for eaten leaves of fruit with their feces underneath the area. You’ll find them, and then just pick them off. If you absolutely have to spray (there usually aren’t very many), use Bt or Captain Jack’s. By the way, they are the larvae of 2 types of sphinx moths. If you want to identify which is which, the tobacco hornworm has 7 diagonal lines on its sides and a curved red horn. The tomato hornworm has 8 – V shaped marks on its back, with a blue black straight horn. Both feed on tomato plants and the fruit.
“I have been picking off the bagworms from my blue spruce, but now I see them in the top and can’t reach them. Now what?” -Well, you’ll need to spray them. Too big for Bt, so now use Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew, Sevin, Eight, Malathion, Orthene etc; they all work for bagworms. (May take 2 applications.) Some hose end sprayers will reach 15-25′, which hopefully will cover your spruce.
“My lilac’s leaves have become covered with a white film. How do I get rid of it?” -The lilac or the white film? Sorry, I couldn’t resist. That’s a very common problem on lilacs, and it’s called Powdery Mildew. This usually becomes evident in mid to late summer and persists through fall. As mildew progresses, it takes on a dirty gray appearance. Powdery mildew is an opportunistic fungus, that is worse on plants growing in too much shade or that are too crowded. The disease also loves moisture and high humidity. Shrubs sprayed by sprinkler systems are also prone to mildew.
Although powdery mildew is unsightly and is a slight stress to the plant, it isn’t life-threatening to most woody plants. And once on the plant, it cannot be cured. But, Powdery Mildew can be minimized or put into check with routine sprays of a fungicide, but that isn’t usually advised. You can spray at the beginning of the season to help prevent it. Raking and disposing of infected leaves might be of some value, but there are spores for powdery mildew everywhere and if conditions are right, a susceptible lilac will probably get it whether the leaves are removed or not. Powdery mildew rarely becomes a serious problem on woody plants, but it can wipe out perennials, annuals and vegetables – especially cucumbers, squash and melons. So, monitor those plants regularly, and as soon as powdery mildew appears, start your fungicidal sprays to keep it in check!
[The sky is blue for a reason. If it were green, you wouldn't know where to stop mowing.]
Tags: bagworms, birds, butterflies, daylilies, gladiolas, lilac, tomato hornworms
Posted in Questions of the Week | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
From the Garden to the Kitchen with Rita Heikenfeld, Culinary Expert
Yardboy, our corn is finally ripe – we grow silver queen and it’s so sweet and juicy that even after eating it every night, no one grows tired of it. Here’s a recipe that you’ll like since it has a kick to it – I know how you love spicy Cuban dishes.
CUBAN GRILLED CORN
4 ears corn, husks and silk removed and cut in half
Queso Fresco or Cotija cheese, shredded (or Parmesan cheese if these are not available), enough to coat the corn
Butter, Salt and Pepper
A few tablespoons of mayonnaise
Anywhere from 1/4 teaspoon to a teaspoon of Chipotle chili powder
1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Brush corn with butter, salt and pepper and grill on high until tender and slightly charred. Let cool a couple of minutes and then brush with mayo and roll in cheese. Sprinkle with chili powder and serve with lime wedges.
For more great recipes visit http://www.abouteating.com.
[Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?]
Tags: cuban grilled corn, recipe
Posted in From the Garden to the Kitchen | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Success Tip of the Week
Watering the Container Garden While You’re Away – If you’re a container gardener, then you’re committed to watering. But what happens when you need to go away for a few days? Well, here are a few hints to keep your plants watered, without having someone stop by and do it for you.
1.) If possible, group your plants (indoors or out) together in a semi shadier location. Grouped plants shade each other, won’t dry out as quickly, and the shadier location helps slow down water loss as well.
2.) If you used Soil Moist when first planting your containers, great! These small crystals absorb 200 times their weight in water, and re-release it back to the plants roots when the soil dries out, cutting watering as much as in half. If you don’t have Soil Moist in the soil, it can be added by punching several long holes with a pencil or dowel, and then dropping a few crystals in each hole.
3.) Water your plants thoroughly just before you leave, whether they need it or not. That way the soil, the plant, and the Soil Moist have been recharged with maximum amounts of water.
4.) Supplement additional water needed by adding an Aqua Cone or 2 to each container. These cones, when attached to a 2 liter bottle filled with water, will slow drip water into the soil over an extended period of time, adding moisture to the soil as it is used up by the plant. Again, extending the amount of time before the next watering would be needed. The same will work by filling empty wine bottles with water, then turning them around and inserting the top / neck into the soil.
5.) And lastly, if you’re going to be gone for a few more days, this is one time, and the only time, we will suggest placing a saucer under the pot and leaving water in the saucer. Again, this is the only time we would recommend doing this, but it will extend the time before the next watering is needed.
6.) In some cases, doing all this may last from 2-3 days to 3-5 days without adding more water, depending on the weather, size of pots, plants, etc. Experiment before you leave, to make sure you know how long it will last for your plants.
NOTE: If you have multiple containers, you may even consider installing a drip irrigation system, which is then placed on a timer. If you do a lot of containers, this may be the way to go to help water whether on a short trip, or staying home!
[If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?]
Tags: container gardens, watering, watering containers
Posted in Success Tip | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Pl ant of the Week
One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, and one to surely make anyone smile, is the sunflower. Here is an annual that originated in North American (has a great history thru the past), and today, I am told there are more than 60 species being grown today! The sunflower belongs to the genus ‘Helianthus’. ‘Helios’ translates ‘to the sun’ in Greek, and yes, sunflowers really do track the sun when they’re in bud stage (green / not a flower yet). That process is called ‘heliotropism’. Once those green buds become flowers, the stem becomes frozen in an eastward facing position. Remember that when planting your sunflowers, so you can see the flower heads when they freeze facing east!
The sunflower head looks like one huge flower, but it’s actually hundreds of tiny flowers called florets. The yellow petals around the outside were actually the protective leaves that covered the immature head while it was growing. And it’s each of those small florets that eventually form the sunflower seeds. Pretty cool, huh?
Obviously sunflowers are grown for their ornamental value (what a show they put on!), but also grown as a source of food for humans, wildlife and baseball players, as a source for oils used in a variety of ways including cooking and as a lubricant, to help make plastics, and even used for fuel.
Now, if you would like to brighten your day, grab your camera and the family, and drive to Deerfield Township, corner of Snider Road and Irwin Simpson Road. You’ll find an entire field planted with buckwheat (cover crop) and really bright sunflowers! It’s Natorp’s Nursery manager Bill Newton’s way of trying to brighten up everyone’s day. And it really works! But you need to check it out soon. The sunflowers will be removed shortly as Mr. Newton begins to prepare for future tree plantings. Enjoy!
FREE SUNFLOWER SEEDS! STOP BY EITHER OF OUR TWO GARDEN STORES FRIDAY, SATURDAY OR SUNDAY (7/24, 7/25, 7/26) AND RECEIVE A FREE PACK OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS. MAKE YOUR YARD SMILE WITH SUNFLOWERS! (While supplies last – Valid 7/24 thru 7/26/09 – One FREE pack per family)
[What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?]
Tags: sunflower, sunflower seeds
Posted in Plant of the Week | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Problems in the Garden This Week
Still no doubt about it – you can’t beat this type of weather for July! Problem is – really slowing down flowering on tropical plants (they like it sunny and warm) as well as those veggies, especially tomatoes! Lot’s of green small tomatoes, but they’re slow to increase in size and slow to ripen. Let’s face it – as picky as tomatoes are to grow, they need their sunny warm days (and nights).
COME ON RAIN! It’s raining right now, and thank goodness it is! Folks, it is dry. I mean really dry (unless you were some of the fortunate ones to get the recent sweep thru showers). And what bugs me are folks saying that they’re not watering right now, because of all the rain we’ve had! And the key word here is “had”. Please don’t be fooled by pass thru showers or the timely rains we had several weeks ago. Plants are extremely dry right now, especially those planted within the past 2 years. If you have container grown trees, planted within the past 2 years, you must – one more time – you must make sure that you are watering the immediate root ball first, then worry about the soil around the root ball and the existing soil beyond that. Soaker hoses, stationary sprinklers turned on low, slow dripping garden hose at the base of the plant, Gator bags, Ross Root feeders – I don’t care what your choice of watering weapon is, use it and use it right. Deep thorough soakings, and make sure the immediate root ball is getting soaked. Not sure if it’s dry or not? Get a soil knife or very sturdy trowel and dig into the soil. Then you’ll know for sure. After these showers move thru, check the soil and see how much good deep rain penetration your lawn / garden / plants received. Good chance your plants may still be thirsty. If so, join them for a drink!
Still a fairly easy summer in the yardboy’s small garden as far as insects and diseases. I have to admit I was a bit surprised to see a late driller (carpenter bee) in our deck hand rail this past weekend. And Japanese beetles have been nil – nada – nothing! I’m loving that. But I do have one little critter that I knew was up to something. On Saturday, a house wren hopped up on the handrail and stared at me while I was looking out the back door. I knew what he was checking out, and sure enough, yesterday I noticed a nice big nest in our Mandevilla hanging basket. (We have one in a hanging basket which vines up over my wife’s garden swing lattice.) Those big leaves make the perfect covering for their nest. So we will water sparingly until they get the family hatched and moved on. And with the cooler temps, I’ve had the back door open a lot, which last night I noticed a few granddaddy long legs have made their way into the house. I toss them out, but swear they run back in quicker than I can shut the door!
Buggy Joe Boggs Report – This week, BJB (OSU Extension) is reporting extreme dryness at the Boggs mansion (Joe said he would even take some extreme weather just to get some rainfall!), a report of tomatoes wilting not from dryness, viruses etc, but from being planted within 20 feet of a Black Walnut, which is toxic to tomato plants (and many others), still watching for reports of late blight on tomatoes, yellow-necked caterpillars feeding on a wide array of trees (I think we had a kid in school we called “yellowneck”), bed bugs being diagnosed in many homes around the state, a recluse spider was identified from a rail yard in northern Ohio (probably hitching a ride to Cleveland), mums with scorch on the leaves, apple scab and frog eyed leaf spot on apple leaves, pearleaf blister mites on, yes you guessed it, pear leaves, brown rot causing fruit to deteriorate on plums, black root rot on hollies, powdery mildew on a host of different plants, anthracnose on maples, leaf spot on maples, common stag beetles now making guest appearances and scaring folks to death (they have those massive pinchers out front), planthoppers hopping around, cypress twig galls starting to appear (that takes a lot of gall to do that!), chiggers doing a nice job keeping folks itching as well as keeping the Calamine lotion manufacturers in business, sod webworm adult populations going down which means caterpillars will be showing up shortly, spider webs starting to increase in numbers, Septoria leaf spot on tomatoes having gardeners worried they may have the dreaded ‘late blight’, and last but not least, folks are now, finally, starting to see bagworms that we’ve been warning about for months, on their evergreens as they (the evergreens, not the folks) begin to have disappearing needles and needles turning brown! If only they had listened to me earlier, found those silly bagworms before major damages, and sprayed with Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew. But no-o-o-o-o. Oh well, you can still spray with Captain Jacks to control them, so get going!
Catch the Buggy Joe Boggs Report every Saturday at 8:42am on 55KRC The Talk Station.
[Would a fly without wings be called a walk?]
Tags: insects, tropical plants, watering
Posted in Bugs, Problems in the Garden This Week, Weather | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
“Are there any regular shrubs that we can add to our landscape that will flower in the summer?” -Absolutely! Take a look at shrub and ground cover roses, especially the great Knock Out rose series, Hydrangeas, with many selections flowering right now, Potentilla with its summer white or yellow flowers, Sorbaria (False Spirea) with great fluffy plumes of creamy white flowers, Clethra (Summersweet) with its sweet smelling summer flowers, Northern Bush Honeysuckle with its yellow flowers, and Rose of Sharon (single and double flowers of many colors) that blooms late June thru mid September. By the way, Rose of Sharon flowers are highly edible and a great addition to just about any salad. My two daughters and I used to eat the Rose of Sharon flowers that were in front of our local McDonald’s order board. I tried to fill them up on the flowers before they ordered. It never worked, but it was kind of fun eating the flowers.
“Is it too late to apply a grub preventer to my lawn?” -Nope, but get on it right away. If not, then you’ll be using a grub killer such as Dylox later in the summer (one time kill).
“My butterfly bush has been flowering like crazy, but now all I have are a few flowers and lots of dead ones. Is that it for the year?” -Nope, but you need to do a little deadheading. Go through and clip out those dead flowers. That will encourage new growth and more flowers. Some folks forego the deadheading and just shear back the entire plant. That’s up to you.
“Tell me more about killing weeds with vinegar. Does it matter what type of vinegar? Will it also kill the grass?” -No and yes. Doesn’t matter what type of vinegar is used, but the higher the percentage of acidic acid the better it works. And it is a non selective vegetation killer, meaning it kills what you spray it on, weeds, grass, and all. Vinegar is strictly a foliar kill, and does not kill the roots.
“We have ants galore in our yard and landscape beds this year. How do we get rid of them?” -Granted high populations of ants can be a nuisance, and depending on the type, can cause some destruction. They can also be great soil aerators, cleaning machines, etc. And do remember there is no way you could get of all of them, nor would you want to. OSU Extension has a great fact sheet on identifying ants in your yard or home (ohioline.osu.edu – yard and garden fact sheets). Try to identify which ones you have. Controls include commercially developed insecticides and ant baits, as well as many ‘natural’ home remedies. We have a tip sheet that includes many of the ‘natural’ ways to repel or reduce ant populations that have been collected over the years. Go to our web site and find ‘The Ants Go Marching Naturally’ tip sheet. Good luck!
“My Red maple has developed multiple cracks on the trunk, and it looks like some of the leaves are getting a tinge of red. What should I do?”-First of all, you’re not the only one experiencing this right now (not that it makes you feel any better!). Secondly, cracks in tree trunks can be the results of many factors – drought, frost crack, sun crack, tree stress, root decline, top decline, herbicides, poor graft, too wet, too dry, planted wrong, compacted nasty soils, tree growing too fast, and on and on. But this year we are seeing more than usual, in several different types of trees, and in some cases, multiple cracks rather than just one. For the past month, I personally have been going back and forth with Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) looking at examples and the sudden increase in cracked trunks, and in many cases, we are not seeing any one thing that stands out as thee factor for the cracking! But one factor that has not been mentioned is the 70 mph plus winds from Hurricane Ike. There is a good chance these cracks may be the results of twisting and bending from the high winds! Unfortunately we can’t be totally sure, but it does stand to reason. Nevertheless, if trees are splitting / cracking, make sure the tree is as healthy as possible (proper cultural practices), make sure loose bark is removed to encourage sealing over and keeping insects out, and wait to see what happens. Some will recover – we’re already seeing some that looks like they may not recover. Note: I do want to say that several trees that I have visited (turning early colors) were simply drought stressed. Yep, lack of moisture in the root ball area.
“I may have missed it, but did you announce the dates for yourNursery Outlet Sale?” -We haven’t officially announced it, but I did let it slip a few times. The sale is open to the public Sept 18, 19, and 20,25,26,27 (added a Friday this year!). We will have a special website for all the information, so keep reading our newsletter. We’ll let you know when that is ready – probably in a couple weeks. But don’t tell anyone that I told you!
[Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?]
Tags: butterfly bush, clethra, flowering summer shrubs, grub preventer, red maple, rose of sharon, shrubs, Weeds
Posted in Problems in the Garden This Week, Weeds | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
From the Garden to the Kitchen with Rita Heikenfeld, Culinary Expert
Yardboy, I had the most fun Saturday – my daughter-in-law, Jess and her 3 boys went with “Siti’ (me) to Rouster’s Farm to pick blueberries. It was the first time for the little ones and they couldn’t get over how easy it was to pick on the abundantly bearing bushes. They also couldn’t get over how easy it was to eat as they picked (they learned that from me I’m sure). Anyway, blueberry season is here so whether you get them from the farm or the grocery, they’re an excellent buy.
BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
1-1/3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Dash salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (opt)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Canola oil
1 large egg
2/3 to 1 cup blueberries
Topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir together milk, oil and egg. Blend well. Add to dry mixture and stir until blended – don’t over mix. Lightly stir in blueberries. Spray muffin tins or use 2 paper liners for each muffin. Fill slightly more than half full. Stir together topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of each muffin. Bake 20-25 minutes. Don’t over bake. Tops will be golden brown and toothpick inserted in center will come out mostly clean. Makes about 12 muffins.
Tips from Rita’s kitchen: Freeze blueberries UNWASHED in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Then pour into containers. They’ll stay nice and separated. To use, rinse quickly under cool water. Don’t let thaw all the way before using since they start to lose their juices, etc.
For more great recipes from Rita, visit www.abouteating.com.
[Hey Rita, what was the best thing before sliced bread?]
That’s it for this Week
OBKB. That’s it for this week. Now do yourself a favor. Go out and have the best weekend of your life. See ya. RW, the Yardboy.
(Join us for our “Saturday Morning Garden Party” chat line, 6am to 9am, at ronwilsononline.com / follow us at Twitter.com/InGardenWilson)
Tags: blueberry muffins
Posted in From the Garden to the Kitchen | No Comments »
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