Garden Questions of the Week

“I read where I should water my container plantings until water runs out the bottom of the pot.  I do that, but they seem to dry out really quick.  Am I watering the right way?”  -Great question, as I read that bit of watering information in gardening information all the time!  If I just watered my containers until water came out the bottom, it doesn’t take very long for the water to run out of the bottom, especially if they’re close to being dry!  Water will come out of the bottoms pretty fast, and there’s a real good chance that I did not thoroughly soak all of the potting soil!  I water until I feel that I have totally saturated the soil and more.  Water will run out of the bottom right away, then slow down as the dry soils expand, then start back up again.  And once I’m finished soaking them, the water usually drains out for another several minutes which is exactly what we want.  By the way, as we get into the heat of the summer, watering will increase naturally.  You can help reduce your watering by mulching the tops of the pots (just like the landscape beds), and by adding Soil Moist to the soil (if you didn’t when you first planted).  Simply create several small channels down into the soil (down deep into the potting soil) and sprinkle in a few Soil Moist crystals, then back fill.  Now you’ve created channels of water storing polymers that will help reduce your watering. 

“Do soaker hoses really work?”  Yes, they “really work” if you leave them on long enough to do what you want them to do, and that’s slow drip deep watering.  But many folks don’t let them run long enough to deep water.  We can’t tell you how long the hose needs to be on for a deep watering.  You’ll have to physically dig down and see how deep it has watered during the amount of time it’s been watering.  Then calculate times needed.  But for a slow drip watering (with little to no runoff or evaporation) in annual, perennial and landscape beds, a soaker hose does a nice job – assuming you let it ‘soak’ long enough.

“I was wanting to plant tomatoes in pots this year, rather than bother with a big garden. How big in diameter and how deep do the pots have to be? Can I just use 5 gallon buckets??”   -You sure can!  Just make sure you drill holes in the bottom and or lower sides to allow for good drainage.  5 gallon buckets or larger is the perfect size for tomatoes.  I’ll even go larger – bigger the better!  Good luck with them.

“Is it okay that my tomatoes lower leaves are turning yellow?”  -Not really.  Yes, they will do that naturally as the vines grow, but they can also get a few soil borne diseases that start on the lower limbs and work up the plant.  Might suggest you pick off the lower leaves about 12-14 inches above the ground, and mulch around the tomato plants.  Removing the lower leaves takes away surface areas for soil borne diseases to splash up onto, and the mulch helps create a barrier between the soil and the plant to reduce diseases splashing up onto the plant.  By the way, with heavy rainfalls, the rains can actually beat the oxygen out of the soil, as well as leaching out many of the nutrients.  As the soil dries, a little hand cultivating (stay away from the plants roots) and a light side dressing of an all purpose garden food may be needed. 

“I removed an invasive trumpet vine last year (cut it down, dug up what I could, and sprayed with Roundup), but nothing has kept this plant from re-growing all over the place, including the grass.  Help!”  -It will take patience and continuing to do what you’re doing.  They try to re-establish thru existing roots and seeds.  So it usually takes a couple years to get rid of the plant.  Keep removing seedlings as they pop up, either by hand digging or spot treating with Roundup.  In the lawn, you can spot treat with a turf weed killer.  Over time, the seeds stop germinating and the roots decline and stop trying to re-grow.  But in the meantime, you have to keep after the seedlings so they cannot replenish energy back to the old roots.  Good luck – you’ll get it eventually.

“I want to grow hosta and Japanese maples at my home in Florida.  Will they grow there?”  -This is where two things come in handy: hardiness zones and local independent garden stores / nurseries.  Both plants are listed hardy zones (3 and 5) thru zone 8, which is as far south as Georgia.  The zone numbers go higher as you progress into Florida.  Also, check with your local independent garden store or nursery to see if they sell them or recommend trying to grow them in your zone.  And, look around the neighborhood.  Do you see anyone growing them in the area?  First blush I would say no.

“Are there any good all purpose insecticides for me to use on our vegetable garden?”  -Yes, there are many good choices out there, including those that are a bit more eco-friendly.  But not all the sprays cover every bug you may experience in the vegetable garden.  Again, make sure you know what it is that you’re spraying to control, and then make sure that insect is listed on the label.  NO spray covers everything!  There’s the big gun like Sevin (which is actually very low in toxicity to humans, pets, livestock, etc, but extremely toxic to bees) that covers a multitude of insects, Eight from Bonide that covers a multitude of pests, Captain Jacks Deadbug Brew (certified organic), Bt for caterpillars, Ortho’s new Max Fruit and Veg. insect control (covers over 150 bugs) – it just goes on and on.  So make sure you know what you’re trying to control, make sure it’s on the label, use it only as needed, and no matter what you use, try to avoid spraying when bees are active.  By the way, now that we’re into the summer, be sure to read the label for temperature restrictions when applying any insect, disease, or weed controls.  And never apply to plants that are drought stressed.  And also read the label for how soon you can harvest after spraying.  They may range from same day to 2-3 weeks. 

“What would you suggest to use to help get rid of several large patches of weeds in my lawn?”   -Once again, let’s first determine what the weeds are before we recommend any types of weed killers.  Get a sample to the garden stores or email pictures to us so we can try to determine what they are.  Second, let me ask this – if we successfully killed the patches of weeds now, what would be left in those areas?  If nothing, then you’re faced with bare ground in the middle of the summer.  And not exactly the best time of the year to be messing with watering and nurturing along new grass seed (as weed seeds will probably out grow the grass seed).  It may be best to let those weeds grow for now (they’re green), and then address the situation come early August, as we approach the best time for seeding and sodding – late summer / early fall.  By the way, October is one of the best times to spot treat with weed killers in the lawn!