Archive for July, 2010
Monday, July 26th, 2010
Garden Success Tip of the Week
Gardening can be a lot of fun. It can also be hard work, and take a lot of time, but in then end, fun and rewarding. So today we’ll take a look at a few gardening products that will help save you time in the garden.
Have weedy grasses growing thru your groundcovers, annuals and perennials? Fertilome’s Over the Top, Ortho’s Garden Grass Killer, and Bonide’s Grass Beater to the rescue! These products can be sprayed over a multitude of desirable plants, killing the weedy grasses growing amongst them, yet leaving the good plants alone. Make sure you read the label of plants listed that can be sprayed over, and if your plant isn’t on the list, test it on a small area just to be sure it’s safe. And remember, these products control weedy grasses only.
Have suckers growing out of the base of that ornamental tree that you’re always bending down and cutting off? Monterrey Chemicals ‘Sucker Stopper’ to the rescue! Sucker Stopper is a growth retardant. Spray it where suckers usually appear, on top of existing suckers, or cut them off and then spray. Sucker Stopper prohibits re-growth for up to 3 months or more.
Never sure how much fertilizer your container plants may need over the summer season? Osmocote to the rescue! Osmocote is a slow release fertilizer, that when added to the soil, slowly releases a nice feeding to your container plants all summer long. For some plants, it’s all they need, but others may need additional feedings thru the season. But you can count on Osmocote to lightly feed all season long.
Tired of watering those containers? Then it’s Soil Moist to the rescue! When you add these small crystals to the potting soil, they absorb water, swelling up to 20-30 times their size. When the potting soil dries out, Soil Moist releases water back to the plant cutting your watering time almost in half. And the swelling and shrinking of the Soil Moist helps to keep the potting soil from becoming compacted. By the way, if you don’t have Soil Moist in your containers, you can add it. Simply take a dowel or stick and poke several holes down into the soil. Sprinkle in a few Soil Moist crystals, and you’ve now created several water channels to help cut down on your watering times.
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Monday, July 26th, 2010
Plant of the Week
 Rose of Sharon This week, it has to be Hibiscus syriacus, or commonly known as ‘Rose of Sharon’. Why this week? Because it has been, and will continue, to show the colors we’re seeing right now, for the rest of the summer! Rose of Sharon is a long-time landscape favorite for its bright all summer blooms. And the new varieties of this old-fashioned favorite have better form, larger flowers, and produce few if any seeds compared to their predecessors. (This helps eliminate the need to weed seedlings which can be a drawback of older varieties.) Rose of Sharon blooms when few other shrubs are in bloom (pretty much all summer). It is an upright, vase-shaped shrub that grows 8-12 ft depending upon variety, their planting location and pruning. Rose of Sharon is dramatic enough to be used as a single specimen, yet is extremely popular as a hedge or shrub border addition. Rose of Sharon is very easy to grow and tolerant of a wide variety of growing conditions. It blooms best in full sun (tolerates part sun conditions), tolerates poor soils, urban conditions, summer heat, humidity and light drought. Available in single and double flowers – colors ranging from pinks and reds and lavenders, to all white and white with colorful eyes in the center of the flower. (By the way, if you like hibiscus, check out the perennial hibiscus and the tropical hibiscus, too!)
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Monday, July 26th, 2010
Problems in the Garden this Week
This week Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting white spots on tomato leaves (Roundup damages), many calls about poorly developed fruits on brambles and strawberries (many factors causing this including lack of bee activity, drought, low soil fertility, virus and disease, and insect damages), oak galls, Stigmina needlecast on blue spruce, powdery mildew on London planetree, leaf scorch in maples, black rot on grapes, vole damages on brambles, European corn borer in Rudbeckia stems, reports of the Bloodsucking Conenose in SW Ohio, heliopsis bugs feeding on heliopsis, wooly alder aphids on alders, twig gall on bald cypress, horseflies galore, tar spot on maple leaves, brown rot of peach on peaches, and sightings of hummingbird moths (hummingbird look a likes) now appearing in many gardens.
Catch The Buggy Joe Boggs Report every Saturday 8:42am on 55KRC.
Let Natorp’s save your ash trees from the Emerald Ash Borer! Visit www.natorp.com for more information.
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Monday, July 26th, 2010
Garden Questions of the Week
“My cherry tomatoes have grown and grown and keep growing. They’re growing past my supports. Can I trim the top without killing the plants?” -Remember that if a tomato is an indeterminate, they just keep growing all year (and keep flowering and setting fruit) until they get frosted. And cherry tomatoes are known for having vines 8-10 feet plus. Yes, you can top them without killing them, but it also stops new growth and new flowers. Hopefully you’ll get some lower side shoots that will come along and flower and set fruit. I usually say once the cherry tomato outgrows the cage or support, just let it grow wherever it wants. They usually just hang back down. By the way, I am growing Husker Red Bush Cherry tomatoes in containers this year. Will keep you posted how well they produce.
“Please tell me how to get rid of a yucca. Little baby yuccas keep growing and some are huge all of a sudden!” -Let me just say that it took 3 years for me to get rid of a yucca, with the 4th season sending up one scrawny sucker. I pulled, dug, and sprayed with Roundup for 3 years until the roots finally gave up. Be sure to get on them as soon as they appear. Don’t let them get “huge all of a sudden”. Our goal is to eliminate foliage and starve out the roots. Stick with it – get it early and often, and eventually it will stop coming up.
“I planted daylilies for the first time this year. After they bloom, a big green pod appears. What do I do with it?” -That’s an attempted seed head. Cut it off, stem and all. Deadhead your daylilies and try to keep them from attempting to go to seed. It makes for a much better plant, and helps re-bloomers to re-bloom!
“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 its 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).
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Monday, July 26th, 2010
From the Garden to the Kitchen
SALAMI, CAPOCOLLO AND PROVOLONE STROMBOLI FOR TW
Yardboy, sometimes when it’s just Frank & me eating supper during the summer, I like to serve a hearty sandwich along with fresh corn from the garden. One of my favorite open air restaurants in Italy served a Stromboli type sandwich fresh every day. Here’s one that reminds me of those fun times.
(Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated “Cooking for Two” cookbook. This is one of my favorite cookbooks, by the way.)
8 oz pizza dough
2 oz ea: thinly sliced salami, capocollo, provolone or your favorite deli meats and cheese
1/4 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry and sliced thin
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (opt)
Kosher salt (opt)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 400. Brush rimmed baking sheet lightly with oil. On a lightly floured counter, roll dough to a 10x 7-1/2” rectangle, bout 1/4” thick. Put meat and provolone slices over dough, leaving a 3/4” border. Top with peppers and Parmesan. Brush edges with water and starting from long side, roll tightly into a long cylinder, pressing edges to seal. Transfer Stromboli to baking sheet, seam side down. Brush egg over top and sprinkle with seeds and salt. Cover lightly with foil that has been sprayed with vegetable spray and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake until crust is golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes. Slice into pieces and serve with no cook pizza sauce.
No Cook Pizza Sauce – In food processor, pulse together 1/2 cup drained canned diced tomatoes, juice reserved, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 small garlic clove, minced and a pinch or two of salt to taste. Pulse 12 times. Transfer to measuring cup and add reserved juice to make 1/2 cup sauce.
-Rita Heikenfeld, CCP / Herbalist www.abouteating.com
OBKB. That’s it for this week. Keep watering and stay cool. Hey, September is only 5 weeks away! Now do yourself a favor. Go out and have the best week and weekend of your life. See ya. RW, the Yardboy. (Join us every Saturday 6-9am on 55KRC / XM 158, and from 10-12pm on 610 WTVN Columbus.)
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Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Garden Success Tip of the Week
Using Epsom Salt in the Garden – You may have heard or hear about this old time home remedy as an addition to the soil for gardening successes, especially in the vegetable garden. It has been applied to tomatoes, peppers, roses and more, hoping to produce more flowers, higher yields and greener plants. And although most boxes of Epsom salt do not have uses in the garden on the label, it is now being manufactured, boxed and specially labeled for use in the garden.
What is it? – Epsom Salt is a natural mineral, used for treating a range of human and animal ailments, as well as a fertilizer. Chemically, it is hydrated magnesium sulfate. Magnesium is needed for seed germination and the production of chlorophyll, as well as improving uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, as well as helping to make the plants thicker and bushier. Low levels of magnesium in the soil may cause yellowing of leaves between the veins, leaf curling, stunted growth, and lack of sweetness to the fruit. Causes and effects of deficient magnesium vary, but we do know tomatoes, peppers and roses need high doses of magnesium for optimum growth. Sulfur is a key element in plant growth, as well as assisting in giving some vegetables like broccoli and onions their flavors. It too contributes to chlorophyll production and making primary nutrients more available to the plants. There are many ways to add both to the soils, but one advantage of using Epsom Salt is that it has a high solubility and is quickly taken up by plants (roots or foliage). Its high solubility also makes it hard to overuse, won’t burn the plants, and is safe around kids and pets. Note: Unless your soil is magnesium deficient, adding Epsom Salt isn’t needed. It’s always best to have you soils tested first, just so you’ll know for sure!
How do I use it? – Epsom Salt can be used as a soil amendment or as a foliar spray. If you purchased the Epsom Salt labeled for use in the garden, follow the directions on the label. If you are using regularly boxed Epsom Salt, here are a few of the ‘collected’ recommended rates for use (and trust us, they will vary from gardener to gardener). Again, these are rates recommended by other gardeners, or Epsom council.
[Visit www.epsomsaltcouncil.org for more info]
Roses – Apply ½ cup around plants in the early spring, and ½ cup in the fall. As a foliar spray, 1 tablespoon per gallon, and spray after leaves fully open in spring, and again during flowering. Tomatoes and Peppers – Apply 1 tablespoon around each plant at planting. Then for a foliar spray, dissolve 1 tablespoon in a gallon of water. This can be used at planting, first flower, and first fruit set, or some will spray every 3-4 weeks. Garden Startup – Apply 1 cup per 100 sq. feet and mix into the soil. Trees and Shrubs – Apply one tablespoon per 9 sq. feet, 2-3 times annually. Lawns – 3 pounds per 1,250 sq. ft. Houseplants – 2 tablespoons per gallon water Cut Christmas tree – 1 cup per gallon water – keep water reservoir in stand full! Note: There are some plants that do not want this added. Sage is one. So again, use with caution.
[You know it’s hot when you can make sun tea instantly.]
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Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Plant of the Week
 Here’s an unusual perennial that you may never heard of before. The genus is Ligularia (of which you will find several species / selections, but today we’ll focus on Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket’ (sometimes called the Leopard plant). The Rocket is a bold specimen perennial that although can be grown in full sun (wilts down) and in an assortment of soil types, it prefers and does best in loamy moist soils and shade to partially shaded areas (afternoon shade). Plants form a clump of large jagged edged triangularly heart shaped green leaves, with purplish black stems that rise above the foliage in the summer, bearing long spikes of bright yellow daisy like flowers. Great for the back of the border, along shady creek banks, ponds, pools or boggs, in mass or as a specimen, especially in shade to partially shaded gardens. The secret to a great appearance is good even moisture in the soil. Look for other species of Ligularia, some of which have purple / maroon leaves. (Can be grown in containers assuming good soil moisture levels.)
[You know it’s hot when you break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 7am.]
Tags: Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket’
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Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Problems in the Garden this Week
This week Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU) is reporting harmful algal blooms (HAB – an over abundance or excessive growth of algae) causing bad taste and odor problems in potable water, polluting beaches with scum, reducing oxygen levels for fish and other animals, causing processing problems for public water supplies and may even generate toxic chemicals (sounds like something BJB would make up, but this time it is for real), spined soldier bugs feeding on beetles (therefore it’s a good bug), spider webs galore showing up this past week on the morning of the heavy fog, Rhizosphaera needlecast disease causing inner needle drop on Norway spruce, fireblight on crabapple, anthracnose on oaks, cankers and dieback problems on Japanese maples, Phomopsis on holly, nutritional deficiencies showing on many plants, black rot on grapes, root rot on raspberries, deformed strawberries due to poor pollination, the sunflower head clipping weevil now showing up in Ohio for the first time, blister beetles feeding away, net-winged beetles out and about, dogbane leaf beetles out and about, cicada killers now appearing to scare you and destroy a few dog day cicadas, mimosa webworms in honeylocust, locust leafminer browning black locust leaves, bagworms simply destroying evergreens, leaf blotch now showing on buckeyes and horsechestnut leaves, white mold fungus showing up on tomato stems (can get on 170 species of plants), tomato leaf mold, and last but not least, green June beetles out and about.
-Catch The Buggy Joe Boggs Report Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC The Talk Station.
LET NATORP’S SAVE YOUR ASH! See how our professionals can protect your ash trees from the devastating Emerald Ask Borer. Call (513) 398-GROW, or visit www.natorp.com.
[You know it’s hot when the birds use potholders to pull the worms out of the ground.]
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Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Garden Questions of the Week
“My landscaper nicked the bottom of part of our tree trunk with the mower. The tree stands 70 feet tall. Will it be affected by this accident?” -Hard to say without seeing the tree and the wound, but let’s just say it’s not a good thing! Yes, it can survive depending on the amount of damages. If your landscaper is not comfortable making a suggestion on severity, I would possibly suggest having a certified arborist stop by and evaluate the damages. In the meantime, not much you can do besides remove any loose bark, create smooth scar lines and let it start the process of sealing over. Do not use tree would paint or dressing on the wound. Let it seal by itself. By the way, this is where I may suggest you consider mulching around the tree. Mulching around trees helps to prevent the dreaded “lawnmower and string trimmer blight”, along with many other benefits.
“Suddenly some of my tomatoes have been cracking on the top! What happened?” -Although some tomatoes are more susceptible to cracking than others, this is usually the result of the soil being dry, and then getting a hard rain or thorough soaking. The water causes the insides to expand quicker than the skin, and they crack. Keeping even moisture in the soil, as well as mulching around the plants really helps to reduce tomato cracking. By the way, they are still edible when they crack – just won’t last very long.
“”I have lots of these little bugs (I call them roly-polys or little armadillos). What are they called, are they doing damage, and how do I get rid of them?” -Where do we start? Roly Polys, Armadillo Bugs, Slaters, Wood lice, Monkey peas, Bibblebugs, Pillbugs, Sowbugs – they have a bunch of names! They’re actually crustaceans, and they’re just about everywhere. They cannot control water evaporation from their bodies, so cannot stand the sun or dry conditions. Which is why they feed at night, or you find them in debris, mulch, moist areas, soft spots in trees, rotting roots, etc. They are debris eaters, but have been known to feed on roots, small seedlings, lettuce, and over ripe fruit. Eliminate their hiding and feeding areas – Bonide’s Home and Garden Insect Control has them listed, but rarely sprayed for. They’re eating the debris!
“We planted potatoes this year, they flowered which surprised us, and now they have these tiny green balls where the flowers were. What can you tell me about this?” -Most folks don’t think about potatoes actually flowering, as they are a root crop. But they do flower, and it can be somewhat attractive. But in some cases, the flowers will then set fruit, which is what you’re seeing – small green cherry tomato like fruit, which actually has seeds inside. Yes, you could grow potatoes from those seeds, but as with many plants, the new potato plants may not be like the potato plants they came from. Which is why potatoes are propagated from seed potatoes. By the way, that fruit is toxic, so be sure no one eats them!
[You know it’s hot when the trees are whistling for the dogs.]
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Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
From the Garden to the Kitchen
Yardboy, my tomatoes are ripening at warp speed. So naturally they’ll be featured in lots of recipes. This pasta with fresh tomato sauce is so good, and so easy.
PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE
12 oz linguine, boiled but undercooking slightly
While linguine is cooking, make sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 nice cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds tomatoes, about 3 cups chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
16 basil leaves, torn into pieces
1/2 cup Parmesan, shredded or grated
Heat 3 tablespoons oil and add onion; cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook a minute, stir in tomatoes and salt and pepper and simmer. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta well and add to simmering sauce and cook until pasta is done, a couple more minutes. Add basil and rest of oil and combine. Top with cheese.
-Rita Heikenfeld, CCP / Herbalist www.abouteating.com
[I never knew what real happiness was until I married Rita, and by then it was too late. -Frank Heikenfeld]
OBKB. That’s it for this week. Do your best to stay cool. Now do yourself a favor. Go out and have the best week and weekend of your life. See ya. RW, the Yardboy. (Join us every Saturday from 6-9am ‘In the Garden’ on 55KRC The Talk Station / XM158, and from 10-noon on 610 WTVN – Columbus.)
[You know it’s hot when the cows are giving evaporated milk.]
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