Garden Questions of the Week

“Should I deadhead the spent flowers on my garden mums, and when do I cut the plants back to the ground?”  -Yes deadhead those spent mum flowers, but it won’t make them bloom again this fall.  Deadheading mums sends energy that would have been wasted on trying to produce seed heads back to the plant and roots for a stronger mum plant…and…it just makes them look better!  When to cut them back?  Personally, I suggest you leave the foliage on the mums thru the winter, and cut them back in the spring before they start to re-grow.

“My neighbor has what she said is a holly bush, but it loses its leaves in the fall.  I thought hollies were evergreens.”  -Guess what?  There are both deciduous (loses it leaves) and evergreen hollies!  And this time of the year, both types really start to show off their berries on the female plants.  But as far as I’m concerned, it’s the deciduous female hollies that have the best of show when it comes to those bright red berries. 

“I don’t see any hummingbirds at my feeders.  When should I take them down?”  -

One of the biggest misconceptions about hummingbirds is the belief that if you do not take your hummingbird feeder down they will not migrate south. This is absolutely false! They know when its time to head south, and the males generally migrate several weeks ahead of immatures and females. So leave your hummingbird feeders up three to four weeks after generally seeing your last hummer, to help fed those few still moving south.

“My Knock Out rose is still blooming.  When do I cut it back for the winter?”  -Knock Outs have been known to flower until mid December depending on the weather.  And for the most part, no pruning will be done on the knock out rose until next spring. We’ll let you know what to do with knock outs and other roses for the winter, in about another month or so.

“I want to plant spring flowering bulbs, but afraid our neighborhood critters will eat them.  Any suggestions?”  – Okay so you’d like to plant spring flowering bulbs, but you say the critters in your yard eat them so why waste the money?  Well, there are several spring flowering bulbs that unless those critters are starving, they’ll actually leave alone.

First of all, if you have critters problems, stay away from tulips.  If the squirrels and other rodents don’t eat them, the deer will, just when they get ready to bloom.   And some selections of crocus can be candy for squirrels or rabbits.  If they’re an issue in your garden, try growing either of these in containers that you can enjoy on the patio or in the house. But there are spring flowering bulbs that are generally considered critter resistant.  These bulbs usually emit strong smells, unpleasant tastes, or can be poisonous to the critters.

-Fritillaria, a striking flower on 2-3 foot stalks, actually emits a musky skunk-like odor – don’t worry – you won’t smell it in the garden but the critters will.

-Giant Allium, with their large flowers, are in the onion family and repel with smell and taste.

-Hyacinths, with their great colors and sweet fragrances are not a critter favorite.

-Scilla, and early bloomer, escapes the critters list.

-And the most resistant of all – those in the Amaryllis family, which includes snowdrops, snowflakes, and of course, the wide selections of daffodils.  They all contain lycorine that is both bitter and toxic to the garden critters.

Garden Questions of the Week

“My pine tree’s needles are yellowing and dropping off – HELP!”  -Yeah, if you’re out working in the yard and happen to notice that your pine needles are yellowing and starting to fall, don’t panic.  It’s all a part of the fall process.  Just like the leaves on the trees, many evergreens will also shed a few needles in the fall.  With bald cypress and dawn redwood, they lose all their needles in the fall and re-grow them next spring.  But many evergreens naturally drop inner needles after one or more year’s growth, depending on the type of evergreen.  Some years it may go somewhat unnoticed, where other years they may all shed close to the same time, triggered by weather and other environmental or physical stress factors, and really make a show of yellowed needles!  White pine is the most noticeable – they usually only hold one to two years worth of needles.  Austrian and other pines may hold 2-4 years worth, again depending on the weather, and be less noticeable when they shed inner needles.  Spruce will hold needles from 3-5 years back so not as noticeable when they shed.  Arborvitae will turn yellow to brown and can be very noticeable.  Japanese yews actually yellow and shed needles in the spring or early summer, and in many cases, are rarely ever noticed.  So as long as the needles that are yellowing right now are on the inside of the pines or arborvitae, chances are they’re okay.

“I have summer bulbs and tropical plants to over winter and get confused on what to do with each.  Any good tips here?”  -Yes.  Here you go:

Overwintering Tropical (and non-hardy) Plants – Tropical plants make a wonderful addition to the deck, patio and even the landscape during the summer season.  In general, these are heat loving plants and will perform (and flower in many cases) quite nicely during the hot summers.  But once fall arrives, what do you do with these cold sensitive plants?  You could kiss them goodbye and let the fall frosts kill them off.  But many gardeners would like to give them a shot keeping them alive indoors over the winter.  And to be honest, this takes space indoors, your time and patience, and a bit of trial and error (prepare to possibly lose a few plants).  What works for one may not work for another.  Your indoor conditions may not be conducive for overwintering tropical plants.  Nevertheless, if you want to give it a try, here are a few tips for you.  Good luck!

Overwintering Options – You have a few choices when overwintering tropical or non-hardy plants.    –Bring inside and grow as a houseplant -Store it away as a dormant plant, tuber or root   -Collect seed and start again next year   -Take cuttings and grow those indoors over the winter -Leave outside in protected area with suitable added protection

Overwintering as a Houseplant – Be sure to follow the procedures listed in our tip sheet on bringing plants indoors for the winter.  Once inside, most houseplants need two major requirements – high amounts of light and added humidity.  As a general rule, only water as needed, and watch for sudden outbursts of insect problems.  And do expect some leaf drop as they adjust to the indoors environment.  Foliage plants, jasmine, bougainvillea, hibiscus, citrus, gardenia, Mandeville, annuals, elephant ears (alocasia / colocasia); even bananas can be overwintered as a houseplant.  And if too large to fit, feel free to cut them back as needed, but making sure to leave some foliage on the plant.

Overwintering Dormant Plants / Tubers – Many non hardy plants are grown from tubers, corms or roots which are dug up in the fall, generally after the first frost, stored indoors over the winter, then replanted next spring.  Elephant ears (alocasia / colocasia), caladium, cannas, gladiolas, dahlias, sweet potato vine, agapanthus, etc are examples of this.  These are dug, cleaned, and stored in peat, newspaper, etc in a cool dark place (40-50 degrees).  Check them regularly for dryness or rotting.  These can also be stored away in the same manner if growing in pots.  Simply remove old foliage and store pot and all in a cool, dark place.   Some plants can be stored over winter in the same basic manner, simply by bringing them indoors before the first frost and placing them in a cool (40-50 degrees) place with little or no light.  They will lose their leaves and go into a dormant stage for the winter.  Water once per month (lightly) to keep slight moisture in the soil.  In the spring, cut the plants back, bring them back into a well lighted area (nothing direct for the first 2 weeks or so) which will wake them from their winter sleep.  Plants that can be stored indoors in a dormant stage include bananas, ensete, hibiscus, Angel trumpet, tibouchina, jasmine, etc.

Overwintering Cuttings – Many annuals perform quite nicely over the winter (indoors) by taking cuttings from the parent plant and overwintering the cuttings.  3-4 inch pots usually work best, and can be kept on a windowsill.  Many folks like to overwinter geraniums, and although is best done with cuttings, can also be done growing as a houseplant, or by digging and bare rooting the mature plants before the first frost, and placing them in a paper bag in a cool dark place (40 – 50 degrees).  They will go dormant.  Mist lightly every now and then.  In the spring, bring them out of the bag, cut them back, replant in a pot, and see if they regrow.  (This was the way Grandma used to overwinter her geraniums, except she hung them upside-down in the cellar rafters.)

Overwintering Outdoors – If you have a banana that you would like to try and overwinter outdoors, here are 2 methods to try.  1.) After the plant has been hit by a good frost, cut the top back to one foot below the leaf axis.  Surround the stalk with a chicken wire cage that is 2-3 feet in diameter.  Fill the wire column with leaves, straw, grass clippings, bark mulch, etc.  Then cover the entire structure with heavy plastic or tarp and secure with twine.  2.) Follow above procedures, but rather than using chicken wire, simply invest in bubble wrap.  Make 5 to 10 laps around the cut banana stalk with the bubble wrap, and then cover over the top opening to protect from rain and snow.  Tie it all together with heavy twine.  If you’d like, feel free to add 5-6 inches of mulch around the base for added root protection.  For those in Zone 5 or lower, you may have best success taking the banana indoors for the winter (bare root and store in cool dark place).

Again, successful overwintering of non hardy / tropical plants will take trial and error, and not always be successful.  But, if you are, then it was worth the effort come next summer!  

“Can you give me the name of the book you were recommending on attracting birds and butterflies to the landscape?”   -It’s “Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Other Winged Wonders to Your Backyard” by Kris Wetherbee.  A really, really nice book, and is available online at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or order signed copies at www.kriswetherbee.com .  A great book for you and a great one for a Holiday gift!

Garden Questions of the Week

“What was the website for your radio show guest last week – talking about sustainable living?”  Dan Adams is his name and the website is www.earthineer.com. 

“Did you say October is the best month for weed control in the lawn?”  -Yep!  October is here, the lawns are greening up nicely from the great weather, but you still see a few weeds here and there.  October is actually the best time for lawn weed control!  Perennial broadleaf weeds like dandelions, plantain, clover, creeping Charlie and the whole gang are best controlled right now.  So, why October?  As the temperatures cool down, maybe get a frost or two, it signals the weeds that winter is coming and time to store energy.  The weeds begin storing energy reserves for the winter in their roots, so  when you spray them, the herbicide enters the weed and travels to the roots with the food reserves, giving a complete kill of the weed – top and bottom.  When you have hard to kill weeds in the lawn, this is your best shot to get rid of them.  Use a water soluble lawn weed killer, and make it lists the weeds you are trying to control.  That means read the label before applications.  Spot treat the weeds as needed – not the entire lawn.  And remember, if you seeded your lawn in September, you must have at least 3-4 mowings on the new grass before attempting to use a weed killer, which may be late October.  As you look to the future taking care of your lawn, I want you to start to think this way – feed the lawn to keep it healthy and thick – two times in the fall and maybe once mid spring – and then spot treat for weeds using a water soluble weed killer, only as needed. 

“We’re planting new trees this fall but understand deer may be a problem.  What should we do?”  – If you’re planting trees this fall, and you have deer in neighborhood, use trunk protectors on the new trees and existing ones if they’re less than 4 inches or so in trunk diameter.  Try added protection with deer repellents like DeerScram, Liquid fence, Repels All, or Milorganite, which feeds and repels deer.   One buck deer can destroy your new trees in one night, by rubbing them with his antlers – and they love doing that this time of year.  Use trunk protectors, as well as deer repellents to keep them away from your investments.

“We’re getting ready to move our tropical plants indoors.  Any tips?”  -If you’re getting ready to bring your foliage plants back inside for the winter – and hopefully they’ve been in the shade for a couple weeks – there are 3 things for you to do before bringing them indoors: 

1.)  Hose them off with a strong stream of water. You may even want to do this a couple times while they’re acclimating in the shade.  This helps to blow off any insects that may be hanging out on the plants. 

2.)  If possible, laid the plant on its side, slide it out of the pot, and inspect the root ball for any unwanted bugs or anything else that may be hiding in the bottom of the pot.  Rodents, even snakes have been found hiding here. One way to make sure nothing is in the soil (including ants and other bugs), is to fill a large tub with water, and then submerge the plant pot and all in the water for several hours.  Anything in the soil will either drown, or will float to the top of the water.  It’s also a great way to soak the soil.  Just make sure you allow it plenty of time to drain before bringing it into the house.

3.) Just before bringing the foliage plants inside, give them a good spraying of insecticidal soap – tops and bottoms of the leaves, stems, trunks and all.  Again, trying to get rid of any hitchhiking bugs!  Let the spray dry, and then bring the plants indoors. 

   Place your tropical plant indoors in a well-lit area, away from vents and drafts.  Place a saucer under the pot.  As a general rule, water the plants well, let dry, water again.  And never let water sit in the saucer.  Use luke warm water for watering.  And do expect leaves to drop as the plants make their final acclimation to the indoor lighting.  It’s natural.  And keep your eyes open for any flare-ups of insects on the plants.  Keep insecticidal soaps, systemic insecticides, and whitefly traps on hand just in case.

“Any suggestions what to do for our garden ponds now that it’s fall?”  -Sure do!  And I’ll take some info from the newsletter of our good friends at Aquascapes (Dan Meyer at www.aquascapes.com).  

NETTING YOUR POND – Leaves are the one biggest nuisance to your pond.  It’s important to keep the leaves from falling into the pond because if leaves accumulate on the bottom of the pond they will decompose and create not only toxic gasses for the koi but will tend to clog the filters and increase the maintenance of filters and/or pumps.  Leaf nets installed during the time when the leaves fall from the trees is the best insurance against more maintenance in the spring. Two products you might want to consider:
1.  Leaf Nets - We have many sizes and different qualities of nets on our website.  Great for pondless streams!
2.  Skimmer Net - This is a fish net that you can use to skim off the surface and bottom of your pond to collect the leaves.  The front of this net is flat for ease of use.  Some nets are available with extendable handles. 

PREPARING YOUR KOI FOR FALL – Do you have a pond thermometer?  We have stressed the importance of a pond thermometer many times.  The following are a few guidelines on when to start using a winter prep fish food, when to use cold water bacteria, and when to stop feeding your fish.
1.  At about 60 degrees water temperature, it’s time to change over to a fall fish food that contains wheat germ. Wheat Germ helps make the food easier to digest at colder temperatures.  This food will help clean out the koi’s digestive system in preparation for their winter dormancy.  Healthy koi in the fall and winter mean healthy koi in the spring.�
Aquascape Premium Cold Water Fish Food Pellets or the Microbe Lift Koi and Goldfish Cold Water Fish Food are scientifically formulated to provide premium nutrition to all pond fish including goldfish and koi at colder water temperatures.
2.  At 50 degrees stop feeding the fish and begin using the Cold Water Bacteria.  Cold Water Bacteria can be used between 35 and 50 degrees water temperature.  Also using the Sludge Cleaner Bubble Tabs in the fall will help digest the debris building up on the bottom of the pond and will help lessen the burden of spring cleaning.