Garden Newsletter May 14, 2013

May 14, 2013 - Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

http://www.examiner.com/country-living-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

These weekly garden notes are written by Kim Willis, unless another author is noted, and the opinions expressed in these notes are her opinions and do not represent any other individual, group or organizations opinions.

Hi Gardeners

What a difference a day or so can make in Michigan!   I sat at my mom’s house Sunday and watched sleet and snow mixed with rain falling.  As I drove down to her house I chuckled at everyone out mowing with winter coats on.  It’s just hard to believe we had this weather on May 12^th.  That was the only day so far in May I haven’t planted something outside.

I went outside to a morning that was cloudy and damp but the wind was from the south and I could smell the change coming.  We should have decent temperatures the rest of the week.  I put my hand into a chicken nest this morning looking for eggs and found a newborn kitten.  I guess momma cat though the extra warmth of the hens was needed.   She (the cat) popped back into the nest a few minutes later.  We’ll see how that little scenario plays out.

Apple at full bloom.

The temperatures Sunday night fell into the 20’s and that may have impacted our fruit trees again this year, although I think less drastically than last year.   We had just a few hours of about 28 degree weather.  According to MSU charts that should translate to about a 10% kill rate of fruit tree blossoms, those half open, open and just dropped.  My own apples were in various stages of opening from just beginning to open to full bloom.  My pears, cherries, plums and peaches were at full bloom to blossom drop.  Since the trees are loaded with flowers this year a 10% reduction may actually be helpful, thinning out the crop.  But only time will tell us what damage was actually done.   

The lilacs were just starting to bloom too and I am a bit worried that they may just stop at that stage and turn brown after the cold.  I am waiting for the warmer weather today and tomorrow to see if they fully open.  As I came home from my parent’s house Sunday I saw many people out covering up plants with sheets but the problem is that when temperatures go into the 20’s covering tender plants just isn’t enough.  Someone I know, who shall remain nameless, decided that the warm temperatures last week meant she could put her houseplants outside- big mistake.  Tropical plants don’t do well outside when the temps drop below 40 at night, much less below freezing.  Don’t put out the houseplants until early June, when hopefully, we will have no really cold nights.

Frost protection

Undoubtedly we will have more nights this month when frost may happen.    Some annual plants can withstand a light frost and others will come through a frost if you cover them.  Marigolds, petunias, snapdragons, salvia, zinnias, tuberous begonias and geraniums can be protected by throwing a sheet or other cover over them if frost threatens.  Other plants like coleus, New Zealand Impatiens, fuchsia, rex begonias, tropical succulents and accent plants are best brought inside, if possible.  Even an unheated porch or garage would be better protection.

When you do cover plants don’t use plastic, if it will touch the foliage or flowers.  The cold will transfer right through it where it touches.  Use cloth, old sheets work, or even paper draped on plants. (If it is suspended so it doesn’t touch the plants plastic is ok. )  Empty flower pots, buckets, baskets, boxes, plastic pop bottles with the tops cut off or milk jugs with the bottom cut out can be used to cover individual plants.  It won’t hurt to have the leaves touch the plastic of bottles or jugs and holes in the top of overturned flower pots are ok too.   You can also buy woven row cover fabric to cover plants.

Uncover any plants as soon as the sun comes up.  Heat builds up quickly, especially under plastic covered plants.  The heat can kill your plants as quickly as the cold.  If the day is cold and cloudy covers can be left on.

Don’t worry about established perennial plants in frosty conditions.  Sometimes they will experience mild leaf die back but will generally recover.  If we should get many more nights below freezing – let’s hope not- some perennials like hosta’s  might look pretty bad.  But looking ahead at the weather I don’t think we need to worry.  On the other hand if you have just transplanted new perennials into the garden that have been in a greenhouse, you may want to cover them on frosty nights to avoid leaf or flower damage.

Frost can happen anytime we have clear nights with no wind when temperatures fall below 35 degrees or so.  Keep an eye on the weather this time of the year.  I cover all tender plants on a clear, still evening when temps are supposed to be below 40 degrees.  The weather predictions can’t be exact on temperatures and better safe than sorry.   Also remember that cloudy skies can clear overnight and allow frost to happen so pay attention to weather forecasts.

Fuchsia, beautiful but  very tender .

If you are like me when you visit a greenhouse or (even the grocery store) this time of year you are likely to buy plants, even though you know it’s a risk to plant them outside.   You may want to keep those tender plants on a rolling cart, as I do, and roll them out in the sun in the day and inside a garage, barn or shed at night.    Plants need a bit of time to accommodate to conditions outside a greenhouse anyway.  If it is warm, sunny and windy you may want to bring them out for few hours then put them back inside or move them into a place out of the wind and direct sun.   Remember that plants in cell packs and small pots will dry out rapidly in wind and sun and may need watering several times a day.

Basil and peppers- exploring companion planting

A new study exploring plant communication found that basil planted close to pepper helps pepper seeds germinate and the plants grow faster than peppers without nearby basil.  Conventional understanding of companion planting has always been that either plants emit beneficial chemicals into the soil that help one another, they transfer nitrogen from the air to the soil, or that they repel pests to create that symbiotic relationship.   But when scientists kept the soil of basil and peppers separate and excluded pests they found that basil near peppers still helped the peppers grow better. 

Researchers say this nurturing encouragement comes from “nanomechanical oscillations from inside the cell”  ( sweet whispering?) .  They also found that fennel is a “bad neighbor”  causing many plants to grow poorly.  ( Whispers death threats?)

Here are some companion plantings that are often suggested.  We do know that some plants do repel insects and some do fix nitrogen in the soil but there may be whispering that we have missed too.  Plant basil with tomatoes as well as peppers.  Plant thyme with cabbage.  Plant lettuce and spinach with peas, ( I do this all the time).  Grow radishes and nasturtiums with cucumbers.   Plant horseradish in potato rows.  Plant beans and corn together.

  

People are often told to plant marigolds in the garden to deter nematodes ( small wormlike creatures) in the soil.  However research has shown that only the African marigolds closest to the wild varieties have any protective benefit and that is small.  Since soil nematodes aren’t a frequent home gardener problem anyway plant marigolds in the garden because they are pretty.  All flowers attract pollinators so adding flowers to the vegetable garden can be helpful.

Saving the frogs by destroying buckthorn

Save the frogs.  

Frogs and other amphibians and reptiles, are rapidly declining in all parts of the world.  Frogs and toads in the garden are extremely beneficial, gobbling up hundreds of harmful insects and serenading us with song.  The tadpole babies of frogs and toads are an important part of the aquatic food chain.  An insidious frog virus that has spread across the world and loss of habitat are part of the reason for the decline but research has identified another frog threat.  Research done at the Lincoln Park Zoo and Northern Illinois University has shown that European Buckthorn, an invasive plant in the Midwest and through 2/3 of the country also contributes to frog decline.

European Buckthorn has a chemical, emodin, in all parts of the plant, roots, leaves, stems, which disrupt frog reproduction when the plants grow near ponds where frogs breed.  Levels of emodin are highest at the point when the buckthorn starts leafing out, which is just about the time frogs breed in the Midwest.  Emodin in the water prevents frog eggs from hatching.  Researchers studied Western Chorus frogs, a tree frog common in the Midwest, and they also used African Clawed frogs as part of the study.  The emodin killed the embryos of both species and researchers believe that all frog species are affected.

European Buckthorn, (Rhamnus cathartica), can be an attractive ornamental and many garden catalogs offer it to gardeners.  It is a small tree-large shrub with glossy rounded green leaves, and if you scratch the bark its yellow underneath and the heartwood is orange.  The flowers are inconspicuous greenish white but the black fruit they produce are somewhat attractive and loved by birds.  There are some variegated leaf varieties.

However Buckthorn spreads rapidly into the wild just as Autumn Olive and Russian Olive have and can take over vast areas of land.  Like those plants buckthorn out competes native shrubs and becomes a dominant plant in some  areas.  Wildlife experts have been warning people for many years not to plant it, but the practice continues.  It is not quite as extensive in coverage in Michigan as in other Midwestern states but the amount of buckthorn found in Michigan is rapidly growing.

And buckthorn doesn’t just affect frogs.  Research by Texas Tech University and the Illinois Natural History Survey documented that predators such as coyotes and raccoons can prey more easily on native bird eggs and nestlings such as robins when nests are built in buckthorn compared to nests built in native shrubs or trees.  The only good thing about it is that deer seem to avoid areas where it grows thickly, no one knows why yet, but it’s probable that because coyotes like it ( and they prey on fawns) and because deer don’t like its taste that they avoid areas with lots of buckthorn.

Don’t plant Buckthorn and when you find it growing on your property destroy it. 

Grapes - good for your heart

Research results published this month from the University of Michigan found that grape consumption can be beneficial in treating high blood pressure and heart failure.   The grapes influence gene activities and metabolism in a way that improves the levels of glutathione, the most abundant cellular antioxidant in the heart.  Grapes prevented heart muscle enlargement and fibrosis, and improved the diastolic function of the heart.  The researchers said that whole grapes should be consumed to get the effect as there are many components to the “ grape effect” some of which aren’t identified and can’t be put into supplement form.

In other grape news researchers found that consuming grapes helped reduce liver, kidney and abdominal fat , and reduced metabolic syndrome, which often leads to diabetes.  Grape consumption also increased markers of antioxidant defense, particularly in the liver and kidneys.  Once again you need to consume grapes, or fresh grape juice, to get these benefits.  What a great reason to plant grapes this year.

Cheap cinnamon could be harmful

If you are tempted to buy the cheap cinnamon at the dollar store to save money, think again.  Cheaper brands of cinnamon, the spice we all like, contains high levels of coumarin,  a compound that can cause liver damage in some people.  That’s because cheap cinnamon comes from cassia bark, unlike true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon which is expensive and contains very little coumarin.

 

The new fad of trying to swallow dry cinnamon and produce disgusting YouTube videos might be more harmful than just choking on it; it could produce permanent liver damage.  And if you tend to consume lots of cinnamon, in flavored coffee for example, make sure you buy the good stuff.

Become a citizen scientist

I think that there is a little scientist in every gardener, we like to see what happens when we plant things, how they grow, how we can use them and so forth.  Most gardeners are also curious about nature.  Citizen science is a term for a new type of science data collection that is made possible through new technology, where regular people like you and I help researchers collect information about things and share the information on line.

There are several science projects on-going where citizen scientists are being recruited to help.  One is a study of phenology, the interconnection of plant life stages with other events in nature, such as the emergence of certain insects.  BUDBURST is an ongoing attempt to catalog when things blooms, change color, get leaves etc. across the world.  You can visit the site at http://budburst.org/ 

and just browse the maps and information on each plant species or you can sign up to be a citizen scientist and actually record information on plants in your area on the site to share with everyone.    There are many levels of involvement to choose from, from casual, occasional observations to being a regular contributor to science. 

I have signed up to record one species and as I get time I’ll sign up to do more.  There are dozens of species to choose from, and you can even add ones not on the list.  It’s a really interesting site, take a look.  There are other citizen science projects you can get involved in too.  Try

http://www.greatsunflower.org/   which focuses on pollinators or https://www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook   which is another site recording the occurrence of natural events like bloom time. 

Time for plant bargains

While local garden shops are just getting into their full season online garden stores are beginning to go into clearance mode.  It gets hard to hold and ship such things as dormant plants and bulbs as the season progresses and all of the major and not so major on line garden stores are offering lots of       bargain prices. Shipping is fast anymore and you can have those bargain plants in a matter of days.  The selection may be getting limited but the prices are good.  You’ll be amazed at the prices you can get this time of year.

Try these places;   http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/specials     http://www.starkbros.com/products/berry-plants

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/web-specials

http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/

http://www.gurneys.com/

Or search your favorite online garden retailer for bargains.  Note:  I am not advertising for these companies and I don’t get anything for listing them here.

It’s May, plant something every day!

Kim

Garden as though you will live forever. William Kent