Hi
Gardeners
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| Hibiscus 'Kona' |
Today in Michigan its overcast and in the low 50’s, but
that’s not bad considering the weather some
of you are having, all those terrible spring storms going on across the country. All the pretty flowers ruined by hail and
wind, it’s sad. We have had some good soaking
rains in the last few days and mild thunderstorms but nothing severe.
My crocus and winter aconite are blooming and today on
my walk with Gizzy I noticed that the Purple Deadnettle is starting to bloom. (It’s a weed in lawns.)
Hensbit is
a very similar plant and it too blooms early.
Along with the crocus, winter aconite and soon dandelions, these plants
provide the earliest food for the bees.
Don’t pull them all, leave some for the bees.
The robins and wrens are back here now and along with
the spring peepers and tree frogs are singing a mighty chorus. I do love to hear the little wrens sing early
in the spring. There’s one that nests in
a little bird house in the front yard each year. Later on I’ll probably be
annoyed with him as he repeats the same few notes over and over all day
long.
The starlings that have nested in the same place for
the last 5 years are back, or some of their kids are taking over the spot. They are busy with nest building in the soffit
of the barn, where a piece of shingle flops down and protects their hole. The cats can get on the barn roof and get
close, but they are not able to reach into the nest. They must pick off some of the fledglings,
although I see them feeding some of their babies at the suet feeder each year.
I know some people dislike starlings but I don’t. They eat thousands of insects every year from
the lawn and garden. Unlike cowbirds
they don’t lay their eggs in other bird’s nests and are very good parents. Starlings are highly intelligent and can be
taught to talk. They are cheerful birds
with a not unpleasant little song and are actually pretty when seen up
close. People keep them for pets and I
have been tempted every year to raid their nest for a baby to hand raise.
Starlings can be annoying to some people in the late
summer and fall when they tend to congregate in large flocks and make a lot of
noise. They do eat grain when they
can. They also like fruit, but don’t
bother that as much as some other birds like robins. I don’t think there are as many of them as
there used to be, but I haven’t checked that statistic. Anyway, I am fond of the one pair that nests
here each year.
I’ll be putting the hummingbird feeders back up this
weekend. The hummers may not be back for a week or two longer but the bees enjoy
the nectar. The jelly feeder for the orioles will also go up soon. How time flies, it seems like I was just
draining the feeders and putting them away.
Inside the house I have a beautiful double flowered
pink hibiscus in bloom along with my red hibiscus. The amaryllis is still
blooming and the fuchsia’s. The Christmas cacti have been blooming since
December on and off. I don’t know if it’s
the grow lights or what but I have never had them stay in bloom so long. On the
porch the geraniums are starting to step up their bloom and I see buds forming
on the miniature rose I bring inside each winter.
Since this weekend starts the beginning of April, I’ll
be starting lots of seeds. I have quite
a few packets here to get growing. Every
time I pass the seed rack at the store I find something new to buy. I am pleased to have found some “Pumpkins on
a Stick”. They are actually an eggplant
that has tiny fruits on long purple stalks. The fruits turn bright orange when
ripe and resemble little pumpkins. You
can dry the fruits for cute fall decorations.
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| Purple deadnettle |
Recycling
for seed starting
Around the beginning of the year I turn into a
hoarder. (Well I’m kind of a hoarder all
year round but it peaks in spring.)
Every cardboard tube, every suitable sized cardboard container, every
deli and bakery package, every plastic tray, every clean plastic bag, gets
tucked away in a cupboard. I’ll also be rummaging through my reserve of plastic
pots and flats saved from last year’s plant purchases. I’ll use these things in early April as I
start the seeds for the garden. Why spend
money on peat pots, plastic flats and pots if you can spend it on seeds
instead?
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| Recycling for frugal seed starters |
I use the cardboard tubes from paper towels, toilet
paper and the like by cutting them into several lengths, depending on what
seeds I am starting. These are stood in
a plastic tray and filled with seed starting soil. I cut smaller cardboard boxes down into “pot”
size and use the remaining thin cardboard to make paper pots by cutting and
folding. See how to do this by clicking
on the Seeds page on the right of the blog and scrolling down to How to Make
Paper Pots.
Paper and cardboard pots are biodegradable. You can plant them right in the ground. They’ll
get soggy through the growing period but I find they hold together long enough
to get the seedlings planted outside.
Use thin cardboard, heavy card stock paper or several layers of thinner
paper. You need a sturdy tray under them
to make them easy to move and keep soil from falling out the bottoms. In a pinch a plastic cup, the plastic lid
from a jar, or a plastic water bottle cut in half, can become a tray.
Plastic tubs like margarine dishes, cottage cheese
cartons, milk cartons cut in half, even those yogurt containers, can be washed
in hot soapy water, have drainage holes melted in the bottom with a hot fork
and used for planting. If you work in an
office that goes through a lot of Styrofoam coffee cups you can retrieve them
from the trash, wash them in hot soapy water, poke a hole in the bottom and use
those for seed starting. (Yeah, people
might think you’re strange, but it’s for starting new plants, so who cares.)
Until the seedlings have a couple sets of leaves I
usually keep the containers I start them in covered by or inserted in plastic
bags. Some deli/bakery containers may
have their own clear plastic tops. These
make nice mini-greenhouses. (By the way these tops make excellent saucers for
pots too.) When you recycle plastic bags
for seed starting wash them out with hot soapy water before using. I keep my eye out for bargain deals on plastic
bags too, throughout the year.
Recycled items should be washed, with the exception of
paper and cardboard. Cardboard and paper
should be used with certain precautions. Those with food residue shouldn’t be used
to avoid mold problems. A rolled oats
container for example, can be shaken out well and generally used without a
problem. But a cardboard pizza box with grease
stains and melted cheese should be discarded.
While I save plastic flats, pots and some cell packs
when I buy plants I usually don’t use the flats for seed starting because I
need flexibility in regards to size, so I can fit things on window sills, or
under lights until it’s time to move them outside to my improvised, unheated green
house. If you recycle things plants have grown in previously wash them with hot
soapy water before use.
One thing you should not re-cycle is seed starting soil. Use new, clean seed starting medium or
sterile soil for each batch of plants.
Other things not to recycle include egg shells, they don’t decompose
quick enough and aren’t big enough for seedling growth, ice cream cones- they
dissolve into a sticky mess and attract animals, and anything that held
pesticides or other toxic products.
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| Making paper pots |
Making
human organs from spinach
We owe our lives to plants. Without plants animals probably wouldn’t exist. And now plants are once again proving to be
very useful in saving our lives. We know
how to transplant a healthy organ like a heart into someone who needs a new
one. But there are never enough healthy
organs for transplanting and many people die each year waiting for one.
We can now clone heart tissue cells and using 3D
printers we can make blocks of heart tissue. But there is a problem keeping this tissue
alive. Normal heart tissue is dense and
is filled with tiny blood vessels which oxygenate and “feed” it. So far 3D printing can’t produce those tiny vessels.
Researchers have come up with a novel way to keep heart
tissue alive though, using a spinach leaf.
First they “wash” away most of the leaf’s cellular tissue with a
detergent solution. This leaves behind a
framework of plant vascular structure, composed of cellulose. Cellulose is readily accepted by the human
body. On this leaf skeleton the
researchers can layer human heart cells, using the plants vessels to transport
oxygen and nutrients to the tissue.
Researchers used micro beads the size of human red
blood cells to test whether they would pass through the plant vessels and they
do quite well. They seed the walls of
the plant vessels with cells that line human blood vessels and grow similar
tissue along the cellulose structure.
They have been able to produce beating heart tissue on the framework of
a spinach leaf. This opens up a whole
realm of possibilities.
The research now extends to other plants and other
human organs or tissues they can help produce.
For example the hollow stems of Jewelweed are being tested to make arterial
grafts. One day we may be able to clone
your organ cells into a new, healthy organ for you, with little chance of your
body rejecting it thanks to the help of plants.
Isn’t science- and plants wonderful?
To read more about this;
Crossing kingdoms: Using decellularized plants as
perfusable tissue engineering scaffolds. Biomaterials, 2017; 125: 13 DOI:
10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.02.011
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 March 2017. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170322152753.htm
Preventing
Oak wilt, a deadly tree disease
As gardeners get outside and begin spring clean-up it’s
important to remember not to do any pruning on oak trees at this time. Across the Eastern US oaks are dying from Oak
Wilt, (Ceratocystis fagacearum), a
fungal disease. This deadly disease is
easily transmitted between oaks in spring and early summer through pruning or
storm damage. Oak Wilt disease is in most eastern states and west to Texas. There
is the potential for the disease to spread further west since experiments have
shown all species of oaks are susceptible.
Oak Wilt only infects oak trees.
There is some debate whether Oak Wilt is a native
disease or an invasive disease. It was
first identified here in 1944, with most experts believing it was present at
least 20-30 years before this. However
no one has found the disease in oaks in another country. It may be that the disease mutated from a
less deadly and unnoticed fungal disease of oaks right here in the US.
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| Oak Wilt on Pin Oak Photo credit Pat A Mistretta US Forest Service |
Oak wilt is carried from tree to tree by tiny beetles
called Picnic Beetles or Oak Bark Beetles.
They are attracted to fresh sap, which flows from wounds caused by
pruning or storm damage and also to a smell given off by fungal mats under the
bark of infected dead trees. The beetles often go between healthy damaged trees
and infected dead trees with fungal mats, which spreads the disease. The time
the beetles are most active and the time fungal mats are most likely coincides,
and that is late spring through mid-summer.
Oak Wilt disease is also passed from tree to tree by
root contact when oak trees are close together.
Many oaks of the same species growing close together will have roots
grafted together and the fungal disease easily passes from tree to tree. Trees as far as 100 feet apart may be
connected by the roots. Different
species of oaks, such as a pin oak and a bur oak are much less likely to have connected
roots.
Oak Wilt is a deadly disease for Oaks. Red Oak species die quickly, usually in one
season, even large, century old trees.
White Oak species also get the disease but they may last several years
before dying. (White Oak species include;
white oak, Swamp oak, Bur oak, Chinkapin, and have rounded leaf tips, red oak species
include; Northern Red oak, Black Oak, Scarlet Oak, Pin Oak, and have pointed
leaf tips.) Live oaks, which have oval blade shaped leaves, also get the
disease.
Symptoms of Oak wilt disease are different between
white and red oaks. In red oaks the
trees begin wilting from the top down very quickly after infection, usually all
branches are affected. Leaves turn a
bronzy brown at the tips but may remain green in a small area at the leaf base. Red oak species that are infected quickly
shed their leaves. If you inspect a
branch where the leaves have fallen off you may find a gray-black stain just
under the branch bark.
In white oak species the disease usually begins in one
or two branches at the top of the tree, and slowly progresses. Some trees will last 2-3 years, with more of
the tree dying each year. The leaves
from infected branches have a similar appearance as those of red oaks.
After the oak tree dies, in cool wet weather fungal
pads can form on the trunk just under the bark.
As they grow the bark splits and may fall off. This allows insects to find the fungal pad,
which puts out an attractant scent. If
you remove the bark over the raised areas you will see a blackened raised area
with a gray white coating, which are fruiting fungi bodies.
What
to do
There are other diseases that infect oaks that have
similar symptoms so you may want to have an expert diagnose your ailing tree
before removing it or treating other oaks.
Try contacting your county Extension office or a reputable tree care
company.
Once an oak gets Oak Wilt disease it can’t be
cured. You can try and prevent the
disease from infecting other nearby oaks in several ways. There are chemical treatments that will keep
a tree from getting the disease but they are expensive and should be done by an
experienced person. They need to be
repeated every 2 years. This is usually
done for one or two special trees in the landscape. They should be started as soon as one has a
tree in the landscape or neighborhood diagnosed with Oak Wilt.
If one tree in an area is infected and other similar
species are nearby trenching needs to be done to break connection between the
root systems. The trench needs to be 5
feet deep, although it only needs to be a couple inches wide. It’s usually done at the dripline of the
infected/dead tree, and its good practice to then put trenches between
remaining healthy oaks too. There are
machines called vibration trenchers which do a good job but the equipment must
be able to get to the trees and one usually needs to hire someone to do it. If
an infected oak isn’t completely dead it shouldn’t be removed before trenching
is done between trees as the fungus will tend to migrate quickly to healthy
trees when it’s cut.
Trenching can be disruptive to a home landscape and may
involve getting neighbors to cooperate.
It is sometimes impossible to cut the contact between roots that may
occur beneath cement or in densely wooded areas. Treating healthy trees is then the only
option. All trees may not have grafted
roots together so there is some hope.
Between April and July you should never prune oak
trees, even if all seem healthy in an area. Since rare infections can happen
after July I would hold off on any pruning that you can until the tree is
dormant in late fall. If a tree must be
pruned for some reason or is damaged in a storm use tree paint on the cut
surface or lacking that use a latex paint.
Most tree wounds do not need pruning paint but oaks are an exception
unless dormant. If you can’t reach storm
damaged areas and want to make sure the tree stays healthy you may want to get
chemical preventatives started immediately.
Once a tree is dead from Oak Wilt it should be
immediately cut down. The stump should
be painted with latex paint or tree paint if it’s not pulled from the ground. Chip up as much of the removed oak as
possible, the chips are fine to use in the landscape. Larger pieces of trunk should be debarked,
cut, split and dried thoroughly. Do not
leave large pieces of trunk lying around, these may develop fungal pads and
attract insects which spread the disease.
Don’t move oak firewood off the property. It’s fine to burn it.
Oaks could be turned into lumber and kiln dried if
there is a mill nearby but this must be done right after cutting the tree down
and one should check with your local state and local authorities to see if
there are any regulations preventing this.
Prevention is best when it comes to Oak Wilt
disease. Don’t prune oak trees when
trees aren’t dormant. Don’t bring oak wood
from other places to your property. Be a
good citizen and don’t take your oak wood off your property. Watch for symptoms of Oak Wilt and protect
nearby oak trees immediately.
Here’s a pamphlet you can read on Oak Wilt from the
USDA
Growing
beets
My grandfather always grew beets and I can remember the
variety, 'Detroit Dark Red'. That variety is still available and still good. Beets are grown for their tasty greens and
tasty roots. They are an early crop that
can be planted when it’s still cool and harvested in as early as 6-8 weeks. Beets
are closely related to chard.
Most beet roots are red but there are yellow and white
rooted varieties too. Many beet roots are rounded ball shapes, but others have
flattened spheres or even cylindrical roots like carrots. Each root has several broad oval leaves on
top. The leaves may have red stems and
streaks, especially in red rooted varieties. There are varieties with leaves
that are completely red when young. Young leaves are excellent in salads and some
people grow beets just for the leaves.
'Detroit Dark Red' is still a good beet. Other good red beets are 'Early Wonder Tall Top', 'Lutz Green Leaf', 'Red Ace', and 'Merlin'.
Gold root beets include 'Bolder' and 'Touchstone'. White root beets include 'Avalanche' and 'Albino'. Long tapered beet roots include 'Cylindra', a favorite for canning and 'McGregor’s Favorite'. 'Chiogga' is a beet with
alternating red and white bands when cut. 'Bulls Blood' is often used for greens production.
Planting
Beets are almost always grown from seed directly
planted in the ground. The wrinkly
looking things that come from the seed packet are actually seed pods containing
several seeds. You can buy pelleted beet
seeds which make them easier to handle and space.
Plant your beets in a sunny place, 4 weeks before the
last expected frost, or when the soil temperature has reached 45 degrees. They
aren’t fussy about soil but of course most root vegetables do best in loose,
loamy soil. Soil pH should be 6-7. Beets
are considered moderate in fertilizer needs.
If your soil is low in fertility work in some general purpose vegetable
fertilizer before planting. Prepare soil by loosening it about 8 inches deep
and removing large rocks.
Make a trench about a ½ inch deep, place seeds along it
an inch apart, and cover the row with soil.
Rows should be 15-18 inches apart. Beets need consistent moisture to
germinate so if it is dry keep the rows sprinkled. Expect seeds to germinate in 5-14 days
depending on weather. Since each “seed”
you planted is actually a pod you’ll probably get several plants at each
planting location. Once they have 2-3 leaves thin beets to one per 3
inches. Those thinned beets are good in
salad. Some people transplant the tiny
thinned seedlings but that’s a lot of work.
Problems beets might have are flea beetles, leaf miners
and leaf hoppers. These don’t harm the
roots but might make the leaves less appealing.
You can cover the beets with light weight spun row cover if you
typically have problems with these insects.
Beets sometimes get scabby looking areas on the roots. These are brown rough areas. It’s the same disease that affects
potatoes. Scab is more likely in high pH
soil and in soils that a lot of manure has been put on. Scab looks bad but it can simply be peeled/cut
off and the beets are fine to eat.
Harvest
and storage
You can harvest beets anytime they are big enough for
your taste. However it’s best not to let
beets get too large as they tend to become woody and tough when large. If left too long beets will send up a flower
stalk and put their energy into producing seeds. Most beet harvest should be done by
mid-summer.
If you want both beet greens and beet roots go easy on
pulling the leaves. Only harvest one or
two leaves per plant. You may want to
plant a variety that puts more energy into leaves and only has a small root.
To store beets for a short time wash them, trim off the
tops and store in the refrigerator. Most
people can excess beets, although they can be cooked and frozen, the texture
wouldn’t be great. You could freeze beets turned into juice. Red beets have juice that can stain so
remember that when handling them. The
juice can be used as a dye.
Beets are high in potassium, magnesium and Vitamin
C. They also provide some iron and
Vitamin B6. They are also high in fiber.
As they are easy to grow and can provide two different crops, leaves and
roots, they are an excellent addition to the food garden.
Forsythia
In most of the temperate areas of the world, the golden
flowers of forsythia signify that spring is here. This cheerful, yellow spring
flowering shrub is native to Europe and Eastern Asia but it’s hardy to zone 4 and
is easy to grow. Forsythia is used in foundation plantings, as specimen plants,
in perennial borders and as hedges. The smaller varieties blend well in larger
perennial beds. Forsythia blooms are
edible and are sometimes used in spring salads.
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| Forsythia Credit Wikipedia |
Forsythia is one of those rare plants that are most
often referred to by the Latin name, (Forsythia
sp.). There are many species of
Forsythia, but two species Forsythia
suspensa and F. viridissima and
their hybrids account for most garden specimens. Many cultivars are on the markets which have
been developed from sports or mutations.
The yellow, four petal flowers of forsythia open before
the plant leafs out in the spring. Flowers turn into a long, two chambered seed
capsule with a short beak, maturing in late summer. Forsythia has narrow, dark green leaves with a
lighter underside, and a serrated edge.
There are also variegated and golden leaved varieties.
In most areas forsythia is a robust grower and spreads
rapidly by suckering. Forsythia looks
best when allowed to develop its natural, gently arching shape, but can be
pruned into a hedge.
Some
varieties
‘Lynwood Gold’
and ‘Spectabilis’ are two of the
oldest varieties of forsythia. Both are
large shrubs, up to 6 foot tall, with arching stems of golden flowers. ‘Karl
Sax’ has large, deep golden flowers with a bushier, more horizontal growth
habit. ‘Northern Sun’ is a variety developed in Canada whose buds are hardy
to zone 4 or less. For smaller, more compact forsythias try ‘Golden Peep’, which grows to about 3’
and has a rounded growth habit, or ‘Goldilocks’
only about 30 inches high with blooms that cover the stems totally. ‘Gold Tide’
has light lemon yellow flowers and is a groundcover about 2 ’ high. Another dwarf variety is ‘Citrus Swizzle’, which is not only
small, 1’ high by 3’ wide, but has leaves edged in yellow as well as golden
flowers. ‘Fiesta’ is a bit larger, with leaves variegated with deep
yellow. ‘Goldleaf’ has golden flowers and leaves. ‘Golden Times’ is a true gem.
It has golden yellow flowers on a moderately sized plant, but it also
has leaves that open in shades of red and pink which mature to purple and in fall
change to a glowing purple-pink.
Planting
and caring for forsythia
Forsythia is purchased as a plant. It transplants best in the spring but can
also be planted in the fall Forsythia
will grow in any garden soil from zone 4-8 as long as it is well drained. In zone 4 forsythia buds are sometimes
killed by winter cold, but the plant will not be harmed. For the best flowers, forsythia should be
planted in full sun, but it will tolerate part shade. The plant grows quickly
and has few pests and diseases.
Deer love forsythia, and if the branch ends are nibbled
in the winter you will not have flowers.
You may want to protect your plants with netting or fencing. Forsythia seldom needs to be fertilized and
only needs to be watered during periods of extreme drought.
If pruning is needed, prune forsythia immediately after
flowering. Thin out some of the older
growth and trim the plant back to the size you prefer. If the plant is
overgrown and you need to drastically reduce the size, you can prune it at any
time quite severely and the plant will generally recover. However, you will lose much of the flowers
for the next year. Shearing forsythia as
a hedge will also remove some of next year’s flowers as hedges need to be
trimmed several times. Most varieties set
flower buds far down the stems so some flowers may remain even when the plant
is sheared.
Forsythia roots easily from cuttings taken in early
spring just after flowering. Branches
brought into the house as floral arrangements sometimes even root in the water.
Forsythia can also be propagated by burying a lower branch in soil and weighing
it down, leaving the tip of the branch exposed. After a few months the plant should have
developed roots along the buried portion, and can be severed from the parent
plant and transplanted. Suckers that
come up around the plant can also be dug up and transplanted.
Forsythia stems can be forced for early spring blooms
inside. Just choose branches that have
lots of plump flower buds and bring them inside and place in water. You should have flowers in just a short time.
Herbal
uses of forsythia
Forsythia has been used in Chinese medicine and folk
medicine for a long time. Traditional uses include treatments for bronchitis,
sore throat, fever, inflammation, skin infections, acne, and gonorrhea. It is
the seed capsule or fruit that is most often used for medicine, collected while
green usually. The seeds can be pressed
to make oil. Sometimes the seeds are
steeped into a tea. A decoction of the
flowers is used to wash the face for acne and skin conditions. As stated earlier the flowers are edible and
are sometimes used in salads.
Modern medical studies found that forsythia has mild
antibiotic/anti-inflammatory properties. One herbal mixture with forsythia included has
been used intravenously in some bronchial conditions with limited success.
Forsythia has blood thinning properties and should not be used by persons
taking other blood thinners.
Forsythia concoctions should not be used during
pregnancy as forsythia is known to cause bleeding and uterine contractions. Studies in mice indicate forsythia may cause
chromosomal abnormalities.
Sour
cream and craisin pie
If you don’t have much frozen fruit left in the
refrigerator and are craving a pie this recipe may be just the thing. This recipe is a slightly updated version of
old fashioned raisin pie. Instead of
raisins I like to use dried cranberries, (craisins), or dried cherries if I can
find them cheap enough. You can use raisins though, if that’s what you have in
the house.
This recipe is a creamy, sweet treat that isn’t too
hard to make. It’s a great early spring
dessert. It needs to be chilled before
serving so make it 4 or more hours before you intend to serve it.
Filling
ingredients
16 oz. carton (2 cups) sour cream
1 ½ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
3 tablespoons flour
You will also need one 9 inch pie crust pre-baked.
Meringue
3 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tarter
¾ cup sugar
Directions
Put the filling ingredients in a saucepan and cook over
medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and is beginning to
bubble. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Now for the meringue put the egg whites and cream of
tartar in a large bowl and beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Drizzle the sugar in by the tablespoon,
beating at high speed, 3-4 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Place the warm filling in the baked pie crust. Spread the meringue evenly over the
filling. Bake for 15 minutes at 350
degrees until the meringue is lightly browned.
Cool on the counter on a wire rack for an hour. Then cover and chill for at least 3 hours
before serving.
Flowers don't worry about how
they're going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that
makes them beautiful. ~Jim Carrey
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
© Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used
without permission.
And
So On….
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