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Tuesday, April 2, 2019

April 2, 2019


Hi Gardeners

The weather has been spring like here, a bit of snow on Sunday quickly melted.  I finally have my first flowers in bloom, winter aconite.  The crocus should bloom soon.  The frogs are now singing, and our pond is ice free. Indoors my amaryllis is on it's 9th flower.

I moved the live fir tree I was given for Christmas outside in its pot and as soon as I have time, I’ll get it planted.  Some of my tender bulb pots on the porch are sprouting, a good sign spring is here.  Unfortunately, we have squirrels coming in through the attic and down into the porch and I found they ate the tubers of my ginger plant.  It was semi-dormant on the porch. I saw a squirrel digging in the pot and realized the damage. I am hoping a few pieces remain that can re-sprout. I can’t wait to move most of the plants on the porch outside.

I’ve got the wire around my front bed with most of the tulips, but I have yet to hook up the electricity.  My gardening plans have been put on hold a bit because my husband was hospitalized last week, and I have been spending time with him.  Hopefully he will be home soon and I can spend less time driving and more gardening. 

Because I have been spending less time at home the blog is a bit shorter this week.

April almanac

April’s full moon is the 19th.  April’s full moon is known as the Pink moon, egg moon or grass moon. It’s known as the pink moon because it is when the pink wild creeping phlox usually blooms. The moon perigee falls on the 16th and moon apogee is April 28th. The Lyrid Meteor shower peaks on April 22nd but the moon will still be nearly full, and it may be hard to see them this year.  You will have a better chance to view the May 5th, Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower.

Holidays in April are Golfers day the 10th, National Pecan Day 14th, National Garlic Day 19th, Christian Easter 21st,Earth Day 22nd, Executive Administrative day and Zucchini bread day the 23rd, Arbor day 25th, International Astronomy Day and Orthodox Easter the 28th. 

April is National Lawn and Garden Month as well as Keep America Beautiful month.   It’s also National Humor month, National Pecan month and National Poetry month.  April’s birthstone is the diamond and the birth flower is the sweet pea.  In the language of flowers, the sweet pea means either goodbye or blissful love, depending on who’s translating, I guess.

Garden chores for April include seeding lawns, planting trees and shrubs, getting seeds and bulbs started indoors in zones 5-6 and maybe planting lettuce and peas outside and putting some pretty pansies in pots for color.  In warmer zones you may be planting more crops outside like onions, carrots and even tomatoes and peppers and planting those annual bedding plants and containers.

April is a good month to divide perennials and move plants you want to relocate. And get those mowers tuned up and ready to go, most areas of the country will mow at least once in April.

How Hairy Balls can help Monarchs

For those of you who want to help the monarchs and other pollinators and gardeners who want unusual plants to start a conversation, the Hairy Balls plant Gomphocarpus physocarpus, may be just the plant for you. It’s also an excellent plant for those who like to make dried flower arrangements.

There are dozens of common names for the plant; Oscar, balloon plant, balloon cotton-bush, balloon milkweed, bishop’s balls, elephant balls, monkey balls, Goose plant, and Giant swan milkweed are a few.  You may also find it being called Asclepias physocarpa, it’s former botanical name.  There is a similar species called swan plant that is sometimes confused with Hairy Balls, Gomphocarpus fruticosus, but it’s harder to grow and harder to find.
Hairy balls
Flickr wallygrom

Hairy Balls is both a larval food and a nectar food for monarchs. It’s in the milkweed family and monarch caterpillars love it.  Some monarch raising sites highly recommend it for rearing monarch caterpillars, particularly inside, as it is sturdy, large and supports lots of caterpillars on a single plant.  It is not, however a native plant, it is a native of southeast Africa.  Native plant purists will miss out on this interesting plant.

The hairy balls plant is a tropical shrub, it’s hardy only to zone 8, but gardeners in colder zones can grow it as a tender annual.  Some people overwinter it in pots but as it is fast growing you could just use it like an annual.  In zones 5 and lower, however, the part that gives the plant it’s cute name, the round, hairy seed pods, may not have time to ripen before frost.

Hairy balls has a single main trunk with numerous hollow stems.  The leaves are light green and a narrow blade shape, arranged opposite each other on the stems. Plants can get very tall, up to 6 feet high, in long seasons. The stems exude a sticky white sap when broken like most milkweeds. And like other native milkweeds they are toxic to livestock and pets.

Hairy balls blooms late in the summer, one of the last nectar sources for pollinators.  The flowers are white with a purple center and produced in loose clusters from leaf axils.  They are shaped like the typical milkweed flower, with 5 broader white petals at the base that droop downward, 5 cup shaped purple tinged modified petals in the center that surround the stamens, and in the center a 5-pointed star shaped pistil (female part).  The flowers have a light vanilla scent.

Gomphocarpus physocarpus flowers are self-unfertile.  If you want the showy seed pods, you’ll need to grow 2 plants.  While butterflies like the nectar it is wasps that pollinate the flowers.  Mud dauber type wasps are very attracted to the plant.  This may affect where you will want to plant hairy balls, you won’t want to attract wasps near places humans sit or eat.
When flowers are pollinated hairy balls will produce large round seed pods that are light green and covered with soft white spines that look like hairs, hence the name. The pods will turn tan with some red botches as they mature. They are packed with the cottony fluff typical of milkweed pods, each bit of fluff is attached to a small brown seed.  They are on long stems which make them excellent for dried flower arrangements.

How to grow hairy balls

You could sure have fun with that sentence.  However, I’ll stick to botanical tips.  You can start with seeds or buy plants to get started.  If you want to start with seeds here’s the procedure.  In zones 7 and lower start the seeds indoors about 8 weeks before your last frost is expected. Soak the seeds overnight in warm water. Put them in pots of sterile, moistened seed starting mix, a few seeds to a pot.  Press the seeds gently into the planting medium but don’t cover them, they need light to germinate.

Keep the pots moist and in bright light. They should germinate in 7-10 days.  Thin plants or transplant once true leaves have grown, one plant to a 2-3 inch pot. They need very strong light to grow sturdy stems. You may need a grow light. Transplant the seedlings to large pots – 10 inches or more – or into the garden after danger of frost has passed.  Harden them off for a few days before transplanting outside.

Plants grow quickly from seed and in most areas of the country they will be able to produce flowers and pods if started inside 8 weeks before the last frost.  They will then flower in August and September.

In the garden or outside in pots, the plants need full sun.  They are not too fussy about soil type as long as it’s well drained, but should be kept well-watered, especially just after transplanting.  The plants aren’t particularly attractive so you may want to plant them in the back behind showier plants.
 
In some cases, the plants may need staking, especially as the pods develop.  Some people recommend pinching back plants in early summer to make them more compact, but if you do this you risk them not blooming before frost in short season areas.
Plants only need fertilization in very poor soils. Plants sometimes get aphids, but that’s the only common insect pest.  Deer and rabbits don’t eat the plants.

If you are in zone 8 and higher it’s a good idea to cut the plants to the ground in early winter and remove the stems to the compost pile.  This helps prevent overwintering virus diseases that can affect monarchs and other butterflies.  The plants will return from the roots.  In zones that have hard freezes viruses won’t be a problem, but you will need to pull the dead plants from the garden.
Hairy balls seedpod
Flickr wallygrom

Propagation

If you want to save seeds you need to wait until the pods mature on the plant.  It’s best to let the pods begin to split before collecting seeds.  If they totally split however the seeds will fly away on the wind.  In the north they probably will not germinate where they land and so are wasted. If you are in zone 8 or warmer you may also want to collect seed before it flies away as in this case the seeds might germinate and become invasive.

In the north seeds sometimes won’t mature before a hard frost.  That’s why some people plant hairy balls in large pots so they can move them to a protected spot inside for the pods to mature. You could also try covering plants on frosty nights for a while.  Some people have had success ripening the pods if they are nearly mature by pulling the whole plant and hanging it in a warm spot inside, this will take up some room.

The plants can be overwintered inside in a warm greenhouse or under lights. But it might be better to start cuttings in late summer and overwinter smaller plants.  Stem cuttings are not hard to root.

If you want to save the pods for dried flower arrangements, you’ll want to collect pods before they split, while they are still green. You should be able to cut off a fairly long stem with several hairy balls on it. Hang them somewhere warm to dry inside for a few days.

What could be more interesting than showing people some hairy balls in your garden? Why not try some of these interesting plants this year.  While not native they are very helpful to pollinators and the monarch butterfly likes them for baby feeding.  There are some links below to places that sell hairy balls seed or plants. Logee’s sells plants but they are expensive.  You may find the seeds in other places too.


The color red in the garden

I love the color red, in all it’s many shades.  I love crimson red roses and deep plum red peonies and orange red poppies. But red can be a hard color to fit into the garden palette. Some shades of red tend to disappear when viewed from a distance and others seem to draw the eye closer.

If you have ever tried to pick a color to paint a room from a selection of paint chips on cards you know there can be hundreds of variations of a color.  Hues are considered pure colors, they are the primary colors on the color wheel, red, blue, and yellow.  When you combine two of these colors equally you get the secondary colors of orange, purple or violet, and green.  When you combine a secondary and primary color equally you get what is called a tertiary color like red-orange, or magenta (purple and red) and so on.

Red is a primary color, between blue and yellow on the color wheel.  Color is a spectrum, when red gets close to the blue part of the color spectrum you have the bluish reds, an even mixture of red and blue is purple.  When red gets close to yellow on the color wheel you have the yellowish reds and an even mixture of red and yellow makes orange. Typically, the orange reds and purple reds clash with each other.  In the garden they look better separated by white, silver or gray.
Geraniums, coleus and impatiens

From hues we go to tints, which are paler versions of any of the hues, and shades, which are darker versions.  When a color is mixed with both black and white, or gray, it’s called a tone. When red is mixed with white you get the various colors of pink and coral, with black the colors maroon and burgundy appear.  Many flowers that are called black are deep red.

Often you can’t tell what color of red will blend with the other colors in your garden or container until you actually put the colors close together. Descriptions in catalogs may call the color red but the range of colors in red is vast.  If harmonious color schemes are important to you try to see the actual plant in bloom or it’s best foliage stage ( because foliage can be red shades too).

In the garden the deep reds and reds toward the blue spectrum have a tendency to disappear unless they are against a lighter background.  Crimson roses against a white fence pop out beautifully but the same rose surrounded by green foliage or other dark colored flowers isn’t as visible.  The paler pinks and rosy pinks mix well with the pure reds and blue-reds.  Some shades of blue also mix well with the true reds and blue-reds.



The reds with some yellow and orange in them draw the eye and the orange reds blend well with yellows of various tints and tones.  A mixture of these colors is warm and cheery.  These reds are less effective against white backgrounds but can be stunning against a dark green, dark brown or black background.  Various tints and shades of coral will make pleasing combinations with some of the orange and yellow reds. 

The true reds and reds toward the blue-red spectrum often work best as accent colors rather than in masses. Red is a good attention grabber for containers, or a focal point and it can sometimes be achieved with foliage as well as flowers.  Plants with red foliage include amaranth, coleus, Japanese maples, heuchera, some sedums, cordyline,

The opposite is true for many shades of red toward the yellow spectrum, the orange reds often show up well in masses – like a field of poppies or a big pot of marigolds.

Red flowers aren’t as popular with butterflies and bees, but hummingbirds are often attracted to them.  Tubular shaped red flowers like trumpet vine, and salvia, lobelia and pentas are favorites.
Salvia

Red is beautiful.  Don’t be afraid of using it in the garden.

April is a time to plant trees

April is a great month to plant trees for those in planting zones 6 and lower.  Bare root, balled and burlapped or potted trees all respond well to planting when the weather is cool and wet.  Early May is still fine for bare-root trees that have been well cared for and balled or potted trees and shrubs can be planted until late September if they are well cared for as they acclimate to a new spot. If you are in zone 7 and 8 the best time for bare root planting is over but potted and balled plants can still be planted.

Unfortunately, many old ideas about tree planting still exist among people who work in landscaping nurseries and garden stores.  Research done at places such as Michigan State University has helped us better understand the process a tree goes through when it has to re-establish itself after transplanting.  The newer advice, backed by research, helps ensure that your trees will get off to a better start and continue to grow for many, many years.  Here are some things that you should do or have your landscaper do, to get those new trees off to a healthy start.

This advice is for trees planted in the landscape, as ornamental or fruiting trees.  A re-forestation project, involving hundreds of small seedlings requires some adjustments to technique, although following the advice below would give those trees a great start too.

Don’t soak the tree roots for long

Do not put bare root trees in a pail of water for longer than an hour. You can moisten the packing material or wrap a bare root tree in some moistened paper, for holding for a day or two.  Keep them in a cool place.  Try not to hold bare root trees for more than a few days before planting.  Soaking the roots too long will rot them and the tree will probably die.

Make sure trees in pots or ball and burlapped are watered, but not too wet.  They must be able to drain well.  Do not sit pots or root balls directly in water.

Preparing the hole

Prepare a hole three times as wide, but no deeper than the root ball.  If the tree is bare-root when you buy it, look at the trunk for a dark “ring” area to show you the level the tree was growing at before it was dug for the depth of your hole.  If it’s hard to determine the original growing level look for the highest branch root and make the hole just deep enough that the top root will be about an inch under the soil.

Contrary to what most people think, most types of trees have root systems that remain in the top three feet of soil.  Even if they are a species that has a deeper tap root, that root grows more slowly than lateral roots when first transplanted.  The tree needs to send out lateral, (side) roots so that it can start grabbing water and minerals to support new top growth and it needs to stabilize itself, so it doesn’t topple in the wind.   Having loose soil in a wide area around the root system is the key to faster establishment.

Planting at the right depth

Trees that are not planted at the right depth may grow, although some species are fussier about this than others.  But the tree may be in for a lifetime of problems if it wasn’t planted at the optimum level.  If you look at a mature tree that was planted at the right depth it will be wider at the bottom, the wider part is called a root flare.  Trees planted too deeply will have trunks that appear to be straight, without widening, right to the ground.  A trunk that flares at the bottom is stronger and able to withstand wind better.  Trees that were planted too shallow usually don’t survive to maturity.  

You get a tree planted at the right level by looking for that top root.   The highest root branching off the main root on the tree should be just below the ground, about 1 inch below it.  On some very small bare root trees you may need to look closely at the main root to see where branching is beginning.  

To see where the top branching root is in a balled and burlapped tree is you need to remove the burlap.  That will be covered in more detail below.   When trees are put into burlap roots may be twisted up higher than they were growing, and soil piled up above that.  You need to uncover the root system in that ball to see where the top root naturally lies.  With a potted tree you can usually line up the soil surface at the top of the pot with the ground level where you are planting it.  You will, of course, be removing the pot.

Removing anything that isn’t “tree”

Once the tree is in the hole at the right level everything must be removed from around the root system.  Here is where many landscapers balk at the new recommendations that say all burlap, wire cages and even so called peat pots must be removed before filling in the hole.  You can leave the burlap on the root ball until it’s in the hole - where you can cut away most of it- but it should be removed.  There are a couple of good reasons to do this.   So called peat pots must be removed before the roots are placed in the hole.

Modern “burlap” is often composed of synthetic materials that really don’t break down quickly in soil.   Tree roots may still be contained in those packages years after planting.  That’s not a good thing because the roots need to spread out to support new top growth.  And any burlap that gets exposed to the air wicks moisture away from tree roots.  Peat pots are even worse at restricting root spreading.  Trees need to get those lateral roots growing the first few months after planting, not years down the line.

And you need to inspect that root system before you fill the hole, another reason to remove burlap.  Roots that have circled around and around in pots or burlap balls will continue to grow in circles after being placed into the ground.  This may eventually strangle the tree, even years after planting.  And as mentioned above, you need to know where the top branching root is to properly place the root system.

Make sure all strings, wire, rope etc. are also removed from the roots and also the trunk and branches of a tree.  As a tree grows these things cut through the area that transports food and water and any parts above the constricting item will die.

Root washing- should you do it?

Many garden professionals are now advocating that all the soil be washed off the roots of trees and shrubs that you purchase in pots or that are balled and burlapped.  When you remove the soil, you can see the root system and correct any problems or if the plant ‘s roots are in horrible shape, you can return it for a refund- sometimes.  Some experts think removing the soil around the roots helps plants adjust more quickly to the new soil they will be planted into.

To root wash all you do is remove pots or burlap and use a hose to gently wash away all the soil. If you can’t use a hose, you can sometimes use buckets of water or set the plants roots in a tub off water and swish it gently.  It can take a little work to get all the soil out if the plant is badly pot bound.

After the soil is washed away you can untangle the roots, clip off badly circling roots, and spread the roots out. (See the section below about helping roots grow right.)  Keep the roots damp as you work on them. Washing the roots doesn’t usually damage them much, so don’t worry about that.  And roots can withstand a bit of pruning without harm too. 

If you root wash, you must be prepared to plant the tree or shrub immediately after the soil is washed away and problems corrected.  You can’t leave it sitting in the open air where the roots will dry out.  If you are planting several trees at once you could wrap the washed roots in wet cloth or paper for an hour or so.  Keep them out of the wind and sun until planted.

I am not totally swayed by the root washing theory, at least for all plants.  If I remove the pot or burlap and there are few roots on the outside of the root ball, I remove a bit of potting soil at the top until I uncover the top horizontal root to find the correct planting depth and leave it at that. Sometimes a gentle shake or thump will dislodge enough soil so the roots can be seen. If soil crumbles away from the roots and I can spread them easily horizontally I will plant those trees without washing the roots.

If you remove a tree or shrub from a pot or burlap and you see that the rootball is very root bound and there appears to be circling roots, then it’s a good idea to wash off the soil and examine the root structure.  For very expensive trees or shrubs a careful root washing might be a good precaution.

If you wash the roots and the plant has badly circling roots, the worse case scenario, you may want to take it back to where you purchased it for a refund/replacement.  The plant will probably not survive if planted like this. However, some places may not accept a plant back that’s been root washed and is out of the container.  That’s wrong, but it’s a hard thing to challenge. 

Helping roots grow right

When planting trees never wrap a root around the hole- spread it out horizontally.  If it’s really too long, trim it off to fit the hole, but never spiral it around the hole.  When you see those roots that have circled the pot as described above, they must be loosened before replacing soil.   If you can loosen them with your fingers and spread them out that’s a sign the circling wasn’t too advanced.   Good nurseries either root trim or repot trees to keep them from getting root bound.

If the roots are thickly layered at the bottom of the pot or root ball or around the sides you’ll need to trim them.  If it’s just at the bottom, trim off the circling roots, making a slice across the bottom an inch or so deep.  Then slightly flare out the remaining soil and roots.  If roots are really circled heavily up the side of the pot make several cuts length wise through the roots, as well as trimming the bottom, and hope for the best.

Roots that are circling when planted will probably continue to spiral around the main root or trunk.  This may eventually kill the tree by choking off the supply of water and food, sometimes years after planting. 

Spread roots sideways in the planting hole, except for any central main root.   Don’t squish all the roots down vertically into the hole.   Any larger roots that are broken can be trimmed.

Refill with what you removed

You’ll see the signs advising you to buy amendments and the sales staff may try to convince you, but don’t buy peat or topsoil or anything else to add to the planting soil as you plant your tree.  Research has shown that trees establish better if the hole is refilled with what you took out.  After all, that is the soil that the tree will be living in after the roots grow through your small amended area.  It is easier for the tree to adapt to new conditions if it starts right away and it doesn’t have to re-adjust its root system when it grows through the amendments and into the surrounding soil.

Holes filled with “good stuff” may hold too much moisture next to roots, especially if you throw a bag of peat into heavy clay soil.  The roots sit in water and rot.  And trees may not extend their roots quickly into surrounding soil if it’s easier to grow roots inside an amended area.  This can lead to circling roots, with the tree being strangled or to a poorly established root system that can’t support the tree in a wind storm or through a drought.

You can add a little slow release fertilizer to the soil you are going to backfill with.  Don’t throw it in the hole, mix it into the soil you removed and then refill the hole.

Don’t prune and don’t stake- usually

It’s not necessary to remove one third of the tree as some older advice may lead you to believe.  Research has shown the tree needs top growth to make food so the root system can grow. Prune off any broken branches and any branches that cross or rub each other, that’s all.  You can shape the tree once it has established itself, usually after one growing season.

Most new trees should not be staked.  They grow stronger trunks and wider root systems if the tree is allowed to sway in the wind.  There are some exceptions.  New evergreens planted in the fall or in high wind areas may need to be staked for one growing season.  Some ornamental weeping trees will need to be staked at least for a growing season, some for much longer.  If you do stake a tree check the ropes several times a year to make sure they are not cutting into the tree.

Don’t over water and don’t over mulch

Yes, newly planted trees need to be well watered at planting and they should be watered when needed during the first growing season to get them off to a good start.  But their roots don’t need to be constantly soaked.   In really hot weather and in sandy soil trees may need watering frequently but in most situations a good watering once a week the first season will be enough.

Mulch is good for trees, but it shouldn’t actually touch the tree trunk.  Rot and disease can start where decomposing mulch touches trees.  And never use more than 3 inches of mulch.  Too much mulch absorbs or sheds water before it gets to the soil and it prevents oxygen from reaching tree roots.  To get water and air tree roots may grow up into the mulch instead of down into the soil, which isn’t good for the tree. 

A little care taken during tree planting will do a lot to prevent tree failure.  A tree may leaf out and appear to grow the first season or even several seasons but failure of a tree in the first three years after planting is often due to poor planting procedures. When contracting with a nursery or landscaper to plant your trees make sure they are willing to follow your directions and plant properly.  You are the customer.  If they say your warranty is void if you remove burlap for example, you may want to use another company.  They may replace the tree, but you will have lost valuable growing time if it needs to be replaced.  And unfortunately, the tree may not start to decline until the warranty is up.

You plant trees for the future.  Plant one this month.

Credit Satchari National Park Bangladesh
Abdul Mornin CC By SA 4


He who plants trees loves others besides himself.

Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without permission.

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I write this because I love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my research each week (or things I want to talk about). It keeps me engaged with people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you or anyone you know who would like to receive a notification by email when a new blog is published have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com


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