Flowers are really beginning to pop now. The crocus are at
full bloom. Iris reticulata and winter aconite are blooming. A few Glory of the
Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii), corydalis and daffodils are in bloom too. I took a
cat to the vet to be neutered early this morning about 10 miles south of me. The
daffodils in front of the building were in full bloom, just a few miles makes a
big difference.
The early tulips are budding and so far, they have escaped
deer attention, (I probably shouldn’t have written that.) So far, no bloodroot
is blooming although I’m keeping a lookout.
Hyacinths are budding too. There are leaves on some of my roses and on
the honeysuckle and barberry.
Unfortunately, I ran into a dead possum in one of my
flowerbeds yesterday. No idea what killed him. I am not going to compost him in
place though- I put him out beside the road in front of the old pasture for the
vultures. There’s a dead deer just down the road so they will be feasting for a
while. Hopefully they will have cleaned
the plate by the next warm spell.
The grass is greening up and next week we will get the mower
out and get it running. Garden clean up
and prepping the new veggie garden is ongoing. I ordered a JawSaw- have any of
you used one? It’s a chain saw with a guard that’s like jaws, and they clamp
around small limbs and cut them. I’m
getting a battery powered one and hopefully I’ll be able to do some pruning and
sapling cutting around here.
This weekend I started several more types of flower seed, I
have lots of little pots under the grow lights. Things are crowded now and for
the next month or so. I saved some of each seed packet to sow directly into the
ground, that way I’ll have some early bloom and then a larger, later bloom.
This week before it rained, I applied fertilizer to most of
my flower beds. I do this every spring just as plants start coming out of the
ground. It’s a boost for the spring blooming bulbs, allowing them to produce
bigger flowers next year. And it also gives the perennials in the bed a good
start. I do avoid fertilizing some plants, like the lavender, which like “lean”
soil.
I simply apply a slow-release granular fertilizer throughout the bed, following label directions. I will also be applying compost in the beds from time to time. Compost is good for the soil, improving the texture and supplying some nutrients, but it’s not fertilizer and often does not supply all the elements soil may need. I recommend using compost generously, but also fertilizing if necessary.
For my perennial flower plants, the spring fertilizing is
all they will get in the year. I do fertilize annual plants once or twice more during
the summer. Container plantings will get more fertilizing than those in the
ground as watering leaches out the nutrients. My vegetable garden gets
fertilized as I plant, and unless there seems to be problems later, that’s all
it gets. I sometimes fertilize trees or shrubs if they appear to need it.
I don’t fertilize my lawn at all. It seems silly to
fertilize a lawn to make it grow so I can mow it more often. If you like a
plush, perfect green lawn and don’t mind mowing you’ll want to fertilize it
both in spring and fall.
Every few years I get soil tests done, but as I have gardened
in this spot for many, many years I have a good idea of what it needs to grow
well. Newer gardeners or gardeners who have moved to a different growing
environment may not be so certain as to what their gardens need.
The best way to know what soil elements are lacking and need
to be replenished is to have a soil test done. Do this in early spring, as soon
as the soil is thawed and dried a bit, so you have time to get the results and
correct imbalances before planting or before plants begin growing. Its especially
important when you haven’t gardened in the spot before, or you had many garden
problems the year before.
Contact your local county Extension agency and ask if
they do soil tests. In most states they do, and it’s the best place to get one
done. Garden centers may also offer soil tests. These tests will cost
something, but it’s worth it for the information a good soil test provides.
Plants manufacture their own food by photosynthesis, so it
is technically wrong to call fertilizer plant food. But in order to manufacture
their food plants need certain elements from the soil. The type of rocks that
were broken down long ago and the decayed organic matter in an area determine
the type of soil that area has and the amount of essential minerals and other
nutrients the soil holds.
Sandy soil loses nutrients quickly, they move down through
the large pores between soil particles with water and soon are out of the reach
of plant roots. Sandy soil will need more fertilization than loamy or clay
soils. Clay soils hold water and nutrients very well and may need less
fertilization.
The type of rocks that broke down to form soil in an area
also determine soil pH or how acidic the soil is. Soil nutrients become
available to plants at different levels of soil pH. Some soil may have all of the essential
elements plants need in good amounts, but the soil pH prevents them from using
it. A soil pH of 6.5-7 generally allows for the best use of soil nutrients by most
plants, but some plants need a higher or lower pH. A soil test will help you determine what your
soil pH is and how you should modify it if it’s needed.
Lime raises the soil pH. It’s not a fertilizer and should
not be used unless the soil is too acidic for good plant growth. Using lime
when it isn’t needed may cause some soil elements to be “tied up” and
unavailable to plants.
By the way it’s a good place to mention that Epsom salts are
not fertilizer nor are they needed in the garden. Epsom salts are composed of
magnesium and a little sulfur. Most soil has plenty of both and if you add
unneeded magnesium you risk it interacting with other nutrients and preventing
them from being used by the plants.
Different types of plants use soil nutrients in different amounts. When the same plants grow in the same spot for a long time, the elements they need may become depleted, which leads to poor plant growth. While nitrogen may be returned to soil from the air and decomposition of organic matter, some other soil elements are not easily replenished naturally. But nitrogen is the element that most often needs replenishing, because plants use a lot of it, and it also leaches and dissipates from the soil easily.
Nitrogen promotes leafy (vegetative) growth and if too much
is applied some plants will not flower and fruit well, they are putting their
energy into leaves and stems. So different types of garden plants require
different levels of nitrogen for the best production. Unfortunately a soil test
will not tell you how much nitrogen your soil has, because nitrogen levels
change so quickly.
Chances are good that vegetable gardens and plantings of
annual flowers need fertilization because they grow rapidly and use soil
elements up quickly. If you have used an area for a vegetable garden for more
than 2 years, it probably needs fertilization. If you don’t soil test for some
reason, using a general purpose fertilizer for vegetables in the spring at
planting is probably a good idea.
Roses generally need fertilization. Lawns may need some
fertilization, especially in fall to promote good root growth. Fruit trees and
things like strawberries and grapes generally need some fertilization to perform
at their best. Some plants may have a high requirement for certain minor
elements, called trace elements, for good growth.
Reading a fertilizer bag
All fertilizer bags are required by law to have several
things on the bag. They must have three
numbers on the bag or container. These numbers signify how many pounds of the
major elements that plants need, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in that
order, are in the bag. Nitrogen is first because it is the most important
element for plant growth. Phosphorus in fertilizer is banned in some states
such as Michigan because it pollutes water so that place will be represented by
a 0.
Fertilizer bags must have a list of active ingredients, the
weight of the bag and instructions for proper use. If there are pesticides in the fertilizer,
such as a weed killer, the pesticide name and the pesticide registration number
must also be on the bag.
The three numbers on the bag are based on 100 pounds of
fertilizer. A bag marked 15-20-15 would have 15 pounds of nitrogen, 20 pounds
of phosphorus and 15 pounds of potassium per 100 pounds of fertilizer. If the
bag was a 50-pound bag then you would have about seven and a half pounds of
nitrogen, (and half the other minerals), in that bag. The rest of the weight
would be made up of fillers, micronutrients, pesticides or other things.
Many fertilizers also indicate what types of plants the fertilizer would be good for. These often contain trace minerals certain plants need, like iron for citrus trees or chemicals that lower soil pH, like sulfur or aluminum in fertilizers for acid loving plants like blueberries and rhododendrons. A fertilizer high in nitrogen, the first number, is usually used for lawns. If it doesn’t contain a weed killer it could be used on corn or ornamental grasses.
But high nitrogen fertilizers are not as good for vegetables
where the fruit or root is consumed, like tomatoes and carrots. In this case
you’ll want a fertilizer labeled for flowers or for specific plants, like tomatoes.
A general-purpose fertilizer usually has a low nitrogen content such as 5-10-5
or 5-0-5. You could use it on any plants.
Fertilizers that specialize in one species of plants, like
tomatoes, often have micronutrients that the species uses more than other
plants. Tomato fertilizers often have
extra calcium and magnesium, which some people think prevents blossom end rot
and other problems. (It doesn’t.) But you don’t have to buy specific types of
fertilizer for most plants.
Fertilizers that state they are slow release are formulated
so that the little granules of fertilizer break down slowly, releasing
nutrients over a long time. These are preferable in most instances, the
exception is when plants are showing signs of a nutrient deficiency, such as chlorosis
from low nitrogen. In that case a fertilizer that makes nitrogen immediately
available would be better.
All plants don’t need fertilizing.
Some plants do better without extra fertilization, they are
generally plants that evolved in places with poor soil and are very efficient
in using what is available. Some perennials and herbs fall into this category. When
given fertilizer they may grow differently than expected and are more prone to
disease. Plants that are growing well, especially things like trees and shrubs,
may not need fertilization every year.
Too much fertilizer is bad for the plants and bad for the
environment. You can always give plants more fertilizer later if they need it,
but if you over fertilize plants you may burn the roots, cause leggy, weak
growth, and more pest problems. When excess fertilizer washes off the garden
into the water system it can cause major problems, contaminating the water and
causing the excess growth of algae.
It’s a good idea to look up the nutrient requirements for
the various species of perennial plants you tend in your garden. It can help
you make decisions on whether or not you should fertilize them.
Are chemical
fertilizers bad?
Once a gardener determines they need to fertilize their
garden they often worry about what type of fertilizer to use. The short answer
is to use a balanced fertilizer, preferably one that corrects any soil nutrient
imbalance you have and that is suitable for the plants you want to grow and then
don’t worry about how it is made.
People who have no problems scarfing down vitamin and mineral supplements produced from chemicals rather than getting them from healthy foods are some of the worse “organic fertilizer only” proponents. The truth is that when the plants roots take up that nutrient it will be in the same form no matter what the source of it was.
The nitrogen in the blood scraped off the slaughterhouse
floor and dried (organic), is the same as the nitrogen made from the air using
a chemical reaction. The nitrogen in blood meal is broken down by soil
organisms and water until it is a form the plant can take up. It’s the same form
that is taken up from so called chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers just
have the ability to act faster as it’s easier for plant roots to use them.
The only thing chemical fertilizers do not do is add organic
matter to the soil. Organic matter feeds soil microbes and improves soil
texture and helps soil retain moisture. So, it’s a very good thing to add
compost to your garden. Keep using all the compost you can make on your garden.
But while compost returns some nutrients to the soil you may still need fertilizer.
Manure also adds organic matter. But both manure and compost vary tremendously as to what nutrients and how much of it are in each batch. It depends on what went into them and what happened to the material before you got it. So, using them is a crap shoot, unless you have them tested, which you could do. These products are bulky, hard to ship and store, and the longer they sit the more nutrients they lose.
Manure needs to be composted before you use it or applied in
the fall. Fresh manure can burn plants. Even manure that is said to be “cold”
and that doesn’t burn plants should not be used on food plants before
composting. It can be the cause of food born disease like salmonella and
listeria. In rare cases it could carry parasite eggs you might consume.
One more warning about manure and compost that you purchase.
Both can be contaminated by the some of the very harmful chemicals you want to
avoid. Some weed killers can remain in the manure of animals who were fed grass
or hay treated with the weed killers or in plants used for compost and they can
harm your plants.
Manure can be contaminated with chemicals used on animals to
control pests or treat them for parasites. Traces of antibiotics and other
medicines remain in manure. I would advise you not use purchased manure and
compost on food plants. If you raise animals and know what’s in their manure,
or you make your own compost then those materials are fine for the garden.
If the manure is dried and sterilized by heat, as some packages
claim, it’s not very much different than chemical fertilizers, except for the
higher price. It’s safe to use and probably has the nutrient levels determined.
There are now dry powdered fertilizers on the market that
are said to be organic. You do know what the nutrient levels of these are as
its required to be on the package. If they are the same price as the non-organic
I will use them. If they are more expensive, I chose a “chemical” fertilizer. In
the end the plants use these fertilizers in the exact same way.
And all those claims of added probiotics and helpful soil
organisms in some organic products really haven’t been shown to offer much
advantage. If you use compost and chemical fertilizers all your bases should be
covered anyway.
Special
germination needs of common garden seeds
Many gardeners are starting seeds right now for spring planting. But did you know many seeds require special treatment if you want them to germinate? Storing seeds – or a dry, dormant period – whether in cold or room temperature surroundings, can be all that’s need for some seeds to germinate. You take them out of storage, plant them inside or outside, keep them moist and soon get new plants. But other seeds require special treatment for good germination.
Here are the plants which have seeds you can plant without
worrying about special conditions. Do consult the seed package or a reference
for how long before the last frost you should plant them, if you are planting
them inside early. Alyssum, begonias, calendula, cleome, coleus, columbine, cornflowers,
cosmos, echinacea, four o’clocks, hollyhocks, impatiens, marigolds, monarda, nasturtium,
pansies, petunias, poppies, salvia, shasta daisy, snapdragons, sunflowers, tithonia,
zinnias.
Basil, beans, beets, borage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, dill, eggplant, kale, lettuce, melons, onions, peas, peppers, pumpkins, radishes, sage, spinach, squash, thyme, tomatoes.
Stratification
Some plants need stratification to properly germinate. In
nature stratification occurs when seeds lay in moist soil and are subjected to
freezing and thawing. Then they are ready to quickly germinate when warmer
conditions occur- the amount of warmth to get them sprouting will vary by
species. The period that they need to be cold also varies. In most cases cold
temperatures are needed in stratification, but in a few plants the seeds must
be stored in warm and moist conditions to get good germination.
Many common garden perennials need cold stratification to
germinate properly. These include; Aconitum, Alchemilla, Asclepias (Milkweed),
Baptisia, Bloodroot, Buddleia, Candytuft, Caryopteris, Chelone, Cimicifuga,
Clematis, Chinese Lantern, Delphinium, Eremurus, Evening Primrose, Filipendula,
Fuchsia, Gentians, Geranium species (Cranesbill Geranium types), Helianthemum,
Helianthus, Heliopsis, Helleborus, Heuchera, Hardy Hibiscus, Hypericum,
Incarvillea (Hardy Gloxinia), Knautia, Lavender, Marsh Marigold, Mazus, Nepeta
(Catmint), Penstemon, Persicaria, Phlox (all types), Platycodon, Primrose, (all
types), Ranunculus, Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan, most types), Saponaria
(Soapwort), Saxifrage, Scabiosa, Sedums, Sempervivums (Hen-and-Chicks),
Sidalcea, St. John’s-Wort, Stokesia, Thalictrum, Tiarella, Tricyrtis
(Toad-lily), Veronica, Violas, Violets, Virginia Bluebells.
Many wildflowers/natives that a gardener might want to
establish also require cold stratification.
Check with experienced native plant growers. It wouldn’t hurt to assume
that most wildflowers that drop seed in late summer and fall would need
stratification.
Gardeners can achieve stratification by simply planting the
seeds of the above plants in the fall in the ground where you want them to grow
and marking the spot. Or you can place the seeds in moist vermiculite in
containers in the crisper of the refrigerator, which will be cold enough for
most seeds. A compromise is to plant the
seeds in pots of sterile potting mix, well moistened and sink them in the
ground covered with mulch. Remove the
mulch when the ground thaws.
If you want to start plants early inside, make sure that
they get about 12 weeks of cold, dark treatment before moving them to a warmer,
lighted place for germination.
Scarification/soaking
Some seeds require scarification (cracking) to allow seeds
to germinate. This is the breaking of the seed coat to let moisture in. These
plants may also require a cold period before the scarification process. In
nature the breaking of hard seed coats may happen when animals eat seeds and
pass them in feces, with freezing and thawing, with long periods of soaking, or
other mechanical breaching or softening of the seed coat.
Some common garden plant seeds that require scarification/and
or soaking include morning glories, moonflower vines, wisteria, bedding
geranium-(Pelargonium), purple hyacinth beans, baptisia and canna (see below). These may also require soaking as well as
cracking the seed coat.
Assume that very hard seeds will at least need soaking
before they can take up water and germinate. Soak seeds in warm water for
overnight only. Too much soaking may drown the embryo inside. Then wrap the
seeds in moist paper towel, slide that in a plastic bag but leave it open just
a bit for air. Place the bag in a warm, well-lit
place and watch for signs of root sprouting.
As soon as you see roots the seed can be planted in the ground or pots
and kept moist until the leaves are seen.
To actually break the seed coat, you can use a nail clipper
to chip a tiny hole or a nail file to score one. Examine the seed before you
begin. You do not want to damage the embryo inside. There will generally be a
slight indentation and a tiny pore where the embryo rests against the seed wall.
The spot may be a different color. Score or chip the seed on the opposite
side. Some people even resort to
cracking larger hard seeds with a nutcracker, but you only want to crack, not
remove the seed coat. Then soak the
seeds as above.
Seeds that should not be stored very long
These seeds should be planted soon after you collect them or
buy them. Don’t store them for next year.
If they are cold hardy you can plant them outside. Otherwise plant them in
pots inside. The sooner they are planted the better germination will be. Some
may need other treatments as listed above.
Anthurium, Asparagus species, Clivia, perennial Delphinium,
Geranium (Pelargonium) Gerbera, Ginkgo, Impatiens, Kochia, Philodendron,
Magnolia, onions, Passiflora, Potentilla, Salvia splendens, Tanecetum coccinium
(or Pyrethrum).
Special needs of some common plants
Baptisia australis needs to be stored cold (dry)
about 6-8 weeks (or longer is fine).
Then soak overnight in warm water, add inoculant for peas and beans and
plant inside or outside after danger of frost. Or plant outside immediately
after collecting the seeds using inoculant and expect sprouting in late spring.
Lilies- Asiatic and trumpets - plant outside as soon
as seed is collected or save seed in cool area and plant in pots in early
spring inside at 60-75 degrees. They take a long time to germinate, up to 6
weeks, and should not be left in pots very long before transplanting
outside.
Oriental lily seed should be planted in baggies or
small pots of moist vermiculite and left in a warm, (65 degrees +) bright room
for 3-4 months until a small bulb forms. Then they should be placed in a cooler
area for 3 weeks- about 50 degrees, and then an even colder place, just above
freezing for a cold dormancy of 12 weeks. Keep barely moist. After 12 weeks
bring them back into a warm bright area or plant outside. Lilies grown from seed take several years to
bloom. Most gardeners buy bulbs.
Gladiolus- To possibly have flowers the first year,
store glad seeds in the refrigerator crisper until January. Then pot them in a
warm bright place, they can take a month to germinate- and move outside after
frost is over. Dig up corms before frost
and store overwinter. Almost all will
bloom the second year outside.
Iris- Bearded
iris- you can plant them in the ground or pots sunk in the ground right
after collecting. Or rinse seeds in a
mix of 10% chlorine bleach, and store seeds in a bag of moist vermiculite in
the refrigerator crisper for 3 months.
Then germinate at 55 degrees in bright light. Plant outside in spring. It will take 2-3 years to get blooms.
Siberian and Japanese iris seed should be soaked in a
bowl of water which is emptied and re-filled each day for 2 weeks. Then they
are given a final rinse of 10% chlorine bleach and stored in moist vermiculite
in the refrigerator crisper for 12 weeks. Any that have sprouted should then be
potted and placed in a warm bright location. Un-sprouted seeds should be warmed
every day for three days by placing them in water that feels barely warm to the
touch for about a half hour. Then plant them in a warm bright location and
plant outside as soon as possible.
Yucca- yucca has a low germination rate outside but a
better one if started inside. Keep the
seeds in moist vermiculite in a warm, dark location for at least 30 days. Then
pot up and keep at 65-75 degrees and in bright conditions. The potting mix should be very well draining
but kept moist. It can take a year for
germination so be patient! They can be
planted outside when they are a few inches tall at a frost-free time.
Wisteria – the seeds need to be nicked or cracked and
soaked for 24 hours before planting, preferably outside in fall or they can be
planted inside at normal room temperatures and bright light. They take years to bloom from seed.
Trumpet vines- You can plant the seed outside after
collecting or store it in moist vermiculite in the refrigerator crisper for 12
weeks, then plant in pots at a moderate temperature inside. Germination may take weeks. Plants take a few years to bloom and should
be planted in the ground while still small.
Canna- Canna seeds are very hard and need to be first
nicked or scratched and then they are put in a pan and boiling water is poured
over them. After you hear pops – or in a
few minutes, remove the seeds. They are then soaked in cool water overnight and
should have doubled their size. Next,
they are planted in pots in a warm 75 degree + room with bright light. They should sprout within a week. The
temperature can be lowered slowly to about 65 degrees. Plant outside after the danger of frost is
over and if started in February they will flower by August generally. They do
not sprout well if the seed is simply planted outside in the spring.
Daylilies- daylilies can be direct seeded in the
garden and will sprout in spring. However, daylily breeders believe they
germinate better if started inside. The seed must be placed in moist
vermiculite or in rolls of damp towels in the refrigerator for 6 weeks. They
are then potted in individual small pots and kept in a warm, bright room until
they are planted outside in spring. It
takes 2 or more years to get a bloom.
Hosta- hosta seed can also be planted outside in fall,
but many gardeners collect the seeds and store them dry inside in the
refrigerator. To germinate after at least 6 weeks of cold storage, soak the
seeds for a half hour in warm water and then pot them in early spring to get a
jump on the season. Grow in bright light inside in moderate temperatures. Plant
outside in late spring. Full leaf
coloration may not develop until the second year.
Planting
Sequence for the vegetable garden in spring
Vegetables fall into 3 categories for the proper planting
time. The cool weather crops, mild weather crops and warm weather crops. When
we plant these crops, we take into account the soil temperature, air
temperature and the plants preferred growing conditions.
You can take the soil temperature by using a soil
thermometer, very inexpensive in garden shops, or even with a small air
thermometer you carefully push into the soil. Push the thermometer into the
soil to about 8 inches deep.
The very first crops to plant are peas and leaf lettuce. These
vegetables will grow in soil below 45 degrees and air temperatures just above
freezing. Frost doesn’t faze them. They
can be planted as soon as your soil is dry enough to work, usually early April
in zones 5-6. Crocus, daffodils, and
maples will be in bloom.
Next crops to plant are kale, chard, spinach, pac choi,
radishes, onions, leeks, potatoes, and turnips. Soil temperatures of 50 degrees
are high enough and daytime air temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s. Light frosts
can still be expected. Depending on your location and the weather this can be
late April- early May in zones 5-6. Dandelions will generally be blooming and
the trees starting to leaf out.
Next crops to plant, with soil temperatures of 55-60 degrees
are carrots and beets. Air temperatures should be 60’s and low 70’s. This is
usually early to mid-May in zones 5-6. You can set out cabbage, broccoli,
cauliflower and Brussels sprouts transplants or plant their seeds now too. Popcorn
can be planted, and you can take a chance with an early planting of beans. If
there are no frosts after the beans emerge, your beans will do well. Frost will
mean you have to re-plant. Some people also like to gamble with a cold tolerant
sweet corn around this time to attempt an early corn crop.
Once the soil temperature reaches 70 degrees it’s time to
plant the rest of the garden. This includes sweet corn, the main crop of beans,
cucumbers, melons, squash, okra, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes, eggplants
and peppers. Most tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are set out as transplants
in zones 6 and lower. The other crops can be seeds or plants.
These warm weather crops are planted just as the lilacs
finish blooming and oak leaves are bigger than an inch. This is generally late May and early
June. Even then, it’s not unknown to
have a surprise late frost. Keep an eye
on weather reports and be prepared to cover tender plants if frost is
predicted. Make sure to remove covers when
the sun comes up.
This week’s
garden tip
Buy cheap butterfly nets when you see them. They’ll be out
in dollar stores in early spring. Remove the handles and place the net portion
over young cabbage and broccoli plants. This keeps the white moths that lay
eggs that turn into those nasty green worms away from them. The nets can be re-used for several
years. You can also buy fine netting in
fabric stores. Cut squares big enough to
fit loosely over cabbage plants, gather them around the cabbage stem and secure
with a twist tie.
Any plant that doesn’t need insects for pollination can be
covered with netting. You can make a frame from light wood, stiff wire or even
plastic pipe to cover an entire row. Frames make it easy to remove the netting
for weeding and harvesting. Plants that
can be covered to prevent insect attacks include beans, potatoes, lettuce,
carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant.
“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has
gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of
their love.”
– Sitting Bull
Kim Willis
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