March 4: Forced daffs, Amaryllis aftercare, Houseplant issues
Houseplant issues - mold and fungus gnats -
Q: Let me start by saying I enjoy your column, and it gives me a reason to buy the Salem News on Wednesday. I am having two plant issues and am hopeful you have a solution.
1. I have little flies coming from the dirt.
2. I have one plant with what looks like a white mold??? It is spotted on the leaves and stems, but doesn’t seem to be affecting the plant.
Any insight would be much appreciated
Thanks, B.
A:-You've got those pesty fungus gnats! The gnats love to live and reproduce in warm, moist soil that contains decaying organic material - the flies won't hurt your plants but the larva can destroy the delicate fine feeder roots, so can be a problem.
You could repot an infected plant using a sterile potting soil - or you could break breeding cycle - there are sprays at garden centers, such as Safer's and Ortho which will kill at the surface - and can be used as a soil drench to kill the larva – and there are products available on-line from companies like www.GardensAlive.com.
Keeping the top soil level as dry as possible also helps - and removing the top inch or two of infested soil helps, too -replace it with fresh sterile soil. Try adding a ½ to one inch layer of sand or fine aquarium gravel to the surface of your pots to keep it dry - all will help prevent the laying of fly eggs and the reproduction of hundreds of flies every few weeks!
Persistence is the key - keep any treatment going for several months to kill the pests in all stages - stop too soon, and they'll all be back. Treatment should be repeated about every 8-10 days to break the cycle. If you have new plants, quarantine them to help stop the spread of this pest. -And water the plants less, if possible.
From your note, I think the white mold is indeed a mold or mildew -in itself it doesn't hurt the plant but can eventually prevents the leaf from absorbing the sunlight it needs to make chlorophyll - and that is harmful.....and it's unsightly. A general plant fungicide will help rid the plant of mold - and if the plant has a hard- surfaced leaf, (not a fuzzy leaf like an African violet,) a simple cool water bath and wiping with a wet cotton ball will help.
Both of your problems are connected with moisture - is your growing area too moist? (I admit this would be very unusual in a dry, well-heated New England home in winter!) Reducing the moisture might help - but not so low that your plants would suffer. But do water early in the day and allow the surface of the plants to dry out before watering.
Thank you for your kind comments - and thank you for being our reader!
Amaryllis aftercare
Q: I am writing to ask you about caring for bulbs.
1. I have an amaryllis that is just about to open- I can't wait to see this beautiful white flower... it seems like a very long 6-8 weeks since I planted it! However, once it has come and gone, what is the optimal care for it?
What do you do with these indoor blooming bulbs once they've passed by to hopefully bring them back to life next year? What lighting/ temp/ watering do they require?
Many thanks for your help,
B
A: Your white amaryllis will be worth the wait! When the bud opens, keep the plant in normal room light and temperatures and the flower should last for about a week. Mine are just sprouting - I forgot about them and was late restarting them this year - I love to have them blooming right after Christmas. After the greens are cleared away and the holidays are over, you need their bright lift!! After the amaryllis blooms, remove the dying flower so the bulb doesn't waste energy by growing seed. More leaves will appear after flowering – treat them well since they are the source of energy for next year’s flower...
Fertilize and water and care for the bulb just as you would any other houseplant! Give it plenty of sunlight - and move it outside in the pot after the weather is warm, if you want. Keep those green leaves healthy and hearty!
In the fall, before a frost, bring your amaryllis in and withhold all water, allowing the leaves to gradually turn yellow. Then, and only then, can you gently remove them by cutting carefully cutting them off near the neck of the bulb – cut them, don't pull them! Withhold all water for a minimum of two months - during this dormant time, light isn't important, so bulbs, pot and all can be stored in the cellar or garage or closet, if the temperature is above freezing.
When you are ready to re-start blooming, begin the re-growing process about 6-8 weeks before you want flowers.
If the bulb has grown, it may need a new pot – amaryllis like to be pot-bound and only need a pot about an inch bigger than the bulb – don’t use too large a pot!
Carefully remove any dead leaf tissue from the neck of the bulb. If you’re not repotting this year, simply remove the top 1/2 to one inch of soil from the pot, being careful not to disturb roots...and replace with fresh, new soil – there is no need to remove the bulb from the pot. Water the potted bulb thoroughly - I stand my clay pots up to the rim in a basin of warm water for a few hours to soak. Drain, and then place the pot in bright indoor light. Water as needed. In a few weeks, the whole blooming process will begin again!
Potted/forced daffs
Q: I have recently been given a pot of daffodils- regular size bulbs- and want to plant them outside. Can they be planted in the spring for next spring (2010) blooming or do I have to wait until fall?
I have also recently been given two pots of mini daffodils. Can these be planted outside as well or are they only for indoor blooming? If outside is ok, can they be planted in the spring?
A: The potted spring daffodil bulbs are somewhat "iffy" - they have been forced for indoor bloom and may have been potted in sand, not in good soil - and not received any fertilizer during that time. Continue to grow the foliage on the windowsill after the flowers are gone and fertilize them with a general houseplant fertilizer (or bulb food, if you have it.) Then this spring, when the ground is workable, dig them into the garden without removing the foliage - do not remove the foliage until it yellows/browns. With any sort of care, they should bloom again at the normal time in the spring - but maybe not for a year or so. Mark plantings carefully so you don't forget them.
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday at 2:00 am, March 8 – yes, it’s about 3 weeks earlier than usual... You know the drill: “Spring ahead…Fall back” – set your clocks ahead one hour AHEAD before you go to bed on Saturday night. – then remember to reset the time on all of your gadgets from the microwave to the thermostat to your car clock and wristwatch.
And so begins “summertime”, which is what it is called in many countries, even ‘though it’s still two weeks ‘til the first day of spring.
A thought: Evenings get lighter and the mornings are darker – so shouldn’t it really be called Daylight Shifting Time???? After all, we’re not “saving” anything! All we’re doing is shifting an hour of morning daylight to evening…..
March 11: Container garden, Crocus replant, Tree spraying, Oxalis
Tree spraying
Q: it's slowly getting to that time of the year that we can go play in the dirt again. My wife and I can hardly wait.
We do have an early question for you. You have been very helpful in the past and hope you can improve on your record. My question concerns the "canker" worm (I believe that is what they are called) those nasty little green worms that hatch in the spring and devour maple trees. I'm fairly sure that they are cyclical so are we due for another infestation this year or are we in for an "off" year? The main reason for my question is that we've received an offer to have our maple trees treated with Dendrex to control, the nasty little critters and I'm wondering if I should consider this treatment?
Thanks for your attention and insight.
B.M.
A: First, a question:
Did the worms defoliate your maple trees last year? Then these trees are weak and need protection. - there is no question - I would spray....
If not: A healthy tree can stand defoliation for one year - but not consecutive years - so if they were NOT defoliated last year, I think I'd chance NOT spraying this year, knowing and understanding that the worms might eat the trees this year , and I might have to live through a few weeks with the worms hanging down and dropping all over my head and messing up the car in the driveway and the picnic table - but the trees would probably be strong enough to refoliate later in the year.-And if the summer is very dry, I might have to water damaged trees. Then, I’d plan of spraying next spring.
These big little pests are said to appear in cycles of about four years and the 4-year cycle is certainly near an end - but Mother Nature's cycles are always subject to change due to weather and soil conditions and predators. I know we can't wait for the warmth of spring - if we get a very cold spring, it could seriously diminish the population of these worms – at least we can hope!
Container gardening
Q: Sometimes I think that all gardening information is geared to people who have acres of lawn and garden. I would love to garden and grow things, but I just don’t have the space –we have a rental property and don’t want to spend a lot of money that we’re only going to leave behind in another year or two. What about me?
A: Container gardening is made for you! And containers means more than just pots – a container could be a large box or a table garden if you have the desire.
Just think of the control you have in a container: it’s easier to control the elements in a container than in the garden.
With a container, you choose the soil – moisture retaining for plants that require it or a super- porous mix for others. You won’t have to amend the soil: just buy what ever you need in a bag at the garden center.
You can choose the light conditions – and change it if it doesn’t work by moving the containers – you can’t do that with a garden plot!
Save water! Water selectively with drip irrigation or hand watering as needed – you don’t have to depend on Mother Nature. About the only negative is that containers do dry out faster than a garden plot, so water use has to be monitored – and constantly maintained.
Save fertilizer! Fertilizer can be given to the specific needs of the plants – and used more economically.
Control the weather! Containers warm up faster – and cool faster, too. Increase your garden season - control temperatures with thermal covers that allow earlier planting and late season growth. Move the container into a garage or house during a cold spell or when a severe storm threatens – you can’t control weather like this in the garden!
Almost anything you can grow in a garden you can grow in a container, from vegetables, to shrubs and trees and bulbs, as well as the usual and unusual annuals and perennials – all will thrive with this special care.
If this sounds too good to be true, it isn’t! Try container gardening this year!
Crocus
Q: I received a pot of crocus bulbs, through the mail, for Christmas. I was very skeptical on whether they would grow or not, but they did. How great it was to have multiple crocuses flowing when we had feet of snow outside. The flowers have all past and the greens are going, too. What can I do with them now? Can I plant them outside?
A: The crocus bulbs should rebloom in time when planted outdoors - but the bulbs were pre-chilled and forced to produce your lovely gift basket - and now they need time to recover!
Keep the foliage growing, if you can, until you can dig the bulbs into a permanent spot in your garden. As long as you have them on the windowsill, give them a weekly dose of any all-purpose fertilizer you may have for your other houseplants.
You didn't say how many bulbs you have, but you may want to separate them when planting outdoors - or they can be planted together in a clump…they will multiply! When the soil finally thaws out enough to dig a hole, plant the bulbs about 4-5 inches deep in a sunny, well-drained corner of your garden. Label them so you don't damage them as you dig and cultivate the area. These crocuses may not bloom for a year - but then they will bloom early every spring. They'll be your first touch of spring every year!
And March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day!
Oxalis - shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day!
Q: There is a little plant sold for St. Patrick’s day that looks like something I’ve seen growing in my garden – actually, it was more like one of the weeds I spend hours pulling out of my garden….only the flower is yellow. What are they selling?
A: Do those little green shamrocks or lucky 4-leaf clover plants being sold this week for St. Patrick’s Day remind you of the small, persistent, nasty, nuisance of a weed with tiny yellow flowers that you spent hours pulling out of your walks and garden – and even your container pots? Both plants are of the same oxalis family –only this week, you pay for this weed – and call it a “lucky shamrock” plant!!
When the plant stops blooming, the leaves will die down – save the tubers and dig the tiny tubers into the base of one of your larger houseplants – and you’ll have good luck forever!
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
Want a St. Patrick’s Day project for the kids?
Prove to the kids that flowers really do drink water – and make a decoration for St. Patrick’s Day!
Buy just a few inexpensive white flowers –just a few is all that you’ll need: Check with your local flower shop or supermarket: Daisies, carnations, paper white narcissus, tulips - any kind will do as long as they’re white.
In a clear glass or jar, add about an inch of water and a heavy squirt of green food coloring. Cut the flower stems and put in the colored water.
In a few hours, you’ll see the green dye will begin to creep up the stem and into the petals of the flower. It proves that a plant drinks water - and makes an easy St Patrick’s Day decoration as well.
March 18: When to plant outdoors, Rest seedlings when growing under lights, Repot houseplants – growing fast now!, Bird feeding in the spring?, Blueberries
Blueberries
Q: With spring around the corner, I have been looking at blueberry bushes for my patio.
I would like to have the wild blueberry bushes which have the small, tart blueberries - I tried to take cuttings from wild blueberry bushes in Maine but they did not take Any suggestions?
G.G., Gloucester
A: Try contacting Miller Nurseries, Canandaigua, N.Y. at 1-800-836-9630 – they have a blueberry called Northland which is short enough to be a patio plant at 1-1 1/2 feet tall.
If a taller variety is suitable, Miller also have a new offering this year named Aronia, which is 6ft high when mature, and is hardy to -40 degrees and ripens early, in mid-July.
Just like herbs, taste can vary from plant to plant. Taking cuttings of blueberry bushes which you know produce the tart berries you seek is the only way to replicate the exact bush and its desired traits (think of taking cuttings as a kind of cloning. But even a variance in soil (blueberries require an acid soil like Maine has) can change the taste of the berries. You know taste is subjective – what I think is sweet or tart and what you think might be very different!! Keep in touch – and let me know what you do-
Repot houseplants – growing fast now! But don’t over-pot-
Q: When should I repot my house plants? They just sat on the windowsills over the winter, but now they’re beginning to sprout and really grow. Is this the time?
A: Anytime now is fine. All plants respond best to repotting as their growth begins after a winter’s rest. Plants sense the additional light and heat as the sun begins to move higher in the sky each day. Repotting helps to remove the accumulation of salts and chemicals from the water that has been used all winter. (If you’re not repotting, you can partially rinse these salts out of the pot by standing the pot in the sink or a large, deep pan and running water through the soil. Drain well when you’re finished.
Roots are also growing now, which means they will have less shock during transplanting – and will respond faster with new growth. Don’t overpot! –An inch or two larger is enough for this year. If you use too large a pot, the plant roots may rot in the wet soil. Most houseplants don’t need yearly repotting – use good judgment…
Use this repotting opportunity to do a little root trimming or at least loosen the roots if they are over-crowding the original pot. Loosen gently and provide a good bagged potting soil. It’s a lot easier to clean up after repotting a large plant if you do it on a table or the floor covered with newspaper. Small plants are easy if done in a dishpan - it helps to keep the mess in one place.
Water well after repotting – then wait till the surface of the soil dries before rewatering and resuming the normal schedule. Keep in less light for a few weeks until you’re sure that growth has resumed. Then let the plant grow!
Rest seedlings growing under lights
Q: I’m using grow-lights for seed starting later this year. I am going to be a bit late in starting my seed this year – so can I get my seedlings, mostly veggies and a few common garden flowers, back on their growing schedule and growing faster if I keep the lights on day and night? It seems to me this would give them a real boost – and then they’d still be ready to plant outside right on time.
A: Twenty-four hours of daylight is not the kind of boost your plants need! To grow good strong plants, in a 24 hour period, they need conditions for a period of growth – then a period of rest – just like you! You could exist on a few all-nighters, but eventually your lack of sleep would catch up with you!
The same with plants! If they’re forced to grow 24 hours a day, they become spindly and weak with poor color – don’t do it! It would b a waste of time! Let them grow naturally on a normal schedule of 12-14 hours of light for growth – then let them take a well-earned nap before they grow again – your plants will be bigger and stronger, even if they’re a few days later in maturing.
And please take the time to label your seedlings! Certainly, after the secondary leaves appear, you may be able to recognize the different varieties you have planted – but in the earliest stage, these tiny plants all tend to look alike!
When do I plant outside? Growing season and frost dates
When can I plant outside? I’m worried that I’ll freeze my plants – but I want to get them out as soon as I can. Is May first too soon?
A: Although the last average frost date in this area is April 15, remember that’s an AVERAGE last freeze date. Plants put out before the nights are dependably about 50-55 degrees and the soil has warmed just don't thrive! Your neighbor, who puts out his geraniums in early April during a warm weekend, might lose or setback the plants he has been nurturing so tenderly. After all that work, don't rush planting outdoors. Years ago, no one chanced planting tender annuals until Memorial Day – and even today, that’s a pretty good rule of thumb if you want to protect your plants.
Here in cool New England, we only have a growing season of 192 days from last freeze in spring, to first freeze in fall – and that includes some very cold, but not quite freezing weather in April and October. That doesn’t mean that the soil is warm enough to plant anything except peas in early April. So in the meantime, start seeds indoors - otherwise, many won’t bloom in time to beat the fall frost!
instead of having to wait ‘til August for the first glimpse of color.
Bird feeding
Q: I’ve been feeding the birds all winter – nothing special, just some seed from the grocery store which I throw out onto the driveway each day. How long should I continue feeding the birds? I don’t want to spoil them – but I felt sorry for them this winter. I’d really like to stop – but have I gotten them used to me as a source of food?
A: You can usually stop feeding about the middle of April. By then, they should be able to find food locally. –Not the seeds and nuts and and berries and other plant goodies – these have been well depleted through the frigid winter and won’t be replenished by summer. But the live grubs, and bugs and other high-protein items they love – and need – will begin appearing. But be good to your birds – and feed them until June – you need and want the birds in your garden this summer – and the more you can do to attract them with food and water, the longer they’ll stay with you – that’s one of the reasons we try to attract birds to our yards and gardens by feeding and housing them.
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
Winter is over. Mar 20, 7:44am – It’s time to celebrate - Spring arrives! -Not that it’s time to plant – it’s not! But the early spring bulbs will be appearing from under the last of the snow and the piles of dead leaves any day. And you can see and hear the birds are back! What a welcome sight!
Days get longer and the sun is getting warmer - any day now we’ll have an honest-to-goodness thunderstorm. Then I’ll know spring is really here!
While you’re waiting for spring, you can attend a free workshop next Saturday, March 28 at the Topsfield Fair Grounds:
“Creating Beautiful Lawns without Using Fertilizers and Pesticides”
Bruce Wenning, Ecological Landscaping Assn.
“Ins and Outs of Composting and Capture Rainwater for Beautiful Gardens”
Curtis Dragon, Earth Landscape,
Salem, MA
”Native Plants and Wildlife Habitat Gardens”
Nanette Masi, Back to Nature, Amesbury, MA
Location:
Topsfield Fairgrounds Clubhouse
207 Boston St (Route 1), Topsfield, MA 01983
(Use River Gate entrance and park in Lot A)
Space is limited so reservations are requested.
Call 978-741-7900 or email: info@salemsound.org
March 25: Frost-heaved plants, Tuberose begonias, Corn plant
Frost- heaved plants
Q: I’ve experienced a lot of what I think is called frost heaving in my garden this year. Some of the plants are up on little mounds of soil with the roots exposed which can’t be good for the plants. Can I just put them back in place – and how do I stop this from happening next year?
A: You are right – it certainly doesn’t help the plants roots to be exposed to the cold. This is why we mulch plants over the winter It protects them from the freezing and thawing which can occur over the winter, particularly if there is no snow cover .
Plants can be gently pressed back into the soft ground – note gently part! A lot of gardeners press them back by steping on them, but this can seriously hurt the delicate feeder roots which the plant needs desperately as they come out of hibernation. Or additional soil can be added to the base of the plant, gently covering the roots – either will do. The good news is that this won’t happen again this year!
Corn plant
Q: Attached are pictures of a corn plant. In another month or so it will be reaching the ceiling. Back in August ‘08, I cut approximately 24" up from the stock. Using rooting powder, replanted stems in fresh soil. I have used this method 3 times.
My question: is there a way to stop growth at the top? Please reply by email or call.
Thank you
RosaLee Goldstein
A: What a beautiful, healthy plant! Thank you for the pictures!
There is really no way to completely stop the growth of the plant - a healthy plant will grow and grow until it reaches the maximum height for the species, which for a corn plant can be as tall as 20 feet! - But you could slow the plant down a bit. I assume you're not repotting it every year -repotting into a larger pot would be encouraging growth- but you could repot it in the same pot - and do some root pruning at that time. Removing about a third of the root mass would be safe, would slow down the growth and buy you a little time....but it will start growing again! Corn plants like to be root-bound.
Are you being too good to the plant and fertilizing too heavily? That, too, will spur new growth!
You could certainly snip a few inches from the top - but this, in time, will encourage the plant to branch out and grow several sprouts at the top like a crown! Then, in a few years, you'd probably have to trim all the sprouts! But this might give you a few more years in your home before you'd have to cut a hole in the roof!! Is there any place, say in a stairwell, where you might have a higher ceiling?
Has your plant ever bloomed? You would certainly know, as the sweet smell is
almost over-powering in the house. Flowers are tiny and can be difficult to see. ..but you will smell them!
Tuberose begonias
Q: I carefully dug up and saved my tuberose begonias from the past year because I heard they could be saved – when should I plant them again? Some will go into pots and some will go into the garden – but how soon can I put them in the ground? Last year they were really gorgeous and I wanted to save these colors – will they be the same colors again this year?
A: -Tuberous begonias need to be given a six week head start before being put out into the garden, if we want to see blooms before August – almost the same as tomato seed starting, only much easier!
With our cool springs and short summers, we need to start them indoors about the second or third week of April. Begonias are very slow to start unless they're warm. If we put them into the cold ground too early the spring, they might rot - or they might survive and eventually sprout around the Fourth of July, and bloom a month later. That’s too late for us!
Start tubers now – and move them outdoors around Memorial Day, about the same time that it’s safe to put your houseplants outdoors – that’s when the night temperatures are reliably in the 50’s.
Starting tuberous begonias is no big deal – it’s much easier than starting seeds. Start the tubers in individual pots or in flats of moist peat moss or potting soil. Individual pots are easier for just a few tubers. But if you’re growing more than a few tubers, a seed flat will make a dozen or two tubers simpler to handle.
To start tubers in a flat or a pot, plant the tuber in damp peat moss. Place each tuber in the moistened peat and pressed gently into the soil surface. Do not cover the tuber with peat! Water thoroughly and do not permit the pots to dry out.
Keep the planted tubers just moist, and at room temperature, until the sprouts appear – which doesn’t take long. At all stages of growth, begonias are kept in strong light – but NOT directly in hot sun. When the first shoots appear, it’s time to begin feeding with a weak 5-10-5 or liquid manure fertilizer every week from spring to fall. Be careful not to burn the little plants by splashing fertilizer onto the leaves.
NOW - which side of the tuber is the up side - and which side is the down side?
We get dozens of calls every year about which way is the correct way to plant these tubers. It’s simple to remember: Plant the cup-shaped tuber UP!
If you happen to accidentally plant them upside-down, the sprouts will eventually grow to the surface – they will survive, but the sprouts will have to grow down and around the tuber to get to the soil’s surface – and that’s a waste of time. Plant the cup-shaped tuber UP, and you’ll be on the way – the right way!
Where are you going to use tuberose begonias?
Use them wherever you want precious color in the shade or in tree filtered light. These shade-loving plants can best be used in protected areas – they’re quite fragile.
What’s a protected area?
-NOT where the hose gets pulled through the garden….
-NOT where the kids play ball and not where the paper person throws the newspaper…
-NOT where a broken downspout pours a torrent of water from the roof during every rainstorm…
Beware of unleashed dogs that might run through your begonia plantings!
They’re great in pots – they’re movable if it proves to be too dangerous a spot!
For the most spectacular blooms, continue feeding begonias all summer.Keep plants clean. During the summer, remove dead flowers and foliage to prevent fungus and mildew. Good air circulation helps prevent mildew, which is common on most begonias.
Next year, you can propagate more of your favorite tuberous begonias by division. Just like a potato, the tuber can be cut into pieces containing at least one eye on each piece and planted. Dust the cut surface of the tuber with charcoal and start in peat, just like a whole tuber. Beautiful!
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
-On these first weeks in the garden are the ideal time to start labeling – and re-labeling your winter forgotten plants. As each makes an appearance, stick a new label in the ground.
Many of the plant tags have been lost over the winter – replace these, too.
It might be time to make a garden map – you needn’t be an artist – a simple drawing, showing where plants are located – a handy map to have when ordering additional plants and seeds. Make your very own code: plants that are perfect for the spot, plants that must be replaced, or plants you will divide and promised to trade to a friend – garden maps can help in so many ways.
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