'GardenAuthor@CorlissClips'
Friday, May 25, 2012
Memorial Weekend Edition
Greetings and welcome to the online home of our weekly newsletter.
Comments? Questions?
Just click on "Comments" at the end of this week's post.
I will address questions & comments in this section each week.
Many of these gardener questions and answers will be also be published
the following week, forming the basis of our reader feedback forum.
If you notice that comments have been left, I encourage you to browse
through "Comments" for an expanded look at the weekly topic.
This newsletter now boasts its own email address, for an additional
avenue of contact. Simply click on "Email Me!" in our sidebar ☛
Click on the 'Corliss Clips' Blog for your May
monthly newsletter, which will remain posted for the
entire month... for the direct post links,
Click on each ~ Page 1 / Page 2 / Page 3 / Page 4
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"The Pain of Poison Ivy"
Now posted on the 'GardenAuthor'
Blog ~ just click above!
The green scourge is alive and well! Learn more and
watch for the announcement of an upcoming interview
on local Ipswich Cable TV / The Around Town Show.
We're seeing an increase in the presence and toxicity of
poison ivy... read the entire article to discover
why we're partly to blame!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You Talk!"
Our Reader Feedback Forum…
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
Three avenues of contact...
1.) Utilize the "Comments" feature of this week's post,
scroll down to the end, click on the little yellow pencil
and leave your question/comment on the pop-up form.
2.) Our newsletter has its own email address...
Click on "Email Me" in the sidebar...
3.) Utilize the usual "gardenauthor" email address
through which your cover letter arrives each week.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Memorial Weekend Edition
Greetings and welcome to the online home of our weekly newsletter.
Comments? Questions?
Just click on "Comments" at the end of this week's post.
I will address questions & comments in this section each week.
Many of these gardener questions and answers will be also be published
the following week, forming the basis of our reader feedback forum.
If you notice that comments have been left, I encourage you to browse
through "Comments" for an expanded look at the weekly topic.
This newsletter now boasts its own email address, for an additional
avenue of contact. Simply click on "Email Me!" in our sidebar ☛
Click on the 'Corliss Clips' Blog for your May
monthly newsletter, which will remain posted for the
entire month... for the direct post links,
Click on each ~ Page 1 / Page 2 / Page 3 / Page 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The Pain of Poison Ivy"
Now posted on the 'GardenAuthor'
Blog ~ just click above!
watch for the announcement of an upcoming interview
on local Ipswich Cable TV / The Around Town Show.
We're seeing an increase in the presence and toxicity of
poison ivy... read the entire article to discover
why we're partly to blame!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You Talk!"
Our Reader Feedback Forum…
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
Three avenues of contact...
1.) Utilize the "Comments" feature of this week's post,
scroll down to the end, click on the little yellow pencil
and leave your question/comment on the pop-up form.
2.) Our newsletter has its own email address...
Click on "Email Me" in the sidebar...
3.) Utilize the usual "gardenauthor" email address
through which your cover letter arrives each week.
This week it' s all about
A yellowing rhododendron, organic insecticide ID,
a struggling hydrangea, vole-damaged hosta plants
and a lawn disease called red thread
and a lawn disease called red thread
This busy gardener had lots of timely questions, perhaps
some of the same dilemmas facing you this spring season...
Pam's Question #1: My rhododendron is yellowing....thoughts? It certainly has had enough water and I gave it the magic mix fertilizer...I even just gave it miracid thinking that might help. Still yellow after several days. Any thoughts?
My Response: You're probably on the right track with that Miracid supplement. Chlorosis, due to an iron deficiency, is not uncommon on rhododendron, usually occurring when soil pH is too high. It's evidenced by inter-veinal yellowing on older foliage and is quite pronounced on newly emerging leaves. A more significant boost to correct iron deficiency, is delivered via an iron supplement applied to to foliage, roots or both. We carry several brands - two that come in hose-end applicators and one that you can dilute in a watering can and deliver to the root system.
Secondary reasons for yellowing are overwatering, wrong pH (too high, which may occur near a foundation that's leaching lime into the soil from the mortar) and low nitrogen. These last two are often related, since a plant growing well outside of its preferred pH range cannot assimilate nutrients in the soil, or those that you provide in the form of fertilizer. You might consider using a home soil test kit (use with distilled water, not tap water) to find an approximation of where on the Ph scale your rhododendron is positioned. If it is growing in a higher than recommend pH (4.5-6.0), garden sulfur can be applied to lower the pH to a desirable range.
Having said all that, I'd be inclined to start with the iron supplement and proceed from there, pursuing the other possibilities if necessary. An extra boost of nitrogen with cottonseed meal might not go amiss, providing quick greening and some acidity. The iron is a quick fix and a little more investigation into pH, making necessary corrections, will be the long-term solution.
Keep me informed of its progress.
Both of the above forms, concentrate and
ready-to-spray, are chelated iron.
Having said all that, I'd be inclined to start with the iron supplement and proceed from there, pursuing the other possibilities if necessary. An extra boost of nitrogen with cottonseed meal might not go amiss, providing quick greening and some acidity. The iron is a quick fix and a little more investigation into pH, making necessary corrections, will be the long-term solution.
Keep me informed of its progress.
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Pam's Question #2: I bought organic insecticidal spray from Corliss after one of your lectures and now I can't remember why! Sr. moment or what? Am wondering if I was going to try it on the lily beetles? I did but not sure that it was effective. Are they vegetable bugs that I may have gotten it for? Help!
My Response: More info? Is it insecticidal soap? If so, it's very efficient as a contact control, without residual action, for a variety of insects - caterpillars, aphids, mites and leafhoppers - generally soft-bodied insects. One of the few sprays safe enough for herbs.
If it's spinosad, currently recommended for winter moth control, it is cleared for use in organic gardens. The brand we carry in Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew by Bonide® and it controls a variety of chewing insects. It usually controls spider mite, often whitefly and seems to have varying test results on aphid control (probably why aphids are not listed on the label) ~ I have had success with this one. However, my abundant native ladybug population comes to my aid every spring and I rarely turn to any aphid control, putting up with a few puckered leaves until the ladybugs come to the rescue!
If the spray in question is Neem Oil, then you have a combination insecticide, miticide, fungicide all in one botanically-derived product (oil expressed from the seeds of the Indian Neem Tree). This is quite broad-spectrum and is used with relative safety to the plants and the applicator - follow all package directions and warnings, as with all such materials, but this is a great solution to many pest problems.
If you have Rose Pharm by Pharm Solutions, Inc (beet juice accounts for its "Barbie Doll pink" coloration), you have a combination of pure, essential oils that can repel insects and mites, or confuse them into starvation, all while controlling mildew and blackspot - used this last season with great results on my roses!
Not one of these? Let me know and we'll go from there.
Lily leaf beetle control… there is hope on the horizon with testing and releasing of a parasitic wasp in New England. Meanwhile, we're left with the following: Neem oil kills the larvae and repels adults and must be applied every 5-7 days. Handpicking and squishing the larvae (not an inviting alternative when you consider they carry their own excrement on their backs/just thought you should know) is time-consuming, but does work. Pyrethrin-based garden dust made from pyrethrum daisies works very well on both larvae and adult beetles, as does rotenone or pyrethrin/rotenone dust. Spinosad-based spray kills larvae. Systemic, imidacloprid-based soil drench treatments (or granular forms) are effective, but may cause concern regarding impact on bee populations.
If it's spinosad, currently recommended for winter moth control, it is cleared for use in organic gardens. The brand we carry in Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew by Bonide® and it controls a variety of chewing insects. It usually controls spider mite, often whitefly and seems to have varying test results on aphid control (probably why aphids are not listed on the label) ~ I have had success with this one. However, my abundant native ladybug population comes to my aid every spring and I rarely turn to any aphid control, putting up with a few puckered leaves until the ladybugs come to the rescue!
Lily leaf beetle control… there is hope on the horizon with testing and releasing of a parasitic wasp in New England. Meanwhile, we're left with the following: Neem oil kills the larvae and repels adults and must be applied every 5-7 days. Handpicking and squishing the larvae (not an inviting alternative when you consider they carry their own excrement on their backs/just thought you should know) is time-consuming, but does work. Pyrethrin-based garden dust made from pyrethrum daisies works very well on both larvae and adult beetles, as does rotenone or pyrethrin/rotenone dust. Spinosad-based spray kills larvae. Systemic, imidacloprid-based soil drench treatments (or granular forms) are effective, but may cause concern regarding impact on bee populations.
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Pam's Question #3: My hydrangea still has a lot of dead looking canes with no leafing.....is it too early yet to assume they are truly dead wood (it does grow on old wood) - should I wait a bit longer to see if it leafs out on those branches or can I cut them now?
My Response: Scratch the bark, where stems appear dead. If the underlying tissues are not green, then cut back above leaves/dormant buds. I am always very patient, for what appears to be dead wood, sometimes foliates and bears flowers from that old wood. That said, I've already gone over my specimens and cut back into live wood and am seeing a great flush of new growth emerging. The good thing about old wood/new wood bloomers is that all is not lost - we'll see later blooms developing on all that new wood that flushes out after this spring pruning.
The open, warm winter surely contributed to loss of flower buds on old wood and tip dieback, as well. That early warmup and successive cold snaps played havoc with many hydrangeas and I'm seeing lots of frost-nipped leaves with burned edges and tips, as are many gardeners. They've had their spring granular feeding, but would respond well to several apps of Neptune's Harvest fish/seaweed right about now!
The open, warm winter surely contributed to loss of flower buds on old wood and tip dieback, as well. That early warmup and successive cold snaps played havoc with many hydrangeas and I'm seeing lots of frost-nipped leaves with burned edges and tips, as are many gardeners. They've had their spring granular feeding, but would respond well to several apps of Neptune's Harvest fish/seaweed right about now!
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Pam's Question #4: I lost a fair number of hostas over the winter....didn't think anything could kill a hosta! I don't have deer but do have woodchucks. One hosta had just bits of its roots left and others were completely gone.....some were left alone. Could it have been the woodchuck or something underground? Should I dare replace them?
My Response: Think voles! Little mouselike critters that dine on foliage and roots, even girdling & killing roses and woody ornamentals. Obviously, annuals, bulbs and perennials are on the menu, as well. They are grayish-brown and have a tiny, stubby tail. Voles make very shallow run/tunnels through the grass and their trails (especially evident in the winter with snow cover) cut across grassy expanses, leading to shrub and flower beds - they're active all year long. "Repels All" is a good deterrent to keep them at bay. "MoleMax" is a caster-oil based product which, when applied to any tunnel entrances and areas of high activity, will create a sticky film on their fur. They'll try to lick it off and when they do, it does what castor oil does. They will not stay in a dirty, fowled burrow or tunnel and go off in search of non-treated areas.
I would consider adding "Soil Perfector" by Espoma to the soil as you replant those hosta plants. It's a great amendment for improving soil structure and drainage, but because this naturally-derived, ceramic material is very sharp, it halts the destruction caused by digging and feeding at the plant base. In fact, lining the planting hole with a 1" layer of Soil Perfector (sides & bottom) will really halt the damage and is especially useful when planting bulbs. I believe we currently have the Aquatic Soil Perfector in stock, but it is derived from the same source, serves the same purpose and is used in the same manner.
Both of these are all natural soil conditioners. Permanently improves clay and sandy soils. Add to all potting mixes and soils. Prevents compaction and promotes root growth. One time application. Won’t break down. Both Soil Perfector and Aquatic Soil Perfector are made from a naturally derived, ceramic mineral that is kiln-fired at temperatures in excess of 2000º F. This process creates a durable, lightweight granule containing thousands of tiny storage spaces that hold the perfect balance of water, air and nutrients for an improved soil structure, especially important to those of us gardening in heavy New England clay soils.
Generally, woodchucks are not particularly drawn to hosta, although they may munch on a few tender spring leaves. In fact, hosta often makes the woodchuck-resistant plant list. "Chucky" comes under the fence in my yard, waddles past the hosta and on up to my rudbeckia, New England asters and chocolate eupatorium - his paws-down favorites - quite the pruner, that Chucky!
Have a great Sunday in the garden - yes, it will rain on my days off (Tues/Wed), so never plan your gardening on these days - it always rains! Me - jealous of weekend garden warriors who must toil in this glorious weekend weather? (Maybe a little!)
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"You Talk" Followup: #1 ~ It was chlorosis, from iron deficiency, on that rhododendron and an iron supplement will be watered in. Soil pH will be tested, as well. #2 ~ The organic insecticide was insecticidal soap. #3 ~ The hydrangeas have been lightly pruned, back to live wood. #4 ~ And, voles were the culprits in the hosta destruction case... shallow tunnels through the grass, headed to perennials beds were observed, as well as holes. Scent deterrents, as well as Aquatic Soil Perfector (to line the planting hole of any replacement hostas) should discourage those pesky voles.
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Our last question concerns a lawn disease
called red thread...
Photo courtesy of Scotts®
From Katrina: My lawn has red thread, many patches. I did fertilize it in the fall and spring and put down corn gluten. Is there anything I should do about it now?
My Response: There are two parts to solving this puzzle - fungicide and fertilizer. Scotts Lawn Fungus Control is the most effective solution to this problem... we're seeing many samples of red thread at this particular time, as well as some rust and leaf spot - prolonged wet spells are contributing, I'm sure. Red thread spreads quickly with high humidity, high moisture and temps that range from 50-70º. This fungicide should be applied ASAP.
The presence of red thread is also generally indicative of low nitrogen levels. Although an application of high-nitrogen fertilizer at this point would worsen and promote the spread of many other diseases, the opposite is true with red thread. Another application of high-nitrogen fertilizer (with not less than 4 weeks since the last application) will resolve nutrient deficiency. I would try the organic-based Espoma Lawn Food with an 18-0-3 formulation.
An extended spell of dry, sunny weather is what our lawns and gardens need right about now... good for us gardeners, too!
The presence of red thread is also generally indicative of low nitrogen levels. Although an application of high-nitrogen fertilizer at this point would worsen and promote the spread of many other diseases, the opposite is true with red thread. Another application of high-nitrogen fertilizer (with not less than 4 weeks since the last application) will resolve nutrient deficiency. I would try the organic-based Espoma Lawn Food with an 18-0-3 formulation.
An extended spell of dry, sunny weather is what our lawns and gardens need right about now... good for us gardeners, too!
Photo courtesy of Scotts®
ID Note: Red thread disappears with warmer, drier weather and rarely kills the lawn. From a distance, you'll notice round, tan to pinkish patches in the lawn. A closer look reveals 1/2"long pink threads at the top of grass blades that bind the tips together, giving the appearance of pink webbing.
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COLOR?
We've got that! It's a fantastically colorful season -
one of the best ever, here at the garden center.
It's the time of year when the blooming period of roses,
many rhododendrons, azaleas, flowering shrubs and perennials
are truly overlapping... drop by this weekend for the grand tour,
but start with this sneak peek ~
Enkianthus campanulatus, Redvein Enkianthus
This is the original photo that was the genesis of
our 2012 catalog/which was a watercolor rendition.
An Itoh Peony
Bearded Iris having a last fling!
Magnificent mature rhododendrons, bordering our
front parking area.
Kolkwitzia amabilis, Beauty Bush - a mature specimen
Willow Leaf Amsonia, Blue Stars
in flower... airy plumes will follow
Male Kiwi Vine intermingled with Goldflame Honeysuckle
Rose vistas are amazing!
A cross between the sturdy tree peony and the free-flowering
herbaceous peony... the spectacular results are a heavily budded,
sturdy plant, rarely in need of staking!
Last views of the yellow Itoh peony... planted by our front door.
No more until next year, and we're already taking orders for 2013!
Lastly, on this Memorial Day weekend, enjoy your extra time with friends and family, all the while remembering those who went before us and honoring their memory... especially our brave men and women who paid the ultimate price that we might embrace the many freedoms we enjoy today. Remember, too, current members of our military who continue to serve and protect us... if you have a chance, take a moment to thank a veteran.
Enjoy some of this idyllic spring weather in the garden!
It's a great place to reflect, count your blessings and commune with nature.
Memorial Day Tribute... Photos and reflective verse on this solemn occasion ~
just click to read “Long, Orderly Rows” on my 'Waltzes with Words" Blog.
Memorial Day Tribute... Photos and reflective verse on this solemn occasion ~
just click to read “Long, Orderly Rows” on my 'Waltzes with Words" Blog.
~ Remembering & Reflecting ~
Two dear friends and co-workers lost their valiant battles and left our midst last September. It seems most fitting on this reflective weekend, to provide a link to their individual tributes on our ‘Forever in Our Hearts’ Blog. Russ Klein was also a veteran. Shelly Gibson was a mother of three. And, both were so much more than a simple sentence can convey. They are conspicuous by their absence, missed by staff and customers, alike. Just click on this 'Forever in Our Hearts' blog link.
Photo disclaimer: A few of my floral photos are from recent seasons, so current inventory may or may not include every variety pictured. (Product photos courtesy of manufacturers)
Photos & Content © Deb Lambert - © DJL/CBI 2012
