WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD MARCH 18, 2016

3/18/2016 | ApplegateRanch

[ApplegateRanch]

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks.

No matter what, you won't be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - there is no telling where it will go and... that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.

[Silentgypsy]

Prayers up for greeneyes. Thank you for covering.

[ApplegateRanch]

Just got a FReepmail from Greeneyes.

She says thanks to everyone for their concern and prayers.

She is feeling a lot better, but says that she’s way behind & needs the break.

She MAY be up to posting next Friday, and will let me know by Thursday night, otherwise I’ll have the duty one more week.

[tubebender]

The hip replacement is barely a memory to her. The broken elbow gives her more pain and that happened 3 or 4 years before the hip. She no longer walks 3 miles day which started in 1975 after the scare with malignant melanoma. She now goes to a gym between 5:30 & 6:30 in the morning and is back and in the shower before I get up. She did give up mowing the big lawn

[ApplegateRanch]

Good to hear she’s doing so well; must be that great sea air. LOL

You two are a real inspiration to a lot of us, especially the younger generation.

[Qiviut]

We have truly wild squirrels (not the backyard neighborhood kind) so mostly they stay away. They REALLY stay away when the Red-shouldered hawks are around. Fortunately, the hawks nested nearby last year so at least one juvenile is hanging around looking for easy prey - NO squirrels! When my folks had a house in a subdivision, a red-tailed hawk was catching squirrels in the back yard which also caused the squirrels to “disappear” (stayed in trees, away from open spaces).

The reason I’m bringing this up, if you google ‘fake hawk deterrent’ or something similar, you might find something that work for your deck. If squirrels think they see a hawk sitting there, they will probably stay well away.

[painter]

Can you imagine what the squirrel was thinking when it bit that pepper? :)~ It’s mouth was on fire!

[Darth Reardon]

When I’ve looked at pollinators, even if it’s labelled as self-pollinating there’s usually a note that you will get better and bigger yields with a pollinator of another (compatible) variety.

I would make sure you get the right varieties for your area. Here in central FL, there’s only three options for apple trees, and I’m pretty close to the edge of even being able to grow fruit on those (those apples need 200-300 chill hours per year, we supposedly average close to 300, but it looks like 30-50 this year — we had ONE by Jan 1).

[Darth Reardon]

I had (have?) an Anna apple out back that just never did well. I thought it was not getting enough light due to a neighbor’s oak. Then it got chewed up by some white bugs. And the leaves were always rusty and curled inward. This thing made Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree look healthy.

Now the bugs are gone, and the new neighbor cut down the squirrel castle (yeah!), and the Anna started to turn around. And then died off very quickly.

There is, however, a new branch coming out a few inches above the ground. The leaves are bigger and healthier than anything I’ve ever seen on this “tree”. I’m not sure if the Anna is planted on a rootstock (I’ve found articles from UofFL that they’re tried using different rootstocks, but nothing to say if their use is routine), or if it is possible for it to grow up through the grafted trunk.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Darth Reardon :" ..it got chewed up by some white bugs"..
.. or if it is possible for it to grow up through the grafted trunk."

Sound like "white fly " or thrips might have been the original problem . Both are 'leaf nutrient suckers', as opposed to leaf eaters (holes in leaf).
There also is an apple leaf curl which occurs up North, which is controlled by a "Dormant oil Spray" applied in the cool spring in ambient temperatures (see below).
All carry certain diseases which deform the leaves and will deform the plant, but generally not permanently; or they will lay eggs for subsequent infction.
Suggestion:
Remove topsoil 2-3 inches down from the plant to see if there has been a graft joint, or determine if this is,in fact , rootstock.
If the new shoot is below ground, it is a crapshoot whether rootstock or the plant desired. If the new shoot is clearly above ground, it sounds like it is the original plant (Anna).
In Northern Climes , we use a "dormant oil spray" in early spring to minimize insect invasion -
- it freezes/chills the undeveloped insect eggs - preventing developement.
I hope that helps - I use 'Rootone' &/or 'Bontone Rooting Powder' with grafting , or air-layering.
Regardless,.. spring time is the best time to try grafting , or air-layering on new growth ; or just to practice your newly learned skills .

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Darth Reardon :" .. I’m pretty close to the edge of even being able to grow fruit
on those (those apples need 200-300 chill hours per year, we supposedly average close to 30 "

I have heard of people putting ice water with ice cubes on the roots of fruit trees, just to imitate frost/ cold weather in order to induce fruiting.
I have no information as to its effectiveness , but it would seem to shock the plant into buds, and fruiting .
If nothing else , it makes for an interesting experiment for the next 12 days, providing you don't run out of ice cubes or ice water.

[Augie]

Thank you for those links.

We had frost here again in Central Missouri last night, but the low temp wasn’t cold enough to hurt my peach tree blossoms.

[Darth Reardon]

Whiteflies are definitely a problem around here. I’m constantly fighting them on my tomatoes. I’ve never seen any on the apple trees, but they are certainly out there. I actually just put out some ladybugs and green lacewing eggs this week to try to address them, and the aphids on my Dorsett apple tree. I usually treat with neem oil, which is better than nothing, I think.

The white bugs I mentioned were about 3/16-1/4”, with a very hard shell. They chewed the edges of the leaves, leaving a pattern like a trowel(?) that you would use to lay thinset.

The new growth is clearly above ground. I looked again and it is a good 5-6” over the soil line, so maybe I’ll get lucky.

[Darth Reardon]

While we are heading into a freak cold snap (high of 65 on Monday??? I may have to open up the house one last time this year), we’ll be back in the mid 80’s by the middle of the week.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Darth Reardon :" While we are heading into a freak cold snap (high of 65 on Monday???
I may have to open up the house one last time this year)..."

This morning , I awakened to 16 degrees , with the possibility of 50's during the end of this week .
However , I feel your pain (?) as high heat and humidity present fertile ground for insect invasion and attack (think of living inside a greenhouse).
Your geographic location and plant cultivar choices do present some unique horticultural problems and issues .
Given the fact that the new sprout is seriously above ground, it sounds like you have been successful in keeping the apple true to the mother plant.
Keep up the good work , especially with beneficial insects .
You might also consider exploring the use of pheromone 'traps' for the invading insects.

[Black Agnes]

That squirrel was probably thinking it was the payback for stealing all my sweet peppers!

I kept wondering where they were going. One would get alllllmost ripe and poof, it would disappear. I initially thought it might be the neighbor kids or something. Then I actually saw one of the little squirrels climbing in the container one day and figured out who had been stealing.

I had put ‘move containers’ on hubby’s honeydo list but we hadn’t gotten around to deciding where to put them that wouldn’t be squirrel infested too.

Little thieves.

And he/she deserved every bit of that fire for stealing my peppers!

[mplsconservative]

South Dakota native here, though east river. :)

El Nino has been kind here in west metro Twin Cities, MN.

Tulips are up four inches or so and the pussy willows are blooming. So pretty against a blue sky in all their ‘fuzziness’. Chives, columbine, peonies, iris, oriental poppies and daffodils have all made an appearance up from the ground. I absolutely LOVE this time of year! I am pleased the parsley survived and is coming back. The William Baffin climbing rose has leaf buds eight foot high up to our deck.

I started seeds for pansies in January and coleus in February. They are growing under lights in the basement but got a vacation outside in the shade on our rare 70 degree days. It really plumped them up.

We took our son back to college today from his working spring break. Poor kid, but he made some bucks. Noticed a lot of shrubs on campus leafing out already. That is really early here. Love gorebull warming!

[Augie]

Cool weather in Central Missouri over the weekend, but I got a lot of good things done in the garden.

I had to spend a few hours repairing Nanner's loader bucket. Working with the poo fork attachment I built exposed a previous repair that couldn't handle the added stress.

I got the garden tiller out and scratched up a few spots in the yard that needed reseeding.

I stirred up another bed in the garden and tossed out some arugula and radish seed. The green salad, kale and radish seed that I put out on March 6 have come up and are looking nice. I seeded six varieties of basil in starter cells yesterday and stuck those in the cold frame. Put another row of snap peas in the dirt yesterday.

15lbs of seed potatoes nestled in wheat straw and covered up with composted manure/hay.

Nephew used Nanner to drill planting holes for another dozen orchard trees last Friday. I'm done with fencing for now so I removed the post hole digger and hooked up the box scraper that I repaired back in the winter. With those suitcase weights hanging on the frame it makes a very nice counterweight for the front loader. I turned part of the compost heap a few days ago. Finished that up yesterday. The pile is substantial.

[bgill]

This cute little fellow was found not far from me. All 9' 1" of him. I might need to reconsider wearing shoes. Better yet, full body armor!

[Black Agnes]

My grandmother lived on the farm next to one of her brothers. ‘Next door’ being a relative term in the country.

To get to my great uncles farm we had to traipse through some woods, across a field and across a pond levee to get to his driveway and up to their house.

Once upon a time, one summer, my great aunt was losing guinea hens left right and center. So a couple of their sons started looking for the culprit. In the process they discovered that cottonmouths, bout the size of that snake in the picture, were living just under the pond levee.

My dad still has a picture of the menfolk holding that snake stretched out and about 5 or 6 of them in the picture snake was so long.

I walked up the side of the road to their house after that.

(it was the country, so no traffic, just a little further than thru the woods)

[tubebender]

I have decreed that there be no snakes in my garden!!! EVER