2008

"Rain, rain, go away" - but please come back a little later! Definitely do not want to jinx us this year and get back into a drought situation. But, we could use a few rainless sunny days to get that soil dried a bit. Oh well, it will happen. Just be patient. (Easy for me to say, right?) By the way, if you'd like to enjoy spring in several stages, here's all you need to do. Drive downtown or across the river the northern Kentucky. They have tons of spring plants in full bloom right now! Then drive to the Mason / Lebanon area, where spring flowers are just showing colors. Then drive to Columbus where they're just preparing for a show of spring colors. All within a 90 minute drive, you can enjoy 3 different stages of the spring season. Only problem here - it will cost you an arm and a leg for the gas! :)

By the way, as this is being written, we are going thru the almost 1,000 entrees for this years Natorp's / Homeworx / Local 12 $10,000 Front Yard Landscape Makeover! There are so many great entrees this year - this will be the toughest year to date for choosing a winner. Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter your front yard in the contest. (4 Finalists and the winner will be announced next week on Local 12 as well as 4/20 on Homeworx (11:30am Local 12) as well as posted on our web site and Local 12 web site.)

[If you apply Rogaine to your scalp with your fingers, why doesn't hair grow on your fingertips?]

Whether It's The Weather

weather

I think I covered it in the opener! Long range forecast looking for wet and colder temps this weekend. Maybe even a flurry here and there. Like I said, just be patient and ready to go when it finally breaks.

[If you get a penny for your thoughts, but have to give your two cents worth for those thoughts, and a penny now costs two cents to mint, you're losing big money every time you open your mouth!]

What's Bugging You?

bug

Still nothing much bugging the ole yardboy. I did inhale a couple of those 'no see-ums' the other day, that were swarming around in the yard. Hate that when it happens. And I'm seeing a lot of over wintered bagworms still hanging on evergreens, but other than that, I'm still relaxed about bugs 2008. Now, I am still reminding everyone about our deal this year. Say it with me, "Before I spray, or even think about spraying to control unwanted bugs in the lawn, landscape, or garden, I will make sure I know what it is, determine how much damage it may or may not cause, what measures can be taken to control it if needed (look at alternatives), think bee friendly, and then spray if needed. And as always, I will read and follow the directions on the label." Thank you very much! :)

This week Buggy Joe Boggs is reporting several reports of extreme damages to landscape plants (gnawing off bark) mostly due to voles and rabbits. BJB is also reporting 7 more Ohio counties being under Emerald Ash Borer quarantine - that now is a good time to start mowing the lawn (we already knew that, Joe!) - that you need to get your pre emergent herbicides in place in the lawns (already knew that, Joe!) - that water logged soils is now causing root rot (makes sense to us, Joe)- that now is the best time for controlling Peach leaf curl by spraying Peach trees with a fungicide (well, we wouldn't spray our apple trees to control peach leaf curl, now, would we Joe?) - and that our good buddy from Lexington Kentucky, the honorable Larry Hanks, is reporting eastern tent caterpillars now hatching in the Lexington area, which means we'll be seeing them shortly. Right Joe? :)

-Catch the Buggy Joe Boggs report Saturday at 8:42am on 55KRC The Talk Station.

www.emeraldashborer.info / ohioline.osu.edu

[When Wally discovered he had Lyme disease, he was really ticked off.]

Question Mark & The Mysterians

mystery

"What's the name of that new sumac that is very colorful?" -Tiger Eye's Sumac! Yellow foliage, magenta veins on the leaves, 6-8' x 6-8' in size, very tropical looking, and a really cool ornamental small tree. And don't forget Black Lace Elderberry for dark marroon foliage.

"How long should I wait to remove the straw from my newly seeded grass once it starts coming up through the straw." -As soon as a good green is showing over the seeded area, lightly rake to see if you can remove some of the straw without pulling up the grass. If you can, get rid of some of the straw. You may do this a couple times, and then let the mower mulch up the remaining small amount that's at the very bottom. If you haven't applied straw yet, try using Greenviews Seed Accelorator instead. No raking!

"What's the name of that stuff that kills the grass growing in the groundcover and in my landscape plantings, but won't kill my plants?" -It's called 'Over the Top'. Please read the label before using it.

"Chickweed and henbit is everywhere in my landscape beds. How do I get rid of it?" -It's a winter annual and actually started growing late last fall from the seeds that were produced in the spring. Your best defense is to first, get rid of what you see right now, by simply pulling it out of the ground. A rake does wonders on chickweed and henbit. But do it now, before they go to seed (which is happening in some areas already!). And then second, apply PREEN late in the summer, to prevent any of the seeds that may still be there, from germinating. Remember, chickweed is very edible and very very nutritious!

"For the past 2 years, my flowering crabapples have lost all their leaves due to apple scab. Anything I can do this year to prevent that from happening again?" - The weather over the past 2 seasons has been perfect for apple scab and leaf defoliation. Repeated applications of a garden fungicide labeled for scab, about 10-14 days apart, beginning now and carried into early summer should help. Of course, if the weather would stay warmer, sunnier, and less conducive for the production of apple scab, you wouldn't need to spray at all! By the way, for future planning, there are many scab resistant varieties of flowering crabapples available for you to plant, and then you won't have to worry about spraying!

"I want to get an early start on my tomatoes and peppers. What do you suggest?" - Okay, it's April, you're strolling thru your local garden store, when you see tomatoes and peppers. You say to yourself, "Yes, I can get an early start and have the first ripe tomato and pepper on the block". Right? Well you can, but not by planting in the ground - but by planting in a pot. You see - tomatoes, peppers and many other veggies just plain and simple do not like cold air and cold wet feet. And until the soil warms and dries more, ands air temps get higher, planting in the ground too early can cause root rot, stunting, and possibly no crop at all. But, by planting in a large container, the soil warms quicker, you control the moisture, and the plants can be moved in and out depending on the air temperatures, giving you an early start and an earlier crop. Remember all the basics for container gardening - top grade potting mix, Osmocote mixed in for slow season long feeding, Soil Moist added to help reduce watering, and make sure the pot is larger than 14 inches (larger the better) and has great drainage holes.

Plant your Tomatoes and peppers in the pots, water in well, and place in a good sunny location. This keeps the soil and plant warmer and of course, gives them all the sun they need. The more sun the merrier. If the temperatures are predicted to drop below 60-65 degrees, bring your pots inside, and move them back outside when the temperatures warm back up. Placing them on a wagon or cart can be very helpful.

By the way, last year I introduced you to straw bale gardening - growing veggies right in straw bales. Well, if you're planning on doing it this year, now's the time to get those straw bales in place, so Mother nature can help get them cooking with her early spring showers, and you'll be ready to plant, come mid to late May.

[If Dracula can't see his reflection in a mirror, how come his hair is always so neatly combed?]

Success Tip of the Week

tip

Spring Rose Care - Although it's a very hard thing to do, try and be patient when it comes to uncovering and cutting back roses in the spring. Many rosarians recommend waiting until April 15 before this process begins. Yes, your roses may begin to slowly leaf out earlier, which is all weather pending, but that will not affect pruning later. Remember, pruning roses quickly stimulates new growth. Pruning too early in the spring may stimulate quicker early growth which will not be hardy against late freezes (just like spring 2007!). So be patient with your roses in the spring. Here's what we suggest (again, based on the input from our local rosarians):

1.) The week of April 15, or as the dogwoods begin to show some flowers, uncover roses completely, rake and clean away debris, and prune to get rid of all dead wood and dead canes. Hybrid teas, grandifloras, and floribundas will be pruned leaving the healthiest 5-7 canes, remaining at around 15 - 18 inches in height. Shrub and mini roses are cleared of deadwood and pruned to the desired size and shape. Climbers will receive structural pruning as needed, and removal of winter damaged canes. For you Knockout rose owners, you do have the option of simply removing deadwood and lightly reshaping the plant, leaving it taller and giving it the opportunity to get taller (they can reach 4-5 feet easily), or simply cutting the entire plant back to 8 - 12 inches above the ground, keeping it a bit more compact for the upcoming growing season.

2.) Go ahead and spray your roses with lime sulfur spray, or dust with dusting sulfur. This will help to kill any disease spores that may have over-wintered on the rose plants.

3.) An initial feeding (1/2 normal rate) of rose food can be applied over the next couple weeks. As we get more into the growing season (May and further), go ahead and begin feeding at normal rates.

4.) Re-mulch the soil around the roses with Pinebark mulch, and your roses are good to go!

5.) If you've had problems with insects and diseases in the past, keep in mind using 'Bayers 3 in 1 Rose Care' for systemic action, and Bonide's '3 in 1 Rose Care' for Foliar applications, as the season progresses. You can add backup control using Insecticidal soaps, Horticultural oils, Earth-tone Insect Control, Fungonil, Infuse, Mancozeb, etc. for foliar sprays. Note: If you had problems with roseslug, rose sawfly, or bristly roseslugs last year, mid April is the time to use the Bayer's 3 in 1 as a soil drench.

[No matter how optimistic you may be, a diaper is never half empty.]

From the Garden to the Kitchen

Rita

Yardboy, I have received some requests for window box "edible gardens". This is right up your alley, as I know you prefer container gardening above all else! There's so much to be said about window box gardening. Think of the view you'll have - and think of the creative juices that will naturally flow when you see those beautiful and flavorful herbs and flowers just begging to be picked. Here are some good specimens for a window box garden:

Minette or Spicy Globe Basil / Miniature Thyme

Fernleaf or Dukat dill / Calendula

Vining Nasturtiums / Violas

Lemon Gem Marigolds / Garlic and Onion Chives

Rose Geraniums / Snapdragons

Cascade Rosemary / Delfino Cilantro

Pot Marjoram / Parsley / Dwarf Sage

Of course, any of the salad greens work well, too. I like to plant radicchio for its beautiful red color. Upland cress and arugula work well, too. And yes, all of these herbs are available at Natorp's!

Rita Nader Heikenfeld, CCP / Macy's Regional Culinary Professional / Herbalist / Author / Local TV and Radio Cooking Expert / Adjunct Professor U.C. Clermont College / Community Press Papers / PT Witchdoctor -Maker of Strange Potions / www.abouteating.com

[If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later into the fall. -Nadine Stair, who probably got it from Rita Heikenfeld!]

Yardboy's "Plant to Ponder"

plant

Urban Tree of the Year - Nyssa sylvatica Commonly known as Black Tupelo, Black Gum, Sour Gum, this large growing tree (35-50'), hardy in zones 4-9, is definitely one of the most beautiful native trees around. Usually somewhat pyramidal when young, with age, some tops may open up and become more horizontal forming an irregularly rounded or flat-topped crown - although some may retain the upright oval shape. Dark green leaves changing to bright yellow to orange to scarlet to purple in fall. Small yellow flowers in spring (polygamo-dioecious), bluish black fruit in fall (not messy), and dark gray to brown black bark. Prefers moist well drained soils, but tolerant of drier conditions. This tree is an excellent specimen tree, possible choice for street trees, and great for naturalizing. *Chosen by the Society of Municipal Arborists

[Right now, I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.]

A Little Bit of This,
A Little Bit of That

This time of the year, it's good to get out, walk around, and give your plants a good looking over before the growing season gets too far along. It's amazing what things you might find, including the dreaded bagworm!

If you have evergreens in your landscape, especially spruce, pines, junipers, and arborvitae, take a close inspection and look for those small brown bags hanging from the branches. They're called bagworms, their eggs have over wintered in these bag homes, and when they hatch out in late May or early June, they become needle eating machines. As a matter of fact, if the bag does contain bagworm eggs, there can be as many as 500 eggs in each little bag, and when they hatch out, they either stay on this evergreen and begin to feed, or get into the air and let the air take them to other evergreens, where they begin to feed and start the whole bagworm life cycle over again.

So, by hand picking them now, before they hatch out in late May or early June, you can prevent these bagworms from ever getting a start feeding on your evergreens. By the way, when you pick them off, smash them, or somehow destroy them. That way you make sure those eggs won't hatch out, even if their laying in a landfill somewhere.

Now if you have bagworms in the top of larger evergreens that you cannot reach, just keep watching for them to hatch out - early June or so. Once they have hatched and you can see their activity on the plant, a good spraying of Bt will knock them out, and your plants will be bagworm free - unless they blow in from your neighbor's yard. So keep a bagworm watch going on your evergreens, at least thru the month of June.

-Make sure your lawn mower has been serviced and that blade(s) has been sharpened. This year, mow your grass at least 3 inches high as see if you can tell a difference in color, thickness, etc.
-Last call in many cases for dormant sprays.
-Make sure you have your pre emergent herbicides in place in the lawn.
-Grass seed has not started germinating yet and won't until the temperatures get much warmer. So be patient if you have sowed seed earlier, or are seeding soon.
-Feed those spring bulbs before they bloom. If they need to be dug and moved, do that 6-8 weeks after they have finished blooming.
-Fluff your existing mulch and unless needed, wait until later in the spring for seasonal mulching.
-If needed, prune summer flowering trees and shrubs this spring. If needed, prune spring flowering trees and shrubs after they finish flowering.
-Apply Bonide or Bayer Tree and Shrub Insect Control soon for systemic insect protection, including the Emerald Ash Borer.
-Pot up those containers with cole drops, horseradish, rhubarb, potatoes, peas, and other cold tolerant plants and get them container growing!
-Get your hummingbird feeders filled and in place. Scouts have already arrived in southern Ohio!

[A nickle isn't worth a dime anymore. -Yogi Berra]

OBKB. That's it for this week. Now, do yourself a favor. Go out and have the best weekend of your life. See ya! RW, the Yardboy.

www.nationalautismassociation.org