Garden Guide - November 4, 2009

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Garden Guide - November 4, 2009

Amaryllis Basics

Another holiday favorite has arrived! Amaryllis bulbs are now here. If you are looking for something beautiful and easy to grow, the amaryllis is for you. Here are a few basics to get you started. Amaryllis bulbs will usually start to bloom about 4-6 weeks after planting. To enjoy blooms throughout the holiday season and winter, stagger your plantings about one week apart. Select your favorite color from the many that are available. Many find Red Lion irresistible, but the other colors are just as pretty. Choose a bulb that is firm and has no soft spots. Larger bulbs will often produce 2-3 stems of 4-6 flowers per stem. For potting, select a pot that is about 2” larger in diameter than the bulb and a few inches deeper. Be sure to use a pot that has drainage holes so excess water doesn’t collect in the pot. Use a good quality potting soil such as Bachman’s Mighty Earth Potting Soil. Place the bulb in the pot so that about 1/3 of the bulb is exposed, spread out the existing roots and fill in around them with soil. Fill the remainder of the pot and gently firm the soil. After planting, thoroughly moisten the soil with lukewarm water. After this initial watering, do not water again until you see active new growth, which is usually the emerging flower bud. Place the newly potted amaryllis in a warm, shaded place for the first couple weeks. After about two weeks you will probably see the flower bud beginning to emerge. With amaryllis, the flower buds usually emerge before the leaves. The flower bud can be distinguished from leaves since it is fat and the leaves are flat. When the bud starts up, move the plant to a well-lit area, but not into direct sunlight and resume watering. Continue to water as needed, keeping the soil just slightly moist, not soggy. Cooler temperatures when the flower buds begin to open extend the life of the blooms. Remove the flowers as they fade, then cut the bloom stalk off just above the bulb. If you want to keep the amaryllis for future blooming, see our Bachman’s Information Sheet: Success with Amaryllis for tips and suggestions.

Pruning Questions

We talked about pruning earlier in the season, but we continue to get a lot of questions. Here’s a quick review: Woody plants that have problems with disease transmission during the growing season such as elms (Dutch elm disease), oaks (oak wilt) and mountain ash (fireblight) need to be pruned while they are dormant. But that’s only if they need pruning. If they don’t, leave them alone. If they need pruning, it can be done from the time when the leaves fall in autumn until late winter. This is not the time of year to prune anything that blooms early in the season such as magnolias, lilacs, azaleas and rhododendrons. If you prune now, you’ll reduce or eliminate their flowers. And evergreens shouldn’t be pruned now, either. Some deciduous plants can be pruned now, but they don’t have to be. Wait until late winter or very early spring. Unless you have a pressing need to prune now, why not wait? There is actually some food and moisture stored in the twigs and branches that the plants may need to help them through winter.

Cutting Back Perennials

We’ve talked about leaving some perennials standing over the winter, but since it is easier and neater to mulch with them all cut back, the question is “Does it harm the plant if you cut them back?” There are a few perennials that we know for sure winter more successfully when they are not cut back until early spring. For instance, they found through tests in Iowa that garden mums are much more winter hardy when the stems are left standing over winter. Commercial growers of ornamental grasses are finding the same is true with their plants. While there haven’t been extensive tests on many other varieties of perennials, the basic rule of thumb has developed that if a plant turns to mush after a killing frost, cut it back. If a plant simply dries and stays standing, leave it alone. So, we don’t know for sure if cutting them back in the fall harms the plants, but we do know it is beneficial to leave the stems standing to keep the snow and mulch in place. Save yourself some work this fall; you know there will be a beautiful day in the early spring when you’re just itching to get outside and ‘do something’. Perennial garden clean up is just the thing to satisfy the gardener’s desire. Bachman’s Information Sheet: Winterizing Your Perennials

Winterberry

Now that the wind and rain have taken the fall color from our trees and shrubs, one of our favorite plants for winter interest is revealing its color. Winterberry is a member of the holly family. These wonderful, compact shrubs are much appreciated for their screening qualities and stunning fruit. The berries are formed on female plants – but like all hollies, a male and female plant are needed in order for the female to set fruits. Plant one male for every 5-7 female plants. If you want red berries, try ‘Red Sprite’, and for red-orange berries plant ‘Afterglow’. ‘Jim Dandy’ is the male pollinator for either one of these hardy shrubs. Winterberries prefer sunny to part sunny locations with moist, acidic soil. The plants grow to about 6’ and have a rounded shape. Their shiny green foliage turns yellow in the fall. Besides being beautiful, birds love the berries in late winter and early spring.

Sticky Leaves on Houseplants

Stickiness on plants is a good indication of an infestation of a sucking insect such as aphids, scale or mealy bugs. These insects exude a sticky substance referred to as honeydew and it drips onto the lower leaves or surrounding surfaces such as the tabletop or floor. Sometimes the insects are obvious, but other times you need to look closely at the underside of leaves or stems to locate the culprits. If the insect problem goes unnoticed for a while, you may even see a black mold called sooty mold start growing on the sticky leaf surfaces. Recommendations for treating the problem will vary depending on the specific type of plant and the type of insect. Insecticidal soap and many other insecticides will work on aphids. Mealy bugs and scale are more effectively treated with horticultural oils or systemic insecticides. Be sure to read, understand and follow label instructions before using any insecticide in your home. If you have questions about how to proceed, bring a sample in to one of our stores. We can show you the treatment options. Bachman’s Information Sheet: Indoor Insect and Disease Problems

Garden Tips for Early November

Continue to water spruce top planters until the soil freezes.

Apply animal repellents such as Liquid Fence to the trees and shrubs that the critters find tasty. All that October rain may have washed off any that was applied previously.

Save fallen leaves to use as mulch on your perennial garden. Wait until the soil freezes before spreading them over the garden.

Continue to mow the grass as long as it continues to grow and to keep it clear of fallen leaves. It is OK to leave finely chopped leaves on the lawn.

There is still time to fertilize your lawn if you haven’t done so yet. Do not apply fertilizer after the ground has frozen.

Inspect your houseplants for insects. Look especially close at those plants you had outside over the summer. Insects multiply rapidly indoors so it helps to catch the problem early.

Winterize tender roses after a week of freezing temperatures. Typically, tender hybrid roses are winterized by mid-November.

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