Archive for the ‘Garden’ Category

It’s Not Too Late to Plant!

Published by Mrs. Flower on October 24th, 2011 - in Arborist, Garden, Landscaping, Trees

Autumn is the best time to plant perennials, trees and shrubs. They can still be planted in the ground even if there is a thin crust of frost in the soil. Fall is the best time to plant because nature offers the perfect environment of cool temperatures and abundant water. Plant materials are still working to establish themselves in the late fall and very early spring and usually require little help from humans. Most trees and shrubs in late fall have fulfilled their annual growth and are shutting down for the winter. It can only benefit any plant to be set free of its pot and placed in soil. In late fall and early spring the growth of new roots happens underground before we even see any life above the soil.

Perennials can be set into the ground with great success at this time. Mulching to a depth of 2 – 3 inches will reduce root ball throw. The processes of freezing and thawing will push un-rooted root balls up and out of the soil.  This is easily resolved by visiting newly planted perennials in very early spring and pressing them back down into their holes gently but firmly with your toes. The root balls make contact with the soil again and they proceed to root out into it.

There will be some failures of course. But for the most part there is success in fall garden plantings. Some perennials are finicky and require a full summer of growth in place before they can endure a winter. Tricky plants are wonders that we gardeners all enjoy figuring out along the way. For some reason there can be more time for gardening in the fall than there is in the spring. For some, a new home only begins to settle in the fall and gardening becomes a new delight. It is not too late!

It is best not to put any soil additives in the hole or on top of the soil when planting in the fall. The plants are going to sleep and need no food. Water is still important however and keeping new plantings watered well – even in the fall – is key to success. When spring comes, keep an eye to the newly planted materials for signs of dehydration and make sure that they receive adequate water.

For more information contact gardens@chippersinc.com.

 

 

Our Fall 2011 Newsletter – Hot Off the Press!

GreenWords Newsletter Fall 2011

In this issue: Restore Your Flood Damaged-Landscape & Great Reasons to Schedule Winter Work Now!

 

How to Restore Your Lawn In Irene’s Aftermath

For those with a home lawn in a flood plain or next to a waterway, removal of as much sediment and silt becomes job one.  Many will opt for a professional with equipment capable of moving large volumes of river sediment.  This is especially important to the homeowner as there is a high likelihood that the silt and sediment, being of the finest particle size, will trap and contain petroleum products, organic waste, or other undesirable materials.  Leaving the removal of such sediment to a professional can provide a measure of comfort to the home owner versus attempting such a daunting task themselves given the inherent risks.  After this “river frosting” is removed, the next phase is lawn restoration either this fall or next spring.

Freshly Reseeded Lawn and Hay Spreading

 

Damaged lawns will fall into two main categories ranging from a complete reinstallation with truck loads of loam down to basic turf treatments like core aeration, calcium lime, and fertilizer.  The more extensive the flooding and sediment layer, the more likely loam will need to be brought in, spread out with a tractor, seeded, and then rolled.  Any seeding this fall will pay dividends with quicker grass thickening versus having to wait for the soil to warm up and dry out next spring.

In many cases, a complete lawn renovation may well be the best choice compared to trying to patch up or fix thinned out or dead sections of lawn.  Attempting to match any existing grasses can leave a calico appearance to a lawn while starting over allows more desirable blends to be utilized yielding a more consistent turf cover. Before proceeding with a complete restoration it may also be the opportune time to decide how much lawn you really want in your planted landscape – do you love it and like the maintenance chores or do you really dream of creating other outdoor living spaces with patios, walkways, and gardens with native flowers, shrubs and trees? Only you can answer this question that Irene has raised….

The second type of lawn repair would be a partial renovation where perhaps the back or front was buried in silt yet or another area simply became either submerged in water or soaked by heavy rain.  Given the massive amount of rainfall during hurricane Irene, many soils, particularly sandy ones, will have lost significant nutrient value and will require supplemental treatment of Nitrogen and Potassium.  In this scenario, a normal lawn would do well to receive a balanced, low to zero phosphate, slow release fertilizer treatment to aid in improving turf health this autumn.

Any energy stored in October and November will be used to repair and establish a healthy root system prior to winter resulting in a better spring green up (see ‘winterizer’ blog post at mrgrassblog.net).  A high calcium lime treatment will aid in softening the soil itself while adjusting soil pH into a desirable range for the new and existing turf.  Core aeration is an excellent tool to reduce compacted soil, perhaps even those with some remaining sediment as a coating on the surface of the lawn.  These situations can be further improved by overseeding once the lawn is aerated with a superior blend of turf grass.

Most lawns can be seeded into late October and still have some germination prior to winter in a normal growing season.  Although you will not see a whole lot going on, taking the shot now is still normally worth the gamble of an early snow.  I have seen great lawns emerge in the spring from a late seeding and in the case of this catastrophe, I think the ‘doing’ outweighs the ‘waiting’ in most cases.

Although lawns may rate low on the scale of post-Irene reconstruction compared to bridges, roads, or house repairs, ultimately the job will arise and when it does, doing it right makes more sense than to not.

 

Raising Worms… and Loving It!

Published by Mrs. Flower on August 22nd, 2011 - in Garden

I am a rehabilitated worm murderer. A couple of years ago I was swept up in a tsunami of kitchen composting. Being big vegetable eaters, the amount of vegetable waste I was hauling out to the compost bin was in my opinion – overly huge. Here in Vermont, winter puts a halt to active compost processes. So I figured vermicomposting would be a logical way to deal with the mountain of scraps that I was arduously snowshoeing out to the bin.

The next thing I knew I was ordering a worm farm. I also ordered a couple pounds of red wigglers, Eisenia foetida, which are the best composters. I followed the instructions and figured it was a simple process. I gave the worms all of our kitchen scraps. Each time I opened the worm bin and looked in I was tickled to see activity. Things went well for a while, until the worm bin started to smell all wrong. My worms had died or were in the process of dying. I was instantly indicted as a murderer “Mommy the worm killer!!” was heard at every outing for some time afterward. Everybody laughed but me.  The guilt and the shame was unbearable.

I was left with a big multi-tiered worm farm, resplendent, yet empty. I kept eying it in the barn for a year. My Yankee headset would not allow me to toss it or give it away. I researched vermiculture and learned that I had overfed my worms. The abundant food scraps had super-heated and, um, parboiled them. Not only had I over fed the worms, but the scraps were rather large for them to actually eat (hence I was also starving them). I have since learned that using a food processor to grind down the waste, making it easier for the worms to slurp, is a kinder way to administer to their culinary needs.

This spring I gave vermiculture a new try. I now farm the little devils, and my population has grown splendidly. The worm farm sits right in the kitchen next to the waste bin. It is an odorless and tidy affair. This convenient location allows me to care for them easily. I also love to show them off – it amuses me how some people feel icky about them.They are tiny pets of mine, all 30,000 of the little toothless darlings. I have even been heard talking to them. The new refrain has become “Mommy’s got worms!” Not much of an improvement as a descriptive, but it is at least guilt free. I use shredded moistened newspaper, another burgeoning commodity of our household, for their bedding material. They not only eat kitchen scraps, but they eat the newspaper too!

Sometimes food can get away from us in the refrigerator. Mold is not a bad thing for worms, as it is one step closer to an easily digestible meal for them. I collect clean kitchen scraps, all vegetative (no citrus or onion family members). Eggshells are a good additive, but no animal proteins ever!

I grind them all together and keep them in a large canning jar which is placed in the fridge. As my dear husband found out with horror one morning while making his lunch for the work day, the nicely chopped worm food can be mistaken for human food. So a label is a good idea. I have discovered that worms have a sweet tooth and they love fruit. Melon skins and over soft berries and bananas are particular favorites. What isn’t to love about worms!? No more guilt about the fruit that got away! They like to live in nice even frost free temperatures. They would never make it through a Vermont winter.

I am looking forward to using the worm compost to make compost tea for fertilizing. The great thing about this method is that it maximizes the active biological bacteria of the worm castings by increasing exponentially in amount overnight in solution. It only takes about a pound (under 2 cups) of worm castings to make 5 gallons of basic tea. Five gallons of tea has beneficial organisms and plant health benefits equal to a yard of compost. From a very small amount of compost, a great amount of fertilizer for plants can arise.

Vermiculture has become very specialized. The use of compost tea is a science that has grown into huge service modalities for the green industry. Most compost teas are aerated while they are being brewed. It only takes about 18 hours to develop a good compost tea. Bacterial and fungal teas can be made to exacting standards for the actual plant species that is being fed. Fungal teas are best suited to trees and bacterial teas are favored by grasses and vegetables. I met a man who feeds his trees a concoction that is made with compost tea with added ground up tree stem tips of the species being fed, and to great advantage.

Is Core Aeration On Your Fall ‘To Do’ List?

Published by Mr. Grass on July 27th, 2011 - in Garden, Landscaping, Turf

Core aeration or aeration is a physical process that utilizes a heavy machine called an aerator. Similar to a garden rototiller, the aeration machine has a central shaft with 4 or 5 discs where the actual aeration tines are attached. There are several types of aerators: some utilize solid tines while others are hollow, allowing the machine to extract plugs as it drives over your lawn. These tines are designed to penetrate your lawn like using a cutter for cookies. Most aeration cores will vary between ½” and 1” in diameter and will be left on the surface of your lawn. The depth of a good core aeration job should vary between two and three inches. Core length is dependent on soil moisture, the weight of the machine and its ability to push down versus roll over compacted soil, as well as the age or length of the tines. Older tines become worn and must be replaced as they do not have the capacity to penetrate the soil with a blunt or worn tip. If you are considering a rental aerator, be sure to check the tips of the tines – the more pointed they are, the better. A blunt tine or one with a worn down tips will simply not pull a decent plug, although you may enjoy the exercise!

An aeration machine’s effectiveness is also dependent upon the weight of the unit and the speed at which is it used over the lawn. The faster the aeration job, the less likely the machine’s weight can push down, forcing the tines into the soil. In addition, most rentals are smaller, older units, enabling the average home owner to utilize the machine on a given weekend. Although these rental units may do an adequate job in terms of maneuvering given their shorter width, a commercial grade aerator weighs hundreds of pounds more and is strapped with not only weights, but also with a drum full of water. Basic physics dictates that using the right tool for the job, in this case a commercial aerator, will provide superior results.

Aeration can be done any time of the year, but typically it is done in the spring or fall when soil moisture is greatest to ensure good plugs. In addition, fall is the best time of year to over seed a lawn due to warm temperatures and more importantly, the absence of annual weeds like crabgrass that often interferes and reduces results. Overseeding introduces superior grass varieties after an aeration job. The seed germinates primarily in the aeration holes just like doing a hair transplant. Overseeding is not meant to fill in damaged lawns with large patches or bare areas: this would be more in line with topdressing and seeding that could be done in conjunction with an aeration job. Topdressing adds soil or compost in a thin layer allowing germination to take place in bare sections. Overseeding adds new grass to an existing lawn area and small bare spots, and helps thicken up an existing lawn or thin areas. Aeration and overseeding is not meant to establish a lawn or repair significant damage without the use of topdressing or lawn restoration. Aeration is a great process and should be done annually to help maintain good soil health while minimizing compaction.

What are the benefits of Aeration?

- Increased moisture penetration since the holes open up space for rain to reach the root system below. The surface of the soil is hardened from high heat and summer drought, and a lack of rain makes the surface of the lawn much harder to loosen up due to the baking action of summer heat.

- Increased oxygen exchange (important for healthy roots) especially in compacted and dry soils. Punching holes in the lawn will physically allow air to reach into the surrounding root systems, even as the hole begins to break down and fill back in with soil next spring.

- Reduces soil compaction (especially soils high in clay) caused by those summer parties or high use. Compacted soil does not promote healthy roots in grass or trees for that matter.

- Increases penetration of fertilizers and other lawn products due to the holes being made. The pellets or flakes simply roll into the plug and dissolve for faster results.

- Increases rate of thatch decomposition due to micro-organisms being brought up to the surface in the plug itself. There is no need to rake aeration plugs off a home lawn as they breakdown on their own in a short period of time.

- Increases root development due to the vacant space created by the aerator tine. The turf roots can expand outward and beyond in search of water, air, and nutrients in the soil.

If you don’t have aeration scheduled this year, give us a call and we can give you a proposal on aeration, as well as overseeding. If topdressing is necessary, we can also give you recommendations on this procedure. Aeration typically begins in mid to late August and runs right into October. If you are interested or have questions on this important process, be sure to give us a call or e-mail anytime. It will be back to school time before you know it!

 

 

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The Art of Watering Gardens & Containers

Published by Mrs. Flower on July 13th, 2011 - in Garden, Landscaping

Many people water their plants by spraying a mist over the leaf surfaces. This process is usually done as an afterthought and is rather quick. They say they water every day and their plants act like they are dying of thirst. I am sure this is true. While a light washing off of the leaves is nice for the plants, they would really rather be watered at their base.

Soils need to be saturated with water so that the moisture gets to the roots. The best way to do this is to stand there for a really long time holding a watering wand, or to run a sprinkler. The use of a rain gauge helps to determine whether it has rained enough to get you off of the hook for watering. Use a rain gauge with the sprinkler and time how long it takes to get 1”- 2” of water in the beaker. One to two inches of water per week (including rain) will be sufficient for most plants. Turn the sprinkler off and dig down into the soil to see how deep the water has penetrated. If you have mulch, the water may be held in the mulch with little actually reaching the soil. In this case, your watering will need to last longer.

If you have sandy soil with low organic matter, the water goes straight down pretty rapidly. Plants in soil like this will need to be watered every other day. Clay and silt soils tend to need more water to get the saturation depth that plants need, but they also tend to hold water longer as well. Hence, less frequent watering needed. Organic matter will add friability to the soil so it is more aerated. Conversely, the same organic matter helps sandy soils hold onto water.

Container plants do better in larger pots and window boxes. The more soil you have the less watering needed. Fill the entire pot with potting soil – top to bottom. The capillary action of water in the soil needs unbroken up and down movement top to bottom. Water also moves side to side within the soil media creating a sort of reserve of water. Using packing peanuts and other debris to reduce the soil needed to fill a container only makes it necessary to water more frequently. Additionally, plants will not grow huge with shallow soil.

I am not an advocate of self-watering containers. This gives the gardener false security. Of course there is no such thing as self-watering, as there invariably is always a gardener involved somewhere along the way. Frankly, if one is going to garden – then garden! I have seen many planting disasters in self-watering containers that have become waterlogged. That said, if you use fertilizer in your self-watering units, you need to monitor the solution for toxic build up. Totally emptying the container at least once a season isn’t a bad idea at all.

For more information, contact gardens@chippersinc.com.

 

 

Hummingbirds Are Back In Town….

Published by Mrs. Flower on May 17th, 2011 - in Garden, Landscaping, Natives, Trees

I’m a complete nut for ruby throated hummingbirds. They are fleeting tiny jewels that bring utter delight to the viewer. I could spend hours watching them. Surely, it would be a cliché to say that they are my favorite bird. That aside, I know I am in good company to say that I anxiously awaited their arrival this spring. The return of the hummingbirds means rebirth and utter joy to me. They make me happy. Even though they only live 3 or 4 years, my hummingbirds are the same genetic family that I have known since I have lived in my house. Studies have shown that these tiny birds return to the place from where they hatched. We have a “heart thing” going on (fact: a hummingbird heart beat 21 times per second). Last year, a mother hummingbird lined all of her chicks out on a line right over my head for me to admire. I leaned back in my chair and just watched them – agog with wonder. They were the size of my baby finger, and they pushed and pecked at each other, as children will.

Ruby throated hummingbirds spend their winters in southern Mexico and northern Panama. Most make the arduous journey across the Gulf of Mexico to make it back to their summer feeding ranges. This over water trip is 500 miles long, and can take 18-22 hours. Sometimes they travel with other larger birds, but do not, as lore tells, travel in the armpits of geese. Hummingbirds have too much dignity for such travel accommodation, and I suspect their accumulated frequent travel miles suffice.

This mild season that we have had has brought hummingbirds sooner than usual this year. They arrived a full week earlier than last year. And when they got here, I was ready! My favorite hummingbird migration site on the internet is www.hummingbirds.net. I saw that someone sighted them on April 4th in the Boston area. My old records show them arriving the first week of May, or thereabouts. But as years have gone by, they have been arriving earlier and earlier. The males arrive a couple of weeks ahead of the females and will search for a summer residence. Most people don’t know that hummingbirds eat soft-bodied bugs like flies and mosquitoes, as well as sap from certain trees, and flower nectar. Since there are not many nectariferous flowers or bugs available, this early in the season, feeders will help them establish their territory.

Hummingbirds are protein eating machines and the nectar is the fuel they use to power their enterprise. They do like a little rest as they sip, so I like to use the feeders that have perches. I also prefer the feeders that are easy to clean. The ones I use look like flying saucers. They have shallow, easy to clean bowls, with a wide flat screw-on red top, complete with perches and holes. Red coloring on the feeder itself will help to attract them initially. Later in the season, the nectar can get moldy, due to the bacteria that is introduced from the bird’s beaks. The bothersome skinny necked bottle feeders make clean-up a difficult chore.

Hummingbirds do not need the red colored hummingbird powder bought from stores, which is mixed with water and poured into the feeders. A 1 to 4 mixture of table sugar (cane or beet sugar) to water is perfect. I usually mix 1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups of water to fill a couple of feeders at a time. The hummingbird does not need red food dye to attract it to feeders. Some people think that feeding with sugar water is ‘unnatural’ but the 21% sucrose content is consistent with natural flower nectar.

My gardens are filled with plants that attract nectar feeders (I love butterflies also).

Plants to Attract and Feed Hummingbirds

Trees and Shrubs

• Azalea

• Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

• Flowering Quince

• Lantana

• Red Buckeye

• Weigela

Vines

• Morning Glory

• Scarlet Runner Bean

• Trumpet Creeper

Perennials

• Agastache

• Bee Balm

• Cardinal Flower

• Columbine

• Coral Bells

• Foxglove

• Hosta

• Hummingbird Mint

• Lupine

• Penstemon

• Yucca

Annuals

• Fuchsia

• Impatiens

• Petunia

• Various Salvia species

Last year I rescued a few from barns and sheds. They thanked me, as I was weeding in the flower beds, by hovering within a foot of my face, welcoming me to the garden. I have rescued perhaps 12 hummingbirds in my life. The first one was trapped in an interior window of a shed. It was frantic. I got real close and held my hand near it as it fluttered up and down the window pane…patience…patience. It got exhausted very quickly, and when it came to rest, I quickly – but ever so gently, pinned its wings at its shoulders between my thumb and index finger. As I held this tiny bird I could see the little wrinkled folds of its eyelids, and every iridescent pin sized feather shone in the light…amazing. Ever since then, I have considered myself somewhat of a specialist in hummingbird rescue. I have imagined having a business doing nothing but answering the call of hummingbird rescue. This would the sweetest of jobs in my estimation.

I am very exacting, as it would be easy to injure their wings if they try to take flight. Their wings can flutter up to 50 odd beats per second in flight. I suppose I should be reported, for this is an offense, as it is against the law (Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.) I think this law was made to keep people from collecting birds to stick on their hats, or for whatever other purposes people touch birds. But if the bird police show up, and I must do the time for this extreme action, then I will gladly suffer the prison food. I cannot, under any circumstances, just stand back and watch them expire if I can be of help. The pleasure that I derive from hummingbirds is certainly one of my greatest joys in life, and administering to their needs is a chief ambition.

 

 

What the Heuchera?!

Published by Mrs. Flower on April 27th, 2011 - in Garden, Landscaping

The genus Heuchera, or Coral Bells (AKA  American Alumroot) is a major contender for dream plant, in my opinion. Twenty years ago I was inspired by the Perennial Plant Association’s “Plant of the Year” Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple.’ I had green coral bells in my gardens and enjoyed their panicles of clean little cerise bells. But ‘Palace Purple’ leaves were, well, purple! There was at that time, nothing like it. It became all the rage.  I went wild using it with silver leaved companion plants and soft pink flowering perennials.

Coral bells were never the main act in gardens in those years. Soon I got bored with them. Even worse, I grew aggravated because the Heuchera would heave out of the ground over the winter, looking like big silly elephants standing on balls.  Little did I know that they had fine shallow, fibrous roots. It never occurred to me to lift and bury them deeper – Ah, youth!  Hence, heuchera fell out of favor with me.

Six years ago, I was entrenched in my long quest to know more about native plant species. I was surprised to learn that Heuchera villosa, and H. americana were natives and that ‘Amethyst Myst,’ a new purple leaved cultivar, had exceptional attributes compared to ‘Palace Purple.’ I fell in love all over again. The villosa species was being used extensively as an intercross breeder for new varieties of heuchera, which made for larger leaves and colors. ‘Dale’s Strain’ was an americana species with better heat tolerance and fabulous veining.  Both species can be grown from seed easily, but hybridization using their gene pool has opened a cornucopia of new cultivars that has the gardening world agog.

Native heucheras span habitats from alpine mountainous regions to low-land forests, and all share common traits: gorgeous leaves, long bloom times, excellent hardiness, rotund mounded form, salt tolerance, longevity, non-invasive, plays well with others, competes well with tree roots  and have persistent leaves during the winter. They are virtually indestructible – I know this because I still have my Palace Purple from twenty years ago, even though at times, I wished them dead.

With the use of these two species, numerous leaf colors have evolved. One could garden exclusively with heuchera, and I dare say no color would be missed. A garden of heuchera would be an easy care display. I have yet to meet a coral bell not hardy to at least -30 degrees F. They like to be in moderately dry soil, usually in full sun. The lime or chartreuse varieties do better in part sun – but this would be the case for most spring green colored leaf plants. Heuchera leaves can range in color from the darkest almost black, ‘Obsidian,’ lime colored varieties, ‘Citronelle’ and ‘Key Lime Pie,’ orange toned, ‘Caramel’ and ‘Southern Comfort,’ purple shades like ‘Frosted Violet,’  bi-colored like the amber leaf edged in chartreuse, ‘Tiramisu.’  Certain cultivars change color in the cool of fall. ‘Green Spice’ is a lovely green with purple veins and it turns pumpkin orange in the fall. All are to-die-for cultivars.

H. villosa ‘Autumn Bride’ has enjoyed my high favor for a while. It has giant green leaves and blooms in late summer with big white foxtails, it is utterly spectacular.  But, two years ago, as I innocently perused the isles of a nursery, I was gobsmacked by a new heuchera called ‘Georgia Peach.’ I went slack-jawed – and my bubble gum landed in the gravel path at my feet. This peachy colored leaf is veined in a darker red. It is BIG and beautiful and I have managed to obtain several. Now I must change the color vignette of my entire perennial border to accommodate this new pet of mine.  I envision it with purple, blue, gold and white companions. It is not that I am fickle, but that I do know love when I see it.

 

Finally, the Growing Degree Days Begin…

Yesterday, April 12, 2011, we finally had degree days! 6.6 per our Chippers weather station, and it was probably over 10 at lower elevations.

Growing degree days are used to predict the hatch/vulnerability of insects – in our case on woody plants. They are calculated by taking the high and low (in Fahrenheit) of each day, taking their average, and deducting 50. Negative numbers are thrown out, as happens all winter.

Insects that make an early appearance are White pine weevil (mostly a problem for spruce) and pear thrip (a problem for Sugar maples).

Today, April 13th, we had a GDD of 7.3 today. Some of what you will see up to GDD 50: Red maple, magnolia, some rhododendron, pieris and forsythia will all bloom. White pine weevil may be seen doing its dirty deeds at 60 degrees and above, and we are treating for these this week.

These insects are all vulnerable to dormant oil spray up until gdd 50: Scales, Aphids, Mealybugs, Psyllids, Aphids + Mites.

For more information on this topic, please visit our website, www.chippersinc.com.

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