It’s Fall … You Autumn Be Planting
September 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under Gardening Tips & Info
Cold climate gardeners, spring is not the right time for planting.
Fall is a great time for adding new plants to your yard and garden. Did you know you can plant right up to when frost stays in the ground? If done right, you will always enjoy success. If done wrong , you are almost guaranteed to loose plants in areas with a frigid winter climate.
Anyone living in the Snowbelt knows that over the winter…
The ground and everything in it or on it rises and falls through freezing and thawing temperature fluctuation. Thinking that this action of Nature applies only to the patches applied to holes in the road is an error. It also causes the loss of late season planting of ornamental plants.
Some plants bought in ball and burlap are safe from winter heaving.
The only plants that would not suffer injury or death from freezes and thaws would be those heavy, larger sized woody plants that were field grown in ground soils. These root systems usually weigh enough to not rise out of the insulation of the ground around them.
Lightweight nursery containers are so clean and easy to carry.
They will also be the first improperly autumn installed plants to heave above the soil line. This expanding and shrinking of the ground over the winter season affects any small or lightweight perennial, shrub and even small trees. It isn’t that you can’t plant after a shrub, a tree or even perennial has gone dormant either. You can successfully plant in your landscape and garden until frost sets into the soil and remains all day. As long as you are sure that the plant was thriving before the leaves fall for the season; it is better off in the insulating ground than on top of it.
Many people don’t grasp the importance of proper planting prep.
It is possible to dig a hole that is just large enough to comfortably accommodate the root plug earlier in the year and succeed with such time saving methods. In this situation, the plants have to work harder to spread roots into the surrounding soil, but will overcome the hardship when planted in spring or early summer. The best way to install any plant for faster root development, is in providing several inches of loose soil around and under the containerized root ball.
Bare minimum digging techniques spell disaster in autumn.
As a landscape contractor in Michigan I suffered few losses though planting until when frost remains in the soil. I didn’t plant any differently on October 25th than in late May. That is until the day that Helen arrived to have a fabulous new entry garden created.
Helen’s garden was installed in mid October.
By spring only 20% of the plants in this destined to be gorgeous garden remained. The situation was that beneath the mulch were two layers of weed barrier over hard compacted clay. I wanted to remove it and deeply till the soil. Unfortunately, I was emphatically told we were not to disturb the weed free space. Customer being king, I complied with their demands. We were allowed only to make a necessary sized slit in the landscape fabric for each plant installation… for hundreds of perennials.
It was very difficult planting in that rock hard clay.
Only small hand trowels could be used for digging. Upon completion of planting, I checked everything to make sure all was done correctly. The homeowners were ecstatic. Thanking us all profusely, they waved goodbye on October 21st. Two weeks later they called complaining that several plants found halfway out of the ground. No need to drive out there though, they had already been replanted.
If this were true, I would have found them at final inspection.
The following June, I received a nasty letter from Helen reporting that 80% of the new plants were dead. Our winter was mild with excellent snow cover. I had no other plant losses even those projects that were planted after hers. Even the plants in my own garden hastily sunk in November were doing great. Nothing unusual or questionable was planted there.
This supposed disaster was unbelievable and a mystery.
Then I remembered the husband’s report of root balls sitting half way out of the soil before frost arrived. I made an appointment to meet with the couple that evening. Upon arriving I was greeted with a huge expanse of mulch marred by intermittent empty holes. Then I learned that another landscaper had already visited and told them exactly what I was prepared to. The man admitted the disaster was entirely his fault.
Lack of proper soil preparation cause of the planting’s failure.
Always dig your hole wide enough and deep enough to allow at least this much back fill with nicely loosened soil when planting in late autumn. Plants that are installed with at least 3-inches of loose soil all the way around the roots, as well as under them, will survive the ground heaving them up into the frigid air. Why?
The entire section of disturbed soil will rise and fall in one piece.
When the ground heaves any patches or plugs rise above the rooted in and stabilized whole. Without the barrier of freshly loosened soil, the bare roots of the foreign object are pushed up out of the insulating soil. Acting as a blanket of insulation, the loosened soil moves up and down with the weather protecting your new plant.
Helen’s plants not only died from improper autumn planting…
They completely disappeared. Roots, potting medium and all. The winter wind carried them far, far away from the huge expanse of her once again very empty mulch bed. This is one reason why using landscape fabric is not any benefit to enjoying a lovely flower garden. Loose soil is your plant’s best friend.
Plants Slugs Don’t Like to Eat
June 6, 2009 by admin
Filed under Gardening Tips & Info
Stop the slugs eating flowers in your yard.
There are some beautiful plants that slugs don’t like to eat. Here is a planting tip that you may find really helpful if you are really plagued by the garden pest slug.
Control planting as a defense mechanism!
You probably don’t think so at the moment, but slugs are rather picky about what they eat. If you arrange your flower beds with careful planning before planting, you could protect some of the plants that are more attractive to slugs. Installing barrier plantings with plants that repel slugs would definitely be to your advantage.
It has been discovered that the astringent smell of Astrantia foliage is not to their liking. Slugs don’t like to eat Astrantia, nor do they want to pass through a row of them.
Most plants that stop slugs from eating your flowers won’t deal with the same planting conditions as hostas. However, this isn’t the only places gardeners have problems with slugs eating their plants. To assist you in halting the havoc in your garden or landscaping, here is a most amazing assortment of plants that slugs don’t like to eat.
Perennial Plants
Alchemilla mollis – Lady’s Mantle
Arabis – Rock Cress , Armeria – Sea Pink
Aquilegia – Columbine, Arabis, Armeria,
Astilbe – Feather Flower , Bergenia – Pig Squeak, Cerastium – Snow-In-Summer
Cheiranthus, Wallflower, Crocosmia – Montbretia
Dianthus – Carnations/Pinks, Dicentra – Bleeding Heart
Euphorbia – Cushion Spurge, Ferns, Ornamental Grasses
Geranium – Hardy Geranium/Cranesbill, Hemerocallis – Daylily
Unexpected surprise … Hostas are plants slugs don’t like to eat!
The green or gold leaf hostas including the variegated forms of these colored leaf perennials are a slugs idea of smorgasbord delights. The waxy coated leaves of this blue hosta are plants that slugs don’t like to eat.
Iberis – Candy Tuft, Iris, Lamium – Spotted Dead Nettle, Lavender,
Leucanthemum – Shasta Daisy, Nepeta – Catmint
Paeonia – Peony Tree and Peony Bush
Penstemon – Beard Tongue, Phlox subulata – Creeping Phlox
Phlox paniculata – Garden Phlox, Polemonium – Jacob’s Ladder
Pulmonaria – Lungwort, Rudbeckia – Black-Eyed Susan, Salvia – Meadow Sage
Scabiosa – Pincushion Flower, Sedum – Stonecrop
Thalictrum – Meadow Rue, Verbascum – Mullein
Veronica – Speedwell, Vinca minor – Periwinkle
Hardy Shrubs & Vines
Azalea, Camellia, Ilex – Holly
Hydrangea, Potentilla, Rhododendron
Rosa – Roses, Viburnum – Snow Ball Bush
Slug control with plant selection is continual.
You will be able to enjoy hostas with no holes in the leaves after all when choosing the waxy coated blue hosta plants. Just remember that slugs are there for the moisture and the food. Space your plants farther apart and you take away the conditions they prefer. This allows light and airflow to change the environment in your planting beds.
Learning about the different approaches to getting rid of slugs in your garden can be really helpful to protect the plants that you love as much as the garden slug does. You’ll find all methods used to control slugs, both commercial and homemade discussed in Secrets of a Slug-Free Garden here on Lost In The Flowers.
The Dirt on Soil in a Bag
May 17, 2009 by admin
Filed under Gardening Tips & Info
Its as simple as 1-2-3!
- Open the bag and pour it into your pot.
- Stick in some plants and presto, you have an instant garden.
Are you sure about that? Did you happen to ask your new plants how they feel about this one-size-fits-all situation?
Image copyright Lost In The Flowers © 2008
If you’ve ever had problems with plants in containers, don’t just assume you got a bad plant. Most people assume that if its sold in a bag at the store the stuff is a miracle wrapped in plastic. Well to humans it sure is nifty, but we don’t have to live in it. Let’s take a closer look at what is in that clean bag of dirt.
You can buy three different soil products in a bag and none of them are the same.
Topsoil in a bag does not mean it is worth it’s weight in gold. All it means is that the soil came from the “top” – the surface of the earth. The mystery here is you that have no idea where on the Earth. You should be a little bit concerned as to what exactly this soil was on “top” of. It could be from anywhere there was construction going on. It may be shredded, screened and mostly free of weed seed, but you have no way of knowing anything about the quality of the topsoil in that bag. There is no such thing as the dirt police.
Some brands are labeled “Potting Soil” and others “Potting Mix” … this can be confusing. Actually, neither blend contains very little soil, if any. The proper name of this substance loosely known as “potting soil” is really a “soil-less media”. If you open a bag labled “potting soil” and it is real soil – do not put it in a pot! At least without some judicial amendments.
Soil-less media was created to assist container-growers to raise plants in an unnatural environment. Plants grown in plastic containers in regular soil are prone to many problems as there is no available airflow through the plastic. Drainage through a couple small holes at the bottom intensifies the problem when topsoil is used for potting.
Image copyright Lost In The Flowers © 2008
So, we have turned to natural, yet soil-less blends to assist in getting air to root systems and create quick drainage. Both these elements are needed to succeed in growing healthy plants in containers.
All brands of “potting mix” contain portions of fine pine bark, perlite or vermiculite with perhaps a pinch of topsoil, with a main ingredient is of sphagnum peat moss. Peat moss is naturally very acidic with a pH level of 3.5 – 4.5. A high level of acidity means the same as a high pH level.
Some areas of the USA enjoy “perfect soil” that almost any plant does well in provided it likes the climate there. Other areas have highly acidic soil that unless amended to lower the pH levels and kept at the desired range by periodic amending, the plant will slowly decline as the acidity level rises.
Still other areas have very alkaline soil that offers little nutrients to plants but drains very freely. You may wonder what this all means and why it is important to worry about since you are only trying to grow a few patio containers. To really be successful at growing plants in pots and rewarded with lush beauty … it IS important!
Image copyright Lost In The Flowers © 2008
Soil-less media have very low pH levels. Manufacturers blend in dolomitic lime attempting to make it less acidic, but there are still problems when trying to grow plants that do not do well with acidity. The pH level cannot be measured accurately within the mix of the medium.
No manufacturer will state a level of pH; it is always listed as a range of 3.5 to 7.5 pH. Most likely this is due to the loose, fluffy nature of sphagnum versus the weighty chunks of limestone. Some parts of the bag to be less acidic than others as the chunks of stone shift around in the fluffy moss, especially after shipment.
While many plants adapt to lower pH levels, some will become a sickly yellowish green and begin declining and others will simply die quite rapidly.
Commercial growers know that certain plants require amending the media they use for potting to get the plant to perform appropriately. They know to rectify the situation before they pot the plants. The plant’s requirements will decide how they will change the potting mix. Sometimes adding more lime is fine; other plants might do better with a little more nutritious soil added to the media.
Image copyright Lost In The Flowers © 2008
In my small nursery of ornamental plants I potted with my own mix based on 50/50 topsoil-Michigan peat mix with potting media added for drainage and airflow. Plants that I brought in from other growers required far more watering than those I potted. At times when I was short on the number of a given plant for a customer’s needs, I would bring the missing plants in from another perennial grower. I found that the very same plant potted in her bark-based mix was never the same color of green as those I grew. The difference in leaf color was so noticeable people swore they had been sold two different kinds of plants tagged the same.
The other grower’s plants were very healthy and full, and after a few months in the ground the noticeable color difference of the foliage disappeared. The more yellow coloring of the bark mix grown plants is directly due to pH. The level wasn’t off enough to hamper healthy growth, but it was definitely affecting good iron uptake.
Iron is what allows chlorophyll to form in a plant’s leaves and stems. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green. Pale or somewhat yellow leaf coloring can be a sign that there is not enough iron available to the plant whether it is not present in the soil or something is causing the iron to not be useable by the plant.
Last summer I was faced with a few simple pots on the porch, having relocated to a rented house and no Michigan peat to be had in the southeast. I started testing out different bagged potting mixes. First, there was MiracleGro mix, which I found to have good moisture retention but was poor at remaining over roots when I watered. The light sphagnum peat moss floats around and settles higher at the rim of the pot as the heavier weight of the water pushes it away.
The next set of pots I planted I used Fafard potting mix and instantly regretted my switch. This one was even worse at floating away from roots and did not hold moisture as long as the MiracleGro brand. I knew I needed some real soil to stabilize the mix.
My Gerbera Daisy’s leaves began to turn a sickly shade of yellowed-green and I contemplated what it’s ailment was as I picked off the really sad looking oldest leaves. It dawned on me one evening at dark that perhaps the acidic potting medium was the reason for the Gerber’s angst. I repotted it under porch light. Sure enough within a couple of weeks new leaves popped out in a far healthier shade of green.
The addition of 33% topsoil (1 part topsoil to 2 parts potting soil) to the MiracleGro medium and a couple of handfuls of pea gravel to assist in drainage were the cure. This is my “scientific recipe” for a 10” pot. The repotting recipe for the Fafard mix containers was 50% potting soil (1 part topsoil to 1 part potting mix). The Fafard mix gets one one handful of pea gravel as it has less moisture retention than the MiracleGro mix. The addition of topsoil corrects the pH imbalance while also stabilizes the mix to keep roots covered after watering.
If the plant you have in that container likes it dry, you will need to add a bit more gravel to sharpen the drainage. If the plant prefers a lot of moisture, then you would be wise to put most of the gravel for drainage at the bottom of the pot and a smaller portion within the mix to allow for air to the roots and some down flow motion for water to travel during periods of heavy rainfall.
The best way to determine what acidity or pH level a plant you want to grow will not just tolerate, but do really well at would be to do your research before you go through the task of potting it up. If it really adores a lower pH then it would be wise to add some aluminum sulfate to your potting mix when you prepare to plant that container.
It is pretty easy to research this kind of information in this day of Internet at your fingertips. Much of the commercial growing trades technical information is readily available to anyone if they know how to type the search terms in the right way. To use the Gerber Daisy as an example, type in “Gerbera Daisy – pH level”.
To accurately determine the actual pH level of the media you are going to use for potting, it would be best to test a few samples from different parts of the bag.
Image copyright Lost In The Flowers © 2008
Plants in distress will signal to you that there is a problem. Figuring out what they are trying to tell you is not always easy. Before you assume that you are over or under watering, do a little research. Start by investigating nutrient deficiencies caused by your soil. You will find an excellent, easy to understand fact sheet on this web page: Soil Nutrient Fact Sheet.
If the problem is related to a pest and not a soil issue you might find the information from one of the university agriculture departments or an Extension Service website.
The other area you need to consider is whether it is a disease that has attacked your plant. Try doing a search on the description of your plant’s symptoms. If you can’t figure it out, take the plant or a piece of it into your local Extension Service office. They’ll find out what is wrong even it they have to send it to the lab for testing.
Secrets of a Slug-Free Garden
March 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Gardening Tips & Info
You can stop these leaf munching machines.
Recently, I read that these nasty little creatures have like 2700 teeth. Thank heavens they aren’t meat eaters! There are 40 different types of slugs found in North America but only three of them are commonly found; Gray Field Slugs, Common Garden Slugs and in the Northwest they have the Black Slug that can grow to a mammoth six inches in length.
Image courtesy of photogirl7 - CreativeCommons
Recently, I read that these nasty little creatures have like 2700 teeth. Thank heavens they aren’t meat eaters! There are 40 different types of slugs found in North America but only three of them are commonly found; Gray Field Slugs, Common Garden Slugs and in the Northwest they have the Black Slug that can grow to a mammoth six inches in length.
I’m sure any gardener, no matter how novice or expert, will whole heartedly agreed that slugs are disturbing on so many levels. There is one additional bonus to having a drought garden. Slugs don’t like arid conditions! Unfortunately, hostas are not at their finest baking in all day sun without a good deal of moisture. In the warmer regions of the US, it was beyond impossible for even sun tolerant hostas to survive the solar intensity.
No one wants hosta leaves that look like Swiss cheese!
While hostas seem to be the number one slug attracting garden plant, they do heartily enjoy feasting on the foliage of a number of other flowering plants. For the most part, you will find slug damage occurs in the moist, shady areas of your yard… namely the place that hostas flourish. The effects of these slimy pests are also found to be rampant in the vegetable garden where tomatoes, cabbages and beans are only part of slug population’s vegetation feast.
The bold, luscious leaves of hostas are so addictive to plant lovers. It appears they offer a unanimously tasty treat to all manner of wild critters as well. If you aren’t battling Bambi, it’s the rabbits and if you are saved from the first two pests, you will without a doubt have problems with slugs. You’ve probably seen several homemade methods for getting rid of slimy slugs in your flower garden and vegetable gardens too.
Beer in a shallow pan …
If you are going to do this, make sure you buy the cheapest brand of beer. Beer works really well, but you’ll have to keep replacing it in the pans. Rain and irrigation dilutes it. High temperatures cause rapid evaporation. Best results come from putting out fresh brewery traps early every evening. You’ll want to empty each pan readily, as the slug corpses can start smelling pretty ripe after a day in 90°F temperatures. Not recommended for weak tummies! The beer must be replaced every day as soon as leaves emerge to be effective.
Rock salt used in mounded lines as a slug barrier …
Slugs cannot live after they have slimed their way over a pile of salt. The fastest way to kill a slug is to pour salt on them. They quickly dry right up like a worm on a hot sidewalk after heavy rainfall. However, hostas are highly sensitive to salt burn foliage damage so caution of placement and longevity is recommended with this DIY slug control method. The salt melts and runs into the soil with normal irrigation and rainfall. Too high of a sodium content in the soil can be harmful to many ornamental and food garden plants.
Sand and gravel slug deterrent …
Slugs are slimy because they travel on the disgusting mucous beneath them. They are highly capable of traversing gravel to get to the feast on the other side. Sharp sand can be effective as long as it remains in place. Slugs have a hard time being mobile when that gooey fluid they ride on is clogged up with cutting sand. Every heavy rain or stiff wind that comes along will make it necessary to keep constant watch over your sand barrier berms. All it takes is one slug to break through and you’ll have holey hostas until the following spring.
Container growing to raise plants above soil level …
I hate to burst your bubble, but slugs will climb up the side of pots and containers. This is not an effective slug control method at all. They’ll truly adore the moist shade the pot gives them and can enter the pot through a drainage hole and slime their way along the edge to hosta heaven up above. They don’t mind a little mud.
Partially submerged container grown hostas …
While hostas do adore moisture, they still need drainage. This method I’ve seen bantered about is not what I would deem wise. While it may be true that slugs cannot swim, your container cannot drain at all if the bottom 2 inches is below water level! This will cause two serious health problems over long periods of time.
- Root rot, which will ultimately kill the hosta plant.
- Poor drainage can cause fungus to attack your hosta foliage that is unsightly and will continue to reinfect new leaves without good anti-fungal applications to both soil and foliage.
Photo courtesy of photogirl7 – CreativeCommons license
Nematodes as organic slug control …
Using beneficial soil nematodes is far more popular in Europe than it is the US. These are microscopic worms that feed on other insects and wormlike soil dwellers. There are a limited number of places to purchase beneficial nematodes online. I would recommend you make sure you get the right nematodes for your climate. There are different organisms for cold regions than those that thrive in warm growing zones. Nematodes are effective for about 6 months and do an excellent job at controlling not only slugs but all manner of undesirable pests like fleas, cutworms, armyworms, caterpillars and more. Beneficial nematodes are not inexpensive, but they do work well and rid your yard and garden of far more pests than slugs.
Sluggo brand biodegradable slug bait …
This slimy plant pest control product is applied in early evening in a sprinkled area or individual plant treatment. The slugs eat the granules and feasting ceases immediately. It takes three to six days for them to die after ingesting the bait. Not a pretty picture if you are plagued with a lot of slugs. This slug bait contains things found in fertilizers and is safe for your pets. Sluggo is effective if you keep on top of reapplication and is perhaps more economical than other commercially sold slug control methods. This merchant has an excellent price on Sluggo bait.
BugGeta Snail & Slug Killer …
Talk about beauty in effect! You can get both Bug-Geta
Effective slug control can also be done with plants.
Beautiful reblooming Astrantia drives away slugs!
To learn more about the ornamental perennials, shrubs, annuals and blooming bulbs that drive slugs away is very simple here on Lost In The Flowers.
To learn more about slug control using natural and organic methods, you will want to read … Plants Slugs Don’t Like To Eat