If you are planting or transplanting this week, PLEASE make sure to water water water with the high 80’s temperatures coming back !
Fall is the best time to plant or transplant!
Now is the time to begin transplanting your bulbs and day lilies.
For Gladiolus,
1. Cut back the foliage to within 1 inch of the ground after the leaves begin to yellow and die back naturally in the fall. Rinse pruning shears in a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water before each cut to disinfect them.
2. Dig around the clump of gladiolus corms, loosening the soil to a 6″ depth. Lift the corms out of the soil and brush off the dirt.
3. Break apart the corms by twisting them gently until they separate. Remove the old basal plate, which contains the roots, on the large main corms and dispose of it. Separate the smaller corms from the sides of the main corms. Throw away any rotten or damaged corms.
4. Cover the new bed with a 2″ compost layer, then till into the top 6 to 8″ of soil. Select a well-drained garden bed that receives all-day sunlight during the spring and summer growing season.
5. Transplant each corm so the tip is 3 to 6 inches deep, planting larger corms at the 6″ depth and the smaller corms 3″ deep. Space the corms 3 to 6″ apart in all directions.
6. Water the soil after transplanting so the top 6″ feels moist. Cover the bed with 2″ of mulch to protect the corms from winter temperature fluctuations. Gladiolus do not require further watering until spring.
For Day Lilies: This articles is from Oakes Daylilies which shows these step by step instructions on an actual Day Lily: Divide and Conquer 101
- Select a large Clump: You can divide any daylily clump that has 2 fans(divisions) or more, but typically you would want to divide clumps that are several years old with quite a few fans.
- Dig up the clump. Start digging 6-8″ away from the clump, then work your way around the clump until you can pop it out of the ground
- Shake off the dirt and trim the foliage(optional) Shake off some of the dirt so you can see where to divide the plants. You may also want to trim the foliage (6-8″) so the plants are easier to handle. Trimming is optional, but if you don’t trim, the leftover foliage may wilt and look ragged after the transplant. New foliage will typically start growing back soon after transplanting, especially if you keep them well watered.
- Divide the Clump. Often you will just be able to pull the plants apart (some varieties divide more easily than others). If they don’t pull apart easily, you can use a knife to pry or cut the plants apart.
- How small to divide? You can divide as small as one plant but you will probably want to leave a few plants together. If you divide to a single plant, you probably won’t get much bloom the next year.
- Replant: Dig a hole deep and wide enough to place the roots. Plant to the depth they were previously planted. The white ring between roots and leaves is about ground level. Cover the roots and firm the soil.
- You’re finished! We usually toss a slight handful of basic fertilizer around the drip line of the day lilies in the fall. We just use a basic 10-10-10 mix. After you fertilize, don’t forget to water and mulch your new daylily. Then, just sit back and let that beauty grow!
- Remember Day Lilies are sun lovers.
Fall is finally here!
Fall is finally here and all the wonderful pansies and mums are showing up in the nurseries. Here’s a tip: Check all those little flower buds on that beautiful chrysanthemums plant before you buy it. If the little flower buds are wilted or brown, don’t buy that plant. It means the mum dried out and those wilted/brown buds will NOT open into a flower. Most mums that you find in the Garden shops or even grocery store are grown as annuals. Some may come back when planted in the yard but most will not. Yellows have been known to come back. The beautiful Pelee (florist) mums will not come back in our area. They are not cold hardy.
After you buy the beautiful mums, make sure to keep them watered heavily and if you want them to last October and November, remember to give them some shade. The more sun the water they will need.
Mark your calendars for 2 great “Folks on Friday”programs from the Master Gardeners. Friday October 21 at noon on Composting and Friday October 28 at noon on “Gardening for Wildlife with Native Plants”. Both held at the Extension Office on Fairchild St. W/S. You can find out more on both classes at coop-ext-registrtion@forsyth.cc
Are those Fall Webworm bags in the trees driving you nuts? Here’s a tip on them that doesn’t involve burning your trees and feeds the birds at the same time. If you will simply tear a hole in the bags, the birds will eat the worms. NOW I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH! DO NOT STAND DIRECTLY UNDER THE WEB WHILE DOING THIS UNLESS YOU WANT CATERPILLAR POO IN YOUR HAIR- you have been warned. You have now created a bird buffet.
Help for wilting plants
Are you tired of this heat yet? I’m dying!! Do you know the difference between heat wilt and too dry? Hard to believe in all this heat that you could over water your plants- But you can.
Proven winners has a great article on over watering as well as several other good articles on knowing the difference between wilt from too much heat and too much water. https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/wait-plant-drowning
Dear Violet was discussing how her geraniums are struggling in all this heat with Theresa Myers and picked up a tip to pass on – Epson Salts.
Mix 2 TBSP of Epson Salts in a gallon of water and water the geraniums (as well as other plants) with the mixture in the morning. Plants will perk up and green up. Here’s a great article on Epson Salts http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/epsom-salt-gardening.htm
Happy Gardening!
Amaryllis
This is the month to put your Amaryllis to sleep for the fall so it will re-bloom this Christmas. Start by cutting all the foliage to about 1″ – 2″ from the top of the bulbs, and place the bulbs in a dry, dark place. I put mine in paper NOT plastic, grocery bags. Basements are good choices, and even the back of a closet will work. You are trying to force your bulbs to take a rest, to slip into a few weeks of dormancy before starting a new flowering cycle. During this period, DO NOT water.
Let the Amaryllis sleep for ten to twelve weeks. Then start the growing cycle over just as you did when you first planted the bulbs.
PRE-SOAK BULB – Bulbs are very dry when you buy them. They need to be pre-soaked before planting. To do this place the bulb in a small container that will allow it to be half way submerged and soak in tepid water for 3-8 hours.
Replace the soil with fresh mix, remove any dead leaves and old, peeling bulb sheaths (these look like the dried, outer skins on an onion) and replant, again with the bulb shoulders exposed. Place your bulbs in bright light and give them one good drink of water. The combination of light and water will wake up the plants and encourage them to start growing again. When the first leaves appear, and NOT BEFORE, begin watering them regularly. If you give them a steady supply of water to the bulb with no foliage, the bulb will rot.
The only things I will add is that I take mine out of the old dirt for fear of bugs in the soil and I spray my bulbs with the Insecticidal Soap to make sure no funguses lived over the ten to twelve weeks they are sleeping. I would leave them the 12 weeks then re-pot the bulbs. Remember they will need another 2 weeks after they are re-planted to bloom so count backwards from when you want them to bloom and add one more week to this formula. Example: I will be putting mine to “bed” the week of August 21 and replanting the week of November 21st. Yeah, right before Thanksgiving. Then they have 2-3 weeks to bloom before Christmas. If you wait them blooming the first week of December adjust your week to put them to “bed”.
Can’t believe we are thinking about Christmas when it’s in the 90’s. Happy Gardening.
Hydrangeas
There are so many different types of Hydrangeas that grow here in our area. Dear Violet’s favorite website for Hydrangeas is: hydrangeashydrangeas.com. You can get all the advice you need from this wonderful website. They do a great job of answering the #1 question for Hydrangeas. Why won’t my bloom? Follow their tips and advice and your Hydrangeas will be blooming very soon.
Diane Burke sent Dear Violet her trick for keeping Hydrangeas fresh as well as the beautiful mint that was in the beautiful flower arrangements at the picnic. Here’s what she does:
- When you go out to your yard to cut your hydrangeas, take a container of water with you. The water should be tepid, not cold. Place the cut hydrangeas directly into the water and then bring them back into your kitchen.
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium sauce pan and then pour the water into a heat resistant cup or other container. Let cool for a minute and then get ready to dip the hydrangea stems into the boiled water. This removes a sticky sap like substance from within the stem that may block the stems ability to take in the water.
- Make sure you cut the stems to the length you want first, and then place the stem into the boiling water and leave 30 seconds. Remove the hydrangea stem from the boiled water and immediately place it in a vase or container with water at room temperature.
- Arrange the blooms as you’d like in your vase/container and ENJOY.
Great Advice. Dear Violet would only add that Hydrangeas should be cut first thing in the morning and I submerge the entire flower, stem and all in the first container of water. This hydrates the entire flower. The above method can also be used when the hydrangea flowerettes start to droop. You can cut them again and place the stems in very hot water from the tap and they will perk right up. Works about 2 maybe 3 times before the hydrangea has had it.
Happy Gardening!
Deadheading is #1 job for June
Again, The # 1 job in June is to deadhead, water now that the temperatures are soaring and fertilize. With the 90’s right around the corner, you will want to check your pots to see how dry the soil has become. You will be surprised! Make sure to drown them before this weekend’s 90’s.
Also, it’s a great time to cut back plants like coleus and diamond frost that are fillers in your pots so they don’t take over the pot. Remember to deadhead your geraniums and petunias. They will thank you with a lot more flowers.