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In May, the Garden Questions Mount
And, so they should. May, after the Roman and Greek goddess of Spring, Maia, "the great one", comes out of hiding (resting?) and begins to enliven and rejuvenate all life forms. We go for a walk and begin to think about and notice things that have been sleeping for several months. Questions pop up, and we begin to wonder about this and that.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and try to pick a few concerns that I think might be gnawing at some folks out there. I'm just trying to be helpful. If I miss the mark, please let me know. I do occasionally get e-mails from readers, and I'm happy to improve my performance.
January 2004 was a severely colder than normal one. If you have a rhododendron with brown scorching along the leaf margins, you are not alone. It is a symptom of winter injury. Rhodos are adapted to avoid losing essential moisture by curling their leaves tight and folding them back along the branches. If not protected from the drying effects of wind and sun, they lose moisture along the edges of the leaves first. This is less the case if they're on the north side of a house or otherwise protected from harsh sun and wind. In any event, it is an indication of stress, and is correctable. Before next winter, you might spray them with an anti-dessicant or erect a simple screen of burlap or lath. While the dead tissue will not regenerate, you can protect this years growth from the ravages of the winter to come.
If you have a pond, now is the time you begin to think about how you're going to keep it clear of algae and what steps you might take to achieve this. You know, the ice has melted and now you see it as it is, and in your mind's eye, the way you would like it to be in the future. One certain measure to reduce algae is to improve the circulation of the water. Adding oxygen by aeration increases the aerobic bacteria population which digests organic nutrients and waste that serve as food for algae. Small pumps on timers work great. I've even seen small floating platforms with solar powered aerators like small fountains. Breaking up the thermal layers in a pond moves cooler water from the bottom to the surface and redistributes oxygen to all parts of the water body. Consequently, surface algae will sink to lower depths, receive less light, and its growth and reproduction will be greatly reduced.
Here is a second option for pond owners. Remember to make every effort to keep nutrients out of the pond. Curb any runoff and livestock waste, as these will just feed the algae. Barley straw has been touted for a few years now as a non- toxic and very effective material to suppress algae growth. It must be placed loosely in nets or cages so the water can pass freely through it. I recommend mesh bags such as you might find in onion packaging. A few ounces of barley straw, a block of styrofoam (paint it a dark color) to keep it afloat, and send it out there. Depending on the size of the pond and severity of algae growth, 20 pounds of barley straw if applied early in the season can manage to keep clear a one acre pond. The best control would apply the straw in early spring and again in late fall. You need to decide. Is your pond for livestock, recreation, fish, aesthetics or just to enhance property value? It is a small investment in an organically sound method of weed control.
Ponds situated in full sun are very prone to become over grown with algae. It is all about photosynthesis. These need to be deep enough to accommodate oxygenating plants and fish that will over-winter. Portions need to be at least 3 feet deep. Tadpoles, snails, and fish feed on filamentous algae and insects. Oxygenating plants grow completely submerged and use waste nutrients. This keeps the water pure and starves unwanted algae. Adding floating plants like water lilies also consumes waste nutrients and shades the remainder of the pond. For a crystal clear pond in full sun, 60 to 70% of the water surface should be covered when the plants are mature. For aesthetic perfection, each square yard of surface area should have two bunches of oxygenating plants, one medium to large water lily, one dozen snails, and two fish 4-5 inches. This formula is from award winning Matterhorn Nursery.
Each year we read more and more about beneficial insects protecting our fruits and vegetables. Why not plant borders around your gardens that will attract them. Some top attractors of gardeners' allies are yarrows, coriander, fennel, dill, and potentillas . There are many more, both annuals and perennials, and a good number of herbs, too. Buckwheat is a real winner for this purpose. Plant a patch nearby, but not as a border. Before you know it you'll have lots of lacewings, lady bird beetles, hover flies, parasitic mini-wasps and tachnid flies. You won't notice them unless you look real closely, but the pest population numbers will plummet.
Have you purchased a smoke tree (Cotinus sp.), ash (Fraxinus sp.), bayberry (Myrica sp.), currant (Ribes sp.), holly (Ilex sp.), yew (Taxus sp.), or firethorn (Pyracantha sp.) and not seen the display that prompted your purchase? You are not alone. These and nearly half of the flowering plant world are dioecious (pronounced die ee' shus) plants. The word means "two houses", such that male and female flowers are born on different or separate plants. Both male and female plants are necessary for female flower pollination and fruit set. If you only have one plant that never bears fruit, it might be a male. Or it might be a female with no male pollinator. Or it might be a female living in an environment not favorable to pollination as a result of the lack of acceptable temperatures or bee activity or ... there are a variety of variables. If you want to take a closer look at your holly, firethorn, bayberry, etc. in bloom, you can tell rather quickly if its a male or female.
Male flowers lack or have undeveloped stigmas. What they do have is well developed stamens which carry pollen. This fine yellowish powder like material is easy to spot on flowers. Just pinch off a flower or two and check with a 10X hand
lens. If there is no pollen, the flower is likely to be a female with a well developed stigma which appears in the center and looks somewhat sticky. It is the portion that receives the pollen. Females that receive pollen and are fertilized will produce the fruit. If there is no pollen available because it is too far away, the result will be no fruit. If all your plants are females, you will need to purchase a male and plant it within 25 feet or so. Smart growers have now made available combination plantings of male and female hollies in the same pot. Look for 'Berri Magic' Kids (Blue Girl and Blue Boy Holly), 'Berri Magic' Royalty (Blue Princess and Blue Prince Holly), and 'Berri Magic' China (China Girl and China Boy Holly) among many new offerings.
I hope addressing these anticipated garden questions has been helpful to you. If you have others, let me know. In the meantime, get ready. You might know what's coming: A garden calendar to really get you up and moving. It is spring, really and truly. And, there is much to do and look forward to.
From The Garden of Ed. Submitted for publication in The Towne Crier on
May 5, 2004
© 2004 Ed Mues. All Rights Reserved.
eMail: eGarden@MountainAir.us
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