March 12, 2008  

There are truths and half-truths, old wives tales, superstitions, proverbs, folk tales, and even aphorisms. There are many handed down notions about gardening and related ideas. Many are valid and many are nonsense, and probably a few are in between. 

The following quiz is to shed some light on some of these. Play along; see how well you do. No wooly bear stripes, I promise.

True or False:

1. In starting a compost pile for the first time, using commercial additives and supplements will increase the speed of the composting process.

False. Not any more than a shovel of your regular compost or garden soil. Composting activators or starters claiming to contain special enzymes and microorganisms were tested in a variety of trials. No significant differences were found. Aeration, maintaining the proper moisture, and supplying sufficient carbon (from such sources as paper, sawdust, leaves and wood chips) will keep the food waste compost heap actively working just fine.


2. When pruning larger limbs and branches from trees, a pruning paint, tar or varnish should be applied to the new wound.

False. This notion is old fashioned and more recent research has proven that tars, varnishes and paints seal in more problems than are sealed out. Moisture sealed in can promote fungal decay, besides. Using sterile tools and making clean, neat cuts will allow nature to do the best healing.


3. There are certain grass varieties that will kill turf insect pests.

True. There are varieties that have fungal “endophytes” bred into them. From endo (within) and phyte (plant), these special fescues and perennial rye grasses produce a toxin that both discourages and kills surface lawn pests such as chinch bugs and sod webworm. If you have a buggy lawn area in shade, put down extra seed of any of these insect resistant fescues: Jamestown II, SR 3000, Arid, Mesa, Titan, or Tribute. These can be used in sunny areas, too, or use any of these perennial ryes, also insect resistant: Repell, All-Star, Citation II, and Pennant. There are other varieties, also.


4. Now through mid-April is the best time to prune fruit trees and shrubs.

True, but with exceptions. Wait for a nice mild day. Prune now or soon, apple, pear, grape and raspberry. Also, deciduous trees that bloom on new wood. Wait to prune stone fruits such as peaches, cherries, plums and nectarines until they are flowering.


5. If a plant is wilting and looks stressed, it probably needs to be fertilized.

False. Here, a careful assessment of the source of stress is really important. The stress signs might be a result of underwatering or overwatering, excessive heat or cold, insect infestation, recent transplanting (shock), or some unnoticed damage. All of these are possible causes of stress. Feeding a plant when it is stressed is making a demand on it to grow and produce new foliage when it’s most serious task should be healing and recovering vigor.


6. Overhead watering of garden plants can cause the small droplets left behind to act as magnifying glasses that will burn the leaves leaving behind small spots.  

False. The water droplets will not act like magnifying glasses. When you and the gang go to the pool or beach, do you dry off before you lay in the sun to relax and luxuriate in its warmth? Ever suffer any microscopic burns? Of course not. The real problem with overhead watering your vegetable garden is that the longer the leaves stay wet, the more prone they are to being susceptible to developing fungal infections, sometimes seen as leaf spots. The real lesson here is to water the soil and not the plants.


7. Dragonflies are an important predator of mosquitoes in the landscape.

False. Dragonflies do eat mosquitoes. Dragonflies are heat driven insects, active during the sunny warmth of the day. Mosquitoes are mostly active at night. Dragonflies’ impact on the mosquito population is small. The best predator is the bat. Both are active in the evening, and bats consume vast numbers of mosquitoes.


8. Established trees should be watered and fertilized regularly.

False. Established trees should only be watered when there is a drought, that is when there is insufficient rainfall to support and sustain the tree. Over the space of two weeks, if there is no rainfall, I would suggest you irrigate the tree so it receives the equivalent of two inches of rainfall. On the question of fertilizer, it is almost never recommended to feed an established tree. “Established” means that it is capable of fulfilling its role of manufacturing all the food it needs to maintain its vigor and produce healthy new limbs and branches. The miracle is photosynthesis!


9. Most snakes seen in and around the garden are beneficial and not harmful.

True. Snakes are the gardeners’ allies. They are avid predators of field mice, moles and voles. They are also insect eaters that might save some plants from severe damage. They are in no way harmful to gardeners or their plants. Only three venomous snakes are found in New York State, and these are very uncommon. One, the copperhead is absent from the Catskills. The massasauga is confined to two large wetlands, one northeast of Syracuse and the other west of Rochester. The timber rattlesnake has a specific habitat requirement consisting of rock outcroppings for denning up to six months for hibernation; they are seldom encountered and are not looking for anything but their usual forage food of small rodents and an occasional squirrel. They avoid people and civilization.


10. The presence of ants on flowers is nature’s way of helping them open.

False. This probably came about by people observing the common phenomenon of people observing peony buds frequently attracting ants. It was once believed that the ants were required to assist the buds to open. We now know better. Ants are frequently found on flowers and the accompanying foliage because some common insects like aphids leave behind as their residue a substance known as honeydew that is very high in sugars. The ants are drawn to it as a food source. The presence of ants often indicates an insect infestation. Most plant feeding insects produce honeydew as a waste product.


11. The best time to do major work and renovation of your lawn is in the spring.

False. The best time is in the fall (after mid-August) for a number of reasons: The risks of failure are reduced; crab grass and other weed seeds are not germinating; there is more good growing weather; temperatures are cooling making less demand on the lawn grasses to produce above ground growth, while soil remains warm for good root establishment; rainfall is generally more uniform; diseases are less likely to get a foothold and impair growth.


12. The best time to repot houseplants is in the fall when you bring them indoors.  

False. The fall is the worst time because we are entering a period of shorter day length and reduced available light. This would send a  conflicting message to a plant that has been placed in fresh soil and expected to produce new growth. The best time is late winter or early spring as the days lengthen and more light is available. Right about from now on, mid-March, would be fine, but there’s no hurry.

The garden is a love song,
   a duet between a human being and Mother Nature.
              Jeff Cox

From The Garden of Ed. Submitted for publication in The Towne Crier on March 12, 2008

© 2008 Ed Mues. All Rights Reserved.

eMail:  eGarden@MountainAir.us