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when do i prune back my forsythia or lilac bush?
BY GEORGE EDGAR
Most spring flowering shrubs like
Forsythia, Lilac, Flowering Almond, Bridal Wreath Spirea, etc. can and
should be pruned just after they get done flowering.
You have a three to four week window to prune.
After that they begin setting flower buds and any pruning will be
removing flowers for next year.
The best way to prune these bushes is to
prune out 1/3rd to 1/4th of the biggest oldest
canes all the way to the ground.
This will open up the plant and let the bush develop new growth.
In three to four (4) years you will have a new healthy bush. This
pruning is necessary to keep it blooming as the flowers usually come on
the ends of the branches. If
you want to shorten or shape your bush a little more, do this after
removing these old canes. Copyright
2015
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ASPARAGUS
BY GEORGE EDGAR
I have two rows
of asparagus in my garden. One row was there when I built our house. It
is actually is just across the line into my neighbors garden but I take
care of it. The other row I put in myself. Some plants are from roots I
bought and some are from seeds that I started. I think that plants from
roots do better and a gardener can purchase “All Male” roots. All male
roots are usually sold as a
When planting
asparagus seed I usually start them inside as you would any vegetable or
flower seed. I put three or
four in a pot and then as they get larger, transplant all of them into a
larger pot and plant pot and all in the ground. The next year I dig up
the pot, separate the seedlings, (or you can select the largest plant
and cut off the rest rather than disturb the roots) and plant the new
seedlings into the garden in the spring.
Make sure you
plant asparagus plants or roots at least 8 inches to 9 inches deep. Some
gardeners even go as deep as 12 inches and some only about 6 inches.
Cover the roots with no more than 2 to 3 inches of soil. During the
summer as the plants grow, fill in the hole with good soil or compost. I
like compost so the next year the new shoots do not have to work very
hard to come to the surface. Do not harvest the first two years after
putting the plants or roots in their permanent location. Then harvest a
small crop the third year. This waiting makes for good strong, long
lasting roots.
I do not pick
the last spear from a root when harvesting. I read about this someplace
and find that the plants do better. I also stop picking when the new
spears coming up are about the size of a small pencil. When they get
this size it means the plant is getting weak. Over picking weakens the
plant.
I leave my old canes up for winter
interest and prune them all the way to the ground when they begin to
look bad or in early spring before the new spears break the soil line.
Copyright 2015
BLOSSOM END ROT
BY GEORGE EDGAR
Many of us have
a problem with blossom end rot on our tomatoes, and squash. Low calcium
transport in a plant appears to be associated with blossom end rot. Most
of the time our
Usually only the first tomatoes are
affected as the plant itself uses the calcium that is available in order
to grow. Then the second flush of tomatoes and all the later ones seem
to be ok. Copyright 2015. |