Applying Chemicals

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. We suffer through drought and heat, and then record rain. The other morning it felt decidedly fall-ish and now the humidity is almost unbearable. I’ve got loads of tomatoes on my plants but none of them are close to ripe. As hard as it is on people, it’s that hard on our plants and our lawns. We need to replenish the nutrients without encouraging too much growth. I’ve seen evidence of Japanese beetles on my roses and hibiscus. And on top of it all we now have diseases to control. 
This time of year you need to be careful when applying chemicals. Chemicals are expensive and you want to be sure you get the most out of them. Your plants and lawn should be well watered before you apply any chemical. Chemicals can be stressful even on the non-target plant and you want them to be in the best condition before applying the chemical. Some chemicals work through the vascular system of the plant, like systemic insecticides or most herbicides. If the vascular system is not functioning because the plant is thirsty the chemical won’t work as effectively. In addition, many chemicals require that you not water for a day or two in order for the chemical to be fully taken in by the plant. If the plant or lawn is already dry, another day or two will stress it even further making the chemical less effective. You may think if the weed is going to die any way what does it matter. However if the weed can’t move the herbicide from the leaf to the roots it won’t work. We had a situation at work recently here a customer returned some Roundup because it wasn’t working. He had applied in the heat of July when the weeds weren’t actively growing so the weed wasn’t dying.

Most chemicals should not be applied when the temperature is over 85 . Again, heat causes plants to slow down their growth so the chemical won’t move through the plant efficiently. Over spray onto turf grass when you are trying to kill weeds in the lawn will stress the lawn. Most herbicides are taken in through the foliage by stomas or openings in the leaves. When the temperature rises, plants close these openings to conserve moisture. If the openings are closed, the chemical can’t be taken in.

Apply chemicals in the morning so that the chemical has a chance to dry before the sun hits it. Most chemicals have a petroleum based carrier. Those drops of chemical on the leaf can act like a magnifying glass, burning the leaf. If the leaf is damaged it cannot undergo photosynthesis as effectively. Photosynthesis is what produces the energy for the plant that is stored in the roots and helps the plant survive over the winter. When spraying insecticides, spray early in the morning when bees are not active so you don’t inadvertently kill them as well. Bees in the US have been under attack from Colony Collapse Disorder. Bees are responsible for the pollination of many of our agricultural production and the value of crop pollination is estimated to be $5-14 billion dollars according to a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. So do be careful when spraying insecticides as they are not selective and can’t tell a Japanese beetle from a bee.

Organic chemicals have become more popular, especially since more people are growing their own vegetables and herbs. Some of the most popular insecticides are neem oil (from the neem tree), pyrethrins (an extract from chrysanthemums), nicotine, sabadilla and rotenone. Neem oil also has a fungicidal effect. A new product on the market is a bacteria called spinosad which was discovered in the Caribbean in an old rum factory. Diatomaceous earth works great on crawling insects. Essentially it is shells of microscopic ocean dwelling animals called diatoms. Even microscopically the shells have very sharp edges. As the insects crawl over them is cuts them to shreds and they dehydrate. Sounds gruesome. For herbicides, organic controls include food grade oils (garlic, rosemary, etc.) and citric acid, usually in a soy based carrier. Most of these controls only kill the tops of the weed not the roots. They are also non selective, meaning you can’t use them to treat weeds in the lawn, but they are effective in killing weeds in the driveway, walkway, patio, or even in a flower bed if you are careful about overspray. Organic fungicides usually contain sulphur or copper.

Watering the Garden

I’ve been dragging hoses and hauling watering cans for the past several weeks so naturally this week’s blog is about watering. In my travels around town I’ve seen a few watering "no-no’s."

Neighbor Ed's garden--looking good

First, it takes up to two years for plant material to fully root in so if you have newly planted landscaping make sure they get 1" of water a week. A well established plant and grass can certainly handle a little drought but drought does stress the plants and make them more susceptible to disease even into the following year

Second, water in the morning so that any water that splashes on to the leaves has a chance to dry before evening. This will reduce the opportunity for disease.

Third, water the soil, not the plant. I noticed my neighbor Ed, whose garden is looking quite lush, water with a sprinkler the other evening. Watering from overhead is very inefficient because of evaporation. Water will also splash up onto lower leaves and can invite soil borne diseases such as tomato blight. Watering in the evening also can provide an opportunity for diseases, since they thrive in moist conditions.

Put the hose at the base of the plant
to ensure proper watering

When water trees and shrubs, especially newly planted ones, place the hose right up to the base of the plant and leave it on a slow trickle for awhile. This allows the water to penetrate the root ball from the center and then move out into the surrounding soil and encourages the roots to grow out in the same direction.   

And one last thing on the watering front: Lots of people, including me, garden in containers and not just flowers but vegetables as well.  I have two whisky barrels that I plant up every year with tomotoes, peppers, eggplant and some herbs every year.  If you grow tomatoes in containers it is very important that you water them consistently.   Tomatoes require calcium to prevent a problem known as blossom end rot.  There is usually enough calcium in the soil from fertilizers to provide enough calcium but if they get too much water so that the calcium is diluted or not enough water so that they cannot pull enough up through their roots you will notice a "water spot" on the blossom end of the tomato.  Eventually it turns black and starts to rot.  If you notice this happening there are foliar calcium products on the market that you can spray on the plants to prevent it but also remember to water regularly.

Garden Walks



Garden Train with creeping sedum
in foreground

The Garden Conservancy raises money for charity through their "Open Days" program, private garden owners open their gardens to the public. You can go to their website and request to be on their e-mail list to get notices of gardens open in your area. 

Another view of trains with
sedum and veronica

Last weekend I went to two gardens in the Barrington area. The first garden has as it main feature garden trains. These "G" scale trains are built for outdoor use. The woman who owns the garden actually has a business designing and installing garden trains called Huff N Puff. In an area the size of my city lot, she had quite a layout with numerous tracks and trains all running at the same time. There was also an indoor display that basically depicted all of Illinois, from down state farms to the city of Chicago, complete with Wrigley Field, Millennium Park and Grant Park.

Non Stop Begonias, salvia
and argeratum

What I found fascinating was her use of annuals in her gardens. It’s rather inspiring to see plants most people can only afford to use in containers being used as bedding plants. She had a whole bed of tuberous (Non-Stop) begonias in full bloom that were gorgeous. It inspired me to stop at Countryside and get a few for my last container. It is mind boggling to think of the number of flats and 4" containers that are needed to fill a garden that size. It must be truckloads.

The second garden was equally as fabulous, though for different reasons. Again, lots of use of annuals for great color punch, but also, as my friend pointed out, several well-placed arbors to give some structure to an other wise flat landscape when you moved away from the house area. One in particular had clematis growing up the arbor and shrub roses along side.

Clematis arbor

Janice also pointed out that even in the shady areas, the turf grass was thick and green. It’s hard to grow grass in shade and in really dense shade we usually recommend putting in some type of ground cover. To do it successfully, you must start with the right type of grass seed mix. Most shady mixes will have very little bluegrass and lots of fine and tall fescues. It’s important not too push the grass by heavily fertilizing as that will just result in tall spindly blades of grass.

We over heard the owner of this property tell another visitor that she has gardeners in Monday through Friday. That’s a bit intimidating so I am perfectly happy with my little lot.

All of this brings me to the subject of our next garden walk, which is next Saturday, July 9^th. It is sponsored by the McHenry County Master Gardeners and is a major fund-raiser for them. This group of volunteers gets special training by the Cooperative Extension Service and must also complete additional training to keep their certificates current. They repay the extension service by volunteering in the extension office in Woodstock and answering homeowner horticultural questions. The garden walk starts at the demonstration garden at McHenry County College and then to 8 other gardens in southern McHenry County. The cost is $17.

Landscaping

Sometimes the mere thought of re-doing something just makes me want to lie down until the urge passes. Having to make decisions and then do the actual work can be daunting. Fortunately for me I have several friends who enjoy telling me what to do, so at least the decision parts are done for me and all I have to do is the physical part, which can be enjoyable.

What used to be in the raised beds were
 a purple sand cherry, euonymous
and some boxwood and holly.
It really didn't do much for me
although it was easy to care for.

So, a couple of weeks ago, at a friend’s urging, I did a little tweaking in the front garden and I do admit the results are quite pleasing. And it really wasn’t a lot of work.

Newly planted impatiens

My parkway tree had some creeping sedum planted around it and it didn’t really provide a lot of color "pop." So out it went– I gave some to neighbor Dave and some to another friend and moved some to the back– and the rest "gasp" I just threw out. It was really quite cathartic. In its place went a flat of colorful Impatiens. Yes, they will have to be replanted every year, but for a few minutes work I will be rewarded with blooms all summer long.


On either side of my front door are raised planter beds but the wall blocks were so high you couldn’t really see the bedding plants until the end of the summer when they had finally grown tall enough. So, we took off the top layer of block and res-set the cap stones and now you can see the pink begonias I planted last month.

The re-purposed arbor

On the right side of my house was a really nice arbor that at one time had clematis growing up the sides. It was too shady so the clematis eventually died, except for one which was struggling. So, we took the arbor apart and used the sides for trellises in the aforementioned raised beds. I replanted the struggling clematis and bought another one (The President) for the other side.

The finished project

So, for just a few hours time and a little cash at Countryside I now have a whole new look at the front of the house. I feel really good about re-purposing the arbor, tho I still don’t know what to do with the arched top.

At Ease Disease, There's a Fungus Among Us

Powdery Mildew

We’ve had a wet spring and that
means two things—mosquitoes and diseases.  It doesn’t matter if it is cold and wet or warm and wet, some disease thrives in it.  Some plants are naturally more prone to fungal infections.  My monarda get powdery mildew every year and garden phlox are also susceptible.  Powdery mildew usually doesn’t do lasting harm, tho it can look a little unsightly.  Roses are also prone to many types of disease, including powdery mildew and black spot.  Other types of diseases can be devastating to some crops, including tomatoes, squash, and potatoes.

Mosaic disease

Plant diseases are spread in a variety of ways.  Sucking insects, like aphids, can transfer the disease and some diseases are spread by spores in the soil.  Rose Mosaic Virus is spread through vegetative propagation (cuttings).  Some are preventable, most are not treatable.

Late blight on tomatoes

The best way to fight disease is to follow good horticultural practices.  Water early in the morning and don’t water from overhead; that is water the soil not the plant.  In the vegetable garden, rotate your crops from year to year.  Mulch between the rows so soil borne spores aren’t splashed up onto the undersides of the lower leaves when it rains or when watering.  If you know you have plants that are susceptible to certain diseases, such as the monarda, or if your vegetables become diseased year after year, start applying fungicides before you see the problem and follow the good horticultural practices outlined above.  If you don’t catch it in time, the only thing to do is to remove the affected leaves or stems and begin a spaying program.  Dispose of the diseased material by putting it in a bag and then in the trash.  Do not throw the diseased prunings in the compost pile.  There are organic fungicides that you can use on vegetables and other edible crops, but always, always read and follow the label. 

You can also use seed or buy plants that are certified disease resistant.  When buying tomato plants, for example, you may see the letters VFNT, or only some of those letters.  The V stands for verticillium, the F for fusarium, the N for nematodes and the T for tobacco virus.  The Champion tomato variety is certified VFNT, which means it is genetically bred to be resistant to those for pathogens. 

Vegetable Gardening



Ed's new veg garden

My neighbor roto-tilled up part of his back lawn and put in a vegetable garden. It was an ambitious project that took most of two weekends to finish and now I see rows of something green beginning to sprout.

The vegetable garden at Countryside has been in for several weeks now. This year Richard and Lori have planted potatoes, broccoli, chard, tomatoes, radishes and peppers.



The Countryside Garden




You might think that June is too late to put in a veg. garden but it really isn’t, especially since our spring was so cold and wet. Most of the traditional veg crops do best in warm weather anyway. So, really, now is the perfect time.

Even if you think my neighbor was a little ambitious, many vegetables are easily grown in containers. I grow my herbs and tomatoes in half whiskey barrels where I can position them to take best advantage of the sun in my otherwise shady garden.



Netting over the spinach to keep
our little friends out.



Some vegetables, in particular the leafy chards, beets and lettuce can be interspersed amongst your ornamentals. One year at Ball Seed field days we saw beets used in ornamental annual containers and I just love the look of Bright Lights Swiss Chard in containers. My friend, Jean, does the containers at the Brink Street Market and uses them. Chard is a great alternative to spinach, which has a tendency to “bolt,” or go to seed in the hot weather.



Planting vegetables, even in containers, is a great way to get your kids interested in gardening and interested in eating what they grow. When we lived in Denver I planted pole peas up the one side of our deck. We never had enough for a whole meal but we would use them raw in salads and my girls enjoyed harvesting and shelling them.

If you need some ideas about what to plant, the Cornell University vegetable variety project has vegetables rated by actual gardeners.  It is not just specific to New York, but has garden profiles from all over.  The University of Illinois extension web site also has information about growing, harvesting and storing vegetables.  And, not to brag, but we here at Countryside are a vertible font of knowledge on vegetable growing.

We still have plenty of starter vegetables at Countryside and of course seeds. So come on in and let us help you get started. It’s not too late!

Hummingbirds in the Garden



Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Last week while having my coffee and watching the rain I noticed a blur in the hedge next to my house. When it finally settled down on a branch I was surprised to see it was a hummingbird. As they migrate north they send out scouts to look for food sources. There is an overgrown honeysuckle growing in the hedge and that was what it had found. Last summer I had a couple hummingbirds come to the monarda I have planted.



Monarda- A hummingbird favorite




If you want to attract hummers to your garden you can start now by putting out a hummingbird feeder. If the scouts find it they will make it a regular stop on their route. They seem to be quite punctual as every day when I come home from work I see them at the feeder. I make my own sugar mix by heating a cup of water in the microwave and mixing in 1/4 cup sugar.



Trumpet Creeper Flower



You can also plant shrubs and perennials that attract these delightful birds. Plan your hummingbird garden with a variety of plants that begin to bloom early in May and continue to provide nectar through out the summer and into the fall. Yes, as a general rule, they seem to be attracted to red, tubular shaped flowers. Here is a list of plants to consider.



Shrubs                         Perennials                     Annuals

Trumpet Vine               Agastache                    Cuphea

Honeysuckle                Columbine                    Fuchsia

Rose of Sharon            Crocosmia                    Lantana

Butterfly Bush               Delphinium                   Morning Glory

Weigela                        Heuchera                      Nasturtium

                                    Lobelia                          Salvia

                                    Monarda                       Petunias

                                    Penstemon