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Table of Contents
1) Editor's Comments:Wow! We continue to get more and more questions from our readers. Here is some of what we have this week - our lead article takes a look at potting soil; we also tackle a question we get quite often, how to deal with deer; being April, it is time to think about crabgrass (not fondly we might add); and, as we said, we have a couple other reader questions thrown in. As always, if you do have questions, suggestions or ideas, do not hesitate to drop us a note. Tom Krueger Rex Gregor 2) Improving Potting Soil:
Why do we say unknowing consumers? Because the average person would see this debris and not think too highly of it. But you know, or soon will, that this debris is actually beneficial to your plants. Just like people, plants prefer a little ruffage (other than tiny seedlings). Consider adding some coarse organic matter and some gritty material to the prepackaged potting soil to open up the soil structure to allow for better drainage. Things to consider would be peat moss for organic matter, and for the gritty material you'd want to use a product called perlite. The advantage of perlite is that it also absorbs moisture. Or, in place of perlite, you could also consider coarse sand. For a general purpose mixture, grab yourself a large bucket and mix about equal parts of the potting soil, peat moss and perlite (or sand). Then you might also want to consider adding some ground limestone to the mix to give it a suitable pH - generally you'd use about three to five ounces per bushel of your mixture. If you are mixing up a batch for acid loving plants, you'd want to use two parts peat moss to one part each of the pre-packaged potting soil and perlite or sand. And to this batch, don't add any limestone. There you have it, your own home-made potting soil. Your plants will love you for it. Cold Climate Gardeners are passing
up an excellent resource if they don't take a look into the Minnesota
State Horicultural Society. Visit them today. We recommend them
highly. 3) Humor for Today:A co-worker asked if I knew what to do about a computer problem that was preventing her from getting e-mail. After calling the help desk, I told my colleague that the e-mail was being delayed because they were checking for a computer virus. "It's a variant of the I Love You virus, only worse." "What could be worse?" my single co-worker asked wryly. "The Let's Just Be Friends virus?" 4) Problems with Deer?
In our experience, we've found several manufactures who have created ultrasonic sound equipment that works quite well. Although, there are those out there who do not think these work as described. (As a side note, Tom just purchased a below ground "vibrasonic" device for a serious gopher problem.) One thing to remember, though, the ultrasonic equipment that works very well with almost all wild animals, may well also cause problems with house pets. Click Here for a site we found if you want to check out ultrasonic devices or visit http://www.grfrequencies3.com/items/pest/yard_control.htm If you are looking for other sources of good information for battling
a deer problem, here are a number of sites you can visit:
If you're looking for things to plant that deer don't like, we often recommend these plants:
Hope this info will help you with your deer problem. 5) Dogwood:The dogwood genus includes a wide range of species - many of them will grow as a beautiful multi-stemmed shrub with pink or white flowers. Many cultivars and hybrids are known for their showy flower bracts and compact habit. Besides being a multi-stemmed shrub, the dogwood makes an excellent year-round shrub because it has a colorful red bark producing beautiful winter interest in your yard or garden. The cornus species will generally prefer a site that has an acidic well-drained soil rich in organic matter. They will grow best in partial shade. If you do grow them in full sun, you'll want to keep them well watered. We also suggest you mulch them well - this will help keep their shallow roots cool and help retain moisture. They are very easy to grow in Zones 1 to 9. You might consider one of these: Pink Japanese Dogwood (#NW06) 5 Seeds per Pkg. $2.90 White Flowering Dogwood (#D7861) 10 Seeds per Pkg. $2.90 They can be found by clicking here or visiting http://rexseedco.com/trees.htm For our friends in Minnesota, we want
to pass along a worthwhile May 8 & 9 (Thursday & Friday) 6) Quote for Today:"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile,
a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest
act
of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life
around." 7) Crabgrass Control:
Remember, if you had a bad problem last year, chances are pretty darn good you'll see move this year. Using a pre-emergent is the best way to solve the problem. As seeds germinate, the chemicals disrupt the growth process and the tiny crabgrass seedlings die. With soil temperature being the stimulus for the seeds to germinate, you'll want to apply the pre-emergent during the first couple weeks of April. This application will normally be effective for six weeks. You'll then want to think about putting down a second application in mid-May to get at those late germinators. As in all garden products, be sure to read label directions and cautions. One final note, if you do plan on planting some grass seed this spring, be sure not to use a pre-emergent on that area. Not only will you stop crabgrass, you'll stop your grass seed. 8) Seagrapes:One of our readers wrote asking for information on the care of seagrapes. Thought we'd share info on this wonderful, relatively unknown houseplant with everyone. The seagrape plant has huge, stiff, olive-green leaves with red veins which turn cream color as it ages. It bears white fragrant flowers that is followed by grape-like fruits. They are best grown in large containers in a location with plenty of sunlight. That why they are most often grown in a conservatory, or outside in warm climates. The use of organic mulch will really benefit the plant. Once established, the plants will do better if fertilized at least twice a year utilizing a water-soluble balanced fertilizer (10-10-10). You should keep the soil moist, but be sure not to over-water. The roots of this plant like to spread their tiny hair roots all throughout the container. Seagrapes are very easy to grow, and like most houseplants, require very little maintenance. It is a great houseplant that you can enjoy for many years. Seagrapes (Coccoloba uvilfera) (#1A025) 5 Seeds per pkg. $2.90 Click Here to go to that web page. 9) Subscribe/UnsubscribeThis newsletter, the Green Thumb Times, is sent out only to those who have requested a FREE subscription by signing up at http://rexseedco.com or specifically asked to be added, or are a valued customer of Rex's Seedco. PRIVACY: Your email address is held in the strictest of privacy. It is never traded or sold to anyone else. To subscribe to The Green Thumb Times To unsubscribe Tom Krueger, Editor and Publisher Rex Gregor, Contributing Editor Please feel free to forward The Green Thumb Times to a friend. Rex’s Seedco has searched the world for quality
growers of garden seeds. Many of these farmers bring together ancient
wisdom and modern science so people everywhere may have good health
and enjoyment in life. We are dedicated to providing the best wherever
they are found.
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[ Past Issues Index ] [ Rex's Seedco Home ] [ Our Seed Catalog ] [ About Us ]
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Most
people like to use pre-packaged potting soil for their houseplants.
The only real problem with this is that too often these mixtures can
be too finely screened. Suppliers do this by removing twigs, pebbles
and other debris. Why? So that unknowing consumers don't complain.
A
common question is what to do to dissuade deer from devouring plants,
and whether there are plants which deer don't care for. In fact, someone
is planning for their planting this year and dropped us a note looking
for advice.
Now
that we've hit April, it is time to start thinking about crabgrass
control. Crabgrass is a summer annual weed which starts to show itself
during May. Generally, last year's crabgrass seeds will germinate once
the soil temperature reaches 55 degrees. Once they start to sprout,
they will keep germinating through June.