May Repairs

Growing Plants

by Mike Miller

Following are suggestions for urban gardeners. Mike Miller, a Soulard resident, is a widely known and respected horticulturist and landscape architect. His expertise provides depth to the Garden Hot Line, the popular Saturday morning KMOX 1120 The Voice of St. Louis radio call-in show. Also, Mike is the author of the Missouri Gardener's Guide, described as containing information regarding "the what, where, when, how and why of gardening in Missouri." The book is published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Mike owns and operates Mike Miller Designs, a landscape design and consulting firm. For almost a decade he was a faculty member of the St. Louis Community College at Meramec.

6-21/04: Mike Miller.
Mike Miller, a landscape designer and horticulturist who lives in Soulard, walks St. Louis neighborhoods before air time each Saturday so he can comment on seasonal garden developments. (People Productions photo by Clark Rowley)

Enjoy the Times: Get out of the house and look, talk, and be part of this marvelous, natural, exploding happening which is Spring.

Cold weather and storm damage: Concern is dwindling for herbaceous perennials, trees, shrubs and vines. Healthy plants dealt with the untimely cold snap by triggering secondary bud growth or by continuing to push out stems, twigs and foliage that received minimal damage as the result of tip burn. Slower growing plants, such as oak trees and broadleaf evergreens are examples of plants which are in various stages of recuperating. Do not rush to push your plants to recover by fertilizing or pruning. Allow the plants to recover at their own pace. By the end of the month any growth that is not in leaf or which is brown should be removed with a nice clean cut. Jagged branch stubs should be removed as soon as possible to prevent rainwater collection and to reduce attraction to insects. Allow a tree to start the scab over process.

Reminder: Garden centers are extremely busy now, so be patient. If you are in need of help, remember that a rainy day keeps many people away, so that may be the time to ask for assistance. Remember to take the time to thank the staff.

Ground Preparation: Do not rototill or spade the ground if it is too wet. The test to determine whether the ground is too wet is to step into the space where you want to work. If water rises up around the edge of your show, then you have ground which is too wet. The problem? Once disturbed, the soil does not settle back down and the mud clogs can become root drying air pockets.

Soil Amending: Delineate and measure the area which you want to turn over. Purchase 2 cubic yards of organic material per 100 sq. ft. of area. Control the vegetation as needed. Turn the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, using caution under trees to avoid root damage. Spread and blend 2 inches of organic matter. Repeat this two more times to raise the surface by approximately 6 inches. Rake the materials to smooth and to insure a positive drainage away from your structure.

4-8/04: Steve Wolff, Cathy Pauley.
Steve Wolff, senior horticulturist, checks the health of the hypoestes with Cathy Pauley, supervisor, in the greenhouses of the Missouri Botanical Garden. (People Productions photo by Clark Rowley)

Annuals and Bulbs: There are 20 plus winners for a summer color blitz. Check labels for use, placement and exposure. Annuals include: Ageratum (floss flower), Sweet Alyssum, Balsam, numerous Begonias, Blue Sage, Coleus, Cosmos, Summer Icicle, Marigold, Globe Amaranth, Impatiens, Perilla, Periwinkle, Zinnia. Bulbs (some perennial): Giant Flowering Onion, King's Spear/Fox Tail, Caladiums, Clivia (orange), Agapanthus, Canna, Elephant Ears, Gladiola, Lily, Spider Lily, Pineapple Lily, Dahlia, Fire of Eden, Fall Crocus and Surprise Lily.

Plant Selection: Spend some time prior to making purchases to check out perspective plant locations. Look up, down and all around and your observations can save a great deal of heart ache by avoiding making bad choices. By all means make plant selections based on aesthetics, but compatibility with neighborhing plants, soil types and the level of care which you intend to provide are importnat. There could still be problems, but keen, prior study will reduce problems.

New Plant Arrivals: Do not routinely prune new plants unless there are broken or otherwise damaged branches. Removing flowers reduces transplant stress. Be ready to hover around new plants for 2 to 3 weeks, after which time root growth should begin, helping with uptake of water and nutrients. The heat of day wilting can be a natural reaction. Before rushing to water the new plant, wait until early evening or the next morning to see if the plant remains wilted. Then water it thoroughly. Drought and over-watering are equally damaging for new and well established plants.

Established Plant Care: Fertilize and water routinely to keep a consistent level of nutrients and moisture available for absorption and uptake. The exception is trees and cool season lawns.

Mowing and Pruning: Sharpen your mower blades and tool cutting edges. Sharp tools are invaluable to prevent tip or end fraying.

Mulch: Mulch plants, but only add mulch if the depth is less than an inch in perennial, annual and vegetable areas and less than 3 inches for all woodies. Use fully composted products, allowing faster access to nutrients. It never hurts to add a light application of a balanced fertilizer (the numbers are equal) just prior to adding mulch. Then water the area. This minimizes any potential of binding the nutrients and moisture wicking.

Pest and Diseases: A regular check of everything in your garden and yard never hurts. Bark, twigs and leaves should have the right color and size. Look for holes and chewing, curling, gnawing, stickyness, bugs, worms, unusual spots, bruises and other irregularities. If you have concerns, make proper identification of the problem by consulting with a professional or using your own detective work. Then take the required action.

Weeds: Many early spring bloomers, such as purple henbit, are going dormant - self seeding for next year. Perennial and summer weeds were slowed by cooler early month temperatures. Keep a close eye on events and hand dig or herbicide weeds as they appear.

Wildlife: Mole, vole, rabbit, chipmunk and other critters signal their presence via stem and leaf damage or by leaving tunnels and holes. Trap them as necessary.

And a Reminder: Always read and understand the label and written instructions before you use any chemical application. The same goes for associated apparatus. There is no advantage to upping the dose of any chemical. Sometimes taking such an action can cause problems. When you are using new chemicals, whether they are organic or synthetic, cut the suggested label rate in half on your first use to see and learn about the impact it has on your plants. Plants can be atypical in reactions, so be safe on your first usage. The application of any sprays, whether herbicides, insecticides, fertilizer or fungicides can be diluted or washed away if heavy rain - rain which leaves puddles - occurs within 24 hours.

Good gardening, and thanks for taking the time to stop by - Mike

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This site last modified: Monday, 19-Nov-2007 16:41:13 CST