NOTES-JULY IN YOUR GARDEN & THE AGENDA
7/10/10 Draft
Filoli Visit: When we visit Filoli July 22, John Chiapelone will conduct a 1½ hour tour of the gardens, starting promptly at 10 am, so plan to arrive no later than 9:45, to purchase your tickets and participate in John’s tour. You will need to go to the office to purchase your tickets. At the end of the tour, we will return to Filoli’s cafeteria and have a light lunch. After lunch, you may want to browse in the store area, and purchase some books, etc. or even plants that they have on sale there. Also, if you want to tour the mansion you should be able to join one of the tours, and drop out when they start touring the gardens.
Thinning your apples: If you plan to use your fruit for canning or freezing, and will later make them into apple pies, you shouldn’t need to thin the fruit. If you want them for eating, you may want to thin them to around 3 fruit per cluster. If you plan to freeze the fruit for making pies later, slice the fruit, and dip the slices into slightly salty water, which will keep them from turning brown. Then drain off the water, and package the slices in freezer plastic bags, with enough in each bag for a pie. Next, put them in the freezer. I had many years experience with this method, and it worked well.
Rock mulch, with rocks around 2 inches in diameter for ornamental trees: This works well for trees growing in parking strips along the street. It also has merit in your yard. Their use can improve the appearance of your yard.
Lawn care in the summer: Water your lawns at least twice a week for about 10-15 minutes each time. And if you haven’t had yor lawn perforated, do so now, as it will maximize water penetration. Also, it is best to set your lawn mover to cut your grass at about 2 inches. As such, the soil doesn’t dry out as fast, and it cools the turf, and the area somewhat.
As I drive around my neighborhood. I observe lawns. During and following the rainy period, I observed some of the best lawn growth that I have ever seen in the area. The early rains supplied the lawns both water and a dilute nitrogen fertilizer. Since the rains stopped, many of the lawns are a brownish tan, reflecting the need of water. Some look better, and have received water but no N-nitrogen. Plants like animals (people included), first need water but subsequently food.
When your lawn is growing well, set your lawn mower blades high enough to leave 2 inches of grass. That should keep the soil moist and the grass growing well with a soft cool grass.
Ferilize citrus every two months
Sucker growth on trees and roses: Most perrenials that you plant in your yard, like fruit trees and roses have 2 parts of the plant itself and the root stock on which it is grafted (budded). Root stocks are selected for excellent root systems and/or tolerance or resistance to root diseases or pests. It is this rootstock on which the tree or rose of choice on which it is grafted onto. Some rootstocks may be prone to send up suckers from the rootstock itself, and should be pruned off, whenever they become apparent. Some of your rose rootstocks may be prone to do this. These suckers from the rootstock will send up canes and produce roses (generally not very attractive). The canes sent up from this rootstock growth can ultimately take over and you will no longer have the attractive rose bush you planted. As such prune these off at ground level.
During the meeting, John Chiapelone emphasized how good most plants had developed during and following the off and on periods of rain and relatively good weather. Yet there were periods of stagnant growth, even occasionally death of the plant, for which you should replant.
After our meeting Wendall Quan, Don Nichols and I were examining my roses along the driveway and observed differences in the expression of foliage disease. One rose stood out as being severely setback. That was Betty Boop which had the poorest growth that I had ever observed. In previous years it fared OK. Also on my favorite rose Ingrid Bergman, which has very good disease resistance there were dark spots on the leaves suggesting some disease. However, it appeared that the disease never progressed, and was restricted to a limited number of small spots. It appeared to have had no effect on its normal growth. All of this confirmed its high level of disease resistance, but all of them showed varying degrees of disease resistance.
Roses I select to plant along my driveway. When I first started planting roses along the driveway, I choose from those that had been rated in an early Sunset magazine. Later I chose from the 1-4 new rose varieties rated as winners each year by the AARS (All-American Rose Society). However, currently I use the latest Regan’s Nursery rose book, listing around 1000 different roses to include the latest. They list them by Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras, Floribundas, and others. Also, by shade tolerance, smell, color, disease resistance, growth heights, AARS selections, etc. I would recommend anyone planning to buy roses that they borrow my book to make a list of roses they might like to choose from to plant. Nurseries carrying roses have limits on the number of roses they stock. However, Regan’s will order roses for you anytime of the year. Also, if people recommend their favorite roses to you, check them out in this book to see if it meets your criteria for choice varieties. (Regan Nursery, 4268 Decoto Road, Fremont, CA 94555, www.regannursery.com)
John Chiapelone also emphasized the role that specific plant nutrients played in the development of plant growth and fruiting. I looked up this information in the Sunset, Western Garden Book under Fertilizers, Plant Nutrients.
Much of the following on plant nutrients you may categorize as That’s more than I wanted to know, but it is here for a quick reference.
Plant Nutrients
Macro nutrients: Three-carbon, oxygen and hydrogen found in air and water.
Nitrogen-N: is used in the synthesis of proteins, chlorophyll, and enzymes.
Phosphorus-P: Promotes flowering and fruiting, strong root growth and the transfer of energy from one point in the plant to another.
Potassium-K: Is important for regulating the synthesis of proteins and starches that make sturdy plants
Secondary nutrients: calcium-Ca; magnesium-Mg; and sulfur-S.
Micronutrients required in very small quantities are: zinc-Zn, manganese-Mn, iron-Fe, essential for chlorophyll formation.
A few fertilizers available at OSH and listed for various crops (6/28/10)
N-nitrogen, P-phosphorous, K-potassium
Citrus 10-4-10
Citrus & Avocado 10-6-4
Rose & Flower 12-6-8
Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron 10-6-8
Vegetables 5-10-10
All Purpose 6-8-10, 10-10-10
Lawns 32-2-8
Ammonium Sulfate 21-0-0
Annoying wild animal pests feeding on plants in our gardens were discussed:
Deer: elaborate fencing, electric fences, etc (my relatively simple standard electric
fence has been completely successful for 20 years and cost around $100, contact
me for details. Harold Lembright
Rabbits: see Ortho’s Home Gardener’s Problem Solver
Squirrels: probably one of the garden pests without many practical solutions, but
see Ortho’s Home Gardener’s Problem Solver
Birds: see Ortho’s Home Gardener’s Problem Solver
Gophers- traps very effective; see Ortho’s Home Gardener’s Problem Solver
Raccoons see Ortho’s Home Gardener’s Problem Solver
Moles in lawns: treat the lawn with a soil insecticide, which can control the soil
insects on which they feed. see Ortho’s Home Gardener’s Problem Solver
Rats-I have used the product Tomcat-successfully for many years now. Contact me
for details on its placement to avoid poisoning other animals. Harold Lembright
also see Ortho’s Home Gardener’s Problem Solver
Voles- Contact me for details on successful control/suppression.
Harold Lembright
Ortho’s Home Gardener’s Problem Solver has excellent recommendations for the control of or restricting the above pests. Your garden store may have a copy for your review, and some have it for sale as well.