SIRS BRANCH #1 GARDENING GROUP

MAY IN YOUR GARDEN

Revised 4/21/08

For maximum use of this guide, highlight those plants you wish to plant and other chores that need to be done. In May just about everything needs your attention.  Also, when I make reference to a specific article, and you would like a copy of it, contact me and I will try to have it for you at our next meeting.

1.     Plant: There is a general concept that states, the earlier you plant, the better the plants will develop, however that is not always the case, some warm weather plants may be set back, if planted too early in the spring (tomatoes), when it is too cool.  Likewise, some cool weather fall plantings may be set back if planted in the summer when it is too warm. The principle here is that plants grow best when all conditions are optimum for growth and production (fruits & vegetables) and there is no interruption or slowing down of plant growth once it starts.  However, as usual this year is a record breaker, it started out short of then rain, then warm, and now cold and it appears that it will remain cold for the next few days.

A.    (For permanence), Now is a good time to plant almost any perennial, shrub, or tree. If you are looking for a specific flower color to go with other plants in your garden, shop for them now in your local nurseries.  Rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias, most or at least many will still be in bloom.  Don’t rely on catalogues.

B.   Summer flowers: 1). Buy and plant 6 packs (preferably small pony packs, but many nurseries longer stock them) of ageratum, celosia (cockscomb), Coreopsis spp., Cosmos spp., dahlia, fibrous rooted begonias, gaillardia, globe amaranth (Gomphrena spp.-globe amaranth), hollyhock (Alcea rosea), impatiens (usually Impatiens walleriana), Lobelia (usually L. erinus?), Madagascar periwinkle (Vinca rosea), marigold (Tagetes spp.), Nicotiana, Penstemon, perennial statice (Limonium, usually L perezii), Petunia (P. hybrida), Phlox, Portulaca, Salpiglossis, Salvia, Sanvitalia, sunflower (Helianthus spp.), sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), Tithonia, Torenia, Verbena spp. and Zinnia spp.. If you plan to plant a whole tray of 6 packs, again preferably pony packs, I would suggest you try your local nurseries.  Previously, I used Burlingame Garden Center (BGC).  At BGC I could call in my order Monday or Thursday morning before 9 AM, and they would be available at the nursery the following morning.   Also, when I got pony packs from them, there usually would only be a few plants in bloom, but sufficient to see their colors. As such you could be certain they weren’t root bound, whereas those in full bloom were always root-bound.  Also, before I planted them, I liked to let them dry a day or two, to the point where they are just ready to be watered.  Then when I was ready to plant, I could knock out most of the potting mix which included a controlled release fertilizer and place it around the troweled hole in which they were to be planted.  Then, I would insert the plant with its loose roots into the hole, pull the soil around it and firm it.  This was to avoid any vertical stratification (VS-vertical stratification: your soil and the potting mix would be different- thus stratified).  As such horizontal movement of water would be impeded, and in most cases the root ball wouldn’t get water.  To avoid this push your finger into the bottom of the root-bound root ball and loosen up the roots.  2). Plant seed of baby’s breath, marigold, portulaca, sunflower and zinnia.  3).Perennials- such as geraniums (actually Pelargoniums), Bougainvillea & Hibiscus, plant in as frost free, sunny exposure area as available. A point to consider is that those planted next to your home or garage, you can usually expect to receive considerable heat radiated from the walls, sufficient to raise the temperature several degrees and avoid most frost damage.  Usually the west and south walls of your home will absorb and radiate the most heat, the east side next, and the north side the least.  This is assuming there isn’t a lot of shade, which will not block the sun’s rays.  A point of caution, don’t plant the ‘common red geranium’, because it is highly susceptible to bud-moths which devour most of the buds, and produce very poor blooms.

C.   Vegetables: plant heat-loving vegetables, such as cucumbers, eggplant, melons, okra, peppers, pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes (actually most vegetables).  Sow successive crops of beets, bush beans, carrots, corn, chard, lettuce and radishes. Now is the time to plant most tomato varieties: (Burlingame Garden Center’s recommendations were -best tomatoes for the peninsula, March-April, 2000 issue)-Early Girl-earliest to bear, best tomato in our area.  Ace-the best all purpose.  Brandywine-excellent heirloom tomato. Produces meaty, real tomato tasting fruit.  Beefmaster & Better Boy-best in hot areas.  Celebrity-large fruit, takes about 80 days. Good tasting.  Champion-large fruit, early producer.  Cherry Red Cherry & Sweet 100-good in salads and hors d’oeuvres.  Patio-excellent in containers.  Red Pear Roma-great for sauces.  San Francisco Fog-thick skinned fruit, but will produce in cool temperatures.  Yellow Pear-good for cooking and preserving.  Oregon Spring-early tomato for cool summer seasons, exceptionally fine flavor and succulence.  However your own past experience and preferences should be your guide, but if you haven’t tried Early Girl and do so this year.  My abstracts on tomatoes in 26. below may be very helpful for those growing tomatoes this year.

D.   Bulbs-continue to plant gladiolus every 2-3 weeks to extend the flowering season into fall.      

E.    Citrus & other fruit trees- set out plants of dwarf or standard tree forms now. I recommend the dwarf or semi-dwarf trees of most fruit trees, so the small fruit can be easily thinned if advisable, harvested and pruned without needing to use a ladder (safety feature). Check with your local nurseryman with whom you have confidence, for his experience of the best varieties for your area.

F.    Herbs-mint, oregano, parsley and sage, (mint, is an ant deterrent for your common Argentine ants when growing in locations that block their normal access to your home).  Actually ants play an important role in recycling plant debris.  Just take steps to block their entry into your home, such as using ant stakes in key locations near your home.

G.   Hanging baskets-fuchsias, geraniums, tuberous begonias (seedlings or started tubers) and verbena.  It is best if you have a good automatic timer that will let you program irrigation for twice a day in the heat of the summer.  I used to have a 6-station timer dedicated for this and potted plants with similar needs..

H.   Planting tips-dahlias need warm, properly prepared soil to get off to a good start (May). Dig holes 12 inches deep and 10-12 inches across.  Fill the bottom 6” with good soil; lay the tuber on its side with the eye up.

2.     Propagate:  May is one of the best months to propagate cuttings. Suggestions from various Sunset articles suggested the following.  Take 3-5 inch cuttings of carnations & dianthus, 2-3 inches of fuchsias and with pelargoniums (geraniums) or marguerites at least 2 inches of new tip growth.   Generally, tip cuttings are best.  Others include chrysanthemum, hydrangea, lantana, lavender and roses (miniatures).  Tip-cuttings from camellia, azalea, rhododendron and other hardwood plants usually require a misting system or something comparable (small table top plastic greenhouse like container) for success.  These cuttings usually should be taken from the new growth, which usually develops following the blooming period.   Each cutting should have at least 2 nodes or leaf joints.  With hardwood cuttings, I used my thumbnail and one fingernail to scrape a narrow strip of bark off the lower ½ -3/4 inches of the cutting on opposite sides.  Then I dipped each cutting into a growth hormone, and inserted about 1 inch deep in a damp coarse sand and peat moss.  A 50:50 mix is usually best for your cuttings.  Moisten the mixture and add to old but clean 6 packs or other similar containers. Use a pencil or something similar to make small holes in mix.  Using this method and placing azalea cuttings in our greenhouse with a misting system, I rooted 115 of 120 azalea cuttings.  Also, their extensive roots developed along the edge of the scraped bark.

3.     Dividing: Iris is best divided after they bloom.  Also, by dividing them once every 2 years or so, appears necessary for some varieties to keep them blooming well.

4.     Pinching (pruning when necessary): To encourage branching of azaleas, fuchsias, geraniums and marguerites, pinch out the growing tips of new shoots.  This minimizes excessive leggy growth.  Also pinch out leaf and flower buds on small 6 packs of marigolds, petunias and tall zinnias before you plant them.  Just another reason to buy pony packs with healthy but small plants and only a few blooms.

5.     Grooming: For more blooms on rhododendrons next year, gently snap off blooms as they fade, this month or next.  Be sure not to damage the tiny leaf buds, just below the flower cluster; these small buds represent upcoming summer growth.  You may find the use of small hand pruners a better method.  Remove faded flowers from azaleas.  With Camellias-because of petal blight remove all blighted (brown/dark petals) from both the plant and from the ground and place in your garbage can.  The fungus responsible for this disease produces spores (like minute seeds) from these blighted blossoms, which are actually injected into the air, will settle on the new blooms and start the infection cycle. Roses-now is a good time to prune out shoots growing into the center of the bush, and with small shoots heading in, just rub them off.  Also check and remove new growth coming up from the rootstock, which originates below the bud union. .  Its foliage usually is slightly different.  If left to grow, it can take over, and “squeeze out” the variety you planted.  Trees, remove suckers- these leafy, straight, fast-growing shoots come up like branches at the base of the trunk, again below the bud-union and compete for water and nutrients.  Such suckers are common on many fruit trees, flowering trees, roses and shrubs. Groom and feed spring bulbs- remove spent flowers where the stems rise from the base. Leave green foliage to manufacture nutrients for next year’s show, and feed with a bulb fertilizer.  When the leaves start to yellow, cut back on water.  When yellow remove them, and allow them to dry in a shady spot... Continued exposure to direct sun will damage the bulbs.  Then clean and store in a cool place.  In certain soils, and with certain varieties, they can be left in the ground to ‘naturalize’.  However, occasionally you may have problems   Years ago, out front, we had a problem with bulb maggots attacking our daffodil bulbs (larvae of a fly that feeds in the bulbs).  When we dug them, they were riddled with maggots. We obviously had purchased bulbs that were infested.  However, if you have planted your bulbs in pots, follow a similar procedure- after blooming feed and water them, but they can be moved into another area of your yard.  After the tops die-back they can be stored in another area and don’t need to be removed from their pots-a variation on naturalizing them.

6.     Pruning: Spring-flowering vines, shrubs, hedges, trees and evergreens can all be pruned, shaped and/or thinned this month.  After blooming, prune back camellias, azaleas and other plants that have become “rangy” or are blocking a window.

7.     Thinning: After your fruit trees have bloomed and the small fruits have formed, you may want to thin them to increase fruit size and avoid crowding in clusters.  The best time will probably be around the first of June.  If your tree has been an overabundant producer, you may already be harvesting more fruit than you have use for.  By thinning you have fewer but larger fruit.

8.     Training: Now is the time to tie-up and train cane berries planted this past winter, also almost any plant that needs to be trained on a trellis or other support.

9.     Composting: Make compost piles of weeds before they produce seeds.  Also, include shredded prunings, and grass clippings. The periodic spreading of a little ammonium sulfate over the surface will speed up the biological degradation of the compost.  Additional suggestions are in the May 1996 Sunset, page 68.

10. Lawns: A new lawn should be seeded as early as possible this month so it will be growing well before the weather turns hot.  The tall dwarf fescues are drought tolerant, and a good type to plant in our area, with the potential of water rationing some time in the future . Also, the better irrigation timers can be programmed for as many as 4 irrigations a day, allowing you to maintain a moist surface to improve seed germination.  If you are starting a new lawn, the purchase of one of these is well justified. Also, now is an acceptable time to sod a lawn rather than seed one, but it is usually more expensive and usually not as good as a seeded lawn.  When portions of a sodded lawn don’t do well, usually it is because a stratified soil has been created at the interface of the sod soil and your soil.  This problem can result in soggy areas in the lawn.  If you haven’t aerated your lawn and it needs it, do it immediately before the surface starts to dry out.  One way to check this with a screw driver.  It should be easy to push the screwdriver into the sod, if it isn’t, it’s time to aerate.  An established lawn should be fed as soon as you notice slower growth between mowings or the grass begins to turn a lighter shade of green.  Plain ammonium sulfate should be adequate, but once a year the application of a more complete fertilizer may be justified.  Most labeled lawn fertilizers have very small quantities of phosphorous (P), potassium (K), which except on sands generally aren’t needed.  The price for these is usually 2 to 4 times as expensive as ammonium sulfate, which is usually the least expensive fertilizer available to the home gardener.  However, if you need to apply a lawn fertilizer which also includes a weed killer, it justifies the higher cost.

11. Plant Nutrition Observations Re Soil pH and Lightning.  Before starting the normal recommendations for fertilizing, I would like to ask some questions.  Have you observed the lawns in your area recently?  In Millbrae and Burlingame they are a beautiful green, and greener than I recall having see in the past.  Why?  This appears somewhat in disagreement with what we normally expect.  I usually emphasize the application of nitrogen in April and May, because you expect the normal winter rains to leach out much of the nitrogen in the surface soil.  The ‘why’ was a challenge for me?  Before proceeding, I would like you to turn to page 8

12. Fertilization of your various plants:  Probably the biggest problem for the home gardener in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties is selecting the best fertilizer program for differing soils that may be distributed throughout the yard, particularly those living up in the hills.  In many cases these properties may consist of terraces surrounding the home, and the original builder had to bring in top soil from various sources.  According to the “California Master Gardener Handbook”, most California soils have adequate levels of phosphorous (P) and potassium (K), and only need nitrogen (N) to be applied on some type of schedule.  In the early part of the growth season N is needed for new growth, but ultimately cutting back on N is required at some point.  The key is knowing the differing needs of different plants at different times in their annual growth cycle.   The frequent recommendation for April and May is:  If you haven’t already started fertilizing, remember April and May are peak use months because most plants produce some of their most active new growth then.  Your plants do best when they get off to a good start. A balanced or a somewhat balanced fertilizer for specific plants is usually recommended, but probably in most cases, just N applied as ammonium sulfate is adequate. Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) is the most readily available N to purchase, and is the least expensive. Following the extensive winter rains we have experienced, some plants may be chlorotic (yellowish). Normally, this may mean a deficiency of nitrogen-but that isn’t too likely this year-see page 8.  However, I would still fertilize with N, because the lush initial growth could slow, indicating the need for N.  Micronutrient deficiencies of iron, or other minor elements can cause chlorosis, but the most likely cause was  the loss of feeder roots, or root damage from water molds; or all of the above.  I would expect, the best fertilizer application to correct the micronutrient chlorosis would be a foliar spray of a water soluble fertilizer mix like Miracle Gro, which contains the minor elements.   Several micronutrients like iron (Fe) may not be taken up efficiently by the roots, and a foliar spray should be the best method to correct this. An easy field test for this is as follows: Take an empty plastic spray bottle like Windex, rinse and make up a solution as prescribed for Miracle Gro. Spray some of the yellow leaves, but leave adjacent similar foliage unsprayed and see if that corrects the problem. Also, with most plants the correction of a minor element deficiency will usually only occur on the new young foliage. In some cases the addition of a ‘sticker’ may be advisable, when without it most of the spray runs off of the shiny smooth leaves. A very small amount of most liquid dishwater soaps can improve this wetting of the leaves.  However, if your spray equipment can apply a ‘mist’ rather than a coarse spray, this alone may adequately wet the leaves.

Every fertilizer company has their own special mixes for various types of plants.  The exact percentages of NPK and rates aren’t “sacred”, but they should usually indicate the better “ballpark.” for soils low in P & K.  In other words you don’t need a special mix for every group of plants if some are rather comparable, but I will address this work at a later date, when I have time to copy the NPK’s on several of the products now found on the shelves.  I have started just such a list but I don’t have a sufficient number of examples yet.  Acid fertilizers are recommended for azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons-ammonium sulfate is an acid fertilizer, but it only contains N & S.  Extensive use of any fertilizer high in nitrogen should maintain an acid soil, favorable for these. However, you can check your soil with a pH meter (available at OSH for $12). Where you haven’t applied a slow release fertilizer, you should fertilize most plants at least every 4 weeks while actively growing. Most container plants, because of the leaching out of fertilizer (primarily N), should be fed twice a month, usually at half strength rates.   However, again a single application of a controlled release fertilizer like Osmocote or Apex, with several months release rate, can save you time, but more important, your plants will always have nutrients available, should you fail to fertilize on a good schedule.  Incidentally the 3-4 month release labeling on a product like Osmocote, may give you seasonal feeding of your plants in our cooler environment.  However, a foliar application of Miracle-Gro around September may be justified.

PEST CONTROL

12. Slugs and Snails-this is usually an ideal time of year for them.  Apply baits or other materials as needed, or use stale beer, or hand pick them at night, to keep them from getting out of hand.  Watch for their trails on walks, etc., this can usually identify their home base during the heat of the day.  Also, copper tape barriers are practical in some situations.  It is available for such use in many nurseries.  However, copper weather stripping, available in most hardware stores, can be an effective barrier. 

13. Aphids-if you normally have problems with aphids, and you haven’t already done so, now is the time to make applications, particularly on your roses using a fertilizer/systemic. I recommend Bayer’s 2-in-1 systemic Rose and Flower Care, because it has the most effective systemic insecticide.  It may take a few weeks for it to bring them under control, but in the mean time wash them off with a spray, with or without a little liquid dish soap added, or spray a systemic insecticide only on the buds and new growth.   Some ‘rosarians’ warn against the fertilizer-systemic insecticide (aphid) mixes, but I am of the opinion that a single application at the beginning of the aphid season should have very little adverse effect on growth.  Furthermore, the systemic insecticide applied to the soil, will not adversely affect aphid parasites and predators, affected by most aphid sprays.  The more of these you have present, the less need for spraying.  Aphids can also be a problem on camellias, apple, cherry, citrus and plum trees as well as other plants.  The damage usually appears as distorted new growth. Remember the presence of ants moving up and down your plants usually indicates aphids, scale or other sucking insects.  The ants are feeding on the honeydew that most of these insects produce.  The honeydew usually results in the development of a black sooty-mold fungus.  Its only damage results from the reduction of the absorbed sunlight gathering capacity of the green leaf surfaces.  It looks bad, but its effect is minimal, so you needn’t cut off the damaged leaves. 

14. Bayer’s new line of insecticide and fungicide products:  Several years ago, Ortho introduced a highly effective systemic insecticide for roses, which was incorporated on a granular fertilizer.  It contained disulfoton, a product of Bayer.  A few years later, Bayer entered the home garden market with a similar product 2-in-One Rose and Flower Care containing disulfoton. Ortho then shifted to their own systemic insecticide acephate, which is not nearly as effective. Two years ago Bayer expanded their line to a second formulation for roses and flowers.  The second contained a newer systemic insecticide imidacloprid and a systemic fungicide tebuconazole.  They also formulated a product with the systemic insecticide for trees and shrubs.  These latter 2 formulations need to be added to water and drenched into the soil where the root system resides.

15. Worms, beetles, leafhoppers and pith borers-may also be a problem on your roses, some can be picked off.  Watch for leaf damage and folded leaves, where a worm is beginning to pupate.  Pith borers on roses can do considerable damage.  If you never sealed the pruning cuts on canes pencil size or larger, you should probably do so immediately.  Codling moths are the most serious pests of apples, pears and walnuts.  Whether you spray for them, usually should be based on the degree of infested fruit you have experienced in recent years.  Many of us accept a few wormy fruit. April is normally the beginning of the cover sprays for codling moth and if you want relatively worm free apples, you should already be on a program. Codling moths-traps & control- The traps contain a female pheromone that attracts the males away from the females and dramatically reduces egg production.  Some suggest that you use two traps per apple tree for moth control and installed before bud break.  It can reduce the moth population by luring the males into the trap.  However their cost is relatively high and with the usual high populations of visiting moths (your neighbor’s unsprayed trees), they usually are relatively ineffective.  The University of California has demonstrated their inadequacy.  If you can justify the cost, a single trap might be better used to determine moth flights into your tree(s), indicating when to spray.  One entomology text (1951) reports that most eggs are laid 2-6 weeks) after apple bloom and hatch in 6-20 days.  The worms feed slightly on the leaves but within a few hours crawl to the young apples and chew their way into or enter the fruit, frequently by way of the calyx cup at the blossom end. An old University of California recommendation was to spray when 90% of the petals had fallen (normally this would have been April but this year probably May), or when traps indicate post-bloom moth activity.  Only Sevin is now available to the home gardener for coddling moth control. Sevin is very toxic to bees and should not be used when bees are active pollinating, but after petal fall, bee activity should be negligible.  Note egg hatch occurs 6-20 days after the eggs are laid.  The 2nd spray is recommended 25 days after the first spray, and the 3d spray in late June.  Most non-chemical biological controls usually require 9-15 sprays.  Even the newly refined oils require 4-6 sprays, and must be applied to kill the eggs, not the larvae.  Keep in mind that the adults of worms are moths, which can fly in from the surrounding neighborhood, especially where your neighbors don’t maintain an effective spray program.  There can be as many as 3 generations of codling moths per season.  The worms (larvae) from each generation will emerge from the apples, and crawl down the tree trunk and pupate in the debris in the soil surface.  The pupae hatch out as moths and fly back into the tree.  If a band of corrugated cardboard is wrapped around the trunk, the downward migrating larvae will usually crawl into the corrugations.  These must then be disposed of when used as traps and disposed of before the pupae hatch out as moths.  This should reduce each subsequent generation.   Moths and butterflies are closely related, but have differing flight habits.  Moths are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night.  You are aware of moths being attracted to lights at night.  Butterflies are active during the daytime.

16. Spittle bugs- They are quite active right now.  Buzz Bertolero used to recommend Malathion for their control, but washing them off with water and a little dishwasher detergent added is about as good.  If their numbers are small, they will do very little damage.  You can pick them off with a toothpick or something similar.  The bug itself is usually light green to light yellow in color, and buried in their spittle.

17. Earwigs-rolled up newspaper or coarse corrugated cardboard may serve as traps.  Pick them up the day before garbage pick-up and put them in a plastic bag, seal it and place in garbage can.  However, earwig baits may be more practical.

18. Fuchsias: The fuchsia mites (an eriophyid mite, not a spider mite) should be starting to damage the growing tips, if you have this pest.  Damage is expressed as thick, distorted, off-color new growth.  First try cutting or pinching back about 1/2 inch beyond the conspicuous damage. After that if they reappear you may want to try Sun Oil-Ultra Fine Horticultural Oil which Burlingame Garden Center used to recommend.  Bayer’s 2-in-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care lists spider mites, but no eryophids.  It still may be worth a try.

19. Thrips: Buzz Bertolero once answered an inquiry “the leaves (of my rhododendron) are sickly, speckly, have a slimy green cast, and the buds shrivel up.” You might try All-in-One Rose & Flower Care, thrips are listed as being controlled.

20. Fire Blight on Pears: This is the most devastating disease of pears.   It is most likely to show up from April to June, a few weeks after petal fall, and requires vigilance and preparedness.  A bacterium is the causal organism for this disease. It is unintentionally spread by bees, which are the best pollinators of pears and apples.  Commercial pear growers either spray or dust with antibiotics or coppers but these must be applied one or more times during the period of bloom.  However, our principal period of infection appears to occur with the late bloom.  You must control the disease or it will ultimately kill much of the tree. Control of the damage by the home gardener is usually done by somewhat severe pruning of the black infected shoots and limbs.  Prune about 6-12 inches below where the black bark is showing.  Dip your pruning shears in a 20 % Clorox solution (1 part Clorox & 4 parts water) each time you cut.  Remember it is bleach, so wear something on which white splotches doesn’t matter. Clorox is also very corrosive, so when you are finished, wash the pruners well in water, dry and cover with a thin coat of oil.

21. Irrigation:  The winter rains have declined, and those with automatic irrigation systems should have started them and already checked each line.  If you are having some plugging, try flushing the lines, and if plugging is due to algae, add Clorox.  You may need to check with me on how to best do it.  Your irrigation programs should fit specific needs.  Initially irrigate 1-3 times a week for plants planted in the soil, but as it warms up, usually at least 3 times per week.  Also the length of irrigation on each line will usually be dependent upon the type of water delivery (sprinkler, drip line, bubbler, emitter, etc.).  You can check with me for suggestions. However, potted plants may require daily watering, and twice a day when outside and during the heat of the summer.

22. Watering indoors-house plants: Plants vary as to their watering needs.  A. Most foliage plants have somewhat waxy or smooth leaves, which do not transpire much water.  Also, a big plant in a small pot will need more water, than a small plant in a normal pot.  B. Flowering plants usually require more water, but there can be considerable variation depending upon the type, quantity of leaves and growth rate.  The same plants exposed to more light, will usually require more water.  During the winter months, you can expect your furnace to produce a much drier atmosphere, and plants may require more watering.  In any case, your own experience will be the best guide as to the frequency of watering.  In every case, you are likely to need to have a saucer, or equivalent under each container, and a second larger saucer as a ‘safety’ to catch any excess water that might run over.  When you water, you should add or periodically add fertilizer, such as Schultz’s to the water. It is usually best to water from the top with a small watering can if this is possible.  If the soil was dry or somewhat dry, much of the water may flush through’  When this occurs it may best to add water to the saucer and let it sub up into the pot. Normally you should use sufficient water to have some water still in the saucer a few hours after watering. In any case, after several hours, pour the water that leached through the container, into a bucket, and use it to water, and fertilize outdoor plants. By so doing, you will be assured that your pots are fully watered, and this will continually leach salts (usually fertilizer salts) from the container.  Failure to do so can result in an accumulation of salts, which can produce a marginal leaf burn.  Using a double saucer system, the outer saucer is a safety net for excess water, and works well with some containers.  Also, many of the potted plants you buy today have the soil filled to the top of the pot, and surface watering is usually nearly impossible.  In which case, fill the inner double saucer, until no more water subs up into the pot.  Then drain the excess water from the inner saucer.

23. Watering outdoors-planter boxes, pots, hanging baskets: Watering can be tricky, as amounts needed can vary with the specific plants.  Also, their location, the size of the container, the depth of rooting, and the planting mix used can determine the amounts and frequency of watering.  A. Hanging baskets, during the warmer months, may need to be watered twice a day, and especially twice a day on a very hot day.  B. Container/potted plants if in shallow containers in the sun require much the same scheduling.  C. Larger containers and deeper-rooted plants can be watered less frequently.  Again use enough water to have about 5-10% of it, drain out the bottom of the pot, which should avoid the accumulation of salts.  However, even here it is a good idea to have the pot sitting in some type of saucer and water remains in the saucer for at least an hour or more to assure you that the entire pot has been adequately watered.

24.   Potting mixes to use: These can vary considerably as to materials used in the mix and percentages of each used.  Today there are so many New and different types of potting mixes with special claims, on which I have not see any reports.  Most I have not personally evaluated and I don’t have any comments on which are best. Because they differ, it is a good idea to keep records of your experience with each. Better yet make comparisons using the same transplants. Some potting mixes are likely to be better than others.  In most cases avoid a planting mix. This is usually just soil, with at most some nutrients added, and possibly a little compost.  Its intended use is for planter boxes with soil 12 inches deep or deeper, and very large, deep containers.  My assessment of the problem is that too great a percentage of the soil in small pots tends to become compacted with normal watering and rain, substantially reducing the aeration of the soil (oxygen). Root tips require good soil aeration for good root growth.  It is the root tips with masses of root hairs that are responsible for most of the uptake of water and nutrients, which are essential for good plant growth.  This may be the basis for some of the newly advertised potting mixes such a Miracle Gro for making claims as to their superiority.

25. Pots:  Generally when using the smaller pots, plastic is preferred over clay.

26. The following 3 articles may be helpful for those planting tomatoes.

TOMATOES

Pam Pierce-Golden Gate Gardener

SF Chronicle 3/1/08

Abstract of part of the 1st article

   There are some permanent obstacles to good tomato growing. What the plants want is sun all day (or for a minimum of six hours), daytime temperatures between 75 and 95 degrees, and nighttime temperatures above 55 degrees.  But near the coast, they must endure summer daytime temperatures that barely skim 70, long periods of fog, and nights that may drop below 55 degrees.

   The cool temperatures and, on foggy days, low  light, slow plant growth, so that the first ripe fruits may occur much later than the “days to maturity” (DTM) listed in the catalog, and they may be thicker-skinned and less flavorful.

   The cold nights pose a special problem because tomato pollen can’t fertilize the flowers if nights are colder than 55 degrees, so we often see less fruit than there were flowers.

   Location can make as much difference as neighborhood.

Abstract of part of the second article by Pam Pierce in the Chronicle

“Early Girl”, true to its name, ripened earlier.  It also produced much more heavily, and earned the rating “very good” for flavor, “Stupice” rated “very good” for flavor but was even earlier and more productive.

Abstract of parts of a third tomato article by Lynette Evans, Editor for the Home & Garden section of the SF Chronicle

Master gardeners in several Bay Areas counties test tomato varieties, those most relevant are Marin and San Mateo.  Last summer, San Mateo County master gardeners did some preliminary test in two sites: a windy site in Half Moon Bay about a block from the ocean, and at their Elkus Youth Ranch, a more protected site a couple of miles inland. 

As with San Mateo, they recommended the orange cherry “Sungold” which placed first in their tomato testing competition.  And reflecting my own results, they suggest ‘Early Girl’ and ‘Stupice’