Debbie and Lee are giving us some wonderful horticulture tips this year. We learned about the useful Japanese garden tool and the Streptocorpus plant this week. Hint: put a little cotton in the fingertips of your gardening gloves so they will last a little longer.
True Geraniums!
In March, we learned about succulents.
...stand by for Leslie Crawford's: HORT REPORT!
Leslie offers more gardening info on: www.3000Tomatoes.com.
Hort Report – April
2010 by
Leslie
Crawford For the Coronado Gardener, April the means the FLOWER
SHOW!!!!! Every year is
different, depending on weather and rainfall, so the Flower Show is
always full
of surprises. This year, we have
had good rainfall and flowers are blooming a little later than usual. That’s good news for anyone who wants to
enter the show! Remember, if you
are entering growing plants in the show, clean out detritus around the
plant for
better showing. Clean off the
outside of the pot, too. The judges
pay attention to that kind of thing.
Garden Prep:
Weed, weed,
weed. It’s important to catch the
weeds while they are still small because they will compete with your
other
plants for nutrients, water, light.
As the saying goes, “A year
of seeds means decades of weeds.”
Mulch about a two-inch layer of organic matter
around
your annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs to suppress weeds, and hold
in
moisture. When the weather warms up
it will also keep the roots cool.
Mulching around roses is a great way to keep them evenly moist
and help
prevent fungus growth by reducing water splashing and spreading spores. NOTE: Don’t mulch around warm season
vegetables right now because they really need the heat around their
roots.
Planting:
By mid-April we’re moving into the warmer time of
the
year and we need to plant accordingly.
Look for warm-season seeds in nurseries and get
them
started soon.
Annuals To Plant: Ageratum, Amaranthus, Aster, Bedding
Begonia, Bedding Dahlia, Candytuft, Celosia, Coleus, Cosmos, Gloriosa
Daisy,
Impatiens, Lisianthus, Lobelia, Marigold, Nasturtium, Petunia, Phlox,
Portulaca,
Sunflowers, Sweet Alyssum, Verbena, Vinca Rosea
Perennials: Most
perennial plants may be planted this month with good success.
Watering:
Rain has been great this year, but it’s about
time to
turn irrigation back on. With all
the new growth on our plants, it’s important not to let them dry out if
we get
some hot weather.
Roses need about 1½ inches of water twice a week
this
month. They are working hard right
now with all the blooming that’s going on!
Citrus should be watered deeply about every week
and a
half to three weeks, depending on weather conditions, maturity of the
tree, and
soil type and drainage. Shallow
watering encourages trunk rot and it is important not to water the trunk
of the
tree when possible to avoid fungal disease. A
good rule of thumb comes from
gardening guru, Pat Welsh, in her new book. The
rule is to water one-third of the
distance from the trunk to the drip line and an equal distance beyond
the drip
line.
Fertilizer:
Continue fertilizing, but keep it light so that your
plants don’t go into mega-growth mode, resulting in softer growth and a
thirstier plant. Plants growing
with yellowing leaves with green veins are suffering from iron
deficiency so an
application of fertilizer with chelated iron would be a nice treat for
the
plants. Roses need to be
fertilized this month. A half
strength of 10-10-10 fertilizer will give them a nice boost.
Iron deficiency systems show up in plants as
yellowing
leaves with green veins.
Overwatering is a common cause.
This is a classic problem in roses, eucalyptus, camellias,
citrus,
gardenias and hibiscus. Feed
iron-deficient plants with a fertilizer that contains chelated iron
combined
with zinc.
Pest & Disease
Control:
Warmer weather means that garden pests are waking
up,
stretching and getting ready to feast on all the new, fresh growth in
your
garden. Aphids are starting to
appear in my yard so I’m blasting with water first, but if I see the
problem
getting out of hand, I will be a bit more aggressive with an
insecticidal
soap. I keep a bottle of SAFER
handy so I can spot treat when needed.
Head out to the garden in the early morning or
evening to
find snails and slugs. If we have
damp nights, hunting is usually very fruitful!
Watch for caterpillars and stay ahead of an
infestation.
Some caterpillars will turn into beautiful butterflies, so don’t over
react when
you see your first one or two. Just
pay attention to those plants that tend to get infested.
In my garden, that would be my Cecile
Brunner roses, tomatoes and geraniums. My first line of defense this
year are my
birdfeeders. My theory is that if I
attract birds to the garden and let the feeders empty out every couple
of days,
the birds will look for other food, i.e. caterpillars and aphids, on the
plants
in my garden. If that fails,
I’ll spray with BT – Bacillus thuringensis or Spinosad. These
will kill caterpillars only ,
leaving beneficial bugs alone.
Pruning:
Spring bulbs have all but finished blooming so they
aren’t looking so great. It is SO tempting to pull those messy leaves
out, but
you need to let them die back on their own. The
bulbs are pulling nutrients on this
greenery so you have to be patient!
Daffodil leaves can be
twisted around and tied in a knot for an interesting and tidier look.
Frost damage wasn’t a huge problem this year, but if you
do have frost damage, prune away the dead foliage only when you start
seeing new
growth.
Roses are blooming now and you can encourage longer
blooming by cutting flowers regularly.
Whether you are cutting for bouquets or deadheading, cut
above one of the first 5 leaf nodes that faces outward so future growth
will be
on a strong stem in an outward direction; otherwise, your later blooms
will come
on a weaker stems the next time around. Sweet
peas will also bloom longer
if you keep cutting flowers. Spread
a bit of springtime by sharing your flowers with neighbors!
Miscellaneous
Nurseries and garden centers are overflowing with
plants. Weekend gardeners are
out in force, feeling energized by the warmer weather. Veteran
gardeners are scouring for new
and interesting things to try in their gardens. Buying
small plants can really stretch
your dollar, but once in awhile it is fun to splurge on a bigger plant
to fill
in a specific area or pot. Look for
compact plants with healthy looking leaves. If
they look wilted or rangy, they might
be root bound or light-starved.
Have fun at the Flower Show and get inspired for
next
year. Check out the plant sale and
buy something new and interesting. Take a walk
around town and enjoy the
gardens that are thriving in our great climate.
Coronado is beautiful,
isn’t it?!
Don’t forget……..SUNSCREEN! HATS! GLOVES!
HAPPY
GARDENING!!! Credit where credit is
due: This monthly garden chores compilation comes from a lot of
resources, past
and present, including: Sunset Magazine, Union-Tribune, San Diego Floral
Association, San Diego Horticulture Society, San Diego Home &
Garden,
Anderson’s La Costa Nursery, miscellaneous tidbits found on the web, in
the
library, from fellow gardeners, and personal experience in the
garden. It's Winter in Coronado.... Garden Prep
MULCHING: Mulch, mulch,
mulch! The cool temperatures and
moisture is the perfect environment for weeds to sprout in our gardens.
The best way to stay ahead of the weeds is to mulch or re-mulch around vegetable
and flower beds, shrubs, and trees.
Any weeds that pop through can be easily taken care of. A little work now saves a lot of
work later! Plus, if we do happen
to have extreme temperature fluctuation, plants will have that extra protection
to regulate water and temperature.
Remember, don’t mulch right up to the trunks of shrubs and trees. Leave some space for air flow around the
base of plants.
Planting
BARE-ROOT PLANTS:
It is bare-root season so it’s time to shop the nurseries for your
bare-root plants, including roses, fruits trees and shrubs and some ornamentals.
Whatever you buy, make sure to keep the roots moist before and after you plant,
not waiting longer than a week to get them in the ground. When you are digging your hole to plant,
soak the plant’s roots in a bucket of water.
BULBS:
It is already time to be thinking about summer bulbs. Summer blooming bulbs should be in stock
right now at area nurseries. Look for Cannas, crocosmia, dahlia,
gladiolus, lilies, and tuberous begonias.
Seeds to sow outside - ageratums, alyssum, bachelor's
buttons, calendulas, candytuft, celosia, columbines, coreopsis, English daisies,
delphiniums, dianthus, forget-me-nots, four-o-clocks, hollyhocks, larkspur,
lunaria, pansies, California and Shirley poppies, salvias, snapdragons, stocks,
sweet peas, sweet William, and native wildflowers.
Watering
IRRIGATION:
Plants are looking fresh and clean after all the rain. If the rain continues regularly turn off
your irrigation. If we don’t have
rain for awhile or a Santa Ana passes through, make sure to water regularly and
take special care to deep soak the plants you planted in the fall, including
your natives. They need to be
storing up water for the summer months.
SUCCULENTS: Wintertime is when
succulents can really shine when everything else is dormant. Especially beautiful right now are the
brilliant aloes blooming around town and along the Strand. Succulents need little water right now,
especially if we have some rain.
Make sure all your pots can drain quickly so remove any trays underneath
that retain water. Very cold
conditions do more harm to succulents if they are sitting in dampness than if
they are dry. When the plants cells
are full of water a freeze can damage them by causing expansion.
INDOOR PLANTS: Finally, give some attention to your
indoor plants. The windows are shut
tight, our heaters are on, and the plants dry out faster. I like to put my plants outside when it
is raining, but timing is everything because if they are left out the sun will
burn the leaves and cold night weather will damage them, so it is a bit labor
intensive. Anyway, you can stick
the plants in the shower under cool water for a good rinse. The plants will be happier for it. Set
out water containers to catch rainwater; use the water to refresh
houseplants.
Fertilizer
CITRUS: Fertilize mature
citrus trees. They need about one
pound of "actual" nitrogen per year. Split the fertilizer into equal
portions and apply once a month (or every other month) until June. Don’t plant new citrus, avocado and all
subtropical edibles until spring because of possible frost damage.
CYMBIDIUMS: Some cymbidiums start to
bloom in December, although most bloom between February and March.
Continue to feed the plants for bloom (low nitrogen fertilizer) until the buds
open.
ROSES: I
bought some Ada Perry’s Rose Fertilizer this year at Walter Andersen’s Nursery
to try. Ada was a legend in the San
Diego garden world and developed this mixture many years ago. The bag says apply in January and
June. I can do that! J Roses
are heavy feeders and especially after you’ve pruned them, they are going to
need food. If you want to mix
your own, you can copy the organic mixture in Patti Million’s little book, ‘A
Year of Million Roses’. The mix is
as follows: 1 cup bone meal or
superphosphate (0-20-0); 1 cup cottonseed meal; ½ cup blood meal; ½ cup fish
meal; & ½ cup Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). Easy enough, but you might have to
buy bigger quantities of all these ingredients than you can use in a reasonable
amount of time so either share with a friend or find a pre-mix fertilizer.
Pest & Disease Control
Stay vigilant against snails and slugs by raking up
decaying leaves and other garden debris.
I enjoy a good snail hunt at night, but I still have to put out snail
bait in strategic spots to stay ahead of the problem. It is very disheartening to
find your seedlings disappear overnight!
This is the time to spray your roses with a
dormant spray to kill off any over-wintering insects and disease spores on the
plant and the surrounding soil.
PLEASE NOTE: On roses, the
only time you would use a dormant spray is after pruning when there is no new
growth on the plant. Talk to your
nursery people about what solution is best for your needs. Early morning spraying with no breeze is
the best, stay downwind, and cover yourself well from head to toe.
Pruning
CAMELLIAS: If your established camellias
haven’t bloomed yet, they should be soon.
You can prune the bushes lightly for shaping. Petal blight is a chronic problem for
camellias, so pick off the dying flowers promptly and make sure to keep the
ground under the bushes cleaned up.
ROSES: This
is always worth reprinting each January:
Phil Ash, a local Rosarian (and a very
entertaining speaker!), has these rules for "Whacking Back Roses."
·
Irrigate the day
before you prune.
·
You want to wind up
with fresh, healthy canes in an urn shape.
·
Canes old and
tired? Dead brown, non-producing, in the way? Whack them
off.
·
Canes crossing over in
the center or blocking airflow thru the rose? Cut them out.
·
As a rule, cut 1/3rd to
1/2 half off.
·
Bud-eye looking
out. Bud eye is found just above where leaflet set is attached to cane.
Leaflet set points in the direction
the bud eye will grow.
·
When in doubt, whack it
off! Roses survive!
·
Remember, the new
growth which starts at bud eye can be no thicker than the cane where cut.
It will never get fatter.
·
Take off ALL leaves,
bag them, and discard. Clean up thoroughly around the plant.
·
Apply two dormant
sprays (lime sulfur or copper spray) a week apart to kill any leftover pests and
pestilence. Read the label on the product and wear protective equipment.
·
Floribundas:
leave twiggy. Climbers: KEEP the long canes, cut 6 - 10 "stubs off
them.
Miscellaneous
FROST DAMAGE: We haven’t had a real freeze -
yet. If we do get freezing
weather and your plants are affected, don’t clip dead growth until you see new
growth in the spring. The
dead growth doesn’t look great but cutting it off will stress the plant even
more, so leave it alone.
Weeds love this cooler weather and moister ground, so
mulch to help keep them manageable.
The seed catalogs are coming in the mail and
it is a lot of fun to see what is new in the plant world for gardeners. While there are a wide variety of seeds
available at the local nurseries, the seed catalogs offer even more choices for
you. It is time to start
ordering seeds for the warm season flowers and vegetables. When the seeds arrive you can start
planting them indoors right away so you will have seedlings ready to transplant
in spring when the weather warms up.
HAPPY GARDENING!!!
Credit where credit is due: This monthly garden chores compilation comes
from a lot of resources, past and present, including: Sunset Magazine,
Union-Tribune, San Diego Floral Association, San Diego Horticulture Society, San
Diego Home & Garden, miscellaneous tidbits found on the web, in the library,
from fellow gardeners, and personal experience in the
garden. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November Report:: is the month that days and nights are beginning to cool down,
perfect for gardening. Don’t
forget your sunscreen – it’s still sunburn weather out
there!
Garden Prep:
If you have a lawn, this is a good time to overseed your Bermuda lawns
with winter rye grass. Mow
down your lawn very low and spread seed.
Keep moist until seeds start to germinate. Sounds like a lot of
work, doesn't it? Maybe this is a good time to think about taking some
lawn out and planting more interesting, drought-tolerant plants. Hint,
hint! :-)
It
is important to rake out old mulch and dead leaves around bushes and shrubs so
as not to encourage disease and pests in the coming months. Mulch the plants with manure and
compost, remembering to keep away from the trunks of your plants so they can
breathe.
Planting:
If you have not planted your spring bulbs, it is definitely time to get
them in the ground.
November is still a great month to get plants in the ground for a
beautiful spring flowering.
Wildflower and nasturtiums seeds need to be planted now. Wildflowers need full sun but don’t let
their planting bed dry out or you will lose them. Nasturtiums are fast growers and can
tolerate sun or part-shade. They
re-seed prolifically and are spectacular on slopes, covering the ground in
masses and in salads!
This is also the ideal time of the year to plant natives in your
yard. The cooler temperatures allow
the plants to get established before subjecting them to the heat of summer. When you plant, make sure to water
thoroughly after planting (about 10 gallons for a 1 gallon plant) to ensure
there are no air pockets in the dirt and to give them one good soaking to
prevent too much shock. Do not
fertilize natives because it encourages them to grow too fast, making them
unstable. Remember, they are native
plants and did just fine without fertilizer before we came along!
This is not a good time to re-pot succulents; better to wait until spring
or summer, but if you absolutely have to, then add perlite or other good
drainage material to the soil to make sure the new plantings dry out so they
don’t rot.
Tropicals and sub-tropicals are blooming now and looking nice. Now is the time for looking at tropicals and
sub-tropicals, not planting.
Wait until springtime for that.
Watering:
This is a good time to look over your watering system. We can start cutting back on watering
our plants, especially if it rains, but the occasional Santa Ana weather can do
a lot of damage if new plants and seeds dry out. We don’t have to be quite so
hyper-vigilant like last month, but do pay attention if we have hot weather.
With
the weather cooling down, our humidity can really drop, too, so make sure your
roses are getting the water they need.
Soak them twice a week with 1” of water. Mulching your roses will keep the soil
at a more constant temp and will keep fungus spores from splashing up onto your
rose bushes.
Succulents do best in the cold months if they are kept on the dry side,
but they still need occasional watering when they look shriveled and
stressed. Cacti and succulents in
pots need watering more frequently but don’t over-do because wet and cold
conditions can quickly kill these plants.
Try to water in the morning on warmer days so moisture has evaporated off
the plant by nightfall. Waterlogged
succulents can die if the weather gets cold enough to freeze because it damages
the fleshy cell structure of the plants. If we are expecting rain, really
cold weather or possible frost, try to move your succulents to protected areas
so they don’t get waterlogged or frost-bitten. One hail storm can do a lot of damage to
succulent leaves, marring your plant that would take a long time to grow
through. That’s a bummer,
especially if you have plans to enter your plants in flower shows.
Fertilizing:
Fertilize your cool-season plants and lawns. Feed your overwintering plants with a
no-nitrogen, high-phosphorus, high-potassium fertilizer to help them become
cold-hardy. Be mindful of
fertilizers containing too much nitrogen which encourages new, tender growth
that will damage easily in the colder weather. Don’t fertilize wildflowers, roses, or
warm season lawns.
If you have pink hydrangeas and want to try to color them blue or
lavender, apply aluminum sulfate now.
This won’t work on white hydrangeas, only the pink ones.
Pest Control:
As the weather cools down, we won’t have as many pest problems, but keep
an eye out for any problems that might crop up. Raking out from under shrubs and
bushes cleans out the beds and cuts down on the possibility of disease and pests
in the coming months. A new layer
of mulch and worm castings will go a long way in keeping your plants strong, and
problems to a minimum.
Pruning:
Take a look at your trees and get some trimming done if needed. When the
ground is really wet and the wind is blowing hard, trees of all sizes can be
uprooted so it is important to open them up so the air can blow through them in
windy conditions. Find a qualified
tree trimmer to do this job. Don’t
forget to stake your small trees, but not too tightly, so they can bend a little
with the wind and develop strong trunks.
Prune roses lightly to remove the long, bloomed-out canes, but save hard
pruning until January, when plants are fully dormant. Severe pruning now will
encourage new growth that will freeze with the cold, wasting good plant
energy.
Resist the temptation to prune your hydrangeas now. They aren’t looking so great but they
bloom on one year old stems, so pruning would disrupt the blooming process.
Chrysanthemums: After they finish flowering, cut back chrysanthemums
leaving 6-inch stems. They will begin to grow again next March. If you’ve had good luck with your
chrysanthemums in the ground, then you can lift old clumps and divide
them.
Miscellaneous:
Rose hips are often misunderstood and tend to get pruned off rose
bushes. It is actually good
practice to let your last blooms morph into rosehips. Rosehips cause your plants to have
chemical changes that slow down the growth of the plant and inhibit bloom
production, allowing it to go into a dormant period. The dormant period allows roses to put
all their energy into hardening their canes.
Rose hips are high in Vitamin C and are considered an antioxidant. You can make rose hip tea by boiling
dried rose hips for about 10 minutes. (If you have sprayed any poison or used
systemic treatments, DON’T INGEST!)
Wash them thoroughly before using.
A rough measurement is 2 TBSP of rose hips per pint of water. The rose hips will expand and split,
letting water in to soak the seeds.
The tea will be a light color, typically pink, and might be a slightly
bitter so you might want to add sweetener.
Personally, sounds like too
much work!
Take a walk around your neighborhoods to look for fall color! Hibiscus are blooming prolifically right
now. There are so many beautiful
varieties growing around the county. Persimmons and pomegranates are now in
season and should be arriving at the Farmer’s Markets - perfect timing for
Thanksgiving meals and decorations. Credit where credit is due: This monthly garden chores
compilation comes from a lot of resources, past and present, including: Sunset
Magazine, Union-Tribune, San Diego Floral Association, San Diego Horticulture
Society, San Diego Home & Garden, miscellaneous tidbits found on the web, in
the library, from fellow gardeners, and personal experience in the
garden. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EARLY FALL Garden Prep: * A thorough garden cleanout is a good way to look things over. It also helps to reduce insect problems because they won’t have plant debris to nibble on. After you clean out, turn the soil and continue to be aggressive about weeding. Add composted material or planting mix and all-purpose plant food and turn the soil again to dig in deep.
Watering: * Water your roses with 1 inch of water twice a week unless it rains. * Plants in the ground need deep watering. Plants in containers need frequent watering.
Fertilizing: * Fertilize your tropical plants for the last time, only if they really need it. * Your houseplants would love a dose of fertilizer now which will hold them until early next year.
Pest Control: *Watch for aphids and whitefly. As the weather cools down, these pests can become more problematic in the garden. Washing your plants down with water will help control them, or use an insecticidal soap. *The fungus that causes petal blight in azaleas and camellias over-winters in fallen flowers, leaves, and old mulch. To decrease the chances of blight remove all the debris under the plants and apply new mulch.
Pruning: *Geraniums: To encourage growth during the winter cut back your geraniums by half. Make straight cuts 1/4 to 1/2 inch above joints leaving several healthy leaves on all branches. *Look over your trees now and hire a competent tree trimmer to lace and trim heavy branches before winter storms come.
Planting: * This is the time to plant cool season flowers, annuals and perennials, and vegetables. This is also a great time to plant trees and shrubs so they can grow a good, strong root system for the coming year’s bloom without having to go through the stress of the summer heat. It is NOT the time for subtropicals or bareroot plants. Look over native plants when you are shopping at your local nursery.
* If you haven’t planted your early sweet peas for a Christmas bloom yet, it’s time NOW! Look for “early blooming” varieties. Spring and Summer flowering types won't bloom until the days are more than 12 hours long. Soak your seeds overnight before planting. Also, set your climbing poles now so you don’t damage the plant roots after they have established themselves.
* Plant bulbs now for blooms as early as February. Store your bulbs in a cool, dark area until you are ready to plant. They suffer when they are exposed to light. Freesias are always so satisfying because they are beautiful and smell so nice. Plant them in sunny areas of your garden. They are great in containers, also. Once they establish themselves in your garden, they will come up year after year. Watch for Tecolote hybrids which are so colorful and the most fragrant. The daffodil is another great bulb that is easy to grow and many varieties will naturalize in our local gardens. Groupings of daffodils are always spectacular and such a treat to have in your garden in the spring.
* Paperwhites in water are fun and easy to make. What a beautiful treat at the holidays, and a perfect hostess gift. You can start assembling these now by putting the bulbs in bowls, surrounded with pebbles. Put away in a cool dark place WITHOUT water for the time being. Starting in November, if you want to have ongoing paperwhites in bloom, add water to a new bowl every two weeks and keep them in the dark cool place until they are pretty well established with growth. When you bring them out into the light and the warmth of the house they will come into bloom very quickly.
Flowers From Seed - These can be planted anytime this month: African daisy, Alyssum, Bachelor button, Bells of Ireland, Calendula, California poppy, Candytuft, Canterbury bell, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Cineraria, Clarkia, Columbine, Delphinium, Forget-me-not, Foxglove, Gerbera daisy, Hollyhock, Iceland poppy, Larkspur, Nicotiana, Pansy, Phlox, Pink, Scabiosa, Shasta daisy, Snapdragon, Stock, Sweet pea, Sweet William, Verbena, Viola, Wildflowers Flowers From Bedding Plants: African daisy, Alyssum, Calendula, English daisy, English primroses, Gerbera daisy, Iceland poppy, Pansy, Penstemon, Primula Snapdragon, Stock, Viola
Food for Thought: When planning your fall garden remember that the angle of the sun changes from spring-summer to fall-winter. Areas of the garden that were in full sunlight during the summer may be in partial or full shade during the fall and winter.
Okay, that’s enough information to keep you busy for awhile. Now, go get dirty and have fun!!!
*Master Gardeners Will Accept Applications
For the first time in two years. Dedicated gardeners, who are willing to volunteer in
exchange for expert
training, can apply for a series of classes which will begin in
January. Applications will
be provided at an orientation meeting on Tuesday, September 1 from
10 am to noon in
the Balboa Park War Memorial building.
To receive a letter with directions to the meeting site
visit
www.mastergardenerssandiego.org and
add your name to the mailing list or call the MG
office at 858-694-2860 on week days from 9 am to 3 pm.
Don’t be put off by the title. Master Gardener doesn’t mean genius
gardener. MGs are
equal parts experienced gardener, generous volunteer and lifelong
learner.
Membership introduces you to some 200 folks with a passion for
plants for sure but not
every plant. What you don’t know about succulents for example,
another
knowledgeable member of the group will and will be glad to
share.
Through the training course, monthly meetings and volunteer
activities, you get to rub
shoulders with friends in San Diego’s enthusiastic and growing
gardening community.
You become part of the local MG Association, now more than 25
years old, and in the
process you will have a lot of fun.
Interested? You need to submit an application that details your
gardening and
volunteer experience. A group of current Master Gardeners then
interviews candidates
to select those invited to join.
If you are invited and accept,
you will begin a training
program Jan. 5 of classes that meet from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm every
Tuesday through
June 15.
Topics range from basic botany to citrus culture and pest control.
Class instruction is
free but there is a $180 materials fee. In case you are wondering,
no you don’t have to
know plant Latin and yes, there is a take home exam that you must
pass. When you
do, you will be certified as a Master Gardener Volunteer by the
University of California
Cooperative Extension.
In your first year after graduation, you are asked to donate at
least 50 hours,
participating in various MG public education activities, including
staffing the popular MG
hotline. There you will field phone and email gardening questions
from the public, which
is both a teaching and learning experience. Whether answering a
hotline inquiry or
staffing an MG booth at various events or mentoring a school
gardening program, you
will be sharing your love of home gardening and helping
others.
How to Make a Moss Hanging Basket STEPS Using Loose Moss 1. Before starting, have a design in mind. 2. Get some wet sphagnum moss and wring it out so it is moist. 3. Press the moss in between the wires of the basket. Begin at the bottom and work your way to the top. Make sure it is about tw.o inphes thick. lf it is too thin, soil can teak out; if it is tas thick, there won't be enough room for the plants. Then, put some extra moss on the rim of the basket so that it is completely covered. 4. To plant through the sides, stick the plants through the sides and fill in the soil as you go. Place them about 4 inches apart. Using a Moss Liner 1. Gather your materials. 2. Set tlm rnesa liner into the wire basket- 3. Fillthe moss liner, now in the basket, with soilabout half way to the top. 4. Arrange the flowers inside the basket while they are still in their containers so you can get the arrangement just right. 5, Whorl tlwy m* all *et upr Femsy* the ftoware frpm their centainera and plar'* the+n inoide the bepket. 6. Plant through the sides, if you want. lt is very easy, just a few simple steps. 7. Cut a little hole in the side of the moss liner. 8. Carefully wrap cellophane around the foliage of the plant. g. glide the plant, iofiage ftrst; through tfre moss liner and gut the side of the wire basket. TIPS o \A/hile you are working, put the hanging basket on top of a flowerpot so you won't have top worry about it faHirg over' o Make sure the basket looks good from all angles, not just from the top, since it will be above people's heads.
Debbie and Lee are giving us some wonderful horticulture tips this year. We learned about the useful Japanese garden tool and the Streptocorpus plant this week. Hint: put a little cotton in the fingertips of your gardening gloves so they will last a little longer.
True Geraniums!
In March, we learned about succulents.
How to Make a Moss Hanging Basket
