The purpose of this post is to relay a few "quick hit" garden tips to you through the month of September. Some of these tips will be garden tasks I am doing myself, some of these tips will be quick pieces of advice we are giving to customers, some will be quick links to good gardening advice we encounter on the internet.
Check back to this post often as we will update it often until we roll through September 2010!
Here are our August Garden Talks 2010.
September 29--According to the official Rain Gauge of Skillin's Country, we received almost an inch of rain in the past couple of days. It was an excellent rain because of it's On Again, Off Again nature. This allows for some good soaking, a reprieve from runoff and then more good soaking. We are thankful for this deep rain and this should take care of most watering needs for the next few days!
September 28--Good friend Hammon Buck of Plants Unlimited in Rockport ME just sent out some great gardening tips. One tip that caught my eye was Hammon's write up about Planting Garlic in the Fall. We sell the California Soft Neck variety here at Skillin's. Here is Hammon:
"There are hundreds of named varieties of garlic, but all of them can be categorized into two major types: soft-necked and hard-necked.
The stalk that grows up from a garlic bulb is called a “neck.”
The stalk of soft-necked garlic is pliable and soft at maturity. The stalk of hard-necked garlic is stiff at maturity.
Soft-necked garlic is strong flavored and stores well because it has several protective outer layers of papery skin.
The two most common varieties are California Early and California Late. About eighty percent of all grocery store garlic is now grown in China. These garlics have many cloves, up to 20 per bulb. The outside cloves are medium in size while the inside cloves are a pain to peel and are many times just discarded!
Softneck garlic has the classic garlic taste; ranging from mild to hot and spicy; depending upon the growing conditions. (In Eastern Europe and Asia Hardneck garlics are the standard; with the same range in taste and heat.) Some Softnecks can be eaten raw in salsa and salads; others are too strong and need to be cooked.
Hard-necked garlic is mild tasting and best used soon after harvest since it has only a few layers of papery skin and thus keeps poorly."
September 27--Gardening friend Margaret of Away to Garden writes: "DON’T PANIC IF EVERGREENS start to show some browning or yellowing of needles this month and next. The oldest, innermost needles typically shed after a few years on the tree." I am noticing that pines especially are showing some yellowing on the inside of the trees. This is not a huge concern for older trees; however, 2010 planted pines should receive good deep waterings once weekly between now and when the ground freezes. These waterings will make the pines healthier for next year and beyond. Also a light feeding of Hollytone by Espoma is not a bad idea for your evergreen trees if they have not been fed for awhile.
September 26--Two years ago it was very apparent that my once mostly sunny backyard with several small gardens had become quite shady due to many of the surrounding trees getting so tall and other trees and growth :creeping in". It was time to cut some trees and clean out some growth to let some sun in! We did that and this increased light really helped my gardening efforts in 2009 and 2010. More light is needed and so yesterday my dad, wife and I spent much time cutting and cleaning out some more shade trees and growth. IF your garden has become too shady, we can give you the names of some very reasonable professionals who can cut wayward trees, limb others out--all to let the light in!!
September 24--Fall to an avid gardener with grass and dirt stained knees and dirty hands can be difficult to adjust to. However, fall is a great time of year to actually improve your garden. One of the first steps you should take is to apply lime to your lawn and gardens. Generally at the end of the growing season the production effort leaves a garden with a pH of 5.5 to 6.0, so we advise adding lime at a rate of about 5 pound per 100 square feet to eventually raise the pH to about 6.5 to 7.0. This higher pH level will allow your plants to receive a wider range of nutrients. Generally, we should only lime our areas one time per year. Also your garden may well not need lime every year. If you have limed for 2 to 3 consecutive years pick up a simple pH tester at Skillin's. Check out that pH. If your soil registers at about 6.5 to 7.0, do not apply lime that year. The lime I recommend is Mira Cal by Jonathan Green—it is a calcium based lime that is better than most limes for at least two reasons: 1) Calcium is an excellent organic additive to your soil. It benefits your plants tremendously by helping to “keep free” the flow of beneficial nutrients to your plants roots. 2) Magnesium based lime can actually aid weeds as magnesium adds a natural soil compactor. Many of the plants we prefer don’t like growing in compact soils but unfavorable weeds like plantain, dandelions, crabgrass and ajuga don’t mind compact soils a bit!
September 17--Skillin's Country received a nice inch of rain last night. This will really help our lawns, annuals and perennials. Remember though any 2010 planted shrubs and trees could probably use a good deep watering sometime this weekend or next week. Don't let the cooling weather fool you on that! Also while any flowering containers you may have got a nice soaking last night, any containers are so full of roots they will dry quickly--particularly in breezy weather!
If you have recently re seeded some lawn area be sure to keep that area moist as well! Water, water, water!
September 9--Gardening friend Margaret of A Way to Garden has posted just an excellent article about how to "grow, harvest and enjoy a year of garlic". We do have the soft neck garlic available here at Skillin's--she writes about both soft neck and hard neck garlic. Here is the beginning of the post: " MY HOMEGROWN CROP OF GARLIC GETS ME TO ALMOST FEBRUARY, and then it’s just not what it used to be. You know how it goes—you’ve bought late-winter cloves that start to sprout and just don’t feel as firm or weigh what they did before time took its toll. I don’t have a perfect storage spot; considering that I do quite well. But this year I’m laying in a supply in the freezer, too, following safe, sane methods—no, you cannot just pack it in oil and refrigerate! My tactics for growing, harvesting and enjoying a year of garlic. Both softneck and hardneck types are welcome here, by the way—dare I ask which camp you’re in?" [Read more...]
September 8--Hey we got a little rain in some parts of Skillin's Country last night and early this morning. About a .25" in the official Skillin's Country Rain Gauge. This is not a great deal of rain but I felt okay about not doing my daily watering of some annual beds that I have in the hot sun. That .25" should serve those plants well today! I still watered my Earth Boxes and will be watering a couple of shrubs deeply that I had planned on watering. That .25" of rain won't do the shrubs too much good.
September 7--It will soon be time to bring your houseplants back inside from the outside. NOW is a great time to treat these outdoor houseplants with Systemic Houseplant Granules by Bonide. These granules are easy to apply and provide plant protection for up to 8 weeks. Bonide changed their formula a few years back and we think this product is great at nipping all kinds of harmful little critters that can spread from plant to plant. The active ingredient in the granules works systemically within the plant and is very effective when a plant or leaf biting insect comes into touch with this product in the plant's system. At this point, the soomer you apply this product the more time it has to work to clean up any insects on your plant! Got houseplant questions? Come to our Thriving Houseplants class. See details on our classes HERE!
September 5--Paul Parent of the Paul Parent Garden Club (listen to his Garden Radio Show every Sunday morning) had several great tips this morning. One great tip has to do with garden cleanup. Over the course of the next month or two as we pull any annuals or trim any perennials from our garden, a complete cleanup of leaves and branches that we cut or that are lying on the ground is important. Dead leaves and stems serve as a great "harbor" or host for insects, mildews and other diseases. Clean up the mess and put this plant matter into your composter or compost heap.
September 4--Earl has come and gone from the edges of Skillin's Country and left us very little wind damage (a great thing) and a good dosage of rain (also a great thing!). The Official Skillin's Country Rain Gauge measured about 1.25" of rain that fell from about 10 PM last night to about 6 AM this morning. This will really help our dry, dry plants. I have rolled up the hoses today (except for an early morning watering of my Earth Boxes--water those Earth Boxes!). I may do a little deep watering of some mature shrubs and perennials that were showing the effects of being quite dry before Earl. 1.25" of rain is good for them BUT no rain is forecast over the next few days and they will be stressed again soon I do believe.
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
September 2010
Showing posts with label water outdoor plants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water outdoor plants. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Skillin's Moisture Meter July 27, 2010
Hello again,
Well, I have been away from Skillin's Country on secret assignment for a few days. Our gardens did get much rain--a big storm last Wednesday night and another very good bunch of showers on early Sunday morning. All told 3" of rain has fallen into the Skillin's Country Rain Gauge in the last week.
New outdoor plantings (of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and certainly shrubs and trees) require 1 inch of water per week optimally spread out over at least two quality waterings per week. A "quality watering" is defined as a slow soaking of your plant's roots.
(More detail about quality waterings: A steady rain of an which brings a half inch of rain or more qualifies as a quality watering. In lieu of rain a quality watering can be accomplished by letting water run slowly out of a watering can or the end of your hose into each plant's root system or by having a soaker hose at work for several hours twice a week. In "non soaker hose situations", pause on your watering if the water starts to run off; let the water soak in and then begin to water again. Repeat this process several times and move onto the next plant. For larger trees and shrubs (and if you do not have a soaker hose) merely set a hose against the tree or shrub for at least 1 to 2 hours and let the water almost trickle into the ground and down into the plant's root system. Again if there is runoff, pause and let the water soak in. )
This Week's Moisture Meter Readings:
Quality rain (1).
Quality waterings required by you: (1).
I know, I know 3" of rain this past week and "you still want me to water!" And the ground looks somewhat moist in most places. BUT temperatures have been warm and yesterday and today have been breezy. Shallow and open planted areas like annual beds and vegetable gardens could use a good slow watering in the next couple of days if you have the chance. Some possible showers and thunder showers are forecast for Thursday--this could give annuals and vegetables the water they need. I did water some containers and annual plantings that spend most of the day in the blazing sun. They were starting to get dry. SO check out your garden; the ground is dry enough that any watering is not a bad thing.
2010 shrub and tree plantings? 2010 perennials? They will need water by the weekend unless Thursdays rain is REAL quality. I will update this posting Thursday or Friday if the rain appears to be a factor one way or the other! (Update: We got almost no rain on Thursday 7/29 and many areas are dry if you have not watered in the last few days. SO: over the next couple of days, make certain ALL 2010 plantings get a good quality watering including all container plantings. Most plants are large and have fairly intense watering needs at this point. So go get'em!)
If you have met the quality watering requirement for this past week, congratulations! If not, pay careful attention this coming week and beyond and make sure that your new plants get those required quality waterings!
Let us know if you have any watering questions!
Thanks,
Mike Skillin
Well, I have been away from Skillin's Country on secret assignment for a few days. Our gardens did get much rain--a big storm last Wednesday night and another very good bunch of showers on early Sunday morning. All told 3" of rain has fallen into the Skillin's Country Rain Gauge in the last week.
New outdoor plantings (of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and certainly shrubs and trees) require 1 inch of water per week optimally spread out over at least two quality waterings per week. A "quality watering" is defined as a slow soaking of your plant's roots.
(More detail about quality waterings: A steady rain of an which brings a half inch of rain or more qualifies as a quality watering. In lieu of rain a quality watering can be accomplished by letting water run slowly out of a watering can or the end of your hose into each plant's root system or by having a soaker hose at work for several hours twice a week. In "non soaker hose situations", pause on your watering if the water starts to run off; let the water soak in and then begin to water again. Repeat this process several times and move onto the next plant. For larger trees and shrubs (and if you do not have a soaker hose) merely set a hose against the tree or shrub for at least 1 to 2 hours and let the water almost trickle into the ground and down into the plant's root system. Again if there is runoff, pause and let the water soak in. )
This Week's Moisture Meter Readings:
Quality rain (1).
Quality waterings required by you: (1).
I know, I know 3" of rain this past week and "you still want me to water!" And the ground looks somewhat moist in most places. BUT temperatures have been warm and yesterday and today have been breezy. Shallow and open planted areas like annual beds and vegetable gardens could use a good slow watering in the next couple of days if you have the chance. Some possible showers and thunder showers are forecast for Thursday--this could give annuals and vegetables the water they need. I did water some containers and annual plantings that spend most of the day in the blazing sun. They were starting to get dry. SO check out your garden; the ground is dry enough that any watering is not a bad thing.
2010 shrub and tree plantings? 2010 perennials? They will need water by the weekend unless Thursdays rain is REAL quality. I will update this posting Thursday or Friday if the rain appears to be a factor one way or the other! (Update: We got almost no rain on Thursday 7/29 and many areas are dry if you have not watered in the last few days. SO: over the next couple of days, make certain ALL 2010 plantings get a good quality watering including all container plantings. Most plants are large and have fairly intense watering needs at this point. So go get'em!)
If you have met the quality watering requirement for this past week, congratulations! If not, pay careful attention this coming week and beyond and make sure that your new plants get those required quality waterings!
Let us know if you have any watering questions!
Thanks,
Mike Skillin
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
July Garden Talks 2010
The purpose of this post is to relay a few "quick hit" garden tips to you through the month of July. Some of these tips will be garden tasks I am doing myself (although I wish there were more of those. I am here at Skillin's so much, my own yard and garden falls quite behind!), some of these tips will be quick pieces of advice we are giving to customers, some will be quick links to good gardening advice we encounter on the internet.
Check back to this post often as we will update it often until we roll through July 2010!
July 20--We received the following email overnight from the State of Maine and it does contain some concerning news about Tomato Late Blight. From Ann Gibbs, the State Horticulturist: "We just got word this afternoon that late blight was found in Lincoln county. The disease was diagnosed by Bruce Watt at the UM Diagnostic lab on tomato plants from a home garden in Waldoboro. The plants were grown from seed and the home gardener did have late blight on both tomato and potato plants in 2009."
This almost asks more questions than it answers about the occurrence. It is hard to say whether the Waldoboro gardener was using soil or compost that may have had components of last year's plants in it. I would not be surprised if this was the case.
What should we do? Keep a close eye on our tomato plants for late blight. Keep our plants clean of yellow growth, trimmed of lots of excess green growth, water our plants well and slowly (not overhead). As a precaution it would not hurt to spray your plants with all natural Copper Fungicide or Serenade. Otherwise, at this point I think we will be just fine!
Click here for more info on Tomato Late Blight.
July 19--I was looking at some of my beautiful Echinacea Coneflowers yesterday and I noticed lots of small buds lower on the bud below some of my profuse flowers. I do like to leave gone by flower heads for the birds to munch on BUT if we get "with it" and prune those aging flowers that will spur some very good re bloom by the Coneflower. So decision made. Spent flowers to be pruned over the next couple of weeks and I will get more flowers to enjoy! THEN the second and third waves of flowers will be left to age for the birds to pick at the seed heads. Everyone--birds and I--will be happy!
July 14--Well what a nice rain we received last night. About .8" of rain landed in my rain gauge in the heart of Skillin's Country! All plant material will soak this up nicely! However conditions are dry enough that much of our material may need more quality water by the weekend! Especially shrubs and trees that are newly planted this year and containers and annuals that are in the hot hot sun. More rain is being talked about for the weekend--so stay tuned; but more watering by us could definitely be needed by the weekend!
July 13--Well we did receive some rain over the weekend. My rain gauge in the heart of Skillin's Country measured about .3"--not a lot of rain and not as much as some of us gardeners were hoping to get. More steady rain is forecast for Wednesday and that would be very good. Today is Tuesday and if you have TIME AND some container material or some larger 2010 plant material like shrubs and trees that have not had water for several days, it may be a good idea to give them a good quality watering today just in case tomorrow's rain does not add up to much. IF we do get a good rain tomorrow AND you do water today, do not fear most plants and soil are dry enough to handle quite a bit of water right now!
July 8--Jumpin' Joe Kubetz and Tim Bate our Nursery Manager talk raspberries in this great video posted at our Skillin's Twitter site. Check www.skillins.com/twitter often for quick Skillin's news and updates.
July 6--Real customer Martha was in the Falmouth store this evening. Her husband has been advised by his doctor to consume much less salt in his diet. So she was in to pick up some herb plants to use for food seasoning (instead of the salt). Martha was picking up rosemary, basil, oregano and lemon verbena. All great choices and I hope they work well for her and her husband!
July 2--Before coming to work I spent some much needed time on my 3 rose bushes. They have blossomed beautifully but now I have many spent stems of blossoms. I cut back the stems of the spent blossoms about halfway back down to a true set of leaves on the stem. I like to prune aggressively this time of year; the plant will respond quickly with some new growth and new flowers. Earlier this year I did put some Flower Tone around the base of each plant. I will probably wait another few weeks to do that again.
I also gave the plant a second spraying of a molasses based product called Vaccinate. In the past I have recommended spraying with Messenger to ward off disease and to increase the cell healthiness of plants prone to disease like roses, upright phlox and others. Well Messenger is not available anymore (worked great for me and many others!). But Vaccinate seems to be doing well as my roses and upright phlox are looking green, healthy and happy with no signs of mildew and leaf spot! We will see!
Check back to this post often as we will update it often until we roll through July 2010!
July 20--We received the following email overnight from the State of Maine and it does contain some concerning news about Tomato Late Blight. From Ann Gibbs, the State Horticulturist: "We just got word this afternoon that late blight was found in Lincoln county. The disease was diagnosed by Bruce Watt at the UM Diagnostic lab on tomato plants from a home garden in Waldoboro. The plants were grown from seed and the home gardener did have late blight on both tomato and potato plants in 2009."
This almost asks more questions than it answers about the occurrence. It is hard to say whether the Waldoboro gardener was using soil or compost that may have had components of last year's plants in it. I would not be surprised if this was the case.
What should we do? Keep a close eye on our tomato plants for late blight. Keep our plants clean of yellow growth, trimmed of lots of excess green growth, water our plants well and slowly (not overhead). As a precaution it would not hurt to spray your plants with all natural Copper Fungicide or Serenade. Otherwise, at this point I think we will be just fine!
Click here for more info on Tomato Late Blight.
July 19--I was looking at some of my beautiful Echinacea Coneflowers yesterday and I noticed lots of small buds lower on the bud below some of my profuse flowers. I do like to leave gone by flower heads for the birds to munch on BUT if we get "with it" and prune those aging flowers that will spur some very good re bloom by the Coneflower. So decision made. Spent flowers to be pruned over the next couple of weeks and I will get more flowers to enjoy! THEN the second and third waves of flowers will be left to age for the birds to pick at the seed heads. Everyone--birds and I--will be happy!
July 14--Well what a nice rain we received last night. About .8" of rain landed in my rain gauge in the heart of Skillin's Country! All plant material will soak this up nicely! However conditions are dry enough that much of our material may need more quality water by the weekend! Especially shrubs and trees that are newly planted this year and containers and annuals that are in the hot hot sun. More rain is being talked about for the weekend--so stay tuned; but more watering by us could definitely be needed by the weekend!
July 13--Well we did receive some rain over the weekend. My rain gauge in the heart of Skillin's Country measured about .3"--not a lot of rain and not as much as some of us gardeners were hoping to get. More steady rain is forecast for Wednesday and that would be very good. Today is Tuesday and if you have TIME AND some container material or some larger 2010 plant material like shrubs and trees that have not had water for several days, it may be a good idea to give them a good quality watering today just in case tomorrow's rain does not add up to much. IF we do get a good rain tomorrow AND you do water today, do not fear most plants and soil are dry enough to handle quite a bit of water right now!
July 8--Jumpin' Joe Kubetz and Tim Bate our Nursery Manager talk raspberries in this great video posted at our Skillin's Twitter site. Check www.skillins.com/twitter often for quick Skillin's news and updates.
July 6--Real customer Martha was in the Falmouth store this evening. Her husband has been advised by his doctor to consume much less salt in his diet. So she was in to pick up some herb plants to use for food seasoning (instead of the salt). Martha was picking up rosemary, basil, oregano and lemon verbena. All great choices and I hope they work well for her and her husband!
July 2--Before coming to work I spent some much needed time on my 3 rose bushes. They have blossomed beautifully but now I have many spent stems of blossoms. I cut back the stems of the spent blossoms about halfway back down to a true set of leaves on the stem. I like to prune aggressively this time of year; the plant will respond quickly with some new growth and new flowers. Earlier this year I did put some Flower Tone around the base of each plant. I will probably wait another few weeks to do that again.
I also gave the plant a second spraying of a molasses based product called Vaccinate. In the past I have recommended spraying with Messenger to ward off disease and to increase the cell healthiness of plants prone to disease like roses, upright phlox and others. Well Messenger is not available anymore (worked great for me and many others!). But Vaccinate seems to be doing well as my roses and upright phlox are looking green, healthy and happy with no signs of mildew and leaf spot! We will see!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Skillin's Moisture Meter July 16, 2010
Hello again,
Well since our last Skillin's Moisture Meter we did receive close to 1" of rain in the official rain gauge in the heart of Skillin's Country. Areas south of Portland received more--considerably more in some tropical York County areas. But much of this rain was torrential and featured much run off!
New outdoor plantings (of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and certainly shrubs and trees) require 1 inch of water per week optimally spread out over at least two quality waterings per week. A "quality watering" is defined as a slow soaking of your plant's roots.
(More detail about quality waterings: A steady rain of an which brings a half inch of rain or more qualifies as a quality watering. In lieu of rain a quality watering can be accomplished by letting water run slowly out of a watering can or the end of your hose into each plant's root system or by having a soaker hose at work for several hours twice a week. In "non soaker hose situations", pause on your watering if the water starts to run off; let the water soak in and then begin to water again. Repeat this process several times and move onto the next plant. For larger trees and shrubs (and if you do not have a soaker hose) merely set a hose against the tree or shrub for at least 20 to 30 minutes and let the water almost trickle into the ground and down into the plant's root system. Again if there is runoff, pause and let the water soak in. )
This Week's Moisture Meter Readings:
Quality rain (1).
Quality waterings required by you: (1).
This quality watering needs to take place over the next couple of days. I have noticed that container plantings in hot areas and annual plantings in sunny areas are already getting quite dry. Also shrubs and trees should get a slow quality watering within the next couple of days.
Hot dry weather is forecast for the next few days so ONE quality watering for each new plant is needed. More would probably be just fine!
If you have met the quality watering requirement for this past week, congratulations! If not, pay careful attention this coming week and beyond and make sure that your new plants get those required quality waterings!
Let us know if you have any watering questions!
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
July 16, 2010
Well since our last Skillin's Moisture Meter we did receive close to 1" of rain in the official rain gauge in the heart of Skillin's Country. Areas south of Portland received more--considerably more in some tropical York County areas. But much of this rain was torrential and featured much run off!
New outdoor plantings (of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and certainly shrubs and trees) require 1 inch of water per week optimally spread out over at least two quality waterings per week. A "quality watering" is defined as a slow soaking of your plant's roots.
(More detail about quality waterings: A steady rain of an which brings a half inch of rain or more qualifies as a quality watering. In lieu of rain a quality watering can be accomplished by letting water run slowly out of a watering can or the end of your hose into each plant's root system or by having a soaker hose at work for several hours twice a week. In "non soaker hose situations", pause on your watering if the water starts to run off; let the water soak in and then begin to water again. Repeat this process several times and move onto the next plant. For larger trees and shrubs (and if you do not have a soaker hose) merely set a hose against the tree or shrub for at least 20 to 30 minutes and let the water almost trickle into the ground and down into the plant's root system. Again if there is runoff, pause and let the water soak in. )
This Week's Moisture Meter Readings:
Quality rain (1).
Quality waterings required by you: (1).
This quality watering needs to take place over the next couple of days. I have noticed that container plantings in hot areas and annual plantings in sunny areas are already getting quite dry. Also shrubs and trees should get a slow quality watering within the next couple of days.
Hot dry weather is forecast for the next few days so ONE quality watering for each new plant is needed. More would probably be just fine!
If you have met the quality watering requirement for this past week, congratulations! If not, pay careful attention this coming week and beyond and make sure that your new plants get those required quality waterings!
Let us know if you have any watering questions!
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
July 16, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Skillin's Moisture Meter July 7, 2010
*It is VERY dry out there!
Quality waterings are needed! We have had no rain in the last week and nothing meaningful for rain is in the forecast right now.
New outdoor plantings (of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and certainly shrubs and trees) require 1 inch of water per week optimally spread out over at least two quality waterings per week. A steady rain of an hour or more qualifies as a quality watering. A "quality watering" is defined as a slow soaking of your plant's roots. In lieu of rain a quality watering can be accomplished by letting water run slowly out of a watering can or the end of your hose into each plant's root system or by having a soaker hose at work for several hours twice a week. In "non soaker hose situations", pause on your watering if the water starts to run off; let the water soak in and then begin to water again. Repeat this process several times and move onto the next plant. For larger trees and shrubs (and if you do not have a soaker hose) merely set a hose against the tree or shrub for at least 20 to 30 minutes and let the water almost trickle into the ground and down into the plant's root system. Again if there is runoff, pause and let the water soak in.
This Week's Moisture Meter Readings:
Quality rain (0).
Quality waterings required by you: (2).
If you have met the quality watering requirement for this past week, congratulations! If not, pay careful attention this coming week and beyond and make sure that your new plants get those required quality waterings!
Let us know if you have any watering questions!
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
July 7, 2010
Quality waterings are needed! We have had no rain in the last week and nothing meaningful for rain is in the forecast right now.
New outdoor plantings (of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and certainly shrubs and trees) require 1 inch of water per week optimally spread out over at least two quality waterings per week. A steady rain of an hour or more qualifies as a quality watering. A "quality watering" is defined as a slow soaking of your plant's roots. In lieu of rain a quality watering can be accomplished by letting water run slowly out of a watering can or the end of your hose into each plant's root system or by having a soaker hose at work for several hours twice a week. In "non soaker hose situations", pause on your watering if the water starts to run off; let the water soak in and then begin to water again. Repeat this process several times and move onto the next plant. For larger trees and shrubs (and if you do not have a soaker hose) merely set a hose against the tree or shrub for at least 20 to 30 minutes and let the water almost trickle into the ground and down into the plant's root system. Again if there is runoff, pause and let the water soak in.
This Week's Moisture Meter Readings:
Quality rain (0).
Quality waterings required by you: (2).
If you have met the quality watering requirement for this past week, congratulations! If not, pay careful attention this coming week and beyond and make sure that your new plants get those required quality waterings!
Let us know if you have any watering questions!
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
July 7, 2010
Friday, September 18, 2009
Time to Water!
Hello again,
Folks it is time to water in Skillin's Country.
We have seen much sun and and great late fall breezes that have left the ground surface pretty dry. As Tim our nursery manager puts it: "We have not forgotten all the rain of this past summer but our plants have!"
We must get back into the mode where any such 2009 planted material should get two to three quality waterings per week. In these cases if you don't have an irrigation system, get your garden hoses out and set the hose on slow water next to your plants. Let the water run into the ground slowly for at least several minutes per perennial, potentially up to half an hour for each shrub and up to one hour per tree. Let that water soak into the ground so the healthy white roots of your plant have moist ground to grow down into.
Smaller annuals both in ground and in containers and vegetables that are still producing should get good soakings in a similar fashion. Or if you are standing and watering hold the slow running hose off to the side of the plant and let that water soak in. When you get to run off stage, pull the hose to the next plant but keep in mind to come back to the plant you just left a second or third time.
Good quality waterings take time but your plants will thank you!Post any questions or comments right here at this blog post or shoot us a question at info@skillins.com or 1-800-244-3860.
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
September 18, 2009
Folks it is time to water in Skillin's Country.
We have seen much sun and and great late fall breezes that have left the ground surface pretty dry. As Tim our nursery manager puts it: "We have not forgotten all the rain of this past summer but our plants have!"
We must get back into the mode where any such 2009 planted material should get two to three quality waterings per week. In these cases if you don't have an irrigation system, get your garden hoses out and set the hose on slow water next to your plants. Let the water run into the ground slowly for at least several minutes per perennial, potentially up to half an hour for each shrub and up to one hour per tree. Let that water soak into the ground so the healthy white roots of your plant have moist ground to grow down into.
Smaller annuals both in ground and in containers and vegetables that are still producing should get good soakings in a similar fashion. Or if you are standing and watering hold the slow running hose off to the side of the plant and let that water soak in. When you get to run off stage, pull the hose to the next plant but keep in mind to come back to the plant you just left a second or third time.
Good quality waterings take time but your plants will thank you!Post any questions or comments right here at this blog post or shoot us a question at info@skillins.com or 1-800-244-3860.
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
September 18, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Garden Talks August 22--Water!; Tips for Tall Phlox; Pee Gee Hydrangea
Hello again,
Just a quick note. I have spent a pretty good amount of time in the garden today and don't be fooled by the showers we received last night in Skillin's Country.
All containers and hanging baskets as well as 2009 planted shrubs, trees, perennials, annuals and vegetables most likely need a good thorough soaking if you have not watered them within the last couple of days! For good watering techniques go to Garden Talks August 14--Time to Water!
I am taking the time (on a gorgeous day like this, it is a pleasure!) to not only water the material I mentioned above but also to give my vegetables, containers (both flowers and vegetables) and 2009 planted perennials a good liquid soaking of water and Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seaweed Fertilizer. Of course, I have recently side dressed them with their "second half" dosage of granular and all natural Plant Booster Plus by Organica. So they are getting a good double dosage of food today. Remember this is Maine! Our season is short and we ask a lot of performance out of our annuals and vegetables--so give them the help they need with good dosages of healthy fertilizers. Come see us or ask any questions at info@skillins.com or leave a comment at this post; we will get back to you!
I noticed that the foliage on my tall white phlox is getting droopy. Combination of heat and although the phlox was planted years ago the soil around the plants is looking to be getting dry. SO, I have run a hose just to the first clump of phlox and have the water running quite slowly into the clump. Slow enough so there is no runoff of water. I will leave the hose at each clump for up to 60 or 90 minutes and just let the water seep into the ground. This should water the root system quite well.
From past experience I know that my Pee Gee Hydrangeas will soon be getting droopy as well as the foliage always turns "in" and "down" when the soil gets dry in late summer. So after the phlox have had their quality waterings I will do the same technique with my Pee Gees. They stand about 5 to 6 feet tall and have been in the ground for about 10 years now. The stems are pretty fat and they produce much foliage (and beautiful flowers too!) SO I will probably let the seeping water from the end of the hose stay at the base of each plant for about 3 hours. Again let the water seep in slowly; there should be no runoff.
BOTh the Pee Gees and the Phloxes have recently had their "Second Half" feeding of granular all natural Plant Booster Plus by Organica (Plant Tone by Espoma is also a good choice) so this good thorough water also helps to get these all natural fertilizers down into the soil just a little faster. Great for the soil!
Back to the phlox!: If the flower heads on top of your phlox are starting to turn a little brown then by all means prune the top flower heads out. This will encourage more growth from the side flower heads just below the tops and mean more color for at least a couple of more weeks from your gorgeous phlox!
Is your phlox foliage mildewy and spotty? They and you DO NOT have to live that way. Remember to give them sprayings of Messenger every few weeks. We talk about the benefits of Messenger at here.
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
August 22, 2009
Just a quick note. I have spent a pretty good amount of time in the garden today and don't be fooled by the showers we received last night in Skillin's Country.
All containers and hanging baskets as well as 2009 planted shrubs, trees, perennials, annuals and vegetables most likely need a good thorough soaking if you have not watered them within the last couple of days! For good watering techniques go to Garden Talks August 14--Time to Water!
I am taking the time (on a gorgeous day like this, it is a pleasure!) to not only water the material I mentioned above but also to give my vegetables, containers (both flowers and vegetables) and 2009 planted perennials a good liquid soaking of water and Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seaweed Fertilizer. Of course, I have recently side dressed them with their "second half" dosage of granular and all natural Plant Booster Plus by Organica. So they are getting a good double dosage of food today. Remember this is Maine! Our season is short and we ask a lot of performance out of our annuals and vegetables--so give them the help they need with good dosages of healthy fertilizers. Come see us or ask any questions at info@skillins.com or leave a comment at this post; we will get back to you!
I noticed that the foliage on my tall white phlox is getting droopy. Combination of heat and although the phlox was planted years ago the soil around the plants is looking to be getting dry. SO, I have run a hose just to the first clump of phlox and have the water running quite slowly into the clump. Slow enough so there is no runoff of water. I will leave the hose at each clump for up to 60 or 90 minutes and just let the water seep into the ground. This should water the root system quite well.
From past experience I know that my Pee Gee Hydrangeas will soon be getting droopy as well as the foliage always turns "in" and "down" when the soil gets dry in late summer. So after the phlox have had their quality waterings I will do the same technique with my Pee Gees. They stand about 5 to 6 feet tall and have been in the ground for about 10 years now. The stems are pretty fat and they produce much foliage (and beautiful flowers too!) SO I will probably let the seeping water from the end of the hose stay at the base of each plant for about 3 hours. Again let the water seep in slowly; there should be no runoff.
BOTh the Pee Gees and the Phloxes have recently had their "Second Half" feeding of granular all natural Plant Booster Plus by Organica (Plant Tone by Espoma is also a good choice) so this good thorough water also helps to get these all natural fertilizers down into the soil just a little faster. Great for the soil!
Back to the phlox!: If the flower heads on top of your phlox are starting to turn a little brown then by all means prune the top flower heads out. This will encourage more growth from the side flower heads just below the tops and mean more color for at least a couple of more weeks from your gorgeous phlox!
Is your phlox foliage mildewy and spotty? They and you DO NOT have to live that way. Remember to give them sprayings of Messenger every few weeks. We talk about the benefits of Messenger at here.
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
August 22, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Garden Talks July 30--Hot Weather; Long Windowboxes; Feed Annuals Early and Often; Summersweet
Hello again,
(Clethra Sixteen Candles--see writeup below!)
Whew it is hot! And I am not complaining. Since this week was the first time we have hit 80 degrees all summer long in Skillin's Country the warm weather feels good. One thing I have noticed is that a few of my annuals and perennials with new growth are flagging in the heat. Flagging? Yes, that means they are wilting when the hot sun gets upon them or the temperatures are peaking. Be careful not to overwater these plants. In fact all my flagging plants are plenty wet (both containers and in the ground). They do not need water. Heck, we got quite a bit of rain last night. What these flagging plants need is a few more days like this to adjust and they will be fine.
Bigger and more is often better when it comes to flower boxes. One of the blogs I follow frequently has a great article called Go Long! where the writer talks about planting plants in extra long window boxes. I like the article; it talks about some neat plants and color themes and planting techniques. It also reminds us to feed our annuals frequently. (Back to that in a moment). But extra long window boxes are truly hard to find but don't despair. You can always pair up 2 "regular sized" window boxes to get the same effect. Regular sized boxes are easy to find at Skillin's along with great flowering plants. Window box season has a few months left. If you want to create some nice color; come see us!
Annual flowers should be fed frequently. When you plant, it is great to mix a quality natural food like Plant Booster Plus by Organica into your soil. This food will be good support for your plants all season long. But we live in Maine and our plants need that "extra boost" that weekly or every other weekly liquid feeding with a good natural food like Fish and Seaweed Blend by Neptune's Harvest or Bio Matrix by Organica will help your flowers greatly!
I noticed the other day that we have some neat little shrubs in stock: The Clethra Ruby Spice and the Clethra Sixteen Candles. "Summersweet" is the common name for these shrubs and that is because when flowering they emit a nice fragrant "spicy" fragrance for you and your garden. (I can hear the Old Spice theme in the background). I highly recommend planting one of these guys in a spot where you can be close to enjoy the fragrance.
The Sixteen Candles is a compact little plant that gets covered with flowers and stays within about 3 feet by 3 feet. The fragrance is awesome in mid to late summer and the plant has nice yellow foliage in the fall. The summer flowers are like creamy white candles and deer do not seem drawn to this plant.
The Ruby Spice prefers part shade and grows a little taller. Its flower spikes are pink and the plant will flower in the shade making it a good woodland choice although it will also do fine in a partial sun setting.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Gardening Thoughts Sunday September 2, 2007
Hello again,
Folks another beautiful day in Skillin's Country but it is VERY DRY out there. I was lucky enough to be home yesterday and I noticed my very well established Pee Gee Hydrangeas were in a wilt. They are among the first plants to protest when soil conditions are dry and this dryness will not cause winter kill for them but it will cause premature leaf loss and will also hur the flowering of the plant.
So, I brought my garden hose over to the first of my three Pee Gees and set up slightly more than a trickle of water to come out of the hose. I ran the water this way for a good couple of hours down into the root system of the plant. Later in the day it appeared to be much happier. I did the same thing for the other two Pee Gees. So, for established plant material that is looking stressed; IF YOU CAN I would recommend some nice slow waterings for a couple of hours per plant. Nice slow waterings will not run off and also these waterings will not result in a big pool arond the plant that will just evaporate. Your plants roots will thank you!
I gave my rose bushes a nice slow watering a week ago and they are first on the schedule for a good soaking tomorrow.
This morning before I came to work I applied Serenade--a nice natural fungicide sold right here at Skillin's to my upright Phlox and also to my rose bushes. I have been giving both plant varieities weekly sprayings of Serenade early on Sunday mornings while it is still cool. I see lots of mildew on phlox around town but NOT on mine, thanks to the Serenade. And my roses look pretty good too. I will be applying Serenade weekly for the next few weeks to keep those leaves clean and green, especially on the roses.
It is not too late to plant cold weather vegetables! This past week we just received our first shipment of 2008 flower and vegetable seeds from Botanical Interests! (check them out at http://www.botanicalinterests.com/) Peas, lettuces, swiss chard among others can get planted. There is a terrific type of Swiss Chard called Bright Lights that I am going to try to grow in a container. very brightly colored foliage that should be a fun fall look and who knows I might have some nice fresh Swiss Chard for my salad later on this fall!
Speaking of container plantings, I have grown some wonderful plant containers this summer at home. I cannot say enough about our Proven Winner plant material--just tremendous. But the real key I think was the soil. I used the Bar Harbor Blend by Coast of Maine products (http://www.coastofmaine.com/). The Bar Harbor Blend is quite simply the best soil I have ever seen and I recommend it highly for all indoor and outdoor containers. I think frequent feeding is key to growing annuals here in short season Maine and I mixed generous portions of Plant Tone by Espoma with the Bar Harbor Blend and also side dressed my plants a couple of times this year with either Plant Tone or its cousin Rose Tone (depending on what I had at home at the time). Finally, when I watered I also used the Fish and Seaweed liquid fertilizer by Neptune's Harvest quite often (and I still will through the Fall, I want to keep these gorgeous flowers gorgeous). I planted my containers late in the growing season but with all that "love" they have really caught up and done great.
As I just wrote I will also plant some Bright Lights Swiss Chard and some Fall Mums soon in containers for a nice fall look. Easy to do and high reward!
Mum's the Word! We have some of the most gorgeous Fall mums I have ever seen grown here! Now is a great time to plant them because they still have time to grow and give you more flowers. Paul Parent gave a nice tip about planting mums this morning on his Sunday morning garden show (http://www.paulparent.com/). Paul recommended that when you get the plant out of its pot to make an X with a sharp knife into the cluster of roots at the bottom of the root ball. This slicing of the roots will serve as a good root pruning and will help stimulate the roots to send out more root shoots into the ground. These additional roots will help the plant to grow and quite possibly give you more flowers. Our Fall Mums are very tender perennials that most often do not winter over here in Maine. But planting them this early in the season and this root pruning at this early stage may help to improve your chances. Also, like other newly planted material, give the mums a good soaking of water a couple of times a week this fall.
Even though it is very dry out there, now is a great team for lawn work or to put some lawn seed down. More details in a soon upcoming blog!
Check back often at http://www.skillinsgardenblog.blogspot.com/ for some great gardening tips and as always shoot us your gardening questions at info@skillins.com!
Have a great Labor Day,
Mike Skillin
Folks another beautiful day in Skillin's Country but it is VERY DRY out there. I was lucky enough to be home yesterday and I noticed my very well established Pee Gee Hydrangeas were in a wilt. They are among the first plants to protest when soil conditions are dry and this dryness will not cause winter kill for them but it will cause premature leaf loss and will also hur the flowering of the plant.
So, I brought my garden hose over to the first of my three Pee Gees and set up slightly more than a trickle of water to come out of the hose. I ran the water this way for a good couple of hours down into the root system of the plant. Later in the day it appeared to be much happier. I did the same thing for the other two Pee Gees. So, for established plant material that is looking stressed; IF YOU CAN I would recommend some nice slow waterings for a couple of hours per plant. Nice slow waterings will not run off and also these waterings will not result in a big pool arond the plant that will just evaporate. Your plants roots will thank you!
I gave my rose bushes a nice slow watering a week ago and they are first on the schedule for a good soaking tomorrow.
This morning before I came to work I applied Serenade--a nice natural fungicide sold right here at Skillin's to my upright Phlox and also to my rose bushes. I have been giving both plant varieities weekly sprayings of Serenade early on Sunday mornings while it is still cool. I see lots of mildew on phlox around town but NOT on mine, thanks to the Serenade. And my roses look pretty good too. I will be applying Serenade weekly for the next few weeks to keep those leaves clean and green, especially on the roses.
It is not too late to plant cold weather vegetables! This past week we just received our first shipment of 2008 flower and vegetable seeds from Botanical Interests! (check them out at http://www.botanicalinterests.com/) Peas, lettuces, swiss chard among others can get planted. There is a terrific type of Swiss Chard called Bright Lights that I am going to try to grow in a container. very brightly colored foliage that should be a fun fall look and who knows I might have some nice fresh Swiss Chard for my salad later on this fall!
Speaking of container plantings, I have grown some wonderful plant containers this summer at home. I cannot say enough about our Proven Winner plant material--just tremendous. But the real key I think was the soil. I used the Bar Harbor Blend by Coast of Maine products (http://www.coastofmaine.com/). The Bar Harbor Blend is quite simply the best soil I have ever seen and I recommend it highly for all indoor and outdoor containers. I think frequent feeding is key to growing annuals here in short season Maine and I mixed generous portions of Plant Tone by Espoma with the Bar Harbor Blend and also side dressed my plants a couple of times this year with either Plant Tone or its cousin Rose Tone (depending on what I had at home at the time). Finally, when I watered I also used the Fish and Seaweed liquid fertilizer by Neptune's Harvest quite often (and I still will through the Fall, I want to keep these gorgeous flowers gorgeous). I planted my containers late in the growing season but with all that "love" they have really caught up and done great.
As I just wrote I will also plant some Bright Lights Swiss Chard and some Fall Mums soon in containers for a nice fall look. Easy to do and high reward!
Mum's the Word! We have some of the most gorgeous Fall mums I have ever seen grown here! Now is a great time to plant them because they still have time to grow and give you more flowers. Paul Parent gave a nice tip about planting mums this morning on his Sunday morning garden show (http://www.paulparent.com/). Paul recommended that when you get the plant out of its pot to make an X with a sharp knife into the cluster of roots at the bottom of the root ball. This slicing of the roots will serve as a good root pruning and will help stimulate the roots to send out more root shoots into the ground. These additional roots will help the plant to grow and quite possibly give you more flowers. Our Fall Mums are very tender perennials that most often do not winter over here in Maine. But planting them this early in the season and this root pruning at this early stage may help to improve your chances. Also, like other newly planted material, give the mums a good soaking of water a couple of times a week this fall.
Even though it is very dry out there, now is a great team for lawn work or to put some lawn seed down. More details in a soon upcoming blog!
Check back often at http://www.skillinsgardenblog.blogspot.com/ for some great gardening tips and as always shoot us your gardening questions at info@skillins.com!
Have a great Labor Day,
Mike Skillin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)