April 2025
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
What is that Plant?
By Paul J. Hang
Recently, on 60 Minutes, I saw a segment about a factory in British Columbia that captures carbon out of the atmosphere in the form of CO2 and finds uses for it or stores it underground. It uses a chemical process to do this. Carbon and CO2 can be used in cement, plastic and other building materials and put the fizz in soft drinks. The process is fairly complicated and it uses fossil fuels and so is controversial. When the narrator referred to the factory as a plant I had to laugh.
I know of millions of plants that, using a chemical process, capture CO2 out of the air and find lots of uses for it and sequester it. The chemical process is called photosynthesis and the chemical is chlorophyll. The plants use energy from sunlight not fossil fuels and, Hydrogen from water and carbon from CO2 to produce sugar- the basis of life. Along the way they use carbon for their tissues (stems and leaves and roots). Oxygen is a by- product. Carbon is sequestered in trees and underground in their roots and in the soil. These plants produce food, fiber and useful chemicals.
Plants and animals also sequester carbon in our bodies. We return some CO2 in our breath when we breathe and plants when they transpire. When they and we die carbon is released through decomposition or continues to be sequestered. Long-dead prehistoric plants and animals were sequestering carbon in the form of coal, oil and gas. Then we burned it releasing all the CO2 which is now warming our atmosphere with catastrophic results. Until we sequester the same amount of carbon that we have released we will continue to get warmer. The answer is balance.
We do not sequester the amount of CO2 that we produce annually let alone reduce the surplus that we have built up. One of the best answers is to leave our old forests of big trees alone. Plantations of mono-cultures of trees do not do the job. Peter Wohlleben, the German Forester and author of “The Hidden Life of Trees,” covers the topic in his new book “The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests can save us If We Let Them.”
No foolin the trees are bloomin all around us. To identify the plants and trees around us, these two Plant ID apps can help; Pl@ntNet and iNaturalist. April 25th is Arbor Day, time to plant trees. Join the City Tree Commission, Circleville High School students and city workers for an Arbor Day celebration at Barthelmas Park at 9am and see how to plant trees successfully. For information about planting and mulching trees see bygl.osu.edu. Gardening questions? Call the helpline at the Pickaway County Extension office at 740-474-7534.
Things to do in the garden:
Tomato, eggplant and pepper seeds should be started indoors. The seedlings should be moved from the cells after 4 weeks into larger pots. Move them into the garden only after hardening them off and the danger of frost is past. As usual make sure you water-in the transplants. When you water, water deeply (top six inches wet) and water the base of the plant not the foliage. Water when the plants need it, not every day. Most plants require 1 to 1 and a half inches of water per week.
Vegetables that can be planted by seed directly into the garden are: beets, carrots, peas, onions, spinach, leaf lettuce, radishes. These should be watered enough to keep the soil moist to begin germination. Don’t let them dry out. Beets and carrots should be thinned at the seedling stage. Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli plants can be planted as soil and weather conditions allow. The soil temperature for cool weather plants should be 50 degrees, warm weather plants at least 60 and some even higher. Put an inch of compost on the beds.
Use row covers (Google it) on your vegetables right after planting to keep the bad bugs off. For vegetables that produce fruit (beans, cucumber, pepper, squash, etc.) remove the covers after blooming to let the pollinators go to work. Tomatoes are self-pollinating and so you could leave the covers on. For those that don’t need pollinating (Cabbage, broccoli, onions, chard, kale, lettuce, beets and radishes, etc.) you can leave the covers on until harvest. Make sure you buy the right covers that let in enough light and rain. I have found this to be an effective method to protect plants without insecticides. Place collars around transplants that are susceptible to cut worms.
Most annual flowers can be seeded directly into the soil after the danger of frost has abated. Some popular annuals that you should consider starting indoors are: snapdragon, wax begonia, sweet William, impatiens, sweet alyssum, petunia, gloriosa daisy, blue salvia, viola, pansy and zinnia, among others. This can save you a considerable amount of money that you can then spend on a perennial (native) plant.
Fertilize lawns lightly, if at all. The time to re-seed is when night time temps consistently reach 50 degrees and above. This is also the time to aerate lawns. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide now to prevent crabgrass, unless you plan to seed. When common lilac or Ohio buckeye begins to bloom it is too late for a pre-emergent herbicide to be effective and too early for a post-emergent. Leave clippings on the lawn. Their nitrogen content is high and will reduce the need to fertilize. Mowing height of at least three inches will retard the growth of crab grass and other weeds.
Unless you are prepared to cover plants in case of frost, don’t put out those tender plants such as tomatoes and peppers until mid-May or later when the soil warms up. The average last frost date is now April 23rd. There is a 50/50 chance of frost then and the chance decreases about 10% per week after that. Cool season transplants, after hardening them off, can be planted now (Lettuce, broccoli, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower).
Spring flowering bulbs should be fertilized after they bloom. Remember to leave the leaves of bulbs until they yellow. Brown is better. Pinch off any developing seed heads. If April brings its showers don’t work the soil if it is too wet. Wait until it dries out a bit. If it seems wet enough to make a clay pot, wait. Squeeze a ball of earth about the size of golf ball and let it drop from waist high, if it breaks apart it’s ready to be worked. Don’t apply mulch until May. Allow the soil to warm.
Cut back your ornamental grasses to six inches or to the green stems. They can be divided now. Cut back your butterfly bushes (buddleia) to a foot or two and apply a balanced fertilizer. Prune spring blooming shrubs after they bloom. Bagworms on shrubs and trees hatch out shortly after the Snowmound Spirea blooms. This is when you can spray an insecticide (Bacillus thuringiensis, also called Bt, read the label) to kill the caterpillars. Now is the time to prune roses. Depending on the variety, you may prune back to a foot in height or to green growth. Fertilize monthly until Labor Day. You can plant new ones now. Large hostas can be divided as soon as they emerge.
Wait until several 50 plus degree days in a row before cleaning up debris of stems to save beneficial insects. If in doubt store them temporarily before putting them in the compost heap.Don’t prune your oak trees after the middle of the month or after they leaf out. Sap beetles are attracted to the open wounds and will bring oak wilt, a disease which will kill them and has been found in this part of the state. If pruning can’t be avoided paint the cuts with a pruning sealant.
March 2025
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
The Great Awakening
By Paul Hang
Beginning in the 1720’s and periodically to today, there have been waves of religious fervor and evangelical movements in America. These movements have been called Great Awakenings. They initiated religious conversions and spiritual regeneration. The term awakening implies a slumber and passivity that changes to a new awareness and subsequent beliefs and actions.
In March the earth has a great awakening. From a sleepy but often restless slumber, wintry earth begins to stir. If we are alert enough we will see the signs. We “see the light” as the days grow longer. The Spring Equinox marks the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere. The green spears of daffodils suddenly appear in the most unlikely of places. Likewise the blooming of snowdrops, Gilanthus nivalis, often pushes up through the snow to take a peek.
The signs are many: blooms of pussy willows seem to climb up the stems like their namesakes clinging to a curtain; the buds of trees swell. Some cannot be missed, like the huge terminal buds of the hickories. The Red maples look different, yet we don’t know why. Upon inspection we see the buds and why. Then, from a distance, the whole tree seems to blush red as if our inspection has somehow invaded its sense of modesty.
Many people find the urge to join in this process. What young man hasn’t had his fancy turn to love in spring? The poets say, “Sweet lovers love the spring.” Gardening, tending to plants, puts us in sync with the happenings in nature. Observing changes in a plant gives lessons about seasonal changes. We see processes of growth, perhaps of flowering and going to seed, perhaps of the growth of stems and leaves. Perhaps the plant dies. These observations often lead us, by analogy, to notice the similarities to our own lives.
Observing nature hopefully makes us realize that we are a part of nature. Her rules and protocols apply to us as participants in processes beyond our making and control. Native Americans realized this and we ignore it at our peril. We are in need of a great awakening. We are on the earth and part of the earth. We are earthlings.
I recommend you spend more time observing nature. Even if it is just a single tree, bush or plant that you encounter on a regular basis on your daily routine, make a point of regularly taking notice. Or get a house plant to care for. Gardeners have an advantage as they are encountering plants most of the year. But even we can forget our relation- ship to plants. The very act of observing results in recognizing the other, the not-me. The changes, often with the seasons, of plant life can awaken in us the truth that we are all in this together.
Things to do in the garden:
Begin fertilizing houseplants with a weak solution. Now is a good time to propagate houseplants. Have your soil tested. Materials and directions are normally available at the OSU Extension Office.The last average frost date here in zone 6B is April 23rd. That means there is a 50/50 chance of frost on that date. A number of seeds should be started this month. Check your seed packet for the number of days to harvest and count back to the date you want to plant your seeds or set out your plants. A word to the wise, don’t set out your plants too early unless you are prepared to protect them should the odds work against you.
Rake the lawn to remove the twigs, leaves, and other winter detritus. Mow high, 3-4 inches. Dig out those biennial weeds before they get established. Now is a good time to plant evergreen and other trees and shrubs and bare root roses. The earlier you transplant perennials the better they will do. When is the soil ready to be worked? Soil that sticks to your spade is too wet to work and will be compacted. Make a ball of soil and drop it. If it crumbles it is ready to work.
Before those buds break, spray fruit trees with dormant oil. Read the directions. Prune damaged, diseased, and dead limbs. Also, prune those limbs that grow inward, suckers and water sprouts. Do not remove more than a third of the tree. Prune deciduous trees and shrubs that bloom in the summer. Prune spring flowering trees and shrubs after they bloom. Prune raspberry canes and grapevines and fall flowering clematis. Divide snowdrops after they have bloomed. You can plant spinach, radishes and peas from seed unless the soil is wet.
If you cut back perennials and ornamental grasses (tying up the grasses before cutting them back to about six inches saves a lot of clean up). Don’t throw them in the trash or onto the compost pile. Store them until we have a few warm days (temps above 50 F) to give overwintering insects a chance to emerge. Pull back mulch from around perennials on warm days but be prepared to cover them back up if a hard freeze threatens.
Late March and April is the time to apply a pre-emergent to the lawn if you want to prevent crabgrass. The best indicator for this is the first bloom of Callery Pear. But be forewarned, pre-emergents prevent seeds from sprouting. Apply pre-emergent on a calm day. There are now selective pre-emergents that do not affect grass seed. If you plan to seed any parts of your lawn, don’t apply a non-selective to those areas. This warning also applies to areas where you plan to plant vegetables and flowers by directly seeding in the soil. A light fertilization of the lawn is all you’ll need.
Go to weather.cfaes.osu.edu/gdd for phenology information on when plants flower and insects emerge. Gardening questions can be answered at the Pickaway County OSU Extension Office 740-474-7534.
February 2025
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
Alien Invasion (UFO’s)
By Paul Hang
This story may invade your consciousness, out competing other thoughts for a short period of time. UFO’s (Uncontrolled Foreign Organisms) are recognized this month. February 24-28 has been designated National Invasive Species Week. There are a lot of invasive species: fish, insects, mammals, birds. And, some would argue, that we earthlings, are an invasive species. However, what we cover here are plants. What is an invasive plant?
An invasive plant is “an alien (non-native) species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.” Invasive plants are often spread by human activity often unintended. Invasive plants are often confused with aggressive plants. “Aggressive plants are species that spread rapidly and can outcompete other plant species. Aggressive plants can be native or non-native, and they may be aggressive in some situations, but not others.” They may or may not be invasive.
“Native plants …are adapted to local climate and soils. They have co-evolved with native insects and wildlife and are critical to ecosystems functions…native plants are those species present prior to wide-spread European settlement.” “Non-native plants are those introduced to a new place or habitat.” They did not evolve locally and may not support ecosystem health. They can be introduced from other countries or other areas of a country (Colorado Blue Spruce). An ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Invasive plants are often introduced because they are pretty (Burning Bush), smell nice (Japanese Honeysuckle), have an impressive size (Siberian Elm) or shape, are exotic or unique (Callery Pear). They may be brought in for food for wildlife (Autumn Olive), domestic animals (Kudzu), pollinators or humans (Garlic Mustard). They may provide shade (Norway maple), fast growth (English Ivy) or erosion control. Some arrive by accident (Emerald Ash Borer).
They, by definition, harm forests and their understories(the non-native Bush Honeysuckles), wetlands (Purple Loosestrife), lawns (Lesser Celandine), fields (Common Teasel), gardens, waterways and landscapes. They alter these by obstructing sunlight, depleting oxygen, clog waterways (Phragmites), alter the chemistry or composition of soil, smother or crowd out other vegetation (Japanese Stiltgrass), hybridize with other species (White Mulberry), reduce forage for livestock, are toxic to humans and other animals (Poison Hemlock), form thickets (Common Privet), have thorns (Multi-floral Rose), harbors ticks (Common Barberry), increase fire risk. They can be allopathic i.e. exuding chemicals that suppress other competing plants (Tree of Heaven). They alter habitats and outcompete native plants. This is not an exhaustive list. There are lists of prohibited noxious weeds of which some are invasive and some not. All invasives are non-native but not all non-natives are invasive. All invasives are aggressive but not all aggressives are invasive. UFO’s have been identified, you read it here.
Things to do in the garden:
Check perennials and bulbs for heaving out of the ground. Press them down gently with your foot. Make a list of plants you want. Inventory seeds you have saved to make sure they aren’t past viability. Send in your seed orders. When you make out your seed and plant orders consider planting more native and heirloom plants. Native plants are plants that evolved here and are adapted to our conditions, diseases and native pests. While you’re at it try googling the name of a flower you’re thinking about ordering. You will be able to see pictures and planting information.
This is the time to prune trees and shrubs (after you sharpen your tools). You can see their structure now that they are dormant and the leaves are down. Cut out crossing and rubbing branches and unwanted suckers. Pruning can be done to reduce the size of a tree or shrub to bring it in to balance or to remove overhanging branches blocking a view or path. Insects are less likely to be attracted to cuts while trees are dormant. Remember, spring flowering shrubs should be pruned after flowering if you want to enjoy the blooms. Summer flowering shrubs can be pruned now. Cut back butterfly bush (Buddleia) severely.
On smaller trees you may want to take care of problems yourself. On larger trees you should call in an expert to inspect and perhaps correct any problems. Arborists are in a slow time of year. The ground, if frozen, will not be damaged and compacted as much from equipment and crews. The Arbor Day Foundation recommends that you have Certified Arborists check any safety problems you may have noticed. To find them go to www.isa-arbor.com click on “Verify Certification” and then “Find an Arborist.” They will not recommend topping your trees. The City of Circleville has a Comprehensive Tree Plan. You can find it at ci.circleville.oh.us, in the search box type Tree Plan. There you will find lots of information on caring for trees.
If you dug up bulbs for storage check on them. Spritz them with water to prevent drying out. Throw away any rotting or shriveled ones. Water any dormant or overwintering plants in your garage or basement. Water houseplants with lukewarm water, don’t overwater and turn them a quarter turn once a week, no fertilizer yet.
Seeds of onions, cabbage, cauliflower, and other members of the Cole family can be started indoors this month for setting out in late March or early April, depending on the weather: The University of Minnesota has a good discussion; go to www.extension.umn.edu/garden /flowers/starting-seeds-indoors. Also Google Winter Sowing. There you will read how to recycle plastic milk bottles to easily germinate some seeds. It is a good way to raise a lot of seedlings for planting “drifts,” those bands of like plants that wander serpentinely through flower beds. Now is a good time to start building raised vegetable garden beds.
January 2025
Pickaway to Garden
Stillness
By Paul Hang
Several days ago the astronomical new year began. December 21st marked the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. It was the Winter Solstice. That is the day when the sun appears to stand still, if only for a second. That moment was when the earth’s axis pointed exactly away from the sun, in our annual revolution around old Sol.
That pause should give us pause.
As the calendar year begins let us pause and be still. Gardening is movement; digging, weeding, pruning, mulching and all manner of activities. At this time of year let’s take a hint from the sun and be still for a while. Take the time to just be still. Being still gives time to contemplate, appreciate, rest.
As I have said before, I enjoy thinking and writing about gardening about as much as the activity of gardening. I like to think about what gardening does for me. I get physical exercise, fresh air, a purpose, a reason to get out of the house during my “retirement.” I enjoy the beauty of plants and the wildlife my garden attracts (except for the neighbor’s cats). I like to hear the birds, smell the flowers and the earth, see the insects going about their business. I enjoy the cycles of the seasons and their effect on plants and us.
While you’re being still, think about why you garden or why you might like to garden. Even if it is house plant or two, caring for them is gardening. Read a book about gardening or nature. Be leisurely. The days are getting noticeably longer. The earth will begin to stir, ever so slightly. It will be time, soon enough, to mark those seed and plant catalogs with what you might like, to plan and order supplies before another busy season. Ignore the “Things to do in the garden” if just for a little while.
If you are choosing to start some plants from seed indoors, better get your supplies together. Peruse the seed catalogs. Dream a little. Someone said “The best gardener is one who does the most gardening by the winter fire.”
Things to do in the garden:
The list of things to do in the garden has gotten shorter. Things we can do about gardening are: Review last year's garden; draw a map while you can still remember what grew where. Plan your gardens and plantings. One of my favorite guides for this is The Ohio Gardening Guide by Jerry Minnich.
Check your supply of old seeds. Are they expired? Do you want to reorder that variety? Read your new seed catalogs. Want some more seed catalogs? Go to gardeningplaces.com. Order seeds and plants of new varieties that you want now. They usually sell out quickly.
Believe it or not, by the end of the month, you can begin to grow members of the Allium family (Onions, Leeks, Garlic and Shallots) from seed indoors. You can get ready by getting your seed starting supplies together. Make sure you provide plenty of light.
Cut back on watering your houseplants and don’t fertilize until March or April when growth begins as the amount of light lengthens, rinse/dust leaves, turn the pots every few days. When your poinsettias are looking ragged throw them on the compost heap. The same goes for paper whites. In my opinion it is not worth trying to get them to bloom again. If you like a challenge, go ahead but be prepared for disappointment. Amaryllis and Christmas cactus are exceptions and can be kept for re-blooming. Check the internet for instructions.
Establish a new bed by placing black plastic or several layers of newspaper, cardboard or even old carpet down over the area you’ve chosen for the new bed. Weight it down so the wind doesn’t disturb it. By late spring the vegetation under it should be dead and the space ready for planting.
Learn to sharpen your tools, trowels, pruners, spades and if you are adventurous, your mower blades. Oil them and use linseed oil on the wooden handles. Getting rid of a cut live Christmas tree? Don’t. Use it to serve as a wind break for evergreens. Cut the branches off and use them as mulch for perennials. Put it near your bird feeders as cover. Decorate it with suet, fruit, seed cakes, as a bird feeder. Chip it for mulch. If you have a pond, sink it for structure cover for fish. The needles can also be mulch and will not make the soil too acidic. If you had a balled live Christmas tree, plant it ASAP.
Some gardening resolutions: Rotate vegetable crops; water the base of plants, not from above; weed and mulch; use row covers; water newly planted trees and shrubs; visit and scout your garden often. Happy New Year.
December 2024
Pickaway to Garden
Simple Gifts
By Paul J. Hang
Simple Gifts is the title of an old 1848 Shaker tune made famous by Aaron Copeland in his ballet Appalachian Spring. It is not a Christmas Carol but it is a good recommendation for giving Christmas presents. Consider giving simple gifts. I have lately been telling family members that I would prefer gifts that do not come with an operator’s or owner’s manual. Keep it simple. Like a lot of people, I often don’t read directions until I’m stumped. I like gifts that don’t need directions, simple.
We can give gifts and receive them. We can also give ourselves a gift. If you are a gardener, give yourself the gift of leisure this holiday season. Enjoy the time off from gardening chores. Don’t even think about gardening, if you can. If you can’t, don’t beat yourself up about failures. There are many reasons for failures in the garden, pests, disease, weather. Don’t dwell on them but resolve to do what you can next year. If there is something you would like for a gift, tell someone. It’s simple.
If you’re giving a gardening gift, make it simple. A simple tool with no owner’s manual is good. My three essential tools are: a spade, a soil knife, a scuffle or Hula Hoe. A close runner-up is pruning shears. Make them good ones. They cost over $50.00. Other simple gifts are: a book, a botanical print, gloves, aprons, boots, knee pads. You could give a plant but be careful. It’s not that simple. They may not be ready. If not, it will be a burden. It might be a source of guilt if they can’t take care of it and it dies, or they give it away. Or, they might not like it. Ask what they might like in the way of a plant or if they would even like a plant. It’s simple. A gift certificate is really simple.
It is often said that the best gift is a gift of time, yours or theirs. A hand made gift is usually much appreciated. Or give them some time. Offer to rake leaves, cut grass, spade up or till the garden, help with spring cleanup or planting. Put it in writing. Don’t have the time? Pay someone to do a gardening task. This is especially nice for us old folks or someone who is physically limited. For yourself, put off ordering seeds and planning the garden. There will be time enough for that in January and February. “Tis’ the gift to be simple tis’ the gift to be free tis’ the gift to come down where we ought to be and when we find ourselves in the place just right T’will be in the valley of love and delight.”
Gardening questions can be asked at the Master Gardener Volunteer Helpline at our local Cooperative Extension office at 740-474-7534.
Things to do in the garden:
Thankfully, there are not too many things to do IN the garden as much as there are things to do ABOUT the garden. If you haven’t already done so, clean up crop debris. Get the vegetable garden ready for spring. Leave stems in the perennial beds. If you must, trim them to 18 inches high for overwintering beneficial insects’ eggs and pupae. If it remains dry, continue to water evergreens and perennial plants, particularly those planted this year, until the ground is frozen hard.
On nice days wander about your place (your National Park). Notice the birds, listen for their songs and calls, old nests, egg masses, perhaps a Mourning Cloak butterfly, see the colors and textures of bare trees and plants. Notice how some plants continue to develop. If the local temperature reaches 50 degrees they grow, only to cease when the temperature falls below.
Those bitter cress weeds are small now. I find them in between the bricks of my walk. They, along with false dead nettle and ground ivy in the beds and in the lawn are trying to gain a foothold now while they have little competition. The biennial mullein with its fuzzy lamb's ear-like leaves is growing flat against the earth. Rosettes of poison hemlock and teasel continue to grow. Dig them up while you have the chance or spray with an herbicide according to the directions on the label. Get them before the weather turns warm and they turn tougher.
If the ground remains open it’s still not too late to plant lilies, tulips and daffodils. You may find some bargains. Avoid the soft and shriveled ones. Check houseplants for insects. Move clay pots inside to prevent breaking. Plant native seeds directly over snow or frozen ground. Go to www.backyardhabitat.info.
Wrap young tree trunks with hardware cloth or the plastic wrap made for that purpose. Protect them from ground level to about 18 inches. This also goes for newly planted shrubs. Place fencing around them. This prevents mice, voles and rabbits from using the bark as lunch. If they girdle the plants, they will die. A little light pruning of trees and shrubs while they are dormant won’t hurt. Damaged, rubbing or simply inconvenient small branches can be removed. Never top trees in any season. When harvesting or buying firewood use only from local sources less than 20 miles. This helps prevent the spread of bugs and diseases harmful to trees.
In the vegetable garden, write down and/or map where you planted what this year. This will aid in crop rotation. Use sand and/or ice melt, not rock salt, on your walks, salt is harmful to plants including grass and contaminates ground water. Gift ideas for gardeners: a good spade, soil knife, scuffle hoe, gloves, mud boots, books.
November 2024
Pickaway to Garden
Giving Thanks
By Paul J. Hang
November is one of those transition months. It is not fall and yet not winter.
I feel the year and time is fleeting. The green has gone, hurried by a frost in mid-October. Plant life has either died or gone dormant or underground. With the exception of the oaks and beeches, the trees have shed their leaves accelerated by the gale winds of the Witch of November. The nuts have fallen from the trees and some have run for election. The shorter days, the loss of light as the Sun approaches its nadir, adds to the gloom.
November brings elections and voting, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. It brings lots of tasks in the garden and yard. There are leaves to take care of, bulbs to plant and some to dig up and store, vegetable gardens to clean up, and all the things to do in the so-named list at the end of this article. Sometimes I feel like I have so many things to do I can’t get anything done.
When I focus on such things that November is not; no bird song, no butterflies, no hummingbirds, no flowers, no ripe tomatoes or corn, I am full of regret and just a little depressed. I regret that I have not accomplished all the tasks in the garden that I should have.
Then, I remember that, at the end of the month, is Thanksgiving. I can focus on the things that November is; birds at the feeder, the smell of wood smoke, a crackling fire, apples and cider, a turkey dinner with family and friends. There are still a few perennials and bulbs and a tree or two to plant. I can still find a few more days to work out doors. Digging in the dirt, physical exercise, admiring the subtle beauty of nature and the light this time of year, all improve my mood.
And finally there is this; a microbe found in soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, has been found to increase brain serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant in humans. This happens when people are working in the soil. Just another reason why gardening makes us feel good. Dr. Christopher Lowry of the University of Colorado Boulder is studying these bacteria. You can see his TED Talk on YouTube.
Things to do in the Garden:
Now is a good time to do soil tests. You have time (3 to 6 months) to amend your soil if required. You will avoid the spring rush. To obtain soil sampling instructions and kits along with specific recommendations contact the local Ohio State University Extension Office 740-474-7534.The Helpline is also available at the same number. It’s not too late to plant spring flowering bulbs. Spring bulbs look best in a cluster. Try excavating an area rather than planting them in single holes. Lift tender bulbs (caladiums, dahlias, glads etc.) and store for the winter. Sow seeds of hardy annuals (calendula, bachelor’s buttons). Mums can be “tidied up” but don’t trim back until spring.
Tender roses should be “hilled up,” mound the soil a foot deep around the base to protect the crowns. Also a wire cage filled with leaves surrounding them as protection can be added. Final pruning should be done in the spring, but long spindly canes can be trimmed off now. Climbing roses or ramblers should be tied to prevent injury from being whipped around by harsh winter winds. Do not fertilize. Clean up all dead and diseased rose leaves and put in the trash. Peonies can be cut to the ground to control the fungi and disease for which they are prone to develop. Dispose of the stems and leaves in the trash.
A light fall fertilization of your lawn can be done now. Do not allow leaves to form a matted layer on the lawn. Rake and compost heavy layers of leaves. Running the mower over the rows of leaves at right angles a couple times will reduce them to half inch pieces which earth worms will pull into the soil. The latest recommendation is to continue to cut your lawn at 2.5-3 inches as long as it continues to grow. Run the gas out of your lawn and garden machinery or add gas stabilizer for storage.
November is a good month to plant most trees. For two short informative videos, go to; http://bit.ly/PlantATreeCbus. When your trees go dormant you can view; http://bit.ly/PruneATreeCbus and see how to prune them properly.
Make sure leaves and mulch are not heaped against the trunks of trees. Bring the mulch a few inches to a foot away from the trunks of all trees. You may also want to stake newly planted trees from the winds of winter and early spring storms. Generally new trees more than 2” diameter don’t need staking. Consult ohioline.osu.edu for staking and other gardening information. Evergreens and shrubs should be watered deeply. Apply an anti-desiccant to broadleaf evergreens after it freezes. Wait until dormant to do any normal pruning. Do not prune spring flowering shrubs (lilac, forsythia, spirea etc.) if you want them to bloom this spring.
Take stock by taking notes and map your garden while you can still remember where the plants were. This is particularly important for the vegetable garden. Remove the stalks from asparagus when they turn yellow or brown and mulch the strawberries with straw. You can still plant garlic. Clean your gardening tools and put them away. A coat of oil can prevent rust. A light coating of linseed oil on wooden handles prevents splitting due to weathering and drying. Drain garden hoses and store. At the very least disconnect from the outdoor spigots. Make sure underground irrigation lines are drained or blown dry with a compressor.
Remove the dead plants from containers and, if not diseased, compost. Unglazed terracotta pots must be stored indoors or they will be destroyed by freezing. The same goes for fragile garden ornaments. Synthetic containers can be left outdoors. Stop or reduce fertilizing indoor plants. Weed the vegetable garden and compost non-diseased debris. Place diseased materials in the trash. Remove stakes and cages, clean and store. Plant a cover crop or cover with mulch, leave no bare ground..
Consider leaving the stems and seed heads of perennials, Rose of Sharon is an exception. Nature is not compelled to neatness. She leaves cover for pollinators and butterflies to overwinter themselves or their pupae and eggs. You can clean up in the spring. Cut off dead annuals and, if not diseased, compost them. Now your beds are tucked in and settled down for a long winter’s nap.
October 2024
Pickaway to Garden
Samhair
By Paul Hang
October is the first full month of fall. The ancient Celts celebrated Samhair at this time of year. They dressed in costumes of animal pelts and lit giant bonfires. At that night the gate between the living and the dead opened and ghosts were able to walk the earth. Christians appropriated the holiday and called it all Saints Day November 1 and the night before, All Hallowed Eve. We call it Halloween.
The idea of ghosts roaming the earth gave rise to the tradition of spooky, scary frightening things that go bump on that night. We added witches, black cats, bats, spiders and all number of ghouls and scary creatures and trick or treats. How about decorating with a garden or part of one, a group of houseplants or a centerpiece devoted to scary and creepy plants?
Here is my list of some of the best, minus the dangerous ones. I do not recommend that you eat any of them. There are plants with colors representing Halloween like orange and black: Black Elephant ears (Colocasia esculata,’Black Magic’); Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscopus ‘Nigrescens’); Candy Corn Plant (Cuphea micropetala); Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi) poisonous.
There are plants with scary names, some resembling scary, bizarre or disgusting things. Bat Head Lily (Tacca chantrieri); Devil’s Claws, there are several variations of the name, (Proboscides parviflora) or (Parvaflora louisianica) are the two I would consider; Brain Cactus (Mammillaria cristata).
Some plants with repulsive looks or weird behavior: Begonia ferox (Begonia ferox); the seedpods of common Snapdragon resemble human skulls; Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) the most common, there are many cultivars: Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica). These latter two are good for younger goblins.
Some plants smell bad: Voodoo lily (Amorphophallus ongsakuti) the smallest of this large genus. There are dangerous plants either toxic and poisonous or have thorns. Other plants with name connections to the holiday are: Pumpkin, Snake Plant, Spider Plant, Toad Lily, Broom Corn and Garlic. I have used the Latin names and cultivars because in many instances there are many varieties and many common names for several different plants. Do your research. Don’t be tricked. You will be surprised at how many plants can be found for Halloween. It’s almost scary.
Things to do in the garden:
For information on fall colors go to The Foliage Network and the Fall Color Map. For Periodic plant and animal life cycles see Natural Phenology Network and visit the Master Gardener Volunteer Phenology Garden at the park in Five Points
Hot caps and covers should be made handy in case a frost or freeze is forecast. The coldest temperature usually comes a little after sunrise. The earth radiates heat away and the sun hasn’t climbed high enough to begin heating us. Protect your plants now and a couple more weeks of warmth is likely to follow, with more vegetables and flowers to harvest. Average first frost for south central Ohio is October 23.
Bring in the houseplants. Make sure you don’t bring in any bugs with them; a good blast of water from your hose can wash most of them off. Bring the pots into a sheltered spot for a week or so to help the plants acclimate before shocking them with the warmer temperatures of your home. Look up how to overwinter geraniums, begonias, and coleus. Dahlias, glads, tuberous begonias and cannas should be dug and stored in a cool dry place. Most basements are too warm. Caladiums, on the other hand, should be stored at 65 - 70 degrees. Go to ohioline.osu.edu and bring up Factsheet HYG-1244-92 to get specific information on storing Summer Flowering Bulbs.
Even into early November, you can plant garlic and shallots. Cloves from store-bought garlic may not work as some are treated to delay sprouting. You can also order favorite varieties from seed catalogs. Separate the cloves and plant 4 inches apart. They will sprout a few inches and take off in spring.
You can still divide day lilies and iris. Cut back the iris leaves to four-inch fans. Stop feeding your roses but don’t stop giving them water. Consider cutting back your roses halfway if they stop blooming. If you have dormant roses you can still plant them. Spring bulbs can be planted as soon as you get them. Plant them at a depth three times their length; place some bulb food in the hole with them. For a better display plant them in odd numbered groups, not single file. For more impact, plant them in a triangular shaped group with a point facing the spot from where they will be viewed.
If you planted trees this year (it is still a good time, until the ground freezes) protect the trunks from gnawing rabbits and other varmints with hardware cloth or the plastic wrap made for this purpose. Older trees can also benefit from this. Research the variety you want to plant. Some trees including evergreens are best planted in the spring.
It is not too late to fertilize your lawn. Use a high nitrogen soluble product. You can still sow grass seed. Leave seed heads of native coneflowers and Black-eyed Susans for the birds. Also leave stems for overwintering insects. You can put off most cleanups (but not in the vegetable garden) until next spring! Add mulch around perennials after the ground freezes, if it does. Leave the leaves under trees and planting beds. Rake them off the lawn for mulch or the compost heap.
Have your soil tested and apply the recommended amendments. They canbe working their way into the soil before spring. Contact the OSU Extension office for instructions and bags for samples. The office can also be contacted with your gardening questions at 740-474-7534.
September 2024
Pickaway to Garden
More Dirty Words
By Paul Hang
Hot enough for you? How about dry? The earth is cracking, splitting like a stretching garment that has shrunk too far on the sitting rear end of its wearer. The soil in our gardens is so dry it looks like dirt. There is a difference. These, and other dirty words, describe the ground under our feet. Coincidently many of them are also four letter words: Dirt, soil, sand, silt, clay, loam, Some are only three letters, hot and dry. All are dirty words.
As I write this in late August, the forecast is for temperatures in the 90’s and a heat index of over 100 degrees. I volunteer for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (www.cocorahs.org) for which I daily report the amount of precipitation in my standardized rain gauge. I have reported zero precipitation for the last ten days and a whopping 0.88” for the month. June and July were comparable averaging about 1” per month. According to NOAA’s drought monitor, our county is under extreme drought. They won’t get any argument from me.
My vegetable garden is a disaster: small tomatoes and peppers and fewer than usual, cucumbers small and few with vines that have disappeared, green beans with little bites all over them. I did have a bumper crop of elderberries and a lot of my native flowers have done pretty good: asters, goldenrods, cup plants. A lot of my shrubs are struggling. A fothergilla got crispy leaves before I noticed and gave it a drink. The jury is still out on its survival.
I have watered, but evidently not enough. I have been lax on fertilization. At my age I don’t “do heat” the way I used to and have stayed inside a lot. Are all these a sign of things to come? Well I’m not getting any younger so that’s one thing that won’t change. The heat and droughty summers are pretty standard here but the degree of severity promises to continue. Maybe it won’t be this bad every summer but the new normal might lead us to expect more summers like this one.
What’s a body to do? Virtually every plant label says the plant requires a “moist, well-drained soil.” Cracked dry dirt is neither. What we need to do is change our garden dirt to soil. Better yet, change it to loam. Loam is considered to be the best soil texture for plant growth. It consists of mineral amounts of 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. More importantly loam needs the right amount (5%) and forms of organic matter loosening the soil to introduce oxygen and improve its structure, water holding capacity and drainage. Changing the underlying subsoil and particularly the bedrock is pretty impossible. But we can incorporate varied forms of organic matter, spreading compost and using organic mulches on existing beds.
Now is a good time to test your soil. The prescribed amendments will have time to work their way into the soil and be available to the plants for the next growing season. How do you know what your soil is like? Don’t guess soil test Factsheets “Interpreting a Soil Test Report” (https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/agf-0514) and “Soil Quality Test Kit” (https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/SAG-4) provide Information on soil testing. Soil testing supplies are at the OSU Extension Office as well as the Helpline for general questions at 740- 474-7534. Stay Cool.
Things to do in the garden:
As plants die in the vegetable garden, pull them up. As perennials die back you may leave them for their winter interest and to preserve them for overwintering pollinator eggs, larvae, pupae or cocoons. Dispose of non-diseased plant debris in a "hot" compost heap to kill the seeds. If diseased, bury them or put them in the trash. In the butterfly garden leave the host plants as they are harboring the overwintering eggs and larvae of next year’s butterflies. Those plants that you don’t want to re-seed remove the seed heads before their seeds are scattered. Or, leave them for the birds. Clean up old fruit from around fruit trees.
If you collect, dry, and store seeds for next year, use only heirloom varieties, hybrids will not grow true. Harvest and cure mature winter squash, pumpkins and gourds if they are ready. Leave a two inch stem. Gourds should be finished with growth before you cut them from the vine, store indoors at 60 degrees.
September is the best time to plant grass seed whether you are re-seeding, patching or establishing a new lawn. If you only fertilize your lawn once a year, fall is the best time to do it. Cooler (slows evaporation), wetter fall weather promotes good root growth and your grass will start out next spring healthier. Fertilize in September and then again around Thanksgiving. Read directions for amounts and settings on application equipment. You might also want to consider shrinking your lawn to save on fertilizer and mowing costs.
In those areas in the vegetable garden that are not to be fall planted, plant a cover crop or “green manure” that will be turned in in the spring. Buckwheat, annual rye, sweet clover, winter barley, wheat, soybeans, alfalfa, and hairy vetch make good green manures.
Now is the time to buy and plant spring flowering bulbs. A good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs at a depth about three times the height of the bulb. Most spring flowering bulbs look best planted in groups not in single file. Plant in a triangle, with the point facing the viewer, for most impact. Planting irises and peonies this fall takes advantage of the warm earth. They should be planted about 2 inches deep. If your peonies haven’t bloomed well because of shade from nearby competing trees, now is a good time to move them to a sunnier place in the yard. Once no longer green, cut deciduous peony leaves to the ground and discard.
Watch for yellowing of gladiolus leaves. Dig the corms and hang until the tops turn brown. Then store in a cool, not freezing, well ventilated basement or garage. Do the same with caladium, cannas, and dahlias when their tops turn brown. Fall is a good time to divide Lily of the Valley, primroses, peonies, day lilies, coral-bells and bleeding heart. Adding bulb food and humus will be rewarded in the spring.
You can plant onion seed now for early green onions and bulbs. You can still plant cool season vegetables. It’s not too late to start beets, carrots, kale and lettuce, maybe even bush beans! You can have these for Thanksgiving dinner! This assumes we don’t have a hard freeze. If we do, prepare to cover the plants. If you can find transplants of broccoli, cabbage and cucumbers you can still get a harvest. Order garlic bulbs now for planting later.
Pot up plants of herbs, chives, parsley, rosemary for a sunny window. Bring in houseplants after acclimating them to the indoors. Place them in a protected place for a couple weeks. Check for insects and treat as necessary. Reduce water and fertilizer for houseplants still indoors.
August 22, 2024
Master Gardener Volunteers at the Pickaway County Employees Health Fair at the Pickaway County Fairgrounds.
August 2024
Pickaway to Garden
Talking Dirty
By Paul J. Hang
Over ten years ago I suggested that we should celebrate Ground Hug Day. I realized, after all these years, I haven’t written much about ground, dirt, earth, land, soil, the medium in which plants grow in nature. Soil is basic, without it we wouldn’t have plants as we know them. In fact, without soil WE wouldn’t BE. So, it’s about time we started talking dirty.
Ground is what keeps us from getting sucked into the core of the planet. It is the Earth’s skin. It serves many purposes. We move it around, building levees, hills, and ramps. We dig in it, holes for foundations and basements. I’ve heard it said that if you buy a man a backhoe they will find a lot of places that need holes. Some of us like getting our hands in it.
As gardeners we are concerned with soil. Soil is more than dirt particles, rocks, sand, silt and clay. Soil contains organic matter, leaves, and twigs, the remains of all kinds of dead animals, live worms, bugs and insects. It has fungi, mold, and the rotted remains of things that were alive. Soil has physical, chemical and biological properties.
The best soil for plant growth is called loam. Loam is made up of 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay. These are particles that are descending in size, sand being the largest, then silt and finally clay. Soil also is made up of water and air. Mineral particles are not penetrated by water but hold it on their surfaces. The smaller the particles the more water they can hold. Air is in the space between particles not taken up by water.
The different sizes of particles along with certain chemical properties such as the electrical charges on molecules of water, nutrients, and small particles determine how well soil can hold on to water and nutrients. Also the acidity or alkalinity of soil (the pH) affects how available nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and others are to the plants growing in it.
Good soil is alive; it contains macro- and microorganisms, nematodes, arthropods, bacteria, fungi. Soil organisms exude sticky waste products which cause different sized soil particles to stick together into soil aggregates. Soil which contains a lot of aggregates is called aggregated soil. Think of a bag of peanut clusters which are made up of peanuts and peanut pieces stuck together with chocolate. Between these peanut clusters, I mean aggregates, are tiny spaces called micropores. Water and air can flow through these spaces slowly becoming available to the roots of plants growing within it.
Aggregated soil results in what every plant label recommends, a “moist well-drained soil.” We make aggregated soil by adding organic matter to soil. This supports the biological activity of the organisms already living in the soil and attracting new organisms thereby increasing biological diversity. Adding a variety of organic matter is also important. Compost, leaves, straw, dairy, horse and poultry manure are good for enhancing biological activity. I have really simplified a complex subject that I encourage gardeners to pursue further. I certainly haven’t given you all the dirt on soil but the ground work has begun. The Chicago Botanic Garden has a short film on You tube called “The Importance of Soil.” Also check out kisstheground.com and Extension websites ending in edu.
Things to do in the garden:
August is Tree Check month. Water if we don’t get at least an inch of rain each week. Water at the base of the plant and do it in the morning. Water trees and shrubs planted in the past two years or if they look distressed. If you see lichen on your trees, rejoice it’s a sign of clean air.
You can still have a fall garden. Plant healthy looking broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants early in the month. Direct-seed beets, spinach, turnips, and snap peas mid-month. Other vegetables that grow well in cool weather but should be planted a little later are lettuce planted through August and September, carrots and radishes in September. Count the days before the average frost (mid-October), veggies that have that many days to harvest can still be planted. Check the seed packet. Given our milder winters don’t be afraid to experiment. Keep the seeds and soil moist for best germination.
Harvest vegetables and herbs in the morning for best results. Dig potatoes if the vines have died. Harvest onions when the tops fall over and cure them in the sun for a few days. Consider donating excess to the food pantry.
As plants die back or stop producing in the vegetable garden remove them so bad insects and disease don’t have a place to over-winter. Some landscape plants, such as coneflowers and those with hollow stems, also native ornamental grasses, can be left alone for insects and for seeds for wintering birds or for visual winter interest. Put the debris of healthy plants in the compost bin, diseased plants in the trash. Pull crabgrass and other weeds before they go to seed.
This is the time to renovate or build a new lawn. Do your research at ohioline.osu.edu. Start cuttings of coleus, begonias, geraniums and impatiens for growing indoors this winter. Move houseplants to a shady spot to prepare them to move indoors. Disbud and fertilize your dahlias for bigger blooms. Fertilize (side dress) peonies and roses with a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 12-12-12. Order garlic and spring flowering bulbs, plant biennials. Divide, transplant or give away perennials that are overgrown and plant new container grown ones. Add new mulch where needed. Pull weeds before they go to seed.
By the end of the month consider disbudding your tomato plants. Remove the growing tips of each branch and pinch out all the blossoms that bloom. It takes six weeks from blossom to fruit. This results in bigger tomatoes and prevents those marble size tomatoes that never reach the table. Experiment! Try this with melons and winter squash. Consider picking tomatoes before they are completely ripe. They will ripen off the vine if they show a blush of green on an otherwise red, purple or yellow tomato. Totally ripe tomatoes still on the vine can burst with a glut of water from rain or the hose, if we should be so lucky. They can also be sampled by birds and mammals.
Monitor for pests. Check under the leaves. Use organic methods first. Remember, 97 percent of insects are either good or neutral. To eliminate bad bugs, the two-step stomp technique can be quite effective. Or, just flick them into a cup of soapy water. No bug species has developed a resistance to these tactics.
Need gardening advice? Call the Gardening Helpline at the OSU Extension Office 474-7534. Other resources are ohioline.osu.edu and Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (bygl.osu.edu).
July, 2024
Pickaway to Garden
My Word!
By Paul Hang
What’s in a name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” So said Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. She made the point that names don’t define the essence of things. Names, words, are funny things. They stand for things, ideas, emotions, actions, places and people, among others.
I have tried to come up with a name for my place ever since I saw a dentist’s place named “Tooth Acres”. When I had more property I referred to my place as “Nagginbak Acres”. Now that I have less than an acre and after spending several hours pulling Canada Thistle ( I eventually counted how many thistles I would pull in an hour (( 188)) and after 6 hours I calculated I had pulled over a thousand of those prickly invasive nuisances) I decided to name my place “This Ole Thistle Patch”.
There are a lot of names in gardening. I read an article that said peppers, chilies and aubergines should be pinched after getting a certain height, 12 inches. Aubergines? I hate it when people use an unfamiliar word without explanation. (I plead guilty) It is aggravating when the word stands for something familiar. Why not say so? I am all in favor of expanding my vocabulary, particularly in gardening (horticulture). That can best be done by telling people what you mean.
Not being familiar with the plant named Aubergines, I looked it up. The name stands for a color of purple and is used to refer to eggplant. EGGPLANT! No where in this article did they say eggplant. We are all familiar with people who insist on calling plants by their Latin scientific names and refuse to translate into a more familiar name. Some are just showing off and some are oblivious. The Latin scientific name can be more confusing, not less, if the user doesn’t educate us as to a common name or names for the plant.
Some plants have many local names which can be confusing. Science has come up with a system of assigning names to organisms called binomial (two names) nomenclature (a system of names) which is an attempt to be more precise. For instance they use two Latin names denoting the genus and species of a plant or other organisms. A Silver Maple, I’ve heard them called Water Maples, has the scientific Latin name Acer saccarinum. Acer, the genus Maple, is capitalized, the species is not. Sugar Maple’s Latin name is Acer saccaharum and is commonly called Hard Maple or Rock Maple.
Would you like to see my Tithonia rotundifolia? It sometimes called Tithonia or Torch sunflower, tree marigold or more commonly Mexican Sunflower. If it is a yellow one it might be a cultivar, an intentionally bred variety, in which case the cultivar name will be in single quotation marks, Tithonia rontundifolis ‘Goldfinger’. The system can be even more precise when referring to hybrids and varieties but for now, call me finis.
Things to do in the garden:
The Great Reversal has begun. The sun is on its way back to the equator and beyond. July is the first full month of summer. By the end of the month days will be noticeably shorter and we will have lost over a half hour of daylight. The dog days begin July 3rd. The year is half over. Thoreau said, “How early in the year it begins to be late.”
. Are you waiting on cucumbers and squash to start bearing fruit? Remember, they get male flowers first then later the female flowers come on. Then, after pollination, the fruit can form. This is the time to dry herbs. Harvest just before they flower. Pick on a sunny dry day and in the morning. Tie them in small bundles with rubber bands. Hang them upside down in a hot, dry, dark, well ventilated spot in an attic, barn or shed. It is time to harvest garlic. Harvest when leaves are turning yellow but there are still one or two green leaves. Hang them or lay them out to dry and cure.
Weeding, deadheading and watering are high on the list of routine activities. If July turns out to be bone dry water the equivalent of one inch or more per week. Don’t let your plants wilt. This will cause blossom end rot in tomatoes and other solanaceous plants like peppers and eggplant (aubergines). Mulch to conserve moisture and keep down weeds. If you haven’t mulched yet do so after a soaking thunderstorm or a good watering. Vegetables higher in water content need more water e.g. tomatoes, watermelons, onions, vs. green beans.
Keep your mower blades sharp; cut your grass long, 3-4 inches is ideal. If you use a pesticide for grubs you are also killing the ones that produce fireflies. Consider organic methods if you have a grub problem. Kill Japanese beetle scouts before they let their comrades know about your garden. Brush them off into a cup of soapy water or alcohol (not Jim Beam). Repeatedly letting the lawn go dormant and reviving it by watering can kill the grass. Either keep watering or wait for Mother Nature to do it for you. Don’t forget to water your compost heap. It needs to remain moist for fast decomposition.
Going on vacation? Water well before you leave. Place container plants in a shady area. They should do fine for a week depending on the weather. If you will be gone longer have someone reliable come over and water regularly. Container plants in the hot sun may need watering daily.
If grafted trees or roses are suckering below the graft, cut the sprouts off. Keep picking seed pods off the annuals and clipping spent flowers (deadheading) to encourage bloom all summer. Pinch back mums July 15th for the last time. Thin out fruit on heavily laden fruit trees. Prune climbing roses after bloom. Divide bearded Irises and do not re-plant too deep. Plant gladiolus up to mid-month. Add soil to potatoes as they grow.
Always read the labels on your plants for fertilization. Most woody plants have completed their growth and their buds for next year so fertilizing trees and shrubs after early July is a waste of money and may harm the plant. Keep watering trees and shrubs planted in the past 2-3 years. Ten gallons for every inch in diameter every week is good.
Consider planting a fall garden later this month. Plants such as cabbage, broccoli, spinach, collards, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts (plant seeds now, seedlings later), kale, Swiss chard even beets and parsnips thrive in our fall weather. Consider starting your plants indoors (except for root crops). Acclimate seedlings to the sun before putting them out in the garden. You can still plant beans, cukes, summer squash, greens and corn.
Have gardening questions? Call the Gardening Helpline 740-474-7534. To read about problems facing those of us who “grow things,” check out bygl.osu.edu.
June 19, 2024
Cloverbud Program
2024 Pickaway County Fair
The Pickaway County Master Gardener Volunteers hosted the 4-H Cloverbud activity at the Pickaway County Fair on Wednesday - June 19, 2024.
June 2024
Pickaway to Garden
Too big
By Paul Hang
Last June my column title was, “Baby It’s Too Late.” This June my warning is, “Too Big.” I have been known to plant things that became a lot bigger than I had planned. My Dawn Redwood and my Northern Catalpa trees are rivaling “Jack and the Bean Stalk” fairy tale status. My Stiff Goldenrod and my Blazing Star (both native plants) have performed well beyond expectations. Native plants in our flower beds without the competition of a natural environment can grow crazy. My ninebark is the size of a one car garage and my elderberries are well …. Last June, in order to encourage you to plant because it wasn’t too late, I suggested you read the seed packet for information on when to plant certain crops. Also on seed packets and plant tags they often say how big a plant might get. Read’em and heed’em.
The really good fine print goes on to say, “This may vary depending on soil and weather conditions” Now; I have been accused of telling some people, “Do as I say, not as I do.” I have also not read directions and I have not believed some directions. This also goes for Google and You Tube. What I am trying to get at is, be careful before you invest in and plant things you may not be familiar with and take directions seriously and use more than one source of information.
Here in South Central Ohio we have an adequate amount of rainfall even if we do get droughty summers. We also have clay soils. People often curse their clay soils for many reasons but one thing about clay is, it is often very fertile. Once amended with organic matter it is a very nice growing medium. Put the wrong plant in the wrong place and you too may have a yard resembling Jurassic Park. Fe -Fi- Fo- Fum, don’t say I haven’t warned you.
The accompanying photograph shows me (I am just under 6’ tall) and my elderberries. They sprouted from three sticks I planted just a few short years ago. What to do? Prune, prune, prune. As a last result, cut them down and start over with something labeled dwarf (which brings to mind other fairy tales). Read labels and seed packets, beware of plant “gifts.” Use tape measures when planning a planting. Believe it when you read “H 20’ W 12” mature height may reach 60’ “.
If you are enamored of a plant, research for cultivars that are smaller. For instance, Limelight Hydrangea is a great plant. If you read the directions it might say “grows quite tall” or “a larger variety reaching 6-8 feet tall.” Mine surpassed that. Upon further investigation, there are cultivars; ‘Limelight Prime’ grows 4-6’ or ‘Little Lime’ grows to 4’. Are they too big?
Our annual Master Gardener Volunteer Founders Day Celebration will be held on Wednesday June 26th, 6:00 PM at the Starkey Pavilion at Mary Virginia Crites Hannan Park. Jennifer Windus from the Ohio Invasive Plant Council will present “Good Plants Gone Bad.” Please bring seating as there is none at the Pavilion. Admission is free!
Things to do in the garden:
To avoid the wilting of cucumber and melon vines cover the new plants with row cover material until the plants flower. Then remove the cover so that the pollinators can do their work. Use row covers on all vegetable plants that do not need to be pollinated: cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, onions and root crops are examples. We eat them before they flower and go to seed, thus no need for them to be pollinated. I have begun to do this on more vegetables and it keeps most pests away. Mulch vegetables in mid-month after the soil has warmed up. You can fertilize all vegetables, corn two times, this month.
Weed and thin plants. Crowding plants more than is recommended results in all the plants doing poorly. Water deeply (not a little each day) one inch per week all summer. Apply the water to the base of the plants rather than on the foliage. If you use a sprinkler, water early in the day so the foliage can dry before nightfall. Wet foliage overnight encourages fungal diseases to develop.
Remove seed heads from perennials. Don’t allow fancy hybrids to ripen and self-sow as their offspring will not come true. Deadhead flowers for more blooms. Iris can be divided and replanted after blooming. Pinch back mums once they are 4 to 6 inches tall. Continue to pinch back until mid-July. If your daffodils or other bulb plants didn’t bloom well it could be because they are now growing in the shade of larger grown trees or shrubs. Or, perhaps they are too crowded? Once the foliage turns yellow you can dig up the bulbs and divide and/or move them.
Fruit trees often shed small fruits in early summer called June Drop. Thin after this occurs. Thin apples to one fruit per cluster and one fruit every four to eight inches. Other tree fruit can be thinned a little less. This will cause bigger fruit. Don’t thin cherries. Pick up all fallen fruit. Only compost fallen fruit if you have a “hot” heap. Otherwise dispose of diseased fruit in the trash.
If you notice a “volunteer” tomato plant in your garden, yank it out or transplant it. Good gardeners, like good farmers, rotate their crops. A volunteer growing in last year’s tomato area allows disease to accumulate in that spot. Mulch under tomatoes keeps the soil from splashing up on the fruits. Soil on the fruits promotes disease. If you don’t stake, trellis or cage your tomatoes and let them sprawl on the ground, mulch will keep the fruit off the bare ground. Mulch also keeps the ground from drying out, suppresses weeds and moderates the soil temperature. Several layers of newspaper topped with organic mulch, leaves, untreated grass clippings, coarse compost, shredded bark etc. should do the trick. Never let your tomatoes wilt. Uneven watering causes blossom end rot.
Water your roses well but hold off on the geraniums. They will bloom best when kept somewhat dry. Roses sprouting from below the graft should be replaced. Peonies should be fertilized after they finish blooming. Newly planted trees and bushes should be watered well each week for the first two years if the weather turns dry. Give them a good soaking. Don’t give them a booster feeding of fertilizer this year. Force those young roots to search for food by stretching out into the soil. Mow the lawn high, 3-4 inches, it crowds out weeds and needs less water, and mowing.
The Master Gardener Volunteers Helpline is open for your gardening questions. Call 740-474-7534 with your question or go to www.Pickaway.osu.edu, click on "Ask an expert."
May 2024
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
What’s in a Name?
By Paul Hang
Annual. Some things happen once a year and some things happen every year. We look forward to some annuals like the holidays of Christmas and the fourth of July; some other annuals, not so much, like taxes and, for some, birthdays. When it comes to the life cycle of plants we have annuals, bi-ennials and perennials. It can be confusing especially to those new to gardening and sometimes to experienced gardeners. An annual plant does not grow every year unless it is planted every year either as a transplant or a seed.
An annual plant is a plant that flowers, produces seed, and dies in one growing season. One and done! A biennial lives for two seasons and flowers and produces seed in the second year and then dies. A perennial is a plant that lasts for more than two growing seasons, either dying back after each season, like peonies and irises, or growing continuously like some shrubs and trees.
To confuse matters even more, some plants that are perennial by nature die after one season because they can’t survive the cold weather of your hardiness zone and so are treated like annuals, such as calendulas and tomatoes. Most perennials bloom for a short time, think peonies, hostas, lilac, daffodils. Perennials die back with the frost but they have stored up food and energy in their roots or bulbs and will come back next season.
Why would anyone want to plant annuals that die off every year? The main reason is annuals bloom longer, most bloom all summer long. They do this as long as you cut the flowers off as they begin to fade. If you don’t cut off the flowers eventually the flower will produce seed and the plant will die. It will have accomplished its mission in life. Marigolds bloom until the frost kills them, the same for petunias and zinnias
Annuals are also affordable. A package of annual seeds can grow masses of flowers. Annuals can be planted from seed directly outside and most can re-seed themselves, like Black-eyed Susans. You can start them inside. By the same token, if you are tired of an annual, you can plant something different next year. You can change things year to year, cosmos one year sunflowers the next. Renters are not investing in more expensive perennials that will be left behind.
You can use annuals to add color to perennial beds that may go weeks without color. They can fill gaps and control weeds. You can experiment. If you don’t like it you can try something else next year. Annuals can complement shrubs and perennials and add season long interest. The name we give a plant’s life cycle is how it performs in our garden. Like perennials we all want to come back year after year, annually. But like annuals we flourish, produce offspring, or not, and then die. Our seasons are just longer, hopefully.
The Master Gardener Volunteers are having their Plant Sale on May 18, 9am-1pm in the parking lot at the Pickaway County Library on N. Court St. Lots of plants, annuals and perennials, including heirloom tomatoes, are for sale. Our Helpline can be reached by calling the OSU Extension Office at 740-474-7534.
Things to do in the garden:
Everything! The merry, merry month of May is a busy one. You can direct-seed corn, beans, potatoes, melons, cucumbers and squash. Those last three are usually planted in “hills” of groups of three or four plants. Place cheesecloth or row cover cloth over vines until they bloom. With any luck you will have prevented the cucumber beetles from invading the plants. This also works on the caterpillars of cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts.
You can set out tomato, pepper and eggplant plants if the soil is warm (60 degrees). There is still a chance of frost but each week the chances become less and less. Be prepared to cover those tender plants if frost threatens. Don't be tempted to over-fertilize tomatoes, extra nitrogen will delay ripening and produce more vine than fruit. Remember tomatoes can be planted deep with the top few branches of leaves above ground. Roots will form along the buried stem. If you stake your tomatoes put the stakes in before you plant. Consider pruning your tomatoes and peppers.
If you plan to put houseplants outside for the summer, a period of transitioning to the new environment will help assure their health and vigor. Fertilize and place in the shade. You can divide and move perennials now. As the soil warms (50 degrees) you can plant summer-flowering bulbs such as caladiums, cannas, dahlias, and gladioluses. You can begin spraying roses for black spot following the directions on the product.
Cut the seed pods off your lilacs (after the blooms fade), but do not prune the stems. If your lilacs are getting overgrown and leggy, cut a third of the old stems this year at the ground. Do this to a third next year and the final third the year after that. This way you will rejuvenate the bushes. Stake or cage floppy perennials like peonies. For bigger peonies, remove small buds near the larger ones.
Remember "June drop." It is a time when fruit trees rid themselves of excess fruit. This is a natural process. Then thin apples, peaches and other tree fruit (not cherries) to a fruit every six inches. Pines can be pruned back. Cut just half of new “candle” growth.
Mulch your beds after the soil has warmed. When you set out those tender plants protect against cutworms that can chew off new transplants. Use collars of aluminum foil, plastic, cardboard or other material to encircle the stem. The collars should extend into the soil an inch and above an inch or two. There are pesticides that can help control these pests (Google "cutworms extension”). I have also placed a toothpick in the ground right next to the plant stem with success.
This is a busy time for pollinators. When you spot a bug identify it before reaching for the spray. Fully 97% of the bugs in our gardens are beneficial or of no threat. Singular bugs are almost always beneficial predators. Crowds are often pests. Know your enemy! Consider starting a compost pile. Grass clippings, if not mulched and left on the lawn are a great “green” to add to the “brown.” Search (compost extension) for recipes.
Finally, it’s not how fast you mow but how high. Mow at least 3 inches high for a healthy lawn.
April 2024
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
Has Spring Sprung?
By Paul J. Hang
Has spring sprung? I just saw a Goldfinch with an unmistakable “scarf” of yellow. We have trees in bloom; daffodils, crocus and hyacinth have poked through the crust of earth days ago. Forsythia and the dreaded smelly Callery pears are showing off. But when I went outside this morning it was 26 degrees. The sun, our nearest star, has crossed the Equator (March 19th, the Spring Equinox) and is racing towards the Tropic of Capricorn.
Which raises the question, what is Capricorn? I realized I had no idea. Capricorn is the astrological sign for the tenth month of the Zodiac. Capricornus means goat in Latin. The astrological sign for that month is a sea goat. If you look it up you will go down a rabbit hole of confusing factual and non-factual, but interesting, information that is astrology. For instance, Capricorn season is winter and is ruled by Saturn.
I think we’re onto something. Capricorn is winter. Maybe that is why it doesn’t seem like spring even though most of the other signs are there. April’s signs are Aries and Taurus. Okay, I won’t go there. We have had a puny winter, as snow and ice goes. March has lived up to its reputation as an unpredictable month of weather variability. After some very spring, almost summerlike, days, we have been subjected to freezing temperatures. There are all those spring chores out there just waiting for my attention.
But I can’t bring myself to go out there and get to work. Maybe it’s my age. I am cruising towards my dotage. Or maybe it’s the weather. For whatever reason, I have lost my mojo. I go out for my walks but can’t seem to get the energy to do those things that need to be done in the spring of the year. Maybe by the time you read this the weather will have turned warmer and I can get off my duff and get busy. I hope so.
As always, every month, these words of introduction, if not wisdom, are followed by a list of “Things to in the garden.” This month, being spring, the list is a long one. Don’t get discouraged. Spring has sprung; all the signs are there, aren’t they?
April 26th is Arbor Day. If you can muster up the energy, plant a tree. For information about planting and mulching trees see bygl.osu.edu. Gardening questions? Call the helpline at the Pickaway County Extension office at 740-474-7534.
Things to do in the garden:
Tomato eggplant and pepper seeds should be started indoors. The seedlings should be moved from the cells after 4 weeks into larger pots. Move them into the garden only after hardening them off and the danger of frost is past. As usual make sure you water-in the transplants. When you water, water deeply (top six inches wet) and water the base of the plant not the foliage. Water when the plants need it, not every day. Most plants require 1 to 1 and a half inches of water per week.
Vegetables that can be planted by seed directly into the garden are: beets, carrots, peas, onions, spinach, leaf lettuce, radishes. These should be watered enough to keep the soil moist to begin germination don’t let them dry out. Beets and carrots should be thinned at the seedling stage. Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli plants can be planted as soil and weather conditions allow. The soil temperature for cool weather plants should be 50 degrees, warm weather plants at least 60 and some even higher. Put an inch of compost on the beds.
Use row covers (Google it) on your vegetables right after planting to keep the bad bugs off. For vegetables that produce fruit (beans, cucumber, pepper, squash, etc.) remove the covers after blooming to let the pollinators go to work. Tomatoes are self-pollinating and so you could leave the covers on. For those that don’t need pollinating (Cabbage, broccoli, onions, chard, kale, lettuce, beets and radishes, etc.) you can leave the covers on until harvest. Make sure you buy the right covers that let in enough light and rain. I have found this to be an effective method to protect plants without insecticides from bugs that damage vegetables. Place collars around transplants that are susceptible to cut worms.
Most annual flowers can be seeded directly into the soil after the danger of frost has abated. Some popular annuals that you should consider starting indoors are: snapdragon, wax begonia, sweet William, impatiens, sweet alyssum, petunia, gloriosa daisy, blue salvia, viola, pansy and zinnia, among others. This can save you a considerable amount of money that you can then spend on a perennial (native) plant.
Time spent on your lawn now will benefit it the rest of the year. Fertilize lightly if at all. The time to re-seed is when night time temps consistently reach 50 degrees and above. This is also the time to aerate lawns. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent crabgrass, unless you plan to seed. When common lilac or Ohio buckeye begins to bloom it is too late for a pre-emergent herbicide to be effective and too early for a post-emergent. Leave clippings on the lawn. Their nitrogen content is high and will reduce the need to fertilize. Mowing height of at least three inches will retard the growth of crab grass and other weeds.
Unless you are prepared to cover plants in case of frost, don’t put out those tender plants such as tomatoes and peppers until mid-May or later when the soil warms up. The average last frost date is now April 23rd. There is a 50/50 chance of frost then and the chance decreases about 10% per week after that. Cool season transplants, after hardening them off, can be planted now (Lettuce, broccoli, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower).
Spring flowering bulbs should be fertilized after they bloom. Remember to leave the leaves of bulbs until they yellow. Brown is better. Pinch off any developing seed heads. Make a list of spring bulbs you will want to plant in the fall.
If April brings its overhyped showers don’t work the soil if it is too wet. Wait until it dries out a bit. If it seems wet enough to make a clay pot, wait. Squeeze a ball of earth about the size of golf ball and let it drop from waist high, if it breaks apart it’s ready to be worked. Don’t apply mulch until May. Allow the soil to warm.
Cut back your ornamental grasses to six inches or to the green stems. They can be divided now. Cut back your butterfly bushes (buddleia) to a foot or two and apply a balanced fertilizer. Prune spring blooming shrubs after they bloom. Bagworms on shrubs and trees hatch out shortly after the Snowmound Spirea blooms. This is when you can spray an insecticide (Bacillus thuringiensis, also called Bt, read the label) to kill the caterpillars. Now is the time to prune roses. Depending on the variety, you may prune back to a foot in height or to green growth. Fertilize monthly until Labor Day. You can plant new ones now. Large hostas can be divided as soon as they emerge.
Wait until several 50 plus degree days in a row before cleaning up debris of stems to save beneficial insects. If in doubt store them temporarily before putting them in the compost heap.
Don’t prune your oak trees after the middle of the month or after they leaf out. Sap beetles are attracted to the open wounds and will bring oak wilt, a disease which will kill them and has been found in this part of the state. If pruning can’t be avoided paint the cuts with a pruning sealant.
March 2024
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
Prune
By Paul Hang
Not your grandma’s breakfast. One definition of prune is a dried plum. It can also mean a disagreeable person, usually old and wrinkled. Let’s not forget that prunes, though old and wrinkled, are sweeter than a plum, are nutrient rich and have laxative properties. Another definition is a verb and means to dock, trim, clip, crop, cutback, weed out, lop and snip out all the parts you do not need. It is this last meaning I plan to address. Not pruning eyebrows, grocery lists or portfolios but plants.
March is a good time to prune plants, while they are still dormant. February may be better given our warming climate. Pruning is kind of like changing your underwear regularly: you don’t have to do it, but if you do you, and everyone else, will be pleased with the result. First cut out the 3 D’s, Dead, Damaged, Diseased. Cut out crossing and rubbing branches. Prune a flowering shrub after it blooms (if you want to see the flowers).
Overgrown deciduous flowering shrubs can be improved by rejuvenation pruning where you cut all the stems down to the ground or renovation pruning where each year you remove one third of the stems (pick the oldest) to the ground. Some old timers say the best time to prune is when your tools are sharp.
Pruning trees can be dangerous. If it is a large tree better leave it to the professionals. A professional will not “top” a tree. Try to find a certified arborist. When cutting off a limb be careful not to allow the bark to be stripped down the trunk. Use the “three cut method” which starts with an undercut about a foot away from the trunk. Another rule of pruning is, No stubs! Cut back to the next branch and don’t cut into the branch collar. Apple trees and other fruit trees require special techniques. A properly pruned apple tree will look “ugly.” However, just because an apple tree is ugly doesn’t mean it was properly pruned.
Another common pruning puzzle is when to prune hydrangea bushes. This is important; if you cut off the dormant buds you may get fewer blooms or none at all. If you know what species your bush is it is easy. If you are like me you forget and probably didn’t write it down or, you can’t find where you wrote it down. Hydrangea pruning is based on the species or by whether it blooms on “old wood” or “new wood”. The popular hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ blooms on old wood and new wood. It can be pruned at any time. If you cut off dormant buds you have cut off future blooms.
A simpler way to determine when to prune hydrangeas is using the color and shape of the blooms. If your hydrangea has flower heads that are big and round and in shades of pink or blue it is a mophead or big leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla). These should be cut back in the mid spring after the danger of frost has past. They flower on “old wood”. Follow each brown stick down to the first new green bud and cut the stick off
just above that new growth. It could be at the tip or near the bottom. Also in this category are the lacecap hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrate and Hydrangea aspera). These have lace-like flowers in shades of pink or blue.
If your hydrangea flowers look like big round balls of white or lime green (occasionally pink) they are smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea aborescens). These are your grandma’s ‘Annabelle’ and ‘Incrediball’. The best time to cut these back is late winter or early spring (some do it in the fall). Cut it back to between one quarter and one half of its total height (some gardeners cut way back to the ground. These flower on “new wood”.
If your hydrangea has cone-shaped blooms that are white, pink or deep pink you have a panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata). Varieties include ‘Limelight” ‘Bobo’ ‘Tardiva’. These plants bloom on new wood. The time to cut these back is in the early spring just before growth occurs about the time of the last spring frost. Cut the plant back by a third or not at all. If the plant is overgrown you can cut back all the way to the ground to rejuvenate it. Do not cut back in late spring or early summer after the buds are set.
If your hydrangea has oak-shaped leaves with large white cone- shaped blooms that turn reddish in the fall, it is an oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Prune lightly in the summer after they have bloomed or not at all. See savvygardening.com/when –to-cut-back-hydrangeas/
Perennials should be pruned after temperatures have consistently reached 50 degrees to allow overwintering insects and bugs to emerge. Annuals should deadheaded, cutting off spent blooms to encourage re-blooming.
Roses, clematis vines, grape vines, raspberries and blueberries also need pruning. To do it right check out ohioline.osu.edu or other websites ending in edu or other reputable sources. As usual, I had to prune this article to make it shorter, but hopefully sweeter.
Things to do in the garden:
Begin fertilizing houseplants with a weak solution. Now is a good time to propagate houseplants.
Have your soil tested. Materials and directions are normally available at the OSU Extension Office.The last average frost date here in zone 6B is April 23rd. That means there is a 50/50 chance of frost on that date. A number of seeds should be started this month. Check your seed packet for the number of days to harvest and count back to the date you want to plant your seeds or set out your plants. A word to the wise, don’t set out your plants too early unless you are prepared to protect them should the odds work against you.
Rake the lawn to remove the twigs, leaves, and other winter detritus. Dig out those biennial weeds before they get established. Now is a good time to plant evergreen and other trees and shrubs and bare root roses. The earlier you transplant perennials the better they will do. When is the soil ready to be worked? Soil that sticks to your spade is too wet to work and will be compacted. Make a ball of soil and drop it. If it crumbles it is ready to work.
Before those buds break, spray fruit trees with dormant oil. Read the directions. Prune damaged, diseased, and dead limbs. Also, prune those limbs that grow inward, suckers and water sprouts. Do not remove more than a third of the tree. Prune deciduous trees and shrubs that bloom in the summer. Prune spring flowering trees and shrubs after they bloom. Prune raspberry canes and grapevines and fall flowering clematis.
If you cut back perennials and ornamental grasses (tying up the grasses before cutting them back to about six inches saves a lot of clean up), don’t throw them in the trash or onto the compost pile. Store them until we have a few warm days (temps above 50 F) to give overwintering insects a chance to emerge. Pull back mulch from around perennials on warm days but be prepared to cover them back up if a hard freeze threatens.
Late March and April is the time to apply a pre-emergent to the lawn if you want to prevent crabgrass. The best indicator for this is the first bloom of Callery Pear. But be forewarned, pre-emergents prevent seeds from sprouting. Apply pre-emergent on a calm day. There are now selective pre-emergents that do not affect grass seed. If you plan to seed any parts of your lawn, don’t apply a non-selective to those areas. This warning also applies to areas where you plan to plant vegetables and flowers by directly seeding in the soil. A light fertilization of the lawn is all you’ll need.
Go to weather.cfaes.osu.edu/gdd for phenology information on when plants flower and insects emerge.
February 2024
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
Being Humid
By Paul Hang
It is not humid in my house. In fact, my mucus membranes and my throat feel dry and irritated. My eyelids are scraping across my eyeballs. My skin is flaking off to such a degree I resemble a snow thrower. This topic was prompted by these experiences and my memory of the winter I spent in Thule, Greenland, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force, where it was so dry you would receive a painful zap of static electricity on your lips when you drank from a water fountain.
Humidity may seem like a strange subject for gardeners in February. As I write this the humidity outside is 52%, the humidity inside is 27%. The temperature outside is 19 degrees, the temperature inside is 71 degrees. If you took a parcel of air from outside and brought it inside the relative humidity drops. Warm air holds more water than cold air. We say “it is humid” when the humidity is high. We don’t have a similar word for when the humidity is low. I suggest “it is humidry” or how about “inhumid?”
Wikipedia says, “Humidity is the concentration of water vapor in the air,…” It goes on to say that it, “…depends on the temperature and pressure ….” Humidity is expressed as a percentage to communicate the concentration of water vapor. For example, on a hot sticky day we might say, “The humidity must be 100%.” If the humidity is 100% the air is saturated and couldn’t hold any more water vapor. It is called relative humidity because it is comparing the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water vapor in the air if it was saturated.
To define it further is to plunge into the weeds of technical terms and mathematical equations, which are really dry (0%). Plants are made up of a lot of water. They take it up through their roots and to some extent through their leaves. They transpire, “breathe,” evaporate water vapor out into the air. They do it through pores in their leaves, called stomata. Stomata can open or close, depending on temperature and moisture, to control the rate of transpiration.
More to the point, what effect does humidity have on plants? If the humidity is too high, plants have a hard time transpiring, evaporating moisture into the air. They suffocate. High humidity invites pests such as fungus, gnats, mold and bacteria and it affects plants ability to draw nutrients from the soils. If the humidity is too low plants may transpire more water than they take in and begin to dry out. Leaves curl, brown and drop. Flowers drop or don’t form at all.
In our homes we can control the growing environment to some extent. Low moisture type plants like succulents, jade, kalanchoes and cacti with thick and waxy leaves can be grouped together in drier areas of the home, 30%-40%. High moisture types like ferns, palms, Ficus, Bamboo and Schefflera can be clustered or placed in higher moisture areas like bathrooms, kitchens or near water features, 50%-70%. Other ways to increase humidity besides location include misting and pebble trays, although the effect is short lived. Perhaps the best technique is to use a humidifier. Don’t overwater, make sure pots have drainage.
Humidity is a major factor in plant growth along with temperature, watering, light and nutrient availability. Know your plants requirements and you can have some control over their health while indoors and waiting for more warm humid days.
Interested in becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer? Attend our Open House to learn more about it. February 7th, 4:30 to 6:00 PM at the OSU Extension Office Conference Room 2nd floor, 110 Island Road (East Entrance)
Questions??’s 740-497-4384 or Email, lhuston@columbus.rr.com
Things to do in the garden:
Check perennials and bulbs for heaving out of the ground. Press them down gently with your foot. Make a list of plants you want. Inventory seeds you have saved to make sure they aren’t past viability. Send in your seed orders. Will our results ever match those of the glossy color pictures? When you make out your seed and plant orders consider planting more native and heirloom plants. Native plants are plants that evolved here and are adapted to our conditions, diseases and native pests. While you’re at it try googling the name of a flower you’re thinking about ordering. You will be able to see pictures and planting information.
This is the time to prune trees and shrubs (after you sharpen your tools). You can see their structure now that they are dormant and the leaves are down. Cut out crossing and rubbing branches and unwanted suckers. Pruning can be done to reduce the size of a tree or shrub to bring it in to balance or to remove overhanging branches blocking a view or path. Insects are less likely to be attracted to cuts while trees are dormant. Remember, spring flowering shrubs should be pruned after flowering if you want to enjoy the blooms. Summer flowering shrubs can be pruned now. Cut back butterfly bush (Buddleia) severely.
On smaller trees you may want to take care of problems yourself. On larger trees you should call in an expert to inspect and perhaps correct any problems. Arborists are in a slow time of year. The ground, if frozen, will not be damaged and compacted as much from equipment and crews. The Arbor Day Foundation recommends that you have Certified Arborists check any safety problems you may have noticed. To find them go to www.isa-arbor.com click on “Verify Certification” and then “Find an Arborist.” They will not recommend topping your trees. The City of Circleville has a Comprehensive Tree Plan. You can find it at ci.circleville.oh.us, in the search box type Tree Plan. There you will find lots of information on caring for trees.
If you dug up bulbs for storage check on them. Spritz them with water to prevent drying out. Throw away any rotting or shriveled ones. Water any dormant or overwintering plants in your garage or basement. Water houseplants with lukewarm water, don’t overwater and turn them a quarter turn once a week, no fertilizer yet.
Seeds of onions, cabbage, cauliflower, and other members of the Cole family can be started indoors this month for setting out in late March or early April, depending on the weather: The University of Minnesota has a good discussion; go to www.extension.umn.edu/garden /flowers/starting-seeds-indoors. Also Google Winter Sowing. There you will read how to recycle plastic milk bottles to easily germinate some seeds. It is a good way to raise a lot of seedlings for planting “drifts,” those bands of like plants that wander serpentinely through flower beds. Now is a good time to start building raised vegetable garden beds. If your compost heap isn’t frozen and is workable, turn it.
January 2024
Pickaway to Garden
Choices, Choices, Choices
By Paul Hang
At the beginning of the New Year choices seemed like a good place to start. I made the choice to start a new year of this column, its fifteenth. Thinking of the coming year presents the opportunity to make lots of choices. Life is a journey of choices. It seems ironic because life doesn’t begin for us as a choice. As the existentialist philosophers say, we didn’t choose to be here. By the time we realize it we are already here.
But let’s talk about less philosophical choices and concentrate on horticultural ones.
If we are responsible for a few square feet of the earth’s surface we will have a garden, unless it is all paved. (If so, then we could have a container garden.) The first choice is will we cultivate a garden? If you choose to cultivate a garden but haven’t established one we must choose where it will be. Will it be vegetables, just flowers, or both? The next choice is, what plants will grow there? Will I choose them or will nature choose them? What to plant? How to care for them?
Choices, choices, choices: what soil, organic, fertilizer, diseases, pests, spacing, rotating, plants or seeds? Choices. This column is not a detailed how to column, there are a lot of other resources for that. I prefer to cover the whys and what for of gardening, the thinking about, not so much the doing. That, and a monthly list of some of things to do in the garden.
To find out the how tos we must make choices of where to find the information we need. For scientific (tested by authoritative experts who are knowledgeable and published) gardening information go to internet sites ending in edu. Those are universities, often land grant schools, that perform horticultural research. Some are better than others and should be located near where you garden, in neighboring states that have similar growing conditions.
Other good resources are: botanical garden sites, e.g. missouribotannicalgarden.org; professional associations’ sites, e.g. www.rose.org; trusted names, e.g. Joe Lamp’l joegardener.com and Martha Stewart marthastewart.com. These last two I have found generally use science based information. In all cases choose more than one source and information that is relatively recent.
If you are choosing to start some plants from seed indoors, better get your supplies together. Peruse the seed catalogs. Dream a little. Someone said “The best gardener is one who does the most gardening by the winter fire.”
Things to do in the garden:
The list of things to do in the garden has gotten shorter. Things we can do about gardening are: Review last year's garden; draw a map while you can still remember what grew where. Plan your gardens and plantings. One of my favorite guides for this is The Ohio Gardening Guide by Jerry Minnich.
Check your supply of old seeds. Are they expired? Do you want to reorder that variety? Read your new seed catalogs. Want some more seed catalogs? Go to gardeningplaces.com. Order seeds and plants of new varieties that you want now. They usually sell out quickly.
Believe it or not, by the end of the month, you can begin to grow members of the Allium family (Onions, Leeks, Garlic and Shallots) from seed indoors. You can get ready by getting your seed starting supplies together. Make sure you provide plenty of light.
Cut back on watering your houseplants and don’t fertilize until March or April when growth begins as the amount of light lengthens, rinse/dust leaves, turn the pots every few days. When your poinsettias are looking ragged throw them on the compost heap. The same goes for paper whites. In my opinion it is not worth trying to get them to bloom again. If you like a challenge, go ahead but be prepared for disappointment. Amaryllis and Christmas cactus are exceptions and can be kept for re-blooming. Check the internet for instructions.
Establish a new bed by placing black plastic or several layers of newspaper, cardboard or even old carpet down over the area you’ve chosen for the new bed. Weight it down so the wind doesn’t disturb it. By late spring the vegetation under it should be dead and the space ready for planting.
Learn to sharpen your tools, trowels, pruners, spades and if you are adventurous, your mower blades. Oil them and use linseed oil on the wooden handles. Getting rid of a cut live Christmas tree? Don’t. Use it to serve as a wind break for evergreens. Cut the branches off and use them as mulch for perennials. Put it near your bird feeders as cover. Decorate it with suet, fruit, seed cakes, as a bird feeder. Chip it for mulch. If you have a pond, sink it for structure cover for fish. The needles can also be mulch and will not make the soil too acidic. If you had a balled live Christmas tree, plant it ASAP.
Some gardening resolutions: Rotate vegetable crops; water the base of plants, not from above; weed and mulch; use row covers; water newly planted trees and shrubs; visit and scout your garden often. Happy New Year.
