Get as many roots as possible

While I am working at my Garden Center, I hear a lot of weird stuff from people who come in and ask questions about what they want to do in the yard.  Some of it works, and other times I just cringe at the thought of what they are doing.  It is mid July right now and I am having multiple people come in wondering what to do with the plants they just transplanted.  I guess because we are having an unusually cool July that it is ok to transplant things.  (I live in Middle Tennessee, FYI)  Let’s talk for a minute about how and when to transplant plants.

Unless you live in Florida or south Texas than the weather gives you seasons, and many plants go dormant in the winter.  When a plant goes dormant, it stops growing on the top and focuses on developing a stronger root system with all the wet soil during the winter.  If the plant is deciduous (meaning it looses it leaves) than while it is dormant, most of the sap inside the plant that feeds the leaves in the summer, is drained to the bottom of the tree, hence the leaves falling off.  Same with perennials, the roots are established, but the plant cannot with stand the cold temps about ground.

That brings us to why we don’t transplant in July and August.  First, when we transplant, we cannot get all the roots, it is impossible.  So we damage the root system when we dig.  We also cannot get a perfect root ball of dirt that is not disturbed when moving the plant. So we damage the root system when we move it.  The roots don’t need to dry out when the plant is actively growing, and when it is 100 degrees outside, that is very hard not to let happen.  Because we disturb the root system, the plant will go into shock, and when it is actively growing and 100 degrees outside, it is very difficult to keep enough water on the roots to keep the plant healthy.

When is the best time to transplant?  Yup, you guessed it, the middle of the winter when the plant is completely dormant.  Dig away, take your time, enjoy the experience of playing with your plants.  The plant won’t even know it is being disturbed.  After you put it in its new spot, it will have time to develop and recover its root system before growing again in the spring and the plant is all happy to be alive.

Always, Always, Always use a root stimulator when transplanting.  It helps eliminate shock, and helps the feeder roots to develop quickly and let the plant drink up the nutrients it needs.  Don’t use much fertilizer until the plant has recovered.  Too much Nitrogen and you will burn up the plant as it is redeveloping itself.

Happy Transplanting

Multicolor Hydrangea

I had someone pose the question to me, “Can I really change the color of the bloom on my Hydrangea bush by burying nails around it?”  The short answer is yes.  Hydrangea plants (mostly the H. macrophylla varieties) are very sensitive to the soil type.  The blooms are strongly affected by high and low pH levels.

Not all hydrangeas change bloom colors, though.  Newer varieties such as the Annabelle and PeeGee will only have white blooms no matter how much you sing to or curse them!  But the older varieties will dance for you if you treat them right.

The rusty nail principle is an interesting one.  The iron from the nails, old sawblades, tin cans, add acidity to the soil which helps the blue flower appear.  But, it is not the acid that changes the color, it is aluminum that does that.  The Iron helps the plant to absorb the aluminum that you will be adding to the soil.  You can bury some aluminum nails, or use aluminum sulphate or even better but harder to get, is aluminum phosphate.  That is what makes them really blue.  Singing will cheer them up, but they will still be blue! J  If you want to take them back to pink, just add lime to the soil and they pH will neutralize.  All this changing is making me tired!

Changing the pH does not happen overnight.  It will takes months, or at least a couple of bloom cycles to change.  Even though it would be cool to watch the existing blooms change color right before our eyes!  I watched a magic show the other day, that would have been cool to see.  Anyway, start burying those nails and wear gloves if you dig the plant up to transplant it!

Planting Hydrangeas in really large pots is an easy way to control the pH, BUT the plant will get root bound very quickly, and drinks a TON of water, so prepare yourself.  You can use pine straw mulch to help keep the soil acidity high.

Happy Hydrangeas

Power Dethatcher

This is a great question that was posed to me, and I don’t know that there is a textbook answer.  Dethatching can be extremely important if the turf has been poorly maintained.  I want to highlight when and how to dethatch and let you determine what method and time is right for your yard.

Pull Behind Dethatcher

Several methods that I have used in the past have worked extremely well.  Some caused more work than necessary, but were very effective.  The first method is getting (renting) a power rake.  This is an oversized push mower type machine that has vertical tines that spin backwards and rip up the ground around the grass, loosening up the thatch.  Most of the time, it comes with a bagger to catch the thatch, but I will have to say that it does not work very well.  I always have to have a bagging mower run behind and vacuum up the thatch.  The dethatching effect is very effective though.  They also make a small trailer to drag behind your mower that has tines hanging down that drag through the grass that can be very effective.  If you don’t want to rent anything, and don’t have a large yard, you can just use a leaf rake and rake out all the thatch.  It will be time consuming, but everything usually is when it comes to yard work.  My favorite method, but is the most dangerous for small yards is FIRE!  I love burning off a yard and the thatch and watching it grow back.  Several years ago, I was burning some tree trash I had brought home and a spark set my neighbors back yard on fire.  He had not mowed it for about a year and burned incredibly fast.  I was so embarrassed, until it grew back in two weeks and he was so impressed with how it looked that he started mowing it every week…Then I was glad I burned it.

When to dethatch Bermuda grass?  I have done it just about every month of the year and had success.  I even researched a textbook answer and did not find one.  Here is my opinion…If you do it the month before it greens up, coming out of dormancy, than your helping to encourage a healthy start of the season.  If you do it in the middle of the growing season, there is little recovery time, but the grass is thicker to try and get the thatch out of.  If you do it in the fall, as it is going dormant, you can cut it real short, get the thatch out real good, and plant an annual rye grass and have a luscious green yard all winter.  In my opinion there is no ‘bad’ time of the year to do it, just know what to do, when you decide to do it.  Do not forget to fertilize immediately following tearing up the grass to help it recover from the damage.

Happy Bermuda

Jap Beetles Mating

As we talked about yesterday in Pt. 1 of getting rid of Japanese beetles, there are three distinct cycles in a beetles life, and they only live one year.  The adults lay eggs in the summer all over the turf and around the house.  Those grubs come to the surface to feed anywhere from Aug to Oct, depending on the climate, and then bury down past the frost line for the winter.  Then in the spring, those grubs come out and eat everything in sight as they develop into mature adults, then mate and drop eggs and the cycle begins again.

Merit 2.5g

Trying to break this cycle can begin when you are ready to start.  I am writing this in July, so now is the time that you can treat the turf areas, because the females should be close to laying eggs and you want to prevent that from happening.  Applying a grub killing product such as ‘Merit’, will prevent the females from even wanting to be in your yard, and will kill the little baby grubs as they come out of the eggs.  Merit is supposed to last for 12 months, but I would recommend applying a second time in early spring as the grubs reappear to come out and feed on your plants.

If you are at the stage where the beetles are still on your plant, whether they are still feeding on the plant or have formed a train as they are mating, manual collection can slow down dramatically the amount of eggs being laid in your yard.  Get a bucket full of soapy water, and use your hand to scrape them off the plant, or just shake the branches and let them fall into the bucket to drown.  I recommend doing this in the early morning when they are dazed and wet with dew so they can’t fly away.

Triple Action Plus from Fertilome

Anytime that you have the beetles active, I LOVE neem oil as an insecticide.  It is completely organic and can be sprayed on anything including edible plants.  Use this spray early morning or late afternoon because the oil can cause the sun to burn the leaves right after it is been sprayed.  The neem oil will kill any bugs that are currently on your plant and will prevent future bugs from wanting to eat your plant.  Reapply during active season every week if needed.  There are many insecticides that work like this one, but neem is my favorite.  Just read the label on the product before you buy it.  I sell a product made by Fertilome called Triple Action Plus.  It is an insecticide, fungicide, and miticide all in one.

In the spring, you can put a ‘cheese cloth’ type netting over critical plants to prevent the beetles from eating.  This is a good method but is timely and costly if not done right.  And you have this big cloth over your plant for a month which can be unsightly.

Japanese Beetle Trap

The last method is the one that I despise the most…TRAPS!  I HATE TRAPS!  There are two different scents they use for the traps.  One has the female mating scent, and the other has yummy plant scents.  Traps are rarely used properly, in that the traps will always attract more beetles to your yard than you would have gotten on your own.  If you use a trap, put it as far away from your plants as possible.  If you can talk your neighbor into putting it in their yard…just kidding!

These are steps that you will want to do every year.  Once you kill the cycle in your yard, the maintenance is small to prevent new beetles from hanging out on your plants.  The Merit will even help with ticks, mosquitoes, and other grubs that moles eat.  The Neem oil will prevent many problems also.  So your efforts will be rewarded heavily.

Happy Hunting