Planning
Construct trellises for tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, and vining ornamentals. See this link for instructions on a bamboo tomato trellis. If necessary, skip ahead to 21:26 into the video.
 |
| Bamboo canes or sticks tied with string make great custom trellises. |
 |
| Livestock panels, cut and bent to size, make very strong trellises. |
Measure your water use by placing empty cans (or jars or mugs) where your irrigation water lands and prevent wasted water. Only irrigate plants that need the water and consider replacing water wasting plants. Click here to learn more about catch can testing.
Planting/Propagation
Be aware - potting media dries out much faster than soil and necessitates more frequent watering, and perhaps temporary shade, until roots have time to spread into native soil. Something as simple as setting a lawn chair to the southwest of a new plant for a week or so can make a big difference in how well it adapts to its new home.
Insects
Learn to identify beneficial insects and plant some insectary plants (e.g. Alyssum, Phacelia, coriander, candytuft, sunflower, yarrow, dill) to attract them to your garden. An important goal is to have insectary plants blooming for as much of the year as possible. For more information, see this link.
 |
| photo from NPIC |
Monitor azaleas, primroses and other broadleaf ornamentals for root weevils. If you have notching at leaf edges and would like to minimize damage, try sticky trap products on plant trunks to trap adult weevils. Protect against damaging the bark by applying the sticky material on a 4-inch wide band of poly sheeting or burlap wrapped around the trunk. If root weevils are a consistent problem, consider removing plants and choosing resistant varieties. See this link
From Benton County Master Gardeners -
Membership meetings: 3rd Monday Oct. to May 7:00pm Benton County Extension office.
Plant sale: May 2 at the Benton County Fairgrounds
No comments:
Post a Comment