GardenSpotlight

Extension offices and state universities are warning growers of the dangers this year of Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) and thusly a lack of availability of Impatiens this growing season.   INSV is closely related to the Tomato Spotted wilt Virus (TSWV) and was once called I-strain and L-strain of TSWV.   INSV causes a wide variety of symptoms including wilting, stem death, stunting, etches of ring spots on the leaves and sunken spots on the leaves as well as other symptoms.   The virus has the ability to “compartmentalize” itself so that it affects only one area of the plant.   Regardless of the situation, all affected plants should be destroyed immediately as there is no cure for this virus.   Other plants affected by this virus are gloxinia, cineraria, chrysanthemums (all of which you will see now for the Easter season), begonias, tomatoes, other vegetables and grasses.   There have even been reports of the virus showing up in specimens of salv...

“Reggie Mourning wears a Marine Corps sweatshirt and two 9-millimeter pistol rounds on a chain around his neck. There’s an M14 round hanging from his keychain. His tour of duty with a mortar unit in Vietnam was long in the past, but never really ended. After coming home, he worked for years as a trucker with the jagged rhythms of the war zone wired into his brain — sometimes barreling cross-country, drunk and stoned, with only his dog as a companion. In 2007, sick, exhausted, on his way to becoming homeless, he made it to the substance abuse program at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center near Newark. “(New York Times, November 30, 2009) So what does this have to do with gardening?   Plenty!   Gardening is therapeutic for many, military or not.   It’s a chance to play in the dirt, get back to basics and just…be.   Not only that, but I would guess that for veterans, it provides familiarity.   The familiarity provided by taking care of   the plants as ...

Creating a cozy indoor garden for your home is easier than you think.   All it takes is a little ambition and creativity.   You’ll need to keep in mind the climatic area of the room you are working with.   How much light does it have?   How much heat is available?   These are things that will affect the selection of plants for that particular area.   A southern exposure window gives the best light, without it being too hot.   If your room is very hot and dry, then you may want to add a source of humidity, such as a humidifier or simply place shallow pans of water with pebbles under the plants.   As the water evaporates, it will add the necessary humidity into the air surrounding the plants.   The latter is also very decorative and gives you a chance to play with colors, shapes and groupings of plants.   If your room does not have enough light, there are lights made specifically for plants that you can purchase. You should be able to...

Spring is here and it’s about time to prepare the soil bed for your gardens.    Remember, you don’t have to have a garden so big that you cannot take care of it all.   You can actually be more productive in a smaller, more manageable sized garden.   Begin first by planning out your space.   Select a spot in the garden that gets a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight if you are planning a vegetable garden.   If you are planning for flowers, know the amounts of sunlight your gardens will be receiving, as well as soil type and drainage and choose the types of plants accordingly.    Next, mark out your perimeter and then begin turning the soil over.   Dig down at least 12 inches.   Using a roto-tiller is best as it will break up the soil more thoroughly and deeply.   If you don’t own one, you can usually rent one at a local hardware store.    If one is not available, you can use a shovel and rake.   As you are prep...

Last time we talked about starting your spring plants indoors.   If it’s too much for you to consider, or you just don’t have the room, you can always visit your favorite local garden center to purchase plants for your garden in the spring.     You should keep in mind a few points while making your choices. Look for local growers as their plants will adapt more readily to your garden since they are grown here.      There are many retailers who bring plants in for sale from out of the area, usually from areas where they have longer, earlier grower seasons.   Because diseases and insects have specific life cycles, and because the growing season begins earlier in these other locations than here in the North, there is the strong possibility that plants from these regions can transport diseases and/or insects into the Northern zones, before their natural cycle would normally begin in our area.   Such was the case with Late Blight just a short time ag...

Now that the soil is warming up, it’s time to start prepping your gardens for the new planting season. If you have established perennial gardens, then not too much will be needed other than cleaning out the debris between the established plants. Now is also a good time to either pull or cultivate out the weeds that are beginning to grow. You may also choose to feed the perennials as you water with a liquid fertilizer, or spread a granular fertilizer on top of the soil between the plants at the recommended rate on the label and then water in well. If you are developing a new area for your garden, you should evaluate the type of soil you have and determine if it needs additional drainage. Creating a new planting bed will require some effort on your part, but you will be rewarded handsomely by the fruits of your labor. (Pun intended) A good weekend project, you will need a wheelbarrow, spading fork, square-edged shovel and some good muscle rub cream or access to a hot tub for afterwa...

I have had several people ask me how we grow such great looking eggplant and want to know why they had problems this year with their eggplant. They seem to have beautiful plants and lots of flowers, but no fruit on their plants. There are several answers to this problem, and the answer for each person's garden may be one or a combination of both. First, we need to remember that while it is important to fertilize regularly, too much Nitrogen will offset the fruiting capability of the plant. In essence, the Nitrogen encourages plant growth, so that the foliage and plant itself grow and remain healthy, but while the plant grows, the Nitrogen does nothing to encourage fruit set. In other words, the plant puts its energy into growth, rather than fruit production. Because of this, you may have some flowers, but they may be dropping off the plant prematurely, before pollination occurs. By changing the ratio of elements in the fertilizer, we can regulate how our plants grow on the ...

Also, the type of water you use to water yor plants may affect their growth. If you have city water, which is typically treated with chemicals, it is best to allow the water to stand for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to diffuse out. Hard water (high mineral content) is not good to use as the minerals from the water are left behind in the soil and over time, upset the root-soil osmotic balance and may become toxoic to the plants. If you see a white crusty buildup on the surface of the soil or on the insides of the pot this is a good indication of mineral salts buildup. Converesely, softened water removes calcuim salts but adds sodium to the soil and can also create problems. Plants may develop symptoms such as leaf browning on the tips or edges of the leaves due to salt/mineral buildup. One good way to avoid these problems is to place a filter on your faucet.

My husband's favorite saying is "Don't kill 'em with kindness!" Sometimes, we are so used to having to water our plants so much during the summer months, that we tend to over-water them indoors, thinking the plants need the same amount of water. The simplest way to tell if your indoor plants need water is to touch the soil in the pot. If the soil is moist, leave it alone. It is usually OK to allow a plant to wilt slightly as most plants recover quickly and suffer no long term effects. Just don't drown them the next time you water them. Over-watering takes oxygen away from the roots of the plant. Oxygen is required for a healthy root system. Constantly wet soil also provides prime opportunity for fungi and bacteria to set up housekeeping and attack plant roots and stems. Many times there is no cure for these problems other than to try to take a cutting of a healthy portion of the plant, try to root it, and start over. Plants in very large containers ...