www.theflowerbin.net

www.theflowerbin.net

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

March Garden Chores

 We’re fast approaching the Vernal Equinox, which means the days are getting longer, giving us the perfect opportunity to get the garden ready for the season ahead.  




Start by cleaning up your vegetable and perennial beds. This includes removing any dead vegetation and debris. Insects and diseases can winter over, and you'll help reduce potential problems later by doing a good clean up now.








The key is to proceed slowly because as you’re cleaning up, you’ll discover many perennials and bulbs are starting to show. The remains of last year’s garden acts as a mulch, protecting early spring risers such as crocus, hyacinths, daffodils and tulips. Go gently around these bulbs and perennials because it’s easy to damage them. You may want to switch from a leaf rake to a leaf blower or better yet simply clean up by hand. It’s important to leave some cover to protect these tender plants through the rest of the spring.  

 



Stay off those areas of the garden that are wet, to avoid compacting the garden soil any more than necessary. As you're cleaning, you may find evidence of beneficial insect activity like this mantis egg sac. It's important to leave the nest undisturbed so it has a chance to hatch naturally in the spring  

  

  


  

Now’s the time to evaluate the soil in your vegetable beds. Soil texture and richness are fundamental to your garden’s success and testing is something that should be done on a regular basis. Whether you’ve experienced specific problems, such as Tomato Blossom End Rot or you’ve been disappointed in your garden’s overall yields, it’s important to establish a baseline, to know how to proceed to improve your soil. You can do this yourself with a simple test kit or you can send a soil sample to Colorado State University's labs. Follow this link to learn how take and submit a sample for analysis: 

Once you’ve received your test results, bring the report in. We’ll help you choose the products you need to implement the changes they recommend.  

  



Foundational to soil quality and health is the practice of adding organic materials, called amendments. Common soil amendments include compost, peat moss and earthworm castings, but before you try digging in your garden make sure the ground is workable. A simple way to do this is to grab a handful of dirt and squeeze it. If it crumbles when you open your hand the soil is workable. If it stays in a clump, it’s too wet and you need to wait.  

  




In your perennial gardens, now is the time to prune back ornamental grasses. They do best if you cut them down to five or six inches above the ground.  

  



Other summer flowering shrubs such as Buddleia and flowering perennials should also be pruned now. Wait to prune spring blooming shrubs such as Lilac, Forsythia, Spirea until after they bloom.



Hold off pruning your roses until mid-April.  

  



  

This is also the time to prune Group 3 Clematis. These varieties bloom on new wood in late June into August. They should be cut back to a living bud at about 24" from the ground in spring just as the buds begin to swell. If you don't prune, the flowers will tend to be only up at the top of the plant and the bare stems will be unattractive below. When to prune Clematis can be tricky depending on the bloom time and variety. If you’re not sure, don’t prune.   

  



The same is true if you’re uncertain about the blooming habits of any of the shrubs and vines in your landscape, don’t prune until you’ve had time to observe each plant’s growth and bloom cycle or you’ve talked to one of our staff about pruning practices. 

  





Watch for perennial weeds that may have wintered over. Mallow, Groundsel and others can survive the harshest winter weather, and many are blooming right now. Dig them up or treat them with horticultural vinegar weed control.  

  

  


Starting your garden clean up now will mean fewer chores during planting season.   

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

The Keys to Growing Healthy Transplants

  


  

Caring for seedlings after germination includes providing the right conditions for optimal development. The three factors that will have the most influence on how well your seedlings grow and develop are light, water, and fertilizer.  

  



Seedlings need a consistent source of the right light and most of the time the light coming through a bright, sunny window isn’t going to be enough for your seedlings. They will tend to stretch and get thin and spindly looking for light.   

  

You have several choices when it comes to selecting a grow light including high-output T5s and LEDs. T5 fixtures tend to cost less initially, and the bulbs are replaceable. Select a T5 in the 6400K spectrum, for best seedling growth.  

  


LED options include 24” and 48” fixtures as well as bulbs. LED lights are brighter and more energy efficient than T5’s. 

  


Plan to run your grow lights fourteen to sixteen hours per day. It’s also important that your light setup is adjustable, so that you can raise the lights as your plants grow.




When your seedlings are small, place your lights five to six inches above the tops of the plants. As the seedlings grow and develop, adjust the lights up accordingly.




Fluorescent lights should be suspended 10 to 12 inches from your seedlings, LEDs 8 to 10 inches and incandescent bulbs 12 to 18 inches.   

  



In addition to a dependable light source, maintaining a consistent watering schedule is also important. Check your seedlings every day and keep the soil moist, not soggy. Don't use water that is too cold (or too hot). Fill up your watering can and let it set out overnight. That way the water will be at room temperature when you water your seedlings.   

  



To develop strong stems and root structures, your seedlings need to be fed. Begin fertilizing once your tomato and vegetable plants have 3-4 sets of true leaves. The first set of leaves to emerge are the cotyledons, sometimes referred to as ‘seed leaves”. They are not “true leaves”. The next set of leaves and all subsequent leaves are true leaves.   

  


Use a mild organic fertilizer with a balanced formula such as 2-2-2 or liquid Kelp. Liquid fertilizers are preferable at this stage because it’s less likely you’ll damage the seedling’s roots than if you used a granular starter fertilizer. Plan to fertilize your seedlings every 10 to 14 days.  Let your water sit out overnight to reach room temperature, before applying it.   

  


If you used a humidity dome for starting your seeds, now’s the time to take it off. Leaving the humidity dome in place can encourage fungus and mold to develop. Same is true of heat mats. Leaving heat mats in place can lead to bolting and weak stems. 

  


Seedlings, especially tomatoes, need air movement to develop strong stems. Place a small fan nearby to create air flow. The air movement will also help prevent fungal issues. In lieu of a fan, brush your seedlings with your hand a couple of times a day.  

  



One other important task is to give your seedlings plenty of room to grow by thinning out weak plants. This is especially important for tomato and pepper plant seedlings. Cut off the weakest seedling with a pair of sharp trimming scissors. Don’t attempt to pull it out of the pot. This will damage the root system of the seedling you’re trying to keep.  

  



Maintaining the right growing environment and supplying your seedlings with water and nutrients will help ensure the best quality plants for transplanting into the garden.