SPRING All Winter Long.
That about sums up our winter this year. We had a little frost back in November and it
has been warm ever since. Some gardens
are already seeing their rye grass die off and Bermuda begin to take hold. We suggest sneaking in a few spring-like
garden activities before summer settles in.
WATER IS MEASURED IN GALLONS, NOT TIME.
Water, water, water. All we ever talk about is WATER. Despite the frequent subject matter, there
are still those gardens who fall victim to water abuse. FREQUENT, BRIEF, DAILY WATER is the WORST
THING you can do for your garden; period.
It creates shallow roots fooling plant material into craving more water.
Soil holds onto moisture at deeper levels. Plants become more sustainable when roots are
allowed to seek water deep below the soil level. Temperatures may rise in the spring but there
is no need to water established gardens more than every other day. (Daily water isn’t necessary until well into
May.) You can manually add a water time
anytime if it gets warm one day---but you cannot take it away. Know your irrigation style; is it sprinkler or
drip? Adjustable drip heads or drip
emitters? It makes a difference when it
comes to duration of water times. Choose
one irrigation style or the other but DO NOT combine both. Visit Moller’s for more clarification.
Sprinkler controllers tell time too......did you remember to
reset the time on your irrigation time clock?
This is a good time to check your time clock’s back-up battery as
well. The Appropriate Watering Rule Book
requires you water early in the day when water does the most good...roots soak
up water in the morning and use it throughout the day. Early water times enable roots to dry out
before the next application of water.
FERTILIZE This is a great
opportunity to fertilize any and everything in the garden. Use the right tool for the job -- rose food
on roses, all-purpose fertilizer for shrubs and trees and so on. We like the organics from Dr. Earth and
Foxfarm. Hibiscus will bloom prolifically
with Dr. Earth Acid Lovers fertilizer. Cactus
and succulents benefit from Dr. Earth All Purpose fertilizer. They do not require feeding as often as other
plant material but Spring is thee time to feed cactus and succulents to ensure
healthy growth.
AVOID BAD HAIRCUTS Spring pruning is most beneficial when
seeking to create beautiful, natural shapes in the garden. We are not talking about the strange,
geometric circles and squares we see abused plants reduced to. Gently lace out shrubs and open up trees to
create a natural growth pattern as we head into the warmer months. It is important to have clean, well sharpened
tools to work with. Scale, mealy bug and
spider mite can transfer from plant to plant through contact from hands, gloves
and pruning shears. Treat yourself to a
new pair of quality hand pruners or tree loppers. Moller’s carries Felco and Corona gardening
tools. It makes a difference!
Stock up on gloves, hand trowels and espalier material while you
are at it. Espalier—to train to grow flat against a wall. Vines are meant to be attached to the wall,
not on wooden trellises. Redwood just
doesn’t hold up well in the desert. We
stock metal trellises, galvanized wire and anchor kits. Not sure what espalier style you want to use
or how to do it properly? This too is
important, especially in our windy weather.
We are here to answer questions.
PESTS Garden pests did
not ‘fly north’ this winter; there has been no cold weather to deter them this
year. Did you know that ants are a
secondary sign of a primary infestation?
They feed on scale, aphids and mealy bug; ants do not feed on
plants. Even the most seasoned gardener
can fall prey to scale, mites and leaf minor.
These pests are not always in plain sight so it is important to examine
plants thoroughly. Check roses for rose chafers and powdery mildew though we
are at the tail end of the season for these particular problems. Use Bonide Rose Rx 3 in 1 ready-to-use
treatment to rid roses of these pesky pests.
New growth is prime real estate for all opportunistic pests. Citrus trees may show signs of thrip as the
weather warms up. It is more cosmetic than
harmful; you can treat it as long as you are careful not to knock off new fruit
when you spray. The same holds true for
leaf minor. Captain Jack’s spinosad
spray is the best option for the problem.
DO NOT USE SYSTEMIC PESTICIDES on your citrus trees or any other food
crop.
Bougainvillea have problems with looper; an inch worm variety that causes
foliage to appear scalloped and can result in defoliation. These symptoms are tricky and may look like
something else entirely. Fear not, bring
us a leaf sample and we will help diagnose the problem. Captain Jack’s with spinosad comes once
again to the rescue. Soon scoop-like
chunks of foliage will disappear from the bougainvillea; remember this is due
to the nesting Cutter Bee. It’s a ‘nature’
thing, there is no treatment. Mother
Nature always wins.
Tiny holes begin to appear on vegetables, flowers and other new
foliage though you may not always see the culprit. Worms are active in the cool of the night. We suggest Monterey Bt Ready-to-Use. It is quick, easy and organic. It will safely stop these unwelcome guests
from eating herbs, flowers and vegetables before you can enjoy them. It is important to remember you may ONLY use
organic pest controls on food items.
Live to garden another day!
WIND AND DUST Proper pruning
will help prevent wind damage to trees when wind is able to move through
foliage rather than around it. Think of
a tennis racket vs. a paddle. The air
passes through a well maintained tree. Dust
on plant material is a huge issue as it creates welcome growing grounds for
pests like scale, red spider mite and mealy bug. It is a good practice to occasionally rinse
off plant material so these pests have one less reason to move in.
Sometimes dust is dust and sometimes it is spider mite. Red spider mite is tough to control and
already quite active in the desert.
Keeping plants clean is the best deterrent. We suggest Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 Insect
Disease and Mite Control for particularly stubborn mites. This treatment has residual effects to help
stay off the beasts. As with any
stubborn pest, the garden may require more than one application. It is always important to follow the
instructions on the packaging. This
product is NOT organic and therefore NOT FOOD SAFE. Live to garden another day…..
This is the optimum occasion for planting permanents in your
garden. Shrubs, trees, roses, perennials,
cactus, drought tolerant material, palms and almost anything else we have
forgotten. It’s also a great time to
transplant material you might like to see in a different location as well. Keep in mind exposure as you choose the new
location. Plants that have spent all
winter in the shade might not be so happy if moved to a full sun or afternoon
sun site. It’s planting season; the
garden is open! And so is Moller’s
Garden Center.
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