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Extension Tips
Caladiums need generous amounts of water and fertilizer to continuously produce new leaves during the summer. Apply a light side-dressing of 5-10-15 fertilizer every two weeks. Water it in thoroughly to encourage bright-colored foliage. BRONZE BEGONIAS Bronze-leaved varieties of begonias do particularly well in full sun, keep the foliage dry, and provide good air circulation around the plants. Bt FOR WORMS Continue to use Bacillus thuringiensis for caterpillar pests such as imported cabbageworm. Follow the directions on the label. BULLY ROOTS Grass and other weeds' root systems are more aggressive than tomato plants' root systems. They will cause great stress in your garden. How many times have you seen your tomato wilted and the grass and weeds doing fine. CARDBOARD SHIELD A piece of corrugated cardboard such as the side from a box forms an effective and portable barrier to use when spraying a nonselective herbicide next to desired plants. By changing the angle of the cardboard, it's easy to spray weeds growing right up to the base of a desirable plant while shielding the stems, branches and leaves. Since some herbicide will get on the shield, the same side should always face the sprayer when moved from one place to another. CLEAN DIRT Leach container soils occasionally to remove any mineral salts accumulated from fertilizer and hard water. Brown leaf edges and crusting on the sides of clay pots are two indicators of a salt problem. To leach large containers, water until the soil is soaked, then allow water to run slowly from your hose in the pot for about 20 minutes. For small pots, water each container until it drains from the bottom holes. Wait a few minutes, then repeat. CUTTINGS Take stem cuttings of woody ornamentals and perennials in June. Collect seed of fire pinks, wild indigo and bleeding hearts, too. Fall bloomers that get too tall, such as chrysanthemum, can be cut back by about one-half now to reduce their fall height. DEADHEAD Remove old flower heads from bedding plants. This will make the plants bloom longer. DISINFECT PRUNERS Disinfect pruners between cuts when removing diseased tissue from plants. Most authorities recommend a 1-10 solution of bleach and water. But it can be cumbersome to carry a bucket of this mix about in the garden. The solution is corrosive, too, and must be rinsed from tools after use. You can also use a household disinfectant spray for this job. It won't damage tools and is much easier to carry. DIVIDE IRIS Divide and transplant bearded iris using the vigorous ends of the rhizomes. Discard the old center portion. Cut the leaves back to about 8 inches. |
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