Gardener's Checklist January
Here are some jobs to keep you busy this month:
•Assemble your light unit for starting seedlings indoors. Purchase new bulbs, if necessary.
•Cut up your Christmas tree and use the branches as a mulch over perennials and around shrubs.
•Your live Christmas tree should be moved to a cool location for a week and then planted as soon as possible.
•Get caught up on your garden reading list. Cleveland Botanical Garden has an excellent library.
• Inspect stored bulbs. Discard those that are rotting.
•Salt on sidewalks and driveways can injure nearby lawns and plants. Try sawdust or sand instead. Cat litter also works well.
•Make plans for your spring and summer gardens.
•A visit to Rockefeller Park City Greenhouse will help you forget our gray, winter sky.
•Check out the new offerings from the mail order companies. Make sure plants are hardy for this area before ordering.
•Inspect perennial beds for heaved plants. Mulch them now; don't push them into the soil. Replant them in late March or early April.
•Provide food and water for the birds.
•Start forcing shrubs indoors the last part of the month.
•House plants and holiday gift plants should not be placed on top of the television. This location is too warm and too far from windows to provide adequate light in most homes. Check houseplants for insects such as mealybugs and scale.
•Limit traffic over frozen lawns.
•Check the germination of leftover seeds.
•Don't fertilize your houseplants during the winter months.
•Remove bagworms from evergreens.
•Buy yourself a new houseplant.
•Gently brush snow from the branches of trees and shrubs.
•Have the lawn mower and rototiller serviced.
•Sharpen your hand tools.
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Have a great month!
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Starting Seeds Indoors
For many home gardeners, it's fun to get a head start on the upcoming garden season by starting seedlings indoors. Growing quality seedlings indoors requires high quality seeds, a well-drained, disease-free growing medium, containers, proper temperature and moisture conditions, and adequate light. The growing medium should be porous and free of disease pathogens. Many commercially prepared soilless media are available.
Various containers can be used to germinate and grow transplants. Gardeners can purchase flats, trays, pots, compressed peat pellets, and other commercial products. Cut-off milk cartons or plastic jugs, paper cups, and egg cartons can also be used to start seeds. Previously used flats, trays, and pots should be cleaned and disinfected before use. Wash the containers in soapy water, then disinfect them in a solution of one part chlorine bleach and nine parts water. Best use of the space under your lights will be made by using the cell packs and trays available this month at garden centers. Use the trays without holes to hold the cell packs so the plants can be watered from the bottom.
For most vegetables and annual flowers, sow the seeds indoors 4 - 5 weeks before planting outdoors. After sowing the seeds, water the soil by placing warm water in the the tray that holds the cell packs. After the soil becomes saturated, pour off the standing water.
To insure a uniform moisture level during germination, cover the container with clear plastic wrap or place in a clear plastic bag. Poke a few holes in the plastic to allow for some air circulation. Set the container under your plant stand, but out of direct sunlight. Extremely high temperatures may develop if the covered container is set in direct sunlight. These high temperatures may adversely affect germination. A medium temperature of 70 to 75 F is adequate for the germination of most flowers and vegetables. Remove the plastic covering or bag as soon as germination occurs.
For best results, grow seedlings under fluorescent lights. It isn't necessary to have "grow lights" or a fancy light stand. A standard fluorescent shop fixture with two 40-watt tubes (one cool white and one warm white) works fine. The fluorescent lights should be no more than 2 - 3 inches above the plants. They should be lit at least 16 hours per day and can be left on continuously. Extension has directions for assembling a grow light stand.
Thoroughly water the seedlings when the soil surface becomes dry to the touch. Fertilize weekly with a one-quarter strength houseplant fertilizer.
This was adapted from information produced by Iowa State University.
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Cockroaches
You've probably heard the story about cockroaches surviving a nuclear war: we die but they live! This is supposed to make you feel better when you have trouble getting rid of these critters. So, the real truth: radiologists have found that humans can safely withstand a one-time exposure of 5 rems (A "rem" is the dosage of radiation that will cause a specific, measured amount of injury to human tissue). A lethal dose is 800 rems or more (people are exposed to about 16 rems during their lifetime).
Insect researchers have found that cockroaches can tolerate a much higher dose -- really higher! The lethal dose for the American cockroach is 67,500 rems and for the German cockroach it is between 90,000 and 105,000 rems (yikes!). In truth the amount of radiation that cockroaches can withstand is equivalent to that of a thermonuclear explosion. So, show a little respect the next time your chasing one through the kitchen with a spray can in your hand!
The source for this was Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
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Growing Apple Trees
Growing apples in a home orchard can be a fun and nutritious past-time. However, growing any type of fruit tree requires planning and maintenance for success. A sunny location and well- drained soil are essentials. It's best to prepare the planting site the year before, cultivating 10-12 inches deep and adding organic matter, such as compost, well-rotted manure, leaf humus, etc. Have the soil tested to see if adding lime or fertilizer will be necessary.
Most apple cultivars have flowers that are not self-fruitful. This means that the pollen from the same tree or another tree of the same cultivar will not pollinate the flowers, and therefore will not produce fruit. Always plant two different apple cultivars or an apple with a crabapple in order to produce fruit. Do be sure that both cultivars bloom at the same time so pollination can take place.
Dwarfing rootstocks have many advantages. The home orchardist can plant several trees of different cultivars in the same space that one or two standard trees would require. Dwarf trees usually do not get much over 10-12 feet tall at maturity. Dwarf trees tend to bear earlier with equal fruit size and quality as standard trees. There are many cultivars available suitable for the home orchard. These include Liberty, Empire, Melrose, Priscilla, McIntosh and Lodi.
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Testing Seed Germination
There is an easy way to determine if you need to buy new seeds or if last year's will be usable. Roll ten seeds from one package in a damp paper towel. Keep it moist by placing it in a plastic bag and warm. Check the towel in ten days to two weeks and count the number of seeds that have germinated. Be sure to give seeds that require longer periods of time for germination suitable time. If fewer than fifty percent of the seeds germinate, you should buy new seeds. If fifty percent germinate, then you can sow twice as many as you think is necessary, assuming you have enough to do that. A 70% germination rate is acceptable.
Stor seeds in your refrigerator in an airtight container.
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Purchasing Vegetable Seeds
As we pour through the seed catalogs and plan for this year's vegetable garden, some of the descriptive terms used may be unfamiliar. Let's review a few:
A hybrid is a plant that is the offspring of two plants with different characteristics. Hybrids are often more vigorous than either parent and usually contain a combination of desirable characteristics, such as early fruit set and some disease resistance.
The words open-pollinated or standard refer to nonhybrid plants. Heirloom plants are open-pollinated. If you're thinking about harvesting seeds from your crop to plant in the future, be sure to select open-pollinated varieties.
Mesclun is a mix of salad lettuces and greens that are grown as a cut-and-grow-again crop. Different mixes are available or you can make your own by mixing together a few of your favorite salad greens and sowing in one patch. Mesclun mixes usually contain a red and green lettuce, mustard greens, and arugula. Try adding curly cress, broccoli raab, and baby bok choy, too.
An indeterminate tomato plant is one that produces long vines. Training and staking this type of tomato is necessary. The tomato crop is produced over a long period up until frost.
A determinate tomato plant is one that has a bush type habit that may or may not require staking. No pruning of the vines should be done as this will reduce the harvest. Tomatoes usually ripen all at once.
An All-America Selection has outperformed other varieties in field tests across the country. The All-America Selection committee only looks at crops that can be easily grown from seed.
An inoculant is a bacterium that you add to bean and pea seeds to promote the plant's ability to fix nitrogen, that is, use nitrogen from the air to make proteins for the their own growth.
Pelleted seed is small seed that is coated to make it larger and easier to handle and plant. Pelleted carrot seeds are popular since this reduces the need to thin the seedlings.
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Storing Pesticides
Mike Weaver, coordinator of Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs, says properly storing pesticides can prevent accidental exposure and can prevent the creation of environmental problems that could potentially be expensive to solve.
"The first question I'd ask myself is do I really need to keep this stuff around," Weaver says. "Pesticides are toxic -- that's why we have them. They are designed to be harmful to pests. And they can be dangerous to humans if they aren't properly stored."
Ideally, no pesticides should be left over at the end of the season, but Weaver agrees such exact calculation of amounts to purchase aren't likely. He offers these suggestions on storing left-over pesticides:
■Store pesticides away from the home if possible and in a secure structure.
■Pesticides should be stored in their original containers with the labels intact.
■The storage location must be dry and in an area not prone to flooding. Check out the location, paying special attention to any possibility -- even a remote possibility -- that the pesticides could be washed into groundwater or into streams.
■Pesticides should not be stored in basements that are prone to flooding.
■Pesticide containers should be kept on a shelf and off the floor.
■Separate herbicides from other pesticides.
■Keep the containers out of the reach of children and pets. Ideally, the containers should be in a locked cabinet or locked room.
■The storage location should be heated. The winter cold can reduce the potency of the pesticide.
■Always keep an inventory of the pesticides you are storing. Keep this list up to date and in a separate, secure location.
The best way to dispose of pesticides is to use them up in accordance with label instructions. Homeowners should also check with their local governments to see if the locality has a program established to collect excess pesticides. Another option is to dispose of the remaining pesticides according to label instructions, Weaver says. Pesticides should never be dumped into storm drains or in areas where they can be washed into storm drains. Before disposing of pesticide containers, they should be triple-rinsed and holes should be poked in the bottoms.
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Gardening and Nutrition
Maybe Dennis the Menace would like carrots better if he helped Mr. Wilson with the gardening.
"Watching vegetables grow from seeds, can help make a wider variety of vegetables appealing to children," says Ann A. Hertzler, Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension specialist in foods and nutrition at Virginia Tech. "And most children do not eat enough vegetables each day. Help them discover vegetables other than french fries and lettuce."
A garden does not have to become a major project in order to make it fun and nutritious for a child. Carrots, leaf lettuce, spinach, radishes are just a few of the vegetables that can be grown in a relatively small area with little or no gardening experience.
Families with more space can let children try corn, tomatoes, squash, melons, peas, beans, or the larger root vegetables, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes. Those with no room to garden outside can let children try rooting a potato or an avocado seed in water. These will not produce food, but children can learn what type of plant produces the food. Growing herbs in pots on a patio or windowsill is another good choice for those without a lot of space for a garden.
"The main thing is to get children interested in eating a variety of vegetables," explains Hertzler. "What they enjoy early in life, they will continue to eat when they grow up, and garden-fresh vegetables and fruits are among the most delicious, nutritious, vitamin-rich foods available."
Even the youngest toddlers can select seeds from pictures on the packages and set the seeds in prepared soil. Older children can take responsibility for keeping their garden weeded and watered.
"Patience may be the hardest part for some children," says Hertzler. "Parents will need to explain that it takes time for a seed to germinate, the plant to grow, and the root or fruit to mature before little hands try to harvest their crops."
Young children enjoy getting their garden produce ready for the table. Preschoolers can tear spinach for salads and scrub carrots and radishes with a brush and running water and break broccoli and cauliflower into pieces. Older children can shell peas and snap beans.
"These are the tasks that require some patience from the parents," says Hertzler. "You need to accept some splashes and spills, some lost peas, or uneven pieces of beans, broccoli, and cauliflower. Why not make getting the vegetables ready for dinner an outdoor activity on hot afternoons? Let the children use the hose to wash the vegetables, have a good splash, and cool off."
Once mom or dad has sliced or diced the radishes, tomatoes, and peppers, why not let the children toss the salad? Or children can place the prepared fresh vegetables on an appetizer tray. "The idea is to make nutrition fun, and to get children interested in preparing and eating nutritious meals," says Hertzler.
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Disease Resistance in Plants
Gardening catalogs have been arriving daily. As you browse through them this winter, you might notice that some of the plant descriptions contain information about disease resistance or tolerance. The use of resistant or tolerant varieties is an inexpensive and easy means of controlling plant diseases in crops where such varieties are available. Their use can also help avoid or cut down on the use of pesticides for disease control.
The term resistance or tolerance does not mean that the plant is completely immune to disease. It refers to a plant's ability to overcome to some degree the effect of the pathogen. Also, no variety is resistant or tolerant to all diseases. For instance, the initials VF by a tomato variety indicates resistance to the fungal diseases Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt, but does not mean that the variety is also resistant to the common leaf diseases.
If you have had a particular disease problem on a crop in the past, check to see if resistance to this disease is available. Many catalogs clearly list information on resistance or tolerance to specific diseases.
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Plants for a Hummingbird Garden
Hummingbirds eat nectar, aphids, and small spiders. They like tubular shaped flowers and prefer orange and red flowers. Plants should be chosen that bloom for long periods and the site should be in full sun to promote the most blooms. Hummingbirds prefer single flowers as opposed to double forms. They are also territorial and will chase away other hummingbirds. If placing hanging feeders outside, place them at opposite ends of the garden if possible to reduce competition. The following is a partial list of plants that hummingbirds are attracted to: Red Buckeye, Columbine, Trumpet Creeper, Correl Bells, Hibiscus, Hostas, Daylilies, Red Hot Poker, Cardinal Flower, Japanese Honeysuckle, Monarda, Nicotiana, Petunias, and Salvias.
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Small Fruits for the Garden
The small fruits -- strawberries, raspberries, grapes, currants and so forth -- offer advantages over fruit trees for home culture. They require a minimum of space for the amount of fruit produced, and bear one or two years after planting. Also, pest control is typically easier than with most tree fruits.
Locate your small fruit planting in full sun, as close to your home as possible. Space in or near the vegetable garden is usually preferred. Select a site that is free from frost pockets; low, wet spots; and exposure to strong, prevailing winds. Small fruits thrive best in a fertile, sandy-loam soil high inorganic matter, but they will give good returns on average garden soil under adequate fertilization and good cultural practices.
For best results, small fruit plants should be set according to directions included with the plants or those available at Extension.
Special attention should be given to the selection of varieties. They must be adapted to our soil pH and climatic conditions. Be sure crops are hardy in your Zone. If possible, without sacrificing too much yield or quality, select varieties with the least insect and disease problems.
Obtain the best nursery stock available. Buy only from reputable nurserymen who guarantee their plants to be true to name, of high quality, and packed and shipped correctly. Beware of bargains. High prices do not necessarily mean high quality, but good, well- grown plants are not cheap.
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Firewood Insects
Fireplaces and woodburning stoves are very popular. Although wood, considered a renewable fuel resource, is relatively inexpensive, readily available, and can quickly warm a cold room, it can also serve as a home for certain nuisance insects and their relatives. Homeowners often become alarmed when sawdust is pushed out of the firewood, faint rustling or gnawing noises are heard, and insects emerge to crawl or fly within the house. For the most part, firewood insects are a nuisance by their presence and cause no harm to the home, household furnishings or humans.
Exclusion of these intruders involves proper storing and handling of the firewood. Store the wood in an open area as far away from the home as possible. Stack it loosely in a pile up off the ground. Cover the wood with plastic sheeting will keep it dry. Then, bring into the home only enough wood to be burned immediately.
If firewood insects still manage to find their way into your home, a broom and dustpan is the preferred control measure. Do not spray your firewood with any insecticide.
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Indoor Lighting for Houseplants
House plants are extremely popular indoor decorations. Attractive and constantly changing, they add a softness of line and provide a bit of nature indoors. However, the ideal location of a plant for decoration may not be the ideal spot for plant growth. Lack of adequate light is the most common factor limiting the growth of plants in many areas of the home or office. Supplemental electric lighting is usually the easiest and least expensive way to provide enough light for plants that do not receive adequate natural light.
Where plants receive little or no natural light, you must provide additional light from artificial sources. Many indoor gardeners use cool white fluorescent tubes. Warm white fluorescent tubes also seem fairly effective, but fluorescent tubes listed as white or daylight are less desirable for indoor plant growth.
Special fluorescent tubes are available for growing plants that more closely mimic sunlight. These are also much more expensive than cool white or warm white bulbs. Many home gardeners have found that these tubes can be used in combination with cool white tubes. Use one special plant-growing tube to each one or two cool white tubes. You can also try mixing equal numbers of cool white and warm white bulbs for even more economy. Be sure to choose 40 watt fluorescent bulbs.
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Starting a Community Garden
If you would like to join or start a community vegetable garden, you can call Ohio State University Extension's Urban Gardening Program at (216) 429-8200 to get more details of community gardens near you. OSU Extension offers workshops, Garden Leader training sessions, and individual site visits to help new gardens get started. OSU Extension also offers continuing training for existing community gardens.
The following are some basic steps to take if you want to start a community garden in your neighborhood, at your school or business, or at an organization in which you are involved.
1. Share your idea with others and find out who is interested in participating. There must be at least five people involved in the garden.
2. Find a suitable piece of land. It may be owned by your city or privately owned. In either case, you must have permission from the owner before you can use the land in any way. Call or visit your city's landbank to find out who owns the property in which you're interested. OSU Extension has information on evaluating a land to determine if it is suitable for gardening. You will need to have a soil sample analyzed as part of the application process. We'll direct you on how to do this.
3. Attend an Extension information session and find out the application deadline, and then hold your own meeting with all interested participants. Community gardening takes some organizing as a group to decide the details of the day-to-day operations of your garden. Each garden must have a Garden Leader who will be the main contact person. Extension has more details on the responsibilities of the Leader and ideas for setting up your garden. Each garden is created and managed by the people participating in it. However, you are not on your own, Extension staff will be happy to meet with your group to get it off to the best possible start.
4. Complete our application form and return it to the Extension office.
Community gardening provides so many benefits, not only for yourself, but for your community. As you work with neighbors to beautify your environment, you will begin new friendships and strengthen old ones. And, last but not least, you will enjoy a fresh and bountiful harvest of vegetables from June through October!
Call Urban Gardening at 216-429-8200 to get involved.
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Plants for a Butterfly Garden
Butterflies like large splashes of color massed together. The plants should be good nectar producers with a preference going to flowers with some kind of landing platform. Plants should be selected for a continuous bloom from spring through fall. This will entail a higher amount of maintenance for deadheading and cutting back to stimulate more blooms. Butterfly gardens should be placed in full sunlight to achieve the most blooms. There should be some kind of screening or shelter to protect the butterflies from buffeting winds. They also need shallow still pools of water, and the garden must be pesticide free. Larval food must also be provided and a tolerance of larval damage anticipated. The following partial list are of plants that attract adult butterflies and plants for feeding the larva.
Adult butterflies are attracted to Yarrow, Butterfly Weed, Butterfly Bush, Monarda, Joe-Pye Weed, Purple Coneflower, Heliotrope, Lantana, Lavender, Rudbeckia, Mexican Sunflower, and Sedums.
Larva feed on Pussytoes, Artemisia, Parsley, Dill, Fennel, and Rue.
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Dealing with Slippery Sidewalks
It's that time of year when walkways and driveways can become slippery with packed snow or sleet. Salt and commercial ice-melting compounds can eventually ruin a concrete surface and burn nearby trees, shrubs and lawn. Try coarse sawdust or cat litter on slippery areas. This will provide a relatively skid free surface without harming plants or concrete. And, if it gets tracked into the home, it's easy to pick up with a vacuum cleaner. Check with lumber yards and woodworkers or have some delivered with the next load of fireplace wood.
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Fungus Gnats
Although harmless to humans, fungus gnats can become a nuisance indoors when adults emerge en masse from potted plants containing damp soil rich in humus. Adults are attracted to lights and are often first noticed at windows, or when disturbed by watering when resting on the soil surface. African violets, cyclamens, poinsettias and foliage plants can be injured by the larvae feeding in high organic matter potting soils. Larvae not only feed on fungi and decaying organic matter, but on living plant tissue, particularly root hairs and small feeder roots. Plant symptoms may appear as sudden wilting, loss of vigor, poor growth, off-colored plants and foliage loss.
Always use sterile potting soil to prevent introduction of fungus gnats. Inspect plants you are purchasing or bring in from outdoors or a home greenhouse. If fungus gnats are present, allowing the soil to dry as much as possible between waterings and removing standing water in pots or trays, will usually bring the population under control. Remove all old plant material and debris in and around the home. Adults can also be controlled with yellow sticky traps. Use only labeled pesticides if absolutely necessary. Always read the label and follow directions and safety precautions.
For more information see the Fungus Gnats Factsheet.
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Pruning
Although it is common to see commercial orchardists pruning throughout the winter, this is a matter of practicality for them. The large number of trees forces growers to prune during freezing weather. For the backyard orchardist, however, it's best to wait until late February or March to prune.
Pruning during extremely cold weather can lead to considerable twig dieback due to the tree's inability to begin to heal pruning cuts when wood is frozen. Pruned twigs will die back farther, may dry out and crack, allowing for entry of disease-causing organisms and further dieback in the spring. Just be sure to accomplish pruning tasks before the first dormant oil spray is applied.
It is important, however, to prune out areas damaged by the disease Fire blight, which affects many apple and pear cultivars. This pruning of infected wood is most safely done during the dormant season. Pruning Fire blighted branches during the growing season requires disinfecting the pruners between each cut to prevent spread of the disease. Even in the dormant season, it is necessary to make the cut 8 to 10 inches below the affected portion, preferably back to an outward-growing branch.
Cankers can be cut out of trunks or large branches by removing dead tissue down to wood that appears healthy. The wound should be elongated with the grain of the wood and pointed at both ends to aid healing. For more details see Fire Blight of Apples and Pears.
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Hot Peppers
The pungency or heat of the hot pepper is due largely to a chemical called capsaicin. This is produced in glands in the area around the seeds. A subjective measure of chile heat, the Scoville Test, was invented by W. L. Scoville in 1912 and relies on trained tasters. A more objective measure of the amount of capsaicinoids present in chiles is measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.
People vary in their reaction to hot peppers. The heat sensation from the capsaicinoids results from the irritation of pain receptors. People who repeatedly consume hot peppers build up a tolerance to the capsaicinoids and can eat very hot foods without a reaction.
The hottest peppers are 'Habanero' and 'Scotch Bonnet.' They measure between 100,000 and 300,000 Scovilles. The popular 'Jalapeno' measures between 2,500 and 5,000.
Peppers offer a wide variety for our enjoyment. They are colorful, flavorful, ornamental, easy to grow, and nutritious. A green New Mexican chile pod contains three times the vitamin C of a Valencia orange and provides the minimum daily requirement. As green pods turn red, vitamin A content increases until they contain twice the vitamin A of a carrot. Hot peppers can cause burning when not handled carefully. Wear rubber gloves when working with them toprevent fingers from burning. Also, be sure not to touch your face, eyes, mouth, etc. during preparation because the capsaicin is easily transferred and causes a burning sensation wherever you contact.
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Kinds of Cockroaches
The American cockroach is the largest of the house-infesting roaches. They are most commonly found in restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, breweries, pet shops and other establishments where food is prepared or stored. They are often found in damp sewers and basements, in heating ducts under hospitals, and on the first floors of buildings. They can be transported into homes and apartments in boxes from infested establishments.
The brownbanded cockroach is more gregarious and more likely to be found in homes, hotels or apartments rather than commercial stores, restaurants or kitchens. These insects feed on starch materials (book sizing and wallpaper paste) and even nonfood materials such as nylon stockings. They prefer to hide in warm, elevated areas near the ceiling, behind wall decorations, pictures, loose wallpaper, in shower stalls, underneath chairs and tables, in closets, beneath or inside upholstered furniture, and in electrical appliances such as TV sets, stereos, radios and toasters. They develop and live throughout the building (especially bedrooms), making control difficult.
German cockroaches rank are the most common roaches found in homes, apartments, restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals, and other buildings where food is stored, prepared, or served. They eat food of all kinds and may hitchhike into the home on egg cartons, soft drink cartons, sacks of potatoes or onions, used furniture, beer cases, etc. These roaches will move from building to building during the warm summer months. They can develop into large populations and live throughout the home, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
Roaches can foul food, damage wallpaper, books and clothing, and produce an unpleasant odor. Some home owners are allergic to roaches, and the pests can contaminate food with certain bacterial diseases that result in food poisoning, dysentery, or diarrhea. Cockroach droppings can cause childhood asthma.
For more information on cockroaches and how to control them, see Extension Fact Sheet HYG-2159-96.
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Curling Rhododendron Leaves
The leaves of broad-leafed evergreens, like rhododendrons, azaleas, and mountain laurels, may be curling and drooping now. This is normal. As the temperature rises the leaves will unroll and go back to their normal angle on the stem. However, if the leaves remain rolled and drooping as the temperature rises, it indicates that the plant is desiccated. This can be avoided by watering the shrub until the ground freezes and mulching around the plant so that winds do not dry the soil. The antidesiccant sprays that are available do not seem to be effective. Wind-burned leaves should be picked off in the spring since they will not turn green again.
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Cleaning Houseplants
When dust and grease builds up on the leaves of houseplants, it can reduce the amount of light getting to the chlorophyll inside the leaves. This, in turn, reduces the plant's ability to produce food. Your dirty plant can be sprayed off in the sink, tub or shower. You can also swish the foliage of small plants around in a tub or basin of warm water to which a few drops of dishwashing detergent has been added. Put the pot in a plastic bag to secure the soil and prevent it from getting saturated with soapy water. Be sure to rinse the foliage thoroughly.
For larger plants, you may need to hand wash the foliage. Once the leaves are clean, do not apply leaf polish; it only clogs the leaf pores. If you're in the habit of wiping the leaves of your larger plants with a cloth, be aware that you may transfer plant disease spores from plant to plant in this manner.
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Purchasing and Maintaining Garden Tools
When you purchase tools, buy for quality rather than quantity. Your tools will be in frequent use throughout the garden season. Cheap tools tend to break or dull easily and may end up making a job unnecessarily difficult and frustrating. Quality tools will last and tend to increase in value with time if well kept. Tools should be lightweight for easy handling, but heavy enough to do the job properly. Metal parts should be of steel, which will stay sharp, keep its shape, and outlast an alloy. Individual tools differ on fine points. Consumer magazines and gardening publications frequently have articles showing the novice what to look for in tools and list alternatives to local hardware stores, which often carry a single line of tools. Several excellent books featuring garden tools have been published and may be available at the library.
Keeping a tool clean and sharp will increase its usefulness and lengthen its life. Learn the techniques of sharpening each tool and practice them frequently. Professional gardeners often carry sharpening stones or files while working and sharpen their tool after every hour or so of use. Clean your tools after each use. One effective method is to sink a small, but deep, box (with a removable cover to keep out rain) into the ground near your tool shed. Fill the box with sand and add used motor oil. At the end of the gardening day, remove clinging dirt from tools by plunging them into the oil sand several times. This will keep the tools cleaned and oiled and will help prevent rusting.
The last and, perhaps, the most important step in tool care is to put tools in their proper places. Tools left in the garden will rust and break and can be a safety hazard. Some gardeners paint tool handles a bright color to make them easier to spot. And, if each tool has its own place in the storage area, it is simple to determine if tools are missing before closing up.
Before winter sets in, sharpen tools, then coat metal parts lightly in oil and rub wooden handles with linseed oil.
Thoughtfully selected and cared for, your tools will give many years of service. This "extra help" in the garden will pay for itself in time.
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Turning the Compost Pile
Your backyard compost pile will benefit from turning now. The winter weather has probably resulted in a soggy pile that is more likely to rot rather than decompose properly.
Wait until we have several days when the temperature remains above 32 degrees. Then, turn over the pile, loosen and reshape it. This will help dry it out and improve the air circulation. This will cause it to thaw out more quickly in the spring and begin composting sooner than a pile that's left wet and compressed.
Why is this turning necessary? A soggy, compressed pile has lost its air circulation and this has promoted the growth of a different kind of bacteria that won't produce the rich organic humus. Instead, foul odors and slime will be the result.
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Brown Recluse Spider
The brown recluse spider, considered one of the most poisonous spiders, is not common in Ohio. It is found mainly in the southern and Midwestern states especially Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. To date, infested Ohio counties have had a history where this spider probably hitchhiked into the home in furniture, appliances, storage cartons, boxes, old clothes and other household goods. The brown recluse spider is not aggressive and normally bites only when crushed, handled or disturbed. It is aptly named since it is a reclusive creature seeking and preferring seclusion.
Some people have been bitten after sleeping in an unused bed after rolling over onto the spider or others after accidentally touching the spider when cleaning out undisturbed storage areas. Fatalities are rare, but bites are most dangerous to children, elderly and those in poor physical condition.
Adult brown recluse spiders are soft-bodied, yellowish-tan to dark brown, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and have long, delicate grayish to dark brown legs covered with short, dark hairs. The leg span is about the size of a half dollar. Distinguishing characteristics are the presence of three pairs of eyes arranged in a semicircle on the forepart of the head and a violin-shaped, dark marking immediately behind the semicircle of eyes with the neck of the violin pointing towards the bulbous abdomen.
This spider is most active at night when it comes out in search of food consisting of cockroaches and other small insects. During the day, time is spent in quiet, undisturbed places.
For more information, see the factsheet, Brown Recluse Spider .
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Cats and Catnip
Cats that love catnip are really fun to watch -- they'll dance all over just to get a whiff of the harmless feline treat.
Catnip is another word for catmint, an herb related to all the other kinds of mint plants around. When you touch or break a leaf of catnip, the smell of a special chemical called nepetalactone (knee-PET-ah-LACK-tone) escapes into the air.
The chemical gives catnip its distinct smell, and it affects the part of the cat's brain that controls behavior. Veterinarians think catnip is a lot like a hormone naturally produced by female cats when they are ready to find a mate. Catnip can make kitty roll on her back, be extra playful, purr more and beg to be petted -- all actions a girl cat uses to catch a boy cat's eye. Catnip, though, makes both male and female cats act goofy.
While fresh catnip or kitty toys stuffed with catnip drive some cats nuts, many cats lack the gene that causes interest in the special treat. Only about 50 percent of adult cats show any interest in catnip. Kittens never react to it.
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Herbals In Your Life: Garlic
Garlic is one of the most popular seasonings used in food preparation and third only to gingko biloba and ginseng in sales for 1997 as an herbal supplement.
This distinctive herb is a member of the lily family along with onions, leeks, and shallots. The bulb of the plant has been grown and used by people for centuries. It is believed to have originated in Central Asia about 5000 B.C.
It has been used all over the world for a wide range of conditions, ranging from scaring off vampires to chewing of it by Greek Olympian athletes. Today it is used primarily as an ingredient in food preparation, and by many individuals as an herbal supplement.
For more information, see Extension Fact Sheet HYG-1627-92 "Growing Garlic in the Home Garden." .
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Forcing Branches of Trees and Shrubs
Though spring is still several weeks away, impatient home gardeners can enjoy an early taste of spring by forcing cut branches of many spring-flowering trees and shrubs indoors. Forsythia, pussywillow, crabapple, serviceberry, magnolia, redbud, and fruit trees can be forced indoors during the winter months.
Forcing can be done as soon as the plant overcomes its dormancy (cold temperature) requirement. This may be as early as mid-January for forsythia and pussywillow. It's best to wait until early March for more difficult-to-force ornamentals.
When gathering plant material, select branches that are at least 12 inches long and contain numerous large, plump buds. (Flower buds are usually larger and rounder than leaf buds.) If possible, collect the branches on a warm, winter day. Set the branches in a tall container of water and place them in a dimly lighted, cool (60 to 65 degrees F) location. Spray or mist the branches several times a day to prevent the buds from drying out. Also, change the water in the container daily. When the flowers begin to open, move the branches to a bright room. Keep the branches out of direct sunlight and in a cool location to prolong the bloom period.
The time period required to force branches into bloom depends upon the plant species and the collection date. Forsythia and pussywillow generally take only 1 to 3 weeks to force. Magnolia branches may take 3 to 5 weeks. The closer it is to their outdoor flowering time, the less time it will take to force cut branches indoors.
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