NEIGHBORHOOD GARDEN FOR NOVEMBER 5, 2016
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GARDENING IN NOVEMBER PART 1
BY GEORGE EDGAR 1. Attract birds to the winter
landscape by feeding with a recommended mix for your area. Remember that
the mix must be for the birds that will over winter in your garden. In
the fall and spring we have migrations but very seldom in the winter.
Birds need
water to drink, to clean themselves, and also as a way to stay warm. So
keep your bird bath filled and use a birdbath de-icer or heater. You can
purchase one that you set in the bowl or I have one that has the heating
coils built into the bowl. Open water is a real bird magnet.
2. Increase humidity around houseplants
with a pebble tray or humidifier as soon as the heating season begins.
This will alleviate leaf drop and browning of the tips of many plants.
Be careful as high humidity can have a damaging effect on furniture.
Placing plants close together and using pebble trays usually is
the best. Kitchens and bathrooms with their steam and running water are
obvious spots to locate plants so they receive needed moisture from the
air. However, kitchens also have ovens and burners that give off
excessive heat and dry the moisture in the air. This frequent heating
and drying action can offset the advantages of evaporating water.
Spritzing the leaves of plants has some value but limited as
usually the water dries off the leaves in a very short time.
Also check your
houseplants for insects. I always spray my plants with insecticidal soap
before I bring them back into the house after a summer outside, and then
apply a systemic houseplant insecticide to the soil. One has Di-syston
as the active ingredient and must be applied every 30 days. Another with
Imadicloprid (Merit) needs to be applied every 60 days. The Di-syston
has some smell to it whereas the Merit does not and lasts longer. Plants
left inside all summer also need the systemic treatment. 3. Try forcing some extra bulbs
indoors for a splash of color in January and February. Now is the time
to get started. Paperwhites, Daffodils, Hyacinth, Tulips, and Crocus are
excellent bulbs for forcing inside in containers.
To mimic their natural dormancy period they will need six to ten
weeks of chilling (40 degrees F. or below) in a garage or porch but do
not freeze. Some put the bulbs in a refrigerator for 6 to 10 weeks. Do
not put in the freezer. Then bring out to a cool room (50-60 degrees F.)
and keep shaded for the first few days. Paperwhites and Daffodils do not
need a cold treatment. Your local County Extension Office and most
garden centers have information on forcing bulbs.
Also check with
your knowledgeable garden center specialist to see if they have on hand
bulbs that have already been cooled for forcing. Many have some that are
ready to go. Most of these are ready to be planted in a container and
may even be starting to sprout. Copyright 2016 |