SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 502 • March 2, 2019

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Welcome back! Here we are, back for our 14th season of Garden Time. We had a very quick three months off. That time was filled with contract signings with clients and TV stations. It looks like we are good to go for another two years! This year is especially exciting. We will have 40 weeks of shows instead of the usual 38 or 39. More garden info for you!

This spring we are faced with special challenges. The late cold snap has our plants having second thoughts about bursting out for their spring bloom, but it has also given us time to do that late season pruning, spraying and other prep. This week we cover some of the things you should do to get those roses and fruit trees ready for the coming spring and summer.

This week we featured...

Late Winter Asparagus

Late Winter Asparagus

Some people have tried asparagus in the past and have not had too much luck. Suzy from Portland Nursery (503-231-5050) told us that asparagus is a vegetable worth waiting for. It is also one of the first fresh vegetable crops that you can harvest in the spring. Then she gave us some tips for planting success. She used a variety called Jersey Knight which is made up of all male plants that will not go to seed, plus it yields a bigger crop. First, you dig a well-drained hole that is about a foot deep. That is the key…good drainage! Asparagus doesn’t like standing water. Amend the soil with compost and lime. The lime will help neutralize the soil chemistry since asparagus likes a soil that is not too acidic. Then, lightly cover the root with two inches of soil over the crown. When the plants get to be about a foot tall you fill in the rest of the hole. Don’t harvest the first year. Lightly harvest the second year and cut all you want the 3rd year. The reason for the patience is that the plant will produce a good crop for up to 20 years after that, so pick your growing spot carefully!

Little Prince Indoor Succulents

Little Prince Indoor Succulents

Succulents are a very popular plant for the garden and the home. One of the best growers of succulents is Little Prince of Oregon. We stopped by to learn about some of their newest varieties and we found their grower, Mike Hicks, in one of their new propagation houses. This is where they grow their small plant cuttings into those beautiful larger plants you find at your local garden center. This new greenhouse is one of a group of houses they have added. The most important part of these new houses was not on the ground, but over our heads. They had new state of the art LED lights that gave off a pinkish glow. These lights are heavy in the blue and red spectrum of colors and that helps the plants grow faster! A small plant will actually be 2-3 weeks ahead of a similar plant grown under the old lights. Faster growth and stronger plants means a better plant for you!

We were able to see that when we moved over to talk to Joan about their new succulents called ‘Planter Poppers’. These little plants are great for building a wonderful container that you can set up indoors at your home. We also saw that they had some already planted up, so you don’t have to do any work at all. Joan then took three different little Planter Poppers and built her own container. The plants she used were, Senecio rowleyanus ‘String of Pearls’, Echeveria ‘Topsy Turvy’ and Peperomia ‘Happy Bean’. She was using a well-drained, loose soil to plant in and she told us that after the initial watering and the plant establishing, we shouldn’t need to water very much. Every 3 weeks or so for most of the succulents. These plants are a little tender though, and should stay indoors until the night time temps are above 40 degrees. Then you can move them outside for the summer and enjoy them! If you are wondering where to find these great plants you can go to the Little Prince website and use their ‘locater’ function to find the garden center near you. Try a Little Prince ‘Popper’ today!

Winter Fruit Tree Pruning

Winter Fruit Tree Pruning

Now is the perfect time to prune your fruit trees. We caught up with John from Bartlett Tree Experts (503-72ARBOR, 503-722-7267) as he was pruning an apple tree at Rogerson Clematis Garden, to get some tips for the home gardener. The first thing he told us was to make sure that we know what type of tree we are pruning. First there are the ‘stone fruits’ which include cherries, peaches and plums. Then there are the ‘pome fruits’ which are apples, pears and Asian pears. The type of pruning you do depends on the type of fruit you have. Apple trees fruit on 3 year old wood or older, on what are called fruiting spurs. These are tiny spurs on the smaller branches of the tree and look like tiny wrinkled buds. You don’t want to prune out too much of the old wood because you are cutting away part of your harvest. You do want to cut out the suckers or ‘water sprouts’ that are usually growing straight up from the limbs and look like new, smooth growth. You can thin these out and shorten the long branches to reduce the risk of too much weight on the end of your branches when they fruit. You are also looking to prune for shape and ease of harvesting. A shorter tree will make it easier to get that delicious fruit later this summer. The key to good fruit production is light and if you prune out a lot of the unproductive wood you will allow light to get to the branches where your fruit is growing. Don’t prune your tree only at the bottom and at the top. A very productive tree will be evenly pruned through the entire tree. If you feel overwhelmed you can always call Bartlett Tree Experts.

Hybrid Tea Rose Pruning

Hybrid Tea Rose Pruning

Rose pruning time is here. Yes, we know that it is really cold and that snow is still falling around our area on certain days, but if you look you will see new growth starting on your old canes and so now is the time to really do some cutting so your plants will give you the best blooms in just a few months. We took a trip up to the International Rose Test Garden at Washington Park to talk to rose curator Rachel Burlington about how they cut the hundreds of roses in the garden. Most people will tell you that you need to cut your roses by the middle of February, usually around Presidents Day, but you can put off the cutting until mid-March if necessary. In the past we have had experts tell you to cut to an outside bud and to clean out the center of the plant to help with airflow, but at the Rose Garden they just cut back all the stems to the same height. They cut away all the small canes, anything smaller than a pencil and they leave the rest. The feeling is that if you have more canes, you have more flowers! In fact some studies have shown that this type of pruning is actually about the same for the health of your plant as the old style of cutting. It is hard to argue with the wonderful display of blooms that they get up at the Garden during the spring and summer! The only thing that we recommend not doing this time of year is fertilizing. You’ll want to wait until mid- April to do that.

Dormant Tree Spraying

Dormant Tree Spraying

If you have fruit trees, now is the time to dormant spray before they start to flower. Dormant spraying will help control insects and diseases during the coming growing season. William and Judy showed you the type of spray you can use. William used an All Seasons Horticulture Spray from Bonide. This is a spray that is all natural and will smother insect eggs, preventing problems before they start. You can spray now before the flower buds open. Once the flowers are open you can let the pollinators go to work and get your tree pollinated. Once the fruit has formed you can spray again to prevent any other problems. Another product is the Bon-Neem product. This is also all natural and can be sprayed up to the time of harvest. It will also help control fungus and mites too. These products are available at your local independent garden center. Your local garden center is also where you can get all your pest questions answered.
 

 
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