It’s that time of the year when everybody want to get out into the yard and clean up after winter. It’s also the time of the year that we visit our local garden stores.
Walking through a garden store is a lot like walking down the midway at the county fair. There are sights, sounds, flashy objects, luring smells and carnival barkers trying to get out attention.
Me being me, I have some strong opinions of some of the things that are being sold to you, my gardening friend. Over the years I’ve touched on these things many times so today, as you are in the heat of the “gardening battle” I want to remind you of a few things to beware of or at least be wary of.
Mike McGroarty Speaking in Mentor, Ohio.
On May 6th, 2014 I will be doing a luncheon presentation about cloning your favorite plants. If you are local and would like to attend Contact the Skye Bistro in Mentor, Ohio for details and reservations.
Creating Your Own Flowering Trees!
But first I have two new posts that I (and the donkeys) just did this morning that you haven’t seen yet.
1. This one is about Training Flowering Shrubs into Beautiful flowering trees. Interesting stuff!
2. This one is about fixing trees that are not perfect when you get them.
Top Soil Buying Tips.
Right now a lot of home gardeners are ordering truck loads of topsoil for projects around the home. Not all topsoil is created equal. Some of it is really, poor but disguised to look better than it is. Here I Show You what to Look for when Buying Topsoil.
Which Mulch is Best for You?
Today you and I have a lot of options when it comes to buying mulch. In this Post I Help You Understand the Different Kinds of Mulches and How they Differ.
Weed Control Facts.
You can win the battle of the weeds and the more informed you are the better you will do in this battle and truly is a battle until you are completely in charge. Once you are in charge, controlling the weeds in your beds is a walk in the park! Read My Article about Weed Control Around Your House.
Weed Barrier Fabric and Me. (and you!)
I hate doing this! I absolutely hate telling you not to use a product that is sold in just about every garden store on the planet, but in my heart I feel that I have to give you a fair warning about this stuff. You look to me for advice and I would be completely negligent to not make you aware of my experiences with weed control fabric. After reading this article make sure you come back to this page and read the article about weed control if you haven’t done that yet. Me and Weed Control Fabric. We have a History Read the Article.
That’s it for now. Questions and comments? Post them below and I’ll be back!
Check this out. Make up to $93.60 in Just One Square Foot in Your Backyard.
Thanks so much for the much needed advise! Keep it coming, I need all the help I can get 🙂
Wild violets in my yard! Help!
Looking for ways to remove lichen from trees ( peach and crape myrtle, without harming plant
Claudia,
I don’t know that I can help. Is it causing harm to the trees?
My question is about my crepe myrtle. I have had it for 2 years. I live in Evansville IN. (The southern most tip of the west side of state before crossing the river to Kentucky.
My crepe myrtle shows no sign of life. Is it still early and I’m impatient, or did this hard winter kill it?
My 3 varieties of Lilac look so beautiful and my knock out roses are growing.
Your expert opinion is valued.
Thanks so much – keep on sharing your knowledge with us!!!
Sheryl,
You’re right on the border for Crepe Myrtle and this winter was trying. If the top died it might come back from the roots. This is how you test to see if a plant, or a branch on a plant has died. Just scratch the bark of your plants with your finger nail. If the tissue below the bark is green and firm your plants are fine. If the tissue is brown and mushy that part of the plant is dead.
Arlette,
The $47.00 product includes a book, 2 DVDs, two or three PDF reports and an Ecourse. http://www.1shoppingcart.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=B9510A91-DB35-4E54-AE02-F0A215F5D601&pid=232350143ac746ce8febc7176a11217d
Hi Mike, Love all your e-mails and would be delighted if I could have a copy of your gardening book. I received easy plant propagation and love it. Would love to have a copy of your gardening book,
one I saw on your gardening e-mails, for $47.00, If this is a book is available please let me know. I..Would love to have a copy. Thanks
Thank you Mike!!! I so agree about the lawn and garden fabric. I used what I had left this year to try and save plants from the long cold winter here in Alabama. It wasn’t even good for that. Oh well, I tried. Now I have to start all over. So back to the dirt I go. I do love it though. Just very sad that my 5 year old sago’s are sad looking. I don’t know if they will ever come back. I’ve done all I can do. Lost all my banana trees and bird of paradise. But was very unhappy with them anyway. I’ve had them nearly 10 years and they never bloomed. And believe me we’ve had some long hot summers down here.
Great post! I share this with my adult children for their lawns/gardens.
Question if you have time:I live in South Carolina.I want to do some air-layering(rooting) on muscadine grape,Fig,Grandaddy grey beard tree/shrub and some other shrub..Is this a good time of the year for this type of propagation?Does it even matter since the wounded vine/branch will still be connected to the mother plant for its support? I am not sure,Then I thought about you..O’yeah Mike will know this..Come straight into the house and got onto the computer..Mike,I know you are a bussy man.If you do not have time to respond its ok..thanks
Jack,
It might be a little early but you can try. The wood is really hard from last year and new growth is a bit too soft. In just about two weeks we will offer a device for air layering that works really well. I’ll let you know as soon as we can sell them.
Mike, I use your tips and hints religiously, and am in lockstep with you on the results. Have been using Pine Bark Mulch for two years now, and weeds are no longer the problem they were.
Being in the forest right off of a lake, my soil is basically 90% sand, 10% decomposed leaf material.
I have a large area, about 15′ by 50′ of leaves, about a foot deep that I use for creating compost that is now home to many earthworms that I occasionally take to add to the gardens all around the house. From the original 6 Scabiosa and Coreopsis plants planted 2 years ago, I now have over 70 obtained from dividing and transplanting, with about half of those now large enough that I’ll be dividing them.
Daffodils are so prolific in this soil that I have little to do for them except to thin out and transplant. Well over 1,000 of them. Forsythia are a little more difficult, yet I’m having great success propagating them. 18 Hydrangea cuttings beginning to sprout leaves.
I’ve now got 2 strawberry gardens, one inside my greenhouse, and one outside. Both have already ripening fruit. Garlic, Cilantro, Chives, Onions, and spinach about ready for harvest, radish about 2 weeks away for good sizes, broccoli and cauliflower coming along well, as are the early planted Russets. Just planted another garden of Russets and red potatoes. Asparagus plants doing well, will be next year harvest, and seedlings are now coming up. Lost the 2 cucumber seedlings due to an unexpected hard freeze 10 days ago, but the zucchini are doing great! My 3 heirloom tomato variety seedlings are ready for transplant, 14 in all, and the California Wonder Bell pepper seedlings will get transplanted into the garden next week. Hopefully, the 100 degree plus weather will hold off a bit this year. It decimated my harvest last year, was every day for almost 3 months straight.
If all goes well, I may start to sell some of the harvest this summer.
Mike, I owe it all to you and your continuing tips and tricks! THANK YOU!
Larry,
You are doing an awesome job! Keep up the good work, and as I always say, keep making those baby plants.
I have a lot of moss taking over my grass. Do you have any suggestions in how to kill it? Also, I have 3 lilac bushes which will not flower. Can you tell me what to do? I love your sight. Thank you for all the tips.
Carolyn,
The lawn probably needs some rejuvenation, some lime and maybe even more sunlight. You county extension office will help you with a soil test to see how much if any lime to apply.