Rain and gray, rain and gray … soaking spring weather and cold temperatures are thwarting garden plans all over Colorado. Be ready to plant those warm-season crops and flowers as soon as the ground dries out. We all hope it’ll happen soon, but the forecast is for more cool and rain.
WET LANDSCAPES
• The No. 1 rule of gardening is to never work in, plant in or walk on wet soil. It compacts soil, making it even harder for roots to establish and grow. It leads to clods or soil clumps that will be difficult to break up when they dry out. The long-term damage caused by working in wet soil is simply not worth getting the planting done sooner.
• Wet soil is often also cold soil. And warm-season vegetables — tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, corn, squash, beans, okra — and some ornamental annuals hate cold feet and won’t do well if planted into cold soil.
• It may take several days after the rain stops for soils to dry. Raised beds and containers usually dry out more quickly than in-ground garden areas.
• Here’s an easy test of whether your soil is dry enough: Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it. If it forms a solid ball, it’s too wet (or it’s really bad clay). Dry, ideal soil will be like cake crumbs falling through your fingers.
• Tend to existing plants until the soil dries and warms up. Keep your ready-to-transplant seedlings protected and out of the rain during the day and in a garage or shed if nights are in the 30s or low 40s. Check their moisture level daily and water as needed.
• If you’re growing fall-planted garlic, remove any wet mulch directly around the base of the plants only if the area can be accessed without stepping on wet soil. This helps prevent mold or slugs. When the area dries out, it’s OK to reapply a light mulch until harvest. .
• because it takes too long to break down and it makes it difficult to prepare the planting bed. Try dried grass clippings or leftover fall leaves, chopped fine, instead. More: www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/715.html#chips
WATER-STRESSED PLANTS
• Overly wet soils may cause plant root activity to slow or shut down. It’s all dependent on the plant’s tolerance to excessive moisture, the soil type (clay soil is slower to drain than sandy soil), and how long it remains wet.
• Water-stress symptoms include wilting, leaf yellowing or leaf drop, reduced growth and root rot.
• Hope for the best and wait and see how plants are doing when temperatures warm and soil dries.
• Plastic draped over hoops can reduce excessive moisture on vegetable plants. Be sure to still maintain good air circulation.
IN THE LANDSCAPE
• For call in a certified, trusted professional for pruning or removal. Go to isa-arbor.com or alcc.com to find certified arborists and other landscape pros.
• When things dry out, such as forsythia, quince and lilacs before they set next year’s buds.
• Again, once it dries out (someday!) it’s not too late to cut back last year’s spent growth or recent storm damage on perennials and Remove the old growth or broken stems so plants can grow and flower. Previously unsupported plants like peonies can be carefully propped up with a plant cage.
• Lawns are holding their own from all the moisture, so no need to water (turn sprinkler systems to “manual” or “off”). Stay on top of mowing and weed removal.
• Give the lawn a few days to dry out prior to core cultivation or aeration. This reduces thatch and supplies air to compacted soils. Fertilize or overseed (or both) right after aeration. Be sure not to use pre-emergent fertilizer when overseeding; pre-emergents work by keeping both weed and grass seeds from germinating.
• Fertilizers can be applied now until the July 1 on cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, fescues and ryegrass. Warm-season grasses — blue grama, Bermuda and buffalo grass — can be fertilized now and up to Aug. 1.
• Indoor plants can be slowly acclimated to being outdoors for the season when nights are consistently in the mid- 50s. Leave them out for a few hours each day in the shade and bring them back indoors at night. Gradually increase the time and light exposure over a week.
VEGETABLES AND HERBS
Once the soil is dry …
• Plant beans, basil, summer squash, melons, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant and tomatoes when nighttime temps are consistently above 55 degrees. You can use heat caps or floating row covers for protection when temperatures fall below 55.
• Purchased or homegrown transplants can become leggy, meaning they are tall or have wide spaces between sets of leaves. Get them off to a good start in the ground by cutting off two or three sets of stems and leaves and planting them low in the ground or container. If your in-ground planting bed is shallow, then plant them on their sides. Cover the entire plant with soil except for two or three sets of top leaves. Trench planting for tomatoes, peppers and eggplant ensures a strong root system and prevent wind from causing damage.
• Direct-seed quick-maturing cool-season crops including radish, spinach, beets and lettuce before extreme heat arrives.
• Try new herbs this year in containers or in the ground. Annual stevia is a natural sweetener; the leaves can be used in ice tea, ice cream or anything you wish to sweeten. Be careful, though; the leaves are strong, so taste and use to your preference. Just like basil, keep the plant from flowering for the best taste. Stevia likes hot, sunny weather and regular watering. It does not like wet feet. Leaves can be dried in the fall for use all winter.
MILLER MOTHS
• These annoying moths are showing up on their migration path to higher elevations. Their numbers fluctuate from year to year. At night, they dine on flowering plants including lilac, cotoneaster, spirea, cherries, raspberry and Russian olive. They hang out in dense shrubs and evergreens, but also cracks, cars and sheltered nooks near houses.
• In their caterpillar stage, they are eaten by birds and ground beetles. In their moth form, bats, birds and grizzly bears prey on them.
• To keep them out of your house, seal cracks and screens around windows and doors. Turn off unnecessary outdoor lighting at night or use non-attractive yellow lights. More:
Betty Cahill:
