Remember: Take time to enjoy your garden

By Dennis on April 22, 2010

Whether you are gardening for the flowers or for the freezer it is important to remember why you are doing it in the first place.  I know many times this time of year I get so caught up in the business of it all that i forget to really enjoy what is happening around me.  I have spent every spare minute in the garden with the kids digging, hoeing, planting, trying to get everything planted.  It has been fun and we should have a great garden this season (my onions are already coming up and my watermelons are germinating nicely.

However, that said, nature is in full bloom.  The dogwoods, red-buds, daffodils are all telling me Spring is here.  My wife jsut harvest some lilacs from the corner of the house and took them to a very appreciative mother who was having a rough day with three grand-kids.  All the while, I have not taken the time to get my camera out once this season.  Shame on me.

So, as a reminder to you.  take some time off.  Go enjoy your garden or at least take a look at what nature is growing for you down that path and just a little to the left.  and while your there, here’s some tips on how to get some winning photographs from a photography blog I subscribe to.

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Rose Tips for March

By Dennis on March 12, 2010

Recently, our name-sake, wrote a nice article on what we should be doing with roses this time of year.  Bear in mind that he lives in north central KY and adjust his advice for your particular growth zone you could be a month or two either way on his timing, but the advice is still valid. When it comes to rose information, there is none better.  Monty, thanks for the great read.

            Are you ready to get started for a new rose season?  Well it’s going to be here when the yellow forsythia blooms signal the growing temperatures are just right for rose roots to wake up and new growth to appear on your roses.

            Last month I wrote about pruning the stems of large roses (Hybrid, Grandiflora, Floribunda) by removing winter damaged stems (those that have a tan or dark pith) instead of a healthy cream color, even if you cut-back into the mulch or ground.  You should want the stored vigor and new growth to emerge from healthy tissue.  If the weather prediction for the next week or so is favorable (no freezes), pull back the mulch, feed with your favorite dry fertilizer (20-20-20) within the rose bed area but as far from the center of the rose bush as is possible.  Plants are like we humans; first of all they want to survive and secondly they want to propagate and produce seed.  If your roses are planted close together then the roots don’t have to reach out very far at all and all other things being equal they will tend to have fewer stems and blooms.
           
           This fact was presented to me by a farmer, Roy, who lives just outside Louisville.  He did most everything different or wrong from what I had learned that one should do to have good roses. He had 300 rose plants planted in three rows of 100 each.  Each rose within the beds were in a straight line 6’ apart.  Each bed was 12’ wide. The ground was bare of grass, weeds and mulch because he tilled the soil monthly adding the rose clippings and 20-20-20 dry fertilizer before doing so. The beds were intentionally lower than the surrounding ground area and he had no watering systems but natural rain.  The soil beneath the rose was heavy clay.  The roses flourished because the ground held the moisture really well. Because the porous fertilized soil was 3 to 6 feet on either side of the line of roses, the roots reached out three to six feet.  In doing so, each rose plant was humongous with twenty or more large stems and with 50 or more blooms.  I have not seen so many huge rose bushes.  Most of the plants were hybrid teas and grandifloras but the floribundas were spectacular covered with hundreds of blooms.  This was an experience I’ll never forget.
           
            Getting back now to your rose bed that is starting to grow.  Pull back the mulch on a cloudy day to prevent damage from the sun. A stream of water can help disengage the new growth from the mulch with less chance of breaking the tender new growth.  Should a frost or freeze be predicted, lightly recover with mulch.  Taller stems may be covered with cardboard boxes.  Do not use plastic covers.  They will do more harm than good.  If you do not cut back the old stems of roses before they leaf out in the early spring, just fertilize and let them grow.  The time to prune will be at the end of the first bloom cycle. Remove the leaves and stems of all growth that did not produce a bloom, appear damaged or are smaller than a pencil.  Removing up to 50 per cent of these non productive stems will cause significant new growth at the base of the plant.  The timing for this pruning will create new vigor and more stems and blooms for the rest of the year.

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Pine Bark Beetle Control with Monty’s Plant Food Products

By Dennis on February 24, 2010

The Pine Beetle continues to be a problem for residents across a broad swath of the country. Below is a control method that one ID arborist has used for the past several years for help controlling the pest for his customers.

Those who are now also dealing with the Emerald Ash Borer may also consider a similar treatment for their trees.  Though we have no evidence that this program will provide definitive results for the Ash Borer our experience with the Pine Beetle lead us to believe it may be worth a try in your area.

Monty’s Protocol for Treating Infested Trees
 
The following is a protocol which Drew Andrew developed in his business as an Arborist in Idaho over the past four years. This is the sole treatment he uses on his customers trees and woodlands. He does not use insecticides which require strict licensing requirements and can further harm the environment. While this treatment has not been validated by replicated academic trials, anecdotal evidence would support his success in a variety of settings.
Again, this treatment will not treat nor destroy the insects themselves but has shown promise in preventing attack and saving trees already infested with pine beetles. For complete treatment, we advise that you consult with an arborist, your local county extension or other professional for insecticides approved for use in your area for treatment of pine beetles.
 
As a rescue treatment follow the below guidelines two to three times per year. As a preventative, or to discourage re-infestation of previously affected trees apply annually in the spring as the trees break dormancy.
  • Prepare 18-24 ounces of Monty’s 2-15-15 Formula in 25 gallons of water in a spray tank suitable for spraying trees.  
  • Set PSI to 35 lbs of pressure on spray tank.  
  • Thoroughly saturate the trunk of the tree from the base to as high as you can reach. 
  • Spray mixture into any visible holes where possible. 
  • Combine bark treatment with a foliar application to the needles, or crown, of the tree when possible.

 For heavy infestations and if the tree is already showing significant signs of browning at the crown,combine all above steps with the following:

  • Root drench the above mixture with a deep feeder from the base of the tree to the edge of the drip line. 
  • Additionally, drill small ¼ inch holes into the trunk of the tree just past the outer bark layer and inject 1-2 ounces of solution per hole.

 Additional results may be noticed by adding 16 ounces of Monty’s Liquid Carbon or by using this as a tank-mix with your insecticide of choice.  Always read and follow label directions on any insecticide you may use.

A PDF of our full program and tech bulletin on pine beetle control is available by contacting Monty’s Plant Food Company.

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Spring is coming; time to prepare for the emerald ash borer

By Dennis on February 24, 2010

Below is an article released by the cooperative extension service of the University of KY.  The information is new for KY residents and maybe helpful to other states where the Emerald Ash Borer already exists, or for places where it may migrate this season.

If you suspect EAB infestation, you might consider using Monty’s products as part of a treatment program.   You can see a description of that treatment program here.   While we have no definitive evidence that this program will help with EAB control, our program has shown success in ID in control of Pine Bark Beetles and would tend to indicate at least some help may be available in preventing outbreaks on your property. 

LEXINGTON, Ky., (Feb. 24, 2010) – In 2009, the emerald ash borer

Macro image of Kentucky's newest resident, the Emerald Ash Borer

turned up in Kentucky. Bluegrass state residents knew they probably couldn’t dodge the bullet forever but still hoped to keep the devastating insect pest at bay for as long as possible.

“Now that the EAB is in Kentucky, it’s likely here to stay,” said Amy Fulcher, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture extension associate for nursery crops. “Entomologists anticipate that seedling ash trees in unmaintained areas in and near infested urban areas will sustain EAB populations.”

So with the emerald ash borer a seemingly permanent resident, Kentuckians must decide how to care for ash trees in home landscapes and municipalities. Fulcher and UK Consumer Horticulture Specialist Rick Durham believe that residents and city planners can help maintain healthy urban forests by removing ash trees and replacing them with other species or treating their existing trees to control the insect.

“It’s not too early to begin considering which strategy to pursue,” Durham said.

Durham said that landscape contractors and arborists often provide ash removal and replacement as well as emerald ash borer treatment services for preserving ash trees.

“You have to consider many factors before choosing an EAB management strategy,” he said. “The health, location and size of the ash tree will have an impact on the value of the tree.  A tree with mower or trimmer damage, existing pest damage, poor location (under power lines or too close to a structure), poor planting (too deep, nylon twine intact), previous topping, or dieback or other defects would be less valued than a tree with proper placement and healthy roots, trunk and branches.”

Fulcher added that a tree in poor health would be less able to take up the pesticide and thus, tree health will impact treatment success.

“Sentimental value, tree size, presence of other tree species and significance of an ash tree can also impact the value of the tree and will vary from person to person,” she said.

Ash Borer chambers just under the bark of an infected tree

Fulcher said trees larger than 22 inches in diameter often cannot take up sufficient quantities of pesticide to adequately protect the tree, although future products may make that possible.

“Large trees are expensive to remove and replace but also the most costly to protect,” she said. “Small ash trees are less expensive than larger trees to remove and replace but also the least expensive to treat. Because a small tree can be removed and replaced relatively inexpensively and eliminate the need for protracted EAB treatments, small trees are ideal candidates for removal and replacement.”

Durham said homeowners and landscapers can purchase replacement trees relatively inexpensively.

“The weak housing market and generally poor economy have led to decreased trees sales and, as a consequence, prices have substantially dropped,” he said. “These savings at the wholesale price level are often passed down to the consumer, which means homeowners are having an unprecedented opportunity to purchase trees inexpensively.”

Once a homeowner or landscaper makes the decision to replace an ash tree, it’s often difficult to choose what species will take its place. Fulcher emphasized that while it may seem easy to suggest a list of trees for possible replacement, landscapers should take care to ensure the replacement tree is right for the individual site.

“A local arborist or nursery professional can help you make this decision,” Fulcher said.  “Some things to consider include the potential mature height of the tree being planted, particular soil conditions (wet, dry, alkaline, heavy clay), whether or not you hope to grow grass under the tree, desired fall foliage color, or desired spring flowers.”

Fulcher recommended landscapers also consider whether the selected replacement has resistance to particular pests and keep in mind that the selection must be adapted for Kentucky’s climate. 

If the tree produces fruit, such as crabapples, consider whether it is a good match for the site. Crabapples planted near sidewalks and driveways may result in slippery surfaces once fruit begin to fall, she said. A brochure that lists acceptable street trees for Lexington can be found by entering the term “street tree” at http://www.lexingtonky.gov. City or county governments may have similar information available.

“When considering management strategies, be sure to ask for a Certified Arborist or a Kentucky Certified Nurseryman,” Durham added. “Ask about how the treatment will be applied, by drenching or injecting the tree; the consequences of each application technique and how long the pesticide application is expected to last. And, if your new replacement tree was grown in Kentucky, ask for the Kentucky Proud logo.”

Fulcher and Durham stressed that people need to remember not to move firewood that comes from ash trees. The Kentucky Nursery Inspectors emerald ash borer Web site http://www.pest.ca.uky.edu/ext/EAB/welcome.htmland UK Department of Entomology’s publication, Entfact 453, viewable at http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef453.asp, are excellent resources that address quarantine and other issues. Additional information prepared by a university-based consortium of states affected by emerald ash borer is available at http://www.emeraldashborer.info/index.cfm. Find information on native Kentucky trees that can be used as ash replacements at http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/kytreewebsite/.  

-30 –

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Gentlemen (and ladies) Start Your Engines

By Dennis on February 23, 2010

I have a confession to make.  I hate the sound of vacuum cleaners.  Don’t know what it is.  Maybe it is some fear from my childhood tied in to the fact that vacuuming the house was always my job, but if you want to chase me from a building, fire up the vacuum. 

Oddly, as much as I hate the sound of a vacuum I love the sound of a lawnmower.  Even at 6 am on Saturday Mornings that familiar putta-putta-putta of a mower engine gets me in a good mood.  I am waiting for these late winter clouds to dissipate so my neighbors and I can join the cacophony of spring time with our mower symphony.  Till then, all I can do is wait.

However to make usre your mower sings rather than sputters, check out this article from acreage life e- magazine.  It will guide you step by step on the maintenance that you need to do now, so you will be ready to assault those first few blades of grass.

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Pruning Roses for Winter Dormancy

By Dennis on February 3, 2010

Monty Justice Applies Liquid Carbon to his Roses

Want to know when to Prune your Roses?  Well me, too.  And when I need to know ANYTHING about roses, I check with Monty Justice.    He is one of the co-founders of Monty’s Plant Food Company, a frequent rose judge, columnist, and owner of his own rose care company. Oh, and did I mention that he is an octogenarian?!  So, when he speaks…I listen.

Here is his advice on pruning roses.  (note:  He lives in Kentucky.  You may need to modify your schedule slightly to accomodate your particular growth zone)  Just bear in mind that pruning should be done between the FIRST blooom cycle and before NEW SPRING growth appears.

In the fall, crowns and bud unions should be just below ground.  You can do what I call “pre-pruning” after a frost or temperatures in the 30 degree F. range before the plants are dormant.  Remove damaged, twiggy, crossover stems and foliage, a foot or more from the ground.  Also open up the congested middle by taking out one cane to the ground.  You can do this when temperatures are moderate.  Do nothing to the length of remaining stems or leaves.  Continue to add Monty’s 2-15-15 every time you spray.

 Before the soil warms and new growth begins, (March) do a final pruning – remaining leaves and buds, and tiny laterals at the top of each rose plant.  Seek a uniform height by shortening stems above five feet.

 Begin spraying with your accustomed fungicide and insecticide when the buds are pea size and or the “purplish-red” leaves are turning green.  Disease and insects will not attack until this change takes place.  Add one tablespoon of both vinegar and epsom salts plus one half teaspoon Monty’s 2-15-15 to each gallon of spray material.  No need to add a spreader sticker if Monty’s is added.  The humics in Monty’s takes the pesticides and nutrients into the plant effectively through the leaves and buffers the potential for burn or other damage. The vinegar acidifies the solution making the pesticides retain their viability for an extra day or two.

            Magnesium is significantly important and provides three specific benefits.  

  • It boosts the efficiency of photosynthesis and makes the process of turning sunshine into energy more effective. 
  • It also keeps the lower leaves darker green at least until they are shaded by the foliage above
  • It helps the plant metabolize other nutrients.

 Using the spray nozzle apply Monty’s Liquid Carbon soil conditioner on the rose bed four times at a rate of 2 ounces per 1,000 square feet.  Allow one month between each application for any source of water to take the humic material into the soil.  This treatment is most effective on clay soils.  Do not use if soil has already been conditioned more than six inches deep with compost etc.

 At the end of the first bloom cycle, (May-June) remove all lateral stems that did not bloom and cut back all canes to a desired thickness (one quarter inch).

             In summary, your larger plant size will have increased roots.  The abundance of leaves will increase the energy and vigor of the plant.  Removing a goodly percentage (25 to 40 percent) of the stem and foliage creates an imbalance between roots and the top growth.  This will result in increased vigor, new larger canes, and more blooms for the remaining season.

             Although I’ve not done this with Fortuniana rooted roses, I can see no reason it will not do as well as other root stock.

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Monty’s Program for Trees Helps Neighborhood Recover From Storm Damage

By Dennis on January 26, 2010

One of the benefits in moving into older, established neighborhoods are the mature trees that line the landscape.  One of the drawbacks to moving into older, established neighborhoods are the mature trees that line the landscape…especially when storms come.

The fall of ’08 brought windstorms to much of the country, one of those centered in Monty’s home-city of Louisville, KY.  The destruction was almost total in some areas, especially in the older parts of town where aging trees were toppled.  Trees, limbs and debris crashed through homes, downed power lines, and closed many businesses and parts of town including our own corporate headquarters.

The sun did come out again, after all, the sun does shine bright on our old Kentucky home.  When it did, the recovery began. So, too, did an experiment. An experiment conducted by our own Director of Compliance, David Chinn and Metro Government.  Metro governement was replanting trees where the destruction had been the most severe if the homeowners agreed to take care of the trees once they were planted.

Mr. Chinn agreed to care for the three sweet-gum trees in his neighborhood.  His own tree, and one in front of each of his neighbor’s homes. 

 The basic care consisted primarily of watering the trees. This was done by filling a treegator® as needed with 20 gallons of water which would then be slowly released so as to water each tree deeply. 

The only difference between the way the three trees were treated was that Chinn put three tablespoons of Monty’s 8-16-8 in his watering bag and not in the other two.  The trees were planted in mid-June and the pictures were taken on October 31st.  As you can tell from this picture, the tree stayed greener, longer into the fall, plus it is showing more new growth.

In this picture, you can see the dense nature of the new growth, the larger leaf size compared with the leaves on the older growth of the young tree and again, the darker foliage.  Trees tend to yellow from the top down, the fact that this one did not tends to indicate that the new growth had access to nutrients while forming that the lower branches did not.

The tree at his neighbor’s home has less dense growth and the leaf size is uniform.  Additionally, notice that the leaves are yellowing from the top/middle, down.

What you see above ground is evidence of what is happening below ground.  through Monty’s program should provide for better root development and help protect the tree and provide for better establishment and improved survival rate.

Louisville’s Metro Government has expressed great interest in the project and hopefully, soon, they will be using it across the board on all future replanting plans.  We’ll keep you posted.  In the meantime you can learn more about landscaping with Monty’s Products here.  As well as here. 

While Monty’s cannot prevent storms from coming or destruction form happening.  Hopefully our products will continue to be used by homeowners so that the effects do not last as long and once again the benefit of living in an older established neighborhood will be the mature, established trees.

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Garden Cheaply, Garden Well

By Dennis on January 18, 2010

Welcome to a Monday morning.  I am a little sore this morning from an unexpected opportunity to get out in the garden and lawn this weekend. It’s not too often that we get sunshine and 50+ degree weather in January in the mountains of East Tennessee.

This weekend I had the chance to compost and line out some of my flower beds, prune some bushes, etc.  But it was the composting that I wanted to talk to you about.

Free compost My kids and I unloaded this weekend. It recieved about 1.5 inches of rain over the weekend

Free compost My kids and I unloaded this weekend. It received about 1.5 inches of rain over the weekend

Many of you want to compost but you are afraid of the process, have heard horror stories or don’t have enough plant material to get your pile started.  For me,these reasons and the fact that I live in a neighborhood and don’t really have a place to establish the size pile I would need got me searching and asking questions.  The question I asked:  What does the city/county do with all of those leaves and Christmas trees they collect throughout the year?

The answer:  In many communities, they have established FREE compost areas.  In my community, they have a location about 5-10 miles or so outside of town where they take dump-truck load after dump-truck load and pile up the leaves in long rows.  The trees and limbs they pick up through the year are run through a chipper/shredder and blown onto the same piles.

There are rows that are three+ years old and some rows of fresh (this season) and everything in-between in various stage of decay.  The only thing it cost me was the gas to travel out there, and a few hours of work loading and unloading this free source of good quality compost.

When I used to live in Frankfort, KY they had a similar program but it was located in the heart of town so it was more accessible. This brings me to a couple of points to consider.  In many cases this is a ‘free’ or tax-subsidized program so its existence in your area may vary.  I had to call several agencies from city hall, county government, park and recreation department, and sanitation until I found someone who could tell me about it.  Strangely enough, none of these bureaucrats knew anything about it…they all told me that we did not have anything like that in our area.  It was not until I met one of the truck drivers for a leaf collection crew at McDonald’s that I got the answer I was looking for.  Point is, you are likely going to have to look for it to find it.  I have also discovered that some cities charge a nominal fee for the compost while others operate it as a completely free service.  Further, (especially in the free service areas) management of the piles can vary widely. So, know what you are looking for when you go pick it up so you can tell if it has been turned regularly, etc.

Like anything there are some things to consider:

Since these piles are created from leaf-collection services their focus is collection NOT creating perfect

This close-up of the compost after we had pile it around our dogwood tree shows the texture of the free compost and the fact that it was made of various materials which are in different stages of decay

This close-up of the compost after we had pile it around our dogwood tree shows the texture of the free compost and the fact that it was made of various materials which are in different stages of decay

mulch/compost.  Therefore, I had to sort out some various bits of pop bottles, plastic, wires, small scrap metal.  All in all though, I only sifted out enough garbage to fill a small plastic grocery bag so its a small price to pay.

The compost is made of various types of plant material with various acidic conditions like oak and pine so your pH levels can be all over the place.  Therefore, I recommend testing it with a pH meter.  I am taking mine to a friend this week to have it tested.  I will update you once I have the numbers. Plus any info I have on amending it as needed.

Some areas will have staff on hand with a front-end loader, others will not and you will have to load it yourself.  One area I am aware of, does not have a front end loader, but they don’t mind if you bring your own.  For just a few dollars you could probably hire a farmer to meet you out there and load it for you.  I used a pick-up truck to haul my mulch and it held three front-end loader scoops.  It took far longer to unload it than it did to load it.

I used a standard shovel to unload it and it took approximately 20 heaping shovel loads to fill my wheel-barrow.  That will give you an idea of the time and effort it will take if you are loading it by hand.

Bottom line,  this is a good, though not perfect, system for many of you to be able to access compost in volumes that most home-owners/gardeners could not.  This compost is similar to the quality you would have to pay $40+ per front-end loader scoopful at a retailer and it is free and readily available.  Additionally, it is a good use of material that, ten years ago, would have simply ended up in our landfills.  This is the essence of  Reduce Reuse Recycle and is an example of where it works efficiently and effectively.  For these reasons, and because I am always looking at ways to save money on my gardening projects, this is one I wholeheartedly support and recommend.  If you’ve got the time and the labor available and you don’t mind waking up sore on a Monday morning, do the research find the location and go get yourself some good, free compost.

We were able to get most of the compost spread in our flowerbeds and around our trees before the rains began. This pile is adjacent to our garden we will get it spread when the soil is dry enough to walk on. Hopefully we will be adding to it with another load of free compost next weekend, if the dry weather continues.

We were able to get most of the compost spread in our flowerbeds and around our trees before the rains began. This pile is adjacent to our garden we will get it spread when the soil is dry enough to walk on. Hopefully we will be adding to it with another load of free compost next weekend, if the dry weather continues.

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Build Your Own Home-made Automated Irrigation and Fertility Injection System for Under $50

By Dennis on January 17, 2010

Brent Coffee’s farm in Northern Arkansas is a testament togreen production techniques and the cost saving nature of what we used to call ‘southern ingenuity.’  Both he and his wife work full time and his job has him on the road through most of the summer.  He wants the benefits of his home garden but can’t always guarantee he will be home when his crops need to be watered or fertilized.  So, using a recycled chemical drum and some common parts, he built his own watering system that also applies Monty’s Liquid Fertilizer to his garden as it waters.

When we spoke Brent showed me how simple this is to build for under $50.  These applications of Liquid Fertilizer are the only nutrients the garden receives apart from what is available naturally through the compost-based raised beds.

 Home Irrigation and Automated Fertilizer for under $50

Learn how you can build a similar system by watching this video segment from Brent.

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Side by Side Demonstration by Home Gardener Shows Grapes Benefit Form Monty’s Liquid Fertilizers

By Dennis on January 15, 2010

Brent Coffee lives in Northern Arkansas, in the shadow of the ‘Show-Me State.’  Perhaps that is why he had to see for himself the difference that Monty’s Liquid Fertilizer can make.  On his family’s subsistence farm, he split his grape vines in half.  One half received Monty’s Liquid Fertilizer plus reduced traditional fertilizer; the other half only received his traditional fertility program.  As an added benefit, he was able to mix the Monty’s applications with his fungicide and insect treatments, saving him additional time.  For less than $8 he more than tripled his yield and the over-all quality of his grape crop. 

See his results and explanation here. Monty’s Side by Side Experiment on Grapes

Now convinced, Brent says next year the entire crop will receive the benefit of Monty’s Liquid Fertilizer.

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