Your April Garden Checklist

 

Brighten up your yard.  Plant all kinds of annual and perennial flowers for spring and summer color. Set out ground covers. Gazania, Iceplants, Hearts and Flowers, Ivy, Verbena and Australian Racer are some good choices. After planting, use a pre-emergent weed control. See our friendly sales associates for details.

 

Pretty but destructive.  Watch for skeletonizers on grape leaves. Adults are iridescent purple moths and the attractive caterpillars are striped blue and yellow (with stinging, irritating hairs). Untreated they will strip all the green from the leaves very quickly. Several generations a season may weaken or kill your vines. Treat with Bacillus Thuringensis (Bio Worm Killer or Thuricide) which will kill all kinds of caterpillars but won’t hurt anything else.

 

Apply mulches on the surface of your vegetable and flower beds and around trees and shrubs. It keeps the soil cool and helps moisture retention. Paydirt™ Planting Mix is an excellent choice for all mulching needs. Bark mulch is a good alternative in high wind areas.

Give lawns a workout to prepare them for the hot summer months. StarNote 820, Lawn Care and Maintenance Calendar, lists fertilizer choices (StarNote 825 for Southern Utah). Continue overseeding as needed and aerate the lawn every 2-3 years.

 

Vegetable tips.  Mulch tomatoes to conserve soil moisture and water deeply, but not every day, to encourage deep rooting and discourage blossom drop. Plant warm season vegetables like squash, peppers, beans, and melons. Plant hot season tomatoes like Heatwave which will continue to produce as temperatures climb. Feed monthly with Dr. Q’s® Vegetable & Tomato Food (6-10-6). 

For more information on monthly garden advice, check out Star Note #100

Fall Veggie Gardening 101 - Pssst... It's Easier Than You Think

Vegetables have been grown successfully in desert climates for many years. This is often a great surprise for gardeners that are new to the desert. Soil preparation is very important in producing crops here. For the home gardener a few basic rules apply:

•  Don’t try to garden in caliche or hard-pack clay! If you have an impermeable layer near the surface, build raised beds and fill them with a mixture of native soil and bagged organic material like Dr. Q’s Paydirt™ Planting Mix, or if you plan a larger garden try our pre-mixed landscape soil.
• Use the right fertilizers for what you’re trying to grow. Leaf crops need lots of nitrogen; root and fruit crops like carrots and peas need less nitrogen and more phosphorus and potassium. A Star Nursery sales associate can help you pick the right fertilizer. A good choice is Dr. Q’s® Tomato & Vegetable Food.
• When amending vegetable beds, a mix of no more than one-half organic material to the native soil will suffice. To keep the soil fresh and viable, add more organic material each time you plant a new crop. Add Dr. Q’s® Gold Dust Starter Fertilizer, according to package directions, a day or so before planting.

• Surface mulches help prevent weeds, conserve water and protect plant roots. Cedar Mulch will repel insects without the use of pesticides. Use them generously.
• Pests can often be controlled by hand and sprays of water from the hose. The biggest pest in winter vegetable gardens, besides aphids, is usually the cabbage looper, which can be safely controlled with organic sprays like Spinosad ® or equivalent bacillus thuringensis (BT) product. ALWAYS FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS.
• If your vegetable bed will be used again in the spring and summer, you may want to plan for some afternoon shade.

Here are some of the Vegetables For The Cool Season:

Beets (Dec through Jan– seed): Prefers sandy soil. Plant regularly for long harvest season. Harvest young; older beets tend to be woody.

Broccoli (Sep—seed; Oct thru Feb–transplants): Easy to grow; side shoots continue to produce long after the main head is harvested. Recovers well from extremely cold weather.

Brussels Sprouts (Sep-seed; Oct-transplants): Larger plant prefers good drainage. Pick cabbage-like heads when smaller than a golf ball. A single plant may yield 50-100 sprouts.

Cabbage & Kale (Sep to Nov—seed, and transplants):

Carrots (Sep.; Feb to May—seed): Choose short varieties unless you have excellent soil a foot or deeper, otherwise carrots will be distorted and stunted. Plant them often for fresh crops and harvest when young for best flavor. 

Cauliflower (Late July-seed; Feb, Oct-transplants): Similar to broccoli. Use large leaves at the base to cover over developing head to keep it white, or it will mature purple or green (but still tasty).

Collards & Mustard (All year—seed/ transplants): Different plants with similar appearance, taste, and culture. Choose “hot weather” varieties if available.

Lettuce (All year–seed/transplants): Leaf lettuce, like Black Seeded Simpson and Romaine, can be grown all year. Head lettuce can only be grown in the cooler parts of the year and is more difficult. Plant every two weeks for a good, regular crop–favorite food of loopers, snails, quail and neighborhood cats…

Onions, Dry (Oct to Mar–seed or sets): Thin early; harvest next year after the tops wither.

Onions, Green (Sep to June–seed or sets): Easy from sets; plant regularly for a continual crop of young, sweet onions. 

Peas (Nov; Feb—seed): Bush varieties are much easier to deal with. Try snap and sugar hybrids and choose heat resistant varieties if available. Prefer rich soil with excellent drainage.

Radish (All Year—seed): Gets pithy and hot fast, especially in poor soil. Plant small quantities every two weeks for a regular supply. Enrich soil for sweetest, mildest radishes.

Spinach (Sep to Oct; Feb—seed): Thin plants to 6 inches apart. Feed once during the season. Cut off at ground level to harvest, avoiding the extra grit that comes from pulling up the whole plant.

Tomato (Aug to Sep—transplants): Made possible by long desert growing season. Plant fast developing varieties like Early Girl for a late fall crop. May need to harvest green in late October or early November to prevent frost damage. Wrap in paper and store at room temperature. Will keep through most of the winter. Place in kitchen window when you want them—they’ll ripen in a few days.

Turnips & Rutabagas (Aug to Oct; Feb—seed): Grow turnips for a relatively quick crop; rutabagas if you want to store them. Both have tasty greens which can be sparingly harvested without hurting the developing bulb.

For More Information On Growing Cool Season Vegetables, Check Out Star Note #200.

5 Easy Maintenance Tips To Transition Into Fall

Summer's coming to an end and there's a to be done in the garden in preparation for the

cooler days ahead. 

These few basic chores will help you to maximize the time you spend outdoors whether you're planning on adding some trees and shrubs to your landscape or simply planning on dining and entertaining on the patio in the cool evenings. 

Reset sprinkler clocks to match requirements of the Southern Nevada Watering Authority Drought Watering Restrictions Guide if drought conditions are in effect. Get a copy from any Star Nursery. Inspect your irrigation system for correct water delivery to all plants.

Cool season vegetables.  Turn your vegetable beds and amend with organic material like Paydirt™ Planting Mix. Begin to plant cool season vegetables from transplants available at any of our stores. Sow seed directly in the ground to start carrots, radishes, lettuce, peas, onions or spinach. Feed monthly with Dr. Q’s® Tomato & Vegetable Food (6-10-6).

For More on Cool Weather Vegetables, Check Out Star Note #200.

Kill unwanted Bermuda grass that has appeared this summer. Use Remuda® or Round-up® for effective control. It’s your last chance to control before the dormant period sets in. Once dormant, Bermuda is unaffected by herbicides.

For More Information on Weed Identification and Control, Check Out Star Note #625.

Give fruit trees a final feeding with low nitrogen, high phosphorus fertilizer to stimulate fruit buds for next spring. Feed shrubs and trees with complete, organic-based fertilizers from the Dr. Q’s®fertilizer line to help them recover from summer stress and get ready for the winter.

For More On Fruit Trees, Check Out Star Note #500.

Clean and feed roses to bring them from the summer blahs to the fall color show. Prune dead wood, spindly twigs and lightly shape the bush. Remove and discard all old leaves and other debris to prevent insect and disease problems. Feed with Dr. Q’s® Rose & Flower Food (6-12-4) and enjoy the blooms. 

For More On Roses, Check Out Star Note #520.

For More Seasonal Gardening Information, Check Out Our Star Notes!

One Step To Healthier Plants, Better Soil And Less Water!

Would you like to have healthier plants, better soil and use less water? Regular use of mulches can give you all this and more.

What, exactly, is mulch? Mulch is organic or inorganic material that is used as a protective covering placed around plants to prevent evaporation of moisture, insulate roots, and prevent weed growth. It can be coarse or fine and even consist of rocks in some landscapes. “Compost” is mulch that had completed the composting (or decomposition) process. Mulch is for surface applications only, while compost can be used as a mulch or planting mix.

Regular use of mulch also helps drainage and improves the soil. Most mulches release natural humic acids when broken down by soil microbes. These acids neutralize alkali deposits frequently found in our native soils and make nutrients more readily available to plants. Mulch also cools the soil while reducing water use during the hot summer months. Some mulches like bark and rock are highly decorative in the landscape. Others can also be used as amendments to improve soil at planting time. Here are examples of the most common mulches normally used in our area:

Dr. Q’s®Paydirt™ Premium Planting Mix and Mulch is a peat moss based, a fully composted product with a small charge of long-lasting organic fertilizer added. It is free of sewer sludge and adds to soil structure, over time, when used as surface mulch. Best when applied as a 1 or 2-inch layer twice a year in spring and fall. Specially formulated for our tough desert soils, Paydirt™ is also the best soil amendment available! Mix it with landscape soil to get all your plants, flowers and vegetables off to the best possible start.

Humus Gro and Top Dressing are fully composted, humus-based products that give a rich color to the soil surface when used as mulch. They also break down naturally when used as surface mulches and release beneficial humic acids. These products can also be used as seed covers and soil amendments. Apply 1 or 2-inch layer in spring and fall to provide maximum benefit to plants.

Bark mulches insulate the soil from heat and cold as well as control evaporation. Coarse, medium and large bark mulches are especially useful in high-wind areas since they aren’t likely to blow around like fine-grained products. Apply a 2-inch layer around plants and in shrub beds. Do not mix bark mulches into the soil. They remove nitrogen during the composting process and can cause plant stress if used incorrectly. Scatter fertilizer on top of the bark when feeding your plants. It will speed composting while providing proper plant nutrition.

Bulk or bagged rock is a decorative landscape product that doubles as mulch by reducing evaporation from the soil in covered areas around desert shrubs, trees and cactus. Rock is normally applied in 1 to 2-inch layers. Since it is highly heat-reflective, be careful when using it around traditional plants. Leave a 2 or 3-foot circle around those plants and use bark or humus-based mulch instead. If using rock over a large surface area, keep in mind that sandstone rock decomposes into the soil rather quickly, while quartz rock does not.

Grass clippings and leaves are frequently used as mulches by the home gardener. If using these materials, do not mix them into the soil as they remove nitrogen while undergoing the natural composting process. This can cause severe plant stress. Consider building a composting bin (wire fencing works well). Add the leaves and clippings, sprinkle with a high nitrogen fertilizer like Ammonium Sulfate (21-0-0) or a commercial compost starter product. Water and turn the pile over every 2 weeks or so. You’ll have a fully composted mulch in about 6 weeks which will be fine to use around your flowers, trees, and shrubs.

For more information on keeping your plants healthy, check out Star Note 900A!

Stunning Herb Garden Ideas You'll Want to Steal

We recently visited the Herb Garden at the Cooperative Extension Botanical Gardens and took a tour of the many different varieties of herbs grown as a demonstration for what's possible in our desert climate.

Any misconceptions about

 growing herbs in a hot, dry place, would surely dissipate upon entering the herb garden courtyard that is maintained by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's Master Gardeners. 

The area is full of inspiration and is a perfect example of how careful placement and design can yield beautiful results.

This unique setting allows for morning sun and afternoon shade, ideal for growing herbs.

Interplanting of flowers allow for great pollinator activity and a thick layer of wood mulch on the ground suppresses weeds while holding moisture near the plants to conserve water. 

The are some fun and creative ways to use containers for growing herbs mixed into the garden.

A  potted bird bath is a double feature for growing Variegated Lemon Thyme while providing much-needed water for when our feathered friends come to visit.

 

A spiral support for potted herbs is a great idea for gardening in tight spaces, such as patios or balconies.

A short walk further into the demonstration garden, past the masses of Penstemon and the scent of Chocolate Flower, leads you to rows of various herbs surrounded by large shrubs of Lavender.

The Master Gardeners are growing several different varieties of Lavender in this area, as well as multiple varieties of other herbs like basil, oregano, and sage.

The garden was designed in such a way that no matter where you are standing, you are overwhelmed with the brilliant contrasts of foliage as well as an assortment of color from the flowers of annuals or perennials mixed with the flowers of the herbs themselves.

The addition of scent from the leaves of the herbs as well as the flowers is intoxicatingly fresh, leaving you with an overall sense of relaxation and well-being.

Herb gardening has many benefits that reach beyond the visual aesthetic of the plants, and with a little care, consideration, and planning, you can reap the many health and wellness rewards of having your own herb garden oasis.

Click here for more information on the Cooperative Extension Botanical Gardens or here for the UNCE Master Gardeners.

Don't forget to take a look at our Star Note #215 Growing Herbs In The Desert!

Here Are 5 Super Sweet Ways To Celebrate Mom!

Nothing warms a mother's heart more than a thoughtful and personal gift!

Here are some ideas that are sure to be a hit:

The Herb Garden

Give her the herb garden of her dreams in an assortment of pottery to suit her style. 

A Hanging Basket of Flowers

An easy way to dress up any outdoor space without taking up a lot of room.

A Succulent Planter

Succulents are so trendy and so easy to care for that it makes a perfect gift for even the not-so-green-thumbs!

Roses

Why not trade in your traditional gift of cut roses for roses that she can plant in her garden? 

A Houseplant

To elevate her style and air quality. Add a pretty decorative to give it your personal touch!

For more great Mother's Day Ideas, visit your local Star Nursery!