Artichoke Plant

May 19, 2017

Question: I have an artichoke plant; I have never seen it flower. It looks like I have an artichoke on the plant, don't plants have to flower in order to fruit?

Kelly

Lea County, NM

Answer:  Yes, you have a young artichoke plant that is maturing and coming into its flowering (fruit) process. On artichokes you are eating the terminal growing point, which is the vegetative head of the artichoke.  If this is left on the plant the artichoke itself becomes the terminal flower.  The green artichoke head is tight in the bud form and this bud is what is cut and eaten. Leaving the flowering head will dramatically change in a few days as the bud now expands and fills out inside with thousands of individual stamens/ovaries to bloom an electric brilliant blue flower. Each filament contained in the artichoke head will produce a seed, with a parachute end much like the dandelion seed head. As time goes by the flowering process will cease and the head will flatten out and begin to dry-out for seeds to be blown away.

Gold finches, purple-headed finches and some of the song sparrows will feast on the seeds if left on the plant. The head can be cut for dried flower arranging materials.

Artichokes will basal multiply creating side shoot plants and they will send up artichokes to eat and flower. The first artichokes of the year are the largest and then will be smaller on the side branches off the mother plant.

Let them bloom out. They are amazing in colors, they will attract attention from passerbies and they will want to know what alien flower you are growing.

Get out and grow something!

Dr. Dirt

Grass

March 14, 2017 

Question: I sent you a picture of my front yard and would like to know the best way to fill in the bare spots under the pecan tree.

Brad

Hobbs, NM

Recommendation: I needed more points of view to assess before I gave a workable solution or answer to the problem, and decided to make a house call to Brad's home. Irregular, dead spots were noted from the previous grass out to the edge of Bermuda grass in the sun. The area is under heavy shade during the summer from the pecan tree's canopy.

Yes, I do make house calls and follow-up contacts where needed. An irrigation system was in place and seemed to be working with adequate head spacing to cover the grass area.

Brad and I discussed some options, that being laying new fescue sod and cranking up the water for the grass. There is competition for nutrients and moisture from the pecan tree's roots and shrubbery in the foundation planting.

On further discussion, I had made recommendation to utilize St. Augustine grass in this area as another shade tolerant grass. Brad had a back yard of St. Augustine turf. As a simple fix to his gardening question I recommended to take 2-inch plugs from the existing St. Augustine and plant these plugs of turf into a checkerboard grid under the pecan tree. Plugging in grasses can be a quick fix in mending a turf problem area.

To fully establish the St. Augustine grass plugs, increase the watering time, put down a balanced turf fertilizer to stimulate the newly planted plugs. Add some compost over the plugs to hold soil moisture while runners establish and take root. Lastly, keep the new turf in-place mowed short to promote horizontal vegetative growth to fill in the bare spots. This area should be covered St. Augustine by mid-summer.

Get out and grow something!

Dr. Dirt

 

Mildew on Crepe Myrtle

March 1, 2017

Question: I am growing Crepe Myrtles in New Jersey, which is USDA zone 6, and it is tricky. I love my crepes. I’ve dealt with powdery mildew for the last 2-years. The mildew makes the buds not bloom and the tender foliage defoliates once it is on the leaves. I spray but it is an ongoing endeavor.

Toni
S. Orange, New Jersey 

Answer: Crepe Myrtles were once only considered for the southern climates. Gardeners have expanded their range to the northern climates and are having success growing the Crepe Myrtles. Hot, humid weather activates powdery mildew with a vengeance.

Control: Plant in full sun and find locations with good air movement. Crepes can tolerate light shade, but the denser the shade cover the powdery mildew will show-up. As the shade promotes the fungal spores to begin to grow with the humid air and the moisture evaporating from the tender growth and flowering buds at the terminal tips. Try moving them to more open air, full sun, and wind currents that would help lessen a moist growing environment for the mildew spores. It shows up as a white dusting on the young leaves and flowering bud shoots. It will not usually kill the Crepe Myrtle, but will be unsightly and cause major leaf drop. Over time repeated attacks can weaken the plant and you may lose a plant.

Since you are already spraying the Crepes you have try some of the newer fungicides for mildew control that are systemic in action, or medicine inside the plant. Contact your local nurseries or NJ County Extension office for an approved pesticide, being I am in New Mexico products vary from State to State.

A home remedy you might try out. One tablespoon of baking soda with a few drops of Ivory dish soap in a gallon of water. Stir the mix and treat the powdery mildew for 3 to 5 days until mildew is under control. This not a toxic chemical, spray will drip off affected areas.

Mildew Resistant Crepes: A few varieties to consider are Arapho –red, Dynamite, deep red, Natchez, white with cinnamon brown bark, and Strawberry Dazzle a dwarf 4-5-foot shrub strawberry in color.

Good luck on growing your Crepe Myrtles in New Jersey. Let me know if you find these recommendations helpful.

Dr. Dirt

Grow Crepe Myrtles from Seeds

February 3, 2017

Question: Can you grow Crepe Myrtles from seeds and if so, how do I do it? I have tons of seeds and I would like to try growing them.

Crazy for Crepes
Lea County, NM

Answer:

First: harvest the seedpods, which are actually berries once they begin to split open in the fall. Dry seeds completely, store seeds in air-tight containers for spring planting.

Propagation: Sow or press seeds into a moist potting mix in a 6-8 inch pot or seed flat with individual cells prepared with the potting mix. Add a thin layer of mix or milled peat moss over the seeds. Cover the pot with a plastic grow bag or a plastic lid that comes with the seed germinating trays. You are creating a mini- greenhouse environment. Move to a well-lit and warm location of a minimum temperature at 75 degrees. Do not put in full sunlight to much heat buildup. Crepe Myrtle seedlings will germinate in 2 to 3 weeks.

Control Recommendation: Watch your planting for drying out of the soil mix. Do not overwater or you will rot the seeds/seedlings.

Once seedlings have emerged, remove plastic tray top or open plastic bag partially. This is where you have to begin to wean or harden-off your newly emerged seedlings. If planted before Lea County’s last frost date of April 15th, you will have to treat these seedlings as an indoor houseplant. You would gradually acclimate them to the outdoors climate and conditions; ultimately being planted in a permanent landscape location. Increase the light level to prevent seedlings from stretching towards light sources. You want to strengthen the plants, turn pots and/or tray in light conditions. On warm days seedlings can go outside but keep out of hot sun rays, windy, drying conditions. Once outside and planted treat them tenderly and loving. They are new seedlings transplants just like tomatoes or peppers plant into a garden; they need proper care, protection from the elements to grow up into a flowering shrub.

Overall, the Crepe Myrtle seeds you plant out will only have a few actually germinate. So sow many seeds. Also understand that the natural pollination process may create a new color, different flower form, and plant characteristics than the parent crepe myrtle plant presents when grown to flowering maturity. 

Good luck growing Crepes from seed, let me know if you are successful. 

Dr. Dirt

Weed Identification

February 3, 2017

Question: What is the plant with long root, is it a weed or maybe a poppy? The creepy viney one is what I really need to get rid of...what is it?

Charmayne
Lea County, NM

Answer:  There are two specimens in the baggie of weeds from Charmayne’s yard, one is a poppy seedling with the long tap root. It is a flower and not necessarily a weed, just depends on where it is growing.

The other creeping weed is a winter annual known as 'Chickweed'. It is an aggressive ground cover weed and has a tendency to choke out turf when not controlled. It grows low to the ground and lawn mower blades usually do not cut much of the plant off. It has pale white flowers and produces 1,000's of fine dust like seeds. Chickweed likes a cool growing season, hence it’s a winter weed. It loves to grow in shade and moist to wet areas where it will mound up.

Control Recommendation: Two methods of control outside of hand pulling it. One is using a broadleaf weed herbicide. A second control measure would be the use of a pre-emergent herbicide that targets the germinating seedlings.

Post-emergent herbicides such as a 2,4D broadleaf spray will kill this weed effectively. Just be careful and read the directions of your herbicide product for application. Your poppy seedling submitted is considered a broadleaf plant, and this herbicide would kill your poppies too.

There are several Weed and Feed products that contain 2,4D Herbicide and a fertilizer in a dry granular product that will control the chickweed and other broadleaf weeds. READ the application label and use accordingly by not over applying these types of herbicides.

A pre-emergent herbicide applied in late fall will control 1,000's of seeds dropped by the parent plants. This herbicide affects the germinating process of ALL SEEDS including those in your flowerbeds. Suggested pre-emergents herbicides -- Surflan, Pendamethlin, Balan, Preen, Barricade, Snapshot, Amaze, Scott's and High Yield turf products at local garden centers. 

Dr. Dirt