Celebrate Arbor Day in 2013

Pink-flowered dogwood

   In Mississippi, Arbor Day is celebrated on the second Friday in February each year. This year it is on February 8. Arbor Day is a day set aside to remind us to plant trees and to appreciate all of the great things trees do for us.

   You might not consider trees that important. Who needs to rake up all of those leaves any-way? But, trees are espe-cially important in urban and suburban areas for a variety of reasons.

   Most of us would agree that Mississippi summers are too hot to begin with, but urban areas in particu-lar, are heat traps. Buildings, streets, and parking lots absorb and hold heat from the sun, causing these areas to be several degrees warmer than the sur-rounding countryside.

   Trees moderate this by intercepting the sunlight. The air temperature under tree canopies is six to ten degrees cooler than outside it. Overall, this helps to moderate tempera-tures in urban areas. Properly placed trees which shade your house can cut your air conditioning bill anywhere from 10 percent to 50 per-cent during the summer.

   Trees help out with air pollution also. The leaf surfaces of trees trap and filter out dust, pollen, and other particles in the air. Trees help supply the oxygen we need to breathe as well as use the car-bon dioxide that we exhale and that factories and engines emit.

   Trees stabilize the soil and prevent erosion, cut down on noise pollution by act-ing as barriers to sound, hide unattractive views, and provide food and shelter for urban wildlife. Trees also contribute great-ly to beautification, increase property values and shade our outdoor living areas in the summer. Fruit and nut trees can also be used in the landscape even provide something to eat.

    When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago! The next bet time is this Arbor Day. Your home and community and this state will benefit from them.

    Always remember to plant the ‘right tree in the right place!’

Grow Your Own Vegetable Transplants

         Truly dedicated gardener will grow their own transplants for their vegetable garden.  By doing so you can have the cultivars they want and have them at the proper planting time. 

Seeds of cole crops, such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, will germinate satisfactorily in cool soils (temperatures from 45 to 50 degrees). But they germinate more quickly at higher soil temperatures.  After germination, grow plants at 70 degrees to 80 degrees for 6 to 8 weeks for best results.

 Recommended varieties of cabbage include: Bravo, Solid Blue 870, Gourmet, Cheers, Vantage, Fortuna, A&C #5 and Rio Verde.  Best broccoli variety for the spring is Packman.  You need fast maturing cauliflower varieties for a spring crop so try Snow King, Snow Crown, or Majestic.

Tomato, pepper, and eggplant seeds germinate best at soil temperatures of 65 degrees to 75 degrees.  Grow transplants at 65 degrees to 75 degrees during the day and 60 degrees to 65 degrees at night for 6 to 8 weeks this time of year. Temperatures much lower than this will slow, and possibly stunt, peppers and eggplants.

There are lots of tomato varieties you can grow but be sure to include some with tomato spotted wilt resistance (TSWV) such as Amelia, Crista, or Bella Rosa.  Stilleto, Heritage, Excursion II, and Declaration are TSWV resistant bell peppers. 

Fairty Tale Eggplant

 

 For eggplants try the classic Black Beauty or Ichiban.  Even better, experiment with some of the new, smaller varieties such as Ghostbuster (white), Hansel, Gretel (white), or Fairy Tale (miniature fruit with white with violet streaks)

A common problem in home production of transplants is not having enough light to develop a stocky transplant.  To be successful you need a well-light window on or ‘grow lights’.  Provide full sunlight all day when seedlings first appear.  If light levels are low, keep plants cooler and drier.

 

If you have extra seeds do not worry,  put then in a sealed container in the bottom of the refrigerator or in the freezer and the will last several years.  I am still planting some tomato seds I have had since 1984!

        

Time to take down the Christmas tree

      Christmas is over and you need to take down your Christmas tree. If your Christmas tree comes out of a box, you can put it back in the box until next year. But if you have a live tree, please do not just toss it in the trash. It deserves better than that and certainly has many uses after you take it out of the house!

But before you begin the recycle process be sure to remove all lights and ornament.

     Here are some ways you can recycle your Christmas tree and keep it from going to overflowing landfills:

If you have a chipper, run the tree through it.  The chips make great mulch and smell good while being chipped

 

OR you can cut off the boughs and place them on the ground around your plants.   Save the trunk for a use in your garden as a trellis for peas, beans, or cucumbers or even used to make a “bottle tree.” 

Move the tree in its stand outdoors for the winter where it can provide food and shelter for birds.

The trees could be used as artificial fish attractors in ponds or lakes

If you are in a hurry, just pile the trees in fields and forests for use as wildlife cover.   The trees will eventually decay and be recycled naturally.

Reuse your tree any way you can.  Remember it took 5 – 10 years to grow this tree.  Do not waste all of Mother Nature’s time for a few weeks of your pleasure.

Just remember, whatever you do, do not put the tree trash.

Keep Your Poinsettia Looking Great!

 

Many homes will decorate with poinsettias during the holidays. It just does not seem like Christmas without this wonderful plant. But poinsettias are picky about their growing environment.  Here’s the quick guide of how to care for your poinsettia:

• Protect them from chilly weather. Just letting them get chilled on the way from the store to your house can be enough to shock them!
• Poinsettias prefer a daytime temperature between 65 & 75F and the night time temperature from 60 to 65F.  Keep them away from drafts, air vents, and space heaters.
• Place the poinsettia in a bright location in the home where it can receive indirect light. Although it can withstand direct sunlight, watering requirements will increase and the flowers will not last as long.
• Avoid letting the bracts touch cold windowpanes because the outdoor temperatures can cause damage.
• Do not let the plant dry out. If the plant wilts, just once, it will start to shed leaves and the colorful bracts.
• Overwatering is a major cause of early leaf and bract drop in poinsettias, so keep the plant moist but not soggy.  If the poinsettia came with a plastic decorator wrap, punch drainage holes so water will not accumulate.  Check the soil regularly. When it is dry to the touch, water them.  If damp, do nothing.

Follow these simple steps and your poinsettia will look good all through the holidays! 

 

National Poinsettia Day

  Today is National Poinsettia Day. The date marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American botanist, physician, and Minister to Mexico who in 1828 sent cuttings of the plant he'd discovered in Southern Mexico to his home in Charleston, South Carolina.

    In July of 2002, the House of Representatives created Poinsettia Day, passing a Resolution to honor Paul Ecke Jr. who is considered the father of the poinsettia industry. It was Paul Ecke's discovery of a technique which causes seedlings to branch that allowed the Poinsettia industry to flourish. Every year, Poinsettias contribute upwards of $250,000,000 to the U.S. economy-at the wholesale level! Poinsettias are the best selling potted plant in the U.S. and Canada.

   In Mexico the plant is called La Flor de la Nochebuena or, Flower of the Holy Night and is displayed in celebration of the December 12th, Dia de la Virgen. Use of the plant to celebrate Christmas in Mexico dates back to the 17th century.