Click on the link to view the October 4-H Flash Newsletter. It's full of important details and workshop information.
October 2015 4-H Flash Newsletter
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Monday, August 24, 2015
September 2015 4-H Flash Newsletter
Click on the link to view the September 4-H Flash Newsletter. It's full of lots of important updates and information!
September 2015 Flash Newsletter
September 2015 Flash Newsletter
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Yard & Garden
Yard
and Garden
August
22, 2015
Q. I am having a hard time controlling weeds in my
garden. I do not like to use weed killers in the garden, so I pull the
weeds by hand, but they just break off and come back within a few days.
Is there some way to get rid of the weeds without weed killer?
A. When soil is dry it may hold plant roots tightly causing
the weed to break off and then regrow as you have described. Weeds are
much more easily removed from moist to even soggy soil immediately after
irrigating. For some weeds this is effective even when the weeds are very
close to the desirable plants. Some weeds have a more fibrous root system
and may pull us much soil at the base of desirable plants, or even dislodge the
desirable plant when pulled. In that case a knife or other tool to carefully
cut the roots just below the soil line or below the crown of a grassy weed may
allow you to manually remove the weed while doing minimal damage to the desired
plant.
Further away from your garden plants you
can use a hoe to manually remove the weeds. I like to use a scuffle hoe
that cuts the weeds roots just below the soil line. The weed can then be
raked from the garden. A scuffle hoe disturbs the soil less than a
chopping action type hoe which disturbs the soil and brings new weed seeds to
the surface where they can sprout and perpetuate the weed problems.
Another way to minimize weed problems is
to use mulch to cover the soil and reduce weed growth. Some gardeners use
black plastic under their plants. The black plastic eliminates sunlight
needed for germination of weed seeds, but it can become hot enough in New
Mexico’s sunlight to burn the garden plants. A covering of organic mulch
may help avoid overheating. The organic mulch (straw, wood chips,
newspaper, or other biodegradable material) may be used without the plastic as
well. A thick layer will also exclude light and reduce weed seed
germination. Perennial weeds may still come through the mulch since they
do not need light to germinate, but the mulch will help maintain soil moisture
making the weeds easier to pull. Organic mulches also moderate soil
temperature changes and may protect plants from our intense summer heat.
The soil in direct sunlight can be 10 to 20, or more degrees, hotter than the
surrounding air.
Weeds you have pulled can be composted to
use as soil amendment in the garden next year if they are not diseased or have
not produced seeds. If your compost pile heats properly the weed and
disease concerns become lessened. Another way to be sure weed seeds do
not germinate next year is to put the weeds into a black plastic bag in a sunny
location for a few days before putting them into the compost. The weeds
should be freshly pulled so that they are still moist when you do this.
They heat of the sun will kill most of the weed seeds and potential plant
diseases in a few days in the solar heated plastic bag. There should then
be less concern about perpetuating the weeds with the compost next year.
If you eventually become so frustrated
with the weeds that you decide to use chemicals, be sure to choose a product
labeled for use around the desirable plants you are growing and then read,
understand, and follow the directions.
Send
your gardening questions to Yard and Garden, Attn: Dr. Curtis Smith, NMSU
Agricultural Science Center, 1036 Miller Rd. SW, Los Lunas, NM 87031. You may
also send to cwsmith@nmsu.edu or leave a message at https://www.facebook.com/NMSUExtExpStnPubs. Curtis W. Smith, Ph.D.,
is an Extension Horticulture Specialist, retired from New Mexico State
University’s Cooperative Extension Service. NMSU and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture cooperating.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Yard & Garden
Yard
and Garden
August
1, 2015
Q. I
have tried to grow new trumpet vines and grapes from trimmings from the older
plants in my garden. I am not having much success. Do you have
suggestions?
A. Success
growing new plants from cuttings take from grapes and trumpet vines depends on
several factors. Timing and the status of the stems used for cuttings is
important. Use of rooting hormones may also greatly increase your chances
for success. Good soil and adequate moisture are also important.
Grapes are usually pretty easy to grow from cuttings if they cuttings are
placed in the garden or into pots of good potting soil quickly after they are
cut. They will often grow new roots if the cuttings are just placed in
water. Do not let the cuttings dry before planting them. You can put them
in water immediately after cutting and then put into soil a day of two later if
necessary.
Hardwood cuttings are those that have become woody and are often the cuttings
collected in the later winter or early spring before growth begins.
Rooting hormone placed on the basal portion of the cutting will help, but is
not necessary. It is critical, however, to keep track of the “proximal”
and “distal” portions of the stem. The proximal end of the stem is that
part that was closest to the soil when the cutting was cut. Many gardeners
make sure to make a slanted cut when they cut the stem from the parent plant to
clearly identify the proximal end. This proximal end must be the end put
into the soil. If the distal portion of the cutting (the opposite end) is
placed in the soil, it will not grow roots even if treated with rooting
hormones. The plant knows the difference between up and down!
Softwood cuttings are new stems collected within about a month after growth has
begun. The stems are very tender and often form roots fairly easily - if
they do not dry out and die before roots form. Their tissues are soft and
not as completely differentiated (cells types determined) as in other types of
cuttings. These are identified by the fact that the outer layers of the
stems are easily punctured by a thumbnail.
Semi-hardwood cuttings are a little older than softwood cuttings. Their
epidermal tissues have begun to harden and resist damage by a thumbnail.
There internal cells are also more differentiated and may be more resistant to
forming roots. However, for some plants these are actually the easiest
cuttings from which to start new plants.
At this time of year another useful technique is to use a process called
layering. In the process of layering, the stems are induced to form roots
before they are severed from the parent plant. Grapes and other vining
plants are easily layered because their stems may be easily bent to the
ground. These stems should be wounded by scraping the bark, cutting
through the outer layers, or by slicing partially through the stem before
burying it in the soil. The wound causes sugars produced in the leaves to
accumulate at the point of the wound and to feed development of roots at that
point. After a few months new roots should have formed and the new plant
may be separated from the parent plant and transplanted, or just allowed grow
where it formed. It may also be induced to form roots in a large pot
which will make transplanting less traumatic for the new plant.
The type of layering described above is called “simple layering”. There
are other forms of layering that are useful for other plants, but in the case
of vining plants like grapes and trumpet vines, simple layering is an easy and
successful way to start new plants when cutting propagation fails.
Send
your gardening questions to Yard and Garden, Attn: Dr. Curtis Smith, NMSU
Agricultural Science Center, 1036 Miller Rd. SW, Los Lunas, NM 87031. You may
also send to cwsmith@nmsu.edu or leave a message at https://www.facebook.com/NMSUExtExpStnPubs. Curtis W. Smith,
Ph.D., is an Extension Horticulture Specialist, retired from New Mexico State
University’s Cooperative Extension Service. NMSU and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture cooperating.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
July 4-H Flash Newsletter 2015
Click on the link to view the July 4-H Flash Newsletter. We have some workshops coming up, as well as important information. Check it out!!
July 4-H Flash Newsletter 2015
July 4-H Flash Newsletter 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)