with Teri Knight
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The best time to fertilize your lawn
So most of you know I’m not a big lawn fan, however, I know many who are. So, this one’s for you… should you fertilize your lawn now? NO.
The BEST times to fertilize your lawn are late summer and fall. This is contrary to the traditional springtime application.
Early spring applications of nitrogen cause a surge of top growth in the plants, which makes the lawn look nice in … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Lawn care – weed killing
The forsythia is said to foretell the coming of crabgrass. Where I live we’re not seeing the blooms yet. We’re late!
Soil temperature is the real way to tell when crabgrass will germinate… I learned this from Jenny at Gertens and I share her video below. In the meantime, she talked about the GDD Tracker from Michigan State University. Plug in your zipcode and what you’re looking for and you get results!
Based … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Mycelium – the Information Superhighway
It’s an information superhighway that speeds up interactions between a large, diverse population of individuals. It allows individuals to communicate and help each other out. But it also allows them to commit new forms of crime. You thought I was talking about the internet, not so, I’m talking about mycelium!
No, it’s not a disease although it can spread disease. Mycelium are the thin threads of fungi (or mushrooms) that link roots of … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: More 2022 plant introductions
Oh what a wait we’ve had this year to get out in our gardens, to see the early spring flowers show themselves…
However, with hopefulness, I’m sharing some fun 2022 plant introductions.
There’s a new panicle hydrangea out this year called Little Lime Punch. It’s like Lime Punch but the flowers progress from lime to white, light pink, and rich Hawaiian Punch red!
It reblooms throughout the summer so you’ll see these four … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Earth Day 2022
Today is Earth day. Northern Gardener magazine had an insert last month with the 7 ways to Garden Greener. Today seemed a PERFECT day to share some of those ideas.
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Organic matters
I talked about soil and rain barrels and composting last week. But what about organic matters? What is it? Does it matter? How much organic matter matters? Can it be too much? According to the University of MN Extension, the answer is actually… YES.
Soil organic matter (SOM) is the portion of soil that is composed of living and dead things in various states of decomposition, such as plant roots and microbes.
Organic (carbon-based) materials that … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Tips to keep your indoor seedlings thriving
If you planted seeds indoors, you’re seeing sprouts now. Now is the time to give them some extra attention.
The University of Minnesota Extension says one of the most common problems affecting seedlings is Damping off. The link also has information on hard water.
This problem is caused by a number of pathogens that I can’t pronounce, but results in seedlings collapsing at the base of the stem, and you can … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: April is a fickle month
April is fickle in the Upper Midwest. From sandals to Sorels, ya never know what we’re gonna get.
So what’s a gardener to do? Check the weather! I’m optimistic that this is the week we turn the corner! The projected forecast for my area is finally looking at lows above freezing and highs closer to 60!
Your perennials and hardy spring bulbs that are peeking out don’t need extra protection—they can take whatever … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Caring for your Easter Lily and planting it
Did you receive an Easter Lily this past weekend?
These plants are forced to bloom out of their normal flowering time to be ready for the Christian Holy Day as it is marked by many traditions including the beautiful trumpet-shaped white flowers of lilium longiflorum. They symbolize purity, hope and life.
Caring for your Easter lily:
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Rain barrels and compost bins
Yes, it’s a perennial topic but with 18 million new gardeners recently, I want to share about these awesome garden tools!
April Showers bring May flowers and an opportunity. Of course, the hope is that moisture isn’t in the solid form of snow! Rainwater is the best kind of water for your lawn, trees, shrubs and flower gardens. Capturing it is a good thing for several reasons. First, it’s free!
It’s also a … [Continue reading]