BRANCH MANAGER
Prune evergreens before sap flows
Q I have a question I am hoping you can help me with. We have four very large blue spruce trees in our front yard. During the last few years, the bottom branches having begun showing a lot of bare spots and dead needles. We would prefer not having to remove those branches, but it would appear inevitable. When is the ideal time of year to do the job? Is now a good time before the sap starts running?
A Winter never stops a gardener from planning or solving problems. In answer to your question, yes, late winter is a good time to be doing pruning on evergreens such as spruce. Pruning after the sap starts running can be damaging to the tree. I know that the tree may look a little ‘different’ without its skirt of lower branches, but the esthetics of that look — as opposed to that of bare branches — is the right decision. When it comes to esthetics it is only your opinion that matters anyway.
Q In the fall I always turn over my soil with a spade and leave the lumps of soil for the frost to break down. In the spring, when the ground is workable, I rototill it to break down the lumps even further. I am planning on adding some cow manure to the garden this spring. Is it better to add the manure and then rototill it in or to add the manure to the top of the soil after it has been tilled and then just rake it in?
A I was always taught from an early gardening age that we should always dig or till the manure into the soil, but today there is a movement afoot that suggests you get the same effect from spreading it on top and leaving it as you would digging it in. The thought here is that the worms will do the job of incorporating it into the soil for you. I’m not certain that I agree with this reasoning, as we live in an area that has a lot of clay in most of the soil, so digging the manure into the soil may still be the best way to go for our gardens.
The addition of manure or organic matter to a clay soil is one of the best ways of improving the soil structure, so my way of thinking tells me that the quicker you can get the manure incorporated into the clay zone, the faster the soil structure will improve. I think that tilling or digging the organic matter in is the best way to go. A word of advice on tilling, though: Rototilling on a regular basis can actually compact the soil, creating a hardpan layer where the rototiller tines impact in the soil, so be careful not to till too much.
Q I am trying to grow some petunia cuttings over the winter but am having some problems with powdery mildew. It really is getting quite frustrating, as this was my first attempt at taking cuttings, and I’m getting pretty discouraged. The tops of the plants are nice and green, but the bottoms are getting fuzzy and keep turning brown. Can you please tell me how I can control this problem?
A Garden sulphur spray is very good at controlling powdery mildew. Spray it on generously, covering all parts of the plant. Keep a close watch on your plants, and if the problem seems to be worsening or not going away reapply the spray. Powdery mildew is a fungal problem that can sometimes be controlled through environmental factors. Here is a list of things to try to help prevent reoccurrences:
Do not crowd plants together. Good air circulation between plants is important.
If you are using covers — such as plastic — over your cuttings, make sure that you remove them for a good part of the day to allow the air to circulate properly.
Water from below and always try to avoid getting water on the leaves.