Spring blooms, winter damage, potato planting and mulch debate
WAIT TIL JUNE TO PRUNE SPRING-BLOOMERS Q: I did not want to take your advice and wait for my winter damaged plants to grow, but I am so glad I did. I have new growth coming out of the top of my totally brown Encore azaleas and am hoping I might even have a bloom. Thanks for your great advice. If I do want to prune them to freshen them up, when should I do that?
A: I have been anxiously watching my plants as well, and I too see new growth on the top of my Encores. I am not so optimistic about blooms on them, but my other azaleas do have undamaged flower buds. Give spring-blooming plants an opportunity to bloom, and then prune — not later than mid-June.
MAHONIA’S WINTER DAMAGE LEAVES IT UNRECOGNIZABLE Q: I’m attaching a picture of my winter-frozen mahonia. It survived being knocked over in the last snowstorm and is supported with a rebar. I don’t think the recent ice storm killed it, and I’m thinking of lopping it off by a third, since it is too leggy anyway. Any suggestions?
A: I am glad you told me what it was, because it was unrecognizable. I would go ahead and cut it back by half. When you see new growth emerging from the base, you might want to cut the main stalk down even farther. Mahonia is a cane-producing plant, and to keep new canes coming from the base, you need to remove older ones periodically.
ASPARAGUS FERN DROPPING NEEDLES Q: I have had an asparagus fern for a number of years, and it is starting to become a concern. It drops lots of needles but it is still green and full. Are these houseplants susceptible to disease or other maladies that you know of ?
A: Asparagus fern is notorious for shedding needles every winter. Low humidity is the culprit. Outside in the summer they thrive, but indoors they struggle. If you have a window in your bathroom you could place it there. Bathrooms typically have the most humidity in a house and placing your plant there can help, but probably won’t stop winter shedding.
POTATO PLANTING PIQUES INTEREST Q: Thank you so much for your recent article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette regarding the planting of potatoes. I have a couple of questions, and some of these may be terribly dumb so please forgive me in advance. When can you start planting in Northwest Arkansas? I didn’t see a time-frame as to when we could start planting. You said to plant in trenches, 3-5 inches deep. I’m assuming they are covered with soil, right? What type of fertilizer do you recommend? Lastly, you said to harvest when the plants start to die off. I’ve also heard that you watch for cracks in the ground because that means that the potatoes are getting bigger and raising up the soil. Is this also true?
A: All good questions. Northwest Arkansas is usually about a week or so behind Central Arkansas in planting. Typically, late February through mid-April will work for planting all of the cool-season crops, including potatoes, so start planting. After you make the trench and place the potatoes, you can cover them with soil or mulch. For most home gardens, a complete fertilizer (with a balance of all three numbers N-P-K) works best. I had not heard about soil cracks indicating larger potatoes, but as long as the plants are green and growing, the tubers should be growing too.
PINE STRAW MAKES FOR GOOD MULCH Q: I’m having debate with a landscaping team about pine straw. I love my bed of pine straw and am looking to expand. Landscaper says it is too hard to remove the leaf debris come fall. Is there an easy way to remove the leaf debris (blower or such) on the pine straw beds? Would love to hear from you about any tips you might have.
A: I think pine straw is an excellent mulch. It tends to stay in place better than many bark mulches. While blowing leaves off a pine straw bed will make you lose some pine straw in the process, if the pine straw has been down a while, it usually stays put. You can also lightly rake off the top layer of leaves.
Retired after 38 years with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Janet Carson ranks among Arkansas’ best known horticulture experts. Her blog is at arkansasonline.com/planitjanet. Write to her at P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72203 or email jcarson@arkansasonline.com.