In the garden
Q There seem to be more books about growing vegetables indoors such as Indoor Kitchen Gardening by Elizabeth Millard. Do you think this method is productive? I’ve heard you say window light produces weak, leggy plants.
A Light is definitely a problem with growing vegetables inside, but help is at hand. There are many LED grow lights available now, in a range of sizes and prices. I was quite taken by the hydroponic tower of vegetables displayed at the recent Arkansas Flower & Garden Show. I am going to look into that for myself. You can buy an optional LED light stick that attaches to the pot. The key is having a bright light source on for 10-16 hours a day. Most of us don’t have a greenhouse room or window in full sun, so adding light is usually needed. Gardeners who try to grow their own transplants in an ordinary window with no additional light get really weak, spindly transplants. We are moving into outdoor vegetable growing season now, and it would definitely be easier outdoors, but if you live without gardening space, there are some good options available to you to grow indoors. Q Recently you commented on bare root roses, but what are “own root” roses? How are they different? I’ve seen both in catalogs and online. I’ve had pretty good luck with the condition of roses on delivery when ordered from a catalog (so long ago it
was before the Internet) but thinking I’ll shop locally first. A First, to clarify, plants usually come one of three ways — bare root, in a container, or balled-in-burlap. Today the majority of rose plants come in containers, but we still see a fair number in late winter/ early spring that come in small cardboard boxes or plastic sleeves and are really bare-root plants. Bare root plants are less expensive, because they don’t have heavy soil or pricey containers. They should be shipped dormant and planted dormant, so they can be sold in a relatively short period of time. Container grown plants are in pots, and balled in burlap plants have their root balls wrapped in burlap. Now to answer your question, when the hybrid tea roses got popular years ago, they were mass produced by grafting a small bud onto a fieldgrown, vigorous root stock. They were grown for a year in the field, then dug up and
shipped. The graft union remained visible slightly above the soil line on the stem. You need to take care never to cut beneath the graft union or you lose your desirable rose. Also, cut out any suckers or sprouts that occur beneath the graft union, because they are coming from the root stock, not the desirable rose. With roses grown on their own roots, cuttings are taken from the mother plant and rooted. Many gardeners believe them to be stronger plants, and they definitely can be easier to care for, since you don’t have to worry about the graft union. I do like shopping at local nurseries. Q Is it too early to apply Scotts Halt herbicide to my centipede lawn? A Not at all, and you need to apply it soon. Normally, late February through mid-March is ideal (in a cold winter, late March can still be OK). With all this rain we have had, those who applied early might need to make another light application since much of the pre-emergent could have washed away. Make sure to read the label directions, and make sure your product is labeled for Southern grasses such as centipede. Q Please identify this plant if you can. It looks like a caladium, but it stays green all year even in subfreezing weather. It is growing in an alley in Hillcrest.
A The plant in question is an Italian arum. It starts growing in cool weather in the shade. It will bloom soon with a greenish white spathe-like bloom (think peace lily houseplant). When the temperatures rise, the foliage disappears; but if the arum bloomed and set seeds, after the leaves die back, small seed stalks will remain, bearing what look like green berries. In time the seeds turn orange or red. Readers send me countless pictures of these berries since they are growing without any foliage. The plants will multiply over time and start a small colony.
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