Winter cools cannas’ growth

My cannas were growing and flowering through early fall and then they started to decline. Is this normal?

Short days and cooler weather slows the growth of cannas, which may go dormant during the winter months. You can expect older portions to decline and become infected with fungal leaf spots. These portions are best removed down to the ground.

Warmish fall and winter weather may encourage plants to produce a few flowering shoots. These are never as vigorous as those of the spring through early fall months. If needed, the plants can be divided in February before warmseason growth begins.

I would like to grow lettuce for salads as long as possible. When is the final time for planting?

Plan on making your lettuce seed sowings at least through the end of February. You might continue the plantings into March, but as the hotter weather returns, lettuce leaves become bitter tasting. The plants also start the flowering process, which is called bolting. How long you continue to plant lettuce is determined by your taste buds, but the best harvests are made November through March.

We are planning to add a magnolia tree to our landscape. When is the best time for planting?

New magnolia trees and others from containers or harvested balled-inburlap are planted yearround. If you want to select the best time for planting it would be November through March when temperatures are mild and there is less stress on you and the trees. It is easy to keep the root balls and surrounding soil moist during the cooler weather. These trees can make good root growth and be ready to produce new stems and foliage for spring.

Large circular to oblong declining areas are appearing in our lawn. What is the cause of these yellow to brown spots?

Brown patch, a fungal disease, has been out of control during fall and early winter due to the warmish days. Area residents and lawn care companies report fungicides have helped reduce the disease but the yellow to brown areas are often still noted.

Luckily brown patch, also called large patch, usually does not kill the lawn, but makes it look bad. When good growing conditions return during winter or spring, the turf resumes normal green growth.

Effective control programs anticipate the return of the brown patch fungus and a lawn fungicide application is made in late October and another 30 days later by following label instructions. Another application is made in early February. Making a last-ofthe-year fertilizer application in early October and keeping waterings to only as needed also reduce fungal activity.

I have noticed it is time to start vegetable seeds for transplants. Are they sown in small pots or large containers and what do I use for soil?

Sow your tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds as soon as possible. They need about six weeks to grow transplants for a March planting. Gardeners use small pots, saved cell packs, or similar containers with good drainage. Plant one or two seeds in each container or cell. Lager containers can be used if you want to plant lots of seeds or if you are not sure of the germination percentage from older seeds. Resultant seedlings in these containers are then transplanted to a small pot about four weeks after germination.

Use either a germination mix or potting soil to fill the containers. These large seeds should grow well in either but if you plant smaller seeds the germination mix is best. Cover tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds very lightly, keep them moist and in bright light to obtain good germination. Immediately after germination, continue to keep the soil moist and place the containers in full sun. Begin fertilizer applications mixed at half the normal rate weekly once the seedlings are a week old.

I have several peach trees. When is a proper time to prune them and how?

The time has arrived to give peach trees a major pruning needed every year to keep them growing in an open habit and with good production. Some trees may already be swelling their buds and opening blossoms but still pruning is needed.

Keep the harvest within easy reach and increase the size of the fruits by removing up to a third of the past season’s growth. Remove the center-most growth to create a soup-bowl shape with the outer limbs gradually curving upwards. Open the center of the tree to allow good air movement and make pest control easier. Eliminate most branches that grow straight up to keep trees wide and small to medium-sized.