The Northwest Voice

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This is a wide open question. Last week the ground hog saw his shadow and retreated back into his burrow. According to him, we’ll have at least six more weeks of winter! On the other hand if you listen to the Easter Bunny, Easter comes early this year, meaning an early spring.

I haven’t checked the Farmers Almanac, but according to our nursery barometer spring is not far off. You see, in the nursery business we’ve always said spring is approaching when we start getting wacky questions and the phone starts ringing off the hook. The conversation usually starts with, “I’ve got a silly question but...”

From all accounts, I think we’re getting close. Every one’s at least thinking about getting outside. People are asking advice about what this year’s plan of attack should be to achieve that beautiful yard. There are certainly a lot of opinions “flying” around and some are better than others!

Q. A large tree blew over this week. Can I dig a bigger hole and bury it deeper so the roots will go down?

A. You should not change the planting level of any tree or shrub. You can reset the plant back in the ground at the same level as it was.  As long as most of its roots haven’t snapped off you can try to save the tree. Make sure you “top prune” to lighten up the canopy. Remember the tree can’t support the same top with less roots.  Also, wind needs to be able to blow through the tree. Use a root stimulate like Superthrive to help reestablish the the tree.

Q. My rose plant is no good because the flowers open part way, turn black and fall off. I keep it damp all the time so it doesn’t need water.

A. Plants need to be watered well when they are dry and need to dry out in between waterings. Damp, moist conditions can help to cause disease. Sounds like petal blight to me, try a good fungicide several times and it should clear up the problem.

Other callers have been afraid to prune roses. However, roses benefit from pruning — even a poor pruning is usually better than no pruning. If you need some confidence come in and look at the roses and see how they have been pruned.  Remember roses bloom on new wood so the more you prune them the more they bloom.

Q. Why do I have crabgrass? I put on seed control every Super Bowl Sunday like I’m supposed to!

A. First of all, how much do you put on? You must know the approximate square footage of your yard in order to follow the recommended coverage. Remember length times width equals square footage. Many of people pay no attention to this! Secondly, at the most pre-emergents only last three months (and that’s stretching it). Crabgrass is a hot weather weed — it comes up all summer! So if you are not applying seed control every three months at the recommended rate then you will have lots of weeds germinating.

Q. Why don’t my plants look lush, I feed them once a year?

A. Once a year is not enough. We water often in Bakersfield, so nutrients are quickly being leached from the soil. I like to feed plants at least once a month. If you want your yard to look good and your plants to bloom and thrive, you have got to feed them on a regular basis. I like a good organic-based fertilizer with extra trace minerals. I also like to use products with a higher middle number because bloom is very important most yards.

This week I had a customer come in wondering “what was the stuff leaking down the trunk of my pines all of a sudden?” Well, most often when a tree is “leaking,” sap coming out of the trees. Insects usually cause this. Boers or twig girdlers are common in this area and cause damage by eating inside the tree. In this case they had probably been doing their damage for a while but it has just become apparent now because the sap is beginning to flow as temperatures warm.

Back to our theme: spring is coming. As sure as the sap has started to flow, insects will be awakening! My last tip for this early spring season is to apply anual treatments for insects. Products containing Meriet are making a big dent in the insect population! Now is the time to apply them to non-edible plants and trees that have problems with insects each year. For instance, treat birch for bores; crape myrtles, hibiscus and trumpet vines for aphids; and liquid ambers and red buds for worms. The list goes on and on. If you have fought a certain pest in the past, chances are you can win the battle this year!

Yeah! The phone is ringing off the hook — hooray! I think spring must be in the air!