05/11/2009
From Frost Damage to Mom & Pops
Denny ('Pops') answers MORE of your Emails!!
...From Frost Damage to Mom & Pops
Denny,
Last weekend we purchased some impatiens and wax begonias. I know it was early, but the impatiens were on sale. We didn’t plant, but they were outside on our patio during those chilly nights. They appear droopy even after we water. Will these plants be okay as the weather warms?
Debbie S.
Dear Debbie,
The weather has been chilly. We had four straight nights of very cool weather. Both the varieties that you bought are extremely sensitive to cold. They will probably grow, but won’t be any where near your expectations. With five to six months to enjoy yard color, I would seriously consider buying new ones and learn a valuable lesson. Annual flowers of all types don’t want to be chilled either by cool soil or cold air. Next year, don’t be so quick to be the first. You could wind up last. And don’t buy any annuals that have been displayed for sale in the open nighttime air.
Denny,
I have a lot of clover and other assorted weeds in my lawn and I would like to improve the looks of my lawn. What do I need to do?
Joan B.
Dear Joan,
It’s decision time for you. There are selective weed killers on the market that contain Trimee™ or Carfentrazone. They will both give you excellent selective kill but do you want to kill them now? I have an expression that goes, “If it’s green from the street, leave it alone.” If the weed content of your lawn is 25% or more, killing all those weeds now can give you lots of bare spots. You have to wait up to four weeks after the weeds die to reseed. That will put the calendar around June 15th. Putting grass seed down then has two chances to grow, slim and none. Your spring weeds can be summer friends, keeping your lawn green all summer. Around the first of August, go spray all the weeds with weed killer and reseed in September, the best month to seed. This process will also kill any of the summer germinating weeds so that one spray gets them all.
Denny,
I had relatives that operated a small grocery business for many years. They were always disappointed when people called it a “Mom & Pop” business. Ann and Dan enjoyed serving their customers. Maybe in the future you might think twice when referring to “Mom and Pop” business that grow and sell plants. Would you call your only location a “Mom and Pop” operation?
Mary
Dear Mary,
No, I wouldn’t call our only location a “Mom and Pop”. We call it a “Son and Pop”. My son and I both own our garden center. I think where your relatives saw sparks with my description is from years ago when all businesses were basically family owned. The larger independents tended to talk down to the smaller ones, hence “Mom and Pops” of the fifties and sixties. Now it’s all independents, “Mom and Pops” of all sizes against the box stores in all areas of retail sales including gardening. To me, “Mom and Pops” should tell the buying public that these people know what they’re talking about and have great merchandise to offer. Mary, you can call me Pops anytime.
Denny,
What’s a good tomato variety for a container and how much sun do they need to grow?
Tom M.
Dear Tom,
Technically speaking, any tomato variety will do well in a container. Just be sure that the container is at least 14” in diameter or larger. 16” to 20” diameter is better. Use a good soil less potting mix Ferti-Loam, Miracle Gro. Don’t use soil from the garden and place just one tomato plant to a container. Place a tomato cage around your newly potted tomato. Place the pot in an area that gets a half to full day of sun. Tomato varieties come in two growing patterns, determinate types that only grow to 4-5 feet and get very bushy and then there’s the indeterminate types that are more vine-like and never stop growing. Determinate types like ‘Patio’ and ‘Better Bush’ make the best type for containers. Check your pots daily for water. Keep your watering uniform, not too wet and not too dry. As far as the tastiest, any tomato that you grow will taste wonderful. Get our free tip sheet on ‘container gardening’ by going to www.DennysGuide.com and click on tip sheets. Help yourself to any and all of our tip sheets.
Denny,
We live in an area that was devastated by cicadas last year. I have three ornamental trees that we installed two years ago. These trees are about 8 feet tall. The tops on all of these trees appear dead as the leaves and flowers only appeared on the bottom half of the trees. Are these trees worth saving?
Jane W.
Dear Jane,
The cicada damage will actually cause your trees to be fuller. Cicada damage is Mother Nature’s way of pruning. Go ahead and prune off the dead part on each branch. Your trees will be temporarily reduced in size, but they will come back with lots of new growth very quickly and remember, the cicadas won’t be back till 2021.
Thanks for the great questions from your emails! Keep 'em coming!
- Denny