Holt having stellar season with Huskies while working through med school
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Dawson Holt tallied 47 points in 38 games this year, putting him second in the team's standings.
Jill and Rick Van Duyvendyk answer all your gardening questions in Garden Talk on 650 CKOM and 980 CJME every Sunday morning at 9 a.m.
Here are some questions and answers from the March 16 show:
Listen to the March 16 show
These questions and answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: Should I re-pot lemons sprouted from seeds that are in four-inch pots?
A: They’re probably okay for a little bit yet because they don’t mind being a little bit root-bound. If you see some roots coming out the bottom holes of the pot, then it’s time to transplant.
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Q: What should I do now to get my garden ready for spring?
A: If snow has melted away from trees near the foundation of the house, take a little bit of snow from another part of the yard and apply a thin little layer around those plants. You don’t have to pile it up high, a thin layer will be enough to protect them for cold nights.
When the snow melts and exposes the grass, take a leaf rake and ruffle it up to help prevent snow mold. Start doing that as the snow melts, don’t wait until it’s all gone.
You can also take snow from piles and spread it over the areas of the grass that are exposed so it evens out the melt. Your grass will do a lot better.
The second half of March and the first week of April is the best time to prune and thin all fruit trees. Take some branches off if you might hit your head on them when cutting the grass and if the trees had heavy crops last year and the branches are hanging down, thin the ends of them a bit so that there’s not so much weight — it’s better for the tree.
You can also prune chokecherries, ash and elm trees. Elms can only be pruned for the next two weeks and you can also only bring the prunings to landfill for until April 1.
You can prune shrubs except for early blooming ones like lilacs, double flowering plum, flowering almond, and forsythia. Trim those after they finish blooming around the May long weekend up to June 15. Then fertilize them so they put on new growth, which will bloom next year.
An exception is that if you have a lilac that’s 12 feet tall and want to bring it down to six feet do it now. It will take a couple of years to get the blooms
back again.
Don’t prune birches and maples right now or they will bleed like crazy. Wait until after July 15 or August to do that. You can prune spruce and pine, they may bleed a little bit but not like a birch or maple.
Don’t be afraid of hurting the plants by pruning — plants love to be pruned.
Think about getting your tools and lawnmower blades sharpened, especially with a battery powered lawnmower. The batteries will last so much longer if you’ve got a sharp blade. Make sure there is new fuel in your machine, too.
If any tools have rust on them, give them a light sand with 220 sandpaper and apply some vegetable oil.
See Dutch Growers spring preparation checklist here.
Q: How can I get rid of thrips on my bulbs?
A: Thrips will come up from the soil and they can be in the bulbs or come from other plants. They small, narrow and skinny and suck on the leaves. They are tough to get rid of.
Blue sticky traps might help — thrips like the blue — and do some scouting. You can also plant marigolds around them. You can also try insecticidal soap on the leaves. Adding beneficial insects like ladybugs and praying mantis might also help.
Q: What berries can I plant in a garden bed that doesn’t get much sunlight?
A: Most berries need heat. Blueberries can take a little bit less because in the forest they’ll grow underneath the trees. Blueberries need a soil pH around 6.5 and a minimum of five hours of direct sunlight.
Raspberries might do okay but they also like it hot. They will be just thinner and won’t produce as well.
You can try some haskaps. They will grow in the shade or sun, but still need five hours of direct sunlight.
You could build a beautiful perennial shade garden there
Q: Can I grow tomatoes and cucumbers in close proximity or does it affect the yield?
A: Planting them a little bit distance apart is better — two or three feet is plenty. Don’t plant them in the same row or right beside each other.
Q: Can I do anything now to deal with slugs eating hostas?
A: There is not much you can do now. When the hostas appear keep on top of it. Scouting with the flashlight at night and you can get copper mesh to put down. You can get them with beer in a container and there’s all kinds of slug baits out there that are safe for pets.
I like putting slug bait underneath a piece of plywood in the garden because the slugs love to go underneath where’s more moisture.
Q: How and when do I remove the leaves used for cold protection on top of strawberries?
A: You can use a leaf blower or a vacuum unless you put them really thick. Remember that beneficial insects, especially ladybugs, live in those leaves. So leave them as long as you can until you have to clean them up in April, or at least until some of the shrubs start budding so they have food.