Gardeners Relish Chance To Get Down And Dirty

Today’s column is truly a batch of garden potpourri - a little bit of everything, or at least as much as will fit in the space. Hopefully there’ll be a little something for you.

The supertunias you planted last year may not have performed as well as you expected. Why? Hold on to your measuring spoon. Supertunias require four times the fertilizer that other bedding plants need. In other words, if you fertilize your hanging baskets with one tablespoon of fertilizer to a gallon of water, be prepared to fertilize supertunias with four tablespoons per gallon. And with that formulation, you’ve probably guessed it - supertunias need to be planted by themselves. Otherwise, you may run the risk of burning the other plants.

For those of you who may not be familiar with supertunias, they are the new rage. Their long stems (four to six feet) are covered in petunialike flowers. They can be used as ground cover or in hanging baskets, can be grown in sun or part shade and are touted as being drought-tolerant.

When can we work in the soil? Not yet. It’s too wet. Believe me, I would love to be out digging in the dirt. My knees and fingernails are having soil withdrawal. If we work soil that is saturated, we can destroy the soil structure, creating hundreds of hard clods that may take years to break down.

So how do we know when it’s ready to be worked? Squat down and with your hand, gently push the top couple of inches of soil aside. Reach into the depression and grab a handful of soil. Squeeze, then open your hand. If the soil stays in a wet ball, it should not be dug, walked on or tilled. If, on the other hand, it seems to break apart like crumbs of cake, go for it.

Thinking of seeding your lawn this season? How about trying one of the new turf grasses - turf-type tall fescue. It’s not to be confused with regular tall fescue - a coarse, thickbladed grass. Turf-type tall fescue is beautiful. It’s deep green and thick. It will grow in sun or part shade. It requires less water than normal bluegrass and because it’s strong, it can handle hard play. And best of all, it’s said to be resistant to necrotic ring spot. (That’s enough to sell it right there.) The seed can be purchased locally.

Continuing with last week’s saga of the fairy rings, here are a couple of success stories called in to me by readers:

Donna of Spokane relates a cure handed down through generations of her family. Simply sprinkle Epsom salt over the ring and water it in. No need to poke holes or use soap. Within a week or so, the ring should be gone. If this truly works, I am buying stock in the company that makes Epsom salt.

Alfred of Spokane drills one hole into the ring. He then forces the garden hose into the hole and turns it on full blast. The water floods the ring and a portion of the surrounding area from below. When the ring and the surrounding area turn mushy and bubbly, Alfred walks over the area as if kneading it like bread. He says it works every time.

What’s the orange stuff growing on the trunks and limbs of trees and how do we get rid of it? That orange stuff is lichens. It doesn’t hurt the tree, so there is no need to eradicate it. Lichens and moss usually develop in the shady, damp areas of trunks and branches.

Look at the lichen as adding a little earthiness and color to the trees.

Before I run out of space, a word about planting roses, trees and shrubs:

Don’t plant boxes, papier-mache pots or burlap that the plants often are packaged in.

In our climate, the micro-organisms that break down this material only have a few short months to do so. It’s not enough. Anyway, young roots have enough problems getting established. Why add to the struggle by leaving garbage in the hole?

And may the good Lord warm the soil before He catches ya diggin’ in it. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review