Archive for the ‘applying sulfur’ Category

Fall Clean Up Of Garden Beds

Cleaning up vegetable and flower beds requires some thought. Most gardeners desire to get a start on next spring’s clean up in the fall. They may rototill garden beds in fall, particularly if soils are too moist to work in early spring. Turning the soil also kills lots of weeds, including winter weeds which have […]

Changing Garden Soil pH

In general, the garden soil pH fluctuates only slightly unless you accidentally spilled fertilizer or limestone. Soil pH is also affected by rainfall patterns, decomposing organic matter, and bacterial activity in the ground. In the eastern U.S. rain water is slightly acidic. Acid rain is the result of these pollutants (mostly sulfate and nitrate) from […]

Peony Care in the Fall

October and November are ideal for fall herbaceous peony bed cleanup and to get ready for winter. Fall is the ideal time to dig up and divide old clumps of peony roots and to plant new plants. Old yellow and brown foliage comes off easy with hand clippers. Don’t pull or yank off the foliage! […]

Gardenias Continue To Disappoint In The Mid-South

The lure of fragrant white flowers have mid-South gardeners (zones 6 and 7) wanting to grow gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides). New cultivars, supposedly hardier than previous ones, hit garden centers every spring. Unfortunately, zones 6 and 7 winters usually prove them wrong. Recent purchases of new cultivars ‘Frostproof’ and Pinwheel® and older selection ‘Kleim’s Hardy’ have […]

What’s In Your Garden Soil

There are two basic rules in gardening: 1. the right plant in the right place, and 2. properly feeding the soil that nourishes the plants. Many problems in lawns and gardens can be avoided if the gardener knows what the fertility and pH of the soil is. What is soil pH? It is a measure of the soil acidity […]

Soil Sampling Is Good Insurance

Do you know what your soil needs to grow a great lawn, flower, or vegetable garden? If you haven’t analyzed the soil in the past five years, get it done in any season. Most gardeners do it in late winter when university, state, and private soil labs are busiest. The local Extension office or a […]

New Blueberry Planting Require One Year Soil Prep

Fresh blueberries a few more weeks away from harvest Blueberries are the easiest fruit crop to grow. Blueberries have few disease and insect problems. Birds become a significant problem as harvest time approaches, from mid-June through September. Blueberry culture is unique as the ideal soil pH range is 4.8 – 5.2. You should spend a […]