There are so many varieties of roses

Pruning is the process of cutting back the growth of a rose bush to produce a more healthy, productive plant. Few plants benefit more from pruning than roses. While the thought of taking a pair of shears to your prized rose may make you cringe, it is a necessary task.

There are so many varieties of roses, some having different pruning needs, that it is not possible here to discuss the specific procedure of every type rose (that would take an entire book). However, following the general advice here will work for most roses.

First, the objective of pruning is:
1. To open up the middle of the plant to air and light.
2. To remove dead or diseased wood
3. To remove canes that are growing in the wrong direction, i.e., crossing or rubbing another cane.

There are many different pruning techniques recommended by many different people. So many, in fact, that it can become very confusing. Our suggested method is based solely on our experience of growing roses for years. It may not be the best, in all situations, but it is the simplest and has worked for us. Just keep in mind the three objectives to pruning, listed above, and you will be O.K.

Roses are vigorous, tough plants and it is unlikely you will kill your rose by pruning improperly. You may reduce the production of blossoms for one season, but it's hard to actually kill a rose by pruning. So, don't be reluctant to prune.

There are two times of the year that are appropriate for pruning. Choose either you want, but take note of the cautions that follow.

You can prune in the spring as soon as the very first buds appear. This must be done before the buds begin to swell. And definitely not after the buds open, showing green foliage.

Or you can prune in the fall, after growth has stopped, but before the first frost. Be aware that rose canes only live for a given period of time, then they turn brown and die. They do not continue to grow forever, like trees. Therefore, it is likely you will always have some dead wood every year.

Here is our simple pruning method:
1. Stand back and observe the overall height of the plant.
2. Then cut it in half.
3. Remove any dead (brown) wood.
4. Remove any canes that are growing toward the center of the plant. And any canes that are rubbing other canes.
When pruning, cut at the live portion of the cane, just above an outward facing bud. Greenish white colored canes are live. Brown canes are dead.

If you are planting a new rose bush, you should prune nearly to the ground. Leave about 4-5 inch long canes. This will help your new rose to establish a good root system.

As stated above, we have used this simple pruning method for years and have beautiful roses every summer. It may not be scientific or the best for every type rose, but it works for us. If you prefer a detailed procedure for your specific type rose, do a search on the web for "Pruning Roses" and you will find hundreds of (some complicated) detailed methods to prune. Again, our goal, here, is to provide a simple pruning method for the average backyard gardener.

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Some of the popular orchid varieties

Exquisite, elegance, exotic...familiar terms used to describe the orchid. While the orchid is thought of as a tropical plant, there are so many varieties, you should be able to find one for your area.

In general, orchids can be grown outdoor in climates with a temperature range of 40-90 degrees. If you live in an area that exceeds these temperatures, consider growing orchids indoors.

If you are new to growing orchids, talk to your local garden shop. They will be familiar with your local growing conditions and can recommend an orchid variety known to do well in your area.

Indoor or out, orchids prefer moderate temperatures, but not a lot of direct sun. They will die quickly if the roots are continually wet, so they must be in well drained soil. Indoor gardeners should note that the largest cause for failure of indoor plants of all kinds, is over-watering.

Outdoor, plant your orchids in an area that is partially shaded by other plants during the heat of the day. Peat Moss added to the soil helps hold the moisture needed without soaking the roots. Orchids thrive in high humidity, so on hot, dry days mist the foliage occasionally. Fertilize very lightly every 2 weeks. Most garden shops have fertilizer designed specifically for orchids.

Indoor, use a good planting mix designed for orchids (available at most garden shops). Make sure your pots drain well and place in a window that gets subdued sun most of the day. Again, be very careful with watering. Do not water unless the soil is dry about 2-3 inches under the surface.

Some of the popular orchid varieties are:
* Cattleya Hybrids- These are the highly popular corsage flower
* Oncidiums- Can tolerate a less tropical environment
* Epidendrums- A good temperate climate orchid that will stand nearly full sun
* Plalaenopsis- Grows a long, arching spray of flowers. Thrives in humid, warm climates

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Green beans are very productive

Green beans are very productive even in poor soil and are ready for the table in 7-8 weeks. You can expect about 15 pounds of beans from a single 30 foot row of bush beans.

Your choice of bush or pole beans and how many to plant will depend on the size of your family and if you intend to preserve or freeze the beans.

Bush beans take up more space but require less work planting, staking, weeding and watering. Bush beans also produce most of the crop all at once, which is great for freezing. Pole beans are very prolific and you don't have to bend over to harvest. They mature later than bush beans and bear small amounts each day but will keep producing all summer long if you keep the mature beans picked. Pole beans are best for those interested in having a pot of beans on the table every 3 or 4 days rather than those interested in preserving their beans.

Pole beans, of course, require something to climb. Plant the seed in rows 3 to 4 feet apart. Plant them in hills about 3 feet apart in the row. Place a 6- to 8-foot stake in the center of each hill. Plant three to four seeds around the stake, about 1 inch deep in the soil. As the bean vines mature, they will grow up the stake.

Another method which saves space is to take three six foot long wooden poles (don't use metal) and place them in a tripod arrangement, tying them together at the top. Plant 3 seeds around the base of each pole. This arrangement only takes about a three foot area, so you can have two of them in a six foot plot which will produce enough beans for a family of four.

To get a jump on the growing season, plant the beans indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost in peat pots. When the plants are 4 inches tall the peat pots can be planted directly in the garden without disturbing the roots.

To plant seed directly in the garden, prepare the soil by adding compost (I prefer well-aged manure) as soon as you can work the soil in the spring. Beans love the sun so be sure to plant your beans in a spot that gets at least 6-8 hours of direct sun each day.

As the beans send out long shoots, train them to climb the poles if they do not do it own their own (generally, they will). Keep them watered but not soaked. Fertilize once when the plants start climbing the poles.

For bush beans, plant the seed about 1 inch deep and 1 to 2 inches apart in the row. The rows should be 2 1/2 to 3 feet apart. After the beans are up, thin the plants to 3 to 4 inches apart

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Growing Tomatoes

The tomato is probably the most popular vegetable grown by the home gardener. (Technically, the tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable). Their popularity is probably due to the fact that they are easy to grow, require little care and when ripened on the vine, taste so much better than those from the store.

Since tomatoes take around 120 days to mature from seed, they are generally started indoors six weeks before planting in the garden. Or you may buy established plants from your garden shop (considerably more expensive).

To start from seed indoors, place seeds 1/4" deep in small pots filled with planting mix and keep in a warm place (around 70 degrees). Keep moist but not soggy. Placing a plastic bag over the pots until the sprouts break the soil will hasten germination. Be sure to remove the plastic as soon as the sprouts appear.

Place the seedlings in a sunny window away from drafts. Tomatoes need plenty of light and they love the sun. You can fertilize with a weak liquid fertilizer solution after they are about 3 weeks old.

When you are ready to put the plants in the garden, make sure the night time temperature is not too cold (ideally above 50 degrees). Tomatoes are very sensitive to cold nights. They will either die or simply not grow until it warms up. Harden off the young plants before planting in the garden by placing them outdoors for several hours for a week prior to placing them permanently in the garden.

Here is a trick that will not only allow you to plant your tomatoes earlier outdoors, it will also increase your yield and give you earlier ripe tomatoes. A week prior to moving your plants outdoors, select a sunny location where you want to place your tomatoes and cover the ground with black plastic. The plastic will speed the ground warming process and your tomatoes will love the warm soil. Some garden shops are selling a red colored plastic for this purpose. I have tried it and it does work.

When transplanting, make sure you dig a hole large enough to accommodate the roots without crowding. Water the plant prior to removing from the pot.

Here is another trick when transplanting that will give your tomatoes a strong, healthy root system. Remove all the lower leaves and branches from the plant (keep a minimum of three leaves). Dig a trench rather than a hole and plant the tomato horizontally with just the top foliage exposed out of the ground. Your tomatoes will grow new roots all along the stem everywhere it is under dirt and produce a vigorous plant.

Water the new transplant thoroughly after planting.

Watering
When watering, try to keep water off the leaves. Wet leaves promote fungus, disease and pests. Water the ground at the base of the plant. Avoid short, frequent watering. Water when the ground is dry to the touch 3-4 inches under the surface. Water long, slow and deep. Then do not water again until soil is dry. In some areas this may be every 2-3 days. In others, once a week. The plant will tell you when it needs water if you just observe closely. Look at the leaves in early morning or just before dark; if they are drooping. the plant probably needs water. Of course, if you just watered recently, the leaves may droop for other reasons.

Fertilizing
Fertilizing is not rocket science. It's fairly simple. I have had a great crop of tomatoes without any fertilizing at all, in different locations, in different parts of the country. I've also had poor crops when I did fertilize and did everything right. So, what follows is only from my own personal experience. Others will advise various different procedures.

I only use well aged steer manure. Incorporate a cup of manure into the soil of the hole before planting your tomatoes. Then fertilize again when the first blossoms appear. Place a cup of manure around the base of the plant and scratch it into the soil. Watering will take the fertilizer down to the roots. I do not fertilize again the rest of the season. Just keep in mind that over-fertilizing will promote large, vigorous plants with few tomatoes. Some may not agree, but I believe under-fertilizing is preferable to over-fertilizing.

Care of Your Tomatoes
Pruning and culling are controversial subjects. I like to prune my tomatoes as they are growing to keep them manageable and to allow light to get into the center of the plant. According to the variety, unpruned tomatoes can spread into a monstrous mess making it difficult to find tomatoes in the center and promoting disease/pests. Since pruning is an entire subject of it's own, we will not attempt to include it here. There are many web sites that give pruning procedures (google search for "pruning tomatoes").

Culling is the technique of removing some of the tomatoes when they are small to allow the remaining tomatoes to have less competition for nutrients, thus growing larger. I have tried it and did not notice an appreciable difference. So, we make no recommendation. You might want to try culling one plant and not another (of the same variety in the same general location) and see for yourself if it helps.

Staking: It is very important to keep the leaves and tomatoes off the ground to prevent disease, pest and rot from invading your tomato plant. Some varieties do not need staking, others do. If you are not sure, just watch as the plant grows and if the leaves start to sag close to the grown, stake it.

I am not a fan of commercially available staking methods (metal cages, plastic lattices, etc.). I have found that they are too short and too flimsy to support a mature plant. I use a 6 or 8 foot wooden 2x4 buried one foot into the ground. Use ties developed for this purpose (available at garden shops) and tie the wayward branches to the stake, beginning with the very first one. Never use thin string or wire to tie, it will cut into the limbs.

Pest
I suppose various locations may have different pest but I have never had a problem with any other than snails/slugs and the tomato hornworm.

Snails/slugs: Snails may be picked by hand early morning, late afternoon or in the dark with a flashlight...if you do not have a large infestation. If you are overwhelmed with snails or slugs you will have to resort to commercial solutions. There are many available and they are effective. However, be aware that many are poisonous to pets and children. They are actually attractive to dogs and can kill them. So, I urge you to use only "Pet Friendly" snail bait. It is available in most all garden shops and worth a few extra pennies. After all, why would you want to put any poison in your garden?

Tomato Hornworm: You will not have trouble recognizing one of these monsters if you have never seen one. First, you will notice an entire limb of your plant completely stripped of leaves. Then if you look closely in that area, you will see a large (2-4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick) worm with a pronounced horn on one end. They can be difficult to see since they are green and blend into the foliage of the plant.

The simplest method to get rid of them is to pick them off by hand and dispose of them. I have never had to use any other controls for tomato hornworms. I've never found more than two on only one or two plants and after picking them off for two or three days they do not reappear. If you have a different experience, you will have to resort to a commercial pesticide (unfortunately).

There are many tips and different methods for growing tomatoes, but if you follow these basics, chances are that you will have a great harvest of beautiful tomatoes.

Read more »

Care of Your Tomatoes

The tomato is probably the most popular vegetable grown by the home gardener. (Technically, the tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable). Their popularity is probably due to the fact that they are easy to grow, require little care and when ripened on the vine, taste so much better than those from the store.

Since tomatoes take around 120 days to mature from seed, they are generally started indoors six weeks before planting in the garden. Or you may buy established plants from your garden shop (considerably more expensive).

To start from seed indoors, place seeds 1/4" deep in small pots filled with planting mix and keep in a warm place (around 70 degrees). Keep moist but not soggy. Placing a plastic bag over the pots until the sprouts break the soil will hasten germination. Be sure to remove the plastic as soon as the sprouts appear.

Place the seedlings in a sunny window away from drafts. Tomatoes need plenty of light and they love the sun. You can fertilize with a weak liquid fertilizer solution after they are about 3 weeks old.

When you are ready to put the plants in the garden, make sure the night time temperature is not too cold (ideally above 50 degrees). Tomatoes are very sensitive to cold nights. They will either die or simply not grow until it warms up. Harden off the young plants before planting in the garden by placing them outdoors for several hours for a week prior to placing them permanently in the garden.

Here is a trick that will not only allow you to plant your tomatoes earlier outdoors, it will also increase your yield and give you earlier ripe tomatoes. A week prior to moving your plants outdoors, select a sunny location where you want to place your tomatoes and cover the ground with black plastic. The plastic will speed the ground warming process and your tomatoes will love the warm soil. Some garden shops are selling a red colored plastic for this purpose. I have tried it and it does work.

When transplanting, make sure you dig a hole large enough to accommodate the roots without crowding. Water the plant prior to removing from the pot.

Here is another trick when transplanting that will give your tomatoes a strong, healthy root system. Remove all the lower leaves and branches from the plant (keep a minimum of three leaves). Dig a trench rather than a hole and plant the tomato horizontally with just the top foliage exposed out of the ground. Your tomatoes will grow new roots all along the stem everywhere it is under dirt and produce a vigorous plant.

Water the new transplant thoroughly after planting.

Watering
When watering, try to keep water off the leaves. Wet leaves promote fungus, disease and pests. Water the ground at the base of the plant. Avoid short, frequent watering. Water when the ground is dry to the touch 3-4 inches under the surface. Water long, slow and deep. Then do not water again until soil is dry. In some areas this may be every 2-3 days. In others, once a week. The plant will tell you when it needs water if you just observe closely. Look at the leaves in early morning or just before dark; if they are drooping. the plant probably needs water. Of course, if you just watered recently, the leaves may droop for other reasons.

Fertilizing
Fertilizing is not rocket science. It's fairly simple. I have had a great crop of tomatoes without any fertilizing at all, in different locations, in different parts of the country. I've also had poor crops when I did fertilize and did everything right. So, what follows is only from my own personal experience. Others will advise various different procedures.

I only use well aged steer manure. Incorporate a cup of manure into the soil of the hole before planting your tomatoes. Then fertilize again when the first blossoms appear. Place a cup of manure around the base of the plant and scratch it into the soil. Watering will take the fertilizer down to the roots. I do not fertilize again the rest of the season. Just keep in mind that over-fertilizing will promote large, vigorous plants with few tomatoes. Some may not agree, but I believe under-fertilizing is preferable to over-fertilizing.

Care of Your Tomatoes
Pruning and culling are controversial subjects. I like to prune my tomatoes as they are growing to keep them manageable and to allow light to get into the center of the plant. According to the variety, unpruned tomatoes can spread into a monstrous mess making it difficult to find tomatoes in the center and promoting disease/pests. Since pruning is an entire subject of it's own, we will not attempt to include it here. There are many web sites that give pruning procedures (google search for "pruning tomatoes").

Culling is the technique of removing some of the tomatoes when they are small to allow the remaining tomatoes to have less competition for nutrients, thus growing larger. I have tried it and did not notice an appreciable difference. So, we make no recommendation. You might want to try culling one plant and not another (of the same variety in the same general location) and see for yourself if it helps.

Staking: It is very important to keep the leaves and tomatoes off the ground to prevent disease, pest and rot from invading your tomato plant. Some varieties do not need staking, others do. If you are not sure, just watch as the plant grows and if the leaves start to sag close to the grown, stake it.

I am not a fan of commercially available staking methods (metal cages, plastic lattices, etc.). I have found that they are too short and too flimsy to support a mature plant. I use a 6 or 8 foot wooden 2x4 buried one foot into the ground. Use ties developed for this purpose (available at garden shops) and tie the wayward branches to the stake, beginning with the very first one. Never use thin string or wire to tie, it will cut into the limbs.

Pest
I suppose various locations may have different pest but I have never had a problem with any other than snails/slugs and the tomato hornworm.

Snails/slugs: Snails may be picked by hand early morning, late afternoon or in the dark with a flashlight...if you do not have a large infestation. If you are overwhelmed with snails or slugs you will have to resort to commercial solutions. There are many available and they are effective. However, be aware that many are poisonous to pets and children. They are actually attractive to dogs and can kill them. So, I urge you to use only "Pet Friendly" snail bait. It is available in most all garden shops and worth a few extra pennies. After all, why would you want to put any poison in your garden?

Tomato Hornworm: You will not have trouble recognizing one of these monsters if you have never seen one. First, you will notice an entire limb of your plant completely stripped of leaves. Then if you look closely in that area, you will see a large (2-4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick) worm with a pronounced horn on one end. They can be difficult to see since they are green and blend into the foliage of the plant.

The simplest method to get rid of them is to pick them off by hand and dispose of them. I have never had to use any other controls for tomato hornworms. I've never found more than two on only one or two plants and after picking them off for two or three days they do not reappear. If you have a different experience, you will have to resort to a commercial pesticide (unfortunately).

There are many tips and different methods for growing tomatoes, but if you follow these basics, chances are that you will have a great harvest of beautiful tomatoes.

Read more »

Oak leaf with an Olive Branch

In the mid 1800s, when someone created a bouquet, they created a message too. The message wasn't written in a letter or on a card, but in the flowers and foliage that made up the bouquet.

For the educated at that time, flowers and foliage had assigned meanings. So the combinations used to make bouquets conveyed messages, to be read only by others in-the-know.

The mythical origins of the language explains that they came from Turkey where a French painter wooed a Harem girl. He took her back to France as his wife where she taught European women to speak with flowers and foliage to their lovers. The Europeans then taught everyone else.

Some plant meanings are obvious, like the Venus' Fly-Trap signifying deceit and danger. Ouch! And a Lemon Branch meaning zest or vigor. Zing!

Some meanings are obvious if you know the Latin name for the flower, like the Daffodil. In Latin it's called a Narcissus, named for the vain god. The Daffodil signifies egotism.

The more interesting are the counter-intuitive ones, like a Cactus symbolizing warmth. But if you think about it, the Cactus grows in a warm climate. The prickliness is ignored.

It's interesting to note that some meanings are different than meanings we commonly accept today, such as for the Shamrock. It does not symbolize luck, but instead means lightheartedness.

And the holiday-season favorite, Mistletoe, does not mean a kiss, but instead means "I surmount difficulties". Perhaps the difficulty surmounted is how to get a certain person to let you kiss them, or how to get a certain person to kiss you? Just a thought...

One plant meaning is still commonly known. The Olive Branch is the universal symbol of peace. And you do still hear people say someone is as solid as an Oak. The Oak symbolizes bravery.

While the language of flowers and foliage is a dead language today, the dictionaries for this language still exist and inspire the more romantic, or devious, among us. If that includes you, here are some suggestions.

* A bride's bouquet of Blue Violets and Forget-Me-Nots surrounded by Ivy promises a faithful and true love within marriage.
* A Cabbage Rose and Lupines sent ahead by a date means the person will arrive as an ambassador of love, voracious for your company.
* You could head off the ambassador with a bouquet of Orange Blossoms and Acacia Leaves declaring your chastity (with them) and offering friendship instead.
* If you receive Variegated Tulips with Peonies it could be you have an admirer of your beautiful eyes who's too bashful to tell you in person.
* Watch out for an Oleander Branch with Lavender around a Tuberose. Someone could be trying to tell you to beware and to distrust dangerous pleasures.
* But Hollyhock with Sweet-Peas means someone has ambitions for delicate pleasures.
* A sweet arrangement is Buttercups with Daisies and Magnolia, communicating a childish, innocent, love of nature.
* Even sweeter is Honeysuckle, meaning generous and devoted affection.
* At a time of loss, Pansies with either Red Poppies, Marigolds or Pine Branches tell a person of your thoughts for them of consolation, despair and pity.
* But if the person mourning responds with Mimosa and Elm branches, they're telling you they're still sensitive yet coping with dignity.
* Decorating your doorway with Oak Branches would signify your hospitality to your party guests as they arrive.
* And a gift bouquet for your party host of Sweet Basil, Parsley, Mint, and Sage will not only make the food more flavorful, but also send good wishes for the festivity, and praises the host for their virtue, especially their domestic virtues.
* The earthy combination of Grass and Wheat stocks means there's to be a submission with an expectation of great riches.
* But for the broken heart, try sending the heart-breaker some Lettuce Leaves with Hydrangeas and one White Rose Bud. If they understand the language of flowers and foliage, they'll know you consider them a cold-hearted, boaster who's heart is ignorant of love.

I'll leave you with an Oak leaf with an Olive Branch, or the wish that you're brave enough to seek peace where you now have strife.

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Creating a sustainable soil environment

All fertilizers are investments, but organic ones are more likely to give reliable returns. Fertilizers from natural sources release a wide spectrum of nutrients slowly and steadily over a period of years, as opposed to the quick-release action of conventional nitrogen fertilizers that can wash away in the first heavy rain.
Organic fertilizers are once-living materials that can include everything from alfalfa meal and manure to oak leaves and kelp. The rewards of using organic fertilizers are tangible: good yields, better plant health and intense flavors. (No wonder the last three White House chefs prepared meals with organic produce!)

The overall strategy of organic growing is to feed the soil—not just the plants—with generous amounts of compost, manure, and side dishes such as alfalfa meal, bone meal and rock phosphate. These natural substances are far more familiar and less destructive to soil organisms than conventional chemical fertilizers, whose concentrated ingredients result in subsurface boom-and-bust cycles. In a single wheelbarrow load of fertile soil, there are more organisms than people on Earth—and they’re an industrious lot.

Bacteria, fungi, centipedes, beetles, earthworms and other soil organisms produce vitamins and antibiotics that promote growth and control disease; knit together particles of organic matter to create well-draining soil; and release carbon dioxide to help plants form new tissue.

Good soil functions like a healthy immune system: As long as beneficial organisms receive a high-quality diet, they keep bad organisms in check. Overdoses of chemical fertilizers and a shortage of organic matter weakens plants, allowing pests to invade. When that happens, many gardeners often resort to pesticides.

A Well-Balanced Diet

To see if your soil needs a better diet, get it a checkup by sending a soil sample to the county extension office (the address and instructions are available at soiltestinglab.colostate.edu; the test costs $28). Or buy a simple test kit that measures nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and pH levels. Nitrogen enhances green, leafy growth; phosphorus gives plants energy and supports flower and seed growth; potassium synthesizes protein and builds strong stems.

Generally, conventional fertilizers contain the “big three” nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium—but rarely contain dozens of other trace elements that support growth and help prevent disease.

Colorado soils are particularly deficient in water-retaining organic matter and available nitrogen. They’re also high on the pH scale, an alkaline condition that many crops don’t like. Soil pH above 7.3 inhibits plant uptake of essential nutrients like phosphorus. Garden staples like lettuce, corn and peppers prefer a pH just below neutral (7 on the pH scale), while tomatoes, strawberries and potatoes prefer an even more acidic soil.

The good news is that soils high in organic matter can buffer pH extremes, effectively allowing for good yields, even if soil pH is on the high side. Adding a 2- to 4-inch compost layer to beds every year is a good practice (see mastercomposter.com/pile for complete information on composting). Adding peat moss, leaves, coffee grounds and pine needles can also lower pH levels slightly, but the most effective health food for high pH is elemental sulfur in quantities up to 10 pounds per 100 square feet, which is expensive unless bulk supplies are available.

Compost Can’t Do It All

Compost organisms perform a very valuable service by making naturally occurring nutrients available in the soil. But eventually those nutrients become depleted. To offset what is harvested from the garden, return composted garden residue to the soil, along with other composted goodies like food scraps, leaves and manure.

If you have space or time constraints, high-quality compost can be purchased at reasonable prices. Eko Compost, for example, performs well, because it has a low ratio of carbon (i.e., not too much sawdust) to nitrogen, which is supplied with materials like alfalfa meal and poultry manure.

Composting should be a key strategy in the organic garden, but for best results compost needs allies from other animal, vegetable and mineral sources that have higher concentrations of nutrients. Deep-rooted cover crops or “green manures” also make existing nutrients available, because they mine nutrients from below the root zone of most vegetables (cover-crop roots can extend down 6 feet or more). When crops such as winter rye, hairy vetch, crimson clover and alfalfa are turned under and decompose, they enrich the soil.

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