I Stood In My Garden Early Yesterday Morning Wondering Where The Sun Had Gone… Then It Dawned On Me!
It is now officially Summer. Let’s see we are having snow on the Coquihalla Highway and other high passes through our mountains. The torrential downpour this last Sunday contained sleet and our evening temperatures this week are single digit. I hope that everyone faired well with the torrential downpour and sleet, my plants were drooping but I see no real damage. I haven’t seen it rain that hard in a long time and makes the downpour at Lumby Days pale.
I hope that this will assist with any potential fire issues for this area and I pray that the areas now in trouble receive this bounty. Farmers in Alberta received a small amount of rain but are in need of much more. As well as too dry I hear that cut worms are eating what has been planted.
I’ve noticed and been pleased with the lack of pest is my greenhouse and yard. Whitefly has been an issue for a couple of days but this year there is nothing affecting my plants yard or greenhouse. A friend who did a motorcycle trip to Jasper reported not having to wash his bike coming or going on his trip as no bugs were a problem. I wonder what’s going on with these pests, I see enough pollinators as my Raspberry crop looks promising.
I made a promise to research and write on a couple of issues that were brought to my attention during Lumby Days.
The first has to do with Peonies. This is a beautiful and hardy bush that grows readily here. The issue at hand is the reluctance of the bush to flower after being planted for several years. Peonies are relatively easy to grow and maintain they like a slightly alkaline soil and thrive in a sunny location but will tolerate a bit of shade. They bloom once in early June but continue to grow as a shiny leafed bush until they are subject to a heavy frost.
They need 30 to 60 days of fairly cool temperatures when they start to grow in order to flower. This is not usually a problem. They should be planted in the early fall as when plants in Spring may not flower for a year or two. But the usual reason for their not blooming after several years is that they have been planted too deep. Only about 2 inches of soil should cover the buds on the stalk that you plant. If you plant too shallow then the buds could dry out. As I think that this may be the problem wait until mid September and replant them. They should have a fertilization of a high phosphorous fertilizer in Spring and will benefit from a bit of support to keep the bush upright especially when in bloom as those lovely big blooms are heavy.
I have cut back a tomato cage to about 1 foot and this seems to work wonderfully. I hope this helps.
Another issue that was mentioned is fungal problems on some plants leaves. This can be caused by planting too close together, lack of weed control, some pests can spread the fungus and of course too much rain or overwatering. A natural remedy is a mixture of 4 tsps of Baking Soda in 1 quart of water with 4 tsp liquid dish soap and 4 tsp of vegetable oil which will help it adhere to the plant. This should only be used twice a month as Baking Soda is a salt and may harm the plants if used too often. This mixture not only leave the healthy leaves of the plant nice and shiny but it also is good for destroying Whitefly, Aphids, Thrips, Spider Mites, Caterpillars, Roaches and Ants. Sprayed on the ground around the plant it will also control Slugs and Cutworms. Be sure to test this out on as small area of the plant first to check for sensitivity.
Happy Gardening!
Samantha Nason
BS Ranch & Greenhouses
250 547 6567
sam1nason@gmail.com
