The Spring 2014 edition of Never Plant This
rusty_blackhaw
10 years ago
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linlily
10 years agogaryfla_gw
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Blackberry and Raspberry Report (late Spring 2014)
Comments (152)Gmshack - I have read of using both plastic and Agribon, but haven't gotten around to the plastic part yet. There are two main issues with overwintering and some studies suggest that dehydration is a bigger problem than cold tolerance in cold climates. I used drew 51's technique of Wilt Stop this fall, so we will see if it prevented desiccation. I also used two layers of Agribon. I find that one layer does not provide the protection that the company claims. I start covering mine around late August when our first frost hit. This is both to protect berries and reduce temperature shock from early season frosts. In the spring, I am leaving the Agribon on for a few weeks. This next spring I will leave it on until each variety begins to flower. This substantially increases growth for me (in our very cool Mays) and hastens flowering by a few weeks. I do remove it on days with temps over 70F. Desiccation is a real problem for me since our ground is frozen solid for at least 6 months out of the year. Add to this that preliminary probing this last summer suggested that blackberry roots up here only extend 3 or 4 inches into the ground (it is too cold below that, with an average annual temperature at 3 ft of around 31F). In this situation I believe that the roots cannot take up water to replace what the canes transpire during the winter and they end up desiccating and dying way back (from 8-10 ft long to about 2 ft). We will see. As far as the weed block, it will probably not increase the soil temperature as much as removing it. I'm not sure of this as I don't have experience with it in the Lower 48. Up here, it must be removed in the spring for about 4 weeks to allow the soil to thaw and then reapplied. Your soil is already thawed and substantially warmer, so you shouldn't have to do this. What I think I get from weed block is increased heat above it = though I have no data to show that. I just know that of two Wild Treasure plants I have (that are one year different in age), the one grown over weed block is much more vigorous than the other. I trellised the very vigorous one last year and it continued to grow strong even though most of the canes were not directly lying on the weed block. A study at Oregon State Univ. also supports this. However, Wild Treasure is a crown-forming variety, not a spreading variety like the ones you have, so covering around it with weed block is a simple process. I do not grow primocane blackberries because the season is too short and there is insufficient heat. Everyone of them has died completely. I have one Triple Crown left and a very wimpy (it grew 2 whole inches this year) Chester. Neither has canes that survive - but then I have not covered them. I am guessing that if your TC canes survive and leaf out, but don't flower, that the flower buds are damaged by the cold. Flower buds on many plants are much less tolerant of cold than non-flowering buds. I have two varieties of erect blackberries that I am trialing that might be of interest to you. They are Nelson and Stenulson. Stenulson has been in the ground for several years, but moose have browsed it down each year and voles girdled anything that was left. Thus, I don't have an idea of its ripening season, but it is likely too late for me. It grows pretty well here and is spreading (unlike TC and Chester which only get smaller each year). I have had a few green canes survive the winter and start to leaf out and then die because they were girdled by voles at the base, so it is pretty hardy (though these were covered by snow mid-winter, when air temps dropped as low as -35F). I just got Nelson last year and it actually flowered earlier than any other erect I have. Its berries are somewhat frost tolerant, as well, to at least 28F. It still did not ripen early enough, but it was in a pot and not established. The timing could change in the future, especially if I put an Agribon "sack" over it early in the season. Both of these are thorny. I got Balsor's Hardy Black from the USDA germ plasm repository this fall, but it failed to root before it rotted. This is another possibility, but it is not commercially available in the US. Happy New Year!...See Moremonrovia spring 2014
Comments (2)It's a good idea that might work. Sounds like Monrovia is trying to improve the process of getting a wider selection of their plants to buyers via independent garden centers, without burdening the garden center with extra inventory they don't want or can't afford. Since Monrovia makes regular deliveries to garden centers anyway, adding a few special-orders to the truck doesn't cost them any more and doesn't place a burden on the garden center, because the plant has a buyer waiting. Monrovia like every other grower has been hammered over the past few years because of the Great Recession....See Morewhat plants are you 'editing' this spring?
Comments (21)I dug up two Lady Banksia roses as the huge roots were undermining our fence and our house! Those ladies are STRONG! I'm preparing to shovel prune my Knock Out roses in the future. I've planted crepe myrtles along my cottage fence. When those provide enough shade in the cottage garden, then I'm digging out the KOs because the Japanese Beetle fight makes the roses not worth it anymore. Nepeta note -- I have 'Six Hills Giant' and 'Walkers Low'. Of the two, the Six Hills is fabulous, but Walkers Low has never put on as good a show or shape as the Six Hills. Both are loved by bees and they'd be terribly upset with me if I got rid of those. That said, I have the space for them, too. After more than 90 days of temperatures over 90 degrees last summer and the fact that we are already in SEVERE DROUGHT here, I've made the decision to not add any new varieties of plants to the garden. I will only increase numbers of existing plants that sailed through the heat unscathed -- agastache, salvia, Russian sage, flax, buddleia, lavender, stachys, gaillardia, coneflowers, sedum, coreopsis and shastas. I'm already having to water the garden to try to keep my spring flower seedlings growing. It's so dry! Cameron...See More2014 Spring Fling/Swap
Comments (64)Paula, I'm bringing cookies too because when I was at the store this afternoon (likely while you were posting that you picked up a tray of cookies, lol), I was hungry and cookies sounded good. : ) I'm also bringing a big bowl of mixed fresh fruit. I bought red seedless grapes, green seedless grapes, pineapple, strawberries and 3 kinds of melon. Of course, I'm bringing Tim, door prizes, $$ for the potty and a few plants as well. I won't list every type of plant I'm bringing, but there's 8 flats of plants so far, including: -- about 100 tomato plants (representing virtually all the varieties on my 2014 Grow List) --five kinds of sweet bell peppers---mini bell peppers that mature to yellow or red and full-sized bells that mature to red, orange or yellow --the smallest hot pepper plants y'all ever will see but they are only a month old and fully hardened off---just tiny. They are mostly jalapenos (Early Jalapeno, Gigantea, Grande', Big Guy and probably Biker Billy), There might be an Ancho Gigantea plant or two in the flat of hot peppers. --some herbs, including Smokey Bronze Fennel, Florence Fennel, "Vierling" Dill for sure and some sort of basil, I think...and maybe some parsley --some flowers, including Outhouse Hollyhocks (mixed colors), Rose Mallow, Lion's Tail (tall, mint family, orange flowers) and Balsam. --A flower used more like an herb, specifically as a tea plant. It is Hibiscus sabdariffa and the calyx's from its flowers are used in tea--they put the Zing in Red Zinger tea. I mostly grow it just because it is a beautiful plant. I won't know until we load up the car in the morning if there's room for more flats of plants, but if there is room, I'll cram in some more plants. Looking forward to seeing everyone and so happy the severe weather won't start up until the Spring Fling is over! Dawn...See Moreperennialfan273
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