North Mississippi Gardening Tips
November/December 2009
Garden Clean-up and Composting
Dead stalks and other debris left in the garden provide good locations for insects and diseases to overwinter. Remove and destroy any infested material and add the rest to your compost pile. Keep your compost moist during dry weather to aid in the decay. If you rake leaves you can add these to the compost pile. Dig the leaves into the pile and work in approximately two cups of fertilizer for every foot of dry material added. The pile will decompose more rapidly if you turn the pile every couple of weeks or you can take the easy approach—do nothing. It will still decompose albeit more slowly! If you take this laid-back composting approach, you might want to dig into the center of the pile for the best compost as the outside edges of the pile will have dried out and decomposed more slowly.
Do not allow leaves to accumulate on the lawn, as damage may occur. If you had problems with petal blight, a disease that causes camellia and azalea flowers to brown prematurely, it’s time to remove old mulch from around these plants and replenish with new mulch to help control the recurrence of this disease.
Care of Amaryllis Bulbs
You may be one of those people fortunate enough to have received one of these spectacular bulbs as a gift from thoughtful friends or family. If not, you may want to drop them a hint or give up and buy your own, as these make spectacular flowers and are so easy! Your bulb may have come in a kit that included a lovely pot, soil and a huge bulb. If so, follow the instructions that came with your kit. If you went the less expensive route or your gift-giving friends did and all you have is a bulb, then select a pot just large enough to leave an inch of soil around the sides of the bulb. When handling the bulb, be especially careful not to break or damage the roots. Plant your bulb in potting soil leaving about one-half or one-third of the bulb exposed above the soil line. Water well, and place near a bright window, rotating the pot as the flowering stem and foliage emerges to keep it growing straight. Stake the flowering stem if needed when it becomes top-heavy and appears to want to lean. After the flowers fade, continue to provide bright light, water when needed and fertilize monthly with soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer or similar analysis. Remember the foliage has to grow to replenish the food stored in the bulb which supports those magnificent blooms next holiday season. You can move the plant outdoors during the growing season. Let it dry out and go dormant in early autumn. When you are ready to let it start growing again, just add water and soon you will see the bloom stalk and foliage emerge.
Houseplants
Fall and winter bring reduced light and cooler temperatures. This means your houseplants will be growing slower so they won’t need as much water or fertilizer. Succulents such as jade plant, sansevieria, and various cacti will probably be content with just one good watering per month. Plants with larger, thinner leaves such as schelffera, Chinese evergreen, and dracaenas will lose water more quickly, but still may not need watering but every 10 days or so. Always check the moistness of the soil by sticking your finger about an inch into the potting mix to see if it is moist. If it is not damp, then you water.
Shrubs and Trees
Fall and winter is a great time to plant trees and shrubs, but be sure to select the right ones for a particular spot. One of the most important considerations is the ultimate size a plant will attain. Also consider the amount of sunlight or shade an area receives, and select a species adaptable to those conditions. Next, determine how much water will be available. Shrubs planted beneath overhangs will receive little rain, and competition from nearby trees lessens available water as well. Plants in low, soggy areas must be able to tolerate having their feet wet. Place marginally hardy plants in locations protected from cold winter winds.
Using a Cold Frame for Winter Greens
Lettuce and other cold season greens can be sown in cold frames now for winter salads. Although these plants can take cool temperatures, using the cold frame will protect them from the periodic extreme cold temperatures that we have during north Mississippi winters and prolong your harvest through the holidays and beyond. There are many styles and store-bought models of home cold frames. I have for years used what I call the “po-man’s cold frame”—make a square out of hay bales and top with an old window sash. Works great for me! You may have your own version that works well for you. You will need to provide moisture to the plants because rain cannot reach them. Vent the cold frame on warm days by propping open the lid several inches. I just take the window sash off during those warm winter days, or just use a big rock to prop the window sash open. Or, you could buy the fancy-smancy automatic cold frame openers, which opens the lid when temperatures rise and closes again as they cool. Google “automatic cold frame openers” to locate a supplier. Even if I could afford these, I don’t think they would easily mount on my hay bales!
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes North Mississippi Gardening Tips monthly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.