What Makes a Weed a WEED? by Rebecca Anderson

Photo by Rebecca Anderson

This is the time of year when our landscapes are becoming greener and new plants are sprouting every day.  As I spend more time doing projects in my yard, I'm often faced with a decision: is a particular plant a weed or is it a beneficial landscape plant?  Here are some guidelines I use to help come to a conclusion. 

1. Plants growing in the wrong location are weeds. This defines all the traditional weeds like the dandelions (Taraxacum sp.)in the lawn, but it also helps when evaluating more mobile landscape and garden plants. The morning glories (Ipomoea sp.) growing on the trellis where I planted them can stay. The ones climbing up the arborvitae (Thuja sp.) need to go. 
2. Plants that are unattractive are weeds. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but many of the common weeds lack attractive characteristics we value in other plants. This benchmark may apply to an intentionally placed landscape plant that has become scraggly over time, too. If pruning can't bring it back to the desired form, then perhaps removal is another option.

Large Miller Moth Population Expected by Mary Small

Euxoa auxiliaris Miller Moth

According to CSU Extension Entomologist, Dr. Whitney Cranshaw, “miller moth” numbers will be above average. Because the numbers of their caterpillars found in crops and other locations this spring, the moth numbers may be way above average. 

How much of a nuisance they will be is dependent on moisture and numbers of flowering plants around. Moisture has been good, contributing to the development of flowering plants. While last week’s freeze may have damaged some flowers, they are still abundant and will be attractive to the moths. Moths feed on nectar in the flowers.

Flowering plants most often visited by miller moths in our area include lilac, cherries, spirea, cotoneaster, horse chestnut, raspberry and Russian olive. Dark and dense plants such as cotoneaster, spruce and pines are most used by miller moths for shelter around homes.

The moths become a problem for humans when they accidentally enter homes.  During the day moths seek shelter in cracks and crevices around homes, in door entries and near windows.  At night, the moths become active and may be attracted to indoor or exterior lighting.

The major infestation is not expected for a few more weeks, about mid-June.
For detailed information on miller moths, including deterring them from your home, see this information.

Caution on Compost . . . Can It Be Too Much of a Good Thing? by Patti O'Neal

Amend, amend, and amend.  It is the mantra we all chant when managing our Colorado soils.  We here at CSU are constantly recommending that you add organic materials to your soils to improve water and nutrient holding capacity if you garden in sandy, gravelly or decomposed granite soils and to improve soil structure, drainage and filtration of water and nutrients in clay soils.  Improving the soil is still important for good plant growth and production of fruit and flowers.

But can you have too much of a good thing?  Much is being made, and justifiably so, of phosphates these days and their adverse effect on our groundwater supplies.  As a result many states are adopting laws to prevent the addition of phosphates to many products for household and outdoor use.

How to Plant Tomatoes in Colorado

It just snowed here but we know that tomato planting time is nigh! Here's a video from Carol O'Meara, Boulder County Extension Agent on the proper way to plant tomatoes in Colorado.

Lawns Struggling as Spring Gets Underway by Mary Small

It’s not that unusual for lawns to look a bit tough right now, especially when MotherNature hasn’t been cooperative with moisture! What’s a person to do?
First, try to figure out what is causing the lawn problem.  Look at it as a whole and see if you can pick out a pattern to the damage.

A colleague of mine stood took this picture from her home’s second floor window. You can see that some areas of the lawn are brown and some are green.  The damage is happening in swaths, not small spots or circles. This pattern is pretty typical of poor sprinkler function and it means that the sprinkler system needs a closer look. (Especially note the foreground and the area near the raised bed in the background.)The problem could be that heads are plugged or partially plugged, so aren’t applying enough water. They could be tipped due to the freeze/thaw cycles from winter. Maybe the head is a bit high and was dislodged during aeration or mowing. But you won’t know until you look at the sprinkler heads and check sprinkler delivery.

Tending to Roses in the Spring by Donna Duffy

It’s finally beginning to feel like spring! Your roses are probably showing signs of life again with canes turning green and leaf buds starting to form. But this is Colorado, and we’re not quite out of freeze danger yet. With that in mind, the following are some steps you can take to help your roses get off to a good start. 

What is an Heirloom Plant by Caroline Reardon

njhealthfederation.org

An heirloom seed today will grow into a plant that is an exact replica of its 50- to 100-year-old ancestor. And the seed of this plant will grow into an exact replica of itself for future generations to enjoy. Wind, bees, birds or other natural helpers have pollinated it —no scientific intervention to “improve” its production, uniformity, transportability and resistance to diseases or pesticide—and it has been cultivated. An heirloom plant is a vintage treasure and an important link from our past to our future.

Why should I grow them?  Just taste one! Heirloom fruits and vegetables are prized for their amazing flavors. Our gardening forefathers and foremothers saved seeds selected from their most delicious produce to grow again the next year, and then the next year and the next. We now benefit from their selective process, saving the best to grow the best. You can continue this heritage by saving seeds from your favorites to grow in your garden next year.

Two Foothill Gardening Experiences in 2013 by Ed Powers

In 2013 I started the year where I left off in 2012. In 2012 I had just moved to Evergreen from Detroit, Michigan and was able to start seeds in late April. Almost too late for this area. I planted a few tomatoes, squash, peppers, marigolds, Icelandic poppies and zinnias. Of course I brought the seed from Detroit. Everything sprouted and grew.

Winter Damage in Colorado Evergreens by Mary Small

Many conifers aren’t looking too great right now. Much of the problem is related to dry fall and winter weather over the last couple of years.  Fall and winter months are typically dry, but these past couple of years have been especially dry.  How does that affect these plants?

Although trees and shrubs “go dormant” in the fall, the root systems of these plants still function as long as soil temperatures hover around 40 degrees.  Roots need water  to function properly and their source for that is either Mother Nature or irrigation that we provide.  No water during this period stresses or kills roots through dehydration. 

Evergreen leaves can continue to transpire, that is, lose moisture to the surrounding environment, on warm sunny days, even in the winter.  This is a normal leaf function, designed to keep the leaves from overheating, kind of like our perspiration. 

Lilac Ash Borer Does Not Equal Emerald Ash Borer by Mary Small

 

Lilac Ash Borer Damage in Ash

I was recently sent this photo and asked if I thought this could be emerald ash borer damage. Apparently a lot of ash trees in the neighborhood have similar injury.

Note D-shaped holes

One hole looks like a D, which could indicate a flatheaded borer such as emerald ash borer. (But flatheaded apple tree borers can also infest stressed ash.) Consider too, that lilac ash borer creates irregularly round exit holes and the rest of the holes in the picture are round-ish. The D shaped hole also is ragged around the edge, which is not typical of the flatheaded borers mentioned above.

Using Potato Grow Bags in Colorado by Ellen Goodnight

Photo amazon.com

I will be the first to confess that I am not an expert potato grower. Further, I will admit that I have tried to grow a variety of potatoes, in all sorts of conditions and places in my gardens, with varying degrees of success. Moving to another house set a new challenge as I wanted to grow my beloved potatoes along with every thing else in a rather limited space. Potato plants can easily take over a garden.

I began to to look at alternatives and read about using large fabric bags. Would these really support large potato plants and would I get the kind of yield the advertisements promised? Did I really need to buy the special soil mix and fertilizer the catalog recommended? My potatoes had always grown in well-composted garden soil and done very well. I was  starting to have my doubts about the expense of growing in bags but  I decided to take a gamble.

I bought two large fabric bags, and one bag of the special soil mix and fertilizer. I wanted to compare the yield results of using the soil/fertilizer mix  in one bag and using garden soil mixed with my own compost in the other. I planted Red Norland, Russett and Yukon Gold seed potatoes in the bags in early April.

Growing Blueberries in Colorado by Carol King

Photo by Carol King

Who doesn't love a blueberry?  They are one of the super foods, filled with antioxidents.  These tiny, round blue-purple berries have long been attributed to the longevity and wellness of indigenous natives.  Blueberries are very low in calories. A cup of fresh berries provide only 57 calories.  Some research studies suggest that these berries help lower blood sugar levels and control blood-glucose levels in type-II diabetes.  Super food indeed. Why not grow them in the Colorado Front Range home garden?

Blueberries will not grow in Colorado soil. Blueberries need acidic soil (and a lot of it).  Our native soils are alkaline; the opposite of what a blueberry needs! Every year at this time, I see the blueberry plants lined up in the big box stores just waiting for some unsuspecting gardener to purchase and take home to complete failure.