Extension Fall Garden Packet-I
Published: Aug. 28, 2007
NOTE TO EDITORS: This is the first of three installments in University of Illinois Extension's Fall Garden Packet. The second installment will be sent on Aug. 31 and the final one on Sept. 5. Thank you for your interest. Bob Sampson, Extension Communications Specialist.
August 29, 2007
Source: Greg Stack (708) 720-7520 Contact: Bob Sampson Extension Communications Specialist Phone (217) 244-0225; rsampson@uiuc.edu
Saving Plants for 2008 Season
A number of tender annuals can be carried over from 2007 to the 2008 gardening season, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.
"The key to success is in following a few tips," said Greg Stack. "The first time we hear the word 'frost' from a television weatherman, we go into high gear looking for bushel baskets, bed sheets, and newspapers to cover our favorite tender annuals in order to coax a few more days of enjoyment out of them. But soon even covering won't save them.
"Not everything is a good candidate for carrying over to next year and sometimes you have to just let go."
Yet, he emphasized, there are many plants that are excellent candidates for the carryover process.
"With all of the interest in coleus, it is easy to maintain plants over the winter to use in next year's garden," he said. "The best way is to take cuttings. Just before frost, cut off about a four- to five-inch piece of the tips of the stems. Remove the leaves from about one to two inches of the stems and insert it into a pot filled with moist potting media.
"Enclose the pot with cuttings in a zip-lock bag to maintain moisture. Check to see that the media stays moist and in about seven to 10 days you should have roots."
At that point, put the cuttings into individual pots, place them in a sunny location, and grow them over the winter. An occasional pinching will keep them short and compact. In the spring, about four to six weeks before planting time, take cuttings from these plants and root as before.
"You'll have plenty of coleus to spread around," said Stack. "If you don't have or don't want to use potting soil to root your cuttings, a glass of water works just fine."
Geraniums are another popular "carryover" plant. There are two ways to handle them, he noted.
"If you have a very bright, sunny area you can grow them as winter houseplants," he said. "Dig the plants up just before frost, cut them back by half, pot them up, and grow them all winter. Again, pinch occasionally during the winter to keep the plants short.
"If you don't have an indoor growing space, there is another time-honored technique. Dig the plants up just before frost, shake the soil from the roots, and allow the plants to air dry for a few days. Place them in a brown paper bag that has lots of ventilation holes punched into it and hang it up in a basement or crawl space where the temperature is about 45 to 50 degrees F, dark, and well ventilated. Leave them there all winter."
In February or March, Stack added, check the plants and you should observe very fine hairs appearing on the roots. This is a signal to pot the plants. Trim them back, water well, place in a sunny location and start them growing.
Cannas, those large-leaved showstoppers of the garden, are very easy to overwinter. Right after a light frost has blackened the foliage, dig up the rhizomes. You will find that they have increased tremendously in size over the summer, giving you lots of plants for next year.
"Place the clump in a well-ventilated spot to air dry for a few days," he said. "Leave the soil attached to the rhizomes and place the clump in a plastic milk crate or other well-ventilated container. Place the container in a basement or crawl space where it is about 50 degrees F or so and dark.
"About six to eight weeks before planting in the spring, bring them up and divide the clumps so you have several growing tips per division. Pot them, water, and place in a well-lighted area to start growing."
Dahlias, either the large exhibition types or the smaller bedding types, are always worth saving, Stack noted. After a light frost, dig the tubers which look almost like sweet potatoes. Allow them to air dry for several hours and then wash the soil away with a hose.
"While there are many ways to store the tubers, the secret is to store at a temperature of about 50 degrees F and in a medium that allows for exchange of moisture between the medium and the tubers," he said. "Many dahlia growers use plastic bags for storage and coarse vermiculite or dry peat as the medium. Add vermiculite or peat to the bag, place the tuber in the bag, and cover the tuber with more media.
"Next, seal the bag and punch a few small holes in the bag for air exchange. Store in a basement or crawl space. Check on them occasionally during storage and if they start to shrivel, add a very small amount of water to the media."
So, all does not have to be lost when the weatherman says "frost."
"Just go out and round up your favorites and keep them for another year," said Stack.
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August 29, 2007
Source: Jennifer Schultz Nelson (217) 877-6042 Contact: Bob Sampson (217) 244-0225 Extension Communications Specialist e-mail: rsampson@uiuc.edu
Fall Pansies
Several varieties of pansies are specifically bred for fall planting and overwintering, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.
"These types promise blooms long after the cold sets in, surviving to produce some of the earliest flowers in spring," said Jennifer Schultz Nelson. "Two names to look for at your local garden center are Polar® or Icicle® pansies, which are available in more and more gorgeous colors each year."
Nelson said that although pansies are one of her favorite annual flowers, it is only in recent years that she has planted pansies in the fall--against the well-meaning advice of friends and family.
"Many of the people I know considered it wasteful to buy new annuals in the fall, arguing the remaining growing season was too short," she said. "Eager to prove everyone wrong, I planted pansies in window boxes to see how long they would hold on as the cold winds began to blow."
Happily, she related, her gamble produced results. Not only did the pansies continue to bloom well into October and November, but they were still blooming in December. A below-zero cold snap in January brought the colorful display to an end.
"Even in window boxes, a few of my plants survived and bloomed in the spring," she said. "A friend who had planted her pansies in the garden fared better. Every one of her plants came back triumphantly in the spring."
Planting pansies in the fall can be a worthwhile investment, she said. One can enjoy the blooms for over four months, plus a few may make it through the winter.
"Most summer annuals struggle to last that long, and will not survive if they are frost-sensitive," she said. "Give fall pansies a chance--you may be rewarded with some of the earliest flowers on the block next spring."
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August 29, 2007
Source: Jennifer Schultz Nelson (217) 877-6042 Contact: Bob Sampson (217) 244-0225 Extension Communications Specialist e-mail: rsampson@uiuc.edu
Yams or Sweet Potatoes?
While the names are sometimes used interchangeably, yams and sweet potatoes are two totally different plants, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.
"The yam includes various species of the genus Dioscorea that are native to Africa," said Jennifer Schultz Nelson. The Sweet Potato, Ipomoea batatas, is native to tropical portions of Central and South America, including the Caribbean.
"Botanically, yams and sweet potatoes are not very close relatives. The yam is more closely related to lilies than the sweet potato, and the sweet potato is more closely related to morning glories than potatoes."
A very significant demonstration of their differences comes in the fact that yams are monocots and sweet potatoes are dicots.
"In the plant world, this is a fundamental difference not only in how certain structures appear, but also includes differences in the biochemical reactions that occur in plants from each group," she said.
Columbus was reportedly responsible for spreading the sweet potato throughout the New World, including the present-day United States. Spanish explorers carried the sweet potato everywhere, even as far as Asia. The Portuguese carried sweet potatoes even farther, into India.
"Of course, Columbus and other Spanish explorers did bring the sweet potato to Europe, but since it is of tropical origin, it never caught on as a basic food crop as it did in warmer parts of the world," she noted. "In regions where the sweet potato could be grown easily and successfully, it rapidly became a staple food crop, both for humans and livestock.
"Given the necessary mild temperatures, sweet potatoes will produce a crop even on very poor soils. They have few pests, the fast-spreading vines usually shade out any weeds that emerge, and the crop stores well after harvest."
A 1992 study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of the sweet potato to other vegetables. It ranked highest, with Irish or white potatoes a very distant second.
"So for the English colonists in what is now the southern United States, sweet potatoes were a great find. Not only could they be grown and stored easily, they also offered a great deal of nutritional value."
The confusion between yams and sweet potatoes may be traced back to the days when sweet potatoes were a staple in plantation diets. African slaves called the sweet potato "nyami," from a Fulani word meaning "to eat" or from the Twi word "anyinam," referring to the true yam, a root crop common to Africa and Asia. Over time, many markets began to advertise sweet potatoes as yams--and the name stuck.
"What we traditionally eat on our Thanksgiving tables is most likely the sweet potato," said Nelson. "The names yam and sweet potato used to be used interchangeably in stores, but in recent years the USDA has tried to regulate use of the name. Any use of the word 'yam' to describe sweet potatoes must be accompanied by the name 'sweet potato.'"
There are over 600 different species of true yam, and probably just as many uses for them. They grow underground from a vine and vaguely resemble sweet potatoes, but tend to be more cylindrical, and often have "toes" sprouting from them.
"Many of them grow to astounding sizes, up to seven feet long and weighing 150 pounds," she said. "Their flesh can be white to bright yellow, and the tuber is covered in a very tough skin that is difficult to remove.
"Many yams contain more sugar than sweet potatoes, but they must be prepared properly before they are safe to eat. Yams contain chemicals including oxalates that can have adverse health effects if eaten. Typically, yams go through cycles of boiling, pounding, and otherwise leeching out these harmful compounds before they are eaten."
Particularly in ethnic markets, yams are becoming much more commonly available in the United States. They grow much like a sweet potato, but need up to a year of frost-free weather before harvest. A sweet potato, by contrast, will take 100 to 150 days to harvest.
"Unfortunately, growing true yams is best left to those living in climates much warmer than Illinois," she said.
Sweet potatoes are a great choice for the home gardener in Illinois. Sweet potatoes are grown from small sprouts taken from the eyes of the potato called "slips."
"They will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, but produce the best quality tubers in loose soils amended with sand and organic matter such as compost," said Nelson. "Fertilizers should contain low levels of nitrogen and high levels of phosphorus to encourage tuber formation.'Beauregard' and 'Georgia Jet' are two cultivars commonly grown in Illinois and elsewhere in the United States."
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August 29, 2007
Source: Martha Smith (309) 836-2363 Contact: Bob Sampson (217) 244-0225 Extension Communications Specialist e-mail: rsampson@uiuc.edu
Hedge-apples
Late summer and fall bring the annual return of hedge-apples, the grapefruit-sized spheres that can litter forest pathways and even golf courses, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.
"Some people insist hedge-apples are good for repelling insects, even though those properties have long been disputed," said Martha Smith. "Many claim placing hedge-apples in a basement, cellar, or around the foundation of a home will repel boxelder bugs, cockroaches, crickets, spiders and other pests.
"To date, there is no research data that confirm this. But the milky sap found in the stems and fruits of the Osage orange tree, which produces hedge-apples, may cause irritation to the skin."
Hedge-apples can be messy as well as harmful when they are dropping from the trees.
"Don't park a vehicle under an Osage orange tree in September," Smith cautioned. "Hedge-apples, which can be three to six inches in diameter, have been known to dent hoods and even smash windows."
The Osage orange is native to the southwest United States. The region was also home to the Osage Indians, hence the common name.
Osage orange is a tough tree that is able to tolerate almost any adverse growing condition. It is easy to transplant and will reach 12 to 15 feet in height in five years. Typically, it has a short trunk with low-growing, thorny branches that, when grown close together, form an impenetrable thicket, making a natural livestock barrier.
"The wood of the tree is naturally rot-resistant," said Smith. "This is due to a naturally occurring substance that is toxic to fungi."
When fresh-cut, the wood is golden yellow or bright orange but turns brown with exposure. The wood is extremely hard, tough, and durable. A bright yellow dye can be extracted from it.
"Osage orange trees were often grown in place and simply cut down to size and used as fence posts," she said. "Because of these qualities, Osage orange is now found throughout the Midwest--along old farm ground that now adjoins backyards, golf courses, and other outdoor recreational areas."
Not all Osage orange trees produce hedge-apples because they are dioecious. Male and female flowers are produced on separate plants. The female trees produce the large yellow-green hedge-apples.
"Hedge-apples are not an important source of food for wildlife," Smith said. "And for humans, the hedge-apples often end up being used to toss around for sport."
But the trees do have another use--the wood has been used for archery bows and furniture. In fact, another common name for the Osage orange is bodark, or bois d'arc--French for wood of the bow.
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