Time to plant:
Flowers: petunias, ice plant, ruelia (Mexican petunia), Mexican heather, kalanchoes, geraniums, impatients, Gerbera daisies, alyssum, salvia.
Trees: Texas ebony, anaqua, wild olive, live oak, retama, colima, brazil, western soapberry.
Shrubs: Native: Trecul’s yucca, desert yaupon, coral bean, hachinal, black brush, cenizo, chilipiquin, Texas lantana, oregano.
Non-native well adapted to South Texas: Cape honeysuckle, fire cracker, Mexican firebush (Hamelia) salvias, hibiscus, bougainvillea, gardenia, oleander.
Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, melons (cantaloupe and honeydew), peppers (sweet), squash, tomatoes, watermelons.
Herbs: anise, basil, catnip, garlic, mints, parsley (curly and Italian), rue, thyme.
Remember:
- Harvest of some cool season vegetables.
-Don’t put away your freeze protection materials just yet, wait another month.
-Plant roses this month.
-Feed your roses with a systemic insecticide and rose food.
-Acid fertilizer should be applied to acid loving plants.
-Prepare soil for vegetable and flower gardens.
-Use mulch to cover the soil after planting trees, shrubs and bedding plants.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
January To-Do List
To-Do List for Cameron County Yards and Gardens
TIME TO PLANT:
Flowers: ageratum, alyssum, amaryllis bulbs, begonias, calendulas, calla lilies, dianthus, gerbera daisies, geraniums, kalanchoes, marigolds, roses, snapdragons, stocks.
Trees: southern live oak, Rio Grande ash, retama, wild olive, tepeguaje, Texas mountain laurel, anaqua, mesquite, Wright’s catclaw, guajillo, Texas paloverde, guayacan.
Shrubs: Native: cenizo or purple sage, low croton, Texas lantana, nopal prickly pear, hachinal, Mexican caesalpinia, Texas baby bonnets, Torrey’s croton, yellow sophora, brush holly.
Non native-cold tolerant: viburnum, pittosporum, Japanese boxwood, Japanese yew, dwarf yaupon holly, waxleaf ligustrum.
Vegetables: leaf lettuce, radishes, potatoes.
Herbs: anise, basil, dill, fennel, mint, rosemary, rue, thyme. Basil can be potted and brought indoors incase of a frost.
REMEMBER:
-Harvest leafy greens, root crops, grapefruit, oranges and tangerines.
-Prune your peach trees,
-Plant rose bushes. Purchase roses for planting that have been grafted on Dr. Huey, California or Mexican rootstock. Antiques roses do well on their own root stock.
-Consider what new trees and shrubs you want to plant. The next three months are a great time to plant trees and shrubs.
-Prune many of your trees and shrubs, now that the leaves have fallen.
(Information source: Successful Gardening in the Magic Valley of Texas, Dist. VI, Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. and Native Trees- and Native Shrubs-of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas Landscape Uses and Identification, Native Plant Project, P.O. Box 1433, Edinburg, TX.) .
TIME TO PLANT:
Flowers: ageratum, alyssum, amaryllis bulbs, begonias, calendulas, calla lilies, dianthus, gerbera daisies, geraniums, kalanchoes, marigolds, roses, snapdragons, stocks.
Trees: southern live oak, Rio Grande ash, retama, wild olive, tepeguaje, Texas mountain laurel, anaqua, mesquite, Wright’s catclaw, guajillo, Texas paloverde, guayacan.
Shrubs: Native: cenizo or purple sage, low croton, Texas lantana, nopal prickly pear, hachinal, Mexican caesalpinia, Texas baby bonnets, Torrey’s croton, yellow sophora, brush holly.
Non native-cold tolerant: viburnum, pittosporum, Japanese boxwood, Japanese yew, dwarf yaupon holly, waxleaf ligustrum.
Vegetables: leaf lettuce, radishes, potatoes.
Herbs: anise, basil, dill, fennel, mint, rosemary, rue, thyme. Basil can be potted and brought indoors incase of a frost.
REMEMBER:
-Harvest leafy greens, root crops, grapefruit, oranges and tangerines.
-Prune your peach trees,
-Plant rose bushes. Purchase roses for planting that have been grafted on Dr. Huey, California or Mexican rootstock. Antiques roses do well on their own root stock.
-Consider what new trees and shrubs you want to plant. The next three months are a great time to plant trees and shrubs.
-Prune many of your trees and shrubs, now that the leaves have fallen.
(Information source: Successful Gardening in the Magic Valley of Texas, Dist. VI, Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. and Native Trees- and Native Shrubs-of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas Landscape Uses and Identification, Native Plant Project, P.O. Box 1433, Edinburg, TX.) .
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Potatoes!?
It's a cold Winter day in the Valley, and yet I can't help but think of potatoes. "Why?" you ask, we're about to find out.
The ubiquitous potato (Solanum tuberosum) originates in the Peruvian Andes of South America in Alpine regions where the daytime temperature rarely exceed 70° F. Not surprisingly, it turns out potatoes form tubers optimally at soil temperatures between 60° and 70° F. Tuber formation stops altogether at 80° and above.
So, what does this mean for growing potatoes in the Valley?
As residents of the RGV we are blessed with a warm climate, relatively mild Winters and long growing seasons, but it gets hot here... Very Hot. To top it off spuds can take anywhere from 80 to 120 days to mature depending on the variety. What this translates to is a small window of opportunity to get them into the ground and growing before temperatures rise so high that growth stops and you end up with teeny tiny tubers. I assure you, nothing is more depressing than anxiously digging up your home grown potatoes only to find pea sized proto-potatoes. As it turns out this planting window is a two week period beginning about mid January. That means planting time is about a month away. Now is the best time find your potatoes!
Obtaining Potato "Seed"
Potatoes are grown from... well.... other potatoes. That is-- what is referred to as potato "seed" are actually tubers from existing cultivars, essentially clones of the parent plant, rather than true seeds. Although they are capable of flowering and producing true seed, this is rarely done as any offspring are not likely to grow true to type, due to the genetics of potatoes. The downside to having consistent potato clones, is that any disease a plant picks up is then transferred to its cloned offspring, and subsequently to its offspring, etc. So although you can save your own potatoes for replanting, quality of subsequent crops can take a nose-dive. Thankfully, you can purchase "Certified Seed Potatoes" which have been tested to ensure that they are disease free.
There are many varieties out there to experiment with such as russets, fingerlings, whites, yellows, reds and even blues! When choosing a variety consider disease resistance and time to maturity, early varieties are ideal.
Three specific varieties that are well adapted to growing in the RGV are:
Growing
Once you have your seed potatoes put them in an area where they will get some sun for at least a few days. This will encourage plantlets to form at the eyes and begin growing, giving your taters a bit of a head start before they go in the ground. If your seed potatoes are large, you can cut them into smaller sections so long as each piece has at least an eye or two. If possible, coat the freshly cut areas with sulfur to reduce the chance of fungal infection, and give the pieces enough time to callous over
Loose soil is a must. Rototill or manually cultivate your growing plot so that you have a nice fluffy consistency. Plant each "seed" about 15" to 18" apart in rows spaced about 3' to 4' wide. You can put them closer if your soil is rich and fertile. Cover them with only a couple inches of soil, and don't plant them too deep as they don't like wet feet. As they begin to grow you can periodically rake in soil from the space in between the rows to create hills of soil around the base of the plants, burying the lower parts of the stems. This gives the growing plants a larger volume of loose soil within which it can put out more tubers. If you're looking for yummy new potatoes, you can pluck potatoes while the plants are still green. If you want larger potatoes that can be stored for a bit longer, wait until after your plants have keeled over before harvesting. Use a spading fork to gently coax the base of the plant out of the ground along with the potatoes. For fun, leave some of the potatoes in the ground and you'll have free volunteer plants in fall, without any effort!
If you've never grown potatoes, give 'em a try. Now's your chance! If you'll excuse me, I'm off to have a midnight snack of... potato chips!
The ubiquitous potato (Solanum tuberosum) originates in the Peruvian Andes of South America in Alpine regions where the daytime temperature rarely exceed 70° F. Not surprisingly, it turns out potatoes form tubers optimally at soil temperatures between 60° and 70° F. Tuber formation stops altogether at 80° and above.
So, what does this mean for growing potatoes in the Valley?
As residents of the RGV we are blessed with a warm climate, relatively mild Winters and long growing seasons, but it gets hot here... Very Hot. To top it off spuds can take anywhere from 80 to 120 days to mature depending on the variety. What this translates to is a small window of opportunity to get them into the ground and growing before temperatures rise so high that growth stops and you end up with teeny tiny tubers. I assure you, nothing is more depressing than anxiously digging up your home grown potatoes only to find pea sized proto-potatoes. As it turns out this planting window is a two week period beginning about mid January. That means planting time is about a month away. Now is the best time find your potatoes!
Obtaining Potato "Seed"
Potatoes are grown from... well.... other potatoes. That is-- what is referred to as potato "seed" are actually tubers from existing cultivars, essentially clones of the parent plant, rather than true seeds. Although they are capable of flowering and producing true seed, this is rarely done as any offspring are not likely to grow true to type, due to the genetics of potatoes. The downside to having consistent potato clones, is that any disease a plant picks up is then transferred to its cloned offspring, and subsequently to its offspring, etc. So although you can save your own potatoes for replanting, quality of subsequent crops can take a nose-dive. Thankfully, you can purchase "Certified Seed Potatoes" which have been tested to ensure that they are disease free.
There are many varieties out there to experiment with such as russets, fingerlings, whites, yellows, reds and even blues! When choosing a variety consider disease resistance and time to maturity, early varieties are ideal.
Three specific varieties that are well adapted to growing in the RGV are:
- Red La Soda
- Red Pontiac
- White Kennebec
Growing
Once you have your seed potatoes put them in an area where they will get some sun for at least a few days. This will encourage plantlets to form at the eyes and begin growing, giving your taters a bit of a head start before they go in the ground. If your seed potatoes are large, you can cut them into smaller sections so long as each piece has at least an eye or two. If possible, coat the freshly cut areas with sulfur to reduce the chance of fungal infection, and give the pieces enough time to callous over
Loose soil is a must. Rototill or manually cultivate your growing plot so that you have a nice fluffy consistency. Plant each "seed" about 15" to 18" apart in rows spaced about 3' to 4' wide. You can put them closer if your soil is rich and fertile. Cover them with only a couple inches of soil, and don't plant them too deep as they don't like wet feet. As they begin to grow you can periodically rake in soil from the space in between the rows to create hills of soil around the base of the plants, burying the lower parts of the stems. This gives the growing plants a larger volume of loose soil within which it can put out more tubers. If you're looking for yummy new potatoes, you can pluck potatoes while the plants are still green. If you want larger potatoes that can be stored for a bit longer, wait until after your plants have keeled over before harvesting. Use a spading fork to gently coax the base of the plant out of the ground along with the potatoes. For fun, leave some of the potatoes in the ground and you'll have free volunteer plants in fall, without any effort!
If you've never grown potatoes, give 'em a try. Now's your chance! If you'll excuse me, I'm off to have a midnight snack of... potato chips!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Propagating Roses
Jennifer says to look for cool nights when you are deciding when to propagate or plant roses.
Cuttings should be about a pencil width. Cut your stem right below a leaf node and remove all but a couple of leaves.
Jennifer uses a growing medium that is 50% potting mix and 50% vermiculite or perlite. Place a couple inches into a quart size zipper bag and put your cutting into it. Zip the bag closed and place where it will receive indirect sunlight. You may need to add a little water (a teaspoon) - but wait and see if condensation forms inside the bag before you add water. 
Our growing medium had enough moisture that condensation formed inside all the cutting bags. If you've taken a number of cuttings, be sure to identify them. Sunday, November 1, 2009
November To-Do List for South Texas Gardeners
Time to plant:
Flowers: anemone bulbs, calendula, geraniums, larkspur, dianthus, petunias, impatiens, ranunculus bulbs, snapdragons, stocks, calla lilies.
Trees: mesquite, live oak, cedar elm, Rio Grande ash, anacua, Texas mountain laurel, brasil, chapote.
(Information source: Successful Gardening in the Magic Valley of Texas, Dist. VI, Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. and Native Trees- and Native Shrubs- of the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas Landscape Uses and Identification, Native Plant Project, P.O. Box 1433, Edinburg, TX.
Flowers: anemone bulbs, calendula, geraniums, larkspur, dianthus, petunias, impatiens, ranunculus bulbs, snapdragons, stocks, calla lilies.
Trees: mesquite, live oak, cedar elm, Rio Grande ash, anacua, Texas mountain laurel, brasil, chapote.Shrubs: Native: yellow sophora, brush holly, Texas Kidneywood, hachinal, heart-leaf hibiscus, Drummond’s Turk’s cap, blackbrush, Torry’s croton, Texas baby-bonnets, low croton.
Non-native: cold tolerant: Japanese boxwood, green pittosporum, variegated pittosporum, nandina, viburnum, dwarf yaupon holly, waxleaf ligustrum, red-tip photinia.
Vegetables: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, mustard, onions, turnips.
Herbs: anise, basil, Mexican mint marigold, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme.
Remember:
-Harvest peppers, tomatoes, greens, citrus, avocados, pecans.-Divide daylilies.
-Fertilize 6 to 8 week old vegetable plants with 1lb. ammonium nitrate or 2 lbs. of 16-20-0 per 50 feet of row.
-At the end of the month buy your poinsettias. There are five different color types: red, pink, yellow, white, and jingle bells which is variegated red and white.
-Plant roses.
-Collect leaves from shedding trees and bushes. COMPOST THEM!.
-Watch the weather reports for possible freezing conditions.
-Collect materials to protect citrus trees and tender ornamentals from freezes.
-At the end of the month purchase Christmas cactus for blooming in December.
-Plan now for your December christmas tree.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Citrus Trees
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Gardening for Butterflies
Want to attract more butterflies to your landscape? Taffy, a Master Gardener and butterfly expert extraordinaire, has a list of books just for you.BUTTERFLY IDENTIFICATION
Glassberg J. 1999. Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East. Oxford University Press. 416 pages. ISBN: 0195106687.
Glassberg J. 2001. Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West. Oxford University Press. 374 pages. ISBN: 0195106695
Neck, R.W. 1996. A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Texas. Gulf Publishing Co. 323 pgs. ISBN: 0-87719-243-X
Opler, P.A. 1992. A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co. 393 pgs. ISBN: 0-395-36452-3 (cloth). 0-395-63279-X (paperback).
Pyle, R. M. 1981. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knoph Co. 916 pgs. ISBN: 0-394-51914-0.
Scott, J. A. 1986 The Butterflies of North America, A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press. 583 pgs. ISBN: 0-8047-1205-0.
Tveten, J.L. & Tveten, G. 1996. Butterflies of Houston and Southeast Texas. University of Texas Press. 292 pgs. ISBN. 0-292-78142-3 (cloth) 0-292-78143-1 (paperback).
GARDENING GUIDES
Ajilvsgi, G. 1990. Butterfly Gardening for the South. Taylor Publishing co. 342. pgs. ISBN: 0-87833-738-5.
Wasowski, S. 1997. Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region. Texas Monthly Press. 406 pgs. ISBN: 0-87719-111-5.
Xerces Society. 1990. Butterfly Gardening: Creating Summer Magic in your Garden. Sierra Club Books. ISBN: 0-871856-615-X.
NECTAR AND HOST PLANT IDENTIFICATION
Everitt, J.H. and Drawe, D.L. 1993. Trees, Shrubs, and Cacti of South Texas. Texas Tech University Press. 213 pgs. ISBN: 0-89672-252-X (cloth) 0-89672-253-8 (paperback).
Lonard, R.I., Everitt, J.H. and Judd, F.W. 1991. Woody Plants of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Texas Memorial Museum. 179 pgs. ISBN: 0082-3082-7.
Richardson, A. 1995. Plants of the Rio Grande Delta. University of Texas Press. 332 pgs. ISBN: 0-292-77068 (cloth) 0-292-77070-7 (paperback).
Taffy's Gardening For Butterflies Tips
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