Bulbs Up! It's That Time
We noticed a couple of bulbs poking their heads out of the ground this weekend, but not nearly as many as they’ve got over on the Bed Stuy Reno. And what a relief it is: “When we first cleaned up the yard in the fall, and planted grass and some bulbs, we were worried the…
We noticed a couple of bulbs poking their heads out of the ground this weekend, but not nearly as many as they’ve got over on the Bed Stuy Reno. And what a relief it is: “When we first cleaned up the yard in the fall, and planted grass and some bulbs, we were worried the only thing that would grow would be giant mutant worms.” Have you been watching your bulbs grow or weeding Crown Heights-style? Victory! Speaking of gardens, there’s some interesting news on Brooklyn Record this morning about a new place to shop for flowers and the like opening in Red Hook next month.
Bulbs Up in Bed Stuy [Bed Stuy Reno]
To: PPSer, Re: Chelsea Garden Market
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My experiences with it predate the Chelsea Market. I haven’t been there in at least over 15 years, possibly decades. I liked their selection of plants back then. I hope that’s what they would bring to Brooklyn.
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To: K-Gal, Re: Slugs
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I don’t try to eliminate them completely. That will never succeed, and will deprive the predators of a favored food source!
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If you have some favored plants that get hit hard, try physical barriers around those plants. That combined with baiting in other areas will work. It just takes some experimenting.
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To: Bushwicker, Re: Earthworms
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Yes, it’s possible to have too many earthworms, if they’re in the wrong place. They’re not native to the areas of North America which were galciated: New England, and such. They’ve damaged forests in many places where they’ve escaped from cultivation.
My grape hyacinths are looking pretty good too. I haven’t had a tulip problem, which is odd because the little buggers are digging holes everywhere else.
As for feral cats, do those water scarecrows work for them? I had read somewhere that scattering cuttings from rose bushes would discourage them although I haven’t been that successful there. Tried red pepper flakes too, which sort of work except they require constant re-application. Unfortunately, mulch is a big draw.
things are hopping in backyard bushwick. krocuses (sp?) are already dying off, daffodils and day lilies and tulips and irises and bleeding hearts etc. are coming in fast. a few hyacyths are already in bloomin mode. good times. but seems a tad early for how far along they are. must be the mild winter.
anyone know if you can ever have too many earthworms?
Despite my laziness in preparing for new bulbs, I have grape hyacinths that have come back year after year. I tried day and calla lilies, only a few flowered, but I think that was due to the placement in yard (not enough sun). I also have a hydrangea and a peonies bush, both produce large flowers which I used for cutting flowers. My yard too was overtaken by slugs (they ate more cabbage that we did last year) and other little creatures. To add to the advice above, I’ve recently heard that if you cut a potato and plant it around your vegetables/flowers, the slugs or whatever else crawling in the soil, will go after it for food source not your plants. Then you simply discard potato and slugs!! “Garden by the Yard†on HGTV always has great how-to-advice.
Link to the scarecrow: http://tinyurl.com/34ka8n. You can find them cheaper on ebay. I stick mine in a flower pot and move it around the yard. There’s a place that sells a mounting bracket that you can put on a deck or wall.
Thanks for the slug advice, Xris. I have tried most of those methods and have avoided metaldehyde. The other stuff works but not as well as I had hoped. Some things last year were just completely destroyed. The relatively wet weather last year did not aid my cause in the slug control department. I keep holding out hope that someone will come upon some safe and miraculous method.
The garden center was very expensive when located across the street from Chelsea Market. Let’s hope for more reasonable prices in Red Hook to mirror Fairway, which otherwise has been a boon for those of us in Victorian Flatbush.
I have had pretty good luck with tulips by planting them and then covering the bed with rabbit wire, or more recently with contractor scaffolding netting material (that black stuff you see around the Williamsburg Bank Tower’s Magic Johnson and the Ft. Greene Park monument these days). The key is NOT to use chicken wire (giant grid holes) and use rabbit wire (1/2″ or less grid). As soon as the bulbs start sprouting, you can pull the covering off. The squirrels don’t seem to go for sprouted tulips as fast as the raw bulbs.
Spring has sprung, a couple weeks ago actually, save for the spiteful sleet storm. I’ve been documenting the progress of the bulbs in my front garden on my blog, Flatbush Gardener.
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Here are some safe slug – and snail – control techniques I use. First, physical controls. Remove their hiding places, anything under which they can hide during the day. Raise pots and other containers so they will dry out beneath. Anything laying on the ground will harbor slugs.
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Beer traps are very effective, but you have to dispose of the slugs yourself. Besides, I don’t drink beer anymore.
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There’s also iron phosphate, which kills the slugs but not their predators, such as birds. Some commercial names are Sluggo and Escar-Go.
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Do NOT use other commonly available slug bait, such as metaldehyde, which are toxic to slug predators.