Anyone into gardening here?

[shanekingsley]

Built a new compost bin.

And this rain has made the plants explode over the past few days.

 

[Joe Bass]

2nd grouping of those tent caterpillars + a branch with black knot on that tree. Buddy will be coming by tomorrow. Get rid of infected branches, plus trim back all of my trees.
After that, start on the veggie garden....then to tackle my weed infested lawn. ?

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[Baggsy]

Heads of our tulips keep getting nipped off every year.

Would that be rabbits?

Will have to check the Trilliums and see if they're fully up now.

 

[shanekingsley]

I was up in Algonquin area a few days ago and there were fields of Trilliums in the forests.

My tulips were nibbled too - either the rabbits or squirrels, of which i have both, but I think more the rabbits.

 

[nobbie48]

And this rain has made the plants explode over the past few days.

My lawn looks like it exploded as well but the bad way. Squirrel artillery (buried nuts) and possibly grub damage from last year. I mowed the remaining tufts and picked up some nematodes. May have to put off road wheels on the lawn mower. Going to be a long summer.

Re tulips, I'd bet on the squirrels. By the time tulips come out the rabbits have lots of other stuff to eat. Squirrels are pricks.

 

[Bettyvee]

Saw pink trillium for the first time up near Sudbury. So pretty wish I had a pic


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[SteveM.]

Lots of hostas , ferns and grasses in pots ready for the porches.
Bike project can now get some attention.

 

[PLau]

2nd grouping of those tent caterpillars + a branch with black knot on that tree. Buddy will be coming by tomorrow. Get rid of infected branches, plus trim back all of my trees.
After that, start on the veggie garden....then to tackle my weed infested lawn. 

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Shhh don't tell anyone...

 

[Joe Bass]

Ah @plau anyone who knows me knows....I have too much of an addictive personality to get into that. I'd be shooting heroin in six months lol.

Dad woke me from a sleep in day. Showed up at my door with dirt and plants. Working on the garden. Just running out now to get a pole saw so we can tackle the trees. Will edit with some pics later.
I would think @shanekingsley is out riding, but just in case you are looking through: my wife wants to cut back the Sherbert (sp?) Chokecherry , not trim, cut. Like make it almost trunk with stub branches. Any problems with that? Will we kill it?

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[Joe Bass]

So....thanks to Papa Nick, this got done:

And then this is what we trimmed:

And what they look like now:

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[shanekingsley]

I would think @shanekingsley is out riding, but just in case you are looking through: my wife wants to cut back the Sherbert (sp?) Chokecherry , not trim, cut. Like make it almost trunk with stub branches. Any problems with that? Will we kill it?

Hey Joe - yes I'm riding around Mont Tremblant. It's awesome out here!

Re: Chokecherry - what you are describing is a pruning technique called pollarding. One of the most common trees it's seen done with is the Mulberry, but it's also done with other species and a good way to keep some trees from getting too large (ie street trees). I would not advise you do it with a Chokecherry, because a) you would generally need to do it every year thereafter due to that fact that it will promote irregular branching that eventually lead to crossing limbs which lead to disease and b) weakener branch crotches that can be problematic in storm events and as the branches get older from not doing it every year. Here's a easy background on the technique with a sample of some trees that the technique is more suitable for: http://www.canadiangardening.com/how-to/techniques/pollard-a-tree-to-inhibit-its-growth/a/28074/2
I would suggest pruning out diseased and dead wood, then any limbs that are crossing (when branches are rubbing against each other it becomes a potential site for more disease as the branch ages), so keep the branches that follow the form of the canopy and prune out the branch moving inwards)

edit - just saw your prune job - looks much better than it did before pruning.

 

[Joe Bass]

@shanekingsley thank you. I think that is basically what we did. (Looks like you and I posted at the same time.) If I have to do it every year or two, I guess I'm okay with that. Strangely enough, one of my other trees is a Mulberry, and we trimmed less off of that one because it's main use is shade for the deck.
Gonna read up on that link that you provided. As always, your advice is much appreciated.

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[Joe Bass]

Re: Shane's edit. Thanks Shane, my wife is happy, so that's 90% of it ?.
A little off topic, anyone have advice about what to put around the deck, where the damn squirrels are digging? I put riverstone for now, but it doesn't look great.

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[nobbie48]

Re Fruit trees, very few blossoms on my fruit crab tree. No Blossoms no fruit = no jelly. Is there something in the air?

 

[shanekingsley]

With the way the temps were the past few months, I'd guess it's something like what is happened with the cherry trees in High Park. Weird spring we had - the flowers on cherry's and crabs should bounce back next year if the winter/spring is anything more normal.

 

[nearace]

Veggies are in plants will be in the ground this week.

 

[STARSHIP]

Shane

We added mulch on our beds as a ground cover last year to control weeds and for improved esthetics . What should we do this season?

A)Rotate into the soil and add new mulch.
B)Top up mulch on existing

C)remove existing mulch, turnover soil add new soil and then add new mulch.

 

[shanekingsley]

Shane

We added mulch on our beds as a ground cover last year to control weeds and for improved esthetics . What should we do this season?

A)Rotate into the soil and add new mulch.
B)Top up mulch on existing

C)remove existing mulch, turnover soil add new soil and then add new mulch.

I'm assuming this is just for gardens, and not vegetable beds, so just top up the mulch (B). Use mulch that is not the larger hardwood chips, but rather finer mulch, because the larger chips tend to use up more soil nitrogen in their decomposition process. Try not to use the dyed stuff, unless it's natural dyes used - I have a preference for cedar and hemlock mulch, because they smell nice and last long. When you put it down it should ideally be no more than 3" thick and keep it about 1-2" away from the base of plants, so the trunks can breathe. It will break down each year and enrich the soil, keep moisture in and help prevent weeds.

 

[meme]

Everything into ground or planters that needs to be. Split hostas so they need a new home, alongside garage seems to be a good idea. Killed rhubarb couple of years ago putting up garage so need to get that a permanent home.

What a weekend to garden, absolutely a beauty.

 

[STARSHIP]

Thanks for the the fast reply. Yes we use the un dyed cedar mulch and it is for beds with shrubs and per annual plants like Japanese maple.

Everything into ground or planters that needs to be. Split hostas so they need a new home, alongside garage seems to be a good idea. Killed rhubarb couple of years ago putting up garage so need to get that a permanent home.

What a weekend to garden, absolutely a beauty.