Jan. 28, 2010

Here's Randy's Weekly KTRH GardenLine Tip:

Issue #148

This Saturday is the start of the "GardenLine Appearance Season," as we broadcast live from the Katy Home & Garden Show at the Merrell Center.

While the doors don't open until 10 a.m. and we'll be done with the radio show by then, fear not ... I will be hanging out at the KTRH booth 10 a.m.-noon. We'll have some free goodies to give out, and this is the last Katy show where my book, Gulf Coast Gardening, will be for sale — I'm working on a new one. We'll sell the book for $10 if you buy two or more, so we don't have to worry about making change at show. A single copy is 15 bucks. And be sure to bring things for me to "get a pair of eyes on" so I can help you fix those problems.

I've got a hodge-podge of topics for you this week, and most are related to the freeze of early January ... and what could be a potential freeze this weekend.

Will The Queen Palms Survive? Let's start with the queen palm issue. I'm getting lots of e-mails and calls on what to do about them, and if they'll actually come back. In case you missed it, I included a tip sheet from Florida Horticultural Specialists in the first newsletter this year. It's worth focusing on some steps you can take to help insure rehabilitation of many larger palms this spring. (I have come to the conclusion that the smaller the queen palm, the more likely it's dead. The larger ones are the most likely to come back.) Note in the tip sheet the importance of spraying palms, including queen palms, with a copper-based fungicide to help fight off potential disease related to mushy fronds.

Are the Weeds Worse This Year? It may actually seem as if broadleaf weeds are more numerous this year than in the past, and we aren't even in to February yet. They really aren't any worse than usual. In fact, the freeze actually killed some weeds ... just not all. The reason they seem worse, is because the grass is so dormant and brown. They are just more obvious. The good news is that when the light freeze is over this weekend, and we get a couple dry days, you can put out the "cool-season" herbicides we have recommended for the past few years.

Ammend, Ammend, Ammend! This year, to help soils and root systems recover quicker in lawns and landscapes, you will hear me on the "organic soil amendment" soap box for weeks, if not months, to come. The beautiful side benefit to the need to repair and rejuvenate the soil is that we will introduce many people to all the wonderful organic products that have hit the market. You may have already heard me mention that some are so new we haven't even done the first official advertisements for them yet. Just remember, whether you follow the synthetic schedule or the organic schedule, amending soil this year with anything organic is going to help no matter what. And in the case of just about every single one of these products, you will find a Web site dedicated to them and their benefits:

---

GardenLine Listeners and E-mail Tip subscribers: Purchase a copy of my book,
Gulf Coast Gardening with Randy Lemmon, at a discount!

Garden retailers interested in stocking the book, should call NitroPhos at 713-228-1868 for wholesale information.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Back to top