Focus 580; Lawn and Garden Care

Good morning welcome to focus 580 our morning talk program. My name's David Inge glad to have you with us and we're also pleased to welcome back to the show Sandy Mason she's horticulture educator would you by extension in Champaign County. And for a long time she's been here with us on the program in the summer the spring the fall when things are growing and the edges of the growing season to talk about things that grow in the home landscape. Trees and shrubs grass flowers vegetable plants we also talk about house plants. All these years and he's been doing it. We would come up to the end of the year and we for some reason we just decided to take the winter off and she has always said you know I could I would keep coming on to the program. We don't have to take the break and so this time around I don't know why. I know why. It's because we didn't want to we couldn't bear to be without her. For three months and we said well let's just let's keep going because we figured that there would be questions and people always there folks who are if you're into gardening you're always the neighbors that you never never sleep the gardeners never sleeps so. And we already have calls. So she said yeah sure she would be here and so this is the first time we've ever done this in the month of December.

So I'm very glad to have you here. And we will take as many questions as we can and folks want to call in. The number here in Champaign Urbana 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 we do also have a toll free line good anywhere that you can hear us. 800 2 2 2 9 4 5 5 so your questions are welcome. Also some point here I'm sure that we'll have a chance to talk a little bit about some gardening related events that are happening around our area. Sandy came prepared with some information on that so. And that's how it is that gardeners they get themselves through the winter. They spend a lot of time looking catalogs and gardening books and going to seminars and thinking about what they're going to do next year and plan and plan and then plan some more. Right. Well we have the lines full. We had someone even before we started the show. So we'll get right to them that's our caller on line one in Champaign. Hello. Yes I have a ginger plant that I was given as a gift and I had it now for about seven months. It's nice

you know it's not growing hugely or anything and I'm kind of worried about it. It's right now it's and it's in a sunny closed in porch. It's getting rather cold. Science and planning and bringing it inside. But I'm going to report it when I do that and I just kind of wanted to know for this for this climate. Should I put it in the like the sunniest spot that I can a warm spot. Or does it matter. And what sort of soil should I use when I rethought it. I think tropical is about to be so popular but then you know like you find out really quick. They're not going to make it through the wintertime and so I'd seriously I'm surprised it made it through last night to be honest with you. Because it got awfully cold last night. But generally as far as what to do is there highlight plans which you've probably found out already and they're going to they're going to not grow quite as much simply because our day the amount of

daylight that we have is not as great right now and so they're not going to grow as well but you should be able to hold them overside find a sunny spot near your home and the warmest spot for the most part. And as far as soil I just pick something at some well drained soil I personally like the soil it's mixes because they hang on to water but yet they drain nicely so you get kind of that nice combination of the two. So I'd be thinking about that. I think probably also and then gingers if you had two you probably could just let him go dormant and put him in a cool spot. That's the other thing you could do with it if you just found that you just didn't have a very nice and sunny spot but either. I actually was considering bringing it in to my workplace where I can put it in a sunny spot and I'll also get fluorescent light through it through the day and actually maybe at night as well or if I can put it in a place. Would that be helpful and oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah sure if it would work for right and that's a that's a good thing to do if people are having trouble in the winter time

is actually did do some supplemental lighting with fluorescent lights in the in the thing with the fluorescent lights the closer the better so the ones that are way up on the ceiling the plans are going to get some advantage to that but it's better if you can actually get a fluorescent lights closer. We have much better fixtures now with fluorescent lights so sometimes you can do that not have it look too bad to so but any time you can add light in this time yours great. OK great thank you. Smiling things doesn't really matter if you there are some lights that the spectrum that the kind of like that then put out is supposed to be specifically for that. Does it make much difference what kind of light you use. Well it's one of those things. What I usually say if somebody is really a competitive gardener you know really and they really want the best. Then I think the grow lights are worth it because normally They're more they're more expensive. So you have to kind of decide is that really where the route I want to go or do I just want the plants to look nice if you just really want the plants to look nice. Just a cool white bulb is just fine cool and usually we say if you can if you can have a

cool white and warm white together that's actually a very good combination and gives you a pretty good spectrum it's not going to be quite as good as a grow light but they're a lot cheaper. OK. Yeah the problem with fluorescent lights is that you know they don't just go out like incandescent otherwise they're on or they're off fluorescent lights get they lose their the amount of light that they're putting out over a period of time. And so they're like with grow lights. You'd be more likely to hang onto them for a long period of time but really you should look at the label and it will tell you how many hours are good for and then even though it hasn't actually blown out than it needs to be replaced if you really use it for plant growth. OK. To Next caller. Line number two and someone listening here in Urbana. Hello. Good morning. It's really good that you are here in December because I've got a question that deals with the philosophy of winter mulching. I usually wait till December. I usually wait until the first really hard frost like we've

had when the ground set at which point I go out with newspaper usually put the newspaper around the base of the plants put soil on top of that little straw mound it up mostly around the base of the plant to protect the stem. But my feeling has always been that winter mulching serves to keep an even environment till spring so it doesn't saw freeze thaw freeze so that the sun doesn't get at the stem of the plant and also saw and freeze and how to layer the stem. Is it the case that most people are advised to start their mulching sometime early or just for convenience. It's warmer it's easier to work but that in effect once the ground is free. And that's what you want. You're working to keep that frozen state and have an even ness throughout the winter. Well you're absolutely right and I do recommend that people wait like if they're if they're covering

roses to wait till December because you really want the plant to go dormant I guess that's the big thing. And you're absolutely right it really is just trying to moderate those solar temperatures so you don't get the freeze and thaw. And so the plant and I what I have found is so they don't even they don't wake up too early because sometimes that we get some really warm days. Some times the plants get a little confused and will actually get it. They'll actually pop out a little earlier in the spring than they should and then they get hit by a frost so it's also to sort of keep the soil cold so they don't wake up too early. So certainly sounds like the gardeners as well. There are plenty of people in the plant centers who will tell you first warm weather people come in. And buying something right put it right. Well that's that's cartoon for sure but yeah you're absolutely right so this is a great time to be thinking about it people have roses or butterfly bushes maybe that they want to protect or anything they're a little bit concerned about it's not going to make it through the winter but as far as I never heard of quite using the paper with the soil

with the straw Usually I just go with shredded Lee or just a well drain mulch is usually good but I imagine that method would work very well too I'd be a little bit concerned that might keep it too wet when an awful lot of plants that don't make it through the wintertime I think more because they're too wet rather than because they're too cold. One has frozen however that oh what condition is there any drying out of the soil over the winter. Well once you put all that on there no. OK so you want to put on a mulch that would allow. Some dry Yeah I guess I would just be concerned there be some plans I think specifically I would think of like chrysanthemums they really like a well drained soil in the winter time. Lavender is another one that really has had well drained soil over the winter time and so that's a one time maybe a little bit confused maybe about that but the method that you're using but certainly mulching is a good idea.

I like shredded leaves for you in December. Thank you thank you very much for a very good Our guest this morning in this part focus 580 Sandy Mason cheese horticulture educator with you by extension in Champaign County and from now on she's going to be here every month always on the what is it the second Tuesday. Although I think in January it's actually the third to well in the case and you may have to Fritz around with the schedule but the idea is that it's the regular time in the regular day and she's here to answer point questions things about things that grow outside. Also though if you have indoor plants then we find whatever's on your own 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 toll free 800 to 2 2 9 4 5 5 2 1. Piet County for the next color line for Good morning. Yes good morning. Seasons ago I got a pretty sizable cross a dog. And I saw that and assumed that dog would go in the shade. I'm just wondering because this past spring. The first year it was planted. It was later so I thought that's why it didn't. And then just

praying it didn't bloom at all and I'm wondering if it is in a sheltered life and so that I saw over at the Mahomet botanic garden is in full sun have I made a terrible mistake. Does it get any sun at all or just filter the whole time. STELTER it's fun. You know really most of the dogwoods will still go and flower even if they're getting some shade. I think the thing I do wonder about is it should be setting its buds. You should be starting to notice the bugs right now they set their buds the year before. And so if you look at the very end on those they kind of look like I don't know kind of look like the old ornaments that you stick on top a tree he said years ago. You know it's kind of pointed down. So I would look at the in of the branches to see if it's actually setting but because it was still a young plant and young plants generally just don't flowers well as we'd like so I'm just wondering if it's just not them sort of getting it's a fetus stablished and so I go out there look now I don't think you necessarily have

made an absolute mistake at this point so we won't give up on that you just did it anyway. Yeah. Oh yeah they're very nice nice trees all around. Yeah. Well thank you so much good luck. Thank you. To Urbana line number one for the next caller hello. OK well yes Graham Richard that's right. The grow lights when we get near he had growers have discovered they actually don't help at all as far really grown. But they do make the plants look better. So if you have something you want to display there'd be an advantage but you can take a plant out from underneath one and put it on a regular like bench and it looks just like the others. And if you take something from the light bench and you put on a grow lamp it looks better. But there's actually no difference. Oh it looks better as long as there underneath the grow light is that what you mean that's right. Okay okay.

It might be a green or color something that looks better color balance is such that it displays better than actually help with the girl. Yeah you haven't found that to be true. There you go. But thanks for that. I didn't really that that's great. Things with the lighting engineers climates most of the light loss with the fluorescents in about the last six months I think really. So it isn't as serious as some people I know. I've had friends who insist that they should discard all the bowl but after your well I think most of the bulbs and they give you an hour rating on them I think they do and so I would I'm Manda I probably stick with what the manufacturer just guessing obviously and how often you're using it that's the big thing. So while I'm making the program Hey thanks for sharing. Very good thank you for the code. Well we'll go on the next caller here is in champagne. Lie number three. Follow me OK. I work very very hard trying to get a bird to actually grow from a seed. I now have one that two years old and I. I'd love it

and I have a tomato cage around. Yesterday I found that the top of it has just been cut off. Now I don't know whether this is a squirrel a rabbit or a very zealous neighbor. Yeah I'd almost bet it's a rabbit. What I am almost I'm almost sure it's a rabbit. Now would they do it at ground level and this was 15 inches up. Well is it such that they could actually stand on the. I've seen Mxy stand on wire on fences and then stretch in order to get to something and they leave this perfect 45 degree angle and you'd swear that somebody had these really sharp pruners and clipped it off. But it's generally rabbits OK. I wonder because they neighbor has used herbicide and ruined by you. Well then you have it. But I have the first time I ever saw you. I could have sworn my husband was like in big trouble for a while. Clipped something off and then found out it was really a rabbit so now I have

to have made cages around it but I was wondering what do you say about putting a great big box empty box of detergent boxes will cover the whole thing for the winter. Is that suitable. I think your best bet. They still need. I'd be concerned about a couple things. Just the fact that they may warm up too much inside the box when we get really warm sunny days and that's not what you want them to do you want them to stay dormant. And I think your best bet is is can you just get some wire mesh or something and actually make this a little bit taller. Age yeah just make the cage taller so they don't can't clip off the top and I really wouldn't worry too much the the oak will do just fine it'll sprout up again. I mean it will send up sprouts from the side hall but just once one stick. Yeah but it'll sprout out and you'll find that it'll it'll do fine from from there it's just a little different shape now thanks to the rabbit but I would get some wire mesh and just makes sure

it's a fine mesh in that to really help you lot I think you can even get it in for foot height these days. All right well thank you. And good luck. Well again we have plenty of time here and lines open if you have a question for Sandy. 3 3 3 9 4 5 5. That's for Champaign Urbana toll free 800 to 2 2 9 4 5 5 questions about things the girl in the home landscape trees shrubs flowers vegetables house plants. Give us a call over our house we have a pretty good sized rosemary plant that has been living outside all summer and we would like to see if we can get it to go at least a little bit longer and I know that's can be really difficult particular because of the inside air in the one time is really dry. That's a problem any any guidance on what we might have if you really hit upon. I leave mine outside as long as I possibly can like mine is still outside right now. Although it sounds like you know I probably should run in last night with 11 degrees

that's getting down there pretty low but they still seem like it was ok so. Pretty soon I'll be bringing it and so I try to leave it out as long as I possibly can so it knows it's time to go dormant. And then you're absolutely right our inside environment is just so dry that it's just not really good for the rosemary so. The success I've had is find the coldest place in your house but just absolutely the coldest place in your house. But hopefully still has lights or where you can provide some light or something along those lines. And they're much happier if you can get them in those cold spots or cool spots and then it won't make quite so much a difference to the fact that there's not quite so much humidity in the air. Also you can just don't let him dry out too much I think them times that's the concern is that sometimes people just don't water that I found my still have to water mine in probably at least every 10 days or so even though it's indoors and babies are growing a whole lot but it's in the season and it still still needs some light so don't let it dry out too much it's probably because they're very unforgiving. I found when I found out the hard way it went for you don't let you know if you let him dry out too

much they that's kind of it. I've had in the experiences in the past where I had a really healthy plate and it seemed to be going along just fine and then then overnight it was like yeah and I wasn't really sure right you know what exactly I did or didn't do right. But ok cool and if you can add some humanity in different ways that's great if you have it area where there's even a fire or even just a pebble tray just a tray with water in it with pebbles. Anything along those lines is going to help the plant with a little bit more humanity but you're right there a little bit touchy so don't feel bad if it doesn't quite OK. The horticulture industry loves people like you to kill a mockingbird a year but yet you still want to go by what exactly. We have some other Polish or Savoy next. Why number one. Hello. Oh yes. I bought an orchid after I got back from Costa Rica and didn't buy groceries in the United States. But it has kept it for hours on everything since the end of September and now it's beginning to

loose a few hours and I'm not quite sure what to get it so let it go dormant and then hopefully it will when we can do you know what kind of organ it is. Girls yes. I mean I'm not an orchid expert I will tell you that for sure. Those particular ones I do know those are probably one of the easier ones to get back into flower So that's the good news. Yeah so that's a good thing. And also I think I'm pretty sure on that one and maybe there's an orchid grower out there that could fill us in on some of this but as far as I know you know they have that long scape where all the flowers are coming off of it. Don't cut the whole thing off. Just cut it down to where the last flower is. Because the way I understand those will actually send up another shoot from there. So so at least try that I'm pretty sure the Dendrobiums are the ones that will do that so don't take the whole thing off. So you may actually get a little bit more flowering from there and I think as far as those goes they do need some humidity and that's going to be the big thing with

the orchids although Dendrobiums are a little bit more forgiving along those lines so make sure you have plenty of humidity and as I was mentioning it's not my kitchen and I'm sure that helps every day. Oh yeah and the pet is really thrilled that lasted almost three months. Well and you must be doing something right or it wouldn't still be happy but orchids are wonderful and I don't think people realize how long the flowers last on an orchid they just last for. Yeah yeah they're really a really great bargain if you if you get into it. Yeah it is me or thank you. Good luck and thank you to lie number 3 this is someone in an urban Oh hello. Well yes I have a. Well I don't know that we were thinking of putting in a fence but I prefer a hedge but we have very minimal on that here and I can recommend something that would be a task. Evergreen that would tolerate minimal sun while we don't have a whole lot of evergreens as you probably know that they're going to get any sun at all or at least it

doesn't get morning sun. But like I said with everything I pick up everywhere I go and everyone I talk to says anything that's ever been a lot the only ones that tolerate some shade are actually use will tolerate some shade dark green thing that everybody has but they will tolerate some shade and I think the thing you will find is when you start growing these things in shade they tend to open up they tend to be not quite as thick. And that's just part of the fact that they're just not getting as much light. Also Canadian hemlocks will take some shade and they actually are a shrub that you get all those a tree. You can actually share those to make a more like a hedge. Oh so that would be another and again there another one of those it tends to kind of open up but if you do some sharing and if you want to get into that or not you could actually make it a little denser and hit with the heads so those would be a couple suggestions otherwise I think you're going to find the they're just they're just going to sort of fade away whatever you plant out there there's not going to do as well.

And anything on and on ever. You certainly open up your avenues a lot when you get away from those. The typical ones I guess if you're Wally want I love viburnums and viburnums take shade they do very well and shade super plants to get the flowers the fruit the whole thing so I never met a Viburnum I didn't like so there's any number I know if you're familiar with those shrubs but they have lovely flowers on them and some are quite fragrant. There's a Korean spice viburnums very fragrant Burke would viburnums another one that's very nice but bunch of them out there and they easily can make a very nice head some get very tall so depending on what the height you want on the plane. Actually we do have a couple in their reach. Perfect it would be nice to just clean it. Yeah there's some other some shorter ones if you don't want anything that gets quite that 15 feet so you might think about those. If you want to do it really cheap then some like a red twig dogwood is you know you can

buy those fairly cheaply and they they they still make a nice thing that would be very good. We're already close to the midpoint of this our focus my video just should introduce Again our guest Sandy Mason she's a horticulture educator with U of I extension in Champaign County and is here monthly on the Tuesday and we talk about things that grow in the home landscape you have questions give us a call 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 that's for champagne Urbana toll free 800 to 2 2 9 4 5 5. The next caller is in our COLA line for right here hello. Hello. Yes I want to ask about a Christmas cactus I have a huge. It's about 20 years old it's been repotted maybe in the last six to six years it's one of the older window and it's been dropping its leaves and and bugs and well course a blue drop after that blooming and I wonder

if I if I water occasionally. I wonder if I'm doing too much water and not enough water. Do you let it dry out in between watering or you do and I fertilized it earlier this fall or started and I've never had it to drop leaves like this before it's one of the old fashioned Christmas cactus. The thing I've seen with those with those I'd be concerned about a couple things is is maybe not watering enough. And often you'll see that the flowers don't last as long they sort of dry up and fall off. Sometimes that's a first indication there just being a little bit to dry because when they're in they can tolerate dryness but when they're in flower They generally like to be fairly consistently moist Oxfam that they take more water than a lot of people. Yeah yeah people hear the name cactus and they think they never have to water it but that's you're absolutely right that you really need to water more than well I don't know what the name of the wound there is a

house. How often should they be repotted. You know they can they can stand to be pot bound and still be fine so it's pretty much up to you but they should have at least a couple inches between where the plant is and where the edge of the pot is so that the. Yeah right so if they've grown out to the point where they're actually touching the edge of the pot they've grown that much. Then you definitely need to think about transplanting it and I'd probably wait till it's after flowering and then transplant it. They do get some root rot problems it's a thing I do see on those that that can actually make the leaves also fall off at that spot I was afraid of you know maybe I might be getting some more of it. Yeah I would do what you need to do is just follow those stems back wherever the leaves are falling off just follow those stems back and feel it and if they're rotten they'll just pop off. Well it seems like it to the end of the leaves that turn yellow right and they drop off and as I said some of the butt had been

dropping all right I'd really wonder about being either too hot. Or to drop by in that case. OK I enjoy your program. Thank you. Thank you. We'll see we'll go into we have a caller here on the line number one in tune. Hello good morning. I have three Norfork pines house plants in pots and they're really what I consider just a wonderful size. And they started out as very little things and I've grown to be you know pretty nice sized things and they're really about as big as I'd like them to get. And I'm wondering if there's any way that I can kind of slow down the growth or keep them from getting any bigger I don't want to grow the house without making them look bad or harming the plant. Right right. And you've hit upon the one problem with those particular plants because they have that central leader. And if that gets damaged or whatever then it sort of sends off this really funny thing that heads off one way or the other and they sort of losers that appeal.

So they're a little harder to trim back like we might think with a lot of other plants. Now you could actually do that but then you'd actually when it sends up its new little chute you have to actually have to take something and so it's props it up straight up. And so if you did want to prune them you could do that. The other thing is I would start putting them in and then a fairly high light area. Or they get. Yeah I think they get a pretty decent amount of light nothing direct really because you don't write you don't want to stress them to the point where they don't do well but you could actually you know maybe lower the temperature more don't give him quite as much light. I definitely you know not fertilize them but maybe once a year a couple of times a year if you're really trying to slow him down I'd be thinking about the fertility is whoa OK. Good luck. Right thank you. On to her band of this is lie number two. Hello. I I've always admired magnolia trees and I think I'm the only person in my neighborhood that doesn't half want to feel left out.

Yeah. Like I mean it's nice I've been home in the spring and seeing everybody else's tree but I mean when my house I'm calling to ask where I can. I'm on it. When the best time to try to plant one in my yard I have a huge west facing Well kind of Southwest yard. I know I have enough space I don't know if I have the right exposure. Well it sounds like you do because space is an issue with mag noise because they tend to at least the saucer mag noise and the other ones there are a wide spreading so there are some little smaller ones called the Star Magnolia. OK and it is a little bit different flower there more the petals are more strap like they are a little thinner but it tends to sail a bit smaller and you actually can trim and keep it smaller if you don't want something quite as big as the other mag noise. The other thing I'd really look for with those is you know some times and I don't know if you've seen this around your neighborhood but sometimes we get those late frosts and about the time the magnolias are looking magnificent then we get this frost and then it looks like you know just brown stuff hanging on the lance. So

I would make sure that when you buy one make sure it's one of the later flowering ones. I do a little homework and right off the top my head I can't think. I think some of the lily flowered ones think about a lily flower or some of the later ones. OK so look for the later blooming ones and then you won't have quite as much trouble as losing those flowers early in the season. OK. And where's the best place to get one at one of the garden shops or have to order it or. I certainly go local and these should be ones unless you're really looking for a way or when you should be able to find a local garden centers. OK in the springtime Normally that would be when you'd find them. OK that's great. OK thank you. Sharon thinks on to Monticello line number three. Hello. Oh yes I'm hoping that I can get a little help with my piece slowly. I've had it for about a year now and when I first got it it is bloomed in bloom and now I can't get it to produce any blossoms and I was wondering what I can do to stimulate it.

What kind of lights and getting high. Well it was found in the sunroom. Most of the time this last summer and even just up until just recently but that didn't help. I did transplant because originally it was from a florist and I had it within a smaller container but I have put it in I will probably 12 inch powdery type burn. And it's growing it's just not flowering. Oh yeah I just put the leaves out like crazy. I don't know if on those I don't think there's anything like the amount of light they get during the day and I don't think they have any problems along those lines so I think I'd wonder about maybe stressing a little bit more. Do you fertilize it at all or do you know. Well I have but you know I try to be careful not to do too. Right I think I'd be cutting back on the fertilizer for one thing. I haven't because I want to talk to you or somebody about it. Right I did put a little bit of Epsom salt maybe a case front of aften solved on it because I read somewhere that that was good for

plan B. It's got its magnesium sulfate So it's got the magnesium and it was a nutrient that plants need so that's fine but I really would wonder about. I would not fertilize them especially this time of year I wouldn't fertilize them some because unless they're getting supplemental light they can't use it quite as well. You don't need to be in a bigger pot. I've certainly seen it again it's one of those things where if I've seen Mxy blooming even when they're touching the outside of the pot but I think as long as they're not wilting too much. Are you able to. Well yeah you know it's one of those things that they will do all the time and you can't keep them wet. Then you know it's in a pot that is too small. So if you're not having a problem with that it still feels like seems like it's growing and there's a little space between the plant and the pot then I don't think I'd worry too much about whether it needs to be transplanted till maybe later on. So I'd wonder about the fertility on that is far as that goes I just I'm not sure what

else would would make those not bloom. They do cycle. They're like kind of like African violets a sort of cycle and so though they'll bloom and then they kind of quit for a while and then they bloom again so they have their time. I don't think there is. So I'm kind of hesitating a little bit to tell you that for sure but I don't think there is as far as you know the day light or anything like that tell me they're saying to me Oh I was always a good idea. Maybe that's what's wrong with my plan. You know it's just the way I sing actually the way I speak. Maybe your dad said yeah yeah good luck Yeah and I and I'd be glad to do some more research on that if you really want to want to research this a little more. But you can give me a call at the UI extension office here in Champaign County. OK. Thank you Nina thank you. So if you if you if you couldn't sing and you were going to play music what kind of music would be best. You know there's always it's like the favorite science fair project of every kid grade school kid isn't it. Do rap music and you know different types of music Mozart Mozart and even a cent

difference supposedly supposedly what I've seen obviously is not research true research but it seems to be that things like Mozart and the you know the little softer music maybe than what we might traditionally think of with rap and some of the Southern I see. OK so people out there want to do some experiments and let us know that we have all winter to do this what else do we know if they actually did a study one time where people were were talking to the plants and then sort of looking at growth rates and they really found there was a little bit of difference but mainly because you know when you talk you're giving off carbon dioxide. You know you should really get out of it as a basically just breathing on them and so there might actually be a little bit of benefit from that. But it's. And you you know when I talk nice to them. She said. Well thought of lace up ladies and gentlemen to review useless info let's go look at the colors. Next is champagne line one below.

Oh yes I have a question about raspberries. I have a very small little raspberry plant brand new and the rabbits ate my other tiny ones it's about an inch high so I took it back out of the ground and put it in the pot. Up high out of the way and I'm worried that it's not going to last I don't know if I should bring it in the house or in my garage. Have you ever thought about just covering it outside like with wire mesh or something so it doesn't know what you know. Yeah that's that be a very good idea. Do I know I mean I think if they survive Well I mean when they're running a plant and I'm just on the ground you are so concerned I can tell this is this is great. I've been trying to grab just like your baby I know I love it when gardeners I get we're all like that we have our baby you know we baby your plants alone we're babies we worry about them so much but you know their resumes are really pretty tough plants and they set her up pretty well even if their tops get nipped off they do a pretty good job of suckering up the one thing about bringing it in is

we're about a couple things is they really do need a dormant period of cold dormant period. And that's true of a lot of our fruit plants is that they actually need winter we may think it's kind of a useless time that the plants really need winter in order to go through their dormancy and break their dormancy in flower. So that's really important and also wonder if you bring it in even if it's in a cold spot then we get these fluctuations in temperature and it gets cold and hot and cold and hot and then the poor plant doesn't know what it's supposed to be doing. OK your best bet is to get outside. Is it better for it to be in the ground than in a pot. You bet it really is because when they're in a pot like that that pot because it's a small mass there it's going to freeze and thaw and freeze and thaw and then that's not good. And it's really not good. All right well I will stick it back in the ground and get a cage for it. Yeah and I you could maul to plough mulch around it I think that's fine get a nice wire mesh or something to get to get it going that way and I think you'll find that it will it'll do just fine from there.

So talk to IT NICE we've already learned that this morning I'll sing to it like there you go. There you go I have another question Is there time for sure yeah. OK I'm making some raised beds also ground to trees. And after I had made the already put the word up I started hearing about how I could kill the trees. My mounting up dirt there were about six inches high so they're just barely raised beds but I and I haven't put dirt I've only gotten half of one of the raised beds are about eight feet. And so I was wondering what you thought about that yet what kind of trees are they. I I was trying to figure that out. I think one of them is some kind of oak tree it's got a kind of starry leaf that dropped it. It's leaves one of the last trees to lose its leaves this fall and yet it was kind of got rough bark and it looks a little bit papery up towards the top it comes off. And she. Yeah I'm not sure. The reason I asked it it depends on the species. I guess number one we we would normally tell you not to do that because you really do change

the. The trunk is very different from the roots. I know that sounds like a basic thing but it truly is and how they react to the environment is very different and once you start putting soil next to bark tissue it's not it's normal. It's not the normal way for it to be unless it happens to be one of those floodplains species and that's what I was trying to get at so things like sycamores and maples and things that normally would grow you know in the bottom lands they actually do OK if soil comes around because that would be in their normal habitat and a lot of other trees that would be upland things like oaks as some of these other ones they're not used to that and what you can end up with is some rot around where the soil is actually right around the trunk and you might actually end up with some rot. So we do are concerned about that so I would definitely keep the soil away from the trunk. So I kind of don't have a little thing around the trunk and help the dirt away from it. That right.

Right since you already have the beds in I would I would suggest that I would probably go that route. But generally it isn't something that we would recommend because you really do when you start adding soil to the top above routes. You sort of change the whole dynamic of the air the roots are getting metal water the roots are getting in. So generally it's why we don't recommend that kind of thing. OK all right well thank you very much. Hungry can day by day. The next caller here is in the Pontiac line for toll free line. Hello good morning. Yes I have a backyard question that my wife and I have been struggling with for about three years in our house we have a small backyard maybe 20 feet deep by about 34 feet wide and when we bought the house you know mostly dirt in a little bit of grass and lots of wild strawberries. Well we had some grass growing for a while and then inadvertently last spring a spraying company got the wrong address and they came into our backyard and just you know used a bunch of herbicides and just burned everything except one little grass from it.

We in the spring got a dog and the dog is done basically the rest of the work for us at this point. What we're wondering about is we had a lot of trees from this fall. It's probably about 60 to 70 percent of it will get sunlight and we are along the north side of the house a very tall house that gets fairly any sun. And then we have a corner area that doesn't get much at all. We're wondering there's a possibility in the summer we might end up you know selling the house going to a bigger house. Didn't know if we should look at doing something and how what we could do to either prep it in the winter and then start a grass seed in the spring with some hay you know if we have spotty areas of grass we don't know if we should just you know completely churn it all and then do new grass and dirt and we can just take the dog into the front yard for a while. We're one of my neighbors recently just redid his backyard a small backyard like ours tore up the ground and got out this rolled out turf grass.

We're kind of wondering you know if we're looking at possibly selling it do we do the turfgrass in the spring to make it look nicer sooner or. Or if we're going with planting grass What would you recommend. Sort of what we can do now and into the early spring to get it ready for planting. Well about the only thing you can do now is if you have areas maybe where it's lower or there's some drainage issues I'd be taking care of those. Now could you could add some soil or whatever you need to do along those lines is a halfway decent soil or that clay or kind of a mixture when there was a lot of construction done on the House and so the first summer I spent pulling out nails and you know pieces of roofing had such fun with this yard you know and I finally discovered my vet recommended it to all dog treats when a female dog that prevents the change in the biology inside of her fluid going to doesn't burn the grass. So we defeated that one but I would say the soil is not in the greatest of shape

because the other thing you could do this time of year if you wanted to is. Is to add compost or something along those lines how about that that's about the only thing you could do in the winter time here is needed add compost or you know fill in those areas with some soil if you want to go that route. The sod thing you know that roll out turf stuff. If you're planning on selling it right away obviously it really is going to make it look good. Pretty much right away. So that's a quick thing and if I was selling a home and I wanted to spend the money because it's going to be a lot more expensive than seeding I might think about that because it is going to make it look nicer and maybe maybe make your home more so saleable so I guess I'd think about that. Otherwise you have to wait till the spring time and to do your seeding Normally we do that in April and that would be a matter of you still want to you'd want to dig it up in the sense that maybe rototiller something good you want to prepare the bed and then use some in the different areas depending on how much sun it's getting but you could use usually a Kentucky bluegrass grass mix is what most

people go with but is going to take longer obviously and you're definitely going to leave the dog off of it. Should we look at waiting till April ventured to chill it because I'm of the opinion that you know I see it or saw it just you know start anew so we can you know kind of start because we have I think four types give different graphs back and the wild strawberries have even started to come back despite being blasted by the herbicide last spring right. Remember right. Probably not but wait till April that is what you're saying before we do any killing right. Right and I actually I would think about if you have some really horrible weeds. Some people have different feelings about strawberries but I'd be thinking about weed control if before I do any tilling So if you had anything like bind we were creeping charlie or any of those then I get I think about next spring killing those off and then doing might once those are dead I do my tilling and compost at that time and then do your seeding.

OK great. Speaking of killing off one other quick follow up. We had a lot of trees trimmed in this last fall and we one of the trees was a tree of paradise that the way it is growing it's underneath part of our fence and so we've held off. But it's. Coming up about three feet off the ground the person did the tree trimming said it's kind of like we need it will come back Is there any like surefire way short of like drilling down to the core and I don't I don't want to poison it but other than digging it up is there any kind of way you can actually prevent that from coming back. So you've already cut it off or they cut it off. Yeah they cut it off and it's maybe eight feet out of the ground. And I'm already seeing runners coming out of the side. So they left a stump that's three feet tall. Yeah because we ended up because it was right up on the bin. Ended up having to chop into it so we're kind of OK on what to do about it. Right right right right right. Because if it was at ground level they'd be much easier because then you could use just like black plastic or something like that and put over it and then hopefully sort of starve it

out at that point. Otherwise you're obviously it's going to re sprout in and at that point about you're not your best bet would be something along the line of one of the brush killers. So depending on whether you want to use an herbicide or not that's really kind of up to you. But that would be one thing that would keep that thing from re sprout. But if we can get it low enough maybe we have a friend who's really artsy with a high chain saw if we can get it low enough cut them basically just cover it in a black we have a chip. Right right and just basically try to starve it out by doing it. OK great thank you very much. Good luck. We have maybe about five minutes left in this part of focus 580 Sandy Mason is with us she's horticulture educator with you by extension in Champaign County. It's our monthly lawn and garden care program 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 toll free 800 to 2 2 9 4 5 5 2. Another color here champagne line 2. Hello hi. I've moved into a house that has a lawn and to help the lawn it

been serviced by only one service. And they're proposing to do a bunch of things I'm wondering if this is something I need to do and they say I'll tell you what they're called here spring maxim I are early summer booster plus or roof builder winter strengthener for core cultivation for root feeding and that adds up to quite a bit of money. Just something that. You need to do. I guess it really ultimately it's obviously it's up to you but I think the biggest thing you have to decide is what I really want my lawn to look like. And we all have you know the full spectrum of. Some of us just want it to be green and we don't really care if there's a few weeds in there we want to be green most of the time and beyond that we don't really worry about it too much. Some people truly you know do not want any We really are very concerned about you know insects and those kinds of things and so it's going to make a difference and so you have to decide yourself you know where do I fall on that spectrum.

So do you have a feel for that already or do you really feel like the lawn the lawn itself looks okay it looks nice and it doesn't look like a golf course with all this. So I'm trying to yeah it's sort of like it's a bee. I think you have it your way right. And so it is one of those things that sometimes you can you know depending on how you want it to look. You can either do it yourself you certainly can provide your own fertilisation in and using herbicides and those kind of things if you choose to go that route and that's There are certainly plenty of programs out there that sort of help you sort of do it yourself if you want to have to worry about OK when I do this when I do that then I think that's certainly where the lawn care companies come in. We do have at their you know by extension we do have some wonderful factsheets that say OK April this is a time you need to think be thinking about seeding your lawn maybe doing some herbicide treatment you know those kinds of things so the nice thing is we

do have lots of information that will tell you that kind of if you choose to go that route I would have to wait because it's what county are you in. I'm in Champaign. OK. That's would be my office that's you have an extension where you know one North Country Fair drive. And our numbers 3 3 3 7 6 7 2. And you can just give us a call we'd be glad to mail that to you. Great Well thanks for sure. Why can't we seem to get one more of callers in Berwyn line for hello hello. Yes I have. Then in the summer high during trip my son gave to me this year and it was growing on the side in a semi faded and it got in by something that makes holes in the leaves. My husband got so concerned about it that I because it was getting worse. We dug it up put it in a big pot and now I'm in a kind of a quandary. Should I try to let it hibernate or whatever in the winter. Or should I keep it growing inside the house. I have a back porch that that will freeze.

Really you're your best bet is to let it do what it naturally would do as in it would go ahead and go dormant this time of year. So I think your best bet would be get it back in the ground rather than trying to keep it in I would have to amend that soil I don't think it's too great I dug up. Lie like I have to go back and say I kind of thought that you know I guess that money would be around though. Right right right. And actually what I have done this late in the season is sometimes I have just if I have something I really feel like needs to get into the ground either I I always have plenty of mulch that around in pile so I actually just sink the pot everything in the mulch and that helps to protect it or I just put something in my bed suitable garden just for the winter. I'm just sort of they call it healing in. So what I'm saying is you know you basically you just put in this temporarily knowing that in the springtime you're going to dig it back up again and then put it where you really want it. OK. And that's also a good way to sort of get these deciduous things for the winter time and yeah we had dormant due to well and it's just too

hard indoors you know I think if we had these perfect environments would be a little easier you know is 35 degrees the whole time those kind of things. But none of us really have those areas so I think that's why it's better to get at what I had then take it out of the pot here at him like I do with roses. That's what I would do is just go ahead and put in the ground OK without the pump. Right there I don't feel like you. Well that's about what we have. Do you want to take a minute to mention one thing we had to segue back to beginning that you had some informational events right with and lots of great things coming up if people have some interest in organic production. There's going to be a great conference going on January 12th through the 13th at the Holiday Inn a normal insur organic production conference. And if people want info on that it's 2 1 7 3 3 3 15. Eighty eight. And great opportunity for people that are if they're interested in organic production. Another great program that's going to be coming up is a herb day which is January 29. And if you've never had if you've ever had an

opportunity go to Herb de you know how wonderful they are that will be Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Urbana. Lotsa great speakers there is always always a good show all the way around so I think people will enjoy that that's a January twenty ninth day at the Holiday Inn in Urbana and they can give me a call if they want more info on that. OK very good thanks very much great month. Sure Sanny Mason she's a horticulture educator with you by extension in Champaign County she's with us once a month always on Tuesday second Tuesday of the month to talk about lawn and garden care.