Category Archives: How To Advice

Spring Frost/Freeze Damage to Landscape Plants

April 11, 2012 – 10:26 am

After prolonged and record warmth in March this year, we have experienced a fairly hard frost/freeze that many of us dreaded as we watched landsape plants of all types leaf out and blossom to begin their spring growth spurt 3-4 weeks ahead of normal.

How much damage your plants suffer will depend very much on your micro climate.  Areas with heavy tree cover and higher elevation, and small spaces surrounded by buildings will see the least damage as even partially formed leaves and seeds being found in the tree tops helped hold heat in.

Low areas, and open areas where cold settles, or heat escapes quickly, will see the most damage, and you will find some landscape plants very resistant to freeze damage while others have terrible damage.

Be patient with damaged plants.  Many have the capacity to re-grow and/or re-leaf.  Unforunately, a few plants will be unable to rebound, especially if they are already weakened by poor drainage/heavy shade/ or otherwise stressed.  You may have to look at very ugly plants for awhile, but many will bounce back and others will be completed unaffected by the cold.  After a few days, you will be able to ascertain exactly what damage, if any, your plants sustained.

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By Leif Knecht | Comments (0)

Popcorn Blossoms

April 2, 2012 – 11:12 am
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At the Northfield Home and Garden Business Showcase held at the Northfield Arena this past weekend, a local garden club member made these creative and fun branches with “popcorn” blossoms. What a fun idea for spring decorating! I asked her where she got the idea and she told me that her mother used to make them when she was young. After the Business Showcase they were given to a local retirement center to decorate around the outside of their chapel. The birds are going to love them! She just splotches on a little food coloring with a paint brush to give the popcorn the appearance of a blossom and then glues them onto bare branches. They can be pretty convincing as I saw more than one person smelling them to see if they were real:)
 
It won’t be long and we will have the real thing in full bloom here at the nursery. The buds are already starting to swell.   This blog was submitted by Heidi Brosseau – our retail manager.
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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in Community | Tagged | Comments (1)

It’s the Ideal Pruning Season

March 8, 2012 – 11:58 am

March through mid-April is an excellent time to prune shade, ornamental and fruit trees.  Pick a nice day in the 40 degree to 60 degree  range with low winds and you will have very pleasant working conditions.  Our crews started field pruning this week, taking advantage of a stretch of wonderful March weather.

This is the time of year when it is unlikely that viruses, bacteria, insects and fungus will infect fresh pruning cuts, since these pests are largely dormant until late April.  Use a sharp hand saw, and a freshly sharpened hand pruner to make cleaner and easier cuts.

Some trees like maples will bleed sap when pruned during the next 30-40 days, but research has shown this does not hurt the tree, and will stop in early to mid-April.  The goal of pruning is to create a strong,  lasting and good looking structure in each tree.  Pruning before the trees leaf out makes it a whole lot easier to judge the structure since no leaves are present to obscure your view.

PRUNE EARLY AND  OFTEN. Read More »

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By Leif Knecht | Tagged | Comments (0)

Making Firewood

February 15, 2012 – 12:17 am

Safe and satisfied.  Keep it that way.  Time in the woods cutting firewood can be enjoyable, energizing and satisfying, re-establishing connections to natural rhythms and nostalgia of by-gone days.

It can also be very dangerous.  Know your equipment, keep it well maintained, work alongside another person, and train yourself to be cautious.  Be especially careful when felling standing trees, especially if they are dead, have rotten areas, or even just a few dead branches in the crown.

Deadwood can easily break off and drop on the chain saw operator.  Wear a safety helmet and face screen, always look up to evaluate danger before beginning felling cuts, and always have an escape path free of obstructions so you can skedaddle to safety as the tree begins to fall.

Enjoy a nice day in the woods, reconnect with simpler times and BE SAFE.  It’s mostly an exercise in training your mind to constantly think about proceeding safely and efficiently.  Master this approach to woodcutting and I’m sure you will give Paul Bunyan a run for his money.

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By Leif Knecht | Tagged | Comments (1)

New Zone Hardiness Map – USDA Update – 2012

January 25, 2012 – 4:18 pm
From the USDA – Minnesota

The USDA released it’s new Hardiness Zone Map.   Minnesota now can claim a portion of the State being a Zone 5!  (a small part – but a part nonetheless).   A big change is the portion of Zone 4a which now extends further north.  Mary Schier, editor of the Northern Gardener magazine, has a blogpost on this subject - ‘Big Changes for Minnesota in New Hardiness Zone Map.’

 

Despite these changes, caution is advised if you don’t want to run the risk of losing plant materials that may be marginally zone hardy.  On the other hand, it can be an awful lot of fun to experiment with marginal plants that can sometimes be a nice surprise on hardiness and a visual delight.  We’re happy to visit with you about this subject concerning plants you might consider that are “on the edge”.
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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in Community, Landscaping | Comments (0)

Fall is for Planting

September 25, 2011 – 7:08 am

Fall planting of trees, shrubs and perennials has long been a tradition for many families.  Landscape plants are going dormant, temperatures are cooler, water demands are reduced, and success rates remain high.

When spring comes, the new plants are ready and waiting to quickly establish and flourish.  Well planned fall planting projects can also save substantial amounts of money, since great bargains are available at most nurseries.

An added plus for fall planting is the pleasant fall weather that makes time spent on a project outdoors enjoyable and easier.  October and November have quite a few fabulous fall days, so there’s still plenty of time to do that project you’ve been putting off.  Seize the opportunity.  It’s a wonderful time.  (to plant).

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Landscaping, Retail Sales | Comments (0)

Insect Pest Alert

September 9, 2011 – 5:09 pm

The Northfield area is facing increased problems from insect pests on landscape plants.  It may be a good time to start thinking about how you will choose to manage greater pressures from these destructive insects.

Boring insects of various kinds can destroy Birch, Oak, Linden and Ash trees and Viburnum shrubs.  There is a chemical treatment that is effective at controlling and/or preventing borers.  The active ingredient is Imidacloprid and is available in many commonly available pest control products.  Applied to the soil next to the stem of a tree or shrub, Imidacloprid is absorbed by the roots, and prevents dozens of insect pests in addition to borers from attacking the plant.  Treatment is simple, safe and effective.

Japanese Beetles are showing up in greater numbers.   Soon they will be widespread in the Northfield area.  We are all going to have to learn more about controlling this VERY destructive insect. You may be interested to know that Imidacloprid gives pretty good control of the Japanese Beetle and about 35 other insects, which helps property owners avoid having to spray foliar applications of conventional insecticides.

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By Leif Knecht | Comments (2)

Protect Your Trees

September 7, 2011 – 10:13 am

Now is the time to think about protecting your trees from damage going into the winter season.  We have several different types of tree protectors available – depending on the size of the tree and your intitial purpose of protection.  This past weekend – we installed tree protectors on a few of the trees in our meadow at home.  In the past, we have learned our lesson the hard way after we discovered “buck rubs” early in September.

You have invested alot into your trees – monetary and with TLC – and the next step is to protect them going into the winter.  The heavy snows of the past two winters saw lots of trees with rabbit and mice damage to them.  When food is scarce – the critters will start nibbling away at the bark of young trees.   If the damage is too severe, the tree will not recover.   These protectors help to eliminate this from happening.  Heidi has set up a great display here at the nursery and there are descriptions and advice on each of the protectors we have available.  All of these protectors can be used for many seasons which makes it a very inexpensive investment.

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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in Trees | Comments (2)

Watering Alert

September 7, 2011 – 9:51 am

Despite heavy rains during spring and the first half of the summer, significant rains have missed the Northfield area the last 5 or 6 weeks, and soils have become quite dry.  Landscape plants of all types that receive no regular irrigation will benefit from a good heavy watering.  For established trees, shrubs and prerennials, a thorough soaking every 10 to 14 days during the fall will help them enter the winter in good shape.

For recently planted trees, shrubs and perennials, more frequent waterings will be necessary, as often as every day or two until they are able to extend new roots outwards and tap moisture from a larger volume of soil.

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By Leif Knecht | Comments (0)

Fall Planter Ideas

August 10, 2011 – 12:25 pm

Heidi Brosseau - our retail manager submits the following blog.

Now is the time to refresh your baskets, beds and planters!

Are your containers looking a little tired?  Did your baskets fizzle in the summer heat?  Maybe you have lots of green plants and not a lot of color in that perennial border this time of year.  Dress them up & refresh them! Add some seasonal color & fall beauty to your planters, beds & borders with plants perfect for late season displays.  Here are some of our favorites!

Minnesota Hardy Mums:  They are finally here everyone.  Come and get ‘em.  Bright eye catching colors on dense compact plants.   Perfect for filling those empty spots and containers.

Asters:  A late season surprise.  The first Asters are just beginning to open their daisy style flowers.  These hardy perennials will be blooming until hard frosts come.  Providing a reliable wave of color in the fall garden.  Excellent mixed with Mums and Kale.

Grasses:  Whether you go with an annual or a perennial variety it doesn’t matter, you’re going to add graceful, elegant movement and color to your plantings.  Many varieties have both showy plumes that appear late summer to fall as well as brilliant fall color.

Sedums:  Beloved by butterflies and gardeners alike! These are the “tough guys” in the Minnesota garden.  Reliable and vigorous these succulent plants add wonderful texture with their thick leaves as well as a multitude of foliage colors and variegation.  They like to build up a little suspense, making us watch their forming buds all season long before finally showing us what they can do. Read More »

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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in Annuals, Perennials | Tagged | Comments (0)

Boring Mailbox?

August 10, 2011 – 10:57 am

It really doesn’t take much to make hum drum spots in your landscape / property just a little nicer.  Things like mailboxes, utility boxes, utility hookups and the like can all be softened, hidden or enhanced by the simple addition of the right plant materials.  There is no absolute right or wrong except perhaps doing nothing.  So take it as an opportunity to experiment a bit just as is done at this mailbox.  This rural mailbox has coneflowers and ornamental grass.  These plants can handle the tough site conditions along a gravel road and with snow loads – there’s no problem since perennials start from the ground up every spring – unlike some shrubs which may be damaged by a heavy snow load.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Landscaping | Comments (0)

The Heat is On – Be Sure to Water Your Plants

July 17, 2011 – 7:39 pm

Landscape plants are much like pets and humans in  their need for some tender loving care during major heat waves and long dry spells.  When provided with enough, but not too much water and nutrition people, pets and valuable landscape plants will do well even under extreme heat stress.

New plantings are especially vulnerable until they have extended new roots into the surrounding soil.  While balled and burlapped trees and shrubs can do well with one or two good waterings per week during their period of establishment – 1 to 2 years – trees, shrubs and perennials that were purchased in plastic nursery pots can dry out and be severely damaged in just one or two days in hot, windy and low humidity conditions.

The reason potted plants dry out so quickly when placed into your landscape is that potting soil is formulated to drain and dry out quickly to avoid root rot while they are in the pots.  They also dry out quickly when planted in your yard  that is until new roots have grown out into the soil surrounding the planting site.  This can take from 6-12 weeks, depending on how compacted the soil is.

If the tree, shrubs or perennial receives aggressive root pruning prior to planting to completely shred any matted roots on the outside of the root ball, AND if there is lots of loose, unpacked soil filled in around the root ball, the rooting out process can happen much much faster.  Allow water and gravity to settle the crumbly soil around t he shredded root ball rather than packing the loose soil.

For more details on precision watering you can check out our instructions page on watering.  Keep in mind that most trees and shrubs purchased in nursery pots will need a little water everyday the first 4-6 weeks, every other day the next 4-6 weeks, and every third or 4th day until a year has passed (take the winter off from watering).  Do not allow the hose  to  trickle on the plant.  You will have no idea how much water you gave it, and you may drown the plant.

Successful planting can be done even in a heat wave  if you give them enough water, but not too much water on a daily basis.  Keep ‘em happy and keep ‘em hydrated!

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Perennials, Shrubs, Trees | Tagged | Comments (0)

Black Walnut Toxicity Alert

June 16, 2011 – 3:36 pm

As the years roll by, I find myself called on to do more and more diagnosis on why certain landscape plants are performing poorly.  I am seeing Black Walnut Toxicity on a more frequent basis, enough so that I am  training our staff to always keep this factor in mind when advising our customers on selection of trees, shrubs and perennials for landscaping purposes.

Just recently, I evaluated a Whitespire Birch clump that had severe die back.  At first, I thought it might be birch borer, but found no evidence of the tunnels that borers create just below the bark, and yet one entire stem had completely died and two others looked as if they would soon follow.  As I looked around, I noticed a huge walnut tree in the neighbors back yard, about 60′-70′ away.

When the birch tree was young, its roots were outside the root zone of the walnut tree, but as its root system grew larger, it spread far enough to contact the ever expanding root system of the walnut tree.  Walnut roots are the source of the greatest amount of juglone, the toxin released by the walnut tree.  The roots of a walnut tree can easily extend to double the width of the branches of the tree, so when planting anywhere near a walnut tree – select from a list of plants resistant to the walnut toxin.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Trees | Comments (1)

String Trimmers and Trees – Not a Good Idea

June 3, 2011 – 2:28 pm

As spring rains have caused rapid growth of lawns and the need for frequent mowings, I have once again seen fresh examples of severe damage to landscape trees.  Careless use of string trimmers is the most common cause of severe damage to trees that I see during the many site visits I make to help people evaluate their landscapes and diagnose tree problems.  When the bark gets damaged, sap flow is reduced to leaves and tree quality declines.  More damage with each use of the trimmer can eventually result in the death of the tree.

The cure is very simple:   String trimmers should never ever touch the bark of a tree, no matter the age or size of the tree.  I repeat:  NEVER, EVER.  The damage inflicted from one careless round of string trimmer use can run into hundreds of dollars if the bark is touched by the trimmer string.

Very often the damage is gradual, but cumulative.  There’s no more reason to hit the living bark of a tree, than there would be to weed whip your bare leg.  Both are living tissue and both say “ouch” if you hit them with a string trimmer.

The following are ways that grass/weeds around trees can be safely controlled:

1) Trimming with hand operated grass clippers

2) Kill grass and weeds around the tree with roundup herbicide (avoid contact with the bark) and use a bark/wood chip mulch to keep a 3’—4’ circle around the tree free of weeds/grass

3) Heavy-duty tree guards that deflect the string of a power trimmer.  Thin plastic won’t be good enough.

4) Plastic or rubber mats around the tree (must have the hole for the trunk enlarged on an annual basis to accommodate the growth in trunk diameter.

5) Give the person/company that carelessly damages tree bark a $50 bill for each tree, for each time, they touch the tree bark, and insist they pay the bill, or pay to replace the damaged tree!  I suspect they will stop hitting the bark.

CAUTION:  This information will ruffle some feathers.  Be prepared for push back, but be firm and insist that trimmers never ever touch tree bark, no matter how large the tree.  (I even see severe damage to wooden fence posts from string trimmers!)

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Trees, Yard & Garden Notes | Comments (1)

Vegetable Garden

May 27, 2011 – 5:00 pm

Vegetable Garden

Leif and I finished planting our vegetable garden last weekend.  Since we spend 7 days a week here at the nursery, we have the garden here where we can tend to it. A number of years ago we decided to cover our vegetable garden with weed barrier fabirc and grow our vegetables in the small slits and holes that we cut in the cloth.  We weren’t sure if this would  work out but it has been a wonderful  way to grow a vegetable garden since we have  far fewer weeds to deal with and less blight problems.  We hand dig wherever we have the opening sin the fabric – work in some fertilizer and plant our seeds and vegetable liners, etc.
One of the best “perks” of our work here at the nursery is what we learn from our customers.  A few years ago, a college friend of Leif’s stopped in and in chit  chatting – we learned that he placed a banana peel under the tomato plants before he planted them.  The potassium from the banana peel gives a boost to the tomato plant.  That summer we planted our tomato plants (except for two) with banana peels.   The banana peel tomatoes surpassed in growth by leaps and bounds compared to the two with no peel, and the size of the fruit was amazing!  Needless to say, we save our banana peels starting in early May and put them to good use!
Abnormally rainy spring weather has caused quite a few fvolks to delay planting gardens and flower beds this year.  We do have good supplies of most varieties of vegetable 4-paks and single paks as well as all kinds of annual flowers.  Warmer weather  that is coming next week will really activate any vegetable or flower liners planted this week so despite the delays you should be ablve to have great eating and nice flowers this season.
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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in Annuals | Comments (0)