image from The Old Farmers Almanac WOW here we are 25th of July….wasn’t it just the 4th of July, wasn’t it fair time at Franklin Co. I am still watering 6 wagons of plants. With the help of grandsons, we started again with the unplanting. You always ask what we do with the extra plants, we unplant and compost them. Not my favorite thing to do, but if I work a couple of hours each day at it, then it will get done. I found that I go out at 6:30 and work my 2 hours out there early morning it is cooler and I can work outside and inside the greenhouse not too warm.
I will be at the Herb fest in Greene on Sunday July 28th. I will have perennials, some annuals, houseplants, succulents, and of course what herb plants I have. Look for the 2 SNAP on TOOL awnings in the park. I can remember my first herb fest and it was at the farm that the cruise boat would stop for lunch on the Shell Rock. We are looking easily at 25 years ago. I remember I had lisianthus plants and not many gardeners knew what they were. Now they are a great plant to grow for bouquets. I must really look to get the starter plants for these and haven’t had them since. I will continue to look for plugs so I can grow them for your gardens. It sounds like it will be warm starting Saturday through next week. I will be around Thursday and Friday and all next week if you are looking for anything to fill in your garden space. I might be in the house working in the office, but I will come out when I see you drive up. Give me a call or a text 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 to see if I have what you would like. Of course, all on sale. Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals. Interesting article about humidity. It's Not the Heat, It's the Humidity! The uncomfortable weather of July is often due to humidity, not heat. Find out more about humidity and what it means to be humid! In most of the Northern Hemisphere, July is the hottest month. But when folks grumble about feeling uncomfortable, they often say, “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity.” Want to know if it’s going to be humid? Look up to the skies! Here’s how. How Can You Tell That It’s Humid? You can quickly judge moisture by glancing up. A deep blue sky means dry air. A light blue sky with a nearly white horizon means average humidity. A sky that’s milky overhead is very humid. That’s the summertime norm in the Carolinas and the Gulf States. Warm air can hold far more water than cold air. And the best measurement of the air’s dampness is dewpoint. That’s the temperature at which the current air mass, if cooled down, would not hold its moisture anymore, so its water changes from invisible gas to countless liquid droplets. It’s when fog forms and dew appears. When you breathe on a mirror, it fogs up because the cool glass has lowered your breath to its dewpoint. What Is Humidity? Let’s make sense of humidity. Bear with me. Let’s say it’s early morning, the air is 68°F, and it’s holding all the water it can. This means that there’s fog outside or dew on the ground. Since this air is saturated at 68º, this air has a dewpoint of 68. Its relative humidity is 100%. The temperature and dewpoint are the same. But six hours later at midday, the air is 95°F. This hot air is now capable of holding twice as much water, so the relative humidity is now 50%. Thanks to the increased temperature, the relative humidity has changed radically. Yet it’s the same air as before, moisture-wise. Its dewpoint is still 68°. So, dewpoint is a much better gauge of air moisture than relative humidity. It’s the language spoken by meteorologists and weather nerds. When Is Air Humid? What’s important to know is that a dewpoint of 65ºF or higher means very humid air. A dewpoint in the low 60s is somewhat humid. A dewpoint in the 50s is pleasant. A dewpoint in the 40s feels wonderfully dry, like the air in Montana. Here’s one more very cool fact: Air never cools below its dewpoint. So by looking up the current dewpoint, you instantly know the lowest the temperature can get to tonight. That’s assuming some new air mass isn’t marching in. Taken from https://www.almanac.com/its-not-heat-its-humidity Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
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image from evertricks.com GOOD morning, and what a lovely morning it is. The low humidity and temperature are enjoyable. I know it is going to change, this is Iowa, and it is July. Hot and humid will come back. Enjoy this while we have it. I have the windows open, and the fresh air is awesome.
We got back from the fair and unloaded. Now I need to do the next step which is composting the plants which isn’t my favorite so I will take my time to do that. If you need some plants give me a call at 641-794-3337 or cell 641-903-9365 and I will let you know if we have it. Email at [email protected] We will be going to the Herb Fest in Greene on July 28th Sunday. Looks like it might be a bit warm, but we will have the awnings set up so you can shop in the shade. It is a great shopping experience for your gardening. I have been asked what plants to help clean the air. I found this article about that. I learned so much as what we know as outside plants can be grown as house plants. AWESOME and I have some of them here. Discover Air-Purifying Houseplants For Your Home by Robin Sweetser Did you know that houseplants help purify the air in our homes? We’ve long known that indoor plants improve our mood and reduce stress levels, but improving air quality is an additional benefit! See the best air-purifying houseplants. Today, Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors, often in places with little or no ventilation. The air inside our super-insulated modern homes and offices is often unhealthy due to harmful chemicals called “volatile organic compounds” (VOCs), which can cause short- and long-term medical problems. Plants, on the other hand, can absorb these airborne chemicals through their foliage, break them down in their root systems, and turn them into sugars, amino acids, and other useful “building blocks” of life. Indoor pollutants come in two major varieties: Particulates such as dust, mold spores, and pollen. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases released from paints, fabrics, wallpaper, carpeting, plastics, and solvents commonly found in most homes. Even household chemicals such as bleach, ammonia, detergents, furniture polish, carpet cleaners, and moth balls give off harmful gases. Mechanical or electrostatic filters can be effective in trapping particulates, but airborne chemicals are difficult to eliminate entirely unless we remove the source. What Do Plants Have to Do with Indoor Air? Let’s review a basic bit of botany: plants absorb carbon dioxide (Co2) and release oxygen (O2), which is used by all humans and living beings to breathe. Outdoors, tree planting makes use of that concept to atone for the effects of air pollution. So, would indoor plants do the same with indoor air? Back in 1989, a NASA Clean Air Study tested 19 different species of plants to see if they would be effective at cleaning the air. They found that in just 24 hours, up to 87% of the formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene was removed from the air by the leaves and roots of the plants, while oxygen was returned to the room. Bottom line: common, low-light houseplants absorbed toxins and helped purify the air! …Or so we thought. A 2019 study by the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology concluded that the effect of indoor plants on indoor VOC levels has been a bit overblown. While they do purify the air, they do so at such a slow rate that it doesn’t make much of an impact in the end. A study in India (2008) showed that workers in plant-filled office buildings had 24 percent fewer headaches, 52 percent less eye irritation, 34 percent fewer respiratory conditions, and a 12 percent higher lung capacity than workers in plantless environments. An Australian study (2010) showed that ‘Janet Craig’ dracaena and the peace lily reduced negative moods (e.g., anger, anxiety, depression, stress) in office workers by 40 to 60 percent over 3 months. We say: Every little bit helps! And, frankly, it’s not surprising that some houseplants purify the air. Some of the best air-purifying houseplants are: 1. Spider Plants Spider Plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are powerful air purifiers that are able to remove formaldehyde, a gas that is emitted by cigarette smoke, dry cleaning, synthetic carpeting, fingernail polish, and more. Spider plants also remove carbon monoxide, which you may find in rooms with fireplaces or stoves. Fortunately, spider plants are very easy to grow and maintain. Just keep it moist in a semi-sunny to a shady spot, and it will thrive. 2. Philodendrons Philodendrons, one of the most popular houseplants, are also excellent air purifiers and remove formaldehyde gases from the air. Plus, they are practically bullet-proof plants with quick-growing trailing vines and pretty heart-shaped leaves. They can take full sun to shade if watered regularly. Heart-leaf, Philodendron selloum, and elephant ear philodendrons are the best air cleaners. 3. English Ivy English Ivy (Hedera helix) is also a popular, hardy plant that is easy to grow. It removes most pollutants. Ivy doesn’t like high temperatures and prefers to stay cool. Keep moist and spray the leaves weekly to discourage spider mites. A very effective air purifier that can take on benzene, as well as other compounds, English ivy tolerates fairly low light (although varieties with variegated leaves will lose their markings in too much shade). 4. Peace Lily The Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.) is a beautiful plant with a lovely white flower that thrives nicely in average indoor temperatures. Peace lilies are known to clean the air of alcohols, acetone, trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde. Keep moist in a semi-shady location. 5. Snake Plant The Variegated Snake Plant (Sansevieria trivasciata), also called “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue,” is very easy to grow. Water heavily, then let it dry out before watering again. It can survive any location, from sun to shade. Snake plant (this 35-year-old Mother-in-Law’s Tongue actually did come from a mother-in-law). 6. Bromeliads Bromeliads win a gold star for cleaning up most pollutants. They release oxygen and remove air pollutants at night while you sleep! These pretty plants, with their bright flowers and green foliage, do best with bright, indirect sunlight or fluorescent office lighting. This drought-tolerant plant doesn’t need much maintenance, but it will get root rot if you over-water it or don’t provide good drainage. NOTE: I thought I should know what these are so this is what I found out. Tillandsia which are the air plants. Bromeliads are a group of tropical plants with colorful and ornamental foliage and flowers. They can be grown as houseplants or outdoors in warm climates. They are either terrestrial or epiphytic, meaning they can grow on the ground or on other plants. Bromeliads are slow-growing and long-lived, and they rarely have diseases. There are many types of bromeliads, such as Aechmea, Ananas, Billbergia, Cryptanthus, Dyckia, Guzmania, Neoregelia, and Tillandsia. 7. Dracaena Dracaena likes to be kept moist in a semi-sunny to a shady location. Warneck, Janet Craig, red-edged, and cornstalk dracaenas have been rated the highest in removing air pollutants. The Janet Craig is especially good at removing trichloroethylene; this is easy to grow and tolerates neglect; buy one for your office and keep one next to your computer desk at home. NOTE: on the dracaena, which I knew one variety is what use as a thriller in our containers outside but can be grown as a house plant. Is Dracaena Spike An Indoor Plant? The beauty of growing the Dracaena indivisa is that you can grow them nearly anywhere. The plant can thrive in partial sun to bright shade, which means it can be placed both indoors and outdoors, where you want some natural color. Furthermore, dracaena spike plants don’t mind growing in containers as long as it’s the right size. As a general rule, you’ll want to have a pot that’s a few inches bigger than the plant’s root ball. Fill it up with a well-drained potting mix and it should stabilize in a few days. In regions where temperatures plummet in winter, the spiked dracaena can be brought indoors so it can survive the season. If this is the case then you won’t need to cut the foliage or do a hard prune. 8. Weeping Fig Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) likes bright indirect light, high humidity, and warm temperatures. Water is when the top of the soil feels dry, and mist the top regularly. 9. Rubber Plants Rubber plants (Ficus elastica) tolerate dim light and cool temperatures and remove air toxins from any indoor environment. This plant is especially good at removing formaldehyde, the most common toxin in the home. It grows slowly and tops out at about 10 feet tall indoors. 10. Areca palms Areca palms (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) are beautiful, easy plants that remove all indoor air toxins. They also humidify the air (a tall areca palm will add a quart of water a day to your home’s humidity). It is an especially good remover of toluene and xylene. More Plants That Clean the Air If you would rather have flowering plants, two that fared well in the testing were Chrysanthemums and Gerbera daisies. They are effective at removing VOCs and producing blossoms, too! Chinese evergreens (Aglaonema) like warm temperatures and medium to low light conditions. Allow it to dry a bit between waterings. Keep out of drafts, which can cause the leaves to brown. Reed or Bamboo Palms thrive in low light as long as they are kept evenly moist. An excellent all-around air purifier that will cleanse your home or office of benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene, these palms are very easy to maintain. Other great air-purifying houseplants include Boston ferns, aloe vera, and bird of paradise. No need to turn your home into a jungle, though: In a house with 8 to 9-foot high ceilings, only one or two plants per 100 square feet of floor space is beneficial. The roots and micro-organisms in the soil play as important a role as the leaves, so plants should be in 6- to 8-inch wide pots with the soil surface exposed to the air. Soaking up toxins seems to have no adverse effect on the plants studied. Research shows that they safely metabolize the compounds by breaking them down to harmless carbon, water, and salts. We clean our homes of dirt, so why not clean the air—especially if it is as easy as adding a few more houseplants? Taken from https://www.almanac.com/10-indoor-plants-clean-air Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 641-903-9365 image from Kaye P. This picture was taken of us at the Franklin Co Fair. You can see it isn’t work all the time, we do get to spend time together. Larry was on a break from volunteering at Grandpa’s Farm at the fair.
Here we are home again, after last week being at the Franklin Co Fair, Hampton, Iowa. We would leave by 8 and get home at 10 that night. Long days but it was fun. We want to thank all that stopped and said hi. The fair was good, but it is also good to be home again. We could wish we had weather like this week, but we had lots of rain, lots of mud and then the humidity and the heat came at the weekend. But it is July, and it is the fair. We unloaded on Monday and Tuesday, so plants are back on the wagons or inside the greenhouse. I watered all day yesterday. Now I will need to clean up the racks with the plants. I have one more event to go to Herb Fest in Greene on Sunday July 28th, last Sunday of July. I will be taking perennials, succulent containers, and house plants. I might get some little junk containers planted but we will see how that goes. We still have trees and shrubs. They are on sale at $15.00 off the trees which is 10 % and the shrubs are $5.00 and that is 10%. I am back to working in the house office. But if you come to look, I will come out. I have camera up so I can see you drive up. We have lilies that look good, and perennials too. Some of the annuals are still looking good, if you need filler. They will be here till it is time for the cleanup. Again thanks to all that stopped at the fair. I love growing the plants, but love it even more when the plants bring so much joy to the gardeners. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 beckysgreenhouse.com images from Becky's Greenhouse Here I am getting ready for the Franklin Co fair. In the picture, that is the 2nd load of plants we have taken down. This is all the plants for the booth area, houseplants, succulents, succulent containers, air plants, carnivorous plants and more. You always ask do you bring the plants down on the trailer rack? No, we can’t they were bounced too much, blow off and not be plants when we get them down. So, we load up in the trailer, and the unload them.
First load was baskets for the general store, and ice cream parlor, and big decorative pots for Grandpa’s farm. The rest being the perennials and all you see on the wagon trailer. I had good help loading the first load with Nancy Johnson and her husband and of course Larry. Unloading that first trailer full was Natalie and Dylan and of course Larry. Loading second trailer was Dylan and myself. Second trailer full unloading was Natalie and Larry. Now on Wed. I will work on getting all of these plants displayed. I will show pictures as I work and what we have during this week. This is our 26th year of being at the Franklin Co Fair. What is scary about this, when we were loading up with Larry, I knew what he wanted me to do he didn’t have to ask. Please stop and say hi, enjoy the Franklin Co Fair and all there is to do. Stay cool will be what we will need to do. Stay safe. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 beckysgreenhouse.com This is my garden as of July 1st. These are blooming for me. Good morning and it is a lovely morning. Very nice mild temperature with a little breeze. It is going to change with rain coming in and a little more humidity. For me working in the greenhouse is really nice. I am working on getting things ready to bring to the fair. Next week people….hard to believe.
I am here at the greenhouse till Wed July 3rd. Then closed for the long weekend and need to continue to work on planting things for the fair. Next Monday we will start moving plants to the fair, another load on Tuesday and start to set up for Wed morning. With rain in the forecast, it will help with my outside watering. Just like you with the rain, it helps so we don’t have to water every day like last year. I noticed that lilies are blooming in your gardens, day lilies are coming out in bloom. What else is blooming in the perennials? How about the gardens what have you been harvesting and enjoying? Let me know, I am curious. Have a good week and stay safe with the rain and possible thunderstorms weather. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 Questions from this week. When to stop cutting rhubarb? What is eating holes in my hostas?6/28/2024 image from garden.eco image from blog.sunsethostafarm.com Good morning and we had more rain. Now the wind is blowing and a little cooler out. But this will change as the front coming through will bring more humidity this afternoon which will lead to more storms. We are in a thunderstorm watch area…see what happens.
I am at the greenhouse for sure this morning. I am planting the little containers for the Franklin Co fair. I will show you a sampling of them later when I get more planted. I do love to plant and grow so this is a nice change and using up plants we already have. I love to plant and grow and share it with my gardeners. I am open today till 5 and then open the weekend from 9-5 on Saturday and 1-5 on Sunday if you are in the need of fillers for your garden or containers. I have peppers left, but unfortunately the tomatoes and the cold crops have been composted. It is time not so much to water and take care of. I will be here July 1st-July 3rd then closing for the 4th of July holiday. Franklin Co Fair is the following week so we will be loading up and bringing stuff to the fair. Working in the gardens will be determined again when it dries out. But at least you don’t have to water. Enjoy your work in the gardens and stay safe. Questions asked this week. When should I stop harvesting rhubarb? To know when to stop cutting rhubarb, consider the following guidelines12345: Stop harvesting by early July to allow the plant to recover before winter. Slow down or stop your harvest in late June or early July so the plant can store energy for winter. Avoid over-harvesting and weakening the plant by stopping harvesting by the end of June. The stems remain edible and tasty through summer, but it's best to stop to maintain plant health. What can I do to stop getting holes in my hostas? 3 Proven Methods On How To Prevent Slugs On Hostas By: Author Daniel People mainly plant hostas because of their foliage which strengthens your planting scheme. They are easy to grow and resilient. However, they also attract several pests, which nibble holes in the foliage and strip the leaves. Some of the pests that eat hostas include snails, slugs, deer, rabbits, and field mice. How to Prevent Slugs on Hostas? To prevent slugs on your hostas, first, clean up the area and establish barriers around your hostas. Some people also handpick the slugs off at night. The second approach is using natural methods such as citrus fruits, cucumbers, beer, and nematodes. Lastly, use chemical options like ammonia to kill off the slugs. How to Stop Slugs from Eating Your Hostas There are three main approaches you can take to prevent slugs from eating your hostas. It includes clean up and structuring, use of natural approaches, and use of chemicals. Clean Up and Structuring Cleaning up your garden helps remove areas that could hide their clothes, including mulch, leaves, and other debris. You can use a new mulch to replace the debris if necessary. If you have a small slug infestation, you can control it by simply taking them at night. A flashlight will easily help you to spot them. Also, prevent slugs on hostas by watering your plants in the morning so that they can be dry at night and prevent the slugs from forming a habitat in your garden. Barriers can also help to prevent slugs on hostas. Ensure you set up the barriers before the first leaves sprout to keep pests off from the beginning. You can use fine Grit around the plant. Some people consider poultry grit or cactus Grit. Pine needles, holly leaves, fine mesh, and sheep wool pellets also create effective barriers. You can also use some eggshells around your posters to prevent the slugs from accessing the hostas because the eggshells are too sharp for them. Another structuring option is to use containers to grow your hostas. Slugs will find it harder to get to the hostas if you store the containers well and establish barriers. Use of Natural Methods Natural methods are usually home remedies that can help you prevent slugs on hostas. Some of the most common approaches include using beer, citrus fruits, coffee, cucumbers, and nematodes. Beer To prevent slugs on hostas from using beer, simply take a cup and fill it halfway with beer. The beer will attract the slugs, and once they climb into it, they drown. Coffee Coffee offers two advantages when preventing slugs on hostas. First, it is poisonous to slugs and kills them. Secondly, coffee is a natural plant fertilizer. You will need to reapply the coffee often because it disintegrates and becomes less concentrated. Citrus and cucumber Citrus causes the slugs to shift their focus from your hostas. This will help you to remove the slugs easily. Cucumber works the same way as citrus in attracting slugs from your hostas. Throw the spent citrus and cucumbers in the compost after slug removal. Nematodes Nematodes are a biological approach to controlling slugs. Research shows that they are microscopic kill worms that kill slugs from the inside. However, they do not help to control snails. Use of Chemicals You can turn to chemicals to prevent slugs on hostas. However, we recommend trying chemicals when the slug problem persists. It is better to try natural and organic ways fast as it also helps to preserve the environment. Ammonia Ammonia is highly effective and popular for killing slugs. Use a sprayer to spray ammonia and water solution on the leaves of the hostess and directly on the slabs. Use a ratio of 10 to 1 (water to ammonia). Ammonia usually kills slugs on contact. Moreover, it is also a helpful fertilizer as it adds nitrogen to your garden. Spray the stems, too, because the slugs sometimes chew into them. Consider the leaves that fall on the ground because they are an easy meal for the slugs. It will be best to spray ammonia in the evening because the slugs start to become active. After all, the temperatures are not hot like during the day. Sluggo Sluggo is another chemical option for killing plugs. It contains naturally occurring iron and phosphate, which makes it safe for use around pets. How to Tell Slugs Are Eating Your Hostas You can stop pests from destroying your hostas if you identify the culprits. In slugs, the most common indication is tiny holes in the hostas’ foliage, especially on the leaves. The holes that slugs leave have irregular shapes and vary from small to large. A large slug population can cause considerable damage to your hostas. Slugs are usually active when the temperatures are over 50 degrees Fahrenheit during cloudy days or at night. They usually hide within crevices, in between rocks, in mulch, or in the dark. Slugs love moisture-rich areas. The damage slugs cause earlier in the year is more stressful than the damage they cause towards the end of the season. If the damage comes at the end of the season, you will have to wait till the next season to employ preventive measures. Small damage from slugs only affects the aesthetics of the plant but not the health. Can I use sand to keep out slugs? Though it’s quite peculiar sand can help you to keep out slugs because slugs avoid crawling over scratchy or dry material. Can Coffee ground help to keep out slugs from my hostas? Coffee grounds are effective in keeping slugs away. However, a caffeine solution is more effective. Conclusion Slug infestation can become a huge problem for your hostas. But, you can use 3 methods to remove them. First, you can use clean-up and structuring approaches such as speaking of the slugs and building barriers. Alternatively, you can also use natural options such as cucumbers, citrus, coffee, and nematodes. Lastly, you can resort to chemical measures such as ammonia and Sluggo when organic, and natural approaches fail. Taken from https://plantophiles.com/pest-control/how-to-prevent-slugs-on-hostas Till next time this is Becky Litterer Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 image from pixabay.com What a lovely morning we had. Less humidity and not so warm as it was Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Tomorrow it is to be the same with this cold front that moved thru and is here now. I will only water once today as the other days it was twice with each wagon and tall cart.
Yes, we still have plants, and will continue to be here every day till July 3rd. Looking at the calendar one more week of being here every day. We will close at 6:00 on July 3rd and not open up with the plants here till after the Franklin Co fair. Dates for the Franklin Co fair is July 10th-14th. We will be moving plants on the 8th and the 9th so we will not be here. We will move plants and stuff back on the 15th. I will be around then on July 16th. We will have had the wagons under the trees by the house, to help conserve moisture. We will bring them out to water if you want to get some plants. I will post on internet when I am back. BUT open next week Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wed. Love to have you stop in and pick up some filling plants for your gardens or pots. Enjoy this lovely weather and be safe. Identify what critters are eating your plants. By Doreen G. Howard Be a critter detective! Here’s how to identify which animals are eating your garden plants, as well as which repellents for deer and rabbits have proven most effective. I( author of this article Doreen G. Howard ) live in the country where deer, fox, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels and rabbits thrive. Even in winter, deer will scar fruit tree trunks, scratching their itchy antlers against them, and wild turkeys rut the soil seeking insects. Last year during the drought, things nearly went nuclear. Some gangsters took to gnawing holes in the garden hoses, seeking water. After replacing two hoses, my husband strung one of them in the crabapple tree near the vegetable garden to get if off the ground. Didn’t work. Holes started appearing in the hose up in the tree. Husband taped the hose to seal it, and I sprayed it with a critter repellent. That worked. But, I never could figure out who was doing the damage. That’s until Joan Casanova of Green Earth Media Group sent me her critter detective guide. How to Identify Animals Eating Your Plants Here are Joan’s clues on how to determine and deter which unwanted animal is the assailant in your garden. She said, “How are you supposed to fight ‘crime’ in your decimated garden if you can’t identify the suspect who’s been devouring your daylilies?” Deer - Ragged bites, typically a foot or more above the ground indicate deer damage. Deer are notorious for devouring flowers and ornamental plants. Tall, electrified fences work, but they are expensive and make a garden look like a prison yard. Rabbits - If plant damage is low to the ground, a few inches above the soil, and includes stems clipped cleanly at an angle, the culprits are rabbits. These foragers will eat just about any kind of vegetation, including vegetables, flowers, bushes and other woody plants. If you don’t want bunnies nesting and raising families near your garden, remove debris that could provide them with shelter. Also, wire mesh fencing around vegetable gardens deters them, too. Rabbit fencing around my veggie garden keeps the damage away, but I can’t fence flower beds. Voles - When flower bulbs disappear from the ground or plant roots go missing, chances are you have voles - mouse-like creatures that burrow underground. Exit holes are further indications that voles are tunneling under your garden. Teeth marks around the base of trees, droppings or trails in the grass can also indicate the presence of voles. Groundhogs - Mounds of dirt beside burrow entrances are a sure sign of groundhogs, a garden villain that eats just about every type of green plant. They live in burrows underground. Chipmunks - Damage to flower bulbs, plant shoots and leaves, uprooted plants and dug-up roots are all signs you have chipmunks. Their underground burrows may be a challenge to spot since the entrances are usually only about 2 inches in diameter and not surrounded by noticeable dirt mounds. You can foil their activity by removing yard debris where chipmunks hide. Squirrels - While you might think of them as mostly the enemy of anyone with a bird feeder, squirrels also damage gardens. They live in colonies, digging underground tunnels and mounds in grassy areas and around trees that can lay waste to gardens and landscapes. I will try to find ways to get rid of these pests after you have decided what you have eating your plants. Taken from https://www.almanac.com/be-critter-detective Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 rough day for my pet. West Fork Winners 4-H club planting fair pots to decorate fair ground WOW it is warm out temperature at 1:30 PM is at86 feels like 91. Wind only at 6 mph so that doesn’t help. I would say partly sunny.. I have to be at the greenhouse to move the waterers. I am sitting in front of fans so warm air is moving. I have the Clear Lake Garden Club tonight, so hopefully it cools down a little bit.
Not much to say but when I saw my pet like this, I know the feeling. Just too warm, and I am tired. How about you? How is your gardening coming? I am open every day through July 3rd. The Franklin Co Fair in Hampton starts July 10th, but it takes me two days to get all down to the fairgrounds. West Fork Winners 4-h club helped plant 20 large pots for the fairgrounds on Sunday evening. They did it in one hour and were great help. Thanks to them for helping me. I will take baskets too for the ice cream parlor and the general store. In the past, I have been known to take over 200 pots, but the fair board has done landscaping so don’t need that many now. When did I have the time? All that have helped me work the greenhouse know how many pots and work it was to bring them to the fair. Stay cool and stay safe…till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 perennials marigolds trees air plants carnivorous plants annuals blooming annuals more perennials geraniums, hens and chicks in the front blooming annuals house plants finish growing in your home potted begonias Thanks for all the well wishes for closing early on Saturday. We had a good time, and I just love watching all the kids play together, laugh and just enjoy each other. I have been open, but it has been hot hasn’t it. Today Wed is a nice day with the mild temperature, so it is a good time to work on gardening. I am working on little succulent planters for the Franklin Co Fair.
But to tell you the truth, I have been watering all the time when it has been so hot. We had over one-inch last night, so I don’t have to water today. YAH…. now you see the pictures and that is why all looks so good yet. The sale prices of the 4 pack of annuals and vegetables are $2.00, single premium annuals at $3.00, geraniums are $3.00, large 4 pack of annuals are $3.00, 4” purple pot perennials $4.00, #6 dark purple perennial pots 10.00 and #6 pink pot perennials 12.00 We have asparagus roots yet. Onion sets and seed potatoes $4.00. I have glad bulbs for .50 each. Air plants, house plants starter plants inside the greenhouse. Trees all of them are $15.00 off which is like 10%, and shrubs or bushes are $5.00 off or like 10% off of them. As you can see from the picture's plants look really good. I am open Monday through Saturday 9-6, Sunday 1-6 till July 3rd. I will take off for the 4th and the rest of the weekend. I looked at the calendar then on Monday July 8th we will start the moved down the Franklin Co Fair with being at the fair on Wed. July 10th with plants and as much as I can bring. I might get a little panic with the time coming so quickly for the Franklin Co Fair, but we will have things ready and we will be there. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 Closing today June 15 at 2:00 PM. Just for this afternoon. Open up Sunday(June 16) at 1-6.6/15/2024 Saturday June 15th and I am closing at 2:00 today. We have family here from Wyoming, so a family afternoon is planned. I will be here Sunday 1-6 and even earlier watering if you want to come when it is cooler out. All the rest of June here every day. Monday thru Saturday 9-6, Sunday 1-6. Hope all see this before making the trip to Dougherty. Thanks, and come any other day for sure. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 Closing today June 15 at 2:00 only this afternoon be open Sunday June 16 at 1:00
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AuthorHi! My name is Becky and I am a Master Gardener. I own Becky's Greenhouse in Dougherty, Iowa. Archives
March 2024
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