Tag Archives: gardenpics

Staking Corn

June 19, 2024 epicureasian

Question: Why does my corn keep flopping over?

Google’s answer:

Corn plants with floppy corn syndrome often have visible seminal roots but poorly developed or no nodal roots. When exposed to strong winds, these plants can fall over because they lack the support of nodal roots. The wind can also break off nodal roots, making it difficult for the plant to establish a permanent root system.
To diagnose floppy corn, you can dig up a plant that isn’t standing upright and gently remove the soil to examine the roots. If your corn is leaning, you can try staking it up temporarily. You can also try tamping down around the roots or watering at the base of the plant to fill in air pockets and push loose soil around the roots. Corn stalks often straighten themselves out within a week, especially if they aren’t too heavy and haven’t tasseled yet.

Another possible solution here.

I thought I had planted my corn deep enough but I will have to try planting deeper next time, water deeply, as well as pack the soil.

Ye Olde Garden

Consequences of Overspray

June 16, 2024 epicureasian

I aggressively sprayed the backyard with vinegar solution yesterday. This morning’s review of the backyard beds reveals the hideous consequences of vinegar overspraying on plant foliage. I believe that because this corner bed in particular was down at the bottom of the slope from where I began spraying, it incurred a lot of foliar damage.

Unfortunately this bed is host to new-to-my-garden plants such as Butterfly Gold buddleia, purple coneflower and salvia blepharophylla. Bronze fennel, blackfoot daisies, Nepeta Picture Purrfect, salvia reptans, Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), agastache and Mexican tarragon also bore the brunt of the damage

It seems most of the damage is concentrated on the south end of the yard. It may be that winds of 10-15mph swept towards the south side of the yard, carrying the 20% vinegar solution with it.

Most other beds including my raised grow bag garden appear spared most of the damage.

Ye Olde Garden

Plants I Wish I Had Started (Sooner)

June 10, 2024 epicureasian

Now that we are entering summer, I find myself reflecting on what I could have done better this year in terms of starting and growing plants. I’ve compiled a list of seeds/plants below that I hope to get started for next year.

Herbs:

Basil
Dill
Common chives
Variegated berggarten sage

Flowers:

Marigolds
Zinnias
Cosmos
Nasturtiums
Mexican hats ratibida columnifera and pinnata
Scabiosa
Coneflower

Veggies:

Peppers
Tomatoes
Eggplants
Romaine/leafy greens
Onions
Garlic

Other ornamentals:

Salvia
Variegated lantana
Mexican oregano poliomintha
Skullcap
Asclepias
Yarrow achillea
Gaura
Variegated society garlic
Stachys coccinea pow wow or mountain red

I’m sure to amend this list throughout the year.

Ye Olde Garden

Shade Improvements on the Growbag Garden

June 5, 2024 epicureasian

With June around the corner and triple digit temperatures looming, I decided to reconfigure the trellis next to the grow bag garden into a roof for shade cloth.

I had been looking to repurpose an old bedsheet abused by a half dozen cats into sun protection for my veggies. I hastily installed it before the next storm rolled in.

It surprisingly withstood high winds that knocked down a portion of the side yard fence.

I promptly trashed the bedsheet as it got weighed down and ripped to shreds by the excessive rain we experienced throughout the week. After shopping for a substitute on Amazon, I erected a 3×6 foot section of 40% shade cloth over the cattle panel, and attached it with carabiners.