Edition 3.14 Anawalt Garden News April 7th, 2005

West Los Angeles
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APRIL

Fertilize:

Use Dr. Earth Organic 8 Bud and Bloom to promote flowers or fruit. Fertilize lettuce and other leafy crops with Organic Advantage Plant Food to encourage vegetative growth.


Be a Guest Gardener:

Gardeners love to learn from other gardeners "over the fence." We would love to include a tour and/or an article from one of our readers!

Drop us an email!

Quotation of the Week:

"The philosopher who said that work well done never needs doing over never weeded a garden."
— Andrew V. Mason


Daylilies!

Daylilies are among the most popular herbaceous perennials grown. They are hardy, relatively free from serious pests, have a long blooming period, and adapt well to home landscape plantings. Plants are available in a wide variety of flower colors and growth habits. The present flower color selection available includes shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, and near-white.

The adaptability of daylilies to a variety of cultural conditions and their availability in a wide variety of flower colors and plant sizes make them well suited for landscape use.

Keep in mind the color of the building material when selecting varieties. Bright flower colors such as yellow should be used against redwood, brick, or dark backgrounds, and dark flowers used against white or light backgrounds.

Daylilies over 36 inches tall are suitable for foundation plantings, the back of daylily beds, or as mixed borders. Medium daylilies (16 to 36 inches) can be used in most settings. Dwarf daylilies (12 inches or less) are best used for border plantings

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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

snail

Your garden is now ripe for a devastating invasion of aphids, slugs and snails. Before we devise our battle plan to rid your garden of these pests, let's look at the inter-relationships in your backyard!

Aphids are to ants what cows are to humans. Ants actually protect and herd aphids for the honeydew nectar they secrete. Ants use their antennae to stroke the aphids, thereby activating the secretion cycle. Thusly, ant control should be part of the preventative cycle regarding aphid infestation. Get rid of the ants and it is much easier to get rid of their herds! We recommend Bayer Max Force Granules or Liquid Concentrate.

Aphids can be brought under control culturally if the infestation is moderate. Often a thorough hosing of the afflicted plants will wash aphids away.

Biological controls include lady bugs and praying mantis colonies. Organic solutions include insecticidal soaps or pyrethrums. Another combination ingredient might be a 3-1 fertilizer, fungus control and systemic insecticide.

Should you have a severe infestation, a radical control would be malathion. Come on in and we'll show you the options that best suit your needs.

Snails are also active with our combination of heat and moisture. In most cases, snails are easily controlled with bait products. For the more exotic approach, there is a biological control for the common brown snail by utilizing a distant cousin, the Decollate snail. The Decollate snail species is carnivorous and will feast on the common brown snail. Should they run out of the snail entrée, they become herbaceous and eat trimming and waste.

In summary, now is the time to commence your control programs. Come on in and we'll assist in every way!


Recipe of the Week: Chili

What You'll Need:

  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 6 ounces sweet or hot Italian sausage
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped green pepper
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1-1/4 cups beef broth or Merlot wine
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Remove casings from sausage. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, ground sirloin, onion, green pepper and garlic until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.

Add chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, tomato paste, oregano, pepper, salt and bay leaves. Cook for 1 minute.

Stir in beef broth (or wine), tomatoes and kidney beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves.

Sprinkle each serving with cheddar cheese.

Yield: 8 (1-1/4 cup) servings

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