Hello, and thanks for joining us for Mid America gardener.

I'm your host Tinisha, Spain and joining me in the studio today are two of your faves who are here to answer your questions and bring in some of the things that they'd grown at their own place.

So we'll have them introduce themselves and then jump into the question.

So we'll start with you, Miss Ella.

I'm Ella Maxwell.

I'm a master gardener and a horticulturist in central Illinois.

I like lots of different mostly flowering plants.

And I've got some great show Intel's.

Hi, I'm Karen Ruckle.

And I am a horticulturist in central Illinois area.

And I really love an interest in shrubs, perennials, and houseplants Wonderful.

Okay, let's jump in and get started.

So let's, which one would you like to do first?

Oh, okay, well, here, I'll do this one, so we can put it down.

This is winter wheat.

And I sewed this for my cat.

And I'm going to sew it again for some outside pots for an Easter decoration.

So you can buy the whole wheat berries at the health food store.

Or you can go to the where they would sell winter wheat with grass seed and can we have a store in Peoria.

But anyway, I soaked the seed overnight.

And then I seed it in one of these little trays, or little meat trays.

I've made drainage holes along the sides here.

And I can fill it with some moist soil.

And I use one of these little net bags over the top.

Because when my cat feeds on it, if I don't have the little mesh in there, sometimes she pulls out dirt.

So we don't want that.

Just a nice way to keep it contained.

Yes, yes.

So you can once the seed has been soaked, and you just put it on the top of the soil and you snap the lid on and and it germinates in like three days and it lasts for about a month or month and a half and like I said it's just a a digestible Kitties and snacking on this side.

I could see and, and and such but the fun thing is is for Easter grass for outside one then like last year for Easter.

I don't know if you did this ELA but I took a saucer that was the size of my pot, right?

And I put my soil and the seed and I use some press and seal stuff on the top to make a greenhouse issue with it.

Right.

And then it was I just pulled it out and said, Oh my pot.

Yeah, that's what we did.

It was really cute.

I have to send Dasia picture Yes, please send Deej a picture so we can show our guests because that is a really cool idea.

And this is the kind of stuff I really like lunchmeat containers, the bag that you got with the oranges, you've already got these things around the house.

That's exactly put them to dry.

Right.

It's a fun thing for for your cat and for Easter.

And for Easter.

Excellent.

Okay, here, we're gonna go to you.

Last fall I I've got the mistake that my my yard is kind of fall and so unless something dies, I don't have room and then now things are getting too big and I need to move them and when spring comes I'm like I've got plenty of room everything's fine.

So what I did this last fall is I took pictures in my garden of things I need to do now in spring and so now in the next couple of weeks, I need to get busy and do the things I told myself last fall to do so in this one picture I've got a shortest one I've got a cold flower that's in too much shade so it needs to be dug up moved somewhere else in sun and then I've got my Hot Lips turtlehead that's back too far now with everything overgrown and I want to move it more to the front of the bed where it'll get a little bit more light.

So you know in spring everything's you know, not crowded.

It's all fine.

It looks like Yeah, you think Okay, so I've done you know, something accountable that this is this is definitely what I want to accomplish.

I like an organized I do something like that, but I put flags and and then I write on the little white flag what I'm supposed to do.

And so as long as that flags there, I know I'm supposed to be doing something right here.

Yeah.

Love that.

Okay, let's do a question for you Karen.

We had woman a woman Yeah.

Yesterday right in Mary Klasky.

Is it okay to move slash transplant bulbs that are coming up now, I've had some that I planted in the fall that I want in different places.

So you were just kind of talking about this is now a good time.

Yes.

And yes, she can move them.

But there could be a problem because that the bulb, depending on what type of bulbs like if they're tulips or daffodils, you probably planted them six to eight inches deep.

So that bulb now has roots underneath what you planted, and then it has the growing stem, that's going to then throw the leaves in the bloom above soil level.

So now what you're seeing is just the tip of the iceberg.

So if you're able to dig down and get intact and some of those roots, yes, you could move them and since you've planted the last fall, the soil is loose.

So that'll be definitely in your favor rather than shrub roots or tree roots around them.

But the thing is, if you're lifting that out, and you start having difficulties and that that long stem, and it's it's it'll be white underneath the ground because it has no sun against it.

If you snap that off, then you've kind of done for that bulb, because now it doesn't have that growing part to throw the leaves to then have the leafs rebuild the bulb for next year.

So you've got to get that entire root.

Well at the root isn't probably that much around the bulb, you just need to get a little bit but it's more protecting that that stem coming up.

And depending on how she planted that clump, she might have to do each little bulb carefully by itself.

If it's a little clump of crocus, she could maybe kind of lift the whole thing together and move it the small bulbs are in the top four inches they I think they would be no snap.

I mean easy.

But the tulips and daffodils I don't most let them finish up for this year.

And as soon as they're done flowering before the foliage community probably just won't let it ripen.

Right.

But before it disappears, you could remove them.

So probably sometime in May.

Do you think June?

Okay.

May June ish, but you do have some options there.

Okay.

Oh, well, back to you was shown to us.

Oh, yeah.

I just real quick like wanted to show right here.

This is my little bull here of hellebore flowers.

So you can see that I have quite a variety.

I have some of the more yellow ones.

I really kind of like yellows, the yellows, they're really nice contrast.

And then the the double ones.

These are some of the new double ones that are out there.

And the problem with hellebores is that they all when they're flowering, they're kind of upside down.

So unless you lay on the ground and look up, you don't see them, but you can.

They are a wonderful flower that lasts quite a while floating in water.

And they're easy to you know, just change out.

And I have this really pretty ceramic bowl and it's kind of something nice just to have inside.

Very, you know, enjoy.

Enjoy the flowers that you have, you know, cut some pussy willows if you have a pussy willow Bush, add some little daffodils.

You know, pretty soon we'll be having some of the other other blooms, the tulips and different things, you know, enjoy them?

Sure.

Wine for Cynthia stamps, Magnolia blossoms.

Oh, I can think of a whole bunch.

You can go there.

Real quick.

Ella Dan wants to know, Dan Phillip wants to know when is the best time to add fertilizer in the spring?

Okay, well, it depends on what you fertilizing, I guess.

And so, I would say that if if you were going for your perennials, I think you could use like a 1010 10.

Now because they're not really actively growing and you might want to put it around the crown of the plant and kind of work it in.

Personally, I kind of liked the slow release Osmocote type fertilizers because I think they they really slower less chance of burning.

When When do you think well now it'd be fine you know, your trees typically in fall right.

And your lawn probably as soon as it's starting to actively grow with their lawn mower on in the neighborhood.

Yesterday.

Well, we were at someone's house yesterday where they were mowing into their timber area.

You know, just to kind of chop things up and to cut down some of the scrub that was there.

Yeah.

And it was like man, I you remote.

I know No, no, they mentioned yesterday too.

So you can you can do your annuals now with a 1010 10 or something.

Yep.

Perennial.

I'm sorry.

Yes, perennial.

Yeah.

And your annuals get your Karen and I talked on the way down, we really I need to redo some of the soil better than my pots.

Because last year, I felt like really didn't have enough sip.

And most of the potting soils that you purchase, are charged with a little bit of fertilizer.

And then like I said, the slow release.

So you can be getting your pots ready for your annuals, make sure you've got fertilizer for those two good advice, because I know people are probably chomping at the bit to do something.

So getting your pots and everything ready.

And fertilizing your perennials is a good idea.

All right, Karen.

Well, back to you.

Okay.

This this is that once again, getting things done.

Last fall.

I garbage picked this Coleus it was so pretty.

It was at the dump where the village I live and so I put the cuttings in water and the intention of potting them up and I didn't get to it.

So then this mid summer or mid winter, the roots were just horrible looking.

There was getting the water was changed at multiplying so I recut the stems rerouted, I'm thinking, Okay, this time, this time, I'm gonna get them potted up.

And obviously now with the massive roots, I'm not going to be able to pop these up.

So once again, I need to in the next week, take cuttings, get these rooted, get them growing in soil so that I can get them outside for the summer use.

So the roots that they have now, you will not pop those up.

No one one reason is because they've now I love well, they look good, but see, they're so entangled.

And I'm just going to tear all these up ice.

Water root.

Yeah.

And so you, it's just better to let them then form fresh newts or fresh roots.

If I had, a lot of times it works really well to let them root and water, but just let the roots get a little little long not get these long, crazy things, and then pot them up into soil, and then they transition very well and settle in nicely.

Okay.

Now if you were to pot up that with those water roots, would it take off?

Would it do?

Well, if you were to put it all together as one clump, like what are the drawbacks, I guess, of taking that and plopping it into a pot as one was the thing.

One is that some of these roots, we feel that over time, they they won't do as well in soil.

So if you get a lot of rot with those roots, then that the plant just throws those off and has to form new ones.

So then you've got all that rot and decay and slime that then you're just not setting it up for a good, good going.

Gotcha.

Okay.

Well, we'll have to keep us posted.

I guess on the third.

Try try again.

But you know, but it'll be time to go pretty.

I mean, it's nice.

It that's the beauty of Coleus is that you can just keep routing and routing and routing all all winter long and enjoy the the well, when this was fresh, and the foliage that had full sun was just so beautiful, because I had it on my kitchen counter.

And it was like its own little bit.

Okay.

And like I said, I garbage picked it.

So yeah, that was a steal.

Literally.

All right, Ella, do you want to do your cutting?

Or would you like to tackle a question that question choice?

Yeah, let's go for that question.

2222.

All right.

This is from David.

He says we have a large decorative cherry tree that's been in our backyard for about 16 years.

It has some odd growths on it.

Do you recognize this?

First question, and then second, should we be treating or cutting this off?

Thanks for any advice or help?

So first, let's identify the growths on the tree.

What do you think these are?

Okay.

The growth that we're seeing on his cherry tree is caused by a fungus.

It's commonly referred to as black knot.

And it's very common on some varieties in the cherry family, or species.

And when we look at his tree, yes, there are some on there but there's not a huge amount of them.

On very susceptible varieties, it can just cover the whole tree.

Really?

Yeah.

Season it can take down the hole is not in one season.

So the idea is is that it looks like he has some branches, where there's a number of these Gauls.

These, they they will in the spring, there will be some spores there will form on the outside of those goals.

And then those are released and then they can infect new stems and the new stems you really don't see them infected that first year.

Be in the second year that that growth will enlarge.

And so right now would be a great time that if he gets his ladder out or whatever, that you could take a hand pruner, and probably just cut some of those badly infected branches off.

So I would say removal is the first line of defense.

And then there are some fungicidal sprays that can be applied.

But the timing is, is important.

And there might need multiple applications depending on which product you're using.

And so maybe this year, just cut off the worst.

And you will have some more next year because you don't really see the damage right away.

So that brings me to what I brought in here on my box wood.

So here's a box wood that is growing in my yard that is infected with two different types of insect damage.

And here is my other box woods.

So you can see definitely that there's a problem.

So on the one that has, through this winter, this kind of yellowing on this, this is from a little fly, it's a leaf miner, on boxwood, and they, if you turn it around, and you look on the back of the leaves, here, you can see all these little bumps and inside here is a little pupa that will emerge about April and it's a tiny little mat, it's actually a true fly.

And that will come around.

So what I'm going to do is I'm going to put a sheet down around my boxwood, and then I have some electric clippers, and I'm going to clip off most of this foliage this month in April two, and then you want to bag this up and destroy it, you know, you don't want to leave it lay around the base of the plant.

That's why I put the sheath around so I can easily clean up.

And then also, you could bury it.

Or you could burn it depending on what your city allows you to do.

But you definitely don't want to leave it laying around because they can still emerge from the cut foliage, if it's just laying there.

So you can use chemicals to treat I try not to so what I'm trying to do is reduce the amount of little gnats that are going to emerge and hopefully there won't be so much of damage.

And then there is one other little thing it makes, like the little rose bud Oh, there there.

There we go.

This one on this one right here kind of makes like a little cupped group of leaves that's caused by another kind of little flying insect called a psyllid.

And again, you know, going to cut all that off, just do the best you can.

Are those two boxwoods near each other?

No, actually, they're not.

So, again, last year, I didn't do enough pruning of infected material.

And as a result, that area saw an increase this year.

So then, um, you know, like Karen has her little lists I have, I have my little list.

Just like us, that's it or just exactly, exactly that list is ever growing.

So cut out what you can and write right and a lot of people get all upset that they think they might have boxwood blight.

But this is not caused by a disease.

This is caused by an insect.

I don't believe that we have any active boxwood blight yet in central Illinois.

So, you know, learn you have to learn to identify your problem to make a solution.

Alright, Karen, we're back to you with some bulbs.

Yeah, well, I just the last time we had talked about my failed Dalia endeavor of overwintering, it croaked and you brought up have you checked your your canvas?

And I'm like, no, and then I'm like, Oh, I hope they're okay.

So I opened up my tub of cannas and thankfully that they they all look very good, but this is kind of an odd time of the year where it's too early for me if I want to pre start because the cameras you can pop some of them up and get them routing to then transition them outside.

I really prefer that it warms up better outside to go ahead and direct plant outside because I don't have enough room and then you get fungus gnats and managing that.

But we are at that time of the season where if there's too much stuff that's failing or rotting on that you can start getting them the mucking out or rotting out.

But so far, mine looked pretty good.

And like this one, I thought it was rotten, it did rot and broke away from the rest of the rhizome.

But we still have an alive i.

So this potentially, in another month and a half.

Still could be good.

But you know, some of these, some of these tubers that I was looking at look look really nice, really solid healthy.

So now it's it's still just a waiting game, but I will probably check them because of some of them.

The the shavings that I put around them, if if the shavings are too wet, I might open up that to get a little bit more air so that I maybe will minimize some of the rot that's coming, but it's looking good right now that I'll have plenty to give and share.

There you go.

What, you know, I should have gone down.

I have one of those voodoo lilies, you know, and have to get its sense of the flower stock first.

And those are coming up right now.

And oh, I wished I would have brought it.

As soon as it comes up.

It has a it has a calyx, but it is awful smelling.

And so usually I will cut it off.

But you know, it's kind of fun to watch it.

So you can watch in the Botanical Gardens right now they have their carrion flower, whatever the Giant was blooming, you know that those smell really bad too.

Right.

Well, this is the same kind of thing the same way with like the skunk cabbages, you know, because these flies and, and different beetles are attracted to flowers to the flowers to pollinate.

Sure.

So yeah, because I did go check my bulbs just to see what was happening as well, when we were looking at the dahlias and such as well.

And I haven't even given a thought to my amaryllis.

And so then usually I go check on him, and I'll have poor one that have sent a flower stalk.

That too, I need to I need to check that too.

But I did notice that that that voodoo Lily was sending up a flower spike.

Gotcha.

All right.

Let's see.

What other questions do you guys want to answer?

Oh, we had a lilac question this.

I think Susan has contacted through email, she didn't send a picture, but she has big old lilacs.

And I know that we've talked a lot about lilac pruning, and a lot of it has to do with some of the newer, more compact varieties that are growing up closer to the house.

But the whole idea about lilacs is that they're a spring blooming shrub that create the flower buds this season before so they overwinter.

Well, the first thing that Susan needs to do, she wanted to know, can I just cut it in half and would that kill it?

No, it probably won't kill it.

But wherever you cut, that's where the new growth will come from.

And then it will be kind of like a witch's broom.

So instead, what I'd recommend for Susan is to go ahead and cut the entire Bush back by half if you're using a chainsaw or loppers, or whatever you're doing, but then go back in.

And any of the old lilacs that have big stems that are you know, over an inch and a half or two inches, you know, get a little saw and cut those off near the ground level because they're more prone to have more activity.

And that way if you cut at ground level, that's where new shoots these new suckers will come up to, you know, reinvigorate her bush and if she does it all now she probably will have no flowers.

So you know she could wait let it flower as soon as it's done flowering go back cut in.

But in general flowers first maybe when but if it's easier to do it now while there's no leaves on the plant.

You're out there working and your municipality has free pickup or something.

Got them down now.

All right, we've got about two minutes left.

Roger wants to know about applying crabgrass killer.

Is it time for that?

One.

That's a Right now we're having some odd temperatures and very warm temperatures.

And looking at the extended forecast, the nighttime lows, we are going to get chilly again.

So that'll help just slow things down, calm everybody down.

But crabgrass preventer.

Really it's not.

For me, like the timing, I always try to wait as late as I can to then get more control going into summer.

So you're not you're not wrong or in trouble putting it on too early.

It's just you're not going to get a good backside summer kind of control.

So yes, and no, you know, it's it's technically you know, the UEFI recommendations is that for seven to 10 days, if the soil temperature gets to 55 to 60 degrees, then then that's going to that seed will germinate that crabgrass seed will germinate.

So you know, if you really think your soils warming up, sure, get it on, or you know, just keep waiting a couple of days and seeing what the forecast is going to do.

And like for the next week, we're going to chill down.

So maybe hold off one more week and then LS ideas if you've really got a lot of problems, 30 seconds, do application and fall and an application spring and you won't have that kind of lag time or timing type issue.

Okay, excellent.

We're out of time.

Ladies, thank you so much for bringing all of your show Intel's in and answering questions.

Thank you so much for watching.

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Good night.