From the spring-blooming studios of Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem, PA, it is time for another tulip-happy episode of chemical- free horticultural hijinks.

You Bet Your Garden.

I'm your host, Mike McGrath.

Are you unsure how to care for your tulips and other spring bulbs as their flowers begin to fade?

On today's show, we'll travel from New Haven to a subtropical island to try and cover all the spring bulb bases.

Otherwise, it's a fabulous phone call show, cats and kittens.

That's right.

Potential guests are busy putting away their pruners.

So we will take that helping of your telecommunicated questions, comments, tips, tricks, suggestions and galvanizingly gargling glorifications.

So keep your eyes and your ears right here, true believers, because it's all coming on faster than your bulbs looking bodacious year after year.

Right after this.

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More information about Espoma and the Espoma natural gardening community can be found at... - Welcome to another thrilling episode of You Bet Your Garden.

From the studios of Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem, PA, I am your host, Mike McGrath.

And depending on where you live, you might have spring bulbs that are still blooming or, and/or, ones that are starting to fade.

Don't touch them until we get to the Question of the Week and tell you what to do.

In the meantime, lots of your fabulous phone calls at 888 888 888.

No, that's wrong.

888 492 9444.

Shane, welcome to You Bet Your Garden.

- Hi, Mike.

How are you?

- I am just ducky.

Thanks for asking, Shane.

And I'll dispense with the cowboy jokes.

You've heard them all your life.

So how are you doing and where are you?

- I'm doing well and I'm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

- If you say you're in Philly, we've got to get a neighborhood.

- Passyunk Square.

- What can we do for Shane in a very great area?

I love that strip there of South Philly.

- So I've got a row house with a small concrete pad in the back and there's a hole punched in it.

And we planted a plum tree about eight or nine years ago.

- Very good - And... And it has...

I call them suckers, but you corrected me that it's water sprouts.

- Oh, OK. We had a little bit of an e-mail exchange where you were worried about so-called suckers which come up from the ground.

But based on how you phrased it, I was wondering if they weren't water sprouts, which are kind of useless branches that point straight up towards the sky.

- Yes, so I've got several hundred of those that grow out of the top of the tree every year, and I find myself pruning them two or three times a year, and I'm wondering if there's a specific time that I could get them so they don't come back and I only have to do it once a year.

- How close is your tree to flowering?

- It just started flowering this weekend.

- And do your water sprouts typically produce any kind of flowers?

- Not many, but some.

- Yeah, because they're not good for fruit.

Well, I would say now is the time to start.

And if you want...

If you want to do something else and open up the plant a little bit or there's a branch that is getting in your way, now is the time.

Because everything you prune you can put in a vase and bring inside, which is something more people with fruit trees should do, because you see how glorious the blossoms are.

And this is, you know, free cut flowers for the next couple of weeks.

- But I would say start now.

- That's a great idea.

- Yeah, that's why I get the big money!

How tall is this tree?

- It's about maybe 10 to 12 feet tall.

- OK, you can get up there using a ladder without breaking your pumpkin head open on the sidewalk.

- Yes, I can.

- OK, good.

Well, I would get started now and just do a little bit, you know, when it's nice outside, you know, maybe two or three days apart, maybe a week apart.

But that way you'll enjoy the work and even the water sprouts should produce some flowers inside.

And again, if you have other pruning to do, this is a great time, because, again, you bring those flowers inside and it's just magical.

When I used to grow peach trees, before I knew that was a foolish thing for me to do, I used to prune the heck out of them, and every room in the house had a vase full of these incredible blossoms that you can't buy in a florist's or grocery store or anything.

They're just yours.

- That's great, yeah.

That's a great idea.

Thank you.

- Same thing with flowering cherries right now, apples, crab apples, when those flowers first appear, that's really the time to go for it.

And the tree, it's probably the best time for the tree as well.

- All right.

- Thank you very much.

- All right, well, enjoy the tree, enjoy Passyunk Avenue, and I'm sorry, for me, it's not Pat's or Gino's, but I'll meet you on South Street for Jim's for a real cheese steak.

- Ah.

You're talking my language.

- All right, man.

Good luck to you, sir.

Number to call... Aaron!

Welcome to You Bet Your Garden.

- It's a pleasure to be here.

First time calling onto the show.

And I'm glad you took my call.

- Well, I'm glad you made it, sir.

How are you doing?

- I'm doing all right.

It's a sunny day here in Bensalem, PA. - OK, what can we do you for?

- I was... ..giving some thought to installing a raised bed garden... Good.

..at some point in the near future, and I came across a version of a raised bed online called a sub-irrigated raised bed.

I was wondering if you've heard of this particular form of raised bed and what your thoughts are on it.

- Oh, man.

It's really complicated.

You got to construct all these different layers, some of which hold the moisture and some of which let it go, so your plants don't drown.

And it's not like it's hooked up to a hose or anything.

There's a pipe that goes down from the outside world into the sub-irrigated section that you pour water down.

Am I correct?

- Yeah, you start with a layer of cardboard on the bottom, just like a normal raised bed.

Then you have what amounts to a water tank that you can fill with water through that pipe.

And then there's a layer of peat moss, a liner, and then your actual garden soil on top.

So you have the raised bed up higher.

So it's a little more like tabletop gardening.

- Right.

- And supposedly it keeps things... ..well watered for you, so you're not watering as often and it doesn't lose as much water in climates that are drier or warmer.

- That's exactly what I was thinking, is this would be more practical in, say, the Oklahoma City area or areas around Phoenix or in Colorado where water is really scarce.

And the benefit here I can see is the water in the tank would not evaporate.

It would only be pulled up through the roots of your plants.

So in those kind of climates, I would think this was worth it.

But let's be honest, you're in Pennsylvania.

I mean, maybe you're an hour, an hour and a half away from where I am up in the mountains.

But last year, I may have watered once the entire year, because we had a fairly wet year.

And typically we have fairly wet years and water is not scarce here like it is in the West.

So, you know, if you want to do it, if you're that kind of a work-bench guy, a practical mechanics guy, and you want to go through all this, I would say go ahead.

But I honestly don't see the point, because right where we are, water is not the question.

Drainage is much more important in our region, because we tend to get all the water we need, plus.

And I don't need to tell you what's been happening lately as we enter spring.

I mean, we've been soaked over and over again.

And I would worry about the plants being overwatered.

- The creek outside my apartment building right now, about half the time the water is flowing the wrong way.

I know what you mean on that.

- Yeah.

Hey, if you have... And, by the way, where are you from originally?

- Ladysmith, Wisconsin.

- OK, because I got to tell you, it's called a crick.

It's not a creek in Pennsylvania.

It's a crick.

OK?

And if you've got a crick outside, you know, when there's water flowing through that, you could put a submersible pump in there and water your garden for free.

So, I mean, and I'm sorry to our friends in Colorado and, you know, Southern California who are cursing me right now.

But I would say just build a regular raised bed and water it normally.

I think you will not spend one tenth the time watering that you would spend building this thing.

- Well, wouldn't that result in having plants that always have the roots spread, which wouldn't be the best way to go, though?

OK, so now we're into another area.

Yes, it is bad for plants not to be able to dry out.

Well, then, even though I'm not a fan of hydroponics, how does that work for them?

Because their roots never dry out.

So in our climate, or Seattle, or another area with more than adequate rain, I would say that that could be a real problem because the moisture in the atmosphere would be affecting them as well.

But it could be a godsend for people who have to pay a fortune for water.

And sometimes the water just isn't around because, again, that tank is going to prevent evaporation.

So whatever they put in, they're going to be able to keep.

- OK. - All right.

And if you want to build it anyway, send us pictures of you cursing as it keeps failing on you.

All right.

- I don't think I'll bother with this particular type of raised bed but... - But remember... - I will send pictures when I do actually start building.

- Yeah.

Remember it when you move out West, if you do.

All right, Aaron.

Thank you, man.

All right.

That phone number, our new phone number!

And we promise to pay the bill on this one, so it won't change again.

Barbara.

Welcome to You Bet Your Garden.

- Thank you, Mike.

So happy to talk to you.

- I'm so happy to talk to you, Barb.

How are you doing?

- Great, great, and you?

- I am just ducky.

- Ducky.

- Thanks for asking.

And where is Barbara great?

- In Rhode Island, on the west shore of Narragansett Bay, - Ooh, I've been there.

That's very nice.

- So I called you about the result of this coronavirus pandemic and the fact that grocery stores here in Rhode Island do not allow us to bring in our own grocery bags.

You know, the cloth kind, or whatever.

And so each time I go to the grocery store, I bring home four or five, two, three brown paper bags.

And I have closets full of them.

And it just occurred to me that why... Could I use those as a weed blocker as a mulch in my, let's say my blueberry pen?

- Well, let's not talk specific plants right away.

- OK. - But I am so happy that you have the paper bag alternative.

When I was growing up in Philadelphia, folding those bags after you unloaded the groceries was a skill that every young man had to learn.

You had to fold them perfectly so you could stack them up.

- Yes.

- And then what we did with them, we used them in the trash cans where there wasn't going to be any wet trash.

And then we also...

I'm blanking out here.

Wait a minute.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

Oh, yeah.

We would put our newspapers into them, stuffed them full of newspapers, and put them out for recycling.

So they are very good about that.

I would say that as a weed block, a couple of paper bags stacked on top of each other would be perfect as you're building a new raised bed.

If you want to use it around plants, you would have to cover it with soil or compost.

But I think it would be a very effective weed block.

But you got to be careful now because if it is making a somewhat impenetrable barrier for the first year, you want to make sure that you have the ability to water your plants.

And especially with blueberries that you mentioned, you want to make sure that you can load them up with peat moss or sulfur.

If your pH begins to climb up towards neutral, you obviously want to keep your blueberries in the lowest possible pH to keep them happy and healthy.

- Right.

Would I have to...?

I mean, I assume that they're not treated... - Correct.

No, no.

They're some of...

They are some of the cleanest stuff on the planet, regular brown paper bags.

Matter of fact, they're probably almost 100% recycled from cardboard.

- Yeah, OK.

Wet them down, put some holes in them.

Was that necessary?

- If you put holes in them, the weeds are going to come up through the holes.

- Oh, that's right.

OK. - No, just don't.

- Right you are.

I'm going to just pick a number out of the air and say keep them six inches or so away from the area of the actual plants so that the plants get rainfall.

And especially with blueberries, if you need to amend the soil with peat moss or sulfur to keep it nice and acid that you can get in there, but otherwise it would be great, you know - clean up the weeds you can before you put it down.

And then for any weeds that come up between the plants, I don't know if you've ever seen a weeding tool called the winged weeder.

The head of this wonderful hoe has a diamond shape, and they come in... - Oh, yes, I have.

- Yes.

And they come with long handles, very short handles and different-sized heads.

The smallest-headed version is just excellent for getting in between plants without damaging the plants.

It's really tiny, but it's really sharp.

And so I have a whole bunch of them and I use them all the time.

And if you're leaving an area open for watering and safety and amendments and stuff, these diamond-shaped weed hoes are absolutely the best.

The winged weeders.

- Well, I'm really going to need it because my blueberry pen is full of weeds and I have to get out there pretty soon.

- Well, before you put the bags down, I would use a regular winged weeder or some other specialty hoe to really clean the area, lay the bags down and then have one of those little guys ready for the future.

- Yeah, OK. - But it's a great...

It is a great use for the bags.

- Yeah, OK.

I mostly cut eye holes in mine and wear them around the house, but that's just a personal decision!

- No, no.

- All right.

Well, thanks for your call.

You've been great.

Sorry you didn't win more money.

- You Bet Your Garden.

- Yeah, me too.

But I got your advice, and that's worth its weight in gold.

- OK. Whoa.

Then I shouldn't lose any weight.

You're going to split it with me?

- That's right.

- Garcon!

- Two more cheese steaks.

- Thank you, Mike.

- All right, you take care, bye-bye.

As always, it is now time for the Question of the Week, which we're calling...

But before we get to our first question, I have to do a shout out to our number one fan, Walter Anderson, who turns 97 right around the date of this show and who has never missed an episode, unless he falls asleep during it.

Back to spring bulbs.

Michael in Northern Virginia, near Washington, writes...

I wish!

Evil is too nice a word.

They're already planting black walnuts they must have been saving all winter long in my container-grown lettuces.

Anyway, I've never even thought about dividing my spring bulbs, I just let them grow.

And I really like the way they look in clumps, especially with crocus.

But if divide you wish, do not do so right after the flowers fade.

Instead, clip off any seed heads that form in their place and then be patient.

You have to wait until the green leaves have turned yellow or brown, which is the signal that they have grown next year's flower inside the bulb.

Dig them up prematurely and you won't get any flowers next spring.

After those leaves have browned over, you can then gently remove them and replant the bulbs immediately if the area is going to be kept dry over the summer and you're not going to plant anything in their place.

If you will be planting and/or watering, store the bulbs inside for replanting in the fall.

Rub off any dirt that rubs off easily, but do not wash them.

I would also not cut the leaves off of bulbs going into storage.

Even brown, those leaves will naturally help keep moisture in the bulb.

Then wrap them in newspaper or surround them with slightly moist peat moss and store them in a mouse-proof container until Halloween.

After trick-or-treat time is over, take the bulbs out of storage and examine them carefully, discarding any that feel soft or show signs of rot, then plant them in their new location between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Don't feed them.

Remember that next flower has already formed inside.

If you want to feed spring bulbs, the time to do so is right after the flowers fade in the spring to make sure that new flower gets all the sun and nutrition it needs.

Now, big full-sized bulbs can just go in the ground.

If the bulb has formed little bulblets that grow alongside the main bulb, gently remove them and plant them elsewhere.

They will flower in a couple of years, depending on their size.

Remember to also let their green leaves turn brown naturally.

That's the cardinal rule of successful bulb growing.

We move on to Arabella, in - I hope this sounds correct - the Kyushu prefecture of Japan.

She writes... Kyushu is the southernmost of the four main islands that make up Japan.

The name means nine provinces, and it's home to 14 million people on 14,000 square miles.

So we don't know exactly where Arabella is, but the entire island is identified as being subtropical, very different than the blazing hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter climate in which tulips and other spring bulbs originated.

In addition, my perhaps overly nerdy research revealed that this island gets 63 inches of rain a year, which is substantial.

All this adds up to Arabella doing exactly the right thing.

It may not get cold enough in the winter to successfully chill bulbs in the ground, and all that rain would probably rot most of the bulbs.

So, like we've been saying, wait until the leaves lose their green color in the spring and dig them up.

And then, just like in warm climates like the American South, chilling is a good idea.

Arabella has apparently had success with planting her chilled bulbs in the fall, but I'm going to suggest an alternative.

Store the freshly harvested bulbs that we have described for a couple of months, then chill them for at least 16 weeks and plant them outside in January.

Oh, and for the record, the red tulips off to the side of my raised beds are middle aged, not teenagers.

They were here when we moved in 35 years ago.

And finally, Kate in New Haven writes... Well, stuff and nonsense!

Container planting is much more complicated and depends on the size and structure of the container and your climate, but there is no reason to denigrate raised beds, which always drain better than flat ground.

And the "temperature fluctuations" in New Haven are perfect for keeping spring bulbs happy and productive.

Just to be clear for at least once this year, right, flat earth is also fine for bulbs.

Some of mine are planted in raised beds, while others are growing or have colonized flat ground - and all too well!

Well, that sure was some interesting information about spring bulbs now, wasn't it?

Luckily for you, the Question of the Week appears in print at the Gardens Alive website.

To read it over at your leisure, just click the link for the Question of the Week at our website, which is still and will forever be... ..youbetyourgarden.org.

Gardens Alive supports the You Bet Your Garden Question of the Week, and you will always find the latest Question of the Week at the Gardens Alive website.

You Bet Your Garden is a half-hour public television show, an hour-long public radio show and podcast, all produced and delivered to you weekly by Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem, PA. Our radio show is distributed by PRX, the Public Radio Exchange.

You Bet Your Garden was created by Mike McGrath.

Mike McGrath was created by Rod Serling and is hereby submitted for your approval.

Yikes.

My producer is threatening to cut my green leaves if I don't get out of the studio.

We must be out of time.

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