This Week In the Garden
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Pruning Fire Blight From an Apple Tree
Fire Blight is a serious disease in apple trees. It is a bacterial infection and needs to be removed to keep the tree healthy. Peter Richards shows what fire blight looks like and then shows how to prune it out of an apple tree. He also talks about ways to prevent it.
Related Videos: Apple Trees: How-to and Information Apple Tree Diseases Disease Resistant Apple Trees Related Resources: Fire Blight of Fruit Trees Fire blight |
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How to Use a Pole Saw: Stay Firmly Grounded
Pole saws let you prune a tree without having to climb a ladder. Peter Richards shows how to use a pole saw to trim tree branches using the pruner feature and also the saw feature.
Related Videos: Cutting a Tree Branch Removing Dead Tree Branches Chainsaw Safety Related Resources: Principles & Practices for Pruning Trees Pruning Trees |
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How to Move Flowers Planted in the Wrong Place
If you realize you planted a plant in the wrong place here is how to move it. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond shows how to do it with a trowel.
Related Videos: Revitalize Your Ferns in the Spring Use Red Sand in Your Garden: Get Better Drainage Related Resources: Planting Annuals Growing Annuals |
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Easy and Quick Fern Dividing
If your fern is getting to big for its pot, or you want more ferns, it is easy and quick to divide it. Jill Maybry from Memphis Botanic Garden shows how to split a potted fern in half and put it in two pots.
Related Videos: Propagating Ferns from Spores Dividing Hostas Propagating Begonias with Leaf Cuttings Related Resources: Growing Ferns Hardy Ferns |
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Moving Swiss Chard to a New LocationSwiss chard can be moved even if it has been growing for awhile in a bed. Carefully dig it up with some soil so it will have some undamaged roots. Then replant it at the same level it was growing before. Water well for several weeks until the plants can grow new roots and perk up.
Related Videos: Transforming Your Flower Bed for Winter: Planting Swiss Chard Winter Leafy Greens Related Resources: Swiss Chard How to Grow Swiss Chard in Your Garden |
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HELP! My Bromeliad Looks Awful
After blooming a bromeliad will die. This is part of its lifecycle. However often the dying plant will have new pups growing around the base which can become full-sized plants with a bloom. Jill Maybry from Memphis Botanic Garden shows how to care for a neglected plant after it has bloomed.
Related Videos: Caring for Bromeliads: A Beginner’s Guide 13 Popular Tropical Houseplants Related Resources: Bromeliads Bromeliads |
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Is the soil dry enough to till?
This week in the garden Master Gardener Tom Mashour shows how to tell if your soil is dry enough for tilling. If you till when it is too wet, you will get big dirt clods.
Related Videos: Tilling and Amending a New Garden Rototilling a Garden Related Resources: Don’t Be Too Eager to Work That Soil! Preparing Garden Soil for Planting |
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Up-Potting Seedlings
This week in the garden Kim Rucker, Greenhouse Manager at Dixon Gallery and Gardens shows how to transplant a flower seedling from a starting cell to a small pot so it can continue to grow.
Related Videos: Starting Flower Seeds Indoors– Family Plot Repotting Aloe Vera Related Resources: Starting Seeds Indoors Starting Garden Transplants at Home |
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Labeling Plant Seedlings
This week in the garden Kim Rucker, Greenhouse Manager at Dixon Gallery and Gardens, shows how she labels her seedlings to keep track of the kind, color, planting date, transplanting date, and date planted in the garden.
Related Videos: Starting Flower Seeds Indoors– Family Plot How to Repot Taproot and Crown Flower Seedlings Related Resource: Keeping organized with DIY garden markers Homemade plant tags give gardens personality |
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Planting Annuals in the Butterfly Garden
This week in the garden UT Extension Agent Joellen Dimond plants petunias, zinnia and lantana in the butterfly garden. The herbs and annuals are also doing well.
Related Videos: Planting a Butterfly Garden Other Pollinators in the Butterfly Garden Planting Coneflower, Beebalm, and Black-Eyed Susan in the Butterfly Garden Related Resources: Butterfly Gardening Gardening for Butterflies |
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Cherry Gummosis
This week in the garden UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper identifies gummosis on a cherry tree. Gummosis is oozing of sap from a wound or when it is trying to flush out an insect or infection.
Related Videos: How do I prevent Japanese fruit flies in my cherry tree? I have an ornamental cherry tree with tiny holes in the leaves. What should I do? Related Resources: Peach Bark Beetle and Cherry Gummosis Sticky Situations on Cherry Trees |
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Bacterial Leaf Spot
This week in the garden UT extension agent Chris Cooper talks about bacterial leaf spot. He shows how to identify it and talks about some ways to prevent it.
Related Video: Black Spot on Peppers Cucumber Bacterial Wilt Bacterial Wilt on Peppers Related Resources: Management of leaf spot diseases of trees and shrubs Bacterial Spot of Pepper and Tomato |
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Cleaning Garlic
This week in the Garden UT Extension Agent Lucas Holman shows how to clean a bulb of garlic for storage. After the garlic has cured for several weeks cut off the dead leaves and roots. Then sluff off some of the dry outer shell. You will be left with a clean garlic bulb.
Related Videos: Garlic What is this plant? - Garlic Related Resources: Garlic Harvest, Curing, and Storage Get your garlic on: A primer on planting, growing and harvesting |
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When to Pick Bell Peppers
This week in the garden retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows how to tell when bell peppers are ripe and ready to pick.
Related Videos: Peppers Planting Peppers Related Resources: Growing peppers in home gardens Home Garden Peppers |
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Why Did This Tree Die?
This week in the garden Certified Arborist Wes Hopper tries to figure out why a tree died. He looks at the rings and sees the tree was healthy for all but the last three or four years of its life. He can use this information to check weather records to see if that was a stressful year for trees. He guesses that the tree had a hard year and never fully recovered.
Related Videos: Which Way Will the Tree Fall? Chainsaw Safety How a Tree Works How to Cut Down a Tree Related Resources: Why Do Trees Die? Tree Physiology |
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Which Way Will the Tree Fall?
This week in the garden Certified Arborist Wes Hopper shows the method he uses before felling a tree to see which way it is leaning, and which way it will fall.
Related Videos: Chainsaw Safety How a Tree Works Related Resources: Felling, Limbing and Bucking Trees Chainsaw Safety: The Five Step Tree Felling Plan |
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Included Tree Bark
This week in the garden Certified Arborist Wes Hopper shows how included bark in a tree crotch can create a stain on the trunk.
Related Videos: Will I be able to save my maple tree that is missing a piece of bark? Maple Bark Split Related Resources: Principles of Pruning, Part 3: Included Bark Bark inclusions |
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When to Give Up on a Shrub
When considering which plants are worth saving and which should be replaced, it’s important to assess the health of the plant by examining the canopy and overall growth. Retired MSU Extension Horticulture Specialist Lelia Kelly explains if a plant shows no green growth at all, it is likely dead and should be removed. Similarly, a plant with very few leaves is unlikely to recover quickly, making it more practical to replace. However, plants with some remaining healthy growth, even if they appear stressed, may still have a chance of recovery. Some pruning, fertilizing, and care can go a long way in restoring these shrubs to health.
Related Videos: Pruning Dead Branches from Spirea Schip Laurel Winter Damage Severe Winter Plant Damage and What to Do About It Related Resources: Evaluating Your Lawn and Landscape After the Recent Holiday Freeze What to do with plants after a freeze |
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The Season End of the Butterfly Garden
This week in the garden TSU Extension Agent Joellen Dimond makes one last check of the butterfly garden this season. The butterflies are gone but bees are still visiting the flowers that have not yet gone to seed.
Related Videos: Planting a Butterfly Garden The Butterfly Garden Needs Water Related Resources: Saving Seeds Butterfly Gardening |
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Protect Your Garden from Hungry Animals: Use Bird Netting
Wildlife, particularly deer and rabbits, can wreak havoc on newly planted flowers and vegetables. Deer are notorious for uprooting plants, while rabbits often munch on tender greens, leading to replanting and loss of time and effort. You can keep creatures from nibbling your new plants by using bird netting. The netting is almost invisible, so it won’t detract from your flowers.
Materials Needed To create an effective barrier, you will need: - Bird netting - Bamboo stakes - Zip ties - Landscape staples Step-by-Step Guide 1. Installing Bamboo Stakes: Place bamboo stakes around the perimeter of your garden bed. If your bed is large you may need to place a few in the middle. Stakes should be about four feet apart and be about a foot taller than your plants. These will serve as the framework to hold the bird netting. 2. Spread Bird Netting: Carefully drape the bird netting over the stakes. Make sure there is enough extra on the edges to allow it to drape to the ground around the perimeter of your bed. 3. Attach the Netting: Use zip ties to attach the bird netting to the top of the bamboo stakes. Ensure the netting is taut but not overly tight. If you have a large garden bed, start in the middle and work out to the edge. In long beds, start on one side and work toward the other. 4. Secure the Edges to the Ground: To prevent small animals from crawling underneath, secure the edges of the bird netting to the ground using landscape staples or coat hanger wire bent in a U. Place these staples at intervals to keep the netting firmly in place. By using bird netting, you can effectively shield your garden from unwanted and hungry wildlife. This method not only protects your plants but is also almost invisible, allowing you to enjoy your garden's natural beauty. Related Videos: Nuisance Wildlife: Deer Fences to Keep the Critters Out of the Garden Replanting Pansies the Deer Dug Up Related Resources: Reduce Deer Damage in Your Yard Growing Pansies |
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Digging Up Flowers to Keep Over the Winter
You can dig up plants in your flower bed to keep them over the winter. Joellen Dimond shows how to dig around the plant to be able to lift up a large chunk of soil with most of the plant’s roots. She then shows how to put it in a pot and talks about what to do to take care of it.
Related Videos: Planting Spring Annuals: SunPatiens, Sweet Potato Vine, and Blue Ageratum Propagating Sweet Potato Vines Building a Hoop House How can I overwinter my hibiscus tree? Related Resources: Overwintering Tropical Plants |
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Deadheading Oregano - Clean-up
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Stop the Invader! How to Control Japanese Privet
Japanese privet is very invasive. Birds spread the seeds and it can now be found growing everywhere and displacing native plants. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond shows how to kill a vigorous privet plant both with and without chemicals.
Related Videos: Three Ways to Wipe on Herbicide Can you get rid of privet without using chemicals? How can I use glyphosate to kill privet, but not harm a nearby tree? Related Resources: Invasive Privet Controlling Non-Native Invasive Plants in Ohio Forests: Privet |
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Mite Damage on Bell Peppers
These bell peppers have brown textured skin. Extension Agent Chris Cooper says this is probably damage from mites that fed on this fruit when the pepper was just starting to develop. The brown texture can be scraped away and the pepper is still edible.
Related Videos: Growing Peppers When to Pick Bell Peppers Black Spot on Peppers Nutrient-Deficient Pepper Fix Related Resources: Broad Mite Broad Mites in Pepper |
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Propagating Sweet Potato Vines
Sweet potato vines are easy to propagate easily giving you as many plants as you want. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper ahows how to do it. He shows how to cut and root the vines and then plant them in soil. Ideal for gardeners looking to expand their plant collection with minimal effort.
Related Videos: Planting Spring Annuals: SunPatiens, Sweet Potato Vine, and Blue Ageratum Pruning Runaway Sweet Potato Vine Related Resources: Ornamental Sweet Potato Sweet Potato Vine Lime |
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Hoses and Hot Water
This week in the garden University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond recommends testing the temperature of the water running out of your hose on a summer day. You should let it cool off before using it to water plants.
Related Videos: Water-Wise Gardening Flowers Need Water Related Resource: Efficient Use of Water in the Garden and Landscape Irrigating the Vegetable Garden Smart watering in the vegetable garden |
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Boost Your Bloom: How to Pinch Cosmos for More Flowers!
To boost the blooming of your summer annuals, use a technique called "pinching" or "heading off." This method involves removing the top portion of the plant to promote more branching and an increase in blooms. For example, with cosmos plants, pinching encourages additional branches to form from the main stem. Without pinching, the plant would eventually branch out, but this would take much longer. Pinching speeds up this process, resulting in a fuller and more vibrant plant.
To pinch a plant, locate the nodes, which are the points on the stem where leaves grow. Count up three healthy nodes from the base of the plant and make a cut just above the third node. This cut removes the top portion and stimulates the growth of new branches from the nodes below. For transplanted cosmos, pinching about 10 days after planting will result in significant branching within three to four weeks. By using this technique, you turn a single primary stem into multiple branches, which lead to more blooms. For example, pinching cosmos plants effectively transforms one stem into several, enhancing the plant’s blooming potential and making your garden more colorful. Related Videos: Why is my cosmos not blooming? Pinching Coleus Related Resources: Cosmos Cosmos in the Garden |
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Bagworms: What Do You Do in the Summer?
Bagworms are a serious pest of conifers and occasionally deciduous plants. UT Horticulture Specialist Celeste Scott identifies a bagworm hanging from an arborvitae. She says summer is not the time to spray because the worms are safe in their bags where insecticide can’t get them. If you want to spray, she says you need to do it when the worms are still small and not fully encased in their bags (late spring or early summer). In later summer you can pick them off and squish them.
Related Videos: Bagworms Will bagworms kill my Japanese maple? When should I start treating for bagworms? Related Resources: Bagworm Bagworms on Trees and Shrubs |
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Tools for Pruning Trees
This week in the garden Memphis Botanic Garden Arborist Bo Kelley talks about the different pruning tools available and shows how to use some of them to remove dead branches from a tree.
Related Videos: Tools Every Gardener Needs Pruning (Not Murdering) Crape Myrtles Fruit Tree Pruning Related Resources: Tree Pruning Essentials Pruning Landscape Trees |
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Pruning Runaway Sweet Potato Vine
Sweet potato vine can get out of control and take over, but there is some easy pruning you can do to keep it under control and looking great. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond shows how and where to cut back the running vines.
Related Videos: Tame Russian Sage – Trim Back Vigorous Growth Planting Spring Annuals: SunPatiens, Sweet Potato Vine, and Blue Ageratum Annual Flowers: Plan Before You Plant Related Resources: Sweet Potato Vine Lime Ornamental Sweet Potato |
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Side-Dressing Corn
This week in the garden Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows how to side-dress corn with nitrogen fertilizer. Corn requires a lot of nitrogen, but one side-dressing is enough for the growing season.
Related Videos: Sidedressing Vegetables What should you consider before starting a vegetable garden? Related Resource: Aphids in home yards and gardens Tomato Insect IPM Guidelines |
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Removing Suckers from a Maple Tree Trunk
This week in the garden University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond shows how to cut off suckers from the trunk of a young Maple tree. She also does some other routine minor pruning on the tree to correct other problems.
Related Videos: Removing Tree Suckers What are suckers and water sprouts on a tree? Related Resources: Pruning Basics So Long Suckers! |
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Pruning Dead Branches from Spirea
After a hard winter many plants may have dead branches. You should wait until the plant has had a chance to leaf out in the spring before pruning. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond shows how to prune the dead branches on an Anthony Waterer Spirea.
Related Videos: Planting Shrubs in Wet Heavy Soils Spirea Related Resources: Spirea Using Trees and Shrubs for Privacy and Wind Screening Selecting Landscape Plants: Deciduous Shrubs |
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Tame Russian Sage – Trim Back Vigorous Growth
When it is happy, Russian sage can grow larger than you want. But, It can also be easily cut back down to size. Rosa Garcia, a Landscape Specialist at Agricenter International, shows how to prune a Russian sage that is growing too large and into a small Japanese maple.
Related Videos: How to Prune Shrubs Deadheading Butterfly Bush Related Resources: Russian sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia Russian Sage |
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Tomato Plant Protection Test:
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Pulling Straw Around Seedlings - Straw Mulch Vegetable Garden
The zucchini seeds are up, and it is time to pull the straw mulch around the young plants. The straw will shade out the weeds. Gardener Peter Richards shows how to do it.
This is the second in a series of videos about growing a garden using heavy straw mulch. See the other videos here: https://youtu.be/oQoQ_pcLlVU Related Videos: Maximizing Your Garden with Straw Mulch Newspaper Mulch Kinds of Mulch Related Resources: Mulch - A Survey of Available Options Gardening with Mulches |
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Planting Parsley in a Raised-Bed Herb Garden
Parsley is a biennial, meaning it lives two years. The second year the plant does not make many leaves, it puts its energy into seeds. Because of this it needs to be replanted on a regular basis. Gardener Peter Richards shows how to plant parsley. He also gives some tips for dealing with plant tags.
Related Videos: Parsley Planting an Herb Garden Related Resources: Parsley Parsley |
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The Dreaded Cabbage Worm: Life Cycle
Cabbage worms eat the leaves of plants in the brassica family including cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper shows the egg, larvae (worm), and adult butterfly.
Related Videos: Protecting Cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower from Hungry Worms Cabbage Planting Cabbage, Broccoli and Cauliflower Related Resources: Imported Cabbageworm Cabbage Looper on Vegetables Bacillus Thuringiensis |
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How to Turn Granular Fertilizer into Liquid Fertilizer – Quickly Get Fertilizer to Plants
Granular fertilizers are standard in gardening, but when immediate absorption is crucial, liquid forms offer a solution. Gardener Peter Richards shows how to dissolve granular fertilizer in water to provide a swift nutrient boost to plants. By adding a measured amount of fertilizer to a half-filled watering can, then gently mixing until dissolved, gardeners can efficiently deliver nutrients directly to the roots without relying on rainfall. However, caution must be exercised to avoid leaf contact, as liquid fertilizer can cause burns similar to granular applications.
Related Videos: Fertilizer Basics How to Side Dress Tomato Plants Related Resources: Fertilizing Vegetables Garden Fertilizer Basics |
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How to Move Flowers Planted in the Wrong Place
If you realize you planted a plant in the wrong place here is how to move it. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond shows how to do it with a trowel.
Related Videos: Revitalize Your Ferns in the Spring Use Red Sand in Your Garden: Get Better Drainage Related Resources: Planting Annuals Growing Annuals |
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Trimming Off Spent Bulb Blooms
TSU Extension Agent Joellen Dimond shows how to trim off spent bloom from daffodil and tulip plants. This keeps the plant from using energy to make seed and instead use that energy to prepare for the next growing season. Also, it makes your plants look nicer.
Related Video: Planting Spring Flower Bulbs Related Resources: Hints on Growing Tulips Spring Flowering Bulbs: Daffodils |
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Cutting Back Evergreen Solomon’s Seal in the SpringAfter the long winter evergreen Solomon’s seal (Disporopsis) will look worn. Kyle McLane from Dixon Gallery and Gardens shows how to cut back last year’s growth to let this year’s growth come out and grow.
Related Videos: Revitalize Your Ferns in the Spring Use Red Sand in Your Garden: Get Better Drainage Related Resources: Evergreen Solomon's Seal Solomon’s Seal |
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Extending the Life of Freshly Cut Tulips
With proper care freshly cut tulips can last for up to two weeks inside. Kyle McLean, Manager of Grounds Horticulture at Dixon Gallery and Gardens shows how to cut a tulip and talks about what to do to make it last indoors.
Related Videos: What is the best way to keep squirrels from eating tulip bulbs? Planting Pansies and Tulips for Winter and Spring Color Related Resources: Fabulous Tulips in Springtime Planting bulbs, tubers and rhizomes |
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Revitalize Your Ferns in the SpringRejuvenate your ferns by removing last year's foliage. In this tutorial, Kyle McLane, Manager of Grounds Horticulture at Dixon Gallery and Gardens, guides you through the delicate process of trimming away the old leaves to make room for new growth. Learn why it's crucial to trim carefully, avoiding the emerging fiddleheads, and discover the best timing for this rejuvenating task in early spring. You'll ensure your ferns thrive, eliminating unsightly foliage from your garden landscape.
Related Videos: Propagating Ferns from Spores How do I take care of Boston Ferns especially in the winter? Related Resources: Cutting Back Ferns – The Art of Fern Maintenance Pruning and Maintaining Ferns |
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Correct Planting DepthTo thrive plants need to be planted at the correct depth. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper shows example of cauliflower plants planted too deep, too shallow and just right.
Related Videos: Planting Cool Season Vegetables Trench Method for Planting Tomatoes Related Resources: The Tennessee Vegetable Garden - Backyard Vegetables |