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Show Page E4 - THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, Sunday, February 21, 1993 t'eate houseplants out of groceries These 1 0 melted s WD till a wee OD W,th tongue in cheek. Dr. Mike Kuhns, Extension Forester with the Department of Forest Resources, Utah State University' offered a prescription for Ten Ways to Kill a Tree" at a recent landscape conference. In his reverse message on how not to take care of a tree you plant, Kuhns gave the following advice: 1. Plant several inches deeper than the tree was in the nursery to suffocate the roots. Planting too shallow also works well to kill roots. 2. Fertilize at planting time and later in a tree's life, even if it's doing well. High nitrogen fertilizers do the most damage. 3. Tie down a young tree very tightly with wires (wrapped with rubber hose or not) to girdle the branches. ! '. 4. Prune healthy good, provide food and entry points for 6. Leave stubs or flush cuts when you prune. 7. Treat wounds caused by pruning or other damage with wound dressings to encourage rot and kill the cambium. 8. Water an established tree daily for at least 20 minutes to suffocate the roots. Injecting water below the tree's shallow root system helps prevent the tree from using it. The grocery store offers many more houseplants in the produce aisle than you might think. Here's where you'll find foods that will sprout roots and shoots, usually with no more coaxing than that of a little warmth and water. Besides making houseplants, these gardens are good for remind- ' ing kids of the variety of plants that provide food. Also, these gardens give an appreciation for the fact that such foods as carrots, onions and potatoes are living foods, and as such, a valuable part of our diet. Look for foods that are fleshy storage roots, like carrots. Lop off of the tops of and save a the roots before you eat the rest of each carrot. Set the tops, bottom ends down, in a shallow pan of water or press them into moist soil in a flowerpot (perhaps to dress up the base of a houseplant). In a few days, the tops will sprout and then grow to become small jungles of ferny foliage. If you bought carrots with their leafy tops attached, cut the leaves off before planting, or they will wilt. New tops will grow. Another storage root worth planting is the onion. Watch what happens when you plant it. Either bury the bulb to half its depth in potting soil, or perch it with three toothpicks in a glass of water, with the bottom of the bulb just below the water line. A thick, green stalk, capped by a starburst of little white flowers will rise from the center of the bulb. If it's spring by the time these carrot and onion "houseplants" have overstayed their welcome, discard them. Don't plant them in the garden, expecting to harvest carrots and onions for the table. These plants are biennials, which grew their edible roots last sum- ' mer. This summer they will "eat" their own roots for energy to If you can wash the plants off with a soft, warm spray, it will also help. Scale insects can't be washed off; they must be removed by scraping them off individually, Garden Editor 10. Ignore a tree's basic ecology and needs. If you follow Kuhn's cynical advice, you can be assured of a dead tree in your yard. branches at planting time to reduce the crown area and energy reserves. Thinning the crown by While we think about spring, removing healthy branches is don't forget about your also very damaging later in a tree's life. It's a good idea to sponge off 5. Leave dead, poorly formed the leaves of your houseplants peor attached branches on a tree to riodically. This does not apply, s. however, to hairy leaves like gloxinia and African violet. Give them plenty of air, but keep them out of drafts. If any of your plants have begun to show new growth, feed them with a mild fertilizer. There are many houseplant fertilizers on the market in local garden stores and nurseries. All of them are good. The best way to fertilize a plant is to add a liquid fertilizer after you have watered the plant. You'll get a better distribution of the fertilizer through the soil, and there'll be less danger of having it burn any roots. Check your houseplants for insect pests. Aphids, whiteflies, mealy bugs and scale insects are then spraying or washing the plant. Mealybugs can be wiped off with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. Sprays containing malathion can eliminate larger colonies of the pests. Make sure you check the undersides of the leaves, because that is where most of the insects like to congregate, particularly whiteflies. eral root system. Better, he says, to dig a hole no deeper than the root ball and no more than two to five times its diameter. And forget about enhancing the soil around the tree in back-fil- l. the "There's been quite a bit of By JAMES E. WALTERS - ConventionPHOENIX (AP) al wisdom that says container-grow- n trees and shrubs should be replanted in big holes with soil boosters has come increasingly into question. One leading expert now recommends an entirely different method. "New research clearly shows traditional techniques aren't best for new plants." said Jimmy L. Tipton, an authority and specialist on plants at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in work done that shows several things happening," Tipton said in an interview. "What you get, at least in a lot of cases, is that the roots do not extend easily beyond a at least highly amended back-filnot appreciably "The other thing that happens in most soils when you amend the back-fig is you decrease the capacity. Native soil in g most cases has a higher the than organic capacity If you bring a new plant into your household, be sure to isolate it for a time to make sure it doesn't have insect of disease problems that could infect your other plants. l, Tucson. The method of choice for generations has been to dig a planting hole about twice the diameter and depth of the root ball and then add at least 33 percent soil enhancers, such as peat moss or vermiculite. Tipton believes this hinders the quick establishment of a wide, lat water-holdin- ll water-holdin- matter." He believes this draws away wa- ter from the container's potting mix and slows plant growth. This "New research clearly shows traditional techniques aren't best for new plants." Jimmy L. Tipton, plant specialist Univ. of Arizona Cooperative Extension helps explain why roots have difficulty growing beyond an improved back-fil- l, he said. Tipton's research has focused on mesquite trees that grow in arid climates, But research elsewhere, have persuaded him that the tech nique is applicable throughout the United States, he said. "People used to think the root system mirrored the (leaf) canopy; that, the roots went out as far as the drip line and as deep as the plant was high," Tipton said. "We now know that's not the case. Buy some good pruning and espalier books . By JOAN JACKSON r Newspapers : niques including topiary, roses, fruit trees, flowering shrubs, vines and, of course, espalier. Knight-Ridde- The best way to get started with espalier is with the help of a good pruning book on the techniques and pruning patterns. These books can help: "The Complete Guide to Pruning and Training Plants," by David Joyce with Christopher Brickell, director general of the Royal Horticultural Society, as technique consultant (Simon and Schuster, $30). This is an excellent pruning guide and includes directions for a variety of pruning tech "Hedges, Screens and Espaliers," by Susan Chamberlin (HP Books, S9.95). As one would expect from HP Books, this is a fine source for all kinds of espalier techniques. There are detailed sketches and explanations for braided variations, vertical cordon, palmette oblique, Belgian fence (an open lattice effect), U shape, fan shape and more. If you're really interested in trying the intricate espalier shapes, this is a must-hav- e book. "Pruning and Grafting," by GarOliver E. Allen (Time-Lif- e den Series, $19.95). Good explanations and samples of espalier treatments for shrubs and trees. Sketches are well done. 0 U "The quicker you can establish a root system extending out 1 xi to 4 times the width of the canopy, the quicker the plant grows and responds to fertilizer. " The reason for not digging a hole deeper than the root system is that plants may settle too much once the enhancers break down and shrink. The hole's sides should be rough or sloping. He recommends setting the top of the root ball at or slightly above the soil surface and using only water to pack soil returned to the planting hole. ct I'iy TOGETHER Orem Mall. A! 6f Mis- - 225 - 3930 ''J i ' A iA A A A A IN-HO- He also recommends forming an irrigation berm on the surface just outside the root ball and mulching the soil surface 3 inches to 4 inches deep, taking care to keep mulch away from the tree's trunk. drboec 1 1 stained C H f 1 A As nfia iirriMn "TTTSZmSr 70 OFF HIM BUND OFF NECESSARY PURCHASE 1 OR 2 YEAR MEMBERSHIP i i 1 1 tij pvj IMAGE i Et IjUUo FIXATED urr SHADES W Wk Blind Cleaning $C ffifiF PERSONALIZED y and up I Gift Certificate HOURS: Mnn Fri. 10-6- . Sat. 10 5 2432 So. 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CowplETE ModEliNq & Aci.Nq For GrIsWomen ENTIRE STOCK THE dark-gree- LajI11u y "You've dug all this soil up in order to aerate it and the only reason to compact it with your foot is to eliminate air pockets in the soil. And watering will remove those air pockets without compacting the MIMiy TRAINING A i From $199 $299 plish-gree- "Pruning," by Christopher Brickell (Simon and Schuster, $ 10.95). This book includes a variDo minimal pruning but remove ety of formal and informal types of that may girdle the plant. roots how and are they espalier shaped. V Interview Suit Special " half-inc- h Alternative in replanting container- - grown trees ; produce seeds, then the plants will die. The vegetable that makes a nice houseplant that you could plant out " in the garden in spring is the sweet potato. If you plant the fat root in . either moist soil or water (again ; perched with toothpicks), a twin- ing vine will emerge. This plant" likes warmth, and if kept happy; will send out many feet of pur- -' n stems with smooth, n leaves. Eventually, white or pinkish flowers shaped just like the sweet potato's relative, the morning glory, may form along the vine. Don't try to gather together the whole vine when it's time to plant it outside. Just cut the vine into pieces, strip the bottom leaves from each piece, and plant the pieces indoors in potting soil. Within a month, each piece will be " d and ready for trans-- : the to garden. planting How about a small plant with forest-gree- n leaves? Watercress. When you get it home, put the bottoms of the stems in water and roots will form. For long-tergrowth, stick stems in a pot of soil to root. Watercress needs lots of water, and will wilt as soon as the. soil dries. If planted at the base of ' another houseplant, it will tell you when the soil by wilting needs watering. Come spring," plant it outdoors in a wet area. An ideal spot is under a dripping faucet. Let's see, still moving up the' produce aisle, what else can we plant? Aha, a pineapple! Take it. home, and just before you eat it, . hold the fruit firmly and twist off ; the clump of leaves that crown the fruit. Let the clump dry out for a couple of days, then plant it in water or soil. Under ideal conditions of abundant heat and light, a pineapple plant could eventually fruit for you. Even without fruit, though, pineapple makes a pretty houseplant. By LEE REICH For AP Special Features soil. 9. Don't use an organic mulch under a tree. Keep the grass growing green and healthy right up to the trunk. If you use mulch, use a black plastic sheet to suffocate roots, or rocks to help keep the soil compacted. house-plant- common among houseplants, and it takes a concerted effort to keep them under control once they get started. You can spray the plants with household insecticide, or with Safers insccticidal soap, or even work systemic insecticide into the V rot. up. wwi. i. . w. if- -' . . d, |