Landscaping/Gardening Thread.

[rbochan]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Are those trees that are dropping the cottony seeds on a non-annual cycle? They seem particularly bad this year. My backyard is covered in white fluff from a neighbouring tree. Haven’t noticed this before this year.

Same thing here in Central New York. The cottonwoods and willows have been snowing for over a month now. It usually only lasts a week or so. I'm guessing the drought we've been under has something to do with it, but I'm not sure.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Ducay

If the tree is attracting lady birds (aphid eaters) then I would just try spraying the base with some kind of ant poison or insecticide. They're aphids' bodyguards and if there are lots of predators (ladybugs and caterpillars) then they're usually pretty weak without the ants there as defense. (Ants defend aphids as the aphids make delicious honeydew poop the ants love). If you've got plenty of lady birds/bugs then spraying the whole tree with any sort of insecticide will kill everyone.

Interesting. I didn't spray last night. There is a big battle going on in that tree between the aphids, ants and lady bugs, caterpillars. Maybe I'll let it play out.

Any idea why the aphids infest the tree to begin with? Is it the type of tree? Location? Some sort of other condition?

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Interesting. I didn't spray last night. There is a big battle going on in that tree between the aphids, ants and lady bugs, caterpillars. Maybe I'll let it play out.

Any idea why the aphids infest the tree to begin with? Is it the type of tree? Location? Some sort of other condition?

I would certainly let them battle it out if you've got ladybugs there already, but suggest you tip the scales in the ladybug's favor by either spraying the base of the trunk or putting out ant poison to stop the constant march of ants to the aphids' defense.

No rhyme or reason why they picked that tree. There are certain varieties they like more than others, and some types they avoid all together. You can go years without them and then they set up camp and it becomes a battle.

[shotinthebacklund]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

I'm having issues with the flowering not occurring at the same time for my zucchini's. Like my females will flower and then the males will flower a week later.

There is a couple things that can be done. When the male flower opens use a qtip and harvest the male pollen, Carefully place that in a ziplock. It can be used later if careful to fertilize the newly opened female flower. Does not work all the time but I have been successful with it.


If sprouting your own seeds, Alternate the germination 1-1.5 weeks for half the seed batch.


Another pretty cool option is cross pollination. A pumpkin can be used to cross pollinate with zucchini and other squashes. In the first year (initial cross pollination) you likely wont see any variance in fruit production, but if you keep some seeds and grow again next year you could see some largely variable fruit. Fun experiment.



As in Calgary our season is short its very beneficial to hand pollinate and ensure you get the most growing time. I try to make sure I get my first female flowers pollinated using techniques above (mostly for pumpkin). As the season progresses you will have many female and male flowers open at the same time.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by shotinthebacklund

There is a couple things that can be done. When the male flower opens use a qtip and harvest the male pollen, Carefully place that in a ziplock. It can be used later if careful to fertilize the newly opened female flower. Does not work all the time but I have been successful with it.


If sprouting your own seeds, Alternate the germination 1-1.5 weeks for half the seed batch.


Another pretty cool option is cross pollination. A pumpkin can be used to cross pollinate with zucchini and other squashes. In the first year (initial cross pollination) you likely wont see any variance in fruit production, but if you keep some seeds and grow again next year you could see some largely variable fruit. Fun experiment.



As in Calgary our season is short its very beneficial to hand pollinate and ensure you get the most growing time. I try to make sure I get my first female flowers pollinated using techniques above (mostly for pumpkin). As the season progresses you will have many female and male flowers open at the same time.

I hand pollinated three zucchini's. My first one stayed really small, like a finger small for a few weeks. The next two are growing much larger so perhaps the first one didn't pollinate well enough. Here's hoping! Thanks for the advice.

[redforever]

Re: zucchini

Our spring was later this year and as a result, expect zucchini to be later as well.

I have never encountered a problem with zucchini not producing...in fact, just the opposite, so much production that my friends don't answer their phone if they know it is me calling.

If you have cross pollinated a week or so ago and the fruit is not growing by now, it ain't gonna grow. Zucchini grows extremely fast and you should easily see a difference in size from one day to the next.

[8 Ball]

Anyone know of a reliable decorative concrete person? It's a bit of an oxymoron, but I have had no luck thus far in finding one.

[justkidding]

We used Johnny's Concrete for our stamped concrete patio. Great job and reliable.

[photon]

I'm tired of battling weeds in our non-grass rock filled areas in our back yard, not sure what I should do. We don't really use the areas for their original purpose (planting flowers and such).

I figure my options are:

- Take up all the rocks, try and kill the weeds, put new landscape fabric down, put the rocks back.

- Take up all the rocks, try and kill the weeds, put new landscape fabric down, put down something that helps prevent the weeds (cedar chips? rubber mulch?)

- Take up all the rocks, remove the borders, take up the landscape fabric, and plant grass.

- Hire someone to do the weeding

Option 3 seems like the lowest maintenance as then it'll just be part of the yard that gets mowed, though it sucks to have paid for that to be created originally.

How effective are those rubber mulch at inhibiting weeds if I combined that with new landscape fabric?

Or any other ideas? Chemicals? Goats?

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by photon

I'm tired of battling weeds in our non-grass rock filled areas in our back yard, not sure what I should do. We don't really use the areas for their original purpose (planting flowers and such).

I figure my options are:

- Take up all the rocks, try and kill the weeds, put new landscape fabric down, put the rocks back.

- Take up all the rocks, try and kill the weeds, put new landscape fabric down, put down something that helps prevent the weeds (cedar chips? rubber mulch?)

- Take up all the rocks, remove the borders, take up the landscape fabric, and plant grass.

- Hire someone to do the weeding

Option 3 seems like the lowest maintenance as then it'll just be part of the yard that gets mowed, though it sucks to have paid for that to be created originally.

How effective are those rubber mulch at inhibiting weeds if I combined that with new landscape fabric?

Or any other ideas? Chemicals? Goats?

Cement? Poured thinly between the rocks?

[Fuzz]

I've always been curious if salting the earth is a viable weed control method in those areas. I've got gravel next to my garage that I don't want anything with, and it doesn't border anything I care about some I'm tempted to give it a try. But maybe you can try it first, and tell me the results.

[sa226]

I think the best "weed" advice I've received is that weed seed is mostly airborne. So that plastic landscape fabric eventually will become useless, even a pain in the ass as the weeds tend to grow down through the fabric over time.

One of the better ways to try and prevent weeds, is to prevent them from getting sunlight. Mulch, rocks or whatever covering you choose. But that option can be difficult depending on your landscape design.

This is joe blow advice. A pro will probably have better advice. I mainly chimed in because taking up all the rocks seems like a lot of work for something that will likely just re-occur anyway. (Again, depending on your yard)

[photon]

Yeah moving the rocks is going to be such a pita that's why I'm thinking of doing it just once.

At work they say that the chemicals aren't on the ban list anymore, so chemicals might be a good option actually, especially since I don't need to worry about wanted flowers.

And one guy said a guy on his street burns them off, just takes a propane tank with one of those big torches and burns them off. I really want to try this option lol.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by photon

Yeah moving the rocks is going to be such a pita that's why I'm thinking of doing it just once.

At work they say that the chemicals aren't on the ban list anymore, so chemicals might be a good option actually, especially since I don't need to worry about wanted flowers.

And one guy said a guy on his street burns them off, just takes a propane tank with one of those big torches and burns them off. I really want to try this option lol.

I've always wanted to burn them too.

In my raised beds, in spring before we have planted any vegetables when there is frost still, but the weeds are growing, I just put down plywood. Haven't had any issues with weeds growing through the plywood. Not that it would help your situation much.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by photon

I'm tired of battling weeds in our non-grass rock filled areas in our back yard, not sure what I should do. We don't really use the areas for their original purpose (planting flowers and such).

I figure my options are:

- Take up all the rocks, try and kill the weeds, put new landscape fabric down, put the rocks back.

- Take up all the rocks, try and kill the weeds, put new landscape fabric down, put down something that helps prevent the weeds (cedar chips? rubber mulch?)

- Take up all the rocks, remove the borders, take up the landscape fabric, and plant grass.

- Hire someone to do the weeding

Option 3 seems like the lowest maintenance as then it'll just be part of the yard that gets mowed, though it sucks to have paid for that to be created originally.

How effective are those rubber mulch at inhibiting weeds if I combined that with new landscape fabric?

Or any other ideas? Chemicals? Goats?

You do not have to lift up all the rocks to kill those weeds if you use Round-Up.

I am assuming there are no flowers etc in that rock bed? They are a bit harder to spray around. Trees and shrubs are easy to spray around. Trees, just don't spray the trunk. Shrubs, just pull them to one side as you spray.

Spray early in the morning. Don't spray if windy. Don't spray if rain is expected within 8 hours.

The Round-Up you buy in stores is pretty weak. I have a 1/4 section and qualify as a farmer to buy the real stuff. I can spare a cup. Message me if you are interested.

Weeds will grow in pretty much anything, including mulch. If anyone knows 100% how to prevent windborn seeds from falling in your beds, you better patent that idea now and start selling. Killing weeds is not a "once and you are done" job.

[Shazam]

Use a piece of cardboard to shield plants you don't want affected by RoundUp. Another way is to spray onto a foam paintbrush and then brush the weed. That's how I had to get rid of some quackgrass.

[Fuzz]

How are wasps this year? I put a fake nest up and have seen very few compared to previous years. Wondering if it is working or if it is just a low wasp year.

[jeffporfirio]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

How are wasps this year? I put a fake nest up and have seen very few compared to previous years. Wondering if it is working or if it is just a low wasp year.

I have seen very few, and have not had to put out any wasp traps.

[robbie111]

Have quite a few in High River but they have been well behaved and too busy with the Lovage flowers to be aggressive. Those flowers are attracting everything from honey bees, to wasps, to hornets and Bumblebees all at the same time but none of them have been aggressive. The flowers must drug them or something.

[rohara66]

Any recommendations for where to pickup multiple trees and shrubs in or around the south end of Calgary?


Spruce it up? Beaver Dam?