"Gardening in the Ozarks"
with Vicki Garner
If you want to learn about gardening
or horticulture in the Twin Lakes Area, this is the show for you. Vicki
lives in Mountain Home and all of the calls are from the KTLO listening area so
the information is all local.
You can hear "Gardening in the
Ozarks" each Saturday morning from 10-11 on KTLO-FM, 97.9
Click here to e-mail
your questions to vicki@ktlo.com
Vicki's Timely Gardening tips:
Here is a good website to help identify weeds. Go to
http://www.bayeradvanced.com/weed-identifier.html
The site has pictures, descriptions and recommendations for control
and eradication
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To help your cut flower arrangement last longer, use this mixture: half water,
half lemon-lime soda with a dash of liquid bleach (Clorox). Mix and put in
container with flowers. Change once a week. Also, remember when you
receive cut flowers to re-cut the stems at an angle with a sharp knife before
putting in the water.
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A good way to reuse your empty toilet paper rolls is to fold the bottom end in
and then fill them with potting soil and plant a couple of seeds in it.
Water it and keep it in a warm location. When the seedling is ready to be
planted in the garden or a pot, you can plant the entire roll, it's
biodegradable. Also, as one of our listeners suggested, if planting tomato
seedlings, leave the top inch of the toilet paper roll above the ground and it
will work as a deterrent to cut worms.
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If you have clay pots that are crusted with salt and other mineral buildup, you
can clean them by using this solution:
Mix 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup bleach in 1 gallon of water. Soak the empty
pots in the solution for several hours. Then use a soft brush to gently
clean the surface. For tough spots, use a steel wool pad. Let dry
overnight before planting in the pot.
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Stick a marker or label with
permanent/weatherproof ink on it next to the perennials you want to divide or
move next spring. That way you will be able to locate them in early spring
before they have popped out of the ground.
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Here is the website that has
environmentally safe products you can order
to help deter squirrels, moles, deer,
and other critters from your yard
and gardens:
http://www.messinawildlife.com
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In order to determine if a catalog/online ordering source is really a
good thing, log onto this website:
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/. You will be directed to
put in the name of the company you are thinking about ordering from and
will be shown a score which is based on number/type of complaints that
company has incurred.
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It is best to have a soil analysis of your garden area to help your plants
prosper and produce. Take several plugs of soil from different areas in
your garden and put into a container. Take it to you County Extension
Office. It will be analyzed for free and you will receive a printout as to
the ph of your soil with recommendations.
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Before you plant in a new clay pot be sure and "season" it. You need to put
it in a bucket or tub of water for about 24 hours during which it will
absorb water and become "seasoned". Then when you plant in it, it will not
suck all the moisture from the plant when you water the plant.
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"Gardening in the Ozarks" is brought
to you by:
Annette's Flowers
Clark Office Products
Moranz Lawn & Garden
North Arkansas Fence & Patio
Twin Lakes Farm & Lawn
