Large group attends Master Gardener class

Master Gardener Volunteer Mona Kaiser presented to a full room of residents on Feb. 18 at the WSU Extension Office, regarding late winter gardening for a thriving landscape.

The Ritzville Public Library sponsored the afternoon program as the second portion of Master Gardener presentations.

The course followed guidelines on how to prune bushes in late winter for the best chance of success in the spring. Kaiser also provided insight on the best time to plant vegetables, as well as information on lawn care.

Kaiser began the presentation encouraging the group to keep a gardening journal, which will help them track the sun. With a large amount of snow melt this season, Kaiser noted a journal will also allow residents to record what portion of the plants suffered the most from the weather.

For shrub pruning, Kaiser advised shrubs like Red Twig Dogwood, Butterfly Bush, Russian Sage and Caryopteris should be pruned about a foot off the ground. Evergreen Shrubs should also be pruned to retain their natural growth, she added.

First rose pruning should be complete in mid-March, and pruning in this region never should occur in the fall, Kaiser stated.

She explained most roses, except ramblers and climbers, should be pruned after the danger of frost is over.

When pruning, Kaiser explained gardeners should leave the plant in a vase shape and retain three or four young canes. She stated the plants can be pruned down to 12 inches, and all stems should be cut at a 45 degree angle, and never should be cut below a bud.

For a small yard of roses, Kaiser mentioned gardeners can place glue on the cut end of the plant. The glue helps keep bees from nesting inside of the plant.

Kaiser also provided information on pruning Clematis, stating regular pruning improves the growth of the plant.

Clematis grown on the eastside of the state are either Group Two or Group Three plants, Kaiser explained. Both should be pruned in February after the frost is complete.

For a Group Two Clematis, Kaiser said it should be pruned after the first flush of flowers in early summer. She added the plant can be left unpruned, except for dead shoots.

A Group Three Clematis flowers in the mid to late summer, and should be pruned beneath the lowest buds.

For vegetables, Kaiser advised planting warm-loving plants one to two weeks after the continuous frost free days. Frost free dates generally last from early May through mid-October, Kaiser explained.

Frost tolerant vegetables can be planted two or three weeks before average frost free days. The hardier plants can be planted four or five weeks in advance, she stated.

All transplants should be started in a warm sunny area, but not in direct sunlight, Kaiser said.

Tomatoes and peppers should be started indoors. Tomatoes can be planted outside in March while peppers can be planted as early as February.

For more information on vegetable gardening, Kaiser advised using the WSU Vegetable Gardening website, http://gardening.wsu.edu.

Also in the garden, Kaiser stated putting nails beside seeds and starts, such as cantaloupe, will deter cut worms from eating the plant.

In terms of lawn care, Kaiser stated it should be a tough year because of the amount of snow pack this winter.

Dependent on the weather, Kaiser said residents should mow their lawns 0-2 times in the month of March. This is also the time to apply annual grass pre-emergent control, she added.

Kaiser advised residents should not fertilize the lawn until June and at the latest, the first of November.

For residents on the east side of the state, Kaiser recommends using a pre-emergent Crab Grass control product.

Crab Grass typically germinates after the soil temperature has reached a consistent 55 degrees for one week.

The temperature of the soil can be determined by using a soil thermometer, or can be found at http://weather.wsu.edu by following the links to the weather dashboard.

The control product should be put down then, at a soil depth of one-inch, she explained.

Turf Builder, or Weed and Feed, helps control broadleaf weeds and can be applied in May or mid-June, Kaiser said. It can also be applied again in September or October, with proper mowing.

Kaiser stated she hopes to make a return trip to Ritzville in June to host another seminar on gardening.