Oooooo, thanks, Allwild . digger
What are you still waiting on to come back?
Crowelli - (Nutgrass)
Image may not be the best solution according to the Dirt Doctor article below. Sedehammer and/or Manage appear to be a better chemical solution. Some ornamentals are tolerant like your hardier shrub types. Image is a broadbased spray designed to be watered in and absorbed by the roots.
Sedgehammer might be a better choice for spraying the individual sedges. Says it acts as a surfacant and/or for broad soil application. My very determined brother used an eye dropper with Roundup last summer, just not sure how successful his attempt was.
Sedgehammer link
http://www.gowanco.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=76
You could try the organic route using sugar or corn meal gluten first, then resort to the chemicals. Howard Garrett says there is no good solution as yet. He advises dried molasses as a possible suggestion.
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/1918/
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/65/
I had read about the molasses being good to eliminate the nutsedge. I sprayed early this year (recommended temps below 70). I sprayed the lawn and all the flower beds, both soil and plants, and the nutsedge seems to really like it because I have a bumper crop of it coming up. Maybe somebody will eventually come up with something that works other than the manual dig it out method. My back's just not up to that any longer.
Thanks for the info. I appreciate the links.
Crow
Wild, I don't know if the obedient plant is native but it can be disobedient in where it spreads. I started last year with 2 plants in my back flower bed and I have about 20 babies this year! In the front bed, I also started with 2 plants and have TONS!!
Oh okay Stephanie! ( the gal who gave me the seeds to grow! ^_^) So I should put it somewhere that it can spread at it's own will and not bother me! lol
Because I have the same thing going on with Lindenleaf sage, salvia tiliifolia - I grew from seed last year in a small area of the garden and now I see it springing up all over! It's naturalized here in Tx.
In addition to Image, I have tried Round-up, horticultural vinegar (full strength!), corn gluten, molasses, and hand-pulling on the nutsedge. All of those things will knock it back, but they don't seem to get to the "nuts." I once saw Howard say the only solution was TNT. I heard about a guy who gave up and covered an area with concrete. After 10 years they took the concrete out and it came back.
Crow, mine is in my beds too. Used to have it in the lawn as well, and probably still do have some, but not so's you'd notice.
Chuck, we have similar problems to yours: the big oak tree. We also started out with a lot that had been scraped so had no topsoil. We had the white adobe hardpan. To make it all worse, it's on a slope. And now my neighbor's Bradford pear has grown into a giant mushroom that shades us into darkness. We started out chemical, and that didn't help. After we went organic, we spent years breaking our backs improving the soil, but it would all wash away. After 20 years, we finally have a little one-inch layer of "topsoil" out there. The St Aug actually grows in all but the worst places. That's because we finally found a really great fertilizer. It's called Texas Tee; it's organic and it's the best stuff we've ever used. We also use corn gluten as a pre-emergent, and if I'm feeling energetic I might spray it once or twice with one of my seaweed/alfalfa concoctions. But it doesn't really seem to need it. Texas Tee seems to be enough.
It's true that supplementing with chemicals will certainly help in most cases. I grow my dad's roses organically, and he comes along behind me and adds Miracle Gro. LOL. Most gorgeous roses you've ever seen.
I have decided I like nutsedge, its nice and green and easy to grow (kidding of course). I pull it up as part of my most hated garden chore but like you say it never goes away. I did go postal on one bed and dug down to find the little bulb-like part of the nutsedge but that is not practical at all. Too bad it doesn't have any nice flowers.
C
I was out walking the yard today and noticed more stuff coming back that I had given up for lost. Almost everything has come back except for my kidneywood (still have a little hope!), a few chile petins (also have some hope), and an esperanza and a firebush in a pot. The esperanza and firebush have come back for the past 5 years or so, but this extra cold winter may have finally did them in. I am amazed at some of the plants that survived that winter, like bat face cuphea.
My batface also survived, although I did help it by covering it with a pot when it got cold. Did you cover yours?
I did cover it with a pot when the temperature was down in the 20's.
Mine died. No protection...I couldn't cover everything in my yard and I figured it wouldn't survive anyway. The shrimp plant is coming back from the roots. I had thought my lemon grass was coming back...turns out a passionflower vine came up in the middle of the clump! Bamboo grass is growing from the roots also.
Good to know the batface can take some lower temps. I was covering it when it went below 40. My shrimp plant and lemon grass are gone too.You're right about not being able to cover everything. I forgot completely about the barbadoes cherry, and it looks quite dead. Don't you have to be careful of those impostors!
I'm a bit warmer than y'all, but my batface, esperanza and shrimp plants are coming back and they had no protection at all. Go figure, they made it and the hibiscus died. My firebush had been in several years, but it didn't make it. My coral vine is coming back gangbusters and the Turk's cap is going nuts. None of these had any protection at all. I knew it was going to be cold enough here for long enough that covering them wouldn't add much to their chances, so I didn't cover anything.
Crow
Crow, I'm with you. I didn't give any of my plants much protection at all. I did drag in a few potted plants, but everything in the ground was left to fend for itself. I left my Cashmere Bouquet plant out hoping it would die, but it came back, too! LOL
I've been wondering if my giant EE are goners or not. This was our first winter to have them in the ground, and I'm concerned it was just too harsh a winter for them to survive. Should I be seeing life from them yet, or are they later to come up?
I had mine in pots and I think I lost a lot of them but some are coming back from mushy bulbs.. seems the deeper part didnt freeze and its coming back from there Dont give up yet!
Most everything has come back, but I'm still waiting on a Dwarf Pomegranate and a Mexican Firebush. The Firebush is usually a "late sleeper" so I'm not concerned about it. But the Pom. has survived the past 5 winters in a pot just fine. I planted it last spring and am still seeing no signs of life.
Carla
My Esperanza is starting to come back. My plumbago is history, I think. My EE are just starting to come back but my alocasia portadora is toes up, I think.
Your EE's will come up later, they are often late to start. Probably won't see much life this year till mid to late May due to the severity of the freeze. Mine are showing no signs of life yet either.
The tops do freeze if left in the ground, which means you'll have some mother bulbs with lots of offsets.
And, chances are that anything in pots left outside this past winter in the DFW area are toast since it go so cold it likely would freeze the roots.
One of my Esperanzas is coming back as well.
I'm still waiting on the esperanza....
Glad to hear I shouldn't give up on the EE's yet. I'll cross my fingers that I'll start to see growth over the next month or so.
Carla, my dwarf pom is often slow to leaf out. This year it's already fully leafed. But it does still seem early.
On a brighter note, I did find a tiny sprig of the root beer plant coming up. Still no sign of life from the firespike or senna.
I looked closely last night and the Dwarf Pom is dead to the ground, but putting up new growth from the roots. Initially I was going to yank it out, but now I think I will just be patient and let it grow back.
My Orange Esperanza is showing new growth, and all 3 of my Lantanas are finally up.
And the Western Kingbirds have returned. Spring has sprung. :-)
Carla
I had a couple of sennas in back that came back, but the larger senna in front didn't. All the same native senna. No sign of the Fairy Duster in the front...too bad!
This message was edited Apr 15, 2010 9:45 AM
I wouldnt't give up on the D Poma. just yet. I have one that's been in the ground at least 5 years, and it started growth from the roots, but as of yesterday, it has some leaves near the top. It has been really slow this year.
Don't give up on the plumbagos yet. Mine are just starting to poke through the mulch and I had thought they were goners for sure. Ditto for the esperanzas and the duranta. It seems a lot of tings are just slow to sprout this year. I also have the first tiny tomatoes showing up.
.
I have 2 tiny leaves coming out from my plumbagos but a few more of my EE in pots that I thought had died are showing new growth..patience everyone patience.. everything is taking longer and we just arent used to it..
I'm so excited because my El Paio has come up. Yahhhh. I only think my portadora is dead cause it's mush.
I'll wait on the plumbago. The Bouganvillas were dead when I dug them up.
I am trying the plumbago one more time. Where do you have yours planted? I have tried it several places.
WOW... a lot of info.. thanks everyone. I almost gave up on my Esperanza, but you all have given me hope.
I lost a few things too.. like an IXORA, a Golden Dew Drop, a cigar plant ( one of my fav's!) Only, maybe there is hope on that too. I am surprised I lost 2 lantanas.. I hope they still come up though as there are two others that have returned..it's funny as I have two in the garden & two in containers & one of each has not come up!
To StephanieTx & pbtxlady.. the milkweed is slow to come, yes to Stephanie, that is milkweed!!! YAHHHH...the butterflies will be happy!
Newton..don't quite give up on your Butterfly bush.. it's slow to get started but once it does it will just GROW!
I don't have a shed or garage so all the containers I couldn't lift to bring inside got covered with frost cloth..all but one survived..that was the Ixora. However, I had taken the
Golden Dew drop inside & it hasn't come back.
Peony... I have never heard of a morning glory tree.. as I know of monring glories as a vine plant... interesting.
Allwild... I have two new blueberry bushes ( that are tiny hahahaa) & both are the same type..is it true they take 3 yrs (at least) before any fruit is on them? Should I have bought one of one type & one of another?? I am new to this as I was told blueberries couldn't be grown in Texas...then I see them in stores & nurseries!!
we have a huge blue berry farm not far from me I got about an ice chest full in my freezer cause my neighbors son worked there last summer..Yummy!!!.... it just depends on the soil and where you are at if your BBs will do well or not..
Its not a butterfly bush its a yellow milkweed and it was small when planted last fall. I am just glad everything else is finally showing signs of life.
C
Cindylove, you do need two different types of blueberries to get fruit. Be careful of buying the plants at the box stores, they sometimes have Northern Highbush varieties and we need Southern types. They also need high acid soil.
Crow
Do the ones adapted to our climate not need acidic soil too? Never tried to grow them here so I don't really know.
C
Yes, blueberries in areas of alkaline soil and water are difficult. Then if you do it at all, should be grown in large containers with potting soil or peaty mix and keep acidifying in some way.
Cindylove, like crowellli said, they need to be two different types to fruit. What I was told when I got the plants is that they need to grow the first three years so, it is better to remove the blooms. That way the bushes can put their energy into growing. My bushes are three years old but I let it fruit last year & wish I had taken the blooms off like I was supposed to! The berries were so few that it wasn't worth it anyway!! This year I took the blooms off! I think they already grew taller!! hahahaha We'll see how next year goes.
I noticed that many of the leaves on the beautyberry bushes and the elderberry tree look kinda strange... must have been all that snow we got? They are just now leafing out along with the hickory trees.
I saw a couple of P. incarnata vines emerging today.
I think the only real improvement is that some varieites will tolerate the heat here better than the ones grown up north. Plants that like acidic soil needs lots of TLC and attention to their growing medium. I would (and might myself) grow them in large containers in pure canadian peat. I think having blueberries would be worth the excessive trouble to grow them. I suspect the water they get needs to be less alkaline also.
Cheryl
I do have them in containers... what is an acidic that I could add? One of these bb is very tiny..hardly growing..but then it was one that I couldn't bring inside when we had the last snowfall in March..I did cover it & thought I had lost it, but it's hanging in there. The other one is on my deck & I could easily pull it inside..it is growing well. No blooms yet...but I do need to add the acid part I am sure.
How do I know the difference between the north type & the south? I kept the sleeve to the bush so I could look it up on the web page. Is there a certain name I should look for?
I want to thank you all for the wonderful advice... I really appreciate it.
It looks like I am going to have to go buy another type though... hope I can get one. lol
peat moss is acidic, especially if you buy Canadian sphagnum peat moss. You can get them in big bales at a lot of places like Lowe's. I would change out their soil.
C