You still have time to place an order for native plants. The deadline is September 11thto preorder. Pickup will be September 18 from 9AM-6PM at the Alexander County Service Center. If you have any questions please conteact Cari at 828-632-4451.
Are you planning to buy mums this fall??…. I mean why not, they are gorgeous!! They add so much color to your front porch decorations and they are perennial so you could "potentially" plant them around the house for next year… right?? Chrysanthemums or ‘mums’ can be perennial in our area if we don’t have a really harsh winter. The best recommendation for keeping perennial mums, however, is to buy and plant small mum cuttings/seedlings in the spring. This way they have all spring to develop a strong root system for summer and into fall. You would also need to "pinch" your plants in the spring/summer to keep the plant growing vegetatively and not reproductively (producing flowers). You can try to overwinter fall mums, but first they must make it past the fall and even after that there are no guarantees. A lot of people "kill" their mums before fall is even over by not watering them, overwatering them, or buying a stressed plant in the first place. Click on the link below for some pointers to help you take care of your annual mums (just for the season) and your "potential" perennial mums!
Month-by-month lists of common plant diseases, pests, and other problems you may encounter in North Carolina yards and gardens. Straight from our PDIC (Plant Disease & Insect Clinic) entomologists and pathologists!
Soil Testing - Free until December! November is the last opportunity to submit soil samples to be processed free of charge. December-March there will be a $4.00 per sample fee added. Below are some helpful links and information to help you collect these samples. Importance of Soil Testing: https://bit.ly/3EBpE64 Find & View Your Soil Test Report: https://bit.ly/3w4VB3q
Blackberry Pruning 101
Now that our blackberries are done producing fruit, it is time to trim out the canes that produced this year (called the floricanes) to make room for the canes that will produce next season (called the primocanes)!
Pruning blackberries is almost as easy as pruning blueberries. A few key things to remember:
Most blackberries produce on two-year-old canes
Prune all floricanes out after harvesting is complete
Prune lateral branches on primocanes (next season’s floricanes) to 12-18 inches in late winter (February)
Tip upcoming primocanes in early summer to around chest height (this encourages lateral branching, sturdier stems, and manageable picking height)
You can do this by simply pinching the top buds of the primocane with your fingers
NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.
