FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF MAY 31, 1999:
What fertilizer regimen should I maintain for my containers of annual flowers? If I bought a high-quality potting mix, do I still need to add fertilizers during the summer?
If your potting mix includes added fertilizers, your plants should have enough nutrients for eight to 10 weeks, says Gini Donnelly, University of Idaho Advanced Master Gardener. But you’ll still need to add fertilizers at some point during the summer. Container plants are fairly demanding of fertilizers because they’re watered so frequently that nutrients tend to leach rapidly out of the soil.
A time-released 14-14-14 fertilizer will save you time and effort, says Donnelly. You only need to use it once during the season, although it helps to periodically add trace elements through fish emulsion or compost. "If you’re an organic gardener, you can’t beat applying manure tea and fish emulsion on alternate weeks," she says.
Another approach is to use a water-soluble fertilizer once a week, being careful never to apply more than the recommended rate. Container plants are easily burned or killed by too much fertilizer. You can be extra safe and provide even more consistent fertilization by applying half doses twice a week.
The leaves of some of our shade trees are marred by irregular blotches. What’s the problem and what can we do about it?
Yvonne Carree, University of Idaho extension forestry associate, suspects anthracnose, a fungal disease that frequently affects shade trees and deciduous shrubs. Symptoms usually begin at the edges of leaves and move inward along the veins. Plants can also have twig and stem cankers.
While trees and shrubs often tolerate minor anthracnose infections, some may lose their leaves earlier than usual and–with repeated defoliation–can die.
Spores of the anthracnose fungus overwinter in cankers on the tree and on fallen leaf litter and nuts. They’re spread by wind, rain and irrigation systems and are particularly prone to flourishing after warm, wet springs. To substantially decrease spore numbers, you’ll want to rake up leaves and nuts and either burn them or remove them from your property. (Don’t compost them; your compost pile isn’t likely to get hot enough to destroy the spores.) Also adjust your sprinklers so water doesn’t hit the foliage.
Before buds break next spring, prune out affected branches. Sterilize pruning tools between every cut using a 10 percent bleach solution or straight winter-strength windshield wiper fluid. If the infection is persistent and severe, contact your University of Idaho Cooperative Extension educator for chemical control recommendations.
My teenage grandson and I went to the movies the other day and I bought him a cola. I was amazed at how large it was. Have serving sizes increased and are teenagers drinking too much pop?
The answer to both of your questions is yes, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist. In the 1950s, the average serving size was 6.5 ounces; now, it’s 20 ounces or 2.5 cups. Today’s teenage boys drink an average 42 ounces–more than 8 cups–of pop each day, flavored with a total of 35 teaspoons of sugar. With no vitamin or mineral value, that sugar is "empty" calories, Raidl says.
Milk–which would add calcium for strong bones–has swapped places with soda pop in the past two decades. In the 1970s, teenagers drank twice as much milk as soda. Today, they’re drinking twice as much pop as milk.
My kids are in that awkward 13- to 15-year age group–too old for babysitters and too young for summer jobs. My husband and I both work full-time and have very mixed feelings about leaving them to their own devices all day. Should we be concerned?
"I would be," says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho extension family development specialist. "Minors of any age shouldn’t be left alone all summer. Kids needs to know that adults care about what they’re doing."
Shaklee recommends that your teens take on some regular commitments–caring for younger children, mowing the neighbors’ lawns or doing volunteer work. "They need to feel integral with the community, have responsibilities that bring them satisfaction and have opportunities during the day to interact with adults," she says. As alternatives, they can sign up for summer school or for classes and activities at youth centers.
"Having adults around on and off during the day reinforces and inspires positive behavior in teenagers," Shaklee says. "Sure, your child might make it through the summer just being creative and structuring his or her own time, but I think it’s too much of gamble. I’m not sure I would schedule teenagers from 9 to 5, but having nine hours ahead of you every day without anything planned would be a big challenge for anyone–regardless of your age."