Garden Plot
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Mike McGrath
WTOP's Garden Editor Mike McGrath is:
* Host of the nationally syndicated Public Radio show, You Bet Your Garden
* Contributing Editor and columnist for Greenprints magazine
* Former Editor-in-Chief of ORGANIC GARDENING magazine
* Author of books on Tomatoes, Compost, Seed saving and Kitchen Gardening
* Mike makes several appearances around town. Click for more.
* Do you have a question for Mike? Email him at mikemcg@ptd.net. (Please include your name, location and the topic in the subject line)
Lawn grubs of spring now beetles of summer
Beneficial nematodes are the safe and effective grub control of choice.
Garden Plot: More tips on grass and garlic
Unless you plant the starter plugs densely, zoysia typically takes a couple seasons to fully establish, while Bermuda starts (or seed) planted in the Spring will fully cover the intended area edge to edge by the end of summer.
The time has come to make peace with Bermuda grass
As the weather warms up, the Bermuda in your lawn (which isn't killed by herbicides like Roundup which only kills frogs and toads) gets stronger, while cool-season turfs like fescue and bluegrass get weaker. Like it or not, your lawn will probably be all Bermuda by late August.
The best mulch and where to get pine staw
Jim in D.C. writes: "I know you're a fan of using an inch of compost to mulch tomato plants, ,ut how about zukes, cukes, peppers and eggplant? What's the best mulch for them?"
Keep ticks at bay and mature tomato plants healthy ... here's how
Alan in Fairfax writes: "I read your suggestion on adding the crushed shells of a dozen eggs to each hole when planting tomatoes to prevent blossom end rot later in the season, but my plants are already in the ground. Is there another good source of calcium I can use?"
Garden Plot: The right roses and other Mother's Day tips
Bobby in Fairfax writes, "Mother's Day is right around the corner, and my wife saw a beautiful rose bush growing outside a home in Annapolis we'd like to be able to present as a Mother's Day gift. The flowers were multiple colors: red, pink and white. Please help me with the name and where I can find this particular rose."
Garden Plot: Timing your tomatoes - and other tomato tips
If you live in the District or in one of the region's more southern suburbs, tomato planting time can pretty much be here if you want as your ten-day forecast shows the nighttime temperatures staying reliably in the 60s and high-50s.
Changing temperatures and tomato plants
Mike McGrath, WTOP garden editor
Dandelions, the redux and aphids
Oscar in Bethesda writes: "I have a plant outside that is currently covered with small black insects. Will they damage the plant? Could you please let me know what they are and how I should deal with them?"
Dandelions, hydrangeas and tomatoes
Jan in Annapolis writes: "I have more dandelions in my lawn than anyone else in the neighborhood. They're using treatments that I'm sure aren't good for the Bay, and I'm tempted to do the same. Help!"
Moles? Voles? Let's call the whole thing off...
Moles make raised tunnels, especially in lawns, but they don't eat plants. Voles make small holes in the ground and eat lots of plants. And really big holes that plants "disappear down" could be a sign of groundhogs. Identifying the pest is job number one.
The tubes that take out ticks!
Tick Tubes are one of my favorite tick-prevention devices. They're cardboard tubes filled with cotton balls soaked in a pesticide called permethrin that's especially deadly to ticks.
Garlic sprays and taming weeds with flames
The white flowers early in the season are very distinctive, so learn what the plant looks like and pull it slowly out of wet soil right away before those flowers can turn into the explosive seedpods.
Sudden freeze may pose threat for early flowers
You're going to need your winter coat Tuesday morning. Areas to the north and west of D.C. are under a freeze watch. Temperatures could dip into the 20s.
When to seed, fertilize and weed your lawn
Right now is the time to spread corn gluten meal on your lawn to prevent dormant weed seeds like crabgrass from sprouting as you give the turf a nice gentle spring feeding, Mike. But don't delay.
Pre-sprout your peas for good St. Patrick's day luck
Happy peas for St. Pat's! That's right, peas. St. Patrick's Day isn't just for wearing green, it's also the unofficial kickoff to growing some delicious green-green peas.
Tips on getting rid of those stinking stink bugs
All of the stink bugs that snuck inside your house last fall to hibernate are now waking up and coming out of hiding to crawl all over your morning bowl of Lucky Charms. What can you do?
Don't let spring fever lead you astray
WTOP Garden Editor Mike McGrath will appear Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11, at the Fairfax Home Show on the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College.
Timing is everything: Crabgrass and cherry trees
The ideal time to apply corn gluten to prevent crabgrass is generally when the local forsythia blooms, but it is always when the soil temperature reaches 55 degrees, as measured 4 inches down.
Lawn care time is a-comin'
The only safe and sensible time to sow cool season grass seed is mid-August, when the soil is perfectly warm and the next nine months will be nice and cool.
