CROSS TIMBERS HORTICULTURE A newsletter for Texas Agricultural Extension District 8 and parts of 3, 4 and 7!
Nancy Roe, Extension Horticulture Specialist
WHAT TO PLANT IN JANUARY (modify for your location if necessary)
VEGETABLES
Does anybody else have any results from variety trials with seeds I sent to you last year? I only received reports from 2 of the 7 agents who received seed. Even if all the plants died, will you still let me know what happened?Top yielding varieties from the watermelon variety trials conducted by Dr. Worthington and his crew here at Stephenville last summer:
Total yield % fruit HYBRID (lbs/A) over 30 lbs 20-29 lbs Big Stripe 107,102 42.8 36.9 Summer Flavor 96,739 4.8 50.9 Fiesta 92,536 11.6 37.3 Sultan 91,014 23.7 44.3 Summer Gold 87,609 6.8 65.3 All Sweet (check) 23,261 0 40.0 SEEDLESS Millionaire 89,348 0 5.9 Ssupersweet 5444 89, 130 0 28.1 Ssupersweet 5244 65, 217 0 39.3 Gem Dandy 64,058 0 27.2 Pretty impressive yields, aren't they? This is an example of what you can do with plastic mulch, drip irrigation, and intensive management (correct fertilization, regular fungicide applications, scouting for insects and treating as needed, etc.). I really wouldn't expect to get these yields in commercial situations, but there is no reason we shouldn't be averaging 25-30,000 lbs/A in the good watermelon producing areas. Growers and agents who would like to learn more about these techniques, and get a full report of last year's melon research here, should attend the Central Texas Vegetable Shortcourse in De Leon on Jan. 18. Call Bob Whitney to register. Also, if you would like to have all the results of these variety trials, let me know and I will FAX or send them to you.
PECANS
We had about 400 entries in the Regional Pecan Show this year. The results and ribbons were sent out before Christmas, so all who had entries from your counties should have received them by now. I want to thank you all for your cooperation and help-this was the first year for Heidi and I to do the show, and we did have some rough spots-but we feel like we are ready to handle it next year. We'll be putting out some new guidelines on how entries should be sent and marked.
FRUIT
It's time to plant bareroot fruit trees. This is usually the least expensive, and, I think, the easiest way to plant fruit trees. It is often a little scary to homeowners who have never tried it, but commercial growers have been doing it for years. There's no reason why success rates should not be near 100%, if a few rules are followed:PROTECT roots from drying out or freezing. They should be wrapped in some moisture retaining material, and, if the trees are to be kept for more than a day or two, they should be "heeled in" (roots temporarily buried in the ground). This also means buying from a nursery or grower who is conscientious about protecting the trees before you buy them. PLANT correctly. Cut off any broken roots. I've never bothered to do this, but, you may set the roots in a bucket of water for about an hour before planting. (Not longer-roots are not adapted to anaerobic conditions!) Dig the hole only as deep as the root system-the tree should be at the same level it was grown in the nursery. This usually means that the bud union (graft) is 1-2" above the soil line. People from the north sometimes want to plant this graft under the soil line, a common practice in areas with long periods of sub-freezing weather. That is not a problem for us. PRUNE trees at planting. These means basically cutting the tree in half. Yes, I know there is some controversy in the industry about this-researchers in other areas have sometimes shown equal success without this pruning. However, it works too well here to change our recommendations on this. Also, it give us the chance to begin to form the basic branch structure that we desire on fruit trees.
HOME LAWN AND GARDEN TIPS
Lawns, shrubs, and trees should be watered during dry periods. Of course, that varies with soil type and region, but in most areas, during the short days of winter, that means at least 10 days without rain.Cut off dead tops of perennial flowers, and put them in the compost pile. Most will come back from the roots or crown in the spring. I like to mound leaves over the crowns. They may tend to stay dormant a little longer, but that is not necessarily bad.
In extreme cold, even hardy plants like strawberries, pansies, and kale may need some protection. Straw, hay or leaves work well. The row cover materials are also excellent-they can be laid directly on the plants, are reusable, give several degrees of cold protection, and are not harmful if left on for a couple days. These are white woven materials. Brands are Reemay, Grow-Web, and others. They are sometimes hard to find, but can be ordered from most gardening catalogs. If people start asking for them, more nurseries will carry them. Be sure to make it clear to people that plastic is NOT a good covering material for plants.
STEPHENVILLE REC HORTICULTURE NEWS
The grower who donated the strawberry plants for our demonstration here recommended covering them when the temperature is going below 15. We were lucky that it didn't stay cold very long on the night that it went to 14 here, because we didn't cover them. However, we have row cover ready for the next time.This month I'll be seeding asparagus varieties in the greenhouse. If you have a grower who would like to try some of these, it's not too late to let me know.
NEWS FOR YOU AND YOUR COMMERCIAL GROWERS