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Bellville, Texas 77418

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Garden Tips:  Success with Seeding Perennials

7/28/2015

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We've talked about why it's beneficial to grow perennials, and this week we have some tips to help you grow the best perennial garden!

To get started:


  • Sow perennials that do not need stratification 8 to 10 weeks before your average first fall frost. This allows time for the seed to germinate, and plants to establish a root system large enough to survive the winter.
  • Sow perennials that need stratification after a hard, killing fall frost. This ensures that they will not sprout until the following spring.
  • Mark the spot. Label the area of sown seeds with garden stakes.
  • In a dry winter be sure to water late summer and fall-sown perennial seeds and seedlings just as you do your trees.
Check your Botanical Interests seed packet for specific instructions on stratification!

 

Two new perennial new varieties we carry from Botanical Interests:
Indian Summer Rudbeckia
Perennial. These radiant, yellow, single and semi-double flowers with dark chocolate centers hold their heads up high without the need for staking. You'll enjoy their glorious beauty as they seduce butterflies with promises of nectar, and provide seeds for birds in winter. A long-lasting cut flower with a long bloom period. Perennial in USDA zones 4 to 9, but usually treated as an annual
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Provence Blue Lavender
Perennial. Provence Blue lavender has lovely deep blue spikes atop silver foliage. It is an improved "true lavender" type like those grown in southern France. Grow it in borders, rock gardens, large containers, or where you'll most enjoy its intense fragrance as it blooms. Harvest its flowers for dried arrangements and crafts to enjoy throughout the year. Easy to grow, drought tolerant, and attractive to bees and butterflies.
Perennial in USDA zones 5-8.

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by Curtis Jones, Botanical Interests
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Garden Tips: 4 Reasons for Seeding Perennials in the Garden

7/27/2015

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Gardeners know that their gardening efforts will reap the most rewards with perennial plants, since they will continue growing for at least a few years.  Sometimes perennials are planted from transplants purchased in the garden center, but often perennials can be planted from seed in the fall. In nature, perennials flower and produce seed, and then that seed is dispersed usually in summer or fall, germinating either in the fall or the following spring. Below are four reasons you will benefit from sowing perennials in fall. 

  • Hassle-free stratification: Some perennial seeds remain dormant until after they experience the cold temperatures of winter. This need for cold to break a seed's dormancy is called stratification, and it prevents seeds from germinating at the wrong time. Take advantage of nature's process by sowing in the fall, or mimic winter conditions by putting moistened soil/media and seeds in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for 6 week before sowing them.



  • Earlier blooms and larger plants: Perennials live for more than two years and can take several years to get to their mature size. By sowing perennial seeds in the fall, plants will be more mature the following spring, allowing many types to flower their first growing season. 
 

  • Carefree moisture management: Most regions have winter rain and/or snow, providing essential moisture at a time when most of us don't think to water. Cool weather also reduces the need to water as frequently.
 

  • Control weeds with ease: Cool weather slows weed germination and growth, making your nicely prepped and planted garden area easier to maintain.

Great perennial varieties for planting from seed in the fall:

Butterfly Flower, Milkweed - several varieties
Echinacea, Purple Coneflower
Gaillardia, Purple Goblin
Lavender
Penstemon, Palmers
Rudbeckia, Indian Summer

*Don't forget Texas Bluebonnets - although they are technically biennials and not perennials, bluebonnet seeds need to be planted in the fall for blooming in the spring.
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Stay tuned for our next post about how to plant perennials from seed!

- Curtis Jones, Botanical Interests
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Product Spotlight:  MSM Turf for Controlling Bahia Grass

7/27/2015

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Bahia grass - as a landowner, you'll either love it or you'll hate it.   While Bahia grass has a few good qualities (vigorous growth, erosion control, tolerates various soil types, crowds out weeds), it is almost always unwelcome in the yard and often disliked in the pasture setting.

In the yard, the tall seed stalks, easily recognized by the  V-shaped 2-3" black seed heads on top of a 2' stem, pop up just a few days after mowing.  To make matters worse, the stems are so tough that they will dull a lawnmower blade and reduce your mower's efficiency.  Even without considering the unsightliness of the seed heads, the rhizomes and lower leaves of Bahia presents a less desirable texture and feel in a lawn setting.  It is important to note that while it can be well restrained, complete and permanent eradication of Bahiagrass is not possible.  This is due to the sheer number of seeds that remain viable in the soil for years, and the tenacity of the Bahiagrass root system.

In livestock grazing pastures, the stalks mature quickly, thereby offering a lower nutritive value and palatability than common and improved Bermuda grasses.  The key differences between Bermuda grass and Bahia grass in pasture are illustrated in the photo below.  This is a Kenney-area beef cattle pasture in August 2014. The left section was sprayed with MSM Turf herbicide earlier in the growing season, which very effectively killed out the Bahia grass.  The right side is where the land manager did not spray MSM Turf.  You can see that the healthy stand of Bahia grass on the right has crowded out most of the weeds, whereas on the left the Bermuda has allowed a few wooly croton(aka goat weed) and others to pop up.  However, as you can tell by the color and height, the Bahia section is more mature and less nutritive, while the Bermuda side is more lush and preferred by the cattle.   Taking all of this into account, one could certainly make a reasonable argument for or against Bahia in the pasture setting.

Ready to rid yourself, or your grass at least, of Bahia? For small lawn applications, we have Martin's Top Shot, with the same active ingredient as MSM Turf, in a (2)1.8 ml blister pack which mixes with up to 2 gallons of water to cover 5,000 sq. ft. for under $10.   We have QualPro's MSM Turf available in 2 oz (covers 4-8 acres) and 8 oz (covers 16-32 acres), when used at a rate of .25-.5 oz per acre.  If you'd like a herbicide which will have more residual control, we would recommend a product such as Dow's Chaparral. None of these herbicides require a license for purchase.  With these or any other herbicide, for best results use a good quality surfactant to ensure best leaf absorbency.  For more information on Bahiagrass, pasture management and lawn care, visit the sites below and come see us!

-CK

Clemson Cooperative Extension: Bahiagrass
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/weeds/hgic2316.html

Smith County Agrilife: East Texas' Love/Hate Relationship with Bahiagrass
http://agrilife.org/smithcountyagriculture/2012/04/23/east-texas-lovehate-relationship-with-bahiagrass/

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Photo: CK
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Product Trial:  YETI Rambler 20 oz Cup

7/27/2015

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YETI Rambler vs. Insulated Travel Mug

Ten pieces of ice, plus water, were added to these cups at 7 AM.  The cups were kept in our store, about 75 degrees, with lids on.  The insulated cup was completely melted by 12 PM, but the YETI Rambler still had about 10-15% of its ice at 4 PM.
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YETI Rambler vs. Tervis Water Bottle

Twelve pieces of ice, plus water, were added to these cups at 7 AM.  The Tervis held ice much better than the insulated mug in the previous trial, but had completely melted by 1 PM.  The YETI not only kept the ice for the whole work day, but also had one tiny piece of ice at 6 PM after sitting in my hot car for 1.5 hrs!  That's keeping ice for 11 hours, plus exposure to extreme heat!
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Wildlife Weekend 2015

7/9/2015

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SAVE THE DATE
for our annual Wildlife Weekend Extravaganza!

FRIDAY & SATURDAY
AUGUST 21 - 22, 2015


Enter to win a Boss Fiberglass Deer Blind
by purchasing your Texas hunting license from Linseisen's
between August 15 and 31

Tons of other items on sale FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Deer Corn - YETI - Feeder Batteries - Deer Food Plot Seed & More

Q & A SESSION on Success with Food Plots for Deer
By Dr. David Bode, on Saturday 8/22 from 9-12
Come and go consultations on seed planting for deer forage

Follow us on Facebook for updates and sale prices in mid August!https://www.facebook.com/linseisensfeed
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