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Chelated Iron A Good Help For Gardeners

The tender warm weather vegetables like peppers, eggplant and tomatoes and bedding plants like tuberous begonias and geraniums can be set out now in areas south of the latitude of Chicago and Cleveland. In areas, farther north wait a week or two. Though these plants could possibly tolerate the cooler temperatures of earlier planting, they would be exposed to severe attack by aphids. By June 1 insect predators will be active and will have substantially reduced the aphid population. Aphids are particularly menacing to tomatoes, to which they transmit a virus disease.

The chelated iron compounds are a blessing to Midwestern gardeners. In our section the alkaline soil locks up any available iron so readily that it is hard to maintain good green color in leaves without adding supplements of this element. If the foliage of your roses, apple and oak trees and lupines is pale, add some chelated iron to the soil.

In the Midwest, lupines present a special problem; they need both calcium and iron, which are antagonistic. If the soil is low in calcium, gypsum can be used to supply this element since it is neutral in reaction and does not lock up the iron as lime does.

Delayed nitrogen burn, a condition caused by consistent use of organic fertilizers rather than chemical plant foods on the lawn may show up about mid June. This condition is caused by the large amount of nitrogen released by the bacteria which become active in hot weather. If the lawn turns yellow suddenly during the latter half of June, flush out the excess free nitrogen from the soil. Lawns fed entirely with chemical fertilizers need a second application on June and another on July 1, if good summer growth is desired. .

Any newly-planted roses that have not yet started into growth should be dug up and thrown away. Replace them with pot grown plants. If your garden has been hit before by black spot, it should be sprayed regularly from mid-June on.

After the tulips fade, you will have to decide whether or not you want to dig them up. If the bulbs are planted deep enough to allow cultivation and seeding or planting over them, and if the soil temperature wont go too high, the bulbs are better left in; A ground cover of low, shallow-rooted annuals (such as petunias, which are ideal) will shade the ground and keep the tulip bulbs cool.

Though winter is months away, the vegetables that you will eat then must be planted during June. These include carrots and beets for storage, cabbage and broccoli seeded directly in the garden for late fall crops for late fall and early winter salads. The escarolle need not be seeded until some time next month.

It is a strong temptation to neglect regular control of pests after their first heavy invasion in late spring. But regular spraying from now on is necessary to control serious pests which attack during the summer heat. One easy control measure is to apply a good thorough application of Malathion to the landscape garden, this treatment can do wonders to keep pests under control.

When iris and peonies fade, resist the impulse to cut them back. Peonies need their foliage until early September. The iris can be cut back in mid-July if their foliage is unsightly, but any new leaves which are produced should not be touched.

When the lilacs finish blooming, be sure to cut off the faded heads just below the lowest florets. Dont cut into the old wood on which this years blooms were produced, for next years dormant buds have already formed by this time.

Lilacs, used in spring lilac potpourri recipes, that have grown out of bounds can be renewed now. The best method is to remove one-third of the old, heavy branches, lopping them off within 6 inches of the soil. Next year cut out one-third of the remaining old wood, and the following year cut out the balance. If this technique is followed, your old lilac plants can become potential sources of ingredients for a homemade lilac potpourri recipe.

Evergreens can be shaped now. With a sharp knife or pruning shear cut off half of the new growth on each twig. This will force the growth of two buds where only one would have formed.