Dig This!

Iris need to be divided before they become overcrowded and bloom starts declining. Some varieties may crowd out others and disease problems will be aggravated.   In the Midwest the best time to divide the clumps is 6 weeks after spring bloom or generally in July and August.   The iris have now set the bloom for next spring and have reached a dormant stage. The new roots must also have time to get established before the ground freezes.   If the weather is very hot and dry, you might want to wait until Sept. when the temperatures are cooler.   If ordering new iris and they arrive on a hot day in July, just plant them in a pot with garden soil and replant in the garden after the weather cools. Clumps may be divided by removing older rhizomes from the center and leaving new growth or by digging the whole clump and replanting the largest and healthiest rhizomes. It’s nice to have 3 new divisions to start again by planting them in a triangle with the narrow e...

Some gardeners would like to harvest apples early.   Though nearly mature apples can ripen off the tree, there must be a certain level of maturity for this to happen. Here are some guides to help you decide when to pick your apples. Color change :   As apples mature, the skin color in areas of the stem and the calyx basin at the bottom of the apple turns from an immature green to alight-yellow color. Some apples will develop a red skin color before they are ripe, so this is not a reliable indication of maturity. Flavor:   This is a good guide if you are familiar with the apples you have and know how can still sample slices of a few apples and decide if they have a sweet flavor. If they are not ready to harvest, they will taste starchy or immature. If apples have already fallen and taste a bit starchy, store them for a period to see if they become sweeter. Flesh color:   As apples mature and starches change to sugars, the flesh changes from very light gr...