Question: I have a nice asparagus plant that I want to move to a different spot. It’s been a nice plant, so I don’t want to just throw it out. What is the best way to move it?
This is the wrong time of year to move any actively growing plant; it’s just too hot and dry. The best time to move most plants is in the late fall or early spring. For asparagus, the best time would be in mid-spring, but if you don’t have to move it right now it would be better to wait.
Even with ideal conditions, you’ll want to think twice before trying to move an established asparagus planting. Here are some things to consider:
• If your asparagus is more than a few years old it could be one of the older, less productive varieties. Instead of moving the plants, you could start a new planting with one of the newer, more productive varieties that have some disease resistance.
• Diseases can build up in plants and soil year after year wherever there are perennial fruits and vegetables. The older the planting, the more likely this is to happen. If you move your asparagus, you’ll also be moving the pest and disease problems along with the plants. Starting over with new, disease-free plants in the new location will give you a fresh, clean asparagus patch.
• Digging up established asparagus plants can be very difficult for the gardener and damaging to the asparagus crowns. The odds are against you getting a good piece of the crown with enough healthy roots.
• Even if you do manage to dig up nice healthy pieces of the crowns with enough undamaged roots, you’ll basically be starting over when you replant the crown; your plants will take several years to become productive again. If you’re going to start over, why not start fresh with new, more productive, disease-resistant plants?
Since you could try to move your asparagus, but you’re unlikely to be successful, why not use the rest of the season to prepare for a new asparagus bed next year? You can even enjoy another harvest from your old plants next spring while you’re getting your new asparagus crowns planted.
Locate a new sunny spot for your asparagus bed. It’s a long-lived perennial, so choose a place with plenty of room for it to grow undisturbed for years and years. Your new asparagus bed should be in a place where it can be watered separately from the rest of your garden and landscape.
Be aggressive with weed control this year where you’ve decided to start your new asparagus bed, especially if there are weeds like grass or bindweed. The area needs to be weed-free. Also take advantage of this time to get a soil test and add any of the recommended amendments, including organic matter worked into the upper foot or so of the soil. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be ready to plant in the spring.
This winter will be the perfect time to learn about some of the newer asparagus varieties and decide which variety will be the best for your asparagus bed. The newer all-male varieties, like those in the Jersey series are more vigorous, productive and disease-resistant than the older traditional varieties, so you’ll want to take a look at those.
Question: I have a weed growing that is rapidly taking over my lawn. It looks like a red clover with tiny yellow blossoms. How do I get rid of it?
Your description sounds like you could be dealing with Oxalis, a common perennial weed. Take a look at today’s photos and see if they match what you’re seeing in your lawn.
Oxalis, also called Woodsorrel, is a creeping, low growing plant. Its leaves have three small leaflets that are shaped a little like clover. The leaves are most often some shade of green to purplish-red, and the flowers are small and bright yellow in color. Once the seedpods are mature, they open with nearly explosive force when touched and can throw their sticky seeds up to 10 feet away. The seeds can stick to shoes, mower wheels, hoses, etc., helping the plants spread even farther. Germination can happen wherever there is enough sunlight and moisture.
Since this weed reproduces by seed a pre-emergent herbicide can help. When Oxalis shows up in shrub beds and gardens where it isn’t mixed in closely with other plants it can be controlled by hand-pulling (top and roots) or careful spraying with glyphosate. It’s important to remove as much as possible before it blooms and sets seed.
When Oxalis shows up in lawns, glyphosate isn’t a good option. You’ll need to look for a lawn weed control product that is safe for lawns and includes Oxalis in its list of controlled weeds.
Good lawn care can help you with Oxalis control. Water deeply, but not frequently, mow tall to shade out the seeds, and fertilize as needed to maintain a nice, thick lawn. This will make it harder for Oxalis and other weeds to get a foothold.
July 13, 2020 at 01:30AM
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Garden Help Desk: Best time to move asparagus is mid-spring - Daily Herald
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