WEBVTT 00:01.668 --> 00:03.036 - Hi, thanks for joining us for the Family Plot: 00:03.036 --> 00:04.137 Gardening in The Mid-South. 00:04.137 --> 00:05.506 I'm Chris Cooper. 00:05.506 --> 00:07.774  Peppers are a Summer   garden favorite. 00:07.774 --> 00:10.110  Today we're going to   learn all about them. 00:10.110 --> 00:12.212  Also, there's lots of   advice floating around 00:12.212 --> 00:13.680  about how to plant. 00:13.680 --> 00:15.883  Some is true, a lot is not. 00:15.883 --> 00:18.685  Today we're separating   fact from fiction. 00:18.685 --> 00:20.420  That's just ahead   on The Family Plot: 00:20.420 --> 00:22.656  Gardening in the Mid-South. 00:22.656 --> 00:23.857  - (Female narrator)   Production funding for 00:23.857 --> 00:26.026  The Family Plot:   Gardening in the Mid-South, 00:26.026 --> 00:29.129  is provided by the   WKNO Production Fund, 00:30.330 --> 00:32.366  the WKNO Endowment Fund, 00:32.366 --> 00:34.534  and by viewers like you. 00:34.534 --> 00:35.869  Thank you. 00:35.869 --> 00:39.206 [cheerful guitar music] 00:46.013 --> 00:48.248 - Welcome to The Family Plot, I'm Chris Cooper. 00:48.248 --> 00:49.917 Joining me today is Tom Mashour. 00:49.917 --> 00:52.552 Mr. Tom is an Extension Master Gardener in Tipton County. 00:52.552 --> 00:54.087 And Carol Reese is here. 00:54.087 --> 00:55.856 Miss Carol is an ornamental horticulturist specialist 00:55.856 --> 00:56.957 with UT Extension. 00:56.957 --> 00:58.158 Thanks for joining us. 00:58.158 --> 00:59.726 - Thank you. - Glad to be here. 00:59.726 --> 01:01.762 - Alright, Mr. Tom, we're gonna talk about peppers. 01:01.762 --> 01:03.030 - Love 'em. 01:03.030 --> 01:03.830 - I know you love to talk about peppers. 01:03.830 --> 01:05.032 - Oh, I do. 01:05.032 --> 01:06.266 - So, where do you want to start? 01:06.266 --> 01:07.434 - Well, let's talk about varieties. 01:07.434 --> 01:08.835 - (Chris) Okay, let's do that. 01:08.835 --> 01:12.973 - One catalog has 80 different varieties of peppers. 01:12.973 --> 01:15.809 And that's not all inclusive. 01:15.809 --> 01:18.412 There's a lot more peppers than just that one catalog. 01:18.412 --> 01:20.113 - (Chris) Okay. 01:20.113 --> 01:23.850  - Anywhere from bell peppers   to ornamental peppers 01:23.850 --> 01:26.753  that grows these little,   tiny, little purple peppers. 01:26.753 --> 01:29.723 But ornamental peppers, all peppers are edible. 01:29.723 --> 01:30.958 - Okay. 01:30.958 --> 01:34.294 - Peppers are rated on the Scoville scale, 01:35.462 --> 01:37.664 which rates them by their pungency, 01:37.664 --> 01:39.232 is that the right word? 01:39.232 --> 01:41.835  A bell pepper, no score at all. 01:42.736 --> 01:44.871  You get into your jalapenos, 01:44.871 --> 01:49.376  and on the Scoville scale   they're around 20,000. 01:49.376 --> 01:51.411  You get into the habaneros, 01:51.411 --> 01:55.582  they're anywhere from   250,000 to 450,000. 01:55.582 --> 01:56.550 - (Chris) Ouch! 01:56.550 --> 01:57.851 - You get to the ghost pepper 01:57.851 --> 02:01.588 and it's 1 to 1.1 million. 02:01.588 --> 02:03.523 And then you have to understand that 02:03.523 --> 02:05.659 there's a pepper that's even hotter. 02:05.659 --> 02:09.363 And what makes them hot is the... capsaicin? 02:09.363 --> 02:10.630 - (Chris) Capsaicin. 02:10.630 --> 02:12.332 - Capsaicin, thank you, that's in it. 02:12.332 --> 02:16.003 And pure cap..., one more time. 02:16.003 --> 02:18.405 - Capsaicin? - Thank you. 02:18.405 --> 02:20.073 Is about 15 million. 02:20.941 --> 02:22.776 And a lot of these heat pads, 02:22.776 --> 02:26.747 that's what they have in them to make them hot 02:26.747 --> 02:30.017 so you get that heat from them. 02:30.017 --> 02:34.354 I personally do not like really hot, hot peppers. 02:34.354 --> 02:35.555 - I don't either. 02:35.555 --> 02:39.226 - One of the cute things is right here. 02:39.226 --> 02:42.229 This is called a Fooled You jalapeno pepper. 02:42.229 --> 02:43.497 It looks, grows, 02:43.497 --> 02:45.499 it takes just like a jalapeno, 02:45.499 --> 02:48.135 but it's just as hot as a bell pepper. 02:48.135 --> 02:50.537 So, you get all the flavor but no pain. 02:50.537 --> 02:53.507 And peppers are members of the nightshade family, 02:53.507 --> 02:57.010 which also includes tomatoes, peppers, 02:57.010 --> 02:58.578 tomatoes, potatoes. 03:00.313 --> 03:01.248 - (Carol) Eggplant. 03:01.248 --> 03:02.716 - And eggplant, thank you. 03:02.716 --> 03:04.818 And the unique thing about them is 03:04.818 --> 03:06.486 when they group them together a lot 03:06.486 --> 03:08.655 is due to the flower, 03:08.655 --> 03:13.427 and all of the male and female parts are in each blossom. 03:13.427 --> 03:16.697 So, they're considered wind pollinated. 03:18.131 --> 03:20.834 Allows just a little breeze to shake them up a little bit. 03:20.834 --> 03:21.768 That's all they need. 03:21.768 --> 03:23.370 Matter of fact, in greenhouses 03:23.370 --> 03:25.872 when they grow hothouse tomatoes, 03:25.872 --> 03:27.407 peppers, and stuff like that, 03:27.407 --> 03:29.142 all they really do is every morning 03:29.142 --> 03:31.511 walk through with like bamboo sticks 03:31.511 --> 03:33.080 and just bang them, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, 03:33.080 --> 03:34.314 as they walk down them, 03:34.314 --> 03:36.850 which is enough shaking to cause pollination. 03:36.850 --> 03:38.051 - (Chris) Oh, interesting. 03:38.051 --> 03:40.754 - Which also creates a problem. 03:40.754 --> 03:42.322 One of the problems is, 03:42.322 --> 03:45.158 like I did at my house by mistake and I knew better, 03:45.158 --> 03:48.462 I mean I really did but I screwed up, 03:48.462 --> 03:52.466 and I planted some sweet banana peppers 03:52.466 --> 03:55.268 next to my jalapeno peppers. 03:55.268 --> 03:58.038 Guess what I ended up with. 03:58.038 --> 03:59.673 I ended up with banana peppers 03:59.673 --> 04:03.210 that were actually hotter than the jalapenos. 04:03.210 --> 04:07.380 So, I'll have to give those away with a cautionary note. 04:09.116 --> 04:11.118 Starting peppers though are relatively easy. 04:11.118 --> 04:13.620 One of the problems is, again, 04:15.055 --> 04:19.659 they don't grow anywhere near as fast as tomato plants do 04:19.659 --> 04:22.596 and they take longer to germinate. 04:22.596 --> 04:24.131 So, I usually start my peppers, 04:24.131 --> 04:26.700 I start everything indoors or in the greenhouse, 04:26.700 --> 04:28.768 but I start them approximately a month 04:28.768 --> 04:31.571 before I even think about starting my tomatoes. 04:31.571 --> 04:36.042 And the tomatoes, from the time I start the seeds 04:36.042 --> 04:38.512 to the time they're ready to go in the garden 04:38.512 --> 04:40.247 is less than six weeks. 04:40.247 --> 04:42.816 Peppers, probably about two months 04:42.816 --> 04:44.217 before I put them in the garden, 04:44.217 --> 04:47.921 before they're able to handle the weather like that. 04:47.921 --> 04:50.490 And I also plant them in pairs. 04:51.992 --> 04:56.229 I'll plant two of them about that far apart, 04:56.229 --> 04:59.099 and then a space of 18 inches, 04:59.099 --> 05:00.901  then I plant two more, 05:00.901 --> 05:03.236  and then I plant two more   and two more in pairs. 05:03.236 --> 05:07.607  And the reason for that is   the foliage of one plant 05:07.607 --> 05:11.912 helps protect the peppers of the adjacent plant. 05:11.912 --> 05:14.247 When the sun rises in the east, 05:14.247 --> 05:17.083 and then it reverses on the west side, 05:17.083 --> 05:20.086 and it'll help prevent one problem. 05:20.086 --> 05:22.055 I've still got a little bit of damage from it, 05:22.055 --> 05:25.826 but this right here is sun scalding, 05:25.826 --> 05:28.728 and that's because the pepper got exposed 05:28.728 --> 05:30.931 directly to the sun. 05:30.931 --> 05:33.033 This one here got damaged 05:35.135 --> 05:37.170 because it was touching the ground, 05:37.170 --> 05:41.908 and the little critters that live in the ground got to it. 05:41.908 --> 05:44.377 And of course this is what you're looking for. 05:44.377 --> 05:45.612 - (Chris) Oh yeah, that looks good. 05:45.612 --> 05:47.514 - Exactly, and by the way-- 05:47.514 --> 05:48.348 - Well, tell me this, 05:48.348 --> 05:49.249 are those still edible? 05:49.249 --> 05:51.284 - Yes they are actually. 05:51.284 --> 05:52.919 What you would do, or I would do, 05:52.919 --> 05:55.322 is I would cut out the bad part of it, 05:55.322 --> 05:57.357 in this case the sun scalding, 05:57.357 --> 06:00.427 and then cut it up in pieces, 06:00.427 --> 06:02.963 same thing with this one, cut it up, 06:02.963 --> 06:05.632 and then put them in one of those self sealing bags, 06:05.632 --> 06:09.035 squeeze the air out of it and zip it closed, 06:09.035 --> 06:11.404 and by reducing the amount of air in there 06:11.404 --> 06:13.306 they just seem to last longer. 06:13.306 --> 06:16.376 They need, like most vegetables, 06:16.376 --> 06:18.945 at least six hours of daylight. 06:20.413 --> 06:24.150 You need to stake them with bamboo sticks or something, 06:24.150 --> 06:26.019 because when it gets heavy, 06:26.019 --> 06:29.823 it hopefully will get heavy with peppers, 06:29.823 --> 06:31.658 the plants are kind of brittle. 06:31.658 --> 06:35.929 If you get three or four peppers on a stem, it'll break off. 06:35.929 --> 06:37.897 - And I've see people use cages. 06:37.897 --> 06:38.865 - (Tom) You can. 06:38.865 --> 06:40.066 - For their peppers. 06:40.066 --> 06:41.701 - Those little-- - For that purpose. 06:41.701 --> 06:45.438  - Cone shaped cages   that are ridiculously, 06:45.438 --> 06:47.807  ridiculous for use on tomatoes, 06:47.807 --> 06:49.643  but they work good for peppers 06:49.643 --> 06:51.211  because they do support. 06:51.211 --> 06:55.482 As far as I know, that's about the only use for them. 06:55.482 --> 06:57.284 Watering, they like moderate watering. 06:57.284 --> 07:00.353 Just like most vegetables, they like a damp soil, 07:00.353 --> 07:02.589 not soggy, but damp. 07:02.589 --> 07:05.825 And by having it damp, constantly damp, 07:07.861 --> 07:10.664 you prevent a lot of problems 07:10.664 --> 07:14.534  with like blossom end   rot, a few other things. 07:14.534 --> 07:16.002 They like to the source water. 07:16.002 --> 07:17.671 When you water, you want to water 07:17.671 --> 07:20.173 with a drip line on the way out. 07:20.173 --> 07:23.576 A balanced fertilizer, a 10-10, 10-10-10, 07:24.444 --> 07:26.012 13-13-13, 15-15-15, 07:27.947 --> 07:29.883 which again is good for most vegetables 07:29.883 --> 07:31.518 but not all vegetables. 07:31.518 --> 07:34.521 - So, when is a good time to pick them? 07:34.521 --> 07:37.724 - Actually that's a good point. 07:37.724 --> 07:41.161 When they start turning red they get sweeter, 07:41.161 --> 07:42.896 just like especially on bell peppers. 07:42.896 --> 07:44.164 And by the way, on the scalding, 07:44.164 --> 07:45.565 some bell peppers are about the only pepper 07:45.565 --> 07:48.301 that is affected by sun scalding. 07:49.769 --> 07:52.205 But, there's a fine point 07:52.205 --> 07:56.576 when the tomatoes are solid red and they get mushy. 07:56.576 --> 08:00.213 So, if you want a good, sweet tomato or pepper, 08:00.213 --> 08:01.481 like in bell peppers, 08:01.481 --> 08:04.217 then when it starts turning red 08:04.217 --> 08:05.952 but before it goes completely red, 08:05.952 --> 08:07.887 still got a little bit of green in it, 08:07.887 --> 08:10.557 it's still gonna be firm and sweet. 08:10.557 --> 08:11.424 So, that's the best time to pick it. 08:11.424 --> 08:13.693 And also, the fewer, 08:13.693 --> 08:17.831 like almost a lot of your fruit type vegetables, 08:17.831 --> 08:22.001 the fewer the fruit the bigger the fruit. 08:22.001 --> 08:23.937 So peppers, well, people complain saying, 08:23.937 --> 08:26.339 "I just keep getting small peppers." 08:26.339 --> 08:29.142 Well, you probably got about 100 peppers on that plant. 08:29.142 --> 08:31.611 So, I usually tell people kind of limit 08:31.611 --> 08:34.314 to three or four peppers per plant, 08:34.314 --> 08:36.750 and then when you harvest one 08:36.750 --> 08:39.152 when it's at the right size for your needs, 08:39.152 --> 08:41.054 then let another one grow, 08:41.054 --> 08:43.723 and you'll be very successful with that. 08:43.723 --> 08:45.658 And also, you don't have to have 08:45.658 --> 08:48.061 a garden for growing peppers. 08:49.195 --> 08:52.799 They look fantastic in flower beds. 08:52.799 --> 08:54.467 - And probably even containers. 08:54.467 --> 08:57.470 - Yeah, yeah, they're very versatile 08:58.538 --> 09:00.340 as far as that goes. 09:00.340 --> 09:02.809 And as I said, one of the few fruits 09:02.809 --> 09:04.844 something to grow in your flower bed that's edible. 09:04.844 --> 09:06.246 - Alright Mr. Tom, 09:06.246 --> 09:07.213 we appreciate that information about peppers. 09:07.213 --> 09:09.416 - Okay, I hope that's helpful. 09:09.416 --> 09:11.718 - Thank you very much. 09:11.718 --> 09:13.520  There are a number   of gardening events 09:13.520 --> 09:15.722  going on in the next   couple of weeks. 09:15.722 --> 09:18.024  Here's just a few that   might interest you. 09:18.024 --> 09:21.761 [upbeat gentle guitar music] 09:38.211 --> 09:41.514 Alright Miss Carol, I can't wait to hear this, okay? 09:41.514 --> 09:44.017 Planting mis-information, okay? 09:45.151 --> 09:46.419 Where you wanna start with that? 09:46.419 --> 09:47.854 I can't wait. 09:47.854 --> 09:51.391 - Well, I can be pretty vicious sometimes. 09:51.391 --> 09:52.992 I was checking out something recently 09:52.992 --> 09:54.327 and the girl behind the counter 09:54.327 --> 09:56.029 tried to sell me soil amendments. 09:56.029 --> 09:58.131 - (Chris) Uh-oh. - with my plants, 09:58.131 --> 10:01.534 they were some old Hollywood junipers, 10:01.534 --> 10:04.270 and I was like, "Don't believe in them!" 10:05.138 --> 10:06.506 I believe in improving soil, 10:06.506 --> 10:08.641 but from the top down like mother nature does. 10:08.641 --> 10:09.742 If you dig a hole, 10:09.742 --> 10:10.910 they want you to dig a hole 10:10.910 --> 10:11.945 and mix the soil amendments in the hole 10:11.945 --> 10:13.346 and then plant in there, 10:13.346 --> 10:14.781 and actually what you're doing 10:14.781 --> 10:18.585 is creating a bucket of vastly different textured soil, 10:18.585 --> 10:20.920 which is gonna fill up with water in wet times, 10:20.920 --> 10:23.156 because the tight soil acts like a bucket, 10:23.156 --> 10:24.924 and it's gonna dry out faster during dry times. 10:24.924 --> 10:26.693 Plus, the roots don't really want to leave 10:26.693 --> 10:28.294 that little pampered area. 10:28.294 --> 10:29.863 They're like, "Ooh, I don't wanna go over there." 10:29.863 --> 10:30.964 - (Chris) "This is nice." 10:30.964 --> 10:31.898 - "I'll stay right here," 10:31.898 --> 10:33.266 which means they blow over easy, 10:33.266 --> 10:36.236 and again, can be a challenge to keep it watered. 10:36.236 --> 10:39.706 So, I just break up the native soil 10:39.706 --> 10:42.475 as little as possible to get it in there. 10:42.475 --> 10:46.112 And also if I do need to improve my soil, and my house, 10:46.112 --> 10:47.947 you know I just built a house in 2011, 10:47.947 --> 10:49.516 a lot of bulldozer work. 10:49.516 --> 10:51.451 So, I really don't have a lot of good, native soil. 10:51.451 --> 10:54.988 So, I'm not saying never till in soil amendments, 10:54.988 --> 10:57.423 but if you do do the whole area 10:57.423 --> 10:58.391 so that it can continue, 10:58.391 --> 10:59.692 because tree roots especially 10:59.692 --> 11:03.096 they want to go out sideways really far, 11:03.096 --> 11:07.667 so the more you can help them do that that's good. 11:07.667 --> 11:11.838 They like for you to add hormones and root stimulators. 11:13.840 --> 11:15.742 No scientific research has shown 11:15.742 --> 11:17.844 that that gives any benefit. 11:17.844 --> 11:19.312 It's just another product 11:19.312 --> 11:20.847 that they're trying to sell you over the counter. 11:20.847 --> 11:22.282 - (Chris) Interesting. 11:22.282 --> 11:24.150 - Don't put any fertilizer in that hole. 11:24.150 --> 11:26.386 - (Chris) I heard that one too, okay. 11:26.386 --> 11:28.922 - Don't fertilize that plant for the first year. 11:28.922 --> 11:31.991 Woody plants, now annuals and vegetables sure you do, 11:31.991 --> 11:33.192 that's a different thing, 11:33.192 --> 11:34.761 and till in all the stuff you want to there 11:34.761 --> 11:37.030 for that quick response. 11:37.030 --> 11:38.598 But, for trees and shrubs 11:38.598 --> 11:40.600 I don't recommend fertilizer for the first year, 11:40.600 --> 11:43.469 because you have a challenged plant anyway. 11:43.469 --> 11:45.171 It's going through some shock. 11:45.171 --> 11:46.372 It's having to get real integrated 11:46.372 --> 11:47.607 into that new setting, 11:47.607 --> 11:49.976 and fertilizers are salty 11:49.976 --> 11:53.146 and they draw water from the roots. 11:53.146 --> 11:54.581 So, you really don't want to be 11:54.581 --> 11:56.482 pushing the envelope with that 11:56.482 --> 11:58.184 and kind of giving them a little bit more challenge. 11:58.184 --> 12:00.520 People wanna do that when a plant is sick, too. 12:00.520 --> 12:01.754 They like to throw some fertilizer. 12:01.754 --> 12:02.989 - (Chris) Don't fertilize them. 12:02.989 --> 12:04.724 - Tried fertilizing it and it hadn't responded. 12:04.724 --> 12:07.093 Well, you don't want a whole bunch of rich food 12:07.093 --> 12:08.761 when you're sick either. 12:08.761 --> 12:10.063 (Chris laughs) 12:10.063 --> 12:11.497 Don't do that to the plant. 12:11.497 --> 12:14.734 Just nurse it during drought-y times. 12:14.734 --> 12:16.202 Try not to stress it. 12:16.202 --> 12:18.371 See if it can recover from whatever is going on. 12:18.371 --> 12:19.772 - Okay, let me ask you this though. 12:19.772 --> 12:22.141 Let me back you up for a second. 12:22.141 --> 12:26.279 So, when do you recommend tilling, tilling? 12:26.279 --> 12:30.283 - Yes, if I'm gonna do a vegetable garden maybe. 12:30.283 --> 12:32.318 Now, you can go the lasagna route 12:32.318 --> 12:34.387 and just layer things on top, 12:34.387 --> 12:37.423 but if I really want to improve the soil for the annuals 12:37.423 --> 12:40.727 and I really need to plant for seasonal display. 12:40.727 --> 12:43.696 I'm gonna change that garden out twice a year 12:43.696 --> 12:45.298 from cool to warm season. 12:45.298 --> 12:46.666 I want that quick response. 12:46.666 --> 12:49.302 I don't have all day to wait for that plant, 12:49.302 --> 12:51.270 so I'm probably gonna till in 12:51.270 --> 12:53.673 and get some good amendments and some quick fertilizer boost 12:53.673 --> 12:55.642 and get that quick turnover for me there. 12:55.642 --> 12:57.744 - Good, okay, good, okay. 12:57.744 --> 12:59.545 - And also like in my soil, 12:59.545 --> 13:01.381 I'm down to the B horizon. 13:01.381 --> 13:02.582 So, I'm gonna do the whole area. 13:02.582 --> 13:04.150 I don't have any soil structure left 13:04.150 --> 13:05.618 because of all the bulldozer work. 13:05.618 --> 13:09.055 So, I'm not preserving anything by not tilling, 13:09.055 --> 13:10.657 because when we don't till 13:10.657 --> 13:12.091 we're trying to preserve soil structure 13:12.091 --> 13:13.626 that was originally there, 13:13.626 --> 13:14.694 and right now I don't have any. 13:14.694 --> 13:16.029 - (Chris) Good stuff, okay. 13:16.029 --> 13:17.497 - I do strip tilling. 13:17.497 --> 13:20.133 Just till one little strip exactly where I put the seeds. 13:20.133 --> 13:22.669 - Yeah, well a vegetable garden I think that's cool. 13:22.669 --> 13:24.137 That's fine. 13:24.137 --> 13:26.172 Maybe not on my permanent vegetables, I mean perennial. 13:26.172 --> 13:28.074 I'm gonna do some perennial vegetables 13:28.074 --> 13:30.043 around my new garden plot, 13:30.043 --> 13:31.878 and I'm probably not gonna till that 13:31.878 --> 13:33.880 every year by any means. 13:33.880 --> 13:36.149 Anyway, another is container plants 13:36.149 --> 13:38.885 are always better than being big. 13:40.053 --> 13:41.454 Of course, it turns out that container plants 13:41.454 --> 13:42.989 have their own set of problems, 13:42.989 --> 13:45.391 which is root girdling which I was not a big believer in. 13:45.391 --> 13:46.592 Now I'm convinced. 13:46.592 --> 13:48.428 And now with these days of looking online 13:48.428 --> 13:50.530 and finding lots of good images, 13:50.530 --> 13:52.265 you can find the coolest pictures 13:52.265 --> 13:54.133 of what circling roots can do. 13:54.133 --> 13:55.702 They actually wrap around a lot of times 13:55.702 --> 13:57.403 especially when they're planted too deep, 13:57.403 --> 14:00.073 and they will girdle that trunk so severely 14:00.073 --> 14:01.374 that it's just like you put 14:01.374 --> 14:05.344 a piece of steel twine or a wire around it. 14:05.344 --> 14:08.147 It also makes them snap at that point, too. 14:08.147 --> 14:09.415 So you got to be sure 14:09.415 --> 14:10.750 if you are planting container plants 14:10.750 --> 14:12.351 to get those roots teased out 14:12.351 --> 14:15.354 or saw through them with a serrated saw, 14:15.354 --> 14:16.856 or B & B material, 14:16.856 --> 14:20.326 which if it's been properly grown is actually not, 14:20.326 --> 14:21.894 All those roots are going to be going out in the soil 14:21.894 --> 14:23.663 like they're supposed to. 14:23.663 --> 14:24.497 - Let's go back again. 14:24.497 --> 14:26.332 So, B & B stands for? 14:26.332 --> 14:27.633 - Ball and burlap. 14:27.633 --> 14:28.968  You dig up a root ball. 14:28.968 --> 14:30.436  You wrap it in burlap. 14:30.436 --> 14:31.671  Another myth was 14:31.671 --> 14:32.905 you could leave it on there because it'll rot. 14:32.905 --> 14:34.140 - I was just about to ask you that. 14:34.140 --> 14:35.341 So what about that one? 14:35.341 --> 14:36.175 - You do not. 14:36.175 --> 14:37.376 You take it off. 14:37.376 --> 14:38.544 If it rotted that fast would you use it? 14:38.544 --> 14:40.246 (Chris laughs) 14:40.246 --> 14:41.748 - Right. 14:41.748 --> 14:43.449 - And also they don't even use real burlap these days. 14:43.449 --> 14:45.451 They have some kind of synthetic product 14:45.451 --> 14:47.353 that looks like burlap. 14:47.353 --> 14:49.689 You want those roots to get as in touch with that soil 14:49.689 --> 14:51.190 as fast as they can. 14:51.190 --> 14:53.359 Take off the cage, take off the burlap, take off the wire. 14:53.359 --> 14:54.794 Do whatever you can 14:54.794 --> 14:58.431 to actually get naked roots in touch with the soil 14:58.431 --> 14:59.732 where it's gonna be growing, 14:59.732 --> 15:01.834 and water in well, water in deeply. 15:01.834 --> 15:03.970 - Okay, water in well, water in deeply. 15:03.970 --> 15:06.038 - Yes, even if you have rain, if you have irrigation, 15:06.038 --> 15:07.974 that first soaking you need to really 15:07.974 --> 15:09.776 get that root ball settled in and soaked. 15:09.776 --> 15:11.110 - Okay. 15:11.110 --> 15:12.612 - We used to hear B & B material 15:12.612 --> 15:15.114 could only be planted in the winter when it's dormant. 15:15.114 --> 15:17.483 But truth is if it's been well handled, 15:17.483 --> 15:20.486 root pruned, wrapped in a good ball of burlap, 15:20.486 --> 15:22.054 there's a lot of good intact roots 15:22.054 --> 15:24.023 in that plant right there. 15:24.023 --> 15:25.892 You can certainly plant them year round 15:25.892 --> 15:26.959 as long as you're willing to water, 15:26.959 --> 15:28.127 which is the same thing 15:28.127 --> 15:30.163 you had to do with container plants anyway. 15:30.163 --> 15:31.964 So, that is another myth. 15:31.964 --> 15:33.432 They also used to tell you 15:33.432 --> 15:34.934 be sure you don't let that root ball come apart. 15:34.934 --> 15:36.736 Keep that soil. 15:36.736 --> 15:38.838 Now they discovered if you knock all that soil off 15:38.838 --> 15:41.574 and plant it and get it into contact 15:41.574 --> 15:43.509 with the soil where it's gonna be growing, 15:43.509 --> 15:45.044 it'll actually grow a lot faster 15:45.044 --> 15:48.548 than the one that is kept in the original root ball. 15:48.548 --> 15:50.750 So, somebody finally does research. 15:50.750 --> 15:52.485 If we got time for more, 15:52.485 --> 15:54.787 the idea that raw wood chips 15:54.787 --> 15:59.458 are always a bad idea for mulching established plants. 15:59.458 --> 16:01.861 It is a bad idea if you're tilling it in, 16:01.861 --> 16:04.297 and little baby plants it's gonna rob the nitrogen, 16:04.297 --> 16:06.399 and it could certainly deprive them 16:06.399 --> 16:08.234 of the nutrition they need for growth. 16:08.234 --> 16:09.902 But, if you're just using raw wood chips 16:09.902 --> 16:12.271 to put on the top of the ground 16:12.271 --> 16:13.573 around well established plants, 16:13.573 --> 16:14.407 it does not steal the nitrogen. 16:14.407 --> 16:15.675 - Does not, does not. 16:15.675 --> 16:17.243 - Does not. 16:17.243 --> 16:18.945 It's a perfectly good source, 16:18.945 --> 16:20.680 and a good way to recycle things 16:20.680 --> 16:22.682 and help them from hauling those kinds of things 16:22.682 --> 16:23.749 off to the landfill. 16:23.749 --> 16:24.584 - Okay. 16:24.584 --> 16:25.952 - Talk about fertilizer, 16:25.952 --> 16:27.486 people have misconceptions about fertilizer 16:27.486 --> 16:30.456 being good for plants and what types of fertilizer. 16:30.456 --> 16:34.627 Number one, most of our soils have plenty of P and K, 16:34.627 --> 16:36.195 so usually you don't have to add a lot of that. 16:36.195 --> 16:39.131 You really don't have to fertilize a woody plant at all. 16:39.131 --> 16:40.366 You really don't. 16:40.366 --> 16:41.601 We've got plenty of nutrition in the soil. 16:41.601 --> 16:43.603 The plants out in the woods have done fine 16:43.603 --> 16:44.904 without anybody helping them out. 16:44.904 --> 16:46.439 We like to. 16:46.439 --> 16:48.875 We like to get rich growth and push them along a little bit. 16:48.875 --> 16:51.777 People assume manure is always a good idea. 16:51.777 --> 16:53.546 It's a good organic source. 16:53.546 --> 16:54.981 It breaks down slow. 16:54.981 --> 16:57.316 Some plants don't like manure. 16:57.316 --> 16:58.818 We discovered that the hard way 16:58.818 --> 17:00.953 because we thought, well, grew up on a dairy farm 17:00.953 --> 17:03.556 and when we switched over to being a blueberry orchard 17:03.556 --> 17:06.158 we put manure on everything. 17:06.158 --> 17:07.627 Blueberries don't like manure. 17:07.627 --> 17:09.128 It's too alkaline. 17:10.429 --> 17:13.966 And most of our ornamentals like an acid soil, 17:13.966 --> 17:16.769 hollies, camellias, azaleas. 17:16.769 --> 17:17.970 - (Tom) Gardenias. 17:17.970 --> 17:20.239 - Yes, they do not like that alkaline soil. 17:20.239 --> 17:23.976 So, don't make that assumption manure is always a good idea. 17:23.976 --> 17:26.412 - Does manure contain a lot of salt? 17:26.412 --> 17:28.547 - I don't know if it's salt, it's alkaline. 17:28.547 --> 17:30.316 You know, different. 17:30.316 --> 17:33.319 I wouldn't think it would be a high salt thing at all. 17:33.319 --> 17:36.289 Companion plants, you hear that business all the time. 17:36.289 --> 17:37.657 - (Chris) You get it all the time. 17:37.657 --> 17:40.660 - Companion plants, companion plants, compost tea. 17:40.660 --> 17:42.094 (Chris laughs) 17:42.094 --> 17:43.529 I read somewhere say, 17:43.529 --> 17:45.631 "Why would you think a diluted product from compost 17:45.631 --> 17:48.768 would be better than actual compost?" 17:48.768 --> 17:51.103 Makes no sense, does it? 17:51.103 --> 17:52.538 They say it cures all ills. 17:52.538 --> 17:55.975 You can use it for curing these diseases and that disease. 17:55.975 --> 17:57.176 True, a healthier plant 17:57.176 --> 18:00.012 might be able to resist some disease. 18:00.012 --> 18:02.481 I really like people to research. 18:02.481 --> 18:04.083 There's some good books out there 18:04.083 --> 18:06.919 the truth about home remedies that you can read, 18:06.919 --> 18:09.422 which ones actually work, because some do, 18:09.422 --> 18:11.357 but a lot of the myth about companion plants 18:11.357 --> 18:13.826 was plants that repel mosquitoes. 18:13.826 --> 18:15.294 I watch them land, 18:15.294 --> 18:17.330 I watched a mosquito land right on that citronella leaf. 18:17.330 --> 18:19.098 (Chris laughs) 18:19.098 --> 18:20.266 I'm like, "Really?" 18:20.266 --> 18:21.334 - Didn't do a thing to it, huh? 18:21.334 --> 18:22.902 - No, but people swear by it, 18:22.902 --> 18:24.870 because they didn't have mosquitoes that summer. 18:24.870 --> 18:26.072 Well, there was some other reason 18:26.072 --> 18:27.540 you didn't have mosquitoes that summer. 18:27.540 --> 18:30.509 It had nothing to do with your citronella plant. 18:30.509 --> 18:33.112 - You know, that's one you see on the Internet all the time, 18:33.112 --> 18:35.247 recommended plants to repel mosquitoes. 18:35.247 --> 18:36.716 How about that. 18:36.716 --> 18:38.684 - Somebody said put a little mint in your house 18:38.684 --> 18:41.120 and the mice will scamper away. 18:41.120 --> 18:42.555 I'm like, "Really?" 18:42.555 --> 18:46.025 So yeah, we have to be careful about these things. 18:46.025 --> 18:47.827 If it sounds too good to be true, it's probably not-- 18:47.827 --> 18:48.928 - It probably is. 18:48.928 --> 18:50.162 Carol, that's some good stuff. 18:50.162 --> 18:51.097 I'd been waiting for that. 18:51.097 --> 18:52.031 That's some really good stuff. 18:52.031 --> 18:53.866 Thank you very much, alright. 18:53.866 --> 18:58.070 [upbeat gentle guitar music] 18:58.070 --> 19:00.406 Let's take a look at our bean plants here. 19:00.406 --> 19:02.008 As you can see, 19:02.008 --> 19:04.944 a lot of the older leaves are yellow, are yellowing, 19:04.944 --> 19:06.212 and to me that's usually 19:06.212 --> 19:09.081 an indication of nitrogen deficiency. 19:09.081 --> 19:11.384 It starts in your older leaves first. 19:11.384 --> 19:14.186 Then it moves up the plant to your younger leaves. 19:14.186 --> 19:17.256 So, what we need to do is add more nitrogen to it. 19:17.256 --> 19:19.658 Beans are legumes, and even though 19:19.658 --> 19:22.828 they actually do fix nitrogen from the atmosphere 19:22.828 --> 19:24.430 and pull it down into the roots, 19:24.430 --> 19:27.466 they can still be deficient in nitrogen. 19:27.466 --> 19:31.003 So therefore, you need to add a nitrogen fertilizer to it 19:31.003 --> 19:32.371 to green those leaves up, 19:32.371 --> 19:34.507 especially for your new growth. 19:34.507 --> 19:38.044 Just put it right outside the drip line of your bean plants. 19:38.044 --> 19:39.745 Make sure you get that watered in. 19:39.745 --> 19:41.180 Once you get that watered in 19:41.180 --> 19:44.250 you will start to see your newer growth 19:44.250 --> 19:45.418 become a lot greener. 19:45.418 --> 19:46.619 It's not gonna do anything 19:46.619 --> 19:48.387 for the ones that are already deficient, 19:48.387 --> 19:49.688 but again, your newer growth 19:49.688 --> 19:51.991 will be nice, pretty, and green. 19:51.991 --> 19:56.028 [upbeat gentle guitar music] 19:56.028 --> 19:57.263 Alright, here's our Q&A session. 19:57.263 --> 19:58.631 Mr. Tom, you jump in there and help us out 19:58.631 --> 20:00.499 being a master gardener and all, alright? 20:00.499 --> 20:01.701 - Okay. 20:01.701 --> 20:03.135 - So, here's our first viewer email. 20:03.135 --> 20:07.406  "What causes a plum tree   to flower every year 20:07.406 --> 20:08.674  but not give any fruit?" 20:08.674 --> 20:10.376  And this is from Peter. 20:10.376 --> 20:12.878 So Miss Carol, I remember you sent us out 20:12.878 --> 20:15.147 a publication about this once before 20:15.147 --> 20:17.316 about fruit plants that needed pollinators. 20:17.316 --> 20:18.617 So, what say you about this? 20:18.617 --> 20:19.719 - It's a lonely plum. 20:19.719 --> 20:21.721 (Chris laughs) 20:21.721 --> 20:22.588 It's lonely. 20:22.588 --> 20:24.924 - (Chris) It's lonely? 20:24.924 --> 20:26.258 - You know, they're perfect flowers. 20:26.258 --> 20:27.760 Everything in the Rosaceae family 20:27.760 --> 20:30.996 does have male and female on the same flower, 20:30.996 --> 20:32.631 but it needs a separate individual. 20:32.631 --> 20:34.133 It doesn't want to pollinate itself. 20:34.133 --> 20:35.501 That's not a good idea. 20:35.501 --> 20:37.036 That's like inbreeding. 20:37.036 --> 20:39.205 So, it needs a cross pollinator. 20:39.205 --> 20:41.507 So, I don't know what kind they have. 20:41.507 --> 20:42.808 - Right, yeah, that's right. 20:42.808 --> 20:45.111 It just says a plum tree, so right. 20:45.111 --> 20:47.012 - Some have been bred to be self fertile, 20:47.012 --> 20:48.681 but it sounds like their's is not, 20:48.681 --> 20:50.683 and most people don't know what they have 20:50.683 --> 20:52.184 unless they just got some. 20:52.184 --> 20:55.087 So, I'd say just go get a couple other, two different types, 20:55.087 --> 20:57.957 then you kind of ensure that you have a pollinator 20:57.957 --> 21:02.294 and plant those near for the insects to ferry the pollen. 21:02.294 --> 21:05.164 - It would help if they knew the variety, 21:05.164 --> 21:06.365 because if you know the variety 21:06.365 --> 21:08.501 some as you said are self pollinators 21:08.501 --> 21:11.270 and some do require companions. 21:11.270 --> 21:12.238 - (Carol) Yes. 21:12.238 --> 21:14.773 - So it's a lonely plum. 21:14.773 --> 21:16.242 Alright, yeah, because I remember that. 21:16.242 --> 21:18.077 You sent it out to all the agents 21:18.077 --> 21:20.346 about what fruit trees require pollinators and such. 21:20.346 --> 21:22.014 So, that's always good information. 21:22.014 --> 21:24.216 Alright Peter, so I hope that helps you out. 21:24.216 --> 21:26.018 Here's our next viewer email. 21:26.018 --> 21:28.821  "The last several days my   zucchini has been blooming, 21:28.821 --> 21:31.991  "but I've noticed only   one or two female flowers. 21:31.991 --> 21:34.226  "This morning I counted   and there were 20 flowers, 21:34.226 --> 21:35.928  "but none of them were female. 21:35.928 --> 21:37.596  "Is there a reason for this? 21:37.596 --> 21:39.031  "Is there anything I can do 21:39.031 --> 21:42.668  to encourage more female   flower blossoms on my zucchini?" 21:42.668 --> 21:45.938  And this is from Mr. Mike   in Ringgold, Georgia. 21:45.938 --> 21:47.540 Thank you, Mr. Mike. 21:47.540 --> 21:48.507 So, here's the question. 21:48.507 --> 21:49.975 "Is there anything I can do 21:49.975 --> 21:54.079 to encourage more female flower blossoms on my zucchini?" 21:54.079 --> 21:57.583 - Well, the thing is this is kind of normal 21:57.583 --> 21:59.518  in the beginning of the season. 21:59.518 --> 22:02.555  Just like my plants   in the morning 22:02.555 --> 22:04.523  when they first   started blossoming, 22:04.523 --> 22:08.127  they were all females,   no boys around. 22:08.127 --> 22:10.629 And then as time progresses, 22:10.629 --> 22:12.598 and I got calls about that, 22:12.598 --> 22:13.966 and not just for zucchinis, 22:13.966 --> 22:16.735 but just yellow squash and stuff like that, 22:16.735 --> 22:19.838 and then a little bit later the boys start showing up. 22:19.838 --> 22:21.307 - Mine is usually the other way around. 22:21.307 --> 22:22.241 I have males-- 22:22.241 --> 22:24.343 - Yeah, the males happen first. 22:24.343 --> 22:25.911 - Well they used to, 22:25.911 --> 22:29.248 but one season I'll have the males in the morning, 22:29.248 --> 22:31.550 and then later on I would have females in the afternoon, 22:31.550 --> 22:33.419 by that time the boys are closed, 22:33.419 --> 22:35.387 the boy blossoms are closed up, 22:35.387 --> 22:37.957 and then sometimes it's reversed. 22:37.957 --> 22:39.625 It just depends, like you said. 22:39.625 --> 22:40.826 You have your boys. 22:40.826 --> 22:44.396 But this year, I had all girls this morning, 22:44.396 --> 22:46.232 this morning, in the morning. 22:46.232 --> 22:48.901 And then later on the boys showed up, 22:48.901 --> 22:51.103 and then they finally got together. 22:51.103 --> 22:53.572 - I wondered if the first plant, first tend to be males 22:53.572 --> 22:56.108 because it doesn't take as much energy maybe. 22:56.108 --> 22:57.409 - See, that's what I thought. 22:57.409 --> 22:58.877 I thought it had to do with the energy. 22:58.877 --> 23:00.846 - Yeah, female flowers they have to have an ovary, 23:00.846 --> 23:02.248 and they're gonna make babies. 23:02.248 --> 23:03.749 It's gonna take more from the plant. 23:03.749 --> 23:04.750 - (Chris) And they're larger 23:04.750 --> 23:05.818 blooms though, as well. 23:05.818 --> 23:07.753 So, that's why I thought they required more energy. 23:07.753 --> 23:08.687 - (Carol) That's true. 23:08.687 --> 23:10.055 - Because you need the boys 23:10.055 --> 23:12.258 because the boys are gonna provide 23:12.258 --> 23:13.726 a lot of the pollen, 23:13.726 --> 23:15.427 and so they probably don't require as much energy 23:15.427 --> 23:18.764 as the female blossoms, which are bigger, ovary. 23:18.764 --> 23:19.598 So, that's what I thought. 23:19.598 --> 23:20.532 - That's what I think, 23:20.532 --> 23:22.368 the plant needs to be bigger 23:22.368 --> 23:25.638 to start producing the female. 23:25.638 --> 23:26.572 - I've been getting the girls, 23:26.572 --> 23:29.808 but one of the things you can do 23:29.808 --> 23:31.443 if you want to encourage them-- 23:31.443 --> 23:32.745 - Is mulch with pink. 23:32.745 --> 23:36.081 (Chris laughs) I'm sorry, go ahead. 23:36.081 --> 23:39.385 - Just get one of those little cheap artist brushes, 23:39.385 --> 23:40.953 or even a Q-tip, 23:40.953 --> 23:42.922 and when the boys are open 23:42.922 --> 23:45.824 just go ahead and grab some of the pollen off of it, 23:45.824 --> 23:48.460 and then when the girls show up later then-- 23:48.460 --> 23:49.395 - I'm too lazy. 23:49.395 --> 23:50.129 I'm just gonna wait a week. 23:50.129 --> 23:52.364 (Chris laughs) 23:52.364 --> 23:54.466 - Nature will take its course. 23:54.466 --> 23:55.301 - It will happen. 23:55.301 --> 23:56.602 - So be patient. 23:56.602 --> 23:58.537 - Be patient, Mr. Mike, is the word, 23:58.537 --> 24:00.973 and thank you for that question, alright? 24:00.973 --> 24:02.207  Here's our next viewer email. 24:02.207 --> 24:03.709  "Some of my squash plants 24:03.709 --> 24:05.577  "are big and have   dark green leaves, 24:05.577 --> 24:08.847  "and others are smaller   with light green leaves. 24:08.847 --> 24:11.150  How can I help   the smaller ones?" 24:11.150 --> 24:12.985  This is Lyla. 24:12.985 --> 24:14.386 So Mr. Tom, what do you think? 24:14.386 --> 24:18.457 - Well my garden is like a micro environment. 24:18.457 --> 24:19.792 I had one area 24:19.792 --> 24:22.161 right from one end of my garden to the other 24:22.161 --> 24:24.463 that things just did not like to grow in there. 24:24.463 --> 24:27.766 Both sides of it everything was fine, just that one spot. 24:27.766 --> 24:29.668 So, I ended up fertilizing it a little bit better, 24:29.668 --> 24:32.271 and put some soil amendments in that area 24:32.271 --> 24:34.273 and then now you couldn't tell it was there. 24:34.273 --> 24:38.010 But I think I would probably give it a little bit more work 24:38.010 --> 24:39.211 on those weaker ones, 24:39.211 --> 24:41.180 give them a little bit better fertilizer. 24:41.180 --> 24:42.848 - Could be drainage is a little bad? 24:42.848 --> 24:44.016 - See, that's where I was going. 24:44.016 --> 24:47.386 I thought maybe drainage might be an issue. 24:47.386 --> 24:49.321 First thing that came to my mind. 24:49.321 --> 24:51.223 - Good drainage might be a good one. 24:51.223 --> 24:53.425 - Drainage, because they were larger leaves. 24:53.425 --> 24:55.361 Now you have the light green leaves. 24:55.361 --> 24:57.463 So, I thought maybe drainage could be an issue. 24:57.463 --> 24:59.999 - And like Carol mentioned before, 24:59.999 --> 25:04.169 I think we all know that plants like air too, the roots. 25:05.070 --> 25:06.905 And again, it could be 25:08.240 --> 25:12.444 just the soil in that particular spot could be different. 25:12.444 --> 25:15.247 - Could be Miss Lyla, so there you have it. 25:15.247 --> 25:18.050 Alright, so Mr. Tom, Miss Carol, we're out of time. 25:18.050 --> 25:19.852 Fun as always. - Real fun. 25:19.852 --> 25:22.321  - Remember, we love   to hear from you. 25:22.321 --> 25:24.056  Send us an email or letter. 25:24.056 --> 25:27.693  The email address is   familyplot@wkno.org, 25:27.693 --> 25:29.595  and the mailing   address is Family Plot 25:29.595 --> 25:31.497  7151 Cherry Farms Road, 25:32.398 --> 25:35.100  Cordova, Tennessee 38016. 25:35.100 --> 25:39.505  Or, you could go online   to FamilyPlotGarden.com. 25:39.505 --> 25:41.173 That's all we have time for today. 25:41.173 --> 25:43.008 Need some gardening advice? 25:43.008 --> 25:45.611 Head on over to FamilyPlotGarden.com. 25:45.611 --> 25:46.812 We have hundreds of videos 25:46.812 --> 25:48.414 on all sorts of gardening topics 25:48.414 --> 25:51.517 to help you and your plants be successful this year. 25:51.517 --> 25:52.351 Thanks for watching. 25:52.351 --> 25:53.852 I'm Chris Cooper. 25:53.852 --> 25:56.121 Be sure to join us next week for The Family Plot: 25:56.121 --> 25:57.289 Gardening in the Mid South. 25:57.289 --> 25:59.058 Be safe. 25:59.058 --> 26:02.327 [upbeat gentle guitar music]