Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 1, 1992 TAG: 9203020283
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
All are frost-hardy and prefer cool, moist weather. If these peas don't get an early enough start, they will be unable to produce before the weather turns hot in late spring.
The other variety that folks talk about is the Southern pea, also known as the cowpea or black-eyed pea, that is grown as a warm-season crop in the same manner as beans.
Plant pea seeds in late winter or early spring just as soon as the soil is workable (not too wet). We must temper our enthusiasm with reality and not plant too early, though, since cold, wet soils will cause poor germination.
Planting should be simple, since peas don't like much fertilizer. Too much nitrogen causes excessive leafy and vine growth with poor flowering. So, if the soil is fairly rich, forget working fertilizer in before seeding.
If you have never grown peas on the land you are going to use this year, buy a package of powdered nitrogen-fixing bacteria to inoculate the seeds to increase yields. Directions should be on the package and will say something about mixing the pea seed and the powder in a bowl or bucket just before sowing.
For spring planting of peas now, take advantage of the sun's warming power as well as reducing the chances of seeds rotting in cold, moist ground by raking up a long hill of loose soil a few inches high several days before seeding. Sow the seeds along the ridge of the hill in a one-half inch deep furrow. In sowing pea seeds in the summer for a fall crop, a deeper furrow can be used without a hill, since the soil is hot at that time.
There are many pea varieties available in catalogs and seed stores. Even though the dwarf and most intermediate varieties are listed as "self-supporting," it will be helpful to stick twigs and branches into the ground adjacent to the rows to provide support and prevent a jungle. These varieties can be seeded in sets of two rows 6 to 10 inches apart in what are referred to as double rows. Taller varieties will need poles, trellises or fences to grow on.
Just a few of the excellent pea varieties for the spring garden are: Alaska, Green Arrow, Wando (which is good for planting a little later than suggested since this variety is supposed to tolerate late spring heat) and the edible podded varieties Sugar Snap and Melting Mammoth.
Q: Please give me information on the care of Amaryllis bulbs that bloomed for Christmas. How do I care for them from now on so that they will bloom next Christmas? E.S., Penhook
A: Amaryllis bulbs can be rebloomed by the home gardener, but it's difficult to force the next blooms exactly on the schedule you may want, such as precisely at Christmas. Here's what you should do to try:
After the amaryllis flowers have faded, pinch off the individual blooms but leave the bloom stalks for a few days. Then, cut that stalk and keep the bulb growing in bright light with a night temperature in the upper 60s - days a little warmer - and water when the soil feels just barely damp. For the next few weeks, the objective will be to keep the bulb foliage healthy, since the leaves will make food for the bulb as long as they are green.
Fertilize with a diluted, soluble indoor plant fertilizer every three weeks. Stake the foliage to keep it from breaking or falling over nearby plants. Potted amaryllis bulbs can be placed outside for the summer when the temperatures stay above 65 degrees F. Move them to different locations outside so they can gradually adapt from the relatively low light levels they were used to indoors to almost full sun outdoors.
Toward the end of August, reduce the amount and frequency of fertilization. Then, during September reduce watering to force the plant into dormancy in October. This is a natural part of their life cycle. If you have the amaryllis outside where it can receive rain, turn the pot on its side so that you can control this reduced water program.
The amaryllis foliage should turn a yellow-brown, a sign that the bulb is ready for a rest. Be sure to bring the bulb in before frost. For this dormant or resting period, place the potted amaryllis bulb in a dark closet or in a dark corner of the basement. The location should be away from heat. The leaves on the resting bulb will gradually dry up. Give the bulb only enough water to prevent the soil from shrinking.
The reason it's difficult to get the amaryllis to rebloom in time for Christmas is that the dormant or resting period can last anywhere from two to three months. Keep observing the dormant bulb, since the appearance of new leaf tips or the beginnings of a flower part growing from the bulb signals the time to take the amaryllis out of its resting location into a location of about 70 degrees F. (no hotter) and the resumption of regular waterings. Keep the light levels low, though, until the growth coming from the bulb is a definite lance-shaped shoot. Some folks repot an amaryllis bulb just before the new growth begins, although it is probably OK to let the bulb stay in the same soil for two years.
Got a question about your garden, plants, lawn, or insects? Write to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.
John Arbogast is the agriculture extension agent for Roanoke
by CNB