Rarin' to Grow: Get Outside and Show Those Weeds Who’s Boss

Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson

Peach trees bursting with blooms at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas on March 16, 2020. Photo credit D. Ortega.

With many of us spending more time at home this spring than ever, we’re getting more questions on how to start gardening from people who’ve never gardened before. I’m excited for these gardening newbies. As seasoned gardeners will tell you, gardening can relax and reinvigorate you when seemingly nothing else can. One of my favorite bumper stickers is “Gardening is cheaper than therapy—and you get tomatoes.” And a favorite meme from this week states simply: “The answer is plants. Don’t care what the question is.”

Watering my houseplants makes me feel calm and accomplished. I’ve finally figured out which plants can handle living up on the high shelf in my sunroom where I only get around to watering them once a month or so. These troopers include sansevierias (aka snake plants or mother-in-law’s tongues), a red bird from my Aunt Ginger (a euphorbia closely related to the zig-zag-stemmed devil’s backbone), a purple queen (aka wandering Jew, spiderwort, or flowering inch plant), a string-of-bananas, two spider plants (aka airplane plants), pothos, split-leaf philodendrons, crown-of-thorns, and lots and lots of succulents.

But in these anxious times, maybe I need houseplants that can take some extra water. I’ve spent most of my plant-loving years carefully selecting houseplants that can handle and even thrive in severe neglect, but now all I want to do is water them again and again. Years ago, when working at an Albuquerque nursery, I had a customer come in needing a houseplant for her mother who had Alzheimer’s and couldn’t stop watering her plants. In addition to selecting a peace lily, Selaginella (aka spikemoss), baby’s tears, and a Cyperus alternifolius (umbrella palm), I suggested finding a teensy tiny watering can. Maybe that’s what I’ll do this month while teleworking: water three times a day with a shot glass.

Aside from watering my houseplants, the highlights of my last two weeks all took place in one garden or another. At the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas, where I work, I was delighted by hundreds of tomato and artichoke plants that were planted by Ph.D. student Chuck Havlik and just sprouted in our greenhouse.

Tomato and artichoke starts in a greenhouse at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas in 2019.

In addition to several varieties of cherries, apricots, plums, apples, quince, pears, and pomegranates, we have 92 peach trees (23 different cultivars) at the research farm, and I’ve been tracking the dates of first bloom since the beginning of the month, which means I get to stare at and photograph bursting buds, beautiful blossoms, and buzzing bees every day. The worrisome news is that many of the trees are already in full bloom or past it. The ‘Goldrich’ apricots bloomed before March 1. The ‘Methley’ and ‘Santa Rosa’ plums bloomed right after, as did over half the peach varieties. We’re worried about losing this year’s fruit to freezes that are likely still to come. But what’s worse, according to records we have on these trees’ bloom dates going back to 2008, they’re all blooming 10–20 days earlier than 12 years ago. Wait. Let’s not grow there, not today. 

‘Galaxy’ peach blossoms at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas on March 16, 2020. Photo credits M. Thompson

In our pollinator habitat Learning Garden at the Ag Science Center two weeks ago, our high school intern and I weeded the plots in my very exciting mulch study. While weeding, Mellene and I found dozens of chubby grubs just under the soil surface and brightly colored bugs hiding at the base of London rocket weeds. At the time, I wasn’t sure what they were, so we just let them be. I now know that we should have killed them on the spot because they were the dreaded cutworm caterpillar (not a true grub) and harlequin bug. Next time I’ll have a container of soapy water ready, not for washing my hands but for drowning these prolific pests.

Cutworms found in the very top layer of soil while weeding at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas. Photo credits M. Pablo.

Harlequin bug at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas. Photo credit M. Thompson.

On a happier note, we’re also growing ornamental bulbs, such as crocus, daffodils, and Dutch iris, to see if they provide early forage (pollen) and habitat for important pollinators. This work entails staring at experimental stands of flowers for 10-minute intervals and recording how many and what types of insects visit each flower. You can imagine how this made it onto my list of gardening highlights.

Honey bee visits a crocus flower at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas on March 6, 2020. Photo credit M. Thompson.

Grape hyacinths (left), miniature ‘minnow’ daffodil (center), and ‘stresa’ tulips adorning my home garden this month. Check out that gorgeous mulch and no weeds! Photo credits M. Thompson

***COMING TOMORROW!*** I’ll share links to topics I’ve mentioned in this column as well as helpful garden-starting resources, and also share photos of the fruit tree blossoms, bulbs, and my favorite houseplants this week! Share your garden highlights (and lowlights) with me on social media by tagging @NMDesertBlooms or emailing photos to desertblooms@nmsu.edu.

The biggest hurdle for successful weed control in our gardens is time. Weeding is labor-intensive, and even more so when avoiding herbicide use. As NMSU Extension Weed Specialist, Dr. Leslie Beck puts it, “The early bird gets the weed.” Weeding when the little devils are small can be extremely gratifying because, with relatively little effort, you can feel the tiny roots give way in the soil, and you know you just won that silent battle. Get yourself a pillow, a playlist or podcast you love, plop down next to a patch of unwanted plants and go to town. Weed ‘em and reap!

Finally, while keeping careful social distance at the Albuquerque rose garden last week, rosarians shared tips on rose pruning. Grow-getter Judy Nickell demonstrated how to use a little sharpening tool on gardening shears that changed my life and also explained that roses should be pruned back at least a little each year to the larger branches because any branch slimmer than a no. 2 pencil won’t be able to support a nice big rose bloom. And Andy Cole quoted Fred Trauger, “Pruning roses is much like getting a haircut: Don’t worry if you mess up. It’ll grow back.” I can’t wait to return to their pretty garden in May to get after photos of all the pruned roses and share the videos here on the blog.

Remember, above all, to have patience with your garden and yourselves. This week I hastily ripped up and discarded an ailing tree that wasn’t mine and could have stood a chance with a little TLC. I also lost my patience with a colleague over email miscommunications. It’s okay if we make mistakes. That’s how we grow.

For more gardening information, including decades of archived Southwest Yard & Garden columns, visit the NMSU Extension Horticulture page (http://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/), follow us on social media (@NMDesertBlooms), or contact your County Extension office (https://aces.nmsu.edu/county).

Marisa Thompson, PhD, is the Extension Horticulture Specialist for New Mexico State University and is based at the Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas.