IN THE GARDEN: Feeding Our Feathered Friends

Winter is the time of year when feeding our feathered friends is really important. There are several ways we can keep them healthy and happy. One way is to use bird feeders that keep out squirrels. There are several on the market that have an outer wall of mesh to keep out squirrels and allow birds to feed safely.
[image  id="23316" title="Luedecke" linkto="file" ] Bill Luedecke and daughter Martelle offer advice to Highland Lakes gardeners.What do we feed the birds? Well, we can go to the local grocery stores, hardware stores, or feed stores and find a generous array of diverse feed. There is wild bird feed, special feeds for special birds, and some are just a mixture of several grains.
If you are feeding a lot of birds and the other feeds are too expensive then go to the feed store and create your own mixture. (Triple C has an inexpensive mix by Wendland that we use year-round.) We can purchase a 50-pound bag of maize (grain sorghum), and the birds love it. At the feed stores, there are choices of cracked corn, maize, millet, hen scratch, and other grains that can be special ordered.
Watering the birds is very important. Maintaining birdbaths and other watering devices is something that needs to be done year-round.

KILLING POISON IVY

Have you marked the poison ivy vines? If they are in your trees, like ours are, cut the vine at the base of the tree. You are going to make two applications. Combine one-half cup of orange oil, one gallon of 20 percent vinegar, and one teaspoon of liquid soap. Use this combination as a spray when the poison ivy begins to sprout out. Or, if you have poison ivy away from other plants, spray the mixture on the leaves. Typically, poison ivy will sprout again after the first application but not after the second application.
Warning: Be sure to clean your tools, hands, and possibly your clothes with Tecnu cleanser to remove the poison ivy oils.
Also, 20 percent vinegar is very strong and you will want to protect yourself, children, and animals from the fumes as you mix and spray. It will dissipate quickly, so the danger is short. It’s like filling up your vehicle with gasoline.
Remember that this mixture will kill any plant on which you spray it, not just poison ivy. This recipe, compliments of Trisha Shirey, is from The Natural Gardener’s website.
Now, you have the makings of a good, strong, natural herbicide for those unwanted plants.

CHILLING ZONES AND HOURS

Michelle in Burnet asked that we rerun the definition of chilling hours.
Here you go Michelle:
First, a definition is in order. “Chilling hours” is defined as the amount of time that the temperature is between 32 degrees and 45 degrees in order to break dormancy and induce normal bloom and vegetative growth. There are exceptions, and the years vary, but in a normal year (if there is such a thing), most of the fruit trees are going to experience 700-800 chilling hours.
Fruit trees have a chilling requirement in order to produce the optimum harvest for a given fruit. All fruits don’t have the same requirements for chilling hours. Some are as low as 400 hours; others are as high as 1,000 hours. When selecting your fruit trees, look at the chilling hour requirements for each tree and realize that if they have a lower number of chilling hour requirement, you might be running the risk of blooming too early and being subject to a late freeze. If the requirements are too high, they might not do well due to our usually mild winters.
The best advice is to stay within the designated hours that are normal for the Texas Hill Country (as stated above).
Keep your souls and soles in your garden!
Remember, True Master Gardener: Jesus said, “I am the vine; my Father is the Gardener.” John 15:1
Contact Bill Luedecke at The Luedecke Group Realtors at (512) 577-1463 or email him bill@texasland.net. Contact Martelle Luedecke at (512) 769-3179 or luedeckephotography@gmail.com.