Articles by Dr. Francis Gouin

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/9/12

How to Fight Back Brush

If you’ve got to use weed killer, now’s the time

Spraying weed killer is generally a bad idea. Spraying must be done with great care and careful targeting when the wind is calm. But if you need to spray to kill underbrush, late August and September is the time. When foliage is mature, photosynthesis is in high gear and the roots are being resupplied. In other words, the sugars being produced by the leaves are now translocating back to the roots. Root resupply generally begins in mid-July and is at its peak in August and...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/2/12

Spider Mites Love This Weather

They’re infesting roses and spruce

While driving I passed a planting of roses that did not appear normal. Up close I saw that the plants were heavily infested with spider mites. The foliage and stems had a rusty red color and were covered with fine webs. The variety of roses appeared to be Knockouts, which are advertised as very resistant to insects. This summer’s hot, dry weather is ideal for the growth and development of spider mites. The small spider-like creatures are about the size of the pointed...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 7/19/12

Don’t Plant Problems

Many fast growing trees have short lives

Contractors are notorious for planting what horticulturists call trash trees and shrubs around new housing developments. The plants they select are fast-growing, cheap and can be guaranteed to live for at least one year after they have been planted. The trees most commonly used are silver maple, weeping willow, mimosa, Lombardy poplar and white willow. They grow fast, provide quick shade and make the house more appealing at the time of purchase. The most...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 7/12/12

Sow Seeds for Fall Crops

Now’s the time for Brussels’ sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage

The vegetable gardening season should not end with sweet corn and tomatoes. There is plenty of good gardening ahead, especially as temperatures cool. Last fall the Upakrik Farm garden produced a super abundance of peas and green beans until the first killing frost. We harvested broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips and kohlrabi well after Thanksgiving and Brussels’ sprouts well after Christmas. The collard greens and kale were at their best nearly all winter long. We harvested...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 7/5/12

No Scarecrows for Me

I use fences, smells and my dog

Squirrels, rabbits, ground hogs and deer are a common problem in home vegetable gardens. I surround my garden with a four-foot-high four-inch-by-two-inch turkey fence supported by steel fence posts at 10-foot intervals. I also attach an 18-inch-wide pullet fence at the bottom with hog-nose rings. Groundhogs will not climb the turkey fence with the bottom pullet fence. They try but fall backwards because the pullet fence is loosely attached. The bottom edge is buried two to three inches deep to...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 6/28/12

Chase Away Garden-Hungry Birds

Each species has a different trick

Crows, morning doves, pigeons and black birds love to pluck sprouting seeds of corn, snap beans and lima beans in the garden. Robins love to eat strawberries, while mocking birds and brown thrush love to eat blueberries as they ripen. Birds can also do a great deal of damage to maturing sweet corn. They will rip away the husks and silk and peck out the kernels from the tops of the ears. How to deter them? Scarecrows are fun to look at but about useless....

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 6/21/12

Composting in a Drum

Here’s how to make it work

Making compost in a drum composter is very different from making compost in a bin on the surface of the ground. When you’re composting in a bin on the ground, any excess water drains from the compost into the ground. Any moisture released in the air surrounding the pile is quickly disbursed by wind and air currents. Composting drums have vents, but most of the moisture released during decomposition condensates on the surface and drops back into the composting materials...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 6/14/12

The A Bees Cs of Pollinations

It takes two species for fruit trees to blossom

A Bay Weekly reader complains that her apple trees have not produced any fruit during the five years that she has had them in her garden. All five, she told me, are of the same variety: golden delicious trees. She was told that for the trees to produce fruit, she needed to plant more than one tree. Since her preference was for Golden Delicious, that is what she purchased and planted. Help Bluebirds Help You Bluebirds are great to have around the garden because they...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 6/7/12

Brown Soil Isn’t Always Rich Soil

Your plants can’t tell you what they need; a soil test can

I recently received photographs of dead and dying plants along with soil test results sent by a Bay Weekly reader. The reader had sent numerous plant samples to a university for analysis only to be told that the injury was due to a fungus. As I studied the photographs, I could not identify a fungus that would cause such symptoms, so I requested a complete soil analysis. The soil test results told me that the plants were starving for essential nutrients. The calcium levels in...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 5/31/12

Never Plant Tomatoes Deep

Rather than gimicks, test your soil for a productive garden

On a Saturday morning garden show, a caller was advised to plant long-stemmed tomato plants deep. Supposedly, burying the stems deep in the garden soil forces the plant to produce new roots along the stem, resulting in a stronger plant. I strongly disagree. That tomato plant was growing in a pot in a greenhouse. Its roots were surrounded by air containing 21 percent oxygen. Roots of plants need oxygen, while the green tops need carbon dioxide. Planting the roots deep means...