54 bar steady 29.77 3mph ENE dewpoint 32 Spring
New Moon
This is a fecund time. I spent a couple of hours today putting down pre-emergent weed prevention in the flower beds, moving some mulch completely off now, the garlic, and putting Cygon on the Iris to prevent borers. Cygon is now a prohibited insecticide so my stash is pretty much it. Our beds are not near running water and we have a storm drainage basin to catch run off so I don’t see my limited use of Cygon, once or twice a year on about 40 Iris, as a great health hazard.
Just being outside is wonderful. Where the snow melts back, as it has begun to do even here, we often find tiny tunnel systems in the grass. Voles dig these under the snow all winter. At first it seems that they might kill the grass, but in fact, I think the opposite is true. Where they go, the soil gets aerated and the grass continues to grow. It looks strange and possibly harmful when you first see it.
The Iris have grown about six inches and now is the time to get those damned Iris borers. If you raise Iris, you know what I mean. If you don’t, well, they’re slimy and icky and eat the rhizome. Yeck.
Tulips and daffodils have also begun to press through the snow and frozen earth. With the showers we get this week I wouldn’t be surprised if we get some blooms, especially if it warms up, too.
