Now that the leaves of the birch trees in Southcentral Alaska are at least approaching -- if not already -- the size of squirrels' ears, you can assume we won't have any more freezing weather at night until the fall. This being so, there are two very important rules to remember this week. The first must be followed or you risk losing your plants. The second should be followed to make sure your plants are the best they can be.
Let's start with the first, all-important Alaska gardening rule: All plants grown indoors must be hardened off. It is such an important rule that it deserves its own column just to make sure we all follow it.
The new gardener here may not know this term. I never heard the words "harden off" until I came to Alaska. I am not sure why this is, but I suspect it has to do with the fact that the plants we bought on the East Coast were already hardened off. We bought them from nurseries that sold plants outdoors. Those seeds were started outdoors and hence hardening off was not needed.
Obviously, here in Alaska most seeds need to be started indoors well before the last frosts are over. And lots of the plants we buy here are shipped up from greenhouses in the Lower 48. They have never been in the sun or exposed to the wind outdoors. This is where the problems begin.
The sun can literally burn out the working parts of a plant leaf unless it has had time to adjust things so that ultraviolet rays are not damaging. The leaf is "bleached out," turning white or opaque, and it is useless for photosynthesis. Add to this the evaporative effect of wind around those leaves. It is enough to make stomata -- the pores through which water flows out of a leaf -- go crazy. The plant loses too much water and wilts. Left for too long outdoors, the plant shuts down and either has to repair itself or it simply gives up the ghost and dies. Either way, your investment in time and money is down the drain.
The only solution to the problem is to take the time to harden off anything that is grown indoors, be it annual, perennial, shrub or tree. Start by leaving anything you buy at a nursery outdoors. And get those seedlings you have started outside as well.
The recommended method for hardening plants begins with putting them in total shade for at least two days. Then they should be exposed to an hour or so of indirect sunlight for one day, then two the next, then half a day of sunlight after that. Then they should be ready to go.
This requires a lot of dragging around flats, pots and containers.
In practice, you can put them in complete shade for a couple of days and then put them in dappled shade for the rest of the week. They will be ready after that.
Plants need to be watered while they are hardening off. Either connect a hose or get a watering can filled. Check them twice a day to make sure they have not dried out. Because of the advice I am about to give, do not feed them during this time. I used to tell people to fertilize to get these transplants really strong. No longer.
Instead, you should seriously consider a second Alaska gardening rule: Infect your plants with mycorrhizal fungi (sometimes, erroneously, labeled "Mycorrhizae"). These are the fungi that form a symbiotic relationship with plants and help deliver nutrients directly to their roots. They also increase the all-important carbon content in the soil and improve soil structure. Finally, if we ever have a drought here, these fungi will help keep them thriving longer. The only exceptions to this rule are plants in the cabbage family.
You can buy these fungi in powder or liquid form. Apply to the roots of all transplants and around the soil in which they are planted. Do not apply fertilizers with high nitrogen or phosphorus numbers or you will be wasting money. Very low trilogy numbers on the fertilizer package are acceptable. These associations don't form when there is too much of these elements added to soil. Especially phosphorus. Endo formulations are for annuals and perennials and most trees, but ecto is for the rest. You can now find which your plants need at http://mycorrhizae.com/faqs.
A lot has been learned about the operation of mycorrhizal fungi since the gentle reader was introduced to them back in 1996. Yes, they are everywhere, but it turns out under gardening and agriculture conditions, they sporulate much less, around every five years. It is different in pots, where they will sporulate or reproduce when the pot becomes overcrowded. This means that if you used them last year outdoors, they may not be readily available this year. Besides, you want to get as early a start as possible. That is why I have recommended rolling seeds in mycorrhizal fungi. Get your transplants infected, if they're not already. Your plants will do much better with much less fertilizer, too.
Jeffs Alaska garden calendar
Seeds to start from seed this week: In pots: nemophlia, canary bird vine, nasturtium, silene, mignonette, arctic poppy, California poppies, sunflowers, morning glory, sweet peas, Shirley poppies. In flats: nemesia, scabiosa, sweet alyssum, bachelor buttons, marigolds, clarkia, balsam, zinnia, calendula.
Seed starting for the late bloomer: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, Selkregg Chalet/Russian Jack Springs Park, $5. A beginner's approach to starting seeds indoors on your windowsill. Starting mixes, easy-to-grow plants, care and hardening off seedlings will be covered. Participants will start a few vegetable or flower seeds to take home. Parents must accompany children. For ages 6 and up. Register online at www.muni.org/Active, by phone at 343-6992 or 343-4217, or in person at Selkregg Chalet.
Container gardening: ?6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, Selkregg Chalet/Russian Jack Springs Park. $5. Learn how your balcony or patio can be turned into an urban garden. Have a salad at your doorstep. Learn to transplant seedlings into containers. A drawing will be held at the end of class, and the winner will take home an herb basket. Parents must accompany children. For ages 6 and up. Register online at www.muni.org/Active, by phone at 343-6992 or 343-4217, or in person at Selkregg Chalet.