We have a satsuma tree that is full of fruit. My husband wants to pick them. He said that they are sweeter if you pick them when they are not completely ripe and let them ripen on the counter. I say baloney; they are sweeter if you let them ripen on the tree. Who is right? — Maggie
You are right. Citrus fruit do not sweeten once they are picked from the tree. While the color may change once the fruit is picked — turning more orange — the sweetness will not increase once they are picked. They are definitely not sweeter if you pick them before they are fully ripe and ripen them off the tree. Do not harvest your satsumas until you are sure they are as sweet as they will be.
That said, satsumas are ripening this month and can attain full sweetness while there is still some green on the skin. Try a few fruits now. If you think they should be sweeter, wait a week and try some more. Once the fruit turn completely orange, they are generally as sweet as they will get. This applies to all citrus.
Satsumas and lemons ripen in November. Most oranges and grapefruits ripen in December. Blood oranges are harvested in February for best color. And Valencia oranges are harvested in March or April.
My mom is trying to figure out how to set an automatic irrigation system to water hanging baskets on a balcony in the French Quarter. She is an avid gardener and has planted petunias, alyssum and snapdragons for the cool season. We need to determine how long the irrigation system should stay on and how often it should come on to properly water the baskets. — Tricia
I occasionally get questions about setting an irrigation system to irrigate a collection of container plants. I cannot, however, provide a standard schedule. You will need to calibrate your irrigation system based on your unique situation (how fast the system delivers water, container size, potting mix, etc.). Here's how to calibrate how long it needs to stay on.
- Turn the irrigation system on. Check the time.
- Leave the irrigation system on long enough to thoroughly wet all of the soil in the baskets. Watch for water running out of the bottom. That generally indicates that the entire soil mass has been watered.
- When the baskets are thoroughly watered, check the time. That is how long you need to leave your irrigation system on.
To determine how often the irrigation system should come on:
- Check the baskets the next day. Use your finger to probe down into the soil. If the soil feeds damp, there is no need to water. Continue to check the baskets every day to determine the moisture level in the soil.
- When the soil feels dry when you stick your finger into it, it's time to water. Determine how long it has been since you last watered. That's how often the irrigation system needs to come on.
Once you finish the process and set the irrigation system properly, you can stop checking the soil moisture frequently with your finger. As the plants grow larger and fill the pots with roots and the weather warms in spring, the baskets may dry out faster. Watch for this and adjust how often the irrigation comes on if needed.
GARDEN TIPS:
TROPICALS CAN STAY PUT: Avoid transplanting tropical plants growing in the ground until next spring. Moving them now will reduce their vigor and lower their chances of surviving the winter.
PLANTING HERBS: Herbs to plant now include borage, celery, chervil, cilantro/coriander, dill, fennel, parsley, bay, scented geraniums, beebalm, burnet, catnip, chives, garlic chives, horseradish, lemon balm, Mexican tarragon, mints, oregano, pennyroyal, rosemary, sage, sorrel, marjoram, thyme, winter savory, French tarragon, feverfew, lavender and chamomile.
MUMS THE WORD: Cut back chrysanthemums after they finish flowering to remove the old, faded flowers. Sometimes the plants will produce a few more flowers during the late fall and winter.
LETTUCE IN: Leaf and semi-heading lettuces are easy to grow in vegetable gardens now. The heading lettuce varieties are less successful. Plant seeds or transplants. Leaf or semi-heading lettuces to try include romaine, buttercrunch, bibb, oak leaf and others.
FALL FOLIAGE: Don’t worry about some leaves turning yellow, orange or red and dropping from broad-leaved evergreens such as gardenia, hibiscus, magnolia, azalea, cherry laurel, Indian hawthorn and holly over the next several months. One-third or more of the leaves may change color and drop. The loss of these old leaves is natural and no need for concern. Some of these plants shed old leaves in the fall and others will shed old leaves this spring.