Dear Master Gardener: My amaryllis is almost done blooming. What should I do as the flowers fade?
Answer: As soon as it is finished blooming, set it in a bright, sunny location. As flowers fade, remove each one along with the swollen ovary that sits behind it, to prevent seed growth. Water it when the soil gets dry, adding half-strength houseplant fertilizer monthly. Keep your amaryllis indoors in bright light or move it outdoors for the summer, once there is no longer danger of frost. If you put it outside, place it in light shade, then gradually move it to full sunlight.
Dear Master Gardener: We just moved up here from southern Minnesota and we were wondering when the last frost typically is in the spring.
Answer: According to the DNR State Climatology Office, the spring frost-free dates from 1971-2000 for Crow Wing County are May 22-28 for the western two-thirds of the county and May 29-June 4 for the eastern one-third. There is still a 10 percent chance of 32 degrees. or less on or after these dates.
Dear Master Gardener: Someone told me that red kidney beans are poisonous if you don't cook them thoroughly. Is it true?
Answer: Red kidney beans are perfectly safe and healthy, except if eaten raw or undercooked. The harmful compound in kidney beans is phytohaemagglutinin, also known as kidney bean lectin. If this lectin is not destroyed by thorough cooking, it can bring on severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The incomplete cooking of raw beans in a slow cooker is a common source of red kidney bean poisoning. People usually recover quickly, but it takes only four or five raw beans to bring on these extreme symptoms.
Dear Master Gardener: I got a planter filled with blooming forced bulbs as a gift. After the flowers die can the bulbs be planted in my garden in the spring?
Answer: It depends on what type of bulbs are in your planter. Some hardy bulbs that have been forced into flower, such as daffodils can be transplanted into your garden in the spring; they probably will not flower the following year, but may the year after. Hyacinths, paperwhites and tulips should be discarded after forcing.
A common problem with Paperwhite Narcissus is they have a tendency to get too tall and flop over. According to Cornell University, you can use alcohol to reduce the height of paperwhites. Plant your paperwhite bulbs as usual (in stones, gravel, marbles, glass beads, etc.) Add water as you normally would, then wait about one week until the roots are growing and the green shoot is about one inch tall. Pour off the water and replace it with a solution of 4-6 percent alcohol, made from any "hard" liquor. For example, to get a 5 percent solution from a 40 percent distilled spirit (e.g., gin, vodka, whiskey, rum, tequila), you add one part liquor to seven parts water. Or, you can use one part 70 percent isopropyl alcohol mixed with 10-11 parts water. Be very careful because 10 percent alcohol will distort plants and 25 percent will kill them. Don't use beer or wine because the sugars will cause problems with the plant. Your plants will be 1/3 shorter with the same size blooms.
February Garden Tips
• Great Horned Owls and Barred Owls nest from January to March. Take a walk by the light of the full moon to listen for their calls. The Great Horned Owl has a low-pitched "Hoo Hoo" and the Barred Owl's call, "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all" is very distinctive. If you take your children or grandchildren out for the walk, cap off the evening by reading "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen together.
• After orchids finish blooming, wait to cut off the flower stalk until it turns completely brown as these may set more buds for additional flowering.
• Think you have fruit flies? You may have fungus gnats. These larvae live on decaying matter in soil. Allow your houseplants to dry out between waterings.
• Start your seeds this month for geraniums, pansies and wax begonias; as well as leeks and onions.
• Plant begonia tubers in a flat of peat moss or vermiculite now for bloom in June.
• Keep Valentine's Day flowers attractive as long as possible by setting them in a cool location when you are not around to enjoy them. Put them in a clean vase filled with barely warm water and floral preservative. Add more water and preservative solution as the level drops, replacing it as soon as it appears cloudy. Trim off any foliage that sits in the water, as it rots easily, and make a fresh cut at the base of each stem whenever you change the water.
• Check on dahlias, cannas, calla lilies, gladioli, tuberous begonias, and other non-hardy summer bulbs you are storing over winter in the basement. It is not unusual for them to rot in storage, especially if they are kept too warm or they were damaged when dug up in the fall. Discard any that are obviously soft and mushy.
• If you buy a plant, take special care in transporting it in winter weather. It should be completely covered with tissue paper, then placed in a plastic bag which will trap warm air when you pinch the top closed. Direct exposure to cold air, even for a short time, can damage or kill flowers or foliage.
University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners are trained and certified volunteers for the University of Minnesota Extension Service. All information given in this column is based on university research. To ask a question, call the Master Gardener Help Line at 218-454-GROW (4769) and leave a recorded message. A Master Gardener will return your call.