Do I cut the ferns?
2007-10-19 07:56:44 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
Its a brand new planting Hedge witch and VERY healthy! We were advised to leave it alone and take no spear at all this year. Its taking over though and I wonder if I should cut it back for the winter.
2007-10-19 08:07:44 · update #1
Asparagus is very, very hardy and will survive extremely cold temperatures. There's no need to protect it with a poly tunnel. Very few pests attack asparagus either. In some areas of the US, asparagus has "escaped" from gardens and grows wild along roadsides. It grows very well without anyone's help or protection.
As others have stated, it is good that your asparagus produced lots of fernlike foliage. It must be happy where you've planted it. Whether or not you want to cut back the foliage after it dies and turns brown is entirely up to you. I like to leave it alone to add some winter interest to the garden and also to mark where the plant is growing. I cut mine down in the early spring before the plants start to grow.
If you choose to cut it back sooner, wait until the foliage has all gone brown and dry. Just clip it off near the ground with a pruning shears or scissors.
Asparagus should not be harvested for the first three years after it has been planted. This allows the plant to become established and to produce thicker tasty stalks.
Toss asparagus spears with a bit of olive oil and roast in a 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, depending on their thickness. Delicious!
2007-10-19 08:22:19 · answer #1 · answered by BobKat 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If by "ferny" you mean a lot of top-growth, that's good. For the first few years, do not pick any new fronds that are smaller than a pencil. The fronds that develop will feed the roots and allow for good, long-term development.
Growing in a "poly tube"? I am not sure about that one. All of mine is grown in a trench which has been heavily supplemented to provide for long-term growth, slowly filling the trench over the year to cover the roots and fronds.
Proper preparation will pay off in the long run as the roots mature and give you plenty of good eating for years. I cut or pull the brown, dead fronds in the winter, mulching heavily so the soil temperature will remain fairly consistent and not "heave" with the temperature fluctuations.
2007-10-19 15:06:25 · answer #2 · answered by Roseann B 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In the UK you have to stop cutting asparagus in June to allow enough of the stem to grow to allow it to feed the root below.
Cut it back to ground level when it dies off.
Don't think asparagus needs to be cossetted - it is a fairly hardy plant so maybe it has been too warm & dry?
2007-10-19 15:04:45 · answer #3 · answered by Hedge Witch 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't cut it back until the fronds have all turned brown. The "fern" growth is feeding the roots.
yummm
2007-10-20 07:27:52 · answer #4 · answered by reynwater 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it will do better out of the poly tunnel its very hardy
2007-10-19 16:01:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
just tidy it up as it dies back .mark where plants are so you don`t damage new growth in spring.
2007-10-19 21:38:25 · answer #6 · answered by HaSiCiT Bust A Tie A1 TieBusters 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋