When do asparagus emerge

I'm not sure if I mentioned this- but I bought already established plants not the roots so I followed the instructions that came with the plants. I did mix multch in prior to planting As they were plants, I did not soak the roots or dig a trench - I did put them 18" appeart and I covered them with leaves over winter for "mulch" - My main concern right now is there is some grass weeds that are already quite large and I can't get them out without possibly digging up the asparagus.

So I have to wait until I see something in order to get thouse weeds out of there. Thanks again for your reply. Suggest you spray grass weeds with glyphosate herbicide Roundup and other trade names according to label directions. This will only work if grass weeds are now green and growing. If asparagus spears are in the vicinity you'll need a shield plastic, cardboard, metal to protect them from glyphosate spray.

Powered by osTicket The larvae are dark and slug-like and are found on the ferns. There are two types of asparagus beetle; the common asparagus beetle Crioceris asparigi and the spotted asparagus beetle C. The adult spotted asparagus beetle is red with black spots, and the adult common asparagus beetle is metallic-colored with yellow spots.

At the end of fall, remove all of the dead ferns and crop debris that would otherwise shelter the adult beetles. If these practices do not control the pest, several insecticides are labeled for management of asparagus beetle.

Asparagus rust and Fusarium crown and root rot are common diseases. Both diseases can weaken asparagus plants, so that the planting becomes less productive over time.

Most varieties are fairly resistant to rust. Removing old ferns provides additional protection. Fusarium is more difficult to control. Use vigorous varieties listed as tolerant and do not plant new asparagus in areas that were previously planted to asparagus.

Do not harvest asparagus until the third year after planting. The plants need at least two full seasons of growth before they build up ample food reserves to sustain harvests. In the third year, harvest only 2 to 3 weeks. In years thereafter, harvest no longer than 6 to 8 weeks until about July 1 in southern New Hampshire.

Harvesting for a longer period of time will not allow for maximum fern growth. Harvest the spears when they are 6 to 8 inches tall. Either snap or cut the spears off at ground level. To avoid injuring spears beneath the soil surface, do not cut more than one inch below the surface. Asparagus is of highest quality when freshly harvested. It can be stored for a couple of weeks if the temperature is held at 34 degrees F and high relative humidity, but sweetness and flavor will deteriorate.

Maintain short-term freshness by standing an asparagus bunch in about an inch of water in a flat-bottomed container in the refrigerator. Spraying asparagus beds for weeds with an herbicide is not the best course. Trimming the weeds down to an inch or so above the bed with a line trimmer would be an alternative to hand weeding. Annual weeds will naturally die and disappear if not allowed to flower and drop seed. Always cut weed tops before they flower and drop seed.

Perennial weeds are a much more difficult problem since they store food and energy in their roots. You will want to pull perennial weeds by hand or treat them individually with an organic herbicide.

Our patch is over 71 years old and some of the dirt has washed away and I feel it needs more dirt on top. When is the best time to add dirt? We have put salt on it for years is this bad or good?

That must be a record! Add aged compost or an organic planting mix across the top of the planting bed any time during the year. Spring after harvest is a good time to spread compost or planting mix around asparagus before they grow tall. Another good time is at the end of the season if you cut plants back before winter.

Aged compost and organic planting mix are excellent adds to asparagus beds. I just started mine this year at my home. Looking forward to getting asparagus in a couple of years.

I put in raised beds two years ago. The spears are just coming up for this season but the dirt has settled dramatically. Can I still add soil, as I did when they were first planted? Thank you. The soil in raised beds will settle over the course of the season and as plants draw nutrients from the soil. Add 2 to 4 inches of commercial organic planting mix or loamy aged compost to your raised beds twice a year.

Lightly mix the new soil in with the old soil. The only time you will need to completely replace all of the soil in a raised bed is if or when you find a soil-borne disease that affects your plants. I planted 2-year crowns into a raised bed last year, let them flower, then I trimmed them down for the winter.

They have shooted this spring and begun to flower. Should I repeat and NOT harvest or harvest this year? Asparagus crowns should grow to full strength in 3 to 4 years. Since your plants are in their third-year harvest a few spears this year but let the other grow on; their ferny stops will help roots store more energy for a full harvest next year. Asparagus plants can produce for 15 years or more so you have many full harvests ahead.

Asparagus crowns may take several weeks to establish themselves below ground. If the crowns roots were healthy and plump not dry when you planted them then it will be a matter of time before the roots become established and then can push new growth to the surface. Keep your soil evenly moist, not wet and never dry. If the weather is hot where you are, you may want to place a floating row over the planting bed to protect the soil and crown from solar heat. I wish to divide my mature crowns to enlarge my bed by another row or two.

I note that you suggest doing this in early Spring, It will be difficult to do this before new sprouts emerge as they do this very soon after the frost leaves the ground, Can the crowns be dug up and divided while the new shoots are emerging or must I try to get this done in the short period before the sprouts emerge?

Asparagus crown division can be done as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. If the soil does not freeze where you live, you can divide crowns in winter. You can also divide crowns in autumn after the top growth dies back. If you divide in autumn, be sure to add several inches of aged compost or mulch over the planting bed to protect the crowns from freezing temperatures in winter. I live in Arizona and my asparagus never seem to turn brown or die back.

My plants are about 4 to 5 feet tall. How do I know when to cut them back so I can add more soil in my raised bed? You can cut them back to the ground in mid-fall or early winter just as though they were experiencing the change of season from warm season to cold season.

Once cut back you can more soil or mulch over the top of the bed. My asparagus bed is around 20 years old. I am in Oklahoma. Every summer small annoying trees invade my asparagus plants. Once the ferns are getting tall, the trees get out of control.

They are larger than the asparagus ferns. Would it hurt the asparagus if I would try burning the ferns and trees in late winter when they were dormant? The crowns of your asparagus plants are not far below the surface. Burning the asparagus ferns and trees would likely damage the asparagus crowns and could destroy in full or part your future harvests.

The trees you spot in your asparagus bed are probably suckers growing from the roots of a nearby tree. Can you identify a nearby tree with similar leaves? If so, dig down 18 to 24 inches on the side of the raised bed where the tree is growing; you will likely find roots growing from the tree to the moisture in your raised bed. Slice these roots and insert a root guard of sheet plastic or sheet metal down into the soil as a barrier.

Then carefully remove the tree suckers in the asparagus bed. If there are no trees nearby then the trees may be growing from seeds dropped by birds. Dig down and remove as much of the tree roots as you can. Thank you so much for responding and for the information. Unfortunately, it us a large asparagus patch and numerous trees that digging up the roots would be almost impossible. I appreciate you taking the time for your advise. Next time you are at the garden center ask for a sucker stopper; this is a spray that contains a systemic herbicide.

For two years, seeds are allowed to grow without any harvest taking place. This additional wait time is why many gardeners choose to grow their asparagus from healthy crowns, which can be purchased from nurseries and garden centers. While most gardeners plant asparagus crowns, the University of California-UC Marin Master Gardeners note that it is becoming more popular to plant asparagus from seeds. They suggest pre-sprouting the asparagus seeds in damp paper towels for more successful germination.

Asparagus seeds may take up to three months to sprout, so begin this process well before spring. In the spring of the third year, asparagus grown from seeds produce their first small harvest. Like asparagus grown from crowns, this first harvest period is shortened to two weeks. To harvest spears you must snap them off at the base of the plant.