Vermont Master Gardener is an integral part of the University of Vermont Extension Home Horticulture Program
| Seasonal Tips Archive 2003 |
For archival purposes only. Links, contact names and organizations may have changed.
Answers to popular current questions from the Master Gardener Helpline (1-800-639-2230).
A link is made to those UVM Extension leaflets (EL,GD,etc.) available on the web. All leaflets are available through mail order or in person from UVM Extension offices (see theirPublications Catalog).
Vermont Hardiness Zone Map (link to UVM Extension)
New England Hardiness Zone Map (link to UConn)
POSTED 1/6/03
Helpline staff found these two useful articles on the VERMONT ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY website:
POSTED 1/29/03
There are several leaflets of information available for helping to deal with problems that can show up on houseplants at this time of year.
HOUSEPLANT PESTS EL 38
Lists insects that attack plants mostly by chewing and sucking, such as aphids, mealybugs, and scale. Also spider mites. Controls discussed include prevention as well as non-chemical means of removal.
FUNGUS GNATS EL50
Discusses fungus gnats, tiny black flies that thrive in any plant grown in a high organic (i.e. peat-based) medium. They damage root systems as well as being a nuisance.
HOUSEPLANT PROBLEMS OH17
Provides a detailed and easy to read chart of symptoms and what the probable causes are. An example would be leaves that turn brown at the tips or margins are suffering from over or underwatering, too much or too little fertilizer, or low humidity (esp. in the house in winter). Also included is a brief listing of common insect pest problems on houseplants.
On the lighter side:
STARTING SEEDLINGS INDOORS GL12
Here is all the information you need to be successful with seed-starting indoors.
PLANTING CALENDAR FOR VEGETABLES GL 5
Here is a listing of approximate dates for indoor seed-starting, using May 30 as the safe date outdoors for sensitive crops.
These last two leaflets are not available from the internet, but can be requested at no charge by calling the Master Gardener Helpline at 1-800-639-2230 or (802) 656-5421 any time and leaving a message with your name and address along with your request.
POSTED 3/17/03
There are some leaflets available to assist you to get ready for the gardening season. GL's (Garden Leaflets) discussing timely subjects for the upcoming busy season can be requested from the Master Gardener Program by calling the Helpline at 1-800-639-2230 or (802)656-5421 and leaving a voice-mail with your request, your name and mailing address, and any other questions you may have.
OH14 FORCING FLOWERING BRANCHES (http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/oh/oh14.htm) and provides a handy chart of plant type, bloom color, when to cut and weeks to force. Directions for successful forcing are also included.
GL9 COLD FRAMES/HOTBEDS includes schematic drawings for construction of frames.
GL13 FROST PROTECTION for those who can't wait until last frost to get something set out. Suggests which crops are best to start early, and various products to use as cover against frost.
GL28 USING DORMANT SPRAYS TO CONTROL OVER-WINTERING PLANT PESTS stresses the importance of timing when applying dormant sprays, which is" before new growth begins in the spring or green tissue is visible, but after buds start to swell". Consider dormant lime-sulfur spray if you have probelems with aphids, mites and scale insects. Also used to control powdery mildew, rust and black spot on dormant roses. Raspberry and blueberry cane blights can be reduced by lime-sulfur applied jus before buds begin to break in the spring.
GL37 CONTROLLING TRANSPLANT HEIGHT has some non-chemical tips on keeping those seedlings short and stocky.
USDA BULLETIN: HOW TO BUY LAWN SEED lists the most frequently used grass seeds, explains their characteristics and what to look for on the label.
Just a mention of SNOW FLEAS, which may show up before this winter is finished. They usually appear as "thousands of little black things jumping around in my front yard". They are not fleas at all, but primitive insects named Collembola, commonly called springtails. Snow fleas ARE HARMELESS and actually help break down leaf litter, etc., on the soil. They will not bother people or pets, and will not get into the house, or contaminate foodstuff.
Think about ordering SOIL TEST KITS (see phone numbers above) before things get really busy.
POSTED 4/8/03
TIMING IS EVERYTHING! Several common problems that show up later in the summer can be prevented by proper timing of treatment, which means at budbreak in the spring.
APPLE SCAB is a fungus disease spread by spores which are especially active during warm spring weather with high humidity. It causes defoliation, reduced yields and blemished fruit. All apples are attacked, including ornamental crabapples. Control is possible through planting of resistant varieties, sanitation and/or fungicide application. Resistant varieties include Jonafree, Macfree, Liberty, Freedom and Nova Easy-gro. If you insist upon growing McIntosh, Red Delicious, Roma, or Cortland, be prepared to follow a strict fungicide spray schedule. The most crucial time for spraying is from the time the green tips of the first leaves appear until the fruit is set, usually from beginning of May to mid-June. Spray application should be every 7 days during that period. Remember, fungicides work by providing a protective coating to block out spores, not by killing spores. So sanitation, fall clean-up, etc., is also needed. Also keep trees healthy by watering, fertilizing, and proper pruning. This information and more is available on the Leaflet GD17, which can be obtained by calling the Helpline.
VIBURNUM: If your viburnum has twisted, curled, distorted and cupped foliage, it may be from the SNOWBALL APHID. If so, add this shrub to your list of plants to be sprayed with dormant oil. The eggs are on the twigs and buds and hatch along with the first buds opening in the spring. If you are planning to plant viburnum, choose the resistant 'Viburnum tomentosum'. See leaflet EL176.
EUONYMUS CATERPILLAR: The larvae hatched last summer and waited all winter under their eggshells for the spring to begin feeding within a small web which expands as the colony grows. Break this web open with a stick and let the birds feast on the larvae. If you have no birds, Bt or other organic insecticides for defoliators will help, but break open the webbing first. See leaflet EL256.
POSTED 5/5/03
Dr. Pat Vittum, Turf Entomologist with the UMass Extension Turf Program, has developed a list of possible sources of entomopathogenic nematodes for white grub control. To read the complete message, please visit: http://www.umassturf.org/mangement_updates/management_updates.html
The UMass Extension Turf Program: http://www.umassturf.org
UMass Extension's Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program: www.UMassGreenInfo.org
POSTED 5/30/03
Blueberries have become a popular crop in the home garden. They require an acid soil, so will benefit from added peat moss at planting, and 2 oz. elemental sulfur sprinkled around each plant every two years. Pine bark mulch makes a good weed control. Fertilizing can be done with a foliar feed of a chelated iron product designed for acid-loving plants. There is a witch's broom condition showing up on blueberries. It is caused by an unusual fungus, and produces numerous swollen spongy shoots that have tiny leaves and no fruit. Fungicides are not effective, the diseased plants must be eradicated. Pruning out the brooms will not control it, as the whole plant is infected by the time it is noticed. The other host plant for this fungus is the fir tree (Abies). Do not plant blueberries within 1200 feet of fir trees.
LAWNS LAWNS LAWNS
Consider replacing part of the lown with groundcovers. Great suggestions for groundcovers in Vermont are in Leaflet OH55 http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/oh/oh55.htm
Here's a short course in lawn care:
Spread a half inch of compost on the lawn every year. Scratch and reseed bare spots. Raise the mowing blade to 3 inch height. Leave clippings on the lawn unless they are too long or too wet and lying in piles. Fertilize once a year in the fall. Test the soil, add lime in the fall in amounts indicated by the soil test report to keep the pH optimal so nutrients are available to the grass plants. Let the grass go dormant during a drought, it will come back when the rains do. If you do all these things, your lawn will tolerate up to 12 grubs per square foot, will crowd out weeds, and will have a cooled root system that goes deep.
Pesticides aimed at grubs are not effective in April, May, and June. The grubs are too large, and the amount of chemical needed to kill them is much much more than if it were applied at the proper time. Apply grub control in late July through August in the Northeast. That is when the eggs are hatching and the larvae are small.
Milky spore needs grubs to maintain and spread the disease, so don't use chemical pesticides with it.
BEETLES
There is an organic product made with kaolin, a fine clay, that can be sprayed on plants to discourage the beetles from chewing on them. They find it incomfortable to walk on or bite into. The whole plant, however, is then covered with a white powder and it may need to be reapplied after a rain. Worth a try? Kind of ugly to look at.
MULCH
The volcanoes are rising up around the trees and shrubbery again. Try to keep the mulch several inches away from the trunks of trees and shrubs so the bark can stay dry and impervious to insects and diseases. Keep the depth to 3-4 inches so the roots can breathe. Trees use shallow roots, studies have shown. Planting a tree at the proper depth and then burying it with mulch is inviting trouble, including accessory roots that grow into the mulch and then can girdle the tree, leaving it weakened for the next wind storm to topple it. Try for a bagel shape, not a volcano, when mulching trees.
SQUASH
Heads up for squash growers. Blossom end rot can be prevented by growing in well-drained soil, watering deeply during dry periods of weather, especially in the heat of summer, and mulching to maintain moisture. Avoid using a high ammonium fertilizer, which can burn the roots. It also locks up the calcium in the soil.
STRAWBERRIES mulched with red plastic have up to 90% more aromatic compounds than those mulched with black plastic. (From the "Avant Gardener", Vol. 32, No. 11, Sept. 2002).
POSTED 6/23/03
POTATOES AND FERTILIZER
Application of manure may encourage potato scab problems. With heavy rains, supplemental sidedressing may be needed, but no N should be applied after plants are 8-10 inches high. To control potato scab, maintain the soil pH around 5.3 or plant scab-resistant varieties. Sulfur can be used to acidify soil if necessary. If soil pH is much less than 5, a light application of lime may be advisable. If you are adding large amounts of home-made manure or compost, less fertilizer will be needed.
ASPARAGUS
Well-rotted manure can meet N requirements. If growing hybrid varieties, increase all fertilizer application rates by 50%. Nutrients are added after cutting to promote healthy fern growth the following year. Do not remove ferns until the end of the growing season.
RASPBERRIES
Boron deficiency may cause deformed fruit or uneven bud break. A foliar spray of 1.5 lb/100 gal water/acre of Solubor may alleviate these symptoms. Excess B may be toxic, so apply soil or foliar B with care and only when need is indicated by soil or tissue test.
POSTED 7/16/03
HYDROGELS, those sponge-like water retaining granules that are added to soil, may not be as safe as previously thought. One researcher offers some concerns about their use: http://www.cfr.washington.edu/research.mulch/myths/hydrogels.pdf
FIREBLIGHT in apples and susceptible rose family plants is common in warm wet weather. It will appear as shepard's crooking of succulent new tissue. Clip out the affected tissue when it is dry, and sterilize tools between cuts with a 10% bleach solution (9 parts water, 1 part bleach).
TOMATOES are now beginning to show early blight and septoria leafspot on the lower leaves. Remove these leaves and dispose of them. Protect the unaffected leaves with a fungicide. Promote good air circulation by staking the plants.
STRAWBERRIES, after harvest, can be mowed and fertilized.
LOW IMPACT PEST CONTROL, as practiced by the Common Ground Student-run Educational Farm and reported by Tobiah Schulman, President of the Farm, includes the following:
GRUBS IN LAWNS
Homeowners have been finding numerous white grubs in the soil and asking for recommendations for treatment for this problem. Before treatment is begun, however, several steps should be followed:
Step One:
Determine the need for pesticide treatment. Ideally, this is done in late August, early September, when the new generation hatches. Determination is made by cutting and pulling back a 12 inch square of sod in the affected area and counting the grubs in there. Consider treating only if you have 8-10 per square foot. If this is done now instead of in August, you are counting the grubs which did the damage last fall and are now ready to pupate, become adult beetles, mate and fly away to lay eggs elsewhere.
Step Two
Collect samples (3-5) of the young grubs and bring or send them to the Master Gardener Helpline for identification. NOT ALL PESTICIDES ARE EQUALLY EFFECTIVE ON ALL GRUB SPECIES. Know what you are dealing with.
Step Three
Select a treatment. TIMING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - TREAT IN THE FALL OR NOT AT ALL is what some Extensions recommend.
1. Merit is the most effective on the market at this time, and can be applied in July for August control, as it takes 2-3 weeks to work. It acts as a growth inhibitor. It is useful for all white grubs, with minimal risk to humans, fish, earthworms, and birds.
2. Grub-B-Gon (Mach 2) is effective against Japanese beetle larvae. It should be applied when the beetles are flying (late June through July).
3. Grub-Ex is used against Japanese beetles only, not European chafer or Asiatic Garden beetles. This is applied late August, early September.
4. Diazinon will be effective if applied in late August, early September, when the new generation is small and feeding near the surface of the soil. It is not effective if applied in the spring when grubs are large. Diazinon is highly to moderately toxic to fish and birds.
5. Milky spore is still not recommended north of Albany, N.Y.
All of the above information is capsulized from the following sources, which offer more specific information and make excellent reading:
VEGETABLE PESTS
Many pest problems on vegetables can be prevented by using a physical barrier, such as a polyester row cover, installed at the time of planting seeds. The cover keeps the adult insect from reaching the seedlings and laying it's eggs on or around them. Examples of these problems are: leaf miners in spinach, beets, Swiss chard; carrot pests (http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el64.htm); worms in radish; flea beetles (http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el71.htm). If you have the problems now, remove affected parts. Chemicals do not reach between leaf surfaces.
HYDRANGEA LEAF TIER shows up as wrinkled and tied together leaves at the growing tips of stems on hydrangea shrubs. Just pinch off those affected tips, the shrub will not be damaged, and will grow bushier.
SAWFLY LARVAE ON MUGO PINE, ROSES, and COLUMBINE:
http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el241.htm
Seen as small worms with dark heads, massed on the ends of the plant. These larvae can be knocked off with a strong stream of water, needing several tries, so don't get discouraged. Birds love them.
BOTRYTIS on peony will appear as blackened leaves and stems. For this year, clip out and destroy infected areas. Clean tools with alcohol. Next Spring, apply a fungicide when the leaves are emerging from the ground. When buying products, be sure your plant and your problem are listed on the label. http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/gardendisease/gd32.htm
TREES are showing the effects of several dry summers and becoming more susceptible to insect and disease invasion. Anthracnose is being found on maples and sycamores, oak leaf blister on oaks. Be sure to clean up fallen leaves and remove them from the area, so as to remove the spores which continue the disease cycle. Provide an inch a week of deep watering if rainfall is inadequate. http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/gardendisease/gd28.htm
POSTED 7/22/03
PLANT DISEASES will be on the rise in vegetables and ornamentals due to scattered rains and warm temperatures. Look for tomato leaf spots, powdery mildew on curcurbits and other ornamentals, iris leaf spots, general fungal leafspots on beets, carrots, etc. To prevent, use good row spacing to improve air circulation among plants. Remember, most fungal diseases require 6-8 hours of leaf wetness to infect, so avoid night watering and overhead sprinkling!
Cucumbers resistant to cucumber mosaic disease include "Marketmore" and "Little Leaf", a pickling variety.
CUCUMBER BEETLES are still around and going in and out of flowers. They generally are not doing much harm now, but in high numbers can scar fruit. You can use a kaolin clay product as an anti-feeding agent.
SQUASH BUG: Small brown/tan squash bug eggs are obvious on the undersides of squash leaves. Crush the eggs before they hatch, and watch for damage by young at the base of the plant. Wrapping the stems of squash plants with aluminum foil can provide a physical barrier to injury. For future reference, varieties resistant to squash bug include: "Table Ace" winter squash, "Table King" butternut and "Zenith" butternut.
FOUR-LINED PLANT BUG causes small black/brown angular spots on daisy, basil and other herbs and flowers. They move quickly and rarely warrant control. http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el148.htm
CRABAPPLES may continue to defoliate from earlier apple scab infections. There isn't much to do for the tree at this time, except to keep it well-watered, prune suckers but keep weed-whackers away from the bark. Cleaning up fallen diseased leaves can begin now and throughout the fall. This will remove a major source of the spores for next spring.
SAPSUCKERS are injuring many trees. They bore into trees searching for sap, and leave many holes all in a line or pattern. Often, they search and then move on. Read about this pest at http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_sap/sap.htm
BIRCH LEAF MINER shows now on birch as browning mined leaves. The larvae feed between the two leaf surfaces and cause brown blotches. If birch trees are dying back, look for evidence of bronze birch borers. These are bad news for birch trees! The borers tunnel just under the bark and kill the trees. You might find entry holes in the trunk. http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el2.htm
http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el3.htm
MAPLES and OAKS now are showing pink galls on the foliage. This is caused by the eriophyid mite and is not a cause for alarm or treatment. The intact foliage is still able to function.
LACE BUGS can be found on the undersides of leaves of ornamentals, such as serviceberry and rhododendrons. http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el153.htm
WHITE PINE WEEVIL damage to the central leader of pines is easily seen now as a shepard's crook. Clip out and destroy the damaged leader. http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el234.htm
RASPBERRY CANE BORER damage is obvious now as the affected cane tips characteristically wilt. Adult borers emerge in late June and July when long, lush berry canes are present. The females lay their eggs 4-8 inches below the tip in two parallel rows of punctures circling the cane about 2 inches apart. This puncturing girdles the cane, causing it to wilt, and protects the eggs and hatching larvae in the rapidly growing shoot. The larvae bore downward in the cane a short distance before winter. The following spring, it continues to bore down the cane and into the crown, where it passes the second winter and pupates in the spring. Each generation takes two years. Clip out the wilted tips well below the punctures and destroy them. http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el13.htm
STICKY CARS from parking under silver maples and alders have been dripped on with excreted honeydew from the WOOLY ALDER APHID. Look for large bunches of white cottony material. These are waxy threads on the stems and leaves that are hiding many bluish-black aphids. http://www.uvm.edu/extension/publications/el/el18.htm
POSTED 8/6/03
MUSHROOMS are plentiful this year in lawns and mulch. Remove them before they ripen and spread their spores. Bag them and put them into the trash. A ring of mushrooms in the lawn indicates decomposing organic matter in the soil (old tree stump, maybe). There is no chemical treatment for mushrooms.
BLOSSOM END ROT is not a disease but a physiological disorder resulting from a deficiency of calcium and moisture. Usually, the earliest fruit is affected, remove it so later fruit can be better developed by the plant. It will appear as a water-soaked spot at the blossom end of the fruit. The spot darkens and enlarges on the green fruit, before it ripens. Our leaflet GD1 BLOSSOM END ROT suggests maintaining a uniform moisture supply in the soil by irrigation and mulching, and avoiding root damage with cultivation. If the problem is chronic in your garden, try a fertilizer of 1-3-1 ratio prior to planting. Also helpful,early in the season, an application of a dilute solution of calcium chloride (one level tablespoon of anhydrous calcium chloride to one gallon of water)sprayed onto the foliage within 24-48 hours after a heavy leaching rain. Gypsum can be used to add calcium to the soil without raising the pH.
APPLE SCAB is a worry now because it is so visible on the leaves at this time of year. The best thing to do at present is it to clean up dropped leaves. Fungicides can be applied next spring when leaves come out. Consider planting resistant varieties, such as Jonafree, Macfree, Liberty, Freedom and Nova Easy-gro. Leaflet GD 17 can be obtained by calling the Helpline at 1-800-639-2230.
POSTED 8/18/03
LAWN DISEASES are loving the hot and humid weather. Basic cultural practices are important for prevention. Get a soil test done routinely to know what to add to the soil for optimum (not maximum) turfgrass growth. Too much nitrogen fertilizer makes grass blades succulent and more susceptible to diseases. (Putting high nitrogen fertilizer on your lawn four times a season is like taking your kids to fast food places constantly. Obesity leads to dis-ease.) Also, keep a sharp mower blade. A dull mower blade rips and shreds those succulent grass blades, creating extra leaf surfaces to be open to bacteria and fungi. Optimum mowing height is 2-3 inches. Shorter mowing causes the grass plant to produce more stems, thus packing the blades closer together for added wetness and sharing of diseases. Letting the grass grow long and then mowing it too short shocks the plants and reduces their ability to resist disease. Mow grasses only when they are dry. For more information, see leaflets GD 13 LAWN DISEASES and GD 14 LAWN PROBLEMS.
MULCH VOLCANOES are the timely subject of a superb article in the current (Sept-Oct 2003) issue of Fine Gardening Magazine. Greg Lowenberg, Ph.D, Education Director of the New England Wildflower Society, writes that mulch pushed up against the surface of a tree trunk creates a zone of moisture that can become a breeding ground for canker diseases (rots). The diseases damage the cambium layer, which is the food and water transportation system of the tree. Rotting wood also is an opening for borers and other insects. Rodents may den in the mulch and chew on the bark during the winter. Mulch volcanoes can be removed, but great care must be taken to minimize damage to the bark of the trunk, or the flare and its valleys. A strong stream of water will remove soil and mulch, lessening the use of tools which might nick the bark. Clip away any excess roots above the flare (the sloping part that comes out of the ground, looking like gripping fingers). These can be potential girdlers. Now remulch with 2-4 inches of an organic material, keeping it at least 4 inches away from the flare and its valleys.
HARVESTING CUCUMBERS is best done when they are small. The skin toughens as they mature. Keep picking to keep the plant producing. It wants to 'go to seed' and will stop producing if a few cukes get really large.
HARVESTING ZUCHINNIS is also best done when they are small for optimum flavor. Control any runaway producers by allowing a few on the plant to get large and 'go to seed'. Large zuchinnis can be used for breads.
HARVESTING CANTALOUPES at their ripest is when there is a 'musky', perfumey smell, a change of skin color from green to tan, a change of skin netting from flat to prominent, and a cracking between the stem and the fruit. The stem should slip off eaily. If it falls off, however, eat that fruit first. It won't keep long.
HARVESTING WATERMELONS at their ripest is when the color of the spot where the melon rests on the ground changes from white to a creamy yellow, and the skin loses its shine. Thumping is not always a good indicator.
HARVESTING WINTER SQUASH AND PUMPKINS at their optimum is when the color deepens and the skin hardens so that it is not penetrable by a thumbnail. These do not 'go by' before harvest time, so you can wait until the vines die or a frost kills them. If your pumkins are not coloring up for Halloween, hold the water from them for a few days. That stresses them into rushing into maturity.
CAULIFLOWER becoming woody results from temperatures that are too low during early growth, resulting in bolting when the weather warms up.
GRASSHOPPERS are a nuisance in some areas, especially those with weedy margins. Traps can be made by sinking jars in the soil up to their rims and baiting them with molasses and water. Empty and refill routinely. Mulching the garden also reduces chances of nymphs emerging in the spring. Mow weedy edges. Encourage birds.
POSTED 9/2/03
PLANTING can still go on. You can still plant leaf lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, radish, dill, chervil, and turnips for greens.
GARLIC PLANTING is best done four to six weeks before the ground freezes. Poke cloves into the soil 2-3 inches deep in the fall. Space 4 inches apart. Apply any mulch only after the ground freezes in order to reduce the chances of rodents nesting in the mulch.
PANSIES seeds can be sown now in flats, kept cool, shady and moist. Transplant into coldframes when large enough, and cover with a coarse mulch for winter protection. Set plants out into permanent beds next spring.
EVERGREEN TREES may be planted out until the last week of September in Vermont. Keep well watered until the ground freezes. Apply an anti-dessicant to help prevent drying out during winter thaws.
TOMATOES may have suffered from sunscald. This will appear as green, hardened areas in the ripe tomato. Note which varieties suffered the most and next time plant them in the center of the patch, so others will shade them. When staking, remove only the growing tips of the suckers, leaving some lower leaves on to help shade the ripening fruit.
SEED-SAVING: Check with your seed supplier as to whether the prices are effective to the end of the year. Then order next year's seeds while you have the names of this year's successes and failures fresh in your mind. Store seeds in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate it. Place a packet of silica or powdered milk in the container to lower humidity and keep the seeds viable. Seeds will keep for years this way.
POSTED 9/16/03
BOXELDER BUGS are already hatching and swarming on house foundations. They are mostly red when small, but get more black with the red 'V' as they mature. They are looking for a snug place for winter hibernation, and are a nuisance, even though they do not bite or eat anything in the house. Vacuum them up and dispose of them. For more information, get our leaflet ELMG04 by calling the Helpline at 1-802-656-5421.
VOLES, MICE are busy getting ready for winter soon, and it would be a good time to set out some mouse traps baited with peanut butter if you are bothered with them. WRAP NEWLY PLANTED TREES WITH GUARDS, either the white plastic tubing, or a roll wrap if the tree is larger. Be sure to push the guard into the soil a few inches to bypass burrowing. REMOVE THE WRAPS IN THE SPRING, or you will have borers moving into that nice dark, protected bark.
LIME application now will have your soil ready for the next growing season. Be sure to get a soil test, as it is advisable not to change the pH more than 1.0 per year.
MAPLE TRUMPET SKELETONIZER is the name of the critter folding those maple leaves at an angle. Unfold the leaf and look at the black, crusty webbing on the underside, and it is shaped like an old ear 'trumpet'. There is no need to attempt treatment against these or any other webbing and chewing larvae on leaves of plants at this time. It is late in the summer and the plants have done most of their work for the growing year. EL33
FORCING BULBS INDOORS is a leaflet (OH 46) available with information to get you started on an early 'spring' indoors. Pot up bulbs anytime from September 1 to December 1, planning 8 to 12 weeks of cold treatment for tulips, 8 to 10 weeks for hyacinth, daffodil, and crocus. An extra refrigerator works great for forcing bulbs, just don't put apples in there, they emit a gas that prevents bulbs from blooming.
WINTER INJURY is a leaflet that describes the several types of plant damage caused by environmental conditions. Leaflet GD 20 outlines management methods for frost injury, low temperature injury, winter dessication injury, sunscald and frost cracks. Prepare soon for protecting evergreens by wrapping with burlap, applying antidessicant before temperatures go below 40degrees F (check label, spray not usable on all evergreens).
POSTED 9/23/03
SWEET POTATO VINES--The ornamental sweet potato vines that grew in containers all summer have produced tubers and folks are wondering if these were edible. They are relatives of the sweet potatoes we usually eat, but are not very tasty. Indeed, they have purgative effects if eaten raw. They are not a recommended food source.
POSTED 10/9/03
Something to think about...
The worm turns: Off home turf, it's down to no good
ELLEN BYRON, The Wall Street Journal
Monday, July 7, 2003
©2003 Associated Press
When Cindy Hale hikes through stretches of the Chippewa National Forest in north-central Minnesota, she sees the depredations of her sworn enemy all around her.
The colorful spring flowers that once bloomed are all but gone. Ferns and the seedlings of sugar-maple trees are in short supply. The thick, spongy forest floor that cushioned every step has disappeared, leaving bare dirt. There are fewer ovenbirds, warblers that rely on the downy floor for their nests.
The dark, green forest is slowly being stripped. Over time, Ms. Hale fears, dozens of species of animals that depend on the forest floor and its abundant plant life will be affected.
Blame the earthworm.
Ms. Hale, often referred to as the Worm Woman, has declared it her mission to stop the alien invasion. She is conducting a census of Minnesota worm populations and organizing Worm Watch tours in which she teaches amateur hunters to track and identify various species of worms, none of which are welcome in Minnesota forests.
Her crusade is gaining force. This year, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, after conducting its own study primarily funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, agreed to include in its annual fishing-regulations guide an advisory against dumping earthworms. The guide went to all 1.5 million fishing-license holders in the state. Minnesota also distributed more than 1,000 "Contain Those Crawlers" posters to bait shops.
Only in recent years have scientists begun to recognize the damage earthworms are causing in North American forests. The early bird, Ms. Hale has discovered as she travels around the state, catches some pretty strange looks.
"No one believes this at first because we're taught since kindergarten that earthworms are these benevolent creatures," says Ms. Hale, 41 years old, who is working on her doctoral dissertation at the University of Minnesota and conducts research for the Department of Forest Resources and the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth. "Seeing how they can nuke an area is amazing."
To be sure, on farms and in gardens, earthworms can be beneficial. They help stir the soil and replace nutrients.
But they're exotic creatures in vast stretches of North America, including nearly all of Canada and the northern U.S. The reason: About 10,000 years ago, glaciers retreated from these areas, leaving the region earthworm free. For thousands of years thereafter, forests and other ecosystems in these parts evolved in a state of wormlessness.
So how did worms get there? They didn't crawl. Earthworm populations move only about 15 or 20 feet a year.
Scientists say that when European settlers arrived, they brought animals and plants, both of which probably carried earthworms or earthworm cocoons of the European Lumbricidae family. Europeans also used soil as ballast in their ships, and dumped it once they reached U.S. and Canadian shores.
New infestations keep coming. Anglers, after a day of fishing, often dump leftover bait along the shores. The tire treads of all-terrain vehicles, construction equipment and cars can carry worm cocoons and add to the problem. Worms can also escape from composting kits and tag along with plants.
For centuries before the worms arrived, fallen leaves and other forest litter decomposed slowly, creating a spongy layer of organic material, called duff, which provides habitats for plants and ground-dwelling animals. Now the earthworms are getting to the duff first, and eating it out from under species that rely on it. Earthworms typically eat more than 10 times their body weight each month. Studies have shown that when worms invade, the duff layer is devoured in three to five years.
Ms. Hale and a handful of other scientists examining this phenomenon fear the long-term stability of the forests is in jeopardy. Without the duff, many species of plants can't survive. Sensitive animals such as salamanders and frogs would likely be the first to suffer. It isn't clear yet whether larger animals would also disappear.
"There's a whole ecosystem that's being fundamentally altered by this loss of duff layer," says John Casson, a biologist with the Chippewa National Forest, where earthworms have eaten patches of the forest floor down to dirt.
Ms. Hale uses her Worm Watch seminars to try to beat back the invasion. She's training participants to conduct worm surveys in their hometowns. Her goal is a comprehensive census of worm populations in Minnesota, determining for the first time which parts of the state have been overrun, and which are still worm free. Similar efforts are under way in Canada.
In Finland, Minn., Worm Watch participants hike with Ms. Hale to learn worm-tracking techniques. On one recent outing, she poured a mustard-and-water solution onto the forest floor, leaned in and waited for worms to squirm to the surface, their skin irritated by the mustard.
"Look, here they come!" worm watcher Carrie Anderson said with a gasp.
"I can hear the screams already," said Kurt Mead, scooping up the invertebrates in his hands.
Many new infestations come from lake shores, where bait is dumped. Laura Jewison, a cashier at Billy's, a bait shop and gas station in Elysian, Minn., sells long night crawlers for $2.35 a dozen. She put up her worm-warning poster near the cash register. "It sounded pretty funny to me at first," Ms. Jewison says. "But now it's starting to make sense."
Lifelong fisherman Gene Dodge, 85, of New Richland, Minn., said he recently heard about the earthworm problem and pledged to "straighten out" his sons and grandsons on their next fishing trip. "It's really surprising. I never thought they could be bad for anything," he said.
Now Ms. Hale and others are looking for solutions. She has ruled out poison because it would be too costly and harmful to other organisms. The same goes for running electric current through the ground to kill worms.
There has been talk of importing other animals that prey on earthworms, such as a species of flatworms from New Zealand. But that could open up a whole new can of worms.
Until scientists find a way to reduce the worm population, they are focusing on other ways to save the forests. One solution might be to reduce populations of deer in areas affected by worms so plants face one less predator.
Mr. Mead, who attended one of Ms. Hale's Worm Watch seminars, offered another suggestion to get rid of the worms: eat them. He says he has baked chocolate-chip-and-earthworm cookies for his teenage students in a nature class.
"Look," he says, "earthworms are a natural and abundant protein source."
POSTED 10/22/03
If you have MUMS still in their pots, you can save them for planting out next spring. Place them now, untrimmed and pot and all, in a cool spot (an unheated garage) for the winter. Keep barely moist, then plant them out in the spring when danger of frost is past and little green shoots show at the base of the plant. Many divisions can be made from one plant.
TUBEROUS BEGONIAS can be stored for next year if frost hasn't killed them yet. Bring them inside for several days to dry out, then cut back the foliage. Store the tubers in a newspaper-lined box in a 40-55degree F. place, checking occasionally for any soft or moldy bulbs that need to be discarded. Next February, pot up the tubers again in moist soilless mix and put them into a well lighted spot indoors, but not into direct sunlight. Plant out after danger of frost is past.
FROST PROTECTION REMINDER that heat loss is rapid once the sun goes down, so put out whatever covers you are using at dusk. Remove them in the morning after the sun has warmed things up a bit.
LILY OF THE VALLEY can be forced for spring fragrance indoors. Dig up a dozen or so dormant roots before the ground freezes, keeping the roots intact. Store them in a plastic bag full of peat moss where it is cold but not freezing. When it is time to force them, fill a shallow bulb pan halfway with potting soil, place the roots on this, then fill with soil so just the tips show. Water well, place in a sunny, warm room and expect flowers in three to four weeks.
VOLES: Now is a good time to think about preventing vole damage. We are already receiving calls regarding vole activity in perennial beds and fall planted garlic beds. Callers have left the leaves on the beds for mulch, and have heavily mulched their garlic beds. Mulching should wait until the ground is frozen, so as to discourage the critters from finding a warm home. If you have shrubbery mulched, pull back the mulch, and put it back after ground is frozen. Mouse traps can be set with apple slices, or with peanut butter mixed with oatmeal, and set out on fresh runs. Deep watering your shrubbery before the ground freezes is helpful to the plants and may also discourage critters.
PUTTING THE GARDEN TO BED for the winter is outlined on our fact sheet number OH 03: Preparing the Garden for Winter. Most important is clean-up of diseased plant material, disposing of it off-site. Do not put it into the compost pile unless you can maintain a very hot pile. An often forgotten but important cultural practice to prevent disease problems in the garden is the cleaning of tomato stakes and/or cages, trellises, tools, plastic supplies (row covers, hoops, jugs, etc.) with a solution of one part bleach to 9 parts water at fall clean-up to kill bacteria and fungi and not carry them over to the next season.
APPLE SCAB fungus remains on fallen leaves and fruit and these should be cleaned out and disposed of to lessen the return of spores next spring.
BIRDSEED information excerpted from "The Avant Gardener", Vol. 34, No.10 (Horticultural Data Processors, Box 489,New York, NY 10028) as follows: "Beware Birdseed: One of the most common components of bird feed is black oil sunflower seed. It is valued for its high quality protein and as an oil source for avian diets. Plant pathologists, however, have detected the overwintering form (sclerotia)of a plant-pathogenic fungus in some commercial sunflower seed. 'Sclerotinia sclerotiorum' can infect some 400 species of annuals, perennials, vegetables and woody plants. It causes a disease called cottony rot, which has been documented as being on the increase for the past several years. When birds discard infected seeds to the ground around the feeder, the sclerotia can lay dormant for months or even years, then produce spores that will infect plants. When plant pathologists at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (Wooster, OH 44691) tested ten bags of commercial sunflower seed, five were found to contain sclerotia of the fungus. Since there are no resistant sunflower varieties and no fungicides to control the disease, commercial growers are being urged to rotate their crops and monitor them for infection, and to practice double-screen cleaning plus gravity screening to reduce infected seeds to the lowest possible levels." http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/rowcrops/pp840w.htm
LAWNS: Fall fertilization of lawns should have been accomplished by early September, but there is still time, right up to October, to apply limestone. To be most efficient, a soil test should be done. Soil test kits may be ordered from the Helpline at 1-800-639-2230 or 656-5421. The directions are all included, and payment is sent with the soil sample. The alternative is to follow the rule of thumb, which is to apply a nominal amount of lime if you haven't put any on in the last 3 years.
GREEN MANURE: Be careful when buying rye for green manure. There are 4 types of rye, and the one most often desired is ANNUAL RYEGRASS. This a small grass that can be planted up to 3 weeks before first frost, will be killed by the winter, and will leave a dead mat which can be turned into the soil in the spring and can be planted into immediately. PERENNIAL RYEGRASS will die back in the winter and then regrow in the spring, just like the lawn, which is where it is best used. WINTER RYE is a grain crop that grows 4-5 feet tall, dies back in the winter and then regrows in the spring. It can be tilled under when it is 10-12 inches high in the spring, but takes several weeks to decompose enough for planting any garden crops. It is also difficult to dig under by hand. SPRING RYE is a grain crop that is not common in the North.
POSTED 12/10/03
Just FYI,
The potential devastation of Emerald Ash Borer to ash trees in North America is being compared to that of Dutch Elm and Chestnut Blight on other tree species. Unfortunately, it was recently found in the Columbus, Ohio area.
BUCKEYE YARD AND GARDEN LINE 2003 SPECIAL EMERALD ASH BORER ISSUE
http://secrest.osu.edu/newsreleases/bygl-eab2003.asp
Additional Emerald Ash Borer Resources on the Web. There are several good web sites that can provide more information and help regarding emerald ash borer. Check these out:
* USDA Forest Service Pest Alert - Emerald Ash Borer
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/pest_al/eab/eab.htm
* USDA Forest Service - North Central Research Station
http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/4501/eab/
* Ohio Department of Agriculture - Division of Plant Industry
http://www.ohioagriculture.gov/pubs/divs/plnt/curr/eab/PLNTeabindex.stm
* North Central Pest Management Center
http://www.ncpmc.org/NewsAlerts/emeraldashborer.html
* Ohio State Experts on Emerald Ash Borer (Under "Headlines")
http://www.oardc.ohiostate.edu/
* OSU Extension Ohioline - It's New
Four new fact sheets on EAB will be posted here under "It's New" within the next couple of weeks. Check back for these sheets after about December 15.
Contact Vermont Master Gardener at master.gardener@uvm.edu.
Contact webmaster sarah.kingsley@uvm.edu with questions or comments about this web site.
Vermont Master Gardener is an integral part of the University of Vermont Extension Home Horticulture Program
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont.University of Vermont Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, or marital or familial status.