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What a crazy weekend with the Outlet Sale last week!  So good seeing everyone and getting a chance to talk with many of you who receive this newsletter.  Don't forget the sale continues this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, and yes, there are still many, many plants to choose from!  Great prices ...still a great selection ... and a great time to plant.  It looks like they're calling for a little rain Saturday.  Don't let that stop you from shopping one of the best fall plant sales, ever!

Fall officially arrives this Saturday, Sept. 23, and so far, bringing with it nice, early, cooler temperatures.  I'll take it, and I'm sure the plants will, too!  Fall is thee best time to plant, and save!

p.s. - Just wanted to thank everyone who responded to our emailed survey.  We received the results today and will spend the fall going through everything.  Thank you, again!  rw

[Why is it, when a door is open it's ajar, but when a jar is open, it's not a door?]

*Whether it's the weather - Cooler temperatures and timely rainfall has definitely been a blessing.  With the cooler temps, the soil moisture lasts longer and timing between watering expands a bit.  Still, monitor your soil moisture by touch / feel, sight, and even digging in it to see how deep the moisture goes.  It's so important having good even moisture for our plants as we head into the fall and approaching winter season (until the ground freezes).  FYI - Soil temperatures in our area right now are ranging in the mid to low 60's.

[Why is it called after dark, when it's really after light?]

*What's bugging you? - Crickets!  Seems like every time I open the back door to let the dog out, a cricket hops in!  And they are hard to catch!  Also starting to see more yellow jackets hanging out near trash cans and anywhere food is.  Remember their tastes change from meat eaters (caterpillars and other bugs) to a high carbohydrate diet, which means they become attracted to your soda and beer,  your sandwich and side dishes, your dessert, your bad breath, your perfume, and even your dark clothes.  Don't mistake yellow jackets and honey bees.  Remember honey bees are generally larger and covered with bee hair.  (what else would you call it?)  By the way, yellow jackets can sting several times as the stinger is smooth, where a honey bee only stings once with it's barbed stinger.  If either seems attracted to you, do all you can to be still and calm.  They should move on.  (easy for me to say, huh?)      This week, Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting home invaders making a few early moves indoors - lady bugs, ants, spiders, etc.  Check for those areas where bugs can get in and seal them off!  BJB is also reporting vagabond sod webworm adults flying around (no sprays needed), more and more galls showing up on oak branches, midges and crane flies showing up everywhere and being a real nuisance, and cool season spruce spider mites are ready to hatch.  That means start hosing out those arborvitae and Alberta spruce, etc. to keep mites off.   Joe is also receiving grub reports (use a one shot control such as Bayer's 24 hour grub control or Dylox or Sevin or something labeled for quick grub control - you can use Merit, but it takes 2-3 weeks or longer to kill larger grubs), as well as continued reports of vole damages in the garden (feeding on above and below ground fruits and veggies).  -Catch the 'Buggy Joe Boggs Report' Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC radio.

[I almost had a psychic girlfriend, but she left me before we met.]

*Question mark and the Mysterians - Here are a few gardening questions from this weeks emailed news bag:

"We planted a magnolia last spring, which has been doing well, but now notice a dark substance on many of the leaves and white crusts forming on the branches.  What do I do to keep from losing this tree?"   -Sounds like magnolia scale.  You can spray now with horticultural oil or insecticidal soaps, now and again in 7-10 days for 3 sprayings.  Then give it a dormant spray with the OIL early next spring.  You could hit it again mid to late April once or twice, then let's see where we stand.  If needed, you could go again with the sprays in late August / thru mid September.  That should get it into check.

“Is it good to apply Preen this late in the season?”  -Absolutely!  Applying Preen to the landscape beds late summer and early fall helps to stop those obnoxious early spring weeds, which are actually winter annuals, like chickweed, purslane, and henbit.  They all begin to germinate late summer and fall.

“We planted ornamental sweet potato vine this year, which has done extremely well, but now it’s flowering!  Is that normal?”   -It is if you planted Sweet Caroline.  Not only do you get the wonderful colorful vine that grows as fast as Kudzu, but late in the season, you’ll also get the wonderful, trumpet like lavender flowers.  And don’t forget that when you clean these out at the end of the season, you will find sweet potato tubers underground, and yes, they are edible.  A little bland, but very edible.

"How can I start new plants from my raspberries and blackberries?"  -Try taking new shoots, bending them over, and covering them with soil.  They will root over the fall, and then can be cut, dug and replanted elsewhere.

"Is it necessary to have your lawn aerated every year?"  -Not really, unless your lawn has extremely hard clay and receives a lot of foot traffic / excessive compaction.  Then every fall may be a good thing.  Some extremely compacted areas will core aerate twice a year!  Every other year, every third year, every year, twice a year, whatever you decide to do, your lawn will thank you for it.

"Every year, we deal with those obnoxious walnuts falling in our yard (and unfortunately, we have several walnut trees).  Is there anyone who would want them?"   -Actually, you can sell your walnuts!  Go to www.onga.org for more information about walnut buyers and sellers.  By the way, I learned about an interesting tool that helps collect walnuts, acorns, sweetgum balls, golf balls, etc., called The Nut Wizard.  If you have those things falling in your yard, this may be a good answer for you.  www.thenutwizard.com

"I want to trim off some lower branches of my tree.  When is the best time to do this?"   -Whenever you feel the need!  Whole branch removal on your trees can be done 365 days of the year.  Be sure to make your clean cut far enough away from the tree trunk to leave the branch collar (raised area where the branch meets the tree trunk), as that is what seals the pruning wound over.  Do not use tree paint or sealing paint to cover these cuts.

"Any thoughts what to do with my tomatoes that probably won't ripen at this point?"   -I love pickled green tomatoes, and you can use my mom's pickled pepper recipe Rita had written about earlier.  Or, do like my dad used to do, and simply pull up the tomato plant, and hang it upside down in the garage.  The more mature tomatoes ripen right on the vine, in the garage!  Or, take the tomatoes and wrap them in newspaper and put in a paper bag or box and store in a cool dark place.  Keep checking on them as they ripen.

"Ron, I came home from work yesterday and heard something scratching on the downspout which is covered by morning glories.  When I looked into the vine, I saw the ugliest looking head I have ever seen.  Believe it or not, it was an iguana!  Fortunately the neighbors have experience with them and caught it for me.  Not sure where it came from, but it proves that just when you think you've seen everything in the garden, something else happens!"       -True story, as they sent me the pictures!  Now you'll look closer when working in your garden!

"Ron, a couple weeks ago you mentioned the purple flowering plant growing along the road as Joe Pye Weed.  Is that what you meant to say?"   -Nope, I was thinking Joe Pye Weed and typed that instead of Ironweed.  Glad you caught that!  You win!  It is Ironweed!

[I just got lost in thought.  It was unfamiliar territory.]

This week's Success Tip for your garden - Core Aerating the Lawn - You know, a lush healthy lawn begins with a lush healthy root system.  And if your soil is loamy and rich in organic matter, no problem!  But if it’s like most folk’s, it’s good old heavy compacted  clay.  Root growth is inhibited by heavy clay because of the restricted oxygen supply, lack of moisture, lack of nutrients, etc.  Well here’s a way to begin to turn that heavy compacted clay, into the perfect base for that lush healthy lawn.  It’s called core aerating, and is a process done with a core aerating machine (available at many tool rentals), which uses hollow tines to remove plugs of the soil. And it’s the removal of these plugs, that’s so beneficial to the turf.  Core aerating loosens compacted soils, which is especially important in yards where kids play or there’s a lot of foot traffic or heavy equipment, it helps in the reduction of thatch, it improves water infiltration to the grass roots, improves nutrient infiltration, increases oxygen supply to the roots, releases carbon dioxide, and ultimately, encourages new, deeper root growth, which as we all know, means a healthier lawn.   The frequency of core aerating depends on your soil and the amount of use your lawn receives.  Once a year is good, twice is even better.  And if you’ve never core aerated before, well now’s the time to get started.  Spring and fall are actually the best two times for aerating (while the lawn is actively growing), with fall being the better of the two.  And, if you anticipate seeding or fertilizing the lawn, core aerate first.    Proper soil moisture is important when you aerate, as it needs to be not too dry and not too wet, but just in the middle.  When core aerating your lawn, the cores should be about ½ to ¾ inch in diameter, and about 2-3 inches deep.  It’s nice to get the cores about 3-5 inches apart, so it may require a couple passes over the turf with the machine.   By the way, if you’re curious what to do with the cores that are deposited on the soil’s surface, well, just leave them alone.  They’ll dry, begin to fall apart, and the next time you mow, they’ll disappear back into the top of the turf.  But it will look a little funny for a few days!  Core aerating – one of the best things you can do for your lawn!

[Last night I played a blank tape at full blast. The mime next door went nuts!]

*From the Garden to the Kitchen / Hey Rita, what's cooking? - Hey Yardboy, guess what? Our Winesap apples are ready for picking almost a month early, but then again, Mother Nature rules here. I’m making batches of applesauce and turning some of them into those yummy fruit rollups that kids like. The bonus? No preservatives and only as much sugar as I want!   

No Fuss Homemade Applesauce and Fruit Rollups/Leather - Wash, core and cut 3-5 pounds fruit into chunks (apples and pears work well).  Leave skin on because there is pectin in the peel and that pulls cholesterol out of your body.     Cooking options:  Crockpot: Spray pot with a nonstick spray. Put fruit in. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 until fruit is soft enough to mash.   Stovetop: Place in heavy or nonstick large pot.  Add up to 1 cup water, cider or apple juice (to keep fruit from sticking), and simmer until fruit is soft.  You may have to add a bit more liquid. Be careful here because the mixture tends to sputter up.   To Puree:   After fruit is cooked, run through food mill or sieve, a blender, food processor. (If you’re not going to make rollups, then you can mash the fruit with a potato masher to keep it chunky if you like).  If desired, sweeten to taste with sugar, Stevia or Splenda.  Add cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to taste.  Do this while fruit is still warm. Now you have the best tasting homemade applesauce!  To turn the applesauce into fruit leather, you need to dry it to let all the moisture evaporate out, and here’s how you do it: Drying to make fruit rollups/leather:  In the sun: Cover cookie sheets with foil, dark side facing up so that the fruit absorbs the sun more. Spray and spread mixture on foil, about 1/4” thick or so.  Place outside in the sun and cover with cheesecloth if necessary to keep insects off, and bring in at night or if it rains.  It will take 2 days to a week.  Oven:  Dry in warm oven with door ajar if necessary.  It will take several hours depending upon the kind of apples, etc. How to tell if the fruit leather is done: It should pull up from the pan in one sheet.  Storing:  In refrigerator, up to 6 months, and up to l year in freezer. 

Tips from Rita’s Macy’s Kitchen: REMOVING PESTICIDES FROM APPLES AND PEARS: Put 3 tablespoons cider vinegar into 6 cups water. Add unpeeled fruit and gently scrub with a washcloth. Rinse in clear water and dry. 

-Rita Nader Heikenfeld, CCP / Macy’s Regional Culinary Professional / Herbalist / Author / Local TV and Radio Cooking Expert / Adjunct Professor U.C. Clermont College / Community Press Papers /  [life@communitypress.com attn: Rita or www.abouteating.com]

[A friend of mine is into VooDoo acupuncture.  You don't have to go to her.  You'll just be walking down the street, and ooooooooohhhhh, that's much better.]

*Yardboy's plant to ponder - Fall is here and that means time for planting fall flowers!  And trust me, the selection of plants for fall flowers today, will simply blow your mind!  No doubt about it - when we think fall flowers, we think of the traditional garden mums with their multitude of brilliant cold hardy colors.  You can't beat mums for great fall colors.  And don’t forget the asters, and the ornamental cabbage and kale that just keep getting more colorful as the temperatures get cooler.  And of course the pansies and violas that will flower fall, winter and spring.  And those wonderful Montauk daisies with their succulent foliage and late daisy like flowers.  These have all been the staples for fall colors for years.  But look at what is available today, especially for your container gardens!   Fall planters are filled with an assortment of plants that are either the staples, cold hardy annuals, annuals, and even perennials that shine in the fall.  Just listen to all the plants available for you to plant this fall: Ornamental Grasses, Helichrysum, Million Bells, Diascia, Millet – what a great bold addition to containers, coral bells is so many different foliage colors, sedum, many with their fall flowers, and one called Angelina with its gorgeous lime green foliage - Ajuga with the outstanding dark maroon shiny leaves -variegated ivies -variegated sage - osteospermum - dianthus- Swiss chard - and don’t forget all the wonderful varieties of ornamental peppers.   Add some fall decorations and you’ve got fall container plantings like you’ve never had before!  Get out to the garden stores and check out all these great fall plants.  Your fall planters will be as colorful if not more so, than your summer plantings!

[I went to a general store and they wouldn't let me buy anything specifically.]

A little bit of this and a little bit of that - STICKERS INDICATE IF PRODUCE IS RIPE! - Within 2-3 years, consumers will be able to tell if a fruit or vegetable is ripe, based on the color of an ethylene-detecting sticker.  Developed by the U. Arizona, the RediRipe sticker turns from white to blue as fruits and veggies ripen and continue to release ethylene gas.  A couple issues still need to be addressed, including the fact that not all fruits produce enough ethylene to be detected, as well as what happens when the fruit is overripe.

One of the newest words to be added to "Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary" is the word "aquascape".  It is listed as a noun, meaning a scenic view of a body of water or an area having natural or constructed aquatic features.

'Winter hardiness of mums' suggestions from the colder state of Minnesota says deadhead mums in the fall, but leave the old foliage until the following spring before cutting it off.  Mums there seem to come through the winter better that way. 

New research has shown that the better the acorn production, the higher your risk becomes of getting Lyme disease.  You see, a good fall crop of acorns means more mice and chipmunks the following year.  They happen to be the host for the immature black-legged ticks, so that in turn means more ticks.  So if you have a good crop of acorns, count 2 years forward and plan on a higher number of ticks.  Makes sense to me!  Lot's of acorns and the clock starts "ticking".

[I planted some bird seed, and a bird came up.  Now I don't know what to feed it.]

Classes, Seminars, and upcoming Special Events -

NATORP'S WHOLESALE NURSERY OUTLET SALE CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND!    STILL PLENTY OF GREAT PLANTS AT GREAT PRICES!  For 2 more days, Natorp's will open their wholesale nursery on Snider Road in Mason to the public!  Come straight to the source for over 30,000 shrubs, evergreens, pre-dug and container trees, and over 125,000 potted perennials.  Cash n Carry, and ready for immediate pick-up.  (Installation pricing will be available for larger trees).  Dates for the public sale are 9/23 &24.  Hours are  Saturday 9am-5pm, and Sunday 12-5pm.  For more information, visit our website at www.natorp.com. (Sorry, due to daily changes in inventory, we are unable to provide a plant availability list.  You’ll just have to come and see all the great plants available at really great prices!)  Tell your friends and family, tell the neighbors, and tell everyone at work.  This is one sale you won't want anyone to miss!

FARM CITY TOUR - Would you and your family like to visit an array of working farms and learn more about agriculture and agribusiness activities?  Then don't miss the Butler County Farm City Tour, scheduled for October 14 and 15.  You can set your own pace and visit as many places as you like, in whichever order you like.  To find out more and to receive a map, call Butler Soil & Water Conservation District at 513-887-3720.  Now this will be a fun tour! (Tom Study Farm / Contreras Rd. / Dairy, Brent Tincher Farm / Riggs Rd. / Horses, Mark Tincher Farm / Stillwell Beckett Rd. / Sheep, Brian Butterfield / St.Rt.73 / Farm Market, and Jeff Ittle, Green Prairie Turf / Jones Rd. / Sod and Tree Farm.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden  invites you to check out their annual plant trials for 2006!  Visit the Zoo and not only enjoy the animals, but see one of the best display of beautiful gardens.  Over 150 varieties of annuals are planted in the gardens, both in ground and in containers.  And, they're all labeled so you'll know what they are!  Director of horticulture Steve Foltz and his staff has really outdone themselves with this years plantings.  The Zoo's top picks for 2006 will be published in a pamphlet later on.  Past years picks pamphlets are available at the Botanical Center, or online at www.cincyzoo.org.

Split Rock Conservation Park Fall Fundraiser - Sat., Sept 30, 2006 - 4-9pm - Split Rock Conservation Park 4503 Belleview Rd. Petersburg, Ky. - $30 / person - $10 kids 6-12 - Dinner, Music by Rabbit Hash String Band, Silent Auction, Educational Displays - call 859-689-9999 or www.splitrockpark.org.

The Greater Cincinnati Master Gardeners Association presents "The First Annual Purple People Bridge Planting Contest", Saturday, September 30, 2006 from 3-5:00pm. on the bridge deck.  Light refreshments, winners announced at 3:30pm - come see some really cool container gardens!

GOURMET SUNSET SUPPER IN GRANNY'S GARDENS - You are cordially invited to a five course gourmet meal prepared by renowned chefs Philippe Audax and Rita Heikenfeld.  Saturday, October 7, 2006, from 6:30 - 9:00pm, In Granny's Gardens, 550 Loveland Madeira Rd.  Great food, silent auction, great chefs, great fellowship, benefiting a great cause.  Granny's Gardens!  Reservations required. $25 per person - what a great deal!   www.grannysgardenschool.com      324-2873

When you are dividing your plants this fall, you can also help multiply funds for the Boone County Arboretum! The BCA is having its first ever plant sale on Saturday, October 7 from 9-12 noon under shelter #1 at the Arboretum. We are very excited to have this event but need more plants to make it happen. If you have any plants you would like to donate, please call Laura Kline at 586-6101 or email, laura.kline@uky.edu to schedule a drop off time. We will need all plants by Thursday, October 5. Please make sure your plants are identified before you donate, and call me with any questions you may have!  Please feel free to pass this email along to anyone or any party such as friends, family, gardeners, master gardeners, clubs, or anyone that needs to get rid of extra plants and is willing to donate to our sale. Of course you should also come out to see if there is something at our sale for yourself!

[I used to work in a fire hydrant factory.  Problem was, you couldn't park anywhere near it.]

That's it for this week.  Fall has arrived - the best time for planting.  So come see us during our last 2 days of the Outlet Sale.  Great plants, great prices, great time to plant.  Now, do yourself a favor.  Go out and have the best weekend of your life.  See ya.  RW, the Yardboy.   (Go Bearcats, Go Bengals, and GO BUCKS!)

[Catch Natorp's own grown yardboy Ron Wilson during the week:  -55KRC The Talk Station 'In the Garden with Ron Wilson' every Saturday from 6-9am  - Satellite Radio / XM TalkRadio 165 every Saturday from 6-9am  -610 WTVN (Columbus) every Saturday from 10-12pm (except during Buckeye football season) -Friday mornings at 8:06am on 55KRC's 'The Morning Show' with Jerry Thomas and Craig Kopp  -Thursday and Saturday mornings on Local 12 News (WKRC) Homeworx Team   -Garden expert for 'HomewoRx' with Gary Sullivan on Local 12, Sunday at 11:30am.  Be sure to listen to 55KRC The Talk Station for the best in talk radio! (Home of programming director Tony 'Big Dog' Bender, and executive producer Joe 'the original Joe Pro, who without Joe, the show just wouldn't go' Strecker.)

[What would you say if you were talking to God, and he sneezed?  -Big Dog's point to ponder