|
In This Issue
Weather It's The
Weather
What's Bugging
You
Questionmark and
Mysterian
Success Tip of
the Week
From the Garden
to the Kitchen
Plant to Ponder
Contact
Information
Up
Coming Events
YARDARAMA 2007
Saturday, June 2
The Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District will
be co-hosting Yardarama
at the Natorp's Garden Store in Mason, Classes including Joe
Boggs,
Jim Sparnall,
Patrick McCollum, Jennifer Radcliffe,
Rita Heikenfeld and more, demonstrations, SPCA, Cincinnati
Zoo,
Free Pony rides,
Petting Zoo,
Free activities
for the kids,
and lot's of great
weekend specials.
It's all day Saturday, June 2, at the Mason Store. For more
info or class schedule, visit
www.natorp.com.
Quick Links
$10,000 Landscape
Makeover
Newsletter
Archive
Success Tip Sheets
Landscape Design Kit
Gift Cards
Rita's Recipes
|
|
Whether It's The Weather
Like we
said before, spring to the dog days of summer! Well, that's
one thing good about our area. These spells usually don't
last that long. But, one that has, is the lack of
rainfall. It's a very serious situation out there right
now, especially with the new growth on all the plants. And
it is amazing how lawns (especially bluegrass and rye) have
gone into a dormant stage. Remember the golden rule at this
point. If your yard doesn't receive 1 inch of rainfall
every 10 days, you need to water. And do it all at one
time. Of course, newly planted plants will be on their
weekly watering or as needed. This is really, really
important right now!
By the
way, if your lawn has gone dormant (yellowed and stopped
growing) be sure to stay off the lawn so that you do not
kill the crowns of the grass. Watering 1/2 to 1 inch every
10 days may not bring it out of dormancy, but will keep the
roots and crowns alive until conditions are right for it to
start to regrow.
[If
quitters never win, and winners never quit, who came up with
the saying "Quit while you're still ahead?"]
What's Bugging You?
Well,
it's official. Emerald Ash Borer is in Hamilton County.
And, as expected, we're getting hundreds of emails and phone
calls wondering what 'ash owners' should do to protect their
existing ash trees from the dreaded EAB. First of all,
learn more about EAB before you make any decision. And
there are 2 very good web sites for you to visit -
ashalert.osu.edu and
www.emeraldashborer.info
. The first is focused on Ohio specifically, and the second
on EAB as it affects Ohio and 4 other States, including the
southern part of Canada. By visiting and reading, you will
better understand the EAB, its potential devastation to all
ash trees, how to identify it, how to help control its
spread, and what to do once its been detected in your area.
Then, you can make a decision what to do with your existing
ash trees, which may range from cutting down your ash trees
in 'anticipation' of getting infested some where down the
road, to treating your ash trees with controls approved for
EAB control (which are timely applications and must be done
on an annual basis), to not doing anything and waiting to
see if indeed your ash trees ever become infested by the EAB,
which there is always a chance they may not, and then
cutting them down. But no 'clear cut' decision. You must
decide what you would like to do. Your first step, of
course, is learning more about it.
EAB
WORKSHOP! - The Ohio Emerald Ash Borer Task Force, which
includes the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio
Division of Forestry, and OSU Extension, is conducting two
informational workshops next Tuesday, June 5, regarding EAB
in Hamilton County.
The Green Industry EAB Workshop will be held on
Tuesday, June 5, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Anderson Senior
Center, 7954 Beechmont Ave., Cincinnati. The Workshop is
free of charge, but if you plan to attend, we ask that you
pre-register (1-888-OHIO-EAB) to help ensure adequate
material and supplies.
The General Public EAB Workshop will be held on
Tuesday, June 5, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m, at the same location.
Feel free to invite your clientele to this workshop since we
will be discussing all aspects of EAB management.
In case
you haven't heard, we're also experiencing a very, very
serious decline in honeybee populations, this time due to a
condition termed "Colony Collapse Disorder". And
unfortunately, bee experts have been unable to specifically
determine what is causing this sudden death of hives and are
looking at causes ranging from misuse of pesticides, stress
in the colony due to multiple diseases and parasites,
suppressed immune systems, etc. We count on the honeybee
populations to pollinate many of our fruit and vegetable
crops, and this can have a drastic affect on reduced
production and of course, price increases. This is a very
serious situation, so please do all you can to help the
honeybees in your yard. By the way, this is also showing up
in other countries, including Greece, Italy, Poland,
Portugal and Spain. Scary, eh?
This
week, Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting tiny
worms falling from oak trees (larvae of a gall midge),
fourlined plant bug feeding on perennials (they inject
enzymes into the plant tissue, and then feed on the slurry)
which results in round sunken black spots on leaves,
bagworms have officially begun to hatch (so keep your eyes
opened and ears peeled for the little boogers), EAB also
being detected in Allen and Franklin Counties, clearwing
borer adults are out and about, as well as EAB and bronze
birch borer, honeybees are swarming now (if you have one in
your yard, DO NOT spray them - call someone to come get
them!), Maple petiole borer causing maple leaves to fall,
light ash anthracnose, plum black knot, leaf spot on crabs,
and light leaf blotch on buckeyes. Joe says now is also a
good time to treat for bluegrass billbug adults (best to
treat in late April but still will get some control), and
white pine weevil damage is starting to show up on some
white pines.
Catch
the Buggy Joe Boggs Report Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC
radio.
[If a pig is sold to the pawn shop, is it considered a
ham-hock?]
Questionmark and the Mysterians -
Your Questions Answered
"I
received several spring bulbs arrangements as gifts in the
past few weeks. As the leaves yellow and dry, can I plant
the bulbs now?" -Yes! Try to keep them growing (green)
as long as you can, and then, as they yellow, cut off the
foliage, remove from the containers, and plant in the ground
using the same procedures as planting in the fall.
"Some of
my azalea leaves have become deformed and swollen and then
turn a white color. What is this, and how do I save my
azaleas?" What you're seeing is Azalea Leaf Gall Fungus,
and really is more asthetic than anything. Pick off galls
you see and destroy them. If it continues on, try pruning
below the infested areas and destroy that, as well as
changing the mulch. Spray controls include Mancozeb 2-3
times on 10 day intervals. Again, more aesthetic than
seriosly damaging to the azaleas.
"I
recently moved my pepper and tomato seedlings outdoors to
harden them off before planting, and now some of the leaves
are turning white and dying off. What is this and should I
be worried?" -Sounds like sun scald. When you move plants
from the indoors to the outdoors, place them in the shade at
first, then partial sun, then the sun (if they're sun
lovers). Otherwise, the leaves sun scald and turn white.
Acclimate going outside, just like acclimating going back
indoors.
" I grow
my tomatoes in containers, but on the bottom of the tomatoes
it turns black. What can I do about this?" It's called
"Blossom End Rot" and is a very common problem, especially
early in the season. Go to "Success Tip of the Week" for
your answer! (Coming up next in this newsletter)
[I made wine out of raisins. That way I wouldn't have to
wait so long for it to age.]
Success Tip of the Week
(As promised, here's the tip for controlling "Blossom End
Rot"!)
Tomatoes are the number one vegetable grown in gardens and
container gardens. And this time of the year, although
there are many tomato questions, the most common one is this
- "The bottoms of my tomatoes are turning black! What's
that all about?"
It's
a very common problem on tomatoes (can also happen on
peppers, squash, melons, eggplant, etc), and it's called
Blossom End Rot. It can be the result of many factors,
including water stress (uneven soil moisture available to
the plant), plants trying to become rooted / established and
yet produce new growth and fruit at the same time, high
feedings of Nitrogen, cold air and soil temperatures, and a
lack of calcium in the fruit (lack of calcium in the soil).
Again, this problem usually occurs early in the season, and
seems to taper off as the season progresses (plants become
better rooted, etc.). It is a physical problem, not a
disease, so the ripened fruits can still be eaten (slice off
the black spot) if desired.
So,
how do you combat Blossom End Rot right now? The first and
most important step is to try and regulate your watering, so
the plant is receiving good even soil moisture at all
times. Foliage gets the water first, fruit gets it second.
So, increased timely watering, as well as mulching tomatoes
in the garden to help retain soil moisture will help. This
is the most important first step in reducing Blossom End
Rot.
The
next step is to actually supplement the lack of calcium in
the soil. This can be achieved several ways, including
adding lime or gypsum to the soil around the tomato plant,
or even soaking crushed eggs shells in water and using that
water to help water the tomatoes. Blossom End Rot may be
more of a problem in containers, as many potting mixes do
not contain calcium, or very little, and sometimes are
harder to keep evenly moist. There are Blossom End Rot
sprays, but really aren't recommended, as they are slow to
be absorbed, and you're better of correcting the overall
situation causing the problem.
Lastly, make sure you're not over feeding the plants,
especially with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Excessive
growth, stimulated by the high Nitrogen, increases foliage
production, which increases the need for water and calcium
to the leaves, and results in the lack of moisture and
calcium to the fruits. Use an all-purpose garden food,
which is lower in N and higher in Potassium and phosphorus,
as well as other needed nutrients.
This
very common tomato problem typically becomes less of a
problem as the season progresses. Do what we've
recommended, be patient, and the Blossom end rot should go
away on your future fruits. Then your tomatoes will be just
right for the squirrels to take a bite out of them!
Note: Cold temperatures (soil and air) will also affect the
flow of calcium to the plant and fruit. Another good reason
to not plant tomatoes too early in the season!)
[I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take
something.]
From the Garden to the Kitchen
"Hey
Rita what's Cooking?"
Yardboy,
I was cleaning out the freezer and had just enough chicken
and sausage to make one of my favorite suppers: Chicken &
Sausage Jambalaya. It was so good I wanted to share with you
and our readers.
CHICKEN
AND SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA
Go to
taste on this!
1 pound
Cajun style smoked sausage or regular smoked sausage, cut
into 1/4" slices
3-4 ribs
celery, chopped
1 medium
to large onion, chopped
1
generous teaspoon garlic or more to taste, minced
1 green
bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cups cooked diced chicken
3-4 cups
chicken broth - start with 3 and go from there.
1-1/4
cups Uncle Ben's converted rice
Cajun
seasoning to taste: start with 2-3 teaspoons
Salt to
taste
Tomato
slices and thinly sliced green onions for garnish
Film
bottom of pan with olive oil. Sauté sausage, celery,
onion, garlic and green pepper over medium heat until
vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add chicken,
broth, rice and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower
to simmer and cook until rice is done and liquid is
absorbed, about 25-40 minutes or so. Add salt. Cooking time
will depend on the type of rice you use, if the chicken is
straight from the fridge, etc. Remove from heat and let
stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
To
serve: Place jambalaya on plate. Lay a tomato slice on top.
Sprinkle with green onions.
Tips
from Rita's Kitchen:
Onion
chives are flowering right now, so use them, along with the
flowers, instead of the green onions. When cutting chives,
cut them back all the way to the ground so they look nice
and also to get a second flush of growth.
-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 / Part time Witchdoctor / Maker of
strange potions /
www.abouteating.com
[When they invented the clock, how did they know what time
it was to set it to?]
Yardboy's "Plant to Ponder"
If
you're looking to add a few specimen plants to your
landscape that will also add a little jazz or pizzazz with
foliage colors, I've got a few suggestions for you!
In the
ornamental tree category, take a look at the 'Forest Pansy'
Redbud. Basically the same growing habits of the regular
red bud, as well as the rose purple spring flowers, Forest
Pansy adds to the landscape with these outstanding reddish
purple heart shaped leaves, which by the way is also the
fall colors of the leaves.
Or how
about this one? It's called 'Summer Chocolate' Mimosa. It
is a mimosa, which means hardiness borderline here, but
seems to be a pretty tough selection. And of course, the
show are these ferny compound leaves, which start out bronze
green and turn to a rich burgundy-chocolate for the summer.
And yes, they have the showy pink powder-puff summer flowers
as well.
Don't
forget one of my favorites - Tiger Eye's Sumac. This
ornamental grows 6-8 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide, and has a
wonderful tropical look with the deeply cut lacy leaves that
start out chartreuse and turn to a bright yellow, which
contrasts nicely with the purplish pink stems.
And to
top off the list, one plant that I'm really impressed with,
and that's 'Black Lace' Elderberry. It somewhat resembles a
cut leaf Japanese maple with the dark purple finely cut
foliage, and these wonderful pink flowers really add some
show in the late spring. Black Lace Elderberry can reach
5-6 feet in height by 4-5 feet wide, can be grown as a shrub
or small tree, and is extremely hardy and easy to grow.
It does
just as well in the ground or as a container plant, and
makes a great substitute for the cut leaf Japanese maples -
with a little added spring color, without the maple leaf
scorch and it is definitely much hardier!
[As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public
schools.]
A Little
Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
If you
are known for killing houseplants, even 'Mother in Law's
Tongue', then I have the perfect houseplant for you to try.
Here it is - the 2002 Foliage Plant of the Year - and not
only is the plant easy to grow, the name is very easy to
remember. It's called Zamioculcas zamiifolia.
Okay, that's not easy to remember, but the common name is -
it's commonly known at the "ZZ" plant. The "ZZ" plant has
dark green shiny foliage that looks like someone shined the
leaves for you. Its upright growing habit is a real plus
indoors, and it may even flower for you in the spring.
The "ZZ"
part comes in because 1.) It will grow in any light
condition, and does exceptionally well in lower light where
few plants perform well. 2.) About the only way to kill
this plant is to either put it in total darkness, or water
it too much! The ZZ plant has underground tubers that hold
water - the thick stems and leaves hold water - so it can go
for months without watering! 3.) The ZZ plant has basically
no pest or disease issues - the only thing would be rotting
from you over watering. (This plant is so easy to grow,
even Joe Z (Zerhusen) can grow it. I know - who the heck is
Joe Z?) So water, let totally dry out, then water again,
when you feel like it!
So if
you know someone who just can't grow indoor plants, this
could be their answer (or maybe it's your answer) to indoor
gardening success. The ZZ plant!
[If a
seagull flies over the bay, would it then be called a
"bagel"?]
|
