|
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
"Don't Stop Now! Practical Gardening for People with
Arthritis."
Alan Graham
July 18
10:00am
HoldenArboretum
Sperry, Ohio
440-946-4400
Emerald Ash Borer
Update for N. Ky.
July 31 / 6:30pm
1045 Eaton Dr.
Ft. Wright, Ky.
Free but please RSVP
859-586-6101
Boone Co. Extension
Meyer Aquascapes
Pondarama Pond Tour
July 28 -29
Self Guided Tour
26 Landscaped Ponds
$10 Ticket
513-941-8500
aquascapes.com
26th Ohio
Prairie Conference
July 27/28
Open to the public
www.ohioprairie.org
Quick Links
$10,000 Landscape
Makeover
Newsletter
Archive
Success Tip Sheets
Landscape Design Kit
Gift Cards
Rita's Recipes
|
|
Whether It's The Weather
Fortunately, some really great showers have once again
blessed our gardens in this area. But talking with friends
10 miles away, it continues to be a dust bowl, as the
showers skirt their yards. And, yes, it has been hot, but
hey - it is July! One thing good about this part of the
country. Just about when you've had enough of the heat, a
cool front moves through with a little relief. Folks, keep
watering as needed, work in the yard early morning and late
afternoon, and keep yourself hydrated. And no, that does
not mean your favorite adult beverage! Save that for
later.
[Church Bulletin - "The 'Peacemaking Meeting' scheduled for
tonight has been cancelled due to a conflict."]
What's Bugging You
Japanese
beetles have probably damaged more leaves on my Corylus
contorta this year than in years past, but for the most
part, they seem to have slowed down and not many hanging
around. On the same token, I am also getting a lot of
questions concerning using grub controls in the lawn to get
rid of the adult Japanese beetles for next year. Sorry
folks, it's not quite that easy. Sure, using a grub
preventer in the lawn will help reduce grub populations in
the turf, and lower the number of those adult
beetles emerging from your lawn, but do remember that
beetles fly in from far distances to feed on your
plants. Treat the lawn for grub control if there's a grub
problem in the lawn - not for adult beetle control. Sure,
it may help reduce adults in your lawn, but like I said,
they fly in from all around. And although I continue to
get calls and emails about bagworm control, I personally
have yet to see any. I'm watching, though. If I see them
in your yard, I may be stopping in! Also, don't forget
as we see more and more lightning bugs in the yard, those
are the good guys. The larvae of lightning bugs actually
feed on cutworms, mites, slugs, and other soft bodied
insects and their larvae!
This
week, Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting increased
reports of earwigs in the garden (sorry Joe, I already
mentioned this a couple weeks ago!), continued complaints of
pockets of Japanese beetles devouring plant foliage (Yawn -
come on Joe, we've hit this already), bagworms continuing to
eat needles and leaves (yes, yes, we know this Joe) and that
there is still time to spray for bagworm control (make sure
you spray insides and outsides of the evergreens), increased
calls complaining about iridescent blue and green flies
(okay Joe, now we're talking!) commonly known as blow flies
or bottle flies, and just for your information, a medium
sized roadkill can produce 3,000-10,000 blow flies (yes, I
like that kind of information!). BJB is also reporting lace
bugs on Lindens, persimmon psyllids on, yes, Persimmons, all
different species of warm season mites doing their thing on
plants, resulting in fading of foliage color, becoming
chlorotic and dropping leaves (or needles), black rot
showing up on grapes and their foliage, leaf blotch on
Horsechestnut, downy mildew on cucumbers, Green June Beetles
are out and terrorizing anything in its way (very large
metallic green beetle buzzing around 2 feet off the ground -
literally "buzzing") while they look to forage on leaves,
ripening fruits, etc., lot's of white clover showing up in
lawns (we'll attack that later in the season), many, many
complaints about ticks (always check yourself for ticks
after working in the yard), and last but not least, Emerald
Ash Borer has been detected in Butler and Montgomery
Counties, as well as now in Pennsylvania. We know that
these are being transported into these areas in firewood, so
please, DO NOT move firewood from one county to another!
Buy and use it in the same county! This is a very serious
situation! Please help spread the word about EAB, to help
stop the spread of EAB!
www.emeraldashborer.info
ashalert.osu.edu
Catch
the Buggy Joe Boggs Report Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC The
Talk Station.
[Church Bulletin - "Ladies don't forget the rummage sale.
It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping
around the house. Don't forget your husbands."]
Questionmark and the Mysterians -
Your Questions Answered
"What
causes my tomato flowers to drop off without setting
fruit?" -There are many factors that can cause this to
happen including day and night temperatures (too hot or too
cold), plants under stress, too much or too little N, lack
of water, high or low humidity, lack of proper pollination
(tomatoes are pollinated by wind, gravity, insects, even
hand shaking of the plants), and even too heavy fruit set
will cause flowers to drop. Many gardeners will use a
product called "Blossom Set" (plant hormone sprayed on the
flowers) to help stop this problem. It can also be used on
other flowering veggies in the garden.
"My
tomato leaves are curling? What causes that and what should
I do? (they're in containers)" -This can happen due to
many factors including spring to summer transition (warm and
drier so plant needs more roots - reduces leaf area by
rolling), heat and drought, root disturbances including high
winds, excessive soil moisture (lack of oxygen), excessive
N, and even herbicide drifts onto the leaves. These are
usually temporary and and the plant generally recovers.
Tomatoes can also experience leaf diseases which are showing
up now. Choosing disease resistant varieties, using crop
rotation, mulching (to keep soil borne diseases from
splashing onto the lower leaves), removal of the bottom 12
inches of leaves, and general fungicide sprays should help
for tomatoes grown in the ground. For those is
containers, leaf diseases are a rarity as the potting mixes
should be disease free!
"Can you
recommend an arborist who can prevent the Emerald Ash Borer
from destroying my beautiful Mountain Ash?" -Nope, and let
me tell you why. EAB only attacks species of ash.
Mountainash is not an ash at all. It's genus is Sorbus -
ash is Fraxinus. It's name is a referral to ash due to the
similar leaf appearance. So the EAB's will not bother your
Mountainash!
"Can I
still limb up my trees in the summer?" -Of course!
Removing whole branches can be done 365 days of the year.
This is also a good time to remove water sprouts (branches
that shoot straight up from the horizontal branches).
Remember, never use tree paint to seal over the cut. Let
the tree seal itself over.
"My
potatoes have some type of small fruit developing on the
stems. Are those edible?" -NO! Given the right
conditions, potatoes may form tomato like things on the
above ground stems. They are not edible (toxic), so pick
them off and pitch them.
"I just
saw a wooly worm on my front porch! Isn't it too early to
be seeing them (fall, right?)?" -Well, we do see them a
lot in the fall, but they're here all summer as well. Wooly
Worms are most noticed in the fall, as they travel about,
especially crossing the streets, looking for that perfect
place to curl up and spend the winter, which is usually
under bark, a rock, a log, etc. Their heavy coats, along
with a natural organic antifreeze they produce, helps them
over winter. They can actually survive -90 degree
temperatures! (Yes, there are woolly worms in the
Arctic!) In the spring, it warms back up, begins to feed
for a while, then forms a cocoon, pupates, and emerges as
the Isabella Tiger Moth. Fertilized females lay their eggs
on a variety of plants including birch, elm, maples, asters,
sunflowers, spinach, cabbage, grass, plantain, etc., where
the eggs hatch, the small caterpillars begin to feed (making
them herbivores), and the process starts all over again.
There are usually 2-3 generations each year, and it's the
last generation that over winters as the Wooly Worm. Good
question!
"I
wanted to let you know I tried your slug control - I got out
at night with a tray and about 10 little containers of beer,
and voila! 32 slugs came to my party! Thanks for the
advice!"
-You're
welcome. Next time, invite us over for your "slugfest"
party! (By the way, research (yes, actual research) has
shown that the beer most preferred by slugs, would be the
imported non-alcoholic beers!)
"A
friend has a small Japanese maple that was nipped by the
cold weather. It's now showing some leaves at the base of
the tree. Should they trim off the limbs without leaves?"
-Yes, but work your way down by checking for any green left
in the branches. If they're dead, get rid of all the dead
and only leave what's still green. This may help stimulate
more new leaves.
"Except
for the one liners, do you write the newsletter yourself?
If you do, I'd say you are pretty funny." -Yes, I gather
information and write our newsletter, and even do a few of
the one liners. Me funny - not really? Funny looking -
definitely! (Of course, Rita writes her column - and she's
pretty funny.)
[Church Bulletin - "Potluck Supper this Sunday at 5:00pm -
Prayer and medication to follow."]
Success Tip of the Week
Now,
when I say the word deadhead what do you think of? Truck
drivers think about a return trip without any cargo. And
you Grateful Dead fans may think about yourself -
deadheads. But in the garden, deadheading has a totally
different meaning. Deadheading is the art of removing spent
flowers from a plant in order to achieve a few different
things.
- The
main idea behind deadheading is to stimulate more flowers.
By pinching off the old flowers, it helps to stimulate new
growth and more flowers. Some plants need a simple removal
of the spent flower, where others may need removal of the
spent flower as well as the stalk on which it's growing.
This process is used on both annuals and perennials.
- Deadheading is similar to a pinching or pruning process
that helps keep plants more compact, rather than
getting long and lanky. By removing the spent flowers and a
bit of the stem below the flower, you're encouraging a
fuller plant. And of course, with more new growth, in turn,
you'll have more new flowers.
- Deadheading also helps to eliminate the plants trying to
go to seed, like these daylilies, which can take a lot out
of the plant. Instead of producing seed heads, the energy
can be sent to the plant and it's foliage, and again, in
many cases, like gaillardias, the plants will continue to
re-bloom. If you have coreopsis, a light shearing will help
stimulate these plants to keep flowering all summer long, as
well as keeping them nice and compact.
- Deadheading is also a way to help stimulate a second
flowering period from plants that may typically flower only
once. Summer flowering spirea is a good example. Once
they're finished flowering, lightly shear off those spent
flowers, and within a few weeks, a second flush of new
growth will appear, along with a second period of
flowering.
- And, as with some perennials and woody plants, even if
deadheading doesn't help stimulate more flowers, it
definitely helps to keep your plants looking a lot nicer for
the summer season.
So,
if you haven't been a deadheader this summer, it's never too
late to get started. Your flowering plants will be glad you
did!
[Church Bulletin - "Please place your donation in the
envelope as well as the deceased person you want
remembered."]
From the Garden to the Kitchen
"Hey
Rita what's Cooking?"
Yardboy,
I am already pinching back all of my basil plants since they
are starting to flower, and, like all annual herbs, the
flower heads should be pinched out until late fall. The
reason is twofold: if you let your annuals flower and then
go to seed, that process signals the plant to die, so for a
healthier plant and a longer harvest, pinch back the flower
heads of all annual herbs until late fall. Anyway, I had a
handful or so of wonderful basil buds and leaves so I used
them in a delicious and easy appetizer.
STUFFED MUSHROOMS WITH SAUSAGE & BASIL
Go ahead and mince up a few of the mushroom stems and toss
them into the mixture if you want.
1
pound mushrooms, stems removed
1/2 pound lean Italian or regular sausage
1/4 to 1/2 pound hot sausage
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
Palm full of fresh basil, minced
For garnish: fresh chopped parsley
Mix
sausages, cheese and basil together well. Stuff mushrooms
with mixture. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30
minutes or until largest mushroom is done. Serve warm.
-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
[Church Bulletin - "At the evening service tonight, the
topic will be "What is Hell?". Come early and listen to our
choir practice."]
Yardboy's "Plant to Ponder"
This
week's plant(s) to ponder comes from "Mrs. Yardboy", who
acknowledged this week that one of her favorite perennials
is now showing great colors (which surprised me as she
rarely talks about plants!), as well as pointing out a
couple other plants that really caught her attention during
our excursion to Miller's. The first plant she pointed out
was a very large excellent specimen of a Salix 'Hakuro
Nishiki'. (This plant sounds cool before you even see it!)
It was a perfect large shrub that was easily 8-10 feet tall
and wide, and just absolutely gorgeous in the spot it was
growing. It's grown as a small tree, or in a shrub form,
and has delicate looking white and green leaves tinged with
pink. This beauty not only adds great color to the summer
garden, but the stems become a nice red, for great winter
interest. The next was perennial hibiscus, which was just
beginning to show it's wonderful dinner plate sized summer
flowers. What a show! But the perennial she pointed out
and claimed as one of her favorites, is Perovskia or
'Russian Sage'. Silvery gray leaves and stems (aromatic),
upright grower, and simply loaded with its lavender-blue
flowers that extend up above the showy foliage. Truly a
great summer show of color for any garden or container!
So there you go - three of "Mrs.Yardboy's" plants to ponder!
[Church Bulletin - "Weight Watchers will meet tonight at 7pm
at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large
double door at the side entrance.]
A Little
Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
Keep
deadheading those annuals and perennials as needed (annual
herbs as well), remove spent flower stalks from reblooming
daylilies, feed and encourage more blooming, cut back leggy
annuals, make one last pinch on mums, asters, and Montauk
daisies, keeping mowing as needed with that mowing height up
to 3 inches or more, time to start thinking about starting
fall veggies like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel
sprouts (plant transplants in late July / early August), as
well as seeding lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, beets,
turnips, kale, etc at that time, keep weeds out of the
landscape and gardens, water as needed, hose of those mite
susceptible plants, and keep planting perennials all summer
long!
[Church
Bulletin - "For those of you who have children and don't
know it, we have a nursery downstairs."]
|
