Alamance Gardener. When It Comes To The Weeds of Winter, Coming Events. Alamance County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Department

Transcription

1 October 2015 Volume 6, Issue 10 Alamance Gardener Coming Events Thurs., Oct. 8th, 10:00a Plants with Fall & Winter Interest Fri., October 16 DEADLINE to apply for the Master Gardener Class of 2016 (See p.5) Alamance County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Department When It Comes To The Weeds of Winter, Sat., Oct. 17th, 8am-1pm Household Hazardous waste disposal (see p.2) Contact us : Alamance County Cooperative Extension Service 209-C N. Graham Hopedale Rd. Burlington, NC Phone: Mark Danieley Mark_danieley@ncsu.edu Chris Stecker Christine.stecker@alamance-nc.com Follow us on Facebook! Just click here: October brings cooler weather and some relief from a hot dry summer. It also is the time when winter annual weeds really get growing even though they most likely germinated in September. Chickweed, deadnettle and henbit are some of the most common winter annual weeds you will see in your lawn and landscape beds. Controlling these weeds in your lawn is not very difficult since there are numerous selective herbicides that you can spray over the entire lawn. These products kill the weeds and won t harm the grass. Controlling these weeds in landscape beds is a whole different matter. If you let the broadleaf weed killers contact your broadleaf shrubs, there is going to be a problem.

2 Page 2 The Best Offense Is A Good Defense. Deadnettle Chickweed Henbit The first line of defense against winter weeds is mulch. There are many types of mulch and they all work to exclude light which is required for seed germination. If the mulch is too fine, too thick or starting to decompose it tends to stay wet between rains. This wet condition will allow weeds to germinate directly in the mulch. This means a coarse textured mulch that dries quickly is best for weed suppression. Mulch should be 3-4 inches thick for best weed suppression. This recommendation sometimes leads people to think that if four inches of mulch is good then eight inches of mulch is great. That is not the case. The thicker mulch application can reduce the amount of air available to plant roots, cause the soil to stay wet too long and can promote root rot diseases. New mulch should be added as needed to maintain the 3-4 inch depth. Mulch alone will not provide 100% weed control. Some hand weeding or spot spraying is usually required to keep things looking good. Preemergent herbicides are a good tool to use along with proper mulching for effective weed control. These herbicides form a chemical barrier that can kill germinating weed seeds and save you a lot of work pulling weeds. The first step in selecting a preemergent herbicide is knowing what weeds you are trying to control. No single product will control all weeds. The next step is to know the plants in the area you plan to treat. Some ornamental plants may be sensitive to some herbicides. There are several products available locally that will help control the chickweed and henbit in your landscape beds. Look for products that contain dithiopyr, oryzalin or trifluralin as the active ingredient. Most of these products control many other weeds besides chickweed and henbit. They are also safe to use on a broad range of ornamental plants. Brand names can be a little tricky. Preen started out as a trifluralin product, but now may contain dithiopyr or corn gluten. As with any other pesticide you use always read the label carefully. For more information on weed control or any other gardening questions, please give me or Chris a call. Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day The next Collection Day will be Saturday, October 17, from 8 am until 1 pm at 100 Stone Quarry Road, Haw River. The types of hazardous waste that will be accepted are as follows: Household cleaners, drain openers, toilet bowl cleaners, oven cleaners, disinfectants Solvents, thinners, shellacs, varnishes, sealers, wood preservatives Automotive products including brake fluid, antifreeze, used motor oil up to 5 gal, filters, gasoline Pesticides Miscellaneous materials such as acids, bases, kerosene, batteries, photographic chemicals, pool chemicals, mercury, fluorescent tubes Latex and oil based paint and spray paint The following will NOT be accepted: Gas cylinders, radioactives/smoke detectors, medical waste, electronics/tvs/computers, explosives/ammunition If you have questions contact the Landfill at or Cooperative Extension at

3 Page 3 October Garden Tips P lant green manure this fall and your garden will be more productive and healthier next season! For a small garden, annual crimson clover is a good choice. Plant five ounces per 1,000 square feet. If your garden is larger and you have access to serious equipment to till in the dense root systems, try a small grain such as oats or wheat. If you ve ever reseeded a bare patch in your lawn, you can plant a cover crop. Work up the soil gently with a garden rake, broadcast the seed over the soil, then rake it in. In the spring, till the cover crop into the soil to enrich and add organic matter. P lant pansies now, adding a slow-release fertilizer for better flower displays during warm spells over winter. Wait until after the first freeze to mulch the beds. F or a great lawn without excessive mowing, feed established coolseason lawns just three times September, October and December OR September, November and February. Apply 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn area at each feeding. To minimize mowing chores even further, fertilize just once a year in December. ctober is the right O time to plant new trees and shrubs. Dig the planting hole at least twice as wide but no deeper than the root ball of the plant. Loosen a tight root ball and plant just a little high to allow for settling. Check for good drainage and water plants thoroughly as you backfill. L ots to get done in the garden before first frost! Harvest sweet potatoes, gourds, pumpkins and winter squash. Pick green tomatoes and wrap them individually in newspaper to ripen at room temperature. D ig, divide and replant spring and summer-blooming perennials now. Daylilies, hostas, Shasta daisies, iris and peonies will benefit from the division and have time to become established before spring. old-loving annuals C can be planted now. Sweet peas, poppies, Bells of Ireland, forget-me-nots and larkspur are just a few that can t take the heat but shine when there s a chill in the air. T ake cuttings from your woody herbs, dip in rooting hormone and plant in moist, welldrained medium. Lemon balm, oregano, sage, rosemary, tarragon and thyme are all good candidates for your winter windowsill garden. I f you have had a soil test done and the results suggest the addition of lime, this is an excellent time to do it. Winter rains and alternating freezes and thaws will help incorporate the lime into the soil. B egin to plant springflowering bulbs now. Jonquils and daffodils are virtually vole-proof, but it s hard to deny the splendor of tulips! Try planting them in strawberry baskets buried in the ground, use hardware cloth to exclude the critters or mix Permatill a sharp, pea-sized gravel into the fill around the bulb.

4 Arbor Gate Plant of the Month Page 4 Fragrant Tea Holly Osmanthus fragrans Too bad they haven t developed a scratch-and-sniff app for the internet. If they had, Osmanthus fragrans would be at the top of my list for inclusion. Toward the end of September and into October this evergreen fills Arbor Gate Garden with a citrusy-apricot scent that may be difficult to pinpoint due to the tiny size of the flowers producing the scent. Once established, this practically deer-proof plant is drought tolerant and has proven to be quite hardy in our Teaching Garden, where we have two varieties - one A carpet of spent blossoms with white flowers at the door to the auditorium, and a second with orange flowers at the Arbor Gate. Expect there to be a repeat of the bloom in early spring. Growing slowly to feet tall and nearly as wide, Fragrant Tea Holly is a good choice for back of the border, but takes well to pruning, which should be accomplished in spring, as the flowers are formed on new wood. Read more here:

5 Release Your Inner Gardener! MISSION: Under the auspices of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, the mission of the Extension Master Gardener Volunteers is to learn about issues related to urban horticulture that are research based, practical and environmentally sound and to educate the community on these issues. EMGV REQUIREMENTS New interns are required to complete: 50 hours of education, including the Master Gardener Course (42 hours) 50 hours of volunteer service in Alamance County Recertifying EMGVs are required to complete: 10 hours continuing education 40 hours of volunteer service in Alamance County, 14-week course begins January 2016 Classes are scheduled for Wednesday mornings from 9 until 12 at the Agricultural Building auditorium, 209-C North Graham Hopedale Road, Burlington. Instructors include Extension Horticulture Agents, Certified Arborists, Master Gardeners, and Extension Specialists. Some topics covered in the 2016 program: Soils and Fertilizers, Plant ID and Botany, Lawns, Pruning/Woody Plants, Small Fruit, Tree Fruit, Vegetables, Insects, Annual and Perennial flowers, Plant Diseases, Pesticides and IPM Program Director: Mark Danieley, Horticulture Agent Link to the Application: Deadline for application: October 16, fee for book and materials: $100, payable upon acceptance into the program For further information, contact: Alamance County Cooperative Extension 209-C North Graham Hopedale Road Burlington, NC Or Chris Stecker, EMGV Program Coordinator: christine.stecker@alamance-nc.com