MOUNTAIN GARDENER. Helping Gardeners Put Knowledge to Work. Buncombe County s Extension Newsletter for Home Lawn & Garden Enthusiasts

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1 MOUNTAIN GARDENER Buncombe County s Extension Newsletter for Home Lawn & Garden Enthusiasts Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center September 2015 Helping Gardeners Put Knowledge to Work Sept Garden Chores, p.2 IPM in the Garden, p.2 Fall Planting Trees, p.3 Re-flowering Poinsettia, p.3 Aerating Lawns, p.4 Golden Rod Ragweed, p.4 Soil Test Timing, p.4 Grub Check in Lawns, p.5 Know Your Grubs, p.5 Storing Winter Squash, p.6 Houseplant Prep, p.6 Gardening in the Mountains, p.6 Ask A Gardener, p.6 Plant Clinic, p.6 Compost Demo, p.6 It s More Than Cotton Candy! When you think Fair do you think cotton candy, corn dogs and rides? Did you know that the Mountain State Fair also includes livestock, poultry and flower shows, exhibits of honey, fruits, vegetables, hand made clothing, woodworking, crafts, and a lot more? The Extension Master Gardener Volunteers sponsor the flower shows along with an educational exhibit by the 2015 Interns, in addition to the Ask A Gardener table. Come visit and bring your gardening questions! We will be in the Expo Building towards the back of the fairgrounds. The Mountain State Fair runs September at the WNC Agricultural Center on Airport Road. Visit for show schedules and all there is to see! Alison Arnold Extension Agent, Agriculture Buncombe County Center 94 Coxe Avenue Asheville, NC (Phone) (Fax) to: alison.arnold@ncsu.edu September Weather Averages Asheville, NC Normal September Average High 77.0 o Normal September Average Low 64.0 o Normal September Precipitation 3.23 Hours of Daylight Sunrise Sunset September 1 7:02 am 7:58 pm September 30 7:42am 7:16pm Persons with disabilities and persons with limited English proficiency may request accommodations to participate in activities mentioned in this newsletter. Please contact Alison Arnold at during business hours at least 3 days prior to the event to discuss accommodations.

2 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Page 2 Garden Chores for September 2015 Ornamentals Now is NOT the time to fertilize perennials and woody plants. Late-season nitrogen can reduce cold hardiness and force growth that can be damaged by hard frosts. This is a good time to cut flowers for drying. Good candidates for air-drying include celosia, yarrow, statice, globe amaranth, strawflowers, goldenrod and grasses. Leaving some of the few remaining seed heads of coneflower, sunflower and black eyed susan can be good for the birds to enjoy in the months ahead. Move houseplants indoors before temperatures drop below 50o F. Check for signs of insects and treat. Rinse off foliage, remove dead leaves and cut back long stems. Now is time to divide peonies that have not flowered well. Leave several eyes on each division and be sure to replant them with the eyes no more than 2 inches below the soil surface. Keep them watered this fall. Check evergreens for bagworms. Removing them now prevents re-infestation next spring. Pull spent summer annuals and replace them with pansies or ornamental cabbage. Fruits To reduce the reoccurrence of fruit rot in peaches and grapes next year remove all plant debris including mummified fruit left hanging on the plant and lying on the ground. Remove weeds and fertilize in strawberry beds where plants are forming next spring s flower buds. Also water if September rains are lacking. Prune blackberries and raspberries and remove the old fruit-bearing canes from this year. Also thin new canes to leave only 4-8 canes per square yard. Vegetables Remove spent vegetable plants as soon as possible to reduce carry-over of insect and disease problems. Consider keeping a separate compost pile for diseased plants and do not use that compost in the vegetable garden. It may be difficult to successfully ripen green tomatoes indoors. If the plant is infected with late blight the fruit will usually rot before it ripens, even after washing with bleach. Plant fall vegetables by mid-month. Sow lettuce seeds every couple of weeks for a continual harvest. Cilantro and dill can also be sown during cooler weather. Insects can be a problem with all of the cabbage family crops. A weekly application of B.t. bacteria spray will prevent cabbageworms. Use insecticidal soap for aphids if needed. Consider planting a cover crop on vegetable beds to build organic matter for next year s garden. This is a good time to sow clover, vetch or Austrian winter peas. Mark your calendar to mow and turn under in February or March before the next growing season. Practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM) In the Garden Below are the basic IPM concepts that reduces pesticide use, protects beneficials and saves money. 1. Know your pest/pathogen (identity, life cycle, reproduction, spread, overwintering). ID is key! 2. Some pests are primary, while others are secondary or just passing by. 3. Reduced plant stress reduces disease and insect problems. Maintain soil fertility and consistent watering. 4. For insects, know what life stage is present and what does the damage. Often it is the young stage and not the adult stage that feeds and causes the problem or the other way around. 5. Know the potential for damage and whether control efforts are warranted. Some pests and diseases do not cause significant plant loss and simply affect plant appearances. 6. Some pathogens are soil inhabitants, others only soil invaders. 7. Investigate cultural control strategies. 8. Investigate chemical control strategies. 9. Timing of control is important. 10. Be aware of non-target effects on desired plants and animals, including natural enemies.

3 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Page 3 Fall Plant Trees and Shrubs Fall planted trees and shrubs establish in time for spring growth and withstand the stresses of hot, dry summer conditions. Preparing and planting in large beds creates a common root zone area, which is good for overall growth and establishment. When planting individually: Shallow and wide is better than deep and narrow and keep roots from drowning or suffocating Dig planting holes 2 to 3 times wider than the root ball and the same depth. Place the rootball on solid soil. Use native soil when planting field-grown plants (B&B). For container-grown plants loosen circular growing roots and add organic amendment (compost or Nature s Helper) to the native soil (1:1) and backfill. For field-grown plants, remove as much of the wire basket as possible without disturbing the root ball. On larger plants cut and fold down the top half of the basket and the burlap. Be sure to remove any nylon string, plastic liners or synthetic burlap type materials. For the most efficient use of water, construct an earthen dam 4 to 6 inches high around the drip zone area of the plant after planting. Water will have the ability to collect in this saucer and move slowly down into the planting hole, minimizing runoff. Getting Your Poinsettia to Flower Again in Time for the Holidays To get your poinsettia from last year to flower again takes daily dedication, morning and night. It s also important to know that long nights (short days) promote flowering of poinsettias and that the uninterrupted darkness is key to making this work. To give it a try follow these steps: Starting the last week of September or the first week of October, provide the plant with at least 13 hours of uninterrupted darkness. Exposing the plant to any light (car lights, turning on the room light, etc.) during the night s darkness period will cause a delay in flowering. Plants can be placed in a closet, box, or limited-use room to provide the required dark period. Be certain, however, to place the plant in a sunny location during the day. The daytime growing temperatures should be 70 to 75 F and no lower than 64 F at night. Continue to fertilize the plants every other week with a complete-analysis, water-soluble fertilizer. Water the plants as needed to keep the planting medium (soil) moist, but not wet. The plants should bloom after 9 to 11 weeks if everything goes well. For more information visit:

4 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Page 4 Aerating the Lawn Our clay-based soils often become compacted over time from heavy rains and traffic by animals, people and mowers, making it difficult for water, nutrients and air to penetrate into the soil ultimately making it hard for grass roots to grow. Aerating every few years in September or October allows roots to recover and grows during the fall when root growth is taking place. Aerating before applying lime and phosphate is also helpful, if they are needed. Be sure to rent a core aerator that pulls plugs of soil rather than a spike which can compact the soil even more. Benefits Include: Enables rain to penetrate, improving moisture retention and reducing water runoff. Enables fertilizer and lime to enter the soil, reducing run off. Loosens the soil for better root growth. Prunes roots, therefore, stimulates new root growth. How to Tell the Difference - Golden Rod vs Ragweed Although both plants bloom from late summer to early fall Goldenrod often gets the blame by hay fever sufferers when, in fact, Ragweed is the true culprit. Where goldenrod produces masses of bright golden flowers, the pollen is heavier and stickier and well adapted for insect pollination. It is important to bees but also favored by butterflies, beetles and wasps. Ragweed has small, unremarkable green flowers that unleash copious amounts of lightweight pollen relying on wind to carry it to female flowers and making it possible to enter the noses of unsuspecting passersby. Ambrosia artemisiifolia Common Ragweed Ambrosia trifida Giant Ragweed Solidago rugosa Rough Goldenrod Storing the Garden Harvest As the summer gardening season ends, our thoughts turn to harvesting and storing certain vegetables for later use, whether you grew them or purchased them from a local farmer. Acorn, Butternut and Pumpkins are good keepers with the Acorn having the shortest shelf life and the others keeping well into winter. To maximize storage success, start with harvesting before frost and when the skin is hardened and the color has darkened. Remove the fruit from the vine leaving at least 2 inches of stem attached; handling them carefully to avoid cuts and scratches keeps them in good condition and prevents disease from entering during storage. Also store on shelves in a single layer to allow air circulation and prevent disease from spreading. A dry well-ventilated storage area with temperatures between degrees F is best.

5 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Page 5 Good Time for a Grub Check This is an excellent time to check fro grubs since they are feeding in the root zone. Start by cutting three sides of a square foot area of turf with a shovel. Peel back the sod and look for grubs on the soil surface and the bottom of the sod mat. Count the number of grubs and replace the sod and water thoroughly. Check several areas throughout the lawn. If you see more than 5-7 grubs in each section a treatment may be warranted. Working with a biological treatment such as milky spore is effective over time, but only against Japanese beetles. If you are plagued with dying turf due to grubs or moles (which feed on grubs) PLEASE review this publication to learn how to better address these often related and confusing issues. Know Your Grubs! White grubs are the larvae of scarab beetles. The grubs of economic importance in North Carolina are those of the Japanese beetle, the green June beetle, the southern masked chafer, the northern masked chafer, and the Asiatic garden beetle. Several other species, such as May beetles and June beetles, are also present but usually in low numbers. The Japanese beetle is consistently the most damaging grub in this state. All these grubs have cream-colored bodies with yellow to brownish heads, brownish hind parts, and six legs. Mature grubs vary in length from 1/4 to 1-1/2 inches, depending on the species. White grubs usually lie in a curled or C-shaped position.. Green June beetle larvae feed differently; and instead of attacking grass roots, these grubs feed mainly on decaying vegetation. Their burrowing also smothers grass and uproots seedlings. Sometimes in the fall or after a heavy rain, green June beetle larvae come out of the soil and crawl on their backs on the surface of the ground and can be identified by this unusual behavior. Life Cycle of the Japanese Beetle JAN-FEB: Grub in winter cell. MAR-APR: Grub comes up near surface to feed. MAY: Grub forms cell and prepares to pupate. JUNE: Grub changes to pupa and then to adult, which emerges from ground. JULY: Beetle lays eggs in ground, preferably in grass sod. AUG: Eggs hatch. Young feed on living roots of plants. SEP-OCT: Grubs continue to feed and grow rapidly. Injury to plant roots is most common at this time. NOV-DEC: Grubs are mostly full grown and pass winter in earthen cell 4-8 below surface. KNOWING THE LIFE CYCLE OF INSECTS HELPS US KNOW IF or WHEN A CONTROL IS NEEDED

6 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Page 6 Prepare Houseplants for Winter Most houseplants are tender tropical and can be damaged when temperatures fall below 40 degrees F and should be brought inside when night temperatures begin to drop. Repot if necessary. Inspect and treat for insects. Mealy bugs and scale can come in on the plants and will multiply and infect other plants as the winter season proceeds. Gradually move plants from brighter to lower light conditions over a one-week period to help them adjust to their final indoor location. Make sure the light conditions inside are as close to what the plant needs. Be aware that yellowing leaves or leaf drop may occur during this time of adjustment. Water thoroughly when the top few inches of soil dries out, allowing the water to completely drain through the pot. Apply half strength fertilizer every other month for maintenance. Soil Test Turn-Around Time 1-2 Weeks Test your soil now before applying fall amendments to the lawn, vegetable garden and flower bed. Peak Season Fees ($4 per sample) start December and go through March. UPCOMING EVENTS Gardening In The Mountain Series September 17 th, 10:00 am Join us on September 17 at 10:00 AM for "Fall Planting Trees and Shrubs" presentation by Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Debbie Breck and Extension Agent Alison Arnold. Take advantage of cooler temperatures and moisture conditions during the fall and winter seasons to help establish newly planted trees and shrubs. Our speakers will provide information and answer questions about selecting and buying plants, and proper planting and mulching techniques for the home landscaper. This program is free but registration is requested. Call (828) Location: Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center, 94 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, NC. Free parking is across the street (Lot 16) but please ask for a parking pass from the office. Ask-a-Gardener Information Tables Sept 5 Asheville City Market, 161 Charlotte St. 8:00 am - 12:00 pm Sept 8 West Asheville Tailgate Market, 718 Haywood Road 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm Sept Mountain State Fair 3:00 pm 10:00 pm Sept 12 Fall Sale at the Botanical Gardens of Asheville Sept 19 North Asheville Tailgate Market, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm Ask-A-Gardener Plant Clinic Sept 12 & 26, WNC Farmers Market Retail area, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. Free. Compost Demonstration Sept 12 & 26, Jesse Israel's Garden Center at WNC Farmers' Market, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. Free Garden Helpline and Office Hours Daily. Monday thru Thursday 9:30 am - 3:30 pm and Friday 9:30 am - 12:30 pm. Receive this newsletter by Sign up here on the website! Or go to