SCOTT CO. EXTENSION MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS MASTER GARDENER CERTIFICATION CLASSES BEGINNING

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1 AUGUST 2018 Cooperative Extension Service Scott County 1130 Cincinnati Road Georgetown, KY (502) Fax: (502) scott.ca.uky.edu Sharon P. Flynt, Agent for Horticulture Call for information WEBSITE: SCOTT CO. EXTENSION MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS MASTER GARDENER CERTIFICATION CLASSES BEGINNING Have an interest in gardening but want to LEARN MORE? Want to give back to your community through VOLUNTEERING? Do you have time to volunteer 40 hours a year to SCOTT CO. EXTENSION HORTICUTURE? Extension Master Gardener Volunteers help County Extension Agents with Community Outreach through horticultural such as volunteering at community events, teaching horticulture to beginning gardeners, assisting with demonstration gardens, and using your special talents such as writing or photography for newsletters, etc. You can become an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer by attending Class Orientation on September 25, 2018, at 5:00 p.m., and filling out an application for class. Once you are accepted into the class series, you will need to successfully complete the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Certification class followed by volunteering 40 hours of your time from December 2018 to June 2019 to Scott Co. Extension Horticulture Program. *unless otherwise noted 1 Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are trained in a variety of horticulture topics:

2 EXTENSION MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER CORNER: GROWING FLOWERS FOR CUTTING BY ANN BROOKS-WALLER, SCOTT CO. EXTENSION MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER APPRENTICE Growing a cut flower garden can be very rewarding. Who doesn t like fresh flowers on the table, on the coffee table, in the bathroom, on the porch, everywhere?! Alas, there are probably some, but if you answered I DO!, then keep reading for tips on growing your best cut flower garden ever. When choosing flowers for your cut flower garden there are some tried and true species I recommend. For perennials I like: Peony, Black Eyed Susan, Garden Phlox, Yarrow, Salvia, Astilbe, and Echinacea. As for annuals I usually have good luck with Sunflowers, Zinnias, Celosia, Cosmos, Gomphrena, and Bells of Ireland. There are certainly others, however these are the ones that are easy to grow in our area (Zone 6) and have a good vase life. Most flower species do their best with 1 inch of water a week. Drip irrigation is the best way to do this, supplying water right to the root zone. If you do water by hand, be sure to water at the base of the plant and not on the foliage. Disease can occur when foliage is wet or soil has splashed up on the plant. Watering in the morning or evening is best so the plant has ample moisture for the heat of the day. Fertilizing flowers for best results is essential. When you plant your flower beds be sure to add some compost to the soil. This will give the young plants a good start. During the season you can fertilize with organic (plant or animal material) or inorganic (chemical) fertilizer. I personally use both. I like to use organic as much as possible, however I give my container annuals a shot of inorganic fertilizer from time to time. You can buy both kinds of fertilizer at your local garden center. Look for fertilizer specifically for flowers. Here comes the fun part..harvest! Even if your blooms aren t the prettiest, because they have been chewed on by a pest) you should still harvest them. This is one mistake many make. A plant has one goal and one goal only, to flower and make seeds to keep the species alive. Deadheading, or cutting the spent blooms, can cause regrowth and the chance to flower again. If you want larger showier blooms in preference to many blooms, thinning your perennials will help with this. The best time to harvest your beauties for the vase is in the early morning. Keep a bucket of water handy to put them in as soon as they are cut and you will have less chance of losing any. Grab your favorite vase or mason jar, snip the stems again, use some flower food if you like and Voila! instant happiness for the home! Check out the University Of Kentucky Extension Horticulture page for more information on gardening. articles.extension.org/horticulture Ann Brooks-Waller is a Master Gardener Apprentice. She owns Annie s Flowers and grows and sells her own flowers along with offering a wide range of other floral services from special occasions to everyday arrangements. Contact her at or look her up on 2

3 Home gardeners may likely be seeing early blight and Septoria leaf spot of tomato in their plantings at this time. As the most common diseases of tomato in Kentucky, homeowners always have at least some Septoria leaf spot and early blight pressure. Both early blight and Septoria leaf spot commonly occur in the field under wet, humid conditions. Prevention, early identification, and management will help reduce plant losses. of the growing season, but are most common on aging plant tissue. Early blight is favored by moderate temperatures, high humidity, and frequent rainfall. Once established, the disease can spread rapidly in dense plantings. Most potatoes are also very susceptible to early blight, and symptoms, preventative Figure 2: Fruit affected by early blight develop dark-brown lesions with concentric rings. (Photo: Univ. of Kentucky Vegetable IPM Scouting Guide Team, UK) tactics, and management are similar to tomato. Figure 1: Early blight results in the development of dark-brown lesions with a concentric ring or bulls-eye pattern. (Photo: UMN Extension) Think this may be what s wrong with your plants? Below you will find the symptoms to look for, preventative tactics, and brief suggestions on how to treat once disease is confirmed. Early Blight Early blight is caused by the fungal pathogens Alternaria solani and A. tomatephila. These pathogens overwinter in plant debris from the previous season, or sometimes in association with solanaceous weeds. Spores are initially splashed onto the lowest leaves, where symptoms first become apparent, but frequent rain or overhead watering can spread spores throughout plants. Leaves, stems, and fruit may become infected at any stage Early blight appears as dark-brown lesions with concentric ring patterns developing on leaves or stems, sometimes with chlorotic (yellow) halo around lesions (Figure 1). Older leaves are usually affected first, with the disease spreading up the plant to affect newer growth. Lesions enlarge and may coalesce to result in blight (rapid dieback). Affected fruit develop dark-brown lesions with concentric ring patterns, typically at the attachment end (Figure 2). More on Page

4 Septoria Leaf Spot Cause and Disease Development Septoria leaf spot is caused by the fungal pathogen Septoria lycopersici. The pathogen overwinters in plant debris from the previous season or in association with solanaceous weeds. Spores are initially splashed onto the lowest leaves, but frequent rain and overhead watering will spread the disease throughout the plant. Only leaves, stems, or petioles may become infected, which can result in significantly reduced plant vigor and overall blighting. Septoria leaf spot is favored by moderate temperatures and high humidity and rainfall. Once established the disease can spread rapidly in dense plantings of tomatoes. Symptoms Small circular lesions with darkened borders and tan-brown centers are characteristic of this disease. Septoria leaf spot is typically first observed in the lower plant canopy, but eventually spreads to new, younger growth. The number of spots increases as disease severity increases. Blighting (rapid dieback) may occur in severe cases, which may kill plants while leaving a few unblemished fruit (commonly occurs in garden tomatoes). The fungus produces additional spores in pycnidia, which can be seen as small, black specks in the centers of older lesions. Cultural management practices - Select varieties with resistance or tolerance to early blight and/or Septoria leaf spot. - Do not set transplants with visible leaf spots. - Remove plant debris or weeds from growing areas. Figure 3: Tomato plants infected with Septoria leaf spot develop - Remove and destroy heavily infected, lower leaves from indeterminate tomatoes. - Use drip irrigation or water around the base of the plant (instead of overhead watering) to reduce leaf wetness. - Use recommended plant spacing to facilitate air movement and leaf drying. - Practice crop rotation. Chemical approaches Fungicide treatment is a preventive treatment only and should be started within 2 weeks of planting. For more information on fungicide use contact Sharon Flynt, Agent for Horticulture at sflynt@uky.edu GROWING GARDENERS CLASSES SEE CLASS DESCRIPTIONS ON THE SCOTT CO. HORTICULTURE WEBSITE: AUGUST 16 5:30-7:30 FALL LAWN RENOVATION SCEO AUGUST 21 5:30-7:30 GROWING CABBAGE AND OTHER FALL VEGETABLES SCEO SEPTEMBER 6 5:30-7:00 MAKE A SUGAR MOLD HYPERTUFA SCEO LIMIT 15 COST $10.00 SEPTEMBER 13 5:30-7:30 DIVIDING PERENNIALS SCEO September p.m. Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Class Orientation SCEO Please call the office to register at least 5 days before class beginning. Any class fees are due at registration. Our number is ; please ask for Jan or Marlene who will take your registration. 4

5 By Sharon Flynt, Scott Co. Horticulture Agent Just the other night, my husband and I were sitting outside, when he noticed a bagworm hanging in a Japanese maple close to our porch. He picked it off, squeezed bag to destroy the larvae inside and disposed of it. Then, I noticed one and then he another, another, etc., etc. That is the problem with bagworms, you don t notice them until there are many. Once discovered like that, is it too late to prevent feeding damage on your tree? Maybe not ASK THE AGENT: First, let s make sure we are discussing the same pest. Some people also refer to eastern tent caterpillar and fall webworm as bagworms Tent caterpillars and fall armyworms are not BAGWORMS. Eastern tent caterpillars occur in spring. The larvae gather at a fork of a tree and build a web or "tent." Fall webworms occur later in the season (noticeable in August and September), but they too build large, protective nests (webs) that usually start on the ends of branches. Bagworms are quite visible now as dangling brown bags on branches of eastern red cedar and other evergreens, (Figure 1),but they can also be found on deciduous hosts (my maple!). Female bagworms lay eggs in the fall and the eggs overwinter inside a silken bag constructed with needles, bits of bark, and other plant parts. Those eggs hatch from mid-may through early June. Upon hatching, the young larvae begin feeding and construct silken shelters to protect their bodies. When disturbed, larvae will retract back into their bag and hold the opening closed. The larvae (Figure 2) feed on needles and leaves for a period of 8 to 10 weeks (usually into August) enlarging the bag exterior with bits of foliage, bark, and/or other plant parts as it grows. Once feeding is complete, the mature larvae firmly attaches their bag to a twig with silk strands the bags we are noticing now. Once the bag top permanently closes, larvae I VE SUDDENLY NOTICED LITTLE STICK COV- ERED BAGS HANGING FROM THE BRANCHES OF MY BLUE SPRUCE WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW Figure 1. Attached bagworm bags; about 50% contain flightless female moths. (Photo: Katie Pratt, UK) DO I GET RID OF THEM? 5 reverse their position in the bags so that their heads face downward. Pupal (resting) stage development begins and the pupa remain in this life stage for about 4 weeks. During September and early October the males leave their cases and fly to bags containing females where mating takes place. Each mated female deposits a mass of eggs inside her bag. She crawls out of the bag after laying eggs, drops to the ground and dies. The bagworm may be managed on small shrubs Figure 2: Bagworm: head of larva protruding ;G.J. Lenhard - Louisiana State University and trees by handpicking or cutting the bags from infested plants. Destroy/dispose of the bags so that this pest will not reenter your landscape. White-footed mice, European sparrows, and several species of parasitoid wasps (i.e. biological control agents) provide effective natural control of bagworms. Parasitoids (Figure3) are organisms that live in close association with their host and ultimately kill it. The presence of flowering forbs (herbaceous plants that Figure 3-Itoplectis conquisitor an example of a parasitoid that attacks bagworms. (Photo: Thomas Wilson from BugGuide, Iowa State University, are not grass or grasslike) or flowering annuals and perennials around trees and shrubs can significantly increase attack by parasitoids because these plants provide nectar, pollen and cover needed by biological control agents. When all other controls fail, an insecticide application may be indicated. Several registered insecticide formulations are labeled for bagworm management. These products should be applied from late May to mid-june while larvae are hatching; treatments may not be as effective against larger larvae later in the season. Be sure to follow all insecticide label directions. Resources: UK Cooperative Extension Service, The Penn State Univeristy Extension Program, University of Illinois Extension

6 According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the government body that regulates pesticides in the U.S., a pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest. Frequently misunderstood to refer only to insecticides, the term pesticide also applies to herbicides, fungicides, and various other substances used to control pests. Pesticides also include plant regulators, defoliants and desiccants. REMEMBER: THE LABEL IS THE LAW Pesticides are poisonous. Read and follow directions and safety precautions on labels. Handle carefully and store in original labeled containers out of the reach of children, pets, and livestock. Dispose of empty containers right away, in a safe manner and place. Do not contaminate forage, streams, or ponds. REMEMBER: When using pesticides, read and follow directions and safety precautions on labels. Handle carefully and store in original labeled containers out of the reach of children, pets, and livestock. Dispose of empty containers right away, in a safe manner and place. Do not contaminate forage, streams, or ponds. 6