By The Yard. Prepare Your Garden for April Showers HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER. Fayette County Extension March, 2018

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1 Fayette County Extension March, 2018 Cooperative Extension Service Fayette County Extension 1140 Harry Sykes Way Lexington, KY Phone (859) By The Yard HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER Prepare Your Garden for April Showers Inside this issue: Simple Turf Care in a Nutshell 2 Beautiful Blooms from Tender Bulbs March Quick Tips 4 Recipe: Super Crunchy Salad 4 Pest Patrol: Watch for Blacklegged Ticks How to Create a Living Easter Basket Vegetable Garding for Beginners flyer Gardener s Toolbox Registration There is no surer sign of spring than blooming gardens and flowerbeds, but what happens behind-the-scenes to get them to that point? Much of the work goes in before you even break the soil. Before you dig in, it s important to choose the proper site, plan what you will be growing, and prepare the soil to yield the best possible results. A garden is nothing without a good foundation, making it extra important to choose the correct site. Temperature is a large factor for optimal garden growth, so avoid low areas and spots bounded on the lower side by a solid fence or dense trees. These tend to create cooler temperatures longer into the spring, unlike the fast-warming tendencies of a southern or southeastern exposure. Convenience is key, so make sure to choose a site accessible to your house with enough access to water. Finding a balance between watering your plants and drowning them is vital. Choose a welldrained area, one that typically does not hold water for a day or more after rainfall. If poorly drained soil is dominant in your area, consider a raised bed garden. Once you select a site, it s important to have a plan for its layout. Have a general idea of what vegetables or plants you wish to grow in the garden. Some, like tomatoes, peppers, or broccoli, may be available as transplants from local stores, but others will require purchasing seed. Every family has different dietary wants and needs, so knowing how much of each vegetable to grow is important. Your family may be satisfied with two plants of beans, but you may need 12 tomato plants. Knowing your requirements and putting that into consideration when planning your site is helpful. The size of your garden is also a factor; in smaller areas, vegetables like peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers produce well, but others may not. You are bound to Continued On Page 2

2 By The Yard Page 2 Prepare Your Garden for April Shower, continued the ground, so plan accordingly. It is important to remember that the soil nurtures the plants, so you need to nurture the soil. Effective gardens are not formed naturally; they take a great deal of alteration to create. If there is surface grass on the site, remove it, turn it over with a shovel, or plow the area several weeks before planting. Once you ve cleared the space, you can begin attending to the soil quality. Organic matter goes a long way in helping the fertility of the soil. Add 1-2 inches of compost, composted manure, peat moss, humus or other organic matter to the surface of the soil, working to a depth of 6-10 inches. If you are considering adding fresh manure, avoid doing so within 120 days of crop harvest. Soil testing can provide valuable information about your garden site. Contact your county extension office if you are interested in more information about soil testing. For more information on garden preparation and soil testing, contact the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Service. Source: Richard Durham, University of Kentucky Horticulture Specialist Simple Turf Care in a Nutshell 4-Easy Steps to Lower Maintenance in Lawn Care 1. Only apply fertilizers in the fall. Spring fertilizer applications benefit warm season weeds more than our desirable cool season grasses. Lawns that have been encouraged to grow in the warmer months have less pest and drought resistance. 2. Apply Crabgrass preventer in late March and again in late April. Use a product that does not contain fertilizer. 3. Use summer weed killers in May and June for broadleaf weeds. Again, use a product that does not contain fertilizer. This will likely be a liquid application. 4. Raise mower heights to This will result in healthier turf, deeper rooting, improved drought tolerance, and a competitive advantage with many weeds. The Kentucky Christmas Tree Association's 14th Annual Plant Auction The Kentucky Christmas Tree Association s 14th annual plant auction will be held 10:00 a.m., Saturday, April 14th, 2018 at the Fayette County Extension Office front parking lot, 1140 Harry Sykes Way (formerly Red Mile Place), Lexington. A variety of annual, perennials, balled and burlapped landscape trees and shrubs will be for sale. For information, please call

3 By The Yard Page 3 Beautiful Blooms from Tender Bulbs Dahlias, cannas, gladiolus, calla lilies, caladiums and other tender bulbs often get passed over by gardeners. This is unfortunate since many of these plants are inexpensive to purchase and provide lots of color over a long season. Many make excellent cut flowers for indoors as well. Since they are not typically winter hardy in our area, the thought of digging and storing these plants leads folks to think they are too much effort. I would encourage you to reconsider. First of all, sit down. Gardeners tend to be nurturing types so my next suggestion may cause a few to swoon. It is perfectly acceptable to enjoy these beautiful plants all summer and do nothing to preserve them. Yep, that s right, disposable plants. We all plant vegetables and annual flowers that succumb to the first hard freeze and no one loses much sleep. Give yourself permission to treat tender bulbs in the same manner. Gladiolus and dahlias are large flashy cut flowers that have few equals. They are easily grown, though staking or caging will provide straight stems. Gladiolus bloom in high summer but planting bulbs every couple of weeks will extend the harvest. Dahlias are at their best in the fall and reign supreme in the vase during September and October. Cannas are easily grown with adequate moisture and will provide a tropical flair to plantings. Caladiums can add flash to difficult shady spots. Elephant ears are thrilling with their massive size. Packaged versions of these bulbs often start arriving in box stores in late winter but buyer beware. If the bulbs have sprouted or show obvious growth in the package it is best to pass since we cannot safely plant outdoors until May. I often shop for these as soon as they arrive so I can buy them dormant and store in my refrigerator or other cool place until planting time. The window is short as sprouting begins after a few days at room temperature. You can also mail order and have bulbs arrive at the proper planting time. If you would like to learn more about growing dahlias and cannas check out our Gardener s Toolbox classes on these topics. We will also provide some special plants for you to grow. Limited spaces still available. Source: Jamie Dockery, Fayette County Agent for Horticulture Strawberries Tasting ~ Thursday, March 29 th, 5:15-6:15 p.m. (prior to the Gardeners Toolbox Class: Strawberries for Small Spaces, cot $10.00, pre-registration required) at 6:30 p.m.): This is a tasting class to showcase strawberry recipes before the Gardner s Toolbox session later that evening. Class will focus on great recipes for strawberries. Recipe booklet provided. Cost: Free, but you must register in advance, call to today to reserve a spot, (859) Space is limited.

4 By The Yard Page 4 March Quick Tips Sow grass seed. First half of the month is ideal but you can seed all month with reasonable results. Turf type tall fescue is your best choice. Dwarf varieties equal less mowing. Feed bulbs a balanced fertilizer now to promote nice blooms next year. Do not cut leaves down after flowering. They provide food for the plant. Let them die naturally. Vegetable gardens are awakening. Only work soil when crumbly. Squeeze a handful of soil into a ball. Drop it from waist height. If it crumbles easily soil is dry enough to work. If not wait for drier times as wet soils form hard clods. Remove old stems from rhubarb and asparagus. Fertilize with nitrogen, compost or rotted manure. Time to plant cool crops in the garden. These include: asparagus, beets, cabbage plants, carrots, chard, collards, kale, lettuce seed and plants, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips. Repot houseplants. Increase pot size gradually. Plants may be fed a weak fertilizer solution (one quarter strength) Plant pansies and other cold tolerant flowers. Use sunny days to begin bed clean up. Be careful not to tread on emerging plants. Cut back perennials and ornamental grasses. Most grasses can be divided at this time. Grasses are very woody and may require an ax. Prune and fertilize brambles and blueberries. Clean out birdhouses or if you don t have any, now is the perfect time to hang a few. Seeds of hardy annuals such as larkspur, bachelor s buttons, Shirley and California poppies should be direct sown in the garden now Spray peach trees with a fungicide for the control of peach leaf curl diseases. See HO-57 for more info on peaches. Don t forget to register for 2018 Gardener Toolbox Classes. A condensed registration form is enclosed in this edition of By The Yard newsletter. For a detailed listing of the 2018 Gardener s Toolbox class, visit: gardeners_toolbox_2018.pdf or call (859) to have a copy mailed to you. Don t forget to Spring Ahead on March 11th for Daylight Savings! First day of Spring is Tuesday, March 20th! Winter Weather Policy When Fayette County Schools are closed, call the Fayette County Extension Office, , to verify if class will be meeting.

5 By The Yard Page 5 Watch For Blacklegged Ticks Adult blacklegged ticks seek hosts from November through March. They are active whenever the temperature is above about 40 o F. Females (Figure 1) take blood meals from a variety of hosts, including humans and companion animals. Figure 1. Female blacklegged tick. Note the dark plate on part of the back and long mouthparts. (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK) Blacklegged ticks have been noticeably active in Kentucky since We generally do not think of winter as tick season, but this is no longer the case over much of Kentucky (see Figure 2). Figure 2. Blacklegged ticks has been found in counties shaded in gray (as of January 2017). (Map provided by I. Stasiak, DVM, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources) While encounters with blacklegged ticks are still relatively low, it is important to watch for them when hiking and working outdoors. Include tick checks when monitoring animal health and handling pets. Ticks tend to attach where the hair coat is thin and in areas that an animal cannot groom effectively. Tick Removal Remove any attached ticks carefully as follows: Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove mouthparts carefully with tweezers. If mouthparts cannot be removed easily with clean tweezers, leave them alone and let the skin heal. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water. Source: Lee Townsend, University of Kentucky, Extension Entomologist How to Create a Living Easter Basket Source: University of Florida IFAS Extension Instead of filling Easter baskets with plastic grass that gets everywhere, why not try a living grass this year. Only a few supplies are needed: basket or container for planting, garbage bag or clear plastic, potting soil, scissors, annual rye grass seed, and a spray bottle. To begin choose the container that you would like to make your living Easter basket out of. Line the inside of your basket with the plastic, making sure to push the plastic into the corners. Next, add your soil to the basket, leave a small edge of the basket sticking up above or beyond the edge of the soil. Now, you can trim any access plastic sticking out over the edges. Finally, liberally sprinkle your grass seed on the entire surface of the soil in the basket. It is ok to seed thick, this will help the basket look full. When you are finished, use a spray bottle to water the entire surface of the soil. Place the basket near a sunny window or on a porch and spray the seeds every few days to keep the soil moist. The basket should germinate in 7-10 days and will fully emerge in 14 days. As your grass grows you can mow it by trimming it with scissors. The basket should continue to grow for as long as 60 days after planting if given water and occasionally placed in a bright area. These baskets can be used for a table decoration or make a nice gift when filled with candy. Source: University of Florida, IFAS Extension

6 VEGETABLE GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS: The Early Spring Crops Tuesday, March 27th, :30pm at Northside Branch Public Library 1733 Russell Cave Rd. Free but must RSVP Limited seats available! Please call to RSVP There are many great reasons to grow some of your own food. We will teach the very basic concepts of growing vegetables. This class will focus on the early spring crops that can be planted and harvested before the main spring plan ng window. It is far easier than you might think. Par cipants will receive a copy of our vegetable growing guide and a packet of seeds. Class will be led by Faye e County Hor culture Technician Carrie Spry. Sponsored by our Friends at Lexington Public Library.

7 2018 GARDENER S TOOLBOX - REGISTRATION FORM Name: Phone: Address: City: State: Zip: TOTAL Amount Enclosed $ IMPORTANT REMINDERS! Sign up early for classes to avoid being turned away because class is full. ALL classes are PRE-REGISTRATION only. If you need to cancel, you must do so 2 weeks prior to the class time to receive a refund or credit for a different class. If handouts and/or plants are not picked up 3 days after class, items will be donated. Please make check payable to: Fayette County Master Gardener Association Mail To: Gardener s Toolbox ~ Fayette County Extension Office 1140 Harry Sykes Way ~ Lexington, KY ~ 2018 GARDENER S TOOLBOX CLASSES ~ Class and Cost Class and Cost Tuesday, 3/6: Low Maintenance Lawn Care, Cost: Free Thursday, 3/8: Tropical Plants for the Patio Cost: $20.00 Thursday, 3/15: Zinnias, Cost: $10.00 Tuesday, 3/20: Native Trees to Consider, Cost: $5.00 Tuesday, 3/27: Vegetable Gardening for Beginners, The Early Crop, Cost: Free Thursday, 3/29: Strawberries for Small Gardens, Cost: $10.00 Tuesday, 4/3: Enabling Gardeners, Cost: $5.00 Thursday, 4/5: Phlox, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 4/12: Unusual Shrubs for the Garden, Cost: $15.00 Tuesday, 4/17: Lilacs, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 4/19: Dahlias, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 4/26: Vegetable Gardening for Beginners, Cost: Free Thursday, 5/3: Growing Great Tomatoes, Cost: $5.00 Tuesday, 5/15: Cannas, Cost: $15.00 Tuesday, 5/15: Vegetable Gardening for Beginners, Part II, Maintenance and Summer Crop, Cost: Free Thursday, 5/31: Annual Combinations for Pots and Gardens, CLASS IS FULL Cost: $5.00 Thursday, 6/7: Vegetable Gardening for Beginners, Part II, Maintenance and Summer Crops, Cost: Free Thursday, 5/17: Growing Great Tomatoes, Cost: Free Thursday, 6/7: Japanese Anemones, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 6/14: Exciting Perennials, Cost: $10.00 Tuesday, 6/19: Attracting Hummingbirds, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 6/21: Hardy Garden Mums, Cost: $10.00 Tuesday, 7/3: Daylilies Tour, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 7/12: Hydrangeas, Cost: $20.00 Thursday, 7/19: Clematis, Cost: $20.00 Thursday, 8/2: Summer Flowering Shrubs, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 8/9: Lawn Renovation, Cost: Free Tuesday, 8/28: Exotic Ferns, Cost: $15.00 Tuesday, 9/18: Dealing the Backyard Wildlife, Cost: $5.00 Thursday, 10/4: Growing Garlic, Cost: $10.00 Tuesday, 10/9: Ornamental Alliums, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 11/8: Great Shrubs for Fall Color, Cost: $15.00 Tuesday, 11/13: Great Shrubs for Winter Interest, Cost: $15.00 Tuesday, 12/4: Caring for Holiday Plants, Cost: $10.00 Thursday, 11/15: Stump the Hort Agent, Cost: Free

8 NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID Fayette County Cooperative Extension 1140 Harry Sykes Way Lexington, KY Lexington, KY PERMIT 112 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Newsletter Enclosed Jamie Dockery County Extension Agent for Horticulture Cooperative Extension Service Fayette County Extension Service 1140 Harry Sykes Way Lexington, KY (859) UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND KENTUCKY COUNTIES, COOPERATING Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of Fayette County race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. By the Yard To file a complaint of discrimination, contact Tim West, UK College of Agriculture, ; Terry Allen or Patty Bender, UK Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity, ; or the USDA, Director Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Bldg., 14th & Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC ( ).