APRIL, 2016 NEWSLETTER HORTICULTURE. Tips From Annette. Upcoming Events. New Location for Farmers Market. Annette

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1 HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER APRIL, 2016 Cooperative Extension Service Daviess County 4800A New Hartford Road Owensboro, KY (270) Fax: (270) Tips From Annette Upcoming Events The landscape is bursting with color, including many shades and tints of green. As we enjoy our gardens, consider the following tips: Avoid working the soil wet because this will compact the soil making it hard for the roots to grow. Wait to prune the crepe myrtle plant until late April to early May. This plant leafs out late. When pruning a branch, the rest of the buds below the pruning site begin grow making them less hardy. Those buds could be damaged by a frost and shorten the height of a plant. Tomatoes do not tolerate a frost. It is best to wait to plant them until after April 20 which is the average frost free date in the spring. However, be prepared to cover the plants with sheets if there is a threat of frost. Enjoy the newsletter! Annette Yard and Garden Photography Series April 12, April 19, April 26 Photo Gallery/Display - (TBA) 6 p.m. Farmers Market Opening April 16 (Saturday) 1205 Triplett Street 6:30 a.m. -noon Owensboro Botanical Garden Plant Sale April 30 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 4-H Garden Club April 11, 6:00 p.m. New Location for Farmers Market The market will be located at the corner of Parrish Avenue and Triplett Street (Owensboro Health), 1205 Triplett, 6:30 a.m. - noon on Saturdays starting April 16 and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting June 4. A satellite Market will be located at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital at 1201 Pleasant Valley Road, and will operate on Wednesdays from 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. from May 18 - August 31.

2 Youth Program Updates 4-H Garden Club Over the last few meetings our 4-H Garden Club members learned about composting and experienced a live vermicomposing bin which involves red worms. They learned about judging vegetables, such as broccoli and potatoes for competition. The members have also gotten a chance to repot their very own houseplants and learned how to care for them in preparation for the fair. The group used their creativity to make mosaic bricks. The bricks have been incorporated in to the raised bed garden here at the Extension Office Our Master Gardeners have been working on creating the raised bed garden for educational purposes over the last year and love having the help from the 4-H Garden Club. We discussed officer positions and planned to vote for President, Vice President, and Secretary at our next meeting on Monday, April 11, at 6:00 p.m. We will also go more in depth on identification and judging of plants. Allied Homeschoolers United/Cloverbuds This group planted a potato bag at their March 15 meeting. The group is led by Lelia Gaines, with the assistance of Jean Chapman, who said they were glad to help them at this meeting. The cloverbuds tried sweet potato pudding as their snack. They plan to go with the group on April 19, to visit a local greenhouse to learn how plants are started, and the older kids will explore the economics and entrepreneur side of a greenhouse business. The young ladies have started planning their garden for the spring growing season. The girls are eager to start planting more and are extremely excited to eat what they grow. Girls Inc. They have planted pea so far and plan to add many other exciting vegetables this season. 2

3 Mild Winter, Good Spring for Slugs Posted on Kentucky Pest News - March 15, 2016 By: Lee Townsend, Extension Professor, University of Kentucky Slugs should have survived our mild winter without a problem, and our early spring temperatures and rainfall pattern are ideal for them. Slugs use their rasping mouthparts to tear tissue from leaves, stems, and flowers. New transplants and small seedlings are especially vulnerable to these creatures. Feeding damage and silvery slime trails already are apparent on bedding plants (Figures 1 & 2). Management Options Here are tactics to reduce slug problems. Employing a combination of several options will be more successful than relying on only one. Cultural practices Sanitation Keep the area free of plant debris (leaves, pulled weeds, etc.) and decorative objects on the ground that can provide cool, moist hiding places. Figure 1. Ragged edges show characteristic slug damage to foliage. (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK) Manage moisture Water in the morning when necessary so that the foliage and soil surface are as dry as possible in the evening when slugs are active. Promote sunlight Improve sunlight penetration and air movement as much as practical. Prune or remove low foliage, especially leaves touching the ground. Avoid excess mulch to allow drying. Alternate plant selection Use plants that slugs do not prefer (begonias, geraniums, impatiens, etc.) when possible. Trapping Partially bury small, shallow containers of beer so they are even with the soil surface. Slugs, which are attracted to the beer, will climb into the container and drown. Change the beer as needed. Figure 2. Characteristic slug feeding damage to a bedding plant blossom. (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK) Soft-bodied slugs require cool, humid conditions, so they usually feed at night and hide in the soil or under shelter during the day. They can do a lot of damage to plants in shade gardens and in heavily mulched areas. It can be difficult to manage them while leaving the conditions that favor them unchanged.. Figure 2. Characteristic slug feeding damage to a bedding plant blossom. (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK) 3

4 Provide limited shelter to trap slugs. Lay a few objects (overturned flower pots, pieces of cardboard, wood, flat rocks, etc.) flat on the ground. Slugs hiding under them during the day can be collected and destroyed (drop in soapy water). Be sure to remove competing shelter sites. Mild Winter, Good Spring for Slugs (Continued) Do not place granules into piles; scatter them in problem areas (in groundcovers, on lawns, and on soil surfaces around plants). Do not apply to foliage to edible parts of plants. Sprinkle lightly with water after application, but withhold heavy watering for at least 2 days after application. Barriers Diatomaceous earth, wood ash, lime, sawdust, or copper striping can be used to protect areas that are slug-free. Slug baits Common active ingredients are metaldehyde and iron phosphate. Some formulations also contain an insecticide. Metaldehyde kills slugs and snails by absorption or ingestion. The chemical causes them to overproduce mucous, which causes dehydration and an inability to move. Metaldehyde affects the central nervous system and is toxic to many organisms that ingest it. Some products contain Bitrex (recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world s most bitter substance) as a safety measure to prevent accidental ingestion by humans and non-target organisms. General slug bait use tips (always follow label directions): If the ground is dry, water areas to be treated. Scatter product directly from the container or use a hand-held spreader. Example baits include: ORTHO Bug-Geta Granular Snail and Slug Killer (3.25% metaldehyde + Bitrex) kills snails and slugs within 1 to 3 days, and remains effective after rain or sprinkling for up to 3 weeks. It is labeled for use around vegetables, fruit trees, citrus, berries, ornamentals, shrubs, flowers, trees, lawns, gardens, and in greenhouses. ORTHO Bug-Geta Plus Granular Snail and Slug Killer (2% metaldehyde + 5% carbaryl + Bitrex) kills snails and slugs, plus ants, cutworms, armyworms, earwigs, sowbugs, crickets, pillbugs, grasshoppers, and millipedes. Do not contaminate edible parts of plants. Iron phosphate causes slugs and snails to stop feeding and become less mobile after ingesting the bait; they die within 3 to 6 days. This active ingredient is OMRI-listed. SLUGGO Slug and Snail Bait (1% iron phosphate) is labeled for use in or around all food commodities and may be used up to, and including, the day of harvest. BUG-N-SLUGGO Insect, Slug and Snail Bait (0.97% iron phosphate % spinose) kills ants, earwigs, cutworms, pillbugs, as well as slugs and snails. Daviess County Horticulture Facebook Page We encourage you to view and like us on our Facebook page, so we can keep you up to date on what is going on with our horticulture programs. Be sure to tell your friends to like us too! You can search us at Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Horticulture. 4

5 Thick, lush lawns are beautiful, but weed pressures are sure to emerge this spring. Spring and summer annuals as well as perennial weeds not only distort a picturesque lawn, but also thin your lawn and rob nutrients from our preferred fescue. Proper weed identification and good planning will keep the majority of your weeds at bay this year. In Kentucky, we have several spring germinating weeds that are fairly easy to identify. Dandelion, henbit, chickweed, and purple deadnettle are some of the most common early weeds. Later, as the soil temperatures warm up, crabgrass and goose grass show up, often with a vengeance. Spring Weed Control In Your Lawn by Andrew Rideout Pre-emergent herbicides are used to prevent the germination of many weeds but we apply it in lawns to target crabgrass and goose grass. Some weeds may have already germinated at this point in the year. Pre-emergents work by forming a layer just below the soil surface. As the weed germinates, it will come into contact with the herbicide and growth will stop before the weed reaches the surface. Homeowners most often utilize the granular formulation for easier application. Identification is key to control. There are three basic types of weeds in our lawns; broadleaf weeds, grass-like weeds, and sedges. Just like the name implies, broadleaf weeds have broad leaves while grass like weeds have blades similar to fescue. Sedges are identified by a strong, protruding midrib creating a triangular blade. Knowing what weed you have and a little about its life cycle will help tremendously with determining the best control. Typically with any lawn weed, control products are either pre-emergent or post-emergent. Most broadleaf weeds are best controlled post-emergently with a common herbicide 2,4- Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or 2,4-D for short. 2,4-D can be purchased in a concentrated liquid formulation, or an easier to use granular product in combination with a fertilizer. When applying a granular post-emergent herbicide, it is important to ensure the granular particles adhere to the leaf of the target weed. Applying the herbicide in the early morning when the lawn is damp is often the best time. Properly timed applications of pre-emergent herbicides are most critical for best control. If the target weed has already germinated, it is too late to control with a pre-emergent. Crab grass and goose grass germinate as the soil temperature warms up and forsythia blooms are a good sign that the soil is getting warm enough for crabgrass to germinate. When the forsythia blooms, apply the pre-emergence pesticide within the following 2 weeks. Always follow the label with any control product. Proper weed identification and proper herbicide selection and application will help keep your lawn healthy. If you need help with weed identification or weed control, contact your local Extension Office and they can help direct you to the best resources. Resource Publications AGR Weed Control for Kentucky Home Lawns, University of Kentucky AGR-80 - Spring, Summer, and Fall Bulbs, University of Kentuck 5

6 New Potato and Asparagus Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium size, boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 medium diced onion 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon garlic powder 1 lemon (zest and juice) 2 cups new potatoes 3 cups vegetable broth 1 cup low fat milk 1 pound fresh asparagus ½ cup reduced fat sour cream Fresh ground black pepper 1. Pour oil into a large saucepan over medium heat. 2. Remove fat from chicken breasts and cut chicken into ½ inch pieces. 3. Cook chicken and diced onion in the oil for about 5 minutes or until chicken is done and onions are golden. 4. Stir in salt, garlic powder, lemon zest, and ½ of the lemon juice. 5. Cut potatoes into ½ inch chunks, leaving the skin on. 6. Add potatoes and vegetable broth then simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender. 7. Stir in the milk. 8. Trim and cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces and add to mixture. 9. Simmer over medium heat, partially covered and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. 10. Stir in ½ cup sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Yields: 8, 1 cup servings Buying Kentucky Proud is easy. Look for the label at your grocery store, farmers' market, or roadside stand. Flower of the Month Common Name: Hyacinth Type: True Bulb Family: Asparagaceae Native Range: Central and southern Turkey, northwestern Syria, Lebanon Zone: 4 to 8 Height: 8 12 inches Width: 3 6 inches Planting Time: Early Fall Bloom Time: Early April Length of Bloom: Approximately 3 weeks Bloom Color: Apricot, blue, cream, purple, pink, red, white, and yellow Sunlight: Full sun Water: Water during a dry spring Maintenance: Low Flower: Showy, Fragrant In Season Locally in April and May Cabbage Green Onions Leaf Lettuce Radishes Strawberries Flowering Bedding Plants Hanging Baskets of Flowers Herb Transplants Vegetable Transplants *Local greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes may be available in May. Contact us for more horticultural information at Annette Meyer Heisdorffer Daviess County Extension Agent for Horticulture for Horticulture 6