Garden Plugs. A newsletter for Henderson County. Henderson County Center Sept. / Oct NOW IS THE TIME UPCOMING EVENTS

Transcription

1 Garden Plugs A newsletter for Henderson County Henderson County Center Sept. / Oct NOW IS THE TIME Contact Us Henderson County 740 Glover St. Hendersonville, NC (828) Phone (828) Fax henderson.ces.ncsu.edu Editor: Diane Turner diane_turner@ncsu.edu masteryourgrden.blogspot.com Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. Lawns Mature lawns may be fertilized in September with a rate of one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. If you are going to overseed bare spots or reseed your lawn, now is a good time to do so. Be sure to keep seedlings well watered for three to four weeks. Caution: some herbicides may affect newly seeded turf. This is also a good time to aerate established compacted lawns. Remove fallen leaves from newly seeded lawns. They make great additions to compost bins. Use a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent germination of chickweed and other winter annuals weeds. Ornamentals Divide and replant perennials such as hostas, daylilies, and coneflowers. Be sure to order your spring flowering bulbs for fall planting. Do not fertilize trees and shrubs for the next three months. Misc. After first frost (average date is Oct. 15th), remove plant debris and incorporate lime and fertilizer per soil test report. Add removed plant debris from the garden to your existing compost pile or consider starting a compost pile to enrich your garden soil. 09/ :00am-4:00pm Fall Plant Sale 09/20/104:00pm-5:00pm 09/27/104:00pm-5:00pm 10/02/1010:00am-4:00pm 10/04/104:00pm-5:00pm 10/18/104:00pm-5:00pm 10/25/104:00pm-5:00pm UPCOMING EVENTS Composting for Home Gardens Fall Lawn Care Farm City Day Plant Sale Houseplant Success Plants for Winter Interest Turning Bed in for Winter Bullington Center Jackson Park Hendersonville Person with disabilities and persons with limited English proficiency may request accommodations to participate in activities mentioned in this newsletter, please contact Diane Turner at during business hours at least 5 days prior to the event to discuss accommodations. **fee required 1

2 PESTICIDE SAFETY TIP If you commonly use chemicals in your garden, owning a good sprayer is an essential tool to add to your garden inventory. Sprayers allow you to apply all garden chemicals in precise amounts and place them exactly where they are needed. The instructions for nearly every garden chemical, except dusts, calls for using a pump sprayer to apply it. Ideally you should have access to at least two sprayers; one that you use only for herbicides (weed killers) and another one for insecticides, fungicides, or miticides. While it is possible to wash your spray tank between applications it is better to keep these materials in separate, labeled tanks. This will minimize the possibility of accidentally applying herbicide on your desirable garden fruits or vegetables. PRODUCE LADY OFFERS LOCAL FOOD TIPS Selecting locally grown North Carolina fruits and vegetables is as easy as stopping at your local farmers market or road-side stand. Next time you arrive home with your fresh produce and are looking for easy tips and recipes, be sure visit for all the information you may need. The Produce Lady is Brenda Sutton, the N.C. Cooperative Extension director in Rockingham County. Brenda grew up on a farm in eastern Wake County and developed a love for good, home-grown food as a child. Quality local foods are her passion and she loves sharing healthy, nutritious ways to select, store, prepare and preserve foods from the local farmers market. The Produce Lady effort consists of a series of videos on North Carolina fruits and vegetables and other local food products. You may also enjoy her updated Web site, her bi-weekly blog posts, and entertaining YouTube videos. VISIT THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY The Blue Ridge Parkway offers some of the best fall color in WNC. This pleasure road along the summit of the Blue Ridge is over 400 miles long, from VA to NC, linking the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. The real show begins in the fall when millions of trees start their annual color change. The bright colors shine from September through October against a backdrop of evergreens. The first wave of color comes from dogwoods, maples and hickories. Oaks usually change later after the first frost. This year, be sure to join the more than a million visitors that will drive along the Parkway. For more information, go to 2

3 EDEMA A PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDER Edema (oedema, corky scab) is a common, noninfectious disease of many herbaceous and some woody plants grown outdoors and in greenhouses. Edema is often mistaken for an infectious disease or insect gall. The small edema spot generally do little damage to plants, but detract considerably from the appearance of ornamental plants and some vegetables and consequently may cause economic loss. Plants very susceptible to edema include begonia, ferns, ivy geranium, pansies and many others. Edema may be a problem on the following vegetables: tomato foliage and fruit; bean foliage and pods; cabbage; broccoli; cauliflower; Brussels sprouts; potato foliage; most cucurbit fruit, foliage and stem. Probably all succulent tissues of vegetable crops are susceptible to edema. Symptoms of edema are variable and depend on the plant species, the plant parts affected, and tenderness of the tissue. Typically, symptoms appear on the succulent leaves, stems, flowers, and fruit of susceptible plants as single, minute, watersoaked "blisters," "wart," or galls. Symptoms are especially common on undersurfaces of leaves and occasionally will form on the larger veins and petioles. Edema tends to occur when plants take up more water through the roots than they can use or release through their leaves. This usually happens when the soil is warm and very moist, while the air is cool and humid, as often occurs on overcast days. High light intensity has also been found associated with edema in ivy geraniums. Although edema does not significantly harm the plant, it is unsightly. You can minimize problems with edema by avoiding over watering during humid, overcast weather. "Just before the death of flowers, And before they are buried in snow, There comes a festival season When nature is all aglow." 3

4 HEMLOCK HEALTH UPDATE In recent weeks, we have had several reports about hemlock borers, Melanophila fulvoguttata. Some folks, after seeing trees colonized by this pest have expressed concern that it is becoming more active and damaging than it has been in the past. This has caused debate about whether the hemlock borer is a new pest of concern that threatens our already endangered hemlocks. The hemlock borer is a pest of eastern hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana), throughout its natural range. It is normally considered a secondary pest that attacks weak, stressed and dying trees. Stress can be caused by drought, winter weather, possibly pollution, and by other primary pests. Symptoms include the flaking off of outer bark revealing pinkish hued inner bark. In addition, woodpecker activity will increase as they search for the beetle larvae. Hemlock woolly adelgid is a primary pest of hemlock trees and by feeding on ray parenchyma cells put trees under considerable stress. Although the particulars of hemlock borer behavior and host choice are not well studied it is likely that even a single season of feeding by hemlock woolly adelgids could make trees more attractive to, and less able to defend against, hemlock borers. As more and more trees are in decline due to hemlock woolly adelgids, hemlock borers are bound to become more common simply because there is more food for them. This borer is one of the metallic wood boring beetles, also known as a flat-headed borer. No research has been directed at controlling this beetle in particular because it is not a primary pest. Although some chemicals are effective on other flat-headed borers, there is no way to know whether they would reduce hemlock borer infestation. The best way to reduce damage by hemlock borers is to reduce damage by hemlock woolly adelgids and other pests such as elongate hemlock scale. Individual trees can be treated with systemic insecticides, such as imidacloprid or dinotefuran, to reduce hemlock woolly adelgid populations. The efficacy of biological control agents on small or large scale infestations is still unknown. From: Steve Frank, NCSU Extension Entomologist Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. Jim Davis 4

5 FARM CITY DAY The annual Farm City Day Festival is scheduled for October 2, 2010 from 10:00am 4:00pm in Jackson Park, Hendersonville. Come join in the festivities with great food and tons of fun for all ages. Henderson County Master Gardeners will be selling plants to support education projects at a booth outside field 4. They will be offering over 300 plants including houseplants, perennials, and a few native species. We will be offering durable gardening gloves and the popular Henderson County Garden Guide for purchase also. Hope to see you there. YELLOWJACKETS Yellowjacket populations have been building all summer. Some of you undoubtedly have learned this the hard way. As the days become shorter, populations peak and males are more numerous. What is also more common seems to be the scavenging for carbs. A big complaint at this time of year is often yellowjacket visitation at open trash cans and dumpsters. There is no good cure for this situation. Traps are not control devices. Exclusion is the best tactic. Keep lids on, trash emptied, picnic food covered and trash can liners changed. Be sure to look in an unattended can of soft drink outdoors before sipping. Rinsing out trash cans and adding pine oil cleanser may possibly reduce visitation by yellowjackets. The only sure control is locating and destroying the nest. This is very difficult and almost impossible for the untrained. If found, the nest can be destroyed with an aerosol hornet and wasp spray. GEAR UP FOR SPRING BULBS Be sure to select only big firm bulbs as they will provide optimum bloom. Plant in late October to early November, this will assure that you have 14 to 15 weeks to fulfill the chilling requirement. Be sure to add a well balanced fertilizer and organic material to the soil at planting. Recommended depth is 2 to 3 times deeper than the bulbs height. Also, space small bulbs 2 inches apart and larger bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart. Planting in bulbs in drifts will add to their visual appeal. 5

6 Garden Plugs Sept. / Oct. Contents: Now is the Time! A newsletter for Henderson County Gardeners Produce Lady Blue Ridge Parkway Upcoming Events Pesticide Tip Edema Hemlock Update Yellowjackets Spring Bulbs Diane A. Turner Henderson County 740 Glover St. Hendersonville, NC NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID HENDERSONVILLE NC PERMIT NO. 73

7 Garden Plugs A newsletter for Henderson County Henderson County Center Sept. / Oct NOW IS THE TIME Contact Us Henderson County 740 Glover St. Hendersonville, NC (828) Phone (828) Fax henderson.ces.ncsu.edu Editor: Diane Turner diane_turner@ncsu.edu masteryourgrden.blogspot.com Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. Lawns Mature lawns may be fertilized in September with a rate of one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. If you are going to overseed bare spots or reseed your lawn, now is a good time to do so. Be sure to keep seedlings well watered for three to four weeks. Caution: some herbicides may affect newly seeded turf. This is also a good time to aerate established compacted lawns. Remove fallen leaves from newly seeded lawns. They make great additions to compost bins. Use a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent germination of chickweed and other winter annuals weeds. Ornamentals Divide and replant perennials such as hostas, daylilies, and coneflowers. Be sure to order your spring flowering bulbs for fall planting. Do not fertilize trees and shrubs for the next three months. Misc. After first frost (average date is Oct. 15th), remove plant debris and incorporate lime and fertilizer per soil test report. Add removed plant debris from the garden to your existing compost pile or consider starting a compost pile to enrich your garden soil. 09/ :00am-4:00pm Fall Plant Sale 09/20/104:00pm-5:00pm 09/27/104:00pm-5:00pm 10/02/1010:00am-4:00pm 10/04/104:00pm-5:00pm 10/18/104:00pm-5:00pm 10/25/104:00pm-5:00pm UPCOMING EVENTS Composting for Home Gardens Fall Lawn Care Farm City Day Plant Sale Houseplant Success Plants for Winter Interest Turning Bed in for Winter Bullington Center Jackson Park Hendersonville Person with disabilities and persons with limited English proficiency may request accommodations to participate in activities mentioned in this newsletter, please contact Diane Turner at during business hours at least 5 days prior to the event to discuss accommodations. **fee required 1

8 PESTICIDE SAFETY TIP If you commonly use chemicals in your garden, owning a good sprayer is an essential tool to add to your garden inventory. Sprayers allow you to apply all garden chemicals in precise amounts and place them exactly where they are needed. The instructions for nearly every garden chemical, except dusts, calls for using a pump sprayer to apply it. Ideally you should have access to at least two sprayers; one that you use only for herbicides (weed killers) and another one for insecticides, fungicides, or miticides. While it is possible to wash your spray tank between applications it is better to keep these materials in separate, labeled tanks. This will minimize the possibility of accidentally applying herbicide on your desirable garden fruits or vegetables. PRODUCE LADY OFFERS LOCAL FOOD TIPS Selecting locally grown North Carolina fruits and vegetables is as easy as stopping at your local farmers market or road-side stand. Next time you arrive home with your fresh produce and are looking for easy tips and recipes, be sure visit for all the information you may need. The Produce Lady is Brenda Sutton, the N.C. Cooperative Extension director in Rockingham County. Brenda grew up on a farm in eastern Wake County and developed a love for good, home-grown food as a child. Quality local foods are her passion and she loves sharing healthy, nutritious ways to select, store, prepare and preserve foods from the local farmers market. The Produce Lady effort consists of a series of videos on North Carolina fruits and vegetables and other local food products. You may also enjoy her updated Web site, her bi-weekly blog posts, and entertaining YouTube videos. VISIT THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY The Blue Ridge Parkway offers some of the best fall color in WNC. This pleasure road along the summit of the Blue Ridge is over 400 miles long, from VA to NC, linking the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. The real show begins in the fall when millions of trees start their annual color change. The bright colors shine from September through October against a backdrop of evergreens. The first wave of color comes from dogwoods, maples and hickories. Oaks usually change later after the first frost. This year, be sure to join the more than a million visitors that will drive along the Parkway. For more information, go to 2

9 EDEMA A PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDER Edema (oedema, corky scab) is a common, noninfectious disease of many herbaceous and some woody plants grown outdoors and in greenhouses. Edema is often mistaken for an infectious disease or insect gall. The small edema spot generally do little damage to plants, but detract considerably from the appearance of ornamental plants and some vegetables and consequently may cause economic loss. Plants very susceptible to edema include begonia, ferns, ivy geranium, pansies and many others. Edema may be a problem on the following vegetables: tomato foliage and fruit; bean foliage and pods; cabbage; broccoli; cauliflower; Brussels sprouts; potato foliage; most cucurbit fruit, foliage and stem. Probably all succulent tissues of vegetable crops are susceptible to edema. Symptoms of edema are variable and depend on the plant species, the plant parts affected, and tenderness of the tissue. Typically, symptoms appear on the succulent leaves, stems, flowers, and fruit of susceptible plants as single, minute, watersoaked "blisters," "wart," or galls. Symptoms are especially common on undersurfaces of leaves and occasionally will form on the larger veins and petioles. Edema tends to occur when plants take up more water through the roots than they can use or release through their leaves. This usually happens when the soil is warm and very moist, while the air is cool and humid, as often occurs on overcast days. High light intensity has also been found associated with edema in ivy geraniums. Although edema does not significantly harm the plant, it is unsightly. You can minimize problems with edema by avoiding over watering during humid, overcast weather. "Just before the death of flowers, And before they are buried in snow, There comes a festival season When nature is all aglow." 3

10 HEMLOCK HEALTH UPDATE In recent weeks, we have had several reports about hemlock borers, Melanophila fulvoguttata. Some folks, after seeing trees colonized by this pest have expressed concern that it is becoming more active and damaging than it has been in the past. This has caused debate about whether the hemlock borer is a new pest of concern that threatens our already endangered hemlocks. The hemlock borer is a pest of eastern hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana), throughout its natural range. It is normally considered a secondary pest that attacks weak, stressed and dying trees. Stress can be caused by drought, winter weather, possibly pollution, and by other primary pests. Symptoms include the flaking off of outer bark revealing pinkish hued inner bark. In addition, woodpecker activity will increase as they search for the beetle larvae. Hemlock woolly adelgid is a primary pest of hemlock trees and by feeding on ray parenchyma cells put trees under considerable stress. Although the particulars of hemlock borer behavior and host choice are not well studied it is likely that even a single season of feeding by hemlock woolly adelgids could make trees more attractive to, and less able to defend against, hemlock borers. As more and more trees are in decline due to hemlock woolly adelgids, hemlock borers are bound to become more common simply because there is more food for them. This borer is one of the metallic wood boring beetles, also known as a flat-headed borer. No research has been directed at controlling this beetle in particular because it is not a primary pest. Although some chemicals are effective on other flat-headed borers, there is no way to know whether they would reduce hemlock borer infestation. The best way to reduce damage by hemlock borers is to reduce damage by hemlock woolly adelgids and other pests such as elongate hemlock scale. Individual trees can be treated with systemic insecticides, such as imidacloprid or dinotefuran, to reduce hemlock woolly adelgid populations. The efficacy of biological control agents on small or large scale infestations is still unknown. From: Steve Frank, NCSU Extension Entomologist Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. Jim Davis 4

11 FARM CITY DAY The annual Farm City Day Festival is scheduled for October 2, 2010 from 10:00am 4:00pm in Jackson Park, Hendersonville. Come join in the festivities with great food and tons of fun for all ages. Henderson County Master Gardeners will be selling plants to support education projects at a booth outside field 4. They will be offering over 300 plants including houseplants, perennials, and a few native species. We will be offering durable gardening gloves and the popular Henderson County Garden Guide for purchase also. Hope to see you there. YELLOWJACKETS Yellowjacket populations have been building all summer. Some of you undoubtedly have learned this the hard way. As the days become shorter, populations peak and males are more numerous. What is also more common seems to be the scavenging for carbs. A big complaint at this time of year is often yellowjacket visitation at open trash cans and dumpsters. There is no good cure for this situation. Traps are not control devices. Exclusion is the best tactic. Keep lids on, trash emptied, picnic food covered and trash can liners changed. Be sure to look in an unattended can of soft drink outdoors before sipping. Rinsing out trash cans and adding pine oil cleanser may possibly reduce visitation by yellowjackets. The only sure control is locating and destroying the nest. This is very difficult and almost impossible for the untrained. If found, the nest can be destroyed with an aerosol hornet and wasp spray. GEAR UP FOR SPRING BULBS Be sure to select only big firm bulbs as they will provide optimum bloom. Plant in late October to early November, this will assure that you have 14 to 15 weeks to fulfill the chilling requirement. Be sure to add a well balanced fertilizer and organic material to the soil at planting. Recommended depth is 2 to 3 times deeper than the bulbs height. Also, space small bulbs 2 inches apart and larger bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart. Planting in bulbs in drifts will add to their visual appeal. 5

12 Garden Plugs Sept. / Oct. Contents: Now is the Time! A newsletter for Henderson County Gardeners Produce Lady Blue Ridge Parkway Upcoming Events Pesticide Tip Edema Hemlock Update Yellowjackets Spring Bulbs Diane A. Turner Henderson County 740 Glover St. Hendersonville, NC NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID HENDERSONVILLE NC PERMIT NO. 73