From The Ground Up. Mercer County Horticulture Newsletter. September, 2016

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1 Mercer County Horticulture Newsletter From The Ground Up September, 2016 Mercer County 1007 Lexington Road Harrodsburg, KY (859) Fax: (859) Fall is right around the corner, but don t fret! We still have plenty to do in the garden before old man winter arrives! Right now is the best time to reseed and fertilize the home lawn. The goal is to get seed in close contact with the soil, so try to remove as much debris as possibly before seeding. If you are trying to avoid an uneven application, spread half of the seed horizontally across the lawn and the other half vertically. Remember, before applying fertilizer have your soil tested. Fall is one of the best times to have your soil tested, not only for the home lawn but for the garden as well. We offer free soil testing at the Mercer County Extension Office, make sure to take advantage of it! Happy Gardening! Jessica Bessin, Mercer County Extension Agent for Horticulture Surprise Lily Surprise lily, resurrection lily, pink flamingo flower, naked lily and the ever popular "nekkid" lady ( be careful when googling that one) are all names for the same plant. It must hold the title of the most common names for any plant. Most of the common names refer to the plant's split personality. Similar to feuding in-laws the leaves and flowers refuse to appear together which confuses a lot of homeowners. In spring, I will receive calls from homeowners about long amaryllis-like leaves growing in large clumps that never produce any flowers. By early summer the leaves have yellowed and withered, leaving those who have never seen this flower before extremely disappointed with this large amount of foliage that has been in their yard. In mid July-August the surprise appears. The fragrant flowers pop out of the ground overnight. Large 2-feet tall naked stems erupt with 6-8 pink blushed funnel shaped flowers. This flower is definitely proud of its long legs. Several species of surprise lilies exist. The most common one we see popping out of the ground this time of year is Lycoris squamigera. Our traditional surprise lilies are very easy and durable to grow. They don t seem picky about soil, although I imagine they wouldn't do well in really wet areas. Surprise lilies flower best in full sun, but do well in partial shade. Bulbs gleefully multiply, so every 5 years or so they can be dug and separated after flowering. The bulb resembles its amaryllis cousin. When you dig and separate them you will find various sizes of bulbs. Plant the bulbs 4-6 inches deep. I find surprise lilies a bit exposed and gangly when they are grown alone in the lawn. I think they look better in a crowd. Source: Illinois Extension Horticulture.

2 When should I divide my perennials? A general rule of thumb is to divide spring flowering perennials in the fall and late summer or fall flowering perennials in the spring. We divide these plants for three main reasons: to control size, to rejuvenate, and to increase their number. Fall division should take place between early September and October. Allow at least four to six weeks before the ground freezes for the plants to become re-established. If you divide in the spring, allow enough time for roots to settle in before hot weather. Spring division is ideally done in the early spring as soon as the growing tips of the plant have emerged. Spring divided perennials often bloom a little later than usual. Never divide perennials on hot, sunny days. Wait until a cloudy day, ideally with several days of light rain in the forecast. Check out the table to the right to see when to divide some of our common perennial flowering plants. Plant Spring Fall Asters Bearded Iris Black-eyed susan Daylilies Garden Mum Garden Peony Hosta Shasta Daisy Fall Web worm As you drive around, you may notice trees with webs on their branches. Right now is the time for the fall webworm to cause damage on a variety of different host plants. It will feed on almost all shade, fruit and ornamental trees except for evergreens. In Kentucky some of the preferred trees include American elm, maples, hickory, and sweetgum. The fall webworm differs from the eastern tent caterpillar and the forest tent caterpillar because fall webworms always place their tent on the end of branches and there is usually more than one generation each year. The fall webworm caterpillar is about one inch long, very hairy and is pale green or yellow. They may have either a red or black head. The caterpillars overwinter as pupae in cocoons that are hidden either in the bark of trees or in the soil. The moths emerge from mid-march to mid-late April. They are satin white with brown wing spots. The first generation of caterpillars start to feed sometime in mid-spring to early summer. After feeding, they pupate in the soil and a second generation of webworms will be observed during August or September. The second generation of webworms usually cause more defoliation than the first generation. Destroying the tents, especially when the tents are small, is an effective way of getting rid of the caterpillars. The best time to do this is around dusk or early morning when the larvae are in the tent. Burning the tents should be avoided because the fire and intense heat may damage the tree. On smaller trees, egg masses may be pruned off and destroyed. For larger trees or trees that have several nests, a spray may be needed. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and a number of chemical insecticides are effective against these caterpillars. Source: Joe Collins, UK Entomology Nursery Inspector.

3 Fort Harrod Beekeeping Club Field Day! Interested in learning about how a beekeeper examines a beehive? Wondering how you should check your own hive to make sure it is ready for winter? Come out and join us for our second annual beekeeping field day! Remember to bring your bee suits or other protective clothing! For any additional information please contact the Mercer County Extension Office at Monday, September 26th Judy Bagan s Bee Yard 1767 Curdsville Road, Harrodsburg, KY Field Day will start at 6:30 PM Mark Those Calendars!!! Mercer County Farmers Market Tuesday and Thursday market days are now closed for the season. Saturdays market days will run through October from 9 AM-1PM. Mercer County Agricultural Field Day-September 8th, Horn Farms 5 PM See back page for more details. Garden Flavors Series September 24th, Mercer County Exhibit Hall 10 AM Come hungry and ready to learn! We will learn the basics of growing apples and how to prepare them for a meal. Participants will receive samples of a baked apple recipe! Fort Harrod Beekeeping Club Field Day-September 26th, 6:30 PM See details above. Floral Hall Catalog Meeting-September 29th, Mercer County Extension Office 2 PM Floral Hall volunteers will meet to discuss changes to the Floral Hall Catalog. Planting Bulbs For Spring-October 13th, Mercer County Extension Office 2:00 p.m. Come out to the Extension Office and learn about all the different kinds of bulbs that you can plant now for spring. At the end of the class everyone will go home with bulbs to plant in their own yard. There is a $5 fee for this class, please call the Extension Office at to RSVP by September 30th.

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