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November 6: Donıt Try Treating Lawn Now
November 13: Get Your Perennials Prepared for Winter
November 20: Readers Give Ideas
November 27: Thanksgiving is a Time for Reflection
November 6: Donıt Try Treating Lawn Now
Grub damage in lawns is apparent now; however, donıt do any type of treatment at this time.Weıve received several calls about lawn damage and have looked at several damaged turf samples. This damage, unfortunately, was done in August and September. Drought-stressed lawns in September masked the damage, allowing grubs to continue feeding.
Damaged areas, in most cases, are small, but some areas experienced extensive damage.
Donıt treat lawns now; put it on next yearıs ³to do² list. For many reasons, Ohio State University Extension doesnıt recommend spring treatment.
First, the grubs are fat, sluggish, and donıt feed much in the spring.
They also are close to pupating when they come to the soil surface in the spring making timing difficult.
Theyıre so large that it takes chemicals that professionals use to do a good job eliminating them.
Finally, turf is growing so quickly in the spring that damage is insignificant.
The best time to get them is when the next generation hatches. If you had them this year, treat next year. For homeowners, this will be in June and July, with products containing imidacloprid (Merit) or halofenozide (MACH2). As the grub larvae hatch in August, they feed on the chemicals.
Itıs probably too late this fall to seed and obtain germination. Prepare the soil (after it dries out) and seed in December or January.
Nowıs a good time to plant spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, crocus and hyacinths. Donıt forget the unusual spring flowering bulbs, such as Allium, Anemone, Camassia, Chionodoxa, Eranthis, grape hyacinth, Puschkinia, Scilla and Fritillaria.
These are all great bulbs for spring color and are different from the usual tulips and daffodils.
Tulips have an interesting history. In the 1600s, the tulip was so rare that only rich noblemen and people in high government offices could afford them. Even when the tulip trade was established in the 17th century, prices were exorbitant.
Tulips are popular today though not to this extent. Unfortunately, hybrid tulips tend to provide only one season of bloom. It takes several years for them to look like anything again. By then, many of the hybrids have reverted back to a parent color.
I had a bed of beautiful pink tulips but after five years they were a mix of pink, purple and white.
Treat tulips as you would annuals by replanting them each year. This is more work, but itıs worth it. Tulips are beautiful in bloom in the spring.
Daffodils and most of the other bulbs last a long time. The longer you let the green foliage mature next spring, the better the blooms the next year.
Bulbs are best if planted in groups or clumps. Theyıre great for naturalizing areas such as the edge of a woods or informal bed.
You can plant from now until the ground freezes, but for best results get them in before late December.
November 13: Get Your Perennials Prepared for Winter
As I was listening to the evening news on Monday night, I chuckled when
the weather forecaster gave a freeze warning for overnight and told people
to cover their plants.
I figured this guy wasn't a gardener because gardeners know that when
freezes begin, the season is over - and that means it's time to get to work.
Now's the time to get your perennials prepared for the winter. A couple of
freezes mean you can cut back foliage that's turned to mush or plants that
don't have winter interest.
Plants with some winter interest - such as coneflower, sedum, and
ornamental grasses - should be left alone until next spring or when they
look bad.
It's also a good time to clean tools for winter and to sharpen pruning
shears. Most people, me included, put shovels away dirty.
Clean off the dirt by dipping the shovel into a bucket of coarse sand
mixed with oil. Used motor oil is fine. Protect wooden handles by coating
with linseed oil.
Before sharpening pruning shears, clean them with steel wool and soapy
water. There are several tools on the market that can be used for
sharpening. By doing it now, you won't have to worry about it when it's
time to prune in February or March.
All houseplants should have been brought inside for the winter. It's a
good idea to use a systemic insecticide if you've had pest problems.
Systemic means that the plant absorbs the pesticide through the roots and
any sucking insects feeding on the plant will be controlled.
It's also a good idea to inspect your houseplants once a week to avoid
major insect infestations. Scale is the primary indoor pest that can build
in population before you know it.
Scale is a tiny reddish critter that's covered with a brownish shell,
which makes it hard to control with sprays because it's a protective
shell. Therefore, systemic insecticides are useful.
If a scale population is out of hand, use a cotton swab and alcohol to
wipe off as much as you can. There are times when populations are so high
that you're better off throwing the plant away and starting over.
Plants usually affected by scale include schefflera, ficus or weeping fig,
ferns and spider plants.
Two-spotted spider mites are another pest on houseplants. They can be
controlled with insecticidal soaps. Don't use dish soap and water because
you could burn the foliage if you don't have the exact combination.
Another way to control spider mites is to place the plant in the shower
and gently (but with some force) wash the mites off the plant. Do it
gently to avoid damaging the plant, but forceful enough to knock the mites off.
Houseplants are great if you keep them healthy. Most people overwater them.
Because the plants are inside the home and get less light than outside,
they're using less water. Cut back on the watering and only water if necessary.
The only way you can know when to water is to check the soil. Use your
fingers to feel down in the soil as far as you can. If the plant is small,
lift the pot after watering and compare it to when it's dry. Or, buy a
moisture meter.
Cut back on fertilizer, too. I usually don't fertilize houseplants until they resume active growth in March.
November 20: Readers Give Ideas
I love when readers give me some ideas about what to write. It tells me that you are a) reading this column and b) you want to learn more about gardening! Thanks to everyone.I ran into Mrs. Schuler the other night at a school event. She said that she was waiting for me to tell her when to cut her mums back. She would have waited for quite some time.
Recent research indicates that mums may survive the winter if you wait until spring to cut them back. This goes against what we have always recommended in the past, which was to cut them back in the fall after a few freezes.
It is thought that the stems protect the plant through the winter. Mrs. Schuler has always covered hers with mulch and had them survive.
So I would offer this: If you are going to cut them down this fall, cover them with about 6 to 12 inches of mulch. Otherwise, wait until spring. As I have mentioned several times in the past, mums, which used to be marketed as hardy mums, aren't always reliably hardy. Therefore, extra care will go a long way in keeping them until next spring.
A quite interesting (at least to me) problem occurred this year with callery pears. They had an unusual fruit set and eventual drop this year. Callery pears (i.e., Bradford, Washington, Cleveland Select, etc.) are beautiful trees with lovely white flowers in the early spring. They also have good fall colors ranging from burgundy to oranges.
One of the nice features about these pears is that they are "fruitless." They really aren't fruitless but have very small, tiny fruits that don't cause messes, as some crabapple species and the species pear trees do.
However, this is a great marketing tool, as not too many people want messy trees with lots of fruit all over the ground.
This year, the callery pears pulled a dirty trick. And I do mean dirty. For some reason, many of these trees had an abundant fruit set. Thus, the tiny, usually "non-messy" fruits were extremely messy. I looked out my window about a month ago here at the Gateway Learning Gardens, and the concrete under the callery pear trees was completely covered with fruits. Now these fruits aren't as big as the species pears; they are about one-fourth inch in diameter.
However, when you get a lot of them together, it's pretty messy. I was really quite surprised. Not since I have been in horticulture have I seen such an event.
It really was quite a mess and people walking on the concrete caused even more mess. It's still somewhat of a mess, as more fruits drop after wind or a rain.
This unusual fruit set can be attributed to a few causes. First of all, the bloom season for these plants was longer than normal. Temperatures were perfect to allow the blooms to be pollinated for a longer period of time. For some reason, pollination was high this year and fruit set was extremely good - or bad, depending on how you look at it. I can't predict what will occur next year, but, hopefully, this is a once-in-a-long-time fluke and we won't see it again.
Other than this occurrence, these are great trees for the landscape. Just be sure you choose cultivars other than Bradford. It was the first one on the market and has very weak branching structure that tends to break in the wind or snow.
November 27: Thanksgiving is a Time for Reflection
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and as I think about my job as Ohio State University Extension horticulture educator, I'm blessed to have the support and assistance from many people. I have the greatest job in the world and it's because of the people I work with.First, there's Jo Brown, whom without her support as office associate, it would not work. She keeps me in line - if that's possible. Thanks, Jo. Then there's Kathy McConkey, who keeps us in line. We couldn't do without her. Kathy takes care of the Master Gardener HelpLine during the growing season and is great at tending to pleas of help in the garden. Thanks, Kathy.
Terry Smith, who is the Way to Grow Community Garden program coordinator, is the best in the state. Clark County has one of Ohio's best community garden programs.
Without her guidance and leadership, there would be no community garden program. Terry works with more than 1,000 gardeners at 30 sites in the city. Thanks, Terry.
I'm also thankful for Clark County citizens who support the horticulture program.
Finally, I want to thank the Clark County's Master Gardener volunteers. Since the program's inception in 1993, volunteers have contributed 52,116 hours of service to the county in various horticulture areas. The volunteers make my job incredibly fun and they have expanded my horizons in ways I never would have imagined.
It may sound like bragging, but we have one of the state's best Master Gardener programs. Through the years, we've received more awards for our program than any other county.
In 2001, we received the coordinator of the year award. In 2002, we received the project of the year award for our Gateway Garden Jubilee. In 2003, James Looney received the Master Gardener of the Year award. This year, Carolyn Allen received the same award - and we also received the project of the year award.
Thanks to these people who were recognized as Master Gardeners at our recent recognition celebration:
Carolyn Allen, Susie Anderson, Josie Aper, Sydney Axtell, Sally Barber, Bob Bell, Barb Brown, Dot Burkholder, Pat Casey, Diane Catenacci, Charles Chatfield, Polly Cooper, Joan Corbitt, Denny Dalton, Josh Davis, Sally Day, Dean Derenberger, Barbara Dudrow, Penny Dunbar, Karen Duncan. Lisa Dunn, John Eichelberger, Kim Errett, Lisa Fitzsimmons, Laura Foley, Phyllis French, Joyce Fries, Jeanne Glaspell, Carlene and Gene Grassle, Betty Grimes, Gayle Gyure, Barb Hall, Jim Hamilton, Janet Hannel, Carol Hanusik, Kathy Harbaugh, Marty Harley, Janet Heater, Pam Henderson, Bob Hennen. Mary Hitt, Becky Hitt-Piteo, Nancy Hobbs, Toni Holcomb, Jan Hookfin, Jerry Howell, Janet James, Ann Joyce, Mary Justice, Dianne Kane, Anne Kaup-Fett, Bethany Kenerly, Ernie Keppler, David and Judy Kludy, Sheryl Kolarsky, Jane Malowney, Bonnie Martens, Donna Massie, Kathy McConkey, Sally McCulloch. Dick McKinstry, Donna Meister, Mike Minette, Judy Montei, Brenda Munden, Angela Murphy, Donna Myers, Janet Myers, Karen Neer, Mary Anne Neff, Lou Nelson, Lois O'Keefe, Jim Pinkerton, Teresa Reid, Marcia Roberts, Deanne Rucker, Fred Rufener, Cindy Schneider, Sherilyn Johns, Daina Sirons, Becky Sirons, Charles Skidmore, Terry Smith, Judie Thorpe, Pam Thullen, Nancy Vanderglas, Peter Wallace, Judy Wessel, Ed Wichael, Bill Wieland, and Jane Willeman.
This list isn't complete. There are so many more who help and support Clark County's horticulture program.
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Clark
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November 2004
All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University
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