Special Projects

Master Gardener
Program:
Information

Weekly Gardening Articles

Clark County Master Gardener's Home Page

Links

Home

This ladybeetle gets its name because it’s more of an orange color than the red ladybeetles. This beetle also usually shows up around Halloween. I expect, however, that we’ll see them soon.  The literature says this ladybeetle doesn’t bite, but I’ve heard people say 
they’ve been bitten by it. Some entomologists are beginning to agree. The bite is not harmful; nor does it hurt.

Overall, they aren’t harmful in the house except they have an odor when crushed.  Recommendations to eliminate them include sealing cracks and crevices where they can enter the house and using a vacuum cleaner to sweep up those inside.  Some would recommend that you don’t kill them, but take them outside to release them. With populations so high at this time, however, it won’t hurt to kill some.

Other invaders this time of the year include the leaffooted bug and 
yellow-jackets. Again, most controls center around caulking and sealing cracks and crevices.   I’ve already seen the leaffooted bug lurking on the sides of buildings. They usually seek white walls in the sun. This insect is about -inch long and looks like a squash bug. The characteristic that leads to its name is their hind legs, which are flattened and resemble a leaf.  This particular insect has a well developed scent gland. When squashed, they can have either a pleasant pine-like odor or a not-so-pleasant odor.  They are harmless to humans and are seeking warm sites for overwintering.

The yellow-jackets present a different story. They sting and hurt. 
Populations seem to be moderate this year.  For more information on the above insects, check out the Ohioline Web site at 
www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/  When you’re at the home page, go to the Yard and Garden section to look for insect pests; then check out nuisance pests. You’ll find a wide range of fact sheets on a variety of horticulture topics at the Ohioline Web site.  If you don’t have Internet access but have a computer with CD-ROM capability, you can order our newest edition of the Ohioline CD-rom. It contains all of our Ohio State University Extension horticulture fact sheets and information on youth, home, farm, environment, food, community, and business.   The CD is packed with information and you can get it for $4 plus tax by calling 328-4607 to order a copy. We’ll call you when they arrive.

Conference in progress
Thanks to the Clark County Master Gardeners for their hard work in hosting the State Master Gardener conference. We have more than 300 Ohio Master Gardeners at the Springfield Inn today.   I’d also like to thank our sponsors for their donations to help bring our 
keynote speaker, John Elsley of Wayside Gardens, to town. The sponsors include Aetna Building Maintenance; Benjamin Steel; Clark Landmark; Cornerstone Bank; F.H. Bonn; Heat Treating; Hoppes Builders and Development; Martin, Browne, Hull, and Harper; McKinnon’s Flowers; Micro-Enterprises; Speedway Super America; Springfield Overhead Door; Taylor Manufacturing; Wallace & Turner Insurance; and Young’s Jersey Dairy.
 

Back to top

Lawns have greened up in most cases and I could tell that just by listening to my phone calls this week. The No. 1 call has been requests for grass seeding information.  Apparently people are realizing that some areas of the lawn are not greening up.  Remember, the later you wait to seed, the greater the risk of winter injury.  At this point, I would suggest waiting for a dormant seeding. We are building a house and will not have the opportunity to seed the lawn any time soon. I will wait until November or December and do a dormant seeding. The seed will remain dormant until the weather breaks in the spring. 

The other question that arises with the greening of lawns is, ``Should I fertilize?''  If you haven't fertilized at all this fall, do so now. A fertilizer high in nitrogen should be used. You might even find a winterizer fertilizer that has high nitrogen. This is OK to use as well.   When you buy the fertilizer for this application, purchase enough for one more application. Save it and put it down around the middle of November. These two applications will do great things for your lawn.  Research has shown that lawns receiving the two fall applications of fertilizer are greener in the spring, thicken up quicker, and have some resistance to disease problems. 

If you have broadleaf weed problems, such as dandelion, plantain, and buckthorn, now is a great time to apply a herbicide to eliminate them. You might find a fertilizer that has a weed control product included. This can be applied now with straight fertilizer applied in November.  The only trouble you might have with this recommendation is that many of the garden centers have put away their inventory of fertilizers in order to make room for Christmas stock. Ask them to get it out for you - it's the best time to get the biggest bang for your buck. 

For more details on lawn care, refer to the following Web sites: 
www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/4000/4006.html
and 
www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/agf-fact/0402.html

Another popular question this week is, ``How do you harvest and cure gourds?'' They're ready when the stems dry and turn brown. Make every attempt to harvest them before a hard frost. Those that are mature and have a hardened shell will withstand a light frost. Those that are young and still tender won't. Cut the gourd from the vine, leaving a few inches of the stem. Take care not to bruise the gourd during harvest. This will increase the likelihood of decay and rot during the curing process. 
Discard fruit that has rotted or been bruised.  After harvesting, gourds should be cleaned with soap and water and dried. Apply rubbing alcohol to the surface. Punch the end close to the stem with a long needle to allow air inside, then hang for several months in a well-ventilated area. 
One source recommended punching a hole in both ends (with a darning needle) in order to speed up the drying process. 

The drying area should be warm and dry and in a place that won't expose the gourds to sun. If you lay the gourds on a hard surface to cure, turn them periodically so that the coloration will be even. 
Check gourds once a week and wash off any mildew or mold with a disinfectant solution. Discard any rotten ones. The shells will be hard when thoroughly dry. The seeds will rattle. Some gourds will take longer than others to dry.   After curing, gourds can be treated in several ways. They can be waxed with a paste or furniture wax (may have to repeat a few times), gilded, painted, or shellacked. 

Back to top

AAS tests are conducted at trial grounds throughout the country. Official judges supervise the trial and scores each entry. Only the entries with the highest average scores are considered for the award.  To learn more about AAS and the process involved in choosing the winners, check out this Web site: www.all-americaselection.org

The 1999 winners include Cosmos "Cosmic Orange,'' Dianthus "Melody Pink,'' Sunflower "Soraya,'' Vinca "Stardust Orchid,''Tithonia "Fiesta Del Sol,'' "Indian Summer'' sweet corn, "Mr. Big'' peas, "Blushing Beauty'' pepper, and "Savoy Express'' cabbage. The cosmos, tithonia, and sunflower were included in our Extension trial gardens. 

"Cosmic Orange'' cosmos is smaller than most species of cosmos. It attains a height of about 12 inches in a full-sun garden. The plants are 
vigorous and basically pest free. This plant thrives on minimal care and 
has abundant, 2-inch blooms all summer.  In our field trials, this plant looks great. It could use a little bit of deadheading during the summer. 

Dianthus"Melody Pink'' was bred specifically for use as a cut flower. It produces 1-inch flowers with a serrated petal edge, giving it an old-fashioned, lacy look. The long stems make it great for a bouquet. The plant grows about 22 to 24 inches tall and is quite heat and cold 
tolerant. The pink flowers are attractive in the cut garden as well as a 
flower bed. 

Sunflower "Soraya'' was a favorite in our trial gardens. The 
distinct orange petals are arranged around the chocolate brown center, 
making it stand out in the garden. The plants are branching and vigorous, growing about 5 to 6 feet tall. They do not require staking. An added feature - the goldfinches love the seeds. 

Vinca "Stardust Orchid'' grows to around 14 to 16 inches tall. The pastel orchid and white blooms provide a long show of flower color with minimal care. The plant is relatively pest free, and heat and drought tolerant. 

The dwarf Mexican sunflower, Fiesta Del Sol'' also was popular in our trials. The mature height was 2 to 3 feet tall. The abundant daisy-like flowers were 2 to 3 inches across and made excellent cut flowers. 
They also attracted butterflies and hummingbirds. This plant performs best in full sun and should be deadheaded a few times during the season. 

We don't trial vegetable varieties in Clark County, but here is a 
summary of the AAS vegetable winners: 

The first sweet corn with festive colored kernels is "Indian Summer.'' The ears are large, about 8 inches, and develop the festive colors as they mature. The colors actually intensify as they cook. This delicious sweet corn is a unique colorful presentation that also has a great sweet corn taste. This corn does require isolation from other sweet corn pollen. 
"Mr. Big'' is a superior English or garden pea with consistently large pea pods. The larger pods make it easier to shell. The plants produce a high yield because they are early and they frequently set two pods per node. The disease resistance lengthens the production time as well. The plants reach around 2 to 3 feet and mature in 58 to 62 days.  They need vertical support. The seeds should be available in 2000.  "Blushing Beauty'' describes the color changes of this sweet pepper. The bushy compact plants produce thick-walled, ivory to pink to red peppers in about 72 to 75 days. The plant has multiple disease tolerances. 
"Savoy Express'' cabbage is an early savoy (crinkled or waffle-like) cabbage with a sweet, non-bitter flavor. It's perfect for slaw or other salads. The small heads are about 1 to 11/2 pounds and the plants are compact. Spacing in the garden should be about a foot apart. 
 

Back to top

Our group met with D.G. Mortley - a Penn State University graduate, although we didn't hold it against him, since PSU beat OSU last weekend. He is heading a 10-year research project for NASA.  The project, to be completed in 2001, is focused on finding potential food products and growing systems for the manned Mars project in 2010. This mission, should it come to fruition, will involve six months travel each way, and a NASA imperative is to grow food aboard the flight. 

Mortley and his students are growing peanuts and sweet potatoes. They are trying to determine the best growing conditions to get the most production out of these two crops. And all of this is to be done in the confines of an 18 x 48 x 24-inch area (remember, they will be on a space flight and space is at a premium). 

One interesting problem Mortley noted was that they needed more in-space data on sweet potato production. On a recent Columbia mission, roots became confused and grew more horizontally than normal, even on a short five-day mission.  Of course, not only were they testing to get the maximum production, the food science group was looking at how to use the sweet potatoes and peanuts in order to make them appetizing. They are testing waffles with sweet potato flour, beverages combining pineapple and other juices with sweet potato juice, and delicious sweet potato cookies, which we gladly sampled. And the final component was looking for a way to get rid of the waste. The leaves of the sweet potato can be eaten as well as the tubers, but the stem was not a beneficial food source. So another group was developing a composting system to be used on the space flight. 

It was really fascinating and actually had an Ohio connection. The growth chambers used for the sweet potatoes and peanuts were built in Chagrin Falls. So, plant lovers, anyone interested in becoming an agrinaut? 

We learned a bunch of great horticulture facts at Auburn University. As we toured the campus, I realized just how big football is at Auburn. Fans began staking off their tailgate party areas early Thursday afternoon. 
We headed toward the stadium for a tour. Horticulture students plant and maintain the displays in each corner of the stadium. The planting last week consisted of mums and was quite an addition to the football field. But what was most interesting was the hedge planting around the inside of the stadium, between the stands and the football players. The 4-foot high 'Rotunda' Chinese holly and a very thorny barberry hedge is a great deterrent to fans rushing the field. Next time you happen to flip through the channels looking for an OSU football game and happen to come across a televised Auburn game, be sure to look for the hedge. And then, of course, move along to an OSU game. 

And what trip to the south would not be complete without checking out the kudzu, an invasive vine planted extensively throughout the south in the '50s. It was thought to be a great ground cover to be used in controlling erosion.  However, it has become the ever-permanent weed that is difficult to eradicate. Even worse than the multiflora rose that was extensively planted throughout Ohio as a good hedge row plant. One study found that the average growth of the vine to be 18 inches per day with a maximum of 36 inches. Fortunately for us, it doesn't survive night temperatures of minus-5 degrees Fahrenheit or so. 

Back to top

Don't send your requests to the News-Sun. I do not actually work for this paper. I am employed by Ohio State University Extension, but gladly write this column as part of my job. It will take longer to get to me if you send it to the paper. 

I did happen to notice something on my kitchen windowsill that most likely will bring a rash of phone calls this week. The dreaded multi-colored Asian ladybeetle has appeared. The nickname of Halloween ladybeetle is given to this insect because it usually shows up around Halloween. It also is relatively orangish in color with black spots. During a warm spell, you might find them in swarms on the sunny side of a house. They are seeking a place to overwinter. Now many recommendations that I have seen focus on sealing off any entrances to your home, therefore, preventing them from coming in. But, in reality, just how feasible is it to seal every crack? Not very.  This is a good suggestion, of course, because if you seal off the ladybeetles' entrances, you also will keep out the cold weather. There are currently no pesticide controls on the market to be used inside the house for the beetles. I have heard that there is research going on to determine a control. 

Most people don't want you to spray them because ladybeetles are beneficial. However, when they are in the house, in large numbers, I must ask, ``Just what is the benefit?''  I usually just sweep them up by hand and dump them back outside (to come in again, of course!). Tolerance could be a key to controlling them as well. 

If you want more details on this critter, check out this Web site: 
www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/2000/2158.html Or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address mentioned above, requesting Extension Factsheet 2158-95. 

I still am getting a lot of phone calls concerning seeding lawns. We are really in-between the best times to sow. At this point, if you do seed, it might or might not come up, depending on the weather. Grass seed germinates when there are consecutive warm days and cool nights. I think that we'll probably see much of this the rest of this year. If it does come up within the next few weeks, one of two things can happen. It might remain unseasonably warm and the grass will become established. Or, it might become unseasonably cold (or even freeze) and the grass will be damaged or possibly killed. Therefore, you should look at the risk factor involved and weigh it against the dollar amount and work amount that you put into the seeding. 

Wait until the weather has turned consistently cold, say around the end of November or December. Then you can do a dormant seeding, meaning the seed will lay on the soil until the spring temperatures encourage germination. The freezing and thawing will help work the seed into the soil as well. One other thought: You should not seed at this time if you are using the turf-type tall fescues. They are easily damaged by cold temperatures. 
 

Back to top

Layout, design and revisions © 2001 Clark County Ohio State University Extension
Revised -- December 10, 2002

All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status. 
Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Admin. and Director, OSU Extension 
TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868