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July 12, 2000

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Click Here for Great Soil and Compost!

Supergrass or Frankenturf?
Did any of you see the front page story in Sunday's Kansas City Star titled "Grass is always greener, but genetics foes see red"?  It was written by the New York Times and picked up by The Star (and probably many more papers nationwide).  I am sure that the headline captured the attention of many Savvygardeners.  It focuses on the Scotts Company (Turf Builder, etc...) and the race to develop grass seed that is genetically altered to withstand applications of the most potent weed killers and remain healthy and green.  There's even development going on toward grasses that require little mowing, thrive in winter, and come in different colors!  If you did not get a chance to read the article I encourage you to do so.

The debate over genetically modified foods has been very hot lately.  Grasses and plants offer a new twist to the debate.  Have you heard about the blue-colored rose yet?  Well, Kevin and I thought it would be interesting to conduct a survey to see what Savvygardeners think about the development of these genetically engineered grasses and plants.  Will the solutions to our lawn and garden problems soon be solved?  Are the risks worth it?

I hope you will take a few moments to answer the questions in our survey. Once we have some results back we will publish them so you know how other Savvygardeners feel about this topic.  It will be interesting to see if the subject is as controversial here as it is in other parts of the country. 

Speak out!  Tell us how you feel!  You will find our survey here...

Well, summer is here in all it's hot and humid glory!  Lots of tips below to get your garden through it.  Stay cool...

~ Shelly               

Nurturing
Nature's Night Lights...
Some things just mean summer to me.  Fireflies (lightning bugs to some of you) fit that category nicely.  My kids could spend hours catching these magical creatures and putting them in a jar or cage.  Before calling it a night however, I make sure they let the fireflies escape.  Anglers call it catch and release.  I call it good gardening.  You see, the larvae of fireflies dine on cutworms, mites, slugs, snails, soft-bodied insects and the larvae of other insects.  They apparently have voracious appetites and quietly do wonders in keeping pests at bay.

Too Hot To Handle...
When the weather is as oppressive as it has been lately it's all too easy to want to stay inside and neglect the garden.  Try to do your watering early in the morning, take the afternoon off, and do your weeding, dead-heading, etc... in the evening.  Remember, in this heat watering must be thorough and deep.  If you can't water adequately during hot, dry weather you are actually better off doing nothing at all and I mean nothing.  Plants under severe summer stress compensate by becoming inactive.  Pruning, fertilizing, spraying or otherwise encouraging growth can do more harm than good if water is insufficient.

When To Pick A
Pepper...
Depending on what variety of bell pepper you are growing and what color you want it to be you have different guidelines to follow for the timing of your harvest.  Green bell varieties are usually picked when they are fully grown and mature - 3 to 4 inches long, firm and green.  Colored bell peppers start out green but should be left on the plant until they develop full flavor and ripen fully to red, yellow, orange or brown. 

A Rosy Reminder

 

Just a reminder... When deciding whether or not to spray your roses on a given day first consult a reliable weather forecast.  If the daytime highs are expected to exceed 90 degrees you should not spray - not even in the morning when the temperatures are "cooler."

Help For Hot Tomatoes...
Although tomatoes are self-pollinating, they need movement to transfer pollen.  If it is hot and calm for several days you may need to gently shake your plants to assure that pollen is properly transferred.  Very hot temperatures can also interfere with blossom set.  One solution is to mist the plants periodically throughout the day.  Careful here!  Wet leaves can promote other diseases.  If you choose to mist do it during the day when plants will have adequate time to dry out before nightfall.

What's Hot On The Hotline...
June was a busy Hotline month with 1288 contacts on 22 working days, for a daily average of 59 contacts.  The focus was again on "growing pains" - environmental affects on trees, plants and turf grass.  Vegetable gardening had its share of contacts as well.  Read all about it in this week's Hotline...

Shady Characters...
Looking for a good, low exertion chore for the hot weather?  Try inspecting your shade trees and the grass below them.  They may be getting so full of branches that not enough sunlight filters through to your grass.  If your grass is just not making it under a particular tree you can stand in its shade and make some notes for future pruning.  You'd be surprised how well grass will respond to even a moderate amount of increased sunlight.

Finally...
"Where flowers bloom so does hope."

 ~ Lady Bird Johnson

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