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August 29, 2001 Change
In The Air... This past weekend the entire Marsh family experienced the Gardener's Gathering at Prairie School in Prairie Village (photos). It was sponsored by the Kansas State Extension Office and they certainly had a great turn out. What a sight to see so many Master Gardeners in one building. They are always so eager to assist gardeners with questions, they are indeed a great resource for all of us. It's always a pleasure seeing friends like Al Karsten, Honey Barnekoff and many, many more. Of course, Kevin and I took the opportunity to tell some new people about Savvygardener.com. It is hard to believe that there are thousands of Kansas City area gardeners who know nothing about us! We need your help! Make sure you are spreading the word about Savvygardener.com! I would like to thank a special Savvygardener by the name of Carol Newman. She writes the Indulgences column which appears in the Sunday FYI section of the Kansas City Star. Last Sunday's edition featured me! Thanks a million Carol! We greatly appreciate the press. Have a terrific holiday weekend. The weather is supposed to be superb. I believe I will be in the garden!
Colorful
Closers... When choosing mums from your local retailer buy healthy looking plants that have been taken care of - no broken stems, wilted leaves, etc... Plants with existing blooms will be limited in their ability to provide much more flowering. Those with buds about to bloom will provide you with flowers into the fall. We usually buy several plants in bloom for immediate gratification and quite a few more that we expect to bloom over the coming weeks. What a great exclamation point at the end of the season! Taking A
Powder... A number of measures can be taken to control powdery mildew:
Fungicides may be applied at the first signs of disease. Read the fungicide label to be sure the product is labeled for the plant in question. The use of fungicides is generally not warranted for woody plants that show powdery mildew late in the season. By that time the leaves have served their purpose for the season and will soon be dropping. Tater
Tidbits...
Making
The Cut... Reading
The Leaves... How can you tell if it's the heat making leaves fall as opposed to pests or disease? By inspecting the fallen leaves. Those dropping as a result of drought typically do not show leaf spotting or insect feeding. Some trees like maples and red oaks may not drop leaves but will exhibit marginal leaf scorching. The solution of course is water. Make sure your trees get a good deep watering. Soaker hoses are very effective as well as the locally produced Tree I.V. which we use successfully. What's
Hot On The Hotline... Good To
The Core... Make sure your soil is prepared for the aeration process. It should be sufficiently moist so that the coring machine can penetrate. Rule of thumb - If a screwdriver can be pushed by hand 3 inches into the ground, the soil is about right. Don't soak it though. Soils that are too wet will clog the hollow tines of the aerator and prevent core removal. Once finished you will have a lawn covered with somewhat strange looking soil cores. Leave them on the lawn to create a more favorable environment for breakdown of the thatch layer by naturally occurring soil microbes. Finally... ~ Abram L. Urban, Author |
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