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June 5, 2002

Exploring Kansas City..
Well, our summer has started off slowly.  Huge sigh.  We have not created too busy of a schedule for ourselves and for that I am relieved.  The kids haven't driven me crazy (yet) but this is still our first full week of no school.  I guess there is plenty time for that.  I have made a conscious decision to make sure to take the kids on more field trips this summer.  We always try to make a couple trips out to Powell Gardens as well as the Overland Park Arboretum - you always want to get those trips out of the way before the summer heat sets in.  We'll be spending several days at the pool to escape the summer heat and will also visit the zoo to inspect the latest exhibit "Stingrays".  Another place that I like to put on our calendar is the Deanna Rose petting zoo.  The kids enjoy it because of the animals and I enjoy it because of the Johnson County Master Gardener's garden that is there.  If you have not had a chance to see the plantings there I would encourage you to do so.  They have several varieties of plants for different locations in the garden as well as a small vegetable garden which the kids always enjoy.

A couple of weeks ago, when the ground was as wet as could be, I thought I wouldn't be requesting rain anytime soon.  After last week's heat and wind I was delighted to see the rain fall on Tuesday.  It was a nice gentle rain that gave the ground a good soaking.  I can't believe how much I had been watering in the past week.   Mostly potted plants but I know that I was watering them in the morning as well as in the evening.  They dry out so quickly and if you miss one you are likely to find it later wilted and dying of thirst.  Lucky for us gardeners that the growers have created several different varities of heat and drought tolerant plants.  A good thing come July and August.

I have been busily planting more and more annuals.  I am anxiously awaiting the completion of our front yard so that I can start planting the new garden.  It is going to be great.  I can hardly wait to share it with all of you - some weather and material supply issues have slowed us down by a week.  

Don't forget that June is still a great month to plant so rush on out to our sponsors and buy, buy, buy!

~ Shelly  

Controlling Critters On Your Cukes...
The striped cucumber beetle is a serious threat to cucurbits, such as squash, cucumber, melon and pumpkin.  The larvae will cause severe damage to roots and beetles can do a real number on an emerging plant by feeding on the lower surface of its leaves.  These menaces also spread bacterial wilt, cucumber mosaic, and squash mosaic virus.

Although there are several insecticides that control the cucumber beetle only a few chemicals can be used on cucurbit plants because of their sensitivity to chemical injury.  Application of an insecticide is usually recommended as soon as the plants begin to emerge through the soil.  For prevention of bacterial wilt it is often advisable to spray at five day intervals beginning when seedlings emerge or after transplanting and continuing until the vines run.

Hand-picking is an organic approach and should be done in the early morning when most feeding occurs.  These beetles are easy to kill but reinforcements arriving on the plants make this a very time consuming job.

Insecticides labeled for vegetables containing pyrethrum, rotenone, methoxychlor, or carbaryl (Sevin) should control the beetles.  As always, follow directions and warnings carefully when using chemicals.

It's A Wrap!
Ever wonder how gardeners produce the perfect blooms that are entered in flower shows?  My flowers look great but I have to admit they don't hold up to extra-close inspection.  Here's one secret to perfectly beautiful blooms:

  • Start with a piece of spun-bonded, polyester row cover material.
  • Cut a square large enough to cover the desired bud.
  • Loosely wrap each bloom with the fabric gathering the edges with strong thread so the material is snug against the stem.
  • Keep the bloom wrapped until cutting time.

This nifty trick will prevent insects from getting to your prized buds.

Monitor Those Melons...
Cool spring weather slowed watermelon growth but the onset of warmer temperatures will definitely give them a boost. As vines from different plants begin to intermingle, and the canopy becomes thicker, the chances of developing anthracnose increase.  It's a good idea to scout watermelon patches once or twice a week for this disease.  Look for multiple small brown to black spots on leaves.  These spots are typically associated with leaf veins.  As the spots coalesce and dry out, the leaf may appear tattered.  It's a good idea to implement a preventive fungicide spray schedule, especially during rainy periods.  Chlorothalonil, mancozeb and azoxystrobin (Quadris) are labeled for anthracnose control.  Azoxystrobin should be rotated with one of the other fungicides to help prevent potential resistance problems.

Source

 


June is Potted Rose Month at Family Tree Nursery
Select any one Potted Rose from our huge assortment 
and we'll deduct 50%!

Click Here for Coupon!

 

 

No Smoking Please,  We're Growing Tomatoes...
OK, smokers feel like everyone is picking on them.  Maybe so.  Smokers take heed however.  There are gardening problems associated with smoking also.  Tobacco mosaic virus is a disease that attacks a wide range of plants, including tomato, pepper, eggplant, spinach, petunia and marigold.  It is a devastating disease that, once contracted, is controllable only through the destruction of the infected plant.

Any tobacco product including cigars, cigarettes, pipe, and chewing tobacco can be infected with tobacco mosaic virus.  Handling these items can contaminate the hands, and subsequent handling of plants results in a transmission of the virus.  Thorough hand washing after handling tobacco products is a good preventive measure.  Dipping hands in milk prior to handling plants has been reported to reduce the spread of the virus as well.  If you find this more convenient than washing please feel free to try it.

Itchy, Scratchy, Savvy...
Poison ivy rash is an unfortunate byproduct of working outdoors for many gardeners.  The rash we get from our exposure to poison ivy (as well as poison oak and sumac) is an allergic reaction to contact with an oil called urushiol (oo-ROO-she-ol).  All species of poison ivy, oak and sumac have urushiol in their roots, stems, leaves and fruit.  The oil or sap is released when plants are bruised.  For this reason poison ivy rashes are more common in the spring and early summer when leaves and stems are tender.  The sap may be deposited on the skin by direct contact with the plant, through contact with contaminated objects such as shoes, clothing, tools and animals, or as airborne urushiol particles from burning plants.  

I'll bet you still cling to at least one of the poison ivy myths below.  Now is a good time to set the record straight: 

  • Myth 1 
    Scratching poison ivy blisters will spread the rash.  Not true.  Fluid discharged from blisters will not spread the rash.  Well before the blisters form, however, you may spread the urushiol on your hands to other parts of your body. 
  • Myth 2
    Poison ivy is contagious.  Not true.  The rash is simply a reaction to urushiol.  The rash cannot pass from person to person; only the urushiol can be spread by direct contact. 
  • Myth 3 
    You can "catch" poison ivy simply by being near the plants.  Not true.  Direct contact or contact with smoke from burning plants is needed to introduce urushiol onto the victim. 
  • Myth 4
    Once allergic, always allergic to poison ivy.  Not true.  A person's sensitivity changes over time, even from season to season.  People who were sensitive to urushiol as children may not be allergic as adults. 
  • Myth 5 
    There's no need to worry about dead plants.  Not true.  Urushiol remains active on any surface, including dead plants, for up to 5 years! 
  • Myth 6
    One way to protect yourself from poison ivy is to keep yourself covered outdoors.  Partly true.  Urushiol can stick to your clothes which you can touch and spread to your skin later.

Source

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
This time of year the hotline is literally ringing off the hook.  Our staffers weigh in with several timely topics including watering tips, some recommended tomato varieties, and vegetables for container growing in this week's What's Hot on the Hotline...

Heading Off Seedheads...
Cool season turfgrasses such as Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass are currently producing seedheads - a natural phenomenon triggered by the current daylength.  Seedheads are a nuisance for several reasons:

  • They grow quickly and unevenly detracting from the appearance of a lawn. 
  • The seed stalk is tougher than grass blades so they do not cut cleanly except with the sharpest of mower blades.  
  • After mowing, the grass may also appear a lighter green to yellow because of the exposed seed stalks.  
  • Turfgrass plants also expend a lot of energy producing seedheads and turf density may also decrease slightly as a result. 

The most effective way to control seedheads is through frequent mowing with a sharp mower blade.  Avoid the temptation to lower your cutting height as doing so will cause the rest of your turf to suffer as summer approaches.

Source

Finally...
"Mine is the time of foliage,
When hills and valleys teem 
With buds and vines sweet scented, 
All clothed in glowing green. 

My nights are bright and starry, 
My days are long and clear 
And truly I'm the fairest, 
Of all months in the year."

~ Mary Fordham

 

 

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