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
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 |