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August
14, 2002 |
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Good
Show, K-State!
Kevin and I attended an open house at the K-State Extension
Research Trials on Saturday and what a time we had! You
should have seen the flowers (actually you can, just
click here). I could not believe the way they looked
considering the extreme summer conditions we have experienced.
What a magnificent show! Vaughn Fletcher from Syngenta
Seeds, was giving detailed information about each row of
flowers and the different cultivars that grow especially well in
our area. Of course Kevin and I were busily taking notes
and pictures and will have more information to share with you
once the "Prairie Star" winners have been announced for
2003. I am impressed with the way that K-State Research
& Extension is working toward providing better cultivars of
plants, grasses, fruits and vegetables for us Midwest gardeners.
They are dedicated to providing us with more heat tolerant,
drought tolerant and better flowering plants. Isn't it nice
to know that these researchers are working daily to make our
gardening lives more fun and productive?
I have to talk about the weather because WOW we received some
much needed rain and refreshingly cooler temperatures all in just
a matter of 24 hours! What more could a gardener ask
for? As I walked Sam Parker this morning I was bundled up
in my running pants and sweatshirt and enjoyed the coolness in
the air. All I could think about was that this will soon be
a typical morning, the leaves will start changing and fall will
be upon us. I am excited! I have had my fill of
summer and am ready for the arrival of the next season. Of
course there is fall planting to think about and who could
possibly not be excited about that opportunity? I am almost
giddy with enthusiasm about what lies ahead for Kevin and I this
fall. There will be the planting of some foundations
shrubs, new perennials, bulbs, bulbs and more bulbs. All in
preparation for next spring! You must think I am crazy.
Summer is not even over and I am talking about next spring.
It never hurts to plan ahead!
~
Shelly
Lush
Lawns Are Looming...
Fall is just around the corner and there's no better time of
year to renovate your lawn. Take a hard look at your grass
and decide just how much work you have ahead of you.
- If you
just need to thicken it up a round of over-seeding will
probably do the trick. To ensure good seed to soil
contact you might want to make use of a verticutter.
This handy machine, which can be rented locally, makes nice
vertical cuts in your existing lawn and soil. Over this
cutting you can broadcast your seeds. Seeds should find
their way into the soil where they will germinate nicely.
- Every
other year or so you should try core aerating your
lawn. Doing so will control and prevent problems such as
thatch and soil compaction. Core aerating machines will
pull up numerous plugs of soil about the diameter of a pencil,
making holes into the lawn. Leave the plugs on the
surface and work the lawn as usual.
- If your
lawn is so overridden with perennial weeds or you're ready to
try a new type of grass altogether you will need to eliminate
what's there with Round Up or other appropriate herbicide.
Once the grass and weeds are dead use a verticutter or roto-tiller
to prepare the soil for new seed.
A note
about weeds - If crabgrass is appearing in your lawn in mid
to late summer, remember that it's an annual and will die-off as
temperatures drop later this fall. For perennial weeds it
is best to delay herbicide applications until a newly planted
lawn has been mowed at least 3 times. This gives the new
grass time to mature to a point where it is not so sensitive to
the weed killer.
Bitter
Cucumbers Or Better Cumbers?
Wondering why your cucumbers are bitter? Well, the
bitter taste in cucumbers is the result of stress that can be
caused by a number of factors including heredity, moisture,
temperature, soil characteristics and disease. Most often
this occurs during the hot part of the summer or later in the
growing season. Sometimes these happen at the same time.
Two
compounds, cucurbitacins B and C, give rise to the bitter
taste. Though often only the stem end is affected, at times
the entire fruit is bitter. Also, most of the bitter taste
is found in and just under the skin. Bitter fruit is not
the result of cucumbers cross pollinating with squash or melons.
These plants cannot cross pollinate with one another.
Often newer
varieties are less likely to become bitter than older ones.
Proper cultural care is also helpful. Make sure your plants
have the following.
- Well-drained
soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Plenty
of organic matter also helps.
- Mulch. A
mulch helps conserve moisture and keep roots cool during hot,
dry weather.
- Adequate
water especially during the fruiting season.
- Disease
and insect control.
Source
Nuisance
of the Week - Spurge
Prostrate
spurge is one of the more difficult broadleaf weeds to control. It
is a summer annual that must come from seed each year. Therefore the
best control is a thick turf that prevents weed seed germination.
Effective chemical applications are possible however. In a
study by K-State researchers two herbicides available to
homeowners, Dimension and Turflon Ester and Trimec provided
reasonable control of spurge. Details and photos are in
this week's Nuisance
of the Week.
Rose
Tips by Al Karsten
OK, rose growers, we didn't give you much notice on this
one. Make sure you get out between now and this weekend to
fertilize those roses one last time before they begin the process
of going dormant. Complete instructions and a host of other
good late summer suggestions can be found in Rose
Tips by Al Karsten...
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
The Hotline volunteers are frequently asked questions
regarding chemicals and their use. In some cases confusion
exists as to their use and their control targets. We cannot
overemphasize the critical importance of reading and heeding the
directions and warnings on product labels. You'll find some
garden chemical basics in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
Final
Feeding...
Savvygardeners growing warm-season grasses like zoysia should
make their last application of fertilizer this week.
Fertilizing into fall can interfere with the all important
hardening-off process that prepares the grass for winter.
Finally... "How
beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and the heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!" ~
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Rain in Summer |