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August
21, 2002 |
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Let The
Fall Planting Begin...
Well, it has started. We are just too anxious to wait.
Monday afternoon we made a trip to Family
Tree Nursery and chose three new trees for the brand new
garden. We chose an Arctic Weeping Willow, an Adcock Pine
and a Young's Weeping Birch (photos).
All three very different looking and great for the areas we chose
to plant them in. We were looking for something evergreen,
hence the Adcock Pine, and something with unique shape, hence the
Arctic Willow and the Young's Birch. The impact of a more
mature tree on a landscape is quite amazing. In our initial
design we had chosen a Pygmy Dogwood as the focal point.
Well, when choosing the tree we chose a 4ft tree and let me tell
you it just did not quite meet our focal point requirements!
We learned a very valuable lesson. When there is a large
space to fill, think big!
We have been lucky enough to have received some rain the past few
days and it sounds like we have a pretty good chance at getting
some more this weekend. It is amazing how the grass has
started to green up. With the addition of cooler
temperatures the grass has taken a turn for the green. Much
nicer than that ugly brown color. It would be nice to think
that we are on the downside of this summer weather but the
extended forecast looks a little warm and humid. We just
need to hang on until September arrives and then I think we'll
get a chance to enjoy the outdoors once again. Let's hope
that's the way it happens!
~
Shelly
Helpful
Harvest Hints...
Fruit and vegetable harvest can be confusing - especially if
you're still new at it. Here are some quick tips to help
with a few local favorites:
- Harvest onions
after the tops yellow and fall, then cure them in a warm, dry,
well-ventilated area. The necks should be free of
moisture when fully cured in about a week's time.
- Harvest potatoes
after the tops yellow and die. Potatoes also need to be
cured before storage.
- Pick beans,
tomatoes, peppers and squash often to encourage further
production.
- Harvest sweet
corn when kernels are plump and ooze a milky juice when
punctured with your fingernail. If the liquid is watery,
you're too early; if the kernels are doughy, you're too late.
- Harvest watermelon
when several factors indicate ripeness:
- the
underside ground spot turns from whitish to creamy yellow
- the
tendril closest to the melon turns brown and shrivels
- the
rind loses its gloss and appears dull
- the
melon produces a dull thud rather than a ringing sound
when thumped.
Source
Getting
Ready For Winter...
Despite the August heat it's actually time for your trees and
shrubs to start preparing for winter. They've got some
tough conditions to prepare for and it begins now. The best
thing you can do to help is lay off the fertilizer.
Fertilizing now will only stimulate late growth that won't have
time to harden-off properly before winter. Keep watering
however. You still want to keep them alive after all!
Garden
Toppers...
If you have a vegetable or annual garden that is normally empty
in the fall and through winter you should consider planting a green
manure crop there at the end of this growing season.
The name green manure is given to any crop which is grown only to
be tilled back into the soil. As it rots, the nutrients in
the crop foliage and roots will be taken up by the next crop
planted in the same place. Green manures from the legume
family, such as peas, beans, and clovers, have an added bonus -
nitrogen-fixing bacteria living around their roots can draw
nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form the plant can
absorb. This nitrogen will then be available to subsequent
crops.
Green
manures also act as "cover crops" protecting the soil
from compaction and erosion caused by wind and rain, and also
reducing the extent that weeds take over on bare soil.
Nuisance
of the Week - Heat (and Tomatoes)
Fortunately we have finally had a break in the extreme hot
weather. However, temperatures during our extended hot
spell have probably interfered with tomato fruit set.
Normally we see fruit set affected when the daytime temperatures
are above 90° and night temperatures don't drop below
76°. Under such conditions, flowers dry and fall off
rather than set. Since it takes about 4 weeks for tomatoes
to reach full size, gardeners may not see the effect of this
until about a month after the high temperatures arrived.
There isn't much that can be done for the plants this year except
to mulch and water so plants are as healthy as possible.
Next year, however, you might consider putting out a few
Sunmaster or Sun Leaper tomatoes. These are newer varieties
that have the good characteristics of our modern types as well as
the ability to set fruit under more extreme conditions.
Developing
fruit are not as sensitive to high temperatures though severe
conditions with daytime temperatures above 100° can reduce
pigment production (tomatoes remain a pink color) and delay
maturation so tomatoes just seem to sit there without
ripening. Tomatoes that do not color well can be picked
early and allowed to color inside the home. Tomatoes should ripen
normally now that we have returned to more seasonal weather.
Archive
Well
Rooted Evergreens...
Early fall is a good time to plant a balled and burlapped
(B&B) evergreen tree. The key here is
"early". Because evergreens transpire (lose
moisture) throughout the winter months, fall planting of B&B
evergreens should be done in September to allow time for the
roots to become established before the ground freezes. The
trick is to make sure your newly planted evergreen has enough
moisture in its roots to weather some dry spells when the ground
may be frozen.
Another
consideration - If you leave the cloth burlap around the roots do
not leave any sticking above the ground as it may wick away
moisture and dry out the root ball. After planting, mulch
around the plant to a depth of 2-4 inches.
source
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
During the summer months, the K-State Extension office is
literally alive with activity. Despite the warm weather,
and partially because of it, the Hotline keeps busy with contacts
about watering and general care of lawns, trees, shrubs and
vegetables. We
are literally alive with spiders, insects and mites brought in
for identification and suggestions for control as well.
Something crawling in your garden? Find out in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
Wake-Up
Sleepy Turf...
If all or parts of your cool season grass have gone dormant
this summer you should prepare for a fall comeback now by
starting a deep watering program. Make sure your lawn gets
a morning soak twice a week and you will be rewarded with
stronger, more lush growth this fall.
Finally... "If
what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both
branches on the same tree." ~
W.B. Yeats, Poet 1865-1939 |