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May 28, 2003 |
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A Memorable Memorial Day...
At last, some time to work in the gardens and boy am I
exhausted. Kevin and I worked
together Saturday, Sunday and Monday of this past weekend.
We certainly took advantage of
the holiday weekend along with the great weather and spent the
better part outside in the gardens. Missouri
Organic Recycling dropped off twelve cubic yards of mulch in
our driveway Friday morning
(photos).
We worked diligently all weekend
planting and mulching. I love
mulch! Sounds a little crazy
doesn't it? Not only do I love
the way it puts that finishing touch on the gardens but what a
great weed deterrent! And how
about that smell? Always lots of
mulches to choose from and if you are not familiar with the
different types or why you should use it, go to our feature
article titled All About Mulch. Better
yet if you know what you want, give
Missouri Organic Recycling a call and they will deliver it
right to your doorway!
The whole
family ventured out to the
Overland Park Arboretum Monday for a Memorial family hike.
We have not been out there for
awhile and I must say that there are many great additions. Kevin
and I like to look at plants but the biggest thrill is looking
for wildlife. You know, snakes,
frogs, turtles and any other specimen that live in the wild.
We all had a great time and if
you haven't taken the opportunity to visit the Arboretum the
Marsh family highly recommends it!
~
Shelly
Trapper Tricks...
Last week we mentioned "trap crops" as a
tactic for reducing Cucumber Beetle populations. In
hindsight we should have offered an example of how to do it.
Basically you
just do
an early planting of cucurbits.
This crop isn't for you - it's the trap. The overwintering
beetles will be attracted to this early
crop where they can be eliminated by insecticides. This
reduces the numbers of cucumber beetles that could feed on the
main cucurbit crop planted later. After
destroying the cucumber beetles make sure you
pull out and burn (or throw away) the
remaining vines of the trap crop .
Source
Ravaged Roses...
Rose Sawfly larvae can really gobble up
the foliage of your roses
(photo),
and eventually bore into the
rose stems to really cause some damage.
The larvae are the result of rose slugs that overwintered in
garden debris. The best control is cleaning up debris
before winter sets in. Once they have started causing
trouble however, it's time to resort to insecticidal soaps or
Sevin.
Tastier Herbs...
There are lots of good reasons to grow herbs. First on my
list is for cooking. Nothing compares to the taste of fresh
herbs added to your favorite dish. I used to buy pesto in a
jar. I thought it was good until I started making my own from
garden-fresh basil. There's no going back folks.
If cooking
is your goal make sure you do not fertilize your herbs too
much. The essential oils that provide flavor are more
concentrated when herbs are grown in moderately rich soil with
just enough fertilizer to keep them green. Too much fertilizer
encourages the plant to grow large but at the sacrifice of less
flavor. To get greater quantities without sacrificing quality
simply grow many more, albeit smaller, plants.
Mulch Matters...
Well, the unofficial start of summer was this past weekend.
As the real thing sneaks up on
Kansas City gardeners we must prepare our gardens for the heat
and drought-like conditions that seem inevitable. Mulching your
garden is one of the best things you can do to help retain soil
moisture and keep weeds at bay.
Missouri Organic Recycling supplied us with lots of great
mulch for our gardens. Here are some common mulching
materials and a few thoughts on each:
- Bark
Mulches are very common and effective. They are available
as chips, chunks, nuggets or shredded. In addition to being
generally attractive bark mulches resist compaction quite well.
(We use cedar bark)
- Wood
Chips are also common, effective and economical. They can
deplete the soil of nitrogen however so additional fertilizing
may be required.
- Pine
Needles are especially good around acid loving plants like
azaleas and blueberries.
- Straw
is inexpensive and is often used in large vegetable gardens.
Make sure it is free of crop and weed seeds or you're just
making more work for yourself.
- Grass
Clippings should only be used after they have dried out
thoroughly. If the source lawn has weeds your mulched garden
will likely get them too. Not too
attractive.
- Rocks
can be attractive and effective but they don't provide any of
the decomposition benefits of organic mulches. Rock mulch in
direct sun can get quite hot causing problems for some tender
plants.
- Black
Plastic and Fabric aren't much to look at but they do keep
the weeds down.
As a
general rule mulching with anything is better than not
mulching at all. It's that effective.
For an
in-depth look at this important topic don't miss
All
About Mulch in our Features section.
On Your Mark, Get Set,
Pinch...
No this isn't
a race but if you start pinching back aster, garden phlox and
mums now you're sure to win later! Pinching back the blooms will
encourage bushier plants with more flowers. After some of your
summer perennials have tired out and are no longer blooming these
plants will start to peak and will add that much needed color to
your garden. Soooo, no need to dust off the running shoes for
this race just limber up those thumbs and start pinching!
What's Hot On The Hotline...
Not to be outdone by the PGA, the K-State Research and Extension Master
Gardener Hotline volunteers have their own “Leader Board”.
In our case, the Board is mounted on the
wall of the Hotline room where the volunteers respond to gardening calls
and visits. On it appear the currently
most frequently asked questions relating to lawns and gardens, and the
research-based responses our K-State professionals suggest.
Topics that made the Leader Board are in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Take A Powder...
A white powdery film on your lawn is likely an outbreak of
powdery mildew. This fungal disease is favored by cool spring or
fall weather, and is common in shaded areas. Kentucky bluegrass
in shady areas is especially susceptible. High nitrogen levels
also favor disease development. Fortunately, while it is not
very attractive, powdery mildew rarely causes significant damage
to turf.
Finally... "Beauty as we feel
it is something indescribable; what it is or what it means can
never be said." ~
George Santayana, Poet 1863-1952 |