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October 8, 2003

Non-Stop Fun...
Wasn't this past weekend delightful? I could not seem to get enough. Weeding, raking leaves, changing out pots, planting pansies... the fun never stopped
(photos)! It is amazing how this fall weather has been great for so many things. Planting, soccer games, field trips and just plain being outside. Our whole family is truly enjoying the extended summer-like weather. Even Sam Parker is lazing around, basking in the sun. Of course a little rain would be nice especially since my water bill is still astronomically high. Just a small chance of thunderstorms Wednesday night and Thursday. A little moisture sure would give our new plantings and grass a boost. No time like the present for a dose of Mother Nature's rain.

I had the opportunity to travel to Atchison on Wednesday with some girlfriends to shop at one of our favorite places, Nell Hills. We oooed and awwwed the entire trip. The trees are starting to change color and they were fabulous - especially around the Weston area. If you get an opportunity, load the family up and take a road trip. Stop just outside of Weston at the Red Barn Farm and pick out a pumpkin, buy some apples and let your children run around in the hay! A winning combination, great weather and fun things to do with the family!

~ Shelly  

TLC For Tender Turf...
If you are growing new grass from seed be sure to keep it wet - especially as the new, young blades shoot forth from the soil
(photo).  This is when the grass is most vulnerable.  If it dries out, it dies.  No need to soak it.  Just keep it moist with a couple of sweeps from the hose spray nozzle several times a day.

Hackberry Psyllids In Homes...
Sometimes called jumping plant lice, these small dark-colored insects resemble cicadas in miniature form.  They are about 1/8- to 1/5-inch long and small enough to enter homes through ordinary screens.   These insects overwinter in buildings or in bark crevices on trees.  After mating in the spring, the females deposit eggs on newly emerging hackberry leaves.  Nymphs hatch from the eggs and start feeding on the underside of the leaves.  

Since these insects are specific to hackberry trees, only homes near a hackberry tree are affected.  If hackberry psyllids become a nuisance inside, use a vacuum cleaner to suck them up.  Be sure to discard the bag immediately after vacuuming so they don't escape and re-infest the home.

Source
 

A Bone To Pick With Bone Meal...
For many gardeners bone meal and bulbs go hand-in-hand.  For generations bone meal was considered the standard fertilizer for spring flowering bulbs.  Like so many things bone meal has changed however.  Most bone meal sold today has been so thoroughly processed that the essential nutrients have been reduced to almost nothing.  For bulbs in their second or later season try using a commercial "bulb food" instead.

Remember - A healthy Dutch bulb already contains all the food it needs to support the first season of growth.  Just plant them according to directions and they will bloom without fertilizer next spring.

 


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Look Who's Sleeping In The Garden Bed...
Many disease-causing viruses overwinter in the roots of perennial weeds.  Tomato mosaic virus overwinters in the roots of ground cherry, horsenettle, jimson weed, nightshade, and bittersweet; cucumber mosaic virus lives in the roots of milkweed, catnip, and pokeweed; bean mosaic overwinters in white sweet clover roots; and many cabbage diseases spread from wild members of the cole family.  A good fall cleanup is essential.  Don't wait!

Source

Deer Deterrents... 
To protect your young trees from deer damage, there are a number of deterrents you can try.  Hang bars of strong-scented soap, mesh bags filled with human hair, paper bags of dried blood (bloodmeal), or strips cut from white plastic bags on trees that are likely to be attacked.  Remember, deer will become accustomed to most any deterrent, so alternating items will help.

Source

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Evergreens without cones? Yes, Virginia, there are such things, and things of beauty they are! Many of the non-conifers, or broadleaf evergreens, do well in the eastern Kansas, western Missouri area. With proper location that provides some protection from hot, drying winds and full sun, you will be rewarded with year- round foliage that contrasts well with coniferous evergreens and deciduous shrubbery. You'll find them in this week's What's Hot On the Hotline...

Time For Lime?
If the results of a soil test suggest that your lawn or garden needs an application of lime now is the time to do it.  Never had a soil test before?  Shame on you!  Resolve to get one done this month.  We've posted easy to follow instructions on the Savvygardener.com website. 

Finally...
"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, no culture comparable to that of the garden...
But though an old man, I am but a young gardener."

~ Thomas Jefferson, Garden Book, 1811

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