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October 6, 2004

Feeling Frosty...
We had our first brush with Jack Frost this week. Luckily it did not freeze but remember that the first frost date is typically mid-October so... it could be right around the corner. I awoke Saturday morning to a very cold house. I braved the chill in the air, headed down the stairs to Kevin's office to check the thermometer. Brrr... a brisk 40
° outside. No wonder the house seemed so cold. I am not quite ready for winter so hopefully the temperatures will dip into the low 40's and then bounce back during the day. It has been so beautiful outside the past three days. Perfect for doing anything.

Well believe it or not I think we are supposed to get some rain tomorrow. I will believe it when I see it. A day of steady rain would certainly be a plus. We could really use a good soaking. Keep your fingers crossed for extra luck.

A big thanks to those Savvygardener's who came to Randy's Lakeview Nursery & Bulk Supercenter for their Oktoberfest. What a great time! Hot dogs, popcorn, face painting and train rides. Not only that but the weather was perfect. I had a great time helping customers. You know me, I love to talk about gardening (and anything else you might be interested in). I highly recommend visiting them soon. They have plenty of fall stock just ready for planting. A great place to purchase landscaping products too!

~ Shelly  

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
 

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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Storing Summer Bulbs...
It'ss time to start thinking about storing bulbs that will not survive Kansas City winters. The bulbs of gladiolus, caladium, dahlia, tuberous begonia, calla lily, and canna lily need to be dug and stored so they can be planted next year.

All of these plants should be dug after frost has browned the foliage. Allow them to dry for about a week in a shady, well-ventilated site, such as a garage or tool shed. Remove excess soil and pack them in peat moss, vermiculite or perlite. Make sure the bulbs don't touch, so that if one decays the rot doesn't spread to its neighbors. Dusting them with fungicide before storage will help prevent them from rotting as well.

Caladium should be stored between 50° and 60° F. The rest of the bulbs mentioned should be stored near 40° F.

Source

Squash Harvest & Storage...
Make sure you harvest pumpkins and winter squash before they get hit by frost.  Immediately after harvest, the fruit should undergo a ripening or curing process to harden the shell. A curing period of about two weeks at 75
° to 85° F with good circulation is desirable. Storage should then be at 50° to 70° F with humidity between 50 and 70 percent. Also, leaving a couple inches of stem will not only provide a "handle" for jack-o-lanterns but will improve storage.

 


Fall is the Perfect
T
ime to Hardscape!

Choose the right product for your project at
Randy's Lakeview Nursery & Bulk Supercenter

With over 50 different types of decorative rock,
limestone, flagstone and pavers,
Randy's is the Supercenter with super prices!

Visit Them Now!

 

 

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
.  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.

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...
"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss your life."

~ Brian Andreas, American Artist and Storyteller

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