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October 6, 2004 |
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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
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
Time 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!
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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 |