Washington County Cooperative Extension Service
Cooperative Extension Service Washington County 245 Corporate Drive Springfield KY, 40069 (859) 336-7741 Fax: (859) 336-7445 http://ces.ca.uky.edu/washing ton
March 2022
Inside this issue:
Peach Leaf Curl
2
Make A Difference
2
Wheelbarrow Series
3
To Do’s
4
Radio
4
Make A Difference
5
Plant of The Month
5
Recipe of The Month
6
HORTICULTURE
Peach Leaf Curl Peach leaf curl results in disfigured leaves during spring and summer; twigs and fruit may also become infected. Successful management of peach leaf curl begins in fall or early spring, even though symptoms are not seen until leaves emerge. Peach Leaf Curl Facts • Symptoms begin to appear shortly after bloom and are characterized by thick, folded, puckered and curled leaves (Figure 1). Infected leaves typically exhibit a red or purplish coloration (Figure 2). Diseased leaves develop a powdery gray coating, turn brown, and wither before dropping from the tree. • Twigs and fruit may become infected. Figure 1: Peach leaf curl symptoms include thick, folded, puckered and curled leaves. • Repeated defoliation from this disease (Photo: Paul Bachi, UK) can increase the sensitivity of trees to cold injury. • Initial infection occurs in late winter or spring prior to bud swell. There is no further spread of the disease during the growing season. • Rain and temperatures between 50° and 70° F are required for infection. Caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans. Management Options
Follow Us at Washington County Extension Figure 2: Peach leaf curl results in a red or purplish coloration on peach leaves. (Photo: Paul Bachi, UK)
A single preventative fungicide application prior to dormancy (50% leaf drop to 100% leaf drop) or in early spring (delayed dormant, just before bud break) often provides sufficient management. In severe cases,
Peach Leaf Curl both fall and spring applications may be necessary. Homeowners can apply fungicides that contain chlorothalonil or copper. Always follow label directions when utilizing fungicides.
Once the disease is present, the following management techniques can be used. • • • •
Thin fruit heavily to reduce stress on the tree. Provide good growing conditions and irrigation to reduce tree stress. Replant with cultivars with an increased tolerance of the disease, such as ‘Redhaven’ varieties. Fungicides will not be effective once the disease is present.
Make A Difference One Peel At A Time Yes, there is a reason why we should all be composting. According to the EPA, 30-40% of all available food in the US is wasted. Over one fifth of discarded material in landfills is believed to be food. Sadly, the third largest human related methane emission is from landfills. One of the simplest ways for private citizens to make a difference is to set up a compost system in their home. First decide where you want to place your compost. It should be away from your vegetable garden or water well. The preferred location should be in the shade on a flat surface not prone to flooding. Small amounts of compost can be processed in a bin indoors. Composting methods include cold composting where no structure is needed, and the inner temperature is low; it requires very little maintenance and takes about a year. Hot composting usually is a confined heap that gets hot enough to kill seeds and pathogens, and works faster, but needs regular turning and wetting. Compost heaps should be made up of brown and green material. The browns are the carbon part of the mixture, and greens add nitrogen. The ratio should be 25-parts brown to 1-part green. Browns include yard debris of less than 1 inch, straw, brown leaves, sawdust and newspaper. Greens are grass clippings, eggshells, coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit peels, and d herbivorous animal manure (rabbit, cow, sheep, chicken, and horse). Food scraps may be stored in a container near the kitchen sink to routinely add. Items that should not be added to compost include meat, fish, bones, fat, dairy products, chemically treated yard trimmings, plant debris that is disease or insect infested, ash, pressure treated wood, slick paper, pine needles, and thorny trimmings.
Gardeners Wheelbarrow Series 2022 Fill This Registration Out and Keep One For Your Records
Circle if you will be attending the Morning or Evening Sessions If Applicable And Total At The Bottom
Attention!!! If An AM Or PM Session Doesn’t Have At Least 5 To Register For That Session It Will Be Canceled Via One Call Feb 17th
AM
PM
Plant Champions For 2022
Free
Feb 24th
AM
PM
Must Sow Annuals
$10.00
Mar 10th
AM
PM
Heirloom Vegetable Varieties
$10.00
Mar 17th
AM
PM
Bountiful Blueberries
$20.00
Mar 24th
AM
PM
June Bearing Raspberries
$15.00
Mar 31st
AM
PM
Heavenly Heucheras
$20.00
Apr 14th
AM
PM
Hardy Hibiscus
$20.00
Apr 21st
AM
NA
Horticulture How To Growing Corn For Meal
Free
Apr 28th
AM
PM
Herbs And Their Uses
Free
May 12th
AM
PM
Flowering Shrubs For All Landscape
$50.00
May 19th
AM
PM
Hens And Chicks
$5.00
Jun 9th
AM
PM
Landscape Roses
$20.00
Jun 16th
AM
PM
The Queens of Flowering Vines: Clematis
$20.00
Jun 23rd
AM
NA
Horticulture How To Native Plants For Pollinators
Free
Jun 30th
AM
PM
Weed Control and ID In The Landscape
Free
Aug 11th
AM
PM
Growing Great Greens In The Fall
Free
Aug 25th
AM
NA
Horticulture How To Leaf Casting
Free
Sep 8th
AM
NA
Horticulture How To Seed And Plant Swap
Free
Sep 22nd
AM
PM
Growing Japanese Iris In Kentucky
$15.00
Sep 29th
AM
PM
Fall Garden/Prewinter Chores
Free
Oct 20th
AM
PM
Pruning Trees and Shrubs Properly
Free
Nov 3rd
AM
PM
Caring For Holiday Plants
Free
Basic Registration For Any and All Classes
$5.00
Total From Above Minus 10% if Registered And Paid For All Classes By February 10th 2022 TOTAL
-$21.00
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March To Do’s •
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Now is a good time to plan your flower and vegetable garden layout. Look through garden catalogs and landscaping books. Plan on using plants that you • have experience with and new varieties, and always try to buy plants that are disease resistant. Check local nurseries for cultivar • availability. Generally locally grown plants are better and you get to look at the plants before you buy them. March and April are good months for planting fruit crops. When planting apples choose more than one variety for pollination and fruit set. There are several apples that are good and disease resistant in Kentucky, such as Liberty, Redfree, Enterprise, and my personal favorites Pristine and Williams Pride. For a more complete list call me at the office. It is also a good time to plant thornless blackberries (Apache, Arapaho, Prime Ark 45, Triple
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Crown), raspberries (Bristol, Jewel, Mac Black, Brandywine, Royalty, Prelude) March and April are also good months for planting trees and shrubs. Early March is a good Don’t Prune this type of hydrangea in the spring! You will cut your flowers off. time to prune summer-flowering defoliation each year and can trees and shrubs such as clethra, weaken trees over time. beautyberry, butterfly bush, • You can also spray raspberry and golden raintree, mimosa, and blackberry with a liquid lime only the following hydrangeas sulphur spray to help control (Annabelle, Hills of Snow, anthracnose. This will not Peegee). Do not prune mop control it completely, however it head types of hydrangeas or they will help and additional sprays will not bloom this year. during the growing season will be It’s a good idea to start spraying needed. fruit trees for diseases as well. • A dormant spray of copper Apply liquid lime-sulfur spray sulfate should be applied to apple on peach and plum trees anytime and pear trees by the first of before the buds start to swell. April to improve control of This single spray will almost fireblight. Be sure to spray the completely control peach leaf entire tree. A streptomycin curl and plum pocket. Two sulfate spray (if available) during diseases that cause premature the growing season will also help.
Tune In! Washington County Extension Is On The Radio
WLSK-FM 100.9 Tuesday Mornings 8:20-8:45 AM Also Listen For Tips Of The Week Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30 AM and 12:30 PM
Make A Difference, One Peel At A Time Two clues to a problem with your compost heap are an ammonia smell which indicates the need for more browns, or a rotten egg smell that is telling you to reduce moisture and turn for more air. About a year after starting, it will be time to cover the heap with a piece of terra cloth and let it rest a few weeks. Using a framed screen, sift over a wheelbarrow to remove uncomposted material. Adding compost to your soil will improve aeration and drainage, improve water holding capacity, encourage a healthy root system and will add some nutrients. By composting, we all can cut down on the waste of resources, gas, time, manpower, pesticides and fertilizer that goes into producing food in this country. Quick Tips: Ways for consumers to help reduce food waste include Place fresh produce in your refrigerator in clear containers making them easy to identify. Use your freezer to store extra bread, fruit or meat. Plan meals ahead of time and make a list, or use what you have on hand first. Learn the difference in the terms sell by, use by, best by and expiration dates. Plan a leftover night menu each week. Order only what you can eat at restaurants, or take home the leftovers. Research the best ways to store fruits and vegetables to make them last longer. Do not wash berries until you are ready to eat them to prevent mold. Store fruits and vegetables in different bins. Store tomatoes, bananas and apples by themselves to prevent natural over ripening. Submitted by Johnnie Riley Davis, Marshall County Extension Master Gardener
Plant Of The Month-Daffodil “British Gamble” Lorikeet – soft yellow petals with a halo at the base makes a glowing background for its long, flaring, salmon-pink trumpet; a blue-ribbon winner; American bred by Grant Mitsch; 16″-20″; mid spring.
Washington County Cooperative Extension Service 245 Corporate Drive Springfield KY, 40069 Office 859-336-7741 Fax 859-336-7445 Email dennis.morgeson@uky.edu
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Recipe of The Month