Washington County Cooperative Extension Service
Helping You Grow! HORTICULTURE
May 2016 Volume 12, Issue 5
Controlling Mosquitos Where You Live
Inside this issue:
To Do’s
2
Wheelbarrow Series
3
Tomatoes
4
Beekeepers News
5
Garden Club
5
A Note From Dennis
5
Master Gardener News
5
Tomatoes Cont.
5
Plant Of The Month
6
Body Balance
7
Recipe Of The Month
8
Like Us at Washington County Horticulture
Controlling mosquitos is challengFill in holes, depressions and puding to say the least. You may even think dles in your yard. you are fighting a never-ending battle. Make sure your culverts and ditchWith mosquito-borne diseases like the es are draining properly. Zika virus becoming more prevalent, it’s Check and clean out clogged guteven more important to know how to ters to ensure drainage. take control of these pests around your home environment. Learning Keep ornato do a few simple things mental ponds could help protect you from stocked with more than the itchiness of a fish. mosquito bite. Fix leaky hosAll mosquitos need es and faustanding water to develop cets. through their larval stages and Drain water that doesn’t necessarily mean from flowerpots and garden containers. a lake or pond. It also includes bird baths, Turn over wheelbarrows, buckets kiddie pools and even discarded soda pop cans. The key to controlling them around and other items that collect water. your home is to stop them from breeding Adjust tarps covering woodpiles, in the first place. boats and grills to remove standing water. Some things you can do include: Encourage natural enemies of Drain and remove trash, bottles and any mosquitoes, such as warblers, swallows, debris that holds water. martins and other insect feeding birds. Recycle any unused containers It’s a good idea to start these practhat could collect water, especially old tices early in the season. Just because the tires. mosquitoes aren’t biting yet, doesn't mean that they’re not developing. Change water weekly in bird baths, wading pools, watering troughs and Article by Dr. Lee Townsend animal bowls.
May To Do’s If you have been in the habit of bag- with an insecticidal soap. ging your grass clippings, stop unless Plant your summer vegetable garden. it is clumping, which would kill the The safe frost free date is May 10th. grass. Grass clippings decompose Keep an eye out readily and if you for black spot never take grass clipdisease on roses pings off you will as well as the rarely need to fertifirst signs of spilize. Grass clippings der mites. This rarely contribute to disease and this thatch and tall fescue insect are the doesn’t even produce two toughest to thatch. control. “Immunox” is If you feel the need great for black to take up grass clipspot and several pings you can use sprays of insectithem as mulch or put cidal soap, orthem in the compost thene, malathion, pile. However, if you and avid will have sprayed your lawn for weeds help control spider mite if sprayed the chemicals can still be in grass early. Be sure to spray the underclippings and can damage any plants sides of the leaves as well as the top. susceptible to 2-4D and other chemi- Always use a spreader sticker to incals. If you compost them there is crease the effectiveness and to reless chance of chemical damage to duce the amount of spray you will your plants. have to use. Keep an eye out for aphids, cabbage loopers, and Colorado potato beetle. The aphids can be controlled readily by orthene, the cabbage loopers by Sevin, and the Colorado potato beetle with Colorado Potato Beetle Beater a natural bacteria. If you don’t want to use chemicals you can hand pick the cabbage loopers and step on them, the Colorado potato beetles can be wrangled by shaking the plants while holding a large tub under them. Dispose of them any way you see fit, personally I use boiling water. Aphids can be sprayed off with a water hose every few days or
Don’t use spreader sticker with Sevin it will can cause a chemical reaction and burn the leaves. If you use Sevin regularly and have a spider mite problem it will get worse with the Sevin. It doesn’t kill spider mites but makes them sick which in turn
makes them want to reproduce so you end up with an increased infestation of mites! If you have a pond it is a good idea to go ahead and clean it. A lot of organic matter has probably settled in the bottom and can be cleaned out now. Also, algae is starting to grow from last years supply and a good cleaning now will slow its return. When replacing the water be sure to add an additive that takes out chlorine. If you have water plants you should fertilize them now with a registered fertilizer. These usually come in pellet or stick form and can be stuck directly into the container. Only feed your pond fish as much as they will eat in a few minutes to keep your water nice and clear. If you have trouble keeping pond water clear there are products that can increase the clarity. These usually contain a beneficial bacteria. These products can be purchased at most garden centers.
2016 Gardener’s Wheelbarrow Series Schedule You Still Have Time To Sign Up!!! January
26th
Morning
Great Annuals For Cutting, From Seed
$5.00
February
9th
Evening Morning Evening
Great Annuals For Cutting, From Seed Straw Bale Gardening Straw Gale Gardening
$5.00 Free!!! Free!!!
February
23rd
March
8th
March
22nd
April
5th
April
12th
April
26th
May
10th
May
24th
June
7th
June
21st
August
16th
August
30th
Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening
Growing Honeyberry In Kentucky Growing Honeyberry In Kentucky Dennis’ Favorite Summer Vegetable Varieties Dennis’ Favorite Summer Vegetable Varieties Dennis’ Perennial Picks Dennis’ Perennial Picks Fabulous Phlox Fabulous Phlox The Summer Garden Headliner, Hardy Hibiscus The Summer Garden Headliner, Hardy Hibiscus Growing Magnificent Melons In Kentucky Growing Magnificent Melons In Kentucky Culinary Herbs For The Epicurean Culinary Herbs For The Epicurean Fabulous Ferns For Indoors And Out Fabulous Ferns For Indoors And Out Hens And Chicks Hens And Chicks Cold Hardy Bamboo Cold Hardy Bamboo Fall Vegetable Production Fall Vegetable Production Pollinator Friendly Gardening Pollinator Friendly Gardening Delightful Daylilies Delightful Daylilies Peonies The Queens Of Spring Peonies The Queens Of Spring Alternative Alliums Alternative Alliums Garden Tool Maintenance And Storage Garden Tool Maintenance And Storage Basic Registration For Any and All Classes
September 13th September 27th October
11th
October
25th
Total From Above
Total
$20.00 $20.00 $10.00 $10.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 Free!!! Free!!! $10.00 $10.00 Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! $15.00 $15.00 $25.00 $25.00 $10.00 $10.00 Free!!! Free!!! $5.00 x
Growing Terrific Tomatoes The first step in growing great tomatoes is variety and transplant selection. When selecting tomatoes if you aren’t partial to heirlooms or particular varieties choose based on disease resistance. The labels or seed packets will have letters on it such as VFFNT, honestly the more letters the better because it simply means that variety is resistant to more diseases. Another issue when determining which tomatoes to grow is whether you want determinate or indeterminate varieties. Determinate varieties are good if you want to can and only want to do it once. These plants will set a lot of fruit at one time, quit growing, allow the fruit to ripen and die. Indeterminate varieties will grow and produce fruit until something such as drought, frost, or disease kills them. Tomatoes require full sun (at least 6 hours) and grow best with good air flow. Tomatoes are self fertile and are pollinated by wind. Usually tomatoes pollinate themselves before pollen from other plants gets to the blooms. This is actually good because this makes saving seeds from heirloom varieties possible. You can reliably and consistently get the same varieties back year after year. You can’t do this with hybrids. If you save seeds of hybrids you will not reliably get the same variety back year after year from saved seeds. If you want to grow your own tomatoes next year start the seeds 4-6 weeks before the last spring frost which as I mentioned earlier is around May 10. Generally seeds started by April 1 are adequate size for the garden by then if well taken care of. You may need to use grow lights or start them in a cold
frame or greenhouse to give them adequate light.
develop properly and thus the tomato rots. Lime can add calcium to When planting your toma- your garden but don’t apply unless your pH is below 6. toes it is best to get a soil test done prior to planting, however if you When your tomatoes start can’t, apply 2 pounds of actually ni- to grow they need to be staked at an trogen per 1000 sq. ft. or 20 pounds early age, a single gust of wind can of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 1000 sq. lean and even break your tomato ft. Don’t over fertilize tomatoes. If plants. Staking can be done easily you do you will have a beautiful large with a tomato cage either purchased dark green tomato plant with few or homemade with fencing, or by fruit. driving stakes in the ground, or even with a rope tide tight to an overhead When planting tomatoes structure like in a greenhouse. Perspace them 18-24 inches apart in sonally the easiest way to stake is to rows 3-4 feet apart. Remember to get extra long stakes 8 feet or so and leave room for harvesting, staking, and spraying. Tomatoes need night simple make a tee pee like you are staking temperatures to be beans. This will at least 60 degrees cut down on to set fruit and will labor. No matoften abort flowter what you use ers if temperatures or how you drop below 50. stake your tomaAfter planting totoes remember matoes apply taller is better mulch. This and it must be mulch can be ordone to get the ganic or inorganbest tomatoes ic. Good mulches for tomatoes in- possible. clude straw, newspaper, leaf mold, The best tasting tomato is hardwood, cedar, cypress, or even going to be one that is left on the plastic or rubber. If you decide to vine until it is completely ripe. These use plastic place a soaker hose or won’t store long but then again vine drip irrigation under the plastic for ripened tomatoes can also be canned, watering during extended dry perifrozen, or dehydrated. ods. Remember tomatoes need at There are several disease least 1” of water per week to grow problems that are particularly fierce properly. Be sure to maintain even in Kentucky. These are verticillium moisture in your tomatoes. Blossom wilt, early blight, septoria leaf spot, and late blight. Most of them can be end rot is a very common tomato somewhat controlled by using a good disorder that is actually caused by mulch which will slow or stop inconsistent moisture. The reason for this is when moisture is low the splashing of soil unto the leaves and by maintaining a spray program of tomato plant has trouble taking up mancozeb. Remember when spraycalcium which holds cell structures together in plants. When calcium is ing fungicides always cover both sides of the leaves and the stems and low the skin on the tomato doesn’t
Lincoln Trail Beekeeper’s Association News and Events Anyone interested in beekeeping in our area should join our local beekeepers association. They meet the first Monday of the month at 6:15 PM at the Washington County Extension Office, bring a dish its always a pot luck. Dues are $10.00. These meetings will feature educational programs as well as the a chance to visit and fellowship with like minded apiarists.
Washington County Garden Club News and Events The Garden Club will carpool from the Washington County Extension Office at 8:30 AM on May 27, 2016 to go to Shelbyville. We will visit a couple antique stores, Gallrein Farm, Rural King, and eat lunch at Science Hill. We should return by 5:00 PM.
The June Meeting will take place on Friday the 24th. We will discuss what we will do during the May 27th meeting.
A Note From Dennis Its hard to believe that May is half over and I am behind with my summer vegetable planting do to the cool wet weather of late. I know things will work out when the weather warms up but I have a schedule to keep and Mother Nature is not cooperating. The girls are very excited that the school year is ending and they are ready for our annual summer family vacation (I take a mini vacation just to garden every year in May). Its not until mid June but they are getting geared up for the beach. We are going to Isle of Palms South Carolina near Charleston, mainly for Amy and I to get to explore the city but the pool and beach will keep the girls happy too! Also for me it is near the Angel Oak a very large live oak that has been on my bucket list to see so it’s a win for us all! Happy Gardening!
Lincoln Homestead Master Gardeners News and Events Next meeting May 19th at 6:00 PM. Potluck and we will review results from the Green Festival. The club will provide the meat.
Growing Terrific Tomatoes Continued follow label instructions. Verticillium wilt can be controlled by selecting disease resistant varieties and crop rotation. There aren’t many insect problems on tomatoes. The most common however is flea beetle, tomato horn worm or tobacco worm, Colorado potato beetle, and spider mites. Sevin will control flea beetles relatively easily and the few tomato
and tobacco horn worms can be hand picked. If Colorado potato beetle becomes a problem simply use the Colorado Potato Beetle Beater Spray on your tomatoes. A good brisk spray with the water hoes especially on the bottoms of the leaves or a spray of insecticidal soap will help slow the damage spider mites will do to your tomatoes. Remember spider mites become immune to insecti-
cides and miticides relatively quickly so use them sparingly for mite control. If you want an organic approach you can also purchase predatory mites online which will eat the bad ones. Home grown and vine ripened tomatoes are delicious, nutritious, and relatively easy to grow. This year plant plenty and give some to your friends and family.
Plants Of The Month Bearded Iris I generally pick a particular plant variety for my plants of the month but this year the bearded iris have been too beautiful to pick just one so I am including pictures of bearded iris in my garden.
Washington County Cooperative Extension Service 211 Progress Road Springfield KY, 40069 Office 859-336-7741 Fax 859-336-7445 Email dennis.morgeson@uky.edu
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Recipe Of The Month