HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2016

As we move into the months of Autumn, we once again have opportunities for planting and harvesting. Fall is a busy time in the lawn, garden and landscape. The tips below will help beautify and enhance your outdoor landscape, and improve the odds of your plants’ survival through the upcoming winter and into the years ahead.

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Lawns

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● There's still time in early September to

put down chemical controls such as Dylox (Proxol) for control of white grubs in lawns. Don't expect grub control products to also solve your mole problem, however, since moles eat many other things besides grubs (such as earthworms, beetles, beetle larvae, various insects and insect larvae, snails and spiders). ● Fall is the ideal time to fertilize lawns. Soil test now, so you'll know what type of fertilizer to buy. Sample new seedbeds to a depth of 4 inches, and established lawns to a depth of 2 inches. Most cool-

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CooperaƟve Extension Service Boone County 6028 Camp Ernst Rd P.O. Box 876 Burlington, KY 41005–0876 (859) 586–6101 Fax: (859) 586–6107 boone.ca.uky.edu

season lawn grasses need fertilized only once or twice a year if much shade is present. September is the best month to seed a new lawn. The University of Kentucky recommends tall fescue varieties such as Jaguar, Barrington, Cayenne, Cochise, Dynamic, Faith, Falcon, Firecracker, Gazelle, Millenium, and Plantation. Use 6# of seed per 1,000 sq. ft. New lawns need a light covering of straw over the seed to keep it moist and protect from birds. About 50% of the ground should show through the straw. Water newly-seeded areas lightly once or twice a day until plants are one inch tall. Continue mowing bluegrass and fescue lawns at a height of 2½ inches. Don't catch clippings unless Brown Patch fungus disease is present. If so, mow at a 2-inch height, and avoid high nitrogen

INSIDE THIS ISSUE LAWNS ....................................................... 1 VEGETABLES .............................................. 2 OUTDOOR FLOWERS ................................... 3 TREES & SHRUBS....................................... 4 FRUITS ....................................................... 5 HOUSEPLANTS............................................ 6 FEATURE ARTICLE CONTROLLING AND PREVENTING DEER DAMAGE ....................................... 7

fertility. ● Fall is a great time for broadleaf weed control, but not where you are starting new grass seed. Use 2,4-D for plantain, wild garlic, and dandelions. Use combination products, such as Weed-BGon, Turf Kleen, Turflon or Weedone DPC to control chickweed, ground ivy, henbit, white clover, red sorrel, and wild violets. Repeated spot treatments may be necessary. Use only on established lawns. ● To prevent thatch buildup, maintain a soil pH between 6.0–7.0, mow at a height of 2.0 to 2.5 inches, and don't overfertilize with too much fertilizer. ● If bluegrass lawns accumulate more than 1/2-inch Don’t over-fertilize of thatch (stem Provided by: FreeStockPhotos buildup between the soil and the green leaf blades), dethatching can be done in September. ● Use mole traps, set from 4 to 6 pm, to catch moles. Mole-Med and Mole Exit, both mole repellents, may also be effective. A product called “Tomcat Mole Killer” contains Talpirid and is shaped like an earthworm. Put it down in the mole hole to poison the moles. ● Keep tree leaves raked off lawns during fall and winter months to keep turf healthy.

Vegetables ● Dig late potatoes after a frost has

nipped the vines. ● Harvest winter squash for storage

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when the rind is quite hard. Do not leave them exposed to frost, which reduces their keeping quality. Leave a portion of the stem attached, and handle carefully to avoid bruising. Keep in a wellventilated place for several weeks, and eventually in an area with a temperature around 55°F. Acorn squash do not store longer than about 4 weeks. Harvest pumpkins when Quick Tips… they are a deep, solid color and the At the end of the season, vegetable rind has plants that are hardened, but before they are heavily infested injured by a hard with insects or frost. When diseases should be cutting pumpkins removed from the from the vine, garden and leave a portion of destroyed...NOT the stem put on the attached. Store at compost pile. 55-60°F in a wellventilated place. At the end of the season, vegetable plants that are heavily infested with insects or diseases should be removed from the garden and destroyed...not put on the compost pile. Store excess seeds in a dark, cool, dry place in a jar with dry powdered milk powder to absorb moisture. Just because it's fall, you don't have to stop growing vegetables. A small poly hoop house, coldframe, hotbed or other structure can easily be built or purchased. Inside these structures, you

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can successfully grow and harvest most of the cool-season vegetables, including radishes, lettuce, carrots, beets, turnips, spinach, onions, kale, parsley, and cabbage. Your harvest can continue late into the winter. ● Garlic should be planted in September. It will survive the winter, regrow next spring, and be ready for harvest by next Plant garlic in July. Plant the September Provided by: Wikipedia individual cloves with the root end down, and cover with one or two inches of well-drained soil. Allow 6 inches between sets. Polyethylene row covers can be used to extend the harvest period of frostsensitive crops such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Many times, a period of mild weather will follow the first killing frost, and several more weeks of harvesting can be attained. In early September, make final plantings of mustard, turnips, and turnip greens. Early September is a good time to plant spinach. Fall-planted spinach won't "bolt" and go to seed. The smaller plants will survive a mild winter to Spinach plantings become an early Provided by: Wikipedia crop next spring. Make final plantings of radishes through the first two weeks of September. Fall planted radishes are crisper and sweeter. In early October, sow sets of Egyptian tree or multiplier onions. Harvest carrots before a heavy freeze.

Outdoor Flowers

● Most spring-blooming perennial flowers

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can be divided in the fall. Do this between mid-September and late October to be sure roots establish before the ground freezes. Finish dividing daylilies by midSeptember. Would you like to have a perennial garden with seedheads that attract songbirds? If so, your planting should include Anthemis tinctoria (Golden Marguerite), Echinacea (Purple Coneflower), Echinops (Globe Thistle), Male Goldfinch Eupatorium Provided by: Wikipedia (Spotted JoePyeweed), Heliopsis (False Sunflower), Hosta, Liatris (Blazing Star), Monarda (Beebalm), and Rudbeckia (Coneflower). Keep new plantings watered if the weather is dry. Before planting perennials, mix in a 4 to 6-inch layer of organic matter, such as well-rotted manure, compost, peat moss, decomposed bark or leaf mold. Sea Pink (Sea thrift or Armeria) is a wise choice for planting along a sidewalk where winter deicing salts will be used, since it is very salt tolerant. It has narrow evergreen leaves only 4" tall, with many 12" stems of showy pink flowers in midspring. Peonies, poppies and bearded iris can be planted in early September. Deadhead (remove spent flowers from) late summer and fall bloomers such as Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) and Heliopsis (False Sunflower) for

continued bloom. ● Now's a good time to add sulfur (to lower soil pH) or lime (to raise the pH), as needed (based on soil test results), since it takes up to six months for the pH change to occur. Most herbaceous perennials will perform well if the pH falls between 5.5 and 6.5. ● Mulch around perennials to minimize chances of winter damage from freezing and thawing due to "frost heaving". Use a 2 to 3 inch layer of organic mulch, but don't mulch over the crown of the plant, or it can cause rot. ● Don't apply nitrogen fertilizer to perennials in the fall, since that would stimulate tender new growth and would prevent them from "hardening off" in preparation for winter.

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Trees & Shrubs ● Put a loose cylinder of screen or

hardware cloth (kept several inches away from the trunk) around the trunks of smooth barked trees such as red maple, honeylocust and crabapple in late October. This helps prevent winter sunscald and frost crack damage. ● Compost fallen tree leaves by creating a compost pile or bin, at least 3 feet in each direction, up to 5 feet. Mix in as many different plant wastes (except walnut) as possible, Sunscald Provided by: Wikipedia keep moist, add some nitrogen fertilizer, and turn the pile every few days. ● If your soil test reveals a high pH (above

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7.0), choose alkaline-tolerant plants such as alders, arborvitae, ash, baldcypress, hawthorn, hornbeam, juniper, larch, honeylocust, English Oak, Swamp White Oak, London Planetree, Redbud, or Willows. Quick Tips… Pick off and destroy Wait until trees are bagworms, more dormant since each female before fertilizing. “pouch” contains This is usually about 750 eggs. around Burn or dispose of the bags. Thanksgiving. Wait until trees Otherwise, you are are more dehardening the dormant before tree, making it fertilizing. This is usually around "soft" going into winter, since Thanksgiving. Otherwise, you fertilizing also puts are dehardening the tree in a the tree, making "growth" mode. it "soft" going into winter, since fertilizing also puts the tree in a "growth" mode. Pull back the mulch from tree trunks to prevent vole and field mouse damage during the winter. No trees or shrubs should be pruned in the fall or early winter. Fall pruning opens up wounds which will be exposed to winter cold. It "dehardens" the plant, reversing the normal process of "acclimation" which occurs in late fall and winter as temperatures drop. Be sure to select disease resistant landscape plants. Choose trees resistant to Verticillium Wilt fungus, such as crabapples, ginkgo, hawthorns, hollies, katsuratree, larch, oak and spruce. Select plants resistant to Phytophthora Root Rot fungus (bad in poorly-drained clay soils), such as, lacebark Chinese elm, deciduous

magnolias, and alder. ● Keep broadleaf evergreens watered well going into the fall to help prevent winter ●

Spider mite Provided by: Wikipedia

"dessication"(drying). ● Check spruces, arborvitae, and junipers for spider mites by tapping a branch over a white piece of paper. If tiny moving "specks" are seen, treat the plant with insecticidal soap or malathion. ● When digging the planting hole, make it 2 to 5 times wider than the root ball, but no deeper. Plant it with the root ball on solid ground (to prevent settling), keeping the plant at the same depth it was growing in the nursery, or even shallower if the roots are buried deep in the root ball.

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Fruits

● Apples, pears, plums, tart cherries and

blueberries may be planted in the fall, but wait until March or April to plant all other fruit crops. When planting in the fall, order plants from a northern nursery. The U.K. publication, "Fruit & Nut Cultivar Nursery Sources" provides a listing of nurseries. ● Apple tree spacing depends on rootstock and variety. Plums and dwarf pear trees need to be 12' apart within the row, and 20' between rows. Standard pears need a 30'x30' spacing. Tart

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cherry trees should be 20' apart within the row, with 24' between rows. Blueberry bushes should be planted 4-6' apart in the row, with 9-12' between rows. At planting time, remove 1/3 of the top of the blueberry plant. Don't plant apple cultivars which are very susceptible to fire blight, such as Jonathan, Yellow Transparent, Gala, Mutsu, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Melrose, Paulared, York Imperial, Lodi, Idared, Braeburn, Fuji and Rome Beauty. Don’t prune fruit crops now. Wait until late winter or early spring. Soil test now in areas where you will plant strawberries in the spring, since it takes lime or sulfur 3 to 6 months to effectively change pH levels. Also, if considering blueberry plantings, soil test to see if the pH is low enough Quick Tips… (pH 4.5 - 5.2) Remove any and to be sure vegetation within 12 the total to 14 inches from the available calcium is trunk of fruit trees to below 2,500 discourage rodents pounds per such as voles and acre. This last mice from nesting factor is often and chewing on the what prevents trunk. Put tree guards most successful (1/4" hardware cloth) blueberry around the trunk to commercial prevent rodent production in damage. this area. In early September, to propagate additional plants of black and purple raspberries, semi-erect thornless blackberries, and dewberries, simply bend down the new shoots and cover them with soil. Leave attached to mother plant. Roots will form, and the new plants can be cut, dug and moved in the spring.

● Apples are ready to harvest when the

seeds are dark brown. In red varieties, background color changes from green to cream-colored or strawy-yellow. ● Remove any vegetation within 12 to 14 inches from the trunk of fruit trees to discourage rodents such as voles and mice from nesting and chewing on the trunk. Put tree guards (1/8-1/4" hardware cloth) around the trunk to prevent rodent damage. ● Pick fall-bearing raspberries in the morning after the dew has dried off the plant to reduce fruit decay. Cool the berries to 40° F within 30 minutes after Black rot fungus harvest. Provided by: Wikipedia

● Continue spraying ripening apples with

captan (alone or mixed with thiophanatemethyl to prevent sooty blotch and flyspeck damage. ● Help prevent black rot fungus of grapes next year by removing from the vineyard this fall as many diseased fallen leaves, infected stems, and mummified (dried up) berries as possible. Replant in March with disease-resistant cultivars. ● Treat yellowjacket ground nests with

Sevin dust (at night) to help keep them out of ripening raspberries. ● Sow a cover crop, such as rye, between rows of raspberries or blackberries. Disk the cover crop into the soil in the spring.

Houseplants

● Leave your Christmas Cactus and

Thanksgiving Cactus outside through September, but bring indoors before a frost in early October. Flower buds will be set by then. Once indoors, keep temperatures below 75°F, and avoid sudden changes in temperature or light levels. Don't over-water. Any one of these factors, if off-balance, can cause unopened flower buds to fall off. ● If tiny fungus gnats are a problem around your houseplants, let the plants dry out more. Avoid overwatering. Don't let plants sit in Quick Tips… water (drain saucers). Repot Bring in your in a mix using amaryllis from less organic matter. Improve outside and let it air circulation go dormant and around the plants. dry out in the Houseplant basement sprays containing overwinter. Repot it pyrethrins or and water again pyrethroids (i.e., after two months resmethrin) help control adult of dormancy. fungus gnats. ● If you've had your houseplants outside for the summer, bring indoors before night temperatures get down in the low 50's. Thoroughly inspect plants for insect pests, and spray with insecticide outdoors a few days before bringing plants in.

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● Spray houseplants with

landscapes but can be costly, depending on the size of the project. One effective design is a wire fence that joins two 4-ft x 8-ft fencing panels together, supported by 12foot wooden posts. The fence should be slanted at a 45-degree angle, with the high end of the fence being 6 feet from the ground and facing the approach of the deer. This enables deer to walk under the fence without being able to jump over it.

Insecticidal soap before bringing them inside for the winter. ● Bring in your amaryllis from outside and Submitted by: Joe Smith, let County it go dormant and dry out in the Boone Extension Horticulture Technician basement overwinter. Repot it and water again after two months of dormancy.

CONTROLLING AND

PREVENTING DEER DAMAGE High deer populations in Deer control Provided by: Wikipedia recent years have resulted in extensive damage to fruit trees, agricultural and vegetable crops. These high numbers also contribute to many vehicle collisions on our roadways. In urban and suburban areas, high deer populations may result in damage to ornamental trees, gardens, and parks. There are no easy solutions, magical sprays, or inexpensive controls for preventing deer damage. Every situation requires a different method for control. Often, a combination of techniques may produce the best overall results. There are various methods of control that can be utilized. These include frightening devices such as propane cannons and special shot gun shells that use exploding firecrackers to frighten off the deer. Often these noisy types of devices only offer a temporary solution. Fencing may offer a better and more permanent solution for deer control in

Another cost-effective and perhaps temporary solution for larger gardens is an electrical fence. These can be constructed using 1 to 2 strands of 17 gauge wire or polytape, 30”-36” in height. The fence should be supported by either temporary stakes or more permanent posts at 50’-60’ intervals. These fences can be powered by energizers with a minimum of 3,000 volts. The fence can then be baited with aluminum foil or tape with a mixture of peanut butter and vegetable oil. For smaller gardens, protecting individual ornamental and high-value landscape plants with plastic fencing or hardware cloth may be a practical solution. It is recommended that these be staked to ensure they will not be overturned by the deer. Repellents are another type of deterrent. There are basically two types of deterrents: area and contact. Repellents often have limited success due to weather conditions. However, not every repellent will be effective in every situation. Typically, Deer control Provided by: Wikipedia commercial repellents may cost more but are more effective than home remedies such as soap and human hair. Thiram, a commercial fungicide, can also

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be used as a taste repellent. Thiram can be sprayed on dormant fruit trees and other landscape plants in a solution of 2 quarts of thiram, 2 quarts of rhopolex (sticking agent) and 1 gallon of water. Other commercially available products include repellents using bone tar oil, capsaicin and benzlydiethyl, and putrescent whole egg solids. These are just a few options for the control of deer damage in your landscape and vegetable gardens, but perhaps one of the best options is to utilize plant species that have shown resistance to deer browsing. Information regarding these particular resistant ornamentals can be accessed at the following website http:// www.ipm.msu.edu/uploads/files/ deer_resistant_plants.pdf

Thursdays, starting December 1, 10:00 AM–2:00 PM. (Boone County Extension Service, 6028 Camp Ernst Rd, Burlington). This 15–week program offers over 50 hours of classroom training. You must volunteer 40 hours at Extension-approved sites. Fee: $250 (KY residents); $300 (out–of– state). $100 refunded upon completion of program and service hours. For additional information or to request a registration packet, please call 859–586-6101.

Fall is not just a time for ending the gardening season, but also a time for planting new lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers for the years ahead. And thus it is for me personally. Although my retirement from the Cooperative Extension Service will be effective on September 9, 2016, after 30 years of Extension Service (23 in Boone County), I too will start my “new life” with many projects in mind, and opportunities for new growth in different areas of life. I have very much enjoyed serving the residents of Boone County. I have always worked with excellent people, and I have made many friends. Thanks for making my journey a pleasant one. I have learned a lot along the way. I hope to cross garden paths with many of you in the years ahead. Sincerely,

Michael D. Klahr Boone County Extension Agent for Horticulture

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CLASSES HELD AT THE BOONE COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICE OFFICE, 6028 CAMP ERNST RD, BURLINGTON, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Cooperative Extension Service Boone County 6028 Camp Ernst Rd P.O. Box 876 Burlington, KY 41005–0876 (859) 586–6101 Fax: (859) 586–6107 boone.ca.uky.edu

FALL PLANT SALE

To register for upcoming programs, or to set up your own participant profile, visit us at boone.ca.uky.edu and choose "login to on–line registration and class listing" on right side. Or call us at 586–6101.

SEPTEMBER DIG

IN THE

unbeatable deals on perennials, trees, shrubs and more at our annual Arboretum Plant Sale! All proceeds benefit the Friends of Boone County Arboretum. FBCA members pre-sale is Sept. 16 from 4:00–6:00 PM.

Fall Begins Thursday, 9/22

OCTOBER

DIRT

TUES, through 10/25. (Boone County Arboretum, 9190 Camp Ernst Rd, Union, Concession Stand). Join us for a fun morning of working with trees and shrubs from pruning, weeding or planting, working in our Children’s Garden. Lunch provided.

LABOR DAY

THU, 9/5. In accordance with the University of KY calendar, our office will be closed.

WEDNESDAY WALKS

WEDS, 9/7 & 10/5, 10:00 AM. (Boone County

Arboretum, 9190 Camp Ernst Rd, Union, Shelter #2). Join this one-hour guided tour led by an Arboretum employee. Each month a different area is highlighted.

PAWPAW TASTING

THU, 9/8, 2:00–4:00 PM. Learn all about cultivation of pawpaw trees while taste testing several different varieties of pawpaw fruit and recipes. Free for FBCA members; $10 for non-members.

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES TRELLISING

SAT, 9/17, 9:00 AM–Noon. (Boone County Arboretum, 9190 Camp Ernst Rd, Union, Shelter 1). Don’t miss

AND

BAMBOO

WED, 9/14, 1:00–3:00 PM. (Boone County Arboretum, 9190 Camp Ernst Rd, Union, Shelter 1). Join us on this one-hour hands-on tour of ornamental grasses and bamboo at the Arboretum. We know from experience which grasses and bamboo will be ideal for your landscape. Then you will make a bamboo trellis for your garden or landscape. FBCA members attend free and non-members are $5.00.

AUTUMN AFFAIR

FRI, 9/14, 6:30–10:00 PM. (St. Timothy Catholic Church, 10272 US Rt 42, Union, Lower Level). Join us

to celebrate Boone County Arboretum! Enjoy live music, delicious food by the bite, craft beers and fine wines. Participate in our silent auction of rare, new and unusual plants.

EXTEND YOUR FALL VEGETABLE GARDEN: LOW TUNNELS & RAISED BEDS

WED, 10/19, 9:30–11:30 AM. Continue your vegetable gardening in the cold months by using low tunnels and raised beds. Learn how to make low tunnels and which crops are the best to grow in the cold months.

AUTUMN STROLL

TUE, 10/20 1:00–2:30 PM. (Boone County Arboretum, 9190 Camp Ernst Rd, Union, Concession Stand). Enjoy a casual walk around the Arboretum while it is painted with the colors of fall! Learn which trees and perennials will give you the best fall color for your landscape for many years to come.

FALL LUNCH ‘N’ LEARN SERIES

► GREAT TREES FOR FALL COLOR WED, 9/7, NOON–1:00 PM. Learn about some of the best trees for fall color. Learn which trees will set your autumn landscape ablaze. ► LANDSCAPE PLANTS FOR MULTISEASON BEAUTY WED, 10/5, NOON–1:00 PM. Learn about some specific plants for your landscape that offer multi-season beauty. ► PUTTING YOUR GARDEN TO BED FOR THE SEASON WED, 11/9, NOON–1:00 PM. Learn ways to prepare your garden beds for the upcoming winter. We will discuss some fall maintenance techniques that will help prepare your landscape for the upcoming winter.

Cooperative Extension Service Boone County 6028 Camp Ernst Rd P.O. Box 876 Burlington, KY 41005–0876 (859) 586–6101 Fax: (859) 586–6107 boone.ca.uky.edu

www.twitter.com/BooneHortNews boone.ca.uky.edu (Extension office website)

www.facebook.com/BooneHortNews

www.pinterest.com/BooneHortNews

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs.asp U.K. On–line publications

www.bcarboretum.org (Boone County Arboretum website)

http://m.youtube.com/watchv=uyyE8QscZJE &desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DuyyE8QscZJE Soil Sampling Video

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