On Saturday, December 5 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, the OSU Extension Office in Clark County will host a Holiday Wreath and Swag workshop. This workshop is open to anyone, and participants will be able to take home whatever they make.
Cost for the workshop is $35.00 which includes materials (live greenery, Holly, Boxwood, Berries, and whatever you would like to bring to add) and lunch. For more information, and to register, contact the Clark County Extension Office. Participants must register by December 1.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles become an indoor pest over the winter
As shown to the left, the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle (MALB) comes in a few different colors with various spot patterns on them. Sometimes confused with our native "ladybird beetles" the MALB has one habit that Ohio's native beetles do not. They are truly home invaders.Accidentally brought to the United States and intentionally released as well, the MALB is native to the Orient and Russia. In their homeland, the beetles find crevices and cracks in rocks to over winter. Without such places in Ohio, your house became the next best thing. Generally, MALB will congregate on the outside of houses but they almost always find a way in.
For more information about the beetles and control options, consult factsheet HSE 1030-01 titled Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle. It can be found by clicking HERE.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Clark County's Gateway Garden Jubilee set for Aug. 1
Mark your calendar and plan to attend Gateway Garden Jubilee on Saturday, August 1 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. hosted by Ohio State University Extension and Master Gardeners of
See what is new in annual flowers with over 150 varieties on display. Enjoy viewing the demonstration gardens consisting of perennial garden beds with many new plants, herb gardens, Early Ohio Settler's garden, sensory, bee & butterfly garden, over 40 containers, vines, OSU turf & vegetable research plots, and a phenology garden. New for this year is the Way-To-Grow “
For the youth, there are hands-on activities in the Children's' Garden, sand box, lawn games and much more. The “Plant Doc” booth can assist you with your questions on your plant problems.Feel free to bring in samples that include a healthy stem with plenty of leaves and a representative sample of the problem. Master Gardeners will be on-hand to help you. Also, Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) information will be available.
Vendors will have garden art, crafts and plants for sale and local agencies will be present for
Demonstrations will be ongoing during the event. 9:30 Composting by Steve Schlather,
Additional on-going demonstrations include the Early Ohio Settler’s Garden. Barb Hall will portray an early settler and describe what herbs were used for medicinal purposes. Peggie Elsnau will talk about herbs that were used for fabric dyeing. Other Master Gardeners will share heirloom vegetables for tasting. Clark County Combined Health District,
We’re “Going Green” by providing recyclable paper hot dog holders & napkins to go with our free food and drinks. "Loosely Strung Band", a bluegrass band from
For more information, contact Ohio State University Extension at 937.328.4607 or http://clark.osu.edu/horticulture/special-events
Monday, July 13, 2009
Q&A's From Last Week's Help Line
Below is a list of questions/problems brought in to the Miami County Master Gardener Horticultural Help Line. It should be noted that the recommendations given are specific to the problems that were presented and that several diseases/pests can cause the same symptoms to appear on various plants. The bottom line is that, just because your plants may be exhibiting the same symptoms, it does not always mean that they have the same problems.
Q: My flowering pear tree and flowering crabapple have dead and withering leaves. The entire tree is affected including the stems and branches.
A: Your tree may have scab. A fungus causes it. It survives the winter in the previous year’s diseased leaves that have fallen under the tree. During the spring and summer, prune out infected branches about 12 inches beyond any visible discoloration. Destroy these branches, do not compost. Sterilize the pruning tools with rubbing alcohol after each cut. This is very important to prevent spreading the disease. Before buds break in the spring spray with copper sulfate or streptomycin. This will help prevent infection. Re-spray every 5 – 7 days until the end of the blooming period. Prune out in summer and fall any affected areas. If your trees are large a certified arborist who has the knowledge and the equipment should be called to check the trees and suggest a treatment.
Q: My flowering pear tree and flowering crabapple have dead and withering leaves. The entire tree is affected including the stems and branches.
A: Your tree may have scab. A fungus causes it. It survives the winter in the previous year’s diseased leaves that have fallen under the tree. During the spring and summer, prune out infected branches about 12 inches beyond any visible discoloration. Destroy these branches, do not compost. Sterilize the pruning tools with rubbing alcohol after each cut. This is very important to prevent spreading the disease. Before buds break in the spring spray with copper sulfate or streptomycin. This will help prevent infection. Re-spray every 5 – 7 days until the end of the blooming period. Prune out in summer and fall any affected areas. If your trees are large a certified arborist who has the knowledge and the equipment should be called to check the trees and suggest a treatment.
Q: Four out of my eight boxwood plants have several dead sections. These shrubs face west and are located between the house and the sidewalk. The boxwoods in other locations around the house are not affected. The symptoms first appeared after this past winter. Snow is sometimes shoveled onto the shrubs.
A: It sounds like you may have winterkill. It would be helpful to see the branches of the affected parts of the shrub. At this time, try cutting away the dead areas and see if the shrub started to fill in. If it does not, it may be a disease that needs further examination.
Q: How do I deal with bamboo that is growing in my yard from my neighbor’s yard?
A: Bamboo is a grass that sends out runners. It can be very aggressive and fast growing. This is not always a bad thing, but it is if it is growing where you do not want it. If you can cut it down to the ground and then keep the area mowed you should have it under control. Using a systemic poison will kill all of the bamboo and that might not be good for neighbor relations. One source suggested getting a couple of red pandas to eat the bamboo into control. This is not a realistic choice for central Ohio. Another possibility is to dig a trench around the area and watch for the rhizomes and cut them off as they grow into the trench. The trench can be a tripping hazard depending upon where the bamboo is growing. One source I check said bamboo should not be planted in the United States. It is just too aggressive. Maybe you should have a talk with your neighbor and come to a compromise.
Q: Some of my daylily leaves have brown streaks on them and others are turning yellow. What should I do about this? Is this a serious problem?
A: It sounds like you have Daylily Rust, Puccinia, which is a rust fungus that affects the leaves and can weaken daylily plants so that they are incapable of surviving the winter. The fungus has a secondary weed host, Patrinia sp. There are about six species of Patrinia that are grown in the United states as ornamental plants. The fungal spores are spread from plant to plant by human contact, wind, and wind-driven rain. One week to 10 days following infection the affected leaves become covered with pustules of rust-colored spores. The new spores can then act as a source of infection for other daylilies. The best treatment is to remove any infected leaves down to the ground and dispose of them either through burning or placing them in a lawn bag and discard. Avoid overhead watering of your daylilies and water in the morning so that any water on the leaves will have a chance to evaporate before evening. If spores penetrate leaves in damp conditions at night they will be infected by morning. Growing your plants with plenty of space around them for air circulation helps control the rust.
For more information visit: www.ohioline.osu.edu
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
SAVING AND PRESERVING VEGETABLES
So far, 2009 has been a fairly decent year for growing vegetables. Many home gardeners are getting great yields on most of their crops. Now that it is time to harvest, the Miami County Farm Bureau Federation has decided to put a class together on what to do after the harvest. A class on canning and preserving fruits and vegetables will be held in Troy on Saturday, July 11. For more information, contact the Miami County Farm Bureau Office at 937-335-1471.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Japanese Beetles Set to Attack
By Douglas Benson
Shelby County Master Gardener
Their baaaack... Japanese beetles usually start arriving about mid-June; in fact, some may already be here.. They are a metallic copper-green color and slightly larger than a pencil eraser. Fact sheets HYG 2504-91 – “Japanese Beetle” and 2001-91 – “Control of Japanese Beetle Adults and Grubs in Home Lawns” give all the details, but here are some quick tips.
Watch for the first beetles to appear. They act as scouts and produce a congregation pheremome (scent) that attracts others, so hand-picking and drowning these first arrivals in soapy water may lessen the numbers. I cut part of the top off a gallon milk jug, add a couple inches of water and some dish soap, and then just brush the beetles into the water. They don’t swim well at all! Be sure to empty out the container, as the dead beetles will create an unpleasant aroma as they decompose.
Traps may do more harm...
The traps you see in gardening supply displays may be somewhat useful for monitoring, but they have not proven especially effective for control. In fact, they may attract more beetles to the area where they are placed, and these beetles may stop to feed first. Unfortunately, Japanese beetles have good taste; among their favorite plants are roses, Japanese and Norway maples, crabapples, and plum and cherry trees. Actually they feed on about 400 different plants. If you want to use traps, set them as far away from the plants you wish to protect as possible.
Several chemicals, including acephate (Orthene), carbaryl (Sevin), and a number of pyrethroids are labeled for control of adult beetles. If feeding is heavy, repeat spraying every five to ten days may be needed. Be sure to follow the label instructions.
Preventing Japanese Beetles...
If Japanese beetles are a recurring problem in your landscape, you may want to take steps to reduce their numbers in the future. Part of these and most other beetles’ life cycles is spent as grubs in the soil. The grubs feed on the roots of grass and can be almost as destructive as the adult beetles. Controlling these larvae may help for the future, as does not planting host plants near lawns. Milky spore bacterial disease has not proven very effective in Ohio; while parasitic nematodes have been only marginally effective. The most effective treatment for white grubs is lawn treatments containing the active ingredients imidacloprid (Merittm ) or halofenozide (Mach2tm),. Applied in June and July, both of these chemicals should last throughout the grub season. However, to be effective they must reach the root zone of the lawn so they must be watered in with at least one-half inch of water. These chemicals are not cheap, so if beetle and grub damage has not been a problem in the past, you may wish to wait and see if a problem develops later this year.
One other tactic is to try using plants that do not attract Japanese beetles. Some common plants in this category include most of the evergreen trees, flowering dogwood, red and white oak, red and silver maple, lilac, lilies, hydrangea, coreopsis, poppies, pansies, and a several others mentioned in the “Japanese beetle” fact sheet mentioned above.
For more detailed information look up the above-mentioned fact sheets on http://ohioline.osu.edu or pick up a copy at the OSU Extension Office, 810 Fair Road, Sidney. You can also call 498-7239 and speak with a master gardener from 10 until 1 each Monday throughout July and August. Master gardeners will also be present at the Shaw residence during the Gateway Arts Council’s Art in the Garden tour June 28.
OSU Extension embraces human diversity and is committed to ensuring that all educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, age, gender identity or expression, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or veteran status.
By Douglas Benson
Shelby County Master Gardener
Their baaaack... Japanese beetles usually start arriving about mid-June; in fact, some may already be here.. They are a metallic copper-green color and slightly larger than a pencil eraser. Fact sheets HYG 2504-91 – “Japanese Beetle” and 2001-91 – “Control of Japanese Beetle Adults and Grubs in Home Lawns” give all the details, but here are some quick tips.
Watch for the first beetles to appear. They act as scouts and produce a congregation pheremome (scent) that attracts others, so hand-picking and drowning these first arrivals in soapy water may lessen the numbers. I cut part of the top off a gallon milk jug, add a couple inches of water and some dish soap, and then just brush the beetles into the water. They don’t swim well at all! Be sure to empty out the container, as the dead beetles will create an unpleasant aroma as they decompose.
Traps may do more harm...
The traps you see in gardening supply displays may be somewhat useful for monitoring, but they have not proven especially effective for control. In fact, they may attract more beetles to the area where they are placed, and these beetles may stop to feed first. Unfortunately, Japanese beetles have good taste; among their favorite plants are roses, Japanese and Norway maples, crabapples, and plum and cherry trees. Actually they feed on about 400 different plants. If you want to use traps, set them as far away from the plants you wish to protect as possible.
Several chemicals, including acephate (Orthene), carbaryl (Sevin), and a number of pyrethroids are labeled for control of adult beetles. If feeding is heavy, repeat spraying every five to ten days may be needed. Be sure to follow the label instructions.
Preventing Japanese Beetles...
If Japanese beetles are a recurring problem in your landscape, you may want to take steps to reduce their numbers in the future. Part of these and most other beetles’ life cycles is spent as grubs in the soil. The grubs feed on the roots of grass and can be almost as destructive as the adult beetles. Controlling these larvae may help for the future, as does not planting host plants near lawns. Milky spore bacterial disease has not proven very effective in Ohio; while parasitic nematodes have been only marginally effective. The most effective treatment for white grubs is lawn treatments containing the active ingredients imidacloprid (Merittm ) or halofenozide (Mach2tm),. Applied in June and July, both of these chemicals should last throughout the grub season. However, to be effective they must reach the root zone of the lawn so they must be watered in with at least one-half inch of water. These chemicals are not cheap, so if beetle and grub damage has not been a problem in the past, you may wish to wait and see if a problem develops later this year.
One other tactic is to try using plants that do not attract Japanese beetles. Some common plants in this category include most of the evergreen trees, flowering dogwood, red and white oak, red and silver maple, lilac, lilies, hydrangea, coreopsis, poppies, pansies, and a several others mentioned in the “Japanese beetle” fact sheet mentioned above.
For more detailed information look up the above-mentioned fact sheets on http://ohioline.osu.edu or pick up a copy at the OSU Extension Office, 810 Fair Road, Sidney. You can also call 498-7239 and speak with a master gardener from 10 until 1 each Monday throughout July and August. Master gardeners will also be present at the Shaw residence during the Gateway Arts Council’s Art in the Garden tour June 28.
OSU Extension embraces human diversity and is committed to ensuring that all educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, age, gender identity or expression, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or veteran status.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tomato Problems Abound
The most common problems received by the Miami County MG helpline this week, and a few calls that came in after the helpline, dealt with issues related to growing tomatoes. One of the more interesting questions came from a grower who has quite a few plants and sells the tomatoes at a local farmers market.
About 10% of her plants looked like they had just wilted and fallen over. However, upon closer inspection, she noticed that they didn't just fall over, but rather, they were broken off right at the soil level. Although none had been seen, the assessment was that she is probably dealing with a cutworm issue. Cutworms will chew plants off right at the soil level.
A couple of great fact sheets on growing tomatoes in the home garden can be found at http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1624.html and http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6461
About 10% of her plants looked like they had just wilted and fallen over. However, upon closer inspection, she noticed that they didn't just fall over, but rather, they were broken off right at the soil level. Although none had been seen, the assessment was that she is probably dealing with a cutworm issue. Cutworms will chew plants off right at the soil level.
A couple of great fact sheets on growing tomatoes in the home garden can be found at http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1624.html and http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6461
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