Protect Your Trees from Deer
August 31st, 2010
Success Tip of the Week
Protect your trees from deer damages, NOW! As we look toward the fall and planting new trees, I want to remind you that if you have any signs of deer in your neighborhood, be sure to protect all newly planted trees, as well as existing trees (4 inch trunk diameter and smaller usually hit the worst), from the wrath of a buck deer! One deer can come thru your yard during the night and literally destroy every tree you have planted, by rubbing his antlers on the tree trunks. And in most cases, the damages are so bad, the trees either die, or never fully recover. And this year, they seem a bit earlier than usual and have already started rubbing trees! So how do you protect them? -Plastic tree trunk wraps / protectors -Poultry wire cages around the tree trunks -Wrapping the trunks with paper tree wrap -Using 4 inch perforated drain pipe, cut to fit over the trunk from ground to bottom tree branch -Driving 3 metal stakes in a triangle pattern around the tree trunk – deer usually won’t mess with the metal stake barriers. -Using deer repellents as added protection (DeerScram, Repels All, Liquid Fence, or Milorganite as a fertilizer / deer repellent).
So don’t hesitate. If you have existing trees that may become a buck deer’s rubbing post, get them protected right away. And for newly planted trees later on, after you’re finished planting, put the tree trunk protectors on right away. I still remember some folks planting 3 trees in their yard one Saturday, and coming out on Sunday morning to see all three tree trunks totally destroyed by deer rubs. Don’t let it happen to your trees!
Tags: deer, protect your trees from deer
Posted in Success Tip | No Comments »
Buggy Joe Boggs Report
August 31st, 2010
Problems in the Garden this Week
This week, Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting garden spiders galore webbing the lawns, hedges, shrubs, doors, windows, gardens, etc (a sign of the winter to come?), leafminers in Linden leaves, numbers of fall webworm continue to soar to new levels, walnut caterpillars entering a second generation, hosta virus X diagnosed recently, lawns really struggling due to summer spoilers (heat, humidity, too wet, too dry, foot traffic while stressed, too low mowing, etc) and cases of leaf spot, melting out, brown patch, pythium blight, summer patch and necrotic ring patch, dollar spot, and rust have been diagnosed all season, and a reminder that as the season winds down, sanitation practices help get gardens off to a better start next year (so pitch infected plants, leaves, fruits etc before the end of the year).
-Catch The Buggy Joe Boggs Report every Saturday at 8:42am on 55KRC The Talk Station.
Protect your Ash Trees from the Emerald Ash Borer! Fall is an excellent time to treat ash trees for EAB protection. Let our professionals at Natorp’s do it for you! Call 513-398-GROW or visit www.natorp.com for more EAB protection information!
Posted in Bugs | No Comments »
Garden Questions
August 31st, 2010
Garden Questions of the Week
“Where do we rent core aerators and slice seeders?” Check with your local tool rentals. In the Mason area, we use Econowise Tool Rental! As a matter of fact they’re easy to get to no matter where you live in the Cincy area. www.econowiserental.com There are a lot of thinned out lawns this fall. If your neighborhood has several lawns in need of rejuvenation, think about renting a core aerator and slice seeder to be shared with your neighbors. You could have a lawn rejuvenation weekend party on your street, and share in the equipment costs (and maybe some of the labor as well!).
“Can I spray the crabgrass first, and then seed later this week?” -Nope, unless you’re using Roundup or Kleenup (which kills everything you spray it on). Most weed killers have a waiting period of 4-6 weeks before you can seed. Bonide’s Weed Beater Ultra is 2 weeks. Nevertheless, in many cases, crabgrass juts laughs at weed killers this time of year. You may be better off raking or pulling it out (shallow rooted), or just slice seeding right thru it. The blades usually cut a lot of it off at ground level. If not, the new grass will start to grow up thru the crabgrass clumps, and the crabgrass clumps will die after the first frost or two (while the grass keeps growing). Make sure you use a pre emergent next spring. Thick lawns and pre emergent herbicides – your best two defenses against crabgrass.
“What type of grass seed do you suggest we use in our lawn?” -Unless you’re doing a new lawn (or total renovation), you’ll need to match the type of seed you use with the type of grass already growing in the lawn (or something compatible with the existing lawn). If you’re not sure what you have, take a 12 inch square of the sod to the garden stores and see if the grass types can be identified. OR, visit www.scotts.com and go to the “Indentify your lawn” section. They have great pictures of the different cool season grasses (and descriptions) for you to compare and make the call. Personally, I like the turf type tall fescue blends, but these must be sown by themselves. TLC (with Titan Limited), Turner 5 Way, and Scott’s Tall Fescue Blend are all good blends to consider.
And don’t forget to apply a starter fertilizer when you sow new seed. It’s a must!
“I’m going to spot seed a few small bare areas in the lawn. Do I need to out straw over the new seed?” Nope. That’s one of the good things about seeding in the fall. In most cases you can get away from using straw and lower the chances of dealing with wheat or weed seeds from the straw, as long as you keep the soil evenly moist. I might suggest you look at the Scott’s EZ seed. Seed (with water absorber), fertilizer and mulch all in one shaker can. Perfect for spot seeding in the lawn!
“I see spring bulbs are available in the stores. Can I plant them now?” I wouldn’t. I’d suggest waiting until October. Let the temps cool down and then plant. Buy your bulbs now so you’ll get the selections and colors you wanted, but wait to plant. By the way, use an actual bulb food like Espoma’s Bulb Tone, versus just bone meal.
“I have been killing poison ivy all summer and still have it. You said a couple years ago it would get worse and you were right! Anyway, the vines on a chain link fence have been killed – leaves browned and falling – also has shriveling berries. Can the plants I have killed still give me a rash? Do new plants grow from the berries?” -Poison ivy does continue to get worse every year! And yes, those vines are very toxic! So are the dead leaves and the berries (berries are eaten and carried by birds and other critters and distributed around for new poison ivy to grow!). Studies have shown the dead vines to remain toxic for many years. So protect yourself when pulling them out of the fence.
Posted in Questions of the Week | No Comments »
Plant Culinary Herbs in the Fall
August 31st, 2010
From the Garden to the Kitchen
Yardboy, I heard you talking on your radio show about the upcoming autumn season, and how fall is a good time for planting. You’re right, and even herbs can be planted in the fall. Here’s a nice primer on caring for your herb garden during this season, and how to preserve those herbs you planted in the spring:
PLANT CULINARY HERBS IN FALL – Perennials like lavender and sage along with other hardy perennials, do well when planted in fall. Hardy annual seeds such as dill, cilantro, and parsley do great when the seeds are tamped down in the ground in autumn. They’re content to “lay low”, ready to sprout at the first sign of warmth in spring. The reason is as the weather gets cooler and we get more rain (hopefully), new plants and seeds settle in. Perennials develop stronger roots because they do not have to push their way up to support life above the ground.
PRESERVING HERBS FOR COOKING – Except for lavender (the flower buds contain the most flavor and fragrance), I like to use the leafy portion of the herbs – the flavor of herbs is best right when the plant is beginning to form buds, but most of the time, I harvest whenever I can. Sometimes it’s at this stage, other times the herbs are in full flower. And remember, the flowers of culinary herbs are edible, so if you want to dry them, that’s OK. My thought is at least I’m getting them harvested!
TRADITIONAL BUNCHING OF THE WHOLE PLANT – Herbs like basil, catnip, chives, feverfew, lemon balm, marjoram, mints, except apple mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, among others, dry nicely by these traditional methods:
1. Strip an inch or so from the bottom of the stem and hang upside down secured with a rubber band or string away from heat, light and moisture (or hang upside down in paper bag).
2. You can also place the leaves in single layers in a basket, on a cloth or screen. When they crinkle between your fingers, they’re dry. Strips leaves from stems and leave whole if possible. Volatile oils stay intact until you crush them for cooking. Store away from heat and light.
To use dry herbs in place of fresh, use l/3 of the amount called for, since dry herbs are stronger. Herbs hung in bunches, dried naturally usually turn a grayish green. To keep a brighter color, see “Chopping up Herbs” below.
CHOP HERBS TO DRY ON SCREENS, ETC.: -For years, I have experimented with drying herbs, and have found that some herbs are best if dried quickly in leaf or flower form only. And I’m not alone with this thought. Herb Companion Magazine has a nice article this month on this method. I think that some herbs, like apple mint, basil, chamomile (flowers), chive flowers and leaves, dill, lovage, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme, even rose petals, dry with better color when they are removed from the stems and cut into small pieces, except for chamomile – I dry the whole flower. Put them in a single layer and dry on screens for large amounts, or on cookie sheets in a barely warm oven (keep the door ajar if necessary) for small amounts. Stir every day, and then store. Herbs preserved in this manner will dry more quickly than those hung on the stems.
MICROWAVING HERBS TO DRY: Place one layer of leaves between two layers of microwave-safe paper toweling. Microwave on high for 30 seconds to one minute. Cool. They should crinkle. If not, microwave a few seconds more. Do this in small batches with time in between or place a cup of water in the microwave to prevent overheating and possible fire. Herbs dried in the microwave retain a nice green color. There’s a big debate, however, among herb enthusiasts about this method: some feel that microwaving draws volatile oils out; others feel that not only the oils are preserved, but the green color, too. My take on this? Try and see and you be the judge. Remember, herbs don’t always follow the rules!
Witness this: Last summer I had a paper grocery bag full of fresh herbs in the trunk of my car. It was hot, hot, hot. Within a week or so, they dried and retained a nice color. Now herbs are supposed to dry away from heat and light. As I said, herbs don’t always follow the rules!
You can chop and freeze herbs. Whirl with a bit of water in the blender or food processor. Pour into sprayed ice cube trays. After the cubes are frozen, store in baggies. They will turn dark but add a nice fresh flavor to cooked dishes. Toss unthawed into soups, stews, etc.
SAVE SEEDS FOR WINTER DISHES!
To save seeds to use in cooking (or for planting next year), remove seed heads and lay them out in an airy, dry, dark place. When they are dry, shake them out and store in containers away from heat, light and moisture. Or tie stems of herb seeds with a rubber band and hang upside down in a bag. Seeds will drop into the bag as they fall off.
-Rita Nader Heikenfeld, CCP / Herbalist www.abouteating.com
OBKB. That’s it for this week. It’s Labor Day Weekend, so be safe if traveling about. Now do yourself a favor. Go out and have the best week and weekend of your life. See ya. RW the Yardboy. (Listen every Saturday morning to ‘In the Garden with Ron Wilson’, 6-9am on 55KRC The Talk Station and XM158. You can also catch RW from 10-noon ‘In the Garden’ on 610WTVN (Home of the best Buckeye Coverage).
Posted in From the Garden to the Kitchen | No Comments »
Turf
August 16th, 2010
Garden Success Tip of the Week
It won’t be long until September is here. September means turf month, and that means you need to be evaluating your lawn, right now! So, where do you start when evaluating your lawn in August?
-First, take a look and see how much desirable grass remains. If the turf is brown, look closely to see if the crowns are still green and viable. If so, they will fill back in this fall with the usual fall fertilization.
-If there are voids in Bluegrass lawns (4-6 inches in diameter), they’ll fill in on their own. But if those 4-6 inch voids are in turf type tall fescues or perennial ryes, spot seeding will be needed to fill in the voids.
-If you find perennial grassy weeds like Zoysia or Nimblewill growing in the turf, or tall fescue clumps in a bluegrass lawn, treat those now with Roundup (may take 2 applications), and then reseed / sod those areas in September.
-If your lawn is 50% or more broadleaf weeds, you should consider total lawn renovation, which means everything is killed with Roundup (2 applications 10 days apart may be needed), and then reseed / sod the area in early September.
-If the lawn is 70% turf grass and 30% weeds (or less), a good fall feeding followed by a late fall or early spring weed control will work quite nicely. Even with this ratio of turf to weeds, plan to over seed the lawn to help thicken it up.
-Evaluate your lawn now, so you can do whatever is needed to be ready for September.
-Remember, September is turf month, which means the perfect time to core aerate the lawn, over seed the lawn to thicken it up or to reseed the lawn if you’re renovating, and time for the first fall feeding. So make sure you’ve got your turf plans in place.
Posted in Active, Success Tip | No Comments »
|
|
|
|
