Davidson Hort-happenings - NC Cooperative Extension

December Garden tips

2011-12-19T14:42:00.000-05:00

December Garden Tips

Lawn & Garden Tips

Vegetables in Season

Cabbage

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Leafy Greens

Mushrooms

Sweet Potatoes

House Plant Care

Now that summer is over, and frost is upon us, it’s time to have those houseplants indoors. Most houseplants are tropical and the in house environment can be stressful. The biggest problem is humidity. The humidity in the house is generally very low and can sometimes cause browning of leaves. In order to prevent this, one could place a humidifier in the room where the plants are or simply use a spray bottle to mist the plants once or twice a day. This will make the indoor environment much more conducive to growth. It is also important to make sure you water regularly but don’t flood your plants. House plants like moist soil but not saturated. Lastly, watch out for insects such as aphids and whitefly. These insects can infest houseplants throughout the winter.

Remember: “houseplants give us oxygen for our lungs and food for our soul”

Poinsettias & Holiday Plants

When selecting poinsettias, look for plants with yellow flowers (in the centers of the colored leaves) that are not quite open. Tight flower buds are a good indication that the plant is fresh and healthy. Once you bring your poinsettia home keep it in an area that receives bright light for at least 6 hours per day and has a constant temperature of about 65-70°F. Keep poinsettias away from doorways or other areas that are drafty, and keep them well watered but not over watered.

*Mistletoe should be kept away from children and pets in your home. The berries of mistletoe are toxic.*

Winter Damage to Plants

Winter is a stressful time for plants. Take the time to mulch them well and protect those tender plants with row covers. Do not fertilize plants with a nitrogen fertilizer in the winter and hold off pruning damaged plants until the coldest part of winter is over. This will allow you more options when try to recover a plant that has been severely cold or ice damaged.

Bird Feeders

Bird feeders should be cleaned monthly with hot sudsy water to prevent the spread of wild bird diseases.

Christmas Trees

Buy your Christmas tree early for best selection and care of tree. By following these suggestions, you can reduce the risk of a fire hazard in the home:

· Keep the tree in a bucket of water, in a shady location outdoors or in an unheated room until you are ready to place it inside.

· Re-cut the butt of the tree making a new avenue for water entry immediately prior to placing in your tree stand and bringing it indoors

· While indoors, keep watered at all times.

· The tree needs only fresh water; additives are of little or no value.

*The use of brand names in this publication does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of the products or services named nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned.*

In The Garden…..

Spring Bulbs

If you have not planted those spring flowering bulbs, better get at it, and always plant quality bulbs. Larger bulbs produce larger flowers. Pansy plants set among bulbs will give the ground a great winter and spring cover and allow the bulbs to come right through in the spring.

Go on Weed Patrol

Many people take a break in the winter but now is the time to be spraying and pulling all the winter weeds such as chickweed and henbit. These will produce millions of seeds if not destroyed before they flower!

Care of Balled & Burlapped Plants

When Transplanting “B&B” plants, lift by the ball of soil. Don’t use the trunk or stems as a handle because the soil will break away from the roots. A B&B plant should be kept watered to prevent drying out during the period before it is planted. If it cannot be planted immediately, “heel in” plants temporarily. “Heeling in” means digging a trench, laying the plants at a 45 degree angle, and placing soil over the root ball. Water well. This system provides more even soil moisture within the ball and prevents the root system from freezing during low temperature periods

Lawn & Gardening T

NC State University and NC A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation.

NC Cooperative Extension Service

Davidson County Center

301 East Center Street

Lexington, NC 27292

Phone: 336-242-2085

Fax: 336-249-7300

Web: http://davidson.ces.ncsu.edu

Scott Welborn

Consumer Horticulture Agent

E-mail: scott_welborn@ncsu.edu

Gift Ideas for the Gardener

Tools are always a good idea for the gardener. If giving tools try to find those that are good quality. Cheaply made tools are more of a hindrance than a help.

Put a little spice in your life.

2011-10-24T14:29:00.002-04:00

Hot Peppers may literally be the spice of our life. Follow the link below to find out more.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=62587

2011-05-26T13:27:00.003-04:00

Spring has come and is on it's way out...how did the trials go??

2011-05-04T10:52:00.006-04:00

Well, it has been a hard year for spring gardens! As you all know, it has been extremely hot and this has had some affect on our spring crops. This year marked a great trial year, and you may say why? In a research garden, adverse weather is a good thing, so we can test the merits of crops in the worst conditions.

This year we trialed:

Cabbage
- Parel - Sweet flavor, some splitting or busting due to hot weather, Taste Grade - A+, Appearance Grade - B-

- Bronco - Average flavor, firm nice heads unaffected by heat, Taste Grade - B, Appearance Grade - A

Broccoli
-Premium Crop - Good flavor, larger bead, semi-loose heads due to heat - Taste Grade A, Appearance Grade -B+

-Blue Wind - Good flavor, small bead, tight heads, (20% bolting due to heat) - Taste Grade A, Appearance Grade - A

Iceberg Lettuce
-Tiber - Excellent flavor, small size due to heat, 30% tip burn due to heat - Taste Grade A+, Appearance Grade - B

Excalibur - Excellent flavor, large heads, poor fall performance, excellent spring performance - Taste Grade A, Appearance grade - B+

Romaine lettuce
Parris Island - Excellent strong growth, Dark green - Taste Grade - B+, Appearance Grade - A

Cauliflower
Fremont - Excellent growth, large heads, heat tolerant, not self wrapping - Taste Grade - A, Appearance Grade - A

Symphony - Excellent growth, large heads, heat tolerant, self wrapping, not recommended for fall cropping. Excellent in spring. Strong flavor. Taste Grade - B+, Appearance Grade A

Kohlrabi
If you haven't tasted it you need too. It taste like a potato and a cabbage mixed together and is very good cooked! Easy to grow! Ours turned out great! I grew a variety called "Winner". Overall grade A

Even in bad years we can still have an excellent crop of spring vegetables. Your harvest will be reduced and come and go much more quickly but it's worth the effort every time!

End year round up of Vegetable Varieties.

2010-12-16T15:12:00.005-05:00

This year's crops were less than stellar.

Broccoli - Arcadia = Average size, bland taste, purple leaves in the cold

Cauliflower - Symphony - Average Size, Sweet Taste, Strong Smell!, not cold tolerant

Cabbage - Bronco - Average Size, Good taste, Slow Growing

Head Lettuce - Excalibur - Good Size, Good Taste, High % of deformed heads

Carrots - Sweetness II - Excellent Size, taste and tolerance!

Zucchini - Meteor - Horrible, few zucchinis, poor taste

Jalapeno Pepper - El Jefe - Excellent growth, taste, fruit size, and diseases/insect resistance

Okra - Cajun Delight - Short plant, slow growth, good pod production

Cantaloupe - Athena - Excellent all around

Cucumber - Sultan - Excellent growth, sweet taste, slightly oily cucumber

Bell Pepper - X3R Red Knight - Excellent growth, taste, diseases resistance

Tomato - Big Beef - Good Growth, Large excellent tasting tomatoes, poor resistance to leaf spot

Tomato - Rose - Large plant, large tomato, good taste, few tomatoes

As you can tell, few of the varieties really stood out this year, but that is what the garden is for! We have to weed out the bad ones so you don't waste your time growing them.

For your spring garden I would recommend:

Cabbage - Parel

Broccoli - Premium Crop

Cauliflower - Fremont

Head Lettuce - Tiber

Carrots - Sweetness II or III

These would need to be planted out side around the first of March.

Fall Garden Update

2010-11-09T08:24:00.002-05:00

It's never too early to plan for spring...what do I do now?

2010-09-07T15:13:00.002-04:00

Planning for the spring"

In the Landscape

-Cut back ornamental grasses and liriope before new growth begins to emerge.

-Prune summer flowering shrubs like beautyberry, butterfly bush, Clethra, Vitex, and summer blooming spireas in late winter to encourage lots of new growth and heavy flowering.

-Prune everblooming roses in late February. Everblooming roses, such as hybrid teas and Knockout roses, rebloom continuously through the summer. Once bloomers bloom only in the spring and include many species roses and old shrub varieties. Once bloomers should not be pruned until after they finish flowering.

-Crape myrtles usually only require light pruning. Remove crossing branches and inward growth and cut off seed pods. Never hack back into large branches! Known as topping, this practice ruins the natural shape of crape myrtles and promotes insect and disease problems.

-Control winter weeds now by hand pulling or careful spot spraying will ensure your beds look good this spring and also stop weeds from setting seed for future crops.

-Winter is also a great time to spread mulch in the landscape. Aim for a maximum depth of 3” to 4” around trees and shrubs and 2” to 3” around perennials. Do not pile mulch around the trunks of trees and shrubs.

Vegetable Garden

-Plant a cover crop of winter rye on your garden by mid November at the latest

-Plant spring crops in the garden in late February to early march

-Winter is a great time to send off a soil sample. Obtain your supplies from the Cooperative extension office.

Lawn

-Aerate and seed your lawn in mid September.

-Do not fertilize your lawn during the winter when no growth is present. This will simply be a waste and can cause nutrients to be washed into our waterways.

-Plan to apply a pre-emergent herbicide for spring germinating weeds in late winter

As the Thunder Rolls and the Rains Fall.....

2010-07-27T09:47:00.003-04:00

In late summer, as the thunder rolls and the rains fall, keeping us inside; we have the chance to recall all we've done and the results we've gotten. Life is that way. We work and work at all sorts of things and if we don't take a day for ourselves, mother nature will force it upon us. A day like this is important in our lives and it's also important in gardening. We've worked all summer trying to grow a bumper crop and we need to take our time now to know what worked and what didn't. There are literally thousands of varieties of crops we can grow and some simply grow and produce better than others. For example; this year I grew a new zucchini called meteor in our demonstration garden. This was a solid yellow zucchini that promised high yields and great flavor. Well, as I reflect; nothing could be farther from the truth. The plant is hard to grow and must be planted when it is hot outside to thrive. Oh wait did I say thrive? Well thriving to this plant is producing a bland yellow zucchini from time to time. Not a winner and not a useful plant. Well, back to the drawing board, but that's the reason we have a demonstration garden. That way the public will know what to grow and won't have to bother with experimenting with poor producers. So during this lull, take the time to review your vegetables and see what worked and what didn't.

While we are reviewing our successes and failures, we must begin to think about fall. I know it seems early but it is time to start thinking about what you will grow and where you will grow it. Don't be afraid to pull out those old worn out tomatoes and replace them with your fall crop. Come November you will be happy to have fresh vegetables.

So, what do we do? Start crops of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and head lettuce indoors under florescent lights the first or second week of August. This way they will be ready to go in the garden the first couple of weeks of September. Contrary to what some believe, the crops grow great in the warm fall weather. They only need to mature in cool weather. This why fall frost hardy crops are generally better in the fall than the spring.

So take rainy days to reflect and plan for next year and for this fall. A garden that is planned out properly always produces more than one haphazardly thrown together. Remember, gardens are like people; they need love and care to be successful and proper planning is the first step in that love and care. Enjoy your fall gardens and if you have questions, contact me and I'll get you going in the right direction. scott_welborn@ncsu.edu

Do you have Bermuda grass growing in your Fescue lawn?

2010-05-26T09:39:00.009-04:00

If you have a Fescue lawn then you probably hate common Bermuda grass. The grass that creeps into everything and can out right kill your Fescue lawn if it's not beaten back. In the past all we could do was dig it out or spray it with a non-selective herbicide and risk killing everything near it. Now we are lucky to have another option. There is a herbicide that will allow you to kill Bermuda grass in a fescue lawn. It is called Ornamec. The active ingredient is known as "Fluazifop". According to the label, to kill Bermuda grass in a Fescue lawn, use .5 ounces of Ornamec, 2 teaspoons of a non ionic surfactant to one gallon of water to treat 1000 square feet of lawn space. The first application should be made in the spring when the Bermuda grass is breaking dormancy and then again in Sept/Oct. when the Bermuda grass is preparing for dormancy. APPLICATIONS DURING THE HOT SEASONS SHOULD BE AVOIDED! Even when applied at the proper times, your fesuce lawn may show some discoloration or stress but should recover within 10-14 days so do not worry if it looks sick. This is also labled for use over the top of many ornamental flowers, trees and shurbs, but refer to the label before applying to determine if it is registered for what you want to spray over. Wow, this can really make your life much better. You have to love modern science. Happy Spraying.

Demo/Research Garden Photo Update!!

2010-04-28T10:12:00.011-04:00

Well it's been about a month and a half since the spring garden was planted and now the summer crops are going in. The spring vegetables are looking great and will be harvested soon. You will also notice our new fence. The fence was low cost and really makes the garden look better. I want to thank the Master Gardener Volunteers for their assistance on building the fence. Couldn't have done it without them. Now if we just have a warm moist summer maybe we can have some good summer crops as well!

Spring has sprung!

2010-04-06T09:37:00.011-04:00

It's true, spring is here in a big way. We had a very cold winter but the spring is trying to repay us with a beautiful display. Below are a few pictures I have taken in our demo flower and vegetable gardens here at the agricultural center.

The Broccoli is looking good but i've had to fight a few aphids this spring.
Garlic is getting big!
Our organic tulips are making a magnificent display!

Companion Planting

2010-03-31T10:44:00.002-04:00

BEANS

Companions: Beet (to bush beans only), cabbage family, carrot, celery, chard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, pea, potatoes, radish, strawberry.

Enemies: Garlic, onion and shallot stunt the growth of beans.

Allies: Marigold deters Mexican bean beetles.
Nasturtium and rosemary deter bean beetles.
Summer savory deters bean beetles, improves growth and flavor.

BEETS

Companions: Bush beans, cabbage family, lettuce, onion

Ally: Garlic improves growth and flavor.

Enemies: Pole beans and beets stunt each other's growth.

CABBAGE FAMILY
(Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kale and kohlrabi)

Companions: Beet, celery, chard, cucumber, lettuce, onion, potato, spinach.

Allies: Chamomile and garlic improve growth and flavor.
Catnip, hyssop, rosemary and sage deter cabbage moth.
Dill improves growth and health.
Mint deters cabbage moth and ants, improves health and flavor.

Nasturtium deters bugs, beetles, aphids.
Southernwood deters cabbage moth, improves growth and flavor.
Tansy deters cabbageworm and cutworm.
Thyme deters cabbageworm.

Enemies: Kohlrabi and tomato stunt each other's growth.

CARROTS

Companions: Bean, lettuce, onion, pea, pepper, radish, tomato

Allies: Chives improve growth and flavor.
Rosemary and sage deter carrot fly.

Enemy: Dill retards growth.

CELERY

Companions: Bean, cabbage family and tomato

Allies: Chives and garlic deter aphids.
Nasturtium deters bugs and aphids.

CHARD

Companions: Bean, cabbage family and onion

CORN

Companions: Bean, cucumber, melon, parsley, pea, potato, pumpkin, squash

Enemies: Tomatoes and corn are attacked by the same worm.

Allies: Odorless marigold and white geranium deter Japanese beetles.
Pigweed raises nutrients from the subsoil to where the corn can reach them.

CUCUMBER

Companions: Bean, cabbage family, corn, pea, radish, tomato

Enemy: Sage is generally injurious to cucumber.

Allies: Marigold deters beetles.
Nasturtium deters aphids, beetles and bugs, improves growth and flavor.
Oregano deters pests in general.
Tansy deters ants, beetles, bugs, flying insects.

EGGPLANT

Companions: Bean, pepper

Allies: Marigold deters nematodes.

LETTUCE

Companions: Beet, cabbage family, carrot, onion, radish, strawberry

Allies: Chives and garlic deter aphids.

MELONS

Companions: Corn, pumpkin, radish, squash

Allies: Marigold deters beetles.
Nasturtium deters bugs and beetles.
Oregano provides general pest protection

ONlONS

Companions: Beet, cabbage family, carrot, chard, lettuce, pepper, strawberry, tomato

Enemies: Onions stunt bean, pea.

Allies: Chamomile and summer savory improve growth and flavor.
Pigweed raises nutrients from subsoil and makes them available to the onions.
Sow thistle improves growth and health.

PARSLEY

Companions: Asparagus, corn, tomato

PEAS

Companions: Bean, carrot, corn, cucumber, radish, turnip

Allies: Chives deter aphids.
Mint improves health and flavor.

Enemies: Garlic and onion stunt the growth of peas.

PEPPERS

Companions: Carrot, eggplant, onion and tomato

POTATOES

Companions: Beans, cabbage family, corn, eggplant, pea

Enemies: Tomatoes and potatoes are attacked by the same blight.

Allies: Horseradish, planted at the corners of the potato patch, provides general protection.
Marigold deters beetles.

PUMPKINS

Companions: Corn, melon, squash

Allies: Marigold deters beetles.
Nasturtium deters bugs, beetles.
Oregano provides general pest protection.

RADISHES

Companions: Bean, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, melon, pea

Allies: Chervil and nasturtium improve growth and flavor.

Enemy: Hyssop

SPINACH

Companions: Cabbage family, strawberry

SQUASH

Companions: Corn, melon, pumpkin

Allies: Borage deters worms, improves growth and flavor.

Marigold deters beetles.
Nasturtium deters squash bugs and beetles.
Oregano provides general pest protection.

STRAWBERRY

Companions: Bean, lettuce, onion, spinach, thyme

Enemy: Cabbage

Allies: Borage strengthens resistance to insects and disease.
Thyme, as a border, deters worms.

TOMATOES

Companions: Asparagus, carrot, celery, cucumber, onion, parsley, pepper

Enemies: Corn and tomato are attacked by the same worm.
Mature dill retards tomato growth.
Kohlrabi stunts tomato growth.
Potatoes and tomatoes are attacked by the same blight.

Allies: Basil repels flies and mosquitoes, improves growth and flavor.
Bee balm, chives and mint improve health and flavor.
Borage deters tomato worm, improves growth and flavor.
Dill, until mature, improves growth and health. Once mature, it stunts tomato growth.
Marigold deters nematodes.
Pot marigold deters tomato worm and general garden pests,

TURNIPS

Companion: Pea

Source: North Dakota State University Extension

Farm To Fork Video

2010-03-15T16:35:00.004-04:00

Community Gardens for Our Future

2010-03-02T11:48:00.005-05:00

When we think about food, we know it's no farther than the local grocery store. For most of us, we have known nothing but a safe, secure and plentiful food supply for our whole lives, but recently things have begun to change. Each week there seems to be a new warning about unsafe products coming from overseas or from right here in our own state. The question is, how can we fix it? This question is especially perplexing for residents of urban areas that may not have the option of growing it themselves. With little debate the only way to do something about it locally is to develop a system of community gardens.

Community gardens have been used with much success in large cities for years. Only recently have they become a hit in smaller urban areas. Small urban areas generally have an advantage that large cities do not, land. Land is normally the biggest issue in starting a community garden. In our larger cities such as Lexington, and Thomasville there are many vacant lots that would make perfect places for well maintained community gardens. The key is to enter into contacts with the owners of these parcels that will limit or eliminate the liability factors involved. Once this is done the rest is downhill.

Generally, once land has been secured, the process of getting people involved is fairly easy. There are many people that love growing vegetables and would love to be able to do it in a social way. Community gardens are extremely effect venues for bringing communities together. This has tremendous effects on the community as a whole and has been known to change the whole dimension of a neighborhood from distant to extremely close.

Community gardens should be in the planning of any urban area and ours is no different. Community gardens bring people together and allow for an additional source of food for those growing and those in need. Giving people a reason to enjoy their community is simply rational thinking and when people create/grow things together, the rewards and benefits are exponential. Davidson County's urban areas have a lot to offer those looking to begin a community garden. Begin with a dream and change a community in the process.

Yes it's winter but time to gear up for that spring garden!

2010-01-21T14:06:00.007-05:00

Wow time passes quickly and it's time again to think about our spring garden. I know it's cold outside now but soon it will be warming up. Now is the time to begin planning what you want to plant in your spring garden and begin to grow your seedlings. This is easy to do and all you need is a couple of florescent lights and some soil-less mix. I'm a big advocate of growing one's own plants. If you rely on the local nursery or big box store, you will have very few varieties to choose from. By growing your own, you can choose from literally hundreds of varieties. By growing the best varieties you can ensure a much better harvest! If you don't have a greenhouse, florescent lights are the next best thing. Simply buy a cheap florescent shop light (or two) from your local hardware store and and out fit it with normal cool white florescent lights. There is no need to buy expensive "grow lights". The key to growing under these lights is to germinate seeds in a community flat and then transplant them deeply into cell packs after they have come up. This will eliminate excessive stretching of the plant while it has limited leaf area. Most plants need to be grown for about 4 weeks inside and then need to be hardened off for another week by exposing it to conditions outside slowly, a few hours the first day to all day by the end of the week. This helps the plants to not be shocked by the harsh outdoor conditions, compared to the ease of life under florescence lights.

For the spring garden you should be planting cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, broccoli, etc. The spring garden is for cool loving vegetables than can handle frost. The crops should be transplanted outside by the first to no later than the middle of March.

For the Summer garden you should be planting crops such as tomato's, peppers, eggplant. Crops such as watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, squash, beans and corn tend to do better when planted directly in the garden from seed. All of these should be planted outside around May 1st in our area.

Happy Growing!!

Sometimes you just have to laugh

2009-12-14T14:28:00.005-05:00

If you've ever grown a garden then you have undoubtedly had something stolen, either by man or beast. It can be discouraging to work really hard on something just have it stolen, but sometimes you just have to laugh. I experienced this recently with our demonstration garden here at the Ag center. Now, I knew when we built the garden that problems would take place due to the it's location right in the open, but what took place in the fall garden, I was not expecting. Like most gardeners that grow fall crops, I planted cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. These crops were growing good and people would compliment me on how nice they looked, but then something funny began to take place. Folks began telling me how nice the collards looked. I would look at them real funny and politely say that the crops weren't collards and explain what they really were. At first I didn't think anything about it but one day I came in to work and found a few broccoli leaves missing. I figured that someone had mistakenly taken the leaves thinking they were collards and they would find out that the leaves weren't that good. Boy was I wrong. About a week later I found a group of people with trash bags in our garden stripping the leaves off the broccoli and cauliflower plants. At first I got mad but started to laugh once I saw the heads of broccoli and cauliflower sticking up like cotton balls...haha. Sometimes people are absurd and we expect more from them than they actually are but I hope they enjoyed their boiled broccoli leaves. I miss the days when people didn't take what wasn't theirs and wanted to work for what they had. I want everyone to have healthy food but sometimes I think that we should all consider honor just as important. After all what is a man with no honor. He's not a man at all. There is right and wrong in this world, if you do the one you're living if you do the other, well, you may be walking around but you're as dead as a beaver hat.

How do I make my old poinsettia re-bloom?

2009-11-25T10:33:00.003-05:00

It's the Christmas season once again and we are all excited about seeing family and friends, eating holiday meals and decorating our homes in festive ways. If you're like my grandmother, you've tried to save those beautiful Poinsettia's from last year but they never will turn red. To most people it's a mystery as to why a plant can be so pretty and then never look that way again. Well by the end of this article you will know how to make those poinsettia's bloom just as pretty as they have in the past.

Poinsettias are phototrophic, and just like all plants they get their energy from the sun. The only difference is that this weird little plant takes the need for proper light to a different level. Poinsettias bloom based on the length of day. When the day length is correct the plant will bloom and the bracts (the red part) will begin to color. North Carolina is not the native range for the poinsettia of course so we have to take a little extra step to help it to reach this blooming stage. In order to force our plants to bloom, we need to make sure that the plant has a steady 14 hours of darkness and 6-10 hours of bright sunlight. The darkness is imperative to get your plants to re-bloom. Even a slight interruption in the darkness can cause the plants to not bloom. The best way to make sure they are getting enough darkness is to place the plant in a closet and set a timer for 14 hours each day. In this process do not open the door to that closet at all. If this is done correctly your poinsettia should begin to color up in about 6-8 weeks and be in full bloom in 12 weeks. If we count backwards that means we must begin our darkness process or what is technically known as a photoperiodic treatment around October 1 for the plants to be showing their full glory by Christmas.

After the Christmas season reduce watering of your plant but do not let the stems shrivel. This will allow the plant to enter a dormant state so you can store it for the winter. In the spring after all frost danger has passed cut the poinsettia back to 6-8 inches in height and repot the plant into a bigger pot. Place it outside in a partly sunny location that is protected from the wind. As the plant grows, pinch the new growth to keep the plant compact and bushy. As we reach the fall you can begin your photoperiodic treatment for yet another year of great color from your favorite poinsettia.

The American Chestnut

2009-10-29T13:02:00.008-04:00

The American Chestnut is a treasure that may be on the rebound. The forests of today look very different than those that our forefathers saw when they first arrived in North America. They saw millions of towering Chestnut trees that fed the animals of the forest and provided a substantial amount of lumber to build our new nation. In fact, it could produce lumber up to 50% faster than an oak. This growth rate caused it to store great quantities of CO2 which few other trees can match. In this day and time we need the American Chestnut and researchers are trying to find a way to turn back the clock on the magnification tree.
In 1904 a few trees of Asian origin were planted in New York City. One of these trees just happened to be infected with a bark shattering fungus known as Chestnut Blight. This blight girdles the trees causing them to die. Once this blight was here it went on to destroy nearly 4 billion trees across the United States. A massive, useful and elegant tree was no more.
But wait....for the past 25 years scientist have been working to revive this giant of the forest. Researcher Charles Burnham discovered that he could do series of backcross breeding with the Chinese Chestnut (which is resistant to Chestnut Blight) to breed this resistance into the American Chestnut. The use of backcross breeding allows the trees to remain nearly 93% American Chestnut with only the disease resistance of the Chinese Chestnut. This is done by crossing hybrid trees with purely American Chestnut trees repeatedly. As a result of this breeding a seed orchard has been established to produce these blight resistant trees. Recently, hundreds of these trees were returned to their native range and after one year they are thriving. With continued work, these trees will hopefully be returned to there place among the might oaks and hickories thoughtout its native range. I would encourage you to support programs such as this to restore devastated plants or we may never see them again!

Prepare that garden for winter!

2009-10-21T12:19:00.008-04:00

If you're like me, you are enjoying your first bounty from the fall garden as well as a renewed harvest from your pepper plants. Wait! It's starting to really get cold out and we've already had a frost. I want to eat fresh all winter, how can I do that?

Lucky for us, here in Davidson County we tend to have fairly mild winters, so most fall crops we grow such as cabbage can overwinter outside. If we really want things to grow during the winter, we should probably look into how to prolong our seasons. The way we do that is through season extenders. There are several ways to do this I will discuss two in this post.

The first way would be to use what is known a floating row cover.These row covers give your garden between 2 and 10 degrees of frost protection. Floating row covers are simply a spun bonded fabric that is draped over the crops. They trap heat during the day and hold it over night.

The second option you have is to build a high tunnel or a hoop house. What is a high tunnel? It's just what it sounds like. A tunnel that has a high roof. These are generally made out of PVC or electrical conduit and 6mil plastic covering. A high tunnel can really change your gardening life by allowing you to plant as much as a month or two earlier than normal and extend your growing season by the same. A hoop house is generally the same thing but on a much smaller scale.

If you decide you are tired of gardening for the season then you really need to think about putting the garden to bed. You should soil test your garden and get the ph in proper range first and then you should till or plow your garden to bury all diseases and insects that may be hanging around. Lastly you should plant a cover crop of winter rye. Winter rye helps the garden by preventing erosion, capturing nutrients from the subsoil and provides lots of organic matter to the soil when it is turned into the ground in the spring. Remember, winter rye is a grain like wheat and not rye grass!!!! If you only do one thing for your garden it should be to plant a cover crop every winter.

Fall Demonstration and Research Garden Update!

2009-10-13T13:57:00.016-04:00

A month into the planting of our fall demonstration and research garden, here at the Davidson County Agricultural Center, the results are astounding. We seem to have hit everything just right. The plants are massive and I have harvested our first head of lettuce today! It was tasty and most importantly, pesticide free! This post will simply be a pictorial update of the growth that our plants have made in a short period of time. Also, just a side note, the bug pressure has been significantly reduced by the cool nights we have had recently. Enjoy the pictures and come by and see the garden in person.

Tree Protection - A vital step.

2009-10-09T10:35:00.000-04:00

Trees are valuable assets. If you've ever looked at building lots, you know that you will pay a premium for those with mature trees and for good reason. Trees near your home play a crucial role in controlling home energy use. Trees block out 70-80% of solar radiation which can lower cooling cost by 8-12%. They can also reduce the air temperature around your home up to 13 degrees. In the winter trees act as wind breaks and can lower heating cost up to 8%. Trees can also improve the air quality near your home. They absorb and trap airborne dirt and chemicals that can be potentially harmful to humans. They also store up to 13 pounds of carbon each year and produce oxygen for us to breath. I could go on and on but I think you get the point I'm trying to make. Trees are a big investment but are well worth it due to the benefits they give us.

All of that said, we need to think about protecting our trees! Most people enjoy having trees in there lawns and wouldn't think of harming them, but many people don't know that they are doing just that. Root compaction is the number one killer of trees in lawns and new construction. This is generally caused by traffic over the root system. In order to avoid this one should mulch to the edge of the drip line if possible to exclude vehicles and constant foot traffic from the main root system of a tree. In a construction setting one should fence off the tree root area to protect it from compaction and root damage.

Raising and lowering the grade of the soil around the tree can also lead to mortality. If one wants to raise the grade of the soil more than 4 inches then aeration must be provided. This can be done by creating a dry well. This simply means building areas up with rock or other materials to prevent the new soil from being added to this area. There is no cure for lowering the grade. Simply put, if you lower the grade of the soil you will remove roots. If more than 30% of the roots are removed the tree may begin to lean, get sick or die.

Trenching is also another problem that can be avoided. Many times we may need to bury a cable or pipe and we take a ditch witch and dig a trench. If we run this machine right past a tree we are cutting off many of the tree's roots. It would be much better to move outside the drip line (edge of outermost branches) of the tree in order to limit the number of severed roots. We could also bore under the tree instead of trenching in order to preserve roots.

If for some reason you do need to damage roots there are certain steps you can take to help the tree to recover. The first of those is to water. Watering is the most important activity you need to undertake to save the tree. Pruning out dead and disease wood, crossing branches and undesirable limbs will also help the tree. Depending on the amount of roots damaged the tree will likely go into decline, but if these steps are taken you could possibly save the damaged tree.

Trees are extremely valuable so take care of them. Protect them from harm and and you will enjoy them for years to come.

Lawns - I missed September can I do my lawn care in October?

2009-10-01T08:49:00.000-04:00

The quick answer is YES, but you should do it quickly.

In our area, fescue lawns really start to grow again in the middle of September. This is the time that you should be fertilizing your lawn. If you have missed the start point of the growth, don't fret! Simply get out and apply one pound of Nitrogen per 1000 sqft of lawn. This is equal to 10 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 1000 sqft. Some of you may ask why I recommend the standard 10-10-10 fertilizer over other types. Well, the other types have different ratios but in general, you can get more bang for your buck by applying the standard as I have mentioned.

By applying the fertilizer late you can expect to not get as much growth as you would if it was applied earlier but you will still be getting a good benefit from doing it. It's better to do it late than not at all.

One thing you should do prior to fertilizing is to take a soil sample. This is simply done by collecting soil from across your lawn, mixing it together and then placing it in a sample box (they are available at your local cooperative extension office) and sending it to our lab in Raleigh. In about a week or so you will receive a report informing you what nutrients you have in the soil and how you can fix it for what you are trying to grow. This knowledge can save you a lot of money by allowing you to apply exactly what you need and nothing more!

You will also be informed of your Ph level in the soil. This is an important number as it determines how and if your plants can use the nutrients you are providing them. If the Ph number is out of the proper range, then your plants may have all the nutrients they need but they won't be able to use them. It's always good to try to have a Ph around 6.5. This would be slightly acid. The soil test will inform how to accomplish this.

Fall gardens are growing but watch out for those moths!!

2009-09-29T12:31:00.000-04:00

By the end of September the fall garden should be well underway. If yours looks anything like ours here at the Davidson County Agriculture Center Demo Garden then you are very pleased up to this point. Yesterday I did my daily scout of the garden and to my surprise I found many eggs on the leaves of my cole crops laid by cabbage moths. Below is what the eggs of these moths look like. These eggs are generally laid on the underside of the leaves. I was surprised at the number of eggs present due to the fact that these moths are generally the most active in the spring. I have seen very few moths near the garden but it only takes one to totally devastate your crop. The two moths you need to look out for are shown below. The first one is the imported cabbage worm moth. These are noticed most commonly due to their white color. The second picture is of the cabbage looper moth.

These moths lay their eggs and when the eggs hatch the resulting worms eat the plants leaves until little is left.

The cabbage looper

The imported
cabbage worm

Infestation can be prevented by using row covers or by simply scouting your crop each day and rubbing out the eggs. These two measure are simple and easy on a small crop but for a bigger crop one my need to spray. The best way to control these worms is through use of bacillus thugensis or bt for short. This is a bacteria that infects the worms causing them to die. The bacteria is harmless to humans although one would not want to spray it on themselves. It can be purchased at most farm type stores under the name of Dipel or Thuricide. Dipel is generally sold as a powder and Thuricide is a concentrated liquid. These pesticides would need to be applied after each rain because the rain water will wash of the effective bacteria.

So if you see the moths, eggs or worms. Be ready to take action or you will end up with nothing more than a plant that is shot full of holes. Nobody said growing crops was easy but we have the means to deal with most problems so use them to the fullest!

Fall is for planting

2009-09-24T15:47:00.000-04:00

I always wonder why all the big box stores stock so many landscape plants in the spring when it is really the totally wrong time to be planting any woody shrubs and trees. I suppose the simple answer is that that's when we want to get out and work in the yard. I know it's tempting to buy a bunch of shrubs and redo the landscape in May but it is a BIG mistake!!

Planting is always best done in the fall for woody plants like trees and shrubs. Why is this you may ask? Well I'm about to tell you. First of all in the spring the plants you are wanting to put out are in the process of growing and this can spell disaster if you disturb the plant's roots to too great of a degree. The other reasons....well I'll make a list of why spring is not the best time to plant.

Frost! - this can cause major damage to plants that have been protected all winter in a nursery
Summer heat - How is that little plant going to survive the hot summer sun with a scrawny root system
Drought - Small root system = huge chance of the plant dying in the summer dry times
Root growth - Roots grow best in the cool fall and spring. If i plant in the spring I only get one chance for roots to grow before summer. If i plant in fall i get much more root growth and time for the plant to establish itself.
Care - many people plant in the spring only to stop caring for the tree or shrub during the hot summer. This leads to death!!

So the bottom line here is that if you can find shrubs and trees in the fall, consider yourself lucky and plant them. Do not wait until spring. I know you will be much happier with the results.

Now that you know when to plant, lets talk about how to plant. Most of us have heard that we should amend the soil in our planting holes but this is a terrible idea. This is especially true in clay soils. If you dig a hole and plant a tree in compost and peat moss all are doing is creating a mud pit that will hold water around your plants roots and it will drown! The key to planting right is to make sure the hole is no deeper than the root ball but make the hole much wider. This will give the roots some softer soil to grow into....but make sure you plant the tree in native soil and not amended soil! Truly the only thing you may want to do is to had a cup or two of lime and a handful of phosphorus fertilizer. This will help get the roots off to a good start. Also keep in mind that the roots have been growing in a pot most likely and you will need to cut or unbind them in some way. As you can see from the photo on the left, if you don't "fix" the roots your plant will eventually decline and die due to the roots girdling the plant. So don't be afraid to beat, bang and cut those roots so you get fresh straight root growth!

Plant at the right time, use the right techniques and you will have a thriving landscape from the beginning. Plant in the spring and you'll be fighting heat and drought for several years before your plants will truly become established. If you have the bug to plant in the spring; buy lots of annual flowers and compost and plant to your hearts desire!! Leave the trees and shrubs to until the fall.

Fall is a time for growth!

2009-09-23T13:32:00.000-04:00

When we think of fall, we generally think of falling leaves and things on the decline but we can change that perception. This has been the first year of our new vegetable demonstration garden here at the Davidson County Cooperative Extension Center and as the summer crops have passed I have now planted our fall garden. One look at the garden can change the mind of even the worst skeptic about fall gardening. The plants look great this year. It's amazing what good seed, a soil test and enough water can accomplish!

As you can see from the photos the plants are looking healthy. I did a thorough scouting of the garden earlier today and found no bugs at all nor did I find any disease or fungal infections. Fall is a great time to grow and if you are looking to start a fall vegetable garden it isn't too late! Get to your local nursery or farm store and get some transplants of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and any other cool season vegetable. With proper care you will have a bountiful harvest!