September, 2004

Dear Editors:

Another outdoor gardening season is winding down, so it’s time for the fall mailing of the MSU lawn and garden news packet. Timely stories for September, October and November include bulbs for naturalizing, what to do about home-invading ladybugs, exotic forest pests, saving seeds, growing herbs indoors and dividing perennials. The Garden Corner is on hand, as usual, with its questions and answers.

The winter packet isn’t even in the planning stages yet, so there’s plenty of time to suggest a story topic or a question for The Garden Corner. Other comments are welcome, also. It’s good to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Leslie Johnson
Extension Lawn and Garden Editor
Communication and Technology Services
312 Agriculture Hall, MSU
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
517-432-1555

LKJ/bl

August 24, 2004

Contact: Leslie Johnson

THE GARDEN CORNER

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Another gardening season is winding down, but lawn, garden and landscape questions are always in season. Michigan State University Extension specialists answer timely queries on vegetable and flower gardening, landscape ornamentals and related topics.

Q. What’s that smallish tree that you see so often growing in fencerows in states south and west of Michigan? The bark is sort of orange, and in the fall, the trees drop grapefruit-sized or larger fruits on the ground.

A. What you’re describing is the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera), also known as hedge apple. It grows in southern Michigan but is more common in Ohio and Indiana. At one time, it was planted widely in the Midwest to form natural fencing. It tolerates a wide range of growing conditions. Branches grow very low on the trunk and bear impressive thorns, so it makes a formidable fence for livestock. Its decay-resistant orange wood is prized for use in making bows for traditional archers. Female trees bear numerous 4- to 6-inch fruits that turn from yellow-green to bright yellow in the fall and resemble lumpy oranges. Their abundance, tough rinds and sticky white sap make them a nuisance in the landscape.

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Q. Most insects live for only a few weeks or months, but somehow they know that they need to prepare themselves or their offspring for winter. What tips them off that it’s time to go into overwintering mode or lay eggs or whatever?

A. Reduced day length -- decreasing amounts of sunlight -- is the insects’ primary cue, though cooler temperatures probably also play a role. In response, ladybird beetles, boxelder bugs and woolly bear caterpillars start looking for overwintering shelter, while other caterpillars spin cocoons; colonial wasps stop producing workers and produce queens that will mate and overwinter; and some aphids stop giving birth to live young and start laying eggs that can survive the winter and start the population over again. Like migrating birds, migrating insects respond to decreasing hours of daylight by beginning their southward migration.

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Q. What’s the story on woolly bear caterpillars predicting the weather? Is that just a myth or could there be some truth to it?

A. The belief is that the width of the black and brown bands on these hairy caterpillars and the density of their hair can predict the severity of the winter to come. Supposedly a wider brown band means a milder winter; more black means a harsher winter. If the worm is all black, look out! The density of the caterpillar’s hair covering might be a factor in its survival (these caterpillars overwinter as larvae rather than as pupae in cocoons, like numerous other moths, and the hair provides insulation), but it reflects the worm’s genetics -- thicker hair promoted survival of its ancestors, which passed the trait along. Likewise, the width of the color bands is inherited and has nothing to do with predicting the severity of the coming winter.

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Q. Daffodils are great, and I like tulips. I like the fragrance of hyacinths and wish the blooms lasted longer. I like crocus, too, but I’m wondering what else is out there in the spring bulb department.

A. One of the earliest flowering spring bulbs is winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis), a low-growing harbinger of spring that splashes the landscape with yellow blooms reminiscent of buttercups, usually in early to mid-March in southern Michigan. Sometimes they push up through snow as early as late February. Other early flowering bulbs include glory of the snow (Chiondoxa sp.), which produces clusters of star-shaped purple, pink or white flowers in early spring; snowdrops (Galanthus sp.), with their nodding white blossoms; and squill (Scilla sp.), which is most commonly blue, though pink and white varieties are also available. Flowering onions (Allium sp.) bloom later, producing globe-shaped flowers in purple or yellow on straight stalks.

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Q. Why is powdery mildew worse some years than others? Are some plants naturally more susceptible to it than others? What can I do to minimize it in my yard and garden?

A. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease. It generally occurs in late summer and early fall. Moisture on the foliage promotes its development, so wet weather or heavy dew can be a factor. Some plants are indeed more susceptible to powdery mildew. Among landscape ornamentals prone to powdery mildew are lilac, euonymus, dahlia, honeysuckle, phlox, privet, rose and zinnia. In the vegetable garden, look for powdery mildew to develop on squash and melon plants. Avoiding susceptible plants is one approach; improving the air circulation around susceptible plants may help. Ways to do this include opening up landscape plants by pruning, planting in sunny, open areas and spacing plants so air can move between them. Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization, which promotes the young, succulent growth that powdery mildew thrives on, and water in the middle of the day rather than in the evening during August and September. Spraying with fungicides is possible but not always feasible for homeowners, who don’t have access to the more effective chemicals.

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Q. I grew sweet potatoes for the firs time this year. When do I harvest the tubers?

A. Sweet potatoes are very sensitive to cold temperatures. The tuberous roots should be harvested around the time the vines are killed by frost or shortly thereafter. The roots will continue to grow until the vines die. They can be left in the ground for a while after that, but a hard frost can damage those near the surface, and temperatures of 50 degrees and lower can cause chilling injury. Roots left sitting in cold, wet soil may start to decay. Any of these injuries can lead to decay in storage. To improve the sweetness of sweet potatoes, cure them before storing them -- this converts the starch in the tubers to sugar. To cure sweet potatoes, hold them for about 10 days at temperatures of 80 to 85 degrees and high relative humidity (85 to 90 percent). If temperatures are between 65 and 75 degrees, extend the curing time to two to three weeks. After curing, store sweet potatoes in a dark location where temperatures of 55 to 60 degrees F can be maintained.

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Q. How can I identify poison ivy so I can keep myself, my kids and my dog away from it?

A. Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is usually a woody plant, with leaves made up of three leaflets. So that old rhyme, "Leaflets three, let it be!" is good advice. It’s about all the help you’ll get in identifying poison ivy, because in addition to being a climbing vine (which can also grow along the ground) or a shrub, the plant may vary in other ways. The edges of the leaflets may be smooth, toothed or lobed, and the leaf surface shiny or dull, and leaves on the same plant can be different. The flowers are small and inconspicuous. Poison ivy bears grayish white, waxy berries in late summer or fall, and fall color is often an outstanding red. The oil that causes poisoning in sensitive individuals occurs in all parts of the plant at all times of the year, and it isn’t necessary to touch the plant itself – the oil can be transferred via pets, clothing, tools and other items that have been in contact with the plant.

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It’s fall bulb planting time, and you find yourself tempted to buy that bushel of bulbs from the seed catalog and create a wildflower meadow look by planting the bulbs in your lawn.

"You probably won’t be disappointed with the results," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Especially if you choose varieties specifically recommended for naturalizing, the floral display should be everything you hoped for."

The problem comes after flowering. The lawn will need mowing long before the bulb foliage has died down. Remove the foliage prematurely and the bulbs probably won’t give a repeat performance the next year.

"The foliage makes the food that’s stored in the bulb," she explains. "That stored food provides for the next year’s flowers. Remove the foliage and the bulbs may manage to send up some leaves the next year, but they probably won’t produce a profusion of flowers."

If you like the informal look of naturalized bulbs and you don’t want to have to replant every year, you need to plant the bulbs in areas that won’t have to be mowed. If you’re establishing a wildflower patch in your yard, plant your bulbs there, she suggests. Other possibilities include the mulched area beneath a group of deciduous trees and shrubs, on the edge of a wooded area and on a steep bank planted to ground cover plants. In any of these areas, the foliage will be free to wither away in its own time after preparing the bulbs to flower again the next year.

Daffodils are good for naturalizing because they multiply readily and come up dependably year after year. The mice, deer and other animals that feed on other bulbs don’t usually bother daffodils. They grow well in full sun or in the light shade of deciduous trees and shrubs; not so well in the dense shade beneath evergreens. Their main requirement is good drainage, McLellan points out -- they don’t do well in poorly drained areas.

The key to success is buying and planting good quality bulbs. To avoid a flowers-all-in-a-row look, scatter them by handfuls over the planting area, varying the density and the spacing between clusters, and plant them where they fall. Use a bulb planter or trowel to make planting holes twice as deep as the height of the bulb. Plant after loosening the soil at the bottom of the hole and mixing in a teaspoon of a complete fertilizer formulated for bulbs. Set the bulb upright in the hole and fill in with soil, firming it around the bulb; then water. When all the bulbs are planted, water the entire area thoroughly to moisten the soil beneath the bulbs, where root growth will occur.

After the bulbs flower in the spring, leave the foliage to die down naturally, and fertilize at a rate of about 1 tablespoon of bulb fertilizer per square foot. Water the fertilizer in and, if the weather is dry, water deeply once a week until the leaves yellow. Once this happens, the bulbs are dormant and the foliage can be removed, if you like, or left to decompose.

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or D. McCullough
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-7445
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The emerald ash borer has been in the news for the past year or so, especially in southeastern Michigan, where millions of trees have been killed and 13 counties have been quarantined to try to contain its spread. But it’s just the latest in a long line of exotic pests to move into the state.

Exotic pests, explains Michigan State University forest entomologist Deb McCullough, originated in other parts of the world and were brought to the United States sometimes on purpose (e.g., the gypsy moth) but usually by accident (wood-boring beetles arriving here in packing crates, for instance). Once here, without the natural enemies and other controls present in their homelands, many have become major pests of trees.

Eighteen of these invaders are highlighted in a handy pocket-sized booklet from Michigan State University Extension. Some of these pests of forest and landscape trees are already established in Michigan; others have not been detected here yet but are present elsewhere in the United States. Already present in Michigan are the European gypsy moth, oak wilt disease and beech bark disease (an insect-disease combo threatening Michigan beech trees). Foresters and arborists are on the lookout for such pests as the Asian longhorned beetle (found in Chicago in 1998 and Toronto in 2003), the brown spruce longhorned beetle (identified in Nova Scotia in 1999) and the European spruce bark beetle (frequently intercepted in wood packing materials at ports of entry).

Color photos show pests in various developmental stages and symptoms of their damage. Descriptions of hosts and damage symptoms, background information and tips on identifying the pests make the booklet useful to arborists, foresters and homeowners.

"Directory of Exotic Forest Insect and Disease Pests" is available for $4 from MSU Extension county offices or the MSU Bulletin Office, 117 Central Services Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1001. Phone 517-353-6740 for ordering information. For information about the emerald ash borer, which turned up in Michigan just after the booklet was printed, visit www.emeraldashborer.info.

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or H. Russell
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-9386
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It’s no laughing matter when the sweaters and woolens you put away last spring come out of storage with holes chewed in them.

"Usually people’s first thought is ‘Moths!’" says Michigan State University Extension entomologist Howard Russell. "But clothes moths are just one of the pests that feed on household fabrics."

More common are carpet beetles, whose larvae feed not only on fabrics of animal origin (wool and silk) but also on fur, feathers, lint and pet hair, mounted animals and birds, insect collections, abandoned bird nests, dead animals and pet food.

Adult carpet beetles are oblong, hard-backed and dull-colored. Their larvae are segmented, bristly or hairy, and carrot- to bullet-shaped. Both carpet beetle larvae and clothes moth larvae -- tiny caterpillars -- feed on fabrics and other materials that are left undisturbed for long periods -- carpeting under furniture that isn’t moved very often, wool clothing and blankets in storage for the warm months, etc.

Fabrics that are stored without being cleaned first are especially likely to attract the attention of pests, Russell points out. Rooms should be vacuumed as often as necessary to prevent the buildup of hair, lint and other carpet beetle food materials. Any out-of-the-way place where these materials can accumulate can become home to these pests.

A dead mouse in the wall, a bird nest in the attic, old wasp nests, dead ladybugs, or a bag of wild bird seed or dry dog or cat food can be the start of an infestation. From there, pests can spread to stored fabrics, animal or bird mounts, feather pillows, and other fabrics and fibers.

Mothballs will protect stored fabrics, Russell notes. Place the mothballs between two layers of paper and then place the paper between layers of clothing. The final step is to place the items in a box or chest that can be tightly sealed to maintain the mothball vapors at a concentration high enough to repel the insects.

A cedar chest is effective only if the clothing is free of pests when it is stored and the chest is recharged annually with fresh cedar oil and can be tightly sealed.

Getting control of an established infestation involves a thorough inspection to uncover possible sources, followed by a thorough cleaning to eliminate food sources and insects. After vacuuming, be sure to dispose of the vacuum bag immediately, Russell advises, to eliminate any insects that may have survived the trip through the vacuum.

"Only after removing infested materials and cleaning should you use a residual insecticide labeled for indoor use against these pests," he says. "Sanitation is always the first step."

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- OK, you’ve done your homework -- you know that you want a deciduous tree that grows no more than 40 feet tall, that’s free of serious pests and hardy in Michigan, and you’ve narrowed the possibilities to three. The main difference? One has brilliant red foliage in the fall; the leaves on the others simply turn brown and fall off.

Which will you choose? Unless your landscape is awash in fall color so that one more hue would be one too many, surely you’d pick the one with outstanding fall color.

"Other traits are more important than fall color," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Whether the tree is hardy -- whether it will survive average to colder-than-average winters here -- whether it will fit the location where you want to plant it when it reaches its mature size, whether it’s prone to develop serious insect or disease problems or suffer damage from ice and wind storms -- all these things are more critical to a plant’s success in your landscape. But after you’ve eliminated the choices that don’t quite measure up in these criteria, why not use fall color to help you choose from the others?"

Fall color can be more than foliage -- colorful fruits can add to the fall display and even continue it into the winter. And the birds and other wildlife that may visit your yard to feed on them can be an extra bonus.

Checking out the fall display of the plants you are considering planting is one approach. Another is to watch for attractive plants and then research their other traits to see if they match your needs, McLellan suggests. If you’re going at it that way, a visit to your local nursery or an arboretum where plants are carefully labeled is a good start.

"You can also watch for outstanding color in landscapes and stands of native plants," she notes, "but it can be difficult to identify these plants precisely and sometimes impossible to find them available commercially."

Trees frequently recommended to add fall color to the landscape include the red maples ‘Autumn Blaze,’ ‘October Glory’ and ‘Red Sunset.’ They turn orange-red, rich golden yellow and flaming red, respectively. Sugar maples provide shades of yellow, orange and red. Japanese maple and callery pear add a dash of reddish purple to the landscape. For deep red, consider red or white oak; for yellow, honey locust, hornbeam and poplar.

Colorful shrubs include the viburnums, some of which are known as "burning bush" because of their bright red fall foliage.

For another type of fall display, check out the common witchhazel, Hamamelis virginiana. It flowers in late October to early November, just as its foliage turns golden yellow.

Ivy and some other creeping ground covers will stay green long after deciduous trees and shrubs have lost their leaves, McLellan points out, providing a green counterpoint to the warmer colors of woody ornamentals.

"Some plants with striking fall color have other less desirable traits," she notes.

The gingko, a prehistoric species with fan-shaped leaves, has a pleasant butter-yellow fall color. It’s hardy and essentially free of insect and disease problems, but the female trees bear messy, smelly fruits. To be sure of getting a male tree, buy nursery stock grown from cuttings, rather than seeds.

Sassafras, whose variably shaped leaves turn a brilliant red-orange in the fall, isn’t often used in landscapes because it rarely survives transplanting.

Mountain ash is often planted for its clusters of orange fruits, but it’s prone to both insect and disease problems and usually short-lived in the landscape. Some crabapple varieties likewise have serious disease problems. Less problem-prone species and varieties require less maintenance to live longer and perform better in the landscape.

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Once the harvest is done, it’s time for a fall cleanup of the vegetable garden and orchard. The flower garden, too, will benefit from having fading plants removed or cut back.

The aim of a fall cleanup, explains Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University, is to remove diseased plant materials and overwintering insects that could cause problems next year.

"Cleaning up fallen leaves and fruits around fruit trees is a key part of the pest and disease control program," she points out. "It can significantly reduce the carryover of insect and disease problems."

In the vegetable garden, diseased plant materials are best dealt with by burning, if possible. Composting may destroy disease organisms, if the pile gets hot enough, but using the resulting compost in the vegetable garden may reintroduce the organisms. Healthy plant materials can be composted or simply tilled into the site. To add still more organic matter and nutrients, till in lawn clippings and shredded leaves, also.

Tilling the garden spot in the fall also eliminates overwintering shelter for cucumber beetles, squash bugs, European corn borers and other pesky insects, she adds.

Begin cleaning up flower beds by removing frost-killed annuals and cutting herbaceous perennials back to a few inches above plant crowns (the place where the stems meet the roots), and removing the foliage. Plants that provide winter interest, such as the dried flowers of sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and perennial grasses, can be left until early spring. If you do this, be sure to remove them before new growth begins.

"Removing the old foliage from irises can help prevent problems from iris borers, moths that lay their overwintering eggs on iris leaves," McLellan points out. "In late spring, when the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into the iris rhizomes, which usually become infected with bacterial rots that make them go all soft and mushy."

Falling leaves usually need to be dealt with more than once, McLellan observes, to keep leaves from matting and injuring the lawn. They can be raked and shredded and added to a compost pile, shredded and used for mulch in the flower garden, or shredded in place with the lawn mower and recycled right on the lawn.

"With big or tough leaves such as sycamore and oak, it may take two or three passes with the mower to chop them finely enough to sift down through the grass," she notes, "but they will break down quickly, especially if you apply a light dose of nitrogen fertilizer -- 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet."

Late winter or early spring is the best time to prune grapevines, fruit trees and many landscape plants, McLellan says, but dead or damaged limbs and branches can be pruned in the fall. Spring-flowering shrubs should be pruned after they flower, whenever possible, to avoid removing the flower buds, which form in the summer.

A final lawn mowing may be the last cleanup chore because the cool-season turfgrass species used in Michigan will continue to grow well into the fall. Mowing the lawn before winter helps prevent a number of lawn diseases.

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The best time to dig and divide daylilies, iris, hosta, peonies and other spring- and summer-blooming perennials is late summer or early fall.

Overcrowding is one reason to divide perennials, says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. In this case, dividing rejuvenates the planting. Increasing the number of plants in the garden is another reason. This is the best time of year to relocate perennials, also, she notes.

"Some perennials -- peonies, especially -- will grow in one place for years without needing dividing," she points out. "Others, such as daylilies and iris, may overfill their allotted space. Iris may quit blooming if plantings get too dense."

Hostas seldom get overcrowded but can be easily propagated by dividing young plants. Older plants are less likely to reestablish after being divided and so should be left where they are or replaced with young divisions.

Whether you’re relocating plants or expanding your plantings, it’s a good idea to prepare the planting site before you dig and divide the plants, McLellan suggests. If you’re converting an area from sod to flowers, thoroughly removing the grass is a must. Otherwise, it will keep trying to make a comeback. Deep spading, incorporating some organic matter and mixing in a little fertilizer will get any site ready for your new plants.

Dig plants to be moved or divided carefully to minimize root injury. A spading fork, if you have one, is preferable to a spade or shovel. Lift as much of the root system as possible. Then use a large sharp knife to cut the larger roots or rhizomes into smaller pieces.

"Peonies need three to five pink eyes or buds on each section," McLellan notes. "Iris needs one fan of leaves and several feeder roots; for daylily, a single fan division is fine."

Daylilies are not particular about how or where they’re planted. Peonies and iris are another story. Planting peony crowns with the eyes more than 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface may inhibit flowering. Likewise iris rhizomes need to be planted right at the soil surface, not buried. Iris and peonies also need full sun; daylilies will grow in sun or partial shade.

Water newly planted divisions after planting and occasionally through the fall if the weather is dry to help them get well established before winter. Applying a winter mulch will protect them against alternate freezing and thawing, which can push plants right up out of the soil.

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or H. Russell
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-9386
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Sometimes the shedding of leaves in autumn reveals more than the limb structure of the trees. It makes visible yellow jackets’ nests that were hidden by the foliage.

The mottled gray, top-shaped papery nests hanging at the tips of tree branches were made by bald-faced hornets or yellow jackets, says Howard Russell, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University. Though they are popularly known as hornets, bald-faced hornets are not true hornets but close relatives of yellow jackets, he notes. Several other species of yellow jackets also build their nests in trees. The building material is paper, made of wood fibers chewed and partially digested by the worker wasps, then applied to the nest in thin sheets. Because the insects use a variety of wood types, a close-up look at the nest may reveal yellow, green, orange and brown patches.

The nest building began in the spring, when the queen built the first small compartment, laid a few eggs and reared the first workers. Soon her offspring took over, and nest building continued all summer. Nests usually reach basketball size or larger by fall, and workers may number in the thousands. The queen continues to lay eggs, producing more and more workers until reductions in day length as fall approaches signal a change. Then she lays eggs that mature into males and queens-to-be. When these mature, they will mate. Then the males, the old queen and the workers die, while the new queens overwinter in sheltered places. In the spring, they start the whole cycle again.

Yellow jackets are active hunters, seeking out sources of protein to feed their young. Away from the nest they are fairly docile, but they defend their nest fiercely. Each can and will sting repeatedly.

"Hornets do not reoccupy an old nest," Russell points out. "And without constant maintenance, nests deteriorate quickly. They are usually safe to examine after a period of consistently cold weather and several hard frosts in the fall. The only inhabitants are likely to be scavenger insects feeding on undeveloped larvae. Nothing in the nests will hatch and emerge as an adult hornet."

To preserve a nest that you’ve collected, you can air-dry it or bake it in the oven at its lowest setting for an hour or so. This will dry it and kill any insects or other creatures that may have moved in.

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- If you’re thinking about getting a living tree for the holidays this year, one that you can plant outdoors afterward, it would be a good idea to prepare the planting site well ahead of time.

Dig the planting hole before the ground freezes, advises Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University, and stockpile the soil somewhere it won’t freeze.

Choose a healthy-looking balled-and-burlapped tree with a sizable root ball, and keep it in a sheltered spot outdoors as long as possible, with damp peat or sphagnum moss packed around it.

When you take the tree indoors, place it in a cool location away from heat sources such as hot air registers, fireplaces or woodstoves, south-facing windows or heat-generating appliances, including strings of hot lights, she advises.

"The aim is twofold: to keep the tree from breaking dormancy, which would make it susceptible to winter injury when it goes outside again, and to keep the foliage from drying out," she explains.

Keep the tree in the house for only a short time, easing it outside the same way it came in -- by way of a cool, protected site. If you have an area where you can store the tree where temperatures rarely go below freezing or above 48 degrees, you can keep it in its container until spring. Five to 6 inches of wood chips or other organic material will help keep the roots from drying out.

If you prepared the planting site ahead of time, you can plant the tree after the holiday. Remove any wire, plastic or other non-biodegradable materials from the root ball and trunk, set the root ball in the planting hole and backfill with the stockpiled soil. Water it well, add more soil, if necessary, and mulch. Place burlap tacked to stakes around the tree to protect the foliage from damage by winter sun and wind.

#lkj#

Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Sometimes clichés are right on target. Take the one about turning a problem into an opportunity, for instance -- it certainly applies to composting yard waste.

"Yard waste can be a disposal problem -- you can’t put it in a landfill, and in many areas you can’t burn it," observes Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "But you can compost it. This reduces the volume of material and creates a handy soil conditioner for use in your lawn and garden. It also recycles plant nutrients."

Mixing compost with a heavy clay soil improves drainage and aeration, she notes. Mixed into a sandy soil, compost improves the soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients for plants. In either case, the result is a healthier environment for plants.

Bacteria present in the soil do the work of decomposing yard waste -- how much effort you expend to encourage the process is up to you, McLellan observes.

"The easiest way to compost organic waste is to bury it directly into garden soil," she says. "Another relatively low-effort approach is to use organic materials for mulch around garden or landscape plants. Building and managing a compost pile involves a little more effort but provides finished compost in a fairly short time."

Compost piles can be contained in bins or wire enclosures, though they don’t have to be. Layering and then mixing yard waste and topsoil along with some manure or nitrogen fertilizer provides raw materials, bacteria and the nitrogen that the bacteria need to thrive. The only other ingredients needed are moisture and oxygen. Watering the pile as needed to keep it moist (not soaking wet) and turning it occasionally with a pitchfork provide these.

Large amounts of yard waste may make it worthwhile to build a series of turning bins, McLellan suggests. Compost is started on one end of the line of bins. When it needs turning (when the pile begins to cool), it’s turned into the next one.

Heat is an important part of the process, she notes -- it indicates that the bacteria are working, and it may kill at least some weed seeds and disease organisms. An unmanaged pile -- one made up of yard waste without soil, manure or fertilizer to provide bacteria and accelerate their action and allowed to work at its pace, with no watering or turning -- may not heat up, she cautions. Using the compost may then spread weed seeds and plant diseases.

"However you decide to manage your composting operation, it’s a good idea to chop or shred the yard waste before you add it," McLellan advises. "This increases the surface area and speeds the decomposition process."

If you add sawdust, shredded paper and woody plant parts to your pile, it’s a good idea to increase the manure or fertilizer you add.

Compost is finished when the material is cool, even after turning and mixing. It can then be mixed with topsoil and used as a topdressing for lawns, worked into the vegetable garden or flower beds, or added to houseplant potting soil.

Avoid using unfinished compost around plants, McLellan cautions -- the bacteria will tie up available nitrogen until decomposition is complete, and this may result in nitrogen deficiency in plants.

More information on composting is available at county MSU Extension offices. They’re listed in the telephone directory under "County Government."

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Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or S. Bughrara
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 432-8017
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Late summer into early fall in Michigan is the best time to establish a new lawn from seed or renovate an old one. The other key to success is selecting the right turfgrass species.

"Consider the growing conditions on the site, the intended use of the area and the level of management that you’re willing to give the lawn," advises Suleiman Bughrara, turfgrass specialist in the Michigan State University Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. "Then you can select a species or mixture of species with the growth characteristics, site adaptations and management requirements that will give you the best results."

In Michigan, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and fine-leaf fescue are the turfgrass species most commonly used in home lawns. Most commercially produced sod is Kentucky bluegrass, but homeowners establishing lawns from seed can take advantage of the wide variety of grass seed mixtures available to create a custom lawn that fits site conditions.

Whether and how often you intend to fertilize, how often you’ll mow and whether you’ll irrigate in summer are the main components of lawn management, Bughrara explains. The other related factors are wear tolerance and recuperative ability -- how the lawn will hold up under heavy use or high traffic, and how fast it recovers from injury.

"These are all important considerations because turfgrass species vary in the level of management they require and how well they hold up under and recover from heavy use," he notes.

Kentucky bluegrass, for instance, does best on a sunny to lightly shaded, well-drained and moist area and requires moderate to high levels of soil fertility. It recovers rapidly from injury because of its growth habit -- it spreads aggressively from underground stems to form a dense sod. It grows rapidly during cool, moist weather but goes dormant in summer without irrigation. Seed germination and grass establishment are slow, and thatch, diseases and insects can become problems.

Perennial ryegrass requires about the same site conditions and management but is much quicker than Kentucky bluegrass to germinate and establish. It has a bunch-type growth habit, forming slowly spreading clumps. It is slow to recuperate from injury. It is often mixed with Kentucky bluegrass, especially where quick cover is needed.

Tall fescue is coarser textured than Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass, but it tolerates low soil fertility and requires only low to moderate levels of management. Fertilizer requirements are relatively low, and tall fescue usually stays green in the summer without irrigation. It holds up well under heavy use but is slow to recuperate when injury does occur. It’s often recommended in mixtures with Kentucky bluegrass for high-traffic and low-maintenance areas.

Fine-leaf fescue is well suited to dry, moderately shaded areas and infertile, acidic soil. It’s often mixed with Kentucky bluegrass for planting dry, shaded areas. Fine-leaf fescue has poor wear tolerance; adding perennial ryegrass to the mixture improves its ability to tolerate use. Management requirements of fine fescue are low. Thatch and disease can develop when it’s grown in moist, highly fertile areas.

For more information on establishing a lawn from seed, including recommended cultivars of each turfgrass species, contact your county MSU Extension office or the bulletin office at MSU and ask for "Turfgrass Species and Cultivar Selection" (E-2912, 60 cents) and "Establishing a New Lawn Using Seed" (E-2910, 75 cents). Call the bulletin office at 517-353-6740 for ordering information or visit <http://www.emdc.msue.msu.edu>. Bulletins on other turf topics are also available.

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Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Saving seed from plants in your garden can be a lot of work, and in most cases, the results aren’t worth the effort.

Most of today’s top varieties of flowers and vegetables are hybrids, points out Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. When pollination occurs, the desirable traits of these varieties are often lost in the shuffle of genetic material. The plants that grow from these seeds, therefore, may bear little resemblance to the plants that produced the seeds. Or to one another, for that matter.

"The results of growing these seeds may be interesting, but they’re likely to be disappointing if you’re expecting the same high quality that you had in the parent plants," McLellan says.

What if you’ve grown non-hybrids, also referred to as open-pollinated crops? These tend to breed true unless cross-pollinated by closely related crops.

"Unless you’re growing a rare or old-time variety that’s no longer commercially available, however, or swapping seeds with other growers of heirloom varieties, you’re looking at a lot of work -- harvesting, drying, cleaning and storing home-grown seeds -- to save seeds that are probably commercially available at comparatively low cost," she points out. "Seeds of open-pollinated varieties are usually quite a bit less expensive than those of the new and improved hybrids."

Saving home-grown seed can also result in the carryover of plant diseases from year to year, she adds.

Gardeners who enjoy that self-sufficient feeling that comes from producing seed one year and growing a crop from it the next are likely to get the best results from open-pollinated varieties of snap beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, petunias, impatiens, cosmos, celosia, sunflowers, marigolds and zinnias.

To harvest seed from these plants, you must allow the vegetables and flowers to mature, then remove the seeds and clean and dry them. This reduces the chances of mold damage during storage.

To store home-grown seed or leftover commercial seeds, place them in labeled envelopes in airtight jars and add a moisture-absorbing material such as silica gel or 2 heaping tablespoons of nonfat dry milk wrapped in facial tissue in each jar. Store closed containers in a cool spot; a refrigerator or a cool, dry basement is good. For best results, storage temperatures need to be below 55 or 60 degrees F.

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Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or H. Russell
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-9386
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It used to be that even people who didn’t like most insects liked ladybugs. After all, they’re small, not too creepy-looking, brightly colored -- and they eat aphids! What’s not to like?

How about seeing the outside of your home covered with ladybugs on a warm fall day and dozens or hundreds of ladybugs crawling on indoor walls and sunny windows? Or how about vacuuming ladybugs indoors more or less steadily from fall through late spring?

"Add to that the pungent odor of distressed ladybugs and the fact that the Asian lady beetle bites, and you have a once popular insect that’s rapidly losing its charm," says Howard Russell, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University.

If you’ve been inundated with the bright orange insects, you’re probably aware of all that -- what you want to know is what to do about them.

For insects gathering on sunlight surfaces outdoors, Russell recommends washing them off with a stream of water from a garden hose. Better yet, if you have a hose-end attachment for applying fertilizer or pesticides, use it to hose down the ladybugs with a strong soap solution. The soap will have some insecticidal effect, and the water will move the insects off the structure. Ladybugs don’t need large openings to find a way inside, Russell points out, and they are much more likely to find one and enter than you are to find it and seal it up.

"Which doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to seal up cracks and gaps where ladybugs and other insects may enter," he notes. "It just means that you probably won’t totally prevent insects from getting inside."

Applying insecticides around probable entry points or having a professional pest control company treat the building exterior is another option. Treatments need to be made when the first beetles appear on the building, usually after the first cold snap in late September or early October, Russell observes. Do-it-yourselfers can use permethrin (sold under various brand names), cyfluthrin (sold as Bayer Advanced Home Insect Control or Bayer Advanced Garden Insect Control) or one of the Ortho products labeled for this use. Follow all label directions, he urges, and wear protective clothing -- eye goggles, rubber gloves, wide-brimmed hat and raincoat -- especially when spraying above your head.

Ladybugs that find their way indoors can be collected and released outside or dropped into a jar of soapy water, or vacuumed. It’s a good idea to empty or discard the sweeper’s dust bag, Russell notes, so that any beetles that survive the ride through the vacuum don’t simply crawl out again.

"Using your vacuum to collect the ladybugs may result in the machine taking on the smell of the ladybugs," he adds.

Ladybugs are attracted to light, so one control alternative is to make a light trap. Plans are available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/lbeetle/001030.trap.pdf. Another option is to spray an insecticide registered for indoor use along baseboards and around windows, then vacuum up the dead insects.

Another option is to do nothing. Ladybugs indoors generally become inactive once the outdoor temperature drops so that exterior walls cool off. They can become active again during midwinter warming spells as well as in spring.

"Except for leaving their odor and dried-out carcasses around, ladybugs don’t do any harm indoors," he points out. "They’re just looking for a sheltered place to spend the winter. If they’d find it somewhere besides in people’s homes, folks would be much happier and more willing to take a live-and-let-live approach to them."

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Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: Leslie Johnson
Telephone: 517-432-1555
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Maybe you’re landscaping a new property or learning how to manage your woodlot, or perhaps you’re planning a fall color tour and thinking it would add to the experience if you could tell what kinds of trees you’re looking at.

Whether you’re a property owner, a color tourist, a youth leader, an outdoor recreationist, the parent of an inquisitive child -- "What kind of tree is that, Dad?" -- or anyone else with the occasional need to tell an ash tree from a black walnut, Michigan State University Extension has a bulletin for you. It’s "Identifying Trees of Michigan," E-2332.

Detailed line drawings show the characteristic leaf shape, twigs, buds and fruit of 64 tree species commonly found in Michigan. You can use the drawings alone or in combination with a key that divides trees first into broadleaf trees and trees with needles or scale-like leaves. Choices based on characteristics such as the number of needles in a bundle or the shape and arrangement of leaves on a stem lead to an identification. You can then double-check it by referring to the illustrations.

The 24-page booklet is available for $2 at county MSU Extension offices or from the MSU Bulletin Office, 117 Central Services, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1001. Call 517-353-6740 for ordering information or visit the bulletin office on the Web at www.emdc.msue.msu.edu.

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Communication and Technology Services
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
8/24/04

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A sunny windowsill can be the source of fresh cooking herbs this winter if you start new plants now.

Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University, says the easiest herbs to grow indoors are chives, mint, parsley, sweet marjoram and basil. Though these and other herbs can be grown from seed, she recommends starting new plants from cuttings from garden plants.

"Herb seeds are generally slow to germinate," she explains, "and damping-off, a fungal disease, can be a problem with seedlings."

Start your windowsill herb garden by taking 4- to 6-inch cuttings from healthy plants in the garden. Insert the cut ends in moist sand or vermiculite, and keep the medium moist until roots appear. Then pot the new plants in a sterile houseplant potting mix, place them in a sunny south-facing window or under bright artificial light, and water whenever the soil surface feels dry. Herbs need little or no fertilizer, she notes, unless you are cutting them frequently.

"Too much nitrogen may cause herbs to lose their characteristic flavor and aroma," she cautions.

An alternative to starting new plants from cuttings is to divide and repot garden plants. Be sure to remove as much of the garden soil from the roots as possible, she advises, and pot the divisions in a houseplant potting mix.

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