June, July, & August, 2001
Dear Editors:
Spring is in the air, but the summer lawn and garden news packet is in your mailbox! As usual, I’ve been thinking summer before my spring planting is even underway, and the fall packet is already in the planning stage. Timely topics for June, July and August include TLC for asparagus after harvest, earwigs, reading a pesticide label, flowers for hot summers and taking cuttings from annuals for indoor plants next winter. The good news is that defoliation by gypsy moth is expected to be way down this year; the bad news is that the forest tent caterpillar is expected to take up the slack in the north and the U.P. The Garden Corner is on hand, as usual, with timely questions about garden, lawn and landscape topics. Now is the time to pass along story ideas for fall or questions for The Garden Corner. Other comments and suggestions are welcome, too. It’s good to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Leslie Johnson
Extension Lawn and Garden Editor
ANR Communications
312 Agriculture Hall, MSU
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
517-432-1555
LKJ/bl
LAWN AND GARDEN RELEASES FOR JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST
ASPARAGUS NEEDS AFTER-HARVEST TLC
EARWIGS: CREEPY-LOOKING NUISANCE PESTS
GYPSY MOTHS DOWN THIS YEAR; FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR UP
LATE SUMMER, EARLY FALL BEST TIME TO PLANT IRIS
POWDERY MILDEW COATS PLANT LEAVES IN LATE SUMMER, EARLY FALL
PREPARE SITE FOR NEW LAWN IN SUMMER
SOME PLANTS THRIVE IN LONG, HOT SUMMER
TAKE CUTTINGS FROM ANNUALS TO EXTEND THE SEASON
THAT LONG-LEGGED BROWN SPIDER IS PROBABLY NOT A BROWN RECLUSE
THINNING PROMOTES HIGH QUALITY IN CROPS GROWN FROM SEED
‘VEGETABLE’ MAY BE SEED, STEM, LEAF, FLOWER -- EVEN A FRUIT!
'WHY DOESN’T IT FLOWER?' IS COMMON QUESTION
5/15/01
Contact: Leslie Johnson
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Summertime brings gardening questions! Extension specialists answer timely queries about vegetable gardening, woody ornamentals, insects and related topics.
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A. Antennae serve a variety of sensory functions. In some insects, they’re used to pick up
vibrations in the air -- for hearing, in other words. Other insects use their antennae for tasting
and smelling. Male gypsy moths, for instance, use their antennae to detect the chemicals given
off by female moths. Flies use their antennae to pick up the odor of manure or a dead creature
to lay their eggs on, and ants use theirs to pick up alarm chemicals produced by their
nestmates.
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A. Radishes, like beets and turnips, tend to get woody and tough as they get older. It sounds as if
you waited too long to harvest them.
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A. Lettuce is a cool-season crop, and in the high temperatures of summer, it will do just what
you’ve described. Some varieties tolerate heat better than others -- look for these and other
bolt-resistant greens in your seed catalogs.
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#lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
ASPARAGUS NEEDS AFTER-HARVEST TLC
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A little postharvest care is the best way to encourage an abundant asparagus harvest next year.
June is the time to fertilize asparagus and continue efforts to control asparagus beetles and weeds, says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. Together, these actions promote healthy plants and good yields.
Fertilizing after harvest helps build up root reserves for next year’s growth, she explains. The best way to meet plant nutrient needs is to have a soil test run. In the absence of soil test recommendations, a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-10 at a rate of 2 ½ to 3 pounds per 100 square feet of garden area should be sufficient.
Asparagus beetles are small, oblong, brightly colored insects that lay their eggs on asparagus spears and feed on the foliage, McLellan explains. If they’re present in large numbers, their eggs will contaminate the harvest and their feeding will defoliate the plants. Plants then have to use their energy reserves to produce new foliage rather than use their foliage to build reserves. The result is reduced yield next year.
Keep an eye on the plants and contact your county Extension office for a control recommendation if beetles become plentiful, she advises.
Weed control reduces competition for water and soil nutrients and removes potential hosts for insect pests or disease organisms. Shallow cultivation alongside rows augmented by hand pulling weeds among spears is the usual home garden choice. Troublesome perennial weeds such as quackgrass need to be controlled before asparagus is planted, McLellan notes – they are very difficult to control after the crowns are in place.
#lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or T. Ellis
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-8478
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
EARWIGS: CREEPY-LOOKING NUISANCE PESTS
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- For an insect that rarely flies and can’t crawl long distances, the European earwig has really gotten around. This native of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa has made its way to eastern Africa, the East Indies, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, probably by hitchhiking in plants, packing crates and other things hauled from one place to another.
Unknown in the United States before 1900, European earwigs are now found throughout the eastern and western United States.
"People have not only provided them transportation to new territory but created an inviting environment for them," says Tom Ellis, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University. "Earwigs love a moist environment with lots of cracks and crevices, and that’s just what we’ve been providing in recent years by building decks and mulching landscape plants and flower beds."
Earwigs are primarily scavengers -- they’ll eat algae, fungi, mosses, pollen, insects and mites (dead or alive), and plant material. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. During the daytime, they hide under decks, in mulched flower beds and in plant debris.
The pincher-like appendages on the rear end of the earwig make it easy to recognize. The insect is dark reddish brown and about 5/8 inches long. Populations tend to be higher in years with plentiful summer rains.
Though earwigs may occasionally cause minor damage in flower and vegetable gardens, people usually are most unhappy if they find earwigs in the house. "They do no damage indoors, but folks are leery of the pinchers, and most people consider earwigs pretty sinister-looking," Ellis observes. He recommends dispatching them with a flyswatter or a vacuum with a bag that can be emptied outdoors. To reduce the number that get inside, remove non-essential debris, mulch and boards from around the house. A strip of bare soil next to the foundation will discourage them, and sealing all cracks and other openings will keep out not only earwigs but a host of other would-be houseguests. One potentially serious problem related to earwigs is contamination of drinking water wells by large quantities of earwigs sheltering in the well casing. A vermin-proof well cap will keep them out. Ellis advises homeowners with questions about well water quality, water testing or treatment to contact their county health department.
#lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or D. McCullough
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-7445
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
GYPSY MOTHS DOWN THIS YEAR; FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR UP
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The good news for this summer is that there should be fewer gypsy moth caterpillars throughout most of the state than Michigan has seen in the past 12 to 15 years.
That doesn’t mean that Michigan’s woodlands will go unscathed, however, says Deb McCullough, Extension forest entomologist at Michigan State University.
"In some areas, there still may be spots of defoliation by locally heavy gypsy moth populations," she explains. "But statewide, we’re looking at maybe fewer than 10,000 acres defoliated, as opposed to the 750,000 acres of defoliation in a really bad year."
What happened? Some areas with high populations the past few years are experiencing a natural downturn in gypsy moth numbers, she observes.
"Last year, large numbers of larvae died of viral and fungal diseases before they could pupate," she says. "This drastically reduced the number of adult moths to lay the eggs that would become this year’s larvae. So we hope this year we’ll be seeing the ‘bust’ side of the gypsy moth population boom of recent years."
Gypsy moth is still spreading into new areas in the southern two tiers of counties in the Lower Peninsula and in the Upper Peninsula, she notes, and it’s difficult to predict when defoliation by gypsy moth will become a problem there.
The rest of the state is not home free, however. Barring a late spring frost that could kill larvae still in their eggs, this promises to be a banner year for forest tent caterpillar, a native hardwood defoliator.
Numbers were high in the western U.P. last year, McCullough says, and she anticipates that much of the U.P. and the northern Lower Peninsula will be hard hit this year.
The forest tent caterpillar is a native insect that coevolved with the aspen, oak and sugar maple forests. Every 10 years or so, an outbreak occurs that rivals a gypsy moth outbreak in scope and causes the same sort of distress among landowners and outdoor recreationists.
"In a forest tent caterpillar outbreak year, you have high numbers of large, hairy caterpillars stripping the leaves from trees and converting them into a hail of droppings that patter down from the treetops, just as in a gypsy moth outbreak," she observes. "You also have the annoyance of the parasitic flies that help control the pest. They are big, hairy, robust flies that like to land on people and lap up sweat to get salt. For some people, the flies are worse than the caterpillars."
Aspen, a favorite food of the forest tent caterpillar, may suffer a slight growth setback from defoliation, but trees seldom die.
Gypsy moth frequently gets the blame for the defoliation and annoyance caused by the forest tent caterpillar, McCullough notes.
"They’re both big, hairy, dark-colored caterpillars, and they both feed in early summer," she says, "though the forest tent caterpillar feeds and pupates a little earlier than the gypsy moth. Often the earliest larvae will start mining the aspen buds before the leaves even emerge."
In spite of their name, forest tent caterpillars don’t make silken tents or webs in trees, she points out. The silken tents in the crotches of trees in spring and early summer are made by eastern tent caterpillar. The webs that tie together the leaves at the tips of branches in late summer and early fall are the work of fall webworms. Though folks in areas with lots of forest tent caterpillars may not notice much improvement this year -- having merely traded one defoliator for another -- those in other parts of the state will definitely find the reduction in gypsy moth activity will make it more enjoyable to be outdoors this summer, McCullough predicts. "This doesn’t mean the gypsy moth is gone," she cautions. "It’s established in Michigan now, and the natural controls that eventually catch up with a population boom and make it crash won’t eliminate the gypsy moth altogether. There will be good years and bad years, and with this one shaping up to be a good year, my best advice is: enjoy it!"
#lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: Leslie Johnson
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Pesticides can be an important tool in the control of insects, rodents and plant diseases. The guide to the safe, effective and legal use of any pesticide is its label. "Pesticide users are required by law to comply with the instructions in the pesticide labeling," says Michael Kamrin, professor emeritus in the Michigan State University Institute for Environmental Toxicology. "Failure to do this can not only result in poor pest control but may also harm humans and the environment and even lead to legal liability." A pesticide label must contain the following information:
** The name of the product -- the brand name and the common or chemical name.
** An ingredient statement -- percentages of active and inert ingredients; chemical and/or common names of active ingredients must be listed.
** Net contents -- the total amount of product in the container.
** Manufacturer’s name and address.
** Registration and establishment number -- the registration number indicates that the Environmental Protection Agency has approved the product and its label; the establishment number is a code for the factory where the product was made.
** Signal word and symbol -- these indicate the overall toxicity of the product. The most toxic products are labeled Danger -- Poison and have a skull-and-crossbones symbol on the label. Less toxic products are labeled Warning or Caution.
** "KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN" appears on every pesticide label.
** Statement of practical treatment (first aid) -- emergency first aid for each route of pesticide exposure -- oral (by mouth), inhalation, eye and skin.
** Directions for use -- the pest the product is registered to control; the crops, animals or locations where it can be used; how to apply it; how much to use; when to apply it, and how often; how soon the crop may be used or eaten after an application (preharvest interval); and how soon people can enter a treated area after an application (reentry interval).
** Agricultural use requirements -- requirements for compliance with Worker Protection Standards.
** Precautionary statements -- hazards to humans and domestic animals; personal protective equipment for handling, mixing or applying the product; user safety recommendations (e.g., to wash hands before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco or using the toilet); environmental hazards (potential hazards to water, soil, air and wildlife from improper use); and physical or chemical hazards, such as fire or explosion.
** Storage and disposal -- of both product and empty containers.
** Classification statement -- products restricted to use only by or under the supervision of certified pesticide applicators will have a statement to that effect on the label.
For more information on reading a pesticide label, contact your county Michigan State University Extension office and ask for a copy of Extension bulletin E-2182, "Reading a Pesticide Label." It’s also available from the MSU Bulletin Office, 10-B Agriculture Hall, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824-1039. Single copies are free to Michigan residents.
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ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
LATE SUMMER, EARLY FALL BEST TIME TO PLANT IRIS
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- If you enjoy the spectacular orchidlike blooms of bearded iris, late summer or early fall is the time to add them to your perennials garden.
This is also a good time to divide established iris that have become crowded.
"Often the most difficult part about planting iris is selecting the varieties you want," says Mary McLellan, Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "The newest wrinkle in irises for the home garden is varieties that bloom in early summer and then bloom again later in the season."
Bearded iris get their name from the fuzzy, fringed structure that rests on each fall (the downturned petals; the upright petals are the standards). In some varieties, falls and standards are the same color; in others, they’re different. The beards may be the same or a different color from the falls.
The main growing requirements of iris are full sun and good drainage. In poorly drained soil, root rot can be a problem, McLellan notes.
Iris should not be crowded by other plants -- weeds or other garden plants -- that overshadow them or mat closely around roots and foliage. Such crowding can promote the development of foliage diseases, she explains.
Till or spade the intended planting site a week or so before you intend to plant. Avoid incorporating barnyard manure -- it can promote root rot
If the planting site is poorly drained, you can build raised beds to improve drainage or plant other types of iris that thrive in moist soil: Siberian iris (Iris siberica), butterfly iris (Iris spuria) or yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus).
Iris rhizomes are planted in shallow holes so that rhizomes are at or just below the soil surface. Irises planted too deeply may produce foliage but generally don’t bloom, McLellan observes.
Irises are often planted in groups of four to six rhizomes spaced 12 to 15 inches apart. The advantage of close planting is a more striking display during bloom. A disadvantage is that clumps may have to be divided more often than every three to four years.
To divide crowded plants, carefully loosen the soil around the rhizomes and lift them from the soil. Cut off any soft, insect-infested or unhealthy-looking plant parts. Then use a sharp knife to divide the remaining rhizomes into pieces. Each piece for replanting should have some healthy-looking roots and at least one fan of leaves. Cut the leaves back to 6 to 9 inches before replanting the rhizome in a prepared site.
Bearded iris are divided into types by size. Dwarf bearded iris grow to 3 to 11 inches tall; intermediate ones reach 1 to 2 feet, and tall varieties grow to 2 to 4 feet. All bloom in early summer. The repeat bloomers flower in early summer and then again in late summer or early fall. All are hardy perennials with potential in beds, borders and foundation plantings.
The major insect problem of iris is the iris borer, a plump, pinkish caterpillar that enters the plant via the foliage. It moves down into the rhizome and feeds there. Insect-infested rhizomes are usually infected by a secondary rot that leaves them soft and mushy. The best way to control the borers is to remove iris foliage in the fall, McLellan says. Adults lay their eggs on foliage in late summer, so removing the foliage removes the eggs, too.
Though bearded iris are hardy in Michigan, they benefit from a winter mulch to prevent alternate freezing and thawing of the soil. This can push the shallow planted rhizomes right out of the ground. Remove the mulch before growth begins in the spring.
#lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or G. Adams
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-0202
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
POWDERY MILDEW COATS PLANT LEAVES IN LATE SUMMER, EARLY FALL
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The cool nights and dewy mornings of late summer and fall are perfect for the growth and spread of powdery mildew on ornamental plants.
Powdery mildew is a common fungal disease of a variety of ornamental plants, explains Gerry Adams, Extension plant pathologist at Michigan State University. Indoors, it’s common on houseplants such as African violets, kalanchoe and jade plants. Outdoors, the plants most often affected include roses, lilacs, phlox, zinnias and white oaks.
Grayish white, powdery blotches on leaves, stems and buds are the primary sign of powdery mildew. The powdery growth appears first on the upper surfaces of lower leaves. Eventually entire leaves may be covered. Leaves on infected plants turn yellow and drop prematurely. Flower buds may fail to develop normally or fail to open.
Spores are carried by air currents. High relative humidity at night, low humidity during the day and daytime temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees F favor the disease. Sunlight and good air circulation around plant foliage promote quick drying of foliage, reduce humidity around leaves and so reduce disease incidence.
Gardeners can use this to their advantage, Adams suggests. They can plant susceptible plants in sunny rather than shady areas, space plants to prevent overcrowding, and prune landscape ornamentals to thin dense foliage and increase air circulation.
"You can’t do much about late summer and early fall dew, but you can avoid overhead irrigation late in the day or the evening," he notes.
Avoiding excessive nitrogen fertilization is another tactic, he adds. Powdery mildew is usually most severe on young, succulent growth, the sort that excessive nitrogen promotes.
A fall cleanup of all mildew-infected plant debris will reduce the carryover of disease from year to year.
Chemical pesticides are available to control powdery mildew on roses. Because it generally occurs late in the season, it’s not really an issue on trees and shrubs, which are about to lose their leaves anyway, or flowering annuals, which will soon be killed by frost.
When the disease strikes valued houseplants or herbaceous perennials, he recommends frequently syringing the leaves with water that contains a drop or two of detergent.
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ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or G. Lyman
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-0860
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
PREPARE SITE FOR NEW LAWN IN SUMMER
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The best time to seed a new lawn in lower Michigan is late August through early September. Temperatures and fall rains favor rapid germination and establishment.
The key to success, however, is often proper site preparation.
Extension turfgrass specialists at Michigan State University recommend having a soil test run as the first step. Results will include the soil acidity, nutrient levels and fertilizer recommendations. (For information on how to take a soil sample and have your soil tested, contact your county MSU Extension office.)
While you wait for the soil test results and before you disturb the soil, kill perennial and broadleaf weeds with a recommended non-selective herbicide such as glyphosate (Roundup or Kleenup). It is very effective against troublesome perennial weeds such as quackgrass, but it will kill any green, growing plant, so users need to be careful to keep it from contacting landscape ornamentals, nearby turf areas, and flower or vegetable gardens.
The next step is to remove stumps, rocks, roots, buried wood or other debris.
If you need to make a grade change -- to encourage water to run away from the house, for instance, or to eliminate a low, wet spot in the yard -- first remove the topsoil and stockpile it nearby.
Avoid making grade changes around established trees, the specialists advise. Even seemingly minor changes can damage roots and kill trees.
Soil compacted by heavy construction equipment or years of vehicle traffic can be loosened by cultivating to a depth of 4 to 8 inches. After the final grade is established but before the topsoil is restored is the time to do this.
If the topsoil is much different in texture from the subsoil, it’s a good idea to till a portion of it into the top few inches of subsoil. This will prevent the formation of soil layers that might interfere with water movement or root growth.
This is the time to improve your topsoil, also. Improve sandy soils by working several inches of loamy topsoil, compost or fibrous peat into them. To fine-textured clay soils, add 2 to 3 inches of sandy topsoil or 2 inches each of coarse sand and peat.
Allow the topsoil to settle for a while before following soil test recommendations for lime, phosphate and potash needs. If the area is to be seeded, apply nitrogen at a rate of 1 ½ to 2 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
The final grade should be 1 ½ to 2 inches below adjacent sidewalks and driveways. The soil should be firm and level, with a ½-inch layer of loose soil on the surface.
To seed the area, divide the seed into two equal parts and apply half of it in one direction -- say, east to west -- and half at a right angle to that. Rake lightly with the back of a steel or bamboo leaf rake to mix the seed into the top 1/8 to 1/3 inch of soil -- don’t bury it. Then roll the seedbed to assure good contact between the seed and the soil.
To stabilize the soil and conserve soil moisture, mulch with one bale of straw per 500 square feet. Water as often as necessary to keep the area evenly moist until the grass is well established. Remove half the straw when the grass reaches 1 ½ to 2 inches tall.
If your new lawn is to be sodded rather than seeded, site preparation is the same except that the site should be deeply watered (to a depth of 6 inches) just before the sod is put down. Lay the sod within 24 hours of its harvest, if possible. Stagger the ends of the sod pieces like bricks in a wall to prevent the formation of lines in the turf by slow establishment at the edges. Do not stretch the sod pieces -- they will shrink as they dry and gaps will develop -- and do not overlap the edges. Deep watering may be needed daily until the sod is well rooted.
Sod can be laid anytime the site can be prepared, but fall is an ideal time because the usually cool, moist weather is conducive to grass plant growth.
#lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: Leslie Johnson
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
SOME PLANTS THRIVE IN LONG, HOT SUMMER
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Even a summer with normal rainfall has plenty of hot, dry weather. For flowers that thrive under these conditions, pick some from the following list from Michigan State University Extension horticulturists:
** Achillea or yarrow (Achillea filipendulina). The domesticated version of the perennial wildflower is drought tolerant and produces quantities of 3- to 5-inch golden-yellow flowers that are excellent for fresh or dried arrangements. Recently introduced cultivars offer flowers in a range of colors from dark pink, coral and red to yellow and cream. Plants bloom from June through August.
** Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). This is another perennial wildflower. Butterflies love the red-orange blossoms, which start to appear in June and continue into August. Plants reach 2 to 3 feet tall.
** Celosia. Celosia is an annual with two flower forms: Celosia plumosa has plume-shaped blossoms; Celosia cristata is known as cockscomb for the shape of its flowers. Flower colors range from cream, yellow and bronze to pink, apricot, scarlet and wine-red. For best results, start early from seed or buy bedding plants without blooms.
** Spider plant (Cleome). These annual plants may reach 6 feet tall in full sun and produce large, lacy flowers in violet, rose and white. They can be sown from seed in the garden for a tall backdrop for shorter plants, as accents, or as floral screens or in annual hedges.
** Cosmos (Mexican aster). Cosmos bipinnatus and C. sulphureus are heat and drought tolerant and flower prolifically on poor soil, as long as it’s well drained. Colors range from yellow, gold, orange and scarlet through pink, rose and white. Foliage is fine-textured and fernlike. Cosmos blooms quickly from seed sown in the garden after the danger of frost is past and persists until killed by frost in the fall.
** Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata). Lush green foliage serves as the backdrop for tubular, star-shaped blossoms in pink, rose, red, lime-green and white. Varieties range in height from 12 inches to 4 to 6 feet. An annual, it can be grown in the garden from seed or purchased as bedding plants.
** Petunias. Once petunias are established, they thrive on drought conditions. For large flowers -- up to 3 ½ inches across -- plant grandiflora petunias. Multiflora types produce smaller flowers but tend to tolerate wet weather better. Both are available in a rainbow of colors, including stripes, and both single and double flowers. Petals may be smooth or ruffled. Cascade petunias, developed for use in hanging containers, bloom prolifically in pots, baskets and windowboxes.
** Moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora). This is the plant for a sunny spot with sandy soil. Its creeping stems will produce a profusion of roselike flowers in shades of orange, pink, purple, red, yellow and white. Flowers close up at night.
** Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). The name doesn’t lie -- plant these native American wildflowers in full sun and step back. A proliferation of sunflower varieties in recent years has resulted in a range of plant sizes, flower sizes and flower colors unknown not too long ago. The tasty seeds of some varieties are a bonus, though it’s usually the birds and squirrels that reap the harvest.
** Yucca. Ivory-white flower spikes rise above the clump of swordlike leaves in early summer. It’s an easy-care perennial for that sunny, sandy spot where nothing else grows.
** Zinnia. Once zinnias get established in the garden, they do best in hot, dry weather (powdery mildew may be a problem in humid conditions). Easy from seed, zinnias are also available as bedding plants. The wide variety of plant sizes, flower sizes and types, and flower colors available in zinnias makes them useful for beds, borders and cutting.
#lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
TAKE CUTTINGS FROM ANNUALS TO EXTEND THE SEASON
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The flowering annuals you planted in late May haven’t hit their peak yet, but it’s not too early to think about taking cuttings for indoor flowers this winter.
"Taking cuttings of popular flowering annuals such as coleus, fibrous-rooted begonias and impatiens now, rather than waiting until frost is threatening, is a kind of insurance," explains Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "If something happens to the first cuttings, you’ll still have time to try again. If you wait too long, one chance may be all you get."
It’s still a good idea to take more cuttings than you think you’ll need, she notes -- all cuttings won’t necessarily root and grow into new plants.
Select healthy, vigorous plants as your source of cuttings, she advises. Begonias, impatiens and coleus are propagated from stem tip cuttings. These are the growing ends of shoots. For propagation, select shoots with no flowers or flower buds. Use a sharp knife to remove the cuttings just below a leaf. Cuttings can be as long as 4 inches or as short as 1 inch.
Remove the leaves from the lower ends of the stems, leaving at least two at the tip. Then dip the cut end of each stem in rooting hormone and insert it in moist sand, vermiculite, perlite or some other sterile rooting medium. To retain moisture in the medium, cover the containers with clear plastic, then place them in a warm spot where they will not be subject to direct sunlight.
"In direct sun, heat will build up under the plastic and cook the young plants," McLellan explains.
Roots should form in two to three weeks. When the plants start to put out new leaves, it’s time to transplant them carefully into new containers of potting soil.
Though you can raise plants from cuttings on a sunny windowsill, coleus, especially, will tend to produce long, straggly stems with widely spaced leaves under low light conditions. For best results, McLellan advises growing these plants under fluorescent lights. Sixteen hours a day under a combination of cool white and warm white or daylight bulbs plus occasional pinching of stem tips will encourage plants to branch rather than straggle and promote continuous flowering in begonias and impatiens.
Outdoor plants brought indoors may bring outdoor problems with them, McLellan notes. Insects may come inside with them. They may go unnoticed for a while, until a population explosion occurs in the absence of the natural controls that keep their numbers in check outdoors. She suggests checking cuttings and transplants closely for insects and other problems and treating the pests or discarding the plants as needed to prevent a major infestation.
Next spring, these plants can be the source of cuttings for new plants for your garden. Follow the same procedure used to start them. Or simply prune them back and set them outside on warm days to adjust gradually to outdoor conditions. Then, when the danger of frost is past, plant them back in the garden for another summer.
#lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or T. Ellis
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-8478
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
THAT LONG-LEGGED BROWN SPIDER IS PROBABLY NOT A BROWN RECLUSE
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan is home to several hundred species of spiders. Some live in structures; many inhabit your yard and garden. The odds against any of them being a brown recluse are remote.
"The brown recluse is native to areas south and west of Michigan," says Michigan State University Extension entomologist Tom Ellis. "The part of its native range closest to Michigan is the northern edge, which reaches into southern Indiana and possibly southern Ohio. However, in 2000, brown recluse spiders were discovered living indoors in a couple of locations in southern Michigan. Spider experts do not think brown recluse spiders can survive a Michigan winter outdoors, however.
"Considering how likely people are to kill any spider they see, especially medium to large ones that they even suspect of being a brown recluse, the occasional hitchhiker from southern states isn’t likely to be the beginning of an established population," Ellis observes.
The brown recluse gets its name from its color, which can range from straw-colored through pinkish gray to medium brown, and its habit of living in dry, secluded and undisturbed areas in the home -- in closets, behind drawers, under and behind furniture, in and around boxes, or beneath towels and clothing left on the floor. In areas where the brown recluse lives outdoors year round, it may be found under loose bark on trees, in scrap piles and piles of lumber, in rock piles and caves, and in barns, storage buildings and garages.
The brown recluse may spin a haphazard web between objects in its daytime hiding place, but it doesn’t use its web to capture prey. Rather, it actively hunts for prey at night.
Another name for the brown recluse is fiddleback spider because of the roughly violin-shaped dark brown marking on its cephalothorax (the body part to which the legs are attached). The neck part of the fiddle points back toward the abdomen. Though the color of the brown recluse’s body and legs may vary, even very young ones have this distinctive marking. If you see a long-legged brown spider that doesn’t have it, it isn’t a brown recluse, Ellis sums up.
All spider bites are venomous, but the venom of the brown recluse kills tissue at the site of the bite. Fatalities are rare, and reactions to the bite vary greatly, depending on several factors, including how much venom is injected and how the person reacts to it. The victim may not be aware of being bitten for an hour or more, or a painful reaction may occur almost immediately. The initial stinging is followed by intense pain. A small white blister usually develops that enlarges, swells and becomes hard to the touch. This tissue dies and eventually sloughs away, sometimes leaving a sunken, ulcerated sore that may take six to eight weeks and require skin grafting to heal.
"Brown recluse spiders can’t bite a human unless they’re held against the skin by some pressure -- from a garment, for instance, or the person rolls over on the spider in bed," Ellis notes. "So most bites occur when the victim puts on a garment that has been hanging undisturbed in a closet and a spider has hidden inside it or otherwise comes into contact with the spider, perhaps when it’s hunting at night."
Anyone who thinks he or she has been bitten by a brown recluse or is having more than a mosquito-bite reaction to any spider bite should get medical attention immediately, Ellis says.
"Most spider bites don’t cause problems -- maybe an itchy bump as from a mosquito bite with no lasting after effects," he says. "Individual reactions can be severe, however, and it’s better to be safe than sorry. If possible, take the spider along for proper identification."
Most spiders will bite, though none go out of their way to be aggressive toward humans, and some native Michigan spiders are brown with long legs.
"But every long-legged brown spider isn’t a brown recluse, and, unless you have a particular sensitivity, every spider bite isn’t a cause for alarm," Ellis sums up.
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ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
THINNING PROMOTES HIGH QUALITY IN CROPS GROWN FROM SEED
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- One reason for removing weeds around your vegetable and flower seedlings is to reduce competition for the water, nutrients and sunlight that the seedlings need to grow.
Gardeners who are quick to weed may be slow to thin crops, even though thinning crowded seedlings is equally critical to producing high quality crops, says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University.
"Thinning is much like weeding, in that it reduces competition between plants," she points out. "The ones that remain have room to grow and access to the sunlight, water and nutrients they need to grow and produce to their full potential."
Thinning also improves air circulation around seedlings and so helps reduce the likelihood of some plant diseases developing.
"Fungal diseases such as powdery mildew are more likely when the air around plants is humid and plant foliage remains wet for long periods," she says. "Crowding by weeds or other flower or vegetable plants limits air movement around foliage and slows drying after rain, dew or overhead irrigation."
Crowded plants are harder to treat for insect or disease problems, she adds, because sprays or dusts have a hard time penetrating dense foliage. Poor coverage translates directly into poor control.
So, with all these good reasons to thin, why do so many gardeners neglect it? Perhaps because it seems wasteful to buy and plant quality seed and then yank up the perfectly good plants that result from sowing it, she suggests.
One way to counter that is to leave crops such as lettuce, carrots and green onions in place until the plants are big enough to eat, then thinning them. Transplanting thinned plants rather than discarding them is another option.
lkj#
ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
‘VEGETABLE’ MAY BE SEED, STEM, LEAF, FLOWER -- EVEN A FRUIT!
EAST LANSING, MICH. -- Here’s a quick quiz: what do squash, cauliflower, asparagus, peas and spinach have in common?
No, it’s not a trick question -- it really is as easy as it looks. Right, they’re all vegetables.
Now, for the next question: how are they all different? No, not color or shape, though they aren’t all the same. Give up? They’re all different parts of the plants they grew on.
"We usually apply the name ‘vegetable’ to plant foods other than grains and what we commonly call ‘fruits’, such as apples, peaches, watermelon and pineapple," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Some of the things we think of as vegetables, however, are, botanically speaking, fruits. Others -- such as peas -- are seeds, and corn, which we usually think of as a vegetable, is actually a grain."
To a botanist, a fruit is the female portion of a flower, swollen and enlarged into a protective structure for seeds. Therefore, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, summer and winter squash, cucumbers and melons are fruits in the botanical sense, though only melons are fruits in the popular understanding of the word. The rest are considered vegetables.
The part of the plant that we eat varies with the crop, McLellan points out. The edible part of spinach, lettuce, cabbage, collards, mustard, parsley and other leafy herbs is the leaves. Brussels sprouts, though they resemble little cabbages, are vegetative buds.
Broccoli and cauliflower are immature flower buds. "If you’ve ever let your broccoli go unharvested too long, you’ve probably seen those bright yellow flowers that the tight-packed green buds develop into," she notes.
Squash blossoms and nasturtiums are edible flowers that look more like what we usually think of as flowers, she adds.
The stems are the edible portion of rhubarb and asparagus. With potatoes, the tubers are edible and the aboveground parts are not, especially the little fruits that sometimes form. Carrots, leeks, radishes, parsnips, rutabaga, salsify, turnips and sweet potatoes are edible roots.
Onions and garlic bulbs are just that -- bulbs.
Beans, peas, okra and corn, and dill and many other herbs are grown for either their seeds or their seed pods. Sunflowers may be planted as ornamentals but also enjoyed for their seeds -- if birds or squirrels don’t get to them before the gardener does.
Often a plant grown for one edible part -- turnips, for instance -- has other edible portions -- in this case, leaves. Others, such as rhubarb and potatoes, have inedible or even poisonous parts. "The fact that one part of a plant is edible doesn’t guarantee that the other parts are," McLellan points out. "If in doubt, stick with what you know. There’s enough variety there that vegetables should never be boring."
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ANR Communications
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
5/15/01
'WHY DOESN’T IT FLOWER?' IS COMMON QUESTION
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- When gardeners plant flowering bulbs, vines, shrubs or trees, chances are that it’s the flowers they’re eager to see. When the plants don’t perform, the obvious question is "Why?"
Sometimes the answer is obvious, too, observes Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator.
"With woody ornamentals, failure to flower is often simply a matter of age," she says. "These plants go through a juvenile growth period, when they produce shoots and foliage but don’t flower. The length of the juvenile period can be a year or two or a dozen years or more, depending on the species and the cultivar. When the plants mature, they begin to produce flowers."
Many plants will respond to abundant fertilizer with abundant leafy growth at the expense of flower formation. This is most often seen in tomatoes, though it can occur in landscape ornamentals also.
"A poorly selected planting site or improper planting can also interfere with flowering," McLellan points out. "Planting peony crowns or iris rhizomes too deep, for instance, will prevent flowering. Sun-loving plants planted in a shady spot may survive but produce only a few blossoms or none at all. Spring-flowering bulbs planted in poorly drained soil or too near a heated basement, where heat from the structure warms the soil and interferes with the bulbs’ necessary cold treatment, will rot or simply fail to flower."
Plants that are only marginally hardy in Michigan may fail to flower most years. Many dogwood cultivars, for example, are spectacular farther south, but in most of Michigan, their flower buds usually get frost nipped. Plants that are hardy may have flowers that are not -- strawberries, for instance, and peaches. Even forsythia, that old standby, may lose its flower buds in an especially cold winter, McLellan observes. Sometimes the buds above the level of a winter’s insulating snow layer will be killed, while the ones below it will open as usual.
"Forsythia and other spring-flowering shrubs set flower buds in the fall on one-year-old wood," McLellan points out, "so pruning them in the fall or during the winter removes the buds and so prevents flowering. Browsing deer and rabbits feeding on twigs in winter can have the same effect. No buds, no flowers."
The time to prune these plants is immediately after flowering, before they have a chance to produce the buds that will open into next spring’s floral display, she notes.
"It may take a little detective work to pinpoint the cause, but why a plant fails to flower usually isn’t a major mystery," she says. "It usually has something to do with the plant’s age, the planting site, nutrition or pruning, either by the gardener or Mother Nature and her helpers. It’s unusual to have to look much further."
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