May 15, 2003

Dear Editors:

Maybe spring has really arrived this time. And you know what that means -- the summer gardening season is just around the corner. This packet of lawn and garden stories includes timely topics for your use in June, July and August, including easy perennials, lightning bugs, girdling injury in trees and shrubs, buying grass seed, putting houseplants outdoors, keeping gardening notes and more. The Garden Corner is on hand, as usual, with a host of gardening questions.

Planning for the fall packet will be underway soon, so if you have story ideas or questions for The Garden Corner, please send them along soon. 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

5/15/03

Contact: Leslie Johnson

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The peak of the gardening season means there’s no shortage of lawn, garden and landscape questions for Michigan State University Extension specialists on topics ranging from vegetable garden pests to lawn establishment.

17. Why do cicadas sing?

1. The buzzing noise is made by the male cicadas to attract mates. It’s produced by membranes in the abdomen called tymbals.

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17. Edible underground parts of plants, such as carrots and potatoes – are they all roots?

1. Carrots, parsnips, beets and radishes are roots. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes are enlarged underground stems called tubers. Peanuts grow underground, too, from parts of the peanut plant’s flowers.

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17. I’ve read that bitterness in cucumbers is often a matter of the variety you choose. But I’ve tried lots of varieties, and one that was fine last year may be bitter this year. What else is involved?

1. Weather is the other big factor. The substance that causes cucumbers to taste bitter develops in higher concentrations during hot, dry weather. Watering regularly reduces drought stress on the vines and may keep bitterness from developing. The bitter taste tends to be concentrated in the peel and the stem end of the fruit, so if all else fails, try peeling them and discarding an inch or two from the stem end.

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17. What is meant by "peat" or "mineral-based" sod?

1. This refers to the soil at the sod farm where the sod was grown. Peat sod was grown on a muck-type soil; mineral sod was grown on a loamy soil. Either type will perform well in your lawn if established on properly prepared soil.

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17. What are the advantages of having my new lawn hydroseeded?

1. Spraying grass seed, water, mulch, fertilizer and a "sticker" onto a prepared seedbed usually gives better results than basic seeding. The mulch helps keep the seedbed moist and so promotes rapid germination. In cost, hydroseeding is between seeding and sodding.

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17. Pest problems seem to multiply in hot weather and pesticides seem less effective. Or is that my imagination?

1. No, it’s too true. Chemicals break down more quickly in hot, sunny weather, so they lose effectiveness quicker. (They’re more likely to damage plants in hot weather, also.) Also, some plant pests have multiple generations, so the total pest population gets larger as the season progresses.

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17. I used a lot of straw mulch in my garden last year, plowing it down in the fall and plowing again in the spring. My early crops looked OK, but the full-season things started looking kind of yellow in mid- to late June. I fertilized and things looked better. Is there a connection between the mulch and the yellowing?

1. It’s likely that soil microorganisms working to decompose the straw had tied up available soil nitrogen. Yellowing foliage is often a sign of nitrogen deficiency. Fertilizing provided nitrogen for the plants’ needs. Nitrogen in the organic material you plowed into the soil will be released when decomposition is complete.

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17. What is that huge wasp that I see flying close to the ground in late summer? It’s sort of rusty-brown with yellow stripes, and it cruises about knee-high as if it’s looking for something. Does it sting?

1. These are probably cicada killers, one of the largest wasps in North America. Adults may be 1 ½ inches long. The size is appropriate to the task at hand, which is capturing cicadas. The cicada killer paralyzes its victim with its sting, then deposits the insect in a burrow and lays an egg. The larva hatches in two to three days and feeds on the still living cicada. To keep it alive, it feeds on non-essential parts first, saving the vital organs until it’s nearly completed its development. In the fall, larvae pupate. They emerge the following summer to start the cycle all over. If provoked, cicada killers will sting to protect their nest, but they are usually no threat to humans.

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17. If I mulch my vegetable garden to control weeds, will I probably have increased problems with slugs?

1. Slugs do prefer the cool dampness under mulch to parched bare soil. Pulling mulch back away from plants, applying water at the bases of plants and alongside rows instead of all over the garden, and using boards placed between rows to provide slugs with daytime shade and then disposing of the slugs that take shelter there should help reduce the potential for damage. In a wet year, slug problems will be more common and you may want to try trapping slugs in saucers of beer set into the garden or using slug baits. Be sure you buy a product registered for use around food plants; some are for use only around ornamental plants.

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17. Is the correct name "praying mantis" or "preying mantis"?

1. The insect is the "praying" mantis, though "preying" on other insects is how it makes its living. This pious-looking predator is color camouflaged to make it difficult for potential prey to spot it as it waits for a meal to come within reach. Its front legs are modified for catching and holding its prey. Large eyes and the ability to turn its head help the praying mantis spot a potential meal and latch onto it. Mantids feed on a wide variety of insects (newly hatched ones will even eat their siblings if no other food is available), including beneficial ones, but they are usually considered allies of humans in protecting garden and landscape plants against destructive pests.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or T. Ellis
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-8478
5/15/03

A LIGHT SHOW ON SIX LEGS:
LIGHTNING BUGS

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Lightning bugs aren’t bugs, and their greenish light has nothing to do with lightning. But that doesn’t detract from the fact that they are one of nature’s backyard wonders.

"The light show evolved to aid males in courting females," explains Tom Ellis, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University. "Each species has its own blinking code."

The light comes from a chemical reaction that occurs in special cells in the insect’s abdomen when a substance called luciferin is combined with oxygen and an enzyme. In most species, only the males fly, so it’s the males that you see flickering over lawns and meadows in the summer. The females and larvae also give off light, but because they spend all their time in vegetation, they are generally less obvious.

"Females of some species have evolved so that they mimic the codes of other lightning bugs to lure males of other species to them," he notes. "The females then eat them."

Lightning bugs are beetles, Ellis notes, though their wing covers are leathery rather than hard like those of the ladybird beetle and many other familiar species. Lightning bugs are elongated and mostly dark-colored, with a shield on top of the thorax (the middle body section, between the head and the abdomen) that hides the head. They range in length from ¼ to ½ inch.

Lightning bug larvae prey on small insects and snails. They and the flightless females are often called "glowworms".

"No life stage of the lightning bug damages plants or invades homes or other structures in large numbers," Ellis points out, "so this is one insect that everybody can simply enjoy."

Lightning bugs are among the common insects featured in What’s Bugging You?, a light-hearted look at some of the multi-legged creatures that inhabit Michigan lawns, gardens and homes and entertain, annoy and sometimes frighten their human neighbors. It’s Extension bulletin E-2649, and it’s available for $7.95 from county MSU Extension offices and the MSU Bulletin Office, 10-B Agriculture Hall, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or R. Calhoun
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3275
5/15/03

BUYING GRASS SEED?
READ LABELS CLOSELY

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Whether you’re renovating an old lawn or establishing a new one, using quality grass seed is critical to success. Labels often contain key words that can help guide your choice.

"For instance, if the label says ‘quick green’ or ‘fast grass’, the seed mix probably contains annual ryegrass," says Ron Calhoun, Extension turfgrass specialist at Michigan State University. "Annual ryegrass germinates rapidly -- that’s the ‘quick’ part. What the label may neglect to say is that it will probably die off in the winter and leave the area bare next year unless the ryegrass is mixed with more long-lasting species."

Another key word is "tough" or the indication that the turfgrass is for "high traffic areas." These words often indicate the bag contains tall fescue, a drought-tolerant, deep-rooted species that is growing increasingly popular for Michigan lawns.

"Establishing an entire lawn of tall fescue should give good results, but reseeding small areas in a Kentucky bluegrass lawn may not," Calhoun says. "Though most of the new improved tall fescue cultivars have narrow leaf blades like those of Kentucky bluegrass, others have wider leaf blades and will not blend with the bluegrass at all."

Something else to look for on seed bags is an indication of whether the mix is intended for sunny or shady areas. The sunny mix usually contains Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and creeping red fescue. The shade mix will be composed of Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues, which perform well in shaded areas.

Seed labels also contain much specific information on cultivars, seed purity, germination percentage and other ingredients.

"Look for specific named cultivars, rather than generics such as ‘Kentucky bluegrass’ or ‘tall fescue,’" Calhoun advises. "Named cultivars are generally superior to the common types."

Seed purity is the percent by weight of the particular cultivar seed. This tells you, for example, that a particular mixture is 70 percent Kentucky bluegrass and 29 percent rye, Calhoun explains.

Germination percentage is the percent of pure seed that germinates under ideal conditions.

Calhoun recommends never purchasing seed with a germination percentage below 70 percent and buying seed with a higher rate if possible.

"Inert" is the weight of material other than seed, such as chaff, corn cobs, sand or soil. This value should be less than 4 percent. "Crop" is the percentage by weight of any other commercially grown grass crop, such as orchardgrass, timothy or clover. High quality turfgrass should contain no other crop seed or, at most, 1 percent, Calhoun says.

"'Weed' is the percent by weight of weed seed," he adds. "This is obviously undesirable but nearly impossible to prevent entirely. Look for a value less than 1 percent."

The only thing worse than weeds is noxious weeds. These are difficult-to-control plants that have been declared noxious by some states. It’s illegal to sell seed that contains noxious weeds.

"Date tested" is the date the seed was tested for germination. For best results, Calhoun advises looking for seed that was tested within the previous 12 months.

More information on a range of turfgrass topics is available from county MSU Extension

offices in the "Turf Tips" bulletin series. Look for your county Extension office in the phone book in

the county government listings.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

CLIMBING PLANTS
DON’T NEED A LADDER

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Climbing plants want to get up in the world, and they use a variety of ways to do it.

"Morning glories, poison ivy and grapes are all climbing plants, and each has evolved a different mechanism for climbing," observes Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University.

Morning glories climb by twining, she explains. Twiners are the largest group of climbing plants. It includes pole beans, clematis, American bittersweet and wisteria. Twining plants climb by twisting their stems around a support. They have no special adaptations for climbing.

One of these adaptations is adventitious roots, roots that form along the stems and work their way into cracks and crevices in the supporting surface. Poison ivy and trumpetvine, English ivy and wintercreeper are among the plants that climb this way.

Tendrils are another special adaptation. These specialized plant parts coil around whatever they come in contact with to support the plant’s climbing habit. Tendrils without anything to coil around often look like partially relaxed coiled springs, McLellan notes. Plants that climb by means of tendrils include grapevines, edible peas and sweet peas, as well as plants in the cucurbit family -- melons, cucumbers and gourds.

"In some plants, tendrils develop small projections at their tips that enlarge into little disks and secrete an adhesive that glues the tendril to its support," she notes. "Then the tendril coils to pull the stem closer to the support. Virginia creeper is a common example."

Knowing how a plant climbs is important if you’re selecting a vine to plant or providing support for a plant you’ve already chosen, McLellan points out.

"Vines that climb by means of aerial rootlets or holdfast tendrils can be used on masonry walls but should not be used on wood surfaces," she explains. "These vines cling so tightly that moisture tends to collect under them that could cause the wood to rot."

As an alternative to allowing vines to climb directly on a wall, McLellan suggests building a trellis or some other support a few inches away from the wall and planting vines that use tendrils or twining to climb on it. A section of sturdy woven wire fencing or a support made of metal tubing will do nicely.

The key word is "sturdy" -- you don’t want the support to collapse under the weight of the vine a few years down the road.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

DISPLAY PRESSED PLANTS
IN ‘PLANT WINDOWS’

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Pressed flowers, leaves and herbs can be used for plant identification or simply enjoyed for their beauty. That beauty is fragile, but it can be preserved in the form of "plant windows."

These are dried and flattened plants sandwiched between two pieces of Plexiglass, explains Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University.

"They’re easy to make and quite inexpensive, especially if you can acquire scraps of Plexiglass from a hardware store that uses the material for storm door repairs," she notes.

If you don’t have a plant press, you can dry and flatten plants between sheets of newspaper weighted with books or bricks. Check them frequently and change the newspaper as needed, McLellan advises, to remove the moisture and prevent mold growth.

While plants are drying, use a Plexiglass cutter to cut pairs of identical rectangles or other geometric shapes. If you intend to hang them, drill small holes through the tops of both pieces.

Arrange the dried plants on one piece of Plexiglass until you arrive at a pleasing design. Avoid layering many plants -- this will prevent the window from sealing around the edges, McLellan explains. And leave blank about ¼ inch all the way around the edge -- this is where you’ll glue the two pieces together. A tiny drop of clear glue can also be used to secure the plants, she notes.

To fasten the Plexiglass pieces together, run a thin line of clear plastic glue around the outside edge of one piece and place the other carefully on top, matching the edges, and press gently. Then set the window aside until the glue has set.

When the glue has dried, you can hang your plant window or display it on a shelf or place it underneath a plant pot to protect the surface beneath it. Avoid hanging it in a spot that receives direct sunlight, McLellan advises -- the plants will soon lose their natural colors.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

GIRDLING KILLS
LANDSCAPE PLANTS

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Woody ornamentals -- especially trees -- are often so long-lived and seem such permanent fixtures in the landscape that we may forget just how many ways there are to kill them.

Many of those involve girdling -- either removing or killing a collar of bark all around the main stem or allowing something to interrupt the tree’s normal circulation from roots to crown.

"Causes of girdling range from gnawing rodents in winter to wire or nylon nooses, roots growing around the base of the stem and ‘lawn mower blight’," observes Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Prevention is often easy -- easier than trying to save damaged trees, anyway."

Homeowners often discover that mice or rabbits have been gnawing tree bark when the snow melts in early spring, McLellan notes. Crabapples and other fruit trees tend to be special favorites, but a wide variety of plants may be damaged. If a complete circle of bark has been removed, the plant will not survive without heroic measures. A technique known as bridge grafting uses small twigs to bridge the gap in the living tissue just below the bark.

"Even when done by an expert, this technique doesn’t always work," she points out, "but it’s the only hope for a valuable landscape tree that’s been girdled."

Removing the bark kills the plant because it interrupts the tree’s normal circulation -- food manufactured in the leaves can’t reach the roots, and water taken up by the roots can’t reach the crown, McLellan explains. Wire or nylon cord left around the stem as it grows will eventually have the same effect. So will girdling roots, roots that grow around the stem instead of away from it. Over time, as root and stem increase in size, the root can tighten like a noose.

To prevent girdling or injuries to bark, be sure to remove any wire or nylon cord from the root ball or stem at planting time, McLellan advises. If you must use guy wires to stabilize a newly planted tree, enclose the loop of wire that encircles the trunk in a piece of old garden hose to pad it, check it occasionally to make sure it’s not too tight, and leave it in place no longer than necessary.

"Otherwise, avoid putting wire, nylon or plastic cord, metal chain or any other long-lasting material around the trunk," she urges. "Left there, it can easily become a strangling noose."

Girdling roots are common in plants that spent time growing in containers before being planted in the landscape. When planting such plants, look for roots that have started to grow around the inside of the container and remove them or redirect them at planting time, McLellan says.

"If you notice a landscape tree mysteriously declining, walk around it and study the trunk at the soil line," she suggests. "If the trunk goes straight into the soil like a telephone pole rather than flaring out normally, the problem is likely a girdling root."

Digging into the soil and cutting off the root may save the tree.

Another common cause of girdling is damage from lawn mowers, string trimmers and other lawn and landscape equipment. A good way to prevent this is to plant trees in beds -- or build beds around established trees -- and mulch around the plants so grass doesn’t grow there and mowers and trimmers don’t have to come close.

Because mulches can conceal gnawing rodents in winter, McLellan suggests raking mulches away from tree trunks in the fall.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

KIDS’ GARDEN PROJECT:
A SPAGHETTI GARDEN

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Want to plant the seeds for a lifelong interest in gardening? Find a project the kids can relate to -- such as growing a spaghetti garden.

You can plant just the vegetables for sauce -- tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, oregano and basil -- or the spaghetti, too. Vegetable spaghetti, that is, or spaghetti squash.

"Ideally, onion sets would be planted in early spring," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University, "and garlic should be planted in the fall. But for kid gardening purposes, they can go in with the rest of the spaghetti garden after the soil has warmed and the threat of frost is past."

If space is not an issue, you might want to set aside one corner of the garden as the designated spaghetti garden so that youngsters can see all the ingredients growing together, she suggests. You might even mark its boundaries somehow. Have the youngsters help plant and care for the plants. A hill of squash, a plant or two of Roma tomatoes, some red or green peppers, a few row feet of onions, a few garlic cloves and several herb plants should suffice.

Standard spaghetti squash varieties are vining plants that tend to sprawl. A bush variety called Tivoli is available, however, that’s more compact. The fruits are ready to pick when they change color from ivory white to golden yellow. Cut from the vine, leaving a few inches of stem attached.

"To turn the spaghetti garden into a spaghetti dinner, harvest and cook the squash and use the other ingredients in your favorite spaghetti sauce recipe," McLellan suggests.

To cook the squash, you can simply bake them whole in the oven at 350 degrees F. Pierce the sides a few times with a fork and bake on a cookie sheet, turning once, for 45 minutes. You can also boil the whole squash for 35 to 40 minutes after piercing the sides. Let the cooked squash cool a bit before cutting it open and removing the seeds. The edible part is the stringy flesh that gives spaghetti squash its name.

"Use it just as you would use conventional spaghetti -- cover it with sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!" McLellan says. "A feeling of accomplishment, a little better understanding of where food comes from and perhaps a lasting interest in gardening -- not to mention one or more tasty meals -- are among the potential benefits to the young gardeners."

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

MANY BENEFITS CLAIMED
FOR COMPANION PLANTING

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Companion planting is the practice of planting two or more crops together.

"In home gardens, companion planting is often used to get more production out of a small space," observes Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Gardeners plant a quick-maturing crop, such as radishes or green onions or leaf lettuce, in with a more long-term crop, such as carrots or between broccoli or pepper plants. The short-season crop is harvested and gone by the time the other crop needs the space."

Claims that certain plant combinations enhance yield or control pests are hard to prove or dispute, she notes, primarily because there are so many factors that affect yields and pest populations -- it’s hard to control all the others so you can sort out the effect of the companion planting. Great results when two or three plants are planted together may be due to some combination of other factors but be attributed to the companion planting.

Some plants have been shown to have some pest-repellent qualities, McLellan notes. This doesn’t mean that a few of them sprinkled among your cabbages will keep the crop pest-free, however.

"Herbs or flowers that help repel or otherwise control pests might have to be planted so thickly among crop plants that they act like weeds, competing with the crop for moisture, sunlight and soil nutrients," she suggests. "The result might be fewer pest problems but lower yields because of the competition."

Some people insist that various crops simply taste better or grow better when planted with certain others, or that a particular combination will result in poor performance by one or both of the companion crops.

"For gardeners who have found combinations that work for them -- or don’t work -- whether the results are due to companion planting is really irrelevant," McLellan suggests. "If what they’re doing works consistently, why change it?"

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or T. Ellis
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-8478
5/15/03

NATURAL CONTROLS, WEATHER
HELP KEEP THE LID ON PESTS

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Pick a pest -- aphids, for example. Imagine the worst outbreak you’ve ever seen. There are so many aphids in your maple trees that everything under them is sticky with honeydew. The buds on your rose bushes look like heavily populated pincushions, and the cabbages in your garden are alive with aphids.

It could be worse. Much worse.

Imagine a single female aphid that produces as many offspring as she can, all of which survive to reproduce all they can, all of which survive, etc., etc. In 12 generations, you will have tons of aphids.

Fortunately, weather isn’t always ideal, food supplies aren’t unlimited, and parasites, predators and pathogens (disease-causing organisms) prevent pests from reaching their maximum reproductive potential.

"Sometimes enough factors work together in favor of the pest that you get an insect outbreak," says Tom Ellis, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University. "Natural controls eventually catch up, but in the meantime, the population booms and damage can be significant."

Even an insect that’s recognized as beneficial can become a nuisance when its numbers skyrocket, he observes. Think back a couple of years to the hordes of ladybird beetles (ladybugs) in late summer that moved into people’s homes in the fall.

"You might be glad to see ladybugs in your garden eating aphids, but most people aren’t happy to have hundreds of them in their homes," he notes. "However, when aphid populations are high, predator populations also flourish."

Most landscape and garden plants can tolerate low levels of certain pests without suffering significant damage, and natural controls often keep pests at these tolerable levels. Weather that favors the pest or application of a chemical that kills off the pest’s natural enemies can give the pest a temporary advantage. Then the gardener may have to step in to prevent damage to crops or ornamentals.

Applying pesticides is one option but not the only one, Ellis points out. He advises taking an integrated pest management approach that uses a combination of strategies and tactics to reduce damage to tolerable levels.

For instance, in the vegetable garden, placing cutworm collars around newly transplanted peppers and hand picking Colorado potato beetles and tomato hornworms can be very effective. In the landscape, homeowners can remove the eggs of tent caterpillars from landscape ornamentals during the winter. These are all examples of mechanical controls. Hand pulling or hoeing weeds is another.

Cultural controls in the garden include rotating crops to prevent the buildup of disease organisms or insects in the soil, and selecting varieties with built-in disease resistance. Selecting ornamental plants that are hardy and disease resistant, planting them in appropriate planting sites, and watering, fertilizing and pruning to keep plants growing vigorously can help plants withstand pest and disease attack.

Preserving natural controls such as parasites and predators is another strategy, Ellis says. It can be as simple as reducing pesticide use. You can also design your plantings to provide alternative foods and shelter for beneficials so they’ll hang around when their prey isn’t available. Many adult parasites and some predators seek out pollen and nectar in flowers. Ellis suggests adding flowering plants with small blossoms to attract and hold these beneficial insects.

Some biological controls are available formulated as pesticides, Ellis points out. The most well known is probably Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium used to control caterpillars in the garden and landscape. Importing predators such as praying mantids and ladybird beetles tends to have less predictable results, he notes, because they don’t necessarily stay where you put them.

Sometimes you can’t wait for natural controls to kick in. A good example is cucumber beetles, which carry the organism that causes bacterial wilt in cucumbers and squashes. They transmit it as they feed. There’s no cure for infected plants, so you have to prevent it by controlling the insect. And the most reliable way to do this is with an insecticide labeled for cucumber beetles, applied according to label directions.

"When pesticides are necessary, choosing and using them carefully can preserve beneficial insects and other natural enemies that prey on pest populations," Ellis says.

When spraying for cucumber beetles, for instance, you can spray after sundown to minimize the effect on bees and other pollinators.

Another integrated pest management strategy is to target pesticides when the pest is most vulnerable. Controlling caterpillars when they are small is one example. They are not only more susceptible then, but they haven’t grown large enough to cause serious damage.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

NOTES ON THIS YEAR’S GARDEN
CAN HELP PLAN NEXT YEAR’S

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- As you survey your garden in midsummer, you may already have forgotten the names of the new snap bean varieties you tried this year, and you have a sneaking feeling that you planted your tomatoes and peppers in the same part of the garden this year and last. Right now, you know what you planted after early crops were harvested, but will you recall when it’s time to order seeds and buy plants next year how many row feet of beans and hills of squash you planted this year and whether the harvest was too large, too small or just right?

You won’t have to remember if you draw a map of this year’s garden and make notes on varieties, planting times, quantities of plants and row feet planted, insect or disease problems and when they occurred, yield -- anything, in other words, that would be helpful to know so that you can either do it again or try something different next year.

"A sketch of this year’s garden greatly simplifies laying out next year’s garden," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Planting related crops in different areas of the garden each year reduces insect and disease problems. And this crop rotation is easier if you plant related crops together and use a sketch of each year’s garden to move them around so that related crops don’t follow one another in the same space."

The number of vegetable varieties increases each year, she observes. Notes on varieties you tried and liked -- or didn’t care for -- can guide you through the pages of seed catalogs and flats of transplants at the local garden center. Notations about quantities planted and yields -- along with extenuating circumstances such as late or early frosts, hail, rabbits eating your peas, etc. -- can help you make seed and plant buying decisions.

Notes about pest and disease problems can remind you when to watch for the first signs of problems.

"Pest and disease development are usually closely tied to weather," McLellan notes, "and crop or variety performance may vary greatly as a result of too much or too little moisture, a late spring warm-up or summer thunderstorm damage, so notes on weather need to be part of the garden story."

The same tomato variety that produces extravagantly in a warm summer with regular rains might be a dud in a cool summer, just as poor performance by early spring salad crops could be related to unusually warm early temperatures or depredation by deer or woodchucks.

Crops or varieties that perform well in spite of adverse conditions deserve a special note, she suggests -- they could be the mainstays of your harvest.

Did weeds nearly overwhelm your garden in June? It could be that your garden is too big for the tools and people available to take care of it. Or it could be that the tiller was in the shop or a family emergency kept you out of the garden. Chances are you’ll remember a weedy disaster, but a note to mulch right after planting wouldn’t hurt.

Making notes is one thing -- making sure you can find them when you want them is something else. One approach, McLellan suggests, is to put garden notes with leftover seeds. When you inventory the seeds, you’ll find the notes.

"The key is to put them somewhere that makes sense to you so you can easily find them later," she sums up. "Not only will you have your notes when you need them, but you’ll feel so organized!"

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

PLANTS THAT COME UP YEAR AFTER YEAR AND
PROPAGATE THEMSELVES -- WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- What more could a gardener want than flowering plants that not only come up year after year but also propagate themselves?

"This is probably why herbaceous perennials are becoming so popular," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "You don’t have to consider yourself lazy -- or cheap -- to appreciate such plants, especially when they offer so much more, also. With careful selection, you can have something in bloom from early spring until late fall."

With a great variety of plant heights and textures and flower shapes and colors, perennials offer unending design possibilities.

"One approach to design is to plant together things that bloom at the same time," McLellan says. "This will give you pockets of color at various times of the year. To decide where to place them, think about where you’re likely to be viewing them from. In early spring and late fall, you may want blooms where you can see them from indoors. In summer, you may want flowers concentrated near the patio or deck so you can enjoy them when you’re using your outdoor living space."

Don’t hesitate to combine perennials with annuals. These will provide instant and lasting color and can be used to tie together the various perennial plantings. Sweeps of ground covers and ornamental grasses can also help you achieve a unified, planned look, even if your garden contains a large variety of plants. For impact, plant in clumps or blocks covering at least 2 square feet, McLellan suggests. This is true for annuals and bulbs as well as herbaceous perennials, she notes.

"Totally foolproof plants probably don’t exist, but some perennials come close," she observes. "At the top of the list are daylilies, which will grow almost anywhere -- in sun or light shade, in moist or dry soil, on hard-to-maintain slopes or pampered perennial beds. And they propagate themselves readily."

Other easy-to-grow perennials for sunny areas include bearded iris (don’t bury the rhizomes and remove foliage in the fall to thwart borers), Shasta daisy, Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), sedum, coreopsis and perennial geranium (blooms most of the summer; tolerates partial shade). For shadier spots, choose astilbe, bleeding heart, hosta and ferns.

Most perennials will multiply themselves and spread, McLellan says, and some will require dividing every two or three years to reduce crowding and maintain flower size and quantity. This provides plant material to establish new or enlarged plantings and share or trade with friends and family members.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

PUTTING HOUSEPLANTS OUTDOORS
HAS MORE RISKS THAN BENEFITS

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Most houseplants could go outdoors for the summer. But before you subject your indoor plants to outdoor conditions, you might want to ask yourself what you hope to accomplish. Then you can weigh that against the risks inherent in setting plants outside.

"Increased growth is a common result of houseplants spending the summer outdoors," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Plants that have been idling along on low light conditions indoors may double in size by fall in the brighter light outdoors."

That’s fine if you want larger plants, she points out. But if indoor space is limited or you simply don’t want to invest time and effort in repotting, this much vigorous growth may not be desirable.

"If your plants are healthy and making some growth indoors, you might just want to leave them there," she suggests. "Indoors, they are not subject to damage by weather, insects, animals and vandals as they are outside."

Placing plants in a sheltered, shaded location on the north or east side of a building or other structure and sinking their pots into the soil to the rim can limit the potential for sunburn, slow moisture loss from the soil in pots and protect containers from blowing over in the wind. Plants may still need frequent -- maybe even daily -- watering, especially in warm, windy weather, and they can still be broken by wind, rain or hail.

Wild or domestic animals and vandals may damage or destroy plants or, in the case of human pests, steal them, McLellan points out. Insects and diseases may injure plants and hitchhike indoors in the fall, where they may proliferate and overrun plants stressed by the sudden change in growing conditions and spread to plants that stayed indoors all summer.

If you decide to put houseplants outside, follow these tips:

**Repot or cut the plant back somewhat before you set it out.

**Make sure it’s in a pot with drainage holes so excess rain water can drain out.

**Make the switch outdoors gradually. Put it out for only a couple of hours for the first few days so it can adjust to outdoor conditions.

**Bury pots to the rim or be prepared to take them indoors or set them in the garage when severe weather threatens or you’ll be away from home.

**Check plants frequently for dry soil and signs of insect or disease problems. Water and fertilize regularly and control problems as soon as you spot them.

**Put plants out only after the local frost-free date and bring them back inside when night temperatures start dropping into the 50s.

**Isolate plants that have been outdoors and watch them for pests and diseases. Keep

them away from strictly indoor plants until you’re sure they’re problem-free. Be ready to

discard severely infested plants.

**Be aware that plants coming indoors may respond to the drastic change in growing

conditions by dropping large quantities of foliage.

"If you’re thinking about putting your houseplants outside in the summer, make sure you realize the risks," McLellan says. "You may decide that the risks outweigh the potential benefits."

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or D. Smitley
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-3385
5/15/03

RESEARCHERS LOOKING AT BIOLOGICAL
CONTROLS FOR JAPANESE BEETLES

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Japanese beetles, those voracious pests of hundreds of ornamental and edible plants, cause millions of dollars worth of damage to nursery, landscape and crop plants in Michigan each year.

Protecting plants with conventional pesticides is costly, and some chemicals may become unavailable because of the Food Quality Protection Act.

Researchers at Michigan State University have been looking for biological controls -- predators, parasites or pathogens (disease-causing organisms) -- and they appear to have found two with significant potential to thin the Japanese beetle population here.

Ovavesicula popilliae is a pathogen; Stictospora is an intestinal parasite. Dave Smitley, MSU entomologist, says both spread naturally after they were introduced as biological controls for Japanese beetles. Over time, they have potential to suppress beetle numbers and make it easier for homeowners, golf course managers, nursery operators and fruit growers to manage the pest and protect their lawns, landscape ornamentals and crops against damage.

Research is also underway to find natural controls for European chafer, a Japanese beetle relative. Its larval stage, a white grub, damages lawns and golf course turf in spring and fall by feeding on the roots of the grass plants. The scientists are looking for an affordable preventive treatment to replace current chemical controls applied after damage has already occurred. A new strain of nematode -- a microscopic worm that feeds on grubs -- has proven effective and could become a grub control product in the future.

Researchers are also looking for turfgrass varieties that are more tolerant to white grub damage. At this time, tall fescue appears to be the most tolerant of grubs, Smitley notes, and improved varieties are now being recommended for home lawns.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or T. Ellis
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-8478
5/15/03

SOME INSECTS HAVE
PERFECTED ART OF CAMOUFLAGE

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Insects are on the menu for a host of other creatures. Looking like something else -- a leaf, a stick, or another insect with a painful sting or a nasty taste -- is one way they have evolved to avoid being eaten.

"Some predators, also, find it an asset to be able to blend into the background," observes Tom Ellis, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University.

"By the time potential prey realize that that assemblage of leaves and stems is really a praying mantis, it’s too late!"

Some insects look like plant parts -- walking sticks and katydids look like sticks and green leaves, respectively; some treehoppers look like thorns when they cling to a plant stem. Many butterflies have brightly colored upper surfaces on their wings but undersides in shades of brown that look like dead leaves. The anglewings -- comma, question mark and tortoiseshell butterflies -- are common examples.

The giant swallowtail caterpillar’s coloration makes it look for all the world like a large bird dropping -- not worth a second look to an insect eater looking for a snack.

Some predators learn the hard way that bees and wasps can deliver a painful sting and avoid them in favor of unarmed prey. They also tend to avoid insects that look like bees and wasps. Some moths, beetles and many flies have evolved so that they look like stinging insects (brown or black and yellow striped bodies), buzz when they fly, and even behave like bees or wasps, confronting would-be predators in a threatening way.

"Another lesson that birds and other insect eaters learn is that brightly colored insects, such as the monarch butterfly and ladybird beetles, tend to taste bad," Ellis points out.

Over long periods of time, some insects that taste just fine (if you’re a bird) have evolved to look like their bad-tasting cohorts. The viceroy butterfly, for instance, sports the same bright orange, black-veined wings as the vile-tasting monarch.

"This strategy is more mimicry than camouflage," Ellis points out. "The mimic, rather than trying to disappear into the background, visually shouts a warning to would-be predators that it tastes bad -- even if it doesn’t."

Another strategy is to look fierce -- or at least larger than a tasty snack. Some butterflies and moths have spots on their wings that resemble eyes. To a potential predator, these eyespots may look like the eyes of a bigger predator, such as a snake. When given the option of being predator or prey, the would-be predator is likely to choose to go look for lunch elsewhere.

Though it’s tempting to see these survival strategies as conscious choices, they evolved over time through natural selection, Ellis says. That is, the insects that were harder for predators to see, for instance, were more likely to survive and produce offspring, so any change that resulted in better camouflage tended to be passed along.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

SUCCESSIVE PLANTING
KEEPS GARDEN PRODUCING

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Gardeners interested in high productivity don’t plant their gardens just once, on Memorial Day weekend -- they make numerous plantings, starting with cool-weather crops in early spring, that keep the garden producing well into fall.

When early crops are harvested, they plant that area again, explains Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. This tactic, called successive planting, makes efficient use of garden space and provides multiple harvests.

For instance, an early planting of salad crops such as leaf lettuce, radishes, spinach and green onions, planted in early to mid-April, could be followed by warm-weather crops such as snap beans, summer squash, cucumbers and green peppers. Early broccoli and peas planted for a late June harvest could be followed with more cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage and cauliflower) for a fall harvest, or by quick-maturing warm-weather crops such as beans and squash.

"These later plantings of beans, squash and cukes could well be your ‘insurance’ planting, the one that will replace an earlier planting killed by a late frost or hail, or damaged by insects," McLellan suggests. "A midsummer planting may take over for an earlier one that’s getting unproductive or provide produce in quantity for late-summer canning or freezing."

The same crops that do well when planted in early spring can go into the garden again in mid- to late summer for fall harvests, she notes. Lettuce and spinach sown in the spring tend to go to seed when the weather gets hot, but sown at 10-day intervals beginning in midsummer, they can provide abundant salad fixings as the shorter, cooler days of fall arrive.

Beets, turnips and peas can be planted in July in mid-Michigan for harvest in August or September.

Before you plant any crop for a fall harvest, McLellan recommends checking the days to maturity on the seed packet to make sure varieties will mature quickly enough to produce before they’re killed by a frost or hard freeze.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
5/15/03

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Healthy, mature trees may be the last plants in the landscape to show signs of drought stress during dry summer weather, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t need regular watering.

Like the other plants in your lawn and garden, trees need about an inch of water per week, says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. They may need more if they’re growing on light, sandy soil or if they’re already stressed by insect attack, compacted soil or restricted roots.

"Water runs through sandy soil quicker, so they dry out faster than soils with more clay," McLellan explains. "Stressed trees may tolerate drought less well than healthy trees and require watering to survive the added stress of dry weather," she adds.

Newly planted trees have limited roots and so generally need more frequent watering than established trees, she notes. It is possible, however, to overwater newly planted trees, especially those set into slow-draining clay soils. Water applied to the planting hole carved out of the clay may fill the loosened soil in the hole and be slow to move into the clay around it. Tree roots need oxygen as well as water, and those that remain long in saturated soil will die.

Watering equipment for trees isn’t fancy or specialized. All you need is a garden hose. If you want to water the lawn around the tree, add a sprinkler to the hose and a coffee can placed near the tree to measure the applied water.

"To use a hose, simply place it on the ground near the tree and let water trickle into the soil until the soil is wet to a depth of 8 inches," McLellan advises. "The water should soak in rather than run off. If it’s running off, cut back the flow."

Set a sprinkler near the tree and set it to water the area under the tree’s canopy. Set the coffee can near the tree trunk to measure the water being applied. Two inches every two weeks during dry weather should wet the soil well down into the root zone.

A good way to make watering more efficient and reduce runoff is to apply several inches of mulch over the roots of trees and shrubs, McLellan suggests. Piling shredded bark, wood chips or other mulch so that it’s higher around the outer edge than in the center forms a sort of basin to catch and hold water near the plant. The material will also slow the evaporation of moisture from the soil and so decrease the need for irrigation.

"Another benefit of mulch is that it eliminates the need to mow close to tree trunks," McLellan observes. "This can help prevent mechanical damage to bark by lawn care equipment. Mulch also discourages weed growth around ornamental plants."

Make sure the mulch does not lap up against the trunk or main stem, she cautions. Mulch piled around woody stems can promote a host of problems, including rodent and insect damage to the bark.

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