1

I N S I D E

T H I S

I S S U E :

Protect

Pollina-

tors from

Pesticides

2

Farmers

Market

3

Turf Ren-

ovation

Should

Take

Place

4

Summer

Recipes

6

Asian

Tiger

Mosquito

8

Rebloom-

ing Per-

ennials

9

Whitetail

Deer

10

Activities

& Ideas

11

Gifted Gardener A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

WINTER DAMAGE

ON ORNAMENTALS

has also been a problem this season

as well on these same plants. While

splitting normally does not hurt a

healthy growing tree it does apply

its own level of stress to the plant.

Un-

fortunately

there are

no control

measures

for these

issues ex-

cept keep-

ing it watered when dry and fertiliz-

ing in the fall to promote growth.

Boxwoods are another plant

that didn't fair well coming out of

this winter. I have looked at several

plants that have limbs turning straw

brown and dying back. There are

more than a few things that can

cause this type of symptom in box-

wood but one culprit has been iden-

tified most often; Volutella leaf and

stem blight. Boxwood is more sus-

ceptible to infection when subjected

to stress from improper watering,

winter injury or wounds.

Prune out and burn dead

branches.

Remove dead leaves from

crotches.

Minimize wounding especially

during the winter months.

Maintain good air circulation

and drainage.

Avoid high humidity (>85%) for

long periods.

(Continued on page 11)

Winter damage has been

a constant theme with my

diagnostic work and home

visits this summer. Several

plants took it strongly on the

chin this past winter. There

were many plants that hadn't

been tested with tempera-

tures like we experienced this

past winter. It really wasn't

an extreme low but the length

of the cold spell that resulted

in many

damaged

plants.

One

that has

continued

to recur is

the orna-

mental

cherry.

Many vari-

eties exist and all seem to be

affected this season. The first

is a result from freeze damage

and shows up in the form of

perennial cankers. Cankers

are most visible by the evi-

dence of gummosis. Gummo-

sis is the sticky ooze that

comes out of the trunk and

limbs of affected plants. Most

folks recognize a problem

when they see dieback of

limbs. Vertical trunk splitting

HORTICULTURE

2

Pollinators, such as bees, wasps, butterflies, and flies, can be exposed to pesticides by

1. being hit by spray

droplets during an application,

2. contacting spray resi-

dues on treated plants, and/or,

3. consuming a pesticide

as nectar and pollen are collected.

Here are some ways to protect pollinators when pesticide applications are needed:

Read the label careful-ly. Follow any specific requirements to pro-tect pollinators.

Avoid applying insecti-cides and fungicides to any plant in bloom.

Be aware of your sur-

Figure 1. Sweat bee and bumble bee gath-ering pollen and nec-tar. (Photo: Lee Town-

roundings and weather condi-tions, especially wind speed and direction. Do not

allow pesticide spray droplets to drift onto nearby flowering plants.

Apply pesticides only after petals have fallen so flowers are less attractive to pollina-tors.

If you must spray plants in bloom to save a crop, choose a pesti-cide/formulation with the lowest toxicity to bees and other pollina-tors.

Organophosphate/carbamate, neonico-tinoid, and pyrethroid insecticides have high residual toxicity to bees and other pollinators.

Pesticide formulations affect residual toxicity of an active ingredient. Dust (D) > Wettable powder (WP) > Liquid (L) or Flowable (F) > Emulsifiable concen-trate (EC).

Use the lowest labeled rate. For example, the extended residual tox-icity to bees of a partic-ular pyrethroid insecti-cide is 1 day at the

(Continued on page 3)

EN

TO

MO

LO

GY

PROTECT

POLLINATORS FROM

PESTICIDES

If you must

spray plants

in bloom to

save a crop,

choose a

pesticide/

formulation

with the

lowest

toxicity to

bees and

other

pollinators.

3

highest use rate; at the low rate it is 4 to 6 hours.

Avoid using any systemic insecticide on plants even after bloom if that product lasts until next season’s bloom period. Imidacloprid persists; di-notefuran is active only during the current season.

By Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist

Now open on

Wednesday

evenings 4-8 pm

4

Sow the seed

in the middle of

August and it

takes about 10

to 14 days for

the seed to

germinate under

ideal conditions.

Once the grass

is established it

now has all fall

and winter to

develop a good

root system

without the

stresses of

summer drought

and high

temperatures.

This is the best time of

year to renovate turf that

has been damaged due to

drought, construction, or

other kinds of problems.

August through Septem-

ber are by far the best

times to sow grass seed

in our state. It may seem

counter intuitive to thank

about one of our hottest

months as a great time to

sow seed but you have to

think about in regards to

timing. For example we

sow the seed in the mid-

dle of August and it takes

about 10 to 14 days for

the seed to germinate

under ideal conditions.

So this scenario puts into

the first part of Septem-

ber if all goes well. Sep-

tember you may recall

begins to cool down in

the evenings and showers

become a little more

regular. Once the grass

is established it now has

all fall and winter to de-

velop a good root system

without the stresses of

summer drought and high

temperatures. The roots

will continue to grow

TURF RENOVATION SHOULD TAKE

PLACE NOW until the soil temperature goes

below 50 degrees F.

There are only a few rules you

need to follow when trying to

establish turf. Little success can

be expected if you just broadcast

seed on the soil surface. In order

for seed to germinate and sur-

vive, it must have good soil con-

tact. Sometimes a heavy raking

will loosen the soil surface suffi-

ciently, but most often the sur-

face is hard, and weeds or dead

grass make raking difficult.

A vertical mower or dethatching

machine can often be rented

from a local lawn supplier or

equipment-rental agency. Not

only will vertical mowing or de-

thatching loosen the dead grass

and weeds, it will leave shallow

grooves or slits in the soil sur-

face. Seeds falling into these slits

are much more likely to germi-

nate and live. For best results, it

may be necessary to traverse the

area several times in different

directions in order to disturb the

soil sufficiently.

Newly-seeded areas should be

watered immediately after seed-

ing. Watering should continue as

long as necessary to obtain satis-

factory germination and growth.

Begin mowing as soon as some

of the grass grows higher than

LA

ND

SC

AP

E

5

the desired 2-2½ inch mowing height.

Moisture is probably the most im-

portant consideration immediately

after planting. Regardless of the meth-

od used for planting, the soil must be

kept moist for two to three weeks.

Mowing should not be delayed just be-

cause the lawn is new. After the turf

begins to grow, mow to recommended

heights.

Current Recommen-

dations

1. Regenerate

2. Grade 3

3. Hemi 3. Bizem

5. Fesnova

5. Catalyst

5. Bullseye

5. Falcon IV

5. Falcon V

10. Terrano

11. Firebird 2 Data compiled from 2011 NTEP National tall fescue test. The

above recommendations are based on the schedule A rat-

ings from Kentucky.

Previous Recommenda-

tions

1. Falcon V

2. Faith

2. Firecracker LS

2. Jamboree

5. Cochise V

5. Shenandoah Elite

7. Monet

7. Turbo

7. Bullseye

7. Catalyst

7. Tanzania Data compiled from 2006 NTEP National tall fescue test. The above recommen-

dations are based on the schedule A ratings from

Recommended Tall Fescue Varieties

Seeding rates for Lawn Renovation

Grass Type

KY Blue-

grass Turf Type

Tall Fescue

Fine Fes-

cues (creeping

red)

Perennial

Ryegrass KY Blue-

grass +

Ryegrass

Seeding Rate Lbs/1000ft2

2 6 2 4 1.75 +.25

6

SUMMER RECIPES

7

8

The Asian tiger mosquito (ATM) is a serious nuisance at best and a potential public health threat at worst. This aggressive day-biting mosquito prefers mammals: humans, cats, dogs, etc., but will occa-sionally feed on birds. It is capable of transmitting 30 viruses and the dog heart-worm. This accidentally introduced species proba-bly occurs throughout Ken-tucky.

The ATM (Figure 1) can carry the chikungunya virus, which has been in the news lately. Cases of this mosquito-borne disease have been diag-nosed in the U.S. in people who have been in the Caribbean re-cently. So far, there has been no indication that transmission has occurred yet in the U.S.

Breeding Areas and Man-agement ATM larvae develop in wa-ter that becomes trapped in natural cavities (tree holes, etc.) and artificial

Use personal

protection to

avoid mosquito

bites. Wearing

loose-fitting

clothing that

covers most of

the skin and

using insect

repellent, such as

DEET, picaradin,

or oil of lemon

eucalyptus, will

reduce the

number of bites.

ASIAN TIGER

MOSQUITO containers. Adults tend to stay within 200 yards of their breeding site so source re-duction around your proper-ty is important. Small accu-mulations of water (as little as 1/4 inch) are enough to produce several adults in just over a week. Discarded tires are a common breeding site, but crushed aluminum drink cans are suitable, too. Eliminate standing water: change pet watering dishes, dump overflow dishes for potted plants, and change bird bath water frequently. Do not allow water to accu-

mulate in tires, flower pots, buckets, rain barrels, gutters, etc.

Use personal protection to avoid mosquito bites. Wear-

Figure 1. Asian tiger mosquito. Note the white stripe down the middle of the segment behind the head and white bands on the legs. (Photo: James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control Public Health Image Library)

EN

TO

MO

LO

GY

9

ing loose-fitting clothing that covers most of the skin and using insect repel-lent, such as DEET, picaradin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, will reduce the num-ber of bites. The ATM can feed anytime during the day and usually remains out-doors. There are distinct peaks of activi-ty in early morning and late afternoon.

Limiting outdoor activities during dawn and dusk can help to avoid their bites if mosquitoes are very abundant.

By Lee Townsend, Extension Entomolo-

gist

10

Whitetail Deer – From Field to Table-Have you always wanted to hunt for your own food?

Are you trying to protect your farm or garden from

deer damage?

Join Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

staff and members of the Derby City Chapter of the Quality

Deer Management Association for a hands-on course de-

signed to give first time hunters basic instruction on acquiring

a free-ranging sustainable source of meat.

The course includes one night of classroom instruction fol-

lowed by a day-long field course. The cost of the course is

$30 and includes a 2014-2015 Combination Fishing and Hunt-

ing License for Kentucky residents. This fee will be waived

for Kentucky residents who show a current annual Kentucky

combo hunting and fishing license.

The classroom portion of the workshop will be held at the

Nelson County Cooperative Extension office and will cover a

variety of topics including deer biology and behavior, the his-

tory of whitetail deer in Kentucky, finding a place to hunt and

basic hunting strategies. The class room portion of the

course will be limited to 30 participants. The field por-

tion of the course, will be held at the Otter Creek Outdoor

Recreation Area in Meade County, and will include an intro-

duction to firearms and archery equipment, deer processing

and preservation, tree stand safety, hide tanning and the iden-

tification of plants and habitats important to deer.

All workshops are recommended for ages 16 and up and

participants are encouraged to attend both the classroom

session and field portion of the workshop. To register for the

course or for more information, contact Jason Nally at (502)

477-9288 or e-mail him at jason.nally@ky.gov. The deadline

to register for the course is September 26, 2013.

Monday September 29th

Nelson County Cooperative Extension

317 S. Third St.

Bardstown, KY

6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 4th

Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area

850 Otter Creek Road, Brandenburg

9 a.m. to 6 p.m. htt

p://k

entu

ckyh

om

ega

rdens.

blo

gspot.

com

/

htt

p://h

oneyo

fablo

g.blo

gspot.

com

/

htt

p://w

ww

.fac

ebook.c

om

/pag

es/

Bar

dst

ow

n-F

arm

ers

-Mar

ket/

199299616780198

LE

AR

NIN

G

11

Upcoming Activities:

August 19th @ 6:30 pm is the Regular

meeting of the Kentucky Home Exten-

sion Master Gardener Association.

August 26th @ 4:00 pm Saving seeds

and plant division will be discussed at

the Bloomfield Branch Library.

August 26th from 10:00 am until

12:00 noon Rinse and Return pesti-

cide container recycling will take

place at the Nelson County Extension

Office

September 3rd @ 6:30 pm Nelson

County Beekeepers Club will have

their regular meeting at the Nelson

County Extension Office

September 4th @ 1:00 pm Join the

Bardstown Garden Club for one of

their regular meeting at the Nelson

County Extension Office

Clean up an get rid of dead garden plants to cut disease

potential for next season

Spider mites

continue to be a problem on

select plants.

Lawn seeding

should be taking place now for best

results.

Plant fall vege-table crops now for con-tinued produc-

tion in to late

fall

Fall is a good

time to plant

garlic for

spring harvest

Remembers

soil testing is free in Nelson County and should be

done every

few years.

Save our polli-nators do not

spray trees

when flowers

are open.

If you need

help with can-ning and freez-ing questions

call the Exten-sion office.

We are here

to help.

Many perenni-als can be

divided now.

All tree prunig

and shrub pruning should cease at this

point in the season until after the first

frost.

Remember that standing water in any

vessel out-doors can be a hospitable place for a

mosquito fam-

ily.

Eat from the

garden at every

chance.

T H A T ’ S A N

I D E A

Phone: 502-348-9204

Fax: 502-348-9270

email: robsmith@uky.edu

Robbie Smith

County Extension Agent for Horticulture

Grow plants in well-drained media or soil with a pH between 6.8 and 7.5.

Light shade of 20% can also reduce injury from summer and winter extremes.

Chemical controls are available but application should take place in the spring.

(Continued from page 1)

12

Co

op

era

tive

Ext

en

sio

n S

erv

ice

Un

iver

sity

of

Ken

tuck

y

Nel

son

Co

un

ty

31

7 S

ou

th T

hir

d S

tree

t

Ba

rdst

ow

n, K

Y 4

00

04

RET

UR

N S

ERV

ICE

REQ

UES

TED

NO

NP

RO

FIT

OR

G

US

PO

STA

GE

PA

ID

BA

RD

STO

WN

, KY

PER

MIT

#0

28