Too Much Moisture!

Recent weeks have given us more rain than usual, and unfortunately, just about any time we see excessive periods of rain, we see an increase in disease problems. Some problems are already showing up, others are likely to follow. Quick action is the key to minimizing problems that diseases bring with them. Here are a few tips to help you.

 

Tomatoes - One of the more common complaints about tomato plants is related to leaf diseases. Early Blight and Septoria Leaf Spot are common in our vegetable gardens and often end the tomato season prematurely.

Excessive moisture increases the occurrence of these diseases, so be prepared for some problems. Good disease control practices can help minimize disease problems. Start by making sure you mulch around your tomato plants. Mulching helps control the splashing of soil and the disease spores it contains onto the lower leaves. We like to use wheat straw, pine straw or alfalfa mulch. Preventive fungicides like Fertilome Broad Spectrum Fungicide can also be used.

 

Fruit Trees - If you have done a good job keeping your fruit trees sprayed for leaf and fruit diseases already, don’t stop now! If you haven’t been applying anything, you may need to get started. We have several good disease control products for fruit trees. Keep in mind that not all products work on all fruit tree diseases, so it is important to make sure you are applying the right products to target the disease you’re are trying to control. Let us know what kind of fruit trees you have and we will help you select the right product.

 

Roses - Black Spot and Powdery Mildew samples are already being brought in by customers. To reduce your chances of dealing with these diseases, start by planting your roses in places that receive lots of sun and good air movement.

Planting rose varieties that are naturally resistant to these diseases also helps. If you do find yourself dealing with these problems, fungicides will be needed. We have two by Fertilome that we use that provide good control, Liquid Systemic Fungicide and F-Stop.

 

Lawns - Excessive moisture this time of the year often leads into the development of Brown Patch, a disease that creates irregular brown “patches” in tall fescue lawns and in severe cases, kills out areas of turf.

Warmer weather in the upcoming weeks will bring this one on. Although it is very common, most infections will only result in visual damage and eventually the lawn will recover. In years where the disease pressure is higher or in yards that are more prone to disease, prevention may be warranted. Use Fertilome F-Stop and start your applications before the disease gets started. That will be fairly soon. One other recommendation would be to avoiding excessive fertilizer this time of year.

If you have questions about what you are seeing on your plants, let us know. The quicker you identify problems and address them, the less damaging they will be. Bring in samples or email us pictures. We will do our best to get you the information you need and help you make the best decisions possible. You can email pictures and your questions to info@skinnergardenstore.com.

Slugs....Yuck!

As you may have noticed, we are having a very wet spring here in Northeast Kansas. While the yards are greening up and flowers are blooming, you may have also noticed a thriving slug population in your gardens and flower beds. What are these slimy things, and what do I do about them?

Slugs are mollusks, in the same family as oysters or clams, and are basically snails without a shell. These destructive pests have been known to devour your bulbs, vegetables, annuals, perennials, shrubs and more. One of their favorite snacks seems to be hostas. Thick leafed hostas tend to be a bit more slug resistant than thin leafed. Slugs are nocturnal and have the ability to destroy a seedling overnight. They hang out under mulch, in between boards and under various weeds and debris during the day, and require moisture to move around. This is why we see so many signs of them after a rain or during particularly humid nights. Slugs use a radula, a mouth covered in small teeth, to chew herbaceous plants, fruit on the ground and seedlings. The damage they cause is identifiable by the irregular shaped holes in the leaves they chew on.

There are several options for getting rid of slugs, and a few suggestions for reducing the risk of slug habitation. We offer Hi-Yield Slug and Snail Bait, Sluggo, and Diatomaceous Earth in our garden store. The Slug and Snail Bait temporarily paralyzes the slug until it dries out from the sun.   With Sluggo, the snail takes the bait to its hiding place and within 2-6 days, it dies. It can be used in organic garden, and is safe for use around kids and pets. Diatomaceous Earth is a natural approach to killing slugs. Also known as insect dust, it causes the slugs to dehydrate. Do not breathe it in as it can be harmful to your lungs. Each of these has a different approach to killing slugs, but should have the same results in the end. Some people have also found that collecting slugs and dropping them in soapy water or creating beer traps have also been effective for slug eradication.   On the other hand, watering in the morning as opposed to the evening can create less of an appealing environment for slugs. Also, removing as much debris and potential hiding places for slugs altogether is another approach.

Remember, while slugs will always be something that we have to deal with, there are effective ways to keep them from ruining all of our hard work in our gardens and flower beds. And as in most situations, the earlier we detect their presence, the sooner we can work to limit the damage they do.

Broadleaf Weeds - what do I do?

Broadleaf Weeds in My Lawn...What Do I Do?

Many homeowners find that all the great growth of spring also brings along with it a noticeable growth of weeds in the lawn...weeds that don’t look good and that are choking out the lawn.

Although the absolute best time to tackle these broadleaf weeds is late in the fall, the next best time to nail them is right now...before they get any bigger! There’s more than one way to go at them, but two of the best approaches with spraying them with Fertilome Weed-Free Zone or treating the yard with a weed and feed combination called Weed-Free Zone Plus Lawn Food. Both contain a highly effective broadleaf weed killer and the weed and feed product has a great fertilizer formulation for late spring applications...like right now!
 

Broadleaf lawn weeds really aren’t that hard to get rid of if you use the right product and you do things right. If you’ve had limited success in the past, give these products a try and if you have any other questions, just let us know!

Growing Great Tomatoes

Growing Great Tomatoes

Mike’s Smart Pot Update

With the warm weather coming a bit sooner this year, many of us have been experiencing Spring Fever for some time now. Most of us have our own theories and rituals as to when the best time to plant certain garden varieties is, and this year, I’m sure some of those have been tested. After watching tomato after tomato, and pepper after pepper leave the store over the past couple of weeks, I finally decided that the time had come to get to planting in my Smart Pots.

I am experimenting with several sizes of Smart Pots this season, and have taken on the challenge of trying a few varieties of vegetables as well. I chose the 5, 10, and 20 gallon size pot, as well as the Big Bag Bed Jr. Raised Bed. After a busy Mother’s Day weekend, I made Monday night my planting night. I love to make salsa every year, so I wanted to incorporate some of the ingredients into my planting plans. I planted four varieties of spicy peppers and some candy onions in the Raised Bed. I also love refrigerator pickles, so I planted a patio cucumber in the 20 gallon pot. My wife is crazy about eggplant, so I planted an oriental express eggplant in the 10 gallon pot. Finally, on a whim, I planted fennel in the 5 gallon sized pot. We have never grown fennel, so it will be a new experience all together.

Nothing tastes as good as food you have grown yourself! I love to grow, share and talk about food with anyone and everyone.   As the pots take off, I will post progress pictures to accompany my experiences. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions you may have about my experiences or yours with Smart Pots at miker@skinnergardenstore.com. And above all else, have fun!

-Mike Ray

What is that shrub?

What Is That Shrub?

It's blooming now all over the place. You can find it crowding wooded areas, filling in the edges of the roadside, popping up volunteer throughout the yard, and even occasionally incorporated into the landscape. So what is plant we are talking about? It's Amur Honeysuckle.

Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) was introduced by the New York Botanic Garden back in the late 1800's. It was widely planted for wildlife cover and to control soil erosion and has since escaped those areas and established itself into the native areas throughout much of the eastern U.S and on into the Great Plains where it now grows in rampant, choking out much of the native plant population in the process.

In our area, it will commonly be found taking over "natural" areas with its aggressive growth. It starts as a small sprout but quickly reaches greater size, becoming a large bushy plant of 10-15' in height, with older plants becoming small bushy trees of 20' or more. It leafs out very early in the spring, producing vigorous growth of bright green leaves and shoots. By this time of the year it is blooming, producing white to yellow flowers typical of honeysuckle that cover all portions of the plant. Small bright red fruits follow and by fall, plants are covered in these colorful fruits, soon to be eaten by birds and spread into new areas. There is a lot about this plant that is actually visually attractive, however the reality is that it's an ecological disaster.

Amur Honeysuckle is so aggressive that is quickly takes over areas, choking out the native growth in the process...native vegetation that native wildlife need to exist. It thrives in woodland areas, particularly along the timber's edge where it gets so thick it is almost impossible to penetrate. Soon it has choked out most naturally occurring growth, including the seedlings of the trees that make up our wooded areas. It also spreads readily into all areas of our yards and landscapes, and if left unchecked it will quickly engulf even the most established plantings. It is an aggressive menace that will choke out everything in its path.

Control and eradication is highly recommended. Young plants can be easily pulled from the ground, especially when the ground is soft and moist. Larger plants will need to be dug out or cut down and treated with stump killer...don't forget this important step! Untreated stumps will sprout back with a vengeance, very quickly regenerating new growth, making the problem even worse than before. Immediately after cutting the bush out, treat the fresh cut with Fertilome Cut Vine and Stump Killer to prevent this from happening.