BYGL July 14, 2011
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Home BYGL 2011 Text Only Contacts Search Site Map ENLT Presentations Lead Editor: Curtis Young Contributing Authors: Pam Bennett, Joe Boggs, Cindy Meyer, Jim Chatfield, Erik Draper Dave Dyke, Gary Gao, Tim Malinich, Bridget Meiring, Amy Stone and Curtis Young Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine provides timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and cultural problems. Updated weekly between April and October, this information is useful for those who are managing a commercial nursery, garden center, or landscape business or someone who just wants to keep their yard looking good all summer. BYGL July 14, 2011 Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:26 This is the 15th 2011 edition of the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL). BYGL is developed from a Tuesday morning conference call of Extension Educators, Specialists, and other contributors in Ohio. In This Issue: 1. PLANTS OF THE WEEK: Annual (Cockscomb); Perennial (Beebalm); Woody (Ginkgo); Vegetable (Cucumber); and Weed (Queen Anne's Lace). 2. HORT SHORTS: Time to Tip Erect Blackberries. 3. BUG BYTES: Summer Cats (Walnut and Yellownecked Caterpillars); White Pine Weevils are Leaving the Building; Head-Clipping Weevil is Afoot; and Windshield Wipes (Eyed Click Beetle, Bagworm and Magnolia Scale). 4. DISEASE DIGEST: Now That's Really Rusty! (Cedar Apple Rust); Quince Rust on Hawthorn; and Grape Black Rot in Fruit Observed by Gardeners and Commercial Growers. 5. TURF TIPS: Turfgrass Diseases Abound (Rust And Brown Patch); Cicada Killers Cruising Ohio Lawns and Landscapes; and Buzz-Bombing Beetles (Green June Beetles). 6. INDUSTRY INSIGHTS: Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Update. 7. WEATHERWATCH. 8. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Diagnostic Workshops for Master Gardener Volunteers; School Integrated Pest Management Seminars Scheduled; Northwest Ohio Green Industry Summer Session; Come to the Annual Gateway Garden Jubilee in Clark County!; and 2012 Ohio Commercial Pesticide Applicator Recertification Conferences Set. 9. BYGLOSOPHY. APPENDIX - ADDITIONAL WEBSITE RESOURCES 1. PLANTS OF THE WEEK. *ANNUAL - COCKSCOMB (Celosia argenta var. cristata). This group of cockscomb plants has outstanding flowers that are an interesting addition to any garden. The unique 'brain- like' flower structure is guaranteed to elicit comments from visitors! These plants prefer full sun for best flowering and can be found in a variety of bloom colors and plant heights. It's a very easy annual to grow. Cockscomb can be grown from seeds directly sown into the garden in the spring or from transplants purchased from garden stores. Taller cultivars should be protected from the wind as the blooms can sometimes get top-heavy. The colors of the blooms vary from shades of red to orange, yellow, purple, or pink. They also make an excellent cut or dried flower, lasting a long time in an arrangement. For more information, see: Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper Center for Home Gardening Cockscomb information Michigan State University Information on Cockscomb *PERENNIAL - BEEBALM (Monarda dydima). Beebalm, a member of the mint family, is a necessity in a pollinator garden. Beebalm flowers are full of nectar that is especially attractive to bees, but will often attract hummingbirds and butterflies. This plant can grow up to 24-48" in height and prefers full sun and moist soil. Unfortunately, beebalm tends to be very susceptible to powdery mildew. Locating plants in full sun and following proper spacing for this plant can help keep powdery mildew at bay. Beebalm comes in a variety of different colors including red, rose, pink, violet, and white. Dividing plants every 2-3 years in the spring will help keep the plant healthy. When dividing, dig up plants as soon as plants emerge. Divide the plant into clumps using a sharp knife. Each clump should include a good root system, as well as several good shoots. For more information, see: Iowa State University Extension Texas Agrilife Extension Service *WOODY - GINKGO (Ginkgo biloba). Its fan-shaped leaves are truly unique. This medium to large stately tree is wonderful in the landscape, providing one has the male version! Male cultivars such as 'Autumn Gold', 'Lakeview', and 'Princeton Sentry' are some of the more popular selections. Gingko trees grow to around 50-70' tall and are very adaptable to urban conditions and tough sites. They are used quite often as a street tree as the can take adverse growing conditions such as the strip between the street and sidewalk. The tree's golden yellow leaves tend to drop all of sudden when temperatures change and wind kicks up in the fall. These trees have relatively few problems making them a great choice in the landscape. For more information, see: OSU Horticulture Information Sheet on Ginkgo *VEGETABLE - CUCUMBER (Cucurbita sativus). Cucumber is a warm season vegetable that grows best during periods of warm days and warms nights. The vines of a standard cucumber grow quickly and require substantial growing space. However, by training vines onto vertical structures and with the development of bush and dwarf varieties, even gardeners with limited space can also enjoy the home grown taste of cucumbers. Cucumbers are usually started by planting seeds directly in the soil after the danger of frost has passed in the spring. The seeds can be planted in hills with 4-5 seeds per hill spaced at 4-5' apart or in rows with plants 2-3' apart and space between rows of 5-6' apart. You can get a jump on the season by starting plants indoors using peat pots or pellets. Like other vine crops it is best to avoid disturbing the cucumber roots when transplanting. A second planting may be done in mid to late summer for a fall harvest. Cucumbers are ready for harvesting 50-70 days from planting. Depending on their use, the cucumber can be picked at any stage of development before the seeds become hard and the cucumber turns yellow. For more information, see: OSU Extension FactSheet 1608 University of Illinois Extension - Watch Your Garden Grow *WEED - QUEEN ANNE'S LACE (Daucus carota). Queen Anne's lace or wild carrot is the progenitor of production carrots. Although native to Europe, it is now common throughout the northern US, where its white lacy umbels are a familiar sight along roads and in fields. Queen Anne's lace is a biennial plant. The plant forms a rosette of pinnately compounded leaves the first year, then produces several flowers on tall stems the second year. In its second year, the plant bolts from the taproot (the carrot) to a height of 2-4'. The stems are erect and branched; both stems and leaves are covered with short coarse hairs. The individual ray flowers make a tatted, round umbel. It will flower from late June through September. Some people eat the young taproot, although it is not as sweet and tender as a carrot. It boasts of several herbal qualities, as the seeds have been used as an antiseptic diuretic, and for the prevention and flushing of urinary stones. The seeds are high in volatile oil and supposedly soothe the digestive system when flatulence arises. The root is used as an antacid for heartburn and gastritis. A poultice of the root has been found useful to treat itchy skin. As with any wildflower though, care should be taken to identify the plant correctly, as it has several toxic relatives, such as poison hemlock. Many butterflies, wasps, and bees are attracted to the flowers of Queen Anne’s lace so, while often considered a weed, it is frequently planted in wildflower and butterfly gardens. The black swallowtail caterpillar favors Queen Anne's lace and other members of the Umbelliferae family as its food source. For more information, see: Auburn University Link on Queen Ann's Lace Queen Anne's Lace Photos 2. HORT SHORTS. A. TIME TO TIP ERECT BLACKBERRIES. Gary Gao noted that some of the blackberries started ripening in southern Ohio. Many of the canes on the blackberry plants are 4-5' tall or taller. These canes need to be tipped back to encourage the formation of laterals or side branches. Tipping can be accomplished by removing the top of the shoot tips of each developing primocane to 48" in late June and July. If new canes get too long, they could be broken off at the base during a strong windstorm. In addition, it will be more difficult to harvest berries on extremely tall canes. Erect blackberry cultivars differ in their fruiting habits. In some cultivars, the fruit clusters occur well out on the laterals; in others, they are close to the main stem; and in others, they are well distributed over the lateral. In March of next year, at least half of each lateral may be removed. For more information, see: OSU Extension FactSheet, "Pruning erect blackberries in the home garden." 3. BUG BYTES. A. SUMMER CATS. Participants in this week's BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About in southwest Ohio observed early instar WALNUT CATERPILLARS (Datana integerrima), and YELLOWNECKED CATERPILLARS (D. ministra). These are second generation caterpillars; participants found egg masses of the walnut caterpillar and defoliation caused by the first generation on its namesake host. The caterpillars of both species are general defoliators and they feed in groups that may include 10-30 caterpillars. Since both species occur at the same time, and since both share some general traits and common hosts, the two species are sometimes misidentified. Both species of moths lay eggs on the underside of leaves. First instar caterpillars often go unnoticed since they only skeletonize the lower leaf epidermis. Damage becomes more apparent when the caterpillars reach the second instar stage and consume most of the leaf, except for the midvein. In later instars, they devour whole leaves, often including the petiole. Since the caterpillars of both species are gregarious feeders, defoliation tends to occur one branch at a time, unless populations are high and multiple groups are feeding on many branches.