BYGL Newsletter July 18, 2013 This is the 16th 2013 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. Authors for 2015: Amanda Bennett, Pam Bennett, Joe Boggs, Jim Chatfield, Julie Crook, Erik Draper, Gary Gao, Denise Johnson, Jacqueline Kowalski, Ashley Kulhanek, Cindy Meyer, Amy Stone, Nancy Taylor, Marne Titchenell, Danae Wolfe, and Curtis Young. Plants of The Week » Annual - Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) Sweet alyssum is a wonderfully fragrant annual used as a border plant or in containers and hanging baskets. Tiny clusters of flowers cover the entire plant during most of the growing season. However, during the heat of the summer, flower production slows only to resume again with cooler temperatures. When flower production slows and plants appear leggy, shearing or a good "hair cut" helps to rejuvenate the plant and keep it looking great the rest of the season. Once fall arrives, the plant begins to look fantastic again and lasts until a hard freeze. The plants grow around 6 - 8" tall and in a mound around 1' wide. Several cultivars are available and include flower colors of white, purples, and pinks. The Proven Winner introduction, 'Snow Princess' is a breakthrough in Lobularia breeding for heat tolerance and season-long performance. For More Information: Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper Center for Home Gardening information on growing sweet alyssum http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp USDA Plants Profile for sweet alyssum http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile Perennial - Zebra Grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus') The boldly striped foliage, upright form, and stately height of zebra grass make it an excellent accent for a large island bed or perennial border. Zebra grass can grow 7' tall and makes a striking specimen plant in a sunny site. Zebra grass grows well in moist to mostly dry, well-drained soils, but is very adaptable to harsh conditions once established, including poor, compacted soils. This plant is also tolerant of summer heat and drought conditions. In the fall, the zebra grass turns to gold and the copper tinted plumes fade to white. Zebra grass is best divided in the spring. Woody - Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum) Sourwood, also known as sorrel tree or lily-of-the-valley tree is a small to medium sized (30 - 50') tree in the Ericaceae family. Like all members of this plant family, it grows best in acid, well-drained soils. It is more common to our south, but is native as far north as southern Pennsylvania. The key ornamental features of sourwood include glossy green leaves that turn a spectacular scarlet color in the fall and panicles of creamy-white fragrant flowers that appear in late June and into mid-July. Sourwood is a wonderful and uncommon specimen tree which is also a good example of an edible landscape tree due to the renowned quality of sourwood honey and sourwood jelly. Sourwood can be planted in full sun to partial shade. Vegetable - Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) Cilantro is an annual herb popular for use in Mexican and Asian cuisine. When used for its foliage or leaves it is referred to as cilantro or CHINESE PARSLEY, but when used for its edible seeds, it is called CORIANDER. Some individuals describe cilantro as soapy, but most people find the taste appealing and it is widely used. Cilantro is a prolific seed producer and will readily reseed itself in the garden; it can become a weed problem if not controlled. It bolts quickly in hot weather. For a season long cilantro supply, sow every two weeks from spring through summer. Seedlings do not transplant well and must be thinned to 4" apart. Foliage will grow 8 - 10" tall. The flowering plant will grow to 18" tall. It is a prolific seed producer and will quickly establish itself as one of the more weedy residents in the garden - a definite benefit if one also has a yearly patch of tomatillos. Leaves with petioles attached are harvested individually or the entire clump of leaves can be cut from the plant. Leaves are used fresh as a garnish and in dishes such as salsa or dal. The coriander seed is dried for storage then crushed or ground prior to use. For More Information: Salsa Factsheet http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5339.pdf Selecting and Storing Fresh Herbs http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5520.pdf Weed - Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) Grassy weeds are dominating fields and landscapes this time of year. Heat and ample rainfall that contributed to the early failure of some pre-emergent herbicides have also encouraged the rapid germination and growth of many annual grasses, including barnyardgrass. This particular grass begins germinating in early summer and continues into late summer. Early-germinating plants will easily reach heights of 3 - 4' but the late arrivals will normally be much shorter due to competition from surrounding plants. Barnyardgrass is a common weed in waterways and irrigated fields. It is easily identified by the thick, flattened, often red-tinted stems arising from a central clump. As the stems lean out from the center, they give the plant a definite V-shaped form. Seed heads also have a reddish tint and are covered with bristles, giving the seedhead a spiny appearance. The leaves are hairless. For the grass identification nerds, this plant is very easy to identify as the collar region is completely smooth with no auricles or ligules; a pale yellow band marks the collar. Control of this and many summer annual grasses can be achieved with pre and post emergent herbicides, mulching, pulling and cultivation. Note that shallow cultivation can actually encourage germination of barnyardgrass seed in upper levels of the soil by exposing them to light and heat. For More Information: Barnyardgrass, USDA profile http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile Barnyardgrass http://extension.psu.edu/pests/weeds/weed-id/barnyardgrass Hort Shorts » What is That? Ashley Kulhanek reported on a mysterious slime found by a homeowner. What could it be? Is it a moss or a fungus or maybe pond scum? What appeared like a bundle of seaweed on a gravel driveway was actually NOSTOC ALGAE (Nostoc spp.) or NOSTOC BALLS. Nostoc spp. are actually photosynthesizing bacteria (cyanobacteria). Unlike its water-locked counterparts, Nostoc can grow on grass, stone, and even concrete. Though a terrestrial alga, it still needs moisture and warmth to thrive. It stays desiccated and dormant until the right rainy conditions arrive. Then it becomes active, growing into thick folds of green slime. With this warm, humid, rainy weather, it is no surprise that homeowners are starting to spot this "land-loving algae." It is not harmful nor is it toxic, but it is very slippery and could pose a falling hazard so tread carefully. It is sometimes associated with lawn dieback though it is not the cause. Because Nostoc prefers compacted soils and a lot of water, it is often found in areas of the lawn that are not favorable to grass to begin with. It also grows favorably in the presence of phosphorous fertilizers, making landscapes an environment conducive to algal growth. Recently, Nostoc has been a problem for the nursery industry due to the favorable greenhouse environment and the slipping hazard it poses. Management: For small infestations, removing Nostoc with a shovel is the most effective solution. For both gravel and lawn issues, improving drainage and reducing irrigation can be one way of reducing growth, but in this rainy, humid weather, drainage may not help. Raking is not recommended as it will merely break up and spread the algae further. Aeration can help with compacted lawns affected by Nostoc, but tilling, like raking, may only break apart and spread the algae. Unfortunately there are few chemical recommendations for homeowners that are long lasting or fully effective, but research is ongoing. Chemical treatments that have been tried require repeat applications every 7 - 14 days and they never eliminate the infestation, only suppress it. Professor and researcher Dr. Hannah Mathers of The Ohio State University has been testing various treatments on liverworts that may hold promise for management of Nostoc and other algae in the future. Read more about Dr. Mathers research at http://basicgreen.osu.edu . For now, all one can do is remove what they can, and hope for a drier season next year. For More Information: North Carolina State University Factsheet http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/2013/02/what-is-growing-in-my-yard/ Michigan State University Factsheet http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/nursery_growers_should_watch_for_blue_green_algae_in_container_growing_area To Eat This or to Eat That - That is the Question! There was some discussion on last week's BYGL on whether or not young WHITE-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus virginianus) are selective in what they eat. After delving into the world of deer plant selection, Marne Titchenell reported that adult and yearling (ages 1 - 2 years old) deer are in fact, selective in what they eat. Not only that, but sometimes their plant selection changes as the year progresses. Finding and obtaining the correct nutrients is a major constraint for large herbivores, like white-tailed deer. Plant species differ in the nutrient content available, and in addition, different parts of the same plant offer different nutrients (this is perhaps why the tender blossoms of some plants are preferentially nipped off and eaten by deer and rabbits). White-tailed deer, as much as we may think that they feed on anything and everything, don't feed randomly but on select plants and parts of plants that provide them the best nutrients.