Hello Horticulturalists For updated information on how COVID-19 is affecting our office, please check our website at http://madison.ca.uky.edu/, Facebook page or call our office at 859-623-4072.

Amanda Sears

County Extension Agent for Horticulture

amanda.sears@uky.edu http://ces.ca.uky.edu/madison/horticulture

H O R T I C U L T U R E

August 2020

Wondering if it’s time to water? One technique to assess soil moisture is to use a 6-inch screwdriver to probe the soil. If the screwdriver inserts into the soil easily, water is often not required.

For more information on irrigating, check out this handy publication from Colorado State University. https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/garden/07240.pdf

Check out the Farmer’s Markets!

For the most current information, be sure to check out each market’s Facebook page and website.

The Berea Farmers Market is located at Fee Park (401 Chestnut Street, Berea next to People’s Bank). The market is open Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and Tuesday from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Tuesdays are Senior Day at the market. Market coordinators can offer assistance to seniors if they need help that day. https://www.facebook.com/bereafarmersmarket https://www.bereafarmersmarket.org/

The Madison County Farmers Market is located at White Oak Pond Christian Church (1238 Barnes Mill Road, Richmond). The market is open Saturdays 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and Tuesdays from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. The market also sets up at Dreaming Creek Brewery (109 East Irvine Street, Richmond) on Thursdays from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. https://www.facebook.com/MadisonKYFarmersMarket/ https://madisonkyfarmersmarket.com/

Provide the Right Amount of Water to Summer Veggies

I talk to a lot of people about their gardens. It seems as though gardeners in southern Madison County have received much more rain than in the north. I have had to start irrigating my own garden. One inch of water per week, in the form of natural rainfall or supplemental irrigation is enough for most vegetables.

There are certain times during the growing season when adequate moisture is critical. For example, water is especially needed during bloom, pollination, and pod enlargement for green beans. While with tomatoes, it is important to have a uniform supply from flowering to harvest. Consistent soil moisture on tomatoes will also help prevent blossom end rot and cracking of fruit. Check out the table for information on other vegetables.

Cucumbers will become bitter without a good supply of moisture throughout the entire growing season. On the other hand, melons will produce a sweeter fruit when they are kept drier once the fruit has reached about half of its expected final size. Too much water will dilute the sugar content in the melon.

To conserve moisture in the soil consider using mulch. A layer of mulch in the vegetable garden will help conserve moisture, reduce weed growth and keep produce cleaner. Most backyard growers use straw, composted leaves or grass clippings as mulch.

Critical Times to Water Vegetables

Vegetable Critical Period of Water Need

Asparagus Fern growth

Bean (snap) Bloom, pollination and pod enlargement

Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower

Establishment and head development

Corn Silking, tasseling and ear development

Cucumber Flowering and fruit development

Pepper, Tomato Uniform supply from flowering through harvest

Potato Tuber set and enlargement

Summer Squash, Zucchini

Bud development, flowering and fruit development

DO NOT PLANT (could contain invasive species)

Contact the Kentucky Department of Agriculture immediately (502)-573-0282 or Ag.Web@ky.gov

Put the package and seeds in a zip lock bag and wash your hands immediately

Beware of Unsolicited Gifts! Do Not Plant Seeds You Received in Mail Unless Your Ordered Them!

Kentucky is now the 4th known state to report suspicious packages appearing to originate from China containing seeds. Multiple states have opened investigations. If you receive a suspicious package of seeds that you did not order:

Try Blue Flower Color to Convey Calmness

The Pantone Color Institute named Classic Blue the color of 2020 to convey calmness and tranquility. (Which I think we all need in 2020!) Below are some ideas for introducing blue into your garden.

‘Johnson’s Blue’ Geranium (Geranium) forms a spreading mound about 12 inches in height and 24 to 30 inches wide. The blue flowers appear in late spring to early summer. This perennial prefers morning sun and afternoon shade. It grows best in well-drained, moist soil.

False indigo (Baptisia australis) grows erect with stalks of blue, lupine-like flowers in spring. After the flower has faded, the seed pod becomes an inflated charcoal-black seed capsule. The pods are desirable to use in dried flower arrangements. This plant was used by early Americans as a substitute for true indigo in making blue dyes. Use it as a specimen plant to display its clover-like, blue-green leaves. False indigo prefers full sun.

‘May Night’ (Mainacht) meadow sage (Salvia X superba or Saliva nemerosa) has deep violet-blue flowers produced on a stalk. The perennial plant reaches 18 inches tall, blooming in the spring. It prefers well-drained soil and full sun. ‘May Night’ tolerates heat and drought conditions.

Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) is a low-growing, 10-inch tall perennial. It has a central crown, making it ideal for a ground cover to help control erosion in small areas. Morning sun and afternoon shade show off the marine blue, phlox-like flowers. It blooms in late summer through the fall, when the foliage becomes a beautiful bronze red. This plant needs well-drained soil.

Surfina® Sky Blue Petunia (Petunia hybrid) has beautiful sky blue flowers with a hint of lavender. The fast-growing plant reaches 6 to 10 inches in height and spreads 8 to 10 inches. This annual plant tolerates heat and is a beautiful addition to patio pots. The flowers do not need to be removed after blooming to keep the plant looking nice.

Mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea) is an annual in our area but can reseed itself and come up next year. ‘Fairy Queen’ has dark blue and white bicolor flowers on spikes. The plant reaches 18 inches in height and 14 inches in width. ‘Victoria’ has deep violet-blue to deep blue flowers. The plants are compact, reaching 16 to 18 inches tall. They grow best in full sun and tolerate heat and drought. The flower spikes can be used in fresh arrangements. Butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the blossoms.

Summer Wave® Large Blue torenia (Torenia hybrid) grows best in shade to partial shade. The large tubular-shaped flowers are two toned with darker blue and lighter blue petals. The carefree annual plant is covered with flowers all summer. The plant reaches 8 to 10 inches tall and 10 to 12 inches wide.

‘Best Bet’ tall bearded iris (Iris germanica) blooms in the spring and may re-bloom in the fall. The large flowers have light blue standards, which are upright petals, and dark blue falls, which are downward bending petals. It prefers to grow in well-drained soil and full sun. The plant reaches 16 to 18 inches wide and 30 to 40 inches in height with the flower stem included.

Written by Annette Heisdorffer, Agent for Horticulture, Daviess Co. Cooperative Extension Service

“May Night” (Mainacht) meadow sage Photo from Missouri Botanical Gardens

Japanese beetles: Beautiful But Destructive

You may have walked into your garden recently and found plant leaves decimated or flowers chewed. It’s the season for Japanese beetles, and as you may have already noticed, they are voracious feeders. Japanese beetles are easily recognized by their attractive, shiny emerald-green and copper color. They are about 7/16 of an inch long, and if you look closely, you’ll see patches of white hair on their sides. The beetles have sharp, chewing mouth parts that allow them to grind up tender leaf tissue between the veins, leaving the leaves skeletonized and lacy. But they don’t stop at leaves. They will shred flowers – you’ve probably seen them buried into the blooms on your roses – and even eat fruit. They’re pervasive. They attack and feed on more than 300 different plant species. Their favorites include linden, roses, grapes, blackberries and peaches. A longer list of host plants can be found at https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef451. Japanese beetles overwinter below ground as grubs and emerge as full-grown beetles in July, spending the summer months feeding and laying eggs for the next year’s batch. It is a natural instinct for many people to automatically reach for a beetle trap when they see their first beetles of the season, but they’re really not the best method of eradication. Beetle traps often attract more beetles than they can capture and that can lead to more damage to your plants. You can experiment with them, but don’t place them anywhere near plants you want to protect. Remedies such as insecticidal soap and extracts of garlic, hot pepper and oranges do not help either. So how do you protect your garden from Japanese beetles? First, if you’re in the process of planning or planting your landscape, consider including species and cultivars they don’t like to eat. Examples of those are most oaks, hollies, tulip trees and silver maples. For those of us whose landscapes are mature and planting more trees isn’t feasible, one of the best methods is to simply pick off and kill beetles when you see them on your plants. Beetles will be strongly attracted to a plant that

is already damaged by beetles. The more damage, the more beetles, resulting in more damage and more beetles. It’s a vicious cycle. If you walk through your garden in the evening and remove beetles by hand, you’ll cut back on the number of beetles that show up the next day. Pick them off and plop them in a bucket of soapy water. There are insecticides available that can help kill or repel beetles, but always follow the label instructions carefully and beware of treating any plant that is blooming. Organic options, which offer a three to four days of protection, include Neem oil, pyola and BtG (Bt for beetles). Synthetic options, which offer protection for one to three weeks, can be found in this publication: https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef451

Japanese beetles skeletonize leaves, making them look lace-like.

Japanese beetles look metallic.