Hort Update for the week of 9/29/08
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
1. Timing of Overseeding- Seeding or overseeding turfgrass is best done by September 20 for tall fescue and by October 15 for Kentucky bluegrass in Eastern Nebraska. Avoid seeding or overseeding tall fescue at this time of year and avoid seeding Kentucky Bluegrass in western Nebraska now.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
2. Pocket gophers do most of their mound-building in early spring and fall. Each pocket gopher can create dozens of mounds, sometimes within a span of a few days. Mounds are fan shaped and may contain up to a bushel of soil. Immediately after a mound is made, the gopher plugs the burrow with soil to a depth of several inches. Pocket gophers can damage trees and shrubs in windbreaks, orchards, and backyards, damage root crops in gardens, and their mounds can damage turf in backyards, public parks, and golf courses. Traps and toxic baits are two control methods. See the following NebGuide for information on their use.
Controlling Pocket Gophers in Nebraska NebGuide, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1509.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
3. Moles cause damage to lawns and landscape beds while burrowing for food, mainly earthworms. They create raised surface tunnels and up to one foot diameter conical shaped mounds. Trapping, the use of repellants containing caster oil, and Talpirid (Tomcat) are recommended controls. Applying insecticides to reduce their food source is not recommended as it is not effective.
Moles and Their Control Nebguide, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1538.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
4. Yellow jacket wasps become a nuisance during fall as they scavenge for food. If yellowjackets are disturbed, give them plenty of room as they are capable of inflicting multiple stings. If yellow jackets become excited and appear about to attack, do not panic; retreat slowly and calmly. Yellow jackets construct paper nests, usually in underground cavities. Favorite nesting sites include rodent burrows, compost piles, wood piles and wall voids. Occasionally, yellow jackets build aerial nests in garages, crawl spaces or other enclosed areas.
They feed on insects, spiders and a variety of food items. Most stinging wasps and bees are beneficial and should be preserved unless they pose a direct hazard to humans. Colonies of yellow jackets are annual and nests are not reused. Freezing temperatures in November and December kill all stinging workers and only fertilized queens survive the winter. If yellow jackets pose a hazard, recommendations for treating the nests safely are available in the following publication.
Stinging Wasps and Bees NebGuide, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1447.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
5. Perennial Weed Control- Mid September to early October is the best time to control perennial, broadleaf weeds (dandelions, bindweed, white clover, ground ivy) with herbicides. Plants are moving photosynthetic products into the roots for winter storage and more herbicide is translocated into roots, increasing root kill. Herbicides labeled for lawns and broadleaf weed control such as 2,4-D and combination herbicides such as Trimec are recommended for homeowner use.
Landscape Weed Management, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/ec1256.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
6. Winter Annual- Weeds such as henbit, speedwell, and shepardspurse germinate during fall. The plants complete growth, blooming, and seed production the following spring and summer. In areas with a history of winter annual weed infestation, preemergence herbicides (Dimension, Barricade or pendimethalin based products for lawns and Preen for ornamental beds) can be applied in early September; or postemergence herbicides such as 2,4-D can be applied in late October.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
7. Tenacity- Information from Syngenta indicates availability to professionals, other than sod growers and golf course personnel, will be delayed until at least 2010. The potential homeowner product will be beyond that if it is decided to proceed.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
8. Natural needle drop of evergreens occurs as older, inner needles turning yellow in September and October. Evergreens do not keep their needles indefinitely but drop them after one to many years. Pines, spruce and arborvitae vary in the number of years they keep their needles. For example, Ponderosa and Scotch pines usually keep their needles for three years. However, this may vary from tree to tree and year to year. Also, this process may be gradual or all the needles may turn at once. If the process is sudden, people become concerned about their trees health; however, natural need drop is not harmful to evergreen conifers.
Natural needle drop, http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/hfrr/extensn/problems/needledp.htm
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
9. Pruning deciduous trees and shrubs is best avoided at this time of year. With all of the wind damage this past season, it is important to correctly prune trees and correct wind damage. If possible, wait until after plants drop their leaves to prune. Make correct pruning cuts and do not use a wound dressing or tree paint on pruning wounds.
Tree Pruning Information From the Nebraska Forest Service, http://www.nfs.unl.edu/treecare/pruning.asp
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
10. Pine wilt versus Sphaeropsis tip blight- Unfortunately, some pine trees are being cut down because it is believed they have pine wilt; when in fact, they have tip blight which can be controlled with fungicides. Positive identification of plant problems is always important prior to treatment or tree removal. To aid in disease identification of pine wilt, a wedge of the trunk or a major branch can be sent to the UNL Plant Diagnostic Clinic to check for pine wilt nematodes. To check for tip blight, inspect the tips of branches for brown stunted needles and the base of two year old pine cones for black fungal spores.
Pine Wilt, http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/SUL9.pdf
Sphareopsis Tip Blight of Pines, http://www.ianr.unl.edu/PUBS/plantdisease/g646.htm
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
11. Fall watering is important in the absence of rainfall and should be continued until close to soil freeze. Root growth is active in fall and occurs well into November. Water enough to moisten the soil eight inches deep. Water when air temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and early enough in the day for water to soak into the ground to avoid water freezing on the surface at night. Check soil before irrigating to be sure moisture is needed. Avoid keeping the soil saturated. Roots will not grow without oxygen.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
12. Protect trees from animals- Barriers of hardware cloth placed around young trees and shrubs is the best means of protection from rabbit and vole damage. Make sure the barriers extend well above the usual snow line. Various taste repellants, such as Thiram or Millers Hot Sauce, can be effective in reducing deer and rabbit damage as long as animals have other food sources to turn to. Scent repellants, such as bags of human hair or bar soaps on a rope, have been shown to be effective in some situations.
eXtension Deer Damage Management, http://www.extension.org/pages/Deer_Damage_Management
eXtension Vole Damage Management, http://www.extension.org/pages/Vole_Damage_Management
eXtension Rabbit Damage Management, http://www.extension.org/pages/Cottontail_Rabbit_Damage_Management
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
13. Anti-transpirants can help plants endure stressful periods. The most common types are an emulsion of wax, latex, or plastic that forms thin films on foliage that minimize water loss from plants. We recommend their use on evergreen conifers or broadleaf evergreens growing in stressful sites and usually during winter only. They can benefit newly transplanted trees. Select the right product for the plant species as there are toxicity issues. Read and follow label directions. Apply them once every six weeks in mid to late November, early January, and mid to late February. Avoid covering plants so much that they become sticky with needles glued together. Have warm, soapy water nearby and clean out the sprayer immediately or the sprayer may be ruined by the product
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
14. Do not fertilize roses, shrubs and perennials in September and October. Plants are preparing for dormancy and fertilization can delay this process. New growth may occur that would not harden off before winter.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
15. Pruning is not needed in the fall for shrub roses and hybrid tea roses (except when growing hybrid teas for exhibition). In most landscape settings, wait until April to prune winter killed wood.
Pruning Roses, http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/Roses/prune.html
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
16. Delay applying winter mulch to perennials until after the soil begins to freeze or temperatures are consistently dropping into the 20s at night. Mulching too early, when soils are still fairly warm, can delay dormancy and lead to root and crown rots.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
17. Woolly apple aphids infest apple, crabapple and hawthornes. These aphids weaken trees by feeding in colonies on bark, especially wound sites, and roots which reduces tree health and prevents wounds from closing. Foliage turns yellowish on infested branches. Trees can have above-ground infestations of woolly apple aphid but no root infestations. Yellowish foliage on young trees may be a sign woolly apple aphids are infesting roots. A sooty black mold may grow on the honeydew exuded by aphids while feeding. Woolly apple aphids are named for their fuzzy appearance. Aphids feeding above ground surround themselves with long white waxy strings. Those feeding underground have a bluish-white covering. Control includes the use of resistant root stock, removing suckers, and insecticides applied when aphids are present. Imidacloprid can be used for non-edible plants. Aphids can also be hosed to remove aphids.
Woolly Apple Aphids, http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2208.html
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
18. Garden soil amendment- Incorporate organic matter, such as well rotted manure, during fall to improve soils. The addition of organic matter improves drainage in sandy as well as clay soils. For other soil amendments, such as gypsum, a soil test should be taken before adding the amendment to avoid potential problems and to ensure the amendment will be beneficial. The manure should be a commercially available product or at least one year old to avoid potential burn and salt issues.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
19. Fall sanitation is the removal and disposal of dead or dying plant material from gardens and from beneath fruit trees to reduce overwintering pathogens and insects. Many diseases and insects also overwinter on weeds so don't overlook cleaning up weeds as well. Plant debris can be tilled under or removed and destroyed. It can be added to compost piles. However, if the material comes from a plant which had a disease or insect problem or is a weed that has gone to seed; it is best not to add this material to compost piles. While a properly managed pile may reach temperatures hot enough to kill most pathogens and weed seeds, many piles are not managed to reach this temperature.
Garden Compost, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g810.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
20. Fall Invaders are pests such as spiders, boxelder bugs, clover mites, wood roaches, and lady beetles that accidentally move indoors as they seek overwintering locations. Most are a nuisance. For crawling pests, a perimeter insecticide spray will help control them. For flying insects, use a silicone caulk to close openings.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
21. NSA Landscape Management Workshops, Begin September 30
22. 2008 Wild Fruit & Nut Jam, October 18
The 2008 Wild Fruit & Nut Jam is almost here! This year, the theme is "Bigger, Better and GREENER than Ever!
| Current Problems: | Major Symptom: |
| Lawns | |
| 1. Timing of seeding/overseeding | Too late for fescue. Too late for Kentucky bluegrass seeding in western Nebraska. |
| 2. Pocket gopher activity | Large, fan-shaped soil mounds. |
| 3. Mole activity | Small, conical-shaped soil mounds. |
| 4. Yellow jacket wasps | Active in foraging for food. Aggressive. Avoid. |
| 5. Broadleaf perennial weed control | Apply postemergence herbicides from mid Sept. to mid Oct. |
| 6. Winter annual weed control | Apply preemergence herbicides in early to mid September |
| 7. Tenacity herbicide update | Availability to most professionals delayed to 2010. |
| Trees/Shrubs | |
| 8. Natural needle drop | Interior needles of evergreens turn yellow & drop off easily. |
| 9. Wind damage/pruning | Prune correctly, at the correct time, to repair damage. |
| 10. Pine wilt OR Sphaeropsis tip blight | Confirm diagnosis before treatment; especially if cutting trees. |
| 11. Fall watering important | Continue to water until the soil begins to freeze. |
| 12. Protect tree trunks from animals | Use barriers and repellants to protect from animal damage over winter. |
| 13. Antitranspirants for evergreens | Apply to young evergreens beginning in mid-November. |
| Landscape Ornamentals | |
| 14. Stop fertilizing | Do not fertilize roses, shrubs and perennials during fall. |
| 15. Roses and fall pruning | Wait until spring to prune most shrub roses & hybrid tea roses. |
| 16. Hold off on winter mulch | Wait until the ground is cold to mulch plants. |
| Vegetables/Fruits | |
| 17. Woolly apple aphids | Woolly, whitish aphids feeding in mass on bark of apple, crabapple and Hawthorne. |
| 18. Garden soil amendment | Incorporate organic matter, such as manure, to improve soil. |
| 19. Sanitation | Clean up plant debris to reduce overwintering diseases & insects. |
| Miscellaneous | |
| 20. Fall invaders (nuisance pests) | Lady beetles, spiders, boxelder bugs, wood roaches & more |
| Upcoming Programs | |
| 21. NSA Landscape Management Workshops, Begin September 30 | |
| 22. Wild Fruit & Nut Jam, October 18 | |
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
1. Timing of Overseeding- Seeding or overseeding turfgrass is best done by September 20 for tall fescue and by October 15 for Kentucky bluegrass in Eastern Nebraska. Avoid seeding or overseeding tall fescue at this time of year and avoid seeding Kentucky Bluegrass in western Nebraska now.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
2. Pocket gophers do most of their mound-building in early spring and fall. Each pocket gopher can create dozens of mounds, sometimes within a span of a few days. Mounds are fan shaped and may contain up to a bushel of soil. Immediately after a mound is made, the gopher plugs the burrow with soil to a depth of several inches. Pocket gophers can damage trees and shrubs in windbreaks, orchards, and backyards, damage root crops in gardens, and their mounds can damage turf in backyards, public parks, and golf courses. Traps and toxic baits are two control methods. See the following NebGuide for information on their use.
Controlling Pocket Gophers in Nebraska NebGuide, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1509.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
3. Moles cause damage to lawns and landscape beds while burrowing for food, mainly earthworms. They create raised surface tunnels and up to one foot diameter conical shaped mounds. Trapping, the use of repellants containing caster oil, and Talpirid (Tomcat) are recommended controls. Applying insecticides to reduce their food source is not recommended as it is not effective.
Moles and Their Control Nebguide, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1538.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
4. Yellow jacket wasps become a nuisance during fall as they scavenge for food. If yellowjackets are disturbed, give them plenty of room as they are capable of inflicting multiple stings. If yellow jackets become excited and appear about to attack, do not panic; retreat slowly and calmly. Yellow jackets construct paper nests, usually in underground cavities. Favorite nesting sites include rodent burrows, compost piles, wood piles and wall voids. Occasionally, yellow jackets build aerial nests in garages, crawl spaces or other enclosed areas.
They feed on insects, spiders and a variety of food items. Most stinging wasps and bees are beneficial and should be preserved unless they pose a direct hazard to humans. Colonies of yellow jackets are annual and nests are not reused. Freezing temperatures in November and December kill all stinging workers and only fertilized queens survive the winter. If yellow jackets pose a hazard, recommendations for treating the nests safely are available in the following publication.
Stinging Wasps and Bees NebGuide, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1447.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
5. Perennial Weed Control- Mid September to early October is the best time to control perennial, broadleaf weeds (dandelions, bindweed, white clover, ground ivy) with herbicides. Plants are moving photosynthetic products into the roots for winter storage and more herbicide is translocated into roots, increasing root kill. Herbicides labeled for lawns and broadleaf weed control such as 2,4-D and combination herbicides such as Trimec are recommended for homeowner use.
Landscape Weed Management, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/ec1256.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
6. Winter Annual- Weeds such as henbit, speedwell, and shepardspurse germinate during fall. The plants complete growth, blooming, and seed production the following spring and summer. In areas with a history of winter annual weed infestation, preemergence herbicides (Dimension, Barricade or pendimethalin based products for lawns and Preen for ornamental beds) can be applied in early September; or postemergence herbicides such as 2,4-D can be applied in late October.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
7. Tenacity- Information from Syngenta indicates availability to professionals, other than sod growers and golf course personnel, will be delayed until at least 2010. The potential homeowner product will be beyond that if it is decided to proceed.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
8. Natural needle drop of evergreens occurs as older, inner needles turning yellow in September and October. Evergreens do not keep their needles indefinitely but drop them after one to many years. Pines, spruce and arborvitae vary in the number of years they keep their needles. For example, Ponderosa and Scotch pines usually keep their needles for three years. However, this may vary from tree to tree and year to year. Also, this process may be gradual or all the needles may turn at once. If the process is sudden, people become concerned about their trees health; however, natural need drop is not harmful to evergreen conifers.
Natural needle drop, http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/hfrr/extensn/problems/needledp.htm
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
9. Pruning deciduous trees and shrubs is best avoided at this time of year. With all of the wind damage this past season, it is important to correctly prune trees and correct wind damage. If possible, wait until after plants drop their leaves to prune. Make correct pruning cuts and do not use a wound dressing or tree paint on pruning wounds.
Tree Pruning Information From the Nebraska Forest Service, http://www.nfs.unl.edu/treecare/pruning.asp
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
10. Pine wilt versus Sphaeropsis tip blight- Unfortunately, some pine trees are being cut down because it is believed they have pine wilt; when in fact, they have tip blight which can be controlled with fungicides. Positive identification of plant problems is always important prior to treatment or tree removal. To aid in disease identification of pine wilt, a wedge of the trunk or a major branch can be sent to the UNL Plant Diagnostic Clinic to check for pine wilt nematodes. To check for tip blight, inspect the tips of branches for brown stunted needles and the base of two year old pine cones for black fungal spores.
Pine Wilt, http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/SUL9.pdf
Sphareopsis Tip Blight of Pines, http://www.ianr.unl.edu/PUBS/plantdisease/g646.htm
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
11. Fall watering is important in the absence of rainfall and should be continued until close to soil freeze. Root growth is active in fall and occurs well into November. Water enough to moisten the soil eight inches deep. Water when air temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and early enough in the day for water to soak into the ground to avoid water freezing on the surface at night. Check soil before irrigating to be sure moisture is needed. Avoid keeping the soil saturated. Roots will not grow without oxygen.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
12. Protect trees from animals- Barriers of hardware cloth placed around young trees and shrubs is the best means of protection from rabbit and vole damage. Make sure the barriers extend well above the usual snow line. Various taste repellants, such as Thiram or Millers Hot Sauce, can be effective in reducing deer and rabbit damage as long as animals have other food sources to turn to. Scent repellants, such as bags of human hair or bar soaps on a rope, have been shown to be effective in some situations.
eXtension Deer Damage Management, http://www.extension.org/pages/Deer_Damage_Management
eXtension Vole Damage Management, http://www.extension.org/pages/Vole_Damage_Management
eXtension Rabbit Damage Management, http://www.extension.org/pages/Cottontail_Rabbit_Damage_Management
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
13. Anti-transpirants can help plants endure stressful periods. The most common types are an emulsion of wax, latex, or plastic that forms thin films on foliage that minimize water loss from plants. We recommend their use on evergreen conifers or broadleaf evergreens growing in stressful sites and usually during winter only. They can benefit newly transplanted trees. Select the right product for the plant species as there are toxicity issues. Read and follow label directions. Apply them once every six weeks in mid to late November, early January, and mid to late February. Avoid covering plants so much that they become sticky with needles glued together. Have warm, soapy water nearby and clean out the sprayer immediately or the sprayer may be ruined by the product
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
14. Do not fertilize roses, shrubs and perennials in September and October. Plants are preparing for dormancy and fertilization can delay this process. New growth may occur that would not harden off before winter.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
15. Pruning is not needed in the fall for shrub roses and hybrid tea roses (except when growing hybrid teas for exhibition). In most landscape settings, wait until April to prune winter killed wood.
Pruning Roses, http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/Roses/prune.html
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
16. Delay applying winter mulch to perennials until after the soil begins to freeze or temperatures are consistently dropping into the 20s at night. Mulching too early, when soils are still fairly warm, can delay dormancy and lead to root and crown rots.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
17. Woolly apple aphids infest apple, crabapple and hawthornes. These aphids weaken trees by feeding in colonies on bark, especially wound sites, and roots which reduces tree health and prevents wounds from closing. Foliage turns yellowish on infested branches. Trees can have above-ground infestations of woolly apple aphid but no root infestations. Yellowish foliage on young trees may be a sign woolly apple aphids are infesting roots. A sooty black mold may grow on the honeydew exuded by aphids while feeding. Woolly apple aphids are named for their fuzzy appearance. Aphids feeding above ground surround themselves with long white waxy strings. Those feeding underground have a bluish-white covering. Control includes the use of resistant root stock, removing suckers, and insecticides applied when aphids are present. Imidacloprid can be used for non-edible plants. Aphids can also be hosed to remove aphids.
Woolly Apple Aphids, http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2208.html
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
18. Garden soil amendment- Incorporate organic matter, such as well rotted manure, during fall to improve soils. The addition of organic matter improves drainage in sandy as well as clay soils. For other soil amendments, such as gypsum, a soil test should be taken before adding the amendment to avoid potential problems and to ensure the amendment will be beneficial. The manure should be a commercially available product or at least one year old to avoid potential burn and salt issues.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
19. Fall sanitation is the removal and disposal of dead or dying plant material from gardens and from beneath fruit trees to reduce overwintering pathogens and insects. Many diseases and insects also overwinter on weeds so don't overlook cleaning up weeds as well. Plant debris can be tilled under or removed and destroyed. It can be added to compost piles. However, if the material comes from a plant which had a disease or insect problem or is a weed that has gone to seed; it is best not to add this material to compost piles. While a properly managed pile may reach temperatures hot enough to kill most pathogens and weed seeds, many piles are not managed to reach this temperature.
Garden Compost, http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g810.pdf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
20. Fall Invaders are pests such as spiders, boxelder bugs, clover mites, wood roaches, and lady beetles that accidentally move indoors as they seek overwintering locations. Most are a nuisance. For crawling pests, a perimeter insecticide spray will help control them. For flying insects, use a silicone caulk to close openings.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
21. NSA Landscape Management Workshops, Begin September 30
A series of landscape management workshops have been scheduled for this fall. The workshops are aimed at creating and managing landscapes that are beautiful, functional and more sustainable.
With sessions on rain water, pest management and sustainable designs, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s Justin Evertson says, “there’s something for everyone—groundskeepers, park employees, arborists, turfcare professionals, golf course managers and home owners.”
“Stormwater management is a growing concern,” Evertson says, “so this year there are several sessions on rain gardens and other water management strategies.” The workshops are sponsored by Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and Nebraska Forest Service. Arboretum and Forest Service staff lead the sessions, along with John Royster of Big Muddy Workshop, Kim Todd with University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Bryan Kinghorn of Kinghorn Gardens, etc.
Certified arborists, nursery professionals and parks professionals can receive CEUs for the workshop. Workshops will run from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. (registration at 8:00) at these sites around the state:
- Sept 30- National Park Service, Midwest Regional Office, 601 Riverfront Dr., Omaha
- October 2- Northeast Community College Lifelong Learning Center, Norfolk
- Oct 14- Central Community College, 3 miles east of Hastings on Hwy 6, Hastings
- Oct 16- UNL Panhandle Research & Extension Center, Scottsbluff
For more information call Evertson at 402/472-5045. More information and online registration at http://arboretum.unl.edu.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""22. 2008 Wild Fruit & Nut Jam, October 18
The 2008 Wild Fruit & Nut Jam is almost here! This year, the theme is "Bigger, Better and GREENER than Ever!
We would like to INVITE YOU to come down enjoy a fun filled day experiencing the 5 senses of Nebraska! See, smell, taste, hear, feel and buy what Nebraska has to offer: Nuts, jellies, baked goods, teas, vegetables, music, jewelry and furniture and MUCH, MUCH MORE!
- Educational Demonstrations through out the day
- Children's Activities
- Fun with the Shriners
- Free Entertainment
- Free samples of Morrill Orchard Medley Ice Cream (While supplies last)
When: Saturday, October 18, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Where: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Kimmel Education & Research Center in Nebraska City
More information, including a complete schedule of events and attractions. Program Brochure
