Control Vegetable Insects to Control Vegetable Diseases

Many homeowners don’t react to diseases in the home vegetable gardens until it is too late. Fungicides are preventative, not curative. If you really want to protect your plants from diseases, you should apply the fungicide before the problem starts.

With that in mind, you must also control the insects that spread the diseases around your garden. Many insects are disease vectors, meaning that they carry the disease with them and when they bite your vegetables, they spread the disease. Some insects that fit into this category are aphids, cucumber beetles and squash bugs.

Close inspection of your vegetables as soon as they are planted is essential for good insect and disease control. Cucumber beetles and squash bugs overwinter as adults. If you had a problem last year, you will most likely have a problem this year. When you choose an insecticide, make sure the pest you want to control is on the label and that it is safe to use on vegetables. If you have a problem with either of these pests, good sanitation at the end of the year is essential to slow or halt the build-up of these devastating pests in your garden.

For more specific information on these vegetable pests, go to http://ohioline.osu.edu to access Ohio State University Extension’s library of fact sheets. They contain information on life cycles and control options, including chemical and non-chemical control.

Pesticides Do Get Old & Lose Effectiveness

It may not be your imagination. You could be right that your weed killer isn’t working as well this year and it is taking longer to brown up those dandelions. Why? The active ingredient in your herbicide may no longer be active.

Pesticides do lose effectiveness over time. Winter’s cold and summer’s heat break down the active ingredients and over time, render them useless. Unless you stored last year’s chemicals in a climate controlled area, they will not be as good this year. That’s good news for the insects, weeds and diseases in your landscape. Not so good for the plants you are trying to protect. The best practice for purchasing and using pesticides is to buy only what you plan to use during that growing season.

Water has the same effect on chemicals. Over time, it also reduces their effectiveness. Many homeowner products now come as concentrates that you can mix yourself. Almost immediately after being added to water, your products begin to lose their effectiveness. When mixing up concentrates, only mix up what you plan to use that day. By doing this, you can achieve more effective control of the insects, diseases and weeds in your landscape.

April is the Time to Plant Your Cool Season Vegetables

Mid-April is here and if you haven’t started vegetable gardening yet, it’s time to start now. I am not suggesting that you plant your tomatoes and peppers yet. They are warm season crops that can be damaged by frost and need consistently warm temperatures to thrive. I am talking about planting cool season crops that excel during the spring growing season.

A cool season vegetable is one that germinates and grows best in the lower temperatures of spring and fall. They are not usually injured during light frosts. Many of these crops also do poorly during hot weather, so we need to get them growing and harvested before the heat of summer arrives. Examples of crops that can be seeded into the garden now include beets, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, onions (seeds or sets), parsley, peas, early potatoes, radishes and spinach.

While I realize many of these crops may not be your favorites, you can still plant your warm season crops in the same row after your cool season crops are harvested. Also, don’t forget that cool season crops can be planted again in the fall.

Don’t Apply Water After Using Post-Emergent Herbicides

I often hear homeowners talk about waiting until just before rain to use broadleaf weed control products. That’s a bad idea. In order for a broadleaf weed killer to work, it must remain on the leaves of the weed you are trying to kill. The amount of time that it needs to stay on the leaf surface varies by product, but at least 48 hours without being washed off is a good rule of thumb.

Herbicides can be either pre-emergent or post-emergent products. Pre-emergents are most commonly used for annual grassy weeds (crabgrass, annual bluegrass, etc.) and must be applied and watered in before the seed germinates. Post-emergent products require much different management. These products must be applied after the weed is actively growing. The herbicide can be either a liquid or granular product, but in either case, it must be applied to and remain on the surface of the weed’s leaves for an extended period of time.

Post-emergent weed control products can either be selective (kill the weed, but will not kill the grass) or non-selective (will kill everything). Most “big box” stores and garden centers stock broadleaf weed killers from numerous companies. Read the label to make sure it is safe to use on the area you want to spray and that it is labeled for the weed you are trying to kill.

Fruit Tree Spray Programs in Ohio

The “grow your own fruit at home” craze has really taken off in the past few years. Growing fruit is a passion compared to other gardening and does require more year-round work, including utilizing a good spray program if you want flawless fruit. Most homeowners start too late in the season to achieve this goal. Many homeowners do remember to apply their dormant oil sprays (it’s too late now, if you forgot), but don’t start their fungicide and insecticide programs until it warms up. For disease control, those early season applications may be more important than the later applications. The literature says to start on most fruit trees once you see green tips on the buds. Ohio State University Extension has an excellent bulletin on controlling diseases and insects on home fruit plantings. It includes schedules and spray products for all the commonly grown home fruits and it can be viewed online. Go to http://ohioline.osu.edu and search for Bulletin 780 – Controlling Diseases and Insects in Home Fruit Plantings. You may also want to view Bulletin 940 (Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide) while you are on our website. It has color pictures and great information about growing fruit at home.

Critical Ohio Temperatures for Spring Fruit Damage

After our warm temperatures of the last few weeks, the onset of cold temperatures and snow has many fruit growers concerned about possible damage to their fruit plantings. Spring is actually the critical time when most damage occurs on our tree and small fruit plantings. When plants are dormant, the temperatures required for damage are generally below zero degrees fahrenheit.  However, once those fruit plants break dormancy, it takes a whole lot less cold to cause damage in our plantings.

Michigan State University Extension has done some extensive research on plant stages and damaging temperatures. For example, an apple tree at “green tip” will have 10% damage at 18 degrees and 90% damage at 10 degrees. As the tree progresses to full bloom, it only takes 28 degrees for 10% kill and 25 degrees will kill 90% of the blooms. In fact, those temperatures at bloom are fairly accurate for most tree and small fruits. If you get 28 degrees at bloom, damage will occur.

Small fruits can be protected from the freezing temperatures with mulch and row covers. That’s one of the reasons they may be easier to grow in the backyard than tree fruits. Tree fruits are probably on their own to fend off the cold. Because of Ohio’s weather, I usually recommend that backyard growers plant mid to late-blooming tree cultivars so that the chance for spring freeze damage is lessened.

For more information on the actual temperatures required for fruit damage on many different fruits, search Fruit Bud Hardiness and Michigan State University Extension.

Use High Quality Grass Seed for Lawn Renovation Projects

Cheap grass seed is usually cheap for a reason. Germination rates tend to be lower and weed seeds are generally higher. If you do it right, hopefully you will never have to redo your lawn again. Many homeowners do not realize that it takes some grass seed up to 21 days to germinate, meaning it must be  kept moist throughout that entire time period. On top of that, the new seedlings also need water to establish their root system. Using straw or another moisture control mulch over the seed will help to retain soil and seed moisture. Too much water is also a bad thing, but most homeowners do not supply enough water throughout the entire germination process. If the seed dries out after it starts to germinate, it will die and establishment will be poor. So, when renovating your lawn this spring, buy good seed and take proper care to get it established right the first time.

Pre-Emergent Crabgrass Control Needs to be Done in March in Southwest Ohio

Crabgrass is one of those annoying lawn weeds that really thrived during last year’s drought. While there are now products on the market to control this and other annual grassy weeds after they get started, to keep your lawn looking good all season-long, you should consider using pre-emergent grass control products. Pre-emergents are designed to form a protective layer throughout your lawn to kill seedlings as they germinate. For that reason, you must have thorough coverage with the product and you must water it in to create the protective layer. If you don’t do both of these things, you will not create the protective barrier needed and the crabgrass will reappear. To be successful, you must make the pre-emergent application before the seed germinates. In Southwest Ohio, the soil usually warms enough for seed germination around April 1, so your application must be made before that date. Be aware that you cannot re-seed your lawn in the spring when you apply pre-emergent grass control, because the good seed will also be killed.

Winter Horse Pasture Management

It’s easy to manage pastures for horses when you have plenty of acreage and the grass is growing faster than the horses can eat it. Unfortunately, most horse owners don’t have that luxury. Surprising to many livestock owners, managing your pastures is a year round job and the damage done in the winter can be even more devastating than what occurs during the growing season.

Grazing Management

The summer and fall were hard on our pastures, particularly those that were continuously grazed during the drought. Since many livestock farms had nowhere else to house their animals, many were left on the pastures to live and supplemental feed was provided. This was probably the worst thing you could have done for the health of your pastures. Even though there wasn’t much forage in the pasture, what was there was quickly eaten right down to the ground, over and over again.

Green plants have chlorophyll which is necessary for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is required to produce energy for the plant to strengthen its’ root system and to make the plant grow. Chlorophyll is located in the grass blades. No grass blade means no chlorophyll, which means no photosynthesis, which means no energy for the plant to recover from being eaten down to the ground. The grass plant is doomed to be unthrifty and slow growing, if it survives. The other problem associated with low grazing is that the horse often damages the crown of the plant while eating and once that occurs, the plant usually dies.

Good grazing management occurs year round. A good general rule of thumb is that grass should never be grazed lower than 2 inches in height time at any time of the year. Unfortunately, due to the drought and management decisions, your pastures may already be below that level. For the health of your pastures, if that is the case, then your horses should be removed to prevent further damage.

Another good rule of thumb for pasture health is that you shouldn’t graze them when the plants are not growing. An exception to this rule would be if you stockpiled grass to provide winter food for your animals. Some grasses, like fescue, work well for this practice. When you stockpile, you let the grass grow throughout the fall without grazing so that it is tall and thick. After the plant goes dormant, it is then safe to eat the top section of grass without fear of damage to the plant. This practice is more commonly done with cattle and sheep, than with horses.

Wet Weather

Wet weather and soft footing can really damage your pastures. Hoof action can either destroy the crowns of the grass or severely compact your soils. Most of our pasture grasses are clump grasses. These grasses grow in one specific spot and do not spread their roots to fill in new areas. For that reason, when you kill the crown, you have killed the plant. The exception to this would be Kentucky bluegrass. It does spread with rhizomes, but bluegrass is seldom the dominant grass in Ohio pastures and for good reason, bluegrass just isn’t as productive during the summer as many of our other grass options. Compacted soils do not allow air and water to penetrate to the root system and that can also lead to the death of the plant. For these reasons, horses should be removed from your good pastures during wet weather.

Winter Management Strategy

Simply put, the best strategy for good spring, summer and fall pastures may be to limit your horse’s access to them during the winter and during wet weather. Horse owners should focus more on becoming good grass farmers. If you manage your pastures focused on the health of the grass, instead of the supposed happiness of your horse, you will have better pastures for your horses to graze throughout the year. Development of a winter and wet weather sacrifice lot is essential to protect your pastures from overgrazing and wet weather damage. When choosing an area to sacrifice, the best scenario would be an area that is generally drier than other parts of your pasture. It should be located in an area where feeding hay is easy and water is accessible. Long term, the development of a dry lot area could be the best option for your horse farm. Some Soil and Water Conservation Districts offer assistance with the design of dry lots. Contact your local office to see if they can assist you.