Gardener's Checklist

Horticultural Tips for September 2019

Please note: Since July of 2015, Gary Peterson has dutifully delivered hand-written lists of monthly Horticultural Tips to Lorry Feldhausen, who would organize the tips under headings for garden, lawn, trees, shrubs, and houseplants and occasionally add a comment or a link to helpful Extension nebguides. However, Gary has decided to retire from the duty, and Lorry is stepping down as well. If there is another person, or perhaps a team of individuals, interested in continuing this club tradition, Mark Feldhausen would continue to add their Hort Tips to the website and pass them along to the president for club-wide dispersal. Here is a great opportunity to take a more active part in the club!

Gary would like to thank everyone for allowing him to share his knowledge!

Garden

Mum’s the word for fall! Remember, mums like cool weather and will last a long time with good care, including consistent watering.
Mums are signaled to begin blooming as the days get shorter.
Keep in mind that all mums do not bloom at the same time. Some receive the signal to bloom early while others are bred to bloom later in fall.
Time to plant bulbs! Just remember, they do not like wet feet. Rot is the biggest reason for bulb failure.
Solid green leaves on a plant, like hosta and liriope, produce more chlorophyll than the variegated varieties, which means they will grow more aggressively.
Viridescence is the process by which the variegated leaves of a plant revert to all green.
After the first frost a plant is still sending energy to the root system to fuel next year’s show, so do not cut the plant down too early.
Divide or transplant peonies, hosta, and iris.
Deadhead flowers to prevent too many spring seedlings.
Dig gladiolus and air-dry before securing in winter storage

Lawn

Mow your grass the same height in the fall that you do in the spring and summer. This should be at 3” or higher. It is an urban legend that grass should be “scalped” in the spring and fall. This old practice opens the lawn up to weed invasion.

Trees and Shrubs

This is a great time to plant trees and shrubs.
Make sure the new tree you planted this year continues to get enough water. A tree with a trunk 1” to 2” in diameter requires ten gallons of water weekly.
DO NOT prune spring flowering shrubs now, or they will not bloom in the spring.
Hand pick any bagworms you find on evergreens or deciduous trees and shrubs. Do not drop the bags on the ground. Deposit in a paper bag and dispose of in your trash.
A tree responds to a wound by forming a callous or protective tissue to keep pest and diseases out. If you cut too close to the trunk, the tree may suffer lasting damage.

Horticultural Tips for August 2019

Lawn

It is the time of year to seed or over-seed your lawn.
Buying cheap seed often results in disappointment due to the weed seeds included in the mix. Read the package carefully to discover what percentage of the seed is not grass seed.
If seeding a new area, cover lightly with topsoil or compost.
In the Midwest, perennial broadleaf weeds are best controlled with postemergence herbicides in the fall (Sept. 1 to Nov. 15). Most herbicides work really well on a certain number or set of broadleaf weeds. But nothing works on every broadleaf weed. Read the label of the product purchased carefully to make sure you will get the coverage needed.

Garden

Now is the time to select and plant bulbs for spring blooming.
Bone meal is a recommended fertilizer when planting bulbs in the fall.
Clematis: If it is blooming now it probably is a group 3 pruning variety. These varieties bloom on current years growth. Prune in early spring when buds begin to swell.
Japanese beetle life cycle: Both larva and adults are destructive pests. Adults emerge in June and July, lay eggs, which hatch, and the larva exist in the soil until next June/July by feeding on roots of turf and some perennials. Putting down grub control in late June to early July will help control newly hatched larvae, but not the adult beetles emerging from the soil. A product like Scott’s GrubEx, which contains imidaclopid, has the added benefit of not harming bees if part of the application goes into a garden. And if you have a garden close to a Linden tree or any other tree the beetles feed on, treating the garden area is a good idea.
Adults feed on leaves of at least 300 different species. While it is understandable that some gardeners will vent their frustration by squishing the beetles, this is the wrong approach. The pheromones released will only attract more beetles. The best approach is to go out with a bucket of soapy water in early evening, pluck the little buggers off whatever they are eating, and throw them in the soapy water where they will drown.
Cut back and fertilize annuals so that their display continues into fall.
Take cuttings from geraniums and begonias for over-wintering indoors.
Continue to water new perennials (as well as trees and shrubs) planted last spring by hand.

Garden terminology

Bolt: Most plants bolt because of hot weather. Growth goes rapidly from being mostly leaf-based to being mostly flower and seed based. It is a good idea to keep herbs from bolting as allowing them to flower sometimes makes the leaves bitter.
Suffused: This means spread over or throughout. For example, one color or one plant may be repeated or suffused throughout the entire garden.

Horticultural Tips for July 2019

Gardens

Remove faded flowers from annuals to encourage more flowers.
Deadhead perennials to avoid unwanted “volunteers” and to direct the plant’s energy toward its own growth.
Rainy weather can cause problems for iris. They do not like wet feet. Be on the lookout for iris leaf-spot. See http://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/9000016364823/culture-of-iris/ for ways to recognize and treat these problems. It is also time to thin out iris to avoid future problems.
Until the end of the month, continue to pinch mums to promote bushier plants.
Tall asters may be trimmed back until the middle of the month to prevent the plants from falling over when they are in full bloom.
During periods of extreme heat, containers may need to be watered every day. Arrange for a “pot sitter” if you are going on vacation.
Be sure to treat for sod webworms if you have had problems in the past. Check out how to recognize symptoms and how to treat by referring to https://entomology.unl.edu/turfent/documnts/swebwrms.shtml
Soap solutions irritate the body of the insect. Try using insecticidal soap or make your own to deal with a pest. Just make sure the pest is accurately identified first.
Bulbs may be soaked in water overnight before planting. The soaked bulbs will have a head start and should bloom first.

Garden Terminology

Sessile means “stalkless, referring to the flower which sits neatly on the foliage like “something sumptuous being served on a plate.”

Gardener

Apply sunscreen generously before going outdoors. It takes approximately 15 minutes for your skin to absorb the sunscreen and protect you. If you wait until you are in the sun to apply sunscreen, your skin is actually unprotected and can burn. To remain protected, reapply every two hours.

Lawn

Now is the time to be thinking about seeding or reseeding your lawn. Buy your seed, but do not seed until at least August 15. Be ready. Quality seed offers a greater chance of a quality lawn. If you buy cheap seed, you may be planting weed seeds along with grass seed! Read the package.

Horticultural Tips for June 2019

Garden

Cut spent iris bloom stalks off at the base. This is especially important for re-bloomers.
With all the early rain, this is bound to be a bad year for ticks. Ticks are not insects, but arachnids, the same classification as spiders. These pests do not jump or fly. When they are ready to feed, they camp out on a blade of grass, and wait for humans or animals to come by. This strategy is called “questing.” By using their third and fourth pairs of legs for stability, they stretch out their first set of legs and latch onto the host. Avoid potential problems by wearing a hat and spraying exposed skin and your clothes with a product containing DEET.
When buying plants, remember that although a plant in full bloom looks good now, the one in bud will perform better once planted.
What shade gardens lack in brightness, they can make up for in texture, which explains the popularity of hostas and ferns. Plants with pops of color to try in shade include columbine, hellebores, toad lilies, epimediums, turtle head, monkshood, astilbe, shooting stars, Japanese anemones, brunnera, Japanese painted ferns, actaea pachypoda, daylilies (partial shade), variegated Solomon’s seal, bergenia, lungwort, lady’s mantle, and lamium. Glory of the snow and scilla siberica are spring bulbs that naturalize nicely in shaded areas. Annuals that pack a punch include caladiums , rex begonias, and coleus. Try something new this year!
The time for spraying horticultural oil for insect control is in early spring before bud break.
A garden is a wonderful place to take off your shoes, kick back, and enjoy the scenery. Check out the popular trend of “forest bathing.” Don’t worry. The neighbors won’t mind!

Lawn

Wild violets (a larval food source for Fritillary butterflies ) are fine in shade gardens. But once they migrate to the lawn, most people move to eradicate them. Apply a postemergence broadleaf herbicide as soon as the violet reaches the two-leaf stage of growth. Use a product called triclopyr or find it in a product with a 2 or 3 way combination. If this is a serious problem and crabgrass is not, plan on putting the first application of preemergence down around mid-March, which is earlier than it should be put down for crabgrass.
Yellow nutsedge is a real problem that can spiral out of control. It has yellow-green wide leaves with straight edges that abruptly come to a point. It has a triangular stem with a shiny or glossy leaf surface. Its fibrous root system produces tubers that can survive years in the soil. Apply a post-emergent herbicide before the sedges sprout tubers, normally June 15.
The number one most common turfgrass weed:

--follows Forsythia
--it needs a shove
--it preys on the weak
--it is prolific

What is it? CRABGRASS!

Shrubs

If you would like to shape a spring blooming shrub, trim it right after it finishes blooming. Trimming later than that may reduce the blooms next spring.

Horticultural Tips for May 2019

Garden

Iris borer damage shows up in May and June. Iris borers can be killed by hand. Simply squeeze the leaves.
Hostas: work compost in around the plant and keep well-watered. Do not plant hostas beneath maple trees. The tree roots will take up most of the water. Mulch around the hostas, but not right up to the crown. This will help avoid crown rot.
Daffodils may be divided when they are done blooming.

Lawn

Nutsedge , which is light green with a triangular stem, will show up when temperatures rise consistently to 60 and above.
Control nutsedge with products like Sedgehammer or Dismiss.
Weeds in buffalo grass can only be sprayed for control in November and December.
Buffalo grass may be seeded in spring. Cover seed with ¼” to ½” of soil. Apply fertilizer 18-24-6 every four weeks. This type of grass does not grow well in shade.
Tall fescue grass is shade tolerant.
White clover in lawns can be controlled with Triclopyr. However, it is worth considering that white clover will make bees happy at the same time that it adds nitrogen to your soil.
Spray violets in the lawn while temperatures are still cool and before the plants have developed the protective, waxy covering on their leaves. Weed-Be-Gone works well.

Trees & Shrubs

Be on the lookout for bagworms. Pull the bags off trees or shrubs and dispose of in the trash. DO NOT throw them on the ground as the insect will still be inside. It does no good to spray this early as no chemical will be able to penetrate the bag.
Looking for an interesting tree? Flowers on a Paw-Paw tree grow upside down.

Houseplants

Many houseplants will do well outside in warm weather, especially in partially shaded areas. Adding some to your containers will save money and create a different look. For sunny containers, look for tropical plants on sale.

Horticultural Tips for April 2019

Garden

Iris borer eggs hatch in April and May. Remove last year’s foliage as soon as possible this month. NEVER mulch up to the iris foliage. That will encourage tuber rot and hide borer damage.
Cut back last year’s growth from perennials.
No matter how much you are tempted, DO NOT remove or braid the green foliage of bulbs as those leaves feed the bulbs so that there are flowers next year.
Improve garden soil by adding organic matter such as compost or worm castings.
Clean up groundcovers by lightly raking or mowing over the tops with the mower at its highest setting.

Lawn

Passing cars and snow plows can spray or throw road salt onto plants, damaging roots and browning leaves. When weather warms, hose off affected plants and soak the soil to dilute salt buildup.
Turf pre-emergent should be put down WITHOUT fertilizer. This is not the time to speed up grass growth, unless you actually enjoy mowing every three days! Apply pre-emergent at the end of April to the 1st of May. A second application can be put down in June, if necessary. While the big box stores do not normally carry pre-emergent without fertilizer, it is generally available at hardware stores in the Omaha metro area. One you can ask for is Weed Beater Complete by Bonide. It controls grassy and broadleaf leaves.
If you dormant seeded, hold back on watering during the present cold temps to control damping off disease.

Trees & Shrubs

Spray crabapple and apple trees for apple scab when leaf buds open. See G1922 at extensionpubs.unl.edu/
For pine diseases, spray when candles are ½” long.
Unlike some flowering trees, the serviceberry is a native plant so it can handle the cold.
Frost cracks on trees will seal over on thin bark.
Plan on pruning spring flowering shrubs AFTER they bloom to promote good flowering next year.
Thinking of pruning your trees this year? A tree is an investment. If you respect that investment, then call an arborist. And never allow anyone to “top” a tree.” This is just paying for vandalism. If you call an arborist, as you this will never be an issue. The sprouts that come on a tree after it is topped are weak and will easily break.
Keep mulch several inches away from the trunk of a tree.

Houseplants

Start fertilizing now for spring and summer growth.
Fertilize your holiday amaryllis and keep it in high light to encourage new leaves.
Don’t even think about moving houseplants outside until night temperatures are above 55 degrees.

Horticultural Tips for March 2019

Houseplants

There are nice looking begonias for sale at grocery stores that you can enjoy in the house now and then trim up and plant in the garden or a pot in May.
Keep an eye out for small ferns at the big box stores that you can buy now, enjoy inside, and then move to shady pots outside. Like the begonias, they will not be hardy to our zone 5b.

Garden

Mid-March is the usual time to trim group II and group III clematis vines. However, not if it is still snowing! Unsure about when to trim your clematis vine? Check out https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/douglas-sarpy/pdfs/ce/resources/ce-g1861-clematis.pdf
Plan on pruning your panicle hydrangeas early in spring.

Lawn

Please be aware that crabgrass (an annual) does not germinate until soil temperatures warm up to 55 degrees. You can check your soil temp for our local area at https://gretnawx.net/
Lawn companies often start putting the crabgrass treatment down in mid-March because they have hundreds of customers. Everyone does not get the treatment at the optimum time. But then, they cannot service all customers on the same day or even in the same week.
Goosegrass, another low-growing annual with a broadleaf blade and a whitish center point, germinates 4-6 weeks after crabgrass.
For a reliable turf grass calendar for eastern Nebraska, go to https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/douglas-sarpy/lawn/

Horticultural Tips for February 2019

Houseplants

Zonal geraniums have a “zone” on the leaf that can be faint or dark, narrow or wide. The most important thing you can do to keep geraniums colorful is deadhead them. This includes the ones you are overwintering inside.
Looking for a gardening project during these cold days? Try propagating the geraniums you are wintering over. Select a sturdy stem. Cut at a slant just below a leaf node. Carefully pinch the leaves off of the two lowest nodes. Place in damp potting soil in a clean plastic pot. Firm the stem in the center of the pot with both exposed leaf nodes below the soil line. Cut half of each remaining leaf off at a diagonal so that the plant invests the majority of its energy into creating roots. Take a large zip lock bag and set the pot in the middle. Zip the bag half to three-fourths closed. Blow into the bag while holding it up to your mouth so that it fills out like a balloon. As quickly as possibly, zip the bag closed when you remove it from your mouth. (You may need to practice this a few times.) Once the bag is zipped, set it under grow lights or in a bright window. What you have created is a mini-greenhouse. The moisture from the potting soil will form droplets on the top of the bag and then water the cutting. It may take one month to fully root. Note: DO NOT OPEN THE BAG TO CHECK ON IT. Once the plant begins to set new growth on top, you will know it has developed roots. This propagation method works with many, many plants. Good luck with your experiment!Some houseplants develop “aerial roots” which will cling to many surfaces. If you want to try to propagate those plants, follow the directions above, but instead of using soil, place the stem in water to allow the roots to fully develop. No need to cut the leaf surfaces in half or place it in a bag. The water in the jar will provide the necessary humidity.
Give houseplant a one quarter turn each week when you water to ensure all sides receive adequate light. If plants are getting “leggy” pinch them back.
Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths are readily available at many stores in our area. Buy them to enjoy the blooms now. When blooms fade, deadhead the plant and move the pot to a cooler area, like the garage. Water lightly once a month. When spring comes, plant the bulbs at the proper depth in your garden. They will greet you the following spring.

Trees and Shrubs

Conifers like dawn redwood, larch, and bald cypress are deciduous and will drop their needles in winter.
Be knowledgeable before pruning conifers because they DO NOT replace growth like other trees and shrubs. Remember, trees are an investment. When in doubt, call an arborist.
When planted in the right place, weigela rarely need pruning. Just thin out some of the stems to reduce the size of the bush

Garden

Leaving the stems on some perennials, like penstemon, helps them to survive the winter. Standing ornamental grasses and plants also catch the snow, which offers some protection to birds. This has been particularly noticeable this winter.
Check out those catalogs NOW!
Things to consider: This is the best time to order caladiums. While originally for the shade, many varieties have been bred for full sun. Order now for the greatest variety of colors.Many sources are available online. But a very reliable one is fancyleafcaladiums.com.
Now is also a good time to research catalogs for native plants and grasses that you can add to your garden this year. Why go native? Native plants have been proven to increase not only the numbers of bees and butterflies but also the number of different birds that will visit your yard. Good online sources include prairienursery.com and prairiemoonnursery.com.

Horticultural Tips for January 2019

Winter Yard Tips

In icy weather, rather than using salt on the driveway or sidewalk, try magnesium chloride, which causes very little damage to concrete or metal and is also gentle on landscape plants. In addition, it is pet safe. Look for an ice melt with calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) as it is the safest.
Branches from a Christmas tree can be layered over tea or shrub roses. This will protect canes from wind burn and collect the snow, which will insulate the plants.
December through February is the best time to prune oak trees. This greatly reduces the chance of infection and insect damage.

Houseplants
1. Can you identify the difference between a Thanksgiving cacti and Christmas cacti?

Thanksgiving cacti: stem segments have 2-4 pointed teeth
Christmas cacti: stem segments have all scalloped edges
Both types of cacti are “short day” plants. They start to come to life as the hours of daylight recede in the fall. Best results if day-time temps are not above 70 and night temps are 60-65.
Place either cacti by any window and leave it there all year. As the days shorten in the fall, the lack of light will trigger the formation of buds. Fertilize once a year on Halloween.
Keep away from direct artificial lighting in the room.

2. Contrary to popular opinion, a poinsettia is not poisonous. The colorful parts of the plant that make them so popular are
  actually modified leaves or brachts.
3. To make the house seem less empty after all of the Christmas decorations are put away, treat yourself to a new
blooming plant in January. Many varieties are readily available at grocery stores and big box stores. If you have not
tried one of the glass containers with bulbs,you will be surprised by how well they work. They will need a sunny
  location, but it is a good way to beat the winter blues and dream of spring. The container can then be used again for a
  narcissus or amaryllis bulb.

PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR—LIVING CORAL!

Horticultural Tips for December 2018

Garden Tips

Celebrate the holidays with plants

Try forcing bulbs like narcissus in a tall vase of water. Put 3” of pebbles in the bottom and make sure the water just touches the bottom of the bulb. Even an amaryllis can be forced to bloom this way. Just rotate the vase ¼ turn every day to keep the plants from leaning.
Poinsettias exist in many colors. Treat yourself to something unusual. Keep away from drafts and heat vents and do not allow water to collect in the foil pot covers.
While the holly plants sold this time of year are studded with artificial berries, they still present a nice holiday look.

Garden Remedies to ponder for the next growing season:

Need lower ph in the soil for azaleas and rhododendrons?

Add peat moss to the soil surrounding the plants. This will add 3.0 to 4.5 pH
When planting, backfill ½ soil and ½ peat moss
After planting, mulch with wood chips, pine needles, or shredded oak leaves
Also sprinkle a small amount of sulfur around plants on an annual basis

2. To control wild violets apply a postemergence broadleaf herbicide as soon as the violets reach the two leaf stage of
  growth. Use a product called
  Triclopyr alone or in a 2-3 way combination.
3. Anemic-looking leaves or pale leaves with bright veins signal iron chlorosis. The pH level (above 7.0) prevents the
  plant from taking up iron that is in the soil. Aerate around the trees or plants. Never use plastic sheeting to prevent
  weeds. Make sure to get the soil tested.
4. Aster yellows is a virus that has been carried to the plant by an insect. Coneflowers are particularly susceptible.
  Leaves and blossoms will be distorted. It is best to remove the plants affected so that the disease does not spread.
5.  Allelopathia is a biological condition wherein one plant inhibits the growth of another plant by releasing toxic
  chemicals. The most well-known example is the walnut tree. However, other plant examples are sumac,
rhododendron, elderberry, Forsythia, and goldenrod.
6. In the garden the colors red, orange, and yellow seem to glow more intensely than other colors, especially late in the
  day when the sun sits low in the sky.

Horticultural Tips for November 2018

Garden
1. Do not worry about protecting shrub roses for winter. They are not grafted. They can take the cold.
2. Not all mums for sale are hardy for this area (zone 5). Check the tag to make sure.
3. When planting spring bulbs, add bone meal or super-phosphate to the hole. Since phosphorus does not move readily through the soil, it must be incorporated into the soil below the level of the bulb.

Lawn
1. Mulch mowing of leaves is
--much easier and returns complex organic material to the soil
--less time consuming than bagging
--not a contributor to thatch
2. Nutrient uptake will decline as grass growth slows. Make Nov. 1 your cut-off date for mowing (Unless, of course, you are still mulching fallen leaves.)
3. Although it is too late to seed, it is still possible to sod.
4. Do soil preparation for dormant seeding now. After Thanksgiving until early March is the time to spread the seed.
5.  Grass may grow by inches, but it is killed by feet! Avoid wearing paths in the lawn.

Horticulture Tips for October 2018

Garden
1. Plant bulbs from now until the ground is frozen
              A. Always buy the biggest bulbs available
              B. Plant bulb with pointed end up. Can’t tell? Then lay on side.
              C. The word bulb is often used to describe a plant even when it technically grows from a corm or tuber.
              D. If the ground freezes before you get to planting the bulbs, store them in the refrigerator, but not if you keep
potatoes there. Plant in spring.

Lawn
1. Sod can be planted as long as it can be cut.
2. October is a bit late for grass seed. It may not get established before the first hard freeze.
3. After the first frost, spray creeping Charlie (ground ivy) with triclopyr, which is often part of a three way mix.
4. Now is a good time to spray violets in turf as the sugars are now moving down in the plant for winter storage. Same is true for bind weed. Spray with a three-way mix herbicide.
5. If you find slime mold on turf after the cooler, wet weather, just wash it off. No other treatment is needed.

Horticulture Tips for September 2018

Garden
1. Panicle hydrangeas are a great garden shrub for five reasons:
            a. They are perfect for any sunny space.
            b. They provide a four season show.
            c. They are very easy to grow.
            d. Most destructive insects ignore them.
            e. Cut fresh blossom heads and hang them upside down in the basement. Once they have dried, you may use
  them in fall arrangements or save them to plug the holes in your live Christmas tree.

2. Hosta Care:
            a. Continue to give lots of water: 1-1.5” per week
            b. Do not mulch close to the crown of the plant, but lay 2-3” of mulch around root zone.
            c. Use slow release fertilizer in the spring, or simply mulch over the leaves that collected around the plants over winter.
            d. It is a good idea to mix compost into the soil before you divide or plant this fall.
            e. Avoid planting under shallow rooted trees.
            f. While hostas can be planted any time during the growing season, fall is the best time to divide.

Garden Pests
Japanese beetles were not as bad in some areas this summer, but the number of plants they eat seems to be growing. Here is the life cycle:
            a. Eggs are laid in the soil 2-4” down after the adult is done feeding in summer.
            b. Eggs develop into larvae (grubs). They spend fall and winter in ground when fully developed.
            c. They enter the pupae stage and become adults.
            d. Adults start feeding on plants, mate, lay eggs, and the whole cycle starts over.   If you spray chemicals in an attempt to control, you will probably end up harming bees. And bees have a hard enough time as it is.
Eggs, larvae, pupae can be controlled under ground. Once the adults are out, pick them off the roses and other ornamentals and slam dunk them in a bucket of soapy water. If you have not tried it, this method is really pretty satisfying.

Trees/shrubs
1. Bagworms have been a big problem this year. Insecticide control will no longer be effective as the larvae have moved into the pupation stage—inside the bag. You may still pull the bags off and drop them in soapy water to take care of the residents inside. Bagworms literally suck the life out of infected trees and shrubs.

Lawn
1. September is the ideal time to seed/over seed cool season grasses. Just remember to purchase quality seed.
2. Prepare now for fall weed control. This is the best time to attack weeds, as the summer waxy protective coating on the leaves is breaking down.
3. Herbicides containing a three way mix of 2-4D, Dicamba or MCPP, and Triclopyr can be used for difficult to control weeds.

Horticultural Tips for August

Garden
1. Coneflowers have two parts: the petals (called rays) around the outside and the center cone. If deadheaded, flowers will continue to come. If left to stand, goldfinch will come feed on the seed heads. The plants now come in unusual colors. Try a new one!
2. August 5-11 is National Farmers Market Week. Check out the many available in the Omaha Metropolitan area—including Papillion.
3. Japanese beetles will not eat the following flowers:
              --Coral bells, coreopsis, delphinium, foxglove, hosta, impatiens, lantana
4. Japanese beetles will feast on
              --clematis, dahlia, hibiscus, holly hock, Japanese maple, Linden tree, roses, sunflower, butterfly bushes.
DO NOT BUY JAPANESE BEETLE TRAPS. THEY WILL ACT AS A BEACON TO YOUR YARD!
5. While it is a myth that you can tell the age of a ladybug by the number of spots it has, it is true that a ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids a day!
6. You can help control cicada killer wasps by keeping the area they frequent wet.

Trees & Shrubs
1. Know what you are doing before you attempt to prune a tree. Check the Extension Office guide to pruning. If in doubt, call a professional. Trees are an investment that add value to your property.
2. Trees react to pruning because
              -- it wounds the tree
              -- food production is reduced
              -- hormones are activated
              -- it potentially alters the stability of the tree
3. Rejuvenation pruning of shrubs (best done after their flowering period)
              -- reduce to 6 to 10 inches above ground. Healthy shrubs will respond.
              --or remove one-third of oldest (thickest) branches three years in a row. This methods is less drastic and prevents the shrub from
              “disappearing” from the landscape during the recovery period. The shrub also stays more attractive.
              --Rose of Sharon shrubs can be pruned or thinned each year. Just remember they bloom on 2nd year’s growth.
4. Check evergreen trees and shrubs of all types for spider mites. Shake a branch over a white piece of paper to see the tiny mites. Problems can be controlled with insecticidal soap (small area) or Bifenthrin for large shrubs or trees.

Lawn
1. August is a good time to over seed. Scratch the area to be reseeded so that the seed has contact with the soil. Keep the seed damp with daily watering for best results.
2. Crabgrass can be sprayed now with Drive.

Horticulture Tips for July 2018

Lawn
1. Kentucky Bluegrass has the poorest shade tolerance among turfgrasses planted in the Midwest and usually performs poorly under trees. Instead of fighting this fact, try a shade-loving groundcover. Lamium (Dead Nettle) grows well under trees. Its predominately white leaves lighten up the area. And different varieties bloom in white, pink, or purple for months.
2. Remember to mow high (3 – 4 inches) during hot weather. Mowing lower will stress the grass out, leaving it to go dormant and encourage the growth of weeds.
3. Water deeply and less often to promote healthy grass roots.

Trees/Shrubs
1. The average lifespan of a street tree is about 13 years. Do not kill a tree by mounding mulch up around the trunk or building a raised bed around it. Tree roots need oxygen. Smothering the tree with mulch or a raised bed results in a slow but certain death.
2. Thin an overgrown weigela by cutting one-third of the largest branches close to the ground after the shrub is done blooming. This method also works for lilacs and viburnams.
3. The bright pinks and virant reds of a Weigela can be spotted by hummingbirds up to one- half mile away.

Perennials
1. Asiatic lilies should be divided every 2 to 3 years; dig early in fall.
2. Perennials and shrubs don’t need a lot of fertilizer. Use a slow-release fertilizer or good compost. Remember that when using organic mulch, such as grass clippings, wood chips or wood mulch, you are improving the soil a little each year. As the mulch decomposes, it is feeding the plants.
3. “Full Sun to Part Shade” means that a plant prefers the sunnier side. “Part Shade to Part Sun” means the shadier location is better.
4. Signs of lack of light in a plant include long, leggy growth, pale green color, and weak and floppy stems. Use the “right plant right place” guideline. If a plant is not thriving, research its ideal location and then move it someplace appropriate in the garden. Just remember to water carefully by hand until the transplant is established.

Landscape Overview
1. Break up a home’s straight lines by incorporating curves into the landscape with elements such as rounded beds and curving paths.

Horticultural Tips for June 2018

1. Cut mums and asters down to 6 inches in June before July 1. If you do it after July 1, the plants may not bloom as fully.
2. Bagworms hatch in late May, early June. They are very small and can move with the wind. Spray bagworm crawlers with bifenthrin.
3. Toad Stools may appear in the grass; no control, just knock them off.
4. Peonies turning yellow could be a nutritional problem or disease. Take a sample in to the Extension office. Also, make sure the peonies are in full sun.
5. Hail damaged plants—provide good growing conditions, cut damage off. They will recover.
6. Hostas—crown root rot—dig and throw away.
7. Iris Care:

Cut iris bloom stalks off to base. Iris like full sun, dry weather; divide and move in July.
Fertilize with a 1-4-1 ration.
Iris borers will show in June.

8. The “rose slug” is a sawfly larva, not a caterpillar. This pest removes the upper leaf surface making the leaf look almost white. Check rose leaves in early summer by looking at the upper and lower leaf surfaces. For light infestations, remove the leaves (with the larva) and discard. Blasting the larva with water from a hose will knock them off. For a heavy infestation, use Neem Oil or insecticidal soap.
9. Mesotrione (Tenacity) can be used on cool seasoned grass and buffalo grass lawns to control both broadleaf and grassy weeds. It is available to the homeowner in a granular form as Scotts Turf Builder Starter Food for New Grass. Be sure and read label as it is a new product.

May Horticultural Tips

Garden
1. If you want to give your perennials a nutrient boost, apply fertilizer to the soil when new growth starts. Compost or worm castings are natural fertilizers that feed the plant and condition the soil.
2. Early spring, when the leaf points start to emerge, is the best time to divide clumps of hosta.
3. Cut back winter-damaged rose canes to 1” below the blackened area. Make cure to remove all leaf litter out of the rose garden to help reduce diseases.
4. Try planting ground covers in beds this year. As ground covers grow, less mulch will be needed. Some ground covers, like ajuga and lamium (dead nettle), also bloom.

Lawn
1. Grass seed can be started any time until the end of May. After that time, you are better off waiting until next fall.
2. Setting the mower at 3” all year long helps shade out weed seed germination.
3. Remember to always keep a sharp lawnmower blade on hand. Change the blade each month for best results.

Horticulture Tips For April 2018

Trees
1. When temperatures are above 40 degrees and before buds break, apply a Dormant Oil to your trees and shrubs to kill overwintering insects and scale.
2. New Emerald Ash Borer website: https://nfs.unl.edu/nebraska-eab
3. New research shows the optimum time to prune living branches is in late spring and early summer because pruning at this time promotes the sealing of the pruning wounds.

Pesticides
1. The label on a pesticide is actually a legal contract for manufacturers to tell you how to use the product.
2. Reading the label is your first move to keep yourself and the environment safe.
3. Signal Word—“Danger” means exposure to even small amounts of the concentrate or spray can make you sick or cause burning irritation to eyes and skin. It is important to wear goggles and long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes when spraying. Exposed skin and the eyes are the easiest way chemicals enter the body.
4. NEVER use more concentrate than the directions on the label indicate. More is not better; it is just more dangerous.
5. A pesticide may not be effective if it has been frozen or become too hot.
6. Neonicotinoids are systemic chemicals that are absorbed into a plant’s vascular system, leaving the entire plant toxic and thus harmful to bees. This is especially prevalent at certain big box stores. Check the plant label before you buy.
7. Timing is the key to specific insect control.
8. When applying pesticides, contact the Extension Service if you have questions.

Horticultural Tips For March 2018

Garden
1. If this spring happens to be wet and slime mold appears in mulch, DO NOT use pesticides to combat it. Simply scoop up and put in trash.
2. The USDA Plant Database (See Resource page of website) will help you identify native species and find where they are grown.
3. Your best bet for all-purpose balanced fertilizer is a 10-10-10.
4. Fertilizer for annuals and vegetables is one application in spring after planting.
5. You may also give perennials and shrubs one application of a slow-release fertilizer in early spring.   Or you may work in some good compost around the plants.
6. Remember that cultivating the soil in spring opens up the weed seed bank and brings weed seeds up to the surface of the soil. Be ready to pull! Or you may lay newsprint down (not slick and colored advertisements) and then cover with mulch or grass clippings. Lay down a whole section of the newspaper at one time.

Lawn
1. Cool season grass seed germinates best when the soil temps are between 50–60 degrees. Buy high quality seed. Cheap seed may contain a lot of weed seeds. Read the packaging. It will tell you there. No sense planting future problems.
2. When spring seeding, the key is to have seed down before mid-April when crabgrass normally germinates. DO NOT put down pre-emergent in March if you want to over seed the grass in April.

Trees
1. Trees almost always perform better in the company of other trees. So instead of planting just one tree, see if you can plant three. Just know how big the species you are planting will grow to at maturity. Some people plant trees way too close to the house. Then when problems develop, someone gets paid to remove the tree.
2. A leaf must manufacture enough food to support its own needs and then export a surplus to the limbs and branches, and finally, the roots.
3. Branches that are in the process of dying present an enlarged collar. If you remove the branch yourself, DO NOT trim off the collar! Trees are an investment. It is better to call a professional to do the work. It is often easy to drive through a neighborhood and tell where the DIY tree-trimming project are. Knowledge and experience make a difference.
will help you identify native species and find where they are grown.
3. Your best bet for all-purpose balanced fertilizer is a 10-10-10.
4. Fertilizer for annuals and vegetables is one application in spring after planting.
5. You may also give perennials and shrubs one application of a slow-release fertilizer in early spring.   Or you may work in some good compost around the plants.
6. Remember that cultivating the soil in spring opens up the weed seed bank and brings weed seeds up to the surface of the soil. Be ready to pull! Or you may lay newsprint down (not slick and colored advertisements) and then cover with mulch or grass clippings. Lay down a whole section of the newspaper at one time.

Lawn
1. Cool season grass seed germinates best when the soil temps are between 50–60 degrees. Buy high quality seed. Cheap seed may contain a lot of weed seeds. Read the packaging. It will tell you there. No sense planting future problems.
2. When spring seeding, the key is to have seed down before mid-April when crabgrass normally germinates. DO NOT put down pre-emergent in March if you want to over seed the grass in April.

Trees
1. Trees almost always perform better in the company of other trees. So instead of planting just one tree, see if you can plant three. Just know how big the species you are planting will grow to at maturity. Some people plant trees way too close to the house. Then when problems develop, someone gets paid to remove the tree.
2. A leaf must manufacture enough food to support its own needs and then export a surplus to the limbs and branches, and finally, the roots.
3. Branches that are in the process of dying present an enlarged collar. If you remove the branch yourself, DO NOT trim off the collar! Trees are an investment. It is better to call a professional to do the work. It is often easy to drive through a neighborhood and tell where the DIY tree-trimming project are. Knowledge and experience make a difference.

Horticultural Tips for February 2018
Trees
1. Modern man may take the tree out of the forest, but he cannot take the forest out of the tree.
2. Trees did not evolve in the city, but rather in forests, surrounded by other trees, not buildings.
3. Trees almost always perform better in the company of other trees. Yet in most urban settings, trees are planted 30 to 40 feet apart.
4. Today most urban trees are forced to grow as individual specimens.
5. Forest trees rarely have large lower limbs because of the lower light intensity. When trees are forced to grow alone, people have to take over that function. Hence the necessity of arborists to limb up and thin out the one tree in front of the house.
6. Light is a critical resource for a tree, but not all tree species require the same light intensities to function. This is why some trees are sold as “understory” trees. They need a taller species around them to provide shade.
7. While winter keeps you out of the garden, this is a great time to check out The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (2016). This is an intriguing look at the communal aspect of nature. Wait until you find out how trees actually communicate with one another!

Indoor Plants
1. If succulent plants are losing leaves, it could be due to overwatering. Allow the potting soil to dry out between waters. Or try watering every other week.
2. Boston ferns like a consistent moist potting soil and high humidity level.
3. Why might other houseplants lose leaves over winter? Lowlight level, cold drafts, low humidity, excess heat source, abrupt changes (like moving the plant to a different window), and standing water in the saucer.
4. When overwintering geraniums as potted plants, cut back in mid-March by ½ to 2/3.   Place in a sunny window or under fluorescent lights.

Horticultural Tips for January 2018

As gardeners, hopefully the holidays were celebrated with plants!

Indoor gardening:
Poinsettias:
1. Bright, indirect light is best, plus a dark period at night.
2. Day time temps of between 65 and 75 degrees will prolong the display of colorful bracts.
3. Water thoroughly about once a week, but make sure the plant never stands in water. Remove the foil the pot and allow the plant to drain in the sink.
4. The colored “petals” are actually leaves, called bracts.
Amaryllis:
1. This is the easiest flowering bulb to bring to bloom. They should be planted in October to bloom at Christmas. Make a note on your new calendar so that you don’t forget next fall.

Outdoor Gardening:
1. Frost heave occurs when fluctuating temps, combined with moisture, cause soil to swell and contract throughout the winter. This is why it is important to put down 2-3 inches of mulch before the ground freezes.
2. The heat in peppers is measured in Scoville heat units (SHU), which is often noted in seed catalogs. Capsaicin is the compound in hot peppers that produces a burning sensation.
3. An orienpet Lily is a cross between trumpet and oriental lilies. They are available in a vast array of hues. All cultivars have good drought tolerance and cold hardiness and can survive late spring frosts.
4. Enjoy the catalogs. Forget the cold for a while and plan additions to your gardens.

Horticulture Tips for December 2017

Lawn
1. Prep your lawn now for dormant seeding in early March.
2. If you still feel the need to clean up the lawn “one last time” mulch the leaves with the mower rather than picking them up. Your lawn will appreciate it,

Garden:
1. You may continue to plant spring bulbs until the ground freezes. So get those bulbs out of the garage! DON’T WAIT MUCH LONGER!
2. Begin your “Winter To Do List.” If your ninebark shrub is getting a little overwhelming, plan to cut it back to about one foot tall in late winter.
3. Frost heave is caused from fluctuating temperatures and moisture over winter that cause soil to swell and contract. Make sure shrubs and perennials are well mulched—to a depth of 2-3 inches. Keep mulch away from the crowns of the plants.
4. To prevent desiccation injury to trees and shrubs, water on a regular basis until the ground freezes.   This has been a very dry fall. Be sure to protect the investment of time and money you have already made.
5.. When you turn your vegetable garden over with a garden fork or spade, be sure to leave the big clumps. The uneven ground will trap snow and precipitation.
6. To prevent the weight of heavy wet snow from damaging arborvitae and other multi-stemmed evergreens, wrap the plants with twine or rope.
7. Once we get a heavy snow, check protected plants to make sure rabbits aren’t able to reach or climb over fencing or tree guards.

House
1. Check a live Christmas tree daily to see that the water level is where it needs to be in the tree stand. Dial down the thermostat at night to give the tree and your heating bill a break.
2. Take the opportunity to experiment a bit with plants. Bulbs like narcissus and amaryllis (available in every hardware store) can be grown in water in a large glass vase. Put rock pebbles or glass pebbles in the bottom to support the bulb. Then add water just up to the bottom of the bulb to touch the roots.   In a day or two the roots should begin to grow downward through the pebbles. It is a different look and way easier to clean up when you are finished.   Norfolk pines can be grown in the same manner after gently removing the soil from the roots and rinsing the roots off. The pines can last a few years like this. If you add a small string of battery- operated lights, just keep the battery behind the vase and the lights out of the water.
4. Don’t forget to leave a garden wish list someplace “Santa” can find it!
5. Check out You Tube for “Cornell Lab FeederWatch Cam at Sapsucker Woods”

Horticulture Tips for November 2017

Perennials
1. Fall is a great time to divide perennials, especially those that bloom in spring and summer, such as: bloodroot, Artemisia, daylily, foam flower, garden phlox, cranesbill geranium, goatsbeard, peony, salvia, Shasta daisy, blazing star liatris.
2. If you insist on planting bulbs in a row, always plant doubles. That way you get more foliage and flowers for your digging efforts. And speaking of digging, if there is a cordless drill in the house, buy an augur attachment to make the holes. Bulb planting will never get any easier than that. No cordless drill? Put it and the augur on your list for Santa!
3. Want to brighten up a deck or patio? Grab a large container and plant layers of bulbs—early bloomers on top, later bloomers down deeper. You will appreciate the burst of color when spring arrives. Put in an unheated garage for winter. Or leave outside with a covering of chicken wire over the top to prevent the squirrels from digging and disturbing the bulbs.

Lawn
1. Mild drought stress in fall for your lawn can actually improve cold tolerance a bit.
2. If you have ever had the opportunity to work in an established woodland garden, you will probably agree that the soil was amazingly rich. That is what tree leaves do for soil. If possible, do not bag leaves from your lawn. Mulch tree leaves to return organic matter to the soil. This is the best soil amendment—and it is free!
3. There is still time to add sod to your yard.
4. Winter annuals germinate in the fall, overwinter as tiny plants, mature in the spring, flower, set seed, and then die.   (This is why many people apply pre-emergent to the lawn in late September to mid October.) Examples of winter annuals include henbit, purple deadnettle, and common chickweed.
5. Summer annuals germinate in the spring, grow actively during the summer, flower, set seed, and die in the fall. Examples of summer annuals include crabgrass, prostate spurge, and purslane.
6. Remember snow is an insulator for plants—and that is a good thing.

Horticultural Tips for October 2017

Garden Tips:
1. Bulbs can be planted anytime in the fall as long as the ground is workable.
              a. Add bone meal to the soil at planting time to promote strong roots and early growth.
              b. Bulbs present best when planted in drifts or massed together.
2. Cut back peonies with powdery mildew now. Put clippings in trash—not the compost pile.

Trees:
1. While bagworms are easy to see now, feeding has stopped and insecticides will not work. Pull bagworms off that you can reach and toss in trash.
2. Uniform and sudden dropping of interior needles on evergreens is natural at this time of year. Do not be alarmed.
3. Some trees are starting to change colors in our area. Remember to deep-water trees with a hose during dry periods through October and November. This is especially important if the winter turns out to be dry.
4. Trees attacked by apple scab will drop early. Be ready next spring to apply fungicide at green tip, in 7-10 day intervels.

Lawn Tips:
1. For most effective broadleaf weed control in lawns, do not mow the lawn two to three days before treatment and after treatment allow three to four days to pass before mowing.
2. It is a good idea to apply a combination of slow/fast release nitrogen fertilizer in both September and October.
3. Water new sod two to three times a day.
4. Perennial weeds in turf (like violets, dandelions, and bindweed) should be controlled in the fall. This is because the sugars are moving down to the roots to sustain the plant through winter. Spray with a broadleaf herbicide like Trimec.
5. Quack grass spreads fast. Round-up is the best control.

Horticultural Tips for September 2017

Perennial Gardens
1. Bone meal or superphosphates are two recommended soil additives when planting fall bulbs.
2. Most bulbs planted in the fall are spring blooming, like tulips, daffodils, hyacith, crocus.
3. This is a great time to make notes for next spring. See where you have color
“holes” in the garden. Search plant catalogs for ideas.
4. Make notes for projects you would like to tackle first thing in the spring.

Vegetable Gardens
With cold coming, here are some tips to cheat the season:
1. Covers capture and retain the heat of the sun.
              a. lay down a few inches of mulch or compost around plants or along rows
              b. use plastic row covers
              c. try a wall-o-water plastic cone
2. Make plans now so that next spring you plant several varieties of the same vegetable with different maturities, or stagger
the planting dates so that the season is extended.

Lawn
1. How to over seed your lawn:
              a. mow lawn at 1.5 to 2 “
              b. aerate for good seed to soil contact
              c. apply seed
              d. drag area for seed to soil contact
              e. water twice each day to keep seedbed moist
2. Make sure you buy good quality seed with 0% weed seeds. Cheap seed may have 10% “other” seed. Cheap seed may
save money now but cost you more in the long run in time and product to remove the weeds you planted! Always make
sure to purchase a certified seed.
3. Always use the recommended rate. More is not always better.
4. Sprinkle Preen in garden areas to prevent grass seed from sprouting there.
5. Seed by Sept. 15 – Oct. 1. Seeding later results in lower success rate.

Horticultural Tips for August 2017

Japanese Beetles:

1. Japanese beetles, both larva and adults, are destructive pests. They are here to stay.

2. A preventative treatment of Scotts Grub X in mid-May will control Japanese Beetle grubs. The problem is that adult beetles fly in.

3. Some homeowners report insecticidal soap stuns beetles on contact. There is no evidence that this, extract of garlic, hot pepper or orange peels will be effective. Organic spays like Neem Oil and Pyola will protect roses.

4. Healthy trees and shrubs are not killed by defoliation.

Trees:

5. A yard without shade can be 20 degrees hotter than one with shade. Fall is a great time to plant a tree.

6. Warts on hackberry trees are galls. They are common, unsightly, but not harmful. Control is not necessary.

7. Suckering is common in summer on some trees. Prune off—herbicides should not be applied as this may kill or damage tree.

Perennials:

8. Yarrow: Cut back after it blooms.

9. Goatsbeard is for the shade. Think astilbe on steroids.

Horticultural Tips for July 2017

1. Slow-release fertilizers can take many forms. From composted manure products that look like rich, dark soil to finer-textured granules.

2. One application of a slow release fertilizer, whether organic or synthetic, in early spring is all you need in a perennial or shrub bed.

3. Pinch chrysanthemum tips for development of bushier plants.

4. A “cauliflory” is a flower on the stem or trunk, such as on a redbud.

5. Bedstraw—an annual weed that grows fast into a long string that sticks tight to garden gloves and clothing, can be pulled or raked out. (Note where this problem is in the garden and resolve to put down pre-emergent in that area by March 15 of next year.)

6. Shrub roses may be pruned anywhere on the plant.

7. Japanese beetles are here. Don’t waste money on controls and NEVER hang up one of those bags that tells every JB in a half-mile radius that there is a party in your yard.

8. Brown patch is bad news for fescue. It is spread by the mower NOT by footprints. Irrigate only in the early morning. Use fungicide for control.

9.Cicada killer wasps are here. Control with Sevin dust in the evening.

10. White stuff on ninebark is powdery mildew. Spray with high pressure water in early morning.

Horticultural Tips for June 2017

Yard tips
1. Buffalo grass:
            --a nice low maintenance alternative to blue grass lawns in a sunny area
            --not suited to sandy soil
            --deep soak once a month from July to September
            --avoid short mowing and over fertiliztion to prevent weeds.
   The reason this is a good alternative is that you don’t have to mow often—only
once a month or once a season-- and fertilizer is rarely needed after it is established.

2. Anthracnose disease could be a problem this spring because of cool wet weather.
     Control is not recommended.

3. Ladybugs can have as many as 16 spots or none at all.

4. Perennial plants need to finish their summer growth cycle on their own. Do not encourage late season growth
     with heavy fertilizer applications or excessive pruning near the end of the summer growing season.

5. Remove tree stakes that have been in place more than one season.

6. Bronze birch borer may be active soon—only 3/8” long. Look for exit holes. Damage starts in the tops of the trees.

7. A yard without shade can be 20 degrees hotter than one with a lot of shade. Plant a tree for the future.

8. Change/sharpen your mower blade each month! A dull mower blade shreds the tops of grass blades allowing
     disease to enter and making the tips turn brown.

Vegetable Garden Tips
1. Early morning is the best time to harvest peas since pods are at their crispest then. They will also keep longer.

2. Remove rhubarb seed stalks to encourage leaf growth.

Horticultural Tips For May 2017
Turf Tips:
1.   Nitrogen needs:
            KentuckyBluegrass: 2-4 lbs. N/1,0000 sq ft./year
            Tall Fescue: 1-3 lbs. N/1,000 sq. ft./year
            Buffalograss: 1-2 lbs. N/1,000 sq. ft. /year
This amount cannot be put down all at once! Divide the amount by the number of times you want to apply (generally 4-5). Easy schedule to remember focuses on holidays: Arbor Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving. Never fertilize during the hot months, especially July. That will overstress the grass.

2. Mid-Sept. through late October is the best time to control dandelions by putting down pre-emergent and/or hand spraying.

3. If the turfgrass plant cannot take up the nutrients, simply applying fertilizer will not increase the amount of nutrients the grass takes up. Make sure you have a soil test done every few years to check on the soil PH.

4. The simple act of cutting a leaf blade is stressful for a grass plant. The grass still has to recover from a wound and a there is a reduction in the plant’s energy-making factory, the leaves.

5. Crabgrass completes its life cycle in one year: germinating from seed in spring, growing throughout summer, and setting seed in fall. The most effective means of control is using a preemergence herbicide in the spring, after ground temps hit the mid-50’s for several days in a row. Review complete info on last month’s hort tips page. These herbicides do not prevent weed seed germination. Rather, they prevent germinated seedlings from developing into mature plants.

6. Beautiful lawns are made in the fall.

Garden Tips
1. Hardwood mulch in the garden reduces water demand by as much as 40 per cent when spread at a 3-4” depth.

2. Crabapple trees can be pruned in the summer.

3. Lightly side-dress perennials, including spring bulbs,with a 10-10-10 fertilizer.   Avoid getting fertilizer in the center of the plant over the crown.

4. Zinnias are among the quickest and easiest annuals to grow from seeds.

5. Most flowers look better if they are cut for a vase before the buds open. In the morning blossoms are full of moisture and therefore less likely to wilt. But in the evening they have more food stored in their stems, which helps them to last longer in a vase. Just do not cut flowers mid-day.

Marks on Trees?

Squirrels are nesting now and will chip bark from trees. Rabbits will eat bark off of trees.

Horticultural Tips for April 2017

Crabgrass Control
1. Do not be in a rush to apply pre-emergent control for crabgrass.
*freezing temps will likely kill crabgrass seedlings that emerge before April 15
     *make your application between April 15 and the first week of May
     *apply your control when soil temps at 1” depth is 55 degrees for at least 5 days.
            Go to http://gretnawx.net to get weather related information, including soil temps.
     *control products for crabgrass containing prodiamine or pendimethalin will
       work if crabgrass is at one leaf stage and if it is watered in immediately.

Aeration
1. Hold off on aeration until the grass is growing vigorously.
2. How often should you aerate your lawn?
*Twice a year if you have heavy clay soil and heavy foot traffic
    *Once a year if you have well-drained soil and little foot traffic
3. Remove soil cores, ¾” in diameter and 3” long. Should end up with 20 to 40
     holes per square foot. Having someone go over your yard once is doing no
    good at all.
4. Aeration (when it is done correctly) relieves soil compaction, improves water and
     nutrient movement in the soil and prevents thatch accumulation.

Backyard Farmer
Don’t forget to watch Backyard Farmer on NET 1 on
                        *Thursday nights @ 7:00
                        *Saturday mornings @10:00
                        *Mondays @ 4:30
You are just about guaranteed to learn something new from every show!

Horticultural Tips for March 2017
1. Most insecticides are not effective against adult scale insects because of their waxy coatings. Horticulture oil is effective.
2. Remove all tree wraps by the end of this month.
3. No tree should be staked longer than one year. Remove the collar and the stake.
4. Remove winter dust from houseplants with a damp cloth or put the plants in the shower.
5. Knotweed germinates between February and March. A pre-emergent is more effective than post-emergent
6. Perennials may be lightly fertilized in spring with a 10-10-10 fertilizer, but be careful to avoid covering the center or crown of the perennial. Compost may also be used. Dig in lightly around the plant.
7. The best time to control dandelions with herbicides is in the fall (mid-September through mid-October). Digging is a better option in spring and summer.
8. Crabgrass germinates when the soil temps reach 55 degrees for about four consecutive days.
9. Slow release fertilizer can be used on shrubs. Or, compost can worked in the soil from the base to the drip line of the shrub.
10. Water trees and shrubs planted last fall as ground permits. If you have checked the garden lately, it is obvious from the number of plants breaking dormancy that the ground is no longer frozen.
11. Purchase your composted manure (and Oma-Gro, if you can still find it) in order to be ready for planting and transplanting.
12. Remember when scanning the catalogs, a biennial is a plant that normally lives for just two years. The first year a basal rosette forms. In the second year the plant flowers. While some plants may hang on for one more year, don’t count on it. Many biennials will spread from seed.

Horticultural Tips for February 2017

Prune only small branches of new trees; start early. Once limbs become larger it is better to call an arborist.
Water indoor plants with room temperature water.
Avoid the temptation to prune trees and shrubs on a warm winter day
Avoid walking on frozen lawns as it may damage the grass.
Start seed throughout the winter depending on growth requirements.
Check stored bulbs for rot and decay and discard damaged ones.

Gardening Wisdom

If you over prune a new tree it can starve to death since pruning causes loss of stored food and loss of storage space. Trees are a lifetime investment. It is best to check with an arborist.

Turf roots have six times more density than tree roots, so keep sod 3 feet from trunk of tree.

The Thanksgiving cactus has pointed edges; the Christmas cactus has smooth, rounded edges on leaflike stems. They do not bloom at the same time.

Horticultural Tips for January 2017

1. Time to review your lawn contract. You are paying for it so make sure it is what you want.

2. Prune damaged branches throughout the winter months.

3. Turn compost pile to encourage winter breakdown.

4. Keep house plants out of hot and cold drafts.

5. Grow Light Guide--Turn the lights on for 12 to 16 hours

6. Grass Seed is your friend and it can be applied early, even when the soil is still going through the freezing and thawing cycle. It will not germinate unitl soil temperatuves are consistently in the 50"s.

Definitions to assist with winter reading:

Marcescent--when foilage withers but is retained on the plant stem.

Open Pollination--Plants that rely only on wind, insects, birds, or other natural means to be fertilized.

Deadheading--removing the spent flower by cutting the stem about halfway down at the point where large leaves begin.

Horticultural Tips for December 2016

1. Give the gift of of your time. No shopping required.

2. Now is the time to start building that coldframe.

3. Try some wildflowers next spring. Start your planning now.

4. Soil Amendments--Anything added to the soil for the purpose of improving either its chemical or physical properties.

5. According to U.S. dietary guidelines the average person should be eating 2.5 cups of vegetables each day.

6. Japanese Maples--Apply a balanced, slow release fertilizer once in the spring.

7. It's time to step outside of the box with your veggie garden; grow them in containers.

8. Time to try prairie grasses in your garden: side oats, grama, little blue stem, prairie dropseed.

9. In order to overwinter a perrenial in a pot, it should be two zones hardier than the climate zone in which you live.

10. Stop fertilizing your houseplants during winter months; start again in the spring.

11. Cut rose canes back to 24" to reduce wind damage.

12. Don't forget to drain gasoline from mowers or use a fuel additive to prevent damage to your equipment.

Horticultural Tips for November 2016

1. A biennial lives for only two years. First year the foliage emerges. Second year the plant sets flower and seed. Examples: rose campion, dames rockets. Be patient.

2. Soil type, rainfall, sun exposure, wind, heat, and microclimates within a growing area all play a role in determining what will grow in your yard. If something did not grow well this past season, do an investigation online or at the Extension Office to see if you should try moving it to another spot in the yard.

3. Wait until the ground freezes to apply winter mulch. Applying it earlier provides habitat for plant-eating animals and encourages disease.

4. Dispose of household and garden chemicals at Under the Sink in Omaha, off 120th, north of L Street: 402-444-7565.

5. Flowers come in all sorts of colors, but a genuine blue pigment is rare.

6. DO NOT pile soil or mulch over roots and onto the trunk of a tree. This can cause decline over time and even death as roots need oxygen and bark on a tree can rot. Trees that break off at ground level in a windstorm often have rot as the underlying problem. If you cannot see the root flare on a tree, it has been planted too deeply.

7. Smoketree: these plants flower on 2 to 3-year-old wood. Remember before trimming.

8. All trees, thin or thick-barked, can be damaged by a lawn mower or weed whacker. So either be careful or monitor whoever mows.

9. You can plant container-grown lilies anytime during the growing season, but get them in the ground as soon as possible after purchase.

10. Repeat bloomers: some shrubs put out the usual flush of flowers in spring, followed by sporadic blooming all season long: azalea, hydrangea, lilac, weigela, and viburnum.

Horticulture Information compiled and provided by PGC's turf specialist, who prefers to go unnamed.

Horticultural tips for October

1. The average Fall freeze date is October 10 for Eastern Nebraska.

2. Fall is an ideal time to divide and transplant perennials.

3. Natural needle drop in pines is now.

4. Cracking--the first peak of color the mum buds start showing right before they open up.

5. Fall fertilization--50% fast release Nitrogen and 50% slow release Nitrogen.

6. Apply broadleaf weed control by mid to late October.

7. For difficult to control weeds, such as wild violet or ground ivy, herbicides containing triclopyr are most effective.

8. Remove tree stakes if in place longer than one year.

9. Update the garden journal for successes and failures while fresh in your mind.

10. If bulbs have a pointed end, that is usually the side that faces up. If you don't see a pointed side, plant the bulb on its side, the stem will find its way up.

Horticultural Tips for September

1. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. This is a much-discussed method of developing new plants.

2. If you wish to fertilize your shrubs, the best time to do so is actually in early spring, just before the plants begin new growth.

3. Plants do not die from not being pruned. But plenty have been killed or disfigured from bad pruning. Do some research before you cut!

4. When in doubt, do not prune.

5. Research if the plant you want to prune blooms on old wood or new wood.

6. Do not add anything to the plant hole or amend the soil when you plant a new shrub.

7. When planting shrubs and trees, unwind any large woody roots and gently loosen the small roots away from the soil.

8. Even a bargain tree or shrub deserves a million dollar hole. Make the hole twice the size of the root ball. This will help it get off to a great start.

9. Now is the time to dig, divide, or plant peonies.

10. Dig gladiolus as foliage begins to yellow and air dry before storing for winter.

11. Remember, with grass seed you get what you pay for. Read the label and make sure you are not planting crop or weed seeds along with your grass seed!  Cheap seed is not a bargain in the long run.

12. Apply fertilizer to your newly seeded grass. It will not hurt anything when applied at the correct rate.

13. Failing to accurately water new seed is the number one reason over-seeding fails. Water lightly several times during the day. The idea is to never let the seed dry out. Monitor carefully on hot and/or windy days.

Horticultural Tips for August 2016

1. Pick cucumbers frequently, before they mature. If the seeds of even one fruit mature, the entire vine will stop producing.

2. Plant grafted roses 1 ½ to 2” deeper than ground level in order to protect the bud union, the most tender part of the plant.

3. Plan for the fall seeding or aeration of your lawn.

4. Order or buy your bulbs locally this month.

5. If you have never soil tested your lawn, now is the time.

6. Beautiful lawns are made in the fall, not the spring.

7. The first step for successful lawn seeding is to buy quality seed. Cheap seed ends up being no bargain, for several reasons.

8. Read the seed label and look for the percent of weed seed or other crop seed. The percent should be zero.

9. The most important tip for lawn seeding success is to irrigate the seed frequently.

10. For cool season lawns (what most people have here) tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass should be the seed of choice.

Horticultural Tips for July 2016

1. Brown patch in turf. Fescue susceptible. Spread by mower or foot traffic. Dew is bad. Irrigate always in early morning.

2. When river birch have yellow appearance that indicates an iron deficiency. Iron can’t be taken up by the tree if the soil PH is too high.

3. An “instar” is a developmental stage in the life cycle of an insect. Know what it is before you try to kill it! Moth and butterfly larvae can go through several stages.

4. A nematode is a microscopic round worm that is abundant in soil and feeds on plants, insects, or animals.

5.   Emerald Ash borer is here, but do not jump to conclusions. Check with a professional arborist that can provide you with creditable information. Before taking any action, check with at least two.

6. This is the month to check for bagworms.

7. This is the month to order fall bulbs.

8. July is the time for mid-late daylily bloomers.

9. Chicory flowering is at its peak, with the blue-violet blooms commonly seen along roadsides.

10. The showy, fragrant flowers of the New Jersey tea appear soon.

Horticultural Tips for June 2016

1. Check for sod webworm.

2. Check for bag worms hatching on trees and shrubs.

3. Pinch back leggy perennials or just deadhead.

4. DO NOT USE Japanese beetle traps. They will lure more beetles to your yard.

5. Service berries will begin to ripen.

6. Time to thin apples: 1 fruit per 6” of branch.

7. Thin iris after blooming and divide (about every third year).

8. Plants can survive if under water for 48 hours, but not 72 hours.

9. Round holes in rose = leaf cutter bees.

10. Do not pull yellow nut sedge after June 21! Nutlet will stay in soil and grow again.or even worse—disperse. Use Sedgehammer

11. Try a penstemon. Lots of new varieties, easy to grow in sun, great leaf color.

12. Give rhubarb a rest in mid-June.

Horticultural Tips for May 2016

Lawn Tips:
1. If tall fescue is mixed in with buffalo grass, don’t spray now. Wait until fall after a killing frost to spray with Round-Up.

2. Annual bluegrass is a winter annual, so there is no need to control. It will die in the heat of summer.

3. Prostrate knotweed is an early summer annual. No need to spray; it will die in fall.

4. Spread lime on the lawn only if a soil test indicates a ph value of 6 or lower. Aerate before applying the lime.

5. September 15 through October 15 is the best time to kill dandelions. Right now, go out and dig while the ground is so wet. You should be able to get the entire root.

Garden Tips
1. To renovate lilacs, remove 1/3 of old growth at the base.

2. Look into flowering quince, one of the first spring bushes to bloom (red).

3. DO NOT prepare for Japanese beetles by buying a trap. The lure will attract
insects from as far away as one mile!

4. The first step in planning a successful garden is amending the soil with good compost. Get OmaGro while you still can. Then, mulch with organic material rather than rock. And NEVER use weed barrier fabric. The tiny roots of weed seedlings will pierce the fabric. Once the roots spread underneath the fabric, you will not be able to pull the weeds out. Instead, use thick layers of newsprint (not the shiny ads or magazines.) The newsprint will eventually decay and add to the garden soil.

5. Want more flowers? Look for fertilizer with a higher middle number (P), the nutrient that stimulates blooms.

6. You can also sprinkle a slow release fertilizer around perennials as they start to emerge in spring.

7. Plan to stop feeding perennials and shrubs by mid August so that new growth is not damaged over winter.

Horticultural Tips for April

For lawn:
1. Using the right fertilizer at the right time not only maximizes turf performance , it also saves money.

2. Most fertilizer applications to the turf focus on nitrogen (N), phosphoros (P), and potassium (K).
            Nitrogen will promote leaf growth and deep green color.
            Phosphorus aids seed germination and seedling establishment.
            Potassium aids tolerance to stress, such as traffic and heat.

3. While the best time to seed is in the fall, some situations require spring seeding.
            It is important to purchase high quality seed from a reputable dealer and seed at the recommended rate for the species.
            An excessive seeding rate will actually delay establishment and thus increase weed pressure—so more is not better!
            Fertilize cool season lawns with 0.75 to 1.0 lb. per 1000 square feet of slow release nitrogen.

4. Mulching grass and allowing the clippings to fall on the lawn DOES NOT
increase thatch. Let them fall. That is free nitrogen.

5. Sweep or blow grass clippings back onto the lawn. Don’t waste the free nitrogen.

6. Always sweep or blow fertilizer and herbicide pellets back onto the lawn so that it does not go down the storm sewer and harm local water quality.

For Garden

1. Perennials are best divided in two seasons: very early spring (now) when they are just breaking dormancy or late summer after they have stopped flowering. This is especially true for hostas.   Move or divide before the leaves unfurl.

2. Adding organic matter (compost) to soil before planting ensures a successful garden.

3. Crabgrass will germinate when soil temp (not air temp) is 50 degrees for 3 consecutive days.

4. Remove infected leaves/foliage from iris and from under roses.

5. Sweet corn types:

            Su: normal varieties. Sugars convert to starch rapidly, thus use quickly
            Se: increase tenderness and sweetness
            Se = sh2: quality and flavor is amazing

6. April 7: length of day 13hours 1 minute

7. April 22 is Earth Day! Celebrate and reflect on the fact that it is our responsibility to preserve the natural wonders and resources of this planet so that we may be proud of the planet we leave our children and grandchildren.


Horticultural Tips for March

1. Place your prettiest flowering shrubs where they can be seen through the windows from inside the house.

2. There are three types of clematis and they all need different types of pruning. Keep the tag whenever you purchase a clematis.

3. To put the “right plant in the right place” make sure you understand light terminology:

     Part shade equals 4-6 hours of mostly morning sun or all day dappled light.
     Full shade equals 2-4 hours of sun.

4. Plan to get creative in with your bulbs. While crocuses, daffodils and tulips are garden classics, plan to try something different like alliums or windflowers.

5. Snowdrops are up and blooming already. Look for pasque flowers toward the end of the month.

6. The 2016 Urban Tree of the Year is Zelkova. Give it a look.

7. Mulch is one of the best tools in the gardener’s toolbox. Skip rock mulch, which retains too much heat, and opt for organic mulch instead. Save yourself a headache later and skip the landscape fabric.

8. Tall sedum is so drought tolerant that you do not have to worry about watering it.

9. Prune apples trees while they are dormant--preferably late winter or very early spring. Pruning encourages air circulation and light penetration, which reduces disease and increases fruit production.

10. Here are five common plants that benefit from deadheading: phlox, salvia, geranium, petunia, Shasta dasta.

11. Do not be in a big toot to get into the garden and start cleaning up. Leaf litter will protect plants from the freezes that are still to come. Stepping on thawing soil will only serve to compact it, which is not good for the plants.

Horticulture Tips for February

Outside

*Remember when the weather gets “bad”: perennials are protected under a good blanket of snow during the cold temperatures.

*While it is fine to prune many trees in the winter months, avoid pruning spring flowering trees or shrubs until after they bloom.

*Trees absorb moisture and steal nutrients from the soil underneath their canopies. This is why it is so difficult to grow grass under large trees. If you are constantly replacing or reseeding the grass in such an area, use the winter time to investigate what kind of groundcover or low growing plants you can replace the grass with. It is smarter to work with nature that to fight it.

*There are always a few nice warm days during winter, but do not rush the garden chores. The soil is not warm enough to plant perennials until the Japanese maple leaves begin to unfurl—and that is a long way off. Meanwhile, walking on partially thawed garden ground will just compact it.

*Offer the birds clean water in a heated birdbath or heated dog dish. Investigate the requirements for having your yard certified as wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

*Assess the winter beauty of your yard from inside your warm house. Where could you plant dwarf evergreens, native or ornamental grasses, or shrubs like red twig dogwood and yellow twig dogwood to stand out against the snow?

*Chlorosis is a reduction in green color or yellowing of a plant due to a nutrient deficiency or disease that inhibits the formation of chloropyll, the green pigment in plants. This can happen inside or out in the garden.

Inside

*Repot houseplants that are root bound in a 1-inch larger pot. Jumping up several pot sizes may actually harm some plants whose roots like to be “cozy.”

*Treat yourself or a friend to a new houseplant as a mid-winter pick-me-up. Look forward to the Orchid Club Sale at Lauritzen Gardens in early March.

*This time of year keep an eye out for whitefly, mealybugs, and scale on indoor plants. Be ready to respond with neem oil, insecticidal soap, or rubbing alcohol and Q-tips. Several treatments will be necessary to take care of adults and the new hatchlings that emerge from the potting medium.

Horticulture Tips for January

1. Evaluate your landscape during the winter. Think of good places to plant evergreens and trees or shrub with interesting bark next spring.
2. Winter storage of pesticides and fertilizers should be kept from freezing and also away from sunlight, open flames, and excessive heat.
3. Avoid heavy traffic patterns on frozen lawn.
4. Cut branches of flowering trees and shrubs for indoor forcing.
5. Beat the spring rush—take your lawnmower in now for tune-up or repair.
6. Start seeds for lisianthus and other slow growing flowers by Jan. 15.
7. Look through catalogs for new plants or shrubs. Consider a Jostaberry, a cross between a gooseberry and a black currant.
8. Investigate new vegetable possibilities now. A grafted tomato may cost more, but they are stronger, produce more fruit faster, fend off diseases, and have larger fruit.
9. Yes, you can add wood ashes to your garden IN MODERATION.
10. Wait to prune fruit trees until late Feb. or early March.

Horticultural Tips for December

Outside:
1. Snow is a great insulator for the garden.
2. Right plant, right place is the best defense against the forces of winter drying winds. Re-evaluate plant placement, if necessary.
3. Evaluate the garden and make notes to assist in planning for spring changes.
4. Protect the trunks of young trees and branches of shrubs from rabbit and vole damage. Use tree wrap or encircle with chicken wire.
5. Continue to water newly planted trees and shrubs to prevent dry soil conditions.

Inside:
1. Force amaryliss and paperwhites to decorate for the holidays.
2. Give plants or gift certificates to nurseries as holiday gifts for gardening friends.
3. Watch house plants for signs of insect infestations and treat with insecticidal soap (read label before applying).
4. Enjoy the garden catalogs. Look for something new to order.
5. If you save seeds, put them in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for winter.
6. Reduce or quit fertilizing house plants during winter. Orchids are the exception.
7. Arborists often have winter rates. Call them to trim broken branches and limb up or shape trees while they are dormant.

Horticultural Tips for November

The only ingredient you really need to make great compost is fallen leaves. This is called “leaf mold.” Unless the yard is heavily covered with leaves, consider mulching leaves into the lawn when you mow. Don’t waste food!

Store mower for winter by draining gasoline or by using a fuel additive.

Clean the dirt off garden tools as you finish using them. Spread a light coating of oil and then wipe it off. This helps prevent rust and allows you to start out clean next spring.

If you did not fertilize your Christmas cactus on Halloween, do it the first week in November. And, you can successfully grow this plant by leaving it in the same window all year long. There is no need to stick it in a closet! But do remember to give the pot a quarter turn each week when you water it so that it grows evenly.

Plant and water amaryllis bulbs for Christmas bloom.

It is not too late to plant trees and shrubs for autumn growth.

Tall sedum is so drought tolerant you do not have to worry about watering.

Cut back perennial stocks to 4-6 inches.

Cut rose canes back to 24 inches to protect against excessive wind burn. Continue to water, water, water your roses. Clean up leaves with blackspot or any other disease.

On warm days, let the hose trickle on trees, especially newly planted ones, until freezing weather comes.

The OPPD Arboretum—108th Blondo—as well as Halleck Park is a great place to enjoy fall foliage.

Time to begin feeding birds. Chickadees do not migrate. They eat 20 times more in winter than in summer.

Start a garden wish list for the holidays.

Horticulture Tips for October

1. Cocoa hulls make a good mulch for color. However, it is toxic to dogs.

2. Hellebores have a tendency to produce large crops of babies, making them a favorite pass – along plant.

3. Keep a list of all the plants you have purchased. This is useful for keeping track of plants that thrive or die in your yard

4. If you did not aerate in September, core aerate now to break down thatch, clay, and to allow air to enter the soil.

5. Divide overgrown perennials.

6. Seeding this late will usually yield poor results.

7. Reduce or stop fertilization of houseplants over the winter months. The exception is orchids, which still need to be fertilized weakly, weekly.

8. To prepare for next spring, till garden soil to help control insects and diseases.

9. Clean up and dispose of any diseased leaves such as leaf miners on columbines, black spot on roses etc.

10. Wrap the bases of young trees to prevent sun scald and protect from critters, or use wire screens to keep animals from eating over winter. Make sure the barrier is at least two feet high or as high as you think the snow might drift.

11. Buy fertilizer with low nitrogen now to be ready to spread lightly on daffodils just as the shoots emerge in early spring.

Horticultural Tips for September

It is bulb planting time when fall night time temps stay between 40 - 50 degrees.
Large bulbs produce more or larger flowers than small bulbs.
Plants respond to the actual air temperature rather than to how cold it feels.
Avoid pruning spring flowering shrubs to ensure spring flowers.
Dig, divide, or plant peonies.
Best time to establish cool season turf grass is roughly from August 15 to September 15.
To reduce the number of insects you bring inside, spray plants off with water and insecticidal soap.
Fertilize cool season grasses with high nitrogen fertilizer.
Yellowing leaves on new trees is normal for new growth.
Common chickweed in turf (round leafs) can over winter in protected areas.

Horticulture Tips for August

1. Mowing frequency should depend on growth rate of grass not the day of the week.

2. Cutting a leaf blade is harmful, but it is needed for aesthetics and function.

3. Check for bagworms. Hand remove. According to UNL Extension, it is too late to effectively treat with chemicals. The most effective time to spray is late May to mid June when bags are less than ½”.

4. Research has shown that a late fall application of fertilizer on turf is very important in cool season turf grass. Plan for that now.

5. Fertilize flowers (not roses) for fall growth.

6. Remove faded flowers from annuals for increased fall blooming.

7. Give your houseplants a bath to remove the dust.

8. Plant vegetables for fall harvest.

9. Plan for the fall aeration and seeding of your lawn.

10. Check for grub damage; they will be 1” below soil level.

Horticulture Tips for July

Watch for summer disease of turf.
Remove suckers and water sprouts from trees.
Remove foliage from spring flowering bulbs after it fades.
Dig, divide and replant irises.
Avoid low light levels on plants when pulling shades to keep summer sun out.
Ornamentals add contrast that provides a break from the many fine features of flowers and foliage.
Tiger Eye Sumac isn’t invasive, but it does send out suckers—cut back in spring.
Big leaf hydrangea flowers from top to bottom—it works well at the front of a border.
Don’t be afraid to move plants around if you are unhappy with them.
The best advice to any new gardener is to start small and grow big!