Hort Shorts
Gardening Faire 2001
Gardening Faire 2001 will be held on April 28, 2001 from 9 am to 3
pm at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS) at 3857
West 111th Street in Chicago. The University of Illinois
Extension Chicago Master Gardener Program and CHSAS are sponsoring the
Faire. Workshops will feature topics such as: lawn care; container gardening;
growing herbs; shade gardening; growing roses and many more. Workshops
are designed to interest dedicated gardeners as well as those who see
basic skills. Registration is $12 before April 7; $15 after that date.
A bag lunch may be ordered at a cost of $5.00. Call 773-233-0476 to
obtain a registration form.
Protecting Your Garden from Rabbits
Rabbits are fond of many of our flower and vegetable plants, particularly
in the spring before other plants start to grow.
Beans, peas, lettuce, broccoli, carrot and beet tops as well as flowers
such as tulips and marigolds are readily fed upon by rabbits. They also
feed on bluegrass, clover, dandelions and plantain in our lawns where
they usually cause no damage.
Protecting your garden from rabbits may be necessary in order to enjoy
it.
There are a variety of methods available to keep rabbits out of the
garden. Dried blood meal is an effective rabbit repellent if sprinkled
around the edge of the garden.
Unfortunately, it will wash away after several days and must be re-applied.
Continual use of this natural fertilizer throughout the summer is likely
to cause the nutrients to become unbalanced in your garden resulting
in reduced flowering and harvests.
Moth balls or crystals are a popular method, but are usually not effective.
In addition, this chemical is rather toxic and could be dangerous if
swallowed.
Wood ashes around the garden have been successful, but tend to increase
the alkalinity of the soil.
Probably the best protection from rabbits is to fence in the garden.
Use three foot high poultry netting (chicken wire) with the bottom six
inches bent outward at a right angle.
Bury this part of the fence with about a half inch of soil. When the
rabbit tries to burrow under your fence, he will be standing on what
he's trying to dig through. The resulting 2 1/2 foot fence is higher
than a rabbit can jump.
To reduce the area that needs to be fenced, plant your potatoes, tomatoes
and squash outside of the fence, since rabbits will rarely eat these
vegetables. Onions are usually safe outside of the fence also, but may
occasionally be eaten.
Flowers and other non-edible plants can be protected with a Thiram
spray. This chemical repellent is available in most garden centers and
Rabbit and Deer Repellent. Remember that new parts of the plants that
have been produced since the plant was sprayed will not be protected
and may be eaten.
Lawn Mower Preparation
It's been sitting in the back of the garage all winter collecting
dust and moisture. Maybe even under a pile of rags. There's probably
some rust on the metal parts and caked debris underneath. It's
the mower.
Unfortunately, most lawn mowers aren't given the adequate attention
they need in spring.
Most homeowners simply add gas, pull the starter and resume regular
mowing practices. Little thought is given to the actual mower itself.
Mowers are investments with prices ranging from a couple hundred dollars
to several thousand. They demand as much attention as you would give
an automobile to keep them running properly. One of the first practices
in the spring is to disconnect the spark plug and examine the contacts.
They should be smooth and shiny. Rusty connections can prevent starting
or resulting in misfiring.
Take some emery cloth and lightly go over the spark plug to remove
some rust. Take care not to rub too hard; it is easy to damage the contact
point. If rust is severe, consider replacing the spark plug.
While the spark plug is disconnected, turn the mower carriage over
and remove the blade.
Clean the under carriage thoroughly. If rust is starting, remove with
a stiff steel brush and steel wool. Repaint the underside with a rust-resistant
paint and allow to dry thoroughly.
Examine the mower blade. The cutting edge should be sharp enough to
cut a piece of paper cleanly. If not, sharpen the blades correctly.
Most mower service dealers charge less than $10 to sharpen blades. Once
sharp, reattach the blade.
Drain the engine oil if appropriate. Discard the oil according to local
regulations and refill the engine with the proper type and grade. Engine
oil should be checked at least twice yearly.
Gasoline tanks should have been empty for winter storage. If not, drain
the gasoline and discard. Gasoline can separate and become gummy during
the winter. Replace with fresh gasoline.
Check that the wheels are secured tightly to the frame. Make sure all
wheels are locked into place at the correct height. An ideal mowing
height is 2 inches.
Tighten all nuts and bolts that might have loosened over the winter.
Check handle attachments carefully.
Give the machine a thorough cleaning, removing accumulated grit, grime,
leaves and grass clippings.
Examine collection bags. Repair or replace damaged ones. It doesn't
hurt to hose them down with some soapy water.
Finally, reconnect the spark plug and follow proper mowing procedures
for the spring, summer and fall.
Control Scale Insects on Trees
Scale insects on shade and fruit trees and shrubs can usually be controlled
in late winter with a dormant oil spray.
Dormant oil is a lightweight petroleum oil usually sold as dormant
oil, superior oil or Volck oil spray. It is applied to deciduous woody
plants while they are dormant to kill exposed overwintering insects.
Cottony maple, lecanium, euonymus and San Jose scales, as well as European
red mite are the most common pests controlled because they are difficult
to control at other times of the year.
Scales are protected from insecticides for most of the year by either
a hardened body wall or a secreted waxy covering. Outside of dormant
oil treatments, scale insects are only susceptible to pesticides as
crawlers shortly after egg hatch.
The crawler stage lasts only for a few days before the insect settles
down into a leaf or branch to feed. It then molts to the next nymphal
stage and develops its protective covering.
Mites are difficult to control during the summer because they reproduce
quickly and are not controlled by most insecticides. Even the use of
miticides may kill mite predators that were keeping the harmful mites
in check.
When dormant oil is applied, it covers the overwintering mite eggs,
the overwintering scale insects and any exposed insect eggs. This coating
of oil shuts off these animals' air supply and suffocates them.
This pesticide is used while the plant is dormant because the oil can
also be toxic to the plant. Applications before leaves start to emerge
reduces this problem.
For the same reason, dormant oils should be applied only if the temperatures
for the 24 hours after treatment stay above 40 degrees F, so that the
oil quickly evaporates off the bark.
Evergreens and hard maples, such as sugar maple and Norway maple, should
not be sprayed with a dormant oil spray, due to possibilities of damage
to these plants. However, it is possible to spray euonymus vines (Big
Leaf Wintercreeper) and lilacs to control scales on them.
Don't worry if the leaves fall off the plants on the euonymus.
They would have dropped when new growth starts in a few weeks.
Spring
2001
Finding the Best Site for a Garden Is More Than a
Random Process | Build a Raised Bed |
It Takes a Kernel of Skill to Grow Great Sweet Corn | Pruning
Ornamentals Keeps Your Garden on the Cutting Edge | Lawn
Care Calendar | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips |
Mad Cow Disease | Green Eggs:
The Science of Egg Cookery | Concern for Egg Safety
| New National Standards for Organic Food | Your
Spring Vegetable Garden Plan | Health & Household
Tips | Did You Know?
Index
| Feedback
