Horticulture Fall 2024
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Horticulture Newsletter—Fall 2024 “Around and About the Garden with Annette”
Tips From Annette
Gardening provides exercise and a chance to get outdoors.
· Fall is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. Look for them locally first. A Landscape Plant Availability Guide is located at https://kyagr.com/marketing/plant/common-name-search.aspx.
· The best time to fertilize most trees and shrubs, if they need it, is in late fall after they are dormant which is usually after Thanksgiving.
· Plant spring flowering bulbs, including daffodils, tulips, and crocus.
· After the first frost, dig and store tender bulbs such as cannas, elephant ears, dahlia, and gladiolas.
· Bring houseplants spending the summer outside inside. Check for insect pests, treat with appropriate method or insecticide before bringing indoors.
· Bring succulents indoors for the winter unless they are from the genus Sempervivum which is hardy to zone 7.
· Enjoy locally grown pumpkins, gourds, mums, and other flowering plants for fall decorations.
· Test the soil in the vegetable garden to be ready to start applying fertilizer as needed in the spring just before planting the vegetables.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Daviess County Tox Away Day 8:00 a.m. - noon
Daviess County citizens can bring household hazardous waste materials to the Daviess County Operations Center: 2620 KY-81, Owensboro
Contact the Solid Waste Department with any questions at 270-229-4484 or visit https://www.daviessky.org/event/tox-away-day-2/
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Guest speaker, Sharon Sorenson -
“No Space is Too Small: Planting Natives to Attract Birds and Butterflies”
1:00 p.m. at the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office
November 11, 2024
Commercial Pesticide Training
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office
This free program provides CEU’s.
Please RSVP at 270-685-8480.
4-H Horticulture Club
For ages 9-18
Meetings are the first Thursday of each month (unless there is a holiday) from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Daviess County Extension Office.
First meeting is October 3rd.
For more information, email Rachel at rachel.logue@uky.edu
Fall is a Good Time to Plant Trees and Shrubs
By Bill Fountain, Extension Professor Emeritus, UK Department of Horticulture
Fall is one of the best times to plant trees and shrubs in your landscape. Fall planting provides the plant with the opportunity to put its energy into root growth now and in the early spring, before it has to concentrate on producing leaves. Roots grow well in cooler soils, and the plant also doesn’t need as much water once the leaves drop.
Granted, there is usually more plant selection in the spring, but with a simple search through local nurseries and catalog companies, you can usually find something that will fill your landscaping needs in the fall. At this time of year, you might even find good plant stock on sale.
Woody plants are sold in three different ways: container-grown, balled-and-burlapped and bare-root. Each has its own advantages and planting requirements.
Container-grown has the advantage of having the entire root system intact. They are often less expensive to ship, because they are grown in a light, artificial soil. If you’re not ready to plant just yet, they keep well in their container, as long as you water them regularly.
The disadvantage is that, once planted, their roots often take a while to break away from their planting medium into the surrounding soil. And because that medium dries out faster, watering is key to their survival.
Balled-and-burlapped trees and shrubs are usually much larger than container-grown plants. When the nursery digs the tree for sale, they cut the root ball and wrap it in burlap. You’ll need to keep these in a sheltered place outdoors until you plant them, and the sooner you plant them the less stressed the tree will be. Because of their heavy weight, it often takes more than one person to move the tree and lower it gently into the hole. Dropping the soil ball into the hole will crack and break the roots.
Fruit trees and hedges are commonly sold as bare-root plants. Bare-root plants are normally kept in cold storage until they are sold. It’s important to plant these promptly before they break dormancy. Because they are light, they are the most economical to ship, but the disadvantage is that they suffer a great deal of root loss when they are dug and the soil removed from their roots. Bare-root trees and shrubs have a higher survival rate if they’re planted in the spring.
When choosing your site, consider not only where the plant will look good, but also where it will grow successfully. Keep in mind the mature size of the plant. It may look lonely planted so far from your house when it’s young, but at maturity, you will be grateful that its roots aren’t cracking your foundation or the branches aren’t interfering with gutters, windows or overhead utility lines.
You’ll want a site where the soil is deep, fertile and well-drained. Planting trees in compacted soils with a high clay content can result in surface roots, stunted growth and problems with diseases and insects.
Hand-digging the hole with a shovel is the best method. The roots must be able to penetrate all sides of the planting hole, so make sure that the sides of the hole are roughed up and not glazed or slick from using an auger or digging the hole while the soil is wet.
Remove all packing material from the root system and cut away all nursery tags and twine or wire. Then spread out or pull apart the roots. In container-grown plants, make vertical cuts with a sharp knife 1-inch deep at four to six locations around the root ball. This action can prevent roots from continuing to circle, which can girdle the tree later in its life.
Plant the roots at the same depth they were previously grown, which will provide them with enough oxygen to take up water and minerals from the soil.
Fill the hole halfway with soil and water thoroughly. Fill the remainder of the hole with more topsoil and water the plant again. Generally, the best soil to use is the same soil the plant came from. Soil amendments such as peat moss and pine bark are expensive and do little to help the plant establish itself in the new spot.
Most newly installed trees and shrubs that die in the first two years die of improper watering; too much or not enough. If it doesn’t rain at least 0.5 to 1-inch per week, water once a week in the cooler months of spring and fall and twice a week during the hot, dry months. Watering during winter is generally not necessary for deciduous plants. Supplemental watering may need to continue into the second growing season. When you water, soak the root zone and do not water again until the root zone begins to dry. Proper watering during the time it takes to become
re-established will help ensure your new tree or shrub will flourish for many years to come.
Native Trees Add Variety to Your Landscape
By Bill Fountain, Extension Professor Emeritus, UK Department of Horticulture
Sure, we love our dogwoods and redbuds in the spring, but why limit ourselves to using only those two trees? There are many native trees that could add beauty and variety to your landscape over all four seasons. Plus, a diversity of plantings will attract and sustain more native wildlife. Well-landscaped homes can improve resale value by 7% to 10%.
Here are some native trees that could work well in your landscape.
Yellowwood is thought to be our best medium-sized, native flowering tree. Its white, fragrant, pea-like flowers hang in 15-inch-long clusters in spring, and the tree offers attractive yellow fall foliage. Its fruit is a typical yellow-green legume pod and ripens in the fall. Yellowwood also has a beautiful framework of branches with smooth, gray bark that provides winter interest, but the tree's multiple trunk habit can make it prone to limb breakage at the crotch. It must be pruned to ensure good branch angles.
Allegheny serviceberry is a multi-stemmed small tree reaching up to 25 feet tall. It produces large white flowers very early in spring and bluish green fruit that attracts birds. Allegheny serviceberry grows best in partial shade; it will show signs of stress if grown in full sun in dry areas. The cultivar A. laevis ‘Cumulus' usually grows from a single stem and has a moderately columnar growth habit. It is offered more commonly than the species. Allegheny serviceberry is especially attractive when planted in front of an evergreen background. There are many other types of serviceberries. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
Blackgum, with its waxy spring foliage, brilliant orange to scarlet red to deep purple fall color and striking winter form, has great ornamental value. As it grows older, its graceful, drooping branches add to the distinct form and beauty of this tree. Blackgum adapts to extreme climates, tolerates wet conditions and is resistant to drought. Although it will grow in full sun or partial shade, its fall color is enhanced by sunny conditions. Flowers are small and insignificant. The bitter, half-inch blue-black drupes are not particularly ornamental but are favored by wildlife.
Sourwood. Truly a tree for all seasons, sourwood is one of our most beautiful natives and is ideal as a small specimen tree. It has lovely flowers that open in mid-summer, excellent fall color and hanging clusters of fruit in the winter. Fall color ranges from red to purple to yellow, and all three colors are often on the same tree. It has the best red of any of our natives. The tree can be grown in full sun or partial shade although flowering and fall color are best in full sun. Sourwood trees are very attractive to bees and sourwood honey is common in the South. In order to grow well, it requires an acidic soil high in organic matter. Limestone in the soil or soils derived from limestone are a prescription for failure.
Green hawthorn is an adaptable, urban-tolerant tree that offers winter interest with its abundant and attractive orange-red fruit. It has pretty red to gold foliage in fall and handsome silver-gray peeling bark that shows orange underneath. Its lower branches need to be pruned to a height of 6 to 8 feet in high-traffic areas because of the tree's inch-long thorns. 'Winter King' is an excellent cultivar for the landscape and is superior in flower and fruit production.
Carolina silverbell is a good small tree for shrub or woodland borders. It may have a rounded, pyramidal or vase-shaped habit. Its white, bell-shaped flowers bloom in April and May and are best seen from below the tree, since they hang on pendulous stalks. Carolina silverbell is relatively pest resistant as long as it is in a good soil and not stressed by drought. The tree is especially attractive when set off against an evergreen background. Rhododendrons, which also require a good, organic soil, grow well beneath it.
Information about these and other native trees can be found at https://horticulture.ca.uky.edu/KYnativetrees . For more information on how to train or prune a tree for a good branching habit, consult an ISA Certified Arborist. You can find one near you at https://www.treesaregood.org/.
Fall is the Time to Plant Garlic
Source: Rick Durham, extension professor, Department of Horticulture
Don’t turn your back on your garden just yet. Fall is the perfect time of year to plant garlic. Garlic takes fall and winter to develop its roots. They will start to produce foliage in early spring, and you’ll harvest in summer.
Garlic is part of the Allium genus (amaryllis family), which includes onions. Garlic cultivars are categorized as either hardneck or softneck. Hardneck varieties tend to be more “garlicky” in flavor, with a hotter or spicier profile. They produce a flower stalk, called a scape, in the late spring. Cut off the scapes to encourage the plants to grow bigger bulbs, but don’t throw them away. Scapes are delicious and add a delicate garlic taste to salads, side dishes or pesto.
Softneck varieties lack a center stalk and are usually milder in flavor. The garlic you’ll find in grocery stores are generally softneck varieties. They often have more and larger cloves than the hardneck varieties. Other traits that can differ between cultivars include clove arrangement, color and skin tightness.
Hardneck varieties require a long, cold winter for their dormancy period, so it’s a good idea to plant both hardneck and softneck varieties. This will not only give you a range of flavor profiles, but you’ll be sure to have at least one variety succeed, if the winter isn’t cold enough.
The largest cloves produce the best plants. Get your seed bulbs from a seed company or local nursery. Planting cloves from bulbs you’ve bought at the grocery may produce garlic plants but usually won’t produce as well as nursery stock. They may not be a good variety for this area, plus they are often harder to grow, because they are often treated to produce a longer shelf life.
While garlic is relatively easy to grow, the goal is to plant it before the soil freezes, but not so far out that it has time to put out top growth before the ground freezes. In this area, that usually means October and early November planting. Soil preparation is crucial for success. Garlic needs well-drained, slightly acidic soil that’s rich in organic matter. Heavily compacted soils make bulb production difficult. Planting in raised beds promotes good soil drainage, reduces soil compaction and increases the ease of harvest. Mix compost and aged or composted (never raw) manure into the soil to provide the nutrients the plants need. A soil pH of 6.5-7 is best.
Plant cloves 2 to 4 inches apart and 2 inches deep, with the pointed end facing up. Rows should be 10 to 14 inches apart. Mulch immediately after planting.
Next July and August, dig plants and hang in a dry area for several weeks, then store them as you would potatoes or onions—cool but not refrigerated, dark and dry. Your bountiful harvest of cloves will be available through the rest of the year.
For more information about home and commercial production of garlic, check out the Center for Crop Diversification’s publication, CCD-CP-99, https://www.uky.edu/ccd/sites/www.uky.edu.ccd/files/garlic.pdf or contact the Daviess County office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
Fall Frost and Freeze Information for The Bluegrass State by Derrick Snyder—National Weather Service Paducah, KY
As we move through the month of October, the risk of crop-killing frosts and hard freezes will quickly increase. The National Weather Service office in La Crosse, WI, compiled the following list of meteorological conditions that can lead to frost conditions:
· Clear skies lead to radiational cooling, allowing the greatest amount of heat to exit into the atmosphere.
· Calm to light winds prevent stirring of the atmosphere, which allows a thin layer of super-cooled temperatures to develop at the surface. These super-cooled temperatures can be up to 10 degrees cooler than five to six feet above the surface, where observations are typically taken. This is why frost develops even when reported temperatures are a few degrees above freezing.
· Cool temperatures, with some moisture, that promote ice crystal development. If the supercooled, freezing temperatures can cool to the dew point (the temperature at which, when cooled to at constant pressure, condensation occurs; moisture will have to come out of the atmosphere as fog, frost, etc.) frost could develop on exposed surfaces.
· Local topography also has a large role in determining if and where frost develops. Cold air will settle in the valleys since cold air is heavier than warm air, therefore frost conditions are more prone in these regions. Valleys are also sheltered from stronger winds, enhancing the potential for frost.
Other local effects, such as soil moisture and temperature, and stage of vegetation "greenness", are factors that can affect the possibility of frost forming. The Midwest Regional Climate Center has put together a map of when Kentucky can typically expect to see the first 32 degree freeze of the season. The great majority of the commonwealth will see the first hard freeze during the last 10 days of October, but this can vary a week or two sooner or later depending on the set-up for that particular year.
Fall Gardens Pop with Mums
Source: Rick Durham, extension professor, Department of Horticulture
Mums bring new life to the fall garden and spruce up a front porch. All around Kentucky, garden centers offer many varieties of colorful blooms.
Fewer daylight hours and longer nights trigger flowering, which make mums a popular fall choice. Nurseries often artificially do this by pulling dark cloths over the plants in late summer and early fall, which stimulates blooming. If you have mums growing in the landscape, the natural decrease in day length will do the trick as well.
You have dozens of varieties from which to choose, but mums generally fall into one of two groups: garden or hardy mums and cutting mums or florist mums. Florist mums usually are tender and will not survive winter.
When buying a mum for fall color, look for the plant with tight buds that haven’t flowered yet to make the plant last longer. Choose the variety you want based on the ones close to it that have already bloomed.
Water is another key to making your mum last longer. Place the mum in a larger pot when you bring it home to help it retain more water. If you leave it in its original container, check the soil at least every other day by simply putting a finger into the soil, at least to the first knuckle. If the soil is dry, your mum needs water.
Make sure water gets good contact with plant roots and the soil. Either water from the bottom up in a pan or pail of water, or from the sides of the pot with a watering can or garden hose. Watering overhead on the leaves or buds may cause them to quickly deteriorate. To avoid root rot, don’t allow mums to stand in water long.
Once flowers begin to fade, “deadhead” or pick off the fading blooms, which will promote new growth and make the plant look healthier. If you want to enjoy garden mums inside, find a good location near a south-facing window, out of direct sunlight. Keep it away from heating or air conditioning vents that tend to dry the flowers. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy.
Mums prefer moderate night temperatures, about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If you expect frost, protect outdoor mums by moving them under cover overnight.
Once the plants have finished blooming, they will stop growing. You can either add them to your compost pile or plant them in your garden. Be aware, however, even the best gardeners find that mums planted in the fall often fail to establish in our climate.
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Broccoli Cheddar Biscuits
Yield: 20 servings
Serving size: 1 biscuit
Ingredients:
· 1 cup broccoli florets,
chopped
· 1 carrot, grated
· 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 cup buttermilk
· 1/2 cup vegetable oil
· 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Placed chopped broccoli and grated carrot in a medium bowl. Toss with 1/4 cup flour and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir together remaining
(1 3/4 cups) flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add buttermilk and vegetable oil into flour mixture and stir just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
5. Fold in vegetable mixture and cheese into flour mixture. In the bowl, knead two or three times until a dough ball is formed.
6. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into an inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter or glass (2 inches in diameter), cut dough into rounds.
7. Arrange biscuits on a baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until golden.
Nutritional Analysis per serving:
130 Calories 12 g carbohydrate
8 g fat 1 g fiber
2 g saturated fat 1 g sugar
5 mg cholesterol 3 g protein
240 mg sodium
Plant of the Month
Nyssa sylvatica
Common Name: Black gum
Type: Tree
Family: Nyssaceae
Zone: 3 to 9
Height: 30 to 50 feet
Spread: 20 to 30 feet
Bloom Time: May to June
Bloom Description: Greenish white
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Good fall
Attracts: Birds
Source: Missouri Botanical Garden
Please “like” the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/daviesscountyextension/
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www.facebook.com/graemga/
