The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Last week I noticed potatoes blooming in some of the community garden plots.
The next four to six weeks are critical to prevent the development of potato scab, the most common disease affecting potatoes in gardens.
Scab is caused by the bacterium Streptomyces scabies. The bacterium occurs naturally in many soils.
Dry soil increases the ability of the microorganism to form colonies on tuber skins.
Therefore, keeping the soil moist after blooming is one key to preventing scab development.
Some common potato varieties are especially susceptible to scab, including Red Pontiac, Yukon Gold and Kennebec.
The advice for next year is to plant varieties with good to moderate resistance to scab, such as Russet Norkotah, Goldrush, Norland and Superior.
+++
Here are some questions that I have encountered recently:
Q: My lawn is being overrun with nightcrawlers. Do you have suggestions for their control?
Earthworms, especially “nightcrawlers,” create mounds which make the lawn rough and difficult to mow.
I’m not aware of any effective treatment that will reduce earthworm populations.
The only thing you can do is alleviate the annoyance caused by the mounds.
Aerating, power raking and verticutting the lawn in fall or spring can help smooth the soil surface.
Flattening the mounds with a roller is not recommended because the soil will become compacted.
The mounds will be less noticeable if the turf is kept thick and healthy through proper mowing, fertilizing and irrigating practices.
If the lawn needs to be reseeded, make sure to use a type of grass that is well-suited to the site.
Q: What insect is eating the leaves on my rose bushes?
One likely culprit is roseslug sawfly.
Sawfly larvae feed on the soft tissue of leaves leaving the harder tissue (veins) intact. This feeding pattern is called skeletonization.
To confirm the presence of sawfly larvae, look on the undersides of the leaves for yellow-green caterpillar-like insects with orange heads.
Small infestations can be removed by hand or washed away with a forceful spray of water.
The larvae can also be killed using Spinosad, a natural substance made by a soil bacterium.
It’s possible that by the time you notice the damage, the larvae have matured and crawled away.
In that case, there’s nothing to do except to keep a close watch next May.
Q: I love the hollyhocks I see around town. How can I get them established in my yard?
Hollyhocks grow best in a location that gets full-sun. At least some protection from wind is also helpful.
One way to add new hollyhocks to your garden is to purchase potted plants. The plants should be spaced 12 to 18 inches apart.
It’s also possible to collect seeds from a friend’s hollyhocks after the pods are completely brown and dry.
The seeds can be sown in the spring, about a week before the last frost. Sow at a depth of one-quarter inch.
Hollyhocks are a biennial species, meaning that they flower in the second year of their life cycle.
Once a stand is established, it will usually maintain itself by self-seeding.
If you have questions about your lawn and garden, please contact me in the Foster County Extension Office (652-2581, [email protected]).