Cooperative Extension Service Clark County 1400 Fortune Drive Winchester, KY 40391-8292 (859) 744-4682 Fax: (859) 744-4698 extension.ca.uky.edu

It is hard to believe that it is already June!

The Beer Cheese Festival has already

taken place, and the Clark County Fair is

just around the corner. I know that it is early

in the growing season, but the fair is an

excellent opportunity to showcase your best

early season vegetables or flowers. We will

be taking entries Monday, June 17, from 9

am until noon. This is also the same day to

submit all the other 4-H and Home

Economic entries. To see the rules for the

horticulture exhibits, consult the 2019 Fair

Catalog. Pick up a copy at the Clark County

Extension Office or access it online at:

http://clarkcountykyfair.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ClarkCoFairbook19.pdf

Sincerely,

David Davis Clark County Cooperative Extension Service Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources

WIC participants can pick up farmers’ market vouchers starting on Monday, July 1, at the Clark County Health Department. These are distributed on a first come, first serve basis so supply is limited. No appointment is necessary. The Clark County Health Department is located at 400 Professional Ave. in Winchester. For more information, or if you have questions, contact the Health Department by calling 859-744-4482.

WCCFM has already been having a very busy June. Kids Day started off the first June market day. Several other events have been scheduled throughout the remainder of the market season. The Vegetable Festival is scheduled for Saturday, July 6, so mark your calendars.

Senior Voucher (SFMNP) distribution has been scheduled! Vouchers will be distributed at Beverly White Towers, Monday, July 8, 10-11 a.m., and at the James B. Allen Generation Center on Tuesday, July 9, 10-11 a.m. Any senior citizen that is at least 60 years of age, and meets the income eligibility requirements (must bring proof of income) can sign up. Contact the Clark County Extension Service if you have questions about the requirements of this program.

The Clark County Extension Service will be CLOSED

Page 2 June 2019 Issue

I know that spring is often the time with the greatest hype about the lawn. Intensive lawn care practices often start to get over-looked this time of year except for the regular mowing routine. However, it is important to remember a few of the best management practices to help your lawn. One of the best things that you can do for you lawn, your wallet, and the environment is to consider mowing less as temperatures rise.

Most of our lawns are made up of cool season grasses. These would include grasses like Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Perennial Ryegrass. Most people in our area do not like warm season grasses in their lawns. Bermudagrass is an example of warm season grass used for lawns in the Deep South, but most homeowners in Clark County consider it to be a weed. Cool season grasses typically have the most abundant growth in the spring to early summer, grow very slowly or go somewhat dormant through the hottest part of the summer, and the growth rate increases again when temperatures begin to cool in the fall of the year. This growth pattern should be taken into account when it comes to how you mow your lawn throughout the year.

Lawns may require mowing multiple times per week earlier in the spring. As temperatures warm, and growth slows, cool season lawns should be mowed less often. It is a good idea to increase the mowing height of the mower this time of year for most cool season grasses to about 2 to 3 inches. Maintaining taller lawns in the summer decreases stress from the summer heat and weather. Always when mowing, remember that you should not remove more than 1/3 of the leaf surface in a mowing event. So if you are targeting a 2 inch mowing height, mow the grass when it gets about 3 inches tall. Wait until there is an inch of regrowth before your next mowing event. In other words, use the growth of your lawn

grasses as an indicator of mowing needs instead of counting days.

Why is maintaining a 2-3 inch grass height important? Always remember that what you are seeing above ground is an indication of what is also going on below ground. When you mow cool season grasses too low, too much leaf material is removed. Since grass is a plant, and plants require photosynthesis in the leaves to make their own food, the grass plants are forced to deplete their carbohydrate root reserves. In other words, they have to get in there “canned goods closet” before winter comes. This results in smaller root systems below the surface, and lessens the ability of the lawn to recover from drought or heat stress going into winter. Weaker lawns going into winter mean more weeds the next year. Some would argue that close mowing is required in the summer to keep the lawn looking good. However, remember that the lawn is looking rough in the summer months because this is a time of stress. Continually decreasing the mowing height further stresses lawn grasses. Not to mention that with every extra pass of the lawn mower, more fossil fuels are being consumed, more carbon is being released, more of your time is lost, and the lawn does not benefit.

Less mowing can be better for you, your lawn, and the environment this time of year. If you would like to know more, feel free to contact us at the Clark County Extension Service.

Page 3 June 2019 Issue

If you are an avid tomato grower like me, you know that it is very hard to keep your

tomatoes disease free. Each year I see many tomato samples, and blight is always

the concern. There are many diseases that impact tomatoes in addition to Early or

Late Blight, but many of them can be minimized with just a few simple steps.

1) Remember to follow good garden sanitations practices. Keep your tomatoes as weed free as

possible. Treat for insects if populations start to get out of hand. Never work in the tomatoes

when the vines are wet. Dry evenings are better for working in your crop. Trellis your tomatoes

or stake them, and prune them properly to maximize air flow.

2) Drip Irrigation is best for watering practices. Soaker hoses are better than over watering over

top. If you do have to water overhead, direct water to the base of the plants to keep the foliage

as dry as possible. Dry foliage is your “best friend” to minimize conditions which promote

disease development in tomatoes.

3) Supply the proper amount of nutrients. Hopefully the garden

was soil tested, and the recommendations for pre-plant

fertilizer/nutrient application was followed. However,

remember to apply compost, or fertilizer a couple of times in

the growing season. The first application should be made

when the fruit reaches golf ball size. The second application

should be made about 2-3 weeks later. About 2.5 oz. of 10-10

-10 fertilizer is usually adequate for a maintenance dose of

fertilizer in a side-dress fertilizer application.

4) Apply fungicides preventatively. “Curative” fungicides are not

readily available (if available at all) for most tomato

gardeners. Even organically approved fungicides are meant

to be applied preventatively before plants are exposed to

disease. For organic gardeners, Copper Fungicide is the

best option. However, not all formulation of copper are

approved for organic production. If organic production is not

a concern, I like to apply a product containing mancozeb each week up until harvest. I switch to a

product containing chloratholonil when I start picking because of the pre-harvest interval. I apply

copper fungicide once every 3 weeks throughout the season with the mancozeb and add

insecticide if needed. Whatever products you decide to use, ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW

THE LABEL DIRECTIONS!

5) When applying fungicides, make sure you get good coverage on plants. Fungicides are only effective when they are adequately applied to the plants. Also, fungicides should be applied once every 5-10 days (depending upon the label rate and the weather). During dry periods, once every 7-10 days is adequate, but increased frequency may be needed in periods of heavy rain.

You may not be able to keep your tomatoes completely “blight free” following these steps. You will

still probably see some disease. However, following these recommendations will usually help you to

produce all the tomatoes you want, plus much more to give away. If you do happen to have an issue

with your tomatoes or other garden plants, feel free to give us a call, email us pictures, or come by

the Clark County Extension Service.

“Blight,” as determined by many home gardeners, can be derived from a number of different fungal pathogens. This is a severe case of the fungal disease Early Blight of tomato. Source: UK IRM Team.

Page 4 June 2019 Issue

Japanese Beetles often make their presence known between mid-June

and late August. Populations left alone can devastate plants living

anywhere between the landscape to the orchard or garden. The larvae of

Japanese Beetles (white grubs) can also devastate lawn grasses.

Female beetles can lay 40-60 eggs in their lifetime. So in any given year,

these beetles can be very problematic in the garden and landscape.

There are several options to control Japanese Beetles that include

physically removing beetles from sensitive plants, to applying a range of

insecticides labeled for this pest. Carbyl (Sevin) will typically give 1-2

weeks of protection for adult beetles. Pyrethroid product are expected to

give 2-3 weeks of protection to plants. However, always make sure to

apply insecticides for Japanese Beetles when bees are not actively

foraging, and ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW THE LABEL DIRECTIONS.

Japanese Beetle traps have been found by the University of Kentucky to

draw more beetles into an area than they effectively capture so they are not recommended. If you would like

more information about Japanese Beetles, consult the UK publication “Japanese Beetles in the Urban

Landscape”, ENT-Facts 451.

Yellow Nutsedge is one tough weed to control. If found in the lawn, it is

most often found in the more moist areas. When it gets in the garden, or

landscape it is almost impossible to control. It seems each year that it will

take over more and more of an area. Yellow nutsedge reproduces

primarily by underground tubers called nutlets. Up to several hundreds of

these tubers can be formed from one single plant in the summer. Yellow

nutsedge can also reproduce from rhizomes, much like another nuisance

weed that you may know called Johnsongrass. So tillage can often

spread yellow nutsedge instead of controlling it. There are also very few

chemical control In lawns, products containing bentazon as the active

ingredient are best. They should be applied when the yellow nutsedge is

actively growing with adequate soil moisture. Expect less than optimum

results in dry conditions.

As you find weeds in the lawn or landscape that are troublesome, insects in the

garden or home, or diseases on your plants, don’t forget that you can bring

them by the Clark County Extension Service to be identified. This service is

offered at no cost. If we are not able to tell you what it is when you visit, we

are fortunate to have specialist at the University of Kentucky that can help. We can send pictures, or

specimen samples to the University of Kentucky. You will get information back about the pest you are trying

to identify, as well as other control or management recommendations if requested. This is a great resource

that you do not want to forget about. Please also share this with others in the community!

Japanese Beetles feed on over 300 different species of plants, and they feed in numbers making them a very destructive pest. Source: Entfacts-451 “Japanese Beetles in Urban Landscapes”

Mature Yellow Nutsedge can easily be distinguished by its unique seedhead.

Page 5 June 2019 Issue

(WIC FMNP Food Instrument Distribution)

SFMNP Signup is open to any Clark County Senior Citizen who is 60 years of age and older on date of issue, and under the maximum income eligibility requirement.

Page 6 June 2019 Issue

To file a complaint of

discrimination, contact Tim

West, UK College of Agriculture,

859-257-3879; Terry Allen or

Patty Bender, UK Office of

Institutional Equity and Equal

Opportunity, 859-257-8927;or

the USDA, Director of Civil

Rights, Room 326-W

Whitten Bldg., 14th &

Independence Ave, SW,

Washington DC 20250-9410

(202-720-5964).

Raspberries, and blackberries will be ready to harvest soon. The harvest season is a few weeks. We often think of needed care of our brambles in the spring as this is the time for dormant pruning and early season weed control. However, your care for next season’s crop starts with this season’s harvest. 1) As you harvest, do not throw damaged fruit on the ground. Instead, carry a throw out bucket with you. This will help minimize problematic insect pests (like spotted wing drosophila), and will remove old fruit as a source of disease. Leaving the un-harvestable fruit may also draw in pest insects.

2) Don’t forget about the brambles later in the summer. Continue to implement weed control. Excessive

weed competition can weaken plantings going into winter. 3) Make sure to prune out the canes that you harvested from when harvest is finished. This can help to minimize the spread of disease to next year’s canes throughout the remainder of the summer months. Old canes that are pruned out should be removed, and burned elsewhere. Removing canes this time of year also makes it easier when it comes time for dormant pruning. 4) Summer tip canes if it is recommended for the varieties that you have planted. Summer tipping will

improve the structure of next year’s canes, and increase the fruit load. 5) Continue with preventative fungicide applications. There is a tendency to forget about the crop once harvest is over. However, with perennial crops, it is even more important to protect them as much as possible.

If you would like to know more about what to do with your bramble planting, feel free to contact the Clark County Extension Service.