A Note From Faye

Woodford HortUpdate

August-September 2017

Woodford County

184 Beasley Drive

Versailles, KY 40383-8992

(859) 873-4601

Fax: (859) 873-8936

Extension.ca.uky.edu

Please join us on Saturday, September 9th for our 2nd annual Fall Gardening Workshop! Sign up soon to reserve your spot (registration form on back page)! We have a great line-up of topics and speakers. Also, please ‘like’ the Woodford County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Facebook page and the Woodford County Extension Master Gardeners page to find out about upcoming events/workshops and for some helpful horticulture hints and information: https://www.facebook.com/woodfordCES/ and https://www.facebook.com/WoodfordCountyMasterGardeners/.

Be sure to get out and support your Woodford County Farmer’s Market and take advantage of the fresh fruits, veggies, baked goods and much more! Your gardening tips, comments and questions are always appreciated. Please email or call anytime.

Happy Gardening!

Preparations for Fall Lawn Plantings Source: Kansas State Extension If you are planning on overseeding or establishing a Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue lawn this fall, preparations should start now. These preparations include taking a soil test and controlling weeds if necessary. A soil test will determine what nutrients are needed. Unless phosphorus levels are high, a starter fertilizer is recommended to encourage rapid germination of grass seed. Once the soil test results are received, the proper fertilizer can be purchased so it can be applied at seeding. Many areas of Kentucky have received sufficient rainfall this summer that weeds, especially crabgrass, may interfere with seeding. If a lawn is being completely redone and weeds are a problem, a product with glyphosate such as Roundup or Killzall can be used to kill everything. Glyphosate is inactivated when it hits the soil and will not be taken up by underground roots. Avoid spraying exposed roots or leaves of any “good” plant. Wait at least two weeks before seeding. Overseeding is used to thicken up a lawn. Normally we have bare spots that need to be filled in or a thin lawn that needs thickened up. We do not kill the tall fescue or bluegrass when overseeding. Therefore, we cannot use glyphosate to control weeds as it would also kill the turfgrass. Instead we use a selective herbicide that will control both broadleaf weeds and crabgrass. A number of those are listed below. Note that there is a waiting period between when the herbicide is applied and when it is safe to overseed. Usually this is about four weeks. However, check the label of the product you purchased to be sure you allow enough time. Ortho Weed B Gon Max + Crabgrass Control Bayer All in One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer. Fertilome Weed Out with Q Trimec Crabgrass Plus Lawn Weed Killer Bonide Weed Beater Plus Crabgrass & Broadleaf Weed Killer Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns Plus Crabgrass Killer

Liven Up Your Lawn

Your vegetable garden has done a great job of feeding you this season, why not return the favor? Instead of leaving the ground open over the winter, consider planting a cover crop, also known as green manure. Cover crops can add organic matter to the soil, reduce erosion, suppress weeds, and help to maintain the integrity of the soil. The Woodford County Extension Service and Conservation District are sponsoring a free cover crop

seed giveaway. County residents can receive a free 2 pounds of a legume and grain cover crop mix. Just stop by the Agriculture Resource Building at 180 Beasley Drive in Versailles from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to pick up your free bag while supplies last. For more information contact Faye at the Woodford County Extension Office, 859-873-4601.

Liven Up Your Lawn continued...

Fall Lawn Seeding Tips Source: Kansas State Extension The keys to successful lawn seeding are proper rates, even dispersal, good seed to soil contact, and proper watering. Evenness is best achieved by carefully

calibrating the seeder or by adjusting the seeder to a low setting and making several passes to ensure even distribution. Seeding a little on the heavy side with close overlapping is better than missing areas altogether, especially for the bunch-type

tall fescue, which does not spread. Multiple seeder passes in opposite directions should help avoid this problem. A more serious error in seeding is using the improper rate. For tall fescue, aim for 6 to 8 pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet for new areas and about half as much for overseeding or seeding areas in the shade. Using too much seed results in a lawn more prone to disease and damage from stress. The best way to avoid such a mistake is to determine the square footage of the yard first, and then calculate the amount of seed. Using too little seed can also be detrimental and result in clumpy turf that is not as visually pleasing.

Establishing good seed to soil contact is essential for good germination rates. Slit seeders achieve good contact at the time of seeding by dropping seed directly behind the blade that slices a furrow into the soil. Packing wheels then follow to close the furrow. The same result can be accomplished by using a verticut before broadcasting the seed, and then verticutting a second time. Core aerators can also be used to seed grass. Go over an area at least three times in different directions, and then broadcast the seed. Germination will occur in the aeration holes. Because those holes stay moister than a traditional seedbed, this method requires less watering. If seeding worked soil, use light hand raking to mix the seed into the soil. A leaf rake often works better than a garden rake because it mixes seed more shallowly. Water newly planted areas lightly, but often. Keep soil constantly moist but not waterlogged. During hot days, a new lawn may need to be watered three times a day. If watered less, germination will be slowed. Cool, calm days may require watering only every couple of days. As the grass plants come up, gradually decrease watering to once a week if there is no rain. Let the plants tell you when to water. If you can push the blades down and they don't spring back up quickly, the lawn needs water. Once seed sprouts, try to minimize how much traffic (foot, mower, dog, etc.) seeded areas receive until the seedlings are a little more robust and ready to be mowed. Begin mowing once seedlings reach 3 to 4 inches tall.

This is the time of year we normally think of planting a fall garden. Crops that can be planted now include lettuce, kale, radishes, spinach, beets, carrots and similar crops. There still is time to raise another crop of green beans along with some summer squash. If you can find plants, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower can also mature during the fall season. Planting a fall garden is like planting a spring garden with some big advantages. Weed pressure will be much less and insect problems may be far fewer. Seeds will germinate rapidly, so you will have crops up and growing in just a few days – compared to several weeks in the spring. There are a few drawbacks to fall gardening, and one of those is that you must provide regular, frequent watering (possibly daily) until the crops are up and growing. It is best to plant seeds deeper than you do for a spring garden because soil is cooler and moister . As far as soil preparation is concerned, don't get too excited about deep tillage for a fall garden. Lightly work the soil enough to establish a seedbed; reserve your deep tillage for later in the fall. Also, don't concentrate on adding a lot of organic matter and fertilizer for the fall garden. The organic matter can be added later in the fall with the deeper tillage, and excessive fertilizer application in hot weather is not a good idea.

Fall Gardens

Cover Crop Seed Giveaway for Woodford County Residents!

Happy Gardening!

Faye Kuosman, County Extension Agent for Horticulture

faye.tewksbury@uky.edu

View this newsletter and find a variety of other information

and upcoming events on our county website.

Visit us at: http://

woodford.ca.uky.edu

Follow us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/

woodfordcountyCES

Bloomers

Fall Perennial Division Source: NC State Extension Fall brings with it numerous garden chores. One of them is dividing perennials. The three main reasons for dividing perennials are to control the size of the plants, to help rejuvenate them, and to increase their number. It is best to divide spring and summer blooming perennials in the fall, and fall bloomers in spring. By dividing plants when they are not flowering, all their energy can go to root and leaf growth. Fall division should take place in September and early October in our area. This gives

plants four to six weeks before the first hard freeze to become established. Spring division is ideally done in the early spring as soon as the growing tips of the plant have emerged. Spring divided perennials often bloom a little later than usual. Never divide

perennials on hot, sunny days. Wait until a cloudy day, ideally with several days of light rain in the forecast. Most perennials should be divided every three to five years. Some perennials such as chrysanthemums and asters may need to be divided every one or two years or they will crowd themselves into clumps of leaves and roots with no flowers. Bleeding hearts and peonies may never need to be divided unless you want to spread them around more. Signs that perennials need dividing are flowers that are smaller than normal, centers of the clumps that are hollow and dead, or when bottom foliage is sparse and poor.

Water plants to be divided a day or two before you plan to divide them. Prepare the area where you plan to put your new divisions before you lift the parent plant. Prune the stems and foliage to 6 inches from the ground in order to ease division and to cut down on moisture loss. Use a sharp pointed shovel or spading fork to dig down deep on all four sides of the plant, about 4 to 6 inches away from the plant. Pry underneath with your tool and lift the whole clump to be divided. If the plant is very large and heavy, you may need to cut it into several pieces in place with your shovel before lifting it. Shake or hose off loose soil and remove dead leaves and stems. This will help loosen tangled root balls and make it easier to see what you are doing. Some plants don’t like being divided and it should be avoided if possible. These include butterfly weed (Asclepias), euphorbias, oriental poppies, baby’s breath (Gypsophila), Japanese anemones, false indigo (Baptisia) and columbines (Aquilegia). Lenten and Christmas roses (Helleborus sp.) are very difficult to move when more than a few years old. Usually you can find tiny seedlings around the base. These are easy to move. Make sure to water well after planting. Start by making a list of perennials that may need to be

divided and preparing new planting areas to transplant the

divisions to. The final step is to dig in, divide, and replant.

Dividing is a great way to fill in the garden with plants you

already know do well or to share with friends and

neighbors.

Spurred on by the demands of a burgeoning craft brewing industry and a strong public interest in locally grown ingredients, farmers are experimenting with hops (Humulus lupulus) as an alternative income source. While many of us recognize the end products of hops, flavorful and bitter beer or herbal remedies, we are less familiar with what the plant looks like and how it is produced. The hop plant is a member of the plant family Cannabaceae, the same family as the well-known Cannabis. Hop plants are bines that produce annual stems from

perennial root systems known as rhizomes. The bines grow to a length of 18 to 25 feet. Unlike vines, the bines do not produce tendrils, but rather prickly hairs and climb by turning clockwise as they grow up a trellis. Hop plants are herbaceous perennials meaning that the bines die down each year in the winter but arise

again each spring from hardy crowns. The hops rhizomes may explore the soil to a depth of 15 feet. Hops plants are propagated from cuttings from the rhizomes. Hops producers typically buy and cultivate female bines only. The female flowers form pale-green cone­like structures that are 1 to 4 inches long. The papery scales of the cone turn yellowish when ripe. Inside the cones are the lupulin glands, small yellow organs that resemble pollen. These glands contain the essential oils and alpha and beta acids that provide the bitterness and flavor­ing properties important in crafting beer.

Food Production - All About Hops

Upcoming Events

Horticulture Educational Series: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m September 19th, Home Lawns, Adam Leonberger, Franklin County Horticulture Agent October 17th, Nuisance Wildlife, Matthew Springer, Assistant Extension Professor of Wildlife Management August 21st, 6:30 p.m., Low Input Lawn Care, Versailles Library Learn the basics of lawn care with an emphasis on lower input and sustainable methods. Learn why late summer is the best time to seed and why common fertilization practices are often not the best approach. Presented by Faye Kuosman, Horticulture Agent for Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service. Call 873-5191. August 26th, 3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Versailles Annual Twilight Festival There will be food vendors, wineries, arts and crafts, a kid’s area with a dunking booth, games and a mixture of many other vendors along with several entertainers. September 11th, 6:30 p.m., Pollinator Gardens to Help the Bees, Versailles Library As our precious honeybees have struggled, we have all become more aware of the importance of pollinators and beneficial insects in our home gardens. Learn about some of the best plants to attract and feed these welcome visitors. Presented by Faye Kuosman, Horticulture Agent for Woodford Co. Cooperative Extension Service. Call 873-5191.

Fall Gardening Workshop: Planning Ahead Name____________________________________________________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________________ Zip_________________________

Email_______________________________________________ Phone#_______________________________________

Choose One of the following: Class 1A_____ Class 1B______ Class 1C_____

Choose One of the following: Class 2D_____ Class 2E______

Registration Fee (on or before 9/5/17) $10.00

Late Registration (after 9/5/17) 15.00 Total Due $_______________

Material Fees: Succulent Frames (non refundable) $20.00 Total Due $_______________

Registration and Material Fees paid in separate checks please. Deadline September 5, 2017

Fall Gardening Workshop: Planning Ahead Saturday, September 9, 2017

Presented by the Woodford County Extension Master Gardeners Location: Woodford County Extension Office 184 Beasley Drive, Versailles KY 40383

Program:

8:30 a.m. Registration & Welcome

9:00 -10:00 a.m. Session 1

Choose only one of the following classes:

1A: Make & Take — Succulent Frame (limited to 20 people)

Material Fee (non refundable) $20.00

1B: Composting in Your Backyard

1C: Green Methods for a Green Lawn

10:15 - 11:15 a.m. Session 2

Choose only one of the following classes:

2D: Vegetable & Fruit Diseases

2E: Bulbs for All Seasons

11:30 -12:30 a.m. Featured Speaker,

Exceptional Trees & Shrubs for the Small Landscape

12:30-1:30 P.M. Lunch & Door Prizes

Registration Fee: $10.00

Deadline Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Late Registration: $15.00 after September 5, 2017

Material Fees: Class 1A $20.00 Please issue a separate

check for the non refundable material fee. All other fees

are non-refundable after September 5th

Class spaces are reserved on a first come basis with paid

registration. Alternate classes will be assigned if filled.

Registration fees include morning refreshments, program,

handouts, & lunch (not project materials).

Make checks payable to Woodford

County Extension Service Registration must be received by

September 5, 2017

(hand delivered by this day)

to avoid late fee.

Please complete the registration form below and return with your payment.