Garden almanac, Garden Pests

In the Garden this Week (Sept 14)

In the garden, this week is the weeds. For annual weeds like crabgrass, annual bluegrass, kochia, etc., there is not much to do since they are producing seeds. Try to keep them from producing seeds by mowing or removing the seed by pulling the plant. Remember one crabgrass plant can produce over 1000 seeds! Prevent these weeds from growing in the early spring by using a preemergence insecticide.

Crabgrass going to seed

As for perennial weeds like dandelion and creeping jenny (field bindweed), the time is coming up toward the end of the month and October before a hard freeze. The plants are taking the nutrients in the leaves to the roots, they will also take the insecticide to the roots killing the plants. Use a three-way insecticide with 2,4-D spray in the lawns and a Round-up type of product in the garden after a freeze.

Goldenrod blooming in a field

Goldenrods are blooming now, and you see them along creeks and pastures. This plant does not cause allergies or hay fever. The goldenrod pollen is too heavy and drops down for pollination. The cause of allergies is the kochia and ragweed pollen which you do not notice the flowering. There are different varieties of goldenrods for the perennial flowerbed to order.

This is the best time to plant trees and shrubs. If you need to fill in a space, go to the greenhouse before it closes. Keep the plant watered until the soil freezes. Then put a 3-inch mulch around the trunk to prevent winter soil heaving.

Tomatoes without juice due to heat

Had an interesting question about someone’s tomato fruit that has hollow spaces and not much fluid inside. This is due to poor pollination because of high heat.

Giant waterbug

The other day I noticed a giant water bug in my fountain basin. They are interesting creatures eating mosquito larvae and tadpoles, but do not pick one up for they do bite (I found this out). The bite is worse than a bee sting.

Last weekend I sprayed an insecticide barrier around the house, along the doors and windows to discourage insects (really just the spiders I do not care about the other insects) from entering the house. I will spray again when the temps at night fall below 40 degrees. I have been doing this for a couple of years now and it has helped. Ortho puts a good insect barrier out but I am sure other brands will do the job.

Garden almanac, Garden Pests

This Week in the Garden (Sept. 6th)

Flowering cucumber vine

This week in the garden, a plant called the wild cucumber has been noticed mainly in pastures along creeks climbing on plum thickets. It is an attractive vine with large white flower panicles growing over 25 feet over everything. You can buy the seeds online, however, take care of these plants. They produce thousands of seeds. If you do grow this plant, keep it trimmed and remove the fruit after blooming. It is an annual grown from seed. Some people like the fruit, however, it is a bitter-tasting cucumber.

Corn smut used in cooking

Speaking of eatable food, I was watching the Food Network and they were cooking with corn smut. I found out this fungus can be bought at some stores for over 10 times the value of the corn itself. Use as you would do for any mushroom white in the white stage. In the black stage use in gravies or sauces.

Grassy sandburs

Grassy sandburs have been a huge problem in some lawns and gardens. At this time of year, there is not much you can do but remove the plant, so it does not set seed. In lawns, use a pre-emergent (the same as crabgrass) to prevent germination. With sandburs, you need to apply this later than with crabgrass, which would be around mid-June for two applications.

Yellow jacket wasp and a European paper wasp

As this week’s insect as I mentioned last week is the wasp. The wasp we have in South Dakota is the European paper wasp that makes the paper nest under the eaves and in the corners of the house. The true yellow jackets are more aggressive and make their homes underground. Therefore, wasps are not aggressive as long as they do not perceive you as a threat to their nest. If you are allergic to stings or the numbers are high, call a professional to get rid of these wasps.

If you have some bare ground in the garden like where you remove the onions and have some early crop seeds left, try a fall crop. Seeds like lettuce, radish, turnip, and pea can grow well in the cooler fall temperatures and take a frost.

Garden almanac, Garden Pests

This Week in the Garden (Aug 29)

This week in the garden is the proliferation of the monarch and swallowtail butterflies along with the dragonflies. These are good things; however, it also has been the week of squash bugs. These fleshy bugs run along the squash vines that suck out their juices causing distortions in leaf growth. It is hard to control these bugs because they hide underneath the leaf and near the soil line. Some use glue boards but that can bring in a host of problems especially if you have a dog or cat that goes into the garden. The use of Neem oil is becoming popular because it does not harm beneficial insects along with some Pyrethrins. For a heavy infestation, use Carbaryl (Sevin) spraying at night to protect the honeybees. Late in the fall, remove all debris from the garden.

Squash bugs on a summer squash
Squash bugs on a summer squash

Some people find a lot of wasps in the garden or around fruit trees. Wasps generally have a high-protein diet in the summer and when fall comes along, the diet changes to a high-sugar diet. They are eating the rotting fruit so now you find them around. They are not harming anything so if you remove all the rotting fruit from the ground, the wasps will most likely leave.

Wasps on overripe grapes
Wasps on overripe grapes

Mushrooms like the shelf mushroom and jelly mushroom are growing on tree trunks. They are not causing any harm to the tree but are a symptom of the tree’s health. With the winter we had and the heat of the summer, trees are struggling. Give plenty of water and do not fertilize. Fertilizing this late causes premature growth delaying the hardening-off process for the coming winter. Also, do not prune, wait until March or April.

Shelf mushrooms on a tree trunk
Shelf mushrooms on a tree trunk

I notice the garden centers have their offering of fall mums now. If your containers look worse for wear, plop a mum into it. After they bloom, you can try to place them into the perennial bed to see if they make it through the winter. You do not ever know their variety so therefore you do not know their hardiness. Cushion mums are easier to grow than the more upright ones.

Fall blooming mums
Fall blooming mums