Garden almanac, Garden Pests

In the Garden this Week (Sept 21)

In the garden this week, get ready to start spraying the perennial weeds like thistle, bindweed, and dandelions in the lawn and garden. In the lawn use a selective herbicide like a mix with 2,4-D. In the garden after harvesting, you can use a nonselective herbicide with glyphosate like Roundup. You can spray the weeds up to a hard freeze of below 28 degrees.

While on the lawn, you can place a fall application of fertilizer on the grass. Do this before the second week in October. A fertilizer of nitrogen and phosphorus helps the grass go into winter healthier.

Assassin Bug

I received a picture of an assassin bug in the garden. These true bugs are very beneficial in eating a lot of little predators. Do not handle them because they cause a very painful bite. Just let them do their thing.

Boxelder bug

The bug of the week is the boxelder bug, a true soft-bellied orange and black insect. They feed by sucking the plant juices out of mainly maples (which the boxelder is one of) and ash trees. When touched they will give off an unpleasant order (they are sometimes called stinkbugs) which in turn prevents spiders and birds from eating them. When the temperature cools these bugs will swarm, finding the south side of trees and your house or garage for warmth. Also, they will leave a brown stain if squished. If you have a swarm of these bugs, you can use a soapy insecticide sprayed directly onto them.

Large, hard cores in tomatoes

If you have had tomatoes that ripen poorly with hard centers, this was due to the excessive heat earlier.

Dig your summer bulbs like glads, tuberous begonias, cannas, etc. after a hard freeze or when the tops die down. Store in boxes in a cool, dry area where it will not freeze. I leave the soil on the bulbs, place them in boxes, pour on some dry peat moss, and place it in the basement.

It is time to seal the house from mice and bugs. Use steel wool on cracks in the foundation and caulk around outdoor window and door sills. Now is the time to use a perimeter spray around the house to prevent bugs and spiders from coming in. You might have to spray twice depending on how long the fall is.

A new study has found using heavy plastic around plants with mulch in a landscape causes a lot of harm to plants. It prevents the soil from drying out and prevents an exchange of oxygen in the soil which the roots need. Using landscape fabric is much better than plastic. Also, a wood mulch is better than rock because of the heat the rock can give off.

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.