Disposing of Your Christmas Tree

If you have a chipper/shredder, your Christmas tree can become a part of your compost pile.  If not, you will need to dispose of your Christmas tree appropriately.  All yard waste, including real Christmas trees, is banned from North Carolina landfills.  To facilitate disposal, the Onslow County Solid Waste Department is accepting real Christmas trees (lights and ornaments removed) at the following sites:

·      Folkstone Convenience Center Site at 320 Old Folkstone Rd, Holly Ridge (Sneads Ferry area just down the street from the Food Lion).  Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8am - 5:30pm ($1.00 per tree).

·      Swansboro Convenience Center Site at 698 Swansboro Loop Rd, Swansboro.  Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8am - 5:30pm ($1.00 per tree).

·      Onslow County Landfill (Tree and Wood Pallet Recycle Area) $49.00 per ton.  Monday-Saturday from 6:30am – 5pm.  

For more information, call 910.989.2107.

Keeping Holiday Plants Happy

Many people enjoy the seasonal plants that we associate with Christmas – poinsettia, Christmas cactus and amaryllis – even after the holiday season has passed.  With a little attention, these plants can be attractive for several months or even in subsequent seasons.  

All three of these plants grow best in a brightly lit, warm (60 to 75 degree) area away from cold or dry drafts.  Rotate pots a quart turn every couple of days to keep plants from bending towards the source of light.  Like most houseplants, be careful not to overwater poinsettia, Christmas cactus or amaryllis.  If these plants are kept too wet, the roots will rot.  Water plants only when the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch and the container feels light when lifted.

Water plants in the sink with room temperature water.  Remove pots from their saucers or foil wrappers before watering and water until it begins to drain out the bottom of the pot.  Allow the plant to drain for several minutes before returning it to its saucer or wrapping and its normal location.  Don’t allow water to stand in saucers or foil wrappers between waterings.  If your water is fluoridated, allow it to stand overnight before using it to water your plants.  Also, don’t use water treated by a water softener because it contains sodium which can harm plant roots.
Some plants keep better from one year to the next than others.  Poinsettia rarely look as nice in their second season as they did their first.  For most people, it makes more sense to compost poinsettias when they start to look ragged and buy new ones next Christmas.  On the other hand, Christmas cactus and amaryllis often get better year after year. 

When your Christmas cactus finishes blooming, pinch a few segments off the end of each branch to encourage plants to stay full and lush instead of becoming leggy.  The pinched segments can be easily rooted by sticking them in potting mix.  As temperatures warm, feed your Christmas cactus with a pelleted slow release fertilizer or fertilize twice a month with a liquid formulation such as MiracleGro.  Once danger of frost has passed in the spring, you can move the Christmas cactus outdoors to a partially shaded location.  Bring your cactus back indoors in October before the first threat of frost.  Your cactus will begin to form buds as the day length shortens and should bloom again next Christmas.  

Amaryllis grow well outside in our area.  Keep your spent bulbs indoors until the spring; once the danger of frost has passed, plant bulbs in the landscape.  Select a sunny to partially shaded site with well-drained soil.  Your bulb probably will not bloom the first season it is in the ground but should return to its normal blooming cycle and flower the following spring after being planted out.  When planted outdoors, amaryllis bloom in the spring rather than in the winter.  The bulbs are easy to grow, resistant to deer and voles and will gradually increase in size and number over time. 

Harvesting Broccoli

If you planted broccoli this fall, it should be almost ready to harvest.  Broccoli heads are the emerging flower stalk of the plant and are comprised of hundreds of little unopened flower buds.  You will want to harvest your broccoli when the heads reach 4-8 inches across and the buds are dark green.  Check your seedling label as some varieties produce larger heads than others.  Don’t wait too long or the flowers will start to open.  If the head starts to turn yellow it means you have waited too long.  Blooming broccoli is still edible but the texture and flavor are not as nice. 

Harvest the main head by cutting the stalk 3-4 inches below the head but leave the plant in the garden.  Broccoli will produce smaller, secondary heads for several weeks.  Look for the florets to form below where the main head was cut.  If temperatures stay mild, you can get several additional harvests. 

Cauliflower and cabbage are also getting close to harvest size now.  Cauliflower and cabbage will not form side shoots like broccoli so remove the plants from the garden after harvesting.

NCDA Hosts Pesticide Pickup, Nov 27

Do you have old pesticides that you don't use?  You can dispose of them safely on Tuesday, November 27.  The NCDA will be hosting a pesticide pickup day at the Extension Office located at 4024 Richlands Highway.  The pickup will be from 10 am until 2 pm.  Bring pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides) in labelled containers and they will be safely disposed of for free.  Call 910.455.5873 for additional information.

Imported Cabbageworm

It's been cool and rainy lately but the gardens still need attention as evidenced by the damage on this broccoli plant. 

Cabbage, broccoli and collards can still be attacked by the larva of imported cabbageworm. Small larva will eat tissue from the underside of the leaves, while larger larva chew ragged holes through the leaves.  When you see holes, look on the underside of the leaves or along the leaf vein for the culprit.

 

Here's the culprit - a fairly mature imported cabbageworm larve lays still trying to blend in with the vein of the broccoli leaf.

 

 

 

Caterpillars can be controlled by handpicking in small plantings. In larger plantings, products containing Bt, spinosad or carbaryl as the active will provide control. When using any pesticide, always read and follow label directions. 

Plant Bulbs and Winter Vegetables

November is a great time to plant bulbs for spring flowers.  It is also a good time to divide established bulb plantings if they need it.  Bulbs that will perform year after year in Onslow County include: daffodils, star flower (Ipheion uniflorum), blue bottles (Muscari neglectum), Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica), summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) and lilies (both Asiatic and Oriental).

You can harvest something out of your vegetable garden all winter long.  Onion seeds or sets and garlic bulbs can be planted for harvest next spring.  Remember that chard (especially varieties such as ‘Bright Lights’ with its red, orange and yellow stems), kale, lettuces and cabbage can straddle the line between vegetable garden and ornamental plantings.  Plant them in the vegetable bed, along the edge of the flower border or tuck into a container for seasonal interest.

Chard "Bright Lights"

Prepare Houseplants for the Move Back Indoors

As cooler weather approaches, you will want to gradually transition houseplants for the move back indoors. Tropical plants may be injured when temperatures drop below fifty degrees. Ideally, move houseplants inside when temperatures inside and outside the home are about the same.

Inspect plants, including the root ball, for insects before bringing them inside. Aphids, scale, spider mites and whiteflies are common houseplant pests. If you find insects, treat them with an appropriate insecticide before bringing them back in the house. As always, read and follow all label directions of the product you select. Some insecticides will require a second application to break the lifecycle of the pest.

Acclimate your plants for the move indoors by slowly moving them from sun to light shade and then heavy shade. This process should take about a week. The move to lower light will result in some plant stress, you may see leaves yellowing or dropping as the plants acclimate.

Once in the house, place sun-loving plants in south or west facing windows. Plants that like more indirect light will do better in an east facing window. Keep plants away from the drafts of air conditioner and heater vents. Once inside the house, avoid overwatering to prevent root rot and fungus gnats.

Kudzu Bugs - Frequently Asked Questions Answered

Area residents are seeing swarms of small, green-brown bugs clustering on trees, porches and the sides of buildings.  Many people have never seen these insects before and have lots of questions.  I’ll answer some of the most common frequently asked questions below. 

Where did kudzu bugs come from and when?

Kudzu bugs are a new pest in the US, they were accidentally introduced to Georgia in the fall of 2009.  Kudzu bugs are native to China and India, the homeland of the kudzu vine on which they traditionally feed.  These bugs are very mobile and by 2010, they had spread throughout Georgia, into South Carolina, Alabama and North Carolina.  Now kudzu bugs have been recorded in most counties across the state.

What do they eat?  Will they harm my plants?

Kudzu bugs feed on kudzu as well as wisteria, soybeans and other members of the legume (bean and pea) family.  While kudzu bugs have been found congregating on a variety of plants (including apple, pecan and fig trees), at this point we don’t expect them to feed in damaging amounts on non-leguminous plants. 

Where are all of the bugs I’m seeing now coming from and why?

In Onslow County, local farmers have been controlling kudzu bugs in the soybean fields throughout the summer.  Of course, they are also in the woods in the kudzu and wisteria patches.  Now, the kudzu bugs are moving out of the soybean fields and woodlands and searching for places to overwinter.  Often, they are attracted to light-colored surfaces but they will also congregate on brick or dark colored siding. 

How much longer will this movement last?

Kudzu bugs are expected to keep migrating for at least another two to three weeks.  As temperatures continue to drop, their activity will lessen. 

Should homeowners spray to control kudzu bugs?

Spraying with chemicals is not recommended since it is likely to provide only partial control.  Spraying insects currently gathered on surfaces is effective in the short-term but it will not prevent kudzu bugs from quickly re-infesting the site.  Preventive sprays are not recommended because it is difficult to determine where the insects will gather and these chemicals aren’t durable enough to provide protection throughout the rest of the migration season. 

What steps should homeowners take?

For longer term control, focus on physically excluding the bugs by sealing gaps and openings (like those around utility lines and making sure that weather stripping around doors and windows is secure).  Avoid crushing kudzu bugs that do make it indoors because they emit an unpleasant stinkbug odor.  Vacuum up invading kudzu bugs and quickly dispose of the vacuum contents outside. 

What will happen next season?

Expect to see kudzu bugs swarming for a short period in the spring before they move back into the soybean fields and kudzu patches.  This is a nuisance but not a major concern for most homeowners.  For gardeners, kudzu bugs may swarm on trees and shrubs but should not cause a problem for most plants.  However, ornamental wisteria, beans and peas may need protection throughout the growing season. 

Will the kudzu bugs always be this bad?

Some entomologists think the high populations we are seeing right now is a result of the “colonization effect” and that populations may stabilize at a lower level once the kudzu bugs have been here a while.

For more information about kudzu bugs, check out the following link:
http://insects.ncsu.edu/Urban/kudzubug.htm

Kudzu Bugs Moving into Residential Areas

I have received several phone calls about kudzu bugs this week and expect more. This is a relatively new pest in our area and many people are still unfamiliar with the little olive-green bugs that feed on kudzu, wisteria and other members of the legume (bean and pea) family.

(Photo - G. Kirby, Supply NC)

Kudzu bugs have spent the summer in soybean fields but are now on the move looking for places to overwinter. They can be found congregating in trees and on the sides of houses.

According to NCSU entomologists, "Pesticides have limited ability to stop the bugs from entering homes. So, it is also important to seal gaps and openings (such as around plumbing and AC lines) to prevent the bugs from entering home. Avoid crushing Insects that do find their way indoors as this may stain surfaces and/or result in unpleasant odors."

Learn more about kudzu bugs and steps homeowners can take for control here: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/kudzubug.htm

Pecan Weevils

Pecan weevil larvae. Photo courtesy of USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org.

Pecan weevils are one of the most serious pecan pests for the home owner.  If you have ever opened a pecan to find a small white worm inside it, you have seen the larva of the pecan weevil.  The adult pecan weevil is a light-brown or grayish beetle with a long beak.  The beak of the female is longer than the body.

The adult weevils emerge from the soil from August through September, frequently after rains of 1 inch or more.  Adult pecan weevils feed on green nuts causing some green nuts to drop.  The more serious damage is caused by female pecan weevils drill holes in nuts and lay eggs.   The resulting larva feed within the nut.  After the pecans fall to the ground and the larva chews their way out of the shell and burrow into the soil.  They will remain in the soil for 1 or 2 years before emerging as adults to continue the cycle. 

Since the lifecycle of pecan weevils can span three years, control requires consistent treatment.  Good orchard sanitation and judicious spraying will help control this pest.  First, promptly sweep up fallen pecans from under the tree each fall and dispose of them.  This will help remove pecan weevil larva from the area underneath the tree. 

Secondly, consider spraying the root zone and trunk of the tree with an insecticide such as carbaryl when the adult beetles are emerging from the soil and moving into the tree canopy.  Start monitoring the beginning of August and spray when adult weevils are found.  Continue to monitor and treat as needed through September.  

Adult pecan weevil.  Photo courtesy of USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org.

An easy way to monitor for pecan weevils is to wrap a burlap bag around the base of your tree several feet off the ground.  Adult weevils crawling up the trunk will be trapped under the burlap.  Daily monitoring will allow you to target your spray when the weevils are most active and it will provide a limited amount of physical control.  If you are handy, you can find information about building more intricate pecan weevil monitoring traps here:  http://pecankernel.tamu.edu/insect_update/weeviltraps.html

Garden Storage Ideas

The Onslow County Master Gardeners held their summer social last month and Nancy graciously hosted us as her home.  We had a great time socializing and enjoying Nancy's beautiful home and garden.  I particularly liked her neat idea for storing small items in her garden.

Nancy saw a discarded mailbox tossed in the ditch one day.  Instead of leaving it or throwing it in the trash, Nancy scrubbed it up, painted it and mounted it near her vegetable garden.  She dressed the mailbox up with some fun garden art and hung a basket from the support post.

 

Nancy uses the mailbox to store gloves, hand tools, seed packets and other items so they are protected from the weather and always handy when she needs them.  That's way better than my technique of carrying my pruners around in my purse.

I'd love to hear about your innovative garden storage ideas.

Heat Problems With Tomatoes and Vine Crops

--Carl J. Cantaluppi, Jr.
Extension Area Agent, Horticulture
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Granville and Person Counties

When we experience high temperatures, we can expect some problems with vegetable fruit set and quality.  The ground around snap beans may be littered with aborted flowers.  Flower and fruit abortion are common responses to heat stress as a result of the general failure of successful pollination and fertilization.  The reproductive structures can become unreceptive, pollen can be killed, and the pollen tube may fail to form.

Many people are concerned most about their tomatoes and cucumbers.  In general, cucumbers are more heat tolerant than tomatoes.  Another problem can be a lack of female flowers, often noticed in summer squash.  As the heat increases, the ratio of male to female flowers changes to more male flowers.  When cooler weather returns, the plants will shift back to a more normal ratio.  

Female squash flower

Day temperatures over 90 degrees F. and night temperatures over 70 degrees F. reduce fruit set in tomatoes.  As few as 3 hours at 104 degrees F on two successive days may cause failure of fruit set.

Tomato problems related to heat stress on fruit set prior to the stress include sunscald and yellow shoulders.  Sunscald occurs when previously covered fruit are exposed to direct sunlight from having poor leaf cover.  

Solar yellowing (yellow shoulders) is a type of sunscald that occurs when lycopene (the red pigment in tomato) fails to develop in some varieties, leaving only the carotene (yellow pigment) to show at the shoulder where the dark green portion was.  This occurs when tissue temperature rises above 86 degrees F.  Even with temperatures under 85 degrees F., the surface temperature of exposed fruit can become high enough to inhibit normal red color development.

Symptoms of more severe sunscald are that the tissue starts off as a pale area of leathery dead tissue that becomes sunken, turning tan or light gray, later turning white, and dying.  Many times, the dead tissue will turn black from fungi that are feeding on the dead tissue.  This lethal sunscald occurs when tissue temperatures rise above 104 degrees F.  Damage usually occurs when fruits are suddenly exposed to sunlight.  This most frequently occurs after a harvest or a storm when leaves are moved around and fruit is exposed.  Over pruning can also increase sunscald problems especially with fruit in the upper part of the plant.  Good spray programs to ensure good foliage cover can reduce the problem.

Sunscald and yellow shoulders are most common in mid-summer when the sunlight is most intense and when temperatures exceed 85 degrees F.  Fruit that is sunscalded is edible but not if the scalded area has turned black with a secondary fungus.

Another problem in high temperature tomatoes is internal white tissue.  The white tissue is only noticeable when the fruit is cut.  The hard, white areas tend to be in the vascular tissues in the outer walls of the fruit, although it can also appear in the center of the fruit and in the cross-walls.  High temperatures during the ripening period seem to trigger the symptoms.  Sometimes there is a relationship with low potassium levels, which can be a problem in sandy soils and only rarely in clay soils.  Some varieties are more resistant to the problem, especially the very dark red varieties.

As always, and especially during hot temperatures, make sure that garden soils are wetted down to a depth of 6-8 inches.  Poke a long-handled screwdriver into the soil until it becomes hard to push.  Then pull it up and you can measure how deep the soil is wetted.  Then water until you reach that depth.  After gaining experience, you will know how long it takes to water your soil down to 6-8 inches, once the top of the soil starts drying out.

Problems with blossom end rot of tomatoes can be virtually eliminated by keeping the soil moist so the plant can take up calcium through the water stream.  Calcium deficiency in the developing tomato fruit causes blossom end rot, which is worsened by dry soils not allowing the calcium to be in the soil solution to be taken up by plant roots.

 

Adequate moisture prevents blossom end rot on tomatoes.

New Year Resolutions for Gardeners

The beginning of each new year is a time for looking back on the past, and even more importantly, forward to the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want or need to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.  As gardeners, there are steps that we can take to improve the ecology and sustainability of our landscapes.  Consider adopting one or more of these resolutions for your garden this year:

Plan your vegetable garden for year round production.  In most coastal counties, you can grow some sort of vegetable.  Careful planning will provide you with produce to harvest year round – reducing your grocery bills and your carbon foot print.

Incorporate fruit and vegetable crops into your landscape.  Fruit trees can function as ornamental trees or shrubs in the landscape while small fruits and even vegetables can be integrated into your sunny flowerbeds to add beauty and providing food too.

Choose plants and varieties that are low maintenance and easy to grow in our area.  Figs, muscadine grapes, rabbiteye blueberries and persimmons grow well in Onslow county.  If you must grow pears, choose a variety that is resistant to fire blight (a common disease in our area) such as Seckel, Moonglow, Kieffer or Magness. Avoid planting crops that will require a lot of pesticide sprays (like apples or many varieties of non-muscadine grapes) to produce a quality crop.

Commit to composting.  Composting is a sustainable way of dealing with garden waste and household food scraps that provides you with a valuable soil amendment and can reduce your fertilizer and pesticide inputs in the garden.  Use your compost to build your soil.  Soils that are high in organic matter store water and nutrients better, improving plant growth and productivity.

Minimize carbon-emitting inputs to the garden.  Gasoline-powered tools like lawn mowers and leaf blowers are obvious sources of carbon dioxide emissions but synthetic fertilizers and pesticides require a lot of energy to manufacture, package and transport.  Weed, prune and rake leaves by hand when possible.  Reduce pesticide and fertilizer use by choosing crops wisely and planting them in locations where they will thrive.  Rotate vegetable crops annually to reduce insect and disease pressures.  Test your soil and only apply nutrients that are needed.

Harvest, store and use your rainwater.  Use cisterns or rainbarrels to collect the water that runs off your roof – use this water first to irrigate your lawn, garden and container gardens. 

Minimize your watering needs.  Improve the water holding capacity of your soil by adding organic matter.  Mulch exposed soil in gardens and flowerbeds to suppress weeds and maintain soil moisture.  When designing new plantings, choose plants that will be drought tolerant after establishment (crape myrtles, Chinese and Japanese hollies, junipers, many bulbs, Mediterranean herbs such as sage, rosemary and thyme, and many ornamental grasses just to name a few).

Consider adding chickens, bees or other small livestock to your yard.  If you are up for the additional responsibility and commitment, chickens, ducks, guinea hens, rabbits or other small livestock help cycle nutrients in your garden.  Carefully managed poultry can help control insect pests and weeds while providing nitrogen and phosphorus to improve soil fertility.  Bees pollinate many of our vegetable crops – the loss of native pollinators makes the efforts of beekeepers even more important.

Whichever resolution you choose, I want to wish you and your garden a Happy New Year and a great growing season!

January/February Newsletter is Available Online Now

The January/February edition of my newsletter, In the Garden Now, is available online now.  Topics include:

*New Year Resolutions for Gardeners
*Add Winter Interest to You Garden
*Planning Your Spring Vegetable Garden
*Great Evergreens for Screens and Hedges

You will also find timely tips and tasks as well as information about our upcoming Master Gardener Volunteer class and our spring HELP Garden class.

You can find the newsletter here:  http://onslow.ces.ncsu.edu/content/In%20The%20Garden%20Now