Bourbon County Horticulture Newsbourbon.ca.uky.edu/files/hort_newsletter-sept_2019.pdfComposting...
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Cooperave Extension Service Bourbon County 603 Millersburg Rd Paris KY 40361-8837 (859) 987-1895 Fax: (859) 987-3120 bourbon.ca.uky.edu Bourbon County Horticulture News September 2019 Seven Ways to Help a Drought-Stressed Lawn Kentucky’s been pretty dry the past few weeks. September and October are usually our driest months. Even if we get a heavy rainfall in the near future, it won’t completely alleviate drought symptoms. When a lawn becomes excessively dry, the soil surface develops some water repellency that prevents water from soaking in during a quick, hard rain event. Here are some things you can do to help your thirsty grass and hopefully avoid having to completely reseed your lawn. Water every other day or every third day until good, soaking rains begin. Apply about two-thirds of an inch of water each time. You can check this by probing the soil with a knife or screwdriver to determine if the soil is wet 2 to 3 inches deep. Water in the early morning to help reduce diseases, remove dew and reduce evaporative water loss. Water areas that have the earliest browning first. These are often on southern or western facing slopes or areas with heavy clay soils, very compacted soil or rocks near the surface. If possible, don’t mow a drought-stricken yard until you can water it or you know a soaking rain is on the way. Weeds are still growing and flowering during summer droughts. Wait for the rain, then mow off the weeds. Don’t apply herbicides during a summer drought. They won’t work when weeds are suffering and can damage drought-stressed grass more than weeds. Wait for a soaking rain before applying nitrogen to the lawn in the fall. Nitrogen can greatly improve a lawn’s drought recovery. For more information on caring for your lawn, contact the Bourbon County Cooperative Extension Service. Ray Tackett County Extension Agent for Horticulture [email protected] Save the Date!
Transcript of Bourbon County Horticulture Newsbourbon.ca.uky.edu/files/hort_newsletter-sept_2019.pdfComposting...
Cooperative Extension Service Bourbon County 603 Millersburg Rd Paris KY 40361-8837 (859) 987-1895 Fax: (859) 987-3120 bourbon.ca.uky.edu
Bourbon County Horticulture News
September 2019
Seven Ways to Help a Drought-Stressed Lawn
Kentucky’s been pretty dry the past few weeks. September and October are usually our driest months. Even if we get a heavy rainfall in the near future, it won’t completely alleviate drought symptoms.
When a lawn becomes excessively dry, the soil surface develops some water repellency that prevents water from soaking in during a quick, hard rain event.
Here are some things you can do to help your thirsty grass and hopefully avoid having to completely reseed your lawn.
Water every other day or every third day until good, soaking rains begin.
Apply about two-thirds of an inch of water each time. You can check this by probing the soil with a knife or screwdriver to determine if the soil is wet 2 to 3 inches deep.
Water in the early morning to help reduce diseases, remove dew and reduce evaporative water loss.
Water areas that have the earliest browning first. These are often on southern or western facing slopes or areas with heavy clay soils, very compacted soil or rocks near the surface.
If possible, don’t mow a drought-stricken yard until you can water it or you know a soaking rain is on the way. Weeds are still growing and flowering during summer droughts. Wait for the rain, then mow off the weeds.
Don’t apply herbicides during a summer drought. They won’t work when weeds are suffering and can damage drought-stressed grass more than weeds.
Wait for a soaking rain before applying nitrogen to the lawn in the fall. Nitrogen can greatly improve a lawn’s drought recovery.
For more information on caring for your lawn, contact the Bourbon County Cooperative Extension Service.
Ray Tackett County Extension Agent for Horticulture [email protected]
Save the Date!
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October 3rd 6:30 PM
Growing Non-Vegetable Crops in High Tunnels
Harrison County Extension Office
October 10th 6:30 PM
Managing Pest, Pathogens & Weeds in High Tunnels
Harrison County Extension Office
October 15th 6:30 PM
Organic Management of High Tunnels
Harrison County Extension Office
October 22nd 6:30 PM
Regulations for Marketing Poultry Meat & Eggs
Bourbon County Extension Office
November 7th 6:30 PM
Tomato Production in KY; Marketing, Variety, Site Selection, Irrigation, Insect Pests
Bourbon County Extension Office
November 21st 6:30PM
Tomato Production in KY; Tomato Diseases, Abiotic & Physiological Disorders, Weed Mgt.
Bourbon County Extension Office
December 5th 6:30 PM
Introduction to Pumpkin Production
Harrison County Extension Office
December 19th 6:30 PM
Insect, Disease, and wildlife management of pumpkins
Harrison County Extension Office
Please call the respective Extension Offices to register:
Bourbon County Extension Office Harrison County Extension Office
859-987-1895 859-234-5510
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Comprehensive Plan Working Groups
*Quick Tip*
During the first couple growing seasons, your newly planted tree is
expending a lot of energy trying to get its roots establishes in the soil.
Especially during the first few summers of your new trees life, it will
have a difficult time dealing with heat and drought. You can make this
easier by providing water and covering the soil with wood-chip
mulch. Deep watering can help speed the root development.
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Woody Plant Publication
New publications are out!
This full publication is available
in print at the Bourbon County
Extension Office and on our web-
site at https://bourbon.ca.uky.edu/
content/horticulture
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Source: Richard Durham, extension horticulture specialist
Fall is a beautiful time in Kentucky gardens, but it can also be a messy time. Tree leaves turn from green to vibrant fall colors and then drop, creating big piles. Then there are the leaves and spent shoots from our flower beds. The way we address our yard waste can have a significant impact on our gardens and on the environment. Gardeners commonly rake up and bag leaves to haul away to yard waste dumps. This option, while tidy, uses a lot of energy, both yours and the energy to transport the leaves and mixed garden waste. An alternative is to mulch leaves and yard waste. You could use the bountiful resource to enrich your lawn and garden, while creating less waste and air pollution. A very simple technique with leaves is to rake them into a line and mow over them with your lawn mower. The mower will chop the leaves into pieces small enough to fall between the blades of grass in your lawn. The chopped leaves will break down out of sight, provide nutrients to your lawn and improve the quality of your soil. For larger items like spent flower stalks, composting is a simple, easy and environmentally friendly option. Done properly, it produces no odor and provides a generous amount of nutrient-rich organic compost for your garden, which reduces or eliminates the need to buy fertilizer. Composting also eliminates the need to transport garden waste, making composting a triple-win situation for your garden, wallet and the environment.
The speed of compost production is influenced by the size of the material placed in the bin, so the more you can chop up the garden debris, the quicker you will have usable compost. Many options for compost bin design and construction are well suited to any location and budget. Using leaves as mulch has many benefits. The mulch helps retain moisture in the soil and insulates plants from extreme winter temperatures. The decomposed leaves become an excellent conditioner for warming spring soil, helping to attract worms and other beneficial microorganisms. For more information on mulching and composting, contact the Bourbon County Cooperative Extension
Ways to Handle Fall Yard Waste
Garlic is commonly used as a flavoring for food, as a condiment, and for medicinal purposes.
October is a good time to plant garlic. Choose an area with full sun and good drainage. Before planting, fertilize the
area and incorporate it into the area. Once soil is prepared, separate individual cloves from the main garlic bulb and
plant cloves 3-5 inches apart with points up and cover to a depth of 1-2 inches. Do not divide the bulb into cloves
before you are ready to plant. Leave skin on the clove.
Water thoroughly after planting and then mulch with 4-6 inches of seed free straw. This helps to moderate soil
temperature in winter and to combat weed growth. The cloves may sprout after becoming established, but do not let
that alarm you.
Growth will ramp up in early spring. Fertilize in May and be sure the planting is receiving enough moisture. To
grow well, the plant requires one inch of water per week. As flower shoots (scapes) form in late spring, be sure to
cut them off. If allowed to mature to seed, they can reduce bulb size.
Bulbs are ready for harvest when the tops begin to yellow, usually in mid-summer. Do not wait until the leaves are
completely brown to harvest. Be sure to dig the bulbs rather than pulling them. Remove excess dirt but do not wash
the bulbs.
To dry bulbs, place on a screen tray in a cool, well ventilated and dark place. Curing can take four to six weeks.
Mature bulbs can keep for months if stored in cool, dry, dark areas.
For more information on growing garlic, check out: http://guilford.ces.ncsu.edu/2012/09/growing-garlic/ or
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2906/2906-1347/2906-1347.html
Gaga for Garlic by Amanda Sears, Agent for Horticulture, Madison Co. Extension
