We had a great turn out the other evening for our Blueberry, Blackberry and Raspberry workshop.  I thought I would take this time to post some of the information that was presented the other night.

Dr. John Strang from UK, has been working with these fruit crops for a number of years and provided me with his best of the best varieties for each of the following crops:

Blueberries:   Early - Duke, Spartan, & for wet heavy soil sites Patriot

                        Mid - Toro, Bluecrop, Chandler

                        Later - Nelson, Darrow, Ozarkblue, Elliott

Blackberries:  Thorny - Chickasaw & Kiowa

                      Thornless Erect - Natchez & Ouachita or Apache 

                      Thornless semi erect - Triple Crown

Raspberries: - Black - Jewel

                      Red, June bearing - Lauren

                      Red, Fall bearing - Caroline, Autumn Britten

                      Purple - Royalty

We have some really thorough publications on the web that can really help you with the decision making.  The Growing Blueberries in Kentucky is an excellent guide to blueberry production.  Pay special attention to the preperation part of the publication because establishing blueberries is a bit tricky.  Also you will want to take a look at the our Blackberries and Raspberry production publication.

Upcoming Horticulture classes at the Nelson County Extension Office.

February 18, Growing Vegetables for the Market and the Kentucky New Crops Opportunities Center will be presented by Dr. Tim Coolong and Christy Cassidy. They will talk about varieties, timing, and the various marketing options available to growers. The program will begin at 1:00 p.m. and finish by 4:00 p.m. Call the office at 348-9204 to register, as space will be limited.

February 22, Growing Blueberries, Blackberries and Raspberries at Home; will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Nelson County Extension Office. Call the office at 348-9204 to register, as space will be limited.

March 3, Starting Seeds at Home with Dr. Rebecca Schnelle from 3:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Call the office at 348-9204 to register, as space will be limited.

March 3, Backyard Greenhouse 101: From construction to growing with Dr. Rebecca Schnelle beginning at 6:30 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. Call the office at 348-9204 to register, as space will be limited.

If your are the do it yourself type then you should be thinking about starting seeds for the garden indoors right now.  Aside from timing the correct amount of light is the most important step. Below you will see some good quidelines for proper lighting.  But first I would like to say a few words about timing.  Depending on the time of season you can transplant outdoors and the lenght of time required to germinate will determine when to start the seeds.  Frost free date is a good guide line and around here that would be an average of May 6th.   For example tomatoes should be started 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting. Here that would be the middle of March as an indoor starting date.  Try this Johnny's Seed Calculator just change the frost free date to relflect ours and plan away.   

1. Light.

After germination, plants need a maximum of light for optimum growth. Light may be natural or from fluorescent lamps. If sunlight is used, seed flats should be placed as close to the windows as possible without being too cool. If fluorescent lamps are used, an area 2 X 4 feet would require about four 40-watt fluorescent bulbs. Special plant growing lamps may be used, but cool-white or warm-white fluorescent lamps will be satisfactory. Lamps should be placed 6-12 inches above plants and turned on at least 18 hours each day. For most plants, 24 hours of light would be best; however, some plants (tomato, geranium) may develop a light green appearance. A small time clock can be used to turn lights on and off.

What I learned at the Fruit and Vegetable Conference

As always there is never a shortage of informtion at the Fruit and vegetable conference in Lexington.   I will attempt to bring you a few highlights of what I learned. 

• There is a beneficial insect that is almost indentical to the Colorado potato beetle called the False Potato Beetle.  It's benefit is that is simply eats an undesirable weed species known as Horsenettle.  But the moral is that not all is as it seems. 
• There is a new organization for organic producers in the state known as the OAK organization.  OAK stands for Organic Association of Kentucky.  This link will take you to their site and provide much more information.
• Blueberry planting should be a couple of year process with great attention being paid to the planting bed establishment.  Soil pH should be around 4.5 to 5.2 with a high organic matter content.  The plants will perform best if they are on a raised bed with mulch and drip irrigation.  If the plants are subjected to water logged soils for only short periods of time (8hrs) then phytophora root rot will be  a problem. 

• We have a couple of folks growing plasticulture strawberries in the county.  A researcher in Ohio presented that with a $10,000 per acre investment that a realistic goal should be 17500 quarts of strawberries per acre at $5.00 per quart (you do the math).  This seems a lot high to me but just think about 20 to 30 percent less and it is still a lot.  Their research found that Chandler variety is the best variety for this type of growing system. 

Now is the time to be thinking about what you want to grow or do in the new year.  Don't let a lack of information sabbotage your efforts come see me here at the Extension office and start the project right. 

Opportunities for Learning

Just wanted to let you know that there are a couple of opportunities coming up that should warrant your attention.  First the Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference and Trade Show will take place on January 4-5, 2010.  The meeting will be held in Lexington Ky at the Embassy suites on Newtown Pike.  Click on Vegetable Conference for more detailed information.

Next, shortly after this conference the Kentucky Landscape Industries eduacational conference will be held on January 11th, 2010 in Louisville Ky.  The Mid-States Horticultural Expo will follow on January the 12th and 13th. 

Finally, wrapping up the winter conference season for Kentucky is the Turf and Landscape Management Short Course being held on February 15-19, 2010 at the Crown Plaza in Louisville. 

Please take a look at all of these conferences they are excellent and reasonable.

Mistletoe: Tree Thief, Holiday Tradition

Mistletoe: Tree Thief, Holiday Tradition
John Hartman, Plant Pathology Professor Universtiy of Kentucky

Once autumn leaves have fallen, mistletoe becomes highly visible on large trees throughout Kentucky. Phoradendron, the scientific name for this parasitic plant, means tree thief. You can commonly find these small leafy plants on twigs and branches of many hardwood species in the southern two-thirds of the United States. Mistletoes extract water, mineral elements and food from their host tree by way of a parasite nutrient-uptake organ; hence the name, tree thief.

Mistletoes’ use in holiday traditions has roots in pagan times. Its parasitic nature and the fact that it appears to be alive while the host tree appears dead, led some to believe mistletoe mysteriously held the life of the tree during winter. Druids harvested mistletoe in a special rite, never letting the plant touch the ground, then hung it in their homes for good luck.

Our modern-day mistletoe holiday tradition likely originates with a mythological Norse goddess of love and beauty. Frigga, whose son was restored from possible death by mistletoe, was thought to bestow a kiss on anyone walking beneath one. Today, when two people meet under the mistletoe, tradition suggests they must exchange a kiss for good luck.

Phoradendron, the most common mistletoe growing in Kentucky, resembles another species that grows in Europe. It has simple, fleshy green leaves arranged oppositely on the stem. Stems are short and more branched than the host tree, so mistletoe often appears as a spherical bunch of dense vegetation. These bunches may be a foot or two in diameter and are located high in the tree for better sunlight exposure. Mistletoe berries range from white to straw-colored to light red. Birds eat the fruits, reportedly toxic to human and animals, then deposit the seeds onto branches where they germinate and penetrate the host tree.

Since birds tend to roost in open-grown trees, mistletoes do not appear as frequently in forest trees. Generally, they do not cause much damage, although they can be harmful to a tree already under stress. If mistletoe appears on landscape trees or other trees in the urban forest, you can control it through pruning.

Fresh Christmas Tree care

It's that time of year again when christmas decorations begin going up and the decision of when to put up the real tree has to be made.  Always choose the freshest tree possible from a lot you trust.  The needles should bend and not snap.  Also when the tree is thumped against the ground green needles should not dislodge.  Once you have gotten the tree home remove another 1 to 2 inches of the base of the trunk and place the tree in a bucket of warm water.  For a longer lasting tree place the tree out of the direct flow of air and away from direct sunlight.  Once inside and in the stand fill the resevoir with a solution of 1cup of corn syrup and 3 tablespoons of liquid bleach in one gallon of water. Keep the resevoir full with this solution as long as the tree is in the house.

For more specific information go to Christmas tree care.
And for a list of Christmas tree growers in Kentucky visit http://www.kychristmastrees.com/

Blooming Early or Blooming Late

You may have noticed, like many folks, that spring flowering plants haven't given up yet.  Plants like forsythia, lilacs and even iris are blooming this fall.  We can normally blame premature flowering on low rain fall summers followed by wet falls. However that is not the case in this year.  My theory was confirmed after talking to Dr. Rick Durham (our ornament plant specialist at UK) that this premature or late blooming is a result of a wetter and cooler October followed by a warmer and dryer November.  October set the stage for a light dormancy period which was easily broken by our beautiful November weather.  The take home message is we can't really do anything about the situation.  We should hope to see temperatures moderate back to seasonal without any sudden moves down in temperature.

On our Extension Today radio show, airing on WBRT 1320 AM there were several questions asked regarding invasive species.  I thought I would take this opportunity to discuss in more detail some identification and options.  The three that were mentioned on air (purple wintercreeper, burning bush, and japanese honeysuckle) are particulary  problematic when established in a forest setting.  They will simply take over and root out the natives.  There are many other species that are problematic and you can research on your own at Bernheim or our UK Invasive species working group's page.  Control is a difficult task with these plants because they are so efficient at propagating themselves persistence is the answer.  If you want to study further control methods try our Weed Science Page.  Looking into alternatives is an important first step.  This Landscaping with Natives pub will provide you with some direction.

Bush Honeysuckle (above)                                                           

Purple Wintercreeper (Below)

YouTube - UKAgriculture's Channel

Also Check out the Ag colleges you tube channel the link is below. There are several "how to" and "whats going on in KY" videos uploaded with more on the way. YouTube - UKAgriculture's Channel: "UK College of AgricultureUKAgriculture's Channel"

See Blue Go Green

See Blue Go Green is a compilation web site that is designed to be a one stop shop for all things green. We are in the process of updating, adding, and increasing the impact of the site. Our goal is to make this a go to site for eduactors and homeowners wanting to use good research based information to make their curricullums and their lives more green. So check out the link below and let me know what you think.
See Blue. Go Green. Ag. & Natural Resources

Fall Leaves are Falling

It is a beautiful time of year however most don't realize that it is also a great time to hoard those falling resources. Leaves are a resource for nutrients that most of you simple kick to the curb and hope the truck picks them up. Consider this:

Does anyone Fertilize our forests?
When nutrients are removed from the soil by the plants where do they end up?
Why buy fertilize when you can simply recycle your own resources?

The nutrients that are removed from the soil for plant growth are used to expand the plant tissue. What is not used for this purpose is not thrown away by the plant but simply deposited in the leaves to be returned to the ground for redeposit. Nutrients are returned to the soil through decomposition(composting)and again become vailable to the plants for next seasons growth cycle. Forests fertilize themselves in this manner. By simply mulching with your mower you will redeposit the nutrients and encourage an explosion of soil flora and fauna that will only strengthen the planting. You may simply compost them on site but whatever way you decide don't waste your own resource.

This will be a big weekend for some of you as Randy said just breath in a bag and don't be intimidated. I will post the video that was in the class the other night for you to refer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek7dDtZ0lK8

I was in some boxes today and have a few observations to post. Make sure you have ten (10) frames in your deep brood boxes. This is important because you can get a real mess forming with any less than ten frames. They tend to fill every nook and cranny and if you have the right amount of frames they tend to keep a nice neat house. Also the straighter the wax is installed the neater they will build upon it. Remember it is called foundation.

As you all know this will go down as a summer to remember (or forget). Not only has the summer been unbearable lest we forget about the April cold blast that left our plant material in tatters. Our hope then was to have a normal summer so that trees and shrubs could recover their stores of carbohydrates before the onset of winter. That has likely not happened. Unfortunatley we will be dealing with the loss of old and young trees for several years to come as a result of the this most unlikely weather.

This fall you should prepare to fertilize all plant material once a killing frost has occurred. A soil sample will help deterimine what we need to apply however if that is not done 10 lbs of 10-10-10 per 1000ft2 twice this fall six weeks apart will help significantly. If you have the water resources it will only benefit if you can apply 1inch of water per week to any and all trees and shrubs.

Blossom end rot of Tomato

There has been a lot of calls in the last couple of weeks regarding Tomato fruit rotting prior to harvest. This is called Blossom end rot and occurs every year to varying degrees. This problem is associated with the fluctuation of wet and dry conditions in the soil. Sprays after the fact are not affective for this disorder and actually sprays are not effective prior to this problem. The key to this situation is to maintain soil moisture and not allowing the plants to dry out.

The following link is an article written by Dr. William Nesmith and Dr. Paul Vincelli. http://www.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/plantpathology/ext_files/PPFShtml/PPFS-VG-2.pdf

Take a look I think your questions will be answered.

Blooming Bardstown Garden Tour

The Garden tour was a great success. I would like to thank the gardeners who graciously accepted us into their yards and exposed other Nelson county gardeners to the hidden treasures around them. I am surprised each year with the quality and beauty of our neighbors properties. This year we featured elaborate water features, outdoor living areas, creative oasis' and so much more.

Bagworms on the Move

I have been receiving calls this week about Bagworms devouring evergreens. First, we need to describe what it is we are looking for and its damage. Unfortunately the damage at this time is more noticeable than the insect. The appears as defoliation at the top of the tree leaving nothing bu the stem. The insect is a caterpillar that lives its entire life inside a bag. The bag is fashioned out of whatever is on the tree. It could be pieces of leaf, berries, or twigs and the results are a very camouflaged appearance. They start out very tiny and result in a capsule over an inch in length. For much more information and control recommendations please use the link below. http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef440.asp

The beginning of DRY

It seems to be hitting us a little early this year. Lawn and gardens look a lot like they would in mid to late July not the first of May. We are currently in a abnormally dry period in central Kentucky however, our neighbors in southern Kentucky are already in the middle of a drought.

For me water conservation is of the utmost importance. When watering your lawn or garden take measures to conserve water when you can. For example in the garden use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to deliver the water at the root system where the plant needs it most. Even better cover the soaker hose or drip tape with a nice layer of mulch to help keep the water in the ground.

Generally we want to deliver about an inch of water per week (when Mother Nature is not) to the lawn and landscape materials. Do this in one good soaking and not several little dribbles. The plants will benefit to a greater degree to this type of watering. I like to use spot sprinklers to deliver the water to particular plants and I use a mason jar lid sitting level under the sprinkler. When that jar lid is full you have delivered about an inch of water.

Orange Rust on Blackberries

Last week I found the first outbreak of Orange Rust in Nelson County this year. Orange Rust is a big threat to the commercial Blackberry industry in Kentucky. Nelson county has about ten acres of Blackberries planted and that is expanding yearly.

The main problem associated with Orange Rust is the fact that once the plant becomes infected with the disease it can't be healed. Orange Rust moves systemically within the plant infecting the roots, crown, stem, and foliage. The plant will become less vigorous and decline with time. It is easily recognizable this time of year due to its large orange pustules that populate the underside of the leaves. For more information on how to control Orange Rust on Blackberries visit: http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ho/ho15/ho15.pdf

Twenty New Master Gardeners have just recently hit the ground running. After successfully testing on Monday, May 7th they are full of knowledge and ready to help. Pictured to the left is this Master Gardener Class at their field trip to the Yew Dell Garden. They all fully participated in all the classes and learned extensively about the botany, pathology, entomology, landscaping, wildflowers and natives, woody ornamentals, annuals a perennials, soils and fertility, turf care, vegetable production, and fruit production. So as you can see they are well rounded and ready to answer questions.

To learn more about becoming a Master Gardener you can email me at robsmith@uky.edu