On Wednesday, May 3, the Horticulture Webinar Wednesdays presents Putting the Kibosh on Squash Bugs in the Garden with Annette Heisdorffer, Daviess County Horticulture Agent. The webinar begins at 12:30 pm EST/ 11:30 am CST.
Many Kentucky gardeners grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and potatoes for their own use or for sale in local farmer’s markets. Pests are sometimes challenging to identify and even more challenging to manage.
The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment advocates for a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks. A key part of that is to continually scout and monitor your garden to identify problems before they result in a significant loss.
The UK Cooperative Extension publication ID172—An IPM Scouting Guide for Common Pests of Solanaceous Crops in Kentucky—may help you identify common pests. The publication has a variety of photographs that show exactly what to look for in your crop.
Some of the items the publication covers include:
Physiological and nutrient disorders such as vivipary, gold fleck, catfacing, zippering, sunscald, blossom end rot, blotchy ripening, yellow shoulder, and white core.
As temperatures go down this fall, you may notice more insects around your home. Insects often retreat indoors to escape the cooler temperatures as a part of their overwintering strategy.
We know that fire ants have been in the state since 2000. They have typically been an invasive species only in Western Kentucky; however, earlier this year, Kentuckians discovered them in the eastern part of the state. These ants can pose a risk to human, animal, and crop health. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t currently list Kentucky as an “invaded” state, you should still know how to prevent, spot, report and treat fire ants in case you do encounter them.
On Wednesday, July 27, the Horticulture Webinar Wednesdays presents a training on Deer Management in Gardens with Matt Springer, UK Wildlife Specialist. The webinar begins at 12:30 pm EST/ 11:30 am CST.
On Wednesday, June 15, the Horticulture Webinar Wednesdays presents an update on the UK Tick Surveillance Program with Dr. Jonathan Larson, UK Entomologist. The webinar begins at 12:30 pm EST/ 11:30 am CST.
One August, these unknown critters were thoroughly devouring every part of my spider lilies, actually leading to pure devastation. I have only two small established groupings. Did I know what they were?
On Wednesday, June 16, the Horticulture Webinar Wednesdays presents a training on Moles and Other Pesky Diggers with Kelly Jackson, UK Horticulture Agent in Christian County. The webinar begins at 12:30 pm EST/ 11:30 am CST.
Moss in a lawn is not necessarily a bad thing. Usually moss becomes established in lawn areas where turf is thin or nonexistent. This may be a shady or full-sun site that remains wet for long periods of time. Areas with poor surface drainage, like low spots that collect water, or poor air circulation found next to buildings or wooded lots may also have moss. In these cases, it is not so much that the moss is crowding out the grass but rather the moss is filling in as the grass thins out.
Kentucky Hort News 