No Yard is an Island: Cottony Trampweed is in the Wind

For all those who work to maintain a lawn composed of just one kind of plant (Zoysia grass, or Centipede grass, or Bermuda grass, or Fescue grass, for example), UGA Turfgrass Extension Associate Becky Griffin has this timely reminder:

"Your neighbor’s weed problems are YOUR weed problems.  This trampweed (Facelis retusa) spreads by windblown seeds.  This means that if your neighbor’s lawn looks like this picture, chances are your lawn could look like this next year.  Working with your neighbors to address lawn problems can be a great community builder, and can create a beautiful neighborhood."

 The Trampweed she refers to is pictured below.

Lawn that is awash in the cottony puffs of Trampweed.                                                       PHOTO/Becky Griffin

UGA Extension Agent Frank Watson, in the FACES article "Weed Covers Turfgrass with Snowy Appearance," points out that seeds of Trampweed germinate in the fall and early winter, which means that May and June are not the months for trying to treat the lawn for this weed. Right now, this annual weed is producing its seeds and dying. 

However, Watson does suggest some other tasks that might be done - beginning now -  to reduce the weed's success in following years: "... since this weed is found on droughty sites with low fertility, make an effort to improve the turfgrass density by applying lime, fertilizer or increasing irrigation."

For appropriate chemical controls and the best timing for their use, contact your county Extension office.

Green Industry Updates

UGA's Green Team will be presenting Green Industry Updates around the metro area this summer.

The first will be in Cherokee County on Wednesday, June 12, at the Hoke O'Kelley Auditorium on campus at Reinhardt University, 7300 Reinhardt Circle, Waleska, GA, 30183.

 This is the schedule:

9:00 – 9:55 a.m.	New Herbicides for Problem Weed Control in Turf	Dr. Patrick McCullough UGA Crop & Soil Sciences
10:00 – 10:55 a.m.	Identification & Management of Ornamental Plant Diseases	Dr. Jean Williams-Woodward UGA Plant Pathology
11:00 – 11:55 a.m.	Using “New” Insecticides in Turfgrass IPM	Dr. Will Hudson UGA Entomology

The next Green Team GIU will be in Dekalb County on Wednesday, July 17, at the Dekalb Extension Training Center, 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur, GA, 30032.


This is the schedule for that day:

9:00 – 9:55 a.m.	Turfgrass Disease IPM 2013 and Beyond	Dr. Alfredo Martinez UGA Plant Pathology
10:00 – 10:55 a.m.	Turf Insect Control	Dr. Will Hudson UGA Entomology
11:00 – 11:55 a.m.	Pest Management:  It Starts with Healthy Turf	Dr. Clint Waltz UGA Crop & Soil Sciences

According to the flyer that came to this office, both events qualify for 3 hours (category 24 or 25) Commercial Pesticide Credit, 1 hour Private Pesticide Credit, and 3 hours ISA Arborist Credit, but call to verify.

For both, registration and check-in begin at 8:30 a.m. Both sessions will conclude by 12:30 p.m.

Events are $15 each, which includes materials and refreshments, and a discount applies when registration is for both events.

To register, visit   http://tinyurl.com/greenteamupdates, or contact Beth Horne at 770-228-7214 or bhorne@uga.edu.

When the Onions Send up Flower Stalks

Many area gardeners who planted onions this year are looking out over onion patches that are punctuated by flowering stalks, also called seed stems. The onions will still be good.to eat, but this condition does reduce the keeping quality and ultimate size of the mature bulbs.

Unfortunately, the same problem is affecting onions in Georgia's best-known onion-producing region.

An article in the 2 May issue of UGA's Family, Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences newsletter,  Fluctuating Weather Patterns Reduces Vidalia Onion Crop Yields, includes a note about how many of this year's Vidalia onions have developed the seed stem condition:

"In some farmers’ fields, upwards of 70 to 80 percent of the onions had seed stems, said Reid Torrance, a Vidalia onion expert with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension who has been serving the Tattnall County onion-producing area since 1984."

Mr. Torrence has more to say about this year's abundance of seed stems:  “It’s hard to pin down exactly what triggers the onions to develop seed stems,” he said. “But I think these huge fluctuations in temperatures we had this year contributed to it. Anything that shocks the plant can cause it to develop a seed stem.”

Clemson University's Onion, Leek, Shallot & Garlic publication agrees with Mr. Torrence's statement about the probable cause for this condition:

"Onions will bolt (produce a flower stalk) if exposed to a prolonged cold period following a favorable growing period. This results in small bulbs with large necks which are hard to cure and generally unusable. The larger the plants are at the time of exposure to the cold period the higher the rate of bolting.

To help prevent bolting:

• Select onion sets of an inch or less and transplants about 6 inches high and about half the thickness of a lead pencil.
• Plant at the correct time for your area.
• Avoid high fertilizer rates applied in the fall."

Many gardeners believe that trimming off the flowering head of the seed stem will result in larger onions than if the heads are left, but the Texas Aggie Horticulture publication Growing Onions  has this to say about cutting off the flowering stalks:

"What can one do if flower stalks appear? Should the flower stalks be removed from the onion plants? Suit yourself but once the onion plant has bolted, or sent up a flower stalk, there is nothing you can do to eliminate this problem. The onion bulbs will be edible but smaller. Use these onions as soon as possible because the green flower stalk which emerges through the center of the bulb will make storage almost impossible."

Normally, storing mature, harvested onions in a cool, dry, dark area is enough to keep them good for several months, but onions affected by seed stem will not keep for very long even under optimal storage conditions.
Gardeners who have a fairly large crop of affected onions may want to share them with neighbors and friends so they can be used while they are still good.

Alternatively, the National Center for Home Preservation offers information on blanching and freezing onions for later use excerpted from UGA's wonderfully helpful book So Easy to Preserve.

Will we see periodical cicadas in Georgia this year? Guest post by N.C. Hinkle

Remember the great periodical cicada emergence we had here in Georgia back in 2011 – the “Great Southern Brood”?  The Northeast is having its own periodical cicada emergence this year, but unfortunately it is highly unlikely that we will see much of Brood II here in Georgia this year.  

2011 Periodical Cicada                     PHOTO/ N.C. Hinkle

Information from a 1988 publication hints that periodical cicadas may show up in the very northeastern corner of the state, so Rabun, Townes, Union, White and Habersham counties may see periodical cicadas, but it’s doubtful they’ll show up anywhere else in the state. 

It looks like our next periodical cicada emergence will be in 2017, with anticipated Brood VI cicadas showing up possibly in the northern third of the state.  Brood X will show up in 2021 and “the Great Southern Brood,” (the one that was such a hit in 2011) will return in 2024.

If you want to view the distribution maps for yourself, there are some good ones at

http://www.cicadamania.com/where.html

Of course, by late June we’ll have our annual “dog day” cicadas popping out around the state.  They’re 50% larger than the periodical cicadas, but are green and lack the bright red eyes.  And they certainly don’t occur in numbers like the periodical cicadas.  Nevertheless, we’ll hear them singing in the trees every afternoon, providing a lovely backdrop to our summer activities.

 _____________

N. C. Hinkle, Ph.D.

Professor

Dept. of Entomology

Univ. of Georgia

National Strawberry Month!

May is National Strawberry Month, and even though this spring's cool weather has delayed fruit production by a week or two, locally grown berries are beginning to show up at farmers markets.

For those of us who buy more of this very perishable fruit than we can readily use, UGA's Family and Consumer Sciences  "Strawberries" brochure offers some helpful tips.

For storage:
"Remove strawberries from their original container and discard any spoiled or moldy berries. Arrange them in a single layer, top with a paper towel and store loosely covered in the refrigerator. Do not remove caps or wash until ready to serve."

For dry pack freezing:
"Spread a single layer of fruit on shallow tray and freeze. When frozen, pack strawberries into a container, seal and freeze."

People who celebrate strawberries for more than just one month by growing their own can find helpful gardening information in UGA's Home Garden Strawberries publication. To make sure that the gardener actually gets to harvest the fruits of his or her labor, protecting the crop from birds by covering it with either netting or another row-cover is a good idea.

Those who are hoping to pick their own berries by the bushel can check the website that lists Atlanta-area U-Pick Farms to locate a farm in easy driving distance. The website doesn't display well in every browser; if the list of farms by county isn't visible near the top of the screen, keep scrolling down until it appears. The list is updated periodically, but not regularly, so it's a good idea to call any farms in advance before visiting, to make sure berries are currently available.

Another source of information about U-Pick Farms is Georgia Department of Agriculture's Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin. Its next "Pick Your Own" special section is scheduled for May 15.

Upcoming Events

Through the Garden Gate
Saturday, May 11, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The 2013 Tour and Plant Sale of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County. Tour gardens are all within four miles of the Marietta Square. Garden Faire and Plant Sale will be at the Cobb Water Office, at 662 South Cobb Drive. Advance tickets for the tour are $15, at the Cobb County Cooperative Extension office or online through the website of the Cobb County Master Gardeners. Day of tour tickets are $20. Entry to the Garden Faire and Plant sale is free. For information, map, and descriptions of the tour gardens, see the Cobb Master Gardeners' website, or call 770-528-4070.

Spreader and Sprayer Calibration Class

Saturday, May 25, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Calibration Class for lawn care equipment, at the Cobb County Extension Training Room and outside. Hands-on workshop teaching residential customers how to properly use fertilizer spreaders and chemical sprayers accurately to treat their landscapes. Taught by Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent Neil Tarver. Call 770-528-4070 for additional information or to register.

Canning Class: Jelly and Jam

Tuesday, May 28, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Hands-on canning class for jellies and jams, taught by Cobb County Cooperative Extension’s Family and Consumer Sciences agent Cindee Sweda. Class will be at 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Cost is $10, payable in cash, check (made out to Cobb County 4-H Club), or money order. Pre-registration is required. Call 770-528-4070 for additional information.

Problems in the Vegetable Patch

Thursday, June 6, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Learn to identify and control some of the insect-pests and diseases that are common in Cobb County vegetable gardens. Class taught by horticulture staff member Amy Whitney in the second floor classroom of Cobb County Cooperative Extension, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Register by calling 770-528-4070.

Pruning, Planting, Fertilizing

Such a busy time of year for the great outdoors here in Cobb County! Vegetable gardeners will have begun planting their summer crops within the last week or so; seedlings are coming up; early-flowering shrubs like azaleas will need to have any pruning done very soon; and the warm-season lawns (Bermudagrass, Centipede, Zoysia, St. Augustine) should have any needed fertilizers applied within the next several weeks.

Zucchini seedlings emerging.                               PHOTO/Amy Whitney

Vegetable gardeners who would like to verify that planting time is now for most of the summer crops can check UGA's Vegetable Planting Chart. The planting dates on the chart are for middle-Georgia, so the dates should be adjusted by a week or two for Cobb County.

With regard to pruning the azaleas, UGA's Frank Watson reports in the 25 April issue of FACES that azaleas should be pruned "now, after they have bloomed, to allow the plants to prepare for blooming next year."

Watson's article explains the two pruning techniques typically applied to azaleas - thinning cuts and heading cuts:

"Thinning refers to the complete removal of branches back to another branch or main trunk. Thinning is used to remove leggy branches that extend beyond the canopy of the plant, to reduce the size of the plant or to remove any damaged or diseased wood. Thinning can be done any time of the year without significant impact on flowering, growth or cold hardiness

"Heading refers to the cutting back of a branch, not necessarily to a side branch. Vigorous new shoots will emerge within 6 inches of the pruning cut. Heading is usually done with three goals in mind: to reduce the size of the plant, to increase the number of branches or to rejuvenate old, overgrown plants. Severe pruning of old, overgrown plants to within 6 to 12 inches of ground level is a common type of heading."

For more information, refer to Watson's article "Azalea Bloom Show is Over so It's Time to Prune and read UGA's "Selecting and Growing Azaleas."

Radon Testing for Your Home

While we are all indoors avoiding the Great Pollen Release that occurs every spring, one task that should be done here in Cobb County homes, if it hasn't been done before, is testing the indoor air for radon.

UGA's Family and Consumer Sciences division has posted this information about radon on its website:

"Radon is the second leading cause of Lung Cancer in the USA, after tobacco smoke. It kills nearly 22,000 people each year, more than 800 of them in Georgia. Radon is an odorless, invisible and tasteless gas released by the natural decay of uranium in our soils and rocks that easily enters our homes through the foundations and well water."

UGA's radon webpage (linked above) includes a video that explains the testing procedure.

The EPA's map of radon zones shows Georgia's highest risk counties in red:

Homes in all three color zones have been found to have elevated radon levels, which means that it's a good idea for all homes in Georgia to be tested. However, Cobb County homes are at greater risk of radon contamination than those in much of the rest of the state.

The EPA recommends that you fix your home if it is found to have a radon level of 4 pCi/L or more. Georgia's Department of Community Affairs has posted a chart showing that, in Cobb County, about 10% of homes tested have an indoor radon level above the threshold of 4 pCi/L.

Information about how to fix the problem, if one exists, is on the EPA website via the linked pdf "Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction."

A radon test kit can be purchased for $8 $10 (as of 2016) at the Cobb County Cooperative Extension office in Marietta (call 770-528-4070 for details).