Scott County Master Gardener Volunteers

2017 has been a very busy year. It started with the annual

Garden Expo held in March at the Extension Office. There were

classes in raised bed gardening, fruit tree pruning, what is soil,

plus many other activities. In June, members worked with

Georgetown Public Works to install the Rain Garden at Suffaletta

Park. Another project involved working with the Ed Davis Center

on the Youth Garden plus the Youth Farm Camp. 300 pounds

and counting. To date, that’s the amount of fresh veggies

grown at the community garden and donated to the Amen House.

The garden is also used to teach basic gardening every Tuesday

morning from 10 to noon. No appointment necessary.

By Milton Adams—Master Gardner

WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY PLANT?

Considerations for Diagnosis of Ornamentals

In the Landscape – Sharon Flynt

Many of us happily ignore our landscape plants, until one day you notice all the leaves yellowing, wilting, and dying . . . the symptoms are endless. What do you do? Call the Scott County Cooperative Extension office and ask for me, the Horticulture agent. However, diagnosing plant problems can be challenging and a little landscape observation on your part can provide the information necessary for a complete and accurate diagnosis. Before you bring a plant sample of to the extension office, gather information using the following steps as a guide can provide valu-able supplementary data. While the following is not an exhaustive list, knowing these things about your plant can help me figure out what is happening to the plant.

Step 1: Gather the basics

What is the. . .

• Name of plant(s) affected (including cultivars)

• Normal appearance and growth patterns of plant(s)

• Location of plant(s)

• Plant height

• Planting date/Age of plant

• Watering program

• Drainage

• Sun exposure

• Fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, etc., applied (dates and rates applied, if known)) Step 2: Take at least 4 photos –take a minimum of well-focused 4 photos of the affected plant(s) and surrounding area to assist in the diagnostic process. • Wide view of affected plants

• Wide view of area around affected plant

• Close-up of affected plant(s)

• Close-up of plant symptoms

Step 3: Take a broader look – what plants are affected; where they are located

• Only one plant is affected; others are healthy

• Multiple plants all of the same type are affected

• Entire planting (all plants)

• Near house foundation

• Shady areas only

• Sunny areas only

Photos of close-up plant parts are help-ful in the diagnostic process. Cracks, wounds, loose bark.

Step 4: When, Where

Symptom progression-What were the 1st symptoms and where did they occur.

• Top branches moving down toward lower branches

• Lower branches moving up toward upper branches

• Tips of branches toward trunk

• Trunk outward toward branch tips

Cooperative Extension Service

Scott County

1130 Cincinnati Road

Georgetown, KY 40324

(502) 863-0984

Fax: (502) 863-2392

Scott.ca.uky.edu

sflynt@uky.edu

August 2017

Your Gateway to Horticultural Education, Resources, and Solutions

Continued on page 2

Distribution of symptoms, are they. . .

• Uniform over entire plant or just one side of plant

• New leaves/shoots only or older growth

• Upper or lower portion of plant

• Single branch or limb of tree

• Entire tree/shrub

Symptom progression timeline; symptoms had a

• Gradual or rapid progression of symptoms

• Symptoms reoccur most years

• No symptoms observed prior to current season

Other observations

• Wire, string, or other material embedded in tree • Excessive mulch (volcano mulching) around trunk

• Mature tree lacking in buttress flare

• Suckers emerging from ground, trunk, or branches

Step 5: What do leaves, branches, stems, trunks and roots look like

• Leaf symptoms

Holes in leaves

Defoliation or premature leaf drop

Discoloration (yellowing, chlorosis, reddening)

Fuzzy or powdery growth on surface

Leaf spots, blotches, lesions

Sticky substance on surface

Spotting on tomatoes leaves (Photo Credit: S. Flynt)

• Branches/stems/trunk symptoms

Callus formation evident

Cracks, wounds, loose bark

Mechanical or physical injury

Dieback, slow decline, thinning canopy

Holes or insect tunnels

Oozing sap

• Root symptoms

Black lesions or browning/root decay

Girdling root

Restricted roots/stunted roots

You can see now that there are many variables in diagnosing

plant damage. Bringing a small leaf to the office and wanting a

complete identification of plant and cause and treatment recom-

mendations are usually not possible. But, if you come armed with

well-focused and well-chosen photographs and at least some of

the observation listed, we are well on our way to discovering

what’s wrong with your plant.

Resources: Considerations for Diagnosis of Ornamentals in the Landscape, PPFS-GEN-15, by

Kimberly Leonberger, Extension Associate; Nicole Ward Gauthier, Extension Plant Pathologist; Amy

Aldenderfer and Adam Leonberger, Extension Horticulture Agents

Adapted for use by Sharon P. Flynt, Agent for Horticulture

PROMOTING PLANT HEALTH

From Penn State, College of Agriculture Science, Agriculture Research,

and Cooperative Extension

Produced by Ag Communications and Marketing © The Pennsylvania State University 2008 Code # UJ240 6M5/08mpc4202

Healthy, vigorous plants are less vulnerable to attack by

insects and disease. Become familiar with the steps below

and you will have a prescription for maintaining the health

of all the plants in your landscape.

1. Provide conditions that are best for the plant

Find out if a new plant will thrive in sun or shade, in acid or

alkaline soil, and place it in a location that fits those needs.

Most plants at the garden center have an identification tag

that provides details about the conditions required by the

plant. If this information is not provided, check reference

books or contact our local extension office.

Find out if you can change conditions in your landscape to

better suit your established plants. Perhaps you can acidify

the soil or remove some plants to let more sunlight reach

others

2. Mulch properly

Most plants benefit from a two- to three-inch-deep layer of

composted organic matter called mulch. Mulch helps keep

the weeds out of a planting area and reduces evaporation

of soil moisture. The mulch will decompose over time, re-

leasing nutrients that can be used by the plants. You occa-

sionally will need to replenish the mulch on your landscape

beds, but do not pile excessive mulch on top of the root

systems of your plants. Too much mulch can smother the

roots and prevent rain water from reaching the soil.

Make sure the mulch is not touching the trunks or stems of

your landscape plants. If you pile organic mulch against

the trunks of trees, you will provide shelter for rodents that

can girdle trees by chewing on the bark. A mulch pile also

can shelter harmful insects. A moist mulch pile against the

trunk can enable organisms that rot dead organic matter to

start rotting the bark of the tree. Keep mulch away from

tree trunks to prevent these problems.

Continued on page 3

Do not use un-composted wood chips as a mulch near

houses or along drives where vehicles will be parked. This

kind of mulch provides ideal growing

3. Give plants enough water

Give plants enough water when you install them and keep

the soil moist but

not soaked through the first year. Most garden plants and

ornamentals need about one inch of rainfall per week.

Water-loving plants, plants in raised bed gardens, and plants growing in sandy or rocky soils may need even more

water. Drought-tolerant plants and plants in areas that have soil high in clay or organic material may need less frequent watering. Check to see if you need to water a plant by digging three or four inches below the surface and feeling the soil with your finger to see if it is dry.

It is important to water infrequently and deeply. If you fre-

quently wet only the top inch or so of soil, most of the new

roots will grow in the moist soil near the surface where they

are more likely to dry out. You can water with a garden

hose turned on very low, setting it in one spot until the wa-

ter really soaks in and then moving it to other spots as

needed. Or use a soaker hose or drip irrigation system to

put water on the root area. Watering with an overhead

sprinkler is not recommended for some plants because it

wets the leaves, providing a favorable environment for

plant disease organisms, and also wastes water through

evaporation.

4. Fertilize plants only as needed

You want to encourage root growth on newly planted trees

and shrubs, so having the right balance of nutrients

is especially important in the first two to three years after

installation. If the tree is in a lawn area that is fertilized

properly, it may receive sufficient fertilizer from the lawn

application. Mature, established trees and shrubs usually

do not require a lot of fertilizer. You want to maintain exist-

ing growth but avoid stimulating excessive new growth.

Of the seventeen elements that plants require, only five may need to be replenished at some time in most soils. These five are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. To find out exactly what nutrients you need to add to your soil, have the soil tested at the Scott Co. Cooperative Extension office. Soil testing is a free ser-vice to the residents of Scott County. The report will tell you your soil’s pH (degree of acidity or alkalinity) and which of the major nutrients are needed to keep your plants

healthy. Do not apply fertilizer during drought conditions or

when the soil is frozen.

By pruning your shrubs and trees when needed, you can

improve their appearance, make them stronger, and pre-

vent defects that might require major tree surgery in the

future.

You can guard the health of your plants by pruning

• Dead, dying, or unsightly branches

• Sprouts (picture below) growing at or near the base of a

tree trunk

• Branches that grow toward the center of the tree or shrub,

making it too dense

• Crossed branches that rub against each other

• Multiple leaders in young trees

Prune deciduous trees after they have leafed out in spring

through the summer. Needled evergreens can be pruned in

late winter. Avoid pruning in late summer because it may

stimulate new growth that will be susceptible to winter inju-

ry.

Most flowering shrubs can be pruned immediately after the bloom period to allow adequate time for new growth and the formation of flower buds for the next season.

Prepared by:

Stevie Daniels, Penn State master gardener

Gregory Hoover, extension entomologist

Larry Kuhns, professor of horticulture

Gary Moorman, professor of plant pathology

Robert Nuss, professor of horticulture

David Suchanic, Penn State Cooperative Extension educator

Emelie Swackhamer, Penn State Cooperative Extension educator

Edited for use here by:

Sharon P. Flynt, Agent for Horticulture, Scott Co. Cooperative Extension, University of KY,

CAFE

KENTUCKY FRUIT FACTS

Kentucky Fruit Facts is a monthly newsletter from Univer-

sity of Kentucky Horticulture Departments’ Extension Spe-

cialist John Strang. Every month newsletter has infor-

mation on the latest on fruit crop development, diseases

and insects, along with a listing from around the state of

workshop and meetings of interest to fruit growers.

Geared to commercial producers of fruit, home fruit grow-

ers can gain much knowledge from the publication as well.

If you would like to receive the complete monthly newslet-

ter, please call our office and ask to be put on the Fruit

Facts Newsletter mailing list or send your information to

me at sflynt@uky.edu. Below you will find an excerpt from

the July 2017 Newsletter.

Fruit Crop News

John Strang, U.K. Extension Horticulturist, Ric Bessin,

U.K. Extension Entomologist, and Matt Dixon, U.K. Ag

Meteorologist

The heat units necessary for fruit crop development have

accumulated very rapidly as reported in the March-April

Fruit Facts and our fruit crops continue to develop well

ahead of schedule.

Figure 1 shows Lexington heat unit accumulations ex-

pressed as Growing Degree Days for 2017 in comparison

with a number of previous years.

Figure 1. Growing Degree Days

This chart shows how fortunate we were in avoiding a

severe spring frost and

drastic fruit crop losses

(2007, 2012, and 2015).

As of July 6 plant devel-

opment is running about

two weeks earlier than

normal. This translates

into earlier harvests, but it also means that some pests

are showing up considerably earlier than normal.

This is particularly true for Japanese beetles and Spotted

wing drosophila (SWD). Soil moisture from June through

August greatly affects the capability Japanese beetles to

emerge, lay eggs and for the eggs to survive. The wet

spring and summer the last three seasons has led to high

Japanese beetle numbers in some areas and this has tak-

en some growers by surprise. Spotted wing drosophila

trap catches have occurred particularly early this year and

the mild winter allowed many more than normal to winter

over. This has resulted in very high levels of egg laying.

Some blackberry and blueberry growers have already

been alarmed to find high populations of worms in their

fruit.

This is not good for consumer confidence in Kentucky

produce and can ruin our market. Many blueberry grow-

ers have not sprayed for SWD in the past, but this year

may be an exception. Test for SWD in your fruit before

taking them to market. Weekly preventative sprays are

necessary for blackberry production and may be neces-

sary for blueberry producers this season once this pest is

trapped because of excessive numbers of SWD. Back-

yard growers may cover their plants with a fine meshed

netting to avoid spraying. See the article by Ric Bessin

on SWD that follows.

Apple growers have generally been feeling pretty

good about the crop so far. Expected fire blight infec-

tions based on high chances of infection throughout

bloom generally resulted in few infections. Most other

pests with the exception of Japanese beetles and Ce-

dar apple rust have been at normal levels. I have no-

tices an outbreak of Woolly apple aphids in our univer-

sity orchard here in Lexington and we have sprayed

for them with Movento (PHI 7 days). I am a little per-

plexed by this buildup since we did not spray any syn-

thetic pyrethroid sprays last or this season which kills

Woolly apple aphid natural predators.

The peach harvest and early apple harvest are going

well. Peaches are in high demand due to a tremen-

dous crop loss in Georgia and South Carolina

caused by a lack of winter chilling and spring freezes.

The strawberry crop this year was a difficult one for

growers. Many plasticulture growers that planted on time

ended up with larger than normal plants with too many

branch crowns due to the mild winter. This resulted in

smaller than normal fruit. Excessive rainfall made har-

vest difficult and drastically increased fruit decay prob-

lems after harvest. Many matted row strawberry growers

also had problems with excessive rain, U-Pick customer

turnout, and smaller than normal fruit size. As a result

some fruit did not did not get harvested.

*MGV = Master Gardener Volunteer CEU=Certified Educational Unit

DATE CLASS TIME COST

August 24 Not too Late for Veggies—Planning & Planting a Fall garden.

Salad crops and more will revive your fading summer garden.

Learn how to get more from your garden through succession

planting.

6:00 pm Free

August 24, 2017—6:00 pm

Scott County Cooperative

Extension Office

Free—1 hour MGV CEU*

Call 502-863-0984 to Register

S ome vegetable gardens are in full swing producing plenty of tomatoes, corn, and squash.

However, August is the perfect time to tear out the vegetable plants that have borne their last

fruit and start planning and planting for your fall garden.

If fall gardening is new to you, plan to join me on August 24, 6:00 at the Scott County Cooperative

Extension office for a class on how to get started. If you don ’t grow your own fresh veggies,

but love to eat them, the Scott County Farmers’ Market is a great place to visit every Saturday

morning (opens at 9:00 a.m.) at the corner of North Broadway and Washington Street in the

Georgetown city parking lot to pick up anything from fresh cantaloupe to a hand knitted

sweater, all Kentucky Proud, of course.

If you cannot get to the market on Saturday morning, check out our newest farmers’ market in

Stamping Ground. It’s on Fridays from 4:00-7:00 p.m. located in front of the Stamping

Ground Elementary School. Take a nice, scenic drive down Highway 227 on an early Friday

evening and check out what they have; you will be supporting our local farmers and entrepreneurs.

Hope to see you at one of our Farmers’ Markets!

Sharon P. Flynt Agent for Horticulture Scott Co. Cooperative Extension sflynt@uky.edu

6

Farmer’s Market Skillet Bake 1/2 small onion, finely 2 cups shredded 4 medium sized

Chopped mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced divided 1 teaspoon salt

4-5 small red potatoes, 1 medium summer 1 teaspoon pepper

Sliced squash, sliced 5 fresh basil leaves, finely

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium zucchini, sliced chopped, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare

onion, garlic and sliced potatoes (about 1/2

inch thick). Heat olive oil over medium heat

in a 10 or 12-inch oven safe skillet. Add on-

ion, garlic, and potatoes to pan and stir to

coat with oil. Cook over medium heat, stir-

ring occasionally until golden brown and

tender. Add 1 cup mozzarella cheese. In a

bowl, toss together the squash, zucchini

and tomatoes with salt, pepper, and half of

the finely chopped basil. Layer squash and

tomato slices over the potato and cheese

layer. Top with remaining mozzarella

cheese. Bake 35 minutes or until vegetables

are tender and cheese is melted. Remove

skillet from oven and top with remaining

basil.

Yield: 8, 1 cup servings

Nutritional Analysis: 200 calories, 8 g fat, 4

g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 490 mg

sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g

sugars, 10 g protein.