Rick Durham, Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky
 
Summer pruning to keep annuals and perennials blooming.

Many flower gardens are in full bloom with annual and perennial plants giving a great show of color. But soon these same plants will start to decline. Once a plant begins to set seed, energy from photosynthesis will be diverted to this process rather than to continued growth and flowering. Summer pruning, or deadheading, should be done to remove spent flowers and encourage the plants to continue growth and flowering. With a small bed of flowers, deadheading can be done on a continual basis by pinching off declining flowers. This will help ensure a never ending cascade of flowers throughout the summer. For larger beds, entire groups of plants can be pruned with shears or other mechanical means to encourage new growth and flowering. During pruning don't forget to remove dead or diseased foliage as well. It is also good practice to remove the prunings from the garden since decaying plant material will serve as a host for disease and give pests a place to hide. After pruning, be sure to keep plants well watered and fertilized. With proper care, your plants will soon be putting on another great show of color for your garden.
 

Watch for fire blight on apples and pears.

Fire blight is a bacterial disease that is devastating to susceptible apples, pears, and crabapples. The disease is often spread from tree to tree by bees as they pollinate flowers in the spring. From the flower, the bacteria move down the stem and spread into surrounding leaf tissue. As this happens, the terminal portion of the plant dies and is very noticeable in the otherwise green canopy of the tree. This is where the disease gets its name because the infected branches look as if they have been scorched with fire. Such diseased branches should be removed as soon as possible to prevent the bacteria from spreading further down the stem. Since the bacteria move in advance of tissue damage, diseased branches should be cut 6-8 inches below the lowest sign of infection. It is also wise to disinfect pruners between cuts by coating them with a solution of either 10% bleach or 70% ethanol. This will prevent the spread of disease to newly pruned areas.
 

Divide daffodils for increased bloom.

Daffodils usually produce their best show of blooms for 3-5 years after planting. Each season, the bulbs growing underground naturally divide to produce offsets resulting in a bigger and bigger clump of foliage. Unfortunately, as they become crowded, daffodils produce fewer blooms. If your daffodils are forming big clumps of foliage with fewer and smaller blooms, it may be time dig and divide them. The best time to dig most spring-flowering bulbs, like daffodils, is after the foliage has yellowed and is beginning to die. This usually occurs in June but you can postpone digging until the end of August as long as you remember where the bulbs are located. If you choose to wait until August, it would be wise to place some sort of marker indicating where the bulbs are located while the foliage is still present. When you dig, remember that the bulbs may be growing anywhere from 4-8 inches deep. A shovel will work best for digging up the entire clump. Once dug, remove excess soil and divide the clump of bulbs so that only one or two bulbs are left together. The bulbs can be replanted immediately or may be stored in a cool dry location until late summer or early fall.
 

There are strange things growing in my mulch.

Each year we get several reports from people who find things growing in the mulch they use around the landscape. Sometimes these organisms are downright bizarre-like the dog vomit fungus that makes a dinner-plate sized colony of orange/yellow growth. Another is the artillery fungus that shoots tiny black spores onto the surface of surrounding structures (buildings, cars, etc.). Generally speaking, these fungi are only a nuisance and are not harmful to plants growing around them. Furthermore, they are short lived and usually complete their life cycles in a few days to a few weeks and then disappear. If you would like to avoid the growth of such fungi, here are some suggestions. Use mulch that has been thoroughly composted-you can tell the composting is thorough if the mulch does not heat up when left in a pile for a few days. Use mulch that is high in bark content and low in wood content since most of these fungi prefer to feed on decaying wood. Keep the mulch moist since this promotes the growth of non-nuisance bacteria and fungi that out compete the nuisance fungi for nutrients. Do not mulch more than about 2 inches deep. Avoid sour mulch that smells strongly of vinegar since this can be a good medium for nuisance fungi and sour mulch will also harm landscape plants.
 

Integrated pest management in the home vegetable garden.

Integrated pest management, or IPM, involves a number of different strategies to combat pest problems. Successful IPM programs will combine selecting the right plant varieties with good cultural practices and when necessary, the judicious use of pesticides or organic alternatives. In home vegetable gardens these practices might include natural pest resistance, cultural control, mechanical control, sanitary control, biological control, and chemical control.
    Natural pest resistance is one of the most effective yet easiest control strategies in the IPM arsenal. Plant breeders are continually trying to improve varieties to make them more pest resistant. A good example is tomato. If you look at a tomato seed packet you will see various letters designating resistance to specific disease, i.e, F - resistance to fusarium wilt (usually race 1), FF - resistance to fusarium wilt (races 1 & 2), N - resistance to nematodes, T - resistance to tobacco mosaic virus, and V - resistance to verticillium wilt. Thanks to the work of plant breeders, gardeners (and commercial vegetable producers) who select varieties with these designations will not need to worry about control of the specific corresponding diseases. Remember, however, that few "perfect" plants exist that are resistant to all pest. One will still need to plan for control of other pests to which these varieties are susceptible. For further information about specific vegetable cultivars and their naturally occurring disease resistance, contact you county cooperative extension agent and ask for ID-133, Vegetable Cultivars for Kentucky Gardens.
    Cultural control is another very effective strategy aimed at preventing or lessening pest problems. Crop rotation is a good example of cultural control. Many closely related vegetable species share common insect and disease pests. When closely related species such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes, are grown in the same site year after year, there can be a build up of pests in that area. This is especially true of soil-borne diseases and nematodes to which the previous group of vegetables (all members of the nightshade family or Solanaceae) are particularly susceptible. To reduce build up of the disease organisms in the soil, one would want to rotate other unrelated crops to this site periodically. A good rule is to make sure that the same or related crop is not planted in the same sight more than once every three years. Other aspects of cultural control include making sure there is proper fertility and moisture to promote plant health. Healthy, vigorous plants are much better able to withstand pest pressure. But remember what they say about too much of a good thing...too much fertility and/or water (or too little sun in shady locations) will make plants grow too rapidly and produce growth that is overly soft and succulent. Insects and diseases will see such growth as the dessert section of the vegetable garden.
    Mechanical control takes several forms. The use of barriers is one form of mechanical control. How many of us have lost prized transplants to cutworms in the spring? Did you know that a short collar (about 3 inches high) made or cardboard or aluminum foil placed around the base of transplants can protect them from cutworms? Netting used to discourage or prevent birds and deer from feeding would be another example of mechanical control. Another easy method of mechanical control, although repulsive to some, is simply removing insects by hand and dealing with them appropriately. A word of caution about mechanical control. There are traps for certain insects that are reported to reduce insect numbers in the garden by attracting them with special scents or pheromones, then either killing the insects or preventing the insects from leaving. Such traps may actually result in increasing the numbers of insects in the garden by attracting them from surrounding areas.
    Sanitary control involves removal of overripe produce from the garden, or removal of disease infested plants. Some insects and disease may get their start on overly ripe fruit or an ailing plant, then spread to other areas of the garden as the pest numbers increase. Take care to remove such material from the garden and not just pull it and leave it on the ground. If left on the ground the pest will surely spread to other areas of the garden. The same can be said for culled produce that is deemed unworthy for the dinner table. Get it out of the garden, and don't just fling it over into the sweet corn where it will be unnoticed. Pest will notice. It is best not to add severely diseased material to a compost pile but those two-foot long zucchini that you picked (and won't eat) should be just fine.
    Biological control makes use of naturally occurring organisms that feed on or parasitize pest organisms. Probably the most famous biological control agent is the lady beetle whose larvae have a voracious appetite for aphids. Lacewing larvae also consume aphids and other small pests. Biological control agents, or beneficial organisms, are almost always present in the garden. The question is whether their numbers are high enough to offer an affective control. You see, for there to be lots of beneficial organisms, there must also be lots of pests for them to feed on. Usually the population of beneficial organisms will somewhat lag behind the pest population. Many beneficial organisms can be purchased commercially, however, the effectiveness of introducing these predators into the garden is uncertain. The introduction of eggs or especially larvae is usually more effective than introducing adults which may fly away. A better strategy is to limit spraying insecticides in the garden which will adversely impact beneficial organisms and use some of the above strategies to help keep the pest numbers low.
    Chemical control is often an integral part of the pest management strategy, however, the use of chemicals is by no means a guarantee for pest-free vegetables. More and more insects are becoming resistant to insecticides and in some cases, adult insects may be difficult or impossible to control because of their feeding habits and protective coverings. There are many types of pesticides readily available for purchase at your local garden center or hardware store. Don't be fooled into thinking that the available nature of these compounds means they are relatively non toxic to humans and pets. Also be aware that even if you choose an organic approach, some of the compounds used may be hazardous, such as rotenone, a botanical pesticide that can be highly toxic to animals and beneficial insects. IN ALL CASES, READ AND FOLLOW THE LABEL DIRECTIONS. These compounds can be used safely when handled according to labeled directions. And remember to check the label for protective clothing that should be worn during application, how long one should wait after application before entering the treated area, and how long one should wait after application before harvest.
    Remember, the IPM approach will consider all of these alternatives when combating pest problems in the garden and make use of the safest, most appropriate method for the given situation. For more information regarding control of pests in the garden, ask your county cooperative extension agent for ID-128, Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky .