Hunt County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Controlling Grasshoppers

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Controlling Grasshoppers by Stephanie Suesan Smith, Ph.D.

Grasshoppers are once again so prevalent this year that they seem to be taking over the landscape.  They are more prevalent in dry years because in wet years spring rains drown eggs and nymphs (baby grasshoppers).  Since we have had very little rain, however, most of the grasshoppers have survived to cause us problems.

The best product to kill grasshoppers on a long term basis is NOLO bait.  It contains a protozoan (Nosema locustae) that infests the grasshoppers.  It kills the small ones and makes the bigger ones sick, so they do not eat as much or reproduce as much.  It is completely specific to grasshoppers and will not hurt birds, pets, or other animals, even if they eat the dead grasshoppers.  In addition, it will kill grasshoppers that feed on dead grasshoppers who are infected with the protozoan.  NOLO bait is allowed in organic gardening.

NOLO bait is most effective when applied to nymphs and eggs.  It does not do as much to large grasshoppers.  It is also relatively slow to act, so a grasshopper can do a lot of damage before dying.

The other choice is to actively spray the grasshoppers.  Spraying them with sprays containing carbaryl or permethrin are allowed on both vegetables and other crops and will kill the grasshoppers quickly.  However, they do not have a long residual effect and must be reapplied frequently or after a rain.  In addition, they kill other, beneficial insects as well as the grasshoppers.  They are also not allowed in organic gardening.

Grasshoppers are one of the most difficult insect pests to control because they are so mobile.  When you kill the ones on your garden or ornamental landscape, more just fly in and start munching away.  For best results, remember to start control early in the season when the nymphs are small and to be persistent in your control efforts.

Spider Mites

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Spider Mites by Stephanie Suesan Smith, Ph.D.

Spider mites are common pest problems, especially for indoor plants.  They suck out the sap from leaves and leave behind bruises and other problems.  This may make the leaves become discolored or even drop prematurely.  If enough leaves drop, the plant dies.

Regular insecticides will not kill spider mites.  They are arachnids, not insects.  You must use a special chemical called a miticide to kill them.  First, though, you need to understand their life history to know what you are up against.

Spider mites are small and can be difficult to see with the naked eye.  Their colors range from red and brown to yellow and green, depending on the species of mite and the time of year.  Many spider mites produce webbing, or webs, when they are present in great quantities.  It is usually this webbing that catches the eye of plant owners.

The most important mite is the twospotted spider mite.  This is the mite that attacks indoor plants, vegetables, fruits, and outdoor flowers.  It produces a lot of webbing.

Spider mites develop from eggs, which are usually laid near the veins of leaves.  Most spider mite eggs are round and extremely large in proportion to their mother.  After the eggs hatch, they remain stuck to the leaves and can be useful in diagnosing the presence of spider mites.

Most spider mite activity peaks in the summer.  Spider mites can become full grown in as little as a week after being born.   After mating, females may produce a dozen eggs daily for a couple of weeks.  You can see how this rate of reproduction can rapidly overtake a plant.

Dry conditions favor spider mites.  They feed more.  At the same time, most of their natural enemies have trouble living under very dry conditions, so the spider mites reproduce unmolested.

Spider mites are hard to control.  There are natural enemies such as a small, dark-colored lady beetle known as a “spider mite destroyers”, pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs, and predatory thrips.  Other mites also eat spider mites.  One of the reasons spider mites may get out of control is that common pesticides kill the predators of mites but not the mites themselves.

One thing that helps control spider mites is adequate watering during dry periods.  This helps the plants resist spider mites, and the water itself can blow spider mites off the plant.  Most pesticides are ineffective on spider mites.  The most effective pesticide is the use of horticultural oils at the summer rate.  Great care must be taken to get the oil on all leaf and stem surfaces to kill the spider mites.  Since horticultural oils do not kill eggs, the treatment should be repeated in seven days to kill the newly hatched mites.

Growing Okra

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Growing Okra by Wanda Loras

For me, the best meal ever is fried okra, pinto beans with ham hock, fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and corn bread.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Of course, it is best if the vegetables are home grown in order to get to this level of culinary enjoyment.

For okra it is important to work damp not wet soil to a depth of 8 to10 inches. If the soil sticks to your tools it is too wet.  For the best yields, prepare your beds in full sunlight two to three weeks after all danger of frost has passed.  Apply 2-3 lbs. of 10-10-10 or 15-5-10 fertilizer and work into the top 4” of soil.  Plant seeds 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart.  Space the rows three feet apart.  When okra has grown about one inch, thin out to one foot spacing.

According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, varieties of okra that grow best in Texas are (Compacts: Annie Oakley, Blondy, Prelude, Long Pod Dwarf), (Heirloom: Stewart’s Zeebest),  and Cajun Delight, Clemson Spineless, Emerald, Green Best, Lee, Louisiana Green, Burgundy, and Velvet.

When the okra plant is about 2 months old it will produce a large flower. Three to four days after they bloom the pods will be three to four inches long and ready to harvest.  After the first harvest apply fertilizer again between the rows.   Apply 1 cup for each 10 feet, scratch in lightly and water.  To insure your pods will be tender, pick them every 1 to 2 days. This will also help the plants produce more pods.  When you see a pod that is too big and tough, pick it and discard it or put it in your compost.  The plant energy should go towards making new edible pods instead of making tough pods bigger.  However, at the end of okra’s growing season, if you want to save seeds for the next spring, let some pods grow very large.  Pick the oversized pods and let them dry.  Shell the seeds and keep in a cool dry place.

Although okra does fairly well under dry conditions, it will yield more if you water about every seven to ten days.  Sandy soil will require more frequent watering.

Diseases on okra are more severe in cloudy damp weather.  Check daily and if applicable treat with Neem oil, sulfur, or other fungicides.  Be sure and follow label directions.

If Aphids or Stink bugs are a real problem, treat with insecticide.   Malathion for Aphids and Sevin for Stink bugs.   Organic options available at garden centers include BT-based insecticides and sulfur.   Always follow label cautions, warnings and directions.

I grew up helping to tend a very large garden.  Okra played an important role.  One year when it was time to start harvesting, I was elected to do the honors.  I was so happy my siblings thought I was mature enough to take on the responsibility. Since I was the youngest of eleven, I had no idea what was in store for me.  I soon found out why I was so honored.  I itched all night.  I learned the hard way for sensitive skin it is absolutely necessary to dress appropriately with long pants, long sleeves and gloves.  It is a little scratchy to say the least.  It was pay back time for my brothers and sisters.

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Blackberries

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Blackberries by PJ LaRue Smith.

Blackberries of the wild type (sometimes referred to as ‘dewberries’ or brambles) are typically considered a curse to those who seek to cultivate the land for livestock forage.  Even the home gardener will struggle with this plant when attempting to tame the landscape into the garden of their dreams.

These native perennials (of which there are ten listed species) can either be ground hugging or upright and thicket forming like Rosaceae oklahomus.  Spread of these plants happens not only via natural seed dispersal, but through the creation of “daughter” plants when the stem tips come into continued, close contact with the soil.  Typically, the white, one inch, five petaled blooms can be seen during April and May, with the dark purple, ¾ to 1” berries ripening by mid-June.  Wildlife enjoy these fruits, but they have little/no value for livestock; overtake hay meadows and rangeland quickly; and will cause access problems if left to develop into large thickets.

Eradicating blackberries from the above-mentioned areas can be quite difficult.  Proper timing of herbicide application tends to be one of the most significant factors in controlling blackberry plants.  Spraying with the proper herbicide (at the proper rate) early in the spring just after the plants leaf out produces better control in areas where these plants are not desired.

At this point, it bears mentioning that these berries are a perfectly edible and tasty treat for humankind as well.  If they are producing this spring, and you’ve not had a chance to spray for control, then why not enjoy the fruits?  (Not to mention it will lessen the seed dispersal!)  After they are done with production, mow them down and keep them mowed until the time next spring when spraying will be more successful.

Cultivated blackberries and raspberries, while similar to the native varieties, have been bred for the specific purpose of human consumption.  Many of the cultivated varieties are thornless, some are not as prone to suckering, and almost all of these hybrid varieties will bear larger and more storage tolerant berries than their wild relatives.

Of the recommended varieties for the northeast area of Texas those with thorns are as follows:  Brazos, ‘Rosborough’, ‘Womack’, ‘Kiowa’, ‘Choctaw’, and ‘Chickasaw’.  For those who prefer the thornless blackberry, the ‘Arapaho, ‘Navaho’, ‘Ouachita’, ‘Apache’, and a relatively new variety ‘Natchez’ (released in 2007) are top contenders.

Blackberries, being part of the Rosaceae (rose) family, do have a few disease issues, namely rust and leaf spot. Insect pests such as aphids and spidermites are common amongst all varieties.  For those who grow these plants a word of caution – the same birds that eat these berries also eat poison ivy berries (as well as hackberry, juniper, etc.).  When picking berries, or working with the vines, pay close attention to the leaves and wear gloves.

A couple of notes on picking.  1.) Wear a latex-free glove on your dominant hand (the one that you write with) to maintain the necessary dexterity for collecting the berries.  On the other hand, use a thorn proof, leather glove to move aside any canes in the way of the berries.  2.) As with most fruit, picking early in the morning will net the better flavored yield.  3.) Get the berries into a cool environment as quick as possible for the best taste and longer lasting crop.

For those of you who love the flavor of blackberries, but do not care for the seeds, use of a juicer can render what is desired for the making of jellies and jams.  (My favorite way of preserving the taste of these sweet, delicate, fruits into the months ahead.)

Growing Herbs

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Growing Herbs by Diane Sidebottom

Do you love herbs? Do you REALLY love herbs? Were you meant to grow Mint? Is there Dill in your will? Do you have a tattoo of your Basil or Rue? Have you penned a rhyme about Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme? Do you really love herbs?

Chances are you love them more than you realize. Human fascination with herbs began thousands of years ago. Neolithic man used herbs for food, healing and shamanic rituals. Some were believed to have magical powers and were burned for their scent to appease the gods. Others are thought to have medicinal uses and help cure illnesses, as in folk remedies used today by many different cultures around the world. Before refrigeration, herbs were relied upon by all cultures to preserve meats and to flavor dishes. They were used to protect linens from insects, make perfumes and deodorants, and to dye homespun fabrics. Today herbal fragrances are used in cosmetics, shampoos, and lotions. And let’s not forget the use of herbs in alcoholic spirits. It is said that Hemingway did some of his best writing after drinking Absinth, which is a Wormwood concoction.

People today are mostly interested in using and growing culinary herbs. Honestly, I have found these to be the easiest garden plants to grow, especially those pricy standards that most recipes call for. Amazingly most are not only perennial (come back annually), but they live all winter as well, even outside. My rosemary, oreganos, mints, cilantro, bay, garlic chives, thyme and parsley do just fine with nothing but a layer of leaves on the ground for protection. The cilantro, basil, chives, dill, and fennel will re-seed themselves if allowed to complete the seed producing cycle. How much easier could it be!

So, herbs can be grown in pots, as ornamentals in flower beds, in vegetable gardens, anywhere you have a sunny, well drained location. They prefer 4 to 6 hours morning sun, with some afternoon protection; after all, this is Texas. Add organic matter which improves drainage and texture in clay soils, since most herbs do not like wet feet. Apply a balanced fertilizer, but avoid high nitrogen. Water weekly with a good soak of at least one inch. Mulch well to conserve moisture and reduce weeds. Think of it this way, before cultivation herbs were probably someone’s weeds. You can’t neglect them, but most are not a prima donna either.

Most culinary herbs reach their peak flavor just as the flower buds begin to open. Gather herbs in the morning after the sun has dried the dew. Gather up to 1/3 of the plant at a time since more will weaken the plant. Small quantities may be wrapped in a moist paper towel and refrigerated. Larger quantities may be dried or frozen. Do some research to determine the best process for preserving your specific herbs. Don’t forget to dig up some of the basil to bring indoors during the winter. Just put it into a pot and care for it as any other house plant.

So get out there and start an herb bed, or pot, or whatever you feel comfortable with. Just try one or two and your successes will bolster your confidence and before long, you will be growing every imaginable herb, and haunting Nurseries for any herb you don’t already grow. You will have areas for Greek herbs, Mexican herbs, French herbs, Italian herbs. You will buy herbs you have never heard of and have no idea how to use but you buy them anyway because you have this weird obsession with herbs. You will run out of space and have to create additional beds for your new acquisitions and finds…or maybe that’s just me.

So as always, happy harvesting!

Squash Bugs

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Squash Bugs by Stephanie Suesan Smith, Ph.D.

Squash bugs are some of the most frustrating pests in the home garden.  They feast on a wide array of plants in the curcubit family and can do some pretty serious damage to them.  They pierce the plants and suck out the sap, causing the plants to wilt or even die.  They are also hard to kill.  They can be controlled, though, with a little effort.

To control squash bugs, it helps to understand their life cycle.  Adult squash bugs are tiny, 5/8ths of an inch long, and winged with a grayish brown color.  The edges of the abdomen and the underside of the insect have orange to orange-brown stripes.

Squash bug eggs are really small but are laid in large groups or clusters that are easy to see.  Eggs are reddish in color and are usually laid on the underside of the leaves in the spring.  They hatch out into nymphs in about one to two weeks.  Nymphs are wingless, spiderlike, and often covered by a white powder.  They range in color from mottled white to greenish gray and have black legs.  Later, they begin to turn dark brown and resemble adults.  After molting several times into increasingly larger nymphs, they become adults.  The whole process from egg to adult takes four to six weeks.

An important cultural control is sanitation in the garden.  Remove old curcubit plants as soon as they stop producing and compost them.  Remove garden debris that may allow squash bugs to hide under it, such as boards.  At the end of the gardening season, remove all mulch and compost it or till it under in place to remove overwintering sites for the adult squash bugs. During the gardening season, regularly check under the leaves of curcubits and remove egg masses as soon as they are deposited.

If cultural controls do not suffice to keep squash bugs in check, then you will have to move to chemical controls.  The first line of chemical control is horticultural oils such as neem oil.  You must thoroughly spray the plant, reaching the undersides of each leaf and the crowns of each stem.  The horticultural oils are most effective on nymphs. You can use more toxic chemicals such as permethrin or carbaryl, but these kill beneficial insects and bees and are not really more effective than using the horticultural oils and hand picking the adults off the plants.  When you pick the adults off the plants, drop them in a jar of soapy water to kill them.

Grasshoppers

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Grasshoppers by Charles Bohmfalk

Grasshoppers are among the most widespread and damaging pests in Texas. There are about 150 species of grasshoppers in the state, but 90 percent of the damage to crops, gardens, trees and shrubs is caused by just five species.

Grasshoppers cause some damage every year, but they become very destructive during outbreaks. The main factor affecting grasshopper populations is weather. Outbreaks, or exceptionally large populations, are usually preceded by several years of hot, dry summers and warm autumns. Dry weather increases the survival of nymphs and adults. Warm autumns allow grasshoppers more time to feed and lay eggs.  The last several fall seasons were warm and dry, so this year may be especially bad for grasshoppers again in Hunt county and much of the state.

Grasshoppers have many natural enemies that help control their populations. A fungus often kills many grasshoppers when the weather is warm and humid. Another natural enemy is Nosema locustae. Its spores have been incorporated with bran to make insecticide baits. Baits kill some nymphs but almost no adults, though infected adults lay fewer eggs. Baits act too slowly and kill too few grasshoppers to be useful for immediate control.

One way to control grasshopper populations is to eliminate sites where they might deposit eggs.  Grasshoppers prefer undisturbed areas for egg laying, so tilling cropland in mid- to late summer discourages females. Tilling may reduce soil moisture and contribute to erosion, but those disadvantages must be weighed against potential grasshopper damage to the next crop.

Controlling summer weeds in fallow fields has two benefits:  1) Reducing the food supply for nymphs.  2) Reducing the food supply for egg-laying adults.

The following website contains more detailed information on control of grasshoppers and baits:  Grasshoppers and Their Control

The website lists many control products and how to use them.  Always read and follow manufacturer’s directions.

Water Conservation

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Water Conservation by Byron Chitwood

Right now, it’s anybody’s guess as to whether we are in the beginning, middle or nearing the end of an extended drought.  If I had to, I would guess that we will experience chronic water problems from now on.  We have some factors that contribute to the shortage of one of our most precious resources.  Thus, we should learn to use what we have more frugally.

There are many reasons for water shortages and I will go into some of them.  First, this country has grown to more than three times the population when I was a wee kid.  Second, we use more water per capita than ever.  Everybody likes a nice green lawn with plenty of bushes, flower beds and trees.  All of them take water.  Third, most water supplies such as lakes have limited capacity and they are gradually losing some of that capacity due to silting.  Fourth, very few lakes are being built.  The permitting process is a very lengthy one involving governments, legal entanglements, environmental concerns and lack of good available sites to build dams and lakes. A prime example of the time it takes to build a lake is the proposed Bois de Arc Lake near Bonham.  I attended a Rotary meeting in Bonham about five years ago and the program was all about the proposed lake.  It was stated that the project was very near to starting.  One old timer in the room made the comment that he moved to Bonham fifty years ago and that same statement was being made then.

Therefore, we must “use what we got” to conserve what “we got”.  If you are a vegetable gardener, try to time when to plant seeds by listening to weather forecasts.  If you can get seeds in the ground the day before a rain or shower, the seeds will more than likely germinate before the next rain.  Do not let the soil get dry before the seeds have germinated.  The best way to water at this stage of the seed germination if it doesn’t rain is do what I refer to as survival watering.  Just hand water to keep the soil moist enough to get the plants started.  All the experts say to only water once per week and then water enough to equal a one inch rain.  However, if your soil has had a lot of organic material into it, it will not hold water for a week, especially if the weather is hot.  Just hand water when the soil needs it or the plants are showing a little stress.  When the plants have grown a few inches tall, mulch with shredded leaves, newspaper or some other organic material.  This will conserve water since evaporation will be reduced.  Also, the organic material will eventually compost and add to the enrichment of the soil.  Watch for signs of nitrogen deficiency of your plants since the organic material will rob some nitrogen from the soil while composting.  Use high nitrogen, slow release fertilizer that will only need to be applied once during the growing cycle.

Select plants for the landscape that require little water.  Also, raise the blade of your lawnmower that will help conserve water.  There are brochures at your local AgriLife headquarters that will help you make selections.  Spend a few bucks on a rainwater harvesting system.  Conserve what we got.

Garden Tour Houses: Craig Black House

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The 2014 Hunt County Master Gardener’s Garden Tour is May 31, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  Tickets are on sale from Master Gardeners, Steve’s Nursery, the Extension Office and The Garden Center in Greenville.  One of the featured homes is the garden of H. Craig Black at 3090 Owl’s Roost, Greenville.  The following is a description and invitation from Mr. Black to visit his English garden on the tour.

“I purchased this two acre tract in 1991.  The entire property was utterly wild, unimproved East Texas “jungle”.  A car couldn’t even be pulled off the road onto the property such was the vegetation.  I put in the sweat equity of doing the clearing, tree removal and tree trimming.  The original house was completed in the fall of 2001.  In 2002-2003 the house was renovated and substantially enlarged.

Over time, I, with the frequent and priceless assistance of my father, built the fencing, the stone columns, the decks and pergolas, laid the stones for the beds, the brick for the front sidewalk and did the planning and planting for the garden.

The front gardens were initially created 12 to 15 years ago and consist of shrubs, roses, annuals and various perennials with fountains.  Informal plantings, some massed and some variable.  Other than the themes of massed begonias in some beds, the remainder is often the product of my wandering about with a shovel and a wheelbarrow of plants looking for a promising (empty) spot.

The east lawns (to the right of the driveway as you enter) are merely grass with potted plants and benches.  This area was created in 2013 when my father and I installed this addition to the sprinkler system and laid the sod.

The back gardens are a Texas variance on English borders.  The back gardens were laid out by me in the winter of 2002-2003.  Planting began that same winter and continues to date.  The borders are filled with shrubs on a repeating pattern for consistency of theme and layered to create a sense of privacy and solitude.  Over time, disease (the warnings about red tip photinias and yellow euonymus are all too true) has taken some shrubs.  In filling the gaps I am attempting to utilize plants that more readily accept our challenging climate.  Also, I took the opportunity of the loss to create “windows” in the “walls” affording “views” of the north acre behind…an attempt at vista views of a Northeast Texas parkland venue.  The fronts of the borders are planted with perennials and annuals in various color schemes and types.  The borders are bounded by a gravel walkway with lawn area on the interior.  Also in the interior area is a raised bed with a pond and waterfall and other plantings.

The north acre, discussed briefly above, contains the green house that my father and I built, the vegetable garden, the large dog house and the memorial to my first Great Pyrenees, Dar (the gravestone and bench are in the northwest corner of the acre).  There is no lawn or planting (other than the vegetable garden) here, but it is a very pleasant place in which to walk at dusk or any evening.

The goal was to create a peaceful English garden or at least an approximation of an English garden in our blistering climate.  I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I have creating, planting and maintaining it.”

Craig Black Garden

Craig Black garden