Dial-a-Garden Message

for the Week of Monday, July 20, 2009

Susan Rose, Horticulture Education Specialist
Colorado State University Extension Tri River Area

Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message was recorded on Monday, July 20, 2009.

The evapotranspiration rate for the past week is approximately 1 2/3 inches of water, calculated for Kentucky bluegrass in the Grand Valley. Water two to three times this week to replace this amount, which represents the combined water loss from evaporation and transpiration.

The Mesa County Extension office is serving as a drop-off point for the Grow Another Row campaign. If your garden is producing more than you can use, please consider donating the excess which goes to area food banks. The produce should be in edible condition. You may drop off your donated fruit or veggies on Monday or Thursday, up until 4:00 p.m., at the patio on the north side of our office; if the weather is very hot, we’ll bring it indoors.

Codling moth treatments for apples and pears should not be neglected. Once the larvae of this insect get into the fruit, it is inedible. Homeowners need to apply carbaryl or permethrin every seven to ten days, making sure to cover the fruit thoroughly. Frequent applications are necessary because as the fruit grows the protective layer of insecticide thins out. It is best to apply the treatments during the cooler evening hours, to help prevent spray burn. The codling moth takes advantage of areas where fruits are touching each other or are tightly covered by leaves. Ornamental pome fruit trees such as crabapples can also be habitat for this insect; even very small fruit is sometimes attacked. Check the fruit on these trees; codling moth “stings” are easily noticeable. Information on the control of insect pests in apples and pears may be found at www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05519.html or give the Master Gardeners a call at 244-1836.

Leaf scorch, a condition where leaf margins or the area between the veins becomes dehydrated, is an indication that there is a water uptake problem. It is very common in aspen but also occurs in many other trees and shrubs. Typically, there has been root loss due to a dry winter, but root damage from trenching or digging, or any other disruption of the vascular system can also cause the problem. Although this last winter seemed unusually wet, the moisture did not penetrate deeply in most areas so some root loss did occur. The problem is also more common on young plants that do not yet have a well-established root system. Overwatering during the spring and summer contributes to the problem, as new roots cannot grow without oxygen in the soil. Trees will develop scorch when they are watered only at the crown, instead of over the entire root zone. Further information on this condition and its management is available at www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/leafscorch.html or by calling our office at 244-1836.

Curly top virus and other viral diseases have begun showing up in tomatoes. Once a plant is infected with a virus there is nothing that can be done for it; it should be removed so that the disease does not spread to nearby plants. If you think you’re having a problem with your tomatoes or other garden plants, please bring in a sample to the Colorado State University Extension office for identification. Keep it fresh and cool; dehydrated samples are much harder to diagnose.

Master Gardener diagnosticians meet in each of our offices each week to evaluate the samples that have come in during the previous week and make recommendations. When you bring in samples, please fill out the sample information sheet as thoroughly as possible; the more information we have, the better we’ll be able to help.

The Grand Valley Garden Tour committee is looking for future gardens of interest, for the 2010 tour and beyond. If you’d like to show off your green thumb and all your hard work and be featured on an upcoming tour, please get in touch with me at susan.rose@mesacounty.us or 244-1841.

Give us a call with your yard and garden questions; we’ll do our best to help. You can reach us in Mesa County at 244-1836; in Delta County at 874-2195; and in Montrose and Ouray Counties at 249-3935. We’re open Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 except for major holidays.

Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message will be updated next week; have a great week!

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