Dial-a-Garden Message

for the Week of Monday, September 21, 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 Tuesday, September 22, 2009.

With the recent rains and drop in temperature, the evapotranspiration rate has dropped to about nine tenths of an inch. Cool season lawns only need to be watered once this week. Overall, it is time to begin reducing the frequency of watering to the entire landscape. Water deeply when you do water. The exception is the vegetable garden; while it is still producing it still needs even moisture.

We’re very pleased to announce that Buster Cattles will again be our auctioneer for the Master Gardener Tree Auction and Plant Sale, coming up on Saturday, October 10. Buster is a well known local auctioneer with a great personality and presence, and you won’t want to miss him! Plus, you’ll be able to get some great deals for beautifying your landscape. The location is the fenced yard behind the Mesa County Extension office on the fairgrounds. The plant sale begins at 9:00, and the auction itself begins at 10:00. All proceeds benefit the Tri River Area Master Gardener Scholarship Program, which encourages our Advanced Master Gardeners to further their horticulture education. The trees and other plants are generously donated by local nurseries, and we won’t know what we’ll have until they arrive.

We do currently have lavender plants for sale, for $5.00 each. The proceeds from this sale will help us continue our lavender research at our Mesa County office. If you are interested in growing lavender, you might want to join the Lavender Association of Western Colorado, an organization of lavender lovers that promotes growing and marketing in our area. Visit their website at www.coloradolavender.org for more information.

The winter annual weeds are those that germinate in the fall, go dormant in the winter, and come back to set seeds in the spring. Redstem filaree (Erodium cicutarium) and downy brome (aka cheatgrass, Anisantha tectorum or Bromus tectorum) are two common examples of winter annuals in Western Colorado. These weeds are actively growing now, and can be cut below the soil surface, pulled or sprayed to help reduce their numbers in the spring. Perennial and biennial weeds can also be treated now. They are drawing energy in the form of carbohydrates down into their roots in preparation for winter, and herbicides will translocate into the roots as well.

The annual weeds such kochia (Kochia scoparia) and puncture vine (aka goathead, Tribulus terrestris) are nearing the end of their life cycle, putting energy into seed formation. These plants will not be very responsive to herbicides that are applied now. Remove them manually or mechanically at this time if you can do so without scattering seeds. Burning these weeds usually does not kill the seeds; it is only useful for destroying the plant.

The Apprentice Master Gardener course takes place each winter, to train the people who will be working with us in the Tri River Area offices over the next spring and summer. Apprentice Master Gardeners commit to a minimum of 50 hours, working with the agents and staff to provide research based horticulture information to the community. We answer gardening questions, examine plant, soil, and water samples, and maintain our extensive demonstration gardens. This year’s class begins on Thursday, January 14, and continues every Thursday through March. Topics covered in the course include soils, irrigation, basic plant science, insects, diseases, weed identification and control, trees and shrubs, lawn care and problems, vegetables, herbs, native plants, and more. The cost is still only $125.00, or the course is available for no additional commitment for $425.00. The classes are taught in Grand Junction, but the return hours are in our Mesa, Delta, and Montrose County offices. To learn more about this exciting program, please give me a call at 244-1841, or visit our web page at www.westernslopegardening.org for more details.

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