Grass Buzzers—Green June Beetles, Blue-Winged Wasps and Cicada Killers

2

Squash Pests 3

Non Harmful Tree Conditions 4

August Quick Tips 6

Recipe: Mozzarella Basil Chicken with Roasted Grape Tomatoes

6

Vegetable Gardener’s Calendar for Central Kentucky

7

Keep It Fresh 7

Heat Exhaustion vs Heat Stroke PSA

8

2020 Gardener’s Toolbox Registration

9

Inside this issue:

By The Yard Cooperative Extension Service

Fayette County Extension

1140 Harry Sykes Way

Lexington, KY 40504

Phone (859) 257-5582

Email: DL_CES_Fayette@email.uky.edu

August, 2020

HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER

It is so hard to believe that we are already hitting the dog days of summer! Summer annuals have hit their prime, warm season vegetables are in full stride, fall crops of cool season veggies have begun to go in, pollinators are playing in the perennials, and the rest of the bugs…well…they are ABUNDANT! Don’t get us started on the bugs, it makes the chigger and mosquito bites itch more.

We here at Fayette Extension are trying to do our part in helping slow down COVID while still being available to you for help with your questions. Therefore you can still catch us via phone or email, or you can stop by the office with your samples and questions, just ring the doorbell when you arrive.

For our programs and classes, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, each event is being handled differently than normal and each on a case by case basis. While you can still sign up for Gardener’s Toolbox classes, please plan on it being something other than an in-person class. For each class you are registered for, you will receive an email instructing you on the final details of how that class is being handled.

As it has been for months now and continues to be, all of our decisions are made based on guidance from the University of Kentucky and while following CDC guidelines, all while keeping everyone’s safety the top priority.

In all the chaos that is life right now, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses, stare at the sunflowers, or eat a tomato still hot from the sun. Please continue to watch and interact with our social media to stay up to date! We appreciate your patience and understanding as we all continue navigating this situation.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, Jamie Dockery, Fayette County Extension Agent for Horticulture, jamie.dockery@uky.edu Carrie Spry, Fayette County Horticulture Technician, carrie.spry@uky.edu

Plan of action for Gardener’s Toolbox Classes Programs for August

Low Maintenance Lawn Care ~ Thursday, August 13th: We will personally record a video that covers this topic thoroughly that will be available for you to view at your convenience. An email containing the video link will be sent closer to time.

Dividing Perennials ~Tuesday, August 25th : We will personally record a video that covers this topic thoroughly that will be available for you to view at your convenience. An email containing the video link will be sent closer to time.

Photo: Carrie Spry, Fayette County

Horticulture Technician

EMG Volunteer

Training Update The difficult

decision has been

made to cancel the

Fayette County

Extension

Master Gardener

Volunteer Training

for 2020.

We sincerely

appreciate all of the

interest and we do

hope that you will

consider applying

the next time it is

offered in Fayette

County.

Grass Buzzers – Green June Beetles, Blue-Winged Wasps and Cicada Killers

By The Yard Page 2

Green June Beetle

Bumble bee-like buzzing and ungainly flights are recognizable characteristics of green June beetle adults (Figure 1) as they patrol in search of mates and acceptable egg-laying sites. Swarms of beetles will fly over turf and pastures that have accumulations of thatch, grass clippings, or animal manure. Females burrow several inches into the soil to lay eggs in these areas because of the abundant decaying organic matter that is the food for their larvae (white grubs). Green June beetle larvae will feed until fall. Although not root feeders, these white grubs churn the soil and can uproot developing seedlings.

Blue-winged Wasp

Blue-winged wasps (Figure 2) can be expected wherever green June beetle grubs develop. They follow the same flight patterns as the June beetles but with a very different, but beneficial, purpose. In this case, the wasps will enter the soil to lay eggs on developing larvae of

white grubs. Intent upon their task, the wasps ignore those who move among their midst. While intimidating, they sting only when provoked (mashed, swatted, or stepped on). Blue-winged wasps have dark bodies and two yellow spots on the reddish-colored first abdominal segment.

Cicada Killers

Cicada killers (Figure 3) are also intimidating. These aerial behemoths dig solitary tunnels into well-drained soil in open, sunny

areas. They are stocking their below-ground burrows with cicadas that they capture from nearby trees. Curious but stingless males will hover around those who enter their “space” but are harmless. These insects can be attracted to sounds of tractors and string trimmers, which provides a nerve-wracking experience for workers. However, they do not aggressively defend their turf.

Source: Lee Townsend, University of Kentucky, Extension Entomologist

Figure 1. Green June Beetle (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK).

Figure 2. Blue-winged wasps are important natural enemies of white grubs. Adults frequent flowers

(Photo: Lee Townsend, UK).

Figure 3 Cicada killer wasp (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK)

By The Yard Page 3

directed to the stems especially at the base. Insecticides such as sevin, methoxychlor, rotenone, pyrethrum, and malathion are labeled for squash borers. Be sure to spray the stems early in the morning or late in the evening when the blooms aren’t open. You don’t want to get insecticides into the blooms and kill the hard working pollinating bees. Physical barriers of aluminum foil or old panty hose around squash stems can also help control the borers keeping them from having access to the stems.

At the end of the season be sure to clean all squash, zucchini, pumpkin, etc. vines out of the garden and discard them far away or burn them. These provide overwinter cover for the moths and if you can kill them before the season starts you are going to have much better luck.

Another squash insect was also present Saturday along with dozens of bronze eggs stuck on the leaves. The squash bug starts out a light gray color and changes to dark grayish charcoal as it matures. Several baby squash bugs fell off the plant while I dissected the stem; they received the same fate as the borers.

Squash bugs suck plant sap and can kill plants as their population increases. I try to squash the squash bug eggs as I see them but they are really hard and are connected to the leaves tightly. The easiest way to get them is to tear that piece of leaf off and destroy it. The disease squash bugs

vector causes the most damage to cucurbits, actually much more than their feeding. As squash bugs feed on plants they inject a substance that causes it to wilt much like bacterial wilt would do.

Squash bugs take up to six weeks to reach adulthood and only lay eggs once during a season but they lay eggs over a long period of time meaning control is difficult. Also, squash bugs hide when disturbed so hand picking isn’t really an option. As with squash borers insecticide applications work best. Sevin is labeled for squash bugs as is rotenone but they both work better against the young ones.

One very effective way to reduce the number of squash bugs is to keep the plants covered with tobacco canvas (remay) until they start to bloom. This will give you several weeks of production before the squash bugs even find your plants! If you have several praying mantises in your garden give them a ride over to the squash, I have witnessed them feeding on squash bugs which makes a pretty big meal for them. Also, you will take great pleasure in watching them eat your pests!

Again, like with squash borers sanitation this year will help you next year. At the end of the season destroy all plant debris or at the very least get it far away from your garden.

Submitted by Dennis Morgeson, Agent for Horticulture, Washington Co. Cooperative Extension

I know some of you out there are having squash and zucchini problems this year and you aren’t alone. A week ago, I noticed my first and most prolific zucchini plant starting to yellow and wilt. I checked the stem to see if there were any squash borers and sure enough there were a couple a cracks in the stem and some saw dust like stem bits hanging out beside the cracks. Hoping to save the plant I stuck a sharp wire into the holes hoping to kill the borers and covered it with soil (like the University of Kentucky entomologists say). Saturday the plant was just about gone, so I pulled it up, dissected the stem and found 7 one-inch long borers about as big around as a pencil munching away! I have to admit I took great pleasure avenging my beloved zucchini plants death. Squash bugs obviously kill their host by eating the inside of the stem and they can be darn near impossible to control after they are inside (unless you don’t mind killing the plant). To control borers you need to apply an insecticide to the stems before the borers are present. As they try to burrow into the stem they eat the insecticide and die. Squash borer moths are active for about a month and a half, so you will need to spray weekly from June through July. Sprays should be

Squash Pests

By The Yard Page 4

Non Harmful Tree Conditions

Continued on Page 4

Burls

Burls are round to irregular bumps or bulges that develop on tree trunks. Their exact cause is something of a mystery. Some suggest that burls form in response to insect damage, a pathogen, or at a wound but there has been no proven cause. Some burls seem to develop from a proliferation of bud tissue that keeps multiplying instead of developing shoots.

Burls continue to grow as the tree grows. While burls do not kill trees directly they can reduce a tree's health and lifespan.

The unusual swirling grain pattern found in burls makes them prized by woodworkers. Entire burls can be carved into bowls or art objects, and thin veneers of highly patterned burlwood are used on musical instruments such as guitars.

Lichens

Lichens are a combination of a fungus with an algae or bacterium. They can be found on any non-moving substrate like rocks or woody plants.

Burls on a silver maple

• Lichens are commonly found on the bark of trees and shrubs.

• In some cases trunks and branches may be completely covered by lichens.

• This colorful coating does no harm to the plants.

• Lichens are completely self supporting organisms.

• The algae component provides sugars through photosynthesis.

• The fungus component gets water and minerals from the air, water or surrounding environment.

• Neither organism is parasitic to the tree.

Colors of lichens vary widely and include white, gray, red, green, yellow and black. The same wide variation is seen in shapes and sizes. Some lichens adhere to bark or rocks in a roughly circular flat crust, while others form raised lobes or branches.

Lichens reproduce when small pieces containing both organisms breaks off. These fragments can be carried by wind or water to a new location.

Several types of lichens growing on tree bark

No management is necessary or should be done to reduce the presence of lichens on a tree or shrub. In fact, finding lichens on a tree or shrub in your yard is a sign that the air surrounding the tree or shrub must be clean, since lichens will not grow in areas with a smoky or polluted environment.

Smooth Patch

Smooth patch is a condition in which the rough outer layer of bark is decomposed or sloughs off in response to colonization by a fungus.

• Trees with smooth patch have areas of smooth, light colored bark that are sunken in compared to surrounding bark.

• Patches may form clear oval to circular depressions in the bark or may grow together resulting in larger irregular areas of smooth bark along the trunk and branches.

• Smooth patch is commonly found on white oak trees, but maple, ash, willow, linden and other trees may be affected as well.

Smooth patch on oak tree

By The Yard Page 5

Non Harmful Tree Conditions (continued)

• The fungi Aleurodiscus spp. and Dendrothele spp. cause smooth patch.

• These fungi do not invade the living portion of the tree and therefore are not harmful to the health of the tree.

• Fruiting bodies of Aleurodiscus oaksii, the common fungus causing smooth patch on white oaks, are small (1/8 to ¼ inch) cream colored discs that are noticeable in wet weather but may shrivel up in dry weather.

Sooty Mold

Frequently, tree limbs and leaves are covered by an unsightly, black, sooty growth called sooty mold. It may occur on any tree, shrub, or leafy plant.

Sooty mold is often found on or below plants infested with certain types of sap sucking insects, especially aphids and soft

scales, which produce a sugary secretion called honeydew. This honeydew drips down onto leaves and branches providing a food base on which the sooty mold fungi can grow.

• Sooty mold is caused by saprophytic fungi.

• It is not a disease and does not infect living plant tissue.

• Heavy growth by the fungus can reduce photosynthesis but does not harm the plant

in any other way. • Sooty mold may also grow on

sap or resin associated with wounds.

We do not recommend control of the mold itself. However, the presence of sooty mold is often an indication of insect activity that has the potential for causing damage. Proper identification of the insect is necessary to determine if management is warranted.

Light coverings of the mold will gradually disappear during dry weather when its nutrient source is eliminated. Sooty mold can be physically washed off small plants if desired.

Source: University of Minnesota Extension: Michelle Grabowski, Extension Educator and Rebecca Koetter

Sooty mold on a magnolia tree that had magnolia scale

Quick facts • Some very noticeable growths and conditions on trees are not harmful to the tree and

some can add interest to your landscape.

• The unusual swirling grain pattern found in burls makes them prized by woodworkers.

• Lichens in your yard are a sign that the air surrounding the tree or shrub must be clean, since lichens will not grow in polluted areas.

• The fungi that cause smooth patch do not invade the living portion of the tree and are not harmful to the health of the tree.

• The presence of sooty mold can indicate insect activity that has the potential for causing damage.

By The Yard Page 6

August Quick Tips

Many short season vegetables can

be planted now for a fall crop.

Look at beans, cucumbers, squash,

radishes, lettuce etc. Keep in mind

the shortening days will cause

plants to mature more slowly.

Allow at least two weeks longer

than the predicted days to harvest.

Plant cool season crops like

broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts

and cauliflower now for best

results. These crops perform better

for us in fall than spring.

Finish trimming shrubs and

hedges this month to allow time

for re-growth to mature before

winter.

Do not spray pesticides in the

heat. Wait until late evening or

early morning when temperatures

are cooler. Always read labels

thoroughly for additional

precautions.

Divide crowded perennials now

through mid September.

Harvest vegetables as they

mature. Allowing fruits and

vegetables to ripen seed on the

plant will reduce further yields.

Monitor plants in the squash and

pumpkin family for squash bug

and squash vine borer. Treat as

necessary before a significant

problem develops.

Bagworms are still a problem on

evergreens. Monitor plants closely

as small bagworms are much easier

to control than the more mature

larvae.

Late summer brings the common

tomato blights to forefront.

Inspect plants regularly and

remove any infected leaves as they

For More Plate It Up

Recipes, Visit: http://fcs-

hes.ca.uky.edu/content/

plate-it-kentucky-proud

appear. This will help control the

spread of the disease. Also be

careful not to wet foliage when

watering as splashing water often

spreads disease organisms.

Don’t forget to register for 2020 Gardeners Toolbox Classes. A condensed registration form is enclosed in this edition of “By The Yard” newsletter. For a detailed listing of the 2020 Gardener’s Toolbox class, visit: http://fayette.ca.uky.edu/files/ gardeners_toolbox_2020.pdf or call (859) 257-5582 to have a copy mailed to you. You can now register and pay online for classes visit: http://fayette.ca.uky.edu/ registration

2020 GARDENER’S TOOLBOX

REGISTRATION FORM

Name: _________________________Phone: _____________E-Mail:_______________________

Address: ______________________________City: ______________State: ____ Zip: _________

TOTAL Amount Enclosed $ ________

NOW AVAILABLE - Register and pay online for Gardener’s Toolbox classes if you

would like at: http://fayette.ca.uky.edu/registration

IMPORTANT REMINDERS!

• Sign up early for classes to avoid being turned away because class is full. • ALL classes, including the “Free” ones are “PRE-REGISTRATION” only. • If you need to cancel, you must do so 2 weeks prior to the class time to

receive a refund or credit for a different class. • If handouts and/or plants are not picked up 3 days after class, items will be

donated. Please make check payable to: Fayette County Master Gardener Association

Mail To: Gardener’s Toolbox ~ Fayette County Extension Office

1140 Harry Sykes Way ~ Lexington, KY 40504

For more information, call (859) 257-5582

~ 2020 GARDENER’S TOOLBOX CLASSES ~

Class and Time Class and Time

Thursday, 8/13/20: Low Maintenance Lawn Care, Cost:

Free

Tuesday, 8/25/20: Dividing Perennials, Cost: $5.00

Thursday, 9/10/20: Japanese Iris, Cost: $20.00 Tuesday, 9/22/20: Garden Worthy KY Native

Perennials, Cost: $10.00

Thursday, 10/8/20: Minor Bulbs, Cost: $20.00 Tuesday, 10/27/20: Stump the Hort. Agent, Cost: Free

Thursday, 11/12/20: Common Garden Mistakes,

Cost: Free

Thursday, 11/19/20: Begonias, Cost: $10.00

Thursday, 12/10/19: My Favorite Garden Tools,

Cost: $5.00

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID

Lexington, KY

PERMIT 112

Newsletter

Enclosed

Fayette County

“By the Yard”

Fayette County Cooperative Extension 1140 Harry Sykes Way Lexington, KY 40504-1383

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

The College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an

Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education

and employment and authorization to provide research,

education information and other services only to individuals

and institutions that function without regard to economic or

social status and will not discriminate on the bases of race,

color, ethnic origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual

orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy,

marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or

physical or mental disability. Inquiries regarding compliance

with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,

Title IX of the Educational Amendments, Section 504 of the

Rehabilitation Act and other related matter should be

directed to Equal Opportunity Office, College of Agriculture,

Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Room

S-105, Agriculture Science Building, North Lexington,

Kentucky 40546.

Jamie Dockery

County Extension Agent for Horticulture Cooperative Extension Service

Fayette County Extension Service 1140 Harry Sykes Way

Lexington, KY 40504-1383 (859) 257-5582

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

AND KENTUCKY COUNTIES, COOPERATING