Thursday, August 4, 2011
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Start that winter
This past week when
friends and acquaintances
tell me they have pulled
everything out of their
x;eggie gardens I have to
beets, lettuce and greens for
winter harvest.
Veggies should be planted
as soon as possible. For
those who need to work on
the soil structure, amend
your soil with organic
blends for they can be
planted without delay. Do
not procrastinate when
starting seed and setting
out fall veggies. They need
some of autumn's warmth
if they are to produce food
throughout the winter.
Negligence in this area
will result in weak, stunted
plants that bolt (go to seed)
at the first sign of warmth
in 2012.
I like to start seeds in 6
or8 inch pots; I call them
community pots. Think of
them as a 6-pack without
the individual compart-
ments. Community pots
can be seeded, moistened
and covered with clear
plastic wrap to help con-
serve moisture on these
dry days. Once the seeds
sprout, remove the plastic
cover and move to a semi-
shaded porch or window
and allow the plants to
grow three or four sets of
true leaves before setting
the starts in the ground.
This will take about three
weeks.
Vegetables to seed in pots
for winter harvest include
spinach, lettuces, and
greens including kale, col-
lards, mustards and Swiss
chard. Cole crops such as
short day broccoli, cab-
bage and cauliflower will
also develop nicely when
the weather cools in late
September.
Root veggies--beets,
kohlrabi, radish, garlic,
turnips, carrots and onions
are planted in fall and
seeded in place. The only
trick is to keep the top of
the soil moist while the
seed is germinating. Wet
burlap or thick layers of wet
newsprint can help retain
the moisture at soil level.
ask,:"Have you started seed
for winter's crop?" In vari-
ably they look at me as if I
am crazy. Believe me, I too
am discouraged when I look
closely at plants struggling
in this summer's incessant
heat, however, August is a
window of opportunity for
gardeners.
Vegetable gardening is to
many an annual endeavor.
I think of vegetable garden-
ing as an ongoing effort.
The average gardener will
welcome spring by planting
a little bit of this and a lot
of that; water, and wait for
summer to harvest. (Much
of July's harvest came
fried on the vine.) Com-
rnitted vegetable gardeners
plant fall crops of spinach,
Try direct seeding carrots
and onions in the shade of
a large tomato or pepper
plant to help shade the
new seedlings when they
sprout. Beds seeded with
root crops alone will need
row cover or some type of
protection from scavenging
birds. Our feathered friends
have limited seed source as
the field grasses and wild-
flowers suffer this summer
drought. Your new greens
will look mighty tasty; pro-
tect them!
For those who choose
Spinach
to wait for spring before
trying again, what better
time to amend virgin
garden soil. Most soils
in this area are clay and
in need of organic matter.
Ask around and find a
source of stable or chicken
litter and offer to clean the
mess and cart the manure
away. Fresh manure is
most rich in beneficial
bacteria that increase the
biological activity in the
soil.
While you are work-
ing on the soil, sprinkle a
i
large helping of rock phos-
phorus and greensand over
the beds. Slow to become
available to plants, annual
fall applications of these
two amendments builds
and maintains a strong
foundation in the soil.
Now sit back and allow
winter's moisture to work,
tilling the amended manure
under in the spring.
Now seems an unlikely
time for beginning a suc-
cessful harvest when actu-
ally it is the perfect window
for winter gardens.
OSU Extension Gardening Tips For August
with compost to avoid soil
crusting. Mulch to keep
planting beds moist and
provide shade during initial
establishment. Monitor and
control insect pests that pre-
vent a good start of plants in
your fall garden.
Continue protective insect
appl!cations in the fruit
orchkrd. A good spray
schedule is often abandoned
too early. Follow directions
on last application prior to
harvest. )
Flowers
Towards the end of the
month, divide and replant
spring-blooming perennials
like iris, peonies and daylil-
ies if needed. Discontinue
deadheading roses by mid-
August to help initiate winter
hardiness
Water compost during
extremely dry periods so that
it remains active. Turn the
pile to generate heat through-
out for proper sterilization.
Water all plants thoroughly
unless rainfall has been ade-
quate. It is better to water
By Start Fimple
The hot and dry weather
is Still here in Oklahoma.
Fbi?gardeners, this means
watering sensitive plants
and working in the early
morning or late evening.
Many other activities and
chores should be attended
to this month to prepare for
the fall andwinter. The fol-
loitlg are suggestions from
OldIaoma State University
fo r tie month of August.
Numbers in parentheses
represent fact sheets avail-
able free of charge through
.payne county Extension
Office.
August is a good month
to start your fall vegetable
garden. Bush beans, cucum-
bers and summer squash
can be replanted for another
crop. Beets, broccoli, car-
rots, potatoes, lettuce and
other cool-season crops can
also be planted at this time.
(A-6009).
Soak vegetable seed
overnight prior to planting.
Once planted, cover them
more in depth, less often and
early in the morning.
Watch for high popula-
tions of worms, aphids,
spider mites, thrips, scales
and other insects on plant
material in the garden
and landscape and treat as
needed. () Also
watch for 2nd generation
of fall webworm in late
August/early September.
Remove webs that enclose
once again. If you have
had a problem with spring
dead spot in your bermuda
lawn, this should be your
last application of fertilizer
for the year. Brown patch
of cool-season grasses like
fescue can be a problem
right now. (F-6420)
Grassy winter weeds like
Poa annua, better known
as annual bluegrass, can be
prevented with a preemer-
gence herbicide application
in late August. Water in the
product after application.
(F-6420) Areas of turf with
large brown spots should be
checked for high numbers of
grubs. Mid-to-late August
is the best time to control
heavy white grub infesta-
tions in the lawn. Apply
appropriate insecticide if
white grubs are a problem.
Water product into soil.
(EEP.:2206)
. , ,: it IJ L
', ,.,
Q, , "1
July Heat Becomes Historic
branches and destroy; or
spray with good penetration
with an appropriate insecti-
cide. Always follow direc-
tions on both synthetic and
natural pesticide products.
Tall fescue should be
mowed at 3 inches during
the hot summer and up to 3
½ inches if it grows under
heavier shade. (F-6420)
For areas being converted
to tall fescue this fall, begin
spraying out bermudagrass
with a product containing
glyphosate in early August.
& F-6421)
Irrigated bermudagrass
lawns can be fertilized
By Gary McManus
Oklahoma Climatological
Survey
Fueled by exceptional
drought and a seemingly
impenetrable heat-dome, July
roared through Oklahoma's
legendary heat waves of the
past to become the state's
hottest calendar month on
record. According to data
from the Oklahoma Mesonet,
the July statewide average
temperature finished 7.5
degrees above normal at 89.1
degrees, smashing the previ-
ous record of 88.1 degrees set
back in July 1954. Statewide
averages date back to 1895.
The news was equally grim
on the rainfall side of the
ledger. The statewide average
rainfall total was 0.70 inches,
more than 2 inches below
normal and the fourth driest
July on record. Combined,
the 2011 June-July period
was the hottest and driest on
record statewide, an ominous
achievement with another
month of summer yet to go.
Through seven months, 2011
ranked as the eighth wannest
and second driest on record.
Oklahoma City's average
temperature of 89.2 degrees
topped the previous record
of 88.7 degrees from August
1936 to become its wannest
Workshop to focus on stewardship
month since those records
began in 1890. Oklahoma
City experienced 27 days in
The highest temperature of
the month, 114 degrees, was
recorded at Alva and Freedom
on July 9.
Of the 120 Oklahoma
Mesonet stations, 93 recorded
less than an inch of rainfall
for the month. Waiters and
Burneyville recorded no
precipitation for the entire
month. Newkirk and Kenton
led the way with 5.58 inches
and 3.66 inches, respectively.
Only five stations recorded
more than 2 inches of rain-
fall. Southwestern Oklahoma
received less than a quarter-
inch of rainfall, on average.
An average of 16.41 inches
of precipitation has fallen
across the state since Octo-
ber 1, 2010, nearly 14 inches
below normal and the driest
By Trisha Gedon
Consumers who have
passion for environmental
stewardship should make
plans to attend the Current
Challenges in Horticulture
and Landscape Architec-
ture workshop slated Aug.
25 at Oklahoma State Uni-
versity.
Workshop sessions will
take place at the Wes Wat-
kins Center, followed by
a field trip to The Botanic
Garden at OSU.
Mike Schnelle, OSU
Cooperative Extension
floriculture specialist, said
garden enthusiasts and
commercial growers are
facing a number of chal-
lenges in the landscaping
arena today.
"With the excessive
temperatures we've seen
this summer, water and its
appropriate use has been a
challenge encountered by
a growers," Schnelle said.
"Another issue is how to
develop an attractive land-
scape that also is environ-
mentally friendly. There are
a number of plant diseases
gardening enthusiasts must
deal with and coping with
them in an eco-friendly
manner can be daunting."
Workshop sessions
will deal with a variety
of topics that all relate to
environmental stewardship.
One of the sessions during
the workshop will focus
on xeriscape gardening,
while another will intro-
duce Oklahoma water use
implications for the next 50
years. In addition, informa-
tion will be presented
regarding native plants for
stream restoration, how the
Oklahoma Mesonet can be
beneficial, pervious versus
impervious paving along
with storm water manage-
ment.
"The practices we employ
today will have both posi-
tive and negative effects on
future generations," he said.
"Our cultural/horticultural
decisions made now will
have an impact well beyond
our lifetimes."
Registration is $80 if
postmarked by Aug. 15.
A discounted rate of $55
is being offered to The
Botanic Garden at OSU
members, county Extension
educators, Master Garden-
ers and students with school
identification. Registration
received after Aug. 15 will
be $125. Lunch is included
in the registration fee. Reg-
istration on the day of the
event begins at 8:30 a.m.,
with the first workshop
beginning at 9 a.m.
To register online,
please visit https:
//secure.touchnet.com/
C2027 l_ustores/web/
index.jsp. Click on the
Horticulture/Landscape
store, select Conference
Registration and then click
on Current Challenges in
Horticulture and Land-
scape Architecture. For
more information contact
Stephanie Latimer at 405-
744-5404, or via email at
stephanie.larimer @ oksta
te.edu.
"This will be a wonder-
fully informative workshop
in which attendees can take
the information home and
July with a high temperature
of at least 100 degrees, once
again the most for any month
in its history. Oklahoma
City's averagehigh tempera-
ture of 102.5 degrees beat July
1980' s previous mark of 102.4
degrees to set another mile-
stone. Similar records were
matched at many locations
throughout drought-ravaged
western Oklahoma. Grand-
field was tl). e warmest spot in
the state with an average July
temperature of 93 degrees
and an average high of 107
degrees. Grandfield contin-
ued to lead the state with 68
days at or above 100 degrees
in 2011. The record stands at
put it into practice in their 86days, set by Hollis in 1956.
otities' ,'>S cfihel ie:, i others have
said, "e: cutting-edge, seen triple-dlgkhighs for 40
information is applicable :: consecutive days througtiJuly
to all areas of the state 31. Kenton's July average of
and beyond Oklahoma's 81.6 degrees marked it as
borders." the coolest spot in the state.
such period on record. Boise
City received a scant 3.8
inches of rainfall over that
time while Grandfield mea-
sured 5.6 inches. The latest
U.S. Drought Monitor map
released on July 28 indicates
more than half of Oklahoma
is experiencing exceptional
drought, the worst designa-
tion possible.
• Unfortunately, there is little
relief in sight as the heat and
drought continue to feed off
one another. The latest out-
looks for August from the
National Weather Service's
Climate Prediction Center
indicate increased chances of
above normal temperatures
and below normal precipita-
tion. Their seasonal drought
outlook calls for the persis-
tence or intensification of
drought conditions across
Oklahoma and Texas through
October.
