Plant Your Bulbs Now

When should we plant spring and early summer flowering bulbs? The answer is NOW to be sure they are planted in time to develop a root system and satisfy the cold requirement of the bulbs. You will want to wait until soil temperatures are below 60 F (16 C) before planting. In Henderson County, this is usually late October to November.

Where should we plant our bulbs? We need to plant in soils with good drainage. If the soil is mostly clay, mix in an organic amendment such as peat moss, compost, aged bark, etc., up to 50% in volume, or plant in raised beds. If the soil is mostly sand, add an organic amendment to increase water and nutrient holding capacity. Soil pH is critical! The pH of the planting area should be in the 6-7 range.

Spring flowering bulbs can be used in beds with annuals or perennials, borders, ground covers, rock gardens, and wooded areas. For perennialization, avoid planting them near heated basements. These bulbs do best in areas that do not receive direct sunlight during midday, especially during hot summer months.

Fall Color is Just Beginning, What is the Cause?

All during spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the foods necessary for the trees' growth are manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing the pigment chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. Along with the green pigment leaves also contain yellow or orange carotenoids which, for example, give the carrot its familiar color. Most of the year these yellowish colors are masked by the greater amount of green coloring. But in the fall, partly because of changes in the period of daylight and changes in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down,. the green color disappears, and the yellowish colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.

At the same time other chemical changes may occur and cause the formation of additional pigments that vary from yellow to red to blue. Some of them give rise to the reddish and purplish fall colors of leaves of trees such as dogwoods and sumacs. Others give the sugar maple its brilliant orange or fiery red and yellow. The autumn foliage of some trees, such as quaking aspen, birch, and hickory, shows only yellow colors. Many oaks and others are mostly brownish, while beech turns golden bronze. These colors are due to the mixing of varying amounts of the chlorophyll and other pigments in the leaf during the fall season.

Fall weather conditions favoring formation of brilliant red autumn color are warm sunny days followed by cool, nights with temperatures below 45o F. Much sugar is made in the leaves during the daytime, but cool nights prevent movement of, sugar from the leaves. From the sugars trapped in the leaves the red pigment called anthocyanin is formed. The degree of color may vary from tree to tree. For example, leaves directly exposed to the sun may turn red, while those on the shady side of the same tree or on other trees in the shade may be yellow. The foliage of some tree species just turns dull brown from death and decay and never shows bright colors.

Through fallen leaves, Nature has provided for a fertile forest floor. Fallen leaves contain relatively large amounts of valuable elements, particularly calcium and potassium, which were originally a part of the soil. Decomposition of the leaves enriches the top layers of the soil by returning part of the elements borrowed by the tree and at the same time provides for more water-absorbing humus.

North Carolina leads the parade for leaf lookers, and depending upon the season, the species of trees involved, and the relative proportion of the three pigments, just about every imaginable color combination may be seen.

Prepared by Dr. Robert Bardon Extension Specialist

Cool Weather Brings Insect Pests

Cooler weather is welcomed by most of us but what isn't welcomed is the accompanying increase in activity by some insects.

The "Polistes" or paper wasp colonies are beginning to wind down their activity, particularly in western NC. Some of the remaining workers (who will die in the next few weeks) along along with next year's crop of queens are bailing out of their summer nests. Neither pesticides nor the downturn in the housing market appears to deter these once and future queens from finding affordable housing.

We are getting calls from people who see the wasps outdoors hovering about the eaves, soffits, and porches, particularly on warm fall days. For whatever reason, the wasps seem to orient
to vertical objects so chimneys become an object of their attention. Same is true for cell phone towers, water towers and other such objects.

At some point, the wasps make their way indoors and things can get more exciting. You often see/hear the wasps moving about slowly and bouncing off windows, ceilings, light fixtures, etc.

Trips to the attic can be adventures as people often spot multitudes of the wasps buzzing about. Cold weather stops the activity, but quite likely on subsequent warm winter days you will find wasps flying about indoors or again spot them outside around the roof area.
Here are a few tips to remember:
First - seeing the wasps does not mean that there is a nest in a wall. More likely there is a nest outdoors nearby.
Second - since these are mostly queens looking for overwintering sites and not workers defending an active nest, they are not aggressive and so stinging incidents are rare.
Third - spraying indoors is an exercise in futility because there simply isn't a specific target area you can (or need to) treat.

When does it stop? Your guess is as good as mine. We're not into any real cold weather yet. As I said earlier, you can expect it even after periods of cold weather seems to have brought it to a halt, but when the outside air temperature (and sun heating walls of homes) is adequate for activity to occur you will see a them.


Best advice:
First - Keep a rolled-up newspaper handy. Yes, you can unload an entire can of "Raid" on the beast but then what do you do about its 'sisters' that are likely to show up?

Even that preferred weapon of choice for many homeowners - setting off foggers in every room - won't accomplish much either because any wasps that are not out in the open at that time will not be affected by the chemical mist.

For further information about paper wasps, check out:
http://insects.ncsu.edu/Urban/paperwasp.htm
http://insects.ncsu.edu/Other/note144/note144.html

Mike Waldvogel, NCSU Entomolgy

Master Gardeners Make the News

The Henderson County Master Gardeners have been working hard all summer revamping the gardens at the Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theater of NC. Click the link below to see the article from the Hendersonville Times News.
Group Garden

Woollybear Caterpillar

The banded woollybear caterpillar, Pyrrhactia isabella (also called the woolly worm), is famous for foretelling the upcoming winter severity based on the width of the middle band. The adult is called the Isabella moth. This insect overwinters either as caterpillar or pupa inside a flimsy cocoon. These caterpillars have some chilling requirement in order to resume proper development next spring. In the spring the remaining caterpillars will pupate and the Isabella moths will emerge and lay eggs. Banded woollybears feed on plantain (a common weed). They are quite active and are a barrel of fun to rear, I'm told (I guess some people find their fun in a barrel). There may be at least two generations per year.

I can't ignore their reputation, and I also can't neglect to mention the 31st Annual Woolly Worm Festival this October in Banner Elk (Avery County), North Carolina (for more information on the festival, see http://www.woollyworm.com/).

Steve Bambara, Extension Entomologist, NCSU

Mandatory Water Restrictions

As the Mills River continues to drop in flow, the City of Hendersonville is implementing mandatory water restrictions to ensure our ability to meet the core water needs of our customers. By declaring a Phase II water shortage condition, the City and County will enforce restrictions on a number of uses, and violators may be subject to disconnection of their water service or a fine of up to $500.

Until mandatory restrictions are lifted, the following restrictions are in place:

• Watering of lawns, shrubs, trees and flowers is prohibited
• Vegetable gardens may only be watered once a week up to one inch of water
• New or existing pools may not be filled
• Washing of sidewalks, decks, driveways, patios, or homes or buildings is prohibited
• Washing cars is prohibited, unless at a commercial car wash which recycles water
• Operation or filling of ornamental fountains, pools or ponds is prohibited
• Drinking water at restaurants shall not be served unless requested by the patron
• Operation of water-cooled air conditioners is prohibited, unless the water is recycled
• Any other unnecessary use or intentional wasting of water is prohibited

Residents can help with the City’s enforcement effort by reporting violations or problems to the City’s Drought Response Hotline at 828-233-3215. A coalition of Hendersonville water and sewer employees, city code inspectors, city police and county sheriff deputies will be used to enforce the Phase II water restrictions.

Master Your Garden Lectures

Henderson Country Master Gardeners are once again offering a series of Fall lectures open to the public. Call the Extension office at 697-4891 to register; each lecture will cost only $5.00 and will be held at 3:30pm at the Bullington Center.

Schedule
August 18th – Perennials: New & Tried N True – Carol Ebreo
September 22nd – Design with Your Pleasure in Mind – Barbara Beck
October 6th – Gardening Secrets for Newcomers – Nancy Gilchrist
October 20th – Beauty from Bulbs - Pierre Hart