Horticulture October 2023 Newsletter
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Chain of Hearts
Chain of hearts is a succulent vine that is covered with speckled heart-shaped leaves. The vine will produce tiny purple flowers also. This plant does well in a hanging basket. The vines can reach 10 feet in length. The plant produces tubers along the vine, which can be used to start a new plant. Cut the vine about 1/4” above and below the tuber on the vine’s stem. The Chain of hearts needs a lot of sun. So, place the plant in a southern window. If the plant doesn’t receive enough light the, stems will elongate.Water well allowing the water to drain out of the pot’s drainage hole. Wait until the potting medium is dry before watering again. Do not let the plant sit in water.The cultivar Ceropegia woodie ‘variegate’ has pink, white, and green leaves. Source: House Plants a Guide to Choosing and Caring for Indoor Plants by: Lisa Eldred Steinkopf
Elms Fighting Large Beetles
Over the last month, multiple Extension agents from across Kentucky have submitted samples of larger elm leaf beetles and their damage. Generally, these leaf feeding pests are kept in check by other insects, but there can be years where they “breakout” and cause damage to native and non-native elm trees. Luckily, there is rarely a need for management with this insect, but it’s good to know what’s munching on your tree.
Larger Elm Leaf Beetle Basics
As adults, these beetles are a golden-orange color that can have zero to four large dark blue spots on the top wings. They are usually around a 1/2 inch long. The grub form is also large, around 3/4 of an inch long and orange. They overwinter as grubs in the soil beneath host trees and pupate in the spring, with adults starting to emerge in May and June. The adults will lay eggs on the undersides of leaves; these usually hatch within 2 weeks. By the end of summer, the grubs will have reached their final instar and they will begin to leave the tree and wander around to find a pupation site in the soil.
Symptoms of larger elm leaf beetles include shot hole damage from the adults earlier in the year and then skeletonizing damage from the grubs throughout the summer into fall. As the name implies, they prefer to feed on elm trees whether the tree species is native to the U.S. or to Japan. However, they have also been recorded on river birch, hawthorn, pecan, and a few others.
Management
Usually, this pest does not require insecticidal intervention. The damage that occurs late in the summer is happening at the tail end of the tree’s need for the leaves and it will survive the feeding from the beetle. Natural enemies tend to eat or parasitize this pest at high enough levels to keep outbreaks from occurring. Interrupting that control cycle could create more issues than it solves. In cases where larger elm leaf beetle is attacking a small, newly transplanted tree in the landscape, pyrethroids (such as bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin) applied to the leaves would kill the grubs.
It is possible that this year’s numbers indicate that next year includes a spike in larger elm leaf beetles. “Outbreaks” tend to take two growing seasons to develop and dissipate. If you have a new elm in your landscape, it might behoove you to keep an eye on it in 2024.
By Jonathan L. Larson, Entomology Extension Specialist
Check Your CEU Hours to Avoid Penalty
This is the first year under the new recertification rules for pesticide licenses. The new regulations emphasize earning continuing education units (CEUs) to maintain licenses. With the new rule, commercial and non-commercial pesticide applicators and operators will need to have 12 CEU hours earned within the last three years to renew their license. In addition, at least one CEU must be in each of the categories held by the license holder. Each year during license renewal, CEU hours for the previous three years will be checked.
So, both commercial and non-commercial pesticide license holders should check their CEU hours periodically on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture website. This KDA website will have users create an account, then they can check their hours or the hours of persons in their company. Only hours earned within the past 3 years will appear for each licensee.
Persons needing CEU hours have until November 30 to earn those hours. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture maintains a schedule of approved meetings on their website which is updated periodically. Included on this list are in-person meetings, on-line webinars, as well as on-demand training. People needing hours should check this schedule periodically as new CEU opportunities are added regularly. Hours must be earned by November 30, after that date they will be credited to 2024.
Persons wanting to relicense that do not meet CEU hour requirements will be subject to lose their license as well as a $200 fine to relicense.
By Ric Bessin, Entomology Extension Specialist
Lights and Plants
Light is needed by plants for photosynthesis. This process takes light, water, and carbon dioxide and turns it into food for the plant. Sometimes it is difficult to get the light perfect for your plants. Light is measured in foot candles. This is referring to the amount of light visible to the human eye. Plants can see more of the light spectrum than we can. They use the red and blue parts of light. For us to see these colors of light we would need a prism or in the case of a rainbow, a raindrop.
Each location in your home can support a different light requirement for plants: Eastern Window: Bright, warm light that will not burn plant. The light shine at an angle. This light is not affected by seasons.
Western window: Bright light, hotter than East. High light plants can grow here if they are near the window. Light is at an angle, but in this window plants can be set farther away from the window. This light is not affected by seasons.
Southern Window: Most intense light throughout the day. Light comes at a sharp angle. Plants needing less sun can be placed higher in the window. The strongest light of all windows. To reduce strength place plants farther away from the window or put a sheer curtain. In the winter the light is not as harsh. The light is very harsh in the summer.
Northern Window: This window receives the least amount of light. Plants requiring medium or high levels of light will suffer.
There are a few ways your house plants can tell you if they are receiving enough light or not enough light.
Not enough light: Elongation of plant stems trying to get leaves closer to the light source. This is very common in transplanted seedlings. Once elongation has occurred it cannot be reversed. Yellow/pale leaves also can be an indication of not enough light. This can even happen to outdoor vegetable plants if they receive a lot of cloud cover.
Too much light: Many plants can sunburn. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter cacti will turn red. A zebra plant succulent will turn a very dark brown/red. Transplants such as cabbage and cauliflower can turn purple and also curl. It is almost like they are trying to curl and hide from the light. 40 watts are perfect for tomatoes but way too much for cauliflower.
Source: House Plants a Guide to Choosing and Caring for Indoor Plants by: Lisa Eldred Steinkopf
Gardening by Month - October
Trees & Shrubs
· Trees and shrubs can be planted for fall now through November. Be sure to adequately water new plantings.
· Magnolia scale young crawlers are hatching now, control is most effective at this time.
· Seasonal loss of inner needles on conifers is normal at this time. It may be especially noticeable on pines and arborvitae.
· Spruce spider mites may be present as the season cools.
· Spruces infected with Rhizosphaera needlecast should have infected branches pruned out and any fallen needles cleaned up.
Lawns
· Cool-season lawns are best fertilized in fall. Between September and December, up to 3 applications of fertilizer can be made. Do not exceed rates recommended by the fertilizer manufacture.
· Thoroughly water lawns as needed.
· Cool-season weeds may be showing up; manually remove or use proper herbicide as needed. Annual weeds can be controlled using an application of preemergent.
· Do not mow newly planted lawns until they are 2-3 inches tall.
· Fairy rings, and mushrooms may appear in lawns after rain, no control is needed as little to no drainage is done to grass. Manually remove mushrooms and treat them as yard waste.
Annuals & Perennials
· Perennials, especially spring bloomers like peonies, can be divided now. When planting peonies plant only 1-2 inches deep, as planting too deep can cause flowers not to form.
· Perennials, especially spring bloomers like peonies, can be divided now. When planting peonies plant only 1-2 inches deep, as planting too deep can cause flowers not to form.
· Cuttings of annuals can be taken now to provide vigorous plants for overwintering.
Miscellaneous
· Autumn is a good time to add compost to garden soils to increase organic matter content.
· Monitor plants for spider mites. Hose off with a strong stream of water.
· Start to prepare houseplants and other tropical plants for overwintering indoors. Check for pests and treat them appropriately. Houseplants and tropical plants need to be brought in as night temperatures reach the low to mid-50s.
· Whitefly populations are often the highest at the end of summer.
· Monarchs are migrating now; it's normal for milkweed plants (Asclepias sp.) to appear depleted due to caterpillar feeding.
Fruits & Vegetables
· Pick pears before they are fully mature. Store in a cool, dark basement to ripen.
· Clean up any fallen or spoiled fruits.
· Check along each peach tree trunks to just below the soil line for gummy masses caused by peach tree borers. Probe holes with thin wire to puncture borers.
· Pinch off young summer fruits (tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc.) to promote ripening of more mature fruit.
· Cabbage loopers and imported cabbage worms may be present as more cole crops are planted and temperatures cool.
