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Sarah Denkler, Horticulture
Educator University of Missouri Extension P.O. Box 160, Kennett, MO 63857 573-888-4722 Denklers@missouri.edu |
| "At Your Service" |
For Immediate Release
Sarah Denkler
Horticulture Educator
June 07, 2009
Now that the area gardens and landscapes are growing strong we can sit back and admire our landscaping genius. We can soak in the color of the yard and the fruit, or vegetable, of our labor. When the product of all our hard work starts to appear, don’t overlook one of the most important tasks done by gardeners.
It seems like everything we do in the garden is ‘one of the most important tasks’ we can do. Getting to this point would not be possible without good soil structure, fertility and proper watering but scouting is truly important to prevent loss of both harvest and beauty.
Scouting begins by simply taking a walk through your garden. Start by looking around every few days. If you find trouble then you will want to check every day to see how things are progressing. By catching problems as they emerge instead of months after they start, this simple practice is effective for preventing problems from becoming severe. When scouting, look at the color of your lawn, the bark on your trees the leaves on your plants and any signs of something different going on in the landscape.
A lawn should be uniformly green, but if you have darker areas or tan to brown areas then some further investigation is needed. If you see dark areas you may have misapplied fertilizer or you may have an area of fungal accumulation in your soil. While this is not a huge concern, you can make a note to change your application practices or talk with your yard care team. If you notice dead or tan spots it could indicate insects eating roots, damage from dogs or some type of disease agent.
Tree bark can change color as well. If you see dark areas on your bark it can indicate a soft area in the wood beneath the bark. This is sometimes due to borers but can also be caused from the focused heat of the sun. Look for holes in the bark from borers. Check for wounds that could have been caused from the weed eater or mower. It is best to catch this type of mechanical damage early and prevent any further damage. This will help the vigor of your plants and the likelihood that they will withstand or hold off any attack by insects. Also, check the stems on plants for raised areas that could be scale. Scale often goes unnoticed until the infestation is at an alarming size. Catch it early and control this common problem.
When looking at vegetable leaves, shrubs and flowers look for dark spots or tan spots or holes in the leaves. Dark spots can be an indication of disease or reveal a pest population. Small tan pin hole spots usually indicate an insect that is feeding on the leaf but larger spots can signal fungal disease. Holes are an obvious sign of insects feeding on your leaves but can also be an indication of bacterial or fungal disease. Curling leaves can indicate insect feeding, the presents of disease and a lack of or abundance of water.
Once you note a concern in any area of your garden, it is important to identify what is really going on before taking any action. Something caused by insect feeding is handled completely different than a disease issue. Once you identify what is going on you may not be able to fix the problem immediately. This is probably the hardest part of scouting. You may not be able to control a disease problem for months and you will steadily see the effects on your plant but feel helpless to do anything. In this situation remember that you have a plan for control and you will use it when the time is right.
The best thing about scouting is finding a problem as soon as it happens, identifying the problem, correcting the problem and seeing a healthy plant respond positively to the correction. This is the satisfaction that can be achieved by spending a few minutes during the week walking through your landscape in search of trouble.
The Extension office is located in Kennett, Missouri at 101 South Main Street (the old bank) on the 2nd floor. Open Monday – Friday or you can call 573-888-4722 if you have a question. University of Missouri Extension programs are open to all.
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Sarah Denkler, Horticulture
Educator University of Missouri Extension P.O. Box 160, Kennett, MO 63857 573-888-4722 Denklers@missouri.edu |