By Dave Case
On Fertile Ground
Garden Q & A …
▪ When I walk in the yard, my shoes get covered in this brown, rusty looking stuff? What is it? Most likely lawn rust. Rust is most likely to occur in late summer and early fall when the weather is cool and moist. It can be managed through cultural practices like proper lawn maintenance, such as regular mowing, adequate watering, and ensuring good air circulation in your lawn. Fungicides can also be used to control severe infestations, but prevention and cultural practices are often the most effective ways to manage this fungal disease.
▪ I have an apple tree with a lot of brown withered branches. What is it? Probably Fire Blight. Highly infectious bacterial disease known to wipe out entire orchards. Controlling requires spraying at two different times, first sliver tip stage, second at bud break. If you are going to prune it out, dip pruners in 10% bleach solution between every cut. Burn all pruned branches.
▪ My tomatoes were producing for a while then the plant seemed to die from the bottom up. What’s going on? Probably early blight. The disease lives in the soil and splashes up on lower leaves when it rains. Plant next year’s tomatoes in a different place. Mulch the soil to keep down splashing. After planting, remove the lower leaves. A copper spray might help.
▪ My Iris didn’t bloom well this Spring. What am I doing wrong? Several possibilities. Not enough sun. Iris Borer. Check the rhizomes, make sure they are not too crowded.
▪ I hate Bermudagrass! How can I get rid of it? Use of a product containing fenoxaprop, triclopyr or fluazifob are options that kill Bermuda but don’t harm cool season grasses.
Forecasting Fall Tasks and Issues
1. Cool-Season Grasses: Champaign County primarily features cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass. In October, these grasses typically experience a period of active growth as temperatures begin to cool. It’s a good time to overseed if you have thin or bare spots in your lawn.
2. Leaves: Falling leaves are a common sight in October. Be diligent about raking or mulching leaves regularly to prevent them from smothering your grass and causing dead patches. You can use the mulched leaves as a natural fertilizer.
3. Mowing: Continue to mow your lawn regularly but adjust the mower height to leave your grass a bit taller (3 inches plus). This helps the grass blades shade the soil and retain moisture. Believe it or not, next month I’ll have you mow short! Promise!
4. Fertilization: Fall is a crucial time for fertilization in our lawns. Apply a slow-release, high-nitrogen fertilizer in early October. This will help your grass develop strong roots and store energy for the winter.
5. Weed Control: Weeds can still be active in October. Consider applying herbicides to control persistent weeds. This is also a good time for spot treatments as needed.
6. Aeration: If your lawn has compacted soil, consider aerating it in early fall. Aerating helps improve water and nutrient penetration into the soil, promoting healthier grass growth.
7. Disease and Pest Control: Keep an eye out for signs of lawn diseases, such as brown patch or dollar spot. Fungicides may be necessary if you notice these issues. Additionally, watch for signs of lawn-damaging pests like grubs, which can be treated in the fall if detected.
8. Watering: Continue to water your lawn as needed, especially if there’s a period of dry weather. Aim for deep, infrequent watering rather than frequent shallow watering.
9. Lawn Equipment Maintenance: October is a good time to perform maintenance on your lawn equipment, such as sharpening mower blades and cleaning out the mower deck.
10. Lawn Renovation: If you have major lawn issues, such as extensive weed problems or a poorly established lawn, consider a full lawn renovation in early October. This involves killing the existing grass, adding topsoil, and seeding or sodding.
Later this month until Thanksgiving is a good time to plant spring flowering bulbs. We planted 1,000 daffodil (aka: jonquil) bulbs last year! Other great choices are iris, hyacinth and tulips. Get quality bulbs, keep them in a cool dry place until you can plant them. Your area should be sunny and well drained.
We talked last month about pest-proofing your house. Time to get serious about it! Check your door sweeps. Seal openings where pipes and wires enter the house and seal cracks around windows, doors, and fascia boards. Tears in screens, fix them. Every fall I apply an exterior barrier insecticide treatment. I mix it myself vs buying an expensive ready to use (RTU) product. You can contact a Pest Control company to have them do it if you want to go that route. And speaking of insects, make sure you don’t bring plants from the outside in for the winter with insects!
Lastly, be kind to our farmers on the roads. We are just trying to get the job done. Yes, the equipment is big and yes, sometimes we take up the whole road, but let us get to our field.
Show patience and don’t try and pass when you shouldn’t. Thank you in advance!
Champaign County Ag Sector
Have an agronomist or seed seller perform a corn yield estimate on some of your fields this summer? I used to do these all the time and got pretty decent I think. What’s the secret? For one, it’s multiple samples in the field x a fudge factor!
To review, how do you do a yield estimate? Here you go! Sample at least 3 ears from several spots in your field.
Number of ears 1/1000 acre (17 feet 5” for 30” rows) x number of rows around x number of kernels per row lengthwise, divided by fudge factor.
Why fudge factor? We need one for inconsistent weather at grain fill. We also need one for plenty of rain at grain fill.
Example: 30 ears per 1/1000 of an acre x 16 rows around x 40 kernels long divided by a
fudge factor of 75, 85 and 95.
In this example, 30 ears x 16 rows= 480. 480 x 40 kernels long = 19,200 kernels per
1/1000 acre.
19,200 divided by 75 is 256 bu/acre. Excellent Growing Conditions.
19,200 divided by 85 is 225 bu/acre. Average Growing Conditions.
19,200 divided by 95 is 202 bu/acre. Poor Growing Conditions.
Question or comments? Email me at [email protected].
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Dave Case majored in Agronomy and Ag Econ with an emphasis in Weed Science. Dave’s career spanned Champaign Landmark, Crow’s Hybrid Corn Company and 30 years with Bayer CropScience. In 2018, Case formed Case Ag Consulting LLC. He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Agricultural Fraternity. He is on the Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Association of Kentucky, Chairman of the Ohio AgriBusiness Association Educational Trust Foundation and Secretary of the Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni Board. He is on the Board of Directors of the Champaign Family YMCA, Champaign County Historical Society Agricultural Capital Campaign Committee and is a Trustee for the Champaign County Farm Bureau. Dave and his wife Dorothy live on a small farm south of Urbana where they raise goats, cattle, chickens and various crops and they donate all profits to Pancreatic Cancer Research. Dave can be reached at [email protected].
