Yard & Garden Line News Volume 2 Number 10                                                              July1, 2000

Features this issue: Summer Lawn Care Watersheds, Phosphorus & Water Quality Produce Doesn't Grow on Grocery Store Shelves Grape Flea Beetle Larvae Bird Mites Pine Spittlebug Springtails Caddisflies Editorial Notes

Summer Lawn Care
Deborah Brown, Extension Horticulturist

Mowed grass defines space. Photo credit: Bob Mugaas

Every summer as temperatures rise and good soaking rains grow fewer and farther between, people start to assess their lawns, questioning their importance in the general scheme of things. It's easy to look at the need to water, mow and fertilize, then question the wisdom of lawn care in general and summer lawn care, specifically.

Most people find well-maintained lawns attractive. A lawn that is cared for shows stewardship, and is one of the ways a person can let others know they care about their property and that they're ":good neighbors.": Here are some additional benefits that result from maintaining lawns:

* The millions of grass plants in lawns contribute oxygen to the air we breathe.

* Lawns allow water to infiltrate soil readily; rain rolls right off patios, sidewalks, streets, and driveways.

* Lawns prevent soil erosion, particularly on hills and slopes.

* Lawns clean and filter out dust, dirt particles and allergens from the air which are trapped on grass and later washed into the soil.

* Lawns provide cooling or "natural air-conditioning." Observe the difference when you step from an asphalt parking lot or concrete driveway onto grass.

* Lawns help reduce noise levels.

* Lawns provide a place for children to play and adults to relax.

Like it or not, lawns still account for the majority of space in most urban and suburban landscapes. Whether you enjoy caring for your lawn or consider it a chore that must be dispatched with as painlessly as possible, lawncare activities should reflect July's change to consistently higher summer temperatures.

Here's a check list for summer lawn maintenance:

Mowing

Have you ever seen a lawn that's been "scalped" in the middle of summer? It's not a pretty sight!

Raise your lawnmower's blades so you are cutting grass to a height somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 inches. This accomplishes three things. First, taller grass blades help shade the crowns and roots, protecting them from the sun's heat. That means they won't dry or wilt as rapidly.

Second, research has shown grass that's maintained at a taller height actually grows deeper roots than grass that's mowed short. If moisture is scarce, those deeper roots will do a better job than shallow ones. And finally, when you mow too low you see more narrow stems. It can take days before the grass looks good again. Lawns definitely appear greener and fuller when you allow more leaf blade surface to remain after mowing.

Mowing frequency should slow as our "cool season" grasses respond to summer's heat with reduced growth. It's important, though, to mow often enough that you only remove 1/3 of the total grass height at any one time.

If you come back from vacation and the lawn is way too tall, mow it in stages. Take off 1 1/2 inches the first time, then in a couple days, mow again, rather than removing 3 or 4 inches at a crack, which is really tough on the grass.

Managing clippings

Mow frequently. Avoid long clippings. Photo credit: Bob Mugaas

Grass clippings are not responsible for thatch build-up. If you mow often enough and clippings are only 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, they can be allowed to fall back to the ground where they'll decompose rapidly. This adds a small amount of nutrients to the soil, allowing you to fertilize a bit less. It also helps keep clippings out of our landfills.

If grass is thick, a standard power mower may deposit clippings in deep rows which may need to be spread over a wider area by hand. Mulching mowers chip the clippings into smaller pieces, then distribute them more evenly over a larger area. Old-fashioned push mowers leave clippings right in place, but have the added advantage of quiet, gas-free operation.

Summer Dormancy

Watering is an important lawncare issue most summers, especially when dry conditions force cities to restrict watering or ban it altogether. Many of our lawns have the ability to "turn off" and go dormant under hot, dry growing conditions. But they vary in their ability to bounce back, depending upon both variety and the level of care to which they're accustomed.

Generally speaking, the more care they receive on a regular basis (frequent watering and fertilizing), the worse are their chances of coming back from a prolonged state of dormancy. Common Kentucky bluegrass varieties typically come back from dormancy more readily than the more luxuriant elite or improved bluegrasses -- the types of bluegrass used in most sod the past twenty or twenty-five years.

Even if your lawn does go dormant, you still need to water lightly every few weeks, just to keep the crowns and roots from drying beyond the point of no return. A good steady rain or thorough watering can bring grass out of dormancy, but each time it does, the plants' food reserves are diminished.

Watering

One of the problems with letting your lawn go dormant is that often weeds will continue to grow and get the upper hand. To prevent summer dormancy and keep grass growing well it's usually necessary to soak the soil thoroughly every week or so (twice weekly on sandy soils). A good way to tell your grass needs water is when walking across it leaves footprints that don't spring back.

It's best to leave sprinklers on long enough to wet the soil 4 to 6 inches deep. Shallow watering encourages shallow root growth. Factor rainfall into the equation; you certainly don't need to water when rain has been adequate.

Fertilizing

Because it's never a good idea to fertilize a moisture-stressed lawn, most people are better off waiting until late August or early September to fertilize. Unless you're able to water thoroughly on a regular basis, fertilizing is just not a good idea this time of year. Our grasses grow most actively in spring and autumn when temperatures are cooler; autumn is a particularly good time to fertilize.

Weed Control

Violets. Photo credit: Beth Jarvis

It's very easy to discuss summer weed control: except for digging them up, don't so it! Herbicides are much more likely to drift onto off-target plants in summer's heat. Even if you spray in the morning while it's still relatively cool, fumes may rise from the foliage later as the day grows hotter. Besides, perennial weeds such as dandelions, plantain, creeping charlie, and others are more vulnerable to herbicides in autumn.

Concentrate on digging up any really bad actors (thistles, violets, creeping bellflower) then spray remaining perennial weeds in late September and mid-October so they don't sprout back from their roots the following spring. Plan to prevent annual weeds next year by using a pre-emergent herbicide or corn gluten meal product late April or early May. (Corn gluten meal should also be watered in to the lawn in mid-August each year if you plan to use it in spring.)

Finally, keep in mind that a lawn is a community of living plants. It need not be perfect in order to look good or function well!

Watersheds, Phosphorus & Water Quality
Bob Mugaas, Extension Educator and Professor-Horticulture, Hennepin County

Sky blue water. Photo credit: Bob Mugaas

In the last issue of this newsletter the topics of lawn care, phosphorus-containing fertilizers and potential to adversely impact water quality were briefly discussed. In this article, developed watersheds and their potential to contribute decreasing water quality of nearby bodies of water will be considered.

In developed watersheds such as is typical of our urban and suburban areas, curb and gutter systems are designed and installed to move water away from our residences and businesses as quickly as possible. Obviously, this helps prevent water from ponding or backing up into our homes and businesses. However, in the last couple of years the concepts of "Every Curb is a Shoreline" and "Everyone Lives in a Watershed" have become popular slogans in water quality education programs. Let’s briefly explore these two concepts and see how they might influence and/or change some of our lawn and garden practices so that we may do our part in helping protect water quality.

To begin, let’s consider the notion of Everyone Lives in a Watershed. While few of us may actually own lake or river shoreline as part of our home property, virtually all of us live in a watershed and are directly or indirectly connected to that body of water. The connection is through the storm sewer system. This is not the same as the sanitary sewer system, which directs its water to water/sewage treatment plants. Following purification of the water at the treatment it is then discharged into a river system. Storm sewers collect storm water runoff from various inlets located at the edge of the road, parking lot or other large impervious surfaces, carry it through a series of pipes to outlets located on lakes, rivers, holding ponds, etc. The point is, none of this water is treated before entering these bodies of water. Any pollutants picked up by the moving water are carried directly to these same bodies of water.

The term watershed is very literally interpreted as an area of land, developed or not, where water is ‘shed’ or ‘drained’ from that area into the nearby bodies of water. This can include lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, ponds, marshes, etc. I’m sure the water science folks would have a much more articulate definition of a watershed. However, for our purposes, we will use the term watershed to mean that area of land where water drains from our landscapes, impervious surfaces, etc. into nearby water bodies. From that definition, it is easy to see how the concept of Everyone Lives in a Watershed applies to virtually all of us.

A more recent outgrowth of that concept is our second notion of Every Curb is a Shoreline. As mentioned earlier, the contemporary curb and gutter systems found in nearly all of our developed cities and towns, very efficiently collect and channel storm water runoff into nearby water bodies. Again, this is by design such that water problems are avoided or minimized to the cities businesses and residences. However, with that concept in mind it should be readily apparent that anything which ends up in the street and can be carried by runoff water to the storm sewer inlets and ultimately to nearby water bodies.

Storm sewer. Photo credit: Bob Mugaas

Most of us would perhaps be horrified to watch the water coming into our lakes from our storm sewers immediately following an intense rainfall event, such as a summer thunderstorm. You would likely see all sorts of junk and garbage but, in addition you would also see leaves, grass clippings, small twigs, branches, soil, oil slicks and various other forms of organic debris. What you would not see are all of the many different forms of dissolved organic and inorganic compounds flushed from the streets, landscapes, rooftops, etc. that make up this watershed.

As you might suspect, many of these materials contain phosphorus and other plant nutrients that can be ultimately utilized by aquatic plants and the algae population that can explode with these small additions of phosphorus and degrade our water quality. Even the undecomposed organic materials such as leaves and grass clippings transported directly to the lake will decompose eventually and release their nutrients into the water environment again causing an undesirable flush of alga growth called ‘blooms’.

The point of all this is that curb, gutter and storm sewer systems are designed to efficiently and quickly carry runoff water from the watershed to a nearby water area. From these areas it can move more slowly out of lakes and creeks to larger streams and rivers and ‘down the river’ so to speak. While there are exceptions to this general model, it generally describes the pattern of water flow away and out of a watershed.

Aim downspouts into lawns. Photo credit: Beth Jarvis

In the last article, the focus was primarily on fertilizer phosphorus and lawn care practices and their potential to negatively impact water quality. In the remainder of this article, other sources of nutrient inputs to our water bodies will be considered and how important they may be to decreasing water quality.

First, remember that soil phosphorus can be bound to either the very tiny clay soil particles or to organic matter particles. As such, these are the first particles to be picked up by water or wind and eroded away from the site. Because these particles are so small, microscopic in fact, these particles stay suspended in the water for the longest period of time and carried the greatest distances. Once in the water, P can dissociate from the particle or stay bound to it. In either case, once in a body of water they can increase the P loading into that water system and potentially result in fairly immediate alga blooms. For this reason, it is very important that soil be protected with some type of vegetative cover, thereby preventing the forces of water from eroding the soil and carrying it off site. It is also important to protect our soils from moving offsite during building and/or remodeling efforts. As most of you are aware, many of our soils have relatively high levels of P. Therefore it is doubly important to prevent erosion of those soils as they can be a significant contributor of P in runoff water.

Likewise, wind can essentially have the same effect as water. During dry and windy conditions, these very tiny soil particles are the first to be elevated by wind into the atmosphere. Again, due to their microscopic size, they can travel long distances and be deposited on the ground, rooftops, trees, lakes and virtually all other exposed materials typically found in an urban landscape. When it rains, these tiny dust particles are washed from those surfaces and potentially carried by runoff water into the storm sewer system. This has been one item believed to be a factor in increased P loading during a heavy rainfall following a long period of dry and dusty conditions.

Water-soluble P source. Photo credit: Bob Mugaas

As much as we all enjoy and appreciate the trees in our urban and suburban landscapes, they too provide a couple of P sources to the environment. When leaves fall from our deciduous trees in autumn, they often accumulate on impervious surface areas such as streets and driveways. During this time, they may actually begin to decompose, releasing both organic and inorganic forms of P that can be carried in runoff water into nearby waterbodies. As cars travel over these materials, they further grind them up making them even more susceptible to decomposing while laying on the street. In more intense rainfall events, leaves themselves can be carried directly to lakes and rivers. Tree leaves can also blow directly into lakes, ponds and rivers. During the growing season, and especially in the spring, tree seeds and sometimes fruits are often shed liberally onto the ground and, of course, onto the street. Just as in the case of leaves, traffic driving over these materials crushes them and breaks them up making them easier to decompose or be carried in runoff water. Like leaves, these materials also contain phosphorus as well as other plant nutrients.

While we are not going to eliminate trees from our surroundings, nor should we, we can help by keeping our street areas clean of leaves and seeds either by raking or sweeping during the growing season, especially spring and fall. Preferably they can be used for mulching other areas of the landscape or, in the case of tree seeds and fruits, you may want to compost them first to avoid having ‘zillions’ of little tree seedlings sprouting all over the landscape. This practice is something that can be done in front of each of our homes and in that way we each contribute to cleaner runoff and ultimately cleaner water entering our lakes, ponds and rivers.

It should go without saying that blowing your grass clippings into the street or onto hard surface areas where they can runoff is a definite no-no. Blow clippings back onto the lawn where then can be chopped up even further with consecutive passes of the mower. Keeping lawn clippings on the lawn contributes the equivalent of about 1 to 1 ½: applications of fertilizer per year back to your lawn in the form of an organic, slow release nutrient source.

It is always a good idea to clean up after your pets. That of course doesn’t mean throwing the pet waste into the street for it to be carried in runoff water. For health reasons, it is best to pick-up the pet waste and throw it in the garbage. While our individual domestic pet waste can be easily managed, waste from wild populations of animals can be much harder to manage. The best examples are the high levels of goose populations around some of our areas. A close second might be some of the duck populations. They can create problems by directly depositing their wastes into the water body or create a significant mess on the adjacent shoreline areas where it can be carried by runoff water into the lake. There are no easy answers to this situation. Understand that these waste materials do contribute nutrients to our water bodies and as such may have a significant impact on the nutrient levels in those lakes or ponds. I’ll defer the issues of managing these populations and their subsequent waste to an expert in wildlife management.

Snowmelt is a source of P. Photo credit: Bob Mugaas

Finally, in this part of the world there is the issue of our landscapes and soils being frozen for a portion of the year. The freeze-thaw cycle helps breakdown surface organic materials such as grass clippings and leaves and, with a few exceptions, is considered a positive influence in our lawns and landscapes. However, nutrients from these sources are not able to infiltrate into the ground due to its frozen state. Any late fall or early spring rains will move these materials readily over the surface, even a lawn. In fact, research has shown that peaks in P concentration in runoff water are often correlated with frozen ground and early spring or late fall rains. Indeed, the major inputs for the year of P into a water body occur during these situations. This is the primary reason you hear for not applying lawn and garden products to frozen ground. Plants are unable to use it and the likelihood of being lost from the site due to runoff can be very high.

Hopefully, this article has helped provide some other insights into managing our lawns and landscapes to prevent movement of nutrients off those sites and into our precious water resources. While there are some aspects of managing our environment that we have no control over, practicing those things that we can do to positively impact water quality should be a part of everyone’s lawn and landscape maintenance plan. Remember we all in live in a water shed and every curb is a shoreline.

Produce Doesn't Grow on Grocery Store Shelves
Cindy Tong, Post Harvest Specialist

Broccoli field. Photo credit: Cindy Tong

Carrot processing Photo credit: Cindy Tong

Ice slurry machine.

Field-packed celery. Photo credits: Cindy Tong

Yum - it's the time of year when fresh peaches, nectarines, and apricots are in season! Most people know that these fruit come mostly from California, but knowing what it takes to bring that fruit and other produce to Minnesota is another story. What about that broccoli or those apples in the winter? Where do those come from?

Most people in the United States buy their produce from a grocery store. It's convenient, prices are usually reasonable, and a large variety of produce items can be found all year round. The Packer is a newspaper that caters to the grocery and produce industry. According to the 1999 Packer Fresh Trends surveys, the top 5 fruit purchased by Americans were apples, grapes, bananas, oranges, and strawberries. The top 10 fresh vegetables were leafy vegetables, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, celery, bell peppers, sweet corn, broccoli, and cucumbers.

Apples usually have stickers that identify the variety and source. If you look at the stickers, you'll find that many of the apples come from Washington state and New Zealand. New Zealand's winter occurs when Minnesota has its summer. This means that most of the New Zealand apples found in our grocery stores now are relatively fresh, but coming out of storage. The same is true for Washington apples. The apples would have been picked in the autumn and put into cold storage. Some of the storage might have a controlled atmosphere, meaning that the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen are tightly controlled. High levels of carbon dioxide and low levels of oxygen keep the apples in a state of low metabolism, almost like suspended animation. The gases don't change the apples in a bad way, but the fruit basically change very little compared to when they were picked. However, this kind of storage requires expensive, high maintenance equipment. The rooms have refrigeration and thermostats to maintain low temperature, misters and humidistats for high humidity, ways to inject and vent gases for high carbon dioxide and low oxygen, walls that expand or shrink whenever the air (barometric) pressure changes, and computer controls and safety equipment in case anything goes wrong. New Zealand is far from Minnesota. Air freight is expensive, so the apples are usually shipped by boat, maybe in special controlled atmosphere containers. Then they are brought from the West coast to Minnesota in trucks equipped with refrigeration. Washington apples also come to Minnesota by truck.

A lot of the broccoli sold in Minnesota also comes from the West coast, usually from California companies. However, these companies may have farms in Baja California, Mexico, or Arizona. Some vegetable crops, like broccoli and cauliflower, are grown in Mexico and Arizona in the winter, then in the Salinas Valley in California in the spring. This ensures a year-round supply of broccoli for wholesalers, who like to make their shopping as easy as possible, much as the rest of us do. In California, one farm may have hundreds of acres of broccoli, as Midwestern farmers have hundreds of acres of corn. The broccoli is hand-harvested and field packed, usually by teams of immigrant labor, then brought back to a packing area to be palletized and precooled. Slurries of ice are injected into boxes of broccoli, and then the pallets of boxes are loaded into large coolers. The pallets are later brought to Minnesota in refrigerated trucks. This is all done on a large scale, and the high volume shipped out means that shipping costs are minimal relative to the income gained. Growers in California can afford to have large, expensive precooling equipment, ensuring that the broccoli sold in Minnesota will last up to 3 weeks or more in a home refrigerator. This means that local growers have a tough time getting into the wholesale market. They can't compete with the year-round supply, on the price, and sometimes on the quality, if they can't afford icing and cooling equipment. Some local farms do manage to get their produce into grocery stores, but most locally-grown produce has to be purchased in season directly from the farm or at farmers markets or roadside stands. Whether locally-grown or from out-of-state sources, it still takes a lot of work to get produce to your grocery cart.

Grape Flea Beetle Larvae
Jeffrey Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist

Illust. credit: Yard & Garden Line

Small ‘dark worms' have been present on grape leaves throughout much of June. These insects are grape flea beetle larvae. They are yellowish-brown with black dimples (they appear as spots). Adults are about 1/5 inch and iridescent blue-green. They feed on buds and leaves in spring, resulting in ragged-looking leaves. Later, the larvae skeletonize grape leaves. Grape flea beetles also are known to feed on Virginia creeper, apple, elm, and plum. These larvae feed for about three to four weeks. Despite the appearance of the leaves, grape flea beetles have little impact on grapes and can generally be ignored. If insects can not be tolerated, grape flea beetle larvae can be managed with an application of carbaryl (Sevin) or permethrin (Eight).


Bird Mites
Jeffrey Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist

Northern fowl mite. Illust. credit: Ohio Stae U

Occasionally during summer, pin-head sized mites, associated with bird nests, may enter homes. These bird mites, northern fowl mites and chicken mites, parasitize many domestic and wild birds, including poultry, pigeons, starlings, and robins. Bird mites normally remain on birds and in nests throughout their life.

However if a bird falls out of a nest and dies or a nest is abandoned, these mites seek other hosts. When nests are on or in buildings, bird mites can enter homes, sometimes in large numbers to search for food. As northern fowl mites search for other hosts, they may bite people. However, they are unable to reproduce on human blood and eventually die without a proper host. Although these mites are annoying, they do not transmit any diseases and are not a health hazard.

If you find these mites in your home, you can remove them with a vacuum. They are not automatically killed by a vacuum so throw away the bag or freeze it to prevent the mites from crawling back out. You can also wipe up the mites with a damp cloth. To prevent further problems, remove any dead birds that you find. If nests are found empty (i.e. no eggs or young birds in them), remove and dispose of them.

To reduce the number of northern fowl mites migrating indoors, spray an insecticide effective against mites, such as permethrin. Treat outside around windows, doors, and other possible points of entry. If you can not treat an outside area without harming an occupied nest, do not spray. Leave the nest alone until it is abandoned; then you can spray the house if mites are still a problem.

If eggs or young are found in nests of federally protected song birds (which includes nearly all birds in Minnesota), you can not disturb them. If the nesting season is over and only adults remain, you may remove the nest, provided the birds are not harmed. Only pigeons, starlings, and house sparrows are not protected; you may remove their nests regardless of the circumstances.

Pine Spittlebugs
Jeffrey Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist

Pine spittlebug. Photo credit: Jeff Hahn

While some spittlebugs have been common on herbaceous plants this season, there is a particular species that feeds on conifers called pine spittlebug. As a nymph, pine spittlebug has a black head and thorax and a light colored abdomen. It is found on the shoots of pines, including Scots, Austrian, jack, and white, as well as spruce and fir. It feeds on sap with piercing-sucking mouthparts. Pine spittlebug covers itself with a frothy foam that helps protect it from the environment and natural enemies. Up to several spittlebugs may be found in a spittle mass.

Nymphs hatch in spring and generally feed until early July. Damage to trees in the landscape is rarely severe. In many cases, there aren't any obvious signs of feeding other than the conspicuous spittle masses. In some cases, feeding could cause tips of some branches to discolor but rarely anything more. Spittlebugs do secrete honeydew which allows sooty mold to grow. Sooty mold affects the appearance of trees but is not harmful to them.

In most cases, control isn't necessary. If spittlebug infestations are heavy, particularly if the tree is stressed, control pine spittlebug after they mature into adults (about mid-July). Adults are a mottled gray, brown and black and do not make a spittle mass. Most contact insecticides, such as acephate (Orthene) should be effective.

Springtails
Jeffrey Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist

Tiny springtails. Photo credit: Yard & Garden

Springtails are minute (about 1/16th inch), elongate and generally dark-colored (some have iridescent scales and some may be light colored). They have a forked appendage that allows them to jump. In nature, they are very abundant in the soil and leaf litter where they play an important role in decomposing and recycling organic matter. They feed on algae, fungi, and decaying vegetable matter.

Springtails are an occasional nuisance inside homes. Because of their small size, they can easily enter under doors and through small cracks in the foundation. They are associated with damp conditions which may be in an area near a plumbing leak or excess condensation. Springtails may also be found in the soil of a potted plant, especially if it is overwatered. They don't cause any particular damage but can be annoying, particularly when they occur in high numbers.

To control springtails, remove leaves, mulch and other organic material from around the foundation. Seal any obvious cracks and spaces in the foundation. Be sure water drains away from the foundation. Inside the home, dry out areas where springtails are found by correcting leaks or condensation problems. Use of a fan or dehumidifier helps dry out an area and reduce springtail numbers. Springtails are generally a temporary problem and die when moisture is reduced. Insecticides can help reduce a springtail population but will not eliminate them if a moisture problems persists.

Caddisflies
Jeffrey Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist

Caddisfly. Photo credit: David Houghton

Caddisflies are small to medium, moth-like insects. They are dull colored, often brown or gray. You can distinguish them from moths as caddisflies have very long antennae (as long or longer than the rest of the body) and they hold their wings roof-like over their body. Adults feed on liquid foods.

Larvae are aquatic, developing in lakes, ponds, and streams. Many larvae construct a case that live inside. These cases can be made out of pebbles, bits of sand, leaves, twigs, or other material. Other caddisflies construct nets and others are free living Case-making larvae are plant feeders while net-makers feed on organic material they capture floating past them. Free-living caddisflies are predaceous.

Caddisfly adults can emerge in large numbers and cause alarm with some residents. In one case, large numbers were found on a lawn and the owners were concerned the insects were injuring the turf. In another case (and probably more typical), caddisflies were a nuisance because many were found landing on a building, similar to what mayflies occasionally do.

Despite their abundance, caddisflies are harmless. Their presence is temporary and they will eventually go away on their own. It is difficult to prevent caddisflies from landing on your home, especially if the building is near water where caddisflies develop. Your best bet is to try to avoid attracting them. This is best done by using less attractive lights. Use less bright lights and when possible use yellow lights instead of incandescent lights or standard bulbs. Insecticides will not prevent caddisflies from landing on a home and are not recommended to control caddisflies.

Editorial Notes

Zucchini-female and male flowers. Photo credit: Beth Jarvis

In case you've never noticed, squash family plants have male and female flowers. The ovaries of female flowers are the very immature fruit. The male flower stems, consequently, are more slender. If you can't make out which is whick, click on the picture. The female is on the left; the male flower is on the right.

Found a squash vine borer (SVB) adult on a pumpkin leaf on 6/28. It was right on schedule as they usually appear around the end of the month. In my garden, SVB keep zucchini under control. If someone leaves a bag of zucchini at your door, it wasn't me.

Speaking of leaving, Chad Behrendt, our plant pathologist, has gone on to explore greener pastures. The search is on for his replacement, so if you know someone with at least a MS in Plant Path., who loves to teach and write, point them our way! To see a copy of the listing, click here on job opening. In the mean time, we'll probably be a bit light on plant diesease articles.

Next issue, Dr. George Heimpel will discuss Intergrated Pest Management as it applies ot the home garden. August 1, Dr. Carl Rosen, who wrote about soil tests in the May 15th issue, will continue the discussion to include pH and soluble salts. Further out: Doug Foulk will talk about growing grapes in Minnesota and varieties to seek out when perusing garden catalogs.

I rely on your comments and questions for ideas for future articles. Please, keep the story ideas coming! We really try to be responsive to your needs.

Please feel free to cut and paste any of the articles for use in your own newsletters. All we ask is that you give our authors credit.

Back issues Yard & Garden Line News are on the Yard & Garden Line home page at www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/. Our home page has clickable links to most of the components of the Yard & Garden Line, such as Bell Museum of Natural History, INFO U and the Soil Testing Lab.

Deb Brown answers gardening questions on Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) "Midmorning" program on the first Thursday of every month at 10 a.m. Katherine Lanpher hosts the program that is broadcast on KNOW 91.1 FM, and available state-wide on the MPR news radio stations.

If you have gardening questions, please call the Yard & Garden Line at (612) 624-4771.

If you would like to receive an e-mail reminder when the next issue of the Yard & Garden Line News is posted to the web, just send an e-mail to: listserv@lists.umn.edu (note: the second E in listserve is omitted), leave the subject line blank, then in the body of the message, type: sub yglnewslist
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Happy gardening!

Beth Jarvis
Yard & Garden Line Project Coordinator

Websites
Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series. This site contains everything from landscape design planning and lawncare to both herbaceous and woody plant selection databases. The URL is:http://www.sustland.umn.edu


For pesticide info, for both home owner and professionals, check out:

http://www.crc.agri.umn.edu/~mnhelps/

There's also some very interesting reading at Forest Products website. To get there from here, click on: http://www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/extension/
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