Welcome to Fairfield County Horticulture Page

Providing research based education to Fairfield County Homeowners and Gardeners

Sunny

James Skeeles	Connie Smith	Stan Smith
Extension Educator	Program Assistant	Program Assistant
740.653.5419 x 23	740.653.5419 x 13	740.653.5419 x 24

Controlling Wildlife Damage in Your Landscape

An increasing request at OSU Extension offices is how to control or minimize the damage of wildlife or critters. Our first critter calls start in the spring when moles push up mounds of dirt in the yard. Then as plants are set out and start to grow in the spring, rabbits nip off the young succulent leaves and stems or deer either eat them to the ground or pull them out as they take their bite. Less frequent calls concern crows, skunks, ground hogs or woodchucks, raccoons, snakes, squirrels, chipmunks, woodpeckers, coyote, muskrat and even crayfish.

With tongue in cheek, we need to recognize that as individuals some of us want more wildlife, and some want less. For instance, the fact sheets we have in our wildlife series on our web site at: http://ohioline.osu.edu/w-fact/index.html have 7 sheets on controlling wildlife and 13 on encouraging wildlife. Farmers, gardeners and homeowners call us about how to control wildlife but those enrolled in the program we offer called Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist certainly wish to encourage wildlife.

The beginning of the story is that those critters which have been able to adapt to an environment increasingly changed and shaped by humans are the ones we have around us. Those unable to adapt are endangered or extinct.

The rest of the story is we have more of those adaptable critters than ever before. The crops and food we grow (corn, soybeans, apples, flowers, etc.) have fed, supported and provided food for deer and rabbits. In fact, we and nature provide food for deer and rabbits many times more abundant than the present numbers can consume.

So, let’s talk about ways to grow plants, gardens and landscapes with critters around. The first calls of the year come in about moles. If mounds were pushed up during the winter, the most effective way to eliminate a resident mole population is to trap the moles as they use their main runs in the spring, as described in: http://ohioline.osu.edu/w-fact/0011.html

The next most used mole control is to kill their food source so they move elsewhere. However, those environmentally conscious should recognize chemical treatment to kill white grubs (the larval stage of Japanese Beetles and May or Jume beetles) will also kill earthworms. None the less, July is the time to use a long residual grub control material applied to the lawn, as described in fact sheets: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2001.html and http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2500.html Remember to water in thoroughly after application of these chemicals.

The second round of calls that continues all summer long concerns rabbits and deer eating our prized plants. The same concepts also apply to ground hogs or woodchucks. Those really serious about growing plants without a constant battle with the critters need to seriously consider fencing to keep out the critters or keep in an aggressive, outside all the time, dog.

Effective exclusion fence needs to exclude both deer and rabbits. That means eight to ten feet tall if not electrified, depending on the deer pressure and attractiveness of the plants to deer inside. In general, six to eight feet will do in Fairfield County but eight to ten feet is needed in Hocking County where the deer population is greater.

If going to the trouble of building such a fence, rabbits also need to be excluded. A three foot chicken wire fence will exclude rabbits, but should be buried at least two to three inches for light rabbit pressure or possibly a half foot turning under the ground with another half foot horizontal to the outside of the fence to prevent digging underneath if there is heavy rabbit or woodchuck or ground hog pressure.

The most effective use of electric fence for deer exclusion has been the “peanut butter fence”. The idea here is that if a traumatic enough experience is inflicted on the deer, they won’t go near that area for quite some time. So, during the winter when food is scarce for the deer, attached to the electric fence are pouches made from tin cans or aluminum pie plates that are filled with fresh peanut butter. You get the picture! This can provide relief from deer for months!

However, the most used coping strategy must be foul smelling and tasting chemicals called repellents. These are being used, since there is increasingly more store shelf space devoted to them.

Keep a couple things in mind when using repellents. First, in early spring, plants grow really fast and the tastiest and most nutritious part of the plant is the growing tip. Daily spraying may be necessary to protect those new tips as they grow in the spring.

Second, a regimen needs to be maintained all summer long and all plants that are tasty to deer and rabbits need to be sprayed regularly, all summer long. For instance, hosta may not be bothered in early spring when there are all sorts of young tasty leaves of other sprecies out there, but later in summer, one night your hosta may turn to only stems. The grazing patterns and preferences of deer and rabbits changes throughout the season, so all plants at risk need to be sprayed all summer long.

Finally, deer and rabbits later in the season may eat a repellent sprayed plant. There may be several reasons for that. One may be that the deer got used to the taste and smell of the repellent, so rotation is necessary if deer and rabbit pressure is heavy. Another reason may be that there just isn’t any better food out there, so they eat the repellent sprayed food. Repellent use is temporary. Serious growers under heavy deer and rabbit pressure eventually resort to fences.

Do your trees look in distress?

During the spring and early summer in 2009 we received lots of phone calls from homeowners describing trees in distress. While many callers are concerned it's a disease or insect issue, the majority of the time trees appearing in distress are simply exhibiting syptoms of decline due to environmental stress accumulated over recent years.

You will recall that during this decade we have experienced several very hot and dry late summers. We began last fall very dry, and received little significant precipitation into winter. Many of the significant rain events we did experience during the winter came on frozen ground, thus did not help to replenish depleted soil moisture.

In fact, since July 1 of 2008 through early June of 2009, Fairfield County received 24% less precipitation than normal. This amounts to a cumulative total of 7.7 inches under the norm of 32+ inches during that time span. Normal rainfall for July in Fairfield County is 4.26 inches. Through the first 16 days of July we received only 0.8 of an inch of rainfall.

Adding insult to injury, the county experienced extremely cold temperatures for a few days in January with one morning hitting minus 18 degress in parts of Fairfield County. This not only froze and killed some flower buds, but also killed or damaged the new leaf buds on some trees.

While being below normal for rainfall, a sudden heat wave arrived the third week of May adding to the stress many plants - including trees - experienced.

In response to all these stresses, some trees didn't bloom this spring. More didn't leaf out properly. And then, suddenly hot temperatures caused enough cumulative stress that trees are aborted some of the less than healthy leaves they did produce this year.

These issues didn't all occur over night and can't be remedied in short order. As the summer progresses, monitor soil moisture carefully. During times of extreme dry, compounded by heat, be sure that those trees most stressed - and especially needled trees - receive supplemental water. Collecting rain from rooftops in a barrel and then trickle irrigating that collected water under the drip line of trees of concern is an excellent way to accomplish this.

In addition, fertilization of stressed trees may be in order. With less leaf surface for photosynthesis, supplemental fetility may help trees survive the most stressful weather which may come yet this summer or next winter.

For more detail, feel free to contact us at OSU Extension in Fairfield County.

Buying Fertilizer Can Be Confusing

It is important for the homeowner to understand fertilizer terms, what the numbers mean and how to figure math problems related to fertilizer. Also a general understanding of how nutrients are used by plants helps the gardener to understand when to apply fertilizer and how to identify nutrient deficiencies. Fertilizers list the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content (expressed as N-P-K) as percentage numbers on the container, this is called the analysis or grade.

Nitrogen (N) is important in forming chlorophyll. It is one of the building blocks of proteins and nucleic acids. Nitrogen also increases stem and leaf production and gives us green leafy growth. Nitrogen can also decrease winter hardiness if applied too late in the season. Deficiencies of nitrogen appear as reduced growth and yellowing of leaves. Nitrogen quickly leaches out of soils.

Phosphorus (P) is needed for growth of shoots and roots. It is essential for cell division. It stimulates root development and root health. It is very important for emerging seedlings, for flowering and for pollen and seed formation. Phosphorus also is needed to produce winter hardiness. Too much phosphorus interferes with nitrogen and micronutrient absorption. Lack of phosphorus causes reduced growth and flowering, and browning or purpling of foliage. Phosphorus moves slowly down through soil and, therefore should be incorporated at planting time.

Potassium (K) is used in rapidly growing tissue and is important in fruit formation. It is necessary for photosynthesis and the formation of amino acids and proteins. It aids the plant in disease resistant and winter hardiness. A deficiency causes reduced growth, shortened internotes, leaf- margin burn and a tendency to wilt. Potassium moves relatively slowly thought soil.

If you purchase a 100# bag of fertilizer and the label says 10-5-5. You are buying 10# of Nitrogen, 5# of Phosphorus, 5# of Potassium. The other 80 # is inert materials (filler) to help with even spreading of the fertilizer. On any fertilizer container multiply the NPK percentage numbers (N, P, K) times the total weight.

Example: 10-5-5 on the label

100# bag x 10% = 10% sable Nitrogen

100# bag X 5% = 5# usable Phosphorus

100# bag X 5% - 5# usable Potassium

Fertilizer Formulations

Formulation is the form that fertilizers take. Granular solids, water-soluble powders, liquids, slow release pellets, slow- release pikes and tablets are formulations available to homeowners. Most fertilizers are sprinkled onto or worked into the soil in a granular form. Fertilizers are complete when they contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Examples of commonly used complete fertilizers are 10-10-10, 16-16-16- and 20-10-5. The two most common complete fertilizers used by gardeners are 10-10-10 and 5-10-10.

What Is "Preen" and How Is It Used?

Preen is a pre-emergent herbicide (the active ingredient is trifluralin ) that affects seed germination by inhibiting root growth. It is only effective against weeds emerging from seed; perennial weeds that emerge from a hardy crown and root system are not affected. In addition this herbicide works well on most annual grasses and broadleaved weeds, many annual broadleaved weeds are not controlled. Consequently you may get some weed growth even though you apply the product early enough. You will probably have to continue to do some hand weeding as well as using the herbicide for best results. Preen is labeled for use in gardens and since it is active only against germinating seeds it can be applied before most plant material and bulbs emerge.

Don't Guess...Soil Test

Soil fertility fluctuates throughout the growing season each year. The quantity and availability of mineral nutrients are altered by the addition of fertilizers, manure, compost, mulch, and lime or sulfur, in addition to leaching.

Furthermore, large quantities of mineral nutrients are removed from soils as a result of plant growth and development, and the harvesting of crops. The soil test will determine the current fertility status. It also provides the necessary information needed to maintain the optimum fertility year after year.

Some plants grow well over a wide range of soil pH, while others grow best within a narrow range of phH. Most turfgrasses, flowers, ornamental shrubs, vegetables, and fruits grow best in slightly acid soils which represent a pH of 6.1 to 6.9. Plants such as rhododendron, azalea, mountain laurel, and blueberries require a more acidic soil to grow well. A soil test is the only precise way to determine whether the soil is acidic, neutral, or alkaline.

Most soil nutrients are readily available when soil pH is at 6.5. When pH rises above this value, nutrient elements such as phosphorus, iron, manganese, cooper, and zinc will become less available. When soil pH drops below 6.5, manganese can reach a toxicity level for some sensitive plants.

The soil test takes the guesswork out of fertilization and is extremely cost effective. It not only eliminates the waste of money spent on unnecessary fertilizers, but also eliminates over-usage of fertilizers. For a complete list of soil testing labs check out http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1132.html

When to Test Soil - Soil samples can be taken in the spring or fall for established sites. For new sites, soil samples can be taken anytime when the soil is workable. Most people conduct their soil tests in the spring. However, fall is a preferred time to take soil tests if one wants to avoid the spring rush and suspects a soil pH problem. Fall soil testing will allow you ample time to apply lime to raise the soil pH. Sulfur should be applied in the spring if the soil pH needs to be lowered.