Battling Fruit Flies by C J Clawson

Photo Counsel & Heal News

Fruit flies are quite common this time of year. The Drosophila (meaning dew-loving) species of the insect world– also called vinegar flies or pomace flies for their characteristic of being found near over ripe or rotting fruit.  If you have a problem with them in your kitchen, here's some strategy:

1. Wash any salvageable fruit and store in the refrigerator, if possible.  This goes for all future fruit purchases too – no need to import fruit flies from the grocery store.
2. If using a kitchen scrap composter place the compost in the counter composting crock and take it outside until temperatures fall sufficiently to kill off larvae.
3. Thoroughly clean kitchen garbage bin and disposal; wipe down counters.  Check floors for juice spills and toss out any questionable sponges or cloths.  Don’t let things like wine glasses sit with residue in them – remember, sweet and/or fermented moisture is what drew the fruit flies in the first place.
4. Throw out all the over ripe fruit on the counter.  This means tight bagging and immediate transfer to the outdoor garbage bin – don’t just toss it in your kitchen garbage can. 
5. Set some traps.  They can be purchased at a hardware store or make your own using cider vinegar or wine, a jar, and either a plastic bag or paper funnel. Place an inch or so of liquid in the bottom of the jar.  Make a funnel with a piece of paper or cut a small hole in one corner of the bag and place over the jar so the small end of the funnel is close to but not touching the fluid.  Replace the trap every seven to ten days.

Here are some interesting facts about fruit flies. The 1933 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Thomas Hunt Morgan whose work with Drosophila led to the identification of chromosomes as the vector for genes in heredity.  Currently, fruit flies feature prominently in research on diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. Fruit fly wings beat around 220 times per second compared to hummingbird wings that beat at about 70 times per second in normal flight. Fruit flies only live eight to ten days but a female will lay approximately 500 eggs during that time. 

Here's a fact sheet with more information: Fruit Flies in the Home

Protecting Trees and Shrubs from Extreme Temperature Drop by Carol King

Image wallpaperscraft.com

Our first round of really cold weather is headed this way.  Although it is in the 70’s today and tomorrow, Thursday and Friday night are predicted to be in the teens and twenties.  What comes to mind is September 2014 when we experienced a dramatic drop in temperature that destroyed many trees and shrubs. Could this weather event be a repeat of that one?

I spoke with Patti O’Neal, CSU Jefferson County Extension and she gave me this advice:

1. We have been watching, and trees have begun their dormancy process now, whereas in 2014, they had not. 
2. The temperature won’t drop like it did overnight in 2014.  This will happen more gradually over a two day period so the element of “sudden-ness” will not hit the way it did previously. 
3. The way things have been predicted lately and the difference between 2014 and what has actually happened have been pretty disparate. Some areas of the metroplex have hit 32 degrees, while Arvada, for instance,  has not been below 39 yet. 

So what to do?

In the event the meteorologists are actually correct this time, make sure you water well; trees in particular if you have not already done so this past week.  Roots go into a freeze much sturdier moist than dry and whatever the plant can take up tonight and tomorrow is just that much better.

Use a hose and sprinkler if your system has been turned off already and make sure you place the sprinkler to the best advantage of the feeder roots of the tree (at the drip line) and not the trunk of the tree.  Then make sure to unhook the hose from the bib after you finish to prevent freezing and damage to your pipes.

It is also predicted that temperatures will go back up again next week.  Stay vigilant and water during the warmest part of the day into next week if you can as the ground will not have frozen yet. 

The fact that the trees have begun their dormancy process should protect them as well.  That was an issue in 2014 when they had not.  Where we expect we might see some further damage is on trees that were damaged in 2014 and are still struggling to recover.  Ornamental pears with bark damage from the 2014 freeze that are still trying to put on new bark, for example, might be candidates for issues.  Wrapping with paper will not help at this point.  Additional protection such as insulation, a campers freeze blanket or a hot water blanket would be a far better choice. 

In summary, the event should not be as brusque as the 2014 event on the whole, but weather is unpredictable and we should prepare as best we can at this point. 

Pines Shedding Needles is Normal by Carol King

Photo by Carol King

Are your pine trees dropping their needles? There is no cause for alarm; they are probably naturally losing their needles. Everyone knows that deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall, but fewer people learn that evergreen trees also lose their old needles in the late summer and  fall. Evergreens normally do shed previous years' needles on a regular basis. Often there can be a "heavy" needle drop on Front Range landscape pines, spruces and firs. The most common causes of excessive needle drop are too-wet and too-dry soils. It has been very dry this summer and fall.

There may be a problem if there is yellowing or dieback on the tips of branches. Consider drought, salts, root damage, spray damage, soil compaction, conifer aphids, mountain pine beetle and other factors. Occasionally, "deciduous conifers" such as bald cypress, larch and dawn redwood are found in Colorado landscapes. These conifers lose all their needles every autumn, to be replaced the following spring.

For more information, check out these articles at Planttalk Colorado™.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/2123.html

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1760.html

Overwinter Your Container Plants by Donna Duffy

Photo courtesy Pinterest

It’s the time of year to start thinking about how to overwinter perennial plants that have been happily growing in containers this summer. Containerized trees, shrubs and perennials are subject to Colorado’s winter temperature fluctuations, drying winds and freeze-thaw cycles. Planttalk Colorado provides the following suggestions to get your plants ready when the first hard freeze arrives.

All Those Leaves! What to Do? by Donna Duffy

Leaves, leaves, leaves!! Photo courtesy Donna Duffy

Special thanks to Alison O'Connor, Larimer County Extension agent,  for sharing the following article.

Ugh. Dealing with leaves in the fall. It’s almost like nature mocks us. We work hard all summer to grow tomatoes, mow the lawn religiously and fend our garden from insects and disease. Just as we want to take a break and watch some football, the trees decide to drop their leaves and landscape maintenance continues.

I’ve been asked this question a lot—What should I do with all the leaves that drop? There’s a lot of great ways to use them, including composting, tucking them around newly planted plants, throwing them in the veggie garden to till in next spring or mulching them into your lawn.

Jefferson County Master Gardener Calendars for Sale by Bill Orchard

Need a calendar for 2017? Want to get a unique and distinctive holiday gift? The Jefferson County Gardeners are conducting a fund raiser with their calendar sale.  The calendars are available at the Extension Office for $12 each or by mail for $15 (quantities of five or more are sent free). The calendar consists of beautiful pictures taken by Jeffco Master Gardeners and Native Plant Masters and features some of their beautiful gardens. Included with the picture of the month are a second complementary garden picture, the monthly garden "to do list", and either a Plant Select or Native Plant selection.  The native plants were selected by the Native Plant Masters as plants they recommend for use in the home landscape. This aligns with the Plant Selects, which are chosen because they are plants that do well in our environment. Both common and botanical names of all plants are provided.

The money raised will go into the Master Gardener Fund which awards scholarships to horticultural students from any Jefferson County High School, Junior College or any State College or University.

For a copy of this beautiful calendar, please visit the CSU Extension Office in Jefferson County, 303-271-6620, 15200 West Sixth Ave, Unit #C, Golden, CO 80401, 8am to 5pm weekdays.  Checks made out to “Master Gardener Fund” can also be mailed to Calendar Sales, c/o Stan Ames, 15855 W Ellsworth Pl, Golden, CO 80401.

Master Gardeners Celebrate 40 years of Service in Jefferson County by Amy Bubar

This year, Jefferson County CSU Extension’s Master Gardeners are proud to be celebrating their 40th anniversary of service to Jefferson County residents. Jefferson County has one of the largest cadres of Master Gardeners in the state. These volunteers utilize research-based information to foster successful gardeners, develop partnerships and build strong communities. 

Happy Halloween!

Photo courtesy Design*Sponge

Gourd Birdhouses by Donna Duffy

Photo courtesy centralmarket.com

It’s gourd harvesting time! There are two basic types of squash that are grown and used decoratively:

1) Cucurbita or soft-skinned gourds – these are the colorful orange, gold and green gourds that look like small squash and come in odd shapes; 2) Lagenaria or hard-skinned gourds – these larger, utilitarian gourds include the familiar Birdhouse, Bottle and Dipper gourds. Hard skinned gourds grow green on the vine and eventually turn shades of tan and brown.

Crow Damage and Control by Joyce D'agostina

American Crow, photo courtesy audubon.org

Attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your garden has always been a great idea. However this year, I have notice a much larger population of the black crow, Corvus corax, in our neighborhood. Crows have been known for many years to be foragers who will eat just about anything, including your favorite garden fruits and vegetables.

About mid-summer, when some of my tomatoes were finally ripening, I heard a commotion in the garden and noticed several of the crows flying out of my garden area. To my disappointment, they had helped themselves to several of the ripe tomatoes and also had done damage to a few others.

Since I am not always available to catch these crows when they are in my garden, I had to think of something to help deter them. The magpies also were very interested in my garden crops so I had to think fast to try to come up with something to deter them without doing harm or damaging my garden. Crows are known to be very clever birds with great memories and tend to travel in groups so that they help protect each other as they forage so I had to find something effective.

Mylar windsock, photo by Joyce D'agostina

One item that I saw in a gardening catalog is a windsock type device that you hang in your garden. This item was made from a Mylar plastic that caused bright hologram type lights as the streamers move in the breeze. This was reported to be annoying and a deterrent to birds but was harmless to bees and butterflies.

I purchased one of these windsocks and hung it in the garden. I noticed almost immediately that the birds stayed away from the garden and no more plucked or pecked tomatoes. It was also hanging close to a Lavender Hyssop which the bees love and it didn’t seem to cause any issues with them continuing to enjoy that plant. This seemed to be a good solution because I didn’t want to use any chemicals or other harmful solutions to keep these hungry birds from my garden.

Scarecrows, photo courtesy Wikipedia

Scarecrows have also been for centuries as a way for farmers to keep these birds from their crops. The idea was to make a large figure that resembled a human that would make the birds think that there were people in the garden, which scared them away. Today Scarecrows are found all around the world and there are scarecrow making contests. Adding a scarecrow to your garden will not only possibly help keep away the bird pests but also add a great seasonal look to your garden. If you google Scarecrows and your city or county name, you may find a local event featuring scarecrows.

http://icwdm.org/handbook/birds/AmericanCrows.asp

http://www.extension.colostate.edu/douglas/agri/wildlife.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarecrow

Planning Your Garden for Next Year by Joyce D’Agostino

Photo by Carol King

As we approach fall, most of us are busy doing cleanup of our summer garden. Since gardening can take time, effort and money to maintain, it is a good idea now to make a list of those vegetables or fruits that you want to plant again and the ones that you will eliminate.

Make two columns for your list, and label one column “keep” and "eliminate" in the other column. Even though you may be well aware now of what you didn’t want to plant again, after a few months of busy fall and winter activities, it might help to have a list to refer to so you remember some key issues.

For example, maybe this year you planted kale only to find that you, your family or friends didn’t like it. There is no point to plant anything that takes up garden space that won’t be eaten or appreciated. So you might want to put kale in the eliminate column. Also, if you like zucchini but don’t need bushels of it, you can make note to have only one plant next season. Anything that was a hit can go into the keep column.

Since many people can have limited time spent in the garden, any plant that was more high maintenance than you could handle should be considered on the cut list. If you had to spend a lot of time and money on certain plants, you can consider that maybe they are not worth trying to repeat them. And since our growing season can be shorter than some areas, having tomatoes for example that don’t produce until September may not be a smart choice either unless you find that they are worth the wait!

Fall Pruning “Dos and Don’ts” by Audrey Stokes

Mild fall weather may have you thinking about pruning shrubs and trees but it's better to wait until winter or at least until after deciduous trees’ leaves have fallen. When it comes to fall pruning, procrastination is the way to go.  One exception to any ‘no-pruning’ advice is that dead, diseased and damaged wood should be removed as soon as possible.  Hire a professional arborist to remove big limbs, high branches, and any other tree job that you’re not prepared to do.

Pruning timetables can be broken down according to the type of plant: trees, shrubs, perennials and roses.