The Press-Dispatch
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C-12 Purdue Extension | Pike County June 2018 The Press-Dispatch Agriculture and Natural Resources JUNE YARD AND GARDEN CALENDAR By B. Rosie Lerner Purdue Extension Consumer Horticulturist HOME Indoor plants and activities • Indoor plants require more frequent watering and fertilizing as they increase their summer growth. • Houseplants can be moved outdoors to a shady location, but pay close attention to their watering needs. • Cut garden flowers for indoor beauty. Recut the stems again just before placing in water. Add a floral preservative and change the solution frequently. • Root cuttings of houseplants and garden plants to increase your collection or share with a friend. Take cuttings from vigorously growing plants. Place cut end in rooting media, such as perlite, vermic- ulite, or peat moss soil mix. Enclose in perforated plastic, and keep out of direct sunlight. YARD Lawns, woody ornamentals and fruits • Keep grass mowed regularly, main- taining height at about one-half an inch higher than usual to help protect the crown of the plant from heat stress. • Don't remove clippings from the lawn unless the grass is excessively tall or weedy. Clippings return some nutrients to the soil and do not add to thatch buildup. • Water the lawn as needed to supply a total of 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water per week. Water deeply in a single applica- tion. Frequent, light sprinklings encour- age roots to stay shallow, making them more susceptible to drought. • Prune spring-flowering shrubs after blooms fade. • Apply fungicide to prevent and control black spot on roses. • Water newly planted trees and shrubs. Water deeply every 7 to 10 days when rain is lacking. • Propagate deciduous shrubs, such as forsythia, lilac, pyracantha, and wei- gelia by stem-tip cuttings. • Remove faded flowers and seed pods on lilac and other spring-flowering shrubs. • Many Indiana trees are plagued by "lawn-mower blight." Be careful to avoid nicking tree trunks while mowing. • Do not become alarmed at June drop of tree fruit. It is a natural thinning process for most trees to prevent exces- sive loads. Thin remaining excess fruit, if any exists, or prop up heavy branches to avoid breaking. Most fruit should be spaced 6 to 8 inches apart on a branch. • Continue applications of home orchard fruit sprays to maintain prob- lem-free fruit. GARDEN Flowers, vegetables and small fruits • Discontinue harvest of asparagus and rhubarb around mid-June to allow foliage to develop and store food reserves for next year's harvest. Fertilize and water when dry to promote healthy growth. • Mulch to control weeds and con- serve soil moisture after soil has warmed. Many materials such as straw, chopped corn cobs, bark chips, shredded paper, and grass clippings can be used. • Blanch (exclude light from) cauli- flower when heads are just 2 inches in di- ameter. Tie leaves up and over the devel- oping head. • Keep weeds controlled. They're easier to pull when they are still young. • Plan now for your Halloween pumpkin. Determine the days to harvest for the particular cultivar you want to plant (usually on the seed packet), and count backwards from mid-October to de- termine the proper planting date. • Harvest spring plantings of brocco- li, cabbage, and peas. • Remove cool-season plants, such as radish, spinach and lettuce as they bolt, or form seed stalks, during hot, summer weather. • Continue planting carrots, beans, and sweet corn for successive harvests. • For staked tomatoes, remove suckers (a branch that forms where the leaf joins the stem) while they are 1 to 1-1/2 inches long to allow for easier training. • Remove spent blooms of peony, iris, delphiniums, and other flowers. 4-H Calf Scramble registration deadline is June 29 WHAT IS A CALF SCRAMBLE? It is an event that will allow four, 4-H youth to compete to win a feeder calf. The 4-H youth will be lined up on one end of the rodeo arena. Each will be given a halter. The calves will be on the other end of the arena. At the word go, the competitors will go toward the calves. The one who wins the calf will be the one who is able to get a halter on the calf's head and successfully lead the calf into a pen and close the gate. A total of two calves will be given away. CONTEST DIVISIONS Division I 4-Hers grade 3-5 (as of January 1, 2018) Division I participant must write a 250 – word minimum not to exceed 500 -word essay. Division II 4-Hers grade 6 – 11 (as of January 1, 2018) Division II participant must write a 500 - word minimum not to exceed 1000 -word essay. ESSAY REQUIREMENTS • In this essay the participant must tell the judges the answers to the following questions: • How do you plan to transport your calf after winning it? (The calf cannot be left on the 4-H Fairgrounds after the rodeo.) • How do you plan to care for the calf? (food, shelter, veterinarian expenses etc.) • Why are you entering the calf scram- ble? • What is your current involvement in 4-H? A panel of judges, not members of the Pike County 4-H Council, will select four (4) essay winners. These winners will compete in the Calf Scramble. TERMS AND CONDITIONS • Participant must be a current 4-H member and must have at least one more year of eligibility to be in 4-H. • Contestant must be able to properly provide care for the calf. • The calf won must be shown next year in the Pike County 4-H • Fair Contestant must meet and comply by all 4-H requirements. CONTEST The Calf Scramble will take place at the Xtreme Roughstock Tour rodeo on July 26 at the Pike County 4-H Fair. The contest will take place during the rodeo intermission. Further details will be provided with the an- nouncement of the essay winners. MORE INFORMATION The application can be found online at www.extension.purdue.edu/Pike The application and accompanying essay must be submitted to the Pike County Ex- tension office by 4 p.m. on June 29. Please call 812-766 -0134 if you have further ques- tions. Please email shalbrad@purdue.edu for an application. Compiled by David Ackley, 4-H Youth Development Educator and By Kenneth J. Eck, County Extension Director Fairs, festivals, and food trucks, oh my! By Angie Frost and Arin Weidner 4-H Extension Specialists Spring might have been slow to warm up, but summer is just around the corner, and summertime in Indiana means fairs, festivals, and food trucks. This can be the season for deep-fried, sugar-laden, high-cal- orie foods and beverages. If you attend one or even two of these events over the summer, you shouldn't worry too much about wreck- ing your diet by indulging in some of your favorite things. However, if you're like many 4-H families who will be spending much of your time at these events, you might want to take note of some ideas that will help you stick to your healthy living plan. When planning an outing to a fair or fes- tival, plan to eat before you go. Eating a nutritious meal before you arrive to all the delicious aromas and temptations will make you less likely to head straight toward the food vendors. Another good idea is to bring your own healthy snacks. Choose snacks that contain protein and healthy car- bohydrates such as nuts, fruit, cheese sticks, and whole-grain crackers. Eating before you arrive and bringing your own snacks not only saves you calories; it also saves you money! STAY HYDRATED Staying hydrated is important. Sometimes thirst mimics hunger, leading us to eat when we're really just thirsty. Bring along a water bottle, and be sure to drink enough water to maintain hydration. What if you arrive to a fair or festival emp- ty-handed and hungry? Healthier choices are offered at nearly every fair, festival, and food truck. You just need to know what to look for. When choos- ing protein or vegetable-based foods, look for grilled or roasted options. Choose sweet treats that contain fruit, or share your favor- ite with several friends. CONSIDER THESE TIPS • Choose roasted corn on the cob instead of deep-fried veggies or onion blossoms. The roasted corn is only 50 calories and 1 gram of fat without butter or 200 calories with butter. The onion blossom is 1175 calories and 75 grams of fat! • For a sweet treat, choose a caramel apple or kettle corn over an elephant ear or funnel cake. The caramel apple contains 334 calories and 6 grams of fat, compared to the funnel cake's 760 calories and 44 grams of fat. The kettle corn is sweetened but is mostly popcorn, a whole grain that contains dietary fiber and B vitamins. Other sweet treats that won't entirely wreck your nutri- tion plan include salt water taffy and cotton candy. Although these choices are mostly sugar, they are low in fat and calories but sure to cure your sweet tooth cravings. A fried candy bar contains 450 calories and 30 grams of fat versus three pieces of salt water taffy for 180 calories and 2.5 gram of fat. You'd have to walk for more than two hours to burn off the candy bar or three-and- a-half hours to burn off the funnel cake, but only 50 minutes to burn off the taffy. • Instead of a donut burger or corn dog, choose chicken or steak kebabs, grilled steak or pork sandwich, a grilled hamburg- er, or a grilled turkey leg. Remove the skin from the turkey leg before eating it, and con- sider sharing; turkey legs are generally large enough for at least two people. SOME OTHER FOOD FOR THOUGHT Browse all the food choices before de- ciding what you'll eat. Sit down to eat what you've chosen, and share treats and less healthy choices with others. By browsing all the food choices first, you'll be less likely to make impulsive decisions. Sitting down to enjoy your choices helps you focus on what you're eating and helps avoid the mindless munching that can lead to overindulgence. By sharing less healthy treats you can have your funnel cake and eat it too! A few bites of a treat you truly love is more satisfying than an entire serving of something you consid- er just so-so. How can you enjoy all the fairs, festivals, and food truck events this summer without totally wrecking your healthy living plan? Eat before you go, pack your own snacks, browse all the options before making your selections, sit down to enjoy those selections, and share less healthy options with friends or family. Angie Frost is a 4-H Extension Specialist for Purdue Extension and registered dietitian. She leads a team of county Purdue Extension staff, and collaborates with campus specialists and faculty to provide opportunities for Indiana 4-H youth to learn about healthy living. Arin Weidner is a 4-H Extension Specialist for Purdue Extension . She supports Indiana 4-H programming by creating technology-facil- itated curriculum and learning opportunities. She collaborates with Purdue Extension staff and faculty to develop new ideas for learning in 4-H for youth and adults. Spring ant and termite control By Kenneth J. Eck County Extension Director Purdue Extension – Pike County With the gradual warming of local weather comes the inevitable movement of local bugs and animals. Among those on the move are flying ants and termites. Termites and ants can play vital roles in breaking down woody structures like dead trees and shrubs, and, if found in their natural environment without man, play a vital role in helping recycle needed nutrients in nature. Around the home or farm, however, they should be seen as a nuisance in need of control to prevent the loss of homes, busi- nesses, and other structures. Termites ingest or eat wood as their main source of food, with microbes in their diges- tive tract turning complex woody molecules such as cellulose into simple sugars for ter- mites to use. Termites have complex social systems with each "job designation" serving a role within the colony. Worker termites, the ones that damage wood by eating the springwood layers, are white and soft-bodied and feed the other forms in the colony and expand the nest size. Soldier termites with enlarged mandibles (teeth) are responsible for pro- tecting the colony from intruders. Winged reproductive forms swarm from mature col- onies to disperse and establish new colonies. Other than the termites themselves, their impact is easily identifiable due to frequent tunnels found near insect-damaged struc- tures. When natural wood is located in the ground there is adequate water and protec- tion for the insects to feed. However, when feeding in man-made structures there often is not enough moisture as they move farther from the soil, and they will create earthen tunnels to keep desired wood from drying and to link the wood safely back to the soil and their colony. Ants on the other hand do not chew on wood for nutrition but rather as a way to ex- cavate a place to live, with the larger black carpenter ants being the most damaging in homes. Although any species of ant can be found in a home as they search for food and protection, the carpenter ant is the species usually found in structural wood, especially where extra moisture can be found such as near faulty windows or doors or where small leaks or sweating pipes may occur in plumb- ing near wood. Both winged termites and winged ants can be found moving, or "swarming", this time of year and should be controlled before new colonies can be established. Swarming ter- mites (which only swarm in the spring) are generally black with broad waists, straight antenna, and four crème or cloudy wings of equal length that are longer than the termite body. Winged ants (which can swarm in the spring, summer, or fall) have very narrow waists, elbowed or bent antenna, and four clear wings that are unequal in length and much shorter than the body. To control termites all excess or scrap wood should be removed from building sites or around existing buildings, and wood should never be used for fill near a structure. Any structural wood near the foundation or soil line should be probed with a screwdriver or ice pick, especially joists, plates, and floor- ing. When termites are found few effective homeowner treatments exist and profession- al exterminators should be contacted who are able to get effective insecticides inside both the affected wood structures and un- derground colonies. Termites can be treated with direct in- secticide applications (which work quickly, but also can be of more concern in home or business use) or with poisoned termite baits (which are carried slowly by the termites to their colonies and are less objectionable to humans, but usually take months to kill the colony) Again, contact a licensed profes- sional exterminator to efficiently and safely control problem termites. To control carpenter ants look for active colonies in or outside of the home, or search for small piles of sawdust where ant galler- ies are being built. Spray outside founda- tion walls and adjacent soil with a formu- lation labeled for outdoor ant control, and use household sprays labeled for "crawling insects" or "roach and ant" control for indoor control. Always follow label directions. For additional information on the identifi- cation and control of termites and ants, check out the free Purdue publications "Termite Control" https://bit.ly/2lbLohU , "Select- ing A Termite Control Service" https://bit. ly/2K0ks2Ppublications/E-2/E-2.pdf and "Ants" https://bit.ly/2Mvtlji . If you would like more information on this or other residential topics, please contact Purdue Extension – Pike County at 812-354- 6838 or pikeces@purdue.edu. Buffalo gnats By Kenneth J. Eck County Extension Director Purdue Extension – Pike County Our warm summer temperatures have allowed residents to again enjoy outdoor activities and events, but those activities have also brought many in contact with the biting insect known as the buffalo gnat. Buffalo gnats, also known as "black flies" or "turkey gnats", are about 1/16th to 1/8th inch in size and cause often painful bites and resultant swell- ing in humans, livestock, poultry, and wildlife. Although not known to cause disease in human victims, their bites can cause various reactions in both human and animals ranging from small punctures to golf-ball sized swelling. Reactions to buffalo gnat bites are known as "black fly fever" and may include headaches, nausea, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. In animals the transmission of several disease agents does occur, none of which pose a threat to humans. Buffalo gnat swarms are capable of severely impacting human activities during parts of the year, especially in late spring or early summer in Indiana. In 2018 some state parks in Arkansas have already been shut down due to gnat swarms, and the deaths of cattle due to swarm effects have also been re- ported in that state. For individuals going into the out- doors during swarming season, there are few options to reduce their impacts. Adults can fly up to ten miles, and are believed to be attracted to carbon dioxide, perspiration, and fragrances. Only the female flies bite as they search for blood for protein, but swarms of male gnats still are an extreme annoy- ance. The gnats are usually most active just after sunrise and just before sunset, so avoid being outside at these times if possible. Large fans on patios help deter the gnats, and wearing long- sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats with netting (to keep gnats off head and neck) help provide barriers to bites. Gnats also seem to prefer white clothing, while their least favorite color seems to be Navy blue. Few chemicals are available to fight the buffalo gnats. Home remedy re- pellants, such as vanilla extract, have not been scientifically proven effec- tive with the insects, and tradition- al DEET-containing repellants that deter mosquitoes are ineffective and may actually attract buffalo gnats. Per- methrin-containing repellants specifi- cally labelled for application ONLY TO CLOTHING may offer some limited protection. Outdoor activities with these tiny winged nuisances is still possible for most folks, but the gnats definitely require a plan of attack before leaving your home. For more information on buffalo gnats and their control, check out the free Purdue publication, "Black Flies: Biology and Public Health Risk" (E-251) at https://extension.entm. purdue.edu/publichealth/insects/ blackfly.html .