Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our toll free number eight hundred eight two three eight
two five five. Good morning. I am Ron Wilson, your
personal yard boy talking about yarding. Don't forget our website.
It's Ron Wilson online dot com Facebook page in the
garden with Ron Wilson as well. And as I promised,
you know, we'd like to stay up to date with
what's going on with our pollinators out there, and of course,
uh very important. Of course our bees a very important
(00:21):
part of the pollinator process as well. And of course
we go to anytime we got questions about bees. You
know who we go to. We go to our Queen Bee,
Barbie b Letcher. Good morning, good morning eight. Is there
a silver bullet out there yet for that for all? Might?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:41):
No, a you working on that?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Do what we We are.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Working on it, but it's it's slow. But there are
three new products, so we have a few more tools
than a two box. But the thing is just like
any other past on any other living thing. We have
to learn to use the right product at the right
time and target the mites, you know, when they're actively
(01:09):
damaging or before they actively damage our bees. We have
to target our timing better and use the right product,
so so is a learning process for us. But there's
no magic bullet yet.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
And the reason I asked her, if you listen to
us our show on a regular basis, you know the
number one problem out there with the honeybee has been
these Verroa mites which have caused all kinds of problems.
And of course, Joe Strecker, who's in the Captain's chair today,
of course laughing in the background, hoping somewhere along the
conversation you'll bring up be diarrhea.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yes, no seema.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
No sema is still active, not as active as it
was maybe five to eight years ago. But we do
have cases of no seema, especially in the spring. No
sema serrana, which is the more active one. It may
be occurring right now, but we don't have this this
We don't see the symptoms. So if the colonies are
(02:07):
not as then do not have as many bees as
they should acting kind of slug as she should sample
them and test them for a nosema.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
See Joe just said when you should sample them. When
Joe samples something that means eating or drinking it, well.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
If he wants to eat them. They are a high
source of vitamins and nutrients.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
No, yeah, oh, one of my early mentors, she would
pick the drones right out of like the cells and
eat them.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
No, well, you know what, that's what honey. I bet
they taste it. Yeah, you're right, that tastes like chicken.
They taste like honey. I'll bet that's one thing. Buggy
Joe Boggs will I cannot get him to eat a
bug to save our lives.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, I've eaten all kinds of insects now.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Joe just will not have anything to do with that
for some reason, I'm not sure. Talking about Barbie Butcher,
here's our Queen Bee getting our update with bees and
honey bees around the country and how what's going on? So,
you know, between the three stingers and pictures that I've seen,
looks like the honey production for the summer looked pretty
(03:16):
darn good.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Well, it's been surprisingly good with all the rain we've had. No,
it's rained so much. I think we're like some parts
of Ohio are four or five inches above normal, which
is just ridiculous. And I just that's kind of the
seminar where they're saying that we're getting more rain or
water or aer terrain thought is slowly increasing every year,
(03:41):
so it's harder for the bees to get out when
it's raining, and it's hard for the so the bees
have to dry their honey out to you know, eighteen
percent moisture, if that's possible, eighteen nineteen percent moisture.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
How do you dry out?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
How do you air condition the hive and dry out
the honey when it's humid and raining all the time.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
It's pretty hard to do.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
How do they do that?
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:05):
How do they do that?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
They buzz, They buzz their wings. They can actually disconnect
their flight muscles, so they turn on. They basically fan
them with their wings and try to dry them out,
just like you would air conditioned your house.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
How do they know it's eighteen percent?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
They have one very smart bee that walks along and
measures it all, one.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Of the male worker bees. We know, we don't. I
don't want to go there, so anyway. Yeah, so it
did seem like, and I'm sure it varied all around
the state and by state, but it seemed like some
pretty good honey production going there. Beekeeper down, you know
that's also sharing on our nursery with his hives, had
(04:52):
a real good production of honey as well. So it
seems like a few people that I have talked to
around the state have unfairly well so far.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, the key is if you take your honey off now,
and most people have taken their honey off. We sometimes
we get greedy and we take too much money, too
much honey off in the fall. And if we don't,
if we have a dry fall and we don't have
good nectar production in the Golden Nods, they won't replace
(05:25):
all the honey that we take off. So we you know,
we Ohio, at least central region here, we should you know,
take our honey off now and then plan to leave
whatever they make now, let them keep it so.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Just in case.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
So from this point forward, and it's not going to
happen with all the bee keepers, but from this point forward,
you would suggest, being the queen bee and the expert
that you are, that for the most part, at this
point forward, we leave what's there for the rest of
the year. No more honey.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Harvesting at least unless you are checking your colonies. And
commercial beekeepers have a whole different world than the sideliners do.
But our colonies should weigh eighty pounds going into the winter,
and so if we have a drought, which we usually
do in August September, they're not going to be bringing
(06:18):
in more nectar, and then they don't have any. And
we see that every year we take the honey off,
they don't replace it because we.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Have a drought. I'm thinking that the golden rods.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
This year going to have plenty of nectar just because
we've had so much rainfall.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, and I remember, and we're going to talk about
this after the break, but I remember last year you
commenting when Joe and I were talking about the fact
that in the dryer fall, and it was extremely dry
fall all through the state for the most part. When
it's really dry like that, pollen production also goes down.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Same thing with soybeans.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
I read, Yeah, interesting talk with RB Butcher. She is
our Queen Bee. By the way, I was reading something
about bees in the in the southeastern part of the
United States. You know they've started and you, I'm sure
you're aware of this. A great Southeastern pollinator census. Yeah,
just like the just like the wild backyard bird count I.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Think that that's what way that needs to be done more.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Well, yeah, I guess it's expanding and they're they're hoping
more states catch you onto this, But it's kind of
the same thing as the backyard wild Bird Count, is
that you sit down and for a certain amount of
time clock or or document, uh, what kind of pollinators
show up on your pollinator plants.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
I thought people have no idea of all the little
solitary bees and flies and everybody else that visits our flowers.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
If you just.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Spend an hour, you know, watching the flowers in your yard,
you'll be amazed to see how many different species visit
your flowers.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
And that's when you need that book. The b's in
your backyard so you can go and identify all the
ones that are out there. But you know, the Cincinnati
Botanical Garden Zoo and again I'm sure you're ware of this,
but they several years ago actually sent a group of it,
like high school interns volunteers with cameras, and they said,
every time you stop and you see things on a flower,
(08:24):
take pictures of it. And they went through and they
took all of that information back, identified what they found
on those pictures, and they said, anytime you see it,
just stop and click, stop and click, stop and click.
That's part of your job, and that's how they helped
to come up with their best pollinator plants based on
what they saw in the botanical garden and what was
(08:46):
actually visiting the different flowers.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I thought that was outstanding and it's great for students
to see that, any age to see that.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Yeah, well, I think this great Southeastern pollinator senysence. I
hope this catches on all the way around and for
anybody listening to us in the Southeast if you want
to learn more about it, their website is g s
e PC g s e PC dot org and learn
more about it. And I think it's coming up here
very shortly. Uh, and you can help out do a
(09:15):
census for the pollinators. By the way, are you going
to be in Lansing, Michigan next weekend? It's there Bpalooza.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
I might be up there. Actually I've been to that.
That's a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I understated. And the of course, the Michigan State University
puts us on at their horticulture gardens in Lancing, and
I've heard this. It's an all day event. Bring your
kids and bring the family and whatever. But I've heard
it's a pretty cool thing.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Oh, and they have expansive gardens. So you have children's garden,
herb gardens, all kinds of gardens. It's it's a it's
a it's a beautiful campus. Even though it's in that
state up north.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
You know what, Hey, we have we have something in
common with Michigan State. We needed one of us like
Michigan Michigan. Barbie Bletcher, the Queen Bee, with us this
morning at a quick break we come back. We're going
to talk about now we're a rounding third, we're getting
into the end of the season. Now, what do we
do to help out these pollinators as we finish out
(10:11):
the year, especially the way the falls have been the
last couple three years. Staying warmer longer into the season
actually not a good thing for those bees. And we'll
find out why and what you can do to help
after the break Here in the Garden with Ron Wilson.
Welcome back here in the Garden with Ron Wilson. Special
guests this morning, our Queen Bee, Barbie, but Letcher always
(10:31):
keeping us well updated as far as what's going on
with the bees out there. So Barbie, we're now, believe
it or not, winding down the summer season looking into
the fall crazy stuff, and you know you would think
at least any way, I think this your gut feeling
is warm, nice, fall last longer, blah blah blah, good
(10:53):
for the bees, but really not so.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Much, not so much all Right now in the Midwest, bees,
whether you're commercial or sideliner, hobby beekeeper bees are gearing
up for the winter. They are no longer drawing out
a lot of comb. They are concentrating on storing honey
for the winter. They you know, I'm trying to think
(11:21):
what I want to say. They are they storing honey.
So one, we need to make sure that we have
healthy bees because the eggs, if the queen is laying
this month, those are going to be the bees that
will survive our winter. So if they're sick, they have mites,
they have viruses, whatever, they're not going to survive the winter.
And we have these beautiful strong colonies that look like
(11:43):
they look strong, but they're full of mites or full viruses.
So about halfway through the winter, we think our bees
are nice and strong, but the bees are all dying
off from various virus and secondary problems, so that we
don't have enough bees to cover the brew. We don't
have enough bees to be able to find honey in
the hive and then they they die. So this is
(12:07):
a really important month to have healthy bees. So we
need to check for mic we need to check for
no sema, and we need to make sure that the
bees are storing plenty of honey and pollen for the winter, and.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Joe checking for no sema. Remember, does this mean sampling,
doesn't mean eating one of them?
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, you don't want to eat especially.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
That's right, not a good thing.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
So when we have these long falls, you know, a
goldn asters about the last plants to bloom. After that,
we don't have any any natural nectar or pollen for
the bees to find.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
So what are they going to do. They're going to.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Rub from their neighbors. So they steal honey from other colonies.
And it's the strong you know, the strongest beet survived,
so they're stealing honey from me.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Other that we've got.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Yellow jackets who are competing as well, and your colony
it seems very strong.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
It can go from.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Having you know, eighty pounds of weight down to nothing
within a few weeks just because the bees are robbing
each other. So when it's warm, and you know, October, November,
even December bees have no food. They're eating what they
have stored, and they can dive before we even go
into the winter, so it's very crucial time to be
(13:28):
checking our colonies.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
That's crazy, And of course I know a lot of
folks are saying, well, can't you feed the bees? Aren't
there commercially made products, those cakes or whatever that you
can feed the bees through the winter. I mean, that
stuff's out there, but it's still not the honey.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
It's not nutritionally complete. And a lot of the pollen
substitutes that we give to bees they're not even digestible.
Bees don't digest soy bean flour. They don't digest it
goes right through them. So it's we don't we don't
have a good way to feed the bees.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
I have a.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Beekeeper friend who actually painted his frames with his own
frozen nectar stuff, and that seems I get helped a
little bit. But we don't have a good way of
getting the food.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
To the bees where they need it, and none of
that stuff is nutritionally complete.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Well, that's crazy. So for you know, if you're a homeowner,
you're sitting there thinking what can I do think about
the things the flowers that glass laid into the season
asters and of course those are going to be available
here to garden centers going in the fall season. Cone
flowers continue to go right to the end. Golden rod,
which Barbie mentioned there both and natively you'll see golden
(14:41):
rod everywhere. No, that's not ragweed. It's golden rod. And
there are selections that are available for your landscape as well,
so you can plant those. A lot of the seedums
like Autum joy in that will flower later in the
summer season, great source.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Every pollinator loves.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Seedarmhm is a great great pollinator food sunflowers.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
There's still slot of sunflowers that will flower late into
the season. Uh So look at those zennias will last
until the frost, a good heavy frost finally takes them out.
Black eyed Susans, and we just planted more of those
in our landscape because you know they last forever. Joe
pie weed, ironweed, leatrus agastaki, Russian sage will hang in
there for some time. So keep all of those in mind.
(15:25):
Give it as many of those planted out there as
you can to continue on. And you know the other
one that's still I was saying earlier. If somebody has
a garden, they have a you know, a ten by
ten or ten by fifteen area that's blank. Right now.
You've taken on tomatoes. You can still plant buckwheat right now.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Oh yeah, it's a good one.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
And have that flowering in about sixty days and that
stuff will flower for a long time.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
In herbs, you know a lot of the herbs, oh yeah,
and such still last a long time.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
And bees like all of.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Those borage the bays will let them go to seed
or let them go to flower and go to seed.
Let all those happen because they really need and water
as well. So it's important from this point out to
do everything we can now to make those flowers and
make that nectar and pollen sources available as long as
we can into the fall season. Barbie Blecher, always a pleasure,
(16:17):
always great information. And again if folks are up in
the Lansing, Michigan area, MSU does a great job. It's
called the b Palooza. It's on the August twenty fourth,
from one until fourth. You can be sure and check
that out as well, Barbie Butch and for the whole family,
there you go. Lot's always great information. Really appreciate you
spending time with us this morning.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Ron.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
All right, Barbie blecher our Queen Bee. We'll take a
quick break we come back. Somebody ask about hydranges, you know,
do some do? They all help out the pollinators, not
all of them. I'll tell you which ones are best
to plant which She'll give you some late color sometimes
as well. Plus we're taking your calls at eight hundred
eight two three eight two five five here in the
Garden with Ron Wilson. Welcome back here in the Garden
(17:03):
with Ron Wilson again that toll free number eight hundred
eight two three eight two five five. By the way,
if you are in the Southeast States, I think five
states now that are doing this, they're having their Great
Southeast Pollinators Census next Friday and Saturday. To learn more
about it gs e PC dot org. And that would
(17:25):
be Great Southeast Pollinator Census g s e PC dot org.
Tell you all about it. Fifteen minutes, count pollinators on
a plant for fifteen minutes and try to identify what
they are. And I think it's a great idea. I
hope this goes around the whole country. So that's a
great way to find out what's going on out there
in our backyards kind of. It's a follow up to
(17:47):
the Great Backyard Bird Count that Cornell Lab puts on
every year as well. So I just cool idea. So
you know, if you're in those states that are participating
with this, get involved, and if you're not, find out
how we can involved, because I think it's a great idea.
By the way, we're talking about lay flowering plants and
things for pollinators, and somebody brought up this week about hydrangeas,
(18:09):
which I see bees on some of my hydrangeas, and
I don't see bees on some of my hydrangeas. You know,
which are the best? Who? They all attract pollinators and
they don't. Some are better than others. Some are sterile
flowers that have nothing so they have nothing to offer
to pollinators the bees, whatever, and some do. Typically with
your lace cap hydrangeas, in most cases those attract pollinators.
(18:35):
So they do have those fertile florets that are and
they have the steril ones as well, but they have
fertile ones and they do have of offer a pollen
and nectar. So lace cap hydrange is for the most
part yes, Piniculata hydrangeas depending on the selection, but they're
pretty good about it as well. Oak Leaf Hydrangea is
(18:57):
pretty good about it as well, but the are all right.
The arboressins, which is also called wild hydrangea, are probably
the best. Now. Some of the cultivars Annabelle for instance,
some of the cultivars are sterile flowers, so you have
to you have to look at that particular cultivar if
(19:18):
you're using a cultivar to find out whether it's good
or not. As a matter of fact, there's a chart
out I found i went online this week that tells
you whether they are which selections are good for pollinators.
There's a lot of them, but arboressins oakley for the
most part, peniculatas for the most part, and lace cap
hydrangeas do very well. Mop Heads usually like the macrophil
(19:42):
mopeed types usually not too good, but again depends on
which ones you have as far as what they'll do.
And by the way, I probably have gotten more reports
over the last two or three weeks about leaf spot
or longer on hydrangeas, especially the macrophile types, and I
think you know the weather sets you up for these
(20:03):
leaf spots. There's a couple of them that they can get,
and once you notice them and they're on there, it
looks bad. Sometimes can cause a little stem die back occasionally,
not often, but it just looks bad. And once you
see it like that again, remember a lot of these diseases.
Once you see it and you realize it's there's not
a whole lot you can do about it. But other
(20:23):
than the fact that if you get it year after year,
then you may want to try to do a preventative
spraying with funge of sides next year to prevent it
from happening. But on macrofila types, I see that's one
it termed pink or blue. I see that on them
more because most of the time these also show up
when plants are really stressed. Now they can all get
(20:45):
it in a nursery. If you have overhead irrigation, that
just sets them up for a lot of leaf spots.
So sometimes you go to the nursery to buy hydrangia,
you'll see leaf spots on a lot of them. That's
basically from the overhead watering that sets them up for
a leaf disease. But it's not water spots. It's from
a leaf disease that doesn't work. That's a myth. But
(21:07):
a lot of times when I see this really bad
on these hydranges, it's because they're under a lot of stress.
And I think the thing remember, especially with the macro files,
is that they do best with morning sun afternoon shade.
That's the bottom line. And you stick those out into
full sun or eleven o'clock on sun, whatever may be,
that afternoon hot afternoon sun that just really for the
(21:29):
most part takes them back. Yep. I see every now
and then some that make it through that, but it
really does set them up for other issues because the
plant is so stressed and I'm seeing some right now
that the whole tops is like they are cooked flowers
in all. And that's what that's from. And I've suggested
to most folks if those were and most of them
had that afternoon sun, is that this fall sometime late
(21:51):
September early October, dig those up, put them in an
area where it's morning sun afternoon shade, and you'll find
they'll fly, you know, have less die back, the flower better,
and you'll have less of that leaf spot on those hydranges.
But it's pretty common to have it out there. It's
usually mostly more aesthetic than anything else. And once you
have it, this time of the year is too late
to do thing about it besides collect them up and
(22:13):
then you know, decide whether you want to start a
preventive program next year. Or in that case where the
macro files, if they're in a full sun area, move
them to their morning sun afternoon shade. That's where they
That's where almost all hydrangees do the best, but the
peniculatas and the oak least they'll take the sun. As
long as you keep them watered, they'll they'll tolerate that
(22:34):
as well. And boy, they put on a show this year. Wow,
have we had a great show with most of the
hydrange is except for the macro filers to Boston. We
go al, good morning.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
Good money, Yes sir, Yeah, I had a question to
be better. I had a question that we got to
saw dust. I have the access to a company that
can provide sawdust, not pressure treated sawdust, but like oak
pine mahogany, what do the beneficial uses for it in
the garden bed or on the lawn or just I
(23:10):
shouldn't bottle with it?
Speaker 1 (23:12):
The thing about saudu, can you use it, Yeah, absolutely,
and I would use it as a top dressing, not
as a soil amendment unless you've composted it. So if
they can get it to you and you can compost it,
put a little organic matter in with it and kind
of get it to start to break down a little
bit and do some composting. Once you start to do that,
(23:32):
you can use it as a as a soil amendment
to actually till into the soil. But the actual sawdust
itself I would use only as a possible top dressing
and pathways. I wouldn't use it on the lawn as
far as a top dressing like a compost but definitely
don't use it as a soil amendment because as that's
(23:54):
as a wood breaks down, it's like with the chips.
As that wood starts to break down it, it just
sucks the nutrient out of the soil for that decomposing process,
and so the next thing, you know, everything around it's
really suffering. But if we compost it and get it
to start breaking down automatically and then you've got a
little the microbes going and the nutrients going, then you
(24:14):
add it as a soil amendment, then you're okay. But
otherwise it can't cause you some issues. But as a
top dressing, not an issue.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
Okay, Yeah, any species I should avoid, like maybe not
use mahogany or preferential to pine.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
No, not necessarily, I don't. I don't think so. If
you use pine or whatever in the evergreens, obviously it
will take a little longer for it to break down
as you're using it for you know, if you put
it in a compost pile, it'll take a little bit longer. Walnut,
of course, has the jug loan in it, which can
cause issues with some plants. I'm not sure how long
(24:55):
that jug loan would last in wood walnut that's been
processed for use. I'm assuming it's like a furniture place
or something that's using that you're getting to saw us from. Yeah.
I don't know about the walnut and the juggling in
there that that possibly could be an issue. But other
(25:17):
than that, no, I don't think I mixed it all together.
And again I think the best thing to do is
do some composting. And if you start that now and
do that through the winter, adding organic matter to it,
it'd be great in the springtime. Thank you very much.
All right, Ill good talking with you. Quick break we
come back. Phone lines we're open for you at eight
hundred eight two three eight two five five. Here in
(25:39):
the garden with Ron Wilson talking yardening at eight hundred
eight two three eight two five five. Good morning. I
am Ron Wilson, your personal yard boy, winding down the
summer season. Can't believe that two weeks we're going to
be into the meteorological fall season September, October November. Let
me tell you something.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Fall.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
You've heard us say it a million times. It's true.
Fall is a great time for planting. Even if it
stays warmer a little bit longer, even if it stays
if we don't get the normal rainfalls that we do
and is dry, it's still one of the best times
to get out in plant, especially trees, evergreen shrubs, whatever
may be, new landscaping, screen plantings, pollinator plants, perennials. It's
(26:17):
a great time. And the thing about so good about
fall is that it's an extended planting season. Think about this.
You know, in the springtime, it get rain, you get cold,
it's up and down, it's wet, it's falling out, you
know whatever. Next thing, you know, you're right into the
summer season. In the fall, the weather seems to be
more consistent, usually halfway decent, and you've got September, October, November,
(26:41):
and in many cases most of December. You may have
three or four months for planting. Now, it's good to
get everything planted September October ish, maybe even early November,
so they can it can actually start to root in.
And one of the reasons we plant in the fall
that makes it such a great thing is that more
roots are developed in the fall than any other time
the rest of the year. So as their tops are
(27:03):
shutting down at the end of the season, their roots
are firing up and they actually produce more, so you
get a jumpstart on next year's rooting. So that's one
of the many reasons why fall is such a great
time for planning. So get your plans in place. If
you're gonna be some adding some trees or evergreens, or
maybe you want professional design and landscape for the fall season,
(27:25):
you better get your name in the pot right now.
Get that designer out there, figure out what you're going
to do, get your name on the list so that
when the weather, you know, we get into September October,
you'll be high on the list as far as getting
your landscape installed, so please keep that in mind. Also,
how's your lawn looking right now? Have you really gotten
out and taken a look at the lawn? In many cases,
(27:47):
a lot of them look pretty darn green. We've had
some timely rainfalls. We are certainly not in most cases
in our area. Ron Roth has said he still has
been short of the rainfall in his area, and he's
like fifteen miles south of where I live, and we've
been just when you just think it's ready to start
turning on the irrigation, it rains and a good shower,
(28:09):
and it kind of helps us supplement a little bit.
Now again, he kind of knows his bonuses. So I'm
watching the moisture in the soil. But it's been enough
to keep us going. And havn't had the water except
the individual plants that are newly planted. Also d containers obviously,
but he hasn't gotten even close to what we've gotten.
But nevertheless, looking at most lawns and his the same way,
(28:32):
he's still looking good, good and green. But if you
look close, you know last fall really did a number
on a lot of lawns then amount we weren't able
to get out and seed because it was dry, et cetera,
et cetera. And as we get it into the spring season,
a lot of greened up, but it wasn't exactly what
you want in those spots as far as greeting up.
And right now crab grass is unbelievable. I can't I've
(28:55):
never seen so much crabgrass in my life. I don't
think this is a banner year for crab grass. So
if you need to redo the lawn, if you need
to redoce some areas in your lawn, if you need
to overseed the lawn, if you need to coreerate the lawn,
if you need to feed the lawn, which you do
that first feeding, and those are coming up in about
two or three weeks. The best time for seeding in
(29:18):
our area cool season grasses is August fifteenth. Oh guess what,
we're right there through the end of September, maybe the
first week of October. Not blue grasses late, but all
the rest of them no problem. So you know, if
you're going to clear out an area that you've got
a lot of weeds and other grasses, you don't want
(29:38):
it there anymore and you want to spray and get
rid of everything and start all over. You need to
do that now. You need to get down on that
right away. And I still I you know, you can
use whatever you want. If a lot of the organic
types of vegetation killers strictly burn the tops off, don't
do any of the roots. To keep that in mind,
they kill the tops off. The glyphosate, which is no
(30:03):
longer in the round up for homeowners. Listen to what
I'm saying. It's no longer in the round up for homeowners.
The glyphosate I still meet personally, is still the one
I recommend for total vegetation kill. You can get that
in fertile Homes kills all. Fertile home only available at
independent garden centers kills all. It's still glyphosate. If you
(30:26):
look at the round up, and I bring this up
every time. This when we know they were getting into
a season where it's time to start doing a little
treatment of their weeds. You know, vegetation killing round Up
change their formula. This is the formula for homeowner use,
all right, and it's now three different chemicals. I need
you to, if you're curious, get one of their labels
(30:50):
print out and then see you'll see what the three
chemicals are and learn more about them, and you can
see what they put in there, so you know more
about them. Like we always say, read the And of
course the when you can come back in and recede
or replant or whatever has totally changed, and so their
timing is different than what the old Roundup was, uh
(31:12):
for I was just listening to OSU Turf Team yesterday
and they were talking about again they were kind of
brought this up a little bit about the fact that remember,
if you're using that one, don't forget it's totally different
formula than just the glyphosate, and they recommend it for
receding after you put this down to wait maybe two weeks,
(31:34):
whereas with glypha sate they tell you a week. But
you could once that dryd on there, you almost could
come in with it a couple of days. And I'm
not telling you to do that, but you could. But
with a new formula from round Up, it's a longer
period of time to wait. But so again, kills all
fertilome is still the glyc of state if that's what
(31:55):
you're looking for, and you'll get that at independent garden centers.
But read the label. And again, if you're looking to
kill something out, you need extended time to make sure
you kill it all out before you come back in
and core, air rate and seed and feed and do
all the things you want to do. Well, guess what
you need to get on that right now so that
that air of those areas will be ready for you
come September, all right, because we're two weeks away, so
(32:18):
you need to make sure you take care of that.
So get out this weekend, evaluate the lawn. What do
you need to do to make it the best lawn
in the neighborhood. And you know, and again cultural practices
are very important. Timely mowing, keep up with the mowing.
Irrigating is needed, spot treat the weeds is needed, et cetera,
et cetera. But it's also this a good time for reseeding.
(32:40):
If you've got turf type tall fescue, which I highly
recommend turf type tall fascue we're seeing now that is
a good thing to do a little overseating about every
three four five years, very light over seating to help
ticking it back up again. And of course you're two
feedings in the fall as well, and core air rating
September October absolutely outstanding times to core aerate as well.
(33:04):
Don't forget to put a little light composts in there
the top dress rake that back in those holes that
you put in the ground with the core aerating. Your
lawn will love you for it. Your soil will love
you for it. Your earthworms will love you for it
as well. And every time it does rain or every
time you irrigate, now you've opened up that soil and
(33:25):
now it goes down in those little holes, and now
that compost starts to get in there and brings your
soil alive, and the microbes are working and the earth
worms are happy. And when the earth worms are happy,
it's like when mom is happy. If the earth worms
are happy, the plants are gonna be happy, and they're
gonna root in better and you're gonna have a better
turf and better plants in general. So core aerating adding
(33:45):
a little compost on there absolutely wonderful. As a matter
of fact, as we get into the fall season and
you are planting and adding new trees and shrubs and
propping beds or whatever it may be, you should have
on hand. Excuse me, bag pine soil conditioner, a bag
of the cow, a bag of compost anything, or your
(34:06):
own compost, and hopefully you've started a compost pile. And
this is a great time of the year to do
that because of all the leaves are going to be
dropping and the sticks and that you can put them
in the compost pile as well as mowing back into
the turf. But again, compost adding organic matter back to
your soil every time you have the opportunity, and every
time you have the opportunity to trot top dress with
(34:26):
organic matter, do it. Anytime you have an opportunity to
add more organic matter to the soil as you're planting,
do it. If you've got a power auger and those
power planters, those things are outstanding well built. You know,
it's a great way to go through your existing beds
and drill down about ten or eight, ten twelve inches,
(34:46):
come back, you know, put a hole in there about
an inch inch and a half a diameter, and come
back and put a little compost down in those holes,
or of the cow or something like that, and add
to those holes. Now you just did the same thing
you would have done when you're aer rating. And now
the existing landscape plants are benefiting from that as well.
So again, add organic matter when you have an opportunity.
(35:08):
Always have some bags on hand or your own compost file,
and always keep adding organic matter back to your soil
any opportunity that you could. Your plants, your worms especially,
will love you for it. If the worms are happy,
your plants are going to be happy. Eight hundred eight
two three eight two five five. That's our number here
in the garden with Ron Wilson,
Our toll free number eight hundred eight two three eight
two five five. Good morning. I am Ron Wilson, your
personal yard boy talking about yarding. Don't forget our website.
It's Ron Wilson online dot com Facebook page in the
garden with Ron Wilson as well. And as I promised,
you know, we'd like to stay up to date with
what's going on with our pollinators out there, and of course,
uh very important. Of course our bees a very important
(00:21):
part of the pollinator process as well. And of course
we go to anytime we got questions about bees. You
know who we go to. We go to our Queen Bee,
Barbie b Letcher. Good morning, good morning eight. Is there
a silver bullet out there yet for that for all? Might?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:41):
No, a you working on that?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Do what we We are.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Working on it, but it's it's slow. But there are
three new products, so we have a few more tools
than a two box. But the thing is just like
any other past on any other living thing. We have
to learn to use the right product at the right
time and target the mites, you know, when they're actively
(01:09):
damaging or before they actively damage our bees. We have
to target our timing better and use the right product,
so so is a learning process for us. But there's
no magic bullet yet.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
And the reason I asked her, if you listen to
us our show on a regular basis, you know the
number one problem out there with the honeybee has been
these Verroa mites which have caused all kinds of problems.
And of course, Joe Strecker, who's in the Captain's chair today,
of course laughing in the background, hoping somewhere along the
conversation you'll bring up be diarrhea.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yes, no seema.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
No sema is still active, not as active as it
was maybe five to eight years ago. But we do
have cases of no seema, especially in the spring. No
sema serrana, which is the more active one. It may
be occurring right now, but we don't have this this
We don't see the symptoms. So if the colonies are
(02:07):
not as then do not have as many bees as
they should acting kind of slug as she should sample
them and test them for a nosema.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
See Joe just said when you should sample them. When
Joe samples something that means eating or drinking it, well.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
If he wants to eat them. They are a high
source of vitamins and nutrients.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
No, yeah, oh, one of my early mentors, she would
pick the drones right out of like the cells and
eat them.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
No, well, you know what, that's what honey. I bet
they taste it. Yeah, you're right, that tastes like chicken.
They taste like honey. I'll bet that's one thing. Buggy
Joe Boggs will I cannot get him to eat a
bug to save our lives.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, I've eaten all kinds of insects now.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Joe just will not have anything to do with that
for some reason, I'm not sure. Talking about Barbie Butcher,
here's our Queen Bee getting our update with bees and
honey bees around the country and how what's going on? So,
you know, between the three stingers and pictures that I've seen,
looks like the honey production for the summer looked pretty
(03:16):
darn good.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Well, it's been surprisingly good with all the rain we've had. No,
it's rained so much. I think we're like some parts
of Ohio are four or five inches above normal, which
is just ridiculous. And I just that's kind of the
seminar where they're saying that we're getting more rain or
water or aer terrain thought is slowly increasing every year,
(03:41):
so it's harder for the bees to get out when
it's raining, and it's hard for the so the bees
have to dry their honey out to you know, eighteen
percent moisture, if that's possible, eighteen nineteen percent moisture.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
How do you dry out?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
How do you air condition the hive and dry out
the honey when it's humid and raining all the time.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
It's pretty hard to do.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
How do they do that?
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:05):
How do they do that?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
They buzz, They buzz their wings. They can actually disconnect
their flight muscles, so they turn on. They basically fan
them with their wings and try to dry them out,
just like you would air conditioned your house.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
How do they know it's eighteen percent?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
They have one very smart bee that walks along and
measures it all, one.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Of the male worker bees. We know, we don't. I
don't want to go there, so anyway. Yeah, so it
did seem like, and I'm sure it varied all around
the state and by state, but it seemed like some
pretty good honey production going there. Beekeeper down, you know
that's also sharing on our nursery with his hives, had
(04:52):
a real good production of honey as well. So it
seems like a few people that I have talked to
around the state have unfairly well so far.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, the key is if you take your honey off now,
and most people have taken their honey off. We sometimes
we get greedy and we take too much money, too
much honey off in the fall. And if we don't,
if we have a dry fall and we don't have
good nectar production in the Golden Nods, they won't replace
(05:25):
all the honey that we take off. So we you know,
we Ohio, at least central region here, we should you know,
take our honey off now and then plan to leave
whatever they make now, let them keep it so.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Just in case.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
So from this point forward, and it's not going to
happen with all the bee keepers, but from this point forward,
you would suggest, being the queen bee and the expert
that you are, that for the most part, at this
point forward, we leave what's there for the rest of
the year. No more honey.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Harvesting at least unless you are checking your colonies. And
commercial beekeepers have a whole different world than the sideliners do.
But our colonies should weigh eighty pounds going into the winter,
and so if we have a drought, which we usually
do in August September, they're not going to be bringing
(06:18):
in more nectar, and then they don't have any. And
we see that every year we take the honey off,
they don't replace it because we.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Have a drought. I'm thinking that the golden rods.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
This year going to have plenty of nectar just because
we've had so much rainfall.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, and I remember, and we're going to talk about
this after the break, but I remember last year you
commenting when Joe and I were talking about the fact
that in the dryer fall, and it was extremely dry
fall all through the state for the most part. When
it's really dry like that, pollen production also goes down.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Same thing with soybeans.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
I read, Yeah, interesting talk with RB Butcher. She is
our Queen Bee. By the way, I was reading something
about bees in the in the southeastern part of the
United States. You know they've started and you, I'm sure
you're aware of this. A great Southeastern pollinator census. Yeah,
just like the just like the wild backyard bird count I.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Think that that's what way that needs to be done more.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Well, yeah, I guess it's expanding and they're they're hoping
more states catch you onto this, But it's kind of
the same thing as the backyard wild Bird Count, is
that you sit down and for a certain amount of
time clock or or document, uh, what kind of pollinators
show up on your pollinator plants.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
I thought people have no idea of all the little
solitary bees and flies and everybody else that visits our flowers.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
If you just.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Spend an hour, you know, watching the flowers in your yard,
you'll be amazed to see how many different species visit
your flowers.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
And that's when you need that book. The b's in
your backyard so you can go and identify all the
ones that are out there. But you know, the Cincinnati
Botanical Garden Zoo and again I'm sure you're ware of this,
but they several years ago actually sent a group of it,
like high school interns volunteers with cameras, and they said,
every time you stop and you see things on a flower,
(08:24):
take pictures of it. And they went through and they
took all of that information back, identified what they found
on those pictures, and they said, anytime you see it,
just stop and click, stop and click, stop and click.
That's part of your job, and that's how they helped
to come up with their best pollinator plants based on
what they saw in the botanical garden and what was
(08:46):
actually visiting the different flowers.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I thought that was outstanding and it's great for students
to see that, any age to see that.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Yeah, well, I think this great Southeastern pollinator senysence. I
hope this catches on all the way around and for
anybody listening to us in the Southeast if you want
to learn more about it, their website is g s
e PC g s e PC dot org and learn
more about it. And I think it's coming up here
very shortly. Uh, and you can help out do a
(09:15):
census for the pollinators. By the way, are you going
to be in Lansing, Michigan next weekend? It's there Bpalooza.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
I might be up there. Actually I've been to that.
That's a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I understated. And the of course, the Michigan State University
puts us on at their horticulture gardens in Lancing, and
I've heard this. It's an all day event. Bring your
kids and bring the family and whatever. But I've heard
it's a pretty cool thing.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Oh, and they have expansive gardens. So you have children's garden,
herb gardens, all kinds of gardens. It's it's a it's
a it's a beautiful campus. Even though it's in that
state up north.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
You know what, Hey, we have we have something in
common with Michigan State. We needed one of us like
Michigan Michigan. Barbie Bletcher, the Queen Bee, with us this
morning at a quick break we come back. We're going
to talk about now we're a rounding third, we're getting
into the end of the season. Now, what do we
do to help out these pollinators as we finish out
(10:11):
the year, especially the way the falls have been the
last couple three years. Staying warmer longer into the season
actually not a good thing for those bees. And we'll
find out why and what you can do to help
after the break Here in the Garden with Ron Wilson.
Welcome back here in the Garden with Ron Wilson. Special
guests this morning, our Queen Bee, Barbie, but Letcher always
(10:31):
keeping us well updated as far as what's going on
with the bees out there. So Barbie, we're now, believe
it or not, winding down the summer season looking into
the fall crazy stuff, and you know you would think
at least any way, I think this your gut feeling
is warm, nice, fall last longer, blah blah blah, good
(10:53):
for the bees, but really not so.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Much, not so much all Right now in the Midwest, bees,
whether you're commercial or sideliner, hobby beekeeper bees are gearing
up for the winter. They are no longer drawing out
a lot of comb. They are concentrating on storing honey
for the winter. They you know, I'm trying to think
(11:21):
what I want to say. They are they storing honey.
So one, we need to make sure that we have
healthy bees because the eggs, if the queen is laying
this month, those are going to be the bees that
will survive our winter. So if they're sick, they have mites,
they have viruses, whatever, they're not going to survive the winter.
And we have these beautiful strong colonies that look like
(11:43):
they look strong, but they're full of mites or full viruses.
So about halfway through the winter, we think our bees
are nice and strong, but the bees are all dying
off from various virus and secondary problems, so that we
don't have enough bees to cover the brew. We don't
have enough bees to be able to find honey in
the hive and then they they die. So this is
(12:07):
a really important month to have healthy bees. So we
need to check for mic we need to check for
no sema, and we need to make sure that the
bees are storing plenty of honey and pollen for the winter, and.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Joe checking for no sema. Remember, does this mean sampling,
doesn't mean eating one of them?
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, you don't want to eat especially.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
That's right, not a good thing.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
So when we have these long falls, you know, a
goldn asters about the last plants to bloom. After that,
we don't have any any natural nectar or pollen for
the bees to find.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
So what are they going to do. They're going to.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Rub from their neighbors. So they steal honey from other colonies.
And it's the strong you know, the strongest beet survived,
so they're stealing honey from me.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Other that we've got.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Yellow jackets who are competing as well, and your colony
it seems very strong.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
It can go from.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Having you know, eighty pounds of weight down to nothing
within a few weeks just because the bees are robbing
each other. So when it's warm, and you know, October, November,
even December bees have no food. They're eating what they
have stored, and they can dive before we even go
into the winter, so it's very crucial time to be
(13:28):
checking our colonies.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
That's crazy, And of course I know a lot of
folks are saying, well, can't you feed the bees? Aren't
there commercially made products, those cakes or whatever that you
can feed the bees through the winter. I mean, that
stuff's out there, but it's still not the honey.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
It's not nutritionally complete. And a lot of the pollen
substitutes that we give to bees they're not even digestible.
Bees don't digest soy bean flour. They don't digest it
goes right through them. So it's we don't we don't
have a good way to feed the bees.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
I have a.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Beekeeper friend who actually painted his frames with his own
frozen nectar stuff, and that seems I get helped a
little bit. But we don't have a good way of
getting the food.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
To the bees where they need it, and none of
that stuff is nutritionally complete.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Well, that's crazy. So for you know, if you're a homeowner,
you're sitting there thinking what can I do think about
the things the flowers that glass laid into the season
asters and of course those are going to be available
here to garden centers going in the fall season. Cone
flowers continue to go right to the end. Golden rod,
which Barbie mentioned there both and natively you'll see golden
(14:41):
rod everywhere. No, that's not ragweed. It's golden rod. And
there are selections that are available for your landscape as well,
so you can plant those. A lot of the seedums
like Autum joy in that will flower later in the
summer season, great source.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Every pollinator loves.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Seedarmhm is a great great pollinator food sunflowers.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
There's still slot of sunflowers that will flower late into
the season. Uh So look at those zennias will last
until the frost, a good heavy frost finally takes them out.
Black eyed Susans, and we just planted more of those
in our landscape because you know they last forever. Joe
pie weed, ironweed, leatrus agastaki, Russian sage will hang in
there for some time. So keep all of those in mind.
(15:25):
Give it as many of those planted out there as
you can to continue on. And you know the other
one that's still I was saying earlier. If somebody has
a garden, they have a you know, a ten by
ten or ten by fifteen area that's blank. Right now.
You've taken on tomatoes. You can still plant buckwheat right now.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Oh yeah, it's a good one.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
And have that flowering in about sixty days and that
stuff will flower for a long time.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
In herbs, you know a lot of the herbs, oh yeah,
and such still last a long time.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
And bees like all of.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Those borage the bays will let them go to seed
or let them go to flower and go to seed.
Let all those happen because they really need and water
as well. So it's important from this point out to
do everything we can now to make those flowers and
make that nectar and pollen sources available as long as
we can into the fall season. Barbie Blecher, always a pleasure,
(16:17):
always great information. And again if folks are up in
the Lansing, Michigan area, MSU does a great job. It's
called the b Palooza. It's on the August twenty fourth,
from one until fourth. You can be sure and check
that out as well, Barbie Butch and for the whole family,
there you go. Lot's always great information. Really appreciate you
spending time with us this morning.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Ron.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
All right, Barbie blecher our Queen Bee. We'll take a
quick break we come back. Somebody ask about hydranges, you know,
do some do? They all help out the pollinators, not
all of them. I'll tell you which ones are best
to plant which She'll give you some late color sometimes
as well. Plus we're taking your calls at eight hundred
eight two three eight two five five here in the
Garden with Ron Wilson. Welcome back here in the Garden
(17:03):
with Ron Wilson again that toll free number eight hundred
eight two three eight two five five. By the way,
if you are in the Southeast States, I think five
states now that are doing this, they're having their Great
Southeast Pollinators Census next Friday and Saturday. To learn more
about it gs e PC dot org. And that would
(17:25):
be Great Southeast Pollinator Census g s e PC dot org.
Tell you all about it. Fifteen minutes, count pollinators on
a plant for fifteen minutes and try to identify what
they are. And I think it's a great idea. I
hope this goes around the whole country. So that's a
great way to find out what's going on out there
in our backyards kind of. It's a follow up to
(17:47):
the Great Backyard Bird Count that Cornell Lab puts on
every year as well. So I just cool idea. So
you know, if you're in those states that are participating
with this, get involved, and if you're not, find out
how we can involved, because I think it's a great idea.
By the way, we're talking about lay flowering plants and
things for pollinators, and somebody brought up this week about hydrangeas,
(18:09):
which I see bees on some of my hydrangeas, and
I don't see bees on some of my hydrangeas. You know,
which are the best? Who? They all attract pollinators and
they don't. Some are better than others. Some are sterile
flowers that have nothing so they have nothing to offer
to pollinators the bees, whatever, and some do. Typically with
your lace cap hydrangeas, in most cases those attract pollinators.
(18:35):
So they do have those fertile florets that are and
they have the steril ones as well, but they have
fertile ones and they do have of offer a pollen
and nectar. So lace cap hydrange is for the most
part yes, Piniculata hydrangeas depending on the selection, but they're
pretty good about it as well. Oak Leaf Hydrangea is
(18:57):
pretty good about it as well, but the are all right.
The arboressins, which is also called wild hydrangea, are probably
the best. Now. Some of the cultivars Annabelle for instance,
some of the cultivars are sterile flowers, so you have
to you have to look at that particular cultivar if
(19:18):
you're using a cultivar to find out whether it's good
or not. As a matter of fact, there's a chart
out I found i went online this week that tells
you whether they are which selections are good for pollinators.
There's a lot of them, but arboressins oakley for the
most part, peniculatas for the most part, and lace cap
hydrangeas do very well. Mop Heads usually like the macrophil
(19:42):
mopeed types usually not too good, but again depends on
which ones you have as far as what they'll do.
And by the way, I probably have gotten more reports
over the last two or three weeks about leaf spot
or longer on hydrangeas, especially the macrophile types, and I
think you know the weather sets you up for these
(20:03):
leaf spots. There's a couple of them that they can get,
and once you notice them and they're on there, it
looks bad. Sometimes can cause a little stem die back occasionally,
not often, but it just looks bad. And once you
see it like that again, remember a lot of these diseases.
Once you see it and you realize it's there's not
a whole lot you can do about it. But other
(20:23):
than the fact that if you get it year after year,
then you may want to try to do a preventative
spraying with funge of sides next year to prevent it
from happening. But on macrofila types, I see that's one
it termed pink or blue. I see that on them
more because most of the time these also show up
when plants are really stressed. Now they can all get
(20:45):
it in a nursery. If you have overhead irrigation, that
just sets them up for a lot of leaf spots.
So sometimes you go to the nursery to buy hydrangia,
you'll see leaf spots on a lot of them. That's
basically from the overhead watering that sets them up for
a leaf disease. But it's not water spots. It's from
a leaf disease that doesn't work. That's a myth. But
(21:07):
a lot of times when I see this really bad
on these hydranges, it's because they're under a lot of stress.
And I think the thing remember, especially with the macro files,
is that they do best with morning sun afternoon shade.
That's the bottom line. And you stick those out into
full sun or eleven o'clock on sun, whatever may be,
that afternoon hot afternoon sun that just really for the
(21:29):
most part takes them back. Yep. I see every now
and then some that make it through that, but it
really does set them up for other issues because the
plant is so stressed and I'm seeing some right now
that the whole tops is like they are cooked flowers
in all. And that's what that's from. And I've suggested
to most folks if those were and most of them
had that afternoon sun, is that this fall sometime late
(21:51):
September early October, dig those up, put them in an
area where it's morning sun afternoon shade, and you'll find
they'll fly, you know, have less die back, the flower better,
and you'll have less of that leaf spot on those hydranges.
But it's pretty common to have it out there. It's
usually mostly more aesthetic than anything else. And once you
have it, this time of the year is too late
to do thing about it besides collect them up and
(22:13):
then you know, decide whether you want to start a
preventive program next year. Or in that case where the
macro files, if they're in a full sun area, move
them to their morning sun afternoon shade. That's where they
That's where almost all hydrangees do the best, but the
peniculatas and the oak least they'll take the sun. As
long as you keep them watered, they'll they'll tolerate that
(22:34):
as well. And boy, they put on a show this year. Wow,
have we had a great show with most of the
hydrange is except for the macro filers to Boston. We
go al, good morning.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
Good money, Yes sir, Yeah, I had a question to
be better. I had a question that we got to
saw dust. I have the access to a company that
can provide sawdust, not pressure treated sawdust, but like oak
pine mahogany, what do the beneficial uses for it in
the garden bed or on the lawn or just I
(23:10):
shouldn't bottle with it?
Speaker 1 (23:12):
The thing about saudu, can you use it, Yeah, absolutely,
and I would use it as a top dressing, not
as a soil amendment unless you've composted it. So if
they can get it to you and you can compost it,
put a little organic matter in with it and kind
of get it to start to break down a little
bit and do some composting. Once you start to do that,
(23:32):
you can use it as a as a soil amendment
to actually till into the soil. But the actual sawdust
itself I would use only as a possible top dressing
and pathways. I wouldn't use it on the lawn as
far as a top dressing like a compost but definitely
don't use it as a soil amendment because as that's
(23:54):
as a wood breaks down, it's like with the chips.
As that wood starts to break down it, it just
sucks the nutrient out of the soil for that decomposing process,
and so the next thing, you know, everything around it's
really suffering. But if we compost it and get it
to start breaking down automatically and then you've got a
little the microbes going and the nutrients going, then you
(24:14):
add it as a soil amendment, then you're okay. But
otherwise it can't cause you some issues. But as a
top dressing, not an issue.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
Okay, Yeah, any species I should avoid, like maybe not
use mahogany or preferential to pine.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
No, not necessarily, I don't. I don't think so. If
you use pine or whatever in the evergreens, obviously it
will take a little longer for it to break down
as you're using it for you know, if you put
it in a compost pile, it'll take a little bit longer. Walnut,
of course, has the jug loan in it, which can
cause issues with some plants. I'm not sure how long
(24:55):
that jug loan would last in wood walnut that's been
processed for use. I'm assuming it's like a furniture place
or something that's using that you're getting to saw us from. Yeah.
I don't know about the walnut and the juggling in
there that that possibly could be an issue. But other
(25:17):
than that, no, I don't think I mixed it all together.
And again I think the best thing to do is
do some composting. And if you start that now and
do that through the winter, adding organic matter to it,
it'd be great in the springtime. Thank you very much.
All right, Ill good talking with you. Quick break we
come back. Phone lines we're open for you at eight
hundred eight two three eight two five five. Here in
(25:39):
the garden with Ron Wilson talking yardening at eight hundred
eight two three eight two five five. Good morning. I
am Ron Wilson, your personal yard boy, winding down the
summer season. Can't believe that two weeks we're going to
be into the meteorological fall season September, October November. Let
me tell you something.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Fall.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
You've heard us say it a million times. It's true.
Fall is a great time for planting. Even if it
stays warmer a little bit longer, even if it stays
if we don't get the normal rainfalls that we do
and is dry, it's still one of the best times
to get out in plant, especially trees, evergreen shrubs, whatever
may be, new landscaping, screen plantings, pollinator plants, perennials. It's
(26:17):
a great time. And the thing about so good about
fall is that it's an extended planting season. Think about this.
You know, in the springtime, it get rain, you get cold,
it's up and down, it's wet, it's falling out, you
know whatever. Next thing, you know, you're right into the
summer season. In the fall, the weather seems to be
more consistent, usually halfway decent, and you've got September, October, November,
(26:41):
and in many cases most of December. You may have
three or four months for planting. Now, it's good to
get everything planted September October ish, maybe even early November,
so they can it can actually start to root in.
And one of the reasons we plant in the fall
that makes it such a great thing is that more
roots are developed in the fall than any other time
the rest of the year. So as their tops are
(27:03):
shutting down at the end of the season, their roots
are firing up and they actually produce more, so you
get a jumpstart on next year's rooting. So that's one
of the many reasons why fall is such a great
time for planning. So get your plans in place. If
you're gonna be some adding some trees or evergreens, or
maybe you want professional design and landscape for the fall season,
(27:25):
you better get your name in the pot right now.
Get that designer out there, figure out what you're going
to do, get your name on the list so that
when the weather, you know, we get into September October,
you'll be high on the list as far as getting
your landscape installed, so please keep that in mind. Also,
how's your lawn looking right now? Have you really gotten
out and taken a look at the lawn? In many cases,
(27:47):
a lot of them look pretty darn green. We've had
some timely rainfalls. We are certainly not in most cases
in our area. Ron Roth has said he still has
been short of the rainfall in his area, and he's
like fifteen miles south of where I live, and we've
been just when you just think it's ready to start
turning on the irrigation, it rains and a good shower,
(28:09):
and it kind of helps us supplement a little bit.
Now again, he kind of knows his bonuses. So I'm
watching the moisture in the soil. But it's been enough
to keep us going. And havn't had the water except
the individual plants that are newly planted. Also d containers obviously,
but he hasn't gotten even close to what we've gotten.
But nevertheless, looking at most lawns and his the same way,
(28:32):
he's still looking good, good and green. But if you
look close, you know last fall really did a number
on a lot of lawns then amount we weren't able
to get out and seed because it was dry, et cetera,
et cetera. And as we get it into the spring season,
a lot of greened up, but it wasn't exactly what
you want in those spots as far as greeting up.
And right now crab grass is unbelievable. I can't I've
(28:55):
never seen so much crabgrass in my life. I don't
think this is a banner year for crab grass. So
if you need to redo the lawn, if you need
to redoce some areas in your lawn, if you need
to overseed the lawn, if you need to coreerate the lawn,
if you need to feed the lawn, which you do
that first feeding, and those are coming up in about
two or three weeks. The best time for seeding in
(29:18):
our area cool season grasses is August fifteenth. Oh guess what,
we're right there through the end of September, maybe the
first week of October. Not blue grasses late, but all
the rest of them no problem. So you know, if
you're going to clear out an area that you've got
a lot of weeds and other grasses, you don't want
(29:38):
it there anymore and you want to spray and get
rid of everything and start all over. You need to
do that now. You need to get down on that
right away. And I still I you know, you can
use whatever you want. If a lot of the organic
types of vegetation killers strictly burn the tops off, don't
do any of the roots. To keep that in mind,
they kill the tops off. The glyphosate, which is no
(30:03):
longer in the round up for homeowners. Listen to what
I'm saying. It's no longer in the round up for homeowners.
The glyphosate I still meet personally, is still the one
I recommend for total vegetation kill. You can get that
in fertile Homes kills all. Fertile home only available at
independent garden centers kills all. It's still glyphosate. If you
(30:26):
look at the round up, and I bring this up
every time. This when we know they were getting into
a season where it's time to start doing a little
treatment of their weeds. You know, vegetation killing round Up
change their formula. This is the formula for homeowner use,
all right, and it's now three different chemicals. I need
you to, if you're curious, get one of their labels
(30:50):
print out and then see you'll see what the three
chemicals are and learn more about them, and you can
see what they put in there, so you know more
about them. Like we always say, read the And of
course the when you can come back in and recede
or replant or whatever has totally changed, and so their
timing is different than what the old Roundup was, uh
(31:12):
for I was just listening to OSU Turf Team yesterday
and they were talking about again they were kind of
brought this up a little bit about the fact that remember,
if you're using that one, don't forget it's totally different
formula than just the glyphosate, and they recommend it for
receding after you put this down to wait maybe two weeks,
(31:34):
whereas with glypha sate they tell you a week. But
you could once that dryd on there, you almost could
come in with it a couple of days. And I'm
not telling you to do that, but you could. But
with a new formula from round Up, it's a longer
period of time to wait. But so again, kills all
fertilome is still the glyc of state if that's what
(31:55):
you're looking for, and you'll get that at independent garden centers.
But read the label. And again, if you're looking to
kill something out, you need extended time to make sure
you kill it all out before you come back in
and core, air rate and seed and feed and do
all the things you want to do. Well, guess what
you need to get on that right now so that
that air of those areas will be ready for you
come September, all right, because we're two weeks away, so
(32:18):
you need to make sure you take care of that.
So get out this weekend, evaluate the lawn. What do
you need to do to make it the best lawn
in the neighborhood. And you know, and again cultural practices
are very important. Timely mowing, keep up with the mowing.
Irrigating is needed, spot treat the weeds is needed, et cetera,
et cetera. But it's also this a good time for reseeding.
(32:40):
If you've got turf type tall fescue, which I highly
recommend turf type tall fascue we're seeing now that is
a good thing to do a little overseating about every
three four five years, very light over seating to help
ticking it back up again. And of course you're two
feedings in the fall as well, and core air rating
September October absolutely outstanding times to core aerate as well.
(33:04):
Don't forget to put a little light composts in there
the top dress rake that back in those holes that
you put in the ground with the core aerating. Your
lawn will love you for it. Your soil will love
you for it. Your earthworms will love you for it
as well. And every time it does rain or every
time you irrigate, now you've opened up that soil and
(33:25):
now it goes down in those little holes, and now
that compost starts to get in there and brings your
soil alive, and the microbes are working and the earth
worms are happy. And when the earth worms are happy,
it's like when mom is happy. If the earth worms
are happy, the plants are gonna be happy, and they're
gonna root in better and you're gonna have a better
turf and better plants in general. So core aerating adding
(33:45):
a little compost on there absolutely wonderful. As a matter
of fact, as we get into the fall season and
you are planting and adding new trees and shrubs and
propping beds or whatever it may be, you should have
on hand. Excuse me, bag pine soil conditioner, a bag
of the cow, a bag of compost anything, or your
(34:06):
own compost, and hopefully you've started a compost pile. And
this is a great time of the year to do
that because of all the leaves are going to be
dropping and the sticks and that you can put them
in the compost pile as well as mowing back into
the turf. But again, compost adding organic matter back to
your soil every time you have the opportunity, and every
time you have the opportunity to trot top dress with
(34:26):
organic matter, do it. Anytime you have an opportunity to
add more organic matter to the soil as you're planting,
do it. If you've got a power auger and those
power planters, those things are outstanding well built. You know,
it's a great way to go through your existing beds
and drill down about ten or eight, ten twelve inches,
(34:46):
come back, you know, put a hole in there about
an inch inch and a half a diameter, and come
back and put a little compost down in those holes,
or of the cow or something like that, and add
to those holes. Now you just did the same thing
you would have done when you're aer rating. And now
the existing landscape plants are benefiting from that as well.
So again, add organic matter when you have an opportunity.
(35:08):
Always have some bags on hand or your own compost file,
and always keep adding organic matter back to your soil
any opportunity that you could. Your plants, your worms especially,
will love you for it. If the worms are happy,
your plants are going to be happy. Eight hundred eight
two three eight two five five. That's our number here
in the garden with Ron Wilson,
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