July 5th,
2016, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter © Kim Willis
Hi Gardeners
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| Hibiscus 'Kona' |
It’s a hot and steamy day here. The weekend and holiday were beautiful
though and I hope you got to enjoy them.
We got 4/10th inch of rain on the 1st but it
wasn’t enough to really break this drought.
We are supposed to have several chances for rain this week and I hope we
get some. I am hoping the pattern the
fronts are following through here will change and bring us a little more
precipitation. I know there are people reading this that are not from Michigan
and they may amused at us wanting more rain because in many areas they have had
much too much of it. It’s too bad we can’t spread it out.
Our township/county has a red flag alert which means no open burning and
no personal fireworks. Many other places
in Michigan have the same restrictions in effect. It’s important that everyone pay attention to
what they are doing and avoid starting fires.
For more about fire safety read the article below.
With vigorous watering my garden is for the most part flourishing. The
Asiatic lilies are stealing the show right now.
Other things in bloom include beebalm, buddleia, daylilies, helenium,
zinnias, nasturtiums, dayflower, hares bells, evening primrose, trumpet vine,
and roses. Many of the hostas are
blooming too. One of my new tropical hibiscus bloomed for the first time- it’s
gorgeous- check out the picture. It’s
called ‘Kona’. Something else new in my
garden is the lily Graffiti tango.
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| Asiatic hybrid lily 'Graffiti Tango' |
My corn is waist high, and we are getting tomatoes from the Early Girl
plant regularly. There are lots of green fruits on the other plants. The cucumbers are starting to make fruit so
we’ll have those in a few days if all goes well. Raspberries and blueberries are beginning to
ripen and the blackberries won’t be far behind them. We have a good crop of grapes growing this
year.
Septoria leaf spot and early blight are starting to hit tomatoes. You can protect yours by using preventative
fungicides. Water plants at the bottom
and avoid wetting tomato foliage. Watch out for squash vine borers as the moths are flying now. A squash vine borer moth looks a lot like a
wasp. It has an orange lower body with black spots. The moths lay eggs on vine crops which hatch
into larvae that bore into the vine’s stems and cause them to wilt. Squash vine
borers also attack pumpkins and to some extent melon vines.
Pesticides do little to control this moth. One suggested home control is to paint a
bucket or bowl yellow including the interior and fill it with water to a few
inches below the rim. The moths are attracted
to yellow and many will drown in the bucket.
Kill any of the moths you see on the plants, they look like wasps but
cannot sting you.
Japanese beetles are out in force here. (Article below) I took a picture
of a cluster of them mating. After the
picture I dunked the flower they were using as a brothel into a bucket of
water. Some managed to fly away as I did
that but many went into the water. I
left the bucket by the plant because I thought I might be able to get more of
them off the plant later. This morning I
checked the plant, didn’t see any beetles on it, but to my surprise the beetles
in the bucket were still swimming around.
Now it may seem cruel to some of you but I did not rescue those buggers
or mercifully end their existence.
Instead I am leaving the bucket as an experiment.
New Look to this blog
You may have noticed
already but I am doing some updating to this blog. This month Examiner.com will shut down and
the 600 some articles I have written for the site over more than 7 years will
no longer be available there. In order
to preserve most of them I am moving them to this blog site. They will appear as pages to the right of the
main blog post. Some pages will have a
single article; others will have several on the same topic. I have started this move, but it will take
some time to complete the process.
To access these
articles on a wide range of garden topics you just have to click on the page
title. To get back to the main blog
you’ll just click on home. Some of the articles
in future blog posts will be moved to a page on the side too. This makes them easier to find than searching
through hundreds of blog posts. The blogger site has a search feature
available but I found it rarely works well and often didn’t work at all. Using pages is an easier and better solution
and allows me to group related articles.
So when you are searching for tomato information for example, you’ll
click on the tomato page and you’ll see a number of articles on tomatoes, from
growing tips to diseases and problems.
I have decided to
also have a page on his blog for food preservation articles I have written for
various places. There will also be a
page for a few basic chicken
articles. As I mentioned it will take
time to put all of my 600+ articles on here so check back often.
There are some
cosmetic changes to the blog too.
Pictures will look a bit different for example. I want to make this blog a place to go to for
a wide range of gardening topics. Please
feel free to make suggestions and comment on the new look of the blog. You can contact me at kimwillis151@gmail.com
July
almanac
This month’s full moon is called the buck moon or hay
moon, depending on whether you are a farmer or hunter I guess. It’s called buck moon because the buck deer’s
antlers begin to show this month. The
full moon in July this year is the 19th. Hay has already been cut a couple times around
here as it normally has been – so I don’t get that name. I did see hay being cut and baled this
weekend though. Wheat harvest is this
month – it will begin soon if it hasn’t already and I think we should call it
wheat moon. The first moon perigee was
on the 1st and as is been the usual case we had rain on that day,
4/10 of an inch for us and the first rain for a while. The next perigee is July 27th,
hope we have more rain before then.
Apogee is the 13th.
If you plant by the moon and are still planting today
and the 13th -14th are supposedly best for above ground
crops and 22-23rd for below ground crops. Good canning days are 22-23rd too.
This month’s flower is the sunflower- very appropriate
and the birthstone is the ruby.
It’s National Blueberry, Eggplant, Lettuce, Mango,
Melon, Nectarine and Garlic month as well as National Hotdog and Vanilla Ice
Cream month. Why isn’t it National
Cherry month? And for those secret bare
naked gardeners out there the second week of July is nude recreation week. Have fun.
There are the Delta Aquarids meteor showers on July
28-29th. Best viewing will be after
midnight to about 3 am. Look to the
south. The meteors continue into early
August.
What
you should find at the Farmers market now
We are beginning to enter prime time for fresh
produce. Green beans, peas, some salad
tomatoes, early summer squash, salad greens, green onions, beets, baby carrots,
broccoli and radishes.
Strawberry harvest is done in southern Michigan. A few early raspberries may be at
markets. Sweet and tart cherries should
still be on the market for a week or two.
How
to pit and freeze cherries
Michigan is usually the number one producer of tart
cherries and 2nd or 3rd in the production of sweet cherries in the nation. In southeast Michigan cherries are generally
easy to find at farm markets beginning in late June. Sweet cherries are a week or two later. A trip to the northwest part of the state in
mid-July should allow you to buy all the cherries you’ll need. Many grocery stores feature Michigan
cherries when they are in season also.
Cherries are good tasting and full of healthy
antioxidants. They are said to relieve
arthritic pain. When they are in season
you’ll want to eat as many fresh cherries as you can. Cherry cobbler, cherry pie, cherry ice cream
and even cherry sauce over your favorite meat are some uses for cherries other
than eating them fresh.
Tart cherries are generally red but sweet cherries can
be any color from yellow to almost black.
Make sure cherries are ripe when you pick or buy them because they won’t
ripen after picking. Don’t wash cherries
until just before you are ready to eat them or use them in a recipe and store
them in the refrigerator.
Pitting
cherries
Cherries have one teeny, tiny flaw in their design, the
stone hard pit. Bite down on one of them
and you can break a tooth. You can eat
them whole and spit out the pit but for cooking you’ll want to remove the pit
so no one gets a surprise. It won’t hurt
you to swallow one or two pits, but eating a lot of pits could be a problem as
each pit contains a small amount of cyanide.
If you use a lot of cherries you can purchase an
inexpensive cherry pitter in the kitchen gadgets section of your local
store. An olive pitter also works fine
on cherries. This makes the work a bit
easier. If you are going to can or
freeze a lot of cherries you can buy cherry pitters with hoppers that will pit
many cherries quickly.
If you aren’t a gadget person and want to pit cherries
by hand here’s the technique. Wash the cherries well. Pull the cherry stem
off. Poke the tip of a potato peeler
through the stem area, move it around the pit to loosen it and pop it out. Some people use a nut pick, or a good long
fingernail. You can also use a stiff drinking straw to
push the pit right through the cherry.
Here’s another pitting tip. If you are going to be freezing or cooking
the cherries right after pitting, stick them in the freezer about 30 minutes
until they are half frozen. The firm cherries are easier to pit. And no matter how you pit cherries, remember
that they can stain the hands and clothing.
Freezing
cherries
You can only eat so many cherries while they are in
season. But you can eat local Michigan
cherries all winter long if you freeze them.
You can freeze both tart and sweet cherries but for cherry recipes most
people prefer tart or pie cherries.
The very best way to freeze tart or sweet cherries is
to use a sugar pack. Cherries frozen in
a sugar pack look better when used in recipes later. It’s a quick simple
process that will give great results.
For every 4 cups of washed, pitted cherries use 2 cups of white
sugar. The cherries can be whole or
halved. Place the cherries and sugar in a large bowl and toss gently. Let stand 20 minutes.
The sugar draws out the cherry juice and forms
syrup. If some of the sugar is still
granular after 20 minutes don’t worry.
Pack the cherries in freezer containers, date and label the bags and
freeze. Tart cherries may need
additional sugar when they are eventually used.
You can also freeze cherries without sugar for low
calorie recipes. After washing and pitting the cherries cut them in half and
lay them on cookie sheets. Place them in
the freezer until frozen solid then combine them in freezer bags or
containers.
If you want frozen whole cherries, such as for
garnishes, without a sugar pack, you’ll need to blanch the cherries before
freezing. You need a pot of boiling
water and a metal strainer you can dip into the pot, and a bowl of ice water
the strainer will fit into. Wash and pit
the cherries. Place them in the
strainer; dip the strainer in the boiling water, wait 30 seconds then dip in
ice water for one minute. Drain, arrange
on cookie sheets and freeze. Frozen
whole cherries may not look as red or as nice as sugar packed frozen cherries
after thawing
With a good stash of frozen Michigan cherries in your
home you can spend the long cold Michigan winters turning them into jelly,
sauces, pies and cobblers.
Attracting
hummingbirds to the garden
I have been sitting outside the last few days trying to
get a good picture of hummingbirds with my new camera. I managed one that’s fairly good, as you will
see. I really enjoy watching the hummers
in the summer and my property is blessed by several pairs of the tiny birds
each year. I have 3 nectar feeders and a
variety of plants that attract them.
In the north eastern United States the only hummingbird
species we get to see is the Ruby Throated hummingbird, (Archilochus
colubris). In the south and west there
are several other species. The Ruby
Throated hummingbird arrives in zone 5-6 in late April-early May from its
winter home in Central America. Males generally
arrive first and establish territories.
The Ruby Throated hummingbird is tiny, 3-4 inches
long. They are iridescent green with
white undersides. The male has a slash
of bright red under the throat and a forked tail. The female lacks the red throat and her tail
isn’t forked. Females are slightly
larger than males.
The name hummingbird comes from the humming sound the
birds make as they fly. It’s also described
as a buzzing sound. Hummingbirds not
only hover but they can fly backwards and straight up and down.
Hummingbirds are loners, they don’t form pairs and
males and females often fight over food sources like a feeder. Fighting can be quite vicious and tiny
squeaks of rage are often emitted. Hummingbirds can fly into people and objects
during these mobile battles.
After mating the female hummer constructs a tiny cup
shaped nest on a tree limb composed of lichen, scales from tree buds, and
spider silk. It’s usually lined with
animal hair or fluff from seeds like milkweed and dandelions. Two eggs are laid and the female cares for
the young by herself. Baby hummers are
fed nectar and tiny insects. A female
sometimes raises two sets of babies in a summer.
Baby hummers and even adult hummers are eaten by other
birds; crows and blue jays raid nests and have been seen swooping up adult
birds, usually when they are fighting or otherwise distracted. Large praying mantises have even been seen at
feeders catching hummers. Lizards and
snakes as well as the usual cats and other animal predators take a few,
although the birds are quite swift and evasive.
Hummingbirds do eat nectar; they insert their long beak
into flowers, the long tongue inside that beak sips up the nectar. But they also eat a lot of small insects such
as aphids, fruit flies, mosquitoes, and spiders. Hummingbirds need to eat frequently from
sunrise to sunset to fuel their high metabolism rates.
Plants
that attract hummingbirds
While nectar feeders may attract occasional hummers if
you want to see them frequently you also need plants for nectar and the kind of
habitat hummers love. Hummers like open
wooded areas, edges of woodlands, and environments with large trees but also
numerous areas with flowers.
Hummers are attracted to tubular flowers of red, orange
or pink, but do visit flowers of other colors that have nectar. Trumpet vine, honeysuckles, salvias and
sages, beebalm, nicotania, cardinal flower, silene, morning glories, jewelweed,
columbine, red petunias such as petunia exserta, pentas, zinnias, snapdragons, Canada
lily and some other species lilies, bouvardia, comfrey, penstemon, foxglove,
tithonia, pinks, buck-eyes, horse chestnut, rhododendrons, clethra, and hardy
hibiscus. Many red flowered tubular
plants are pollinated only by hummingbirds.
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| Bee balm has tubular red flowers. |
Hummingbirds do not require drinking water but like to
bathe in a fine mist or spray of water.
Lichens on trees and other objects and allowing some plants like
dandelions and milkweed to go to seed help them with nest building.
Hummingbird
feeders
There are all kinds of hummingbird feeders out there
and sometimes a simple one attracts the most hummers. Look for one that is easy to fill and clean. The feeder needs only a small amount of red
around the feeding ports to attract hummers.
It can have perches or be without them, hummers use both. Feeders should be suspended at least 5 feet
above the ground and feeders should be located in the open where they can see
predators approach.
To make nectar boil some water, turn off the heat and
then stir in 1 cup of sugar for every 2 cups of water and stir to
dissolve. After its cool it’s ready to
use. It does not need to be dyed red and
artificial colors shouldn’t be used.
Always use white sugar, never
honey, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, stevia, agave or other sweeteners. These things can harm hummers.
Hummingbirds seem to prefer homemade nectar rather than
the red stuff you buy in the store and making your own is cheaper. Those store
bought mixtures often contain preservatives as well as dyes and may have a
taste hummers don’t like. You can make
up a large batch of hummingbird nectar and refrigerate it for several weeks or
even freeze it, to save time.
Dump and clean feeders several times a week. It’s better to have small feeders for this
reason, you don’t waste nectar. Ants and
bees will find their way into feeders.
Use bee guards if you want to discourage bees. These are cage like things that fit over
nectar ports. But bees are good for the garden too and unless you are allergic
you may want to let them eat.
You can put something like petroleum jelly at the base
of poles holding feeders to stop ants, but never get anything sticky or greasy
up close to the feeders where humming birds could touch it. It could keep them from flying well if it
gets on their feathers. And of course
never spray pesticides around feeders.
Put up several feeders around the garden in places
where you can observe the hummers if possible. Put them at least 10 feet apart.
Since one hummer may chase others away
from a particular feeder having several allows more hummers to visit your
garden.
Woody
Nightshade, Bittersweet Nightshade, Deadly Nightshade
All three names are used on this plant but the name deadly
nightshade truly belongs to another distantly related plant native to Europe,
which is much more poisonous and from which the drug atropine is derived. The name bittersweet nightshade comes from
the fact that parts of the plant are bitter when first tasted but become sweet
if one is foolish enough to keep chewing.
Since bittersweet is the name of another common plant it is better to
use the name woody nightshade for this plant.
Woody Nightshade is a rather pretty woody vine that is
a close relative of our familiar potatoes and tomatoes. It can get and transmit many of the same
diseases potatoes and tomatoes get and should be kept away from them. There are several forms of nightshade but
this is probably the most common American species and can be found throughout
Michigan. The plant is a perennial and
becomes thick and woody at the base over the years. It sends out long trailing vine-like stems
that scramble up fences and shrubs and may grow 20 feet or more in length. Woody Nightshade grows in the sun and in
lightly shaded areas in almost every kind of soil.
The leaves are a long, pointed arrow shape with two
lobes or “ears” on the end closest to the stem.
The leaves are arranged along the stem in an alternate pattern and
always face the direction of the light.
When stems and leaves of Woody Nightshade are bruised or cut they have a
distinctive, acrid smell.
Woody Nightshade blooms throughout the summer. The lavender blooms have 5 petals that curve
backward around a yellow, cone-like reproductive structure in the center. The flowers are in clusters that always face
the opposite direction of the leaves. The flowers turn into green berries that
ripen to scarlet red, like small pointed tomatoes on tiny stems. There are always various stages of flowers
and berries on the same plant until frost.
The red berries are quite attractive and while birds
seem to eat them without harm they should be kept out of the reach of children
and pets. Which not as toxic as the true
deadly nightshade the berries do contain narcotic chemicals that can make
someone quite ill and possibly cause kidney damage or death in large
doses. The plant spreads rapidly and is
quite invasive and should be removed from home landscapes for safety
reasons. Livestock rarely eat the plant
but may do so if food is scarce, which can cause illness, therefore all woody nightshade
plants should be removed from pastures.
Japanese
beetles
One of the most serious garden pests, Japanese beetles,
hits gardens in zone 5-6 in July and early August. Gardeners in warmer zones
may deal with them earlier. Most
gardeners have had to deal with this serious pest at one time or another. The first Japanese beetles were found in New
Jersey in 1916 and since then have spread west and south. They are as the name suggests, native to
Japan.
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| Japanese beetles mating |
The Japanese beetle is a fat, oval, metallic bronze and
green beetle, with a row of white spots along the sides of the body. The spots
are clumps of white hairs. The immature
stage is a tan-white grub that is found in the soil of grassy areas where it
feeds on plant roots. It has a distinctive
v shaped row of bristles on its rear end.
Japanese beetles can fly fairly well.
In Michigan, late June to early July is the time when
Japanese beetle damage on plant parts above ground first becomes apparent and
feeding continues for about a month.
However beetles emerging from the soil can continue into August and some
beetles may persist all summer. Feeding on the roots of turf grasses is
heaviest in the later part of summer and again in early spring.
When Japanese beetles emerge from the soil they eat for
a few days and then begin mating and the females begin laying eggs back in the
soil. In the afternoon she leaves the
plants she has been eating, goes to the ground and burrows up to 4 inches down
and lays a few eggs. This continues for
days until she has laid roughly 60 eggs.
In warm moist soil the eggs will hatch in about 10 days
and the new grubs begin feeding on grass roots. Eggs and small grubs are very susceptible to
drying out and not irrigating the lawn in summer may help control a grub
population.
Adult Japanese beetles will feed on over 300 species of
plants, including most of our ornamentals, trees, and fruits. They eat the tissue from between leaf veins,
turning them into ragged skeletons which brown and fall off. They may also eat soft fruit. The damage the grubs do in lawns and on golf
courses appears as yellow spots, where the turf can be rolled back in patches
like a rug.
As they feed and mate Japanese beetles release a scent
that attracts other Japanese beetles and populations in an area may soon
contain thousands of beetles. They can
do serious defoliation damage to plants, although the plants will generally
recover in late summer when feeding damage is less. It is estimated that damage and cost of
controlling Japanese beetles to Americans is over 450 million dollars each
year.
Control
in home landscapes
In July homeowners can apply grub control products
containing imidacloprid (Merit) and halofenozide. In spring if damage is apparent use grub
products containing trichlorfon (Dylox) and carbaryl (Sevin). Remember that these pesticides will harm many
kinds of animals in the soil and may have toxic effects on pets and children
too.
For ornamental plants a general insecticide for
ornamental plants can be used but once again these will kill many types of
insects, good and bad. Systemic products may do some good - but the beetle has
to eat part of the plant to be killed.
They are best used early, before beetle populations get high.
For fruit trees,
including ornamental types of fruit trees, a multipurpose orchard spray should
be used as directed on the label. For
vegetables use an insecticide approved for edible plants. Vegetables that don’t require pollination can
be covered with lightweight row cover material to exclude beetles.
Hand picking and using a hand vacuum to remove beetles
as soon as they are seen is helpful.
Once beetles get established they attract more beetles. Japanese beetle traps are on the market but
for them to work you must locate them far away from the plants you want to
protect.
Research published in the Journal of Economic
Entomology, 04/08/2009, found that a mixture of two essential oils, wintergreen
and ginger oil, was quite effective at repelling Japanese beetles. Peppermint oil was also a strong repellant.
(Coffee and citronella oils actually seemed to attract Japanese beetles). More research is being conducted to find the
best way to use these oils as beetle repellants on crops. These oils could be applied to food crops safely
and would be relatively benign to the environment.
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| USDA picture |
Other research conducted at the USDA Application
Technology Research Unit in Wooster, Ohio found that geraniums could be part of
the war against Japanese beetles.
Entomologist Chris Ranger found that Japanese beetles that ate geranium
leaves were paralyzed within 30 minutes and stayed immobile for up to 24
hours. While immobilized they are easy
prey for birds and other predators or could be swept or vacuumed up.
Interestingly enough the paralytic effect of geranium
leaves on Japanese beetles has been known since the 1920’s, about the time the
pest arrived in the United States.
Ranger and a colleague have just begun to develop a natural pesticide
using geraniums and have applied for a patent.
Other
natural controls
Japanese beetle traps that attract the beetles and then
drown them have been around for years, but in small yards the placement of
traps can be a problem. The traps
attract more beetles than might normally be in the area and need to be placed a
good ways away from plants you want to protect.
A few years ago milky spore disease was introduced into
areas where Japanese beetles are found.
This fungal disease attacks the Japanese beetle’s immature stage- the
grub that resides in your lawn destroying grass roots. Milky spore disease is now found in stores
and garden supply catalogs for you to sprinkle over affected areas.
A new protozoan disease that also kills Japanese beetle
is being released throughout Michigan.
These natural controls are safe for the environment and kill only
Japanese beetles. Both
the milky spore disease and protozoan controls take many years to begin to be
effective in an area. But combining
those controls with faster acting repellents made from essential oils or a
geranium knock out spray could be the environmentally friendly solution homeowners
have been waiting for.
Fire
Safety in a dry season
You may think that wildfires don’t really concern you. You live in the suburbs, a city, or in a
farming community with lots of cleared land. But wildfires should concern everyone, because
as taxpayers, we all pay for wildfires.
Wildfires destroy valuable animal habitat, our recreational spaces and
leave our water sheds vulnerable to erosion and pollution. And they do make it into those places people
never thought they would, and destroy homes and take lives.
According to Mark Hansen, Michigan State University
Extension wildfire specialist and co-coordinator for Michigan’s Firewise
Communities Project there are more than 8000 wildfires in Michigan each year
and most of them are caused by human carelessness.
Spring is a prime time for wildfire in Michigan, even
though it may seem like a wet time. All
of the debris from fallen leaves and needles, winter killed grasses and fallen
dead limbs litters the ground after the snow melts, before it’s warm enough to
start decomposing and before new greenery gets going. People are out there raking their property,
piling up limbs and cleaning up. Then
they decide the best way to get rid of the flotsam of winter is to burn it.
But wildfires can happen at any time of the year, in
summer droughts, and in the fall when dried leaves pile up. Homeowners need to be aware of the conditions
around their home and pay attention if any fire warnings are issued.
Almost every fire department in Michigan will have at
least one wildfire- or grass fire as they are sometimes called, even in urban
areas, each year. Most of these are put
out quickly, but in cash strapped governments they take a toll. Each fire engine that goes out costs someone,
usually taxpayers but sometimes the person that started the fire, between
$900-$1800, and usually more than one engine is sent. And personnel fighting these fires are
unavailable for other calls.
Occasionally what started as a simple field fire gets
out of control and threatens homes and out buildings. Costs mount rapidly as structures are damaged
and you may be legally responsible if you set the fire that caused the damage. If fire jumps into wooded or swampy areas
where normal fire equipment can’t go, additional costs are racked up as the
Department of Natural Resources is brought in with off road fire-fighting
equipment.
Every resident should know what their municipality’s
rules are about burning natural debris.
In many places you need to get a burn permit before burning brush,
leaves or burning off ditches and fencerows.
In other places it is simply not permitted. When you ignore the rules you not only run
the risk of wildfires but of getting a substantial fine and paying for the cost
of putting out any fire you start.
Some townships post “red flag” warnings when conditions
make wildfires a high risk. Sometimes whole counties post burning bans. This usually means dry, windy weather and lots
of dry material on the ground. It is not
legal to burn anything outside or have a campfire under a red flag warning.
Fireworks, sparklers, and firecrackers are also banned.
You should also check with your homeowners insurance to
see what costs it covers if a fire run is needed for your home. If you started the fire, and sometimes even
if fire spreads onto your property from elsewhere, you may be responsible for
all or part of the costs for the fire run.
Some insurance companies limit the amount they will pay even if it’s not
your fault. In some areas if a fire engine is summoned because you are burning,
whether the fire is out of control or not, you will be charged for the fire
run.
Rural homeowners in wooded areas prone to wildfires
should keep a cleared area around the home of about 50 feet. Lawn and fire resistant plants can be used
around the home but evergreens and other easily ignited plants should be avoided. A metal roof also helps in these areas so
drifting embers don’t ignite the roof.
Keep dead trees and brush away from the home.
In dry periods of the year rural homeowners may want to
water the lawn and landscape adjacent to the home enough to keep it green. If a fire develops nearby you should wet down
the roofs and sides of buildings.
If you have the right to legally burn, it doesn’t
absolve you of all legal responsibility if the fire gets out of control. Here are some ways to ensure you remain in
control of a fire or prevent wildfires.
* Start small and keep the fire small. Burn small amounts of debris in an area where
you have cleared off any combustible material around it. If you can, wet down the area around where
you will be burning.
* Never leave the fire unattended. Not even while you eat dinner.
* Don’t burn on windy days. Don’t add things like paper that may float
away while burning.
* Have a plan for controlling the fire if it threatens
to get out of hand. A working hose,
buckets of water, a shovel, a fire extinguisher are all tools that can help.
* Call for help sooner, rather than later. The moment you sense a fire is out of control
call for help. The quicker help arrives,
the less damage and the less it will cost you.
* To make sure a fire is out when you are finished,
stir any ashes or leftover pieces and wet them thoroughly. Then turn over the mess and wet them
again. If you can’t wet them cover the
ashes with soil. This is important to
follow for camp fires too, even those in fire rings.
* Don’t let children play with matches or lighters
outside. Don’t allow them to make fires
without adult supervision.
* Keep mufflers
on off road vehicles and never park vehicles over dry combustible material.
* When working outside with welding equipment or other
machinery that emits sparks, keep track of what is going on around you and
clear combustible material away from your work area.
* Make sure ashes from fireplaces or wood stoves are
completely cool before you dump them.
* Don’t throw burning cigarettes out of cars or toss
them into combustible debris.
Many rural homeowners still burn their trash. A law went into effect April 1, 2011 that
bans burning household trash.
Wildfires can happen anywhere in our state. Even some of our declining cities now have large
areas of overgrown property that could easily burn. Wildfires destroy homes- ours and wildlife’s,
they can cause death and injury and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Let’s all do our part to prevent wildfires.
Grab some iced tea, it's hot out there.
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
Events, classes and other offerings
Please let me know if there is any event or class that
you would like to share with other gardeners.
These events are primarily in Michigan but if you are a reader from
outside of Michigan and want to post an event I’ll be glad to do it.
Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share? Post them here by emailing me. You can also
ask me to post garden related events. Kimwillis151@gmail.com
An
interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook
Here’s a
seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
Invitation
If you are a gardener
in Michigan close to Lapeer we invite you to join the Lapeer Area Horticultural
Society. The club meets once a month, 6:30 pm, on the third Monday at various
places for a short educational talk, snacks and socializing with fellow
gardeners. No educational or volunteer requirements for membership, all are
welcome. Membership dues are $20 per year. Come and visit us, sit in on a
meeting for free. Contact
susanmklaffer@yahoo.com Phone
810-664-8912
For Sale: After the 4th of July I will have
baby parakeets for sale, hatched this spring $15 each. They are not hand fed. Beautiful colors, lutino, (yellow) and shades
of pale green, olive green, and sea green.
Some I can sex now, others are a guess.
You’ll need to bring your own cage.
Parakeets are active birds that are a lot of fun to watch. Call after the 4th at
989-761-7609.
Also for sale after
the 4th Muscovy ducklings, black laced, about a month old, fine to
be without mom but you must buy at least 2.
Two for $20, each additional $8.
Can’t be sexed yet. Call the
number above after the 4th . Muscovy
are flying ducks, large sized and make good meat ducks. They do not quack- and are very quiet.
Master Gardeners of St Clair County
Annual Garden Tour- Sat,
July 16, 10am-4pm, Marysville, MI.
This tour
sponsored by Master Gardeners of St Clair County takes place at 9 diverse
gardens. Cost is $15. For more info: gina92pj@comcast.net.
Or 586-727-2563.
42nd Annual Troy Garden Walk: Poetic
Gardens- Wed, July
13, 9:30am-3pm and 5pm-8:30pm, Troy
Historic Village, 60 W Wattles Rd, Troy, MI.
Tour 7
private gardens and the Troy Historic Village for only $10. More Info: www.TroyGardenClubMI.com,
248-952-5938
Native Plants & Beneficial
Insects, Tue, July
19, 6:30-8:30pm, MSU Tollgate Education Conference Center, 28115 Meadowbrook
Rd, Novi, MI
Pollinator
Preservation Strategies for the Home Garden: Native Plants and Their Unique
Relationships with Beneficial Insects
Want to
help out our native pollinators and other beneficial insects? Through plant
selection, garden design and maintenance protocols, we can provide a haven not
only for our beautiful butterflies and moths but also other critical beneficial
species, from bees to beetles. Cheryl English, speaker, is an Advanced Master
Gardener of Wayne County, Michigan; a Master Composter of Macomb County; the
owner/operator of Black Cat Pottery/The English Landscape, a contributing
writer to Michigan Gardener Magazine; a board member of the Wildflower
Association of Michigan; she’s on the planning committee of the Detroit Garden
Center; and is President Emeritus of the Master Gardeners of Greater Detroit.
Cost is $25. More info: http://tollgate.msu.edu/events.
MSU Garden Day Sat, August 6, 8am-4:15 pm, MSU
Horticulture Gardens, 1066 Bogue St, East Lansing, MI
At this
conference you will be able to select your favorite garden-themed workshops and
enjoy two keynote presentations by David Culp. Pre- registration is $86 until
7/25 Go to http://www.hrt.msu.edu. To see the class selections and
register.
Here’s a facebook page link for
gardeners in the Lapeer area. This link
has a lot of events listed on it.
Here’s a
link to all the nature programs being offered at Seven Ponds Nature center in
Dryden, Michigan. http://www.sevenponds.org/
Here’s a
link to classes being offered at Campbell’s Greenhouse, 4077 Burnside Road,
North Branch.
Here’s a
link to classes and events at Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor
Here’s a
link to programs being offered at English Gardens, several locations in
Michigan.
Here’s a
link to classes at Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy and Shelby Twsp. MI, and now
combined with Goldner Walsh in Pontiac MI.
Here’s a link
to classes and events at Bordines, Rochester Hills, Grand Blanc, Clarkston and
Brighton locations
Here’s a
link to events at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road Ann
Arbor, Michigan | Phone 734-997-1553 |
http://www.lesliesnc.org/
Here’s a link to events at Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214
Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI
Here’s a
link to events and classes at Fredrick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Mi
http://www.meijergardens.org/learn/ (888) 957-1580, (616) 957-1580
Newsletter
information
If you would
like to pass along a notice about an educational event or a volunteer
opportunity please send me an email before Tuesday of each week and I will
print it. Also if you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to
me. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly notes.
You must give your full name and what you say must be polite and not attack any
individual. I am very open to ideas and opinions that don’t match mine but I do
reserve the right to publish what I want.
I write this
because I love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across
in my research each week. It keeps me engaged with local people and
horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If at any time you
don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who
would like to receive these emails have them send their email address to
me. KimWillis151@gmail.com
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