Local Interest

By Britni Schmaltz, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener

Be aware when fertilizing your perennials.

Perennial flowers, ground covers and grasses don’t need a lot of fertilization and in fact some may react negatively. Overfertilized perennials may bolt, producing excessive soft growth instead of more flowers. To be safe, a soil test will help you determine the needs of your plants and the amount of fertilizer, if any, is warranted. Fertilizers with a 10-10-10 formula are generally sufficient.

Do you have floppy plants?  Stake ‘em!

By Katie Markheim, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener

Labels are the Law

Both FIFRA and the Nebraska Pesticide Act state that the label must be followed when making a pesticide application. Each product label has specific information regarding use to reduce risk to the applicator, other people, nontargets and the environment. Some products may require additional data collection or training before applications. Others may require site investigation using FieldWatch, DriftWatch or BeeCheck. Read and follow the label every time you use a pesticide. It’s the law.  

Right Plant, Right Place, Right Time

By Kathy Tando, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener

The Label is the Law

You might not be handcuffed but you could face a hefty fine! When using any chemical the label is the law. Using a chemical in a manner that does not comply with the label is illegal. Products can change so even if it’s a chemical you have used in the past review the contents. Take note of what the label states regarding transportation, storage, application, and disposal of the chemical for safe practices.

Know the Chemical Product Terms

By Laurie Stepanek, NFS Forest Health Specialist

When freeze warnings are posted, gardeners carefully cover susceptible garden vegetables and flowers with blankets, sheets, buckets, and garbage cans. But larger shrubs and trees must fend for themselves. The freeze this past weekend left many woody plants across the panhandle with brown, drooping leaves and shoots.

“The first few weeks of May were unusually warm, which pushed a lot of new growth on our trees,” said Chrissy Land, Western Community Forester with the Nebraska Forest Service. “This new growth is very susceptible to freeze. I noticed damage on a wide range of trees: oak, ginkgo, Kentucky coffeetree, honeylocust, catalpa, redbud, and ash.”

By Jeanne Yeoman, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener

When to Plant – Temperature
It is tempting to start planting when warm weather first arrives but planting too early can be a mistake. Consider the type of plant, the last average frost date, which can be as late as May 31 and the current soil temperature. You can use an inexpensive soil thermometer or check the soil temp at cropwatch.unl.edu/soiltemperature. The soil temperature should be 60 degrees or more for warm-weather plants like tomatoes, peppers, basil and most flowering plants.

By Kristin Wiebe, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener

Wise Watering

Before rushing out to plant the garden – take time to consider water in the garden. Know which plants require moist soil and those that prefer drier conditions. Plant accordingly and know the spaces in your yard. Water early in the morning allowing leaves to dry and reduce diseases. Water the base of plants and use drip irrigation when possible. Always choose to water infrequently and deeply to promote deeper, healthy roots.

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