With all of the rain predicted for this final weekend of March, make time to grab your favorite vase and cut a cheerful bouquet of daffodils to enjoy!!!

Daffodils are easy, and will return every spring with little maintenance

I live in a woodland setting so I can’t really grow a garden which I miss, or a lawn, which I don’t miss. One of the first signs of spring in our “natural setting” that we have enhanced with a few plantings is the emergence of our daffodils. We separate plants after they are done flowering in the late spring. We plant new bulbs in clusters throughout our woods in the fall. The burst of beautiful yellow flowers we have had over the last two weeks let’s us know spring is here!

If you want to press the “easy button” and be rewarded every spring . . . plant daffodils. No mulching, no watering and they always look great. One hint my wife has is to Continue reading Daffodils . . . Easy and Beautiful →

Warmer temperatures combined with plenty of precipitation may cause crabgrass to germinate a little early this year

Normally we don’t concern ourselves with applying crabgrass preventer in Fairfield County until early to mid-April. Considering that lawns are now beginning to grow, and tree buds are swelling, it’s apparent that slightly warmer than normal temperatures may cause us to consider moving crabgrass control measures up on this year’s calendar.

Crabgrass is a summer annual grass that will re-establish itself each year from seed that remains near the soil surface from last year’s crabgrass crop. The seed of crabgrass begins to germinate in areas of a lawn where light can penetrate to the soil surface and the soil temperatures warm to nighttime minimum temperatures of 52 – 54 F for at least 5 consecutive nights under conditions of moist soils. The OSU’s CFAES Weather System tells us that on March 20, the average 2 inch depth soil temperature in Columbus was Continue reading The time to prevent crabgrass; Early this year? →

While we are living in a world with cancellations, postponements, and social distancing, the spring season has not been canceled, and as a matter of fact the season is progressing. A great way to track that progression is through Growing Degree Day (GDD) Accumulations and the Plant Phenology Network.

While many of you might be familiar with GDDs and Plant Phenology, this initial alert will serve as an introduction. It might be new-news for some, or a refresher for others. Additional BYGL Alerts will follow as we track the progression of spring, and ultimately summer, in the buckeye state.

GDD are a measurement of the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season. This development does not Continue reading The Phenology Calendar -What is it? →

– Garth Ruff OSU Extension Henry County

Girdled roots are never good. Photo: BYGL

Following up on last week’s spring check-list, this is a great time when you are outdoors to check your trees and shrubs for girdling roots before the grass starts to grow or the mulch is applied.

So what is a girding root?

They are roots that cross over the flare at the base of a tree or shrub. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small and some are big and numerous. However, all can do harm to the tree. The remedy is to find them when they are small and cut or saw them away from the trunk of the tree.

What can cause girdling roots?

Sometimes, in the course of nursery production, growers will miss removing the girdling root. A healthy tree should have a good basal flare without any crossing roots. Sometimes girdling roots can be caused when trees are over mulched or “volcano” mulched, so try to avoid over mulching.

– Garth Ruff OSU Extension Henry County

Now’s a great time to check trees for last year’s bagworms

Tomorrow, March 19, is the first day of spring. As the weather permits, it’s time to start checking a few items off the Spring check-list:

• If you have peach trees, it is about time to spray with a Bordeaux mixture (lime and copper sulfate) to reduce diseases such a Peach Leaf Curl. A lime sulfur spray will reduce disease problems on many of our raspberry and blackberry plants as well.
• If it would ever dry out, now is a great time to stir the compost pile. Get some oxygen inside, mix the layers a bit and let Mother Nature water it for you. If you have a little spot in the vegetable garden that does not look too winter-bad, this is an excellent time to plant a few lettuce, spinach, arugula and radish seed. Don’t get crazy with it, it might be a failed experiment, but if it warms up some, you may be rewarded with an early crop in April if you get a little lucky. If you have a chance, you can even plant some onion sets.
• This is also a great time to check trees around the landscape for signs of potential insect problems. Check spruces and other trees for bags an inch or two long, remove and destroy as there could be 300-800 bagworm eggs inside, which can damage the tree. Also, check trees such as wild cherry for the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. Look at smaller branches for bronze colored, foamy looking egg masses that may surround the branch. They will hatch as the leaves emerge, make the nests where branches connect and defoliate the tree. If we can remove the masses now, we will greatly reduce any problems next month.