For those people who love mowing their lawn, this has been a great spring. For those people who hate mowing the lawn … well, the rest of us can tell.
Proper mowing is one of the keys to a healthy lawn. Set your mowing height at 3 or 3 1/2 inches tall. Taller grass forms a deeper root system. The stronger plants are better able to fight off insects, disease, and weeds.
Mow often enough so that you are removing no more than 1/3 of the total height. This reduces the stress on the plants and results in shorter clippings that can be left on the lawn. These shorter clippings add nitrogen and organic matter to the soil.
Vary the direction and pattern of mowing. It reduces the wear and tear on the lawn.
Last year our flowering crab trees showed a lot of damage from a bacterial disease called fire blight. This virus usually enters the vascular system of the trees when they are blooming. Much as I appreciate bees, they are often the culprits who spread the virus. When the trees are blooming, the flower is an open port for the virus to enter. That virus will eventually lodge somewhere within the vascular system and block off the flow of sap, resulting in the symptom of the leaves suddenly wilting and drying on the stem beyond that blockage.
Some varieties are not susceptible and others have varying degrees of susceptibility. If you notice these symptoms and act promptly, often the tree can be saved, depending on the severity of the infection.
First line of defense is an application of fire blight spray. The spray is an agricultural streptomycin that is applied late in the day so the leaves have a chance to absorb it rather than it evaporating immediately.
Next step is to remove any visibly damaged stems. Prune out branches that show symptoms by making the cut 6 inches back into healthy wood. That will effectively remove that point of infection. Be absolutely sure to sterilize the pruning tool with a 10-percent bleach solution between cuts so you are not spreading the virus from one cut to the next.
It may take more than one spray application to stop the spread of the virus, depending on weather conditions and how promptly you act.
If you choose to do nothing, the tree will either succumb to the disease or its shape will be seriously distorted.
I was out working one of my part-time jobs for most of the day yesterday and when I got home, Corrine informed me that the yellow-striped cucumber beetles had attacked our zucchini plants … already! This is alarming because like fire blight virus that I just informed you about, these critters not only eat the leaves, they also transmit bacterial virus that can wreck the plants for the rest of the season ... their banquet was short lived!