The National Weather Service announced that 15272 heat records were broken for the entire United States. Temperatures for the lower forty eight states were 8.6 degrees warmer than the March average. In Aiken, we were even warmer than the National average. Our March temperatures averaged 69.2 in 2008, 67.4 in 2009, a chilly 64.5 in 2010, 68.4 in 2011 and a whopping 77.16 in 2012! That’s a full 10 degrees over the average of the previous four years. It’s no wonder that everything was in bloom. To complicate the process, we have had very little precipitation. If we continue to have record warm temperatures and a shortage of moisture, we are going to have to lean a little heavier on our irrigation systems. With rising water rates, we are going to have to cut back a little on groceries if we want our lawns and gardens to look good. For those of us with an extra notch on our belts, that may be a good way to take off a little weight.

As I write this column, the temperatures have dropped to normal April averages. When asked, we always remind gardeners to hold off on planting annuals until the last week in April. This year the weather was too warm to hold them back. Mother Nature does not like to be dismissed. On April 11^th and 12^th, the nighttime temperatures dropped into the mid 30’s and may have taken a toll on those who live in Cedar Creek and Windsor where the elevations are a little lower. We should be safe now so plant to your heart’s content!

While we are on the subject of temperatures, let’s look at our soil. We normally recommend that lawns should not be fertilized until around the first of May. There is nothing magical about that date but on average, the soil is at a temperature that will allow the nitrogen to be used most effectively. Studies have shown that soil temperatures less than 70 degrees, are too low for the fertilizer to be used effectively. As the soil temperatures rise, the nitrogen is used in combination with moisture. This year, fertilizing in early April would have given the lawns an early start since the soil temperatures often reached into the 80’s. Next year we will probably be back to our regular May recommendation.

We have been receiving many calls at the Clemson extension center about very tiny insects around entrances to homes. The samples taken to the office have been identified as Kudzu bugs and spider mites. The kudzu bug is about the size of a lady bug and lives on Kudzu vines and soy beans. They do not bother most plants like azaleas, camellias or other similar shrubs. Be careful if you are going to swat one. They really smell awful when squashed! Applying a pesticide is a hit and miss affair since there are so leave them alone and they will eventually go toward a food supply. Red spider mites are almost invisible to the naked eye. You will probably see their damage before you see them. Place a white sheet of notebook paper under your plant and shake the plant vigorously. Any tiny insects will show up on the sheet for identification. Red spider mites may not always be red. Their color changes as they advance through their life cycle. They are normally red in the spring. A simple control is to use a strong water spray and blast your plant. That will disturb them but only for a short term. Most effective miticides are only available to licensed professionals. Regular insecticides are not effective and will kill the good, predatory insects. If you must use a chemical, be sure to read the label carefully and be sure that it says that it is a miticide. It will probably take a second or third application to be effective.

For those of you that enjoy valuable information at a reasonable price, you should be attending the Aiken Master Gardener’s free “Lunchbox Lectures.” These lectures are held at Trinity UMC, 2724 Whiskey Rd., Aiken, SC every third Monday of the month at noon. We provide the information and you bring your own lunch.

Mark your calendars for May 5, 2010. The Aiken Master Gardeners Spring Education Day will take place from 8 a.m. to noon at the Aiken County Farmers Market. This free event will feature a Master Gardener plant sale, plant swap, seminars, exhibits and demonstrations, door prizes and a “free to a good home” table.  All this is in addition to the Farmers Market’s weekly vendors’ farm-fresh crops of fruits, vegetables, dairy products and much more.

Speakers are scheduled at 8:30 am “Roses, Beautiful Roses” with Jane Burkhalter, Rose Society President; at 9:00 am “Organic Gardening” with Pastor and Master Gardener Jim Bennett; at 9:30 am Jim Dickson of the Camellia Society will present “Air Layering Camellias; at 10:00 am is “Beekeeping 101” with Deborah Sasser from the Aiken Beekeepers; at 10:30 am is Clemson Extension Home Horticulture Agent Vicky Bertagnolli on “Controlling Fire Ants”; at 11:00 am is “Bluebirds of South Carolina” with Jim Burke, Bluebird Society President; and the last speaker at 11:30 am is Master Gardener Bill Hayes “Controlling Moles.”

There are also continuous Master Gardener demonstrations of gardening techniques and exhibits on gardening topics including discouraging deer, propagation from stem cuttings, turfgrasses and summer weeds, composting, year-round container gardening, and all about seeds, plus exhibits from other local nature organizations including the CSRA Bluebird Society, the Aiken Camellia Society, the Aiken Beekeepers, the Rose Society and the Orchid Society.  In addition to plants offered by vendors at the Farmers Market, there will also be plants for sale, for swap and free to a good home from Aiken Master Gardeners. I hope to see you there!

The City of Aiken has joined forces with the Aiken Master Gardener Association and will present “Master Gardener Fall Education Day” at the Farmers Market on Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon. This event will coincide with the Aiken County Farmers Market Fall Festival. There will be gardening demonstrations including seed starting, composting, soil sampling, proper planting techniques, perennial dividing, shrub pruning, setting up planters for year round color, drip irrigation and plant propagation. I’m sure that there will be more by the time the event starts. Normally there are between 10 to 12 Master Gardeners on hand for these events but we expect 50 or more to be on hand for this exciting day.

Several other organizations will also be at the Farmers Market. The Central Savannah River Blue Bird Society, Beekeepers, Camellia Society, Silver Bluff Audubon Center & Sanctuary will all have booths with demonstrations and literature about their programs.

As usual, the regular vendors at the Farmers Market will be offering fruits, vegetables, honey, eggs, meat products, dairy, herbs and plants and just about anything else that is in season. They do a magnificent job during the growing seasons to provide the very best in quality products.

The city will set up tents for various organizations and will also have a specific tent and sound system for guest speakers. Long time Master Gardener the Rev. Jim Bennett will start the presentations at 9 a.m. Bennett will speak on “Winter Vegetable Gardening.” I will also ask Bennett to come up with a special prayer for rain.

At 10 a.m., a Master Gardener team will present “Fall is for Planting.” They will offer suggestions on how and where to plant the best specimens for our local area and talk about fall and winter garden tasks. Speaking of the best specimens, that wonderful fragrance that is working its way through Aiken is coming from our wonderful tea olives. Remember, they bloom in every month that has an “R” in it. So we will have blooms from now until April.

At 11 a.m., the final presentation will be “Preparing the Southern Lawn for Winter.” This program will try to dispel the myths about what we normally do to our lawns to keep them intact throughout the cool winter season. The speaker will be the same person who writes this column so be forewarned.

Many of our local businesses will be furnishing door prizes. They are: Aiken Dry Goods, Aiken Farm Supply, Argo Land Development, Birds and Butterflies, Carolina Eastern, Carolina Fresh Farms, Cold Creek Nursery, Home Depot, Layman’s Wholesale Nurseries, Lowes, Nurseries Caroliniana, Palmetto Nursery, Shady Characters Nursery, True Value Hardware (Laurens Street), Weeks Farm & Garden Supply and Woodlanders Nursery. The Master Gardeners will also have some prizes that will include some “Aiken Gardening Almanacs.”

Admission is free and we urge you to support the Aiken Farmers Market which has been in its present location for more than 55 years. This event is intended to be both educational and fun for everyone. We hope that you will join us throughout the morning, and I may not ask Jim Bennett for that rain prayer until this event is over. This will be the final “Meet a Master Gardener” day for 2011 so if you have any gardening questions, this is your last opportunity to see us at the Farmers Market until next year.

It is getting close to the time when we think about changing our seasonal annuals. Many of our summer plants are showing signs of stress from a lack of water or nutrients. Pansies and violas need a head start to develop a strong root system before the cold weather sets in. Most experts tell us to have them planted by Oct. 15 to assure a strong, cold resistant plant. Snapdragons will also do well in our climate zone but don’t expect much until the weather turns a little warmer. These pansy, viola and dianthus varieties flowered right through the grayest winter days: “Clear Sky Primrose,” “Baby Bingo Denim” and “Wink Red and Yellow” pansies; “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” and Sorbet and Velour series violas; and “First Love” and “Ideal Rose” dianthus.

See you at the Farmers Market.

Overseeding is defined as seeding onto an existing turf, usually with a temporary cool-season turfgrass (i.e. annual or perennial ryegrass), to provide green active grass growth during dormancy of the warm season turfgrass. It is used extensively on sports fields and golf courses, and to some extent, on commercial sites and home lawns. Sports field managers and golf course superintendents overseed their turfgrasses primarily to offset the excessive traffic during winter play as well as to have a green, quality turf. While this works, there are negative effects to overseeding. Competition between the cool and warm season grasses can be great, especially in the early spring when the warm season turf is trying to re-grow after winter dormancy-often referred to as ‘spring transition’. If the spring is cool and wet it will favor the persistence of the over-seeded grass at the expense of the re-growth of the warm season grass. Improved turf-type annual ryegrasses typically have a better spring transition than do the over seeded perennial ryegrasses. In years that favor continued persistence of the overseeding, there can be significant damage to the Bermuda turf. Another big negative with overseeding is if the existing turfgrass should be “scalped down” to provide a seedbed to favor a quick fall transition to the overseeding turfgrass. This scalping, along with the fall competition from the cool season grass prevents the warm season turfgrass from being able to store the necessary carbohydrates in the fall months. This means the turfgrass is going into winter dormancy in a weaker condition, with less stored reserves to recover well the following spring. If you have a great deal of traffic during the winter period at your site, then overseeding may be appropriate.

Warm season grasses such as Bermuda and zoysia go dormant during the winter months and can be over seeded with a cool season grass variety to maintain green color and adequate quality. This does not include St. Augustine or centipede grass which does not go completely dormant and may suffer significant damage when over-seeded! Bermuda and zoysia grasses are rhizomatus, which means that their roots are mainly underground and spread horizontally. Being underground, the roots are protected from cold temperatures as low as 15-30 degrees below zero. Centipede and St. Augustine lawns are stoloniferous. This means that stolons grow above ground and are in constant contact with ambient temperatures. The stolons are similar to very thin stems, branches or shoots. A stolon has nodes that produce the roots that start above ground and find their way into a receptive soil. Because of this configuration, centipede and St. Augustine respond to our warm days in December, January and February and try to put out new roots. As is normal during these months, warm days can be followed quickly by cold snaps and those new roots can be easily killed. 2009 and 2010 had some severe weather that caused a lot of winterkill to centipede and St. Augustine lawns.

OK, you have heard my arguments against overseeding but you are going to do it anyway. I’ll help you as long as it’s just for Bermuda or zoysia. The best time to overseed the home lawn is mid to late October and early November, but more accurately after the first frost. Annual ryegrass is the fastest germinating variety and probably the cheapest. It looks very similar to perennial ryegrass with a dark green color and shiny leaves. Annual ryegrass grows quickly and requires frequent mowing (around 2 to 2.5 inch height) especially during late fall and early spring. Water requirements are moderate and fertility requirements are low – maybe one to two pounds of nitrogen over the winter months. For a dense stand of rye grass, overseed at a rate of about 10-12 pounds of seed per thousand square feet. And keep the lawn lightly irrigated for several weeks to ensure germination.

Clemson recommends core aerating the lawn 30 days prior to overseeding if possible. For some homeowners, this is not possible or too hard to do. If so, right before you overseed, scalp the lawn down as low as your mower will go. This will help get the seed down in contact with the soil, which is very important. Fertilize over-seeded sites with a complete fertilizer such as 16-4-8. Fertilizer can be applied prior to or right after seeding but to avoid competition between the warm and cool season grasses, wait until after the first frost. After seedlings emerge, light applications of nitrogen will help produce a dense, healthy stand of grass. As soon as the seed is planted, start watering. Water lightly a couple of times per day until the seed start to germinate and grow. This watering process is not the same as planting a new Bermuda lawn where you water two or three times daily until the seed sprouts. If you water rye seed too much, it will rot.

One final yet important argument against over-seeding. You cannot put down a pre-emergence herbicide to attack winter weeds when needed and then over-seed. The pre-emergence herbicide will treat the grass seed the same as a weed seed and kill the new lawn before it starts. So now you have a new lawn coming in along with poa annua, and wild garlic and onion to compete with it. I love brown lawns in the winter. It gives me so much more to look forward to in the spring.

Now is the time to put down a pre-emergence herbicide for winter weeds. This will be a dry granular product such as prodiamine, pendimethalin, dithiopyr, isoxaben or several others that must be watered in. A second application for late blooming weeds may be applied toward the end of December.

The “Meet A Master Gardener” team will be at the Aiken Farmers Market on Saturday, September 3, 2011 from 8am to noon to answer your gardening questions.  The team will also present a special demonstration on dividing perennials.  You will learn to divide a variety of perennials, including day lilies, bearded iris, bee balm, liriope and salvia.  Master Gardeners are busy planning an educational event to be held at the Aiken Farmers Market on October 1, 2011.  The morning will feature 3 speakers about fall gardening and lawn care, a variety of timely gardening displays and demonstrations, and door prizes.  Look for more information in next month’s article.

House plants: Too much water is the problem in the majority of cases when a plant’s health is declining. Several factors determine the appropriate frequency of watering: type of plant, temperature/humidity, pot size, light and drainage. Checking the plant on a regular basis instead of adhering to a strict schedule is better than overwatering, which drowns the roots. Some plants are heavier feeders than others and will need to be fed more often. Using a weakened solution of a soluble fertilizer when watering your plants is better than a strong dose every once in a while. Aphids, scale insects, mites and root damage due to fungal infections can cause yellowing of the leaves on houseplants. Mite infestation is facilitated by warm, dry environmental conditions. While most plants respond well to bright light, individual plants have different needs both for the amount and the intensity of the light they require to grow and thrive. Yellow leaves can indicate that your plant is either receiving too much or too little light. Investigate the proper light requirements for your specific plant. Yellow leaves, especially if they are on the lower portions of the plant, can be an indication that the roots are overgrown in the pot. Rubber plants are particularly prone to this problem. Some loss of foliage is normal. The length of time the leaves remain on the plant depends on the species.

Outdoor plants: There are many reasons why an outdoor plant’s leaves may turn yellow and possibly die. Sometimes this yellowing process is perfectly natural, and other times it is caused by environmental changes or pests. Every year in the fall, deciduous perennial plant species enter a state of dormancy, where they shut down their metabolism for the winter. As winter nears, plants and trees absorb the nutrients in their leaves, then shed the leaves to the ground below. With the coming of spring, deciduous plant come out of dormancy and grow new leaves for the coming year. Leaves may turn yellow on plants if they do not receive enough water. Dropping leaves is a defensive mechanism by the plant to conserve water because plants easily lose water through their leaves. If a plant remains without water long enough, all leaves will turn yellow and die, as will the entire plant. Our current drought conditions are certainly the cause of decline for many of our plants and trees. Environmental variables like heat spells, frosts, drying winds and sun burn can cause outdoor plants to become stressed, causing the leaves to yellow and drop. Once the environment becomes stable and the plant becomes acclimated, most plants should recover. Disease or pest infestation may also cause a plant’s leaves to turn yellow. Common pests notorious for this are spider mites, lace bugs and aphids. These small insects suck nutrients from leaves, stems and roots of a plant. Fungal infestations like root rot and virticillium wilt will also cause discoloration and dropping of leaves. Nematodes are microscopic worm-like creatures that attach themselves to roots and suck out moisture. A special soil test is usually required to determine if they are the problem for a dying plant. Nutrient deficiency will also cause yellowing of the leaves. This happens when the plant draws the nutrients the soil lacks from its own leaves. The most common deficiency is Nitrogen deficiency, which causes all leaves to turn light yellow and growth to be stunted. Iron deficiency causes yellowing between leaf veins, and potassium deficiency causes leaf tips to yellow and die-back.

Our current weather conditions are the major cause of plant and tree problems. Our sandy soil conditions add to the problem by not holding water long enough to satisfy the plant’s requirements. Normal hand watering from a garden hose simply isn’t enough. This type of irrigation usually dries before reaching the root system and does little to help the plant. Soaker hoses provide moisture where it is needed and can be left on for extended periods of time. Shallow rooted trees such as dogwood, Bradford pear, and river birch along with plants like azalea and boxwood require lots of water during hot and dry weather or they will show signs of wilting.

Earlier we mentioned that too much water can cause leaves to turn yellow. While almost all plants require a sufficient water supply to thrive, too much can kill the plant. The root system absorbs water along with oxygen to support plant growth and nutrition. If too much water accumulates in the root system, oxygen is cut off and the plant will begin to fail. Once the water level is normal the plant may recover and eventually get back to normal. Leaf yellowing is a symptom of something going wrong and can be caused by numerous things. A little detective work may be needed to determine the real cause.

The Master Gardeners will be at the Farmers Market on August 6, 2011 from 8 A.M. until noon to answer any gardening questions that you may have. The 2011 Aiken Gardening Almanac is about sold out. There are very few copies left and they will be available for $15 at the Farmers Market. The next Lunchbox Seminar will be held at noon on Monday, August 15, 2011 at the Clemson Extension office, 1555 Richland Avenue East.  Aiken Master Gardener extraordinaire Jim Bennett will speak about “Cool Season Vegetables,” giving you all the information you need to start your fall and winter gardens. Jim is one of South Carolina’s best gardeners and an outstanding speaker. Don’t miss this special, free event.

It’s hard to pick a single topic at this time of year since so many things are going on in the lawn and garden. Let’s start with the lawn. By now you should have fertilized for the first time and your lawn should be coming alive. At the same time, if you missed a pre-emergence herbicide last March, the summer weeds may be starting to compete with the grass. Centipede and St. Augustine lawns need special care because of their weakness to many herbicides. If you have a weed problem and you can’t pull them all, look for weed killers that are labeled for centipede and St. Augustine. These chemicals are usually delivered at half rate to protect the grass while attacking the weeds. It may take a second application to get rid of the weeds but don’t be impatient and use too much herbicide to expedite the result.

Hydrangeas are showing up more and more in home gardens and they are in full bloom right now. New varieties of pink and white are now available to complement the many blue and purple types that we have had for years. The most asked question about hydrangeas is: ‘When do I prune them”? Let’s concentrate on Mopheads, (macrophyllas) since we have limited space. First of all, pruning may not be necessary if the hydrangeas are planted in an area large enough for the plant to mature. We tend to plant things closer than we should. If the plant needs pruning, do it soon after the plant finishes blooming. This would normally be near the end of June to early July. Prune these hydrangeas only in the summer BEFORE August (to be safe). Some experts believe these hydrangeas may be pruned even into August, but this might be risky. The hydrangeas may already have set their bloom buds for the next year.

For hydrangea types that bloom on “old wood” remove any dead canes. “Old wood” are stems that have been on the hydrangea since the summer before the current season. “New wood are stems that developed on the plant during the current season. This group of hydrangeas produce flower buds on hydrangea stems around August, September or October for the following summer’s blooms. If those stems are removed (pruned) in the fall, winter, or spring, the bloom buds will be removed, and there may be little or no bloom the following summer. All dead stems should be removed from hydrangeas every year. After the plants are at least 5 years old, about 1/3 of the older (living) stems can be removed down to the ground each summer. This will revitalize the plant. In addition, if it becomes necessary to prune a plant to reduce its size, it may be cut back in June or July without harming the next year’s bloom. But it will return almost immediately to its former size. This is one reason why it’s best to plant a hydrangea where it does not have to be pruned.

Some of the new hydrangeas are classified as remontant or re-bloomers. Endless Summer, Penny Mac and Mini Penny, David Ramsey and others are hydrangeas that will bloom from May until the first frost. These special hydrangeas bloom on old and new wood and should be deadheaded as soon as blossoms fade. This will encourage continuous blooming until fall.

We have been receiving many calls about fire ants. These are extremely dangerous insects especially when small children and pets may be playing in the yard. For complete information on control of fire ants go online to the Clemson HGIC website and download the Fire Ant Management for the Home Lawn. It will give you valuable information to keep your lawn and garden safe and free of this dangerous insect.

Speaking of insects, it’s time to watch out for chinch bugs in St. Augustine lawns. They can appear in any lawn but they really like a nice St. Augustine. There are several products on the market that will give seasonal protection at a very reasonable price. Look for products with bifenthrin, triazicide or imidacloprid.

This is also the time when fungal problems occur in the lawn. High daytime temperatures in the nineties, moist or humid conditions and night-time temperatures that stay above 65 degrees are perfect conditions to encourage a fungus. Watch for small brown areas that slowly increase in size. Apply a curative rate fungicide in a granular form and follow the label for a second application. My regular procedure is to apply a preventative liquid fungicide using a hose end sprayer. There are many products like this at garden stores that are pre-mixed and are available with a built in sprayer.

The Master Gardeners will be at the Aiken Farmers Market on June 4^th form 8:00 A.M. until noon to answer any of your lawn and garden questions. Fire ant literature will be available. Also, be sure to get your copy of the Gardening Almanac for Aiken and Vicinity. This wonderful almanac is a must for anyone gardening in and around Aiken and is quickly selling out. It will not be reprinted this year so get your copy while they are still available. See you at Banksia!

This is the time of year when our winter weed friends do their best to show off. They have been hanging around waiting for a warm up to get some energy and spread like crazy. They are difficult to treat at this time of year since two of our turf grasses, St. Augustine and centipede, are not completely dormant. It would be better to hand pick weeds than risk damaging your lawn with some of the available chemicals. To complicate the issue, most of these weeds now have an established root system. That means that it will probably take more than one herbicide application to kill them. That’s just more danger to the turf grass. I would pull the worst of the weeds and let nature kill them off when the temperatures rise. Next October be sure to put down a pre-emergence herbicide which should prevent them from germinating in the first place. And, don’t forget to put down the pre-emergence herbicide for summer weeds. Crab grass and all of its relatives are getting close to opening their eyes after a long nap. If your lawn is unprotected, they will use it for their summer home. I can’t make my appeal any stronger than to say: “Do it now”!

If you have even more problems with your landscape there is some additional help available. The Rent a Master Gardener (RAMG) program is for you. RAMG is a program of the Aiken Master Gardeners Association (AMGA) conducted under auspices of the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service of Aiken County. For a nominal fee, a team of Master Gardeners will visit your home and spend an hour with you, answering your questions and examining the lawn and garden for problems you may not have seen. After the visit, the homeowner will receive a written report detailing the team’s findings and offering suggestions on how to improve the landscape. Proceeds go to the AMGA’s general fund to help support our scholarship endowment at Clemson University and public service activities. To sign up for the program or for more information, call the Master Gardener office at the Clemson Extension Service, 649-6297 x 122. If you prefer, you can email us at rent@aikenmastergardeners.org.

The mole problem continues throughout the Aiken area. The little bas, err, insectivores, are working extra hard to tunnel under every yard in town. Traps are the only proven way to get rid of them and a good place to research the problem is at http://icwdm.org/handbook/mammals/Moles.asp. We have discussed this issue before and I still feel that the two best traps for the homeowner are the Nash and Easy-Set models. Just use Google to locate a seller and order them on the Internet. Follow the instructions carefully and you should have success.

I have always enjoyed a winter blooming plant. Over the years, the Oregon Grape Holly has never failed to put on a dazzling display. This year is no exception. For those of you, who have never seen this beauty, let me give you some details. First off, the name is misleading. It is not a holly even though the leaves of the plant are very “holly” like. They are razor sharp and deserve some respect. The plant is a Mahonia and is part of the Barberry family. The plant starts out with bright yellow flowers on long finger-like spikes. As the blooms age, they fall off and are replaced by fruits that look like grapes. There can be very large grape clumps depending on the weather. As the grapes mature on the stems and become a deep purple, my assumption is that they do some form of fermenting. Birds, such as the cardinal, catbird and mockingbird love to sit on the sharp spiky branches and eat the grapes. If they eat enough, they get drunk and can’t fly for a while. It’s quite a sight to see a bird walking across your yard with its wings stretched out and falling on its beak. It doesn’t seem to harm them since they are back at it the next day. My reason for mentioning this wonderful plant is that during the early blooming of the yellow flowers, the plant was engulfed by honey bees. This was the first time that I have seen this many bees, in one spot, in several years. Let’s hope that they are recovering from whatever harmed them a few years ago.

The Master Gardeners will be back at the Farmers Market on March 5, 2011 from 8:00 A.M until noon. Bring your questions about gardening and they will do their best to help you. The new 2011 Master Garden Almanac will also be available for purchase. It has been completely revised and expanded to 100 pages.

I would like to thank the 150 plus people that attended the Lunchbox lawn seminar at the Aiken County Historical museum on last Monday. I hope that you took home some information that will help with this year’s lawn. We were a little crowed but managed to survive. The next Lunchbox seminar is on March 21, 2011 at the Aiken County Extension office. The subject is “Roses”. Spring is less than a month away!