Pulaski County Horticulture

Tree Week is Oct 5-12 in Pulaski County!! If you’d like to host an event to celebrate trees, please fill out the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFnsSHV1c4tpI38hspQXdMJEgM3iX9UYP9U7d5XKohfm90qg/viewform. If you’d like to see what we have planned so far, go here: https://pulaski.ca.uky.edu/program-areas/horticulture/tree-week.

Osage orange is a thorny, usually unwanted, plant. But I grew this one from seed and she finally had babies! Five handsome fruit. Took about 6 years.

What is a Naturalist? There are lots of ways that statement can go. The UK Department of Forestry hosts this learning opportunity every year! Learn how you can join this endeavor.

Register for the webinar: www.tinyurl.com/24sepHWW

Field Day Alert! Next Thursday (9/18) at the UK Horticulture Research Farm - learn about post harvest handling of veg and flower crops. Register now!

Fall is the perfect time to be on the hunt for these little caterpillars! Commonly called the woolly bear or the wooly worm, this caterpillar is the immature stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth.
There is a folktale that says that this caterpillar can predict the changing of the seasons through its coloration! The more brown segments the caterpillar has, the more mild the winter is supposed to be. But be careful - if the the caterpillar has mostly black segements, then this predicts a severe and long winter.
While there may or may not be truth in the caterpillar's meterological abilities, they are still fun insects to see around. Not all "furry" caterpillars are safe to touch, but these are safe to touch and pet gently. However, I would still recommend hand washing after to avoid any potential irratation from the caterpillar's "hairs".

I’ll be out at the Shopville library today with some crocus corms to give out to participants! Hope to see you there!

Stop by on Thursday at 3:30 to learn about planting crocus and get some free bulbs.

Wrong picture last time. Seed saving is important stuff. Especially for someone who calls themselves or aspires to be a homesteader. Come to any or all of the upcoming sessions. We’ll have fun and you’ll get to know others who are on the same path as you.

Random pics: persimmon bark, argiope spider (garden spider), wahoo or hearts-a-burstin-with-love, a quadfecta of goldenrod, cardinal flower, boneset, and mistflower, and a swallowtail on Ironweed.

Seed saving is very very important to the resiliency of any homestead. Come learn about saving seeds. Participants will receive a few open-pollinated seeds.

This insect looks absolutely unreal at first glance! But guess what? This little guy is a green striped grasshopper, and they actually live right here in Kentucky! This particular species has many color variations, ranging from green and brown to brown and black to even this colorful pink and green version! Fall is considered prime grasshopper season by many, as most grasshoppers have reached their full adult size by this season and are easy to spot. Keep an eye out for the grasshoppers among the fallen leaves the next time you go for a walk!

Come get pine straw today! Friendly Master Gardeners will be here to help with your purchase. 9am to 3pm Friday Sept 6

Not a good day for this bumblebee. But a very good day for the crab spider.

Master Gardeners made over 20 bouquets and took them to The Neighborhood assisted living facility. Thank you MGs!!!

Commercial strawberry growers: See this BMP sheet from NCSU on Neopestalotiopsis as you get ready to plant this season.

https://strawberries.ces.ncsu.edu/2024/08/best-management-practices-for-neopestalotiopsis/?src=rss

UK strongly recommends NOT PLANTING symptomatic plants. When in doubt have them tested prior to planting.

strawberries.ces.ncsu.edu

Although summer may be coming to a close and fall is right around the corner, that doesn't mean insects are disappearing! Busy bees, like this Europen honey bee, are still out and about collecting nectar and pollen in full force. However, as colder weather begins, their options for food sources will decrease dramatically and rapidly. To help these 6-legged friends out next fall, consider planting late blooming species, like asters and goldenrod, in the spring. These plants will bloom all throughout the fall and are a perfect way to help the bees!

If you’re looking for a basil that resists flowering then you may want to consider Thai basil. It has a very columnar habit and is a bit stronger flavor than regular basil. It’s almost September and it’s just now sending up a couple of hardly noticeable flower heads (3rd pic). It’s a beautiful plant.

Lake Cumberland Master Gardeners had a great time exploring Wilson’s Greenhouse and Nursery in Frankfort on the second hottest day of August.

Neopestalotiopsis disease in strawberry: what do we know? | Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium If you grow strawberry or are somehow related to the strawberry industry, you must have heard about a new emerging disease, Pestalotia leaf spot and fruit rot, caused by the fungus Neopestalotiopsis sp. The taxonomy of this pathogen is confusing because it has gone through multiple reclassifications...

Don’t wanna miss the last session of the year. This one will inspire you to embrace those fall and winter crops for the home garden.

September 26 will be the final session in our 365 Days of Gardening series for 2024. On September 26th we'll dive deeper into how to garden throughout the cold winds, snows and ice of Kentucky winters. If you want to continue to grow and harvest your own fresh vegetables even as the temperatures dip below freezing, you need to plan to join us on Thursday, September 26 starting at 5:30 PM EST at Pulaski County KY Cooperative Extension.This workshop is free, but we do recommend registering in advance.

If only.

We are planning for Tree Week 2024! If you or your organization would like to host a Tree Week event, register it with us here: https://pulaski.ca.uky.edu/program-areas/horticulture/tree-week

It can be serious or fun, it can be inside or out (but outside is better), it can be for youth or adults, or it can be all those things.

Events being planned by the Pulaski Co Extension office and the Lake Cumberland Master Gardeners can be found on the above website. We’ve got some FUN things going on! We hope you can join us.

Tree Week | Pulaski County Extension Office Tree Week Tree Week Tree Week 2024 in Pulaski County! October 5-12 Through a series of nature and tree-themed events, Tree Week strives to foster a deeper appreciation and understanding for the important roles nature and trees have in improving our quality of life. Want to host a Tree Week Event in....

We are sharing our daylilies and Iris with the public this year! These perennials need division every 3-5 years so you can help us divide while taking home the extras. We encourage you to bring your own tools but will supply some if needed. Just show up, first-come, first-served.

Love horticulture and plants? Want to give back to your community? Combine those two things and become a member of the 2024 Extension Master Gardener-in-training! The program will begin in September. Applications and payment are due by August 16. Help is available if you can't afford the program.

More info here:

Master Gardener Program | Pulaski County Extension Office Master Gardener Program Master Gardener Program Information about the Lake Cumberland Master Gardener Program The Lake Cumberland Master Gardener Program began in 2000. We offer training each year in the fall. The goal is to have at least 8 participants each time the program is offered. If you'd lik...