The forsythia bloomed in short order. That signals about the last chance to try and control, or reduce, crabgrass in the lawn with a preventative product. There is a good chance some crabgrass has already germinated, but the main germination will be happening in a few days.

There are some postemergence products liks MSMA or DSMA for use on newly germinated crabgrass, but they can be a little tough on your regular grass. There is also a risk of discoloring grass to a blueish shade.

Henbit

This time of year we are getting quite a few questions about certain lawn weeds. The questions are generally related to identification, and then what to use to get rid of the stuff.

Henbit is the number one weed of the week, and chickweed is a very close second. Chickweed and henbit are weeds that get going very early in the spring. We even call them winter annuals. Right now chickweed stands out in yards, since it is quite abundant and has a lighter green color than grass and most other weeds. I can't begin to tell you how to identify it, it gets even harder when there is a common chickweed and mouse-ear chickweed. Henbit is easier to identify since it has purple flowers and smells like mint. As for control, that gets a bit easier.

The straight 2,4-D that is used on dandelions seems to act like a fertilizer for chickweed and other problem weeds. Combinations that contain 2,4-D, MCPP, and dicamba are rated very effective on chickweed, henbit, red sorrel, purslane, white clover, and others. These combinations are sold under several different trade names. You can find these at most hardware, discount, and lawn and garden stores. Just check the label under active ingredients and check for two long chemical names and dicamba. You can also check to see that it says it will control chickweed and henbit. This group of chemicals is effective in the 50 degree range and up. As with any chemical control, read and follow label instructions very carefully. There will be some cautions on these product labels concerning injury to sensitive plants that you should be aware of. This is because dicamba can drift as a vapor for a few weeks after you apply it if the weather gets hot and sunny. If you put down new grass seed, don't use the chemical control at this time. The rule of thumb is to mow new grass three times before you apply anything (rough translation of three months after seeding).

Current Topics

Here are some of the current items of note:

· Grass seedings: Remember to finish up new seedings this week. Of course, you may have luck with later seedings depending on temperature and moisture conditions. Frequently later seedings start well, and gradually disappear in the heat of the summer. Remember no herbicide treatments of any type during the spring growing season.

· Crabgrass control: It's about time for the preventative applications to control crabgrass and other annual weeds. Soil temperatures above 55 for about a week are the trigger for germination. Another indicator is forsythia in bloom.

· Nuisance pests: With some warm days, we have seen the return of nuisance pests. Boxelder bugs, Asian lady beetles, millipedes, and more have started moving. These are nuisance pests because they really don't do any harm. The best control in a house is to suck them up with a vacuum. Foundation sprays of permethrin or bifenthrin can help reduce the number getting into the house, but they won't eliminate them.

· Start tender transplants: Remember to start tender plants about six weeks ahead of wanting to set them out. This would include your annual flowers, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Wait a week or two on the melons, squash, and eggplant. Many growers start seeds to get a jump on the season for these warm-loving plants.

· Put the Master Gardener Plant Sale on your calendar for April 28, 2007, if you are interested in picking up some quality plants at a reasonable price. More information will be coming out on the plant sale.

The most often asked about pest this past week has been the millipede. As a matter of fact, most callers have been almost beside themselves due to large numbers invading homes. Millipedes are hard shelled animals that are worm-like with many segments. They also curl up when disturbed. Most body segments have 2 pair of legs, except for the 3 behind the head. Adults are 1-2 inches long and can be brown, tan, or gray.

Most millipedes are scavengers. They feed on decaying organic matter such as leaves, compost, and grass clippings. They may sometimes injure small, young plants by feeding on the roots and tender plant parts, but this is rather rare.

When they enter the home in large numbers, they can become quite a nuisance. They do not bite, feed on clothing, or cause any real damage. They are simply a nuisance. Control of millipedes in the house is best accomplished by running the vacuum cleaner.

Most insecticides are not very effective against millipedes. The best way to prevent them from entering the home is to remove and discard accumulations of leaves, rocks, boards, and other trash from around the foundation of the house. Also, keep shrubbery and flower beds free of leaf mulch during the warm months.

Foundation sprays of permethrin or bifenthrin may have some effectiveness, but they may not provide satisfactory control. To apply these sprays, spray the foundation of the house and the adjacent foot of soil. In severe cases, you may need to expand the soil treatment area (and maybe spray the entire yard).

Nuisance Fruit Removal

One of the main things to discuss today is the removal of nuisance fruit. You may be thinking about those apples or peaches, but really the nuisance fruit category includes things that are much more a nuisance like sweet gum balls, maple seeds, and crabapples. I used this topic a few years ago in a column and then there was a product shortage locally, but I think that has been taken care of.

There are several products available to eliminate nuisance fruit. The most common is ethephon, and it is used as a foliar spray to reduce or eliminate undesirable fruit or seeds. Some of the trade names include Florel and Ethrel. The product is effective at eliminating much of the fruit without affecting leaf growth and color, and it does not harm other plants that get some spray drift on them. It also does not affect the actual flowering of the treated trees.

With ethephon, the key is in the timing. The application must be made during flowering, but before the fruit set in. For most flowering trees there is a 10-14 day window of opportunity. Sweet gums are a little tricky since there are no showy flowers involved, so effective sprays should occur just as new leaves begin to emerge. Sprays should leave leaves wet, but not to the point of dripping. Good coverage of the tree is needed, so keep in mind the size of the tree when you are weighing this option.

This product is a growth regulator that naturally occurs. Its natural production is stimulated by stress, so make sure you aren't treating a tree that is under stress from drought, high temperatures, diseases, or other environmental stresses. Treating stressed trees can cause severe injury to the plant such as leaf loss or scorching.

To Do List

Of course there are several thing to do around the home, lawn, and garden. And, many of these are dependent on the weather. Weather permitting, here are some things to try and keep on top of:

• Spring grass seedings should be completed by April 1. Best multi-purpose seedings are blends of Kentucky bluegrass, red or chewings fescue, and perennial ryegrass. Use four pounds per 1000 square feet on bare ground and two pounds for overseedings.
• Intrusive operations such as dethatching and core aeration should also be done at this time.
• You can temporarily flatten nightcrawler mounds in the lawn by using a roller when the ground is very wet. When completely saturated, no compaction occurs since the air space in the soil is filled with water.
• Pruning chores should be rapidly completed on non-evergreens. Expect quite a bit of bleeding from high sap flow trees such as maples and sweet gums. Wait until late June to prune those evergreens (unless you had some winter injury then you can cut out dead material).
• March 25 to April 10 is normal seeding/planting time for asparagus crowns, cabbage seed, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, onions from seeds or sets, peas, potatoes, radish, rhubarb plants, spinach, and turnips.
• Remember to start your own flower and vegetable seeds to grow your own transplants about six weeks before you want to set them out.

Logan County Extension Office

With moisture falling around the county in the past week, many may be willing to gamble on trying to establish some grass from seed. Along with seeding, timing in the spring is critical for some additional operations. Let's start with crabgrass control. Crabgrass is an annual grass, meaning it comes up from seed every year. One of the best ways to control annual weeds is to use a seed germination inhibitor that works on that germinating seed. The only problem is timing. These herbicides must be put on before you see the weed (in this case the crabgrass).

Many of the germination inhibitors are combined with fertilizer. They should be applied about April 1 in our area, but the timing can vary a couple of weeks. The crabgrass seed germinates on the basis of soil temperature, and soil temperatures need to be about 55 degrees for 7-10 consecutive days. Without a soil thermometer, and a continuing log of soil temperatures, one of the good indicators is forsythia in bloom. If you don't have your crabgrass preventer on by the time you see forsythia blooms, you had best get it on quickly. Another thing to keep in mind is that the same product that prevents crabgrass from germinating will do the same thing to other seeds. This means that you can't sow new grass seed, and use a crabgrass treatment the same time of year. If you need seeding done, fall seeding is actually the best.

Grass may be sown either March 15 to April 1 or August 15 to September 10. Spring seedings don't usually have the success that the fall ones do, because hot weather tends to hit before lawns become well established. Last fall was an exception, when the dry fall actually had seed laying dormant for months. Seeding rates should be about four pounds of seed per 1000 square foot for bare dirt, and half that rate for overseeding thin areas. We recommend using a blend of grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, a fine fescue, and perennial ryegrass. You can actually buy the seed pre-mixed from retailers. Some people leave out the perennial ryegrass, but it does provide quicker germination and some durability.

The seeding times are also good times to use a plug aerator or a power dethatcher. These operations are very hard on grass, and doing them when the grass recovers quickly goes a long way to keeping your lawn healthy. Both of these operations are usually done to help remove thatch layers. This thatch should be no more than ½ inch in depth, or you'll tend to have diseases come in.

Fertilizer and broad leaf weed control are best applied in May when they work better. This early in the season, lawn weeds aren't actively growing, and turf isn't growing actively enough to make good use of nitrogen fertilizer. Many broadleaf weed killers need temperatures over 50 degrees to work properly.

The age old relationship of grubs and moles always comes up this time of year. Moles eat grubs and earthworms for food. This really isn't a good time to try and control grubs since they are large in size and won't be around too much longer. They will pupate this spring and come back out as June bugs, Japanese beetles, or green June bugs to start the process all over again. The best control time is from August through September. Mole control is best accomplished by doing away with their food source, so they go elsewhere. Since many newer grub controls don't have the same reduction of earthworms as diazinon did, insecticide treatments may not eliminate enough of the food source to be effective. Also, with this not being a good time for grub control anyway, you are reduced to trapping or poisoning for moles. The loop type and scissor type traps seem to work better than the harpoon traps. The new "soft baits" have shown promising mole control, but can be rather expensive.

Hopefully these spring lawn tips will get you started on the right track for the year. If you have further questions, feel free to contact the office at 732-8289. You can also find information on our website at www.extension.uiuc.edu/logan 24/7.

As a new feature, I'll be tracking rainfall and publishing it on a regular basis. The chart looks a little empty with just one entry at this time, but the cumulative chart should be helpful over the growing season.

2007 Weekly Rainfall

Logan County Extension Office

What a way to usher spring in! At least temperatures have been mostly mild this winter. Many trees and shrubs are showing those effects with plump buds on many of the early species.

When it comes to spray programs for apple and pear trees, the two rules are to be consistent and be persistent. Quality fruit these days takes these two things, and time. It seems like quality fruit must be sprayed at the recommended intervals. Starting with dormant oils, these need to be applied before buds swell. Dormant oils are usually needed only every two or three years to provide control of scales and mites. Sure, the populations will build up in the off years, but should remain relatively low if the three-year program is followed. Dormant oils do require temperatures above freezing for 24 hours, but you want to be ahead of the bud swell.

The first regular spray of the year is applied when the green tissue is ½ inch out of the bud. This spray for homeowners usually consists of a multipurpose fruit spray (and sulfur if needed for powdery mildew). Multipurpose fruit spray has been re-formulated the last few years to include malathion, captan, and carbaryl (methoxychlor was eliminated from the old mixture). This same mixture would be used when the fruit buds are in the pink stage (when fruit buds show color). After that, the persistence and consistence pays off as you spray with the same mixture about every 10 days until we get to within two weeks of harvest. In our area, we need to continue spraying this late because of apple maggot and sooty mold.

This spray program will also control borers on apples and pears, if you also thoroughly spray the trunk and main limbs of the trees. On non-bearing, young fruit trees where borers have attacked, you can spray the trunks every two weeks during June and July with a multipurpose fruit spray.

The spray schedule for peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums varies a little bit. The dormant spray for them uses captan fungicide. This is the only spray that controls leaf curl and plum pockets. The next spray is when fruit buds show color with captan, followed by captan at bloom. When the husks begin to pull away from the base of the fruit we would then spray with sulfur, captan, and malathion. This mix would then be used every 10 days or so to within a week of harvest.

For borers on the peach group, you can spray or paint the trunk only with carbaryl (Sevin) on June 15, July 15, and August 15. We have some challenges with the loss of some of the insecticides, since carbaryl can cause fruit drop or thinning on the peach group and some apples.

Website Information

The Logan County Extension Office continues to develop its website at www.extension.uiuc.edu/logan . The site contains program information, subject matter, links to other university sites, and fact sheets. I have even started blogs for horticulture and agriculture. Reposts of these columns, as well as frequent horticulture information updates, may by found on the "In The Backyard" blog. The world continues to change. If you would have told me a couple of years ago I would be a blogger, I'd probably have hit you. Now, it's very commonplace. I'll try to update the blog as samples and calls come into the office.

Explore the world of honey bees and steps to becoming a beekeeper at "Introduction to Beekeeping." This program is sponsored by Lincoln Land Beekeepers Association and University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit. This three part series will cover all aspects of beginning beekeeping. Session dates are on Thursdays, March 22, March 29 and April 5 from 6 to 9 pm. Sessions will be held at the University of Illinois Extension on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL.

Presenters will include: Rich Ramsey, a beekeeper for 20 years and past president of Illinois State Beekeepers; and Dr. Stu Jacobson, Research Specialist, University of Illinois at Springfield, who has 30 years experience with honeybees.

Registration fee of $15 includes all three sessions, a textbook, handouts and participants name in a drawing for a beehive. Advanced registration is requested by March 16. For more information call Sangamon-Menard Extension Unit at (217) 782-4617, or Rich Ramsey at (217) 498-9374.

We generally have through mid-March to finish our pruning chores, and this time also applies to grapes. It seems like nothing "bleeds" like a grape vine pruned too late. Grapes pruned too late shoot plant sap to a distance that puts most drinking fountains to shame.

If you are training your grapes on wires, you basically want one runner per line in each direction. Choose a vigorous vine, and then leave between 5 and 12 good buds on each runner. The fewer buds left, the larger the fruit and clusters. Make your pruning cut about a quarter of an inch past the last bud you want to leave. Anvil type pruners are recommended for grapes, and grapes only. The crushing action seems to help the vines respond better. Once you have enough vines to cover the wires in each direction, cut the remaining, unused vines off at the main stem.

If you are not getting many grapes, there may be several problems. Grapes are rather sensitive to too much, or too little, fertilizer. Both conditions will cause poor production. Be careful with lawn and garden fertilizers around grapes, as well as manure. Herbicides can also cause severe problems with grapes. The 2,4-D and dicamba herbicides can cause severe leaf loss. That's probably why we won't see too many wineries established in the corn producing areas of our state. Of course, these are the common herbicides used in lawns for broadleaf weed control as well.