​Watch for rust on hollyhock. This is the most common disease on hollyhock and can cause serious injury as leaves are progressively killed through the summer. Look for yellow spots on the surface of the leaves and orangish to brown pustules on the underside. Infections can also take place on stems and green flower parts. The first line of defense is to remove all hollyhock stalks, leaves and other debris in the fall and destroy them. Remove any infected foliage you see now. Just be sure the foliage is dry so you don’t spread the disease. Continue to remove diseased leaves as soon as they show spots. Try using a fungicide such as sulfur or myclobutanil (Immunox, Immunox Plus, F-Stop Lawn & Garden Fungicide) to protect healthy foliage. Note that sulfur may burn leaves if the air temperature is over 85 degrees within 24 hours of application. Follow label directions for timing and rate. (Ward Upham)

What do you do when the lawn can't be cut because of constant rain? The best thing to do is to set your mower as high as possible and bring it down in steps. It is always best never to take more than one third of the grass blade off at one time. If more is taken, the plant reacts by using stored energy reserves to quickly send up new growth. This reduces the amount of energy available for the plant to deal with stress or damage done by insects or disease. However, sometimes it is just not possible to keep the "one-third rule." In such cases, cut as high as possible even though it may mean you are cutting off more than one third of the blade. Bring the height down gradually by cutting more often and at progressively lower heights until you reach the target height. (Ward Upham)

​June is the time to fertilize warm-season lawn grasses such as bermudagrass, buffalograss, and zoysiagrass. These species all thrive in warmer summer weather, so this is the time they respond best to fertilization. The most important nutrient is nitrogen (N), and these three species need it in varying amounts.
 
Bermudagrass requires the most nitrogen.  High-quality bermuda stands need about 4 lbs. nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. during the season (low maintenance areas can get by on 2 lbs.). Apply this as four separate applications, about 4 weeks apart, of 1 lb. N per 1,000 sq. ft. starting in early May. It is already too late for the May application, but the June application is just around the corner. The nitrogen can come from either a quick- or slow-release source. So any lawn fertilizer will work.  Plan the last application for no later than August 15. This helps ensure the bermudagrass is not overstimulated, making it susceptible to winter-kill.
 
Zoysiagrass grows more slowly than bermudagrass and is prone to develop thatch.

Consequently, it does not need as much nitrogen. In fact, too much is worse than too little. One and one-half to 2 pounds N per 1,000 sq. ft. during the season is sufficient. Split the total in two and apply once in early June and again around mid-July. Slow-release nitrogen is preferable but quick-release is acceptable.  Slow-release nitrogen is sometimes listed as “slowly available” or “water insoluble.”
 
Buffalograss requires the least nitrogen of all lawn species commonly grown in Kansas. It will survive and persist with no supplemental nitrogen, but giving it 1 lb. N per 1,000 sq. ft. will improve color and density. This application should be made in early June. For a little darker color, fertilize it as described for zoysiagrass in the previous paragraph, but do not apply more than a total of 2 lb. N per 1,000 sq. ft. in one season. Buffalograss tends to get weedy when given too much nitrogen. As with zoysia, slow-release nitrogen is preferable, but fast-release is also OK. As for all turfgrasses, phosphorus and potassium are best applied according to soil test results because many soils already have adequate amounts of these nutrients for turfgrass growth. If you need to apply phosphorus or potassium, it is best to core aerate beforehand to ensure the nutrients reach the roots. (Ward Upham)

Fireblight is most common on ornamental pears, fruiting pears and apples. Symptoms of fireblight include blackened, blighted shoots scattered throughout the tree crown. The shoots may have the classic Shepherd's crook where the blighted tips bend downward. There may be small amber droplets of bacteria on the stem. This late in the season, antibiotic applications are not effective in controlling the disease. It is important, however, to control insects that may become contaminated with the bacterium and/or create wounds for infection.
 
During the summer, prune out the blighted tips during dry weather. Make your pruning cut 10 to 12 inches below the discolored area of the branch. Disinfect pruning equipment between cuts with rubbing alcohol or some other disinfecting agent. Some people prefer the ugly stub method and snap the branch off below the blighted area. This helps someone see at a glance where fireblight occurred in the tree and will facilitate follow-up pruning during the winter. (Ward Upham)

With all the concern with vein pocket gall, people will often become concerned with anything on a leaf that does not look natural.  However, many pin oak trees have a fuzz that is found between the mid-vein and side-veins on the bottom side of a pin oak leaf.  This fuzz is natural and is not a cause for concern.
 
Note that there are fuzzy galls that can infect a pin oak leaf but they are not limited to the “V” between the mid-vein and side-vein. Though these galls also do not cause significant harm, they are not natural to the leaf but are caused by an insect or mite.  (Ward Upham)

Watch for rust on hollyhock. This is the most common disease on hollyhock and can cause serious injury as leaves are progressively killed through the summer. Look for yellow spots on the surface of the leaves and orangish to brown pustules on the underside. Infections can also take place on stems and green flower parts. The first line of defense is to remove all hollyhock stalks, leaves and other debris in the fall and destroy them. Remove any infected foliage you see now. Just be sure the foliage is dry so you don’t spread the disease. Continue to remove diseased leaves as soon as they show spots. Try using a fungicide such as sulfur or myclobutanil (Immunox or Immunox Plus) to protect healthy foliage. Note that sulfur may burn leaves if the air temperature is over 85 degrees within 24 hours of application. Follow label directions for timing and rate. (Ward Upham)

If you had cucumbers or muskmelons that suddenly turned brown and died last year, you may have had a disease known as bacterial wilt. The cucumber beetle carries this disease. Once a plant is infected, there is no cure, so prevention is the key. Because cucumber beetles overwinter as adults, early control measures are essential. There are two types of cucumber beetles: striped and spotted. The striped cucumber beetle is the most common. The 1/4-inch-long beetles are conspicuously colored: black head and antennae, straw-yellow thorax, and yellowish wing covers with three distinct parallel and longitudinal black stripes. Young plants can be protected with row covers, cones, or other types of mechanical barriers. Edges must be sealed to ensure that the beetles do not find a place to enter. Plants will eventually outgrow these barriers, or they will need to be removed to allow insect pollination of the flowers. Apply insecticides before beetles are noticed in the planting. Continue to spray weekly throughout the season.
 
Homeowners can use permethrin (numerous trade names). Once plants have started flowering, spray in the evening after bees have returned to the hive. Check labels for waiting periods between when you spray and when the fruit can be picked. (Ward Upham)
 
Contributors:  Ward Upham, Extension Associate

Watch for rust on hollyhock. This is the most common disease on hollyhock and can cause serious injury as leaves are progressively killed through the summer. Look for yellow spots on the surface of the leaves and orangish to brown pustules on the underside. Infections can also take place on stems and green flower parts.

The first line of defense is to remove all hollyhock stalks, leaves and other debris in the fall and destroy them. Remove any infected foliage you see now. Just be sure the foliage is dry so you don’t spread the
disease. Continue to remove diseased leaves as soon as they show spots. Try using a fungicide such as sulfur or myclobutanil (Immunox or Immunox Plus) to protect healthy foliage. Note that sulfur may burn leaves if the air temperature is over 85 degrees within 24 hours of application. Follow label directions for timing and rate. (Ward Upham)

Many gardeners look forward to harvesting new potatoes this time of year. New potatoes are immature and should be about the size of walnuts.  Pull soil away from the base of the plants to see if the tubers are the desired size. If they are, dig entire plants and allow the skins of the  exposed tubers to dry for several hours before gathering. These young potatoes are very tender and prone to the skin “slipping” unless they are given a few hours to dry. Even then these immature potatoes will not store well. Red-skinned varieties are often preferred as they are the earliest to produce. (Ward Upham)

Now is a good time to mulch garden vegetables if you haven’t done so already. Mulches provide several benefits including weed prevention, reduced watering due to less evaporation and cooler soils that enhance root growth. Straw and hay are popular mulches in Kansas due to their availability. However, both may contain weed seeds that will germinate if the thatch layer is not thick enough. Grass clippings can also be used if the lawn has not been treated with weed killers. Add only a thin layer of clippings at a time and allow to dry for 2 to 3 days before adding more. A thick layer will form a mold that is almost impervious to water. A mulch layer one-half to three-quarters inch thick is about right for grass clippings but hay or straw should be at a depth of 2 to 4 inches. (Ward Upham)

Though tomatoes need to be fertilized to yield well, too much nitrogen can result in large plants with little to no fruit. Tomatoes should be fertilized before planting and sidedressed with a nitrogen fertilizer three times during the season.The first sidedressing should go down one to two weeks before the first tomato ripens. The second should be applied two weeks after the first tomato ripens and the third one month after the second. Common sources of nitrogen-only fertilizers include nitrate of soda, urea, and ammonium sulfate. Blood meal is an organic fertilizer that contains primarily, but not exclusively, nitrogen.
Use only one of the listed fertilizers and apply at the rate given below.

If you cannot find the above materials, you can use a lawn fertilizer that is about 30 percent nitrogen (nitrogen is the first number in the set of three) and apply it at the rate of 1/3 pound (3/4 cup) per 30 feet of row. Do not use a fertilizer that contains a weed killer or weed preventer. (Ward Upham)

* Remove fruit from heavily loaded apples and peaches (if the flower buds weren’t killed by frost) to improve fruit size and prevent limbs from breaking. Apples should be spaced every 4 inches and peaches every 6 to 8. Note that is an average spacing. Two fruit can be closer together if the average is correct.

* Remove sucker growth from the base of fruit trees and grape vines.

* Remove water sprout growth from fruit trees. Water sprouts grow straight up.

* "Comb" new growth on grape vines so these new shoots hang down for greater exposure to sunlight.

* Continue disease and insect control to prevent fruit damage. (Ward Upham)

There are about a dozen different species of soft scales collectively known as lecanium scale. But life histories are similar enough to treat them as a single entity for the purposes of this article. Normally, damage from lecanium scale is slight with "honeydew" raining down on anything under affected trees. Sooty mold, a fungus that feeds
on the honeydew, can turn branches and leaves black. Branch dieback is possible with large populations. Predators and parasites normally keep lecanium scale under control, but there are times when the population of beneficials is too low to provide immediate control. Unfortunately, later instars and adults are virtually impossible to control with insecticides. Only the crawler stage is susceptible, and the time of crawler emergence varies from year to year.

If you feel insecticides are necessary, target the crawler stage as it migrates from the dead mother's body to the leaves. This usually occurs about the time yucca plants flower. Trapping adults has shown that this week is a good time to apply treatments in Wichita as the crawlers are out. Apply a followup spray in another 10 days. More northern locations may want to wait until the yucca flowers. Registered products include permethrin (numerous trade names) cyfluthrin (Tempo, Bayer Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), dinotefuran (Ortho Tree & Shrub Insect Control Ready To Use Granules), carbaryl (Sevin) and malathion. Though too late to apply now, imidacloprid (Bayer Tree and Shrub Insect Control, Bonide Systemic Granules IC) can be applied in the fall. (Ward Upham)

It is now time to “do battle” (I love military metaphors) with that “infamous” of insect pests known as the bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis). Throughout most of Kansas, bagworm eggs have hatched and the young caterpillars are out-and-about feeding on both broadleaf and evergreen trees and shrubs. Bagworms were first considered a pest of primarily conifers but over the years they have expanded their host range to include a number of broadleaf plants including rose, honeylocust, and flowering plum. I have even seen them “eating chicken wire” at the Sunset Zoo (Manhattan, KS).

At this time of year, what is the best way to deal with bagworm caterpillars and thus prevent them from causing damage? Handpicking any small caterpillars (along with their accompanying bag) and placing them into a container of soapy water will kill them directly. This is highly therapeutic and, if feasible, will quickly remove populations before they can cause substantial plant damage. You should consider having a weekend “bagworm handpicking party” with prizes awarded to those individuals that collect the most bags. For those less interested in the pleasures of handpicking, there are a number of insecticides labeled for use against bagworms including those with the following active ingredients (trade name in parentheses): acephate (Orthene), Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Dipel/Thuricide), cyfluthrin (Tempo), lambda-cyhalothrin (Scimitar), trichlorfon (Dylox), indoxacarb (Provaunt), chlorantraniliprole (Acelepryn), and spinosad (Conserve). Many of these active ingredients are commercially available and sold under different trade names or generic products. However, several insecticides may not be directly available to homeowners. The key to dealing with bagworms when using insecticides is to make applications early and frequently enough in order to kill the highly susceptible young caterpillars that are feeding aggressively on plant foliage. Older caterpillars that develop later in the season, in the bags, may be 3/4-inches long, and are typically more difficult to kill with insecticides. In addition, females tend to feed less as they prepare for reproduction, which reduces their susceptibility to spray applications and any residues. The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki is active on young caterpillars; however, the active ingredient must be consumed to be effective, so thorough coverage of all plant parts and frequent applications are required to avoid having to deal with later stages. This compound is sensitive to ultra-violet light degradation and rainfall, which reduces any residual activity. Spinosad is the active ingredient in a number of homeowner products (including Borer, Bagworm, Tent Caterpillar & Leafminer Spray; Captain Jack’s DeadBug Brew; and Monterey Garden Insect Spray) and works by contact and ingestion (stomach poison); however, it is most effective when ingested and it can be used against older or larger bagworm caterpillars. Cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, trichlorfon, chlorantraniliprole, and indoxacarb may be used against both the young and the older caterpillars. However, thorough coverage of all plant parts, especially the tops of trees and shrubs, where bagworms commonly start feeding, and frequent applications are required.

The reason why multiple applications will be needed when bagworms are first detected is because bagworms “blow in” (called ‘ballooning’) from neighboring plants. If left unchecked, bagworms can cause significant
damage, thus ruining the aesthetic quality of plants. In addition, they may actually kill plants, especially evergreens since they don’t usually produce another flush of growth, and newly transplanted small plants. If you have any questions regarding the management of bagworms, contact your county horticultural agent, or university-based or state extension entomologist. (Raymond Cloyd)

Contributors: Raymond Cloyd, Entomologist; Ward Upham, Extension Associate