Choctaw County Master Gardeners

09/05/2024

Here they come...lovebugs!! There are two generations per year, one in late spring and the second in September. The fall flight is usually much larger than the spring flight, and like most insects, their populations are cyclic, so they are even more numerous some years than others. Although lovebugs occur statewide, populations are consistently highest in southern counties.

In addition to being attracted to each other, adult lovebugs are also attracted to compounds in the exhausts of both gas and diesel-powered engines, but only after the exhaust has been exposed to sunlight for a while and broken down into the chemicals lovebugs find attractive. This is why they concentrate on and along roadways, where many end up on windshields, car hoods and radiators.

In areas where lovebugs are common, motorists should check radiators regularly to be sure they do not become clogged with lovebugs and overheat.

Because decaying insect bodies tend to breakdown auto paint finishes, it is a good idea to wash the critters off of automobile surfaces regularly. One method is to wet surface and allow the smashed insects to soak for a few minutes before washing with soapy water. Repeat as needed!

Not surprisingly, there are many other home remedies for removing love bugs or preventing them from damaging car finishes. Folks who live in lovebug country often find hood deflectors to be helpful in reducing the number of these and other insects that accumulate on the windshield, and they help preserve butterflies.

In areas where lovebugs are especially abundant, it is usually a good idea to postpone outdoor painting projects during heavy flights. Fortunately, flights are relatively short-lived, lasting only a few weeks.

09/03/2024

Here's your landscape checklist for September! Some tasks include...

🌼Order daffodil and other spring bulbs for October planting.
🌱Sow rye grass seed for winter lawns.
🌷Plant hardy annuals.
✳️Apply preemergence herbicide for winter w**d prevention in your lawn.
💧Fertilize and water fall mums.
🐛Watch for garden pests and diseases.
🥀Pick flowers in bloom to create dry floral arrangements.

Learn more about each of these tasks + find further resources here: https://ow.ly/ROW450Teyr0

09/02/2024

Labor Day is one of the holiday reminders to apply baits for fire ants! Granular baits are an easy, inexpensive way to reduce the number of mounds on your property by 80 to 90 percent.

You can use these holidays as reminder dates to apply bait:
🔹LABOR DAY
🔹Independence Day
🔹Easter

(Remember one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to management. Certain treatment products shouldn’t be used near food crops, pets, and livestock.)

Learn more: https://ow.ly/t8NN50TbeBS

08/31/2024

08/28/2024

Every autumn Asian lady beetles start seeking shelter and wind up trying to overwinter in Mississippi homes! You might think these insects are "ladybugs" but they are actually Asian lady beetles!

Both are beetles, but Asian lady beetles have a distinctive “M” marking on their heads.

Summer is the best time to seal off entry points on the exterior of the home to prevent Asian lady beetles from entering!

Depending on location and weather conditions, lady beetles normally begin searching for overwintering sites in October. During most of the year they are considered “good bugs,” but as cold weather approaches, they start looking for a place to spend the winter, and this is when they can become real pests.

These steps can help keep them out of your house:
🏡Seal or screen any openings that are bigger than one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter.

🏡Inspect doors and windows that open directly to the outside for any cracks of the same size.

🏡Install sweeps on door bottoms and weather stripping around doors and windows.

🏡Check around the attic, roof, and fireplace to make sure there are no openings.

Learn more here: https://ow.ly/xmRT50T91tR

08/27/2024

The Choctaw County Master Gardener will have our 14th Annual Scarecrow Trail to celebrate the 2024 fall season. We would like for Choctaw County businesses, clubs, school groups, churches
groups and Individuals to create a scarecrow. You can come by the Choctaw County Extension Office to pick up your application or email Brenda at [email protected] or call 662-285-6337.
Juli Hughes

08/13/2024

Choctaw County master gardeners met today at the home of our MG president, Judy Briggs. She gave an educational tour of her flower farm. Everyone got to pick flowers and made a floral arrangement to take home.

They also started planning this year‘s Scarecrow Trail. Be sure to watch this page for more information coming next month.
Mississippi State University Extension Service MSU Extension Mississippi Master Gardener Association Choctaw County Extension Office Darrell Banks Brenda Swindle

08/13/2024

Master Gardener registration is NOW OPEN!! https://reg.extension.msstate.edu/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0081-0004-18d02d597a7b41bc9457432aa016f406

08/07/2024

Keep your eyes open for the spotted lanternfly! This VERY invasive species is spreading in the United States and has made its way as far south as Tennessee.

It is likely to find its way into Mississippi at some point, and any observations should be reported immediately. Contact your county's MSU Extension office or the Mississippi Department of Agriculture. Take a picture or catch the insect if you can. It is important that reports be supported by samples or photos so identification can be confirmed!

Learn more here: https://ow.ly/nQYt50SThpu

📷 Mississippi Pest Management Professionals

08/02/2024

Here's your landscape checklist for August, BUT please be safe! Try not to be out in the hottest part of the day. Instead, do your garden work in the early morning or late evening to avoid high temperatures. Stay hydrated and protect your skin!

Some tasks to consider:
🌼Plant daylilies.
➗Divide and transplant Louisiana iris, lily, canna, liriope, ajuga and Shasta daisy.
🍁Plant mums for fall blooms.
💦Water plants.
🐛Watch for garden pests and diseases.
🌹Prune rose canes to encourage growth.

Learn more about these tasks here: https://extension.msstate.edu/blog/august-landscape-checklist

07/24/2024

Do you want to become a Mississippi Master Gardener? Registration will open August 13 and close September 10.

The MG course will be online and run from October 1 through December 2, 2024. Once registration is officially open, we will share the link to register.

If you have any questions about registration or would like more info, contact your county's MSU Extension office! Find yours here: https://extension.msstate.edu/county-offices

🌻Wait, what's a Master Gardener??? It's a great way to learn more about plants, make friends with similar interests and volunteer in the community!! Learn more: http://extension.msstate.edu/community/leadership/master-gardener

07/23/2024

07/09/2024

Here's Mississippi's landscape checklist for the month of July! Some tasks to consider include...

🌼Cut and plant root cuttings from azaleas, boxwoods, camellias and gardenias.
🌸Remove dead flowers from crape myrtles.
💦Water plants.
🌹Deadhead spent blooms from rose bushes.
🐛Watch for garden pests and diseases.
❇️Apply postemergent herbicide to w**ds in lawn.

You can read more about these tasks + find further resources here: https://ow.ly/J35f50SxoJR

07/08/2024

Here's your veggie planting guide for July! Some of the vegetables you can plant in your garden this month include...

🌽Corn
🟢Lima beans
🍆Eggplants
✳️Okra
🫑Peppers
🎃Pumpkins
🍅Tomatoes
❇️Southern Peas
🍠Sweet Potatoes

🚨Planting times will vary by zones.🚨

Read our Mississippi Vegetable Gardener's Guide for TONS of great info: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/mississippi-vegetable-gardeners-guide

Contact your county's Extension agent for localized guidance! Find yours here: https://extension.msstate.edu/county-offices

07/02/2024

Fourth of July is one of the holiday reminders to apply baits for fire ants! Granular baits are an easy, inexpensive way to reduce the number of mounds on your property by 80 to 90 percent.

You can use these holidays as reminder dates to apply bait:
🔹Easter
🔹Independence Day
🔹Labor Day

(Remember one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to management. Certain treatment products shouldn’t be used near food crops, pets, and livestock.)

Learn more: https://ow.ly/i8mB50SoL4p

06/25/2024

Blueberry pruning reminder! There are a few different ways to prune blueberries, depending on what you want to achieve with your plants. But the most important thing is to prune each year after harvest. Pruning creates new wood where flower buds develop.

🔹Prune blueberries anytime after harvest, but before August 1 to ensure flower buds will have time to mature before the onset of fall and winter.

🔹Pruning is a stress on the bush, so keep them watered and fertilized to make sure they recover and continue to grow at the right rate.

🔹The best way to determine what kind and how much fertilizer to use is to do a soil test. For the best results, pull samples from underneath the bushes. (MSU Extension offers soil testing. Contact your local MSU Extension office for details.)

🎥You can watch our blueberry pruning tutorial video and find more resources here: https://extension.msstate.edu/blog/how-prune-blueberry-bushes

06/15/2024

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable to grow in Mississippi, so we get a lot of calls when gardeners have questions!

This helpful Extension publication discusses some of the most common disorders and methods of prevention. It contains info on:

🍅Misshapen Fruit
🍅Blossom-End Rot
🍅Fruit Cracking
🍅Catfacing
🍅Leaf Rolling
🍅Yellowing of Leaves
🍅Uneven Ripening
🍅Sunscald
🍅Blossom Drop
🍅Small Fruit

READ IT HERE: https://ow.ly/RRs850Siisa

06/11/2024

Many of you have expressed that you have problems getting your hydrangea plants to bloom. Failure of hydrangeas to bloom during the summer and fall can be attributed to any or all of the following causes:

🔹Cold injury to buds in winter or early spring
🔹Drought in late fall or winter
🔹Pruning in late summer or winter (applies to non-remontant type bigleaf, oakleaf, mountain)
🔹Too much shade
🔹Too much nitrogen fertilizer

Read our Hydrangeas for Mississippi Gardens Extension publication for more info: https://ow.ly/KhkS50SeInF

You can also connect with your county's MSU Extension office for localized help. Find yours here: https://ow.ly/cEMq50SeInE

05/31/2024

One common myth surrounding purple martins is that they will eliminate mosquitoes in your landscape! Buying into this myth will only lead to disappointment. These birds mainly eat beetles, dragonflies, moths, butterflies, leafhoppers, horseflies, and wasps. They will occasionally eat mosquitoes, but it only accounts for around one percent of their diet!

If you’re interested in reducing the number of mosquitoes around your home, read here: https://ow.ly/XBFZ50Rv2oP

05/29/2024

Extension Does THAT? Did you know we have a laboratory that is designated to diagnose plant diseases and nematodes? It’s true—Extension does that!

The Mississippi State University Extension Service Plant Diagnostic Laboratory and its scientists are dedicated to protecting the crops that provide our food and fiber along with other home and garden crops.

As a member of the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), they are on the lookout for new and emerging plant problems that could affect plant productivity and vigor. The NPDN is a group of internationally respected labs supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

If you’re wondering what nematodes are, they are nearly microscopic, roundworms that feed on plant roots and can impact the growth of crops like sweet potatoes, soybeans, and even home garden vegetables. Testing is the only way to know if nematodes are present and what kind they are. This type of testing helps producers manage the pests and protect their crops.

Who can use the lab?

➡️ Homeowners and other members of the public
➡️ Commercial businesses
➡️ Research and government regulatory agencies

Testing done at the lab can help you:

✅ improve plant vigor.
✅ prevent or manage disease problems.
✅ be a good steward of the environment.

What diagnostic services does the lab offer?

🔅 Identification of plant disease problems on samples mailed to the lab or from digital images
🔅 Nematode identification and quantification
🔅 Endophyte testing of fescue
🔅 Management recommendations always provided
🔅 Free nematode testing for Mississippi sweet potato growers now through December 31, 2024
🔅 Free nematode testing for Mississippi soybean producers now through March 31, 2025 (or until 500 samples have been submitted to the project)

How do I submit samples?

➡️ You’ll need the appropriate sample submission forms. You can get those at your local Extension office or on the MSU Extension website at http://extension.msstate.edu/lab. You’ll also find a list of fees and tips for gathering and submitting samples for testing.

Shoutout to Clarissa Balbalian and her team!! They are the best!! MSU Extension is lucky to have them leading the plant lab.

05/24/2024

“These big green caterpillars get our tomatoes every year. They are almost as big as hotdogs! First, they eat all the leaves, and then they start chomping on green tomatoes! Is there anything we can do to avoid them?"

Most people think these are called TOMATO hornworms, but if you're in Mississippi, you're likely seeing TO***CO hornworms. (We know that's ironic since you're seeing them on tomato plants and not to***co!)

So, what's the difference? Biology and control are similar; so are the caterpillars, but there are subtle differences.

➡️There is a tomato hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata, but it is more common up North. In the South, we mostly have to***co hornworms.

➡️If the horn is to***co-colored, it is a tomato hornworm; if the horn is tomato-colored, it is a to***co hornworm.

➡️Tobacco hornworms have seven diagonal white strips on their sides, while tomato hornworms have white “V” shapes.

The insecticides used to control fruitworms, stink bugs and other more important pests usually provide excellent preventive control of hornworms. Home gardeners who spray for these other pests won’t have hornworms either. Insecticides such as zeta-cypermethrin, permethrin, and Spinosad are all very effective.

Some formulations of Spinosad are “organic,” but Spinosad will not control stink bugs or leaffooted bugs. Remember to follow all label directions.

05/22/2024

Let’s bust some myths about blossom-end rot (BER) in tomatoes!🍅

❌MYTH: You should use Tums tablets to combat calcium deficiency in tomatoes.
✅FACT: While Tums tablets do contain calcium, it would take 288 Tums tablets for each tomato plant every single year (which BTW is over $40 per plant) to supply the amount of calcium needed to combat BER. Just use dolomite, $4 for 40 lbs.

❌MYTH: Epsom salt is beneficial to your tomatoes and can keep them from developing BER.
✅FACT: BER is caused by a calcium deficiency and inconsistent watering, and Epsom salt does not contain calcium. It may actually promote BER more than prevent it!

❌MYTH: Using crushed egg shells is a quick fix to BER.
✅FACT: Crushed egg shells are a great source of calcium, but it’s not a quick fix to combat BER. Adding crushed egg shells consistently every year will help to bolster the calcium in the soil. Dolomite is an easier way to supply calcium.

❌MYTH: I can spray milk on tomato plants to increase calcium levels.
✅FACT: Spraying milk on a tomato plant to combat BER is a waste of milk. There’s not enough available calcium in a glass of milk. Besides, calcium is taken up by the roots and transported through the tomato plant.

❌MYTH: Putting a banana peel in water helps BER.
✅FACT: While the banana peel in water sounds good, it is a waste of time. To combat BER, you need calcium, and there’s no calcium in a banana peel.

➡️It’s common to see BER on the first tomatoes of the season. While low calcium in fruit is the cause, the real culprit is often drought. Without a steady supply of water, the tiny root hairs dry out, which limits the amount of calcium the plants can absorb and supply to developing fruit. So, don’t let plants wilt between waterings. The best way to reduce the chance of wilting is to mulch around plants.

05/16/2024

HOW TO CONTROL TICKS IN YOUR HOME LAWN

Several species of ticks can inhabit home lawns, and some of them have the potential to transmit serious diseases!

👉Ticks are usually brought into the home lawn aboard pets or other animals. The first step in controlling ticks in the home lawn is to control ticks on any pets that use the area. There are a number of effective treatments that can be used on dogs and cats to control ticks. Consult your local vet about these products.

👉The second step to control ticks in the home lawn is to limit access of wild animals and stray pets to the lawn area. Fenced lawns tend to have fewer tick problems than unfenced lawns. Obviously, keeping pets penned so that they are unable to roam the woods and collect ticks will help prevent ticks from being brought into the yard.

👉Keeping vegetation cut low, so people and pets can walk through an area without brushing against tall w**ds and grass blades, also reduces the risk of tick infestation.

When lawns do become infested with ticks, there are several effective spray treatments available.
🔹Granular products are generally less effective than sprays. Concentrate treatments on areas where pets rest, along game trails and areas where wildlife visit, around building perimeters, and on any tall, w**dy vegetation in the area. (Click link below for more info on this.)

✅Take precautions to reduce the chances of being bitten by ticks. Tuck pant legs into the tops of boots, tuck in shirttails, and use an effective tick repellant. Repellants containing the active ingredient permethrin are especially effective against ticks, but read labels carefully. Repellents containing permethrin may not be applied directly to the skin, but may be applied to clothing only. Repellants containing the active ingredient DEET are also useful against ticks.

Learn more about control methods for ticks and other pests here: https://ow.ly/Tiq850RHEZg

05/04/2024

Most people avoid pruning because it can be confusing! But if you know your plants and your growth goals for them, the chore is less intimidating.

👉Late spring is the best time to prune spring flowering plants. Pruning these plants just after their flowers fade gives them plenty of time to produce new flower buds during the summer.

Pruning tasks for May:

✂️Prune azaleas, camellias and gardenias after flowers drop and before new buds form. (Great how-to video from Southern Gardening on pruning camellias: http://ow.ly/uVVk50IZHen)

✂️Cutting for bouquets regularly will keep your plants pruned and prolong the blooming season. Cut in early morning or late afternoon and put into water immediately.

Read the full blog post here: http://ow.ly/MujL50IZHem

05/02/2024

What should you do if you find a honey bee swarm?

🐝Don't panic. The first thing people need to do is stay calm and let nature take its course. If you see a swarm of bees hanging in a tree, on a fence post or in a bush, just leave it alone.

🐝Don't spray them with a pesticide. Avoid spraying the bees with pesticide, especially if someone is coming to catch the swarm. Once the bees have been sprayed, a beekeeper will not be able to save them.

🐝Contact your local MSU Extension office. The swarm likely will move on in a matter of hours if the weather is good. However, if you want to get the swarm removed, call your local Extension office to see if they have a list of local beekeepers who are interested in swarm catching.

We have an Extension office in all 82 counties! Find yours here: https://extension.msstate.edu/county-offices

04/29/2024

Where do all these periodical cicadas come from? They literally pop up out of the ground!!!

Periodical cicadas spend most of their lives underground as nymphs feeding on the roots of hardwood trees. They are here every year, but they are only noticed during years when adults emerge.

Let’s begin the life cycle with the adults, which live about three or four weeks. The males sing to attract a female, the females deposit their eggs in pencil-sized twigs, and the adults then die, leaving the eggs of the next generation to carry on the cycle. The eggs hatch in about six weeks, and the tiny nymphs fall to the ground, dig into the soil, and search for a tree root to feed on.

After 13 years of feeding on sap from tree roots, the nymphs move near the soil surface in preparation for emergence. When they sense the time is right, based on soil temperature and other cues, the nymphs will emerge, leaving ½ inch diameter holes in the ground; crawl a few feet up a tree trunk; molt one last time, leaving their empty nymphal skins attached to the tree; and move higher into the trees to enjoy their brief life as adults.

MSU Extension Entomologist Dr. Blake Layton answers a lot of the questions you may be having about cicadas in this brief article: https://extension.msstate.edu/content/periodical-cicadas-emerge-soon

04/26/2024

❌ DO NOT use fire ant mound treatments containing the active ingredient acephate in the vegetable garden! Acephate is commonly used to treat fire ant mounds in home lawns but must not be used around edible plants. Acephate is a systemic insecticide that is readily absorbed by plant roots and translocated to leaves and fruit of vegetables.

✅ Some fire ant baits can be used in the garden and lawn. These include baits containing the active ingredients methoprene or spinosad. Baits containing spinosad are relatively fast-acting and this makes them a good choice for controlling mounds that occur in the garden itself, but it will still take a two or three weeks to see results.

Don’t wait until you have big mounds, go ahead and apply one of these baits as soon as you see fire ants moving into the garden. But don’t forget to treat the lawn area around the outside of the garden as well. Workers from mounds located just outside the garden will readily forage into the garden area.

➡️Here's a great resource if you want to learn more about safely keeping fire ants out of your vegetable garden: https://extension.msstate.edu/content/control-fire-ants-and-around-home-vegetable-gardens