Turf grubs are the immature stages of June beetles, whose eggs
start hatching early August. Damage occurs in the fall as the grubs feed on
grass roots until the grass dries out and dies.
Did you know up to 70% of all grub control treatments are applied
needlessly? People tend to apply pesticides “just in case”, even when no
grubs are in the lawn to treat in the first place. The only times you need to
treat are (1) if you had grub problems last year, as grubs tend to return to
damage the same areas in successive years; or (2) if the turf can easily be
pulled back like a carpet and you find more than 5 grubs per square foot.
The grubs are best controlled when they are small and actively
feeding near the soil surface, usually late July to mid-August. Control of
grubs in late-fall or early-spring is difficult, at best, because the grubs are
large and may not be feeding. The key to good control is to make an even
application and water thoroughly.
Rescue applications (kill on contact but don’t last) include the active
ingredients bendiocarb, trichlorfon (Dylox), isofenphos, or carbaryl (sevin).
These can be applied anytime from when you first find grubs (early August)
until the first part of September.
Imidicloprid (sold Merit) and halofenozide (GrubX or Mach 2) are
long lasting, but take three weeks to kill grubs. Although marketed for
spring application, these should be applied no earlier than mid-June or
later than the first week of August. Both have sufficient residual activity to
kill the new grub populations as they come to the soil surface in late July
through August.
As with all homeowner-applied insecticides, it is critical to follow the label
directions exactly when making applications.
Y A N K T O N C O U N T Y C O O P E R A T I V E E X T E N S I O N
July 1 2010
Volume 2, Issue 8
Garden Corner
Lawn Grub Control
in this issue
Lawn Care
Grub control
1
Weeds
Poison Ivy
2-4
Lighter Side
5
Vegetable
Rhubarb
6
Insects
Mosquitoes
7-8
Upcoming
events
9-12
Diagnostic 13
Flyers
attached
14-23
Links 24
yanktonhorticulture.webs.com
Growing up a trellis in Vermillion,
mixed in with some morning glory
vines.
Page 2
Garden Corner
Poison Ivy Rhus radicans
Growing up along a two-story house in Vermillion,
mixed in with some wild grape vines.
Growing up along a tree, it’s favorite support structure.
Mature vines set INEDIBLE berries.
Young plants may have a shrub
form rather than long vines.
Continued next two pages
Page 3
Volume 2, Issue 8
Poison Ivy Identification and Control
Anyone who has ever experienced the blisters, swelling, and itching from poison ivy wishes
to avoid it in the future. It grows along stream banks, roadways, fencerows, and woodlands; and
unfortunately in your home yard.
The best way to identify poison ivy is ”leaves of three, leave it be”. The leaves are alternate,
with leaflets in sets of three, two” to four” long, dull or glossy green, with pointed tips. The
middle leaflet is generally larger than the two laterals. Virginia Creeper, a non-poisonous vine often
mistaken for poison ivy, has five leaflets radiating from one point of attachment.
Poison ivy can be found in one of three forms; as an erect woody shrub, a trailing shrub
running along the ground, or a woody vine. The vine is usually seen growing on trees or other objects
for support. It has aerial roots along the stem that give it the appearance of a “fuzzy rope.”
Yellowish-green flowers occur in compact clusters in leaf axils, and are produced in June or July.
The waxy, berry-like fruit is grayish-white, with distinct lines marking the outer surface, and is
about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter.
There are three methods to eradicate poison ivy: hand pulling or grubbing; severing the
vine and treating the regrowth with an herbicide; or applying an herbicide to individual leaflets.
Hand pulling is most successful when the soil is moist. ! The roots can be dug and pulled
out in long pieces. Care should be taken to remove the entire root because the plant can resprout
from sections of root left in the ground. Avoid skin contact by wearing gloves while you work and
washing clothing and gloves immediately after. The washing machine should be rinsed thoroughly
afterward to eliminate the possibility of contaminating other clothing.
Vines growing on trees can be difficult to pull out of the ground because their roots may be
entangled with the tree’s roots. Sever the vine at the base and carefully pull it out of the tree. Glyphosate
(Roundup), a non-selective, translocated herbicide, can be applied to the new shoots that
will soon emerge from the base of the old plant. This herbicide is most effective if applied to actively
growing foliage two weeks on either side of full bloom, in early summer.
HTTP://OHIOLINE.OSU.EDU/HYG-FACT/1000/1015.HTML
HYG-1015-96 CINDY WELYCZKOWSKY JANE C. MARTIN
Page 4
Garden Corner
Another herbicide that may be used is triclopyr (Ortho’s Brush-B-Gon Poison Ivy Killer). Poison
ivy is difficult to control even with herbicides. Neither glyphosate nor triclopyr will provide complete
control from a single application, and repeat applications to treat regrowth may be necessary.
When poison ivy is found in the midst of your prized ornamental plants, special care should
be taken to eliminate it. Paint the individual leaflets with a non-selective herbicide like glyphosate
to avoid harming desirable plants.
Other herbicide brands may be found at your local garden center. Be sure to read the label
to ensure that poison ivy is listed on the label, then follow the manufacturer’s directions.
The blistering rash caused by poison ivy is the direct result of contact with the oily toxicant,
known as “urushiol.” Urushiol is found in resin ducts within the plant’s phloem. These ducts are
found throughout the plant, including the roots, stems, bark, leaflets and certain flower parts. The
plant has to be crushed, broken, or in some way injured to release the resin. The injury may be
something as little as an insect chewing on the plant.
Once urushiol is released, it can find its way to your skin by direct contact with the plant and
then spread by touching other parts of the body. Because the sticky, oily substance is easily transmitted,
there are indirect ways to contact it, for instance, from the fur of the family pet, garden
tools, garden gloves, clothing, golf balls or other objects that have come in contact with an injured
plant. Contrary to popular belief, the rash from poison ivy cannot be transmitted from touching the
oozing blisters.
If you know you have contacted poison ivy, wash the area as soon as possible with soap
and cool water. Warm water may cause the resin to penetrate the skin faster.
Because urushiol can penetrate in a matter of minutes, you may still get a rash, but at least
you have contained the infected area. A visible reaction, redness and swelling may be apparent
within 12 to 24 hours. Contact your family physician or pharmacist for recommendations for effective
non-prescription medication.
One additional caution is that people can contract a rash by exposure to smoke of burning
poison ivy; be careful not to burn wood with the poison ivy vine attached to it. Take extreme caution
to avoid inhaling smoke or contact of smoke with skin and clothing.
HTTP://OHIOLINE.OSU.EDU/HYG-FACT/1000/1015.HTML
Poison Ivy Identification and Control continued
Page 5
Volume 2, Issue 8
I was walking by. He was sitting there.
It was full morning, so the heat was heavy on his sand-colored head and his webbed feet. I
squatted beside him, at the edge of the path. He didn’t move.
I began to talk. I talked about summer, and about time. The pleasures of eating, the terrors
of the night. About this cup we call a life. About happiness. And how good it feels, the heat
of the sun between the shoulder blades.
He looked neither up nor down, which didn’t necessarily mean he was either afraid or asleep.
I felt his energy, stored under his tongue perhaps, and behind his bulging eyes,
I talked about how the world seems to me, five feet tall, the blue sky all around my head. I
said, I wondered how it seemed to him, down there, intimate with the dust.
He might have been Buddha-did not move, blink, or frown, not a tear fell from those goldrimmed
eyes as the refined anguish of language passed over him.
Mary Oliver
Maple River Strawberry Cheese Cake
24 oz cream cheese ¾ C Sugar 3 eggs
¾ C Strawberry Wine
Crust:
1 C Crushed graham Crackers 2-3 TBL Sugar 3 TBL Butter
9″ Spring Form or Deep Pan, bake crust at 350˚ for 10 minutes Once cooled add the filling
Beat cream cheese until smooth. The next 3 Ingredients MUST be gradually added in, beat in
sugar untill well mixed in, Beat in eggs 1 at a time, untill well mixed, blend in Strawberry Wine.
Bake 10 minutes at 450˚, reduce the heat to 250˚ for 55 minutes.Let cool for 24 hours in the
fridge before serving.
*Maple River is a North Dakota winery, their website is mapleriverwinery.com
Thoughts of Summer
Page 6
Garden Corner
Rhubarb Harvesting Notes
Rhubarb varieties vary in levels of sourness and fibrousness, and in color from almost pure
green to almost pure red. Only the long, thick leaf petioles, the “stalks,” are edible.
Rhubarb leaves are toxic and must never be eaten. The stalks do contain high levels of oxalic
acid, which can tie up calcium and make it unavailable in the body. Eating an occasional dish
containing rhubarb does not pose a serious nutritional threat; indeed, spinach, widely considered a
health-promoting food, also contains high levels of oxalic acid. However, people with gout, kidney
disorders, and rheumatoid arthritis may want to avoid foods high in oxalic acid and should consult
with their physicians about consuming these foods.
For new plantings, wait until the second season, or the third season if the plants were
started from seed, before harvesting. For established plants, you can begin picking stalks as soon
as they have reached their full length: depending on the variety, they may be only 12 inches long,
or as long as two feet.
To pick rhubarb, hold the stalk firmly, pull, and twist. Using a knife to cut the stalks from the
plant is not recommended. The knife can carry diseases from plant to plant, and the remnant of
the stalk serves as a point of entry for other pests. But immediately upon harvesting, use a knife to
trim the leaves from the stalks and discard. They are toxic, and leaving them on can speed wilting
of the stalks.
The typical harvest season for rhubarb lasts until the end of June. Until then, pick as many
stalks as you wish. Then allow the plant to keep all of its leaves, to build its reserves of energy for
the next year. A common myth is that the entire plant becomes toxic later in the summer. This is
not true; indeed, if a few stalks are pulled on one occasion later in summer to prepare a special
dish, plant health and vigor will probably be unaffected. The stalks may be tougher than springharvested
rhubarb, however.
When a seed stalk emerges from the plant, cut it off as soon as you notice it. If the plant is
allowed to flower and set seed, it will have used up energy unnecessarily.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/m1260.html
Continued next page
Page 7
Volume 2, Issue 8
The key to mosquito control is larval management - modifying the habitat through drainage
or applying insecticides to larval breeding sites. Treatments provide control before the biting adults
appear and disperse.
Drain or remove any standing water on your property, including low spots, ditches, or gutters.
Bird baths should have the water changed at least weekly to kill larvae. However, for those of
us living within a mile of a pond, lake, river, etc., habitat modification won’t help much. Adult
mosquitoes can range over a mile a day looking for blood.
Encourage natural predators whenever possible. Fish, dragonfly nymphs and diving beetles
are natural predators of mosquito larvae, while dragonflies, birds and bats feed on adults.
Microbial insecticides, especially the bacterial product known as Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis),
can be as effective. You can also try the insect growth regulator methoprene, toxic
only to insects and other arthropods. These do not directly harm fish or other wildlife.
Mosquito larvae also can be controlled by larvicidal oils or chemical insecticides to the water
where they occur or are suspected to occur. The floating donuts are very effective.
Spraying bushes and vegetation with insecticides may (or may not) reduce mosquitoes, depending
on the species. Culex, the species which spreads West Nile Virus, doesn’t live in
vegetation, so spraying plants won’t affect that population.
If larval control fails, adult mosquito control may be necessary. Adult control generally is
done with insecticide applications using ground equipment or aircraft. Mosquitoes are strong fliers,
so adult control is most effective if it is done over a large area or on a community basis. Because
of the environmental hazards associated with wide-area insecticide applications, it is important for
the community to agree on the criteria used to decide when a treatment is necessary. Some communities
decide to spray when there is a threat of mosquito-transmitted disease. Others base their
decisions on tourism considerations.
Remember routine spraying without taking into account the amount of actual mosquito activity
and the life cycle of the insect results in needless, expensive applications that may result in
environmental contamination and build up of resistant pest populations! Mosquito management is
most effective when all available control measures are integrated into a community-wide mosquito
management program.
Some other suggestions include:
Mosquito netting and tight screens can provide mosquito-free areas.
Some mosquitoes are attracted to lights; reduce unnecessary lighting to make yards less attractive.
Mosquito control part 1
Insect repellents are the best way to protect from mosquito bites when involved in outdoor
activities. Repellents act by making a person “undesirable” for feeding; they mask the gases and
scents known to be attractive to mosquitoes.
DEET and Picaridin repel mosquitoes and can be applied to the skin; permethrin actually kills
mosquitoes on contact and is applied on the clothing. Using DEET or Picaridin alone or permethrin
alone will not be as effective as using the two in combination. However, using DEET or Picaridin
alone may be sufficient for most outdoor activities such as going to the park, mowing the lawn, gardening,
or relaxing in the backyard. Individuals who will be outdoors for an extended period of time,
like hunters and campers, are encouraged to use the combination of DEET or Picaridin and permethrin.
Alternative repellents use combinations of oils from soybean, geranium, coconut, or lemon
eucalyptus, and all have been shown to repel mosquitoes, but only for short periods of time.
Before using any repellent read and follow all label directions.
“Bug zappers” do not reduce mosquito landing or biting. They attract and kill many insects but
few are mosquitoes that attack humans. Many of the insects killed are beneficial because they
feed on garden pests.
Ultrasonic devices do not affect mosquito activity.
Light-colored clothing is less attractive to adult mosquitoes. Tightly woven fabrics give some
protection against biting.
Citronella and “Avon Skin So Soft” can be used for short periods of relief. Some naphthalene
products (such as “Mosquito Beater”) can be broadcast in yards for temporary relief from adult
mosquitoes.
Adult mosquitoes rest in shrubbery and other shaded areas during the day. These areas can
be treated with approved insecticides. Foggers for flying insects can also be used, but will provide
only short-term relief. Various aerosol insecticides are available for controlling mosquitoes
indoors.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05526.pdf
Page 8
Garden Corner
Surviving biting insects when doing yard work
Mosquito control part 2
Page 9
Volume 2, Issue 8
SDSU Garden Line
Garden Line airs on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (CST), on South Dakota Public Broadcasting-
Television. The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service produces the show, and faculty and
Extension staffers who work all across South Dakota provide their expertise on gardening, plants,
trees, and lawn care.
Viewers can call 1-866-595-SDSU (7378) during the show to ask their questions.
Extension midseason vineyard canopy management workshop set for July 10
The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service will host a midseason vineyard canopy
management workshop on July 10 in Yankton. The workshop starts with registration at 8:30 a.m.
at the Lewis & Clark Vineyard, 31060 435th Ave., Yankton, and it costs of $15 per person. The fee
covers presentations, a tour, a noon meal, and handouts. To register, call Extension Horticulture
Educator Cynthia Bergman at 605-665-3387, or e-mail her at cynthia.bergman@sdstate.edu.
Make checks payable to the South District Horticulture Fund.
Bergman said the workshop is designed for vineyard workers, but hobbyist and gardeners
are also encouraged to take part.
After registration, morning sessions run from 9-11:45 a.m., and include field demonstrations
of equipment by vineyard owner Greg Stach, along with a pruning and training techniques demonstration
by South Dakota State University professor Anne Fennell.
The event’s noon meal will be served at the Yankton County Extension building, 901 Whiting
Dr., Yankton. During lunch, Pat Garrity, a representative from the state’s Buy Fresh, Buy Local
program, will speak. Then the workshop continues with a recap of the morning session back at the
vineyard from 1-3 p.m.
The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service, South Dakota State University, and
Lewis & Clark Vineyard are sponsoring the workshop. For information, including driving directions,
call the vineyard at 605-665-6776 or call Cynthia Bergman at 605-665-3387. Additional information
is online at the South Dakota State University’s grape growers website at this link: http://
sdgrapes.sdstate.edu/events.cfm.Sioux Falls Master Gardener
Garden Tour July 7.
Plainsview Nebraska native plant and butterfly walk on July 7. see flyer page 15.
University Week for Women at SDSU July 7-9.Missouri Valley Master Gardener Garden Tour July 10 in Yankton. This is their 3rd Annual tour,
starts 9 a.m. and runs through noon, with light lunch served at 11:30.
Tickets will be sold at the first garden of Jim and Marilyn Nyberg at 400 E 6th Street in Yankton,
and are $10, which includes a light lunch at the end of the tour. A brochure and map to the
other gardens on the tour and the lunch location afterward will be given at the time of ticket purchase.
The purpose of the tour is to share our love and enthusiasm for gardening, to inform and
educate the community about horticulture, to raise funds for future projects and events, and most
importantly…to have fun.
July 10 Youth Crop Scout Training at SERF in Beresford.
July 11 is the Garden Tour in Rapid CityJuly 14-18 is
Cedar County Fair at Hartington, NE.Extension farmers market workshop July 15 in Huron. Begins at 5 p.m. at the Beadle County Extension
building, located on the South Dakota State Fairgrounds.
Pre-registration is encouraged. To take part in the event, call Extension Family and Consumer
Sciences Educator Bobbi Larsen at 605-352-8436, or e-mail her at this address:
Bobbi.Larsen@sdstate.edu.
Extension staff and the Huron Farmers Market board of directors will host the free workshop
that answers many questions gardeners may have about selling their produce at markets. This includes
information about garden produce, farm products, baked goods, and canned foods.
The workshop also includes information about market displays, product preparation, marketing
tips, pricing, and the rules and operation of markets in South Dakota.
Vendors who work in the industry also are invited, along with individuals and families who
have been curious about how one goes about taking part in the growing number of farmers markets
in the state.
July 19 Multi-state Field Day at the Iowa Research Farm. See page 12 for details.
July 22-25 is Pierce County Fair at Pierce, NE.
Page 10
Garden Corner
Upcomming July Events in the area
July 24 is the Mitchell garden club Flower Show. For more information contact Darlene Pearson
605-996-5750 or Sharon Beedle 605 996-3869. Ramada & Suites Conference Center, 1525 West
Havens Street (I-90 Exit 330 ). Open Class Entries Entered in by 10:00 AM * Judging begins at
10:00 AM * Open to the Public 2:00 PM.
Yankton county Achievement Days Aug 6-8.
Advanced Master Gardener training August 5 on tree and shrub pruning in Sioux Falls, 6-7 pm at
the extension office.
Dakota Fest Aug 17-19
August 20 • Newell, S.D. High tunnel tour at Becky & Mark Kirby farm
August 30 Organic Farm Tour Charlie Johnson Farm, Madison, S.D.and High tunnel tour at
Linda’s Gardens, Chester, S.D.
South Dakota State Fair Sept 2-6.
State Master Gardener Update training in Winner Sept 10-11
Federation Garden Clubs District 6 meeting in Vermillion Sept 11.
Page 11
Volume 2, Issue 8
Upcomming Events in the area continued
http://sdces.sdstate.edu/ces_website/conferences/coffeeshop/
Welcome to the Extension Virtual Coffee Shop discussions. Group meetings will be held at various
locations across the state to allow you to come in, have a cup of coffee, listen to an Extension Specialist
cover a specific topic, then ask questions and discuss the issue. Can’t come in and meet as a group? You
can also log into the Web conference from home. Contact your local Extension office for locations of the
group meetings or information on logging into the session. Recorded links are available for you to watch at
your convenience. Please let us know your thoughts and also topics you would like to see discussed.
Page 12
Garden Corner
What: ISU Multi-State Grape Field Day
When: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday, July 19, 2010
Where: ISU Armstrong Research Farm, Lewis, IA
Who: University Extension and Researchers from IA, MO, NE and SD.
Cost: $20 each if pre-registered prior to Wednesday, July 14,
$25 each afterwards.
Agenda (weather permitting):
8:30 Registration (inside the Wallace Learning Center)
9:00 Walking tour of the grape cultivar research plots:
· Overview of the grape cultivar trials
· Disease management
· Canopy management
· Crop load management
· Demonstration of any exhibitor’s equipment
12:00 Lunch (in the Wallace Learning Center) and visit with exhibitors
1:30 Discussions and reports (in the Wallace Learning Center)
· State reports on the status of the 2010 crop
· Grape research activities
· Grape cultivar trial results
3:30 Adjourn
More Info: Dr. Paul Domoto domoto@iastate.edu; Ph: 515-294-0035 or Leann
Plowman-Tibken at the Armstrong Research Farm Ph: 712-769-2600;
leann@iastate.edu
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/farms/armstrong.php
Check the University of Nebraska Viticulture Program Web site
http://agronomy.unl.edu/viticulture
Upcomming Grape Growing Activities
Page 13
Volume 2, Issue 8
Q: What is this tree?
A: A honeysuckle.
Q: Did the lawn company kill my plant with drift?
A: No. This is fungal damage, not drift. Apply a garden
fungicide to the area to keep the disease
from spreading to the healthy plants.
Q: Does my rhubarb have a leaf spot disease?
A: No. This is insect chewing damage. Apply a garden
insecticide to the area to keep the bugs under
control.
Upcoming Horticultural Brown Bag Sessions
SDSU Extension Horticulture Website
http://sdces.sdstate.edu/ces_websitehorticulture_bottom.cfmcategory=Horticulture&news=Horticulture&subject=Horticulture
Minnehaha County Extension Horticulture Website (Chris Zdorovtsov)
sdces.sdstate.edu/SOUTH1/horticulture/Garden&Landscape.htm
Below is the link for the Minnehaha Master Gardeners newsletter “From the Ground Up”
http://sdces.sdstate.edu/south1/Horticulture/FrmGrndUpMay_2010%20PDF.pdf
The Update (Pest Alert) is a weekly newsletter on what’s wrong with woody plants across the state. Full
color photos of the problem and recommendations for treatment. The archives are online.
http://sdda.sd.gov/Forestry/Educational-Information/PestAlert-Archives.aspx
University of Minnesota Yard and Garden News: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/ygnews/
Blog Sites on Garden Topics
University of Washington created “Garden Professors”
https://sharepoint.cahnrs.wsu.edu/blogs/urbanhort/default.aspx
University of Minnesota has a page for Master Gardeners to connect and share information at
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/mgdirector/
Ron Smith of North Dakota runs a blog on garden issues. This is a great one to subscribe to, and get the
answers every week delivered right to your computer. If you live in the NE corner of the state, this is the
column in the Green Sheet each week. You can access them at
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/news/columns/hortiscope/hortiscope-11/
Interested in permaculture in South Dakota?
glaciallakespermaculture.org/permaculture_design_courses_pdc
South Dakota
Cooperative Extension Service
South Dakota State University, South Dakota counties, and U. S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. South Dakota
State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and offers all benefits, services, education,
and employment opportunities without regard for race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry,
citizenship, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or Vietnam Era Veteran status.
Cynthia Bergman
Extension Horticulture Educator Yankton County
901 Whiting Drive, Yankton, SD 57078-3121
phone (605) 665-3387 fax (605) 665-2669
Yanktonhorticulture.webs.com
To subscribe to this electronic newsletter simply send a request to
Cynthia.bergman@sdstate.edu
Bonesteel ginseng tour.
Thelma, the grower, under the netting.
