Plants & Pests with Nicole

August 2024

Upcoming Events

Nicole out of the office August 2-11

GroBigRed Programming

August 14 - Fall Garden Maximization
September 11 - Pollinator Habitats

Fall Lawncare Tips program in Clay Center, Monday August 12th at 6pm
Yard and Garden - Summer episodes are done, will return for fall shows

September 13 & 20

Office Closed September 2nd in Observance of Independence Day
Initial Master Gardener Courses start August 21st at 1pm

Anyone you know who is interested in the program can contact me by August 19th to register

If you miss any of the GroBigRed Programs, the recordings are available on this website too. Visit https://hles.unl.edu/grobigred

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New Extension Master Gardener Training

The new Extension Master Gardener classes will begin soon. Classes for people who would like to start in the Extension Master Gardener program are now held in the fall. These classes are all online and offered live on Wednesdays at 1pm. The programs are all recorded if you cannot attend live. The new format for Extension Master Gardener training provides the participants with online class content to read through on their own and participate in some non-graded quizzes, then the class time is spent as a review of what they learned. The classes will be every other Wednesday from August 21st – October 16th and will last up to 3 hours per session. The cost to become a new Extension Master Gardener is $250 but will only be that high the first year to cover the cost of the online format.

View the full list of Questions and Answers from every show on my blog.

If you miss a show, you can listen to the recording on my podcast at yardandgarden.buzzsprout.com

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Japanese Beetles

I have been receiving a lot of phone calls about Japanese beetles lately. Many linden trees are turning brown and upon closer inspection, the leaves are full of holes and have a lacey appearance to them. This is due to Japanese beetle feeding. If you still see the beetles on your lindens you can spray them with sevin or bifenthrin or organic products such as pyola or neem oil. Check out the other plants in your landscape as Japanese beetle have been found to feed voraciously on over 300 species of plants. You can also go out and pick the beetles off plants and throw them into a bucket of soapy water to kill them with no pesticide use.

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Green June Beetles

I have also been receiving a lot of calls about Green June Beetles. These are the much larger green beetles that can be found in gardens, lawns, and around many different plants. They are large and heavy making them loud fliers. They are not terribly harmful to our plants, but can feed on things, especially in the garden. They are attracted to fruits, especially overripe fruits. Be sure to keep your garden harvested properly to reduce the incidence of this beetle. Insecticides are rarely necessary, but if they become damaging you can spray them with sevin or hand remove them from your plants and throw them into a bucket of soapy water to kill them.

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Fleas

Fleas can be a very annoying insect outside your home, but if they come into your home they are even more of a nuisance. Flea populations peak in the mid to late summer. If you haven’t been treating your cats and dogs all summer, you want to be sure to treat them now to keep the fleas from being brought into your home on your pets. There are many different methods of flea control that you can choose from. If you do get fleas in your home you need to treat everything at the same time, use flea controls on your pet, in your home, and outside. If you get all the avenues at once you will get better control.

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Fall Gardens

As a gardener it is always hard to admit when fall starts to get closer. We don’t want our growing season to end! Not to fear, there are ways to continue gardening into October and November, giving us plenty more time to garden. Continue Reading...

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About Nicole

Nicole Stoner is the Horticulture Extension Educator located in Gage County, serving Southeast Nebraska. Nicole's focus areas include trees, shrubs, lawns, gardens, and insects. Nicole obtained her Master's Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for Horticulture with a minor in Insect Science, she also has Bachelor's Degrees from UNL in both areas. Nicole is also an ISA Certified Arborist and has her Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ).

Email: nstoner2@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/gage/gage-county-horticulture/
Location: 1115 West Scott Street, Beatrice, NE, USA
Phone: 402-223-1384
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleStonerHorticulture
Twitter: @nikki_Stoner