Texas Dirty Girl

What To Do in September

Plant vegetable plants. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, chard, collards, endive, kale, lettuce, mustard

Plant herbs. Plants: All perennial herb plants; plus cilantro, dill, fennel, parsley Seed: Borage, caraway, chamomile, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, parsley, summer savory

Plant flower/ornamental seeds. Alyssum, calendula, cornflower, delphinium, hollyhock, Johnny jump-up, larkspur, liatris, love-in-a-mist (nigella), pansy, poppy, snapdragon, stock, sweet pea

Plant annual flower/ornamental plants. Alyssum, aster, calendula, cornflower, dianthus, larkspur, lobelia, petunia, phlox, snapdragon, stock

Plant perennial plants. All of them! Include some ornamental grasses in your design.

Plant trees and shrubs. Fall is the best time for planting in Texas!

Plant ground covers. Consider using horseherb or frog fruit as a native groundcover in shady areas. Horseherb has delicate yellow flowers. Frog Fruit has white flowers. Both can be mowed. Frog fruit will also tolerate full sun. Another native groundcover for shade is Pigeonberry, with pink flowers and tiny red berries that wildlife loves to feed on. Other well-adapted groundcovers are Wedelia, Mountain Pea, and Leadwort. Wedelia is a lush groundcover with small yellow, zinnia-like flowers for full sun to part sun locations. Mountain pea is an assertive groundcover with light purple flowers for sun or shade. Leadwort is a dark-leafed groundcover with intense blue flowers that prefers afternoon shade.

Plant wildflower seeds. They love full sun! You have until Thanksgiving to plant them, but September through early October is best.

Plant native grass seeds. There is a narrow window here in early September, while the ground is still warm, in which native grass seeds may be planted and established.

Divide perennials. Transplant or give away your divisions of: daylily, bearded iris, Shasta daisies, violets, wood ferns, and cannas.

Start, or add to, a compost pile.

Watch out for brown patch in the lawn. Fall is the prime season for this fungal disease. Symptoms appear as fairly circular areas of brown St. Augustine, which may expand outward and may green up again in the center. According to Howard Garrett, it is rarely fatal, just ugly. The dead leaves can be pulled off the green runners easily.

If you have had Brown Patch in the past, there are four main organic treatments to do now to help prevent this fungus. They can be applied all at the same time or in stages. Apply a half-inch of high quality manure compost across the top of the soil as a topdressing, and water in. Revitalizer(tm) is ideal for this. In addition to or instead of compost, our aerobically produced compost tea can be used. We have aerobic compost tea available Thursday through Sunday. It should be applied within 8 to 10 hours from time of purchase to insure that the beneficial organisms in it are still alive. Corn meal can be applied to your lawn at the rate of 20 pounds per 1000 square feet. Yes, corn meal is effective because it stimulates beneficial soil microorganisms that fight the Brown Patch fungus. The most directly effective treatment for prevention is a granular product called Actinovate. This is a Streptomyces bacteria that inoculates the turf roots, and forms a protective barrier against the Brown Patch fungus.

If you find yourself in the cool fall season with brown patch circles showing up in the lawn already, you can use an organic fungicide called Garlic GP. Rake up any dead grass, and spray liberally - the dead area and slightly beyond. You may want to spray again in ten days. Then, follow up with one or all of the above four treatments for best results.

It's all about the balance of life in the soil - not choosing the "recommended" poison to kill, kill, kill. Here are the things that contribute to Brown Patch: compacted, alkaline soil, mowing too short, and high nitrogen fertilizer (as in chemical fertilizers). Therefore, aerate, topdress with compost, and use organic fertilizers. St. Augustine prefers to be mowed at no less than three inches tall. It is no longer recommended to "scalp" the lawn at any time.

Plant winter cover crops. If you have any bare soil, mulch it heavily for the winter. Better yet, you can plant a cover crop. Cover crops assist in preventing weeds as mulches do, but they also improve the soil as they grow. Covering bare soil with a living plant helps insulate the soil from temperature fluctuations and helps to crowd out potential weeds. The aboveground portion of the cover crop shades the soil, further preventing weeds from taking hold. Meanwhile, their roots open up the soil, allowing water to penetrate more easily and bringing up nutrients from deep in the soil. Cover crops can be planted in bare areas around existing crops as well, such as in vegetable gardens and around fruit trees. If it is feasible to till in the cover crop, it becomes known as "green manure," adding organic matter as well as nutrients to the soil.

Certain types of cover crops known as legumes, can fertilize the soil with extra nitrogen that they capture right out of thin air. With the help of a Rhizobium bacteria, leguminous plants such as clover, pea, vetch, alfalfa, or other members of the Bean Family, "fix" nitrogen from the atmosphere and make it available to the soil after they are tilled in. When planting any of these legumes, including beans and peas in your vegetable garden, be sure to purchase the correct Rhizobium inoculant for the crop. This powdered inoculant is simply dusted onto slightly moistened seeds before they are planted.

The cover crops to plant in the fall are clover, hairy vetch, elbon (cereal) rye, Austrian winter peas, or annual rye. Till these in next spring or anytime before they flower. The exception is elbon rye, which should be tilled in before it reaches a foot tall, or it will be too tough to till. For all cover crops, wait at least two weeks, and preferably three or four, after tilling before planting anything else. This gives the organic matter a chance to decompose. Watering the area will help in the decomposition process. If you are using the cover crop as a "living mulch" around vegetables, wait until the vegetables are established, about 6" - 8" tall, before sowing the cover crop

You don't see the enemy but they're there. Leaf miners attack a variety of vegetable crops and landscape specimens, even trees. Adults lay eggs on leaves; the larvae actually enter the leaf tissue and burrow through the inside, eating as they go. It's remarkable that they "know" how to stay within a paper thin leaf, and the mess that tiny miners can make is remarkable too.

When held up to the light, this leaf reveals two tiny miners at work, leaving piles of waste and a ruined leaf

Emphasis on the plural of "miners"

Let me clarify that plural. Leaf miners are not many individuals of one species, but individuals of many species, from several different insect families. Sawflies, moths, beetles, and flies (Liriomyza, Phytomyza) all send juvenile reinforcements to the miner brigade. It doesn't make much difference which clan (order) these insects come from. Most gardeners will never notice the miniscule adults. The eggs they lay are tiny, too, and easily overlooked. As soon as the eggs hatch the larvae enter the leaf and are sheltered inside its cells. Egg-laying adult female insects sometimes bite the leaf tissue and suck juices from it, making scattered small wounds.

Different miners make different, distinctive kinds of tunnels. Some squiggle creatively while others leaves large open patches, or roughly follow the path of leaf veins. Miner damage is a real spoiler to the attractive foliage of some plants and an obvious disaster to edible leafy green crops. Some deciduous and evergreen trees even host leaf or needle miners  Dead tissue surrounding the miner's excavation may turn white and papery, have dark patches of miner waste, or look dirty with fungus that takes advantage of the waste.

Left to right: Blotch mines in lambsquarter, a row of tiny miner eggs on underside of sorrel leaf, serpentine linear mines of a Columbine leaf miner. All photos taken in my garden (aren't I the lucky one?)

Control, or not?

I'm happy to tell you that for most ornamentals, leafminers are just an annoyance and not a major threat. Handpicking is the first line of defense for the small vegetable garden and home landscape.  With warm weather comes the emergence of the overwintering adults intent on reproduction. This is the time to monitor susceptible plants for eggs (check underneath the leaves), white dots, or the beginnings of a tunnel. Diligently removing and disposing of the first damaged leaves can put a major hurt on the next generations of miners that might otherwise plague your plants later the same year. Weeds and wildflowers can host miners too so remember to remove tunneled leaves on them as well. Check again throughout the growing season for new signs of leaf miners at work. The second line of defense comes easily to gardeners who encourage beneficial insects. Parasitic wasps generally do a very good job of managing (but not eliminating) leaf miners.

Turning the soil in late winter can bury dormant pupae and keep the adults from emerging; floating row covers can keep leaf miners from finding their favorite plants. Crop rotation will move susceptible plants away from miner pupae that dropped the year before.

Insecticide treatment for leaf miners is problematic. The transient adults and larval miners are only briefly exposed to external insecticide sprays, while the parasitic wasps that are your allies are fully vulnerable to the chemicals. Some tree or shrub leaf miners can be treated with carefully timed foliar spray or systemic products; however, trees and shrubs are usually not severely harmed by leaf miners. Well-timed sprays approved for food crops could be helpful in some cases but be sure NOT to use systemic insecticides anywhere near food crops. It seems noteworthy that the sources I found during research recommend only hand picking of damaged leaves and letting beneficial wasps go to work.

Leaf mining insects can cause shockingly extensive looking damage to all kinds of landscape specimens or crops, but most plants are only stressed and not killed by miners. For the home gardener, the best way to deal with miners is through diligent monitoring, using good cultural practices, and maintaining a healthy garden environment that supports beneficial insects and vigorous plants. Chemical treatments have not proven effective enough to warrant their use on what is a mostly a temporary, aesthetic problem.

 ~~~   =   ~~~   =   ~~~

ENHANCING THE ENVIRONMENT WITH NATIVE PLANTS

This brief article discusses some of the individual native planting species available in the North Texas Region by various typological categories such as trees, ornamentals, shrubs, ground cover, and turfs.  These native plantings, naturally occurring within about 200 miles of Dallas Fort Worth metroplex have historically been found as dependable performers when sited, implemented, and maintained properly.  Many of these indigenous plantings may be found existing on sites and if they are not discovered on the site, these natives commercially available within various nurseries located throughout the area.  This following list is not intended to be exhaustive in nature, but does include many of the  more commonly discovered and planted trees found within the bio-diverse North Texas region.

LARGE CANOPY TREES FOR SHADE

Many of the trees in the North Texas Region are large canopy trees that may be used for shading buildings, spaces, or sites.  These trees can easily reach large vertical heights up to 80 feet or more comparable to a conventional seven story commercial building in height.  They additionally have large wingspans that provide a large protective shaded canopy, ideal for creating spaces of respite from the hot humid weather prevalent in the region.

A large majority of the main canopy tree varieties found in the area are members of the oak, elm, pecan, ash, and maple family.  However, as with many other regions there are various species within the family that are also found.  A brief listing of some of these and a brief description of the primary large canopy trees are listed below.

AMERICAN ELM
The American Elm is frequently referred to as the “granddaddy” of all shade trees reaching 60 to 80 feet height and spread.  Dutch Elm disease decimated local elms but large specimens still dot the DFW area, especially along streams and rivers.  Preserve this gem.  “Liberty” is a Dutch Elm resistant variety available in the trade.

CEDAR ELM
A solo and grove tree with very little litter.  Achieving 40 to 60 feet height and irregular, pendulous branches that can accommodate tight spacing.  Winged Elm is very similar and somewhat available in the trade.

POST OAK
Usually found in groves and very sculptural with thick trunks and branches growing to 60 feet height and 30 feet spread.  Be careful and limit foot traffic and paving around these trees.  Soft paving (like decomposed granite) will help this tree survive.  Preserve these groves before they disappear.  Not widely grown commercially.

BUR OAK
Similar to Post Oak but bigger.  This fairly fast growing oak is readily available in the trade.  Golf ball sized acorns require careful placement.

RED OAK
Dependable stately shade tree with red fall color.  Shumard Red Oak reaches 80 feet height and spread.  Texas Red Oak is smaller and sometimes multi-trunk (40 feet height and spread).

CHINQUAPIN
A rare treat on a job site.  This commercially available tree has large spreading branches to 60 feet height and spread.

LIVE OAK
A very dependable oak spreading to 80 feet.  The evergreen branches can eventually gracefully touch the ground.   Grackles love to nest in live oaks which can be a concern in cityscapes due to their noise and waste.  Many varieties are available- “Highrise” is columnar and good for streetscapes.

PECAN
A wonderful shade tree despite some pest problems.  The native tree has smaller pecans than the commercial varieties.  Reaching 50 to 60 feet height and spread, the pecan is the state tree of Texas.

TEXAS ASH
A fairly fast growing shade tree achieving 50 feet height and 40 feet spread.  Besides fall color, the ash is drought tolerant but needs good drainage.  You may discover a Green Ash on a site.

BALD CYPRESS
Distinctive light green lacy foliage and pyramidal shape to 80 feet height and 50 feet spread.  It naturally occurs in East Texas swamps and needs soil moisture which makes it a great candidate next to bioswales or ponds.

RED MAPLE
Brilliant fall foliage on tree reaching 50 feet.  Several varieties of the east Texas native are adapted to our blackland prairie – Trident, October Glory, Autumn Flame. 

The preceding trees are found abundant within the North Texas region and grow in the majority of the soils types but are typically found in the clay soils.  However, additional to these indigenous trees, other native trees that prefer more acid or sandy soils than the typical Dallas Fort Worth vicinity clay soils are the Sweetgum, River Birch, Southern and Sweetbay Magnolia, White Oak.   Less commonly found and/or available trees include Soapberry, Blackjack Oak, Black Locust, Mexican White Oak and Durand Oak.

SMALL (ORNAMENTAL) TREES FOR SHADE

Ornamental trees are generally smaller, typically between 15 to 25 feet in vertical height with an average 15 feet horizontal wingspan. These trees are prevalent in the region and traditionally used for ornamental, accent, or aesthetic purposes but also help in creating diversity of design composition and a range of vegetation typology.  Some of the varieties found within the North Texas region are listed below.

MESQUITE
Light and airy and transplantable.  The mesquite’s legumes feed dove and other birds.  Don’t scrape it!

DESERT WILLOW
Wonderful summer bloomer and extremely drought tolerant.  

REDBUD
The harbinger of spring. White and pink blooming varieties are available of the tree generally found on woodland edges.

RUSTY BLACKHAW VIBURNUM
A white spring bloomer with rich fall color that is very adaptable to varying site conditions.

POSSUMHAW
A winter delight loaded with bright red berries.  This small tree can take wet or dry, sun to shade.   Songbirds love it.

YAUPON HOLLY
Tried and true evergreen with added plus of shiny red berries in the winter.   Multi-trunks can be pruned to shape the canopy.

WAXMYRTLE 
Evergreen native to wet woodlands and grasslands of east Texas with basil like fragrant leaves when crushed.

EVE'S NECKLACE
Another evergreen very fragrant wisteria like blooms in spring and extremely drought tolerant.

MEXICAN PLUM
Lovely white early spring bloomer and good understory tree.

FLAMELEAF SUMAC
Brilliant red fall color.  Sumac colonizes to form thickets and needs lots of room.

EASTERN RED CEDAR
Staunch evergreen that you either love or hate.  Though drought tolerant, the cedar grabs available soil moisture even depleting ground water in local pastures.  

Mountain Laurel (not cold hardy in DFW), Mexican Buckeye, Roughleaf Dogwood, Texas Madrone, Gum Bumelia and Texas Pistache are harder to find in the nursery.

LARGE EVERGREEN SCREENS

Large evergreen screens can be constructed from some of the above ornamental trees but also may be designed from other species such as that listed below.  Of those listed above, Yaupon Holly, Waxmyrtle and Eve’s Necklace are naturally bushy in form while Eastern Red Cedar can make an instant screen depending on size and spacing.  Evergreen sumac is another variety that may be used as a large evergreen screen, as it reaches up to 12 feet in height, but can also be kept shorter with consistent pruning.

EVERGREEN SHRUBS
Shrubs usually reach up to 6 feet height and are typically used to add variety to a landscape area.  They come in an evergreen and deciduous variety.  Evergreen shrubs maintain their color and leaves throughout the year.  Some of the more common evergreen shrub species are listed below.

TEXAS SAGE (or Cenizo)
Has distinctive gray green foliage growing to 6 feet with summer long bloom.   Extremely drought tolerant.

DWARF WAXMYRTLE
With soft dark green foliage needs some care and water until established.

PALMETTO
Grows in East Texas river bottoms and prefers moist, shady spots.  The bold, striking foliage makes a dramatic accent.

AGARITO
Grows in thickets under live oaks in the Hill Country.  The rigid leaf spines make a good deterrent.

DWARF YAUPON
A cultivar of the parent plant, can take abuse and a variety of site conditions from sun to shade.

RED YUCCA
Is really an aloe, but has the spiky yucca foliage and summer long blooms in coral or yellow. Although native to western Hill country, Red Yucca is happy in Dallas.

SOFTLEAF YUCCA
With flexible, gray green strap leaves and creamy white bloom is extremely drought tolerant and does well solo or in mass.

PRICKLY PEAR
Local cactus and the ultimate deterrent if you need stickers on steroids.  Despite the “ouch factor”, the cactus has a lovely yellow flower and burgundy “pear” fruit.

DECIDUOUS SHRUBS AND SUB SHRUBS

The other side of the shrubs category contain deciduous or sub-shrubs that usually reach 3 to 6 feet and drop their leaves in fall.  Some of the primary species found within the North Texas region are listed below.

CORAL BERRY
Is a woodland plant but can survive in the sun. The striking magenta berries liven any winter day.

AMERICAN BEAUTY BERRY
Also a woodland plant has clusters of purple berries from fall until they are eaten by the birds.

GREGG SALVIA
Blooms from frost to frost with blooms of white, pink, coral or red.  It loves full sun and no water after establishment.

TURK'S CAP
With large leaves and loads of red flowers prefers shade but can take the sun.  Hummingbirds love it.

TEXAS LANTANA
Blooms better the hotter it gets in vibrant orange and yellow.

PAVONIA (or Rock Rose)
Is another frost to frost bloomer with large pink flowers.

PRAIRIE ROSE
Grows naturally along fence rows and is extremely drought tolerant.

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

Ornamental grasses bring a dynamic quality to landscapes with their movement and seasonal changes.  Their quick growth aids in erosion control.  The following natives range from 2 feet to 6 feet in height.

GULF MUHLY
Grows to two feet and sports mauve seed heads in fall.

LINDHEIMER MUHLY
Attains four feet with wheat colored seed heads.

INLAND SEA OAT
Is found in woodlands and can make a solid mass up to two feet in height.

SWITCH GRASS
Gets tall and and is aggressive – an ideal for erosion control.

HORSETAIL
Is not a grass, but a striking vibrant green evergreen to 3 feet height.

SPIKE RUSH
A 2’ evergreen, is found in moist or poorly drained soils, yet can tolerate drought.

BEAR GRASS (or Nolina)
Has grass like olive green evergreen foliage to 2 feet.

GROUNDCOVERS

Groundcovers are low growing plants that form a solid mass to cover the ground. Traditionally, they take less water than turfgrass and take less maintenance after fully established.

HORSEHERB
Is found within the north Texas area.  This 10 inch evergreen prefers some shade and can be mown to control weeds.

FALSE STRAWBERRY
Is aptly named.  This evergreen hugs the ground in sun or shade.

FROGFRUIT
Grows less than 12 inches and can grow in just about any condition.  Tiny white blooms accent the olive green foliage which turns reddish in the winter.  

GREGG DALIA
Has gray green foliage and prefers full sun and good drainage.

WOOD FERN
Can reach to 2 feet height and makes an excellent shade groundcover.

PERENNIALS

Hundreds of perennials inhabit Texas and are as common as bluebonnets along our highways.   Used properly, they provide colorful blooms from spring to fall.

Perennials bloom then their foliage dies in the winter.  The roots lie dormant and the plants rejuvenate every spring.  Space does not permit an adequate treatment of the colorful blooms and characteristics of the plants.  Visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website for excellent information on native perennials.

TURFGRASS
Native turfgrasses grow about 6 inches in height and need much less mowing and water than imported Bermuda or St. Augustine.

BUFFALOGRASS
Is commercially available in sod or seed.

BLUE GRAMA
Is available in seed and should be seeded with Buffalograss for thorough coverage.

Grocery Gardening by Jean Ann Van Krevelen and her merry band of gardening enthusiasts from Twitter and Facebook, Amanda Thomsen, Robin Ripley, and Teresa O’Connor wrote the newest book on taking your garden to the next level. A creative approach to shopping from your own garden is helping to teach all of us how to make one less trip to the grocery store every week or more.

The book takes a back to basics approach for fruit and vegetable gardening and twists it into a twenty-first century application that is super friendly and accessible to every level of gardener. The format for the book is entertaining, lively and very upbeat.

After a great  ”Back to Basics” of gardening techniques overview the book takes you through “Insects and Diseases” to be on the lookout for and organic controls to manage them. Building a healthy eco-system for your produce to be grown in is a core value that this book explains in a fun and non-preachy way!

Then Grocery Gardening launches into a wonderful chapter on choosing “Quality Produce”. This is fantastic information to make note of in our mega-grocery chain store world, where all produce is picture perfect. Each of the contributors in the book offer up experiences with each of the different topics of choosing produce.

Teresa O’Connor tells about her family tradition of taking the family to the Saturday Farmers Market and choosing the fresh produce to create meals for her family. This section also offers great factual information on ways that we can all save money, support local farmers and the right questions to ask when you’re shopping.

The “Edibles” section of the book provides you a fun and informative examination of some of the fruits and veggies that you can grow in your own space or buy fresh from the Farmers Market or CSA as well as recipes, fun tips and tricks that are contributed by this experienced group of gardeners and cooks. Mini factoids are sprinkled throughout the pages as well that help you get some perspective about where various foods come from and how they’ve been grown and used during the ages.

Each of these writers offers a different voice on the various foods in each section that is full of humor and inspiration to try something new. Be sure to check out Amanda Thomsen’s story about the boutonnière’s she had at her wedding made with Garlic Chives!

Robin Ripley shares a super cool and money-saving technique for growing your own fancy white asparagus at home easily. Robin also gives some money-saving tips on stretching your food dollar with home-grown beans too!

Also unique to Grocery Gardening are the informative “tabs” that tell you about dealing with the particular produce in each section. The “tabs” include information such as, planting and growing, varieties, selection and harvest and preparation methods. So, if you’re looking at the section on Strawberries, you’re getting a complete A to Z on what to do with them! Including a “tab” on Preserving your produce so that you can enjoy your harvest long-term.

Nutritional information is a fabulous section that you’ll find with each group of produce too! Short, sweet and to the point so that you can get some great take away wisdom without feeling like you are weighed down with scientific data.

The “Preserving your Harvest” section is jam-packed with ways that you can save money and have an excellent source of lively and nutritious produce, easily and effectively at your finger tips through the years with some simple supplies and techniques.

The bottom line on Grocery Gardening is that you have a group of friends who wrote a book just for you and your garden! It’s colorful, friendly and easy to read and above all USE! I’m looking forward to trying bunches of recipes and increasing the amount of high quality, organic produce that comes out of my garden for my family and friends.