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Wednesday, August 27, 2014 • 9A
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Plan on what to enter at the Pott. County Free Fair By Tom Terry Master Gardener
The Pottawatomie County Free Fair starts next week. It is time to look around your garden to see what you can enter. You might get a ribbon and if you do, a small stipend goes with it. Beginning at 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, gardeners can bring their entry forms to the Fair Grounds and Master Gardeners will take them. Forms can be obtained at the Pottawatomie County OSU Extension Center at the corner of MacArthur and Acme Road between 8:30 and 4:30 on weekdays or you can pick them up at the Fairgrounds in the horticulture area on Wednesday, Sept. 3. The plants can be taken to the Fairgrounds on Wednesday or you can wait to bring them until
Thursday morning to insure their freshness. They must be in place before 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4 when judging begins. You can enter such things as apples, pears, peaches or potted plants and cut flowers. Be sure that you notice the number of fruits or stems of cut flowers requested. If 5 are requested and you submit 7, the entry will be disqualified. Some examples from the Potted Plants and Flowers and Cut Flower listing include verbena, gaillardia, small and large zinnias, marigolds, lantana, hardy phlox and periwinkles plus ferns, roses and hanging baskets. To see a complete listing, go to the website, freefair.org and choose “Fairbook”. After that scroll down and click on 2014 Plant Science. Keep scrolling down until you
find the listing of fruits and vegetables. After that you will see the listing of potted plants and flowers. Even if you don’t take an entry, plan to visit the Pottawatomie County Free Fair and enjoy the many entries from 4-H members, the horticulture exhibits, and all the animals, both small and large. In addition the Conference Center will have an extensive assortment of booths ranging from items to purchase, political candidate representatives, Shawnee Chamber of Commerce, Shawnee Public Library, Master Gardeners, and many others. For information about the fair schedule go to freefair.org and click on “ Schedule” to see the complete listing of all the opportunities during this wonderful annual event. I hope to see you there.
A ‘Henna’ coleus similar to this won a prize at the Free Fair in 2013. PHOTO PROVIDED
HORT Q&A
How to control blister beetles, grasshoppers By George Driever Extension Educator, Horticulture/4H Youth Development Pottawatomie County
Blister beetles and grasshoppers are eating my garden, how do I control them? With the hot, dry weather insects are moving from pastures and fields to gardens. Most people recognize these insects as one to be avoided because of the toxin (cantharadin) that can cause blisters on the skin if they are handled. Blister beetles may be black to gray to brown and some may have orange to yellow stripes. The head is
wider than the pronotum of the thorax (part behind the head) and the wings are rounded over the abdomen. While the larva of blister beetles can be a benefit because they feed on grasshopper eggs, the adults feed on plants. To control the adult blister beetles, you can shake them into a pan of soapy water. They play dead if disturbed, so be sure to wear gloves before handling them. Chemically they can be controlled with carbaryl (Sevin), malathion, pyrethrin or permethrin. These
same products can also be used to help control grasshoppers. Be sure to follow the label instructions when using pesticides. Make sure the product you are using is labeled for vegetables. If you have questions concerning this topic or related topics, please contact the OSU Extension Center, 14001 Acme Road, corner of MacArthur and Acme Road in Shawnee or 273-7683. You can also check our website: http:// countyext.okstate.edu/ pottawatomie/ and look for information available online.
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