Ramsey County

June 17, 2009

Howdy!!!

It is a very beautiful day today and sounds like still a pretty decent chance of rain.  We have been very lucky to miss some of the totals that have been around us.  I just looked at a map of estimated rainfall amounts and found areas near Bismarck receiving 7-8 inches of rain.  We certainly do not need that to occur here.  I rode a bus on a bus tour Tuesday and talked about the lake and many folks could not believe the water that was seen for miles.

RELAY FOR LIFE garden tour will be held on July 16^th.  Mark your calendar for that afternoon with the tour to start at 4 pm and end at about 9 pm or whenever everybody is done.  There are some very nice homes on the tour again, like always, and you should find something that interests you.  I had agreed to be on the tour this year but am wondering what I got Deb and I into.  When you admire your own work it looks really good at the end of a hard day but when you take a look the next day you can certainly find many things that should have been changed or added.  The nice thing about a garden tour is that anyone that has ever been on the part of the tour will tell you are never done.  Well, in my case there will be many things not done but a work in progress.  I did add a very different hosta bed to my back yard that really looks cool.  Deb however is about ready to tell me to go somewhere else due to my curiosity for new hosta’s.

There have been many questions coming into my office about the leaves falling off of Ash trees.  The problem has primarily been Anthracnose.  This disease is caused from a cool wet spring, just like we have been having.  The tree will not die from one year of trouble but if the same problem would exist next year and the year after we could certainly have a problem.  One thing I am recommending to help the tree get through the summer is to include a tree and shrub systemic insecticide.  This insecticide will last for up to a year and does a very good job on many insects that affect our trees.  You apply the insecticide around the base of the tree and let the tree do the work instead of you trying to spray the tree and not reach the top.  Check it out it is a very useful product. 

524 4th Ave NE #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - NDSU.Ramsey.Extension@ndsu.edu

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