Ramsey County

April 29, 2005

Howdy!!!!!
Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!  What a cold weekend that was last weekend, Ha!!!!!  We held our first annual Equine Spring Fling at the Bill Jerome Arena and let me tell you, it was down right cold inside that building.  We still ended up having 40 paid admissions to the event.  We had tremendous presentations talking about all aspects of horse ownership.  We also had 3 demonstrations outside, which made it seem even colder.  People traveled from Finley to Harvey and down from Dunseith.  I believe if the day had been warmer we would have easily had over 100 people attend the event.  We had business owners (TSC, Purina Feeds, FrontRunner Feeds, Dentistry with Dr. Gail Carlson, NDSU equine program and John Lyons riding with Karma Senger) who had put up booths that were very attractive and were well received.  I would like to thank the park board for the use of Bill Jerome arena, Cindy Olson and Christine Hodous for taking tickets and Ramsey Riders for serving lunch on such a “COLD” day.

 Frost tolerance on spring seeded Canola??????? 
The temperature at which freezing injury occurs varies with the plant's stage of growth, moisture content and the length of time the temperature remains below freezing. The time interval in which freezing temperatures occur is important. A severe drop in temperature which only lasts a very short time may not damage canola plants, while a light frost of a few degrees that lasts all night may cause severe damage. The amount of frost injury will depend on moisture conditions, rate at which thawing occurs, the growth stage of the plant, and the amount of cold temperature hardening the plant has experienced.

Canola seedlings will usually recover from a light spring frost that does not damage the growing point of the plant. If a heavy frost does blacken the leaves, no action should be taken for at least 4 to 10 days. The extent of killing can be determined only 4 to 10 days following the frost. If there is any green color at the growing point in the center of the frozen leaf rosette, the plant will recover and yields will be higher than if the field is worked and re-seeded.

In evaluating frost damaged seedling fields, a grower must consider the percentage of plants killed and the percentage recovered and the time of year. Even if two-thirds of the seedlings in a reasonable stand are frost killed, the field will usually produce more when left than if re-seeded. The surviving plants will take advantage of the reduced competition for light, moisture and nutrients, and grow larger, producing more branches, pods and seeds per pod, thereby compensating for the lost plants. The surviving plants will require five to eight days longer to mature; but, a re-seeded crop will require an even longer growing period. It should be noted that frost damage to seedlings in the spring has been only a minor problem in any one year.

Purchasing and planting roses:
Choosing a good location for your rose bushes can be the most important part of growing roses.  Most roses are not readily hardy for our area so precautions need to be taken to make sure we have beautiful plants for years to come.  To get your rose bush off to a good start plant your rose bush in an area that allows 6 hours of direct sunlight a day or more.  A little shade in the middle of the afternoon helps prolong the life of the rose blooms.  Roses prefer to be planted in a well drained, fertile, loamy soil that is at least 2 feet deep.  Become familiar with the many different rose bushes available before you just pick one up.  They can be purchased either bare root or already potted in peat moss or peat/soil mix.  Most rose bushes are potted in our area.  As you purchase your rose bushes try to avoid purchasing plants that have long sprouts with potted roses having three strong canes.  Plant your dormant rose bushes before the trees leaf out but do not plant potted plants until any danger of frost has left. 

As we get ready to plant our bushes remember to plant the bud union (knobby joint between the branches and the roots) 2 inches below the soil surface.  This will help insure better winter survival.  Any other instructions should not be adhered to because of the extreme winter weather we can have, in our area.  Dig the hole large enough to spread the roots out.  Do not leave them bunched up.  Water the bushes well.  If the rose bushes, you purchase are dormant, mound up soil about 10-12 inches around the plant to protect the new plant from any dangers of early frost, but we do not want to remove the soil from the plant until the plant is growing vigorously.  Rains and hoeing will eventually level out the mound to ground level.  As we watch our beautiful roses throughout the summer season remember to fertilize them with a nutrient package from your local nursery, but do not fertilize them after the first week of August.  We need to get the rose bushes ready for the long winter season ahead of them by hardening them up.  Any new growth will die after the first killing frost anyway.  Pruning you rose bush should take place after the new growth in the spring as we do not want to prune a cane that will be the life of the plant for the next growing season.  Happy rose growing and if you have a rose that you would like to share some of those flowers with, we would be very happy to have some roses decorate our office.

 Calendar Dates!!!!!!    
            June 7,8,9         Tractor Safety School
            June 11             Ramsey County T.U.F.F. horse show
            June 25             4-H Achievement Day Horse Show
            June 28,29        Achievement Days

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

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