Editor’s note: Throughout the growing season, Mike Hogan, OSU Extension Teacher for Farming & & Natural Resources in Franklin County, will address gardening concerns sent by Dispatch readers. Send your questions to [email protected]: Is it too late to evaluate my soil this year? A few of the crops in my veggie garden did not do well this season and I’m wondering if soil fertility might be an issue.A: Although soil can be checked for fertility and pH at any time of the year, fall is really the best season to do so. At this time of the year, soil-testing laboratories are not swamped with samples like they remain in early spring, so test results are usually gotten from the laboratory really quickly.Also, no matter what crop was grown in the soil you want to test, the period has ended when most plants are actively growing and getting rid of nutrients from the soil, so a soil test
performed at this time of the year will offer a mutual understanding of where the nutrient levels are in the soil, which will be handy at the start of the growing season next spring.Ask the Professional: Tips for dealing with wasp nests and bagworms Likewise, if your soil test suggests a requirement for a big quantity of phosphorous or potassium, fall is an outstanding time to integrate these fertilizers into the soil.OSU Extension
provides soil screening services, and sampling packages can be bought online or
at the Franklin County Workplace of OSU Extension at 2548 Carmack Road. For additional information go to: franklin.osu.edu/program-areas/agriculture-and-natural-resources/soil-testing!.?.!Q: I need to tidy up my seasonal flower beds for the season and there are a number of plants in
my beds that seem to have actually had leaf area illness late in the season. Ought to I incorporate the infected plant product in my compost pile or deal with this product in the trash.A: The response really relies on how active of a composter you are! If compost piles are
managed effectively, they heat up to approximately 150 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature level, illness pathogens and weed seeds are killed, so there would be no opportunity of spreading out disease organisms or weed seeds in ended up garden compost. Preserving a temperature of 150 degrees, nevertheless, requires
frequent turning of the compost heap and periodic addition of water if rains is not sufficient or the compost pile is covered. So, if you are actively handling your compost heap, feel free to add infected plant products, otherwise, get rid of infected plant product with your home trash.Crabgrass and cicadas: Handling crabgrass and dog-day cicadas are subjects of Ask the Expert Q: I have a big collection of peonies and late this season I saw that many of the leaves on some of the plants had large brown dead spots on the leaves. Should I eliminate these plants, or will they recuperate next year?A: It prevails for peonies to get infected with peony leaf spot, especially as plants age and the plantings become larger and thicker. This disease typically shows up late in the growing season and normally happens on plants that have an abundance of foliage. This illness usually does not cause long-lasting damage to the overall health of the plant,
so there is no requirement to eliminate afflicted plants.The best method to manage this disease in recognized plantings is to aggressively prune the foliage in late spring to increase air movement around the plants. This will help plants dry faster after rain, lessening the chance for the disease to happen. At this time of the season, you need to get rid of all foliage from peonies by cutting them off at 2 to 3 inches above ground level. Unless you are an active composter (see question above ), I would deal with diseased plant material with your family garbage.