Mosquitoes-Did you Know?
They can complete their life cycle in as little as 8 to 10 days

Eggs may be laid in dry locations that are subject to periodic flooding and remain dormant for many months

Adult males feed only on nectar, plant juices and other sources of liquid carbohydrates
Adult females feed periodically on nectar, plant juices, and othersources of plant carbohydrates.  However, females of most other
species require a blood meal as a source of protein before they
produce eggs.

Visit AgriLife Extension’s Mosquito Safari at:http://mosquitosafari.tamu.edu/index.swf

where you can learn about controlling mosquitoes, behavior and breeding sites, and even go on a backyard interactive safari.

Another resource for control measures and additional mosquito facts may be found at:http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/e_333.cfm

Tips for Attracting Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds’ jet-like speed, fussy chatter and aerial acrobatics can entertain us for hours. Encourage these dynamic little birds to your garden by providing clean water and layers of dense shrubs, like Eleagnus, for nesting sites. A chemicalfree environment is necessary, as well.

Hummingbirds eat nectar for energy and insects for protein. You can supplement their need for nectar with sugar water.  You will need a hummingbird feeder, a pan, and 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar. Place sugar and water in the pan and bring just to a boil and stir, then cool. Bringing the water to a boil will help to remove chlorine from the water and kill mold and yeast spores that might be in the sugar. Adding red dye to the sugar water solution is not necessary or healthy for hummingbirds. Cleanliness is a must; change the sugar solution if it becomes cloudy or contaminated with ants. When temperatures are in the 70’s the solution can be changed every 6-7 days. Temperatures in the high 90’s may require daily solution changes.

The best for the hummingbirds is to plant nectar rich plants rather than just have feeders.  Select and plant those bird attracting perennials now for next year. Hummingbirds like nectar rich blooms of any color- not just red ones.

Make your garden a magnet for hummingbirds by selecting plants with brightly

colored, long, tube-shaped flowers. Vines like Coral Honeysuckle, Cypress Vine,

Texas Cross Vine and Morning Glory will attract these tiny birds. Trees such as

Desert Willow, Redbud, Crabapple, and Red Buckeye and the shrubs Flame

Acanthus, Turk’s Cap, Rose of Sharon, Bottlebrush and Abelia are good additions to a hummingbird garden. Columbine, Agastache, Bee Balm, Canna,

Coral Bells, Hosta, Red Yucca, Cigar Plant, Gay Feather, Mexican Honeysuckle, Penstemon, Plumbago, Salvia Greggii, Lantana, Texas Bethany, Cedar Sage, Butterfly Bush, Century Plant, Fire Bush and Ajuga are dependable perennials loved by hummingbirds. Annuals, such as Petunias, Impatiens, Begonias and Geraniums will attract hummingbirds. Having pots of these on your deck will give you a bird’s eye view of these fascinating “hummers.”

Cotton Has Done Wonders in More Areas Than You Think!

I was watching a program about a month ago that talked about the East and West and the cold war tensions and why we won the cold war! Cotton played a very important role.

The role cotton played was through blue jeans. During the cold war in many of the Eastern Bloc countries and the former Soviet Union it was illegal to own or wear blue jeans because it was a sign of capitalism and many folks who protested the communist regimes were arrested for violating the dress code laws forbidding blue jeans. Those who opposed those oppressive regimes wore blue jeans as part of their protest for democratic societies.

In China most everyone in the country, up until the late seventies wore the same drab blue or grey clothing. The introduction of blue jeans created the idea of wanting the more western look and style and accepting more of the western democratic ideas, having sense of worth and independence and being an individual.

The folks who were wearing blue jeans in the 60’s and getting arrested as a protest for wearing them are many of the new leaders in the old Eastern Bloc countries today. In our country cotton blue jeans are a sign of work, dress and an everyday common occurrence. So when we think of the Berlin wall falling 20 years ago and the fall of the Soviet empire, it was cotton farmers in the cotton producing states along with blue jeans manufacturers that played a huge role in creating a more democratized world through the single act of creating an article of clothing out of cotton that symbolized American Independence, rugged individualism, and economic freedom to choose.

Continuing Education Units for Pesticide Applicator License

Webinars for ceu's at the following website:


http://naturalresourcewebinars.tamu.edu/information-for-tda-licensed-pesticide-applicators/

Check this out if you need ceu's!

It all comes down to selection!

Selection is where it is at whether it is selecting the right tomato for the garden or the right seed for my yard or the right flower for my landscape. It is all about selection!

Texas AgriLife Extension offers many tools such as the garden variety selection tool offered by Aggie Hort. Should I plant a heirloom tomato or a newer variety? Should I select Buffalo grass or Bermuda for my yard. Should I select cabbage or spinach? The choices are up to you. But AgriLife Extension has tools to help narrow your selection for your needs.

The first issue in any yard, garden or landscape is soil test soil test soil test. This gives you a starting point to start the selection process. If your soil is high akali or very acid are you lacking essential nutrients. By knowing this from a soil sample this can help on selection and success of your home and garden projects. Agri Life Extension can do soil tests.

When selecting for anything research the variety a little to see if it fits your need. Ask questions like does it take much water?  Does it require much fertilizer? Does it have disease resistance in my area? Will I get out of my selection what I am looking for in my over greenscape? 

There has been a garden revolution in the past 20 years and a tremendous amount of information out there to wade through. Call AgriLife Extension at 806.291.5267 or go to our website (http://hale.agrilife.org)  and discover the tools to successful selection and start creating your green space the way you want it!

Cotton Beginning to Emerge

Based on reports, it looks like Hale County is doing well on planting and emergence. There have been some reports of cotton being shanked from cotton unable to push through the surface because of soil crusting.

With a chance of thunderstorms and the threat of hail damage, replanting always is a difficult decision. After a hail storm, even a small one, you need to check damage quickly and access the damage.

Someone asked me the question on growing degree days. If you have a high of 90 and a low of 60, that will be 150. Divide that by two and that will give you 75, then subtract 60 and that will give you 15 growing degree units for that day.

As far as diseases, things look well so far. The main seedling diseases we need to watch out for are pythium and rhizoctonia. Pythium is looked at as water molds and damage is more severe in poorly-drained soils. In rhizoctonia, seedlings experience delay in emergence due to wet, cool soil conditions or extreme planting depths, and those injured by blowing sand are more susceptible to injury.  Always scout your fields early and note for management tactics to battle disease.

Irrigation Meeting

Glen Schur Farm
From 9-11 a.m. Thursday, June 21, Extension Ag Economist Jeff Pate will be showing his irrigation management model and different soil depth watering probes on the Glen Schur Farm. Please call the Hale County Extension office if you plan to attend, 806-291-5267.

Master Gardener classes will begin June 12.

You can still sign up on Tuesday, June 12, with the first class running from 6-9 p.m. The program will continue through the summer.

Gary Cross is Texas AgriLife
Extension ag and natural
resource agent in Hale County.
gary.cross@ag.tamu.edu
http://hale.agrilife.org