Coming Events
May 18, Extension Board Meeting, 8:00 p.m., Extension Office, York
Cropping Update
Producers have continued to make great progress getting planting done! It’s always difficult to accurately estimate the progress we’ve made. I know a high percentage of the corn has been planted and we’re getting going on soybeans and grain sorghum. With the size of today’s equipment we can quickly get things planted! Good luck as you finish up this springs planting.
I hope all area producers will continue to check our CropWatch webpages for the latest cropping information. This week they just posted two very timely article related to resistance management of some troublesome weeds. The first is about glyphosate-resistant Palmer Amaranth and the second is the first in a series of articles on Understanding and slowing the further development of pesticide resistance. Check them out at http://cropwatch.unl.edu.
I just checked our average soil temperatures for the York area for the past week its averaged 61.4 °F compared to our normal of 55.5 °F. The hot temperatures over the weekend sure pushed it up compared to the long term normal, but it looks like we’ll be back to more like normal the next few days. One thing for sure, no two years are the same. For the month, we received 2.26†of rain compared to our normal of 3.16â€.
Hopefully it won’t be for a while before we’ll need to be thinking about irrigation management, but now once you’ve gotten the crops planted it’s a good time to think about ordering water management tools from the Upper Big Blue NRD. ETgages and Watermark sensors are two tools that can greatly help you manage your irrigation, reduce fuel costs and not reduce your yields. The NRD will cost share half on this equipment! What a deal….check it out at: http://www.upperbigblue.org/PDFs/dept_water/forms/Irrigation_Scheduling_Order_Form_2015.pdf. We’d be glad to assist you with using this equipment, you can learn more at: http://water.unl.edu/cropswater/awmdnvideos. For more information, call me at 402-362-5508 or email me at gary.zoubek@unl.edu.
Lawn and Garden Update
I’ve received a few questions about planting tomatoes and what’s the perfect tomato cultivar? That’s a difficult questions to answer. We all have our like and favorites, but I’d look for cultivars or varieties that are disease and crack resistant and have the flavors you want. We do have a publication that lists some of the pros and cons of some of the cultivars. Check it out at: http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1864.pdf.
When planting tomatoes avoid those spindly overgrown plants. Look for plants with good color and free of diseases. If your plants are over grown, plant them deep, they’ll grow additional roots along the stem. I’ve planted extremely tall plants by laying them down and the bending the top of the plant up. Remove the leave along the stem that is buried.
Last week’s horticulture update included some information about disinfecting tomato cages and supports. It can help to minimize fungal and bacterial disease pathogens. Household bleach (5.25% sodium hypoclorite) is the most commonly used product. Soak or wipe off metal equipment in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. They suggested soaking wooden stakes for 30 minutes. Bleach solution has a short effective life, with a half-life of 2 hours, and is deactivated by soil and organic matter in the solution, so mix up only what you plan to utilize.
I mulch my tomatoes with plastic or organic mulches like grass clipping to keep the soil moisture levels uniform and prevent soil and fungal disease spores from splashing on to the lower leaves, where most of the leaf disease begin. I also typically make early applications of label fungicides and as we near harvest I typically stop making the fungicide applications. These early applications seem to help foliage and reduces the onset of leafspot diseases. Also when possible avoid overhead watering because moisture on the leaf surface also makes the plants more susceptible to fungal leaf diseases.
For more tips on check out “Growing Tomatoes in the Home Gardenâ€:  http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1650.pdf.
June Forage and Pasture Management Session Planned
The session will be Monday, June 1, at the ARDC near Mead with registration and meal at 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., program beginning at 12:15 p.m. and ending at approximately 3:30 p.m. Cost is $10 by May 28, or $15 at the door (make checks available to University of Nebraska-Lincoln). Lunch and hand-outs provided.
Dr. Bruce Anderson, Nebraska Extension Forage Specialist will discuss establishing pastures into previous crop ground, as well as advantages and considerations of rotational grazing. Dr. Daren Redfearn, Nebraska Extension Integrated Forage Specialist, will discuss monitoring pasture conditions – tools you can use.
To register or obtain more information, contact: Lindsay Chichester, Saunders County, 402-624-8030.
