Video Segments
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Planting Peppers
Peppers are expensive in the store, but easy to grow in the garden. UT Assistant Professor of Residential and Consumer Horticulture Natalie Bumgarner shows how to plant pepper plants in the garden, in this case a square foot garden. She is planting a bell pepper cultivar called ‘Big Bertha,’ but she has both grafted and ungrafted plants. She explains some advantages grafting may offer and shows how to plant each one.
Related Videos: Peppers When to Pick Bell Peppers Nutrient-Deficient Pepper Fix Related Resource: Growing Peppers in Home Gardens Home Garden Peppers |
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Tree Borers
Wood boring insects can cause the decline or death of a tree. UT Extension Entomologist Frank Hale says the borers tunnel into the tree and feed beneath the bark cutting off the flow of nutrients from the roots to the canopy. Usually they attack weakened or declining trees, but they can also attack healthy trees.
The wood borer feeds in the tree for a year or longer before it emerges. This is often the first time you know the tree has a borer because it leaves an exit hole in the bark. Frank talks about the ambrosia beetle which as it borers into the tree, leaves a toothpick like frass tube sticking out of the bark. The beetle larva inoculates the tree with the ambrosia fungus which they then feed on. To protect the tree an insecticide is sprayed on the bark of the tree in the spring around the time of the first 70-degree days. This is when the beetles become active and start laying eggs. Another class of borer is the clear-wing borer. They look like wasps but are really moths. These include the peachtree, lilac, and dogwood borers. The moths fly during the day and the larvae burrow into the tree, often killing it. Flatheaded borers are the larvae of metallic woodboring beetles. The beetles lay their eggs on the sunny side of a tree in the spring and the larvae hatch, burrow into the tree and feed there for about a year. Emerald ash borers are an invasive metallic woodboring beetle that has been found in eastern Tennessee. It kills all native ash trees that are not treated with systemic insecticides. The larvae girdle the tree. Frank shows what it looks like and the damage it does. To prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer, do not transport firewood or non-certified ash trees. Any tree affected by woodboring insects will begin to show signs of weakening. There will be a thinning of the leaves and branch dieback in the upper canopy. Frank also talks about the Asian longhorn beetle. That invasive wood borer has been found in the area east of Cincinnati, Ohio. It likes to attack maple trees. There are eradication efforts underway which are showing some success in preventing the spread of this insect. The publication Frank talked about (PB-1589) is available here Related Videos: v Related Resources: Shade Tree Borers Common Tree Borers in Tennessee Insect Borers of Fruit Trees Insect Borers of Shade Trees and Woody Ornamentals |
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Green Beans
There are many options for green beans. Natalie Bumgarner, UT Assistant Professor of Residential and Consumer Horticulture talks about the different kinds of green beans. Bush beans grow in a bush form and produce their beans over a short time, pole beans need to climb and produce their beans over a much longer time, and half-runners are in between. She has tested beans of each type in scientific trials and gives the names of good performers. She also talks about common insect and disease problems. She also talks about some unusual varieties.
Related Videos: When to Harvest Green Beans Canning Green Beans What is eating holes in my green bean leaves? Related Resource: Home Garden Green Beans Beans |
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Gardening in 5-Gallon Buckets
If you don’t have the space or time for an in-ground garden, planting vegetables in five-gallon buckets is a great option. UT Extension County Director Walter Battle shows how to plant a tomato in a five-gallon bucket. Make sure your bucket is safe to use. Don’t use a bucket that has been used for chemicals or oil-based substances. Walter recommends using a new bucket. Walter drills holes in the bottom of the bucket and places a piece of landscape fabric in the bottom to keep the soil from running out. He adds some rock to the bottom for drainage and then soil. He also adds some manure for nutrients and plants a tomato plant. Tomatoes like to be planted deep, so he adds more soil around the plant. He also talks about how to water the plant and take care of it. Walter talks briefly about growing other vegetables like peppers and squash in buckets.
Related Videos: Planting an Herb and Flower Container Garden Building Raised Bed Related Resources: DIY Basic Bucket Garden Container Gardening Growing Vegetable in Containers |
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Summer Lawn Diseases
There are many diseases that can affect a lawn in the summer. UT Extension Agent Booker T. Leigh talks about the cause and cure for many diseases including brown patch, spring dead spot, powdery mildew, fairy ring, and dollar spot. To help avoid all these problems Booker recommends cutting your lawn at the right height with a sharp mower blade and watering in the morning so it can dry during the day.
Spraying chemicals may solve the problem this year but next year it will be back unless you identify and change the conditions. If you have compact soil you can aerate your lawn as it starts to grow (spring for warm season grasses, late summer for cool season grasses). Booker also talks about moss, winter kill, and soil testing. Related Videos: Correct Way to Cut Your Lawn Lawn Aeration Related Resources: Turfgrass Diseases and Their Control Lawn Diseases Turfgrass Diseases in Georgia: Identification and Control |
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Fire Ant Control
Fire ants are common in the southeast United States. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison talks about fire ants and how to control them.
The Texas Two-Step method is the best way to control fire ants. Step one is to apply ant bait. When the bait is spread, it will be collected by the workers and taken back to the mound. It will be fed to the fourth and fifth instar larvae which are the only stage of fire ant that can eat solid food. They will digest it and make a liquid which is fed to the rest of the ants including the queen. Hopefully the queen will die. The life span of a worker ant is about nine weeks so the mound will continue to have ants for that long. Step two of the Texas Two Step is to go back a few weeks later with a contact insecticide which will kill the remaining ants. Fire ant queens look for a place where there are no fire ants to start a new colony so you will probably have to do this again on another colony in the future. Related Videos: Moving Fire Ants Without Chemicals What is the best way to get rid of fire ants in raised beds? Related Resources: Fire Ant Control The Two-Step Method and Other Approaches Two – Step Method Fire Ant Management In The Home Lawn |
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Birdbaths
If you have a bird feeder in your yard and want to see more birds, install a birdbath. There are many species of birds that do not eat at feeders, but all birds need to drink. Debbi Bruce from Wild Birds Unlimited talks about the different kinds of baths available, how to take care of baths, and some accessories that will pull the birds in.
There are several basic bath options from a saucer of water to a classic pedestal bath to a hanging bath. For all baths, the water should be less than two inches deep. In the hot weather mosquitoes can breed in birdbaths. To prevent this change the water in the bath every three days or install something that will move the water like a dripper or a small pump or fountain which she demonstrates. Moving water will attract the birds too. When you change the bath water, scrub your bath out with a brush. Once a month deep clean your bath with a bleach solution (1-part bleach or vinegar to 9-parts water) to kill the algae. If your bath is too large to dump, you can add a natural enzyme solution to remove the algae without harming the birds. In the winter, birdbaths can freeze. If you put in an electric de-icer it will keep the water liquid, so the birds can still use it. If you have the only liquid water around you will have lots of birds. To attract hummingbirds, you can use a mister which they will fly through. Related Videos: Birdhouses Setting Up a Bird Feeder Related Resources: Water for Wildlife: Bird Baths and Backyard Ponds |
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Tomato Spray Schedule
Tomatoes in warm humid environments will get fungal blights. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison talks about how regular fungicide application will prevent blights. Fungicides are preventative in nature, they kill fungus spores that land on a treated area. They do not cure the problem they only prevent it. Once you see some fungus damage on a leaf it will always have that damage, but applying fungicide to the plant will prevent it from spreading. Mike talks about how often to spray in wet and dry conditions and what to spray. Mike then talks about how to spray plants.
Related Video: Mixing and Applying Fungicides Related Resources: Tomato Disease & Insect Control Manual With Variety Selection Understanding Late Blight of Tomatoes |
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Dividing Daylilies
Every 3-5 years daylilies need to be divided to keep them becoming overcrowded. Joellen Dimond, Director of Landscape at the University of Memphis, shows how to do it. After removing the plant from the ground, she shows how to cut through the root ball from the top with a digging fork or a shovel. She then replants the two daylilies back into the ground.
Related Videos: Daylily Basics Dividing Ogon Dividing Cannas Related Resource: Dividing Perennials Delightful daylilies: Sharpen your shovels then divide and conquer |
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Herbicide Basics
Retired UT Extension Agent, Mike Dennison, talks about the basics of herbicides. There are two kinds of herbicides: pre-emergent (these keep plants from sprouting) and post-emergent (these kill plants that are already growing). Using both kinds at the appropriate times gives the best overall control of weeds. There are also contact herbicides that kill what they touch and only what they touch and there are systemic herbicides that are transported through the plant and kill the entire plant.
Mike also talks about the levels of toxicity of different herbicides and compares them to common substances. Mike references the publication Introduction to weeds and Herbicides: https://extension.psu.edu/introduction-to-weeds-and-herbicides Related Videos: How to Wipe on Herbicide Herbicides Modes of Action Related Resources: Alternatives to Synthetic Herbicides for Weed Management in Container Nurseries Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Control |
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Sedums
Sedums, or stonecrop are succulents that naturally grow among rocks where drainage is very good. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Diamond says there are many kinds of sedums, but they are mainly divided into two categories based on their size. Sedums are succulent meaning they have thick leaves that store water. She shows some of the common kinds and talks about how to care for them. Sedums thrive on neglect and lack of water. Most of the problems sedums have is the result of unfavorable growing conditions.
Related Videos: What is this plant? Answer – Sedum Water-Wise Gardening Related Resource: Tall Sedum Beats the Heat, and Still Looks Great Succulent lemon sedum thrive in sunny locations |
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Spraying Peach Trees
Retired Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows how to spray a peach tree. Before you spray, read the label and follow the safety guidelines on it. Wear long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and rubber gloves. It is likely the spray will drift onto you so the protective gear is important. The tree Mike is spraying is about 8 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter so he needs between half a gallon and a gallon of spray. The tree he is spraying still has some blooms, so he will not be spraying an insecticide on this application. He will be spraying a fungicide to try to control brown rot. Mike uses a fan nozzle on his sprayer. He sprays the top and bottom of the leaves along with the limbs and trunk. Spray almost to the point of runoff. Because the tree was pruned to an open center it is easy to spray.
Related Video: Pruning Nectarines, Peaches, and Plums Thinning Peaches Related Resources: Disease and Insect Control on Home Fruit Plantings Fruit Spray Schedules for the Homeowner Managing Pests in Home Fruit Plantings |
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Planting Salvia, Petunias and Marigolds
Primary colors are always a good color selection for an annual flower bed. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond plants blue salvia, red petunias and yellow marigolds in the annual garden. She first has to get the bed ready by removing the winter annuals. She then shows how to fertilize and plant each kind of flower.
Related Videos: Planting Summer Flowers Planting Petunias, Vinca, and Salvia Planting a Butterfly Garden Related Resource: Salvia Growing petunias Tagetes (Marigold) |
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Planting Potatoes
Master Gardener Tom Mashour shows how to prepare and plant seed potatoes. There is a difference between store bought potatoes to eat and seed potatoes. Store bought potatoes have been cleaned and treated to keep them from growing. Seed potatoes look dirty and are probably growing eyes. Tom shows how to cut up a seed potato. They should come up in about a week. When they are about a foot tall, hill them – push dirt up against the plants – so only about 4 inches of the plant remains above the soil. This layer of dirt will keep the newly growing potatoes in the dark.
Related Videos: Growing Potatoes Planting Sweet Potatoes Related Resources: Growing Potatoes in Home Gardens Home and Garden Potatoes |
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Perennials for Blooms all Summer
Perennials typically bloom for a short time each year, but with the right selection, your garden can have blooming perennials all season. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond gives a list of perennials that together bloom from spring through fall. All the plants Joellen describes thrive in similar soil conditions in full sun and they require minimal maintenance.
Related Videos: Perennial-Annual-Biennial Annuals and Perennials for the Garden Summer Flowering Woody Perennials Related Resource: Long-blooming Perennials Annual & Perennial Flowers For Mississippi Gardens |
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Planting a Container Flower Garden
Even if you don’t have any place to grow plants in the ground you can still have a beautiful container garden. Tonya Ashworth shows how to plant a container flower garden in a barrel. She shows how to arrange the plants for visual appeal using a tall central thriller plant, filler plants and spiller plants that hang over the side to break up the edge of the barrel.
Related Videos: Planting a Butterfly Garden Planting an Herb and Flower Container Garden Related Resources: Annual and Perennial Flower Shade Gardening in Tennessee Flowering Bulbs for Tennessee Gardens |
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Trench Method for Planting Tomatoes
Tomatoes will root along their stem if it is under the ground. Alainia Hagerty, owner of Tomato Baby Company, shows how to plant tomatoes to take advantage of this and get more roots. Instead of planting with the plant standing upright, she shows how to plant with the plant laying down. After watering she loosens the soil and creates a shallow sloping trench. She puts the plant in the trench with the roots at the bottom and turns up the top of the plant. She also shows how to trim tomato leaves to keep them from getting into the dirt when they are watered.
Related Videos: Growing Tomatoes 30 Unusual and Tasty Tomatoes to Try in Your Garden How To support Growing Tomato Plants Tomato Cages Related Resource: Master Gardener Tomato Variety Recommendations What Are the Best Tomato Varieties? |
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Planting Corn
Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows two different ways to plant corn in the home garden. The first way uses double rows: two rows planted a foot apart, and each set of rows about three feet apart. This planting style is good for when you have space. Mike also plants some corn in a checkerboard pattern where the corn is planted on a one-foot grid in a 4x4 pattern. This is good for if you are space limited. Corn is wind pollinated and the grid planting will have better pollination results than a single row.
Before he plants Mike broadcasts a balanced fertilizer based on soil test recommendations. He lightly rakes the fertilizer to mix it in a little. Then, he makes double row shallow trenches and places the seed one foot apart and covers it. He then shows how to plant in the checkerboard pattern. Related Videos: Corn Tips for Growing Corn Related Resources: Sweet corn Corn Growing Sweet Corn in Home Gardens |
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