Make sure your garden is getting the correct amount of water

The Lake County UF/IFAS Extension had a successful Landscape and Garden Fair last weekend, despite the rainy weather. We are planning to make it an annual event.

Make sure your garden is getting the correct amount of water by placing short cans, like tuna cans, out for 24 hours on an irrigation day to capture the water. The next day, look in the can and see if you are providing 1/2- to 3/4-inch, the proper amount to apply, or if your irrigation needs tweaking.

Tweaking may be as simple as moving a mist head so that it is not blocked by overhanging leaves, altering the length of time the irrigation set runs, or cleaning out the emitter/filter. Replacing irrigation heads and lines is more complicated but is important for saving water and money.

As the temperatures heat up, annuals that can take the heat include salvia, torenia, wax begonia, coleus and ornamental peppers. Vegetables for the summer garden that can be planted now include okra, southern peas and sweet potato. We planted some peanuts in the Discovery Garden’s vegetable garden this year so we can harvest for boiling in August. Get your peanuts in before mid- month, as late plantings will not amount to much.

Warm weather means the insects are becoming active too. The lubber grasshoppers are starting to eat our lilies. The young grasshoppers are black with a red/orange stripe but will eventually become large multi-colored beasts. It is best to control them now with hand-picking (put them in a bucket of soapy water or trash bag) or chemicals.

Insecticides that will kill young lubbers include carbaryl, bifenthrin, cyhalothrin, permethrin and esfenvalerate. This is the active ingredient on the label, not the brand name, and it usually has to be applied right on the grasshopper to kill it. Be careful to follow label directions — most of these chemicals are toxic to fish and if used on food crops may have important restrictions.

Once they are large, nothing will stop lubbers short of a brick. They are toxic to most other animals, so don’t expect the birds to take care of them for you. Small mammals may vomit and remain ill for several hours after eating one. When you pick them, they may spit “tobacco juice,” a semitoxic liquid that can stain clothes. Just make sure to wash your hands like your mother always told you.

Programs this month include “Green Industry Best Management Practices” on May 22. This is a day-long program that can result in a fertilizer license. The license will be required for all people applying fertilizers for hire, starting in 2014. The program teaches about responsible use of irrigation, chemicals, fertilizers and cultural practices for landscaping.

A class for natural areas pesticide applicators that will include presentations about new invasive species, easily confused native and invasive species, and how to choose the right treatment for the site will be held May 29. If you are a homeowner interested in saving money on your landscape, a lunch- time webinar on May 23 called “Saving Strategies: Your Home Landscape” will provide the information you need to utilize sustainable landscaping principles.

The Area D 4-H horse show is May 3-5 at the Clarecona Horse Park in Ocoee. The public is welcome to cheer on riders from Central Florida as they compete to attend the state 4-H horse show in July.

Visit the Discovery Gardens and our plant clinic with your plant problems and questions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays, at the Ag Center, 1951 Woodlea Road, Tavares.