County Agent News
Dan Folske
April 29, 2024
Local Soil Temperatures are going up. These temperatures are at a 4 inch depth. Four inches is the standard because temperature changes are moderated and do not fluctuate as much during the day or at night.
|
2024-04-19 |
34 |
34 |
32 |
32 |
34 |
37 |
36 |
34 |
|
2024-04-20 |
38 |
35 |
32 |
32 |
40 |
40 |
41 |
36 |
|
2024-04-21 |
43 |
37 |
37 |
34 |
46 |
42 |
43 |
39 |
|
2024-04-22 |
43 |
40 |
40 |
38 |
45 |
43 |
45 |
41 |
|
2024-04-23 |
49 |
41 |
42 |
41 |
51 |
45 |
47 |
44 |
|
2024-04-24 |
51 |
42 |
44 |
43 |
53 |
46 |
48 |
45 |
|
2024-04-25 |
54 |
45 |
48 |
46 |
57 |
48 |
52 |
49 |
|
Averages: |
44 |
39 |
39 |
38 |
47 |
43 |
45 |
41 |
|
Max: |
54 |
45 |
48 |
46 |
57 |
48 |
52 |
49 |
|
Min: |
34 |
34 |
32 |
32 |
34 |
37 |
36 |
34 |
|
Std. Dev.: |
7 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
Using different growing techniques, such as a trellis, can help save gardeners some work.
Raised bed gardens have become very popular, partially as a way to make gardening less physically challenging on backs, knees, hips, and ankles. In this weeks edition of Dakota Gardener, Carrie Knudson, Horticulture agent, NDSU Extension – Grand Forks County writes about another method of saving your back and making the best use of minimal garden space.
Dakota Gardener: Growing cucumbers on a trellis
Gardening can be a lot of work, but there are different growing techniques that gardeners can use to help save some work and their back! One of those techniques is using a trellis to grow vining crops like cucumbers, small melons and squash.
Those vining plants and many more, have tendrils. Tendrils are modified leaves or parts of stems that can wrap around structures to help support the stems. Tendrils are marvels in themselves. They respond to touch and can wrap around objects several times in less than an hour.
Cucumbers are ideal to grow on a trellis because the fruits are smaller and don’t need any extra support. Small melons and squash (less than 3 pounds) can also be grown on a trellis. Sometimes if the fruit is too heavy, it can slip from the vines too early. Gardeners can make slings out of lightweight cloth to support the fruit until it is ripe.
I have not tried growing anything other than cucumbers on a trellis. However, I have seen gardeners grow larger squash and melons on trellises. Be sure to do some experimenting and see what works for your garden.
To put the vine’s tendrils to work, first install your trellis system. This can be as simple as a normal straight length of fencing. Other options would be to make an arbor style trellis.
Type of materials vary for trellises from metal fencing, chicken wire or plastic netting to mesh. You can use whatever you have on hand. Just make sure it is sturdy enough to support the vines and fruits, and handle whatever Mother Nature throws at it. For example, sustained 40 mph winds.
Anchor your trellis into the ground with metal or wooden stakes that are inserted into the ground at least 1 foot deep. This will help the trellis withstand strong winds.
Securely attach the trellis material to the stakes using nails, staples, zip-ties or wire depending on your trellis material. Remember those vines and fruit will add weight to the trellis, so don’t skimp on this step.
After the trellis is installed and secure, you can plant your cucumbers as you normally would. As the vines grow early in the season, you might have to gently guide the vines towards the trellis. Then they will take-off and grow up the trellis. During the growing season, you might have to guide a few errant vines back to the trellis. However, the hard work is done and picking your cucumbers will be a joyful garden task.
Note, depending on the spacing of your fencing material, watch for fruit that might grow in between the spaces in your trellis. You might have to check to make sure the fruit isn’t caught and has enough room to grow.
For years, due to space restrictions in my garden and the necessity to have a fence to keep our dog out, I have used the fence as a trellis to grow my cucumbers on. I won’t grow them any other way. What space and back saving techniques do you use? Happy gardening!
County Agent News
Dan Folske
April 22, 2024
Soil Temperatures
Germination of vegetable, crop, and weed seeds is very dependent on soil temperatures. Typically, cool season plants of all types germinate at cooler soil temperatures than warm season plants. Knowing the germination temperatures of various weeds and crops can help producers and gardeners know when to plant. In a field or garden where most weeds are cool season plants, delaying planting can provide time for weed control through chemical or cultivation. In fields and gardens with warm season weed problems, early planting can help crops and vegetables get ahead of those warm season weeds.
Here is a table with germination temperatures of common vegetables.
|
Crop |
Minimum |
Optimum Range |
Optimum |
Maximum |
|
|
Asparagus |
50 |
60 – 85 |
75 |
95 |
|
|
|
|||||
|
Bean |
60 |
60 – 85 |
80 |
95 |
|
|
Beet |
40 |
50 – 85 |
85 |
95 |
|
|
Cabbage |
40 |
45 – 95 |
85 |
100 |
|
|
Carrot |
40 |
45 – 85 |
80 |
95 |
|
|
Cauliflower |
40 |
45 – 85 |
80 |
100 |
|
|
Chard, Swiss |
40 |
50 – 85 |
85 |
95 |
|
|
Corn |
50 |
60 – 95 |
95 |
105 |
|
|
Cucumber |
60 |
60 – 95 |
95 |
105 |
|
|
Eggplant |
60 |
75 – 90 |
85 |
95 |
|
|
Lettuce |
35 |
40 – 80 |
75 |
95 |
|
|
Muskmelon |
60 |
75 – 95 |
90 |
100 |
|
|
Onion |
35 |
50 – 95 |
75 |
95 |
|
|
Parsley |
40 |
50 – 85 |
75 |
90 |
|
|
Parsnip |
35 |
50 – 70 |
65 |
85 |
|
|
Pea |
40 |
40 -75 |
75 |
85 |
|
|
Pepper |
60 |
65 – 95 |
85 |
95 |
|
|
Pumpkin |
60 |
70 – 90 |
95 |
100 |
|
|
Radish |
40 |
45 – 90 |
85 |
95 |
|
|
Spinach |
35 |
45 – 75 |
70 |
85 |
|
|
Squash |
60 |
70 – 95 |
95 |
100 |
|
|
Tomato |
50 |
60 – 85 |
85 |
95 |
|
|
Turnip |
40 |
60 – 105 |
85 |
105 |
|
|
Watermelon |
60 |
70 – 95 |
95 |
105 |
|
Local Soil Temperatures at 4 inches under bare ground.
|
2024-04-15 |
47 |
42 |
50 |
44 |
|
2024-04-16 |
43 |
39 |
44 |
42 |
|
2024-04-17 |
38 |
37 |
39 |
39 |
|
2024-04-18 |
34 |
32 |
34 |
37 |
|
2024-04-19 |
34 |
32 |
34 |
36 |
|
2024-04-20 |
38 |
32 |
40 |
41 |
|
2024-04-21 |
43 |
37 |
46 |
43 |
|
Averages: |
40 |
36 |
41 |
40 |
|
Max: |
47 |
42 |
50 |
44 |
|
Min: |
34 |
32 |
34 |
36 |
Dry conditions in 2023 keep wheat midge forecast low for 2024
The majority of soil samples had zero wheat midge cocoons in the soil for the past four years, due to continued dry conditions in northern North Dakota.
“Soil samples in North Dakota indicate low populations of overwintering wheat midge larvae (cocoons) for the 2024 season,” says Janet Knodel, North Dakota State University Extension entomologist. “This is good news for North Dakota wheat farmers, reducing their inputs for wheat midge management.”
A total of 2,060 soil cores were collected from 22 counties in the fall of 2023 to estimate the statewide risk for wheat midge in the 2024 wheat growing season. The distribution of wheat midge is based on unparasitized cocoons found in the soil samples.
Wheat midge was positive at only 20 field sites (10% of the sites) in eight counties including Cavalier, Nelson and Towner Counties in the northeast, Bottineau, Pierce and McHenry Counties in the north-central region, McLean County in the west-central region, and Ward County in the northwest. These sites had low levels of wheat midge cocoons (1-200 cocoons per square meter) which does not cause yield loss in spring wheat. No soil samples had moderate or high cocoon densities of wheat midge (201 to over 800 midge larvae per square meter) which could cause economic losses in spring wheat.
“The majority of the soil samples had zero wheat midge cocoons in the soil for the past four years (90% in 2023, 97.5% in 2023, 95% in 2021 and 86% in 2020),” says Knodel. “We believe that the populations of wheat midge are low due to the extended drought in northern North Dakota over the past several years. Populations could return to higher levels once the drought subsides and we return to more normal rainfall.”
Dry conditions will delay when wheat midge larvae drop out to the soil for overwintering in late summer. During drought, larvae will remain in the wheat head and are often harvested with the grain, ending up in the grain truck or bin. Dry soil conditions also increase wheat midge mortality by making it difficult for the larvae to dig into the soil for overwintering and by exposing them to predators on the soil surface.
“With the very low populations of wheat midge for the fourth year in a row, scouting for wheat midge will be most important in continuous wheat fields, and/or when moist weather occurs in late June to early July which favors wheat midge emergence and survival,” advises Knodel. “Wheat midge cocoons also can remain dormant for several years and adults then emerge when soil moisture is adequate. These factors can cause rapid increases in the numbers of emerging adult wheat midge. The most critical time to scout spring wheat for adult wheat midge is from heading- through the early-flowering stages.”
Knodel recommends that farmers use the wheat midge degree-day model to predict the emergence of wheat midge and to determine when to scout, and if their wheat crop is at risk. Producers can access the wheat midge degree-day model on the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) website at https://ndawn.ndsu.nodak.edu/.
Select your nearest NDAWN station and enter your spring wheat planting date. The output indicates the expected growth stage of the wheat and whether the crop is susceptible to midge infestation, as well as the timing and percent of wheat midge emerged.
If wheat midge is detected, the economic thresholds for wheat midge are one or more midge observed for every four or five heads on hard red spring wheat, or one or more midge observed for every seven or eight heads on durum wheat.
Knodel points out that the beneficial parasitic wasp that attacks and kills wheat midge is dependent on its host, wheat midge, for its survival. Since few wheat midge cocoons were detected, only one site had parasitic wasps in the 2023 soil samples with 100% parasitism in Nelson County. No parasitized cocoons were found the previous two years (2022 and 2021).
“Parasitic wasps play an important role in natural control of wheat midge and parasitize the eggs or larvae,” adds Knodel. “In contrast, the parasitism rate was 15% in 2020, 36% in 2019 and 9% in 2018.”
NDSU Extension county agents collected the soil samples and larval cocoons are extracted by the NDSU Extension Entomology laboratory. The North Dakota Wheat Commission supports the wheat midge larval soil survey.