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 Flowering plants of garlic mustard reach from 2 to 3-1/2 feet in
height and produce button-like clusters of small white flowers,
each with four petals in the shape of a cross. We haven’t
reached the temperature threshold for the flower stalks to
elongate, but that will come shortly.
Control of garlic mustard is somewhat difficult. Seeds can
remain viable for at least five years in the soil. Small amounts
can be pulled up (including the roots). Garlic mustard can
re-grow from root material. For herbicides, glyphosate (Roundup)
is the most often recommended. Remember glyphosate kills
broadleaves and grasses it gets on. There has been some success
with 2,4-D LV400 where there aren’t concerns with other
understory plants. Very large patches have been controlled with
fire, but that completely destroys the understory of timbers.
Remember to monitor areas for at least five years due to the
seed dormancy period. Some action at this early time may help
prevent larger problems down the road. It is much easier to
control small patches than large ones.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a fruit people crave to start the season. As
reminders, the first year of establishment, you shouldn’t
harvest at all. The second year you can have one or two weeks of
harvest. After the second year, you can harvest eight to ten
weeks. Pull the stalks, and don’t remove more than a third at
any one time. The old adage of “don’t harvest in any month with
an “r” in it is also good advice.
The appearance of seedstalks is a common problem. This tends to
happen with cheaper plants grown from seed, overcrowding, plants
that have begun declining and need to be divided and re-planted,
or plants suffering from low fertility. When seedstalks do
appear, simply cut them off at the base of the plant. The
production of seedstalks tends to make the leaves and petioles
smaller.
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Borer Control
Here is a listing of common borers and their control times: Ash
borers (early June and early July), Bronze birch borer (mid May
and repeat two times at two week intervals), Dogwood borer (mid
May and mid June), Flatheaded apple borer (late May and repeat
in three weeks), Lilac borer (early June and early July), Locust
borer (late August and mid September), Mountain ash borer (early
June and mid July), Peach tree borer (mid June and mid July),
Viburnum borer (early June and early July), and Zimmerman pine
moth (April or August). The Emerald ash borer, although not
confirmed in our area at this time, has a control time in
Michigan beginning mid-May and runs through mid-July. The
product of choice for many borers is now permethrin or
bifenthrin. Imidicloprid, as a soil treatment, has some control
of certain borers, but can’t be used on any fruit trees. Sevin (carbaryl)
is the product of choice for most fruit trees, and is applied
directly to the trunk.
Garden Planting
We are approaching the planting time for warm-loving vegetables,
which is May 10 through June 1. Of course, the weather has been
slow to cooperate this year. Warm season vegetables include Lima
beans, cucumber, eggplant, melons, pepper plants, sweet potato
slips, pumpkins (wait until Father’s Day for jack-o-lantern
pumpkins), and squash. You can also put out successive plantings
of snap beans, beets, carrots, and sweet corn to extend the
season.
[By JOHN FULTON, COUNTY EXTENSION
DIRECTOR SERVING LOGAN, MENARD, AND SANGAMON COUNTIES]
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