Is that a giant mosquito?
By ROBERT KESSLER Penn State Cooperative Extension Franklin County office

COMING EVENTS

Oct. 28 — Making a Rain Barrel Workshop, Franklin County Master Gardeners, 9 a.m., Call 263-9226 to register.

Nov. 1 — Tree & Shrub Fall Garden Tour, Franklin County Master Gardeners, 9:30 a.m., Elmer Greey Garden, Call (717) 263-9226

Dec. 6 — Fresh Holiday Centerpiece, Franklin County Master Gardeners, 9:30 a.m., Ag Heritage Building, $20 per person, call (717) 263-9226 to register.

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RAIN

WORKSHOP

The Franklin County Conservation District and the Penn State Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are holding a rain barrel workshop for the public on Tuesday, Oct. 28 from 9 to 11 a.m. The workshop will be held at the Ag Heritage Center at 185 Franklin Farm Lane. There is a $25 registration fee to cover the cost of the materials and at the end of the workshop you will have a rain barrel to take home in your truck or SUV. This is a 55 gallon barrel so it won't fit in most cars. Please register by Oct. 21 by stopping by our office at 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, PA; or by calling 717-263-9226. Our class size is limited to 25.

A rain barrel is a way to collect rain water from your roof and store it to use in your yard and garden. In our area we get about 40 inches of rain. For each inch of rain that falls on a 20 x 50 foot roof you can collect 600 gallons of water. You can see that you will have no problem filling just one 55 gallon barrel.

The workshop will give you background information on water sheds and the Chesapeake Bay and how to use a rain barrel. You will also get to put together your own rain barrel and learn how to set it up at home. Then you can add additional barrels in the future. This project is partially funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts.

GIANT MOSQUITOES

Giant mosquitoes in my lawn! No need to worry; they are crane flies, a close cousin to the mosquito, but totally harmless. Entomologists aren't completely sure what, or even if, adult crane flies eat. The very large size is an indicator. If the insect does not easily fit inside the perimeter of a dime, it is not a mosquito. Almost 15,000 crane fly species call our planet home and they are ubiquitous. Some tropical species can reach three inches from toe to toe. They are found in aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Spring and fall are peak seasons for crane flies so expect to see increasing numbers of them over the next few weeks. We are in the midst of the season of romance for crane flies stage to fly briefly and breed. Part of the undeserved reputation for these flies is due to the pointed ovipositor (egg laying organ) on the females that looks like a stinger, but Crane flies do not bite or sting humans. Crane flies are short-lived and will soon disappear. There is no need to kill these adult insects.

WATCH FOR BLACK

NIGHTSHADE

Black nightshade is a poisonous plant that could be growing in your yard. Most adults know not to eat the fruit but young children do not. If you have young children or grandchildren who come into your yard be sure to check for this plant. It has black fruit at this time of the year and we know of one youngster who ate some of the fruit and is still very ill from the effects of the poison.

Black nightshade is Solanum nigrum and it is an annual plant often found in meadows and near dwellings probably spread by birds. It can easily grow up in your shrubbery unnoticed by you but it may catch the eye of a young child.

The poisonous plant of Pennsylvania book indicates that both the berries and the vegetation is poisonous. The poison can cause many symptoms including salivation, trembling, paralysis, and loss of consciousness. It could cause death if there is severe paralysis.

If you suspect that a child has eaten some nightshade you should see medical help immediately. DO NOT wait to see if the child gets sick.

It is also important that you know that nightshade is not the only dangerous plant in your yard. Some others to watch out for are berries from the yew, the orange fruit from bittersweet, the white or red berries from Daphne, the purple berry from pokeweed, the seeds in the red chokecherry fruit and the may apple fruit. All of these should be kept out of the reach of children and teach then to never eat something in the yard that is not known to them.

ASH BORER

INFORMATION

SPECIALIST

By now most everyone who has a woodlot or trees in their yard is aware of the damage caused to ash trees in the states west of us by the Emerald Ash Borer. Pennsylvania has five counties that are under quarantine because it was found close to a rest stop on the turnpike in the Pittsburgh area.

Recently the Entomology Department of the Penn State College of Agriculture provided funds for local Penn State Extension offices to hire someone to do educational programs to help raise awareness of this pest. In our area, Alex Surcica will be providing these programs to the public. We are just now getting things together, but if you would like to have Alex talk to your group, he can be reached by emailing him at aps15@psu.edu We especially want to talk to garden centers, sawmills, garden clubs, classrooms, parks and to groups that are interested in learning more about Emerald Ash Borer. For more information, you can also call us at Penn State Franklin County Extension at (717) 263- 9226.

PLANT BULBS IN THE FALL

Everyone should have some color in their yard in early spring from bulbs. Remember how you feel when you see that first crocus. You think "finally spring is arriving!" Now is the time to plant those bulbs that will bloom next spring like the crocus, daffodil, narcissus and hyacinth. Garden centers have them now and have a good selection for you to choose from.

A bulb is really an underground stem with all of the parts of the new plant including stored food. Some like crocus are actually a corm, which is stored food and a bud that grows into the new plant. When you shop for your bulbs, look for the large bulb for better bloom. If you want to naturalize an area somewhat, smaller bulbs are better. Some inexpensive bulbs might be too small to even bloom next year, so use caution buying them. Look for bulbs that are firm, heavy and appear to be in good condition and free from injury.

The planting site should be well drained and should get eight to ten hours of sunlight in the spring if you want flowers year after year. Dig a generous sized hole for your bulbs and dig it ten to twelve inches deep for bigger bulbs like tulips and daffodils. Obviously a shallow hole is ok for crocus because of the smaller bulb size. As you remove your soil, you should put it in a container that you can add organic matter and fertilizer to the soil. Remove any stones and other material. If the soil has a lot of clay, you can add peat moss or compost to the soil you remove to add organic matter and improve drainage. To this you can add a 5-10-10 fertilizer or a bulb food to the mix. For a small bed, you need a couple of handfuls and for a bigger bed, use about five pounds per 100 square feet.

Bulbs should be planted to a depth of two and one-half times the height of the bulb. The bigger the bulb the deeper it goes. Space large bulbs about three to four inches apart and be sure to put the root end firmly in the mix below the bulb. Then cover over the bulbs with some of your mix. Water it in, then add the rest of the mix to fill the hole and water. Mulch the newly planted bulbs once the ground freezes the top inch.

If you have a lot of squirrels and chipmunks, you can place chicken wire or hardware cloth with large openings over the top of the bulbs as you fill up the hole. This will discourage digging them up.

Robert Kessler is an extension

educator specializing in consumer

horticulture and energy issues.