Field and Garden: The great pumpkin weigh-off and questions

Please bring your pumpkins, whether large or small, to the city park on Tuesday, Sept. 19, the final Carrington Market in 2023.

I’ll be there with a scale to see who grew the largest pumpkin in Foster County. Judges will also select the best traditional pumpkin and the most unusual pumpkin.

The contest is open to everyone. There will be youth and adult divisions.

If you have questions about the contest, please contact me in the Extension office (652-2581, jeff.gale@ndsu.edu).

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As temperatures cool and days become shorter, we’re bound to see an increase in the number of insects crawling around on the floors and walls of our home.

These pests are not harmful to people, pets or the house, but they can be a nuisance, especially when occurring in large numbers.

The temptation is to attack these unwanted pests with a can of bug spray.

But why introduce pesticides into your home environment? The recommendation is to simply vacuum up the pests.

To keep insects from entering your home, make sure window screens fit tightly and are in good condition. Check to see that all doors have proper door sweeps. Caulk cracks around the foundation and plumbing fixtures. Place sticky board mousetraps along walls inside the garage, basement and anywhere else you’re seeing insects.

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Here are some questions I’ve received in the last two weeks:

Q: Why are the leaves on my Honeycrisp apple turning yellow?

A blotchy pattern of yellow is common on the leaves of young Honeycrisp apple trees in July and August.

The symptom is caused by the accumulation of large starch granules in the leaves. The granules reduce the production of chlorophyll.

The condition looks worrisome, but it will have no effect on long-term productivity.

In general, the phenomenon gradually disappears as the tree matures and begins producing more fruit.

Q: What is this grassy weed in my lawn, and how can I get rid of it?

The plant sample that you brought to my office is barnyard grass. It’s an annual weed that frequently shows up in compacted and water-stressed areas of our lawns.

Barnyard grass is best controlled with preemergence herbicides. The chemicals should be applied in April or early May, before soil temperatures reach 62 degrees.

Look for herbicides containing the following active ingredients: prodiamine, pendimethalin and dithiopyr.

Be sure to read and follow the label directions on the chemical package.

Q: My pine tree has a lot of brown needles. Do I need to spray it with something?

It’s not uncommon to see interior needles turning brown on pines, spruces, arborvitae and even junipers this time of year.

These tree species are considered “evergreen”; however, their needles don’t live forever.

As trees increase in size, new growth shades old needles in the interior of the tree, causing the needles to become unproductive.

The shedding of unproductive needles is a natural phenomenon known as fall needle drop. It’s nothing to be concerned about.