Extension Education in Travis County

Monthly Gardening Calendar for Austin and Central Texas

About Sheryl Williams

Sheryl Williams has been a Travis County Master Gardener since 2010 and currently works as the Horticulture Program Assistant at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Travis County. She was introduced to gardening by her mom and grandma and has been an avid vegetable gardener most of her life. Sheryl believes that there is nothing more satisfying than growing and preparing your own food. She likes gardening in Austin year round and concedes that means pulling weeds every day. She practices organic gardening principles and enjoys the challenge of outsmarting garden pests. Occasionally she loses these battles, but doesn’t mind sharing a good meal.

Trees CODIT for Ice Storm Aftermath

Posted on March 17, 2023 by sheryl.williams

Travis County Master Gardener Yvonne Schneider shares helpful tips on using trees CODIT method to help with storm damage.

Tree – Heal Thyself!

broken tree branch, use trees CODIT for pruning

Figure 1 – Ice damage from 2023 ice storm in Travis County

With the most recent ice storm and freezing temperatures, it makes you wonder what mother nature will do next to our trees and landscapes. Think about it, we had the “Snowpocalypse” of 2021, the drought of 2022, and now the “Icepocalypse” of 2023. Our trees are definitely in a weakened state and with so many also incurring ice damage, is a large portion of our natural landscape at risk?

We have trees documented in our area that are 100+ years old. That’s before people were around to provide water, fertilizer, and regular pruning, so do the trees really need our help to survive?

Trees “CODIT”

illustration showing tree natural decay barriers

Figure 2 – Tree natural decay barriers

Whether naturally occurring, such as with recent ice storm as shown in Figure 1, or at the hands of homeowners and tree pruners, a prune is a wound. As with most living organisms, trees have a natural defense mechanism against disease and decay. “CODIT” is the acronym the forestry industry uses for “Containment of Decay in Trees”.

The tree’s bark is the #1, and outermost wall of containment, like that of the skin of human beings. The bark protects the inner trunk, or stem, of the tree just as a human’s skin protects the inner body veins, organs, and bones. As a tree grows and the trunk expands, the bark also thickens. In the interior, a tree also puts up a ‘wall’ of containment at each natural branch juncture.

Branches develop deep within the trunk of a tree to help support the overall weight of the branch, as noted in Figure 2 with arrows indicated by a ‘B’. A barrier, or second wall of containment, is formed where the branch breaches the bark wall, as denoted with the arrows and ‘A’. When a branch is pruned away, or broken, that wall is the next line of defense from decay since the outer wall (bark) is no longer present for protection. A second and third internal wall of containment around the wound is also created inside the trunk in the tree’s attempt to protect itself from the onset of decay or disease brought by insects or other naturally occurring mechanisms.

Unfortunately, these walls of defense are not always 100% fail-safe. When wounds are jagged, or excessive, the internal barriers are often insufficient to ensure protection during the healing process, which can take years. So how can we help?

Tree Pruning Optimized

Figure 3 – Avoid leaving stubs.

To assist with healing, it’s best to prune a broken branch back to another branch at least one-third the size of the broken branch to avoid leaving a ‘stub’, such as shown in Figure 3. The stub is beyond the natural defense mechanism of the tree, and the entire area lends itself to decay. As you can see by the picture, the stub eventually dies, but the process can take years, during which decay often develops.

Don’t make cuts smooth against the remaining trunk or branch. This type of cut is behind the tree’s natural wall of defense for the branch and leaves the wound open to a longer healing timeframe. Therefore, the optimum prune is a ‘natural target prune’.

tree with two properly pruned and healed branches

Figure 4 – Proper natural target pruning cut with healed branch collar.

You can only tell when you’ve achieved the ‘natural target prune’ once you see the tree heal, so to optimize a prune, look for the tree’s branch collar and branch bark ridge, as shown in Figure 4. The collar and ridge are easier to see in some tree varieties than others, but you can identify it by the raised circular pattern surrounding a branch. The collar is the portion on top of the branch.

Figure 5 – Branch bark ridge.

The branch bark ridge is a long-swollen pattern starting around the top and circling all around the branch. This area often exceeds the trunk by an inch or more and contains that natural wall of defense against decay. Therefore, the optimized prune is just beyond the branch bark ridge, indicated by the red arrows in Figure 5. The more you look for the growth of the branch bark ridge, the easier it becomes to identify.

Three-Cut Pruning Method

Figure 6 – Use hand pruners for smaller branches

When pruning a branch under an inch, a typical hand pruner is sufficient (Figure 6.) When pruning a branch between one-to-two inches, use a lopper. If a branch is over 2 inches, use a handsaw or better to ensure a clean cut.

Illustration showing three cuts for pruning heavy branches

Figure 7 – Use the three cut method for heavy branches

When trimming a heavy branch (over 2 inches in diameter), consider using the 3-cut method to avoid stripping, or damaging the tree trunk any further. The 3-cut method involves starting with an upper-cut (Figure 7 – A) to protect the tree trunk’s bark. The second cut (Figure 7-B) is just beyond the first cut to remove the bulk of the limb’s weight. Now you’re ready for the third cut, which is just beyond the branch bark ridge (Figure 7– C).

At completion, you’ve helped your tree begin its healing process and optimized the time it will take to complete. Congratulations!

To Paint or Not to Paint Tree Wounds

Once pruning is complete, should you paint it? Because a tree has a natural defense mechanism, painting is normally not necessary. In Travis County, it is recommended to paint prunes for oak varieties specifically due to the presence of Oak Wilt. The beetle that carries the disease is active February through June, therefore pruning of any oaks during this period is not recommended unless absolutely necessary, such as the case with the recent freeze. No other variety of tree needs to have prunes painted – just let nature take its course. Timing for painting is also a regular question. You should paint the prune immediately. If not feasible, a tree naturally seals the prune within 48 hours, so the beetle damage can only be done during that timeframe.

Additional Resources

Tree Information Center – City of Austin; https://www.austintexas.gov/department/tree-information-center

Texas Oak Wilt – Texas A&M Forest Service; https://texasoakwilt.org/

Trees and Tree Care – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension-Travis County; https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/horticulture/ornamental-plants/trees-and-tree-care/

Pruning Trees and Shrubs With a Purpose – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension-Travis County; https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/horticulture/ornamental-plants/pruning-trees-and-shrubs-with-a-purpose/

Tree Pruning Basics – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension-Travis County; https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/files/2022/10/Tree-Pruning.pdf

About Yvonne Schneider

Yvonne was a 35+year veteran in the computer and information technology industry when she retired and moved from Houston to the Austin area. In 2018, Yvonne certified as a Travis County Texas Master Gardener to follow her passion for gardening and volunteering within the community. She has spent 20+ years enjoying gardening and working with bulbs and perennials. She now tackles the challenges presented by the Austin area wildlife, drought, and limestone soil.

Cutworms by Wizzie Brown

Posted on March 9, 2023 by sheryl.williams

It’s That Time of Year for Cutworm Damage

Granulate cutworms are damaging in the immature, or larval stage. Cutworms can cut plant seedlings stems off at the soil level and on older plants they can climb the plant and feed on foliage or fruit. Young larvae skeletonize leaves while older larvae eat holes in foliage, feed on the surface of fruit, or burrow into fruit. Larvae are nocturnal, which may make it difficult to discover the culprit of plant damage. You may need to inspect the garden at night when larvae feed.

Eggs are laid singly or in clusters on the upper surface of foliage. Eggs begin white in color, but darken as larvae get close to emerging. Larvae are grayish-red with a brown head and light markings along the side of the body. Larvae start off around ¼” but grow to 1.5” in length. Pupae are in soil and are a dark reddish-brown color. Adults are drab brownish-gray mottled moths with a wingspan around 1.5 inches. The front wings have a bean shaped marking paired with a circular marking.

Granulate cutworms feed on a wide variety of crops including beans, cabbage, peas, celery, watermelon, muskmelon, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, radish, beets, turnips, and Brussels sprouts.

Management Tips

If you have had cutworm problems in previous years, you can till soil before planting to disturb pupae. Plant collars can be used to physically block larvae from clipping new seedlings. Collars can be made from cut sections of PVC pipe, fruit/ vegetable cans with both ends cut out, or aluminum foil wrapped around stems of seedlings. A key to using plant collars is that they need to be partially buried in the soil and sticking up from the ground to protect the seedling and block larvae. If you are confident that no pupae are in the soil, row cover can be used to keep adult moths from laying eggs on the leaves of host plants. If eggs or egg clusters are spotted on plant foliage, they can be squished or removed from plants.

metal can surrounding seedling to prevent cutworms

Use tin cans as plant collars to prevent cutworm damage.

Chemical treatment may consist of insecticidal soap on smaller larval stages. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) variety kurstaki is a biological product that only targets caterpillars and can help to conserve beneficial predator insects. Another biological product is spinosad which is selectively active on insect pests that feed on foliage. Both Bt and spinosad need to have good coverage on the infested plants as they need to be consumed for them to work. This would also mean that you would need to treat with these products in the evening since cutworm larvae are nocturnal. With any pesticide product, make sure to read and follow all labeled instructions and make sure that it can be used in the area that you plan to treat.

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600.

Additional Resources

About Wizzie

Wizzie Brown
County Extension Program Specialist – Integrated Pest Management
Email:EBrown@ag.tamu.edu
Wizzie has been with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 2002 and has been playing with insects since she was a toddler. She is an Extension Program Specialist with the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Wizzie holds a B.S. in entomology from The Ohio State University and a M.S. in entomology from Texas A&M University. The integrated pest management program provides identification, biological and management information to whomever needs help. Wizzie’s research focuses on imported fire ants, including community wide fire ant management. Wizzie also is happy to provide programs to area groups on a variety of arthropod-related topics. You can find insect and other arthropod information on Wizzie’s blog.

What’s Happening in Austin’s March Vegetable Garden

Posted on March 1, 2023 by sheryl.williams

March Vegetable Garden Checklist Tips from Paula Wolfel

New transplants in the March vegetable garden.

New transplants added to ready, set, GROW!

The March vegetable garden is where the magic happens in my Austin yard! Every year, I plant the bulk of my spring garden the week after spring break—I have 3 elementary age children who are off of school 10-19 March. By late March, daytime temperatures are consistently warm enough for spring and summer vegetable (often reaching the 80s), and nighttime temperatures no longer drop below freezing. However, keep an eye out for a late-season cold front. The last average frost date is 04 March but tomatoes and peppers need protection from the low 50s. Lastly, one of my favorite things about this time of year is it is still cool enough to grow things like radishes, turnips, arugula and cool-season greens, but also warm enough to grow your summer veggies like summer squash, cucumbers, and melons!

The March Vegetable Garden Checklist

Here is what you can do in the garden this month:

FERTILIZE	Continue to feed vegetables with fish emulsion or other water-soluble fertilizers every two weeks.
WATER	For the early part of the month, irrigate vegetable beds so that the plantings do not dry out. Irrigate only if the soil is dry a few inches below the surface or in newly established seedbeds. Dry plants are more likely to freeze than well-watered ones. But do not overwater; plants use water more slowly when temperatures are cool. And as temperatures begin to rise, and springs wins the fight against winter, be mindful of prolonged hot temperatures and plants needing a more consistent schedule.
PLANTING (with frost protection)	Seeds: Beets (all month) Carrots (early-month) Corn (all month) Peas, Southern (late month) Radishes (all month) Turnips (all month) Transplants: Asparagus-crowns (early month) Eggplant (mid-late month) Peppers (late-month if temperatures consistently 50 and above) Tomatoes (late-month if temperatures consistently 50 and above) Seeds or Transplants: Arugula (early month) Beans, pole, snap and lima (all month) Cantaloupe (seed indoors early month, outside late month) Chard, Swiss (all month) Cucumbers (all month) Fennel (all month) Greens-cool season (all month) Greens- warm season (all month) Kale (all month.) I’ve had success with these varieties: ‘Nero Toscana’ or ‘Lacinato (Dinosaur)’ Lettuce, Leaf (all month) Mustard (all month) Pumpkin (mid-month) Spinach (all month.) I’ve found that the varieties ‘Renegade’ and ‘Regiment’ do well for me. Squash, summer (all month) Squash, winter (all month) Watermelon (late month) Hold off on planting Okra and Black-eyed Peas until next month. They do much better with warmer temperatures.
SOIL	Remove winter mulch and add fresh compost. Re apply mulch after vegetable seedlings become established – make sure not to cover the new plants with mulch!
DISEASES/PESTS TO LOOK FOR	With the warm weather come all the notorious pests and disease. Watch out for the following: Harlequin Bugs appear as the weather warms and cool-season plants start to suffer heat stress. Aphids. The best solutions are lady bugs and lacewings who come NATURALLY to the garden. Other solutions include a blast of water from your hose but make sure the plant is strong enough to withstand that pressure. You can use your hands and take then off, just make sure to squish them thoroughly so they do not return. Whatever method, repeat every 3-5 days until you get control. Whiteflies and Thrips. The damage caused from these two pests look very much alike. Whiteflies can kill plants and thrips can transfer diseases. Whiteflies affect tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Thrips like onions and chives, figs, and a few flowers. To control whiteflies, start early. You can blast them with water, use insecticidal soap, or vacuum them up! For thrips, you can use tape to remove them from the leaves, shake the leaves and catch them on a towel or sticky surface. Flea Beetles and Harlequin Bugs especially love brassicas like kale and broccoli that get stressed in the heat. Knock these pests off of plants into soapy water until there are just too many to handle. Remove heavily infested plants and use it as an opportunity to plant something else. Powdery Mildew. This fungal disease is prevalent in spring because of heavy morning dews or spring showers. Practice good gardening hygiene by placing fallen leaves or flowers into the trash.
MAINTENANCE	Keep up with weeds while they are young and before they have a chance to put down roots. Keep your tools clean and sharpened. Keep up with the mulch (pine bark, hardwood mulch, pine straw, etc.)
REMINDERS FOR FROST	If a freeze is expected: Water plants beforehand. Cover newly planted plants, and tender vegetables and landscape plants with row cover, sheets or blankets making sure to secure the fabric to the ground to prevent wind from blowing it up and to seal in heat from the ground. Disconnect hoses and wrap faucets before the freezing night arrives.

Additional Resources

Watch the Vegetable Gardening in Central Texas Webinar

Monthly Gardening Calendar for Austin and Central Texas

About Paula Wolfel

Paula Wolfel has been gardening in Austin, Texas since 2017. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago learning how to garden from both her father—a Sicilian vegetable and fruit tree gardener—and both her grandmothers, and then spent years in Virginia gardening. Paula loves gardening because she finds it to be a grounding force- it gets her out of her head and into the present. She loves the pride that comes with cooking a meal for her family with every ingredient coming from her garden… and then the humility she feels when she loses an entire crop because of Mother Nature. She finds gardening to be wisdom, lessons, best practices passed down generation to generation, season to season and hopes to share that with you.

Science of Agriculture – Youth Event 2023

Posted on February 28, 2023 by sheryl.williams

Eat a Rainbow Presented by Travis County Master Gardeners

Photo of volunteers participating in the Science of Agriculture Youth Event

From Left, Rebecca Maze, Evelyn Hootkins, Vicki Blachman, Mei Yi Pflum, JaNet Booher, Christina Tambunga-Miller, Jane Hall, Linda Birch, Pat Coburn, Daphne Richards Texas A&M AgriLife Horticulture Extension Agent, and Heather Rudich.

The Travis County Master Gardeners enjoyed an action-packed day at the Science of Agriculture – Youth Event this past Thursday, February 16, 2023, at the Travis County Expo Center. Except for the last two-year COVID hiatus, this event has been an annual tradition for Master Gardeners to participate in. We coordinate with the Texas Farm Bureau, Master Wellness Volunteers, 4H Members and Travis County Extension Agents to present useful information in a fun way to Third and Fourth Graders at Title 1 schools. For many children, this is their first field trip. Programs this year included Cotton, Dairy Science, Goats, Bees, BLT (Better Living in Texas), Microgreens and Nutrition. Morgan Newton, Texas A&M AgriLife – Travis County Extension Agent, 4-H & Youth Development coordinated this year’s event.

Over 300 Students Taught

The Master Gardeners presented information on Nutrition. The week prior to the event, the Master Gardeners attended a training session on the program. They practiced presenting the program, the poster, and activity for the over 300 students from six different schools participating.

Students sitting while being taught about nutrition

Travis County Master Gardeners Jane Hall and Linda Burch teaching students the connection between color and nutrition

This year we utilized the program “Eat a Rainbow,” developed by Master Gardener JaNet Booher. The program encourages the children to choose a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables at home and school. We use a poster with a colorful skeleton to illustrate how different colored fruits and vegetables help the different parts of the body. For example, we discuss how blue fruits and vegetables help the brain, which can improve memory and schoolwork. The skeleton poster features photos of the fruit like blueberries, plums, purple cabbage, and eggplant. We also show them fresh foods, as some may be accustomed to only canned or frozen foods.

Eat A Rainbow activity teaches children that specific colors of fruits & veggies help specific parts of the body.

Our session concludes with the children making colorful bracelets using chenille stems and beads; they love this activity! The color of the beads corresponds to the colors on the skeleton poster. While the students make the bracelets, we review content covered and ask them to name even more examples of colored foods. The students keep the bracelets as a reminder to “Eat a Rainbow” at home and school, as well as to share what they have learned with their family.

At the end of our day all the Master Gardeners and Interns agreed that this is a fun and useful activity for the students and certainly an extremely meaningful experience for all of the presenters!

This article was written by Evelyn Hootkins, Travis County Master Gardener and coordinator for the Eat a Rainbow activity.

Container Gardening at 2023 Earth-Kind Field Day March 25th

Posted on February 15, 2023 by sheryl.williams

Container Gardening 101 Focus for 2023 Earth-Kind Gardening Field Day

Come join the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Travis County Master Gardeners for our spring 2023 Earth-Kind Gardening Field Day! It will be Saturday, March 25th from 9 am to 1 pm at the Travis County AgriLife Extension office located at 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX 78721. Parking is available along Smith Road. The event is free and open to the public.

The spring 2023 theme is Container Gardening 101 – for indoor and outdoor gardening. The first 100 attendees will receive a free 5.5″ eco-container and saucer courtesy of Gardenio – a new kind of garden club app for food growers – to start their growing journeys.

Demonstrations and Gardening Advice

Workshops will teach participants about houseplant care, growing ornamentals or vegetables in pots, and create a composting system. Other activities focus on vermicomposting, irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and entomology. Daphne Richards, County Extension Agent – Horticulture, at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Wizzie Brown, Extension Program Specialist- IPM will both be there too. Travis County Master Gardeners will be stationed throughout the Extension Demonstration Garden to answer questions about plant selection and care. Bring a garden tool and we’ll show you how to sharpen it!

Kids can make a leaf crown.

Kids activities include a fairy garden display, insect scavenger hunt, and making a leaf crown that they can take home with them.

The schedule includes:

9:00 a.m. Compost Workshop. Learn how to turn everyday waste from your home or garden into beneficial compost.

10:00 a.m. Houseplant University. Get tips on plant selection, watering, and light to help you successfully grow indoor plants. Watch a demonstration on repotting and dividing. You’ll also learn how to manage pests – including soil gnats!

11:00 a.m. The 6D’s of Container Gardening. Watch a demonstration on planting a container garden for your outdoor living spaces. Get advice on types of soil, pot size, drainage, and light.

New Educational Greenhouse is Dedicated at 11:00 a.m.

Travis County Master Gardeners building greenhouse foundation

Greenhouse foundation builders Kay Angermann, Teresa Garcia, Peter Wood, Braden Latham-Jones, Dan Wittliff, Bill Happel, and Julie Nelson.

Special guests Kim and Andrew Cook from EXACO will be on hand to cut the ribbon on the new educational greenhouse that they donated to the Travis County Master Gardeners. The foundation for it was designed by Dan Wittliff and built by Travis County Master Gardener Volunteers.

Roses and Books Available for Purchase

A limited supply of Earth-Kind roses and the popular Travis County Master Gardener publications Garden Guide for Austin and Vicinity, and From Drought to Deluge: The Resilient Central Texas Garden will be available for purchase.

Additional Resources

Learn more about all of these topics here: Our Favorite Gardening Resources for Austin and Travis County

Get tips on indoor and outdoor gardening things to do on our Monthly Gardening Calendar.

What’s Happening in Austin’s February Vegetable Garden

Posted on February 1, 2023 by sheryl.williams

February Vegetable Garden Checklist Tips from Paula Wolfel

plate of arugula and radish - two things that should be on your February vegetable garden checklist

Plant arugula and radishes this month.

February is a fun month for Austin gardening because we start planning for our spring and summer gardening. It is almost as if what occurs this month will dictate your gardening all the way through the fall! Hopefully you have been keeping up with the weeds, if not, use the warmer days to get out there and start spring cleaning in your garden. Early in the month, work 1-2” of compost into your beds. There are a wide range of cool weather vegetables that can be planted this month (see below) and it is also time to start some of your summer vegetables inside. I personally get really excited to once again plant arugula and radishes! With all that said, keep in mind we can still get nights with freezing temperatures and frost. So continue to keep an eye on the temperatures and protect your plants.

The February Vegetable Garden Checklist

Here is what you can do in the garden this month:

FERTILIZE	Continue to feed vegetables with fish emulsion or other water-soluble fertilizers every two weeks.
WATER	Irrigate vegetable beds so that the plantings do not dry out. Irrigate only if the soil is dry a few inches below the surface or in newly established seedbeds. Dry plants are more likely to freeze than well-watered ones. But do not overwater; plants use water more slowly when temperatures are cool.
PLANTING (with frost protection)	Seeds: Carrots (all month) Peas, English, snap, and snow (early month) Potatoes, Irish (all month) Radishes (all month) Turnips (all month) Transplants: Asparagus crowns (all month) Plant asparagus crowns in 6 to 12″ deep. Broccoli (all month) Cabbage (all month) Cauliflower (all month) Strawberries (all month) Onions, bulbing (early month) Seeds or Transplants: Arugula (all month) Asian Greens (all month) Beets (all month) Swiss Chard (all month) Collards (all month) Fennel (all month) Cool-season greens (all month) Kale (all month) Kohlrabi (all month) Leeks (all month) Lettuce (all month) Mustard greens (all month) Spinach (all month) Indoors: Start tomato and pepper seeds indoor. I usually start transplanting mine in mid- to- late March. Cantaloupe Cucumbers Eggplant
SOIL	Use mild days to turn compost and build up mulch. Add a thin layer of compost over newly planted groundcovers and vines. Once new growth appears at the base, cut the old stems to the ground to eliminate dead sticks. My Mexican tarragon, mint, and rosemary will need this treatment after that late December weather.
DISEASES/PESTS TO LOOK FOR	With the warm weather many critters are starting to come out. I have already seen red wasps and lady bugs who are both friends of gardeners. So keep an eye out for the pests and start making the garden unwelcome for them: remove weeds and debris. Flea beetles and aphids may become active this month.
MAINTENANCE	Keep up with weeds while they are young and before they have a chance to put down roots. Use a weed wiper to help keep unwanted plants out of the garden. Take advantage of mild winter days to tidy up your shed and greenhouse, and take care of tools. Keep up with the mulch (pine bark, hardwood mulch, pine straw, etc.)
REMINDERS FOR FROST	If a freeze is expected: Water plants beforehand. Cover newly planted plants, and tender vegetables and landscape plants with row cover, sheets or blankets making sure to secure the fabric to the ground to prevent wind from blowing it up and to seal in heat from the ground. Disconnect hoses and wrap faucets before the freezing night arrives.

Additional Resources

Watch the Vegetable Gardening in Central Texas Webinar

Monthly Gardening Calendar for Austin and Central Texas

About Paula Wolfel

Paula Wolfel is new to the Travis County Master Gardener program but has been gardening in Austin, Texas since 2017. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago learning how to garden from both her father—a Sicilian vegetable and fruit tree gardener—and both her grandmothers, and then spent years in Virginia gardening. Paula loves gardening because she finds it to be a grounding force- it gets her out of her head and into the present. She loves the pride that comes with cooking a meal for her family with every ingredient coming from her garden… and then the humility she feels when she loses an entire crop because of Mother Nature. She finds gardening to be wisdom, lessons, best practices passed down generation to generation, season to season and hopes to share that with you.

Insect Life Cycles by Wizzie Brown

Posted on January 23, 2023 by sheryl.williams

chart depicting two types of Insect life cycles

In both metamorphosis stages, the insect begins the cycle as an egg. In a complete metamorphosis the insect passes through four distinct phases which produce an adult that does not resemble the larvae. An incomplete metamorphosis means the insect does not go through a full transformation, but instead transitions from a nymph to an adult by molting its exoskeleton whenever it becomes too tight.

Two Categories of Insect Lifecycles

Wizzie is kicking off the year with some basic insect biology about metamorphosis.

Insect life cycles can be broken down into two major categories: incomplete and complete. Incomplete can then be further broken into three varying types.

Paurometabolous

Incomplete metamorphosis, also called paurometabolous, has three life stages. The first stage is the egg which hatches into an immature insect called a nymph. The nymph eats, grows and molts, going through several different nymphal stages called instars. With each successive molt, the nymph grows larger and begins to develop wings. Nymphs look similar to adults in appearance with the exception that they do not have fully developed wings. The final stage is the adult which has fully developed wings (of course, unless the insect is wingless i.e. bed bugs). Adult insects seek out the opposite sex, mate, and females lay eggs to begin the cycle anew. An example of an insect with paurometabolous metamorphosis is a cockroach.

Ametabolous

Primitive insect groups have a variation of incomplete metamorphosis called ametabolous. This type of metamorphosis also has three life stages: egg, nymph, and adult, but the immatures/ nymphs look exactly like the adults except they are smaller in size. Dissection may be needed to tell immatures from adults. An example of an insect with ametabolous metamorphosis is a silverfish.

Hemimetabolous

A dragonfly is an example of hemimetabolous metamorphosis

The second variation of incomplete metamorphosis is called hemimetabolous and insects with this type of metamorphosis have an immature stage that is aquatic. Again, there are three life stages: egg, nymph, and adult. The nymphal stage of hemimetabolous insects lives in water and is called a naiad. The last nymphal instar- or the last stage before the insect molts into an adult- crawls out of the water onto a dry surface so the adult insect can emerge without getting their wings wet. An example of an insect with hemimetabolous metamorphosis is a dragonfly.

Complete Metamorphosis

The second basic category of metamorphosis is complete, or holometabolous, metamorphosis.

Complete metamorphosis has four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Eggs are laid by fertilized adult females and hatch into the second stage called a larva. Larva* look very different from the adults and often feed on different food sources than adults. Larva are often have elongated bodies, no wings, and may or may not have legs. After going through several instars, or larval stages, the insect turns from a larva into a pupa. The pupa is a transformation stage for the insect where it rearranges it’s body into the adult form. Sometimes you can see adult features in the pupal stage, but other times the pupa is within a case- like with fly or butterfly** pupa- and you cannot see development. The adult insect emerges from the pupal stage, seeks out a mate for mating, and continues the cycle.

*Larva is the general name for immature insects that go through complete metamorphosis. There are more specific names for various types of larva based on what Order they belong to.

Larva in the Order Lepidoptera that turn into butterflies and moths are caterpillars. Larva in the Order Diptera and turn into flies are maggots. Also in the Order Diptera, wigglers are the larval stage of mosquitoes (and mosquito pupae are often called tumblers). Larva that turn into beetles, Order Coleoptera, are called grubworms or wireworms (depending upon what type of beetle they turn into).

**A butterfly pupal case is called a chrysalis.
For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600.

Additional Resources

About Wizzie

What’s Happening in Austin’s January Vegetable Garden

Posted on January 1, 2023 by sheryl.williams

January Vegetable Garden Checklist Tips from Paula Wolfel

January is surprisingly an exciting time for Austin vegetable gardeners because this is when the bulk of your spring garden planning can occur!

Continue to make preparations for the lower temperatures, and watch the rain because this time or year we can reduced our irrigations needs. Make sure you continue to protect all new transplants from freeze and their first frost. If the temperatures falls below 28 degrees then cover your plants, securing them with soil, bricks, rocks, or pins. In addition, make sure to keep an eye on temperatures near freezing and frost warnings for citrus trees: either cover them with frost cover or blankets, or if they are potted, move them inside. And finally, take advantage of the winter lull to take care of your tools. See below for tips on sharpening, cleaning, and oiling your tools.

Happy Year of the Broccoli!

Here’s some inspiration for your January vegetable garden checklist, the National Garden Bureau has declared 2023 the Year of the Broccoli.

The January Vegetable Garden Checklist

Here is what you can do in the garden this month:

FERTILIZE	Fertilize established plantings of asparagus late in the month to encourage healthy new shoots. If you planted fall garlic or have vegetables that survived the freeze, continue to feed with a liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
WATER	Irrigate vegetable beds so that the plantings do not dry out. Irrigate only if the soil is dry a few inches below the surface, or in newly established seedbeds, or if you are not getting adequate rainfall. Dry plants are more likely to suffer freeze damage than well-watered ones, but plants use less water when temperatures are cool. Be careful not to overwater and always check soil moisture levels before watering.
PLANTING (with frost protection)	Seeds: Beets (middle to late January) Carrots (middle to late January) Fava Beans (all month) Green, cool season (all month) Peas, English/now/snap (middle to late January) Potato, Irish (late Jauary) Radishes (all month) Turnips (middle to late January) Transplants: Artichokes (all month) Asparagus (all month) Broccoli (middle to late January) Cabbage (middle to late January) Cauliflower (middle to late January) Leeks (middle to late January) Onions, bulbing (all month) Seeds or Transplants: Asian Greens (all month) Collards (all month) Kale (all month) Kohlrabi (all month) Lettuce (middle to late January) Mustard greens (all month) Spinach (middle to all month) Swiss Chard (all month) Indoors: Start tomato and pepper seeds indoor. I usually start transplanting mine in mid- to- late March. Potatoes get planted in mid-February but they need to be cut and set out to dry beforehand. Start shopping seeds for the February planting season.
SOIL	If you’ve had a vegetable garden for a few years now, have a soil test done (forms available here). It’ll help you determine which amendments to add and what to avoid. Add organic matter like compost or aged manure, fallen leaves and pine straw to your soil so there is time for it to break down before spring planting.
DISEASES/PESTS TO LOOK FOR	Cabbage loopers, aphids, snails/slugs, and some beetles can remain active all winter (control methods can be found here in the Grow Green Guides) Protect plants from damage and insulate from freezing weather with a layer of row cover. This can be left on all winter. Anchor the fabric in several places with u-shaped pins, bricks, stones or sandbags. Another option is to lay 4-6 foot lengths of heavy t-posts or wooden boards along the long edge of the row. They are easy to remove if you want to lift up a section of row cover to periodically check the progress of your plants.
MAINTENANCE	Keep up with weeds while they are young and before they have a chance to put down roots. Take advantage of mild winter days to tidy up your shed and greenhouse, and take care of tools. Keep up with the mulch (pine bark, hardwood mulch, pine straw, etc.) Remove annuals that were killed or burned by frost, but don’t cut back perennials yet. Wait until they start to show new growth at the base.
HARVEST	Keep your vegetable consumption high this winter as you continue to harvest Swiss chard, kale, collards and lettuce. Use a “cut and come again” strategy. You’ll be surprised how fast everything grows. Cut or twist the leafy tops off of turnips, beets, radishes and carrots before storing, and don’t overlook the culinary potential of those leafy greens. They are totally edible and nutritious, especially when harvested fresh from the garden. Their flavor is transformed when chopped up and incorporated into soups, casseroles, vegetable sautés, or dips. Carrot tops make a tasty pesto for adventurous eaters.

Additional Resources

Watch the Vegetable Gardening in Central Texas Webinar

Monthly Gardening Calendar for Austin and Central Texas

About Paula Wolfel

Austin’s December Vegetable Garden by Paula Wolfel

Posted on December 1, 2022 by sheryl.williams

Hooray for Rain!

Colorful garden greens in the December Vegetable Garden

Add color to your leafy garden beds with an assortment of mustards and kales.

Gardening slows down a bit during this month. As predicted, some of us had our first freeze a few weeks ago, as well as lots of rain!! So hopefully all preparations were made last month for the lower temperatures, and the rain reduced irrigations needs. Make sure you continue to protect all new transplants from freeze and their first frost in the December vegetable garden. If the temperatures fall below 28 degrees then cover your plants, securing them with soil, bricks, rocks, or pins. In addition, make sure to keep an eye on temperatures near freezing and frost warnings for citrus trees: either cover them with frost cover or blankets, or if they are potted, move them inside.

Tool Maintenance

Now is a great time to reflect on the year and do a little tidying up around the garden shed. Go through your inventory of tools and see what needs to be repaired or sharpened. Dirty tools invite moisture, which leads to rust, so make sure everything is cleaned. I use an oily rag to give every tool a good polish which helps keep corrosion away. Even if your tools are stored outside, it’s a good idea to give them a little TLC to weather through the next few months. Here is a great guide to help you clean and sharpen your tools.

Your December Vegetable Garden Checklist

Even though the days are shorter, December usually gives us a lot of beautiful sunshine. Here are a few things to accomplish while soaking up some rays.

FERTILIZE	Continue to feed vegetables with fish emulsion or other water-soluble fertilizer every 2 weeks.
WATER	Water vegetable beds so that plantings do not dry out. Irrigate only if the soil is dry a few inches below the surface or in newly established seedbeds or transplants.
PLANTING (with frost protection)	Seeds: Greens, cool season (all month) Radishes (all month) Transplants: Asian Greens (all month) Lettuce (all month) Spinach (all month) Seeds or Transplants: Asian Greens (all month) Lettuce (all month) Spinach (all month)
SOIL	Use mild days to turn compost and build up mulch in the December vegetable garden.
DISEASES/PESTS TO LOOK FOR	Cabbage loopers, aphids, snails/slugs, and some beetles can remain active all winter. Protect plants from damage and insulate from freezing weather with a layer of row cover. This can be left on all winter. Anchor the fabric in several places with u-shaped pins, bricks, stones or sandbags. Another option is to lay 4-6 foot lengths of heavy t-posts or wooden boards along the long edge of the row. They are easy to remove if you want to lift up a section of row cover to periodically check the progress of your plants.
MAINTENANCE	Keep up with weeds while they are young and before they have a chance to put down roots. A sharp hoe makes quick work in vegetable beds. Remove annuals that were killed or burned by frost, but don’t cut back perennials yet.
HARVEST	Keep your vegetable consumption high this winter as you continue to harvest Swiss chard, kale, collards and lettuce. Use a “cut and come again” strategy. You’ll be surprised how fast everything grows. Cut or twist the leafy tops off of turnips, beets, radishes and carrots before storing, and don’t overlook the culinary potential of those leafy greens. They are totally edible and nutritious, especially when harvested fresh from the garden. Their flavor is transformed when chopped up and incorporated into soups, casseroles, vegetable sautés, or dips. Carrot tops make a tasty pesto for adventurous eaters.
PLANNING	Take some time to sit down with garden notes and graph paper or a computer app and plan your vegetable garden for next year. Place your order for the spring season while seed sources still have plenty of inventory. Try to pencil out a crop rotation plan. It really does help with pest and fertility management. I use a rotation of potatoes to help break up compacted garden beds and add compost after I’ve dug up the crop. Start shopping seeds for the February planting season.

Thinking Ahead: Preparation for Frost

Upside down nursery pots used for frost protection in the December vegetable garden

Use pots or buckets for protection – but remove them when it warms back up.

As a reminder from November’s articles, in preparation for freezing temperatures, make sure you mulch around all your plants and keep bare soil covered with mulch or leaves.

If a freeze is expected:

Water plants beforehand
Cover newly planted plants, and tender vegetables and landscape plants with row cover, sheets or blankets making sure to secure the fabric to the ground to prevent wind from blowing it up and to seal in heat from the ground
Disconnect hoses, wrap faucets, and drain sprinklers before the freezing night arrives

Additional Resources

Watch the Vegetable Gardening in Central Texas Webinar