Shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com March 12, 2013 • Page 14 Gardening tips for beginners Gardening is a rewarding hobby that many enthusiasts credit with helping them to peacefully escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Though gardening can be both relaxing and rewarding, it's not as easy as it may seem, and the more time and effort a person devotes to his or her garden the more likely it is to be successful. Gardening can be a little daunting for beginners who have little or no experience planting flowers or vegetables. But gardening need not be so intimidating, especially for those beginners who adhere to the following tips aimed at helping novice gardeners start their gardens off on the right foot. *Determine what you should plant. Where you live will go a long way toward determining what you should plant. While you can plant anything you can get your hands on, the United States Department of Agriculture as well as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have determined specific plant hardiness zones that indicate which plants are most likely to thrive in given locations. Maps of these zones can be found at www.usda.gov and www.agr.gc.ca. By adhering to the maps, gardeners can significantly increase their chances of growing successful gardens. When in doubt about what to plant, consult a local gardening center or seek advice from a professional landscaper. *Think location when beginning your garden. Beginners with large yards have the luxury of choosing the right location on their properties to start planting. When choosing a spot, consider how much sunlight a location gets on a daily basis and the spot's proximity to a water supply. If planting flowers, try to avoid planting in areas with heavy foot traffic so the flowers are less likely to be stomped. If you're planting flowers to accent walkways, then consider erecting a barrier around the flower bed to safeguard the flowers from foot traffic. *Get started before you plant. Preparing the soil a few weeks before you start planting can help the plants thrive down the road. Add some organic material, such as compost or fertilizer, to the soil roughly three weeks before planting. This helps the soil retain water and nutrients, which will help your garden thrive. Have you seen this pest? Japanese Beetles in Field Crops Japanese beetle adult. Beetles are large, between 1/3 and 1/2 inch long.  Photo by: Daren Mueller, Iowa State University for Bugwood.org. The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is becoming an increasingly prevalent pest in the North Central region, and it can occasionally be an economic problem in soybeans or corn. The Japanese beetle should not be confused with the Asian lady beetle (which is often called a Japanese beetle by mistake). Asian lady beetles are familiar to many as the yellow or orange lady beetles that come into houses in the fall, and they are beneficial predators of crop pests. Japanese beetles are large (up to 1/2 inch long) and metallic green and copper colored. Adults feed on the leaves and flowers of over 300 plant species. They are an introduced pest first found in the U.S. in 1916 in New Jersey. Only in recent years have they become common in the Midwest. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture monitors for this pest with traps, and it has been detected in several counties, particularly in the Southeastern part of the state. Japanese beetle immatures are soil-dwelling, white grubs that feed on roots and organic material, and they are often pests of turfgrass. The adults typically feed between the veins of leaves causing a characteristic lacy or “skeletonized” damage. 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So far in South Dakota most reported problems with Japanese beetles have been in gardens near urban centers, but as it becomes more common in South Dakota, producers should also be on the lookout for this insect in crops. Japanese beetles have one generation per year and overwinter as grubs in the soil. Adults emerge from the soil in late May or early June and can be found through early September. Feeding damage is most noticeable in July and August. Japanese beetle feeding damage in soybean may be confused with bean leaf beetle feeding because both make holes in the leaves, but bean leaf beetle feeding produces more smoothedged “shot-holes” in the leaves, whereas Japanese beetles create a lacy patchwork of holes between the veins. Also, unlike bean leaf beetles, Japanese beetles are not shy or skittish and are usually found easily at the scene of their crimes. Damage often appears first at field edges. Soybeans can bear a fair amount of defoliation before yield is lost, so modest numbers of Japanese beetles and other defoliators can be tolerated. Consider management when total defoliation from all leaf-feeding pests reaches 40% in pre-bloom, 20% during bloom and pod-fill and 35% from pod-fill to harvest. Consider the whole plant when making this decision, not just upper leaves. If beetles are aggregated in border rows, consider an edge treatment first. A number of pesticides are labeled for Japanese beetle control in soybean. We Have a Full Line of Filters, Belts & Hydraulic Hoses for all Your Farming Needs AUTO PARTS 1509 E. Hwy. 50 Yankton, SD 605-665-3693 Serving the area for over 80 years! sturdevants.com Valley Ag Supply is your locally owned, National Forage Testing certified hay testing lab. Hay tests are done on site and results can be e-mailed, faxed or mailed the same day! 2013 The 4500 Series features: We’re rolling out our 4500 Series electric roll tarp! 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