Ask a Master Gardener: A mistaken identity

<p>Photo submitted by Chris C. Velho</p><p>These flowers (cosmos) were supposed to be a dwarf type. This appears to be a rare situation where the wrong variety of seed was in the flower seed packet.</p>

Photo submitted by Chris C. Velho

These flowers (cosmos) were supposed to be a dwarf type. This appears to be a rare situation where the wrong variety of seed was in the flower seed packet.

Q. Last year, I planted some cosmos a little late in the season, and it almost never flowered and got huge. So this year, I switched to a dwarf cosmos (Eden Brothers Seed) called Rose 'Dwarf Early.' The photo shows the plants now, which were seeded in mid-June. To me, they are anything but dwarf. Is there any standard on what dwarf should be in the flower world, or anything goes? Can I do anything to keep them shorter next year? Like is there a critical time I might try to pinch them?

A. I found this perplexing so asked Dave Trinklein, our state floriculturist specialist, for his opinion. He pointed out that what grew did not match the description for the variety posted online by Eden Brothers. Not only in height, but the flower color was to be uniformly pink.

Note: Thanks to this observation, the seed company was contacted and they acknowledged the seed sold was obviously not Rose Dwarf Early and offered a refund. Furthermore, a follow-up inquiry was made to a marketer working with new flower introductions, regarding how often something like this occurs, and her comment was: "I am sure mistakes happen, but I think it is relatively uncommon."

Q. Every fall, my husband reseeds one area of the lawn, the grass comes in and then mid-summer it dies out. Wondering if the soil test would detect any other problem going on here other than just nutrient issues. Any insight would be appreciated.

A. Thanks for sending a photo and more description to confirm this as likely 'brown patch', the most common disease of tall turf type fescue lawns. Some cultivars of tall turf type fescue are more resistant to brown patch. An example is Padre 2, but these aren't always easy to find for the home gardener, as their market is for sports field. There is a new fungicide product out that you can use in future years to get preventative control of brown patch, and use to help if you see it during the summer. It is called Scotts Disease EX and says it prominently "controls brown patch." Read and follow the label. Lastly, don't apply nitrogen fertilizer past the end of April. For recommendations see MU Extension's 'Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Maintenance Calendar' extension2.missouri.edu/g6705.

Q. I had a milkweed patch, and there were a number of monarch caterpillars on them. Now they are gone, and I can't find any of the chrysalides either. Are they gone for this year?

A. Monarch caterpillars grow really fast, so if you start to notice larger ones, they are likely to pupate into chrysalides fairly quickly (a few days or a week). They often go to adjoining plants, not staying on those milkweeds, thus can be very hard to locate. Those that are chrysalides in mid-September will likely be butterflies that migrate to Mexico, known as the super generation, as those butterflies live for several months. A normal monarch butterfly only lives a few weeks. You might see some of the monarchs that emerge, before they fly south. They'll want to feed on some nectar before they "hit the road." If you have more monarchs around than you had the previous year, that indicates you're doing something right.

Q. I know your Master Gardener class has already started. Do you have any other programs this fall?

A. Yes! We are holding a Master Pollinator Steward program in November. It will be held 4:30-7:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. The first class is Nov. 4; there are six classes, so it will finish on Nov. 21 (the week before Thanksgiving). The cost is $90. Contact our extension center if interested at 573-634-2824 or [email protected].