Agrivew: Now is the to remove old plants
By: Rick Hirsch County Extension Agent

Removing old plants from the spring home garden now is beneficial in several ways. Destroying residue from crops reduces the number of insects, the chance for disease, and, if remnants are added to the compost pile, can give the gardener organic material to add to next year's garden.

Old plants give insects a "home" until new plants emerge. Harmful insects such as mites, aphids and spider mites die when the old plants are removed.

By reducing the number of plants, gardeners also can decrease the occurrence of several types of diseases, including some blights and fruit rot that already are existing in the spring garden. You can till the old plants under or pull them up.

Pulled plants can be gathered and added to a compost pile. Temperatures in a compost pile can get as high as 150 degrees Fahrenheit, destroying everything - including insects and diseases - inside it.

For a successful fall garden, you can't wait until fall to get started. Soil preparation, fertilizing and planting will have to be done during the heat of the summer. Like preparation for a spring garden, fall gardens benefit from generous amounts of organic matter such as hay, peat moss, shredded leaves, grass clippings, compost, barnyard manure or even shredded newspaper.

A 3 to 4 inch layer of organic matter is necessary to physically change the structure of the soil. Till the material into the garden at least 6 to 8 inches deep. Fertilizer also should be applied at the same time. If your soil is high in phosphorus or you used a high phosphorus fertilizer such as 10-20-10 in the spring, then nitrogen is probably all you will need to add for the fall.

About 1 pound of a high nitrogen fertilizer, such as ammonium sulphate or ammonium nitrate, can be used for each 100 square feet of garden area. This can be broadcast on top of the organic matter and all tilled in together. After the summer soil preparation, August to early September is the time to plant most vegetables for the fall harvest.

Many vegetable perform better under Texas fall weather conditions. Crops such as green beans, cucumbers and squash need to be planted early so that harvest is completed by the time the first frost occurs.

To request a fall vegetable planting schedule, visit your Extension office in Athens.

FLIES- Several species of flies may become pests around the home. The housefly is the most common pest, but the little housefly, flesh fly, blow fly and the stable fly are also troublesome. Theses flies are well known for buzzing around and annoying people endlessly. However, they carry diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, food poisoning and typhoid fever. Therefore, home fly control is important to good sanitation and family health.

Houseflies are the most common pests in and around homes. Houseflies are 1/5 to 1/3 inches long and grayish in color. There are four darker, blackish stripes behind the head and one of the wing veins is distinctly and sharply bent. These features are visible to the unaided eye, but a simple magnifying glass may be used in identification of any pest results in better pest control since specific control recommendations are available for most pest species.

Most adult houseflies travel within 1 mile of sites where eggs are laid and the greasy , cream-colored larvae (or maggots) develop. In heavily infested areas, the larva breeding site(s) is almost certainly within 100 yards. Garbage cans, large commercial trash containers, poorly drained areas around garbage receptacles, compost piles, human and pet excrement, open dumps and unsanitary conditions around food processing or rendering plants are likely larval sites. Housefly maggots need a damp or semi-liquid medium in which to live since they can not chew dry food and are susceptible to desiccation. They feed on almost any man-made or naturally occurring moist or slimy vegetative or animal waste material such as household garbage. Keep these facts in mind when searching for fly breeding sites to clean up the area or apply insecticide.

The housefly's life cycle requires about 2 to 3 weeks from egg deposition to adult emergence during warmer periods (70 to 90 Degrees F.) but may take longer under cooler conditions. There may be as many as 10 to 12 generations in a summer. Adult flies feed primarily on sugar and protein rich foods. They have sponging-lapping mouthparts, so they must either feed on liquids or regurgitate saliva onto dry foods, which is then liquified. They cannot bite people with this mouthpart.

Adult houseflies usually live on 2 to 3 days without food but can survive up to 50 days where food is available. Females deposit an average 400 to 600 eggs each. This egg production and their short life cycle allow houseflies to develop large populations rapidly.

During daylight hours houseflies rest indoors on floors, walls and ceilings. They can be found outdoors on plants, the ground surface, fences and fence wires, garbage cans and other similar surfaces. At night they will rest indoors on ceilings, electrical wires and dangling light cords while they rest outdoors on fences, electric wires, edges of buildings and plants. In all situations they prefer corners and edges or thin objects such as wires and strings. Night resting places are usually 5 to 15 feet off the ground near daytime food sources. Knowing theses typical resting sites is important when spraying surfaces with residual insecticides. FARM SAFETY

The use of agricultural equipment is heavy during the summer and coincides with children enjoying summer vacation. Equipment operators need to be sure that all safety rules are strictly enforced. Too many times a simple joy ride can end with tragic results in the maiming or death of a child. Tractors and other equipment are for work and work only. They each have one seat that is intended for the operator. A lot of accidents and injuries can be avoided if a few simple rules are enforced. Keep children and non-workers off and away form the machinery being operated. Do not take riders and enforce this rule. Make sure no one climbs about the tractor or equipment tailing it. See that everyone is out of the way before moving. A little attention to safety now can cause a big savings in time and grief in the future.

Rick Hirsch is the Henderson County Extension Agent - Agriculture for Texas Cooperative Extension. Visit our web page at http:// henderson-co.tamu.edu.