My crabapple is blooming. You might think that I MUST have a green thumb. However, the adverse may be more apropos. Crabapples that spit out blooms in the fall are showing that they are very stressed out. It’s almost a ‘throes of death’ type of reaction: “I-must-bloom-and-reproduce-before-I-die” type of thing. I think I have a grasp of what causes stress to me personally, but what kind of stress does a plant experience? Some thoughts that come to mind include:

– Moisture: lack of or over-abundance of water.

– Disease: in this case, I’m guessing apple scab, leaf spot or fireblight. The poor tree went through the summer nearly bald.

– Improper pruning: trim crabs in late winter. Pruning in late summer may stimulate growth and a bloom spurt.

Stoddard Avenue Pumpkin Glow

The Stoddard Avenue Pumpkin Glow will take place at dusk on October 30 and 31. The hill behind the Greek Orthodox Church in the historic Grafton Hills neighborhood of Dayton will be covered with more than 500 Jack-O-lanterns. It’s Spoooktacular!

Owl Prowl

The northern saw-whet owl is Ohio’s smallest bird of prey and it’s the subject of an upcoming program at the Ohio Historical Society’s Cedar Bog Nature Preserve near Urbana. Can they be found at Cedar Bog? They haven’t been yet, but that’s what Cedar Bog hopes to do on Saturday, November 5, at 7 p.m., when it offers its first Saw-whet Owl Prowl.

The prowl will be led by expert Bob Placier, an instructor in the School of Natural Resources at Hocking College in Nelsonville and a licensed bird bander. Since 2003, he’s been part of a saw-whet monitoring project near Chillicothe which has banded more than 300 of the owls. Placier will address what’s known about saw-whets and discuss Project Owlnet, a cooperative effort to document the owl’s migration patterns, then head out on the trail where the nets are located to catch a glimpse of one.

Admission is $6 for adults and $5 for students. Ohio Historical Society or Cedar Bog Association members save $1. Advance registration is required. To register, call 800.860.0147 or e-mail cedarbog@ctcn.net.

Shopping Opportunities

2012 Calendars – Greene County Master Gardeners are offering a beautiful 2011-2012 calendar including Ohio hardiness zone chart, checklists, and helpful gardening hints. They are $13.50 and available at the county extension office at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Wickline’s Garden Center in Xenia and TJ’s in Bellbrook. For more information email: mgvhotline@gmail.com.

All you can carry  pumpkins – Meadowview Gardens in New Carlisle is offering All-the-pumpkins-you-can-load-on-one-person for $14.99 this Saturday, October 29 – ONLY. I admit, it would be a pretty funny sight to see. More info HERE.