The Root of It All: Keeping ticks out, and growing pole beans

My dog keeps bringing ticks in, even though I have a tick repellent collar on him. Is there a way I can treat my yard to kill the ticks? Debbie, Burlington.

Talk to your veterinarian about a different type of tick repellent to use on your pet to protect him from ticks and fleas, but also consider some modification to your yard and landscape. Try to reduce leaf litter and ground cover areas where rodents can hide. Keep the grass mowed, and leaves raked and composted. If possible, keep your dog in the sunnier parts of the yard, away from trees, shrubs or wooded areas. If you find ticks on your dog (or on you), it is important to remove them right away to lessen the chance of disease.

Create a tick-free zone by spreading wood chips between your yard and any wooded areas, or use a barrier spray with a product containing permethrin. Permethrin can be found in a formulation for use on dogs, as well. If you decide to use a chemical application, always follow label instructions to the letter. Even though two products may contain the same active ingredient, permethrin in this case, other ingredients may be in there. So choose a spray specifically for use in the landscape for a barrier spray, and a different product for use on your clothing or on your dog.

For more information on ticks, and to find out how to get ticks or insects identified, visit the UW-Extension Insect Diagnostics lab website at http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectlab or visit the page specifically dealing with ticks at http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/wisconsin-ticks.

In addition, you can bring ticks or insects (killed in alcohol and in a container, please) in to the UW-Extension Horticulture Helpline sites at one of the Racine County Office Buildings in Ives Grove or Burlington.

Growing pole beans

Last year I had trouble getting my pole beans to set fruit. Was it too hot for them? Are there more heat tolerant bean cultivars to grow here? Trisha, Racine.

Beans are tolerant of heat, and typically dont have problems with pollination and fertilization of flowers unless the temperatures stay above 95 degrees for two to three days. However, if warm temperatures were combined with drought, you might see a significant decline in fruit production in beans.

Flowering and fruiting processes are sensitive to environmental stress. If the conditions are not right for the plant to produce fruit, fruit will not be produced. Tomatoes, for example, do not like high night time temperatures and will typically drop flowers on hot summer nights. But beans are okay with the warmth unless it is extreme. English peas, Sugar Snaps and other sweet peas are types that are sensitive to heat, but they are exceptions in the bean family. Blue Lake, Contender, French Filet, Yellow Wax and other bean cultivars do well in warm weather as long as the soil is moist.

Lack of water is a big issue for bean production, so make sure to keep those vines well-watered during times of flowering and fruiting. Dont fertilize beans, unless you know your soil is deficient from the results of a soil or a plant/soil analysis. Beans are able to gather their nitrogen from the air, but wont if they are supplied with a luxury amount of nitrogen in the soil. Sometimes too much of a good thing, nitrogen in this example, is really just too much. If the plants are green, growing and flowering, chances are they are getting the nitrogen they need.

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The Root of It All: Keeping ticks out, and growing pole beans