For most people, there really isn't a whole lot of horticultural activity during November and December, so this newsletter will cover both months.

Don't forget that we need help with the Regional Pecan Show which will be here on Dec. 12 and 13-we had a good crowd last year, but I anticipate needing more people this year since the crop is larger in many areas. Bring nutcrackers, too.

WHAT TO PLANT IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER (modify for your location if necessary) container shrubs and trees (except cold-tender species) hardy perennials pansies, flowering cabbage and kale, dianthus, snapdragons-beginning of Nov., (mostly in southern counties)

VEGETABLES

Although there are not any vegetable crops officially recommended for planting during this time, people in much of our area can still plant some of the winter crops. Some of the best: radishes and the leaf lettuces are fairly fast crops; Swiss chard and turnips will live through some pretty cold weather if it is not too sudden.

Commercial vegetable fields should be planted with a cover crop by now. If growers are late planting, they may still get some germination and coverage from ryegrass, wheat, or Austrian winter peas.

PECANS

We're getting lots of calls about pecans not filling. In most cases, this is probably due to dry weather during August and September, combined with the heavy crop. I was talking with Dr. Stein last week and he pointed out that, even though many pecans are irrigated, most years there is also some supplemental rainfall during this period. Even many producers do not realize how much water large pecan trees use-especially during a heavy crop year. Other stresses; for instance, shallow soils and lack of zinc and nitrogen can also impact pecan filling.

Varieties with Success as one of their parents have a genetic predisposition to not fill as the trees get older. Most of these, such as Barton and Mohawk, are no longer recommended.

Watch for an e-mail publication about evaluating pecan problems from Dr. McEachern. It is an excellent concise guide to pecan management complete with a trouble shooting chart at the end.

FRUIT

As the leaves are falling from stone fruit trees is the time to spray with a copper fungicide/bactericide. This will help to prevent peach leaf curl and bacterial canker in the spring.

It is best to wait until late in the winter to prune fruit trees. Commercial growers may not have a choice, though. Labor limitations often dictate a long pruning season, which means starting in December for some.

HOME LAWN AND GARDEN TIPS

People who buy living Christmas trees to plant in their landscapes after Christmas should remember to look for adapted varieties. That means cedars (junipers) or Afghan pines for high pH soils. (Although Afghan pines are having some disease problems, they still are the best choice for the western areas) Austrian and Japanese black pines are good for most of our area, except soils with shallow caliche layers. Japanese black pines, however, rarely have the desired shape for a Christmas tree. Virginia pines or the East Texas Loblolly and slash pines are only for deep acid soils.

This is a good time to renew mulches in shrub beds and around trees. Organic mulches (wood chips, hay, etc.) will moderate soil temperatures during the winter, help hold in moisture when those winter winds blow, and protect soil structure from effects of rain and wind. Soil in empty flower and vegetable gardens will be in better shape for spring planting if it is covered-suggest that people use leaves, hay, grass clippings, compost, or bark mulch, if they haven't planted a cover crop.

STEPHENVILLE REC HORTICULTURE NEWS

If the weather will cooperate, we will be planting 800 strawberry plants here in the next week or so. These will be on black plastic mulch, with drip irrigation. I also plan to use row cover on them when necessary during the winter. It may be a potential crop for those who can afford the initial investment, especially for a pick-your-own operation.

NEWS FOR YOU AND YOUR COMMERCIAL GROWERS

For growers who want to explore marketing possibilities: the Central Texas and the BIG meeting will both include talks by commercial produce buyers. Growers should come prepared with the questions they have about marketing through these channels.

The U.S. government has set a goal of 75% of the crop acreage in the country being managed by IPM by 2000. About 20 Researchers and Extension Specialists from Texas and Oklahoma met last week to outline plans to explore the state of IPM use by cucurbit growers in the two states. This will be done at meetings in Weslaco and Oklahoma City in November, College Station in January, and the two vegetable meetings listed below. This is the first step to establishing a plan for increasing use of IPM on cucurbits.

Future vegetable meetings:

High Plains (Hereford)-Jan 16, 1996

Central Texas (Comanche)-Jan 18, 1996

General meeting:

BIG (Waco)-Jan 16 and 17 (Horticulture, Jan 16)