MU Extension in Henry County

Recent heavy rains across Missouri are a good reminder to stay alert for flooded roads. Even if you don't live in a flood-prone area, flooding can impact your daily commute and create dangerous travel conditions. Most flood-related deaths occur when drivers attempt to cross moving water, and it takes surprisingly little water to sweep a vehicle off the road.

If heavy rain has been falling for several hours or days, pay close attention to local forecasts and flood alerts. Never drive around barricades, and be prepared with an emergency plan and supplies in case flooding affects your area.

Access more flood resouces from MU Extension: https://brnw.ch/21x46nU

July is here, and so is the heat. Keep your garden thriving with these timely tips from theJuly Gardening Calendar.

• Flowers & Ornamentals: Deadhead annuals and perennials, keep up with weeding, water newly planted trees and shrubs weekly during dry weather, and watch for Japanese beetles and rose diseases.

• Vegetable Gardens: Maintain consistent soil moisture to prevent blossom-end rot, harvest onions, garlic and potatoes when ready, make successive plantings of warm-season crops, and scout regularly for pests and diseases.

• Fruits & Nuts: Remove old raspberry and blackberry canes after harvest, monitor peaches for brown rot, protect grapes and tree fruit from birds, and provide summer care for strawberries.

• Cool-Season Lawns (Tall Fescue/Kentucky Bluegrass): Limit nitrogen applications, water deeply but infrequently, mow at 3½ to 4 inches, and check for sod webworm damage.

• Warm-Season Lawns (Zoysiagrass): Apply a light nitrogen feeding, monitor for chinch bugs and billbugs, mow weekly at 1 to 2 inches, and water only during extended dry periods.