Fall Weed Control in Lawns By Mario Villarino
A common weed affecting home lawns this time of the year is the Slender Aster. According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Aggie Turf unit, Slender Aster is an annual weed with simple, linear, and alternate leaves. Heads with yellow disk flowers while ray flowers can be white, blue, purple, violet, and pink. Gets increasingly woody and more difficult to control as it matures late in the season and in areas where it can be a perennial weed.
It is important to remember that herbicide control generally is most effective when the weeds are small, since their metabolic activities are higher, and the effect of the herbicide is most. Cold season broadleaf weeds are a major problem throughout Texas where mild temperatures stimulate luxuriant growth during winter and spring. These weeds including dandelion, chickweed, henbit, burweed and clover are particularly troublesome in early spring when warm season turfgrasses are dormant.
Not only are these weeds unsightly, but they increase mowing requirements and delay the recovery of desirable grasses. Likewise, warm season broadleaf weeds including woodsorrel, spurge and buttonweed are troublesome during summer months. Controlling broadleaf weeds helps turfgrasses develop a dense, uniform cover that resists further weed invasion, reduces mowing requirements and improves the appearance of a property.
On sports fields and golf courses, weed control also improves the safety and uniformity of playing surfaces. Regular mowing and proper fertilization during late winter and spring improves the appearance of turf areas and reduces the competition weeds provide, but does not eliminate them fromt he turf. Chemical control with nonselective herbicides in dormant bermudagrass or with selective herbicides in others will remove weeds from the turfgrass. When selecting a herbicide, accurate identification of weeds is the first step to successful weed control. Before using any herbicide, read the label. The label is the law!
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at [email protected]
Coming Up:
a. DOPA training for dairymen, Southwest Dairy Museum, October 25, 2017
b. Private Applicators CEU’s, November 1, 2017, Regional Civic Center, 5 CEU’s, $30 lunch included.
c. Private Applicator Training for new licensees, November 29, 2017, Hopkins County Extension Office.
Mario Villarino DVM, Ph.D.
Hopkins County Extension Agent for Ag and NR
1200B Houston Street
Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482
903-885-3443
Tira News October 13th 2017
By Jan Vaughn. The Tira Food Pantry is available to help families and individuals who may be in need of a few food items. The pantry stock is running low and residents are encouraged to donate non-perishable items. For more information, please contact Tami Joslin, 903-268-2496.
Congratulations are in order for Melissa Wischerman, who graduated from basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Her mother, Candy Wishcerman says, “So proud of her. What a wonderful experience, all these young people serving their country.”
Tiffany Vaughn took her daughter, Jaidyn, and Jaidyn’s friend, Maygan, to The Villages Resort on Lake Palestine over the weekend in celebration of Jaidyn‘s birthday. They spent Friday night at the resort and enjoyed playing tennis and mini-golf the next morning. They went to the Build-a- Bear Workshop in the mall and had lunch at Mercado’s in Tyler. That afternoon they had fun at the indoor waterpark at the resort, and then headed home.
One last reminder about the North Hopkins Alumni Homecoming on Saturday, October 14 th . Registration and bingo will begin at 4:30, with a BBQ meal being served at5:30. After the meal there will be a brief program honoring the Classes of 1967, 1977,and 1987, and then the Monday Night Jam Band will provide musical entertainment. All former NH students and staff are encouraged to attend.
Chip and I returned from a wonderful trip to Tennessee last Saturday. We left on Friday, September 29th , and drove to Sevierville, where we stayed at the Wyndham Smoky Mountains Resort. During our vacation we enjoyed sightseeing in the National Park and even saw a mama bear and 3 cubs on the Cades Code loop. We were entertained by many groups and individual singers at the Southern Gospel Jubilee at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. The views from the Aerial Tramway to Ober Gatlinburg were beautiful. We had a delicious German meal there, while the Bavarian Fun Makers Oompah Band played for Oktoberfest. We came back through Arkansas and took in the sights at Petit Jean State Park, before returning to Tira. Rylan, Brailon, and Slaiden Joslin (our great-grandsons) stayed with us on Monday evening, while their parents, Landon and Laiken, went to eat sushi in Greenville for their anniversary.
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-945- 2190 or 903-438- 6688 or [email protected].
Transitioning to Fall By Johanna Hicks
Transitioning to Fall
During the months of October and November, pumpkins seem to be a staple: pumpkin patches, jack-o’-lanterns, fall pumpkins decorations, and pumpkin pie. Pumpkins are one of the most popular crops, with 1.5 billion being grown each year. With all that pumpkin, what else can you do with it? You can make your own pumpkin puree! You will need 2 pie pumpkins or 1 regular carving pumpkin. The pie pumpkins are easier to work with and have a sweeter taste. Follow these simple directions:
1) Wash your pumpkin under running water with a vegetable brush. Safely cut each pumpkin in half.
2) Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. You can save them to make oven-roasted seeds!
3) Place the halves on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for about an hour. The peel will look wrinkled.
4) Remove from the oven and cool. When completely cooled, flip them over and scoop out the pumpkin with a spoon.
5) Place the pumpkin into a food processor. Puree until smooth. Refrigerate your puree or separate into 1 or 1 ½ cup portions and place in the freezer.
Look for a deep orange color when selecting pumpkins for eating. The skin and stem should be hard. Give the pumpkin a good thump. If it sounds hollow, it’s ripe! Raw pumpkins provide 26 calories and are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, as well as fiber. The seeds are edible!
Not quite ready to tackle making your own pumpkin puree? Canned pumpkin can be nutritious as well. However, there are some points to consider when purchasing canned items of all kinds. Canned goods get damaged often, but are those foods still safe to eat? Discard heavily rusted cans. Rusted cans can have tiny holes in them, allowing bacteria to enter. Surface rust that you can remove by rubbing with your finger or a paper towel is not serious. You can keep these foods. If you open the cans and there is rust inside, do not eat the food. Rust (oxidized iron) is not save to eat.
If a can containing food has a small dent, but is otherwise in good shape, the food should be safe to eat. Discard deeply dented cans. Deep dents often have sharp points. A sharp dent on either the top or side seam can damage the seam and allow bacteria to enter the can. Discard any can with a deep dent on a seam.
Now for a health tip. After dinner or on a weekend, get the family active by taking a walk around the neighborhood to look at the changing colors in the trees. Try to increase activity and decrease sedentary time every day.
4-H Project Show Results Revealed
Each year during National 4-H Week, the Hopkins County 4-H Project Show is held. Twenty-one projects were entered in the 2017 4-H Project Show. Even though the number is small, the quality was impressive! Below are the results:
Junior (grades 3-5):
- Jake Kempenaar – photography, blue ribbon
- Ashley Pace – baked goods, blue ribbon
- Marilena Reyes – photography (7 entries), 3 red ribbons, 4 blue ribbons; holiday, blue ribbon; woodworking, red ribbon; art, blue ribbon
Intermediate (grades 6-8):
- Madison Sperry – baked goods, red ribbon; art, blue ribbon
- Jacob George – general sewing, blue ribbon
- Honesty Bridges – general sewing, blue ribbon
- Eric Bridges – crafts, blue ribbon, Best of Show
- Ethan George – holiday, blue ribbon; woodworking, blue ribbon; art, blue ribbon
Senior (grades 9-12):
- Jorja Bessonett – clothing, blue ribbon
Best of Show entries:
– Baked goods: Ashley Pace
– Photography: Marilena Reyes
– Crafts: Eric Bridges
– Holiday: Ethan George
– Woodworking: Ethan George
– Art: Ethan George
– Sewing: Jorja Bessonett
Congratulations to each of these 4-H members! For more information about the Hopkins County 4-H program, contact us at 903-885-3443.
Closing thought
The best things are nearest…breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you – Robert Louis Stevenson
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
Texas High Visits Prim With New Head Coach
The Wildcats take on the Texas High Tigers Friday night at Prim Stadium. The first year head football coach of Texas High is Gerry Stanford and he has some very big shoes to fill. He replaces long time Tigers head coach Barry Norton, who moved across town and across the border to Arkansas High. Stanford came to Texas High from Flower Mound Marcus where he was the head coach. Before that Stanford had a very good run as head coach of White Oak. He also coached at Hurst L.D. Bell and at Grapevine.
The Tigers are 2-3 so far this season under Coach Stanford. After splitting four non-district games, the Tigers opened district play two weeks ago with a tough home loss to Marshall, 35-33. The Tigers had a bye last week. Coach Stanford said the bye came at a good time after the Tigers played five straight weeks with all the games close and physical. He said they regrouped, got healthy and went to the drawing board to fix some things this week. Coach Stanford said the non-district schedule featured good competition that prepared them for tough district games to come.
He said the Texas High offense features good receivers, running backs and quarterback play behind an improving offensive line. Coach Stanford said the Tigers defense carried the team early before the offense started to come around. He said he is enjoying his first year at Texas High. He called Sulphur Springs a tough team with lots of experience. He is especially impressed with the Wildcats defensive line and quarterback play. Coach Stanford said the Wildcats are well coached and are a high character team.
Lady Cats Play for District Volleyball First Place Tie Friday
Late Tuesday night, KSST Sports learned that the first place Lady Tigers of Texas High had lost a volleyball road contest at Hallsville. That upped the ante for this Friday’s Lady Cats’ volleyball team’s home contest against Texas High. With the T High loss and the Lady Cats win over Greenville at home Tuesday night, the Lady Cats find themselves just one game out of first place. A win Friday would put the Lady Cats into a first place tie with the Lady Tigers.
The word is beginning to spread. SSISD publicist and former basketball coach Rusty Harden is helping spread the news. In an e-mail entitled The Lady Cats Need You, he is encouraging everyone to come to the game Friday beginning at 4:30 p.m. and cheer on the Lady Cats. All SSISD students from Pre-K to fifth grade can get in free. Two students can enter free with a paying adult. Harden says to wear Wildcats colors or pink for an October pink out night. He encourages bringing support posters and being loud.
Cumby Trojans, Lady Trojans Qualify for Regional Meet
The District 14-2A Cross Country meet was held Wednesday, October 11, 2017, at North Hopkins ISD. The Trojans and Lady Trojans of Cumby had a successful day at the races.
The Varsity Girls District Champion is freshman, Lexi Busby, running the 2-mile course in a personal best time of 12:55 qualifying for regionals as an individual. Lexi’s closest competitor was a minute and twenty-one seconds behind her. Fellow freshman teammate, Rylee Krotky, also qualified for regionals as an individual placing 5th with a time of 15:01. 
The Cumby Lady Trojans Cross Country Team qualified for regionals by coming in as the District Runner-Up. Other team members are freshman, Brooke Petty (12th place; 15:55), senior Bailey Busby (13th place; 16:03), senior Ashley Hagood (14th place; 16:07), and sophomores Abby Baxter (17:51) and Natalie Martinez (19:34).
The Trojans qualified for regionals placing third as a team. Team members running the 3-mile course are: Alize Lopez (11th place; 20:24), Tony Arellano (22:31), Dayton Wood (25:06), Keagan McCollum (25:08), and Kyle Thomas (25:11). The Junior High Lady Trojans were lead by 9th place runner Jaymi Neiswander with a time of 13:45. Montgomery Owens snagged 11th place running the 2-mile course in 18:35. Mariana Ugalde (20:07) and Ehimy Castro (24:46) were the members of the Lady Trojan Junior High team. The CJHS Trojans came in third place at the meet lead by 12th place runner Logan Butler running the 2-mile course in 14:17. Clay Krotky (13th place; 14:43), Fabian Camargo (14th place; 14:47), Armondo Osornio (15:28), and Caylor Hoops (17:02) rounded out the team.
The Region II-2A meet will be held on Monday, October 23rd, at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie.
Hopkins County Military Coalition Seeks Additional Members
The Hopkins County Military Coalition is an all Volunteer Unit formed in 1998 of Veterans from different branches of service whose primary purpose is to provide final Military Honors for any Honorably Discharged Veteran in and around Hopkins County. According to Karon Weatherman, Senior Citizen Center Executive, the Hopkins County Military Coalition is in need of additional members to be able to fulfill the requests from Veteran’s Families for Final Military Honors for their Family Members.
If you are an Honorably discharged veteran, physically able to perform the required manual of arms with 8 lb plus M1 Military Rifle, and are available to help weekdays and weekends, we need you to become an active member of the Hopkins County Military Coalition.
Over 500 SSHS Students Awarded for Perfect Attendance During First Six Weeks
Pictured: SSHS Principal, Derek Driver and Brandon Williams from Guaranty Bank. Sulphur Springs High School would like to thank Guaranty Bank and Fix and Feed for helping reward all our students who achieved perfect attendance during the first six weeks. Thanks to their generosity SSHS was able to reward over 500 students for this fantastic achievement.
