May Lotito

I gathered enough materials from my broomcorn plants for a few years but never actually made one. I tried once but it was loose and wiggly. It was discouraging to think I need special tools for the project. Then I came across a box of hose clamps and realized they were perfect for holding the bristles around the stick. I connected two clamps to get the right length, left one end open to wrap the fibers around. Then I made sure the fibers were distributed evenly before tightening the clamp down. I added a second row for more contact area. Since the broom stick was not straight, I turned it around to find the angle most comfortable for holding. I fanned out the bristles accordingly so it would sweep right. I used hand twisted yucca twine for sewing, which was dyed black with persimmon leaves and iron.

The broom does its job on the kitchen floor. I am considering making a mop with recycled fabric strips the same way.

Is there something gumming in the center of the crack? Dusty stuff can be the frass of the pest. If it is a soft bodied larvae,  maybe you can poke in the crevices with a wire to kill it.  Disinfect the area and see how the tree's recovering.

Hi Dan, welcome to the forum.

The symptoms look like shot hole borer infestation. If you look closely, you will find a tiny entry hole in the center. The beetles also carry the fusarium fungi that feed on the sap and wood around the wounds and give rise to the white circles spreading from the entry hole. Eventually the infected branches will die back. Are you in California? Maybe your local university extension office can offer advice on the treatments.

Only the lower leaves are gone and there are partials of leaves or petioles left. Don't look like it's due to bugs or diseases, more likely some kind of animal.

I didn't grow a lot of broomcorn plants this year. Usually taller ones have longer brushes while smaller plants and secondary shoots have a more compact look. Grow them as if they are corns with fertile soil and they can reach over 12ft. Having consistent water in critical stage of blooming is important too. Anyway, I have some old brushes from previous year, not the best quality as I mostly grow the seeds to maturity for chicken feed. Brushes for broom making should be harvested earlier than that.

I am not good at identifying grasses. Given the aggressive nature of the grass, I suspected it is not native and refined the search for invasive species and the carp grass came up. I've never heard of it.

I am wondering if there's something special about the spot where it is dominating. Part of my yard used to have a nice mixture of clovers and other low growing species. I took several cuttings out of there and the next year, the area was taken over by noxious weeds, mostly the prostrate types with shallow roots and spreading habits. So if you are able to mow the carp grasses down, maybe it will to helpful to sow native seed mixtures to out compete the weeds.

Do you have close up picture of the leaves with a ruler. The Illinois Wildflowers website has a very detailed page about the Japanese stiltgrass:https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/grasses/plants/jp_stiltgrass.html
It might look a bit different because yours are in full sun.

Carpgrass also looks similar:https://weedid.missouri.edu/weedinfo.cfm?weed_id=28

Maybe you can contact them for an ID.

I had partial success with squashes in the three sister garden. A few vines were strong right off the beginning and set fruits in just 6 weeks. They were both single vines so the first female flowers appeared early after about 16 leaves. After late July we had a flash drought, and other squash plants just kept aborting or had tiny fruits. Squash bugs started to show up so I pulled the plants in mid August. I ended up with four squashes with OK quality. The high sensitivity to heat and drought was somewhat unexpected for me. At the same time, observations from other parts of the yard suggested a molybdenum deficiency, the least abundant essential element that is also less available in acidic soil. I checked the roots of the remaining lack luster beans, there was no nodule at all. Mo-containing enzymes are involved in nitrogen metabolism, as well as the synthesis of plant hormones for growth and stress response. The deficiency might explain why the garden failed early and the presence of squash bugs.

Your broomcorns are shorter and more branched, as if they are millets. What about the back seedheads? Is the color from black husks or they are dead? I can resend some seeds.

You can leave the lotus roots in the pot unless there is risk of the whole pot frozen solid. Cool weather will speed up the senescence of leaves. If the leaves and stems are not totally brown and dry, the nutrient is still being transported to the end rhizomes.

Sounds like common mallows are your natural cover crops.
I planted mixed brassicas and red kidney beans in late August under corn residues. The napa cabbages and rapini are already bolting. The bean bushes are for green beans.