MG Officers and Elect 2015

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1 MG GAZETTE MISSION: The mission of the association shall be to organize and promote volunteer efforts that Support Extension programs advancing sound horticultural practices in Nueces County. Nueces Master Gardeners, Inc. Issue 01 January Plant Lucky Bamboo January Topics MG Officers and Elect 2015 Botanical Name Dracaena Sanderiana MG Officers President s Corner Happenings Agent s Notes Potluck Lunch Meeting Dates Thank You! Garden Book Birthdays 2015 Dues Vounteer Hours Deadline Volunteer Opportunities Free CE Hours MG s In Action Tree With 40 Kinds of Fruit Home & Garden State Directors Meeting Jenny s Stuff Growing Lucky Bamboo Feng Shui Numbers President Deborah Holliday (956) El Elect Debra Martin (361) Vice President Elect Alene Burch (361) OPEN Secretary Linda Lamprecht (361) Elect Treasurer/ Bookkeeper Elect Publicity Gazette Editor OPEN Theresa Stelzig (361) OPEN ALL MASTER GARDENERS Jenny Mohundro jlmohundro@gmail.com (361) Dracaena sanderiana has many common names associated with it: Lucky Bamboo, Ribbon Dracaena, Ribbon Plant, Belgian Evergreen, Chinese Water Bamboo, Friendship Bamboo, Water Bamboo. Although many of these names contain the word bamboo, Dracaena sanderiana is in no way a member of the true bamboo family. Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is native to Cameroon in West Africa. It has become widely popular due to its ability to intertwine eastern mysticism with western new age culture. Lucky bamboo is a popular Feng Shui plant. Dracaena sanderiana (Lucky bamboo) can be grown hydroponically or in soil. To avoid yellow leaves, water with bottled, not tap water. Ex-Officio Norma Hernandez (361) Members-atlarge State Directors DeAnna Baumgartner, Carlos Valdez, Sandra Williams Jenny Mohundro, Betty Rogers Extension Lisa Martinez (361) Office MG Helpline (361)

2 : Deb Holliday President 2015 Nueces Master Gardeners, Inc. Happy New Year, Nueces Master Gardeners! I am humbled you have elected me to represent you as President for I thank Norma Hernandez and her board for their work in 2014, and for Norma's promise of continued guidance as I step up to the presidency. I thank Stephanie Martin for her mentorship when I was an intern and for her intrepid passion for all things Master Gardener. I promise to do my best to live up to the standards of these leaders and to help Nueces Master Gardeners Inc. become an even better, more inclusive group of friends and volunteers. First, an update on our leadership: Jessica Weizer has sadly (for us) left her position as AgriLife Horticultural Agent and NMG advisor. Her successor for the time being will be Jason Ott, Agriculture Agent (he was our plant auctioneer). Now, on to January! Planning and goal setting will be our priorities. I will meet with the new Board in early January to prepare for our first board and general meetings of the year. We must submit speaker assignments and topic descriptions for the Home & Garden Show by January 19. The Audit committee will be reviewing the 2014 books this month. NMG annual chartering documents need to be submitted by January 31. Master Gardeners, come to the January 20th meetings. You can pay your $12.00 dues, sign the annual Memorandum of Agreement, and enjoy a delicious pot luck meal. We will vote on the 2015 budget and discuss our goals and objectives for the year. Help us move into Additionally, get your hours reported via the Internet or to Betty by Jan Lisa any address, , or phone number changes. Deb President s Corner Other Happenings January 2015 Thurs. Jan. 1 *Orchid Novice Class, 7pm, BG, Wed. Jan.7 *Coastal Bend Cacti & Succulent Society, 7pm, GC, *South Texas Orchid Society, 7pm, GC, *Winter Lecture Series Container Gardens/ Downsizing Solutions, 10am, BG, Thurs. Jan. 8 *Rose Society, 7pm, GC, Tue. Jan. 13 *Corpus Christi Area Garden Council, 10am, GC, Wed. Jan. 14 *Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, 10am, ACISD Maintenance Dept., 619 N. Live Oak St., Room 14, Rockport, *Winter Lecture Series Citrus Greening, Expanding Disease Threat in Texas, 10am, BG, Wed. Jan. 15 *Bromeliad Society, 7pm, GC, Tue. Jan. 20 *MG Executive and General Meetings, 10am and 12Noon, GC, *Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardener Association, 10am, 892 Airport Rd., Rockport, Wed. Jan. 21 *Winter Lecture Series Scent-sational Plants, 10am, BG, Thu. Jan. 22 *Bonsai Society, 7pm, GC, Fri. Jan. 23 *Gene Blacklock s Winter Finch & Sparrow Identification, 6:15-9:15pm, BG, field trip from 7am-1pm Sat., Jan. 24. Register by Jan. 20, Wed. Jan. 28 *Plumeria Society, 6:30pm, GC, *Winter Lecture Series Cultivating Cactus, 10am, BG, BG=Botanical Gardens GC=Garden Center (Greely Senior Center) Remember! You get CE credits for the program portion of horticulture-based meetings that you attend which are not Master Gardener Meetings. 2

3 January Potluck Agent s Notes Howdy! I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday! The December Student/Intern Recognition Celebration was absolutely lovely! Special thanks to all who helped plan, set up, coordinate, and clean up after the event. Congratulations again to all the Interns, and great job on your skits! I m very proud of all of you. I had a wonderful time at the banquet and thoroughly enjoyed the roast! It was an honor and a pleasure to be able to work with all of you. I admire all of your hard work and dedication to the organization and to the community. Keep up the good work; I will miss you all very much! As always, thank you for all that you do! Take care and keep in touch, Jessica Weizer P.S. Here is my address: jweizer08@gmail.com Please don t hesitate to me if you have any bug or plant questions! Rita Phillips has no volunteers for future meeting lunches. To offer your help, contact her at or rnphillipscctx@grandecom.net PLEASE GIVE RITA YOUR SUPPORT Always sign up ahead of time! Next MG General Meeting January 20th, noon at GC Program: Greenhousing 101 Presenter: Beverly Leach Next MG Executive Meeting January 20th, 10:00 a.m. at GC (3 rd Tuesday monthly, except December) A Big Thank-You To Debra Martin And Her Helpers For A Great Job Planning and Decorating For The Intern Recognition Event The New Full Color Garden Book Corpus Christi Area Garden Council, Publisher Available at Gills and at Turners $25 plus tax ($27.06) Contact Huxley Smith, Betty Whitt or Pat Parr for more information. 3

4 01-03 Mary Parrot Class Bob Becquet Class Jan Shannon Class Frank Eicholz Class Helen Orsak Class Bobby Leach Class Gretchen Perrin Class John Slusarz Class Jeanne Cazassis Mayes Class Margaret Rose Class Billie Cox Class John Seip Class Beth Spirko Class Paul Parr Class 13 A Gentle Reminder! It is time to pay your 2015 MG Dues. DO NOT DELAY! Bring $12.00 check or cash in the exact amount to the MG Meeting January 20th Dues need to be paid on time for the staff to have correct membership numbers for their annual state reports. I Ongoing: Ray High School Greenhouse Behind Ray H.S., Staples & Texan Trail. Tuesday MG Workday 9:00-11:00 Ongoing: Food Bank Project Outgrow Hunger 826 Krill Dr. (Navigation then right on Savage Lane to Krill). Tuesdays 8:00a.m.( Except MG meeting day then Wednesday) Contact: Mary Lambert or her at cwlmel@yahoo.com Ongoing: Nature Conservatory, Mon., March 10 & March 24, 4:00 & Blucher Park 5:00 until sundown (Behind the Main Library) Bring gloves, bug spray, plus a bag lunch & chair if you plan to stay for our Chat & Chew time. Contact: Karen Smith Ongoing: Courtyard Maintenance at the Senior Garden Center, 1 st Monday, 9:15 a.m. Contact: Betty Whitt Ongoing: Botanical Gardens, Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. Contact: Jessica Latimer Areas to work: 1. Hummingbird Garden 2. Butterfly Garden (new) 3. Sensory Garden 4. Earth Kind Garden Check With Michael, Carol, Billy or Brenda for work tasks. Need Education Hours? Try On-Line Courses. ANOTHER IMPORTANT REMINDER All Master Gardener Volunteer Hours For The 2014 Calendar Year Must Be Posted Before January 15th! For FREE on-line courses for education hours try You can take up to 3 courses for 1 hour each of Continuing Education (CE) credit. 4

5 Intern Recognition Event Recognizing Our Graduating Interns of Class 25 Jessica Weizer congratulates our new Certified Master Gardeners, Frank Eicholz & Beth Spirko Billie Cox Ann Davis Frank Eicholz Ray Estrada Suzy Murray Roger Myers Mary Parrott A Beth Spirko Gloria VanZandt Carolyn West You brought lots of food. Betty Whitt arranged the tables. All the MG s and guests enjoyed the feast!. Door Prizes, Intern Skit, A Mega Birthday and AgriLife Agent Send Off The winningest table Door Prize winner Intern skit, Act 1 Intern skit, Act 2 Elmer Martin celebrates his 99 th birthday! Stephanie (back there somewhere presents Agent Jessica s Big Girl Panties Jessica s Farewell Roast is on as Stephanie adds useful tools and gags to the Big Girl Panties. 5

6 How In The World Is This Tree Able To Produce 40 Different Kinds Of Fruit? Sam Van Aken is an art professor at Syracuse University in New York. He wasn t always immersed of the world of art though- as a child, he grew up working on his family s farm before pursuing his art career. So, in 2008, when Van Aken learned that the orchard at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station was about to be destroyed because of a lack of funding, he knew he had to put his farming past to use. Many of the trees in the orchard were years old, and grew ancient, antique native stone fruits varieties that have been mostly hybridized or modified by modern agricultural practices (commercially-grown fruits are selected for their look and size more than any other factors, including taste). Syracuse art professor and Tree of 40 Fruits creator Sam Van Aken Aken knew he had to save these rare and ancient fruit varieties, so he bought the orchard and spent the next couple years trying to figure out how to graft parts of multiple trees onto one single tree. He started by creating a timeline of when all the varieties of fruit (about 250 total) blossomed, so he could know precisely when to graft a new variety onto the main tree. The grafting process basically involves making an incision in the main tree, and then inserting a shoot from the tree you want to add. When the tree was young, he grafted directly onto its root structure. Once it reached two years old, Aken began using chip grafting to add new varieties of fruit to various branches. Chip grafting involves cutting a small notch into a branch of the main tree. Then, a sliver of the tree to be added (including a bud) is inserted into the notch and taped in place. Over winter, the tree heals the incision, and in doing so incorporates the new fruit variety into that branch. After five years, Aken completed his first Tree of 40 Fruit, as he calls them. (Continued on p. 7) 6

7 For most of the year, it looks pretty much like a normal tree, but in spring, it explodes with white, red and pink blossoms before bearing its various ancient varieties of plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, cherries and almonds. Since then Aken has planted 15 more Trees of 40 Fruit in museums, community centers and art galleries around the country. His next plan is to create an orchard of them in a city setting. For more information go to the website listed below the title of this article and click on the video of a speech he gave on the subject. NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Thanks go to John Slusarz, Class 25 Intern, for sending this article to me. Spring Home & Garden Show February 13-15, 2015 The Spring Home & Garden Show is coming soon, almost TOO soon. Deadlines for submitting names of speakers and topics for the Master Gardener stage is January 19 th, the day before our January 20 th meeting. Please contact Deb Holliday if you have a topic ready to present. We have had really good offerings at past shows. Be prepared to volunteer for packing, set-up, booth-sitting and tear down at our January meeting because the Home & Garden show is the weekend BEFORE our February meeting. Have your personal calendars in hand and be ready to sign up to help our new officers organize for this big event. It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun! 7

8 Texas Master Gardeners Association State Director s Meeting, December 6, 2014 The Nueces Master Gardeners State Directors, Carlos Valdez and Jenny Mohundro, attended the final quarterly meeting of the 2014 year using a new version of the link which allows us to participate from the comfort of our homes. (Actually it was from the comfort of Carlos Valdez s home.) In the past, it was necessary to go to College Station. During this last year, we were able to attend by going to the Robstown office to use the Link system which required Lisa to be there on Saturday to open the office and get the computer set up. Now it is even easier to listen in on the meeting in College Station. Dr. Doug Welsh presented information on the Texas A&M Gardens and Greenway Project currently in the fund raising and design stage. The proposed plan will create a 45 acre premier teaching Botanical Garden similar to ones at other top universities on the TAMU College Station campus. It will be a home for the Texas Master Gardener Association, the Youth MG s, and Master Naturalists. Fourteen types of gardens will include a vegetable, fruit, wine grapes, bird, butterfly, Earth-kind, and a children s garden. Construction will begin in late This is a 6.5 million dollar project for construction and endowment maintenance of which Master Gardeners have been given a goal of providing $100,000. With donation a $5000 donation from the TMGA state organization plus donations from individual county MG programs, the current amount which has been raised is $40,000. From the Minutes of the September 2014 TMGA State Directors meeting: Texas Master Gardeners Association has the opportunity to have their name on the sixteen acre EarthKind Garden. Naming rights involve raising $100,000 for TMGA and each County Association in order to be recognized. Homer Babbitt, Dallas County moved that TMGA accept the challenge of raising $100,000 for naming rights for EarthKind Garden in the Garden & Greenway project. It was seconded by Donna Hagar. Discussion followed. Motion carried. Checks are to be made to Texas A&M Foundation and noted for EarthKind. Go to the TMGA website and click on the Texas A&M Gardens & Greenway project to view a video on this exciting project. Continued on page 9 8

9 The next speaker was Dr. Doug Steele, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service Director on What Is On The Horizon for Extension. He bragged that Texas A&M has the largest agriculture department, the largest research department, the largest Extension Service, the largest 4-H program, and the largest Master Gardener program in the United States. His office has determined that people want to reconnect to outdoors, grow plants and vegetables in their back yards, and participate in water conservation. Extension has made 26 million contacts in Texas. People find the Extension Service though the Website, but Dr. Steel wants to strike a balance between using technology and actually connecting with people by being high tech and high touch. People like what we do, but many don t know about the programs. He wants to change that. Dr. Steel was pleased to announce that the Texas A&M concept of Partial Cost Recovery is dead in the water. The goals were too unrealistic to work properly. Now they are working with the theory of fee based programming. This approach is to be more transparent in how the funds are being spent and to include input from the people who raise the money. Each year Extension emphasizes certain programs. This year Master Gardeners will be asked to help with emphasis in three areas. 1. Drought including xeriscape, and water conservation 2. 4H and youth programs to unreached youth including school based programs 3. Helping Health Science Centers in the areas of health, nutrition, and exercise. In addition to the two speakers, regular Association business was conducted including the Call to Order, Invocation, Opening Remarks, Approval of Minutes, Treasurer s Report and Standing Committee Reports, Unfinished and New Business, Election of Officers and the State MG Coordinator s Report. Standing Committee reports with items of interest to our MG s include: By-Law Changes Donna Hagar, Somervell County Added Texas A&M to the Agri-Life name. Motion approved. Conference Planning Homer Babbitt, Parker County 2015 TMGA Conference Bell County, April 16 17, TMGA Conference Collin County, May 17-19, TMGA Conference County Tentative Newsletter- Nicky Maddams, Grimes County Goal is to get the TGMA Newsletter into more media sites like Facebook and Twitter Outreach Eleanor Tuck, Tarrant County Continued on page 10 9

10 To qualify for awards, dues from each organization must be paid by March 1, 2015 Special Tax Advisory- Wayne Rhodes, Williamson County Each county s IRS Annual Report (990N) is due before May 1, 2015 Unfinished Business: TMGA was repaid for help provided for the 2014 Conference. New Business: State Director s meeting for the coming year: February 7 TAMU April 16 State Conference, Belton, TX August 1 TAMU December 5 TAMU Election of Officers: The following slate was accepted. President Donna Hagar, Somervell County 1 st Vice President Mary Means, Collin County 2 nd Vice President Peggy Rogers, Wood/Van Zandt County Treasurer Past President Dale Powell, Denton County Dick Coupe, Dallas County State MG Coordinator s Report Jayla Fry A plaque was presented to the outgoing President Dick Coupe. The incoming president was asked about her goal for the coming year which was to try to expand participation at the state level. Meeting adjourned. JENNY S STUFF ATTENTION, MASTER GARDNER FRIENDS! t I have a shed and garage corner full of gardening paraphernalia which will be of no use to me after I move to the Mirador on January 15 th. There are sprayers, organics, bug and disease potions (opened and unopened), tools, craft supplies, homegoods, and accumulated stuff. Come and bring a friend to browse and get a bargain. I hope you clear my garage and shed, or I will be forced to take them to the recycling center or Goodwill for disposal. Who? Jenny Mohundro When? Saturday, January 17 th 10:00am 5:00pm or call for other times Where? 5106 Queens Ct. 7 blocks off of Lipes at Yorktown near Luther Jones School Right on Queens Court and second house on left 10

11 Growing Lucky Bamboo How to guarantee the best luck with your bamboo. In Asian cultures, the New Year celebrations are accompanied by gifts of representing Good Luck. In China, Thailand, Viet Nam and surrounding areas, the New Year is celebrated at the beginning of the Lunar calendar in February. However, Japan celebrates as we do on January 1 st of the Gregorian calendar. Regardless of when they celebrate, presenting friends and family with gifts which bring good luck is an important part of the occasion. Lucky Bamboo is a gift favorite. Not only is it lovely, interesting, and easy to grow, it is wrapped in the mysterious meanings surrounding Feng Shui. Lucky Bamboo Care Light Requirement for Lucky Bamboo: bright indirect light. In its native environment, Dracaena sanderiana receive an ample amount of light. However, the surrounding plants shade the lucky bamboo from direct exposure to the sun. Too much direct sunlight can cause the leaves to burn. However, lack of light will cause weak growth, stretching and poor color. Low light conditions will, also, cause stunted growth and inhibit new leaf growth. The light requirements for lucky bamboo are the same whether grown in water or in soil. Water Requirements for Lucky Bamboo In water: Water level should be at least a couple of inches. Make sure the roots are covered with water; add water to keep the water level constant. Every couple of weeks change the water completely. Refill the container with clean water. Lucky bamboo is sensitive to the salts and chemicals in tap water; use distilled water or rainwater if possible. If you must use tap water let it set in an open container over night; this will let the chlorine evaporate. However, there is no way to remove the fluoride from the tap water. Fluoride can cause leaf tips to turn brown. Low humidity can cause leaf tips to turn brown as well. Mist the leaves of the lucky bamboo every couple of days if lack of humidity is a problem. In soil: should be kept moderately moist. Lucky bamboo does not like to be soggy or dry. To determine water needs, stick your finger in the soil up to your first knuckle (about an inch deep); if soil feels dry, water. It is very important for lucky bamboo to have good drainage good drainage when planted in soil and it will need to be misted every couple of days. Fertilizer Requirements for Lucky Bamboo Lucky bamboo doesn t require much fertilizer and can survive in pure water for quite a while. When you bring lucky bamboo home don t fertilize it for a couple of weeks; this will prevent over-fertilization. In fact, if your lucky bamboo turns yellow when you bring it home immediately change the water. Yellow leaves on lucky bamboo are an indicator of over-fertilization. Anytime your lucky bamboo has been over-fertilized, change the water and don t fertilize for several months. In water: Fertilize your lucky bamboo every couple of months (you can go longer). You can use a little dirty aquarium water or a diluted (tenth of the normal strength) water-soluble houseplant fertilizer. The best time to fertilize is when you change the water. In soil: You can fertilize with the same type of fertilizer as above, however you will need to fertilize once a month. Just replace one of your regular water cycles with the diluted water-soluble fertilizer. Lucky Bamboo Problems, Pests & Diseases Continued on page 12 11

12 Leaves with brown tips Fluoride burn or lack of humidity. What to do: Fluoride Burn replace water with clean distilled or rain water; Dry Air mist leaves every day or every couple of days. Yellow Leaves too much light or fertilizer. What to do: Too much light place more distance between the lucky bamboo & the light; too much fertilizer replace water with distilled water & don t fertilize for several months. Stalks yellow from bottom up too much fertilizer. What to do: Replace with distilled water and don t fertilize. At the point that the stalks turn yellow it is often too late for the lucky bamboo to recover. It is often better to cut the green top off and start a new plant. If you have more than one stalk in a container, but only one is yellow, remove the yellow stalk and change the water. Brown or mushy stalks root-rot from over-fertilization or over-watering (plants potted in soil). What to do: Cut the healthy tops off and root new plants. White sticky substance on stalks, snail-looking growth on stalks or cottony substances on stalks insects. Scale and spider mites can be, although rarely, a problem for lucky bamboo. What to do: Clean the container and pebbles with soapy water (a few drops of dish detergent in water works well) and rinse completely. Wipe each stalk gentle with the soapy water and rinse well. Place the clean stalks in the container and fill with distilled water or rainwater. Algae growing in water and on container too much fertilizer and light. What to do: Clean the lucky bamboo, pebbles and container with soapy water following the same procedure as above. Place the lucky bamboo in the container and fill with water. You might need to move it a little farther from the light or switch to an opaque container. Other Conditions Needed for Lucky Bamboo Temperature: Lucky bamboo needs moderate temperature. Normal household temperatures are fine. However, placing lucky bamboo next to an air vent or a door creates problems due to rapid temperature changes. Propagation: New Lucky Bamboo can be created through vegetative propagation. Begin by finding a node the raised rings that grow around the stalk make a cut about an inch above the node. You will now have a top and a bottom. Leave the bottom in the original container. The bottom will have no leaves and after a few days will need to be lightly misted every few days to encourage new growth. The tops will have all of the leaves. Take the top and dip the cut end in rooting hormone. Let it dry overnight before placing the top in the original container or a new container. How Lucky Bamboo Is Curled You may have seen photos or an actual lucky bamboo plant that is curled, wavy or has several stalks woven together. It grows like other bamboo and appears to be a straight stick plant. The growth of this plant is carefully controlled in order to make it curl. Growers place the stalks on a flat table in a greenhouse. Three sides of the stalk receive no light while one side is exposed to bright light so it grows in that direction. To achieve the curl or wave, the stalk is manipulated and rotated. Curling the stalk can take up to a year or a year and a half to achieve. 12

13 Feng Shui Numbers Adapted From an Article By Sally Painter Feng Shui Practitioner Much of the luck that is associated with bamboo comes from the number of stalks bunched together or woven together into an arrangement. The number of stalks determines the kinds of energy the plant attracts into your home and life. The more stalks in the planter, the greater the blessing of good fortune and luck. Lucky Log This is a certain kind of bamboo that looks like a log with no roots. You'll want to place one end in water so it can grow leaves and continuously produce new leaves. Lucky log bamboo is symbolic of a strong life that's filled with prosperity. Some varieties produce fragrant white flowers. Two Bamboo Stalks People often send two stalks of bamboo as an expression of love. This number may double your luck. Three Bamboo Stalks The plant of three bamboo stalks is one of the most favorite number combinations to have in your home. It brings three kinds of luck to you: Happiness: Fu Long Life: Soh Wealth: Lu (Career promotions) Four Bamboo Stalks In the Chinese language, the word used as four sounds very similar to the word used for death. The number four has the same kind of connotation and draws sha (negative) energy. You'll never find a four-stalked bamboo plant in the Chinese culture; much less ever give one for a gift. To do so is extremely rude and would be interpreted that you're giving the recipient a death wish. Five Bamboo Stalks With the number five, there's one stalk for every area of your life that can bring you wealth. The overall energy attracted to a five bamboo stalk plant is one of health, which is needed to benefit from any of the five areas of your life. You'll want to have a healthy career, healthy relationships, and more. The five stalk bamboo reinforces each of the five areas of your life that can influence the level of wealth for each area. Emotional Intuitive Mental Physical Spiritual Six Bamboo Stalks Six in the Chinese language also sounds like the word luck. Six stalks of bamboo attracts prosperity and advantages to achieve greater wealth. Seven Bamboo Stalks Seven stalks of bamboo bestow good health to you. Continued on page 14 13

14 Eight Bamboo Stalks Once more the Chinese language plays a big part in this number's law of attraction. Eight sounds like the word used for grow or thrive. Eight stalks also improves fertility. Nine Bamboo Stalks This is the symbol for good luck and bestows great luck to whoever receives a nine stalk plant. Ten Bamboo Stalks If you have a ten stalk bamboo arrangement then the wish for you is to feel complete and complacent. The hope is that you find your life to be perfect. The sender wants you to have everything in life just as you envision and desire. Twenty-One Bamboo Stalks If someone has gifted you with a plant with this number of bamboo stalks, then the well wishes for you and your family are being delivered in a very powerful overall blessing for great wealth and enduring health. Bamboo Symbolism Bamboo has long been the Chinese symbol for strength. Many admire the bamboo's qualities of fastgrowth and resilience. In Chinese, lucky bamboo is known as Fu Gwey Zhu. Fu: Luck and fortune Gwey: Power and honor Zhu: Bamboo Give a Bamboo Gift Many people give this kind of plant for housewarming gifts, birthdays, anniversaries, grand openings, award, achievements and other auspicious occasions. Receiving this plant as a gift increases your luck. Choose an elaborate woven lattice design or an arrangement of individual stalks tied together with red ribbon. 14

15 Jason Ott, CEA- Ag/NR Editor: Jenny Mohundro Disclaimer - the information herein is for informational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Master Gardeners is implied. Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating ******************************************************** Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, service, or accommodation in order to participate in any Extension event are encouraged to contact their County Extension Office at at least one week in advance of the program in order for proper arrangements to be made. ************** In the event of a name, address or phone number change please contact the office at: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 710 E. Main, Suite 1, Attn: Horticulture 15