Sandoval County Master Gardener Newsletter

Transcription

1 Sandoval County Master Gardener Newsletter Steve M. Lucero, County Program Director New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service U.S. Department of Agriculture Sandoval County Extension P.O. Box 400 Bernalillo, NM Ph: Web: sandovalmastergardeners.org New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. SCMG Newsletter Submissions Deadline: 15th of each month Please submit news, articles, events and photographs to: January 2014 COORDINATOR S CORNER I welcome the 2014 Interns to the Master Gardener Training Class and to our volunteer organization. I also welcome back all returning Master Gardener Veterans and Life Members for another year of continuing Master Gardener education and volunteer work in our organization and projects. A new SCMG web site with content management capability is something we can all look forward to in Master Gardeners will have increased flexibility in content contribution and artistic layout for their project and committee pages when the new site is up. Web Master Scott Lake will head up a team of Master Gardeners to design the new site starting in January. The time FROM LYNDA S DESK line for completion is expected to take about 6 months. Material from our current NMSU aces site will be transferred to the new web site gradually. Scott will continue to maintain the current NMSU web site during this process. Continue to Scott information to keep your project linked pages up-to-date for review by other Master Gardeners and the 2014 Interns. Master Gardener Cathy Elliot is the responsible contact for updating current events on the SCMG/ NMSU aces web site. The SCMG 2014 Training syllabus is ready for your review now, and the classes will be held at the Extension Office in Bernalillo. The first Training Class will be primarily devoted to orientation of the 2014 Interns with an extended break-out session for the Interns and their mentors. We have a class of 35 Interns along with 13 Mentors and other Master Gardener Training personnel, so space will be at a premium on January 7. If you are a Veteran and want to attend Training Classes, please consider attending the other Training Classes scheduled from January 14 th April 15 th. And remember that Master Gardener veterans can earn their minimum 4 Hours in a Training Class in the SCMG Advanced Classes and SCMG Workshops now. Please review the 2014 first quarter SCMG Advanced Class and Workshop schedule in this Newsletter. Season s Greetings. May the New Year be filled with peace, joy, health, and abundant gardens. The Master Gardener training for 2014 is at full capacity. Thirty-five new and enthusiastic participants will begin the journey on January 7 th. A line-up of advanced classes and workshops are in place for the first quarter of the year. The Think Trees NM Urban Tree Care Conference is happening January as well as the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference February 14-15, both in Albuquerque. I encourage all of you to take advantage of these opportunities.

2 January 2014 Page 2 December Board Meeting Notes Interns - The flash drives you will receive (containing the MG manual) will cost $20.00 to replace if lost. Veterans - If desired, Gretchen can update your flash drive with the new manual information. Veteran Master Gardeners will be scheduled in the Casita on several days so that interns will have help with the hotline. Veterans - Please sit in the balcony during training classes if you are not with your intern Veterans - You are no longer required to complete 4 hours in the regular training class sessions. Education requirements can be fulfilled in Advanced Classes and Workshops. The following Committees are seeking volunteers (Veteran and Intern) with noted interests and background: 1. Governance Committee - seeking co-chair to replace Maryellen Sherman, who has transferred to Texas. Computer documentation skills desired, and time to attend board meetings. Contact Governance Co-Chair Rex Franklin. 2. Membership Services Committee - seeking volunteers to help flesh-out new ideas to support SCMG membership functions. Contact Membership Services Chair Dar Brady. 3. SCMG Web Site Design Committee - seeking volunteers with web site design experience. Design planning meeting in January. Contact Web Master Scott Lake. 4. Education Committee - seeking volunteers to help organize and manage 2014 SCMG Advanced Classes and Workshops. Planning meeting in January. Contact Coordinator Sandra Liakus Exciting Advanced Classes & Workshops Get hands-on training at field workshops led by professionals! Or attend Advanced Classes that go beyond the minimum SCMG training! SCMGs have many opportunities to attend Advanced Classes and Workshops. At left, students learn about vineyard pruning and maintenance at Milagro Winery with Rex Franklin. At right, students learn about wildlife pest control with Dr. Sam Smallidge. (see schedule on page 9 for first quarter opportunities)

3 January 2014 Page 3 Rio Rancho Tree Stewards Spring Training Saturday, March 29, am to 3pm With the support of the Sandoval County Master Gardeners, the Tree Steward Program was started in 2010 to provide educated volunteers for local public parks. Tree Stewards visit their park on a regular basis, do light pruning, build tree wells, attend social networking events, report problems and prepare a quarterly status report on trees within their Park. Consider joining the Tree Team and attend our Spring Training. We meet at the UNM-West Campus on March 29, This is a fun training day where trainees interact with urban forest experts. The morning session is a classroom session followed by hands on training in the afternoon at a local Rio Rancho Park. Tree Stewards who would like a refresher course are always welcome. To register call ( )/Rio Rancho Parks Dept. Participants in the program will receive tools and training by professional and certified arborists in arboriculture, and will be asked to volunteer to help the city plant and take care of trees in public parks. Participants that successfully complete the training will be certified as an official City of Rancho Tree Steward. This is an opportunity for residents to learn from experts and then apply that knowledge to assist the city to care for the valuable trees in our parks. Think Trees Urban Tree Care Conference Crowne Plaza Albuquerque January 30-31, 2014 thinktreesnm.org Land & Water Summit 2014: Drought as an Opportunity for Change The Xeriscape Council of New Mexico will present the annual Land & Water Summit for 2014, Drought as an Opportunity for Change on February This event has been previously known as the Xeriscape Conference. Over the past several years, drought has dominated all of our lives. The demands on our limited and decreasing water resources are huge, yet new demands are continuously being added. This year, the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico strives to find both traditional and non-traditional speakers that generate positive change during a water crisis through storm water mitigation, water harvesting and low impact design principles. Award winning journalist Cynthia Barnett is the keynote speaker for the 2014 Land & Water Summit. Ms. Barnett is a journalist who has reported on freshwater issues from the Suwannee River to Singapore. She is author of the books Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S. and Blue Revolution: Unmaking America s Water Crisis. Visit for more details.

4 January 2014 Page 4 Master Gardeners present County Commissioners with 2013 Volunteer Check worth $399,513 Sandoval County Master Gardeners presented a Big Check in the amount of $399,513 to the residents of Sandoval County at the County Commissioners Meeting on December 12, The check represented the 2013 SCMG volunteer monetary benefit to the community. SCMG Coordinator Sandra Liakus and Assistant Coordinator Gretchen Neiman presented on the 2013 volunteer contribution to the County Commissioners that evening. This contribution included the monetary value for all 2013 SCMG volunteer project hours including participating public volunteer hours and the monetary value of fresh produce harvested by Master Gardeners at the Seed2Need gardens in Corrales for local food banks. The volunteer hour total was multiplied by the Federal IRS minimum wage rate for public volunteers to arrive at the total check amount. The Master Gardeners educate and assist the residents of Sandoval County on horticulture and landscape issues. Master Gardeners maintain community demonstration/ community gardens such as the Placitas Community Library Garden, the Corrales Town Hall Garden, the Delavy House Garden, and the award winning Rio Rancho Water Wise Garden. Master Gardeners train and work with community volunteers in the Rio Rancho Tree Stewards park program and the Seed2Need produce gardens in Corrales. 41,199 lbs. of fresh produce valued at $71,648 were harvested at the Seed2Need gardens by Master Gardeners and trucked to local food banks in the county in What s Wrong with my Tree? Suddenly there were patches of dying needles all over my Japanese Black Pine. Had it been attacked by insects? Maybe pine tip moths? The dreaded bark beetles? Was it too far gone to save? Was I about to lose a big piece of my landscape? Nope. Even evergreens drop leaves from time to time. The tree grows at the tips, and older needles die periodically. The photo on the right shows the dying needles are away from the growing tip, all over the tree. That s why there are pine needles on the ground under trees in the forest.

5 January 2014 Page 5 House Plants By Julia Runyan, Sandoval County Master Gardener Plants provide cheer with their greenery and colorful flowers. The process of growing plants indoors makes your life better by having a little bit of nature which can help on cloudy days. As child I can remember being in awe of a giant Asparagus fern along with a Philodendron in my Grandmother s West Texas living room. I really think that is where I got my love of plants. House plants of all kinds have been used in homes around the world for generations for decoration. Here in Rio Rancho we can grow many wonderful plants in our homes on widow sills, table tops, or in a corner of the room. They take very little time and moisture. I am very fortunate that I have a big sunroom for my plants that need a lot of light. My favorites are a Gold Fish plant with dark green waxy leaves and orange flowers that look like little fish, a Lipstick plant also with dark green waxy leaves and flowers resembling red open mouths, and Spider plants in hanging baskets. These plants need to be moderately moist and like bright light. Tall plants like the Snake Plant, variegated Dracaena, and Earth Star, I water every two weeks if the soil feels dry to the touch. If these plants are over-watered they will get root rot. They have a very long life and are wonderful house plants. Then there are my succulents, the Ox Tongue, Burro s Tail, Aloe, Jade plant, and several types of Hens and Chicks. I just received a new variety of Kalanchoe. These plants do not require a lot of water, but they do like bright light. Other plants I enjoy are the Purple Waffle, Purple Passion, Polka-dot, and Friendship plant, because of the color and texture of their leaves. They need to be kept evenly moist and can take bright light. I have two Dwarf Meyer Lemon trees that stay in the sunroom in winter and go outside for the summer. They have a wonderful fragrance when they bloom twice a year. I have gotten lemons off both trees. They like a good watering a couple times a week. I fertilize them with ¼ cups of citrus food every two months. A number of tried and true house plants I avoid because they are poisonous. I have small visitors that like to put things in their mouths. Just a few are the Croton, Dieffenbachia, and several varieties of Philodendron, Schefflera and Ficus. Most of my plants are easy to care for and provide a relaxing pastime. When working with the plants I check for pests every week. Every two months I make up a solution of plant fertilizer as shown on the container. If they have outgrown their containers, their root hairs are coming out of the bottom of the pots, or roots begin to circle the base of the plant, I will repot them. At that time I ll propagate them so I have new plants to keep or give to friends and family. Before you buy house plants, do some research checking the natural light and avoiding drafty areas where you want to place them. Before purchasing plants, go to several nurseries and look at what s available. Talk to staff about light requirements and maintenance. Deciding on house plants can be an adventure but well worth the experience. This article was previously published in the Rio Rancho Observer. New Mexico Organic Farming Conference Mariott Pyramid Albuquerque February 14-15,

6 January 2014 Page 6 Winter Watering, Pruning, and Landscape Assessment By Sandy Liakus, Coordinator, Sandoval County Master Gardeners Watering: Watering in the winter is essential to tree and shrub health in our high desert landscapes. In order for most established landscape trees and shrubs to flourish in our climate, you must deep water them at least once per month in the donut feeding root zone. Continue this deep watering schedule through the end of April, at which time you will need to increase the watering schedule to two times per month. An exception to this rule is newly planted trees that need to be watered more frequently during the first year of their life. Another exception is the watering of native and highly xeric plants, which respond to less frequent watering. Choose a sunny 50 degree winter day (when the ground is not frozen) to do your monthly watering. Thoroughly water the donut root feeding zone surrounding your tree or shrub. The feeding roots of the tree and shrub are located in an outer donut shaped zone surrounding your tree. The inner circumference of the tree donut zone starts at the drip -line or canopy location of the outer branches and extends at least two radial feet to the outer circumference. The creation of an outer circumference earth or rock berm will help to prevent water runoff from this zone. The method is to water the entire tree donut zone slowly and thoroughly from the top of soil down so that the water gradually seeps down to a depth of ~24 inches. Arborists will advise on going down to 30 inches to provide the best moisture support base. Smaller shrubs need only be watered to a depth of 12 inches. The use of a soaker hose wrapped around the donut zone of the tree or shrub is ideal for this type of watering. Or, strategically place the end of a standard watering hose taking advantage of gravity to distribute slow flowing water evenly around the tree s feeding root zone. Re-position the hose end periodically to achieve even watering around the donut zone. The time needed to achieve the proper tree watering depth depends on the composition of your landscape soil. The typical soil composition for Rio Rancho homes is high in sand content. The water should soak in rather quickly unless your topsoil lies on a caliche layer. If the water is not soaking in quickly the watering may have to be done in stages to allow the water to soak deeply without run-off. Depth of water in soil may be measured by a hand push probe meter found in your local hardware store. Or, make an intuitive decision on the time required to achieve deep tree and shrub watering based on working with your garden soil in the past. While you are deep watering, assess the need for replacing compost and mulch around your trees and shrubs. The layering of 1-2 of cured compost in direct contact with the soil followed by a 2-3 top layer of organic mulch (wood chips or pecan shells) will help to build up organic matter in the top layer of your soil and prevent moisture evaporation. If trees are located in a windy area a shallow loose rock layer may serve as a protective covering for the compost layer. Do not bunch up the compost and mulch around the tree trunk. The trunk area should be free of organic matter to avoid creating a medium for moisture and pest growth.

7 January 2014 Page 7 Winter Watering, Pruning, and Landscape Assessment (continued from previous page) Pruning: A friend of mine in Placitas uses Super Bowl Sunday as a starting time to prune her trees and shrubs. Rio Rancho has a slightly warmer climate compared to Placitas, and residential properties provide even more opportunities for sheltered areas or microclimates. So you may start pruning dormant shrubs and deciduous trees right now. Again take advantage of one of the warmer winter days to walk your landscape and visualize your dormant deciduous trees and shrubs. This is the best time to sculpt your trees (i.e. Ash, Hackberry, Chinese Pistache, ornamental Pear and Plum) and large shrubs (i.e. New Mexico Olive, Smoke Tree) to work toward achieving an eye appealing and healthier shape for your plant. A good start is to eliminate crossing branches. Always cut back to the branch, twig or bud that is pointing in the direction that you want the tree or shrub to grow using a clean well sharpened pruning shear or saw. For branches that originate from the trunk of the tree you will see a collar that originates from the trunk at the junction of the branch. Avoid cutting into this collar because it contains vascular tissue important to the overall health of the tree. The branch pruning cut should be made right outside of the collar without leaving a branch stub. For larger branches make successive cuts to the branch to eliminate weight prior to the final cut to remove the stub close to the collar. Branches that form a shallow or V - shaped crotch angle present a week structural point to the tree, and they are trickier to remove. If no branch collar is evident at the crotch angle start the pruning cut at the lowest point of the undesirable branch, and cut at a 30 degree angle toward the top point of the branch connection to the trunk. Clean your pruning tool between cuts with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol or a spray of dilute bleach solution (10%) to avoid spreading possible plant disease between cuts. Proceed slowly and make wise choices in pruning cuts on your tree or large shrub. When in doubt, leave the branch and hold off pruning it until the following year. Do not remove more than 15-20% of the living branches of a tree or large shrub per year, and never top a tree. Pruning should be started on young trees and practiced conservatively every year to achieve the desired shape of the tree. Dead branches may be pruned from a tree or shrub at any time of the year. The pruned tree or shrub will heal during the remainder of the dormant season and be ready to focus all of its energy into the remaining branches for a robust spring bud break. The pruning of pine trees and shrubs can be held off until late February or just prior to the spring pollination. The pruning of fruit orchard trees can be held off until late February and March depending on your orchard s microclimate and the type of fruit tree. Follow the same approach to pruning deciduous trees and shrubs as described above with some minor variations. Master Gardeners can provide more detailed information on the pruning of all tree and shrub varieties. Xeric plants such as butterfly, sage, spirea and chamissa bushes and native grasses can be pruned down to 1/3 of their original height in late February or March to allow for new spring growth. I typically delay the pruning of these plants until very late winter, since the stalks and seed heads do provide winter interest to our high desert gardens. The seed pods for the red elephant grass can be pruned from the evergreen plant in March. Working in your garden in the winter is a perfect time to assess your need for spring and summer landscape plantings. If your garden appears lackluster at this time, research trees, shrubs and ground cover that provide winter interest with evergreen foliage, colorful berries and sculptural wood effects. Take a winter stroll at the Rio Rancho WaterWise Garden, maintained by the Master Gardeners, at 915 Pine Tree just behind the Esther Bone Memorial Library to get ideas on what trees, shrubs and ground cover appeal to you in the winter time. This article will appear in the Rio Rancho Observer.

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9 January 2014 Page 9 Details for events shown on the calendar pages: Calendar Events Gardening with the Masters Location: MEADOWLARK SENIOR CENTER Meadowlark Lane, Rio Rancho. Time: 7:00-8:30 PM: SCMG volunteers (2 needed) arrive for pre-lecture set up at 6:30 PM. Audience: Gardening With the Masters lectures are FREE to the public and all are invited to attend. January 7, "Beneficial Soil Microorganisms" Presented by: Michael Crofoot January 21, "Pruning and Development of the New Grape Vine" Presented by: Rex Franklin February 4, "Tomatoes for Everyone" Presented by: Therese Barts February 18, "Improving Garden Soil" Presented by: John Zarola Master Composters 01/25/2014 Home Composting Basics: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm at Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors Blvd NW, Albuquerque. To register call or send to register@nmcomposters.org. Instructor: Carl Soderberg. 02/15/2014 Bucket Composting with Bokashi Method: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm at Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors Blvd NW, Albuquerque. To register call or send to register@nmcomposters.org. Instructor: John Zarola. SCMG Board Meetings 3rd Tuesday of every month Location: Sandoval County Extension Office Time: 10:00-12:00 AM January-April; 2:00-4:00 PM May-December Audience: All Sandoval County Master Gardeners and Interns are invited to attend January 21, Sandoval County Extension Office, 10 AM-noon February 18, Sandoval County Extension Office, 10 AM-noon SCMG Advanced Classes & Workshops February 6 1:00-3:00 Seasonally Appropriate Wes Brittenham, owner Sandoval County Extension Landscaping Plants of the South West February 21 1:00-3:30 Fruit Tree Pruning Elizabeth Gardner Gene Dunn's Orchard Placitas February 26 9:00-11:00 Seed Saving workshop Stephanie Walker Sandoval County Extension Growing and Managing Grapes - 3 Presentations plus Hands-on Pruning workshop (public series) (1)March 8 10:00-noon Site Selection for Grapes Rex Franklin Sandoval County Extension (2)March 15 10:00-noon Developing New Grape Vines Rex Franklin Sandoval County Extension (3)March 22 10:00-noon Irrigation of Grapes Rex Franklin Sandoval County Extension (4)March 29 10:00-noon Pruning Demonstration Rex Franklin Franklin Vineyards Corrales March 13 1:00-4:00 Seed Starting Tomatoes Judy Jacobs & Penny Davis Herenden Hall at San Ysidro & Chiles for Seed2Need Church in Corrales March 20 10:00-noon Tour Santa Ana Nursery Mike Halverson, Manager Santa Ana Pueblo & Seed starting March 27 1:00-3:00 Soil Health (open to public) Rudy Garcia, Sandoval County Extension State Agronomist NRCS

10 SCMG January 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat See p. 8 & 9 for times, places, topics Gardening with the Masters Beneficial Soil Microorganisms Newsletter Articles DUE! SCMG Board Gardening with the Masters...New Grape Vine Bern County Master Composters class Home Composting Basics Urban Tree Care Conference 31 Urban Tree Care Conference

11 SCMG February 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat See p. 8 & 9 for times, places, topics Gardening with the Masters Tomatoes for Everyone 5 6 SCMG Advanced Class Seasonally Appropriate Landscaping NM Organic Farming Conference 15 Newsletter Articles DUE! Bern County Master Composters class Bucket Composting NM Organic Farming Conference SCMG Board Land&Water Summit 21 SCMG Workshop Fruit Tree Pruning 22 Land&Water Summit Gardening with the Masters Improving Garden Soil SCMG Workshop Seed Saving 27 28