Volume 8 Issue 8 September 2017 Editor: Carol Machael,

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1 Over the Garden Gate Clinton County Master Gardener Newsletter Volume 8 Issue 8 September 2017 Editor: Carol Machael, cmachael@gmail.com; Published on the first Monday of the month except during January and December. To submit an article it must be sent by as a Microsoft Word attachment to the above address. To be accepted for publication in the next newsletter, please provide articles 10 days before the first Monday of the month. The monarch butterfly weighs a fourth of a gram, yet migrates thousands of miles every September through Iowa to overwintering grounds in Mexico. The entire fall migration season is 85 days - based on first roost reports and arrival dates at overwintering sites in Mexico from Journey North. Monarchs fly an average of 22 miles a day, traveling only during daylight. Larger monarchs migrate faster than smaller ones. The number of butterflies arriving in the northern breeding range in the summer can highly predict the eventual size of the migration generation. Monarchs are dependent on milkweed. No milkweed, no monarchs. It s actually that simple! Milkweed is the nursery for caterpillars who only eat this plant and the flowers are a nectar source for adults. If this nursery goes away, the population declines. Follow this year s monarch migration on Journey North website ( jnorth/). It s a Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change.

2 Volume 8 Issue 8 Page 2 September 2017 CLINTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES Advisory Brd Meeting 9AM August 15,2017 Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Clinton Roll Call: Linda L., Deb M., Brenda C., Willard L., Bonnie M., Mark S., Jeff M., Deb N., Margo H., Bev. C., Loren A., Kathy S., Dave M., Carol Approval of Minutes: One correction made on Monarch Migration time & place, minutes approved by all. Financial Report-Mark-balance of $ $ budget for year Board will get monthly expense & revenue sheets if available at meeting times to keep track of budget balances. Bickelhaupt Arboretum-Margo-Arts at the Arb going on now with 103 photos on the grounds. Aug 19, Enviro Kids event from Committee/Projects/Events OLC-Willard-Ongoing upkeep of the gardens by possibly dividing into sections and volunteers working that section. Lots of wedding & receptions coming up and gardens need to be in good shape. Couple of cleanup workdays planned on Aug. 22, 9AM & Sept. 12, 9AM. Mention was made on problem with plants in the Butterfly Garden. Will wait till next spring & will give some thought thru the winter as to what to plant. Plant Sale-Dave- The Moffits (one of our Garden Walk family) have offered to let us dig for next springs' plant sale. Need to get idea of what they have by pictures & color of plants. Dave will check with them so a few MGr's can go out and do this. Dave will let the members know when to meet up. Publicity-Deb-Monarch Migration-Ronda Brady & her butterfly bus will be on hand for this event. Event will be from 10:30-12:00 at the OLC gardens in the Fairgrounds with craft areas for the kids, info booths, milkweed balls. Then from 12:30-2:00 at the Lions Shelter at West Brook Park by the pollinator garden. Christmas Party-Trying to come up with fresh ideas to make it fun for everyone. New Business-Scholarship-Deadline for applying for scholarships is May 1st. Talked about possibly expanding the requirements-will discuss at next mtg. Designate Nominating Committee for Advisory Board positions-board has 7 members, 2 will be going off this year. Ballots will be sent in Oct. Discuss next meeting. Next meeting Sept. 19, at the Extension Office in DeWitt at 9AM. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Council Lamium maculatum, Spotted Deadnettle

3 Volume 8 Issue 7 Page 3 August 2017 A Date to put on your calendar for fun with fellow MGs, learning new things and earning hours! Herb Drying Class September 30, Arboretum. Call to preregister. Christmas Party December 4 1. Arts at the Arb will be on display through September. This year's display features Jean Black a local portrait photographer who photographed kids at the Arboretum over the last year. Wander the grounds and enjoy. 2. In full bloom at the Arboretum are spectacular varieties of hydrangea plus an assortment of annual flowers which attract all kinds of pollinator insects. 3. Still time to plant lettuce, spinach and radish for a fall harvest. Last chance at fresh veggies before we put the garden to bed before winter. 4. You can start cleaning up old plant material in the garden and your flower beds. If the leaves are 50% or more brown or black they are no longer beneficial to the plant General weather wear and tear along with insect and disease show up this time of year. If plants are green, growing or blooming wait until the end of September to clean them off. Herb Drying Class Saturday - September 30 th 10 am to 11 am Make and take bundles of fresh herbs to dry for use in your favorite recipes. All supplies included. Bickelhaupt Arboretum 340 South 14 th Street Cost $5 Instructor- Margo Hansen Pre-Registration Required Class size is limited so call today Call Thank you to all the volunteers that made the Monarch Migration Day such a success. Almost seventy people viewed the butterfly bus and the OLC, while another forty to fifty people were counted at the Westbrook Park. People of all ages enjoyed the activities and Rhonda Brady s exhibits. We accomplished the goal of creating awareness of this important environmental issue and enhanced the public s appreciation of the amazing monarch butterfly. Well done everyone.

4 Volume 8 Issue 8 September 2017 Just Compost! Composting is the ultimate in recycling. In what other endeavor can we take things meant for the trash -- those banana peels, apple cores, fall leaves, weeds, and animal bedding -- and turn it into something that will literally transform our garden? Food gets grown, consumed, and then the scraps go into your compost pile or bin. Later, the finished compost is used to nourish the soil again. Now is a good time to compost. Layer or dig in partially decomposed compost on empty beds in the fall, before the ground freezes, and let it decompose further through winter. All those lovely nutrients will be ready and waiting for your spring planting. Work With What You Have...A low-maintenance pile has a combination of brown and green plant matter, plus some moisture to keep the good bacteria humming. Shredded newspaper, wood chips and dry leaves are ideal for the brown elements; kitchen waste and grass clippings are perfect for the green add-ins. Skip meat, fish and dairy for outdoor bins because they tend to attract pests like mice, raccoons and dogs. If you can t bear the thought of sending your leftovers to the landfill, composting turns them into superfood for your plants. Soil Amendment: If you use compost as a soil amendment, just dig anywhere from 2 to 4 inches down and then throw the compost in there, and dig it in with the rest of the soil. Whatever you have planted there will thrive. Compost Tea: Compost tea refers to the liquid matter released by the compost. Sometimes, compost produces the tea naturally, but you can also produce your own compost tea by steeping a shovel full of compost in a 5 gallon bucket for a few days. When it is ready to go, simply just pour it on the flowers or plants you wish to use it on. Don t depend on one material. A combination of different textures and nutrients created by the disintegration of many different plants will give your plants a gourmet diet that helps create disease and pest resistance. Think about it a huge clump of grass clippings just sticks together in a huge mat that hangs around for years. Add some leaves, stir, and natural forces like water, air and heat go to work quickly! There is no need to buy special activators or inoculants, because each dead plant and bucket of food waste added to compost activates different strains of the naturally occurring microbes that promote decomposition. MASTER GARDENERS VOLUNTEER : Extension Office Plant Partners: Willard Larsen willardllarsen@gmail.com Eagle Point Nursing Home and Rehabilitation or Community Garden: Willard Larsen OLC/County Fair: Bickelhaupt Arboretum: Margo Hansen mahansen@eicc.edu Curtis Mansion: Liz Clements Used coffee filters can be unsightly, however, and aged leftovers sometimes attract unwanted animals and insects in search of food. For these reasons, many composters divert their kitchen waste into an enclosed composter or the chicken yard before they combine it with bulkier pulled weeds, spent crops, and other yard and garden waste in a slow compost pile. Try putting kitchen waste into three black compost containers until unrecognizable. Then dig it in, or add it to a larger outdoor bin for yard waste. It will make pounds and pounds of compost.... and justice for all The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative format for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14 th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC or call

5 When should I consider treating my ash tree for EAB? Since the Emerald Ash Borer disease is quite prevalent in this area, you should evaluate any ash trees you may have to determine how to proceed. Proper use of EAB insecticides can help maintain the health of high value ash trees over time. Lower value ash trees are not ideal candidates for EAB insecticide treatments. How do I know if my ash tree has value? Ash trees can be a valuable part of the landscape. A properly cared for ash tree can increase property value, provide environmental benefits such as runoff and erosion mitigation, and reduce electricity costs by shading a home. Determining tree value can be subjective. Qualities to consider when assessing value include (but are not limited to) a tree s overall health, shape, location with respect to landscape design, and appearance through the seasons, as well as whether or not a tree provides shade. A healthy ash that is properly located in the landscape, has a nice shape and good fall color, and provides shade has value. An ash tree that is not healthy due to disease or insects, has poor shape or structural damage, is otherwise unattractive, or is in a bad location (e.g., near a power line) is of lower value. Consider, also, the fact that you may be just postponing the inevitable. How do I know if my ash tree has EAB? Symptoms of an EAB infestation can include canopy thinning starting in the upper portion of the tree, epicormic sprouting (i.e., formation of sprouts) along the trunk, bark splitting, and woodpecker damage. These symptoms indicate general tree stress, and can be due to EAB. However, they also can be caused by diseases or insects other than EAB. Specific signs of EAB include D-shaped exit holes (~3/16 inch wide) in the bark of the tree, S-shaped larval tunnels and/or larvae (cream colored, up to 1½ inches long) beneath the bark, and adults (metallic green, ~3/8 inch long). If I decide to treat my ash tree, will I have to treat every year? Yes. You should probably consider treatment each spring. a tree. Most insecticides registered for EAB management require yearly applications to effectively protect If your ash is smaller than 32 inches around the trunk at chest height [i.e., 15 diameter at breast height (DBH)], you may be able to treat your ash tree yourself. Local garden centers have a product that can be used it is a granular, systemic product applied to the soil surrounding the tree, costing about $20-35/year. If the tree is larger or you wish to call a professional (probably a QC tree service) licensed to use an injectable product call TREE -age. TREE-age can effectively protect an ash tree that is treated every two years. Do I have to remove my ash tree if it is infested with EAB? Applying protective insecticide treatments to a healthy ash tree to prevent an EAB infestation is the best strategy for managing EAB. However, if the infestation is detected early, you may be able to treat your ash tree to prevent further damage, and help the tree recover. Research suggests that insecticide treatments are significantly more effective on EABinfested ash trees with less than 50% canopy thinning. Insecticide treatments are not recommended for trees with greater than 50% canopy thinning; these trees should be removed. Trees that become infested with EAB and are not treated will ultimately die and will need to be removed. How do I dispose of wood from an infested ash tree? Since EAB is quite prevalent there are no longer restrictions as to how to dispose of the wood.

6 Iowa State University Clinton County Extension 400 East 11th Street DeWitt, Iowa Preparing and Canning Chutneys: 4 quarts (16 cups) pared, cored, chopped tart apples (about 10 medium) 1 cup chopped onions 1 cup chopped sweet red bell peppers (about 1 medium) Apple Chutney 2 teaspoons seeded and finely chopped red Serrano pepper (about 2 to 4 peppers) 12 ounces seedless golden raisins 4 cups light brown sugar 3 tablespoons mustard seed 2 tablespoons ground ginger 2 tablespoons ground allspice 2 teaspoons canning salt 1 clove garlic, crushed 4 cups apple cider vinegar (5%) Yield: About 6 pints Caution: Wear plastic or rubber gloves and do not touch your face while handling or cutting hot peppers. If you do not wear gloves, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face or eyes. 1. Wash and rinse pint or half-pint canning jars; keep hot until ready to fill. Prepare lids and ring bands according to manufacturer s directions. 2. Combine all prepared ingredients in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 45 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. 3. Fill hot chutney into hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Apply and adjust prepared canning lids. 4. Process in a boiling water canner. Let cool, undisturbed, 12 to 24 hours and check for seals.