Volume 6 Issue 11 December 2015

Transcription

1 Over the Garden Gate Monthly Newsletter Clinton County Master Gardeners Volume 6 Issue 11 December 2015 Editor: Carol Machael, cmachael@gmail.com; Published on the first Monday of the month except during January February and March. 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, articles must be received 10 days before the first Monday of the month. Articles will be accepted or rejected at the discretion of the editor. If you are mailing something to me please use new contact info: 502 Apple Valley Lane, Clinton. The meal was great and decorations over the top. Door prizes and the company of fellow Master Gardeners combined to make it a wonderful celebration. Thanks to planning committee: Deb Neels, Linda Lamp, Deb Monroe, Jerry Richter and Kathleen Ryan! Linda Lamp Master Gardener of the Year Anita Abbott, Roger Rittmer, Brenda Council, Deb Neels, Bonnie Meyers, Willard Larsen, Leanne Larsen and Linda Lamp Roger Rittmer Lifetime Master Gardener Achievement 1500 Volunteer Hours and 10 Years of Service 100 Volunteer Hours & Education Hours in 2015

2 Volume 6 Issue 11 Page 2 December 2015 CLINTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES NOVEMBER 17, 2015 ISU EXTENTION OFFICE-DEWITT-9AM Roll call-carol, Brenda, Willard, Linda, Deb, Jerry, Margo, Mark Approval of Agenda-approved Approval of Minutes-approved Financial Report-Mark-balance of $ Credit cards will be issued at the ext. office to use for purchases, card issued in 3 MG names and these people will need to be present to use cards. Reports: Committees/projects/events Bickelhaupt Arboretum-Margo Hanson-Wreath Class-Dec 5th. Cost $30. Call Arb to register. Volunteers still needed to help. Margo says Glen Peterson feeling better and has made some more work benches for the plant sale. Wanted to make sure everyone remembers MG Advisory Board meeting always starts the new year by meeting at the Extension office, that will be on Jan. 19th, No meeting in Dec. as the Christmas party is considered a meeting. Publicity-Deb Neels-Annual holiday party is Dec. 7th at Buzzy's in Welton. Invitations have been sent & look great. Will be a silent auction this year with many donations. Peg from Ext. office to handle program information to include special recognitions, MG & MG Interns of the Year. Board members will furnish dessert again this year. Old Business Linda Lampe-Bill Gustafson feeling better & is back home. Willard-at Nov meeting, Adv. Brd to select MG of Year & MG Intern of the Year. Willard will work on the awards for hours from both local and ISU for the holiday party. OLC-Roger-via Linda & Willard Fundraiser idea for OLC- have raised $ so we have meet the goal. Roger will contact donor about the $ match. Money is in DeWitt Bank until spring projects are started. Thanks to everyone who made this generous donation a reality. Going to try to get one more work day in at the OLC-Monday- Nov. 23rd weather permitting. Will be notified on by Willard. Fair Dates Changed- Fair will be from July 6-10 with MG Day at the Fair being on July 6th. Eagle Point Park Project-Brenda Council-trees are being watered well by assigned MG'rs. Watering is probably complete now for this year and will resume at the needed time in the spring of Election of Board Members-Willard-need 3 have 2 but will contact 1 more to see if they will run. MG Scholarship-Margo Hanson has a candidate. Brenda made motion to award a $500 scholarship again next year, Linda Lampe 2nd the motion. Motion approved by board. Candidate will be reviewed with submission of information. New Business: cont. on next page

3 Volume 6 Issue 11 Page 3 December 2015 New MG Hours reporting website-mark-mg hrs reporting manual on site, will be expanding the list of projects to make reporting easier, webinars are available for education hrs on the website. When first entering hrs reporting will be ask to check agreement on rules and regulations. Eagle Watch- will have booth again this year-good exposure and people like the free info papers. Hope to get people to sign up for classes in Hort. in Heartland-will be on March 5, Still working on getting speakers. For the Good of the Cause; Be sure to continue recording your hours as this affects our funding & status. Thanks, Brenda Respectfully submitted, Brenda Council, Secretary Meet Heather Coyle New Clinton Co. Extension Director More Awards Intern Recognition Lanie Lass Dave Meyer 500 Volunteer Hour Recognition Leanne Larsen Anita Abbott Linda Lamp Heather Coyle has served cooperative extension in various capacities for the past 11 years. Her most recent positions have included program coordination for the University of Illinois Extension ACA Cross Campus Initiative, and grant writing / evaluation for the 21 st CCLC After-School program for Sterling Rock Falls YMCA and Rock Falls School District 13. She served as Community Economic Development Educator for Whiteside County Extension through 2011, delivering CED programming for both youth and adults. She was a member of the first CADS Cohort, developed to improve the research, mapping, software, and publication capacities of local Extension units. Before joining Extension, she was employed for 9 years as Whiteside County Central Services Administrator. She has worked as a business instructor for displaced workers in the Quad Cities and held positions in various educational capacities in Illinois and Virginia including admissions, academic advising, and online education. She has a MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a minor in Counseling from Liberty University Intern of the Year Dave Meyer

4 Volume 6 Issue 11 December 2015 De-icing Salts and the Health of Your Plants With credit to Rich Jauron, ISU Extension Winter weather has begun in Iowa...well, a little bit at least. But here s what you need to know about de-icing products (primarily sodium chloride) which, when used to maintain safe roadways and walkways, can injure or even kill plants. Deicing salts, such as NaCl, CaCl2, KCl and MgCl2, can damage landscape plants when excessive amounts accumulate in the soil. When high levels of salt are present in the soil, plants are unable to absorb sufficient water even though soil moisture is plentiful. Plants suffer a salt-induced water shortage termed physiological drought. High levels of salt restrict the uptake of essential nutrients by plant roots. Excessive amounts of sodium and chloride ions in plant tissue are toxic to many plants. Soil structure is damaged by high levels of sodium. Salt deposited directly on plant foliage can cause dehydration of plant tissue. The symptoms of salt injury to deciduous trees and shrubs include stunted growth, marginal leaf scorch, early fall coloration, and twig dieback. Accumulation of salt in the soil over several years may result in progressive decline and eventual death. Salt damage to evergreens results in yellowing or browning of the needles and twig dieback. Evergreens near heavily salted roadways often are damaged by salt spray. Aerial (air-borne) salt injury is more common in our area because many plants are located near roads and highways where fast moving traffic disperses the salt into the air and onto the plants. Soil salt injury occurs when salt laden snow or meltwater soaks into the soil around root zones. There are several ways to minimize salt injury. Protect salt-sensitive plants near roads during the winter by screening them with burlap or Plankets. Wilt-Pruf, an anti-desiccant spray, will provide additional protection. An application of gypsum (2 cups per plant) in late fall will help absorb excess soil salt. Before applying salt, wait until the precipitation has ended and remove as much of the ice and snow as possible. Use deicing salts at rates sufficient to loosen ice and snow from driveways and sidewalks, then remove the loosened ice and snow with a shovel. (Deicing salts need to be applied at much higher rates to completely melt ice and snow.) Mix salt with abrasive materials, such as sand or kitty litter. Fifty pounds of sand mixed with one pound of salt works effectively. Avoid piling salt-laden snow and ice around trees and shrubs. As soon as the ground thaws in early spring, heavily water areas where salt accumulates over winter. A thorough soaking should help flush the salt from the root zone of plants. If possible, alter the drainage pattern so winter run-off drains away from ornamental plants. 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: Roger Rittmer rogr@iowatelecom.net Bickelhaupt Arboretum: Margo Hansen margo.hansen@bickelhaupt.org Curtis Mansion: Liz Clements 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

5 Succulent Plants Propagate from Cuttings and Leaves Take cuttings from tissue that is semi-ripe rather than from very young leaves to minimize rotting. Cuttings that are large or too woody take a long time to root. Be really careful when you remove the leaves from the stem hold the leaf firmly and wiggle it from side to side until it snaps. Be sure to get the entire leaf. If you rip the leaf, leaving the base still attached to the stem, it will not be able to grow roots or a new plant. Once the cutting has been taken, allow the cut surface to form a callous by leaving it in a warm, dry airy place. This may take several days. Most slender stemmed succulents with a bushy habit root easily from cuttings. Once the ends are dry enough, place them in a pot 3/4 full of gritty cactus soil mix and a top dressing of fine grit. After 2-4 weeks you will see little pink roots sprouting from the ends of the leaves and then teeny tiny baby plants will begin to grow. Water the leaves very rarely until roots or babies begin to appear. Leaf cuttings may also root on damp newspaper placed in the bottom of a seed tray. Lay the leaves on top, keep in a bright airy place and spray occasionally with water. When the leaves form roots they may be potted. Instead of buying succulent rooting mix, make your own with equal parts sand, perlite and vermiculite.

6 Iowa State University Clinton County Extension 400 East 11th Street DeWitt, Iowa Did You Know? There are 93 active Clinton County Master Gardeners? There were a total of 2,863 Education and Volunteers hours donated, which, if paid, would be over $750,000 worth of professional time? Clinton County has one of the top 10 organizations in Iowa.. According to Guinness World Records, the largest snowflakes on record were 15 inches (38 cm) in diameter and 8 inches thick. They fell on Fort Keogh, in eastern Montana on 28 January Planting just 3 shade trees around your home can save between $100 and $250 per year in energy costs? During the 1600s, tulips were so valuable in Holland that their bulbs were worth more than gold. The craze was called tulip mania, or tulipomania, and caused the crash of the Dutch economy. Tulips can continue to grow as much as an inch per day after being cut. The average strawberry has 200 seeds. It's the only fruit that bears its seeds on the outside.