Volume 6 Issue 9 October 2015

Transcription

1 Over the Garden Gate Monthly Newsletter Clinton County Master Gardeners Volume 6 Issue 9 October 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. There weren t many of us, but the day was spectacular! And when MG s get together, it s always a party! The committee did a fantastic job getting the tables decorated and providing mums for everyone! And we feasted on potatoes just harvested, corn, veggies, casseroles and hot dishes...and those desserts!

2 Volume 6 Issue 9 Page 2 October 2015 CLINTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES ISU Extension Office in DeWitt, 9:00 A. M. September Roll Call: Carol, Willard, Brenda, Deb, Mark, Margo, Todd, Chuck Approval of Agenda: approved Approval of Minutes: approved Financial Report: Mark- balance of $ Report on new fall list of interested interns: Due to lack of enough people, classes have been cancelled for the fall. Money that has been paid will be returned. Still having discussions on possible internet classes with possible get together for review of information. Master Gardener Website: Website was down for upgrades, will be up again Sept. 15 with tutorial on how to use new features. Reports: Committees/projects/events Arboretum: Margo-Hort. in Heartland will be on March 5, Speakers are being lined up. Christmas Party details - Deb will work on & send out invitations next month. Need hrs. reported so can give recognition for volunteered & education awards. Need info & letters to choose Master Gardener & Intern of Year by Nov. meeting. Will put in newsletter to submit hrs. again. Motion made by Willard to give recognition awards for 100 hrs of volunteer & education, Deb 2nd. Approved by all. Old Business: OLC: Roger/via Willard - work day on Sept. 15. North side Area will get redesigned. Gazebo also will be redesigned. New ID tags are being put in place. Willard gave talk and tour of OLC to Retired Teachers Ass. After viewing they made a $25 donation to help further our efforts. Fundraiser for OLC. - Roger- 43 names so far- need 50 to qualify for donation. Will put info in newsletter again. Eagle Point Tree Project: Margo - Trees will be planted on Oct. 3. All holes will be pre-dug. Everyone will meet in Lodge Parking lot at 8 AM to plant trees and set up further care plans. Brenda to have her number sent out in to all MGr's that wish to help with this project. This will be a 3 yr. commitment to care for these trees. New Business: Oct. Adv. mtg. - Carol will be gone, so she will send agenda to Brenda. Meeting will be at Arb. at 9AM. Elections of Board Members: anyone interested in running, we have 3 positions open. Contact Carol Miller if interested. Webinars on line: Mark -After Jan. 1st. there will be 3 webinar series/ 3 hrs. each that can be viewed for education hrs. at the Ext. office. Willard & Mark will work on dates that people can come in and view these programs. More info on Ext website. For the good of the cause: Remind members again to submit their hrs. before Christmas Party to help with awards. Respectfully submitted: Brenda Council, Secretary

3 Volume 6 Issue 9 Page 3 October 2015 MASTER GARDENER AWARDS The year is winding down. We will be having our year end party on December 7, at Buzzy s. At that event we will give an award to the Master Gardener of the Year and to the Intern of the Year. The person for each award is selected by the Advisory Board based on a nomination letter (s) by members of the organization. If you have someone who you think is worth of either award please send the nomination letter by to Willard Larsen at willardflarsen@gmail.com or mail to the extension office. The nominations are due by Monday November 16. HOURS Be sure to turn in your hours. At the Holiday Party members with the highest number of education and volunteer hours combined will be recognized. If you wish to be considered for this award your hours must be turned in by December 1 to the ISU Master Gardener web site. A reminder that to stay current with this year one needs 20 volunteer and 10 education hours. News from the Arb Iseli ( Conifer) Nursery notified the Arboretum that they were chosen as recipient of the Jean Iseli Memorial Grant. The grant, for $4,000 will be used for new conifers and landscape improvements for the Heartland Collection. This collection took a hit two years ago with some sever winter damage so this grant could not come at a better time. Our fall No Child Left Inside program has begun. Hundreds of local elementary students will be able to experience the splendor of fall while they learn. Master Gardeners and other former educators share their knowledge as they implement the school-approved curriculum. Marion Johnson, a volunteer in the NCLI program and a Master Gardener in her history has recently been honored with the River Bluff Community Foundation s Caring Award for her generosity in giving of her talents to the community. Pumpkins were Drowning believed in to Pumpkins! help eliminate freckles. Eat them! Use Them on your Body! Pumpkins were once used as a remedy for snake bites. A number of facial and anti-wrinkle creams include pumpkins. Pumpkins have zero cholesterol, zero... Pumpkins are low in salt, real low. Pumpkins contain beta carotene which helps to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. They lower the risk of heart disease. Pumpkin seeds help to reduce the risk of prostate cancer

4 Volume 6 Issue 9 October 2015 The annuals are fading Mother Nature's way of telling us to put the garden to bed for winter. TURF will survive winter best and come back more vigorously in spring if you fertilize it this fall, when it's still green. Use a lawn fertilizer like , for example. And as long as the lawn remains green, continue to mow it to a 2½ to 3-inch height. Don't scalp it by mowing short while it's still green. It's also a good idea to aerate the lawn and to continue watering until it turns brown. In your Vegetable Garden, pull up old vines and vegetable plants. Insect pests that feed on these plants during summer and fall often lay eggs on the old plants. If the vines are left on the soil surface, insect eggs will survive the winter and hatch in the spring. If they are not diseased, you can work the old plants back into the garden soil. This adds valuable organic matter to the soil and, at the same time, destroys insects and their eggs. In addition to garden debris, other organic material may be added to the soil in fall, such as well-rotted manure, compost, peat or leaves. Soil micro-organisms and beneficial soil insects will help incorporate these materials into the soil before the ground freezes and in the spring after it thaws. You also can apply a light covering of ammonium sulfate (20-0-0) at the rate of a pound per 1,000 square feet of garden area. Spade or rototill all these materials into the soil, mixing well to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Pull up spent vines and foliage of annual flowers and compost them or dig them into the garden. Discard diseased plants in the trash. It doesn't matter where the weeds are--the vegetable garden, flower beds or the lawn--this is a good time to get rid of them. Consider this: Weeds that are spread by seed produce thousands of seeds. Lambsquarter can bear up to 72,500 seeds per plant, curly dock can bear up to 30,000, purslane 52,000, and redroot pigweed 117,000. If even 50% of the pigweed seedlings germinated next spring, you'd have 58,000 pigweed plants to pull or otherwise get rid of. Limit fertilization of deciduous trees and shrubs in fall, as nitrogen stimulates useless late-season growth and delays dormancy. Do continue to water theml, sending them into winter with ample moisture. It also will be necessary to apply water every three to four weeks throughout the winter. Dry soil kills roots and puts stress on trees MASTER GARDENERS and shrubs. Water when temperatures are above freezing andvolunteer when the soil: is not frozen. Apply water early in Extension Office Willard Larsenbefore willardllarsen@gmail.com the day so plants willplant have Partners: time to absorb moisture soil might freeze at night. Eagle Point Nursing Home and Rehabilitation or Community Garden: Willard Larsen Fair: Roger Rittmer ByOLC/County the first of November, wrap trunksrogr@iowatelecom.net of your deciduous trees with crepe-paper tree wrap. Begin at the base of Bickelhaupt Arboretum: Margo Hansen the tree and wrap upward, overlapping about amargo.hansen@bickelhaupt.org third of the paper with each turn. When you reach the first set of Curtis Mansion: branches, secure theliz topclements turn of the wrap with a piece of stretch tape. This prevents sunscald injury caused by Other community opportunities: Jerry Richter, the plant s bark absorbing the warm winter sun. Remove wrap next April. Don't protective mulch down too early. You don t want the mice to move in, have a cozy winter, and dine on... and put justice for all The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on theit basis of race, color, national origin, religion,have age, disability, your plants at the same time. Put down winter protective mulch when gets a little colder andgender, the mice alpolitical 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 ready foundtoother homes, like your write garage. for ADA clients. file a complaint of discrimination, USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14 and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC th or call

5 Does Your Oak Tree Have Galls??? Galls are abnormal growths that occur on leaves, twigs, or branches. They may be simple lumps or complicated structures, plain brown or brightly colored. There are 1500 species of gall producers, the majority of which are insects and mites. Some galls form where insects or mites feed or lay eggs. They may also develop as a response to infections by several kinds of fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Galls affecting leaves are seldom if ever a serious problem. Galls affecting twigs, such as the gouty oak gall and horned oak gall, can be more serious. In most cases, galls are unsightly but not damaging to the tree. Small plants may be stunted because the water and nutrient circulatory system of the plant may be damaged. Infested leaves, which can be twisted and curled, are usually able to carry out photosynthesis at near normal levels. Less striking and nonapparent galls that can occur on twigs, small branches, and roots can, over time, kill and weaken portions of a tree or cause a general decline in plant vigor. Galls can be confused with normal parts of the tree, for example, seed-bearing structures or insects such as scale. Galls result from the interaction between a chemical stimuli produced by the pest organism and the plant's hormones. These pest organisms are masters in the art of compelling the host plant to provide food and shelter for the larvae which resides inside. The walls of the gall are structurally strong, rich in protein, and provide the larvae inside with protection and food. A specific gall producer can often be identified by the unique color, shape, and structure of the gall that develops around it or by the host plant it is on. In our area most gall-causing insects have only one generation a year making control after symptoms appear of little or no value. Many gall producers have not been extensively studied and their life histories are poorly understood. Integrated Pest Management Strategies 1. Do nothing; live with the problem. Despite the unattractive appearance of galls, their presence is usually not harmful to the host plant. Gall producers are usually kept in control by their natural enemies. 2. Use cultural controls. Some gall producers overwinter in leaf litter beneath the tree. Therefore, some control may be achieved by raking and destroying fallen leaves. If needed, control can be helped by pruning off and destroying gall-infested twigs and branches. Prevent stress on the plant by watering during dry periods and fertilizing if needed. 3. If necessary, use chemical sprays. If a tree is small, in poor health, or defoliated several years in a row, using chemical sprays may be warranted. Sprays will also kill beneficial insects that usually keep galls and other insect pests under control so spraying may make your tree vulnerable to other pests. Also, spraying will not reduce the number of galls this year. To prevent galls, sprays must be used as a preventive before the galls form.

6 Iowa State University Clinton County Extension 400 East 11th Street DeWitt, Iowa Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia......or do you call it woodbine? Its leaves turn from an average green to a brilliant crimson red, painting tree trunks and the ground on woodland edges with bright color once temperatures cool. This vigorous, deciduous woody creeper and climbing vine can grow up to 50 feet and 20 feet in a single year clinging to surfaces with small, branched tendrils that have strong adhesive disks on the tips to fasten onto bark or rock. The tendrils are produced on the stems opposite from the leaves. The preference is partial sun, moist to slightly dry conditions, and a soil containing loam or clay-loam. Virginia Creeper also adapts well to gravelly or rocky soil, and it tolerates full sun or light shade. This woody vine is a robust grower and requires plenty of room. The nectar and pollen of the flowers occasionally attract various bees, including leaf-cutting bees.