Monthly Newsletter. February 'Hands On' Fruit Gardening L A K E A R E A. Volume 10, Issue 2. For Complete Information Go TO:

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1 L A K E A R E A Monthly Newsletter February 2016 Volume 10, Issue Club Officers Suzanne Albright, President Phone: suzannealbright47@gmail.com Susan Osgood, Vice President Phone: sllatimer1@gmail.com Nancy Hall, Secretary Phone: jogi65634@gmail.com Roni Vollmer, Treasurer Phone: ronivollmer@hotmail.com Past President, Tamara Jorstad: Phone: tjorstad@gmail.com Standing Committee Chairs 2016 Garden Walk Gail Conavay, theconavays@gmail.com Suzanne Albright, suzannealbright47@gmail.com Club Photographer Glenda Hinrichs, glenda_hinrichs@yahoo.com Historian Sally Burke, burke.lakelovers@gmail.com Hospitality Rita Burks, ritab001@hotmail.com Membership Tamara Jorstad, tjorstad@gmail.com Year Book OPEN MU EXT & MOMA Winnie McKinley, mckinleyw@hotmail.com Newsletter Charli Allee, normcharli@aol.com Projects Charmaine E. Guyot, guyotcharmaine@gmail.com Ways & Means Mildred Webster or Miller County Extension P O Box 20 Tuscumbia, MO Phone/Fax 'Hands On' Fruit Gardening Join us for 1, 2 or all 3 workshops in this series. Each is 2 hours long (unless otherwise noted) & held in central Columbia. Cost is $25 each. Receive a complimentary Midwest Home Fruit Manual valued at $25 if you take all 3. Fruit Tree Pruning- Friday, March 4 at 4:00 PM. Berries and Organic Fruit Gardening - Friday, March 18th at 4 to 6:30 PM. Disease and Insect Pest Control of Fruit Plantings- Friday April 8 at 4PM. Fruit gardening enthusiasts have enjoyed this series; this is its 7 th year. Please forward info on this event to any gardener interested in growing fruit. For Complete Information Go TO: X=XID627uBssrd1231Xd1&U=http%3A%2F% 2Fextension.missouri.edu% 2Fboone&T=FNMO&HV=X,U,T,S&H=e4aaf cc7ad31c22bad1071e585c &S=Y. Scroll down to hands on fruit class and review the flier. To register, print and fill out the back page and mail in with payment. Questions on registering? fenclv@missouri.edu or call and ask for Vikki.

2 PAGE 2 LAKE AREA MASTER GARDENER S NEWSLETTER February Gardening Tips * Order perennial plants and bulbs now for cut flowers this summer. Particularly good choices are phlox, daisies, coreopsis, asters and lilies. * Check stored bulbs, tubers and corms. Discard any that are soft or diseased. * Don't remove mulch from perennials too early. A warm day may make you think spring is almost here but there may be more cold weather yet to come. * Order gladiolus corms now for planting later in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. Locate in full sun in well drained soil. * Branches of forsythia, pussy willow, quince, spirea, and dogwood can be forced for indoor bloom. Make long, slanted cuts when collecting the branches and place the stems in a vase of water. Change the water every four days. They should bloom in about 3 weeks. * Late winter is the time to prune many deciduous trees. Look over your plants now and remove dead, dying, or unsightly parts of the tree, sprouts growing at or near the base of the tree trunk and crossed branches. * If bird feeding has been a favorite activity this winter, order trees and shrubs which provide cover and small fruits for your feathered friends. Consider species such as crabapple and hawthorn which can help lure hungry birds from cultivated fruits, if planted on the opposite side of the yard. * Check any vegetables you have in storage. Dispose of any that show signs of shriveling or rotting. * This year plan to grow at least one new vegetable that you've never grown before; it may be better than what you are already growing. The new dwarf varieties on the market which use less space while producing more food per square foot may be just what you're looking for. * Send off seed orders early this month to take advantage of seasonal discounts. Some companies offer bonus seeds of new varieties to early buyers. * Don't start your vegetable plants indoors too early. Six weeks ahead of the expected planting date is early enough for the fast growth species such as cabbage. Eight weeks allows enough time for the slower growing types such as peppers. * Prune fruit trees and grapes in late February or early March after the worst of the winter cold is passed but before spring growth begins. * Fertilize fruit trees as soon as possible after the ground thaws but before blossom time. * Late February is a good time to airlayer such house plants as dracaena, dieffenbachia and rubber plant, especially if they have grown too tall and leggy. * Check all five growing factors if your house plants are not growing well. Light, temperature, nutrients, moisture, and humidity must be favorable to provide good growth. * Repair and paint window boxes, lawn furniture, tools and other items in preparation for outdoor gardening and recreational use.

3 LAKE AREA MASTER GARDENER S NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 Garden Myths by Sarah Denkler A garden myth is an idea that has persisted so long the origin is unknown and it is believed to be 100% true. By looking at reliable, research based sources we can find out if these myths are 100% true or are based on a small percentage of accuracy. Covering a wound will help it to heal faster: Using a wound cover after pruning has been shown not only to be unnecessary, but may actually inhibit callus growth over the cut. Available for purchase are waxes, tapes or tars. These seal the area preventing the wound from healing properly. Over time they may crack or drop off but the would will still be there. Water may make its way behind the dressing during rain or from humidity, becoming trapped. At this point the wood may develop disease and rot may begin to set in. The best way to treat a fresh cut on woody plants is no treatment at all. In this way the tree will heal sooner and heal properly. A wound that is healing properly Happenings! 2016 WORLD DAFFODILCONVENTION This is the web site for info on the 2016 WORLD Daffodil Convention being held in St Louis this year. April 15 & 16th Dogwood Festival Garden Walk Tickets to be available at the Dogwood Festival Booth Parade on Saturday the 16th Boone County Master Gardener Club Annual Plant Sale, Saturday, May 7th at Fairgrounds in Jefferson City Lake Area Master Gardener Club Annual Garden Walk Saturday, June 4th

4 PAGE 4 LAKE AREA MASTER GARDENER S NEWSLETTER Weed Control Basics by Katie Kammler, Horticulture Specialists What is a weed??? The easiest definition for a weed is any plant that is growing out of place. Corn in a soybean field is considered a weed because while corn is normally a desired crop, it will compete and interfere with harvest in a soybean crop. However there are plants that are generally considered weeds because they always appear in our gardens, landscapes, and lawns. They are either undesirable from an aesthetic standpoint, compete with desired plants, reduce yields, harbor insects and disease, interfere with harvest or reduce the quality of harvest. Why are weeds successful? They are very good at what they do. Weeds have large, efficient roots systems and they produce many small seeds (pigweed) and have good dispersal techniques. They float on air or water, stick to animals (cocklebur), or entice birds to eat them. They can also reproduce asexually through parts of the plants re-sprouting in perennial weeds (Bermuda grass). They can live pretty much anywhere; they don t care about poor soils or lack of water. They grow fast compared to your desired plants and the seed can stay dormant in the soil for many years. One advantage to weeds is that they can help prevent soil erosion by growing quickly in open ground. Some weeds are also edible, have medicinal qualities, provide food and shelter for many animals. Weeds can be divided into several categories: grass, broadleaf, annual, biennial, and perennial. Grassy weeds are the monocots, plants with parallel veins in the grass family (crabgrass, Bermuda grass, fescue). Broadleaf weeds are dicots such as dandelion, plantain, lambsquarter, and pigweed. Annual weeds do not over winter but must reproduce from seed every year. They are divided into two categories. Summer annuals which germinate in the spring, produce seed, and die in the fall (crabgrass, foxtail, pigweed). Winter annuals germinate in the fall, make seed in the early spring and die before summer (henbit, chickweed). Biennial weeds have a two year life cycle, the first year they form a rosette close to the ground and the second year is when they bloom and produce seed (thistle). Perennial weeds come back year after year after year and are the hardest to control (dandelion, Bermuda grass). Some weed management strategies include avoidance, tilling, hand pulling, hoeing, mowing, weed-eating, mulching, spraying herbicides, and digging. Alternative methods might be flaming with fire, smothering, solarization, boiling water, salt or vinegar. Knowing what weed you have and where it is located can go a long way in determining your weeding strategy. A great source for weed identification is the MU Weed ID Guide Website - or you can contact your local Extension office for help on identification. Mulching is one of the best weed management options because it provides more benefits than just reducing weed pressure. It also helps reduce disease from soil particles splashing on the plants, reduces erosion, warms/cools the soil, and helps maintain even soil moisture. Mulches can be organic, meaning once living, like leaves, grass clippings, straw, wood chips, and sawdust or inorganic like black plastic or landscape fabric. Organic mulches can be incorporated in the soil at the end of the season, increase organic matter in the soil and improving soil structure. If you have any questions about weed identification or control, contact Miller County Extension Office at or Camden County Extension Office at

5 PAGE 5 Greetings! LAKE AREA MASTER GARDENER S NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 Thank you all for a strong year of volunteering in the Master Gardener program. Our club alone contributed nearly 2500 hours in Winnie McKinley found time to donate a remarkable 612 hours. We honored that achievement with a special certificate and a Gold level membership in the Missouri Master Gardener Association. Other members were also recognized at our February meeting for their contributions at the 20 and 50 hour level with certificates and pins at the 100 hour level. Tricia Barrett was also on hand to present the UM Extension 100 Hour Volunteer Award certificates. Tricia announced that Mary DeLacy and Glenda Hinrichs had both become Advanced Master Gardeners having completed 30 hours of advanced training. Congratulations everyone! We have received some questions regarding our club award program. This has brought about a lot of discussion among the board and some of the members. Currently, at the club level, we have been recognizing only master gardeners, not trainees, at the 20, 50, and 100 level of volunteer hours plus continuing education hours with certificates or pins. The continuing education hours are not recognized by the UM Extension as being considered volunteer hours. They award anyone volunteering 100 or more hours during the calendar year with a certificate. Trainees have not been included in our award program because they receive their name badge after completing 30 volunteer hours. I would like to see anyone exceeding their required volunteer hours recognized for that accomplishment. A number of you have told me you don't care about certificates and pins, but would appreciate gloves or a garden tool as a form of recognition. Others of you don't want any recognition at all. Give it some thought, we can discuss it at the next meeting to decide how we wish to handle awards next year. I also want to thank everyone who signed up to help with the Willmore Gardens in In addition to the care and maintenance of the existing gardens, we will be adding a Monarch Garden, as well as, revamping the Gazebo Garden. Please mark your calendars for the Willmore Lodge Spring Cleanup on March 12 and 14. If you can't make both dates, try at least to make one. It is a great opportunity to garden together. Remember our work in these gardens provides us with a beautiful and free place to meet every month. Gail Conavay and I were very happy with the wonderful response we had from our members to help with the annual Garden Walk in June. We still need several lead gardeners and someone to help us to find demo people, artisans, etc. to be featured in each garden. Our herbalist, who we had planned to demonstrate growing herbs, can't make our Garden Walk date. We are looking for someone to replace her and someone to do a container gardening demo. Don't be shy, share your talents! Again, let me tell you how appreciative I am of your enthusiasm and support for the Lake Area Master Gardeners. I am looking forward to a fun and productive year serving as your president. Suzanne

6 L A K E A R E A UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI EXTENSION Lake Area Master Gardener Club P O Box 20/ Courthouse Annex Tuscumbia, MO Our Mission: Helping Others Learn to Grow and To Have Fun Along the Way! Lake Area Master Gardener Meeting February Meeting Tuesday the 9th at 6:00 PM at Willmore Lodge February 8th February 15th February 22nd Birthday Greetings Jeannie Robbins Roni Vollmer Deborah Finn To help new and returning members remember LAMG Club Member Names Starting 2015 a twenty-five cent fee will be charge to an member failing to wear his/her LAMG/Maser Gardener name badge at the monthly meetings. Fines are to be collected by the Ways and Means Chair, Mildred Webster, and funds added to the club s income. Items for the monthly newsletter are due to the Newsletter Chair, Charli Allee, by the 26th of each month Send to normcharli@aol.com