Master Gardeners in Kent Co. will sponsor two more workshops this fall. All workshops will be held in the
Hollies for
.
Make a
To register for Sussex Co. Master Gardener Workshops, contact Karen Adams at 302-856-2585 ext. 540/adams@udel.edu. The workshops are free. On the list are:
Gourds and Pumpkins – Ingrid Hetfield – Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. at the
¨ When planting spring bulbs, the depth of planting varies with the size of the bulb; for example, tulips are about five to six inches, four to seven inches for daffodils, three to four inches for hyacinths and one and one-half to three inches for small bulbs. A good rule of thumb when planting bulbs is to set them three times as deep as the bulbs’ greatest width.
¨ Bring poinsettia inside. It is best to repot into a similar but slightly larger container, using a regular commercial potting soil. Then, place in a warm, sunny window.
¨ Don’t wait for frost warnings to bring houseplants indoors. For many tropical houseplants, night temperatures of 50oF or lower, can cause damage. Check all houseplants for pests and diseases and repot if needed.
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Start a compost pile using any disease-free plant material from flower and vegetable gardens (do not use weeds that have gone to seed), grass clippings, and pruned pieces from trees and shrubs (keep in mind, the smaller the piece of material, the faster the decomposition or breakdown).
¨ Have soil tested to determine the amount of lime and fertilizer required and apply to lawn area.
¨ Space strawberry runner plants about six inches apart. Pull out extra plants.
Harvest vine-ripened vegetables from plants that continue to produce.
¨ Start tomato plant indoors in a peat pot. Select a short-day variety like “Pixie”. When large enough, transplant into three and one-half inch or larger pot and place in the sunniest window. Water and feed it regularly and tomatoes will be ready for Christmas dinner.
Maggie Moor Orth
Delaware Cooperative Extension, Delaware State University¨
I have a beautiful line of 12 Golden Tipped Leyland Cypress trees. In May of last year, one of these trees looked like it was producing pine cones. Did I have a hybrid variety that could do this? Not a chance - this tree had bag worms and so did one arborvitae 30 feet away! Bag worms prefer to feed on evergreens such as arborvitae, red cedar, juniper spruce, pine and my cypress. But they can also been found on other trees and shrubs.
The Adult male caterpillar will become a small brown moth with clear wings when it is ready to mate. A female is wingless with useless legs, feeding but remains in her bag. Mating occurs during August and September when males fly in search of the females, after which, living only 1 or 2 days longer. Females can deposit 500 to 1,000 eggs in her bag living 4 to 9 days after. This completes the adult seasonal life cycle. The eggs remain inactive throughout the winter in this now old bag and hatch around June 1 in Delaware depending on the temperature.
What about the bags? When the tiny larvae (about 1 centimeter), emerge and crawl about the tree, it begins spinning silk like threads enabling them to drop to other parts of the tree. Wind can transfer them to neighboring trees or plants consequently new outbreaks appear throughout the neighborhood. As they begin feeding, the silk threads will encase the body creating the protective bag and pieces of plant tissue stick to the bag. Therefore in a pine or cypress tree they appear to have a pine cone appearance. In a maple tree the appearance will be completely different. When full grown, these bags will measure 1 to 2 inches in length, ½ inch across the top and narrowing to a point at the bottom. While feeding the bags are in continual motion as if the wind were causing them to move. Bag worms are easily detected during the winter months when bags stand out in
contrast to the darker foliage of evergreens or against a lighter background if leaves have dropped off of trees.
Hand picking the bags or cutting them off with scissors is recommended being sure to inspect the interior of the tree for hidden cases. Use a can or jar with a lid for disposal. The best time for this is, AS SOON AS YOU SEE THEM! Nature helps when the winter temperature is very cold and may kill the eggs. Birds and certain types of wasps that live off other insect larva will help reduce the population. If infestation or bags are discovered during June through August when the worms are feeding or too numerous to hand pick the most effective control would be to use an insecticidal spray. Choosing the right product by for treatment is very important so read the labels of products.
I consider myself lucky to discover bag worms at the time eggs were just hatching and the trees had suffered little damage from the year before. After removing all the bags I could find the recommended chemical spray was applied. Now a year later my cypress trees are beautiful and healthy but I will keep looking! Call (730.4000) or better yet, visit our County Extension for the recommend chemical treatment. The office is located in the Paradee building on Route 113 in the Delaware Transportation complex and has numerous fact sheets to learn how to manage lawn and garden problems.
Marilyn McFarlinDelaware Cooperative Extension Master Gardener
The Final Week of July:
Growing your own herbs and vegetables can be fun, rewarding and challenging. Planting, caring for and harvesting your crops provides a sense of accomplishment. It aids good nutrition and helps a family to better stretch their income. These free summer Master Gardener Workshops continue to provide valuable information and tips for both
new and experienced gardeners. Come learn, share and enjoy!
Ask The Gardener
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 6:30 pm at the
Panel of Master Gardeners: Marian Brewington, Charles Overmiller,
George Brewington, Tom Dix, John Pugh & Maggie Moor-Orth
We have gathered a group of Master Gardeners to answer your gardening questions. They will help you with flowers, shrubs, trees, lawns and vegetables. Come with your questions and concerns as the planting season begins.
Bugs in The Garden
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
6:30 pm at the
Presenter: Todd Hohberger
Learn to identify beneficial bugs, the insects that frequent your garden and lawn. Methods will be discussed to keep plant damage to a minimum while keeping crops safe with as little impact on the environment as possible.
Clever Composting For Healthy Soils
Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:30 pm
at the
Join our Master Gardener in the garden to see a demonstration on how to set up for easy composting. Learn how to improve the soil you have (sand, silt or clay) by adding homemade compost.
Help: The Zucchini & Tomatoes are Taking Over the Garden
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
6:30 pm at the
Presenter: Kathleen Splane
This workshop will give you tools and resources to can, freeze and dry the abundant harvest from your garden.
Participants will take home plenty of recipes to turn their extra veggies into dishes to share. Also learn how you can
share your abundant crops with the local food banks.
Don't Let That Rain Water Escape-Catch It!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
1:00 pm at the
Presenter: Paul Myers
Discover the importance of catching and conserving rain water to use on your plants. Learn how to make your own handy rain barrel to hold collected water until needed to water your garden.
Photographing Your Garden
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 6:00 pm
at the
Learn to capture moments in your garden from an art prospective.Look at color, space and detail. Bring your own digital camera and discover wonderful scenic treasures in the garden.
Growing a Lawn From Seed
Wednesday August 26,2009
at the
Learn the simple steps involved to grow your lawn from seed. Information discussed will be how to prepare the soil for planting, seed planting and care after planting. Lawn diseases will not be discussed.
This is a picture of my 25 foot Eastern Red Cedar that has cedar-apple rust. The fungus requires two host, over winters on galls, and causes the woody tissue to swell into galls on the cedar tree. My tree had eleven visible galls. The significant amount of rain and warm temperatures forced the galls to expand and burst into orange tendrils which at a distance I thought were gorgeous. But seeing the tendrils up close, I quickly changed my mind. While I do not know of any apple trees (the other host) in my community, my MG training tells me that there could be one as close as half a mile from my home. Now what to do? Eliminating one of the host is the recommended prevention. That is not an option. A fungicide is not recommended for the Eastern Red Cedar so I have removed each goal. The galls should have been removed before the tendrils burst open spreading the spores. Hopefully, next year I won’t be sharing this same information! Does anyone think the apples I left in my habitat for the rabbits could be responsible for the cedar-apple rust?
submitted by Cece Sussex MG in Ocean View
The past few days have been good garden days. Our night time temperatures, here in are pretty much above 50`. I began to plant some of my more-hardy container plants. Some of my winter pansies remain as fillers as the new annuals go in. Keep in mind the design concept of needing a thriller, the tall plant that dramatically catches ones eye; a spiller, short plants that cascade over the side of the pot; and a filler, all those in between. As you begin planting, place the plants in the pots so when you later add some tropicals and more tender annuals everything is in the correct place. Planning is the key!
Mary Sue Colaizzi
The first half of April:
· Feed shrubs and roses - read label directions for special instructions.
· Take a soil sample to determine exact amount of nutrients the soil needs to grow and produce flowers or fruit.
· Mow lawn if grass is over 2-1/2 inches tall. The ideal mowing height is two inches. Closer cutting weakens the lawn and opens it to invasion by crabgrass and other weeds.
· Allowing the lawn to grow too tall gives it a ragged appearance, may create problems with accumulated clippings, and will cause matting if played or trampled on.
· Prune and shape spring flowering shrubs after blossoms fade.
· Prune roses before April 22.
· Prepare garden soil for spring planting.
Begin regular scouting program for fruit trees. Pesticides should be used only when pest populations are high enough to cause damage to plants and damage reaches the economic injury level.
Maggie Moore-Orth
Delaware Cooperative Extension, Delaware State University
A couple of weeks ago the pansies were buried under the snow and today, with a shot of fertilizer, they are heralding in spring.
If winter pansies are given a dose of fertilizer now and then again about the third week in April, they will vigorously last thru Memorial Day. I use teaspoon of water soluble fertilizer per gallon of water for the winter pansies in containers. The ones planted in the garden soil get 1 Tablespoon per gallon.
CORRECTION
“Those aren’t green peppers!” I have always promoted adequate marking of seeds because many look alike immediately after germination. Well, peppers don’t. They have pointy little first leaves. Unfortunately, I couldn’t snap a picture of new green pepper seedlings as they have already sprouted their second leaves.
In my defense, the popsicle stick marker was marked G. P. Could it have been geraniums, pink? My system needs a little fine tuning or bigger popsicle sticks that accommodate more than initials.
Thanks you, Anna. It's good to see that this blog is getting read!
Fall is the best time to fertilize daffodils. Root development takes place until the soil temperature fall below 40` and resumes in the spring. However, if you forgot to do it then or couldn’t recall their placement in the garden, this weekend is the last opportunity to fertilize daffodils. It’s been my experience that raking back the mulch and broadcasting a granular fertilizer , then replacing the mulch will boost the energy for producing foliage and flowers.
In the fall it is best to use a 5-10-12 or bone meal but now a 5-10-10 is best.
Mary Sue Colaizzi
Below is an excerpt from an interesting site from the University of Maryland that you may want to check out. Link to the site is posted under Gardening Links. Do you want to eat fresh organic food?; get more exercise?; reduce stress?; be more self-reliant?; have fun? We can show you how to grow your own vegetables, fruits, herbs, and salad greens. The Grow It Eat It campaign is a joint venture between The Maryland Master Gardener program and the Home and Garden Information Center - to address the growing need of Marylanders to learn how to start and maintain successful food gardens. This initiative is driven by the deep recession and the public desire for locally grown food and a connection to the soil. |
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| A shallow frame filled with compost and soil less potting mix. | You can grow lettuce, arugula, Asian greens and other tasty salad greens. |
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| Cut the greens when 6-8 inches tall. The plants will re-grow for a second harvest! | Salad boxes are great for decks, porches, and balconies! |
Our early spring weather has allowed us to get a jump on spring chores. I spent the afternoon with my hydrangeas. Cleaning out the dead leaves and winter debris that has logged around the base is very important for the health of the new shoots. Cutting out the dead wood, at the base of the plant, was next on the agenda. I pulled away all of last years mulch to prepare for fertilization.
It has been my experience that my hydrangeas (Nikko Blues) do best with 2 fertilizations a year, one at the very beginning of May and then another smaller dose following bloom, usually at the end of July. There are specific fertilizers for hydrangeas but I just use a 10-10-10 and they do fine.
Here’s your gardening calendar for March.
For the first half of March:
· Finish pruning shrubs and ornamental trees, except spring flowering shrubs before growth starts. Prune spring flowering shrubs (lilac, forsythia, etc.), as soon as they finish flowering.
· In addition, finish pruning home fruit trees. Do not leave stubs; they usually die and become great entry ways for fungus.
· To prevent the infection of fungal spores and bacteria into the plant as a result of fresh cuts, do not prune in damp or wet weather.
· Plan your vegetable garden on paper. Use space efficiently and rotate vegetables to reduce insect and disease problems.
· Turn your compost pile or start one.
· If soil is dry enough, begin primary soil tillage.
· Add soil nutrients based on results of soil test.
· To support newly transplanted trees from spring winds, use flexible ties between rigid stakes.
· If weeds are beginning to grow in flower bulb beds, pull them by hand to prevent disturbing the bulbs and roots.
· Spray home fruit trees (apples and pears) before buds swell with dormant oil and when temperatures are not likely to drop below 40o for twenty-four hours.
· Spray peaches with Ferbam or Lime sulfur. No spray is needed for cherries or plums at this time.
· Fertilize trees, roses, shrubs and evergreens.
A Backyard Habitat – Cece Niemi –
Tuesday, March 10 at 1 p.m. –Carvel Center.
See and hear natures own animal kingdom in your backyard.
Your property can become a home to birds, bees, butterflies,
and turtles to name a few. Hear about
one gardeners journey to creating a certified
Backyard Wildlife Habitat.
Companion Planting – Linda Peters and Ana Dittel –
Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m. – Carvel Center.
Companion planting is the idea that certain plants benefit others
when planted in near proximity. We will discuss the scientific and
traditional bases for these plant associations A companion planting
chat for herbs, vegetables and flowers will be provided.
Rain Gardens – Nancy Davis –
Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. – Carvel Center.
What happens to rainwater around your home? Ever have problems
with excess drainage? Trouble with erosion? Want to improve your
water quality? A "Rain Garden" may be your answer.
Flower Arranging – Wendy Aycoth –
Tuesday, May 12 at 1 p.m. – Carvel Center.
Learn flower arranging and design from an expert trained in England
and the US. Bring a smll container (6" long and 3" deep) waterproof
basket, or box with a lid. A tuna can painted flat black will also work.
You will need to bring floral shesrs or scissors and greenery cut the
previous evening if possible. You will make a beautiful crescent
shaped floral design to enjoy in your home, A $6.00 materials fee
will becollected on the day of the workshop.
Making Hypertufa Pots – Carolyn Donahoe –
Demonstration Garden.
Two workshops are scheduled. Choose from:
Tuesday, June 2 at 10 a.m. or
Tuesday, June 9 at 1 p.m.
Each workshop is limited to 15 participants.
Materials fee of $15. You will make a hypertufa pot to take home.
Bring heavy-duty latex gloves.
