November 2005 Volume 21, Issue 9

Cooperative Extension Service
Health Building
119 West Seventh Street
Bloomington, IN 47404

Holiday Party
Member News
News to Use
Volunteer Hours
Calendar
More News to Use

Holiday Party, November 29
MG Meeting, January 17, 2006
New MG Class, January 2006
MG Advanced Training, February 4, 2006

"Light the candles, light the candles,
Light the candles, for Hanukkah time."

"Oh we need a little Christmas, right this very minute,
Candles at the window, carols at the spinet…."

"Happy Holidays, Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays to you
Let the merry bells keep ringing
Happy Holidays to you."

Whatever holiday is in your future, come and start the season right with your Master Gardener friends. Bring your family and enjoy a festive time with good food, a holiday program, and door prizes. Your RSVP will help us plan Tuesday, November 29, 6:00 p.m., First United Church, 2420 E. Third Street, Bloomington (Formerly First Baptist Church).
Bring an appetizer, salad, side dish or dessert to share. Meats, cheese, breads, drinks, and table service will be provided.
Program: Holiday Gifts to Make - Presenter: Sue Berg, Extension Educator
RSVP by November 21 to Ann McEndarfer (amcendarfer@ truman.edu) or Nancy White (nwhite38@hotmail.com) or telephone 824-4426 and leave a message.

You will be provided with handouts and materials that can be added to your Master Gardener notebook as well as making contact with Master Gardeners from other counties. Invite your friends who are not Master Gardeners to share in the training.

Intern members who have not yet completed their hours for certification can still volunteer to help during the event and count these as volunteer hours. Weather permitting, we will share a winter tour of the IU Arboretum in the afternoon that day.

Location St. Marks Methodist Church on the east 46 bypass.
Fee Just $25 which includes breakfast and snacks.
More information Call Ann McEndarfer or Nancy White or log on to www.mcmga.net.

Master Gardeners will want to mark their calendars for our first general meeting of the New Year. On Tuesday, January 17, MCMGA will meet at the Monroe County Public Library to elect officers and to participate in a special sharing of favorite garden books and catalogues. Plan to come and bring a favorite gardening book or publication and tell us all about it. You will also have a chance to let us know what speakers and topics you would be interested in having on our schedule for 2006.Don't miss this chance.

I have just finished slipping the last of the bulbs into their underground homes. I hope that the critters don’t find them! I am always pleased by my forethought at this time of the year. I can’t wait to see the alliums, daffodils and scilla together. I really plan ahead for the spring blooming season. If only I planned ahead so well year round! We have been lucky this autumn, though. It was a beautiful one.

As the sun streams through the spaces where leaves used to be, I am melancholy that the Master Gardener year is drawing to a close just as Mother Nature is closing the growing season. This year’s Board has already planned great things for the winter ‘education season’. I like to think of winter as a time of learning. I’m not so distracted by the growing season and more easily carve out time for classes and reading. I hope that you will make time for them, too.

The nominating committee is working on the slate for announcement at our November 27 meeting/party. It is not too late to volunteer. Call or email me, 345-3985 or gardenz4ever@hotmail.com, and I will pass along the information. I would like to encourage everyone to participate as a volunteer, committee member, committee chairman, or board member. New members – we need you! Please volunteer now.

The announcement for the Holiday Party is elsewhere in this newsletter. I would like to also mention that we will honor Dan Baugh that evening. Dan is retiring at the end of the year, and we will miss him dearly. I am certain that he’ll enjoy the winter in Florida, but we expect him back in the Fairgrounds Garden next spring! Thank you, Dan, for all you have done and continue to do to support Master Gardening.

The trees are dropping their leaves and it is important to prevent a heavy layer of leaves from building-up on your turf before winter. Heavy layers of tree leaves that shade the grass can smother and kill grass yet this fall. Plus tree leaf cover favors a damaging winter turf disease called snow mold. The easiest way to dispose of leaves is to simply mow them into the turf. Regular mowing during the fall will chop the leaves into small pieces and allow them to filter into the turf. Our research at Purdue and other universities shows that tree leaves can be mulched without any detrimental effects on the soil or turf. Actually, just the opposite may be true where tree leaf mulching may help improve the soil. Mulching leaves with a mower is much easier than raking, blowing, and/or vacuuming the leaves like we have done in the past. Plus it disposes of the leaves without filling up our landfills and saves our cities thousands of dollars in disposal costs.

Nitrogen stimulates increased photosynthesis and the extra energy derived from this goes directly into growth, respiration to maintain the plant (similar to humans), or into storage. In early November, the temperature is still adequate for photosynthesis, but cool enough to minimize respiration demands and too cold for significant growth. Therefore, most of the extra energy derived from a November application of nitrogen is stored by the plant. Next spring, these storage products are used in green-up of the plant and more importantly, for root growth. According to some of our earlier research, it is important for the plant to take up the nitrogen quickly in the fall and store the energy for maximum root growth next spring with a minimum of shoot growth. Though one might think that nitrogen applied early next spring would do the equivalent as November-applied nitrogen, just the opposite occurs and shoot growth is stimulated dramatically with early spring-applied nitrogen. A spring application of nitrogen will never compensate for a missed application in November.

Fall is an ideal time for perennial weed control. Many soybean fields harvested prior to the remnants of Hurricane Rita are really greening up. Many of these green plants are soybean sprouts from shattered bean pods when harvesting. I don’t recollect a recent year with so many beans being lost in the field. However there are also winter annuals and perennials firing up.

Home/Garden Fall Weed Control Now would be a great time to control dandelions in the lawn and garden. Dandelion is a perennial that is mechanically difficult to control. When dandelion tap roots are cut, one ends up with two rather than one dandelion. Since most vegetable gardens are now froze out or finished for the year, products containing 2,4-D (there are many but Weed-B-Gone is one) can be applied in the fall to control these and other broadleaf perennials. For larger yards, a gallon jug of 2,4-D at a farm supply store may be the most economical source. Dandelions are controlled in the lawn or garden in fall better than any other time of year. Read and follow label instructions for quantity. Also make sure leaves are raked prior to application so herbicide makes contact with weed leaves. This will also knock out some of the winter annuals like henbit or chickweed. These winter annuals are often bad about growing next to the house and in spring perennial beds. Though at your own risk since it is not on the label, dormant spring perennials like daffodils, tulips or peonies, I have found able to tolerate a light rate (~2 tbs/gal.) of 2,4-D and glyphosate (2-3 oz./gal.) to control winter annuals often growing in these spots.

Monroe County Master Gardeners present Trees: All Seasons, All Reasons. This Advanced Master Gardener Training is in response to requests for special training on tree identification, planting, diseases, and urban tree care. The session will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2006 at Garton Hall, St. Marks Church, East Bypass, Bloomington, Indiana. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. Speakers begin at 8:30 a.m.

The $25 fee includes continental breakfast, snacks during two breaks, and useful, practical information from tree horticulture experts. The seminar provides four Advanced Master Gardener educational hours. Registration must be received by January 27, 2006.

Program Presenters
Ralph Unversaw, Indiana Forester, Monroe and Owen Counties,
and Lee Huss, Bloomington Urban Forester

8:30 Presentation
8:00 Continental Breakfast
10:00 Short Break
10:15 Presentation
11:20 Break
11:30 Presentation
12:30 Adjourn

Name(s)_______________________________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Phone_(______)_____________________ Email____________________________

Are you a Master Gardener? Yes__________ No____________

Do you request Advanced Education Hours? Yes__________ No____________

Amount Enclosed_______________________($25 per reservation)
Make check payable to Monroe County Master Gardeners. Send completed form and check to Monroe County Master Gardeners, 119 W. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47404. Additional information is available on our website (www.mcmga.net).

A new Master Gardener Intern Class begins on January 26, 2006 and continues for twelve consecutive Thursdays, concluding on Thursday, April 20, 2006. Classes at held at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church, 2700 East Rogers Road, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Certified Master Gardeners are invited to attend any class, and to ensure available seats, are asked to call the Extension Office on the day of the class to register their attendance. Certified Master Gardeners receive one hour of advanced education credit for attending a complete class. Dan Baugh, Extension Educator, announced the following training syllabus at the November board meeting.

January 26 Plant Science
February 2 Soils and Nutrition
February 9 House Plants, Container Gardening, Herbs
February 16 Plant Diseases and Diagnosis
February 23 Entomology and Animal Pests
March 2 Pruning, Composting
March 9 Vegetables, Small Fruits
March 16 Landscape Design and Woody Ornamentals, Hardscaping
March 23 Pesticides: Safety and Applications
March 30 Lawn Care, Invasive Plants
April 6 Herbaceous Ornamentals, Perennials and Annuals
April 13 Organic Gardening, Weed Control, and Ornamental Grasses
April 20 Final Exam

As many of you are aware, a dual delivery service was used for last month’s roots and shoots. The printed copy should have reached your mailbox as usual, but those who had an email address listed in the 2005 membership guide also received an email announcement with a link to the newsletter page (http://mcmga.net/newsletter.htm) on our website. Our goal in the coming months is to print only enough copies to mail to those who have no email capability. A quick calculation revealed that the association would save close to $400 per year in postage costs alone with our current membership. Besides the postage cost, think about the manpower and trees saved by not printing over 100 copies per issue!

Adobe Acrobat is required to see the publications. If needed, a link is provided on the newsletter page to take you directly to the Adobe website for a free and safe download of the current version. I received about 17 responses to the newsletter/email experiment, all willing to forego the mailed version, but I’m left wondering what the other 75 or so opinions are. Modem and/or computer speed made the newsletter slow to download for one person, and another had difficulty installing Acrobat. The other comments were overwhelmingly positive. Planned future improvements are to index articles, and to offer a choice between the .pdf (Acrobat) version and a text only version for those who don’t care about formatting. you haven’t yet commented or wish to add to your previous response, please do so. You can reach me at barbsblooms@insightbb.com, or contact any officer.

Thanks to Ann McEndarfer for the electronic newsletter suggestion, and to everyone else who made it happen.

At the September 27 MCMGA general meeting, under the guidance of Cathy Meyers, City Parks Department, during her session on garden journaling, each member was asked to write a single word. The words were then assembled by Cathy into the following poem.

Bark Projected Coneflower
Grow Cozy Abundance
Seedlings Seasons Bold
Plants Happy Blossom
Are Coneflower Crying
Amazing Glowing Harvest
Mist Fuzzy Orange
Rainbow Fondness Translucent
Flower Roses

Seven Master Gardeners answered telephones and recorded pledges at WFIU during their annual November fund drive. Those volunteering included Preston Gwinn, coordinator, Dale Calabrese, Barbara Cappy, Barbara Hays, Helen Hollingsworth, along with two friends of Preston Gwinn from work. Master Gardeners have assisted WFIU funding drives for the past several years.

At the November board meeting, the MCMGA board agreed to take a vacation in December. There will be no regular board meeting or newsletter in December, but the board will meet in early in January, and the newsletter will resume publication the first week in January, 2006.

Middle Way House needs volunteers to work in their yard/garden. Grab a friend and go volunteer. Here is the contact information : Clara Wilson, House Manager, Middle Way House, Inc., 404 W. Kirkwood, Bloomington, IN 47404 (812-333-7404) or pungo710@insightbb.com

A November application of fertilizer is extremely important to keep your lawn healthy and looking good this fall and next year. Late fall N promotes good root development, enhances storage of energy reserves, and extends color retention this fall. Most of the benefits from late fall N will be seen next spring and summer with earlier green-up, improved density, and improved tolerance to diseases and other stresses. Apply near or after your last mowing of the year, but while grass is still green. Timing of this application is not overly critical because there may be a month or more between your last mowing and the time the grass turns brown or goes under snow cover. Generally the first few weeks of November are when to apply. Earlier Purdue research suggests that the N must be taken-up by the plant before winter to be most effective in areas where the turf goes dormant during the winter. Therefore, a soluble N source such as urea, ammonium nitrate, or ammonium sulfate is most effective and apply 1.0 to 1.25 lbs. N/1000 sq. ft. Conversely, in southern IN and areas where the cool-season turf goes dormant for only for a couple of months or maybe not at all, a slower release fertilizer would be more beneficial to feed the plant throughout the winter months. Use a water soluble slow release fertilizer like sulfur-coated urea or IBDU in this case and apply 1.0 to 1.25 lbs. N/1000 sq. ft.

Q. I have several peonies that are 80-plus years old located in an old farmstead. I would like to transplant them to a more suitable area. What would be the best way to transplant them? What do I need to do as far as fertilizer and water needs after the plants are moved? Rich Unger, Terre Haute, Ind.

A. Peonies are incredibly tough plants! Select a location for the transplants where they'll have good air circulation, full sunlight and some protection from strong winds. Peonies are seldom winter killed, but the flower buds are susceptible to late frosts and wind damage. Don't crowd peonies together or close to other trees or shrubs that compete for soil moisture and nutrients. Try to avoid locations where peonies have been grown before. Peonies thrive on a wide range of soils, but a clay loam is best. It must be well-drained and yet should hold moisture. Peonies need ample room for development, so plant them 3 to 4 feet apart.

October planting or dividing and resetting is preferred because plants are dormant and, therefore, less sensitive to injury. Spring planting is less desirable but can be successful if done early. Prepare the soil at least a foot deep. Mix in generous amounts of organic matter, such as composted manure or sphagnum peat moss. Allow the soil to settle, or, if working the soil immediately prior to planting, pack the soil firmly to prevent settling once the roots are planted. Digging, dividing and replanting will increase the number of plants. If you'd like to propagate your plants while you're transplanting them, dig up the entire clump and divide it into two or more portions. Plant each in a new location. Dig a hole 10 to 12 inches deep in the prepared soil area. Place the plant in the hole, then work the soil in about the roots, making sure it's well firmed. The upper-most buds (eyes) should not be covered more than 2 inches. Planting too deeply is a common cause of failure to bloom. Normally, newly transplanted plants need two to three years to become established enough to produce normal flowers.

Protect your peonies with a mulch for the first winter. Mulch helps preserve moisture and prevents alternate freezing and thawing, which can heave soil and plants. Pull the mulch away from the eyes themselves in the spring. An annual application of fertilizer will be beneficial. The best time to fertilize is immediately after the flowering season. This will enable the plants to make rapid, sturdy growth and develop strong buds for flowering the next spring. One-fourth cup of complete fertilizer per plant, such as 10-10-10 or 12-12-12, scratched into the soil surface annually is adequate.

Peonies become dormant in late September or early October. At that time, cut the stems as close to the soil level as possible without injuring the crowns, and remove all refuse. This is the surest and most economical way to prevent and control spread of insects and diseases.