Who are the Master Gardeners? We are members of a non-profit program of Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service designed to increase horticultural knowledge in our area and around the state. Started at Washington State University in the early 1970s, the Master Gardeners program spread to Texas A&M University in 1978 and then to all 50 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Currently, the program has almost 100,000 members who volunteer 5 million hours of service per year to their communities. Master Gardeners is a federal and state non-profit program and depends totally on donations and fund-raising for its programs and activities. Locally, the program is led by Ginger Easton Smith, County Extension Agent for Aransas/San Patricio County. To join Master Gardeners, we offer a 3-month training course starting in August. Please contact the Extension Office, 892 Airport Road, Rockport, Texas, 78382, 361-790-0103 for more information. Become a Master Gardener! Register for the Class of 2013A free informational meeting regarding the Aransas/San Patricio 2013 Master Gardener Intern Class will be held Tuesday, July 16, 1:30-3:00 P.M. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Aransas County Office, 892 Airport Road, Rockport. Master Gardener programs exist in all 50 states, where they are coordinated by each state’s Extension Service. At this session, you will learn about the Master Gardener program, including the upcoming 2013 Master Gardener Intern Class. Then you may register for the class, if you are interested. Classes start August 6, and run through November 19 on Tuesdays from 1:30-5:00 P.M. Most classes will be held at the Aransas County Extension Office. Master Gardeners receive extensive training through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, then volunteer a minimum of 20 hours annually in projects designed to bring horticulture education to our community. The course consists of 50 hours of instruction by local horticultural experts and Extension specialists to complete the first phase of the training program. In addition, fifty hours of local volunteer work are required in the year following the class in order to be certified. Some of the topics included are Basic Botany, Entomology, Plant Propagation, Lawn Care, Landscape Design and Xeriscaping, Vegetables, Fruit and Nut Production, Landscape Plant Identification, Selection and Care, Attracting Birds and Butterflies, Composting and Irrigation, and EarthKind Gardening Practices. For more information, call Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Aransas County Office at 361-790-0103 or stop by the office at 892 Airport Road, Rockport, Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. – 12 noon, and 1:00 – 5:00 P.M. It is not necessary to sign up for the informational session. NOTE: Class size for the Intern training program is limited. Tuition is $175 for the 16 class series; $50 of which is refunded upon certification.
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ANNOUNCEMENTCoastal Oaks Garden, consisting of the Demonstration Gardens designed and maintained by the Master Gardeners, is now open to the public Wednesday and Thursday mornings, from 8:00 a.m – 10:00 a.m. (closed holidays). There will be Master Gardeners present to answer any questions you might have about what you see. JULY NEWS ARTICLES
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JULY GARDENING TOPICIrrigation – Installation Was Just the Beginning In-ground sprinkler systems are highly efficient at wasting water. If your system is not adjusted properly, and a great many are not, half of the water that sprays out evaporates or runs off down the gutter. That costs you money. By adjusting the spray pattern of the heads, you keep the water inside your yard. And, by watering early, before the heat, wind and evaporation steal much of the moisture, you make all that water available to your lawn and gardens. Also, sprinklers deliver more water to the immediate spray area, with coverage dropping off toward the outside. To achieve truly even coverage, you need to adjust adjoining heads to overlap areas of reduced spray. And yes, sometimes it will be impossible to achieve maximum desired coverage without some water loss. Once that is done, look at your watering plan. It will be divided into zones. If you have a zone dotted with small flower beds, shrubs, and trees, you probably won’t change that. But beds along the sides of the yard, along a driveway, or across the front of the house, are good candidates. You can tie a drip line into one of the present heads and bury the line in the flower bed. Or, if a faucet is available, buy a timer with two stations, and bury the line – or lay a drip line on top of the bed and simply cover it with mulch. Finally, adjust the original spray heads to direct above ground spray away from the bed and the drip line will then deliver water directly to the plants. (Having two stations gives you the option of attaching a garden hose – or another drip line.) We can’t do much else about large lawn watering – but we can do something about small flower and vegetable beds, shrubs and rose bushes, or container plants. Depending on the amount of area involved, you can replace a head with one that feeds spot watering emitters, or individual micro-sprinklers, or a line that snakes through multiple plants, watering each individually. The easiest way to do this, of course, is to hire a professional, especially if you are starting from scratch, but converting an installed system is not that complicated if you are comfortable doing DIY projects. There are lots of how-to materials on the Internet and all the manufacturers have extensive sites replete with instructions, videos, and forums where you can ask questions and read answers to other people’s questions. So, adjust your present system, then sketch the yard, note where you need each new head, line, emitter, etc. and convert the simplest part first, then proceed from smallest to largest, and soon your yard will be the most water efficient in the neighborhood – and then, the neighbors will start coming over for help with their yards. For more Articles, see http://dallas.tamu.edu/media/38377/drought-proofing-your-landscape-final.pdf http://aspmastergardeners.org/files/2010/06/2010-11-12-SMI-Adjust-Irrigation.doc http://aspmastergardeners.org/files/2010/06/2009-07-06F-SNY-Irrigation.doc http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/faq/tune-up.htm The Water Source is a new online data source to learn about the ongoing drought and the fundamentals of Texas water policy, and to find resources for wildfire prevention and disaster assistance. In addition, users will find helpful news articles, information about reservoir levels and the latest statewide drought conditions from the U.S. Drought Monitor. http://www.texasagriculture.gov/Home/ProductionAgriculture/TheWaterSource.aspx
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