HAPPY NEW YEAR From Your Johnson County Master Gardener’s
Jack frost is gone and Mr. Freeze is definitely upon us! With these freezes our woody plants are going dormant and pruning back and taking cuttings is the next activity. This is the final year of our 5 year Grape Trial at Russell Farm and steps are being made to complete the study. A lot of work is going into the vineyard this year so starting this month until December it will be work, work, work.
Vineyard Work to be completed
Pre-Pruning
Tighten Lines
Re-Tie Cordons
Soil Samples
Count and identify remaining plants
Spur Prun
Plant Thinning
Record Plant results/yield
“A message from the President”
Paul Murphy
November Message From the President
When I began my training to become a Master Gardener, the first frost in North-central Texas could be expected around mid-October. The last frost was usually around mid-March. The growing season in North Texas is probably several weeks longer today, than it was twenty years ago. This past winter we saw a Valentine’s Day freeze unlike anything experienced in many generations. Plant nurseries throughout the state were forced to deal with sub-zero temperatures. Those who didn’t have time to start new seedlings, often lost their entire inventory.
If you would like to learn more about what types of extreme climate conditions to expect in the future, the program we are planning for our November 15th meeting might interest you. Jeff Ray (https://dfw.cbslocal.com/personality/jeff-ray/), meteorologist for local, CBS affiliates will present a program regarding climate change and how it might effect gardeners.
Jeff will begin the program at 2:00 pm. Master Gardeners will be given first priority for seating but the general public will be given the opportunity the sit in on the presentation. The program will be held in the conference room of the Johnson County Extension Office, 109 W. Chambers Street, Cleburne, TX, 76033. You can call the Extension Office at (817) 556-6375, if you are interested in attending.
Happy Gardening,
Paul
Russell Farm Viticulture Trial 2021
We have begun the 4th growing season for our 5 year Trial Vineyard. We were concerned about the snow and freeze and vine damage, but it appears that we have come out unscathed! The vines are growing and budding and several have berries . It looks like it will be a productive year, if we can keep the critters from eating all the grapes. I pruned all the vines a couple weeks ago and I took pictures today (4-13-2021) to show the growth so far. Please stop by and check the vines out for yourself.
RUSSELL FARM
Johnson County Master Gardener Pam O’Hearn is teaching upcoming Junior Master Gardener’s, at Russell Farm. Great job Pam! If you know of any children interested in becoming Junior Master Gardeners, please contact your Johnson County Agriculture Extension Agent (below).
Guinn Gardens at Buffalo Creek
Joyce Block’s “Block”
(information from a Master Gardener)
Recycling Christmas
By Joyce Block
Christmas is over, most of the Bowl games have been played and the Rose parade is over. In many Christian families, there is a tradition of keeping the Christmas tree up until Epiphany. Epiphany is said to be the date when the wise men came to worship the Christ child. This ends the 12 days of Christmas, and is the day of the Orthodox Christmas.
New Year’s Day has become the day that I take our tree down, while watching the Rose parade. In our little family, we usually have an artificial tree. No muss, no fuss, and it sheds when it is getting old. The other good news is the pets leave it alone!
But the storage of an artificial tree can cause headaches, once it is out of the box, you can’t get it back in without sealing the box with duct tape! Or you can purchase a bag or a box to store the tree in. I have known some people who leave their trees up all year. They have the tree in a room that is unused most of the time. On social media, there have been pictures posted of people using shrink wrap to keep the lights and the ornaments on the tree while it is being stored. I’ll just keep putting it in the box, and make my husband seal the box.
If you have used a live tree, many cities offer recycling of the tree. You must remove all tinsel, ornaments, hooks, lights and anything else that can cause a problem with the tree becoming mulch. This mulch is then made available to city residents to use in their yards. Check with your city to see if they offer curbside recycling or if you need to take your tree somewhere.
If you bought a living tree, either as a house plant or one to plant in your yard. Now would be the time to plant the tree in your yard. There should be enough rain to help the tree’s root system get established before the heat of the summer comes in. If you purchased a Norfolk Island Pine, these trees will need to stay indoors until the night time temperatures stay above 60 on a regular basis. I’ve had several over the years, you need to watch out for spider mites on them and to keep the soil moist.
Joyce Block is a Johnson County Master Gardener, and lives in Alvarado, TX.
Meet your County Extension Agent
Justin Taylor Hale
Extension Agent, Johnson County, Texas
A&M AgriLife Extension Service
109 W. Chambers St. Cleburne, TX 76003
817-556-6370
UPCOMING EVENTS
For more information contact Master Gardener Elaine Bell at 817-309-8052.